(A/N: First off, Reviews... This may take a while (note, they're going from most to least recent, so sorry... But if you reviewed earlier, then you'll have to scroll a little:
Cloud-123: Thank you for review, and I know this isn't soon, but . . . Better late than never! Right? Enjoy the fic!
Master of Reality: *whew!* I did get your name right, very good. *blushes* Oh, a toast! Well, I don't think I really deserve that, but I'm glad you enjoyed it. Truth be told, I'm not much for the gushy stuff either! I leave it to Licorice_Sama and Ms. Blonde, but in that one, it just worked! There isn't much in here, but there isn't much action either. This is one of those boring intercalary chapters so that next time you play Golden Sun, you think, 'hmm, well that's interesting,' but I think people will like it pretty well. Thank you again for reviewing 'Tear Falling Rains'! I was sooo pleased! ^_^ May the Force be with you! I was like, HA! Star Wars reference! YAY!
kai33: OH MY COW!! *BLUSHBLUSHBLUSH!!!* I totally forgot the necklace! I had a point in Mercury Lighthouse I foreordained it to go in, but I forgot!!! ARG! Now it will just have to wait for the Venus Lighthouse. Thank you sooooo much for reminding me! I would have totally forgotten if you hadn't, then I would have felt really stupid... like that's different from any other day...
Sora: LMAO!! Oh, you make me laugh, girl. I loved the part where Alex gets hit with the door too! It was so great to write! ^____^ Like I told Master of Reality, I didn't mean for all the gush! I went back and read it the other night, and I was like... holy cow... I wrote that? But I'm glad you didn't brush your teeth. Sometimes, we all need a few gush-induced cavities.
WARNING: FANGIRL RANT: And, finally, never be ashamed to be a fangirl! *large pink flag with fangirl scrawled across the back of it thrown into background. Jedigrl2001 stand up in military attire and gives a speech* Why, if it wasn't for the fangirls of this great, great world, what would happen to the role of fandom in everyday life?! You couldn't walk down street and see girls hovering over a magazine, giggling at Orlando Bloom in LOTR! You couldn't go to see a Star Wars movie and hear the girls behind you sigh whenever Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi comes on screen! And most importantly! Without fangirls? Where would fanfiction.net be?! That's right! If it wasn't for fangirls, it would not exist! We might be writing things that could be published, and then those who write things that get ripped off by us might not be paid as much, then they won't write as much, then fandom will die out because there would be nothing to fandomize!!!! *breathing heavily from talking so forcefully* so yeah... fandom rocks... I'll sit down now. *puts away the flag and takes off the military stuff*
Semaj Fallen: that is a really cool name... Is Semaj from another language or something, cause that sounds really cool. Glad you liked it. Sometimes, with all that gush, I get a little worried.
Bob'N'Cat: Yeah, it was gushy. Seems like everyone's mentioning that. I don't know how much more gush there will be, cause obviously I've got to follow that scene up with more, but nothing more severe than what's already written, I'll tell you that. I don't write that sort of stuff. NO WAY!!! I'll give you a head's up next time.
Vyctori: *blush* well, I'm glad you think my story is still going strong. That makes me feel really good about my writing. The FLUFF the GUSH!! There was so-o much! At least I pleased those that enjoyed the gush and didn't scare away the male readers! lol. Maybe I will write more fluff and gush. After all, with all that went on between Menardi and Saturos, it wouldn't make any sense if nothing more happened, right? So I'll do that for sure. As for Karst and her miniskirt... That will make for some very interesting writing in later fics. ^_^
Nintendo Gamer: Another Pro-gush person. Well, that's good to know. Maybe I will write more for us lovely fangirls. ^_^ I know what you mean about the dying thing! The more and more I get into this, the more and more I wish they hadn't died! However...
NOTE TO READERS: I was talking to my friend/stalker *shudder* about the Menardi and Saturos dying issue and he said something that surprised me. I was talking about how I wouldn't write a certain death until the game let me know for sure, since all we saw was them falling into the lighthouse. He said to me, 'Didn't you not see them die, anyway? I mean, how could they have died if they fell into a lighthouse that refilled their power?' ..... that thought kinda sent me into a panic... What has Nintendo got up their creepy sleeve, anyway? I'm just worried Saturos and Menardi are going to come back as warped creatures, tainted by the power of the lighthouse or something dumb and cliche like that! *SOB!* But no, I won't write a 'for-real' death until I have it confirmed. So you can rejoice, Vyctori. I won't kill them off... yet.
Water Adept 17: AAAAARRRG!!! *calms herself* sorry, it's just Mia Piers pairing just pisses me off for no apparent reason. I suppose it will make more sense when I finally get around to writing the Piers story I have planned. But no... Mia's got to end up with someone, I'm afraid, so maybe eventually I'll resort to that. I dunno...
And onto why this has taken so farking long to get this posted... No, the computer hasn't been a problem, no I haven't have a kidney out, but here it is, plain and sweet.
Okay, so I sit down to work on the story, right? Well, I realize I had everything up to THIS POINT planned out. So as I am typing, I am sitting at my computer, trying to remember names, places and such... **pulls out G_Sun I** Or maybe I'll just use this! ^__^
Okay... Well, looking at the map now after so long, it would make sense that it took forever for Saturos and Alex to get to Bilbin! Holy Cow, this thing is huge! But it hardly makes a dent on the G_Sun II map, eh? Okay, obviously, they are going to have to cross the river at some point because the tree-curse isn't lifted, so that could work... ;^^ However, I doubt people want to read an entire fic on crossing a river. "Saturos took one step forward, but his foot suddenly slipped out from under him! Oh, no! He had fallen and the water came up only a few inches above his rear! The weight of the stream was too much! *sob*..."
... yeah, we're definitely getting another plan.
Next item on the map... Fuchin Temple... Fuchin? Wasn't that the place with the creepy monk, priest guy that knew you read his mind and gave you some sort of psynergy? What was his name? Urgh, just a second...
