Disclaimer:
I do not own Golden Sun, Golden Sun: The Lost Age or anything of its characters.
Chapter 3: The True Power of the Sanctum
Isaac walked through a haze of shadows aiming for the light, walking towards the endless horizon. As he neared the light and reached out to grab it, he felt some warmth but then the light drew away and once more, he was smothered in shadow. Desperately he reached for it but when he received a little warmth for his efforts, the rest would draw away. Finally, he lunged for it and just as he was about to fall short and become plunged into endless shadow, he reached it and his world went bright. When the light softened, he saw…Mia?
Isaac sat up and looked around. He was in his own bed, his beloved Mia sleeping peacefully beside him. Everything was calm and peaceful and it was like Ranul had never come. However, when he tried to step out of his bed, his body was suddenly stricken with pain. He gritted his teeth and fell back into his bed, clutching his body. His entire body, especially his abdomen, ached. It was as if his entire body was thrown straight into the sun itself. He gasped in pain and then he felt Mia stir beside him.
"Isaac?" her voice, laced with concern, asked. "Are you alright?"
"I-I'm fine…" Isaac mumbled, gritting his teeth against the pain.
Mia got out the bed, put her hand on her hips and said, "Isaac, I can tell from here that you're in pain. Stop being stubborn and get some sleep."
Isaac did not cringe at the authority in her voice and simply answered, "You know how cute you look, when you're angry?"
Mia immediately blushed and her gaze softened, before replying, "Don't change the subject. I was healer back in Imil and I know an injured person when I see one. Get some rest."
"When I walked into that house and first saw you, I thought hat you were an angel, with hair as blue as the sky that you came from," Isaac said, grinning.
Mia could hardly keep a stern face after that comment and walked over to Isaac. She reached down and caressed Isaac's face. Isaac closed his eyes, losing himself in her touch. Suddenly, Mia pushed down and Isaac fell into the bed. Without a word, Mia pulled the covers over Isaac and walked to the door. She looked over her shoulder, gave Isaac a stern look before walking out and closing the door. Isaac simply grinned at his wife's outwardly cold yet inwardly warm concern and fell asleep again, grinning. The shadows and light inside his dreams were replaced by a snow-covered earth, underneath a bright blue sky. In the midst of the serenity stood Mia, her face dulling the bright snow around her.
---
Ranul walked across the barren landscape, towards a scene of rubble and mountains of wrecked stone. He stood before the site of where the Sol Sanctum used to stand. He remembered the Wise One's words clearly.
When the Golden Sun was formed, its power was claimed atop Mt Aleph by one individual: a Mercury Adept by the name of Alex. Hiding his power, he used several other Adepts and convinced when to travel around the land, lighting each of the four Lighthouses. While they did so, he helped along the way before finally arriving to Mt Aleph, to claim the power. However, some of that power was locked away in the Mars Star by me. Thus, Alex could not claim all of the power. Isaac received the small portion that the Mars Star contained. However, Alex, confident with his newfound power, attempted to defeat me in a contest of Psynergy. As a result, I defeated him and paralysed him, as Mt Aleph shrank into the ground. To this day, even I do not know where he is.
Ranul stood amidst the rubble and closed his eyes. He ignored the Jupiter and Mercury powers in him and concentrated upon his Lunar Psynergy. Soon, he felt it. It was faint but it was nonetheless there. A small beat, a small rhythm of flowing Psynergy. It was Sol Psynergy. Not requiring anymore incentive, Ranul rushed forward to where he sensed the Sol Psynergy. It was faint but as well as the merging of Mars and Venus that made up Sol, a hint of Mercury was there as well. There was no doubt. This was Alex, the one that the Wise One spoke of. Ranul stood before a huge slab of rubble. He raised his hand and a sudden flash of lightning destroyed it. Underneath was a hole that leads deeper into the earth. Drawn by the Sol Psynergy emitting from it, he stepped in, soon engulfed by the darkness.
