Chapter 6

They were leaving… one by one. Felix, my old friend whom I had thought dead, gave us one last look before entering the strange portal with Jenna right behind. The blue-haired man named Alex also gave us a final glance before leaving Garet and I in the collapsing chamber.

Garet muttered a curse beside me as he looked over at the only exit. The hot, steaming lava down below obviously prevented us from reaching it. "What do you think we should do?" he asked desperately, creasing his brow with worry.

"I don't know," I said, feeling scared and angry at the same time. We were supposed to have a fun time in Sol Sanctum. And how did our excursion ended up? Kraden and Jenna got kidnapped while Garet and I were trapped in an erupting chamber filling with lava. I let out a snarl of frustration and kicked a stone into the supposedly rising lava. I then soon noticed that the lava wasn't seeping through the cracks at all but remained unmoving and glowing.

"Garet," I said, wanting to show him what I discovered. I turned around to look at him but froze half-way. Floating behind us was that one-eyed rock from before; the Wise One I heard Kraden cry.

Immeasurable power radiated from the creature and I immediately felt afraid by its presence. But it was not the Wise One's power that froze me place, it was its eye. The single blue, piercing orb of the ancient guardian paralyzed my entire body. It was like the eye could see into me; into my mind… into my soul.

"Yeah, Isaac?" I heard Garet say. I couldn't respond. I was unable to move any part of my body.

"Isaac?" Garet questioned again, "What are you staring… at?"

It sounded like Garet saw the guardian as well fell silent. That was until the creature spoke:

"Child, why are you standing there?" it had addressed me... It did not speak through human speech but instead communicated in my mind. (It was logical since the guardian obviously had no mouth.)

We jumped at the sound of its words in our head. I was too surprised and also afraid to answer the mighty being.

"It has become dangerous here," it continued, giving me the slight impression that the guardian was not floating before us in intent to punish us for taking the Elemental Stars. The ground began to tremble again and the lava below began to flow once more.

Infuriated, Garet yelled at the guardian to stop the earthquakes. Somehow, the Wise One looked confused at my friend but quickly ignored the boy as it floated towards the gushing cracks. Visible Psynergy surrounded it as it forced the molten rock back down.

It was truly incredible… the guardian's power! Having shown us its ability I immediately knew that the guardian was not the cause of the eruption.

"The volcano," it began, turning to face us, "It will erupt soon. I cannot hold it for long. You two must get out of here quickly…"

The Mars Adept shook his head in frustration. "What? Aren't you the one doing this?" he growled.

"Garet," I snapped, giving him a frown. "The Wise One didn't cause this to happen. We did."

"Us?" He was taken back.

"When we took the Stars."

The redhead no longer seemed angry but guilty. "Oh…" He then faced the guardian and scratched the back of his head apologetically. "You know, we could've been long gone from here if there was a way we could get out of here," he told the Wise One, not meeting the guardian's stare.

Blinking, the guardian acknowledged our situation and said, "I see." It levitated back towards us, stopping before the island we stood on. "The chamber –" It was interrupted by the sudden glow of the statue of the Mars goddess.

Yellow streaks of light erupted from the marble figure and disappeared into the dark night sky. I gawked at where the light had gone; completely clueless at what had just happened.

"The Elemental Djinn," the Wise One began, as it watched the same light that shrouded the goddess of Mars, erupt from the other goddesses as well. "They have returned."

"A… what?" I quietly questioned out loud. I glanced over at Garet and he shrugged. He didn't know what the Wise One was talking about either.

The guardian then lowered its single eye directly at me and I flinched. "Show me the Mars Star," it commanded.

I did what I was told without hesitating and I brought out the Mars Star that I had placed in one of the mythril bags Kraden had given me. The stone's power flowed from within and I could easily feel it in my grasp. I raised my hand to show the guardian the brilliant red orb, hoping that it would take it back and forgive us for what we had done.

The Wise One started to glow with Psynergy and focused its attention to the Star.

Please, take it… I silently prayed. But my hope was crushed when the light from the Elemental Star diminished and its red colour dulled. No longer did the Star's power radiate from the glossy orb.

"Put it away, child," it told me and regrettably I did.