**starts for Fuchin Temple**
**gets stopped at Bilbin Barricade** You mean I haven't talked the those tree-that-almost-got-washed-down-stream-kids yet?! GEEZ! WHAT SORTA FILE IS THIS?! ... *unimpressed* whoo... she gave me a hard nut. Thank you, Jill. How thoughtful... Meanwhile, back to our journey...
Through Kolima... Over Kolima Bridge... round the corner... (this is starting to sound like a song by now...) I FOUND IT!!!
Okay, talking to the first guy... Wow... Mogall Forest used to be a prairie until the psynergy stones fell in it... I might be able to play with that a little... Next guy.. Same old same old... gems falling from the sky... disaster and destruction... *yawn* Next guy... Okay, here we go...
Master Nyunpa? No wonder I didn't remember it... Wait a sec... Inspiration has struck me! Okay, got to write while it's good... Here we go! Even I don't know what to expect, so be warned... enjoy! ^_^ *pulls out map to check one more time on a place* Alrighty... Okay... Enjoy! ^_^)
Part 16:
Jenna sat on the ground, under a large, shady tree, exhausted. "How much further?" Jenna asked.
"I don't know," Saturos sighed, looking at the map. He sat down on a cool rock near the tree as Alex gathered everyone's canteens and took the to the riverside to fill them again. "If only we had been able to stop at Kolima like we planned."
Felix looked at Saturos, reaching in his bag and tearing a loaf of bread in half, giving one piece to Kraden and the other to Jenna. "Why do you think the people left?" he asked as he took out another loaf, tearing it and offering a piece to Menardi.
He held out the second half to Saturos, but he shook his head, telling Felix to keep the bread for himself. Saturos watched the young man tear into the loaf, sighing. He was hungry, but he needed an empty stomach to think. He pressed a finger thoughtfully to the map, tracing their path. "I don't know," he thought aloud. "It didn't seem like Kolima was... abandoned. It seemed more like..." Saturos fell silent.
"Like what?" Jenna asked.
Saturos sighed. "I don't know. But it didn't feel like it was empty."
"You mean like there were people there?" Felix asked.
"Saturos," Menardi said softly. "We searched that entire town. Not a person in sight. It had to be abandoned."
Saturos shrugged. "Maybe something happened."
"Maybe," Jenna said, a thoughtful look in her eyes, "They were all turned into trees."
Felix laughed, covering his mouth to keep the bread in. Jenna swung out at him, clubbing him smartly in the shoulder. "Ow!"
"What are you laughing at?" Jenna demanded. "Haven't you ever heard stories like that, where, like, a God or something gets upset and punishes everyone?"
Felix swallowed his bread then rounded on his sister. "Well, yeah, but..." He paused. "Trees?"
Jenna glared at him sourly. "It could happen."
Felix took another bite of his bread, quietly muttering, "No it couldn't."
Kraden sighed, leaning forward between the two. "Where is our next stop, Saturos?"
"A temple about half a day's walk from here," Saturos sighed as Alex rejoined them, handing out the canteens. "If we start in about an hour, we could make it there by sundown."
"I don't want to walk anymore today," Jenna groaned, leaning back against the tree with a sigh. "I'm nearly exhausted from what we've done today alone."
"Well, this area is more hilly than what we're used to," Menardi pointed out, taking a long sip of her water.
Saturos pulled off his headband as he tipped his head back, first taking a drink, then sprinkling the water over his head. "No, we should make it to the temple tonight. I don't want to take the chance of those kids catching up with us."
Jenna eyed the ground, running her hands over the cold outside of her canteen. "Isaac... Garet... I worry about them."
Saturos let out a bitter laugh as he stood. "Trust me, they can take care of themselves."
Jenna watched him, suddenly jumping to her feet. "Why don't we just tell them what we're doing? Why we're doing it? They would listen, wouldn't they?"
"Did you?" Menardi asked quietly. "As wonderful as it could be having others on our side, they would never listen to us."
Felix nodded, playing with the grass at his side. "I think she's right, Jenna. I mean, what if they did catch up with us and they didn't listen? Wouldn't that just complicate everything instead of fix it?"
"They would attempt to destroy us," Alex said curtly, leaning against the tree. "I for one am not willing to take that sort of gamble, no matter how much easier it might be if they did listen."
"They aren't ready to listen," Saturos said, turning back around to face Alex. "Don't you remember what happened at the lighthouse? They weren't just trying to stop us. That Garet boy understands what it would take to stop us permanently... They are trying to kill us." He looked at Felix, as though to tell him something he didn't already know. "All of us."
Felix looked back at his hand, pulling up the grass. "I know, Saturos."
"They're trying to rescue us," Kraden said. "Couldn't we somehow use that to our advantage?"
Saturos sighed. "But then how would we get the Mars Star?"
"Saturos is right," Menardi said quietly. "We just can't let them catch up."
"Which means we need to pick up pace," Saturos added.
Kraden groaned, lifting himself slowly to his feet, Jenna grabbing his arm to help steady him. "In that case, we'd better be moving out again."
* * *
It was sundown, and there was no place in sight. Jenna dragged her feet along, following behind Saturos sleepily. "Are we there yet?"
"It shouldn't be much further," Saturos said quietly, afraid to say it again. He'd been saying it for the last three hours. Even he was beginning to think that the temple had been shut down or never existed at all. He leaned his hand against the clean, white, granite cliff's face, pressing the other to his chest and breathing hard. It had been a strenuous climb up the cliff, but a rather ragged path had been formed, the only sign that there might still be people living up the mountain.
"Saturos," Alex sighed. "Let's just give up. It would be better to stop here for the night than to keep going."
Saturos stared down the road. "You're probably right," he murmured softly. He let the bag slide from his shoulder and flop on the ground with a light thud. All the others began to follow his lead, setting their things down on the rocks or stretching out of the stony ground. Kraden stepped forward past Saturos, sniffing the air tentatively.
