How to read dialogue in my stories:

- "Quote" marks means someone is speaking

- Italics indicate thoughts

Legal Stuff:

- I don't own Golden Sun or the affiliate characters


Chapter 1: Purpose

Mia looked up at the overcast sky, darkened by clouds, an omen of what was still to come on her journey to protect the elemental lighthouses. Wringing the water out of her cerulean hair, she stood by the entrance to the town inn, gazing out at the downpour that had caught her unprepared, drenching her with torrents of water before she found the shelter of the inn.

The cold wind bit at her skin, even through Mia's thick Imilan robes as she stood under the overhang by the inn's entrance, illuminated through the window by the dancing fire of the fireplace inside. She looked like a mess and felt like a mess too, not really sure sure why she was in this town in the first place.

What was its name again…? Mia wondered, leaning back against the wooden wall next to the door. Atlas...Altin...something like that…. The unfamiliar town lay nested along a mountain ridge, secluded from the rest of the continent. The dreary town was no stranger to wet weather; In fact it was partially underwater when Mia and her friends had first arrived there. Apparently the mines near town had flooded due to the awakening of some kind of ancient statues deep within their depths.

It had been a few days since the flooding subsided thanks to the intervention of Mia and her companions who defeated the water spewing statutes, allowing the water to dissipate. Though the town was still recovering from the effects of the flooding, the locals were grateful for the assistance and offered Mia's party free rooms at the inn for the duration of their stay.

The breeze picked up and blew swiftly past Mia, causing her to shiver as her soaked clothes amplified the chilling effect of the wind. The old wooden door creaked open next to her, catching her attention as she turned to see the blonde haired boy Isaac standing in the entryway eyeing the soaking water adept with a hint of concern.

"You'll end up catching a cold out here," Isaac said to Mia as he stood in the doorway, not leaving the warmth of the inn. Feeling the concern of her traveling companion, Mia nodded in agreement and took one last look at the bleak skyline before heading inside after Isaac.

Despite the weather, the atmosphere inside the inn was a positive one, townspeople being happy to have things back to normal, without the threat of the floods stopping work and displacing people from their homes. A quick glance around in the flickering firelight revealed Garet, the fire adept of the group, chatting with some of the mine workers and telling them the incredible story of Kiloma and how he had saved the town from being turned into trees.

Ivan sat at another table with a few empty seats around it and some food from the inn as well as another plate that was presumably Isaac's before he had gone to find Mia. The heat from the inside was in stark contrast to the chilly outside and Mia stopped shivering after stepping into the inn. Ivan looked up from his food and gave Mia a friendly smile and wave as he noticed her, which she returned before Isaac spoke up again.

"Would you like something to eat with us?" the boy asked, indicating the table Ivan was sitting at. Mia considered the offer, but ultimately declined, walking over to Ivan as well and letting both boys know that she was tired and really just felt like resting.

Ivan shrugged and let her go as Isaac followed the cerulean haired girl upstairs to her room. "It's been an exhausting journey so far," he commented as they climbed the stairwell to their rooms. "If you need extra rest, just let us know," the blonde boy added as they stopped in front of Mia's room.

"I should be all right," Mia replied to ease Isaac's worries about her wellbeing.

"You should dry those clothes out instead of leaving them wet like that," Isaac pointed out. "If you go get changed, I'll bring them down and hang them by the fire for you," he offered.

Mia smiled at the thoughtfulness of the blonde boy. "Thanks Isaac," she accepted with a smile as she slipped into her room to change into some other clothes.

Glad to be free of the drenched robes, Mia found another pair of clothes to put on before walking back to the door where Isaac was waiting. Opening the door, Mia handed the robe she was previously wearing to Isaac, who draped it over his arm. "Sorry," she stated, apologizing for having him take care of her wet clothes. "I really appreciate it though," Mia added with a smile.

"No problem Mia," Isaac replied with a small chuckle. "Get some rest tonight while you can since we need to get moving again soon," he told her.

Mia nodded as her smiled faded somewhat, being reminded of the purpose of their journey. "I will," she promised Isaac as he turned to leave with a wave of his arm. Isaac's footsteps slowly faded from Mia's ears as he disappeared down the stairwell, leaving her to the sounds of raindrops hitting the roof.