I wanted to ask the guardian why it did not want it back but it continued to speak, "The Elemental Stars… they are moving away from here…Without the power of the Elemental Stars, the magma flows freely once again and the chamber is collapsing."

I didn't like the sound of that. If Mt. Aleph were to erupt, Vale could be… destroyed!

"The Stars, with no chamber to return to, the world will be exposed to the threat of Alchemy."

Garet and I looked at the guardian in confusion. "Did you say that Alchemy is a threat?" he asked.

"It can be a dangerous power if misused," the Wise One explained, staring at us both. "If the Elemental Stars light the four lighthouses, that power will be released. As long as the four lighthouses remain unlit–"

A massive quake interrupted us. The chamber began to glow a dangerously bright red, which could only mean…

"It's erupting!" Garet cried, panicking at the sight of quickly rising lava.

The guardian once again hovered over to the opening and used its Psynergy to cease the flow of lava. However, it did not work like last time…

The chamber shook violently with another massive quake, knocking me over to my hands and knees. Garet helped me up. I tried to steady myself but the ground was too unstable so I fell again, pulling with me.

I let out a curse as I climbed to my feet; staying low to keep myself balanced. In my mind I was frantically trying to think of a way to escape from the death hole we stood in. I searched for anything that we could use but found absolutely nothing! In the corner of my eye, I noticed the Wise One use its Psynergy again it failed.

"The volcano is erupting! Get out of here!" it cried when it was unable to prevent the lava flow.

I looked around desperately. "H-How? There's no way to reach the exit!" I screamed in panic.

Damn it! We're going to die!

The Wise One closed its eye. "I will help you." Psynergy surrounded the guardian as it performed another spell.

A blinding light flashed before my eyes. All of a sudden the unbearable heat from the lava was gone and I had to blink a few times before realizing that I was back in the room we came from. I turned around and saw the portal gone.

Garet seemed dazed. "Did that floating eye thing save us?" he asked me, sounding quite unsure of what had happened.

I nodded. "Yeah… I think he did," I answered, breathing deeply at how close to death we were. The ground began to shake violently under our feet, snapping me back to realization that we were not completely out of danger yet. "Come on, let's get out of here!"

I ran as fast as I could, avoiding falling debris and rocks while trying my best to remember the passageways we came through. I ran desperately to find my way out of the maze. I knew I made a few wrong turns when we ran into dead ends.

Ugh! I hate this place! I growled mentally as I gritted my teeth at the sight of another dead end.

Garet took the lead this time and he led us in a circle until we finally found the damn exit out of the secret chamber. We ran, jumped over pools of water and ran again without stopping. When we reached the final room, which I could easily remember was the first of Sol Sanctum, I nearly fell into the water as I hopped along the stone tiles with weary legs.

Exhausted, the two of us made it through the sanctum's exit while panting and sweating heavily. Grasping for breath, we continued forward and down the stone steps, leading back to Vale…

I tensed at what would become of us if the villagers knew what we had done. Sneaking into the sanctum ourselves was one thing, but allowing the Elemental Stars be taken away and triggering an erupting volcano that could possibly annihilate all of Vale was another.

I wouldn't be surprised if the entire village exiled us. That was, if Vale would survive the eruption…

I could hear shrieks and cries of horror coming from the villagers as the mountain continued to tremble. Among the screams, I heard someone mention our names;

"…and Garet would never go up Mt. Aleph. How foolish would they be?"

"Oh, man…" Garet groaned breathlessly. "It's Gramps and the others." He dropped on the ground when his legs gave way.

"Come on, Garet," I said, motioning him to get back up. "We should warn everyone." Even though I did not want to show my face to the others, I had to tell them all about the danger they could be in. We were responsible for the eruption… after all.

The redhead frowned with guilt before letting out a sigh. Slowly, he got up and we headed towards the villagers.

Garet's younger brother was first to spot us approach and yelled out his brother's name in response. "Garet!"

All heads turned to our direction and I immediately felt a deep pang of guilt sink into my stomach as I gave them all a grim look.

"Isaac!" my Mother exclaimed, running up to me. By her expression, I could tell she had been frantically worrying over me as well as furious. "Where have you been? Did you climb Mt. Aleph without the elders? Did you, Isaac? Did you? Look at me!"