"What is it?" Saturos asked.
"Do you smell that?"
Felix looked up from where he'd sprawled out on a long granite slab. "I don't smell anything."
Kraden shook his head, taking in a deep breath. "No, I smell something. I'm sure of it."
"Perfect. It's that senile part of the old man surfacing again," Alex muttered quietly so only Felix could hear him. The two began to laugh until Menardi cleared her throat, a little frustratedly.
She looked up at Kraden, almost apologetically, though the old man hadn't heard. "What do you smell?"
Kraden sniffed the air again, brow furrowed and eyes narrow. His nose twitched slightly as he looked toward Menardi. "Incense. I'm sure of it."
Saturos looked to his counterpart. "If there's incense, there's a temple."
"And if there's a temple, there's beds!" Jenna exclaimed, jumping to her feet. She grabbed her bag and rushed over to Kraden. "Where is the smell coming from?"
"I don't know," Kraden said, pushing his spectacles back over the bridge of his nose. "Somewhere before us, no doubt. I didn't smell it until we reached this point."
"Should we keep going?" Menardi asked.
Alex sighed distastefully. "It's only flower-scent, Saturos. Besides, we're all tired from a long day's walk." Alex lay back against a rock, putting his hands behind his neck. "Let's just stay here."
Saturos looked at Kraden. "What do you think, Master Sage?"
Kraden sighed. "I do believe that we might find the temple if we search a little longer, but if everyone is too tired, then-"
"Then its settled," Saturos said, picking up his bag again and looking at Alex and Felix. "We're going to hike for another hour. If we don't find it by then, then we'll camp out for the night."
Alex looked at Saturos challengingly, as though he was not going to move. It was only when Felix began to stand that Alex's gaze moved from Saturos to Felix. Alex rolled his eyes and heaved a mighty sigh, picking up his bag again and starting to stand. Saturos stared at Alex only a moment longer before nodding to Kraden and starting down the path again. Everyone began to follow, Felix taking up the rear, but Alex still had not moved.
"Load of fools, all of you," he grumbled to himself, starting down the path behind Felix. He stared at the ground as he walked, kicking a stone off the side of the mountain and listening as it rattled down the mountain side.
He hated how everyone seemed to think that Saturos had been the hero at Mercury Lighthouse, just because he had been injured. Some hero, Alex thought to himself bitterly. If he's such a hero, why did I have to save him?
Why did he save him? Alex knew that he could lead on their group just as well as Saturos. He could easily make better decisions than this one, following an old man's sense of smell. He didn't need Saturos and Menardi. He could do all of this on his own. He was strong enough, smart enough; more than both of the Proxinians put together.
And the others? Alex shook his head. Jenna and Kraden were simply slowing them down. They needed to get rid of them. When he first presented the idea of kidnaping them, he had no idea that they would be such a burden. He glanced down the edge of the cliff. It wouldn't be too hard to get rid of them, he thought, nudging a rock with the toe of his boot. He watched it fall and split open against another rock below. Yes, it would be very easy.
He turned back to the road. But he was not in charge. He was not able to make the decisions...
Yet.
The only reason Saturos and Menardi were heading the group was the fact that they were the most physically powerful. If it came to intellect, Alex easily had them both beaten. But, no, it had to be the physical.
Alex felt his fingers twitch nervously at his side as his arms swung in time with his step. It was no longer a wish to be in charge, it had become a need, an obsession. Ever since he'd seen how Saturos had buckled under Isaac's blade at Mercury Lighthouse, he knew he needed to lead this quest. However, he knew he could not take Saturos and Menardi on, not even one at a time.
He glared at the back of Saturos's head. Yes, that was it. Saturos knew Alex was too weak to overthrow him by force. The thought had entered Alex's head on more than one occasion, but Saturos still kept that sword by his side. He never seemed to take it off. He kept it by his bedside even as they slept in the inns.
Alex felt his jaw grow tense as his hands curled into tight fists. One day he would have the power to be the one in control. Not just of their little group, no. Of whatever he turned his eye to.
Maybe you shouldn't worry so much about the group, Saturos. Maybe you should be more worried about yourself. Alex took in a deep breath, relaxing his hands. He'd find a way.
* * *
Jenna leaned against a rock, her breathing hard. The altitude was beginning to affect them. "No bed is worth this," she muttered darkly.
"It's been almost an hour, Saturos," Felix said softly. "Can't we just stop for the night?"
Saturos looked at Kraden apologetically. The old man shrugged. "I should have known that Alex was probably right," Kraden said, though Saturos knew he was more ashamed than anything. "Just an old man looking for nothing again," he chuckled lightly and set his things on the ground.
Saturos sighed as the others began to lay out. He stretched himself out on a long, oval rock, and kicked off his boots hoping to go to sleep. He shut his eyes, silence growing louder as everyone readied for sleep. He'd only been laying there for a few minutes when he awoke.
"Did you hear something?" he asked Felix who was lying on a pile of stones a short distance away.
Felix opened one eye momentarily, then shut it again. "Like what?"
Saturos stared up at where the cliff jutted outward suddenly, not very far above them. He squinted his eyes, thinking. "Singing..."
Felix opened both his eyes, looking at Saturos worriedly. "Singing?" he asked. Saturos nodded. "Are you feeling alright, Saturos?"
"I'm feeling fine," Saturos said, a little offended. "I just thought I-"
The soft sound of several tenors singing in an unfamiliar language seemed to barely catch the breeze, so quiet, Saturos wasn't sure he'd heard it. He could tell from the look on Felix's face that the boy must have heard it. "You see?" he asked.
"I didn't hear anything," Felix said quickly, pulling his cloak around his neck and rolling over, his back to Saturos.
"Well, I heard something," Saturos muttered, sitting up and starting to pull on his boots again.
"Saturos," Felix groaned. "There's nothing out there."