Walking over to the bed along the wall, Mia allowed herself to fall backward onto it, being absorbed by the blanket with her arms outstretched to either side. Isaac's words had put the thought of the lighthouses back in her mind, a sombre reminder of her duty.

A duty that I failed in… the water adept thought to herself as a flash of lightning outside the window imitated the bright glow of the Mercury Lighthouse with its beacon ignited. Not wanting to see the visual imagery of her failure again, Mia raised one arm to cover her eyes as she lay there considering the circumstance that brought her to this point.

I'm not sure what I expected when starting this journey...sometimes the goal seems so far away and we're so off track...I mean...the next lighthouse is halfway across the world. The rain continued to fall in sheets, the constant sound accompanied by an occasional clap of thunder in the background. This quest is redemption for me. The least I can do after failing in my sacred duty to protect the lighthouse is to help stop the others from falling to the same fate.

A draft of warm air entered her room from the air ducts built into the wall, connected to the fireplace in the common area downstairs. Mia remembered the first night in the room when she was surprised to find how much warmer such a simple adaptation could make. Apparently it was a modified version of the ventilation systems used in the mines to keep them habitable with fresh air in their depths.

Imil could really use a heating system like this, Mia thought, remembering cold winter nights spent huddling under covers back at home. A lot of people get sick each winter from the cold, and it would be great to have an effective way of heating our homes to help prevent that, she considered, making a mental note to bring it up to the village elders after returning to Imil.

Grabbing the blanket on the bed to cover herself with it, Mia took her hand away from her face and glanced over at the wall where the duct allowed the air in. Of course now that the lighthouse is lit, its waters are able to keep people healthy as well….which is strange considering that's a good thing for Imil.

Mia shrugged at the thought, knowing that it was beside the point. "Just because there was one good side effect doesn't mean we should just let the rest of the lighthouses go," she whispered to herself, echoing the words Isaac said to the group after using the lighthouse's water to save a dying forest.

Mia didn't know Isaac that well at the time since it was only shortly after she joined the group of adepts on their journey to save the lighthouses, but even then she felt a hint of uncertainty from him as he said those words after watching the healing powers of the lighthouse reinvigorate the entire forest.

Mia lay there on the bed, her thoughts her only companion as she considered the unthinkable chain of events that led to her being here in an unfamiliar mining town across the continent from Imil.

I wasn't at all prepared to ascend that lighthouse, Mia knew, holding her had above her face and staring at it absentmindedly while thinking back to her last few days in Imil. It's all thanks to Isaac, Garet, and Ivan that I even reached the top to see what was going on. Mia recognized that it was likely their kindness and willingness to help her that ultimately drove her decision to join them in protecting the remaining lighthouses.

A lot had happened since then despite the relatively short amount of time she had been with the group. What has it been? Three weeks? Four? Mia had started to lose track of the days after traveling with the boys, focused instead on their next objective and overcoming the obstacles in their path. Since the bridge to Kalay was out of commission, the group had needed to take a long route around and through these mountains in order to make any progress toward the Venus Lighthouse in the south.

We've been set back multiple times...a village full of tree-people, an evil forest, and now a town flooded by statues...It's like I'm living in a fairytale, Mia surmised with a sarcastic smirk. Next we'll probably be fighting dragons or something silly like that, she decided, dismissing any thoughts of what the next obstacle could be, deciding it wasn't worth worrying about until it appeared.

Mia clutched the blanket on the bed closer to herself, appreciating the fact she was sleeping in a bed again. It wasn't often so far in the journey that they had been in town at night, able to sleep in the safety and comfort of an inn. Often the group found themselves camping outside near the road as they traveled.

I haven't even needed to be on watch since we came to town, Mia realized, grateful for the chance to catch up on sleep instead of guarding the camp out in the middle of nowhere. Watches were mostly just time to sit and reflect on anything that came to mind as Mia was doing now, though it often devolved into remembering the flash of light from the Mercury beacon and a reminder of her failure to protect the lighthouse she had sworn to guard.

Mia's eyes closed as she lay in bed, letting her arm drop to her side as she curled up with the blanket next to her. With a deep breath she calmed herself, pushing away the imagery of the lighthouse in her mind as it began to resurface again. I used to hate the idea of camping out there. It was awkward and I wasn't used to it at all, Mia reflected about the traveling they had done so far.

