Disclaimer:
I do not own Golden Sun, Golden Sun: The Lost Age or anything of its characters.
Chapter 4:
Alex stood in the free sunshine, basking the radiance of the sun, his Sol and Lunar powers surging through him. His eyes slowly trained over his surroundings, his sinister grin slowly widening. This land would soon be his. He held out his hand, concentrating Psynergy once again. This time, it glowed purple.
"Winds of Jupiter, hear my call! Tempest Sky!" he cried.
The sky was slowly covered by storm clouds, the sun became blocked out and the sunlight resided. Lightning flashed and then multiple strikes came down, striking the earth. Human and animals alike cowered under this sudden storm. Alex laughed, as he felt the fear among the minds of so many, through his newfound Jupiter powers.
On the ground beside him, Ranul twitched and slowly struggled to his feet. He choked and coughed, droplets of his blood splattering the earth. He stood up, his hand holding his Lunar Blade. He raised his head and looked at Alex, as his back was turned to him. His eyes slowly slid into focus, his will once more bent towards a certain target. He gripped the Lunar Blade, tensing his body. Suddenly, like a striking snake, he slid forward and stabbed his sword towards Alex. Suddenly, a lightning bolt struck down from the sky, hitting Ranul directly.
Ranul screamed out in pain, the lightning surging through his body, before he slumped to the ground again. Alex glanced over and laughed. He turned around, facing the motionless body of Ranul. He slowly walked towards him, holding up his hand, concentrating Psynergy for the finishing blow. Ranul groaned and shifted his body but could not get up.
"Well, well…I guess its time to finish you," Alex gloated. "Be thankful that I'm putting you out of your misery…"
Mercury Psynergy gathered to Alex's hand, casting a blue glow on the surroundings. It formed into ice, which shaped into a sharp spear. Alex shifted his weight to his foot behind his body, leaning back. Then, he lunged forward, aiming the spear into Ranul's stomach. However, he heard a shout and turned his eyes in the direction of the disturbance. A red light met his eyes and reflexively, he veered off and leapt back, dodging the fire ball. He looked towards his attacker and grinned sadistically.
Garet and the others stood on the edge of the opened up hole in the earth, looking down at Alex. Ivan and Sheba could not hide the fear in their eyes, even if their Jupiter powers protected them from being mind-read by Alex. Garet and Jenna were both glaring defiantly back at Alex, neither cowed nor hesitant in any way. As usual, Felix remained impassive but nonetheless, he seemed to be standing slightly more straight than usual and was tense.
"Alex, why can't you just stay dead?" Garet yelled out.
"Ah, as blunt and, may I say, as dim-witted as usual," Alex remarked, causing Garet to become rather annoyed. "How could I "stay dead", as you phrased it, when I never died?"
"How…how have you stayed alive for so long?" Sheba asked.
"You know by now that I climbed to the top of Mt Aleph to receive the powers of Alchemy and the Golden Sun?" he began. "Well, even if the almighty Wise One foiled my plans, to an extent, I still received quite an amount of power. Enough to keep myself alive for so long and eventually obtain enough power to break out."
"Well, you obtained all that power…for nothing," a quiet but strong voice said.
Everyone turned to Felix, as he strode forward, leaping down the side of the hole, navigating down the steep side until he was level with Alex. The others soon followed but Felix did not pause to wait; drawing his sword and shifting to an offensive stance. Alex crushed the ice-spear he had in his hand, before spreading out his arms, gathering Psynergy to him again. Then, they ran forward at the same time. Alex waved his arm, forcing a slab of rock to rise out of the ground, surging towards Felix. Felix leapt up and then swung his sword down with all his might, concentrating Psynergy to his blade. The charged-up blade sliced through the rock, breaking it apart. Alex gestured to the ground again and stalagmites rose out of the ground, their sharp points ready to punctured Felix as he landed.