"I'm telling you, Felix," Saturos said, standing. "I-"
It seemed like a great moth, glowing orange and red as sunset. Saturos stumbled backward from the sheer shock of color tossed in his face, until the object became clear and he saw what it was; a brightly colored paper lantern suddenly dropped over the edge of the cliff, just above them, suspended in mid-air. Or so it seemed until Saturos realized there was a long black rod attached to it, holding the lantern by a hook on the end of it. Saturos reached out to touch the lantern, but it was suddenly joined by the head of a man.
The man's head was shaven close to his head, though his dark hair still showed in a thin layer over his skull. His eyes, dark and slanted, stared at Saturos suspiciously.
"Hoo Chu?" asked the man, his voice heavily accented. By this time all the others had stirred to consciousness, Jenna letting out a light gasp of shock. Felix covered her mouth before she had a chance to scream.
"What? W-we're travelers. Just travelers," Saturos said, staring at the man curiously.
The man frowned. "Pee-rahms to tehm-pah?"
Saturos looked at Felix who was clearly as perplexed as he was. He turned back to the man. "Uh... Do you... do you know if there's a temple around here?"
"Tem-pah?" the priest repeated. "Fuchin Tehm-pah!"
"Yes," Saturos said eagerly. "Do you know it?"
The young priest nodded eagerly, "Tayt Pee-rahms tow tehm-pah naw!" he said, eagerly nodding. Then the young man and the lantern disappeared.
Saturos hurried toward the edge where the man had disappeared over. "Wait, where are you-"
"Pee-rahms fah-low naw," came the reply from somewhere above, a thick, woven cord was tossed over the side of the cliff.
Alex stood, crossing over to Saturos who was tugging on the rope to test its strength. "Who was that?!" he asked.
Saturos looked up as he pulled on the rope with all his weight. "I don't know."
"Well, I don't trust him," Alex said shortly as the others started for where Saturos stood. "He might be a thief or a killer or something of that sort."
"Don't be foolish," Kraden said quietly. "Thieves don't shave their heads like that."
"No one does," Jenna said dryly.
Kraden shook his head as Saturos sighed, deciding the rope was safe. "No. Some monks do."
"Do you think he's a temple monk?" Menardi asked.
"It wouldn't hurt to see," Kraden said with a shrug.
"Well, then," Saturos said, tugging on the rope. "We'd better get up there before he runs off without us."
* * *
Saturos was the last of the group to climb up the rope, reaching the top of what now seemed to be a large, grass-covered plateau. He looked around, seeing the others gathered by a large stone where the cord had been securely tied. His eyes searched the area more quickly, scanning the darkening bushes and silhouetted trees, beginning to blend against the night sky.
"Where'd the monk run off to?" Saturos wondered aloud. He glanced around until he saw the firefly dot of a lantern coming toward them from the forest. They all waited until the monk came from the bushes, holding his lantern on the iron rod out to light their faces, now dark with the fallen sun.
"Pee-rahm kiym faht," he said with a nod. "Ling-Bai tayt pee-rahms tehm-pah naw. Ling-Bai shuh weh naw."
"Ling-Bai?" Menardi echoed, looking at Kraden who shrugged.
"Perhaps some odd... term for foreigners?" he said, though his tone was more of a question.
The monk motioned again with his hands as the group stood, watching him with caution and wonder. "Fah-woh!" he said, laughing. "Fah-woh Ling-Bai!"
"Fah-woh?" Alex said, looking at Saturos and raising an eyebrow. "Are you sure this is such a good idea?"
Saturos smiled and shrugged lightly. "He doesn't sound dangerous."
* * *
The little monk in the orange robe ran quickly through the brush. He was much shorter than the others who had to constantly push branches out of their hair and faces, tripping over arched roots of the tall trees and scratching their arms on the sharp edges of bark.
"You think they could have at least built a road," Menardi murmured as she pushed away a branch, from her face, releasing it after she passed.
It snapped back, nailing Saturos squarely between the eyes. He cursed loudly, the little lantern in front of them coming to a quick stop. It turned around and trotted toward them again, the monk, hardly reaching Saturos's chest holding up his lantern to see the reddening mark on the Proxinian's forehead.
He clicked his tongue and shook his head from side to side. "Naw gud. Naw gud." He suddenly pointed at the distance again. "Fihx aht Tehm-pah!" he shouted, before scurrying away.
Menardi watched the lantern grow small in a cross of wonder and confusion. "What a strange fellow," she murmured, slowly falling in step again.
Alex rolled his eyes. "Probably the incense."
* * *
Still rubbing the welt on his forehead, Saturos burst through the last clutter of bushes. The trees thinned, and the others soon followed after him, greeted by the same sight.
At the top of the tall hill, an well-dressed temple stood, warmly lit in the same oranges and reds that adorned the monk and his lantern. Simple, cherry-wood dragons wove up the sides of the temple, and smaller ones lined the edges of the roof that faced east and west and met at an arched point at the middle. The doorway was open, a small incense burner with a brass dog standing atop the matching plate hanging from the door. Alongside the east of the building was a section of a river, following down the hill to where it fell in a great arc into a lily-covered pond below, where other monks in similar garb sat near the pond, quietly murmuring mantras into the fireflies that hung in bright bunches over the growing flowers on the grass.
Jenna hardly mumbled a quiet, "wow," which seemed sufficient enough to summerize all of their thoughts. The same monk from early had taken a much more reverent manner, carefully hanging his lantern from a hook driven into a large white stone near the pond. He glanced at them. "Fuchin Tehm-pah gud, yehs?"
"Very good," Saturos quietly said.
The monk nodded, staring at the temple at the peak of the mountain. He sighed, looking at them, suddenly talking again in the fast, speech they hardly understood. He quickly spoke to another monk who nodded and began to usher them away towards a smaller dojo built to the east of the temple. Saturos, began to follow, but was stopped short.
"Cahm!" the monk said, grabbing his wrist, very tightly for someone of his size, he noted. "Wee tayt chu Mahstah Nyunpa."