With only two tents between the four adepts, Mia had to share with one of the boys, a thought that didn't cross anyone's mind until they were setting up camp at night. That first night was embarrassing, she recalled thinking back to how difficult it was to sleep with a boy she just met in such close proximity. Garet and Ivan were already sharing a tent together at that point, defaulting Mia to share a tent with Isaac.

Mia stretched out on the bed again, unaccustomed to all the extra space after sleeping on the road for so many nights. I think that as much as I like Garet and Ivan, Isaac was probably the easiest to be with in that situation. It probably helped that he seemed just as embarrassed as I was about the situation instead of cracking jokes like Garet, Mia remembered with a smile.

I had such a hard time sleeping back then...and it really wasn't all that long ago, the cerulean haired girl continued down her line of thinking. Now I'm just used to it...it's actually a little weird NOT to have him nearby at night, Mia thought as she rolled over to look at the rest of the empty room, devoid of the blonde boy she had grown accustomed to over their time together.

The dark room felt cold and empty to her, despite the warm air from the vent on the wall as she watched the shadows from the moonlight sit still on her surroundings and thought back to the nights camped out under the stars. The lack of shadowy movement from the campfire outside the tent, the crackling sound of the fire; they were both missing and made the night feel unusual to Mia as she lay in comfort on the bed. I even miss when Isaac snores sometimes, she thought, grinning to herself.

Holding the bunched up end of her blanket up to her chest, Mia felt warm as the rest of her body was covered by the cloth. Closing her eyes again, she lay in bed and let her mind drift to another night under the stars as she slowly felt herself falling asleep.

Mia's heavy eyelids opened slightly in the darkness of the room, still half asleep as her blurred vision could only make out shapes of gray and black around her. Groggy, she turned over in bed and closed her eyes again willing herself to go back to sleep as she grabbed the pillow with her hands, hugging it tightly.

The continuous sound of rain filled Mia's ears, unrelenting over the last few hours. Her eyes opened once more as unconscious thoughts began to fade from Mia's mind, replaced by normal thought processes as she awakened from her slumber. Feeling slightly more awake, the cerulean haired girl rolled in bed again and lay flat on her back, looking up at the dark ceiling.

Yawning sleepily, Mia's mind focused in on the rain and how the sudden downpour started shortly after the ancient water statues were defeated and the floodwater had dissipated. It was a stroke of bad luck for the villagers, Mia considered as she remembered how upset the townspeople were to go from flooding to more rain.

Unable to sleep again, Mia lay still in bed and smiled as she remembered the first drops coming down from the sky on her way back from buying herbs at the reopened apothecary. The irony of the rain starting at that exact moment, just as the villagers were recovering from the water damage, was not lost on the cerulean haired girl. It would be disheartening if I was in their place and that just happened, Mia reflected.

As her eyes began to better adjust to being awake again in the darkness of the night, Mia could make out the rest of the room in more detail. The outline of her staff rested neatly against a wooden cabinet and a bag full of supplies for their trip sat undisturbed in the corner of the room. Conspicuously missing was Mia's traditional Imilan robe that she normally wore in the daytime, and she recalled that it was drying out near the fire in the common area after she returned to the inn soaking wet.

Rolling over in bed, Mia tried to close her eyes again and fall asleep to no avail. For some reason, sleep just would not come back to her. Perhaps I should just go grab my robe if I'm unable to sleep anyway, Mia considered, her mind returning to earlier in the evening when Isaac kindly offered to hang it up to dry for her, causing a smile to appear on her face.

The idea lingered in Mia's mind, growing stronger as she lay there thinking about it until it became close to a compulsion. Sighing at her own inability to ignore the thought and go back to sleep, she slipped out of bed and grabbed another robe to wear downstairs.

Stepping out into the hall, Mia glanced over to the stairs, ensuring the coast was clear, and walked softly along the wooden floors to avoid accidentally waking anyone else up from the creaking noise of the floor beneath her feet. Heading down the staircase, she was greeting by the soft light of the fireplace emanating from the far wall.

The warmth of the room increased noticeably as she moved toward the fire and the coat holder near the fireplace with her robes hanging nearby. The crackling fire felt nice as Mia stopped nearby, allowing herself to enjoy the heat for a moment. She slipped her robe over her arm, noticing it had completely dried out from when she walking in from the rain earlier.