Flinching, I could only give my mother a small glance before adverting my eyes the ground beside me. "Mom, I'm sorry…" I murmured.

"What happened?"

"Where are Jenna and Kraden?" the Mayor added, seeing two of our group missing.

I shook my head and continued to avoid the villagers' stares. "They've been taken away," I answered in a monotone.

"What? By who?" someone had asked.

"What's going on?" another villager questioned.

"What did you do?" one demanded.

Cringing, I ignored the voices and remained silent. Garet was asked where we had been by his grandfather. "We were in Mt. Aleph with Jenna and Master Kraden," he explained. "We… Well, we met with some bad guys up there. As well as Felix."

"Felix?" I heard a few people murmur in confusion.

The Great Healer appeared in the corner of my eye. "My, this is rather complicating…" he spoke in a calm manner despite the calamity going on nearby. "You boys, please come explain everything inside the Sanctum." He turned towards his stone temple and I, giving Garet and Mother a slight nod, followed right behind the old man.

Inside the Healer's Sanctum, I felt hot and stuffy due to my anxiousness and the ugly guilt lingering inside me. Only Mother, the Mayor and the two monks were inside with us.

Giving Garet and I a firm yet kind glance, the Healer gently stroked his long beard and told us to explain everything that had happened.

We did. It took a long time, but we managed to describe every detail of our little adventure such as how we got into Mt. Aleph, uncovered the true Sol Sanctum, as well as the encounter with Felix and the three strangers that took Jenna and Kraden away.

"Their names," Garet began, rubbing his chin in thought as he tried to remember. "They were Saterus and Melody, I think. The other was Alex, for sure."

I corrected the Mars Adept, "It was Saturos and Menardi."

He rolled his eyes at me, "Whatever," he breathed, crossing his arms and looking agitated. "It doesn't matter. Jenna and Master Kraden have been taken by them. We need to do something!"

"Calm down, Garet," his grandfather urged, his old face creased in deep concern.

Mother exhaled a worried sigh. "What will happen to Jenna and Kraden?" she pondered.

I only shook my head and shrugged.

What would they do? If any harm came to either of them, they would all pay dearly by my own hands if I were to ever find them. But I knew Felix would not let his sister come to any danger. I knew when he took her with him in the collapsing chamber.

Felix, are you still you?

It had been three years and perhaps living with that fearsome pair for that long may have changed him dramatically. However, he did not seem all that way during that brief encounter. I had a feeling that the old Felix I knew was still there…

It may be my selfish wanting for my lost friend back that could be making me delusional to believe such a thing were true.

I wanted to find out if Felix was still… my friend.

"Felix… I know he wouldn't allow anything to happen to them," I answered, hoping for it to be true. Garet, on the other hand, seemed doubtful.

"Let's send a group of warriors to save them!" the redhead suggested, his arms flailing anxiously. "Jenna – both of them could still be nearby and–"

"Garet, please!" the Mayor cut in, sending an angry glare at the boy. Garet furrowed his brow and groaned in annoyance but overall fell silent. His grandfather continued, "There aren't many warriors in Vale. Even if we did, we don't even know where those people have gone! Healer, am I correct?"

The Healer did not respond. We all turned our attention to the old sage, who appeared to be staring mindlessly into the air before him.

"Healer?" the mayor questioned, a twinge of worry in his tone.

Abruptly, the Healer turned his head to face Garet's grandfather, causing the other old man to jump. "I apologize. I was thinking about that stone that appeared in front of Isaac. I have seen it before…"

I blinked in surprise while Garet let out a "What?" in return.

The Healer, stroking his beard once more, closed his eyes and said, "I have seen it in my dreams and… now before my mind's eye. It appeared again and spoke to me."

"You saw it just now?" Garet asked.

Nodding, the elder man continued, "I believe it is the Wise One, guardian of the Elemental Stars."

"That was what Master Kraden had called the thing when we saw it," Garet commented.

"It told me what happened to you in Sol Sanctum."

The Mayor looked hopefully at the Healer and asked, "Did the Wise One say anything about the eruption?"

"Will the volcano destroy Vale?" my mother added, furrowing her brow in worry.

The Healer shook his head. "It is impossible to stop it now…"

"What will happen to Vale?" I asked grimly. Guilt was eating at my insides as I stared morbidly at the Great Healer.