The others saw what was happening, and tried to follow Saturos, but the other monk began shouting at them softly in another language. The monk holding Saturos suddenly rounded on them. "Naw cahm!" he said irritably. "Ahn-wee Saht-Rahs! Mahstah Nyunpa ahn-wee taht wih Saht-Rahs!" And then the monk started back up the hill, Saturos in tow.
"Master Nyunpa?" Saturos echoed, looking at Kraden worriedly.
The old man stammered for words as they watched the monk drag Saturos up the path to the temple. He couldn't think of anything until Menardi suddenly turned to him desperately. "What is that crazy guy talking about?!"
Kraden blew out a frustrated breath. "Probably the head of the temple," he said hurriedly as her dark eyes focused on him.
"Probably?" Felix echoed.
Alex shook his head. "I don't like the sound of this."
* * *
The little monk led him inside of the temple, letting go of his wrist and stepping forward. A shrine had been set up at the rear of the room, candles surrounding a wide picture of a sun and moon, four diamond shapes, one in each corner of the brocade, a different color; the same colors as the elemental stars.
In front of the shrine on a thick woven rug sat an old man, dressed in a red as deep as the Mars Star and an orange sash twisted around his slight waist then tossed over one shoulder. His white hair was thick on the sides, but seemed to have forgotten the top of his head. It covered a small area on his chin, Saturos noted as the monk scurried over, the old man looking up at the sound of his footsteps on the cool marble tile.
The little monk spoke rapidly in a language Saturos didn't recognize, the Master looking a little exasperated as he responded. The monk shook his head, pointing at Saturos as he spoke, suddenly very passionate about what he spoke of.
The master slowly stood, his body long and lean, towering near half of a foot over Saturos. He folded his arms in the ample sleeves and shook his head. "Ling-Bai..."
The monk suddenly fell to his knees in front of his master, pleading for something, it seemed. Saturos watched the old man's face with interest to see what he would do. The master looked from the monk to Saturos who he looked at, half with worry and half with curiosity. The monk bowed again at his master's feet, toad-like in front of the man much taller than he. Finally the master sighed and motioned with his hand for the monk to go away.
The monk smiled as he scrambled to his feet, hurrying across the room to the doors they had entered by. He nodded at Saturos and pushed the doors shut, leaving Saturos and the master alone in the room. Saturos swallowed as the old man crossed to a table, pouring himself a cup of tea, then taking another cup and pouring the liquid into it.
He took both cups in his hands and crossed the room, holding one out to Saturos. "I am afraid Ling-Bai can be a little eccentric from time to time," the man said very precisely, his consonants emphasized with a royal sort of tone. "I hope you and your companions are not too shaken by his approach."
Saturos frowned as the man held out the tea to him a little more. "You speak my language?"
The old man smiled as Saturos took the tea from him, nodding. "I am Master Nyunpa." He motioned to a pillow set before the ornate rug he had been sitting on, crossing back over to the rug and sitting cross-legged on it as Saturos followed him. "Ling-Bai said that you are pilgrims come to visit our temple."
Saturos suddenly understood. "Oh! That's what he meant," he suddenly laughed.
Master Nyunpa laughed softly. "I am afraid our priests do not speak the languages as well as they should. They do not leave here often."
"Then how do you speak so well?" Saturos asked as the master took a long drink of the tea.
The old man lowered his cup. "I was not always a priest. I lived to be a young man before the temple told me that I was enlightened." He looked in his cup. "The one chosen to be my wife was not pleased, but the temple master accepted me for training. Sometimes we must forget the things we love for a greater cause . . ." The old man smiled and slowly shook his head. "But you are too young to understand that now."
Saturos set the cup down on the cold marble floor. "Perhaps," he muttered.
Master Nyunpa watched him, holding his teacup in folded hands upon his lap. "I am sorry, but there was something Ling-Bai said that made me... curious about you and your... companions."
"What was that?" Saturos asked politely.
The old man looked at him thoughtfully for a long while. Saturos grew uncomfortable as the temple master's cool eyes burrowed through his own, digging deep into the back of his skull until it almost seemed to burn. The master suddenly shut his eyes, shaking his head and eyeing his tea. "I apologize... it is probably nothing. However..."
"However, what?" Saturos prompted.
The master looked up at him. "Ling-Bai is one of the more gifted of my students. Of all the priests here, he is the one most closely connected to the gods. As though he is spoken to by Iris by night, it seems."
"How so?" Saturos asked.
"He has visions," Master Nyunpa said quietly. He raised his cup as though to take a drink, but stopped, continuing his discussion. "Ever since he arrived as a young child, he has been... gifted. He was able to foretell when the shipment of food would not be on time. He was able to tell when the villages over the mountains were in times of famine. His dreams would not be as direct as that. It was not until after the thing happened that we realized that it was what the dream foretold." The master shut his eyes thoughtfully, sipping at the violet tea in the china-blue cup. He let the taste ferment on his tongue for a long moment, then finally swallowed, looking at Saturos. "That was how it began. Small things into larger things."
"Like what?" Saturos asked, still confused with what he had to do with any of this.
"He began to tell us things that would happen, leaders would die after he told us they would, lights would appear, new stars, foreign things to us, signifying greater thing to come. And then-"
Master Nyunpa looked at Saturos with that same burning gaze he had earlier, and for some reason, Saturos felt helpless to escape it. "Over a month ago, Ling-Bai speaks of a great vision he has had. He tells me that in the vision, he is lying on the grass, looking at the sun. The sun grows dark and becomes a great mountain, the moon behind it. The great mountains is struck with a sickness and shatters as a teacup, Ling-Bai tells me. He sees the mountain fall from the sky, landing in pieces all around us. The grass becomes a forest, and a great monster rises up from the ground." Master Nyunpa paused for a moment, taking his tea again and sipping pensively. "Then the dream is over."
Saturos frowned. "What did it mean?"