---
Isaac opened his eyes, the sunlight filtering in between a crack in the curtains. He felt a calming sensation and then noticed a faint blue light on the walls. Recognising the power of Ply, he grinned and look around to see Piers and Mia, both using their Mercury healing powers.
"Yo," he greeted.
"You're awake at last," Mia said, stepping forward and embracing him.
Piers pointedly made his way to the door, to leave the couple alone. However, when he reached the door, he stopped and turned around.
"Oh, Isaac," he began. "Felix and the others have gone to Sol Sanctum, to keep an eye on Ranul."
"What!" Isaac shouted, a vivid image of a triumphant Ranul, standing over the bodies of Isaac's friends, flashing across his mind. "He's too strong! All eight of us attacked him and he knocked us aside like we were just leaves blowing in the air!"
"Relax, Isaac, relax…" Mia soothed, raising her hand and placing it gently on Isaac's forehead. "They're not going to fight."
"Mia's right, after the appearance of the Wise One, Ranul just left. Clearly, he isn't specifically out to kill us. I mean, he's powerful but not senselessly violent," Piers added.
Isaac relaxed but he still felt uneasy.
"Still, if Ranul has gone to look for Alex, to look for the Golden Sun, we can't just sit here. The rise of the Golden Sun caused Mt Aleph to sink into the ground. Who knows what someone deliberately wielding that power could do."
Piers nodded, agreeing with his statement. Despite pleas from Mia, Isaac struggled out of bed, flung on his armour and grabbed the Sol Blade. Leaning the flat of it on his shoulder, he turned to the others.
"Let's go," he said.
---
"What do you think he went in there for?"
"I don't know, let's go see!"
"Yeah! Let's…"
"Will you two shut-up!"
Ivan and Sheba sheepishly closed their mouths and looked over to an angry Jenna.
"Sorry…"
"My bad…"
"Man, you guys are more annoying than Garet," Jenna grumbled.
"Hey! That's not very nice!" Garet responded.
"Shut-up!" Jenna shouted again.
"No!" Garet returned.
"Yeah, why should we shut-up?" Ivan said.
"You shut-up, Jenna!" Sheba shouted.
The two Mars and two Jupiter Adepts ignited into a heated argument, the idea of quietly watching someone from afar completely banished from their minds. As their shouts began to become detectable hundreds of metres away, a sudden, loud rumble was heard. Everyone stopped and stared at where the sound was being emitted from. Felix stood, with a hint of his sisters' temper in his eyes, his hand glowing with Psynergy. He had cast a minor Quake and when he received everyone's undivided attention, he took out his Excalibur and slammed it into the ground, pieces of rock flying everywhere. His meaning was clear. "Shut-up, or I'll get angry."
---
Ranul strode through the subterranean ruins of Sol Sanctum, lighting his way with pale, Lunar light. He stalked past dark, forgotten statues, through mysterious hallways. His eyes darted from side to side, sweeping for any sign of movement. If there was something down here, it would be attracted to his light, curious to what someone so strange is doing down here, in the never-ending darkness. Finally, he reached the heart of Sol Sanctum.
He saw a room dedicated to Lunar and then a room dedicated to Sol. He felt the familiar power of Lunar emanating in the air around him but more importantly, the warm power of Sol. He tried to find its source, pacing about the room. Where was it? Where was the Sol Psynergy that he sought after? He sat down, resting, as he thought about his problem. No puzzle, in no dungeon has defeated him so far and he did not intend to start now. He looked at each part of the walls, trying to find some clue. He tapped the walls here and there. However, he could not figure out the secret. He heard from the Wise One of the portal that was opened previously by Isaac and the others but there was little point. The Wise One stated that portal was closed. Without the power of the Elemental Stars to sustain it, that chamber collapsed.
Suddenly, his Psynergy ran low and he was forced to rest. He released the light in his hands and everything grew dark. Here, in the eternal darkness, Ranul could not help but feel uneasy and willed his Psynergy to quickly recover itself. However, before it did, he heard a voice.
"Who are you?"
He jumped at the voice and drew his Lunar Blade. He swung it through the air around him but it met only air. Calming down slightly, he relaxed and thought it was just the darkness getting to him. He sat down again, immersing himself in his thoughts of how to find Alex.