"Do not worry, Isaac. Vale will be safe. The Wise One will keep the lava from reaching us," the elder man replied, greatly relieving the stress locked up inside me.

I let out a long grateful sight and waited for the Healer to continue but he did not. Instead, he appeared to daze out again, which I assumed that the Wise One must be speaking to him.

The old man's expression then distorted to fear.

"What's wrong, Healer?" the Mayor asked, growing concerned.

"A dreadfully immense and terrible power looms ahead…" the other replied. Weary grey eyes landed upon me as the Healer continued, "The Elemental Stars; they hold enormous power within them. When the four lighthouses are lit, their powers will be released upon the world!"

I felt unnerved by the Healer's words as well as his sudden stare. I had an urge to show him the Mars Star I carried but fought against it for it would do no good. The Elemental Stars… I knew they possessed a great power. I had felt it when I touched each of them. Specifically the Venus Star. Its power seemed stronger than the others when I held it in my hand.

And now, the power of the Elemental Stars were lost; all but one. I felt a horrible regret as I pondered what I could have done to prevent what had happened so far.

Sneaking into the sanctum? How stupid was I?

Cursing at myself mentally, I focused my attention back to the Healer.

"Once the power of the Stars are released, the whole world will be…" the Healer trailed off; not wanting to mention the dreadful truth of the fate of the world.

We all fell silent. Until Mother spoke up, "The Wise One wants us to get those Stars back, doesn't he?" she asked.

The elder man shook his head, which made me confused. "The world is ours, to save or to destroy. If we don't do something then the fate of the world will come to an end."

The Mayor shook his head in shame. "What a pity…"

"We cannot hope for salvation. We must save ourselves…"

I glanced over at Garet, seeing that he was giving me the same look of guilt I gave him. I was killing myself mentally for I knew it was my entire fault. If I did not agree to the stupid plan of breaking into Sol Sanctum ourselves, nothing would have happened.

But alas, I followed my desire and ended up endangering the whole world.

Ugh! Stupid! I growled inwardly as I furled my hands into fists.

"What do you suppose we should do?" I heard my mother ask, breaking my self-loathing.

"We should go after them…" I announced, knowing that it was my responsibility to repair the damage I had done. My voice came out angrier than I expected.

"Isaac…" Mother whispered, surprised by my reaction.

The Healer nodded at my decision. "It was their fate alone to gather the Elemental Stars," he said.

"You mean, you're laying them responsible for the fate of the world?" Mother asked, surprised and saddened.

I was somewhat bewildered by the old man's agreement.

"Um, who are you talking about?" Garet questioned, seemingly confused. I sighed and gave him a sullen stare. His grandfather glared angrily at him.

"He's talking about us, Garet. Me and you," I answered him nonchantly.

"Garet! Don't you see how serious this situation is?" his grandfather asked, obviously furious.

"I know how serious it is, Gramps!" the redhead argued back. "It's just that I was thinking about something… If you're not sending any warriors to save Jenna, then I'm willing to go." He stood up tall, his face lacking the worried guilt that once plagued him. His features now bore a strong determination to fulfill the quest we had been fated to do.

I grinned, seeing how ridiculous my friend appeared in that stance. Ridiculous and heroic.

Straightening my posture, I gave everyone a nod. "I, as well, will accept this fate," I said with my mind set on facing the challenges that lay before us. "We are responsible for what has happened. We will make up for it by saving Master Kraden and Jenna, and getting the Elemental Stars back."

Accepting our fate to save the world was truly better than being exiled from the village as punishment.

I felt confident at our decision to embark on the journey for not only the Elemental Stars, but for Jenna, Kraden, and... Felix. All eyes in the room fell upon us. A small smile formed over the Healer's covered lips. "Isaac. Garet. You two have surely grown up to be adults."

"Garet, I'm proud of you. You really are going to take this responsibility," the boy's grandfather commented, giving a proud smile.

Mother didn't say anything… Instead, she looked at me with sadness in her eyes. But it soon faded and in place was a bright smile. "Isaac, you've certainly grown up to be a man," she began, forcing a smile from me. "I'm proud of you. This is your decision so I will follow it."