Nyunpa set down his teacup. "Three days after Ling-Bai told us this dream we looked to the west. A great fire on the mountain of the sun had grown in the sky. It grew so large, that pieces of the mountain fell among our temple." He motioned to the ceiling. Saturos glanced up at a straw patch that covered a broken area of the white plaster on the ceiling. "They fell all around our temple. All those who touched them became strange. We took the stones, sealed them into the cave beneath the waterfall. We looked out to the plains where the grass grew high, and the plains were gone. A large forest we did not recognize was there, and by night, we can here strange creatures speaking to each other in the darkness. That was what Ling-Bai's dream represented; the falling of stones to our mountain, and the rising of the plains." Nyunpa sighed. "A few nights later, Ling-Bai had another dream."
"What was it this time?"
Master Nyunpa sighed. "In the first dream, he saw two different beings walking, one behind the other to the same place or worship. The first carried three stars from the heavens. He stood on a mountain, the place of worship, and dropped the stars into the sky. Monsters came down to him and called his worship blasphemy. But the mountain that he stood upon did not break. The second being only held one star from the heavens as he followed the first to the place of worship. He stood on the mountain and would not drop his star into sky, but held it. No monsters came to him, and the sky looked down and called his worship good. The mountain broke and both of the beings fell into the sky and died."
"And the other dream?" asked Saturos.
"Ling-Bai saw two apples. The light of the elements grew within them, but only one was a good apple. I was sitting in front of a golden plate on which the two apples were placed. A knife was in my hand and a stick of fire in the other. A god came to me in the form of an eye and spoke unto me and told me which of the fruits was good and which was bad. However, Ling-Bau saw that he called the good apple bad and the bad apple good.
"Ling-Bai understood that by eating the apple the god called bad and burning the apple called good, I would live. But by eating the apple called good and burning the apple called bad, I must die. The only way to tell the difference in the apples was by the marks they carried. The apple called bad by the god was given three marks, and the apple called good given one. Ling-Bai said I took the fire and the knife, and I prepared to make my choice... then he awoke."
Saturos stared at Master Nyunpa who had suddenly grown very distant. He waited for a long time for the temple master to continue, but he said nothing. "What did the dream mean?" Saturos asked quietly.
Nyunpa looked at Saturos worriedly. He sighed, standing and gathering the empty cups of tea. "I am afraid I have said too much. I must ask you to return to the dojo. You and your companions may rest for as many days as you desire, and leave whenever you please-"
"Wait a moment," Saturos said quietly, following the master across the room. "What did the dream mean? Why did Ling-Bai bring us here? Is it something in the dream?"
"It is no part of you," Master Nyunpa said softly. "Ling-Bai has been wrong before, and I do not wish to involve those who should not be. After all, you told him you were simple travelers."
Saturos stared at the master as he set the plates on a tray upon the table. He picked it up, balancing in front of him and looking at Saturos sadly. "I must apologize for any inconveniences that we have brought you. I must speak to Ling-Bai in the morning about bothering strangers."
He began toward a door, covered by a long piece of silk, Saturos staring at him in shock. He watched the master, push aside the fabric, his heart speeding up slightly. He clenched his fists in frustration, stepping forward. "Wait, Master Nyunpa."
The old man turned around in the doorway, raising a white eyebrow in question.
Saturos swallowed. "We are not regular travelers."
Master Nyunpa frowned. "What do you mean?"
"It's a long story," Saturos sighed. "But you are wrong. We are not normal pilgrims and we do not have a usual purpose to attend to."
Master Nyunpa turned away from the doorway, crossing to the small table and setting down the tray. "Will you tell me of your travels, young master?"
"Only if you'll tell me why Ling-Bai brought me here," Saturos said in response.
Master Nyunpa smiled and took the porcelain pot and began to pour hot liquid into the cups again. "Would you have another cup of tea?"
* * *
Menardi stared out the window up to where the temple was. The priests had insisted upon washing their clothes, so each member of the group was dressed in a brightly colored robe similar to those the monks wore. Felix and Jenna were fast asleep on the bed rolls the priests had brought out for them, but Menardi couldn't seem to sleep. Alex and Kraden weren't able to either, all of the worried about what had happened to Saturos.
"He's been gone for at least three hours now," Menardi murmured.
Kraden sighed, adjusting his glasses. "I wouldn't worry too much, my dear. He's probably having a very enlightening discussion with the temple priest or something of that sort."
"An enlightening discussion shouldn't take quite so long," Alex said shortly as he moved the small wooden piece on the board of a game he was playing with himself. "Besides, if his speech is any worse than that of our pudgy little companion, what could they possibly have to talk about?"
"Don't speak badly about the priests," Menardi admonished, coming away from the window. "They've taken good care of us."
"Any better and Saturos may never return," Alex said dryly, removing one of the wooden pieces with a yawn.
"I'm sure he's quite alright, Menardi," Kraden said softly. "After all, what could happen in a place like this?"
A quiet noise echoed up the mountain and into the window, but loud enough that each of the three heard it. Menardi paused, looking out the window to the forest far down below them, pinned between two sets of high-climbing white stone. "Did you hear that?"
"It sounded like wolves trying to rip each other's throats out," Alex said, walking over to the window and staring out curiously as the sound came again. A cloud passed over the moon and a long, growling noise followed, hungry-sounding and angry. "What do you imagine it could be?"
"I'm not sure," Menardi murmured.
Kraden stood and came between them, reaching out and pulling the bamboo shutters closed. "I, for one, would rather not find out. Now we'd better get some rest or Saturos will be very irritated with us when he returns."
"If he returns," Alex muttered, returning to his game.
Kraden smiled at Menardi tiredly. "Don't listen to him. He'll be back soon."
Menardi sighed. "I know."
* * *
Master Nyunpa and Saturos had gone through nearly two more pots of tea in the time it took for Saturos to explain what they were actually doing climbing over their mountain. Master Nyunpa had listened very patiently, and though his face did not portray the shock Saturos had been expecting, he seemed to be a little perplexed.