"What are you doing here?" the voice said again.
Ranul sprung to his feet and swung his Lunar Blade again but once again, there was nothing. What was this…? Was he…going crazy?
"No, you're not going crazy," the voice said.
"Who are you?"
"Someone who has lived down here for a while."
"Are you…a ghost?"
The voice laughed and replied, "No, Ranul, I am very much alive."
"What…are you?"
"An Adept."
"Wait…you're Alex!"
The voice of Alex laughed again and replied, "So, you know my name. I expect you've met Isaac and the others?"
Ranul narrowed his eyes and said, "I defeated them in battle."
"Oh, strong, aren't we?"
Ranul held out his Lunar Blade and said, "You're next."
His Psynergy recovered, Ranul concentrated Psynergy to the Lunar Blade and cried, out, "Intensify!"
The light around his sword glowed ever more brightly and suddenly, the light blindingly lit the area around him. It was as if the room was reacting to his Lunar powers. The walls themselves glowed and it was like they were answering to his bright beacon. Ranul glanced around him but Alex was nowhere in sight. Suddenly, he heard the sound of Psynergy being used in the room next to him and he rushed to it, to the room dedicated to Sol. When he reached it, he found him: Alex.
Alex was glowing with golden light and the walls around him fed more and more into him.
"Yes, yes! This is it! The power of Sol!" he cried.
Ranul held out his Lunar Blade and then struck at Alex, the Lunar Psynergy he gathered earlier driving his blade to Alex. Alex glanced over is shoulder and then waved his hand. Immediately, a wave of golden light flew from it, intercepting Ranul. Ranul was thrown back by its power and slammed against the wall. He slumped to the ground, trying to maintain a grip on his consciousness.
"What…what is this?" he gasped.
Alex looked at him and grinned.
"This, my young friend, is the power of Sol, when it is nurtured in Sol Sanctum. Now, I have claimed it. I no longer need the portion that Isaac has! All this time, locked within Sol Sanctum, I have been absorbing its powers. Now, not only do I have reign over Sol, I shall now claim Lunar!"
Alex raised his hand and teleported to the Lunar room. Ranul struggled to his feet and tried to follow. When he reached it, he saw the same scene, only this time, Alex was receiving the powers of Lunar.
"Yes! I understand now! It is not the Golden Sun itself that contains the power, it is the Sanctum dedicated to it that holds the power. Wise One! Can you hear me! I have it! Both Sol and Lunar! Ranul and Isaac's powers are nothing compared to me now!"
Ranul held up his Lunar Blade defiantly and rushed forward. Alex glanced at him in amusement and then concentrated Psynergy to his palms.
"I call upon the powers of Venus, of Sol! Tectonic Tremor!"
The room began to shake; the earth around it began to shake. Ranul was thrown off his feet and he stumbled to the ground in a heap. Alex stood amidst the chaos, as the earth above him opened up to his will.
---
Isaac, Mia and Piers rushed to where So Sanctum lay but reached it too late. They witnessed the ground opening up, the tremendous amount of Venus Psynergy rising and reaching for the sky. The area around them, even miles away from where the earth was opening up, began to shake. Mia bucked her knees and fell, shortly followed by Piers. Isaac struggled against the tremor but soon, it overcame him as well. In desperation, he raised his arms and called upon his Psynergy. Doing his best to control the earth around him, he struggled against the mighty power shaking the earth, trying to calm it with his own.
---
"What's happening!'
"What's going on!"
"The earth is opening up!"
"Is Mt Aleph rising up again!"
Jenna and the others panicked but then, a yellow light glowed underneath them. They turned to see Felix, as he concentrated his powers to controlling the earth. Suddenly, they heard a great crashing and grinding noise. They looked towards it to see earth rising up. However, they grew shocked again, at who was standing upon it. His long blue hair, untouched by his long confinement within the earth, fluttered in the free wind. His smile grew sinister, as he revelled in his new freedom. Alex was back. With both the powers of Sol and Lunar.