"Thanks Isaac…" Mia murmured out loud, still only half awake and not realizing she had said some of her words instead of just thinking them. Turning back to head back to bed, she was greeted by the sight of Isaac looking over at her curiously from a couch near the fire. In her exhausted state she didn't notice him there before while grabbing her robe, and did a double take in surprise.

"You're welcome sleepy," Isaac said with a grin as he made sense of the series of strange events. "I could have brought it back to you in the morning so you didn't have to come down in the middle of the night," Isaac said, indicating the robe over Mia's arm.

Mia shook her head, trying to dispel the stupor that caused her to originally miss the blonde boy sitting there, embarrassed by both her inability to notice him as well as her muttering of thanks she had not intended to say aloud.

Mia squeezed her eyes shut, then opened them again and refocused her attention on Isaac as she replied. "Thanks for drying it out for me," she stated with an involuntary yawn at the end.

"You should go get some sleep," Isaac said, acknowledging Mia's word of thanks with a nod, but focusing in on on how tired she looked.

I seemed to be unable to do that, Mia thought as she ignored the suggestion. "What are you doing still awake?" Mia asked, smoothing out the robe she was wearing and sitting down next to Isaac.

Isaac's smile faded and he glanced down at his hands, fidgeting with them as Mia's gaze lingered on him to watch the reaction. "I...just can't sleep," Isaac replied with a half truth, obviously hiding the way he felt.

Mia frowned, able to see through his half hearted attempt to be discrete, shifting her body to better look over at the boy next to her. "What's wrong?" she asked him, concerned about the sudden atmosphere change and gloomy feeling emanating from Isaac.

Isaac leaned back and rested his head on the cushioning of the couch. "I don't know Mia," Isaac stated simply. "I don't think there's anything wrong," he continued truthfully, picking his words with care. "I think I just can't sleep right now."

Mia let him continue to ponder his thoughts a little longer before prying further. "Well...you must have something on your mind at least," Mia said, not letting the cryptic statement slide. She waited patiently for Isaac's answer as he thought it over.

For a few seconds, only the sound of the crackling fire could be heard until Isaac finally gave in. "I keep thinking about this journey we're on," Isaac stated leaning forward again and inspecting his hands. "I think about everything that's happened so far...and I think about what is still to come."

Mia nodded, following along with his words and Isaac gave voice to the thoughts he had been struggling with throughout the night. "I think about these things..." Isaac continued to speak. "So much has already happened...some of it good of course, such as meeting you and Ivan...but some of it dangerous as well. Things seemed a lot easier when we were first starting out, but I can't shake the feeling that things are just getting more and more difficult by the day."

Mias thoughts flashed back to the Kolima forest with the curse placed on the villages as well as their trek through the winding passages of the 'evil' Mogall Forest. "I can't deny we've seen some outrageous things so far…" Mia replied in agreement. "This latest development with the flooded town and mines has gone even beyond just normal bad luck."

Isaac nodded and look over at Mia for understanding. "That's exactly it. Like you said with the mines...things seem to make less and less sense every day we continue on this journey. I feel like it's getting harder...and by extension, more dangerous for all of us." Isaac leaned back on the couch again brooding on that point for a moment as Mia sat patiently sensing he wasn't done with that particular thought.

The blonde boy sighed. "It's not even the fact that this journey is dangerous that gets to me...It's more about how it continues getting more dangerous and I don't know what the future has in store. I worry that I've caught you and everyone else up in this as well," Isaac stated, finally revealing what was really bothering him.

So that's that it was...Isaac was concerned for all of us and didn't know how to deal with that worry… Mia reached out to touch the boy next to her but stopped halfway and retracted her hand, trying to decide how to respond. Isaac didn't notice the movement, but looked up again and stared over at the fire as it crackled in the fireplace

"We all knew what we signed up for," Mia said finally, catching Isaac's attention. "We knew it wasn't going to be easy...but we decided to come anyway - All of us did."

Isaac shook his head. "I feel responsible for this somehow," he replied. "I'm apparently the leader and I don't even know what I'm leading. It feels so arbitrary." Mia watched closely as Isaac shrugged and looked over at her. "It's not like I know anything more about what is going on than anyone else. We're all pretty clueless for the most part and we only know the information we've been told or have found out based on our travels so far. The Elemental Lighthouses feel foreign to me. I don't understand them any more than you do...than Garet does...or than Ivan does."