Long after Saturos had finished his story, he and Master Nyunpa sat in front of each other on the floor, sipping silently at their tea and simply pondering. Finally, after many moments, Nyunpa quietly murmured, "Now I understand."
Saturos lowered the cup of ginger tea from his lips. "Understand what?"
Master Nyunpa looked up. "I must now complete my task, in the agreement I made with you, Saturos," he said. "Ling-Bai brought you here because he said that you looked like the first being from his dream."
Saturos nearly choked on his tea. He managed to swallow and sputtered, "Ling-Bai had a dream about me?"
"You say that you only managed to get three of the four Elemental Stars," Master Nyunpa explain. "You say that the village that your Master of Venus hails from believes that you will end the world if you release this power you call... alchemy."
"Yes," Saturos murmured. "But I don't understand what this has to do with-"
"It explains the first dream," Master Nyunpa said calmly. "It explains why there are beasts in the forest. Bad things will come from this, but the world will not utterly be destroyed." Master Nyunpa paused thoughtfully. "You spoke of another group, one lead by a boy named Isaac?"
"Yes," Saturos said quietly. "They're trying to stop us."
Nyunpa nodded. "I believe this Isaac represents the other being, the one who broke the mountain by refusing to drop his star," he explained. "If the powers are not restored to our world, it cannot live, but if it is restored, the world will become more dangerous."
"What about the second dream?" Saturos asked.
Nyunpa took in a deep breath. "This guardian you called the Wise One... you said he came to you as an eye?"
"Yes," Saturos said. He paused. "Wait, there was an eye in the second dream! That told you that-"
"The good apple was bad," Nyunpa said. "Just as the god would have stopped your from taking the elemental stars."
"It all makes sense now," Saturos said. Then he stopped. "But in the dream... Ling-Bai didn't see your decision. All he saw was that if you chose to eat, or I suppose, help the one called good, you would live, and if you helped the one called bad... you would..."
Master Nyunpa smiled tiredly. "I do not fear death, Saturos," he said quietly. "I only fear my worthiness to attain enlightenment."
Saturos shook his head. "I cannot accept your help."
"You mean that you cannot allow me to die," Nyunpa corrected quietly. Saturos eyed his empty glass, his finger carefully stabbing at the dregs in his cup. The old master smiled. "It is nearly dawn, Saturos. Return to the dojo and rest. I will send for you later."
Saturos couldn't think of anything else to say to the old man, so he simply nodded an obeyed. Nyunpa watched him leave, pushing open the doors and walking into the periwinkle morning. He gathered the cups, looking into the tea leaves in the bottom of his own cups. He sighed and shook his head, walking across the room and setting the cups on the tray. He was too old to be receiving life symbols in a teacup.
* * *
Menardi had fallen asleep on a large pillow by the window where she could look out. By the time she awoke, the grass was already bright with dew and the priests were hurrying about the temple grounds, tending to business quietly. A new scent of incense had been lit in a small burner hanging from their window and it seemed to make her less sleepy the more she breathed it in. She could hear the quiet tenor voices of monks chanting in the distant or singing songs to a tightly strung instrument, bright tunes in a tongue she couldn't understand. She turned back to the room, not surprised to see the others gone, their beds rolled up and placed against the wall. Menardi's clothing was laid over the back of a chair, the armor, polished, set on the seat. Everyone else was gone, which explained why their clothing was not there. Only one bedroll was still out, and it was occupied.
Menardi smiled tiredly, walking over and sitting with her back against the wall, looking at the head of tousled silvery-blue hair and a silver face, marked with deep lines of worry. She sighed and hand a careless hand through his hair, he stirring softly. She smiled at sleepy red eyes glanced up at her, matching the red robe that covered half his chest. "When did you get in?"
He yawned, pulling himself close enough to lie on her leg. "What time is it?" he grumbled, nearly falling asleep again.
"Late morning," she said softly, running her fingers along his chin. "We've both over slept."
Saturos laughed softly. "Who said anything about sleep?"
"Did I wake you up?" she asked.
Saturos rolled onto his back, looking up at her. "I'm glad you did."
She chuckled, looking over at the table. "It looks like they've brought breakfast. The others have already eaten."
"Is that so?" Saturos yawned, uninterestedly.
"Are you hungry?"
He slowly sat up, scratching his chest thoughtfully. "Starving." He pushed himself up, standing and offering Menardi a hand. She took it and they both started for the small table. Saturos quickly dropped it as Alex entered, carrying his pack over his shoulder.
"Well," he said dryly. "Good to see you decided to return."
"I thought it might be a good idea," Saturos said as Menardi sat, quietly starting on a small cake of corn and honey.
Alex set the bag down on the floor, opening it and holding up a cake similar to those on the platter, wrapped carefully in a thin layer of rice paper. "They've given us fresh supplies, and a set of blankets. We've stored them in Felix's pack."
Saturos frowned. "Is that a good idea? Six blankets will really weigh Felix down."
Alex shook his head. "They're thin as they are light, and warmer than anything we've been using. They said that the nearest place is three days from here, a village called Xian." Alex put the cake back in his bag. "We'll need all of our supplies in order to get there."
He slung the bag over his shoulder, taking a small pouch from his belt, tossing it to Saturos. "They've also given us that."
Saturos looked in the bag, filled to the brim with gold. "They've given us all of this?" he gasped.
"And sharp, new weapons," Alex said with a shrug. "I'm not sure what you and 'Mahstah Nyunpa talked about, but whatever it was, it put us in their good graces."
Saturos suddenly closed the bag, tossing it to Alex and starting for the door. Alex looked at him worriedly. "Where are you going?" he asked as Saturos started jogging up the hill. Menardi hurried to the doorway, calling after him, "Saturos! You're not even dressed yet!"
Saturos didn't listen. He needed to speak with Master Nyunpa now.