"Isaac. Garet," the Healer began, his smile replaced with a firm stare. "Your fates have been chosen. Now heed the words of the Wise One…"

-0-

It was an abrupt but understandable decision between the Mayor and Mother when Garet and I were to begin our quest first thing in the morning. I did not want to leave so soon, but I knew we had to in order find Jenna and Kraden easier. If we lingered any longer, they would be too far ahead of us to catch up.

I sighed as I fumbled around with my belongings, unable to decide what to bring. Clothes? Mother had helped pack the necessary clothing needed for various weather conditions. Since it was nearing the end of autumn, warm clothes were 'required' as Mother had said.

Other necessities were water, of course, some healing herbs and remedy elixirs, and most importantly, a sack of gold. (Namely, my allowance and some extra coins from Mother.)

"Isaac," I heard my mother call from downstairs. "Come here, I want to give you something."

"Hm?" Curious, I dropped what I was holding and hopped down the staircase. Mother was waiting below, holding a long package wrapped in brown paper. "What's that, Mom?"

She handed the parcel to me when I came up to her and almost dropped it from the object's unexpected weight. "Isaac! Be careful! I just bought it," she warned, grabbing the package to steady it in my grasp.

I almost gawked at Mother when I realized what was inside the paper. "This… is for me?" I gasped, astounded by the gift.

Nodding, my mother released her hold and smiled. "It's going to be a dangerous journey so you'll be needing this. Go on, open it."

I ripped the paper in haste and was greeted by my own grinning reflection on the shiny surface of a brand new sword. It was a beautiful blade. Its hilt was painted gold and on the guard was a glistening red jewel encrusted in the centre on both sides. The edge was relatively long, longer than my arm's length, and possibly crafted from steel. From the looks of it, I could assume that it came at a hefty price.

"How much did you pay for it?" I asked, frowning at how expensive the weapon could be.

Mother simply waved her hand. "Oh, don't worry about how much it was, dear," she answered, shaking her head. "Do you like it?"

"Like it? I love it!" I exclaimed as I eyed the remarkable blade in my hands. "But seriously, how much did you pay for it?"

"Isaac." She gave me sullen look. "It wasn't too expensive. Marl gave me a discount knowing that you'll be needing a weapon for your quest."

"Mom… Thanks." Holding the hilt with one hand, I pulled Mother into a hug with the other. She held me tightly and we remained that way for a short while.

When she pulled back I saw tears forming in her eyes. "Isaac," she sniffed, resting her hands on my shoulders. "I-I want you to be careful, o-okay? Don't get hurt. Don't… Don't give up. I want you to return here safely, understand?"

I grabbed her hand with my free one and gently squeezed it. "I'll be careful, Mom. Don't worry about me. I'll come home from time to time–"

"No, Isaac. Don't," she cut in, looking away.

"Huh?" I was confused.

"I… I want you to do me a favour. Will you do it?"

I blinked and furrowed my brow before nodding. "Yeah, I will."

"That's good." She then looked straight at me. "Isaac, don't ever return to Vale-" I was completely shocked at those words- "Not until you've completed your quest."

The entire phrase repeated in my mind again, causing me question my Mother's sudden words. "W-What did you say?"

"You heard me, dear… Don't waste your time coming back here when you should be focusing on saving Jenna and Kraden. I want you-" She squeezed my hand this time- "to concentrate on your journey and not worry about me."

"But you'll be all alone!" I protested. "It could take weeks, months… before-"

"Isaac, you promised me. Don't go against your word on it." Mother was no longer crying but instead her expression was stern.

"Mom…" I lowered my gaze and stared at the floor.

She lightly shook my shoulder. "Please understand, Isaac. Will you promise me?"

I hesitated. Mother was pleading me to keep such an insane promise. If I left her for who-knew-how-long, I would of course worry about her. But what she had said was right; I could not waste my time dawdling back and forth to see Mother when it was my duty – my responsibility – to save the world.

Yes, I had to do it. For Mother's sake.

"I promise you, Mom," I said, returning her stare with a confident look. "I-I won't come back without Jenna and the Stars. I promise you."

She embraced in a hug, possibly the last hug we will ever have for awhile, and whispered in my ear, "I love you, Isaac. I will pray for you every night… until you come back."