"Well I know that it was my duty to protect the lighthouse in Imil," Mia interjected."That's a duty I failed as you can see by looking toward the northern skies. We may not know much about these lighthouses or the consequences for lighting them, however we do know what we've both been told regarding the danger of unleashing alchemy again…" She paused for a moment to catch her breath.

"Regardless of this journey being where I am or my reason for being here, I owe it to the world to help correct my mistake and my failures at the Mercury Lighthouse...so don't think that it somehow falls on your shoulders that I'm here facing the same challenges as you, Garet, and Ivan."

Isaac sat there for a moment in silence, digesting Mia's words. "Thanks Mia…" he stated simply, with a hint of a smile gracing his lips. "Somehow you know what to say to help reassure me when I'm a bit lost."

"Not a problem," Mia replied back, letting her own smile show as she could see the overhanging thoughts above Isaac begin to drift away. "If I remember the story correctly, I'm pretty sure Garet shares an equal responsibility as you," she added in a teasing voice and getting a humorous snort out of Isaac as he remembered Sol Sanctum with Garet where everything began.

"Ivan is the only one that really isn't technically directly responsible for any of this...and if that's a burden on you, then you should let Garet and I share it with you," Mia finished with a kind smile.

Isaac let out a nervous laugh. "You're right...of course you're right. I think you've taken a load off of my shoulders," Isaac explained with a smile at Mia.

The cerulean haired girl returned the smile and leaned back on the couch letting her head tip up toward the ceiling, glad to know she had cheered up the boy sitting beside her. Sharing the blame huh…? Mia thought to herself, closing her eyes. I know I said that, but the Mercury Lighthouse was still my f-

"Falling asleep on me?" Isaac asked Mia teasingly, cutting into her thoughts. Opening her eyes again, Mia lifted her head up to look around and realized that her head had slipped from resting on the back of the couch to Isaac's shoulder instead. Her face flushed slightly in embarrassment and she sat up straight as a board, trying to come up with a quick retort.

"Quite literally," Mia pointed out, diffusing the embarrassment as best she could, earning a chuckle from Isaac.

The blond boy scratched the tip of his nose in nervousness and his face turned slightly pink as he glanced away from Mia to hide it. "Not that I mind or anything...but if you're going to sleep you should probably do that in your bed," Isaac pointed out.

Mia let out a yawn she didn't realize she was holding. "Perhaps you're right…" she stated, feeling the lack of sleep finally catching up with her again after a night of restlessness. Her eyes began to droop as she leaned back carefully, making sure she was resting her head on the cushions of the couch this time. "It feels so nice here though…" she mumbled softly to Isaac who looked on as the cerulean haired girl finally let the exhaustion of the day catch up to her.

The warmth of the fire wafting toward her and faint crackling of embers calmed Mia as she drifted closer to sleep and the rest she was desperately seeking earlier in the night. Again she leaned sideways as her body relaxed and could no longer hold herself upright in her stupor. Cerulean hair fell onto Isaac's shoulder again, glistening in the pale orange light of the fire.

Isaac looked on hesitantly, believing that she may have actually fallen asleep this time. "Mia…?" he asked in a soft voice, checking to see if that was indeed the case. Her soft breathing was the only other sound, faintly audible over the fireplace and the constant pattering of rain outside.

The blonde boy sat there, amazed that Mia had been able to fall asleep just like that, knowing she had to have been extremely tired. Isaac smiled down at his traveling companion, an empathetic smile, conveying sympathy for her insomnia and indicating the deep friendship he had so quickly developed with the girl since meeting her back in Imil. "I guess I'm staying here for now then," he said softly to himself, amused by the situation.

Reaching out to Mia's arm where her now warm robe sat, still draped, Isaac slowly removed the robe from her, careful not to disturb her rest. Opening it up, he covered Mia's body with it like a blanket to help keep her warm as she slept. Smiling at his handiwork and at the fact Mia was able to get to sleep so soundly, Isaac found himself oddly content. Despite being tucked away in a small town in the corner of a continent on a quest that had never made much sense, Isaac was at ease and felt almost happy in the rare moment of peace this particular evening had given him.


Thanks for reading everyone! I hope you end up enjoying this story as I continue to write it and follow the Golden Sun cast on their journey through Weyard. A quick word of warning though: I do not know how often I will be updating this story or if I will ever get to complete it, but if you like it and want to stay tuned, I suggest following it so you can receive a notification via email when a new chapter is put up =)