* * *
Master Nyunpa glanced up from where he sat before the shrine, meditating as his door burst open. Saturos entered, though the master payed him no mind and turned his back to him, closing his eyes and bowing himself before the shrine. Saturos hurried over, bending to his knees by the temple master's side. "Master Nyunpa, what are all of these things you've given us?"
"I have made my decision, Saturos," the old man said quietly. "You should be content with that."
"I cannot be content with that," Saturos said softly. "I know what it means, and so does Ling-Bai."
"Ling-Bai understands why I have made my choice," Nyunpa said quietly. He opened his eyes and calmly looked at Saturos. "Don't you?"
"That doesn't mean I agree with it," Saturos said softly. "Let our group worry about Isaac. We don't want them to become your problem."
"They will not become our problem," Nyunpa said quietly, closing his eyes to meditate again.
Saturos frowned. "What?"
Nyunpa looked again at Saturos. "Ling-Bai had another dream. In this dream, he saw me with the first being from his dream from long ago. I gave him three gifts and he left. The second being came, and I gave him one much lesser gift. Later in the dream, Ling-Bai came to me, tried to feed me corn cakes and rice, but they all turned to dust before my lips. Eventually, I died because I had not eaten. Ling-Bai explained that was why I would die, not in combat as we had thought when it said that if I helped you I would die in stopping this Isaac. I cannot do such a thing. I am an old man."
"Then why does the dream say you'll die because you have helped us?" Saturos asked.
Master Nyunpa smiled. He stood, crossing to the shrine and opening the small cabinet that it sat upon. He pulled out a small wooden box, opening it. Inside was a tiny golden coin on a long silver chain. He looked at Saturos. "The foolish would say this was no gift, that I should teach you the power of the Ki instead, but the foolish do not take joy in understanding." The old man took the chain from the box, the coin jingling quietly. He lifted the chain over Saturos's head, ringing it around his neck carefully and letting it fall against the deep red fabric of the robe.
Saturos stared at it curiously. "What is it?"
"It is merely a good luck charm," Nyunpa said, "though none of its wearers have ever had any luck. It is said the gods watch the wearer more fervently. It is very old, kept here at the temple for many, many years." He sighed as Saturos fiddled with the tiny coin. "Now you have your needed supplies, you have the charm of the temple... You have two of my gifts." The old man sat back down on the rug, facing the shrine and shutting his eyes again.
Saturos looked at him, worried. "What is the third gift?"
Nyunpa took in a deep breath through his nose. "I have not eaten this morning, nor do I plan to. I have begun a fast. I am fasting that your journey may be safe and your feet be swift. I am fasting that I may be worthy when the time comes that I am called by the gods." He smiled slightly, though he did not open his eyes. "You now see what Ling-Bai saw; it is not Isaac that will be my death. It is my third gift."
Saturos felt a hollow growing in his chest. His hands shook slightly as he knelt again by the old man. "Master Nyunpa," he said quietly so the temple master could not hear the tears in his voice. "You can't do this. You don't have to."
"It has already been seen, Saturos," Master Nyunpa said patiently. "And though I shall help both you and Isaac, support you both in your endeavors, I can forsee which shall prosper, and unto them I give the greater gift."
"Master Nyunpa," Saturos said quietly. "Isn't there anything I can say to make you not do this?"
Master Nyunpa shook his head, eyes closed. "It has already been done, Saturos. You understand that, and you know that it is time for you to leave."
Saturos sighed quietly, burying his emotions and trying to maintain his composure. He started for the door when Master Nyunpa spoke again. "Be careful when you pass through the forest," he said softly. "Do not trust your eyes."
Saturos frowned slightly. "Yes, Master Nyunpa."
"And do not be sorrowful," the old man said. "It was my choice to make, and my destiny to fulfill. Simply be grateful for my gift."
Saturos sniffed slightly. "Yes, Master."
"Go soon," Master Nyunpa said softly. "Travel quickly. They are close at your heels."
Saturos stiffened slightly, turning and looking out the door at the valley below and the river they had crossed to come to the temple. Isaac was coming. With more intent, he began back to the dojo and the others that waited there.
* * *
"Are we ready, then?" Alex asked as they reached the waterfall that lined the edge of the temple grounds.
Saturos looked away from the temple. "Yes," he said softly. "Yes, I'm ready."
"Why were you gone so long last night?" Menardi asked as they started down the path and back into the thick brush Ling-Bai had lead them through the night before.
"I spoke with the temple master," Saturos said quietly.
Kraden beamed. "You see, my dear. I told you that you shouldn't have worried."
"What did you talk about with him for so long?" asked Felix.
Saturos shrugged. "Nothing much," he murmured, and kicked at a stone that clattered along the road in front of them.
(A/N: Good fic! Turned out WAY better than I thought. It took me WAY too long to write though. Writer's block is bad!!! Luckily, I got out of it thanks to Melanie Rae Thon and George Strat and their discussions on writing I attended. Now if I can actually get some publishable stuff written, right? ^_^ I'll get there eventually. Well, R&R, PLEEASE! I'm aiming for fifty by the next post. That means at least five of the people who read this better review. Now I just have to figure out what the next chapter is about... jk! I think I've figured it out already.
Also, a little FYI, I did get past the school block. *smiles evilly* I was sitting at the computer, complaining to my friend about how I could hack past BESS (the security system represented by a freaky looking dog). Suddenly, this kid comes over, and really quietly, whispers, "hey, you wanna get past BESS?"
I'm like, "DUH!" This kid is a sophomore, so I'm pissed that he's gotten past and I haven't.
"Go to this site," he says, writing down on a piece of paper the address. I type it in, and it's called (I kid you not G_sun fans!) Proxify.com. *PROX*ify.com!?! I couldn't believe it, so I typed in fanfiction.net, and what comes up but ff.n?! I gasped so loud the poor kid had to practically smother me! I thanked him profusely, and now... MWAHAHAHA! I have access... Take that, librarians!
Well, that's all for this post! R&R! And stay tuned for the next post!)