Felix held out his hand, summoning Venus Psynergy, as his body began to fall.
"Ragnarok!" he shouted.
A huge sword compiled of Venus Psynergy plummeted into Alex's attack, destroying it. Felix landed safely but as he did, Alex rushed up at him, wielding ice-swords in each hand. Alex swung his left sword down, with a sledgehammer blow. Felix lunged left, just as his feet touched the ground. Alex swung with his other sword but then Felix blocked and the ice-sword smashed into numerous pieces. Instantly, Alex countered with his other sword, while his right hand was already forming another out of more ice. Felix slashed with his blade, destroying that sword as well. Feeling confident that Alex's ice-swords would not be able to harm him, Felix shifted forward, attacking more aggressively.
However, Alex's mastery of Psynergy held many tricks. As he blocked and parried, as more and more ice covered the ground, he prepared to trap Felix. Then, when Alex formed yet another sword, Felix leapt up and sliced down, with a mighty swung. However, Alex was waiting for such a move and was ready. Once again, he held out his sword to block but he also gathered Mercury Psynergy in his other hand. As Felix's blade sliced through his sword, he let go and forced Psynergy into the sword, forming more ice. Soon, the ice grew rock-hard and formed a pillar of ice, which had Felix's arm and sword embedded into it.
Felix's eyes widened with shock and he tried to force his arm and sword out but to no avail. Alex laughed and concentrated more Psynergy and placed his hand on the ground. The remains of his many ice-swords rose up and engulfed Felix completely, until he was completely frozen.
"Felix!" Jenna cried, rushing forward, followed by the others.
Alex held up his hand and forks of lightning streaked across the storm covered sky he conjured, before a large lightning bolt struck down, stopping the others in their tracks. As Jenna and the others stopped and glared towards Alex, they knew that they could not defeat him. After all, if they were no match for Ranul, they did not have much to convince them that they could outmatch Alex.
---
Isaac, Mia and Piers continued to make their way towards Sol Sanctum. When they reached the remnants of the old Vale, Isaac glanced around, memories of his hometown resurfacing. Unperturbed as they had little to no memories of the town that Isaac grew up in, Mia and Piers moved on. Shaking himself from his stupor, Isaac turned to follow. Suddenly, a light appeared and Isaac shielded his eyes.
"Isaac, we meet again," a familiar voice said.
Isaac lowered his hand and his eyes widened. "Wise…One…"
Then everything blacked out.
---
"Bring it!" Garet shouted, as he charged towards Alex.
As everyone was shocked with his sudden determination, with the exception of Alex who was simply amused, Garet raised his Fire Brand and swung it towards Alex. Alex raised his eyebrow, forming Mercury Psynergy to his hand. He caught Garet's sword in his hand, ice forming around Garet's sword. Unperturbed, Garet swung his free fist towards Alex. Alex simply ducked underneath the blow, the force of it ruffling his hair. Then, the purple light of Jupiter Psynergy appeared and then Alex punched Garet in the stomach with all his might. Garet went flying as he was propelled by Alex's strength as well as the power of wind.
Ivan and Sheba raised their hands, softening Garet's land with their own Psynergy. Meanwhile, Jenna had melted the ice around Felix and he fell forward, gasping for air, stuttering from the cold. Jenna helped Felix up and they glanced towards the battle. Alex was in the midst of Ivan and Sheba's combined attacks while Garet struggled to his feet. With the speed that Jupiter Adepts are graced with, the two blond Sorcerers dashed around and across Alex, Ivan slicing with his blade while Sheba swung her staff. Alex stepped and turned among their attacks, an amused expression on his face.
"Ah, the two little Jupiter Adepts…you almost seem like a pair of twin brother of sister!" Alex commented. "However, I grow tired of your games…"
Alex suddenly stopped and stood still for an instant, before he suddenly began to spin around on the spot with extreme speed. He flung his arms out as he did, purple light glowing from his hands.
"Tempest Tornado!" he shouted.
A sudden purple tornado erupted around him, immediately hitting Ivan and Sheba, hitting them away like leaves in a breeze. They landed painfully, around one hundred metres away. For the moment, they were out of the fight and Alex turned his attention to Garet, who had finally struggled to his feet. Stubbornly, Garet stood erect and his face was twisted in rage. With a loud battle cry, he charged forward, raising his Fire Brand. Alex held out his hand, forming yet another ice sword. Then, he charged head on towards Garet. Fiery Mars Psynergy was enveloping Garet while Alex answered with icy Mercury Psynergy. As the two concentrations of Psynergy met head on, a mighty explosion of Psynergy exploded, forcing Jenna and Felix to shield their eyes.
When the light faded, Alex was standing erect and triumphant over Garet, as he lay half-frozen on the ground. With a maniacal grin, Alex trained his gaze towards Jenna and Felix. In desperation, Jenna stepped forward and quickly unleashed a Serpent Fume upon Alex. Alex simply glanced at it, before swinging his arm in a slashing movement, sending a wave of Psynergy to meet the Serpent Fume, splitting the fiery dragon in two, from nose to tail. As the Serpent Fume faded away, Felix appeared in its wake, catching Alex by surprise. Before he could react, Felix swung his Excalibur with all his might, bringing it crashing down upon Alex. The sword sliced into Alex's shoulder and lodged down into his body. Alex's face froze in shock. Felix's face was grim and silent. Jenna stared, shocked at the success of Felix's attack.
Everyone began to feel relieved when suddenly, Alex raised his hand and grabbed onto the blade which had embedded itself into his shoulder. As Felix's eyes widened, Alex grinned and tore the blade out, healing his body as he did. Alex stepped forward and punched Felix in the gut, before swinging an uppercut into his chin. As Felix flew up into the air, Alex grabbed his leg and then swung Felix's body around, launching him into the air and a good distance away.
"No…way…" Jenna choked out. "That's…impossible…"
Alex simply grinned.
"Jenna, step back!" a voice suddenly cried out.
Jenna twisted her head to see a suddenly torrential amount of ice raining down upon her and Alex. She leapt back and the ice crashed into Alex. Without flinching, he took Mia and Pier's attacks easily. Jenna rushed back a safe distance away from Alex. Garet and Felix struggled over beside her while Ivan and Sheba followed. Mia and Piers slid down the side of the crater, joining their friends. Jenna glanced around, her face confused.
"Where's Isaac?"
---
Isaac opened his eyes and was immediately blinded by a bright light. Reflexively he blinked and shielded his eyes. Gradually the light's intensity lessened and he opened his eyes. He looked around and found himself in a chamber with no exits. All around was a circular wall that was engraved with images of the sun and moon, as well as symbols representing the four Elements. They were lit by a golden sun that emitted from the centre of the room. Isaac glanced towards the centre to find the Wise One staring back at him.
"Isaac," the Wise One greeted. "Welcome to the Chamber of Creation."
"Chamber of…Creation?"
"Yes. In this chamber is the power that created the world as well as where it is stored."
"The power that created the world?"
"Correct."
Suddenly, Isaac remembered Ranul and the others. "Wise One, what am I doing here! I need to join the others and fight Ranul!"
"Certainly you need to join the others but Ranul is not your enemy. He is simply slightly misguided but you two are allies."
"Allies?"
The Wise One turned his gaze and then beckoned to someone. Ranul approached Isaac, his gaze devoid of hatred but was filled with confusion.
"Isaac…the Wise One tells me we are not enemies…"
"…then you…who…who is our enemy?" Isaac asked, confused.
Ranul shook his head and answered, "I don't know."
"Your true enemy is someone whom you have already met," the Wise One answered.
"Alex…"
"Yes."
Isaac's gaze hardened. "Wise One, what must I do to defeat him?"
The Wise One gazed into Isaac's eyes, before switching his gaze to Ranul, who was silent. Then, he directed their gazes towards the light in the centre of the room.
"Gaze into the power of Creation and your questions shall be answered."
---
"Isaac was right behind us! Where could he have gone?" Mia exclaimed.
"I don't recall hearing of anything behind us and I assumed he was still following us…" Pier muttered.
"Never mind that for now…we must concentrate on defeating Alex…" Felix said.
"Defeat me? Having goals is a good thing but don't stretch for something out of your reach, little Felix."
The seven Adepts turned their eyes towards Alex, their gazes filling with hatred. They raised their weapons and shifted into fighting stances. Alex simply approached, grinning. They stood side by side, facing Alex as a united force. Alex stopped and gazed at each one.
"Ah…all lined up for target practice. That does make it much easier for me, thank-you."
"Alex, I'm going to kill you," Felix said quietly, murderous intent embedded into his voice.
"Big words. No, Felix, the honour of being the executioner has been awarded to me, today," Alex replied, gazing at each and every one of them. "Your pitiful lives shall end here while my power is given birth today. Ironic, that your death day shall be the same day in which I was reborn."
"Alex, just shut-up and die."
Alex closed his eyes, concentrating Psynergy. Felix and the others tensed their bodies. Alex opened his eyes and they were glowing with Psynergy.
"Allow me to show you the instrument of your destruction. My body is the living example of a perfect unification of the elements and my weapon shall be the same…"
The earth began to shake and fire erupted from the cracks that appeared in the earth. The sky bean to cloud over again, lightning striking and thunder were booming. Rain began to fall. Four lights, each representing one of the four elements, gathered to Alex's hand, uniting to form a bright light. Soon, they merged and formed into a sword shape. As the light faded, Alex grinned maniacally and raised his weapon. It was made some sort of dark substance, almost black. In the hilt was encrusted a coloured stone representing each of the four elements.
"Behold! The Elemental Blade!"
"Dramatic as ever, Alex," Felix called out. "But while you were talking, we were preparing. Go, Djinn! I summon Judgement!"
"Thor!" Sheba and Ivan cried out.
"Boreas!" Mia and Piers followed.
"Meteor!" Jenna and Garet finished.
The seven powerful elemental summonses descended upon Alex. Judgement raised its Lion-head. Two Meteors were descending from the sky. The two Thor summons raised their hammers. Countless shards of ice rained down upon Alex from the two Boreas summons. As the elemental attacks converged upon Alex, he raised his Elemental Sword to meet them and then there was an almighty explosion for Psynergy and light. Everything around the crater was enveloped in the clash of Psynergy and nothing was left untouched. Felix and the others were thrown back from the intensity of the attack. The light enveloped Alex, forcing him away from sight.
When everything clamed down and the light finally faded, Felix struggled to his feet and looked around. The others were lying beside or near him. Everything for kilometres away was destroyed. As the others also struggled to their feet, Felix looked around for any sign of Alex. Finally satisfied that they and won, he turned to the others, opening his mouth to proclaim their victory. However, he suddenly froze. Everyone else noticed his sudden change and turned towards where he was staring. As they followed his gaze, they found Alex, alive and well, his Elemental Blade smoking.
"My turn," he said, before he dashed forward.
Ivan, who happened to be closest to him, was his target. Ivan raised his blade to block by the force of Alex's attack knocked him to the ground. Then, Alex raised his blade for the killing blow. The others were too slow to react and nothing was in his way. As the blade came down, Ivan closed his eyes and awaited death. However, the blow never came. Instead, he heard a loud clang of metal crashing upon metal. He opened his eyes and two figures stood between him and Alex, their blades, which were silver and gold, stopping Alex's Elemental Blade.
"Looks like we got here in time…" a voice remarked.
"Seems that way. Are you alright, Ivan?" the other answered.
"…Isaac?"