A/N: Hello! Hah ha! Finally finished this chapter. Tell me if there's any typing errors, I haven't really proof read the whole thing….
Chapter 7
Felix's POV
Slowly, I approached the door. I was nervous. I didn't quite have the courage to go up and talk to Jenna when we left Vale or during the journey to Vault…. I was a coward.
But along the way, Alex kept urging me to go up and talk to her. He says that loved ones should always be united even if they are lost. I'm not really sure what he meant but he gave me some courage to go up and face her.
We were, once again, resting in the inn of Vault. It brings back memories, sad ones, of how I met Saturos and Menardi, three years ago….. Tomorrow we will be heading to our first lighthouse. The Mercury Lighthouse. Saturos had mentioned that it was located near a small northern village called Imil. Alex had also mentioned that he was from there…..
I quietly knocked on the door and waited. The door swung open and Kraden was standing in front of me with a grudge and hateful look. But when he saw my face, his face lightened up, a little.
He gave me a kind but cautious smile. "Ah, Jenna's brother. Felix was it?" he asked.
I nodded, "Uh, yeah…. That's me. I was wondering if I could talk to her…"
He turned to look at her. I couldn't see clearly into the room as he blocked the doorway. "Jenna, your brother wants to talk to you." he told her.
After a long pause…."Tell him to come in." I heard her say. It sounded like she was crying.
Kraden stepped aside to allow me through. Jenna sat at the edge of her bed, looking at the floor. Her fists were tightly clenched and I saw tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Jenna….." was all I could say. I couldn't stand watching her like this. She's in pain….
"I will leave you two alone." said Kraden. He closed the door behind him, leaving me alone with Jenna.
This is my chance…. Say something!
But I couldn't say anything.
It was silent for a moment until finally she looked up at me, with her tearful eyes. "Felix… Why?" she whispered.
I didn't respond. Instead I kept looking at her beautiful face…
"Why?" She tried again, "Why didn't you come back?"
I took a deep and shaky breath. "Jenna," I said, barely even a whisper, "I couldn't. After they rescued me, they took me with them. I couldn't just get up and go….. They…. They saved my life. And I have to repay them by listening to them."
She shook her head, "Couldn't you have at least told me you were alive?!" she cried out in sobs. She buried her head in her hands.
I walked up to her. I hesitated a little but I sat right beside her and wrapped my arm around her, "Shh, don't cry." I said, "I'm really sorry, Jenna. I really am. I wish I could've told you but…. It was difficult. I was too far away to reach you. I didn't even know that our parents…. You know… I never knew until I came back to Vale. For three years I've wanted to come back and see you and mom and dad again. But now….. I'll never see mom or dad again."
She remained silent. She stopped sobbing and remained looking at her hands. "But…" I continued, "I can still see you…. Alive and well. You've grown so much, Jenna. You've become a beautiful woman."
I could see a small smile form on her lips. "How has Garet and Isaac been treating you? They didn't make fun of you too much, did they?" I continued. A smile was starting to form on my lips too.
She wiped her tears away and shook her head, "No, they don't make fun of me, that much. They've been very nice to me ever since the accident. Except Isaac has been very annoying most of the time."
We both smiled at each other. "Felix," she began as she stood up, "I'm really glad to see that you're okay…. I always felt alone. But deep down inside, I felt something…." She looked into my eyes, "I felt that somewhere, someplace that you were still alive. And I'm really glad that you are, big brother."
Big brother…. I've never heard that in such a long time….
She continued, "You've grown so much. You're as tall as dad used to be. And you need a haircut." she chuckled.
I grinned. "You've grown up too, Jenna. But … you know what, you're still a cry-baby."
Her expression quickly changed from a happy face to a murderous glare….
Uh oh….
"What did you call me?!" she snarled. Her eyes burned angrily at me and she raised her fists….
I quickly raised my hands to protect myself and I slowly backed up as she stepped towards me with anger flushing her face.
I completely forgot about her bad temper…..
"Jenna., Jenna, I was joking!" I quickly told her, nervously. I hate it when she's mad…. She somehow gets stronger when she's mad….
I backed into a wall…. I'm cornered!
Jenna stepped face to face to me and glared. Then her lips started to twitch into a grin. Then she giggled and started to laugh. She laughed harder and harder, making it impossible for me to restrain my own laughter. I bursted out laughing along with her. We laughed and laughed. Just like old times, when me and Jenna, Isaac and Garet, would laugh for no reason for a long time….
After what seemed like an eternity, our laughter subsided. I took deep, shaky breaths, trying to calm myself down. My stomach was aching but I was happy. I've never felt this way in such a long time….
"Felix…." Jenna said, when she stopped giggling, "I'm so happy that you're alive! But…." She looked away saddened all of a sudden.
"But what?" I asked, concerned.
"What about Garet and Isaac? Do you think they're still alive?"
Oh no….. I forgot that they were trapped in the volcano…. But, even if they were trapped, I know that somehow they'll make out alive. I just know it….. I know them too well. They always got out of trouble when they were kids. And hopefully, they would get out of that one……
"They're still alive Jenna. I know they are…."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Isaac's POV
Keeping my promise to mom and also I couldn't go back to sleep, I quickly dressed into my father's tunic, tightly wrapped the bright yellow scarf around my neck, strapped my sword to my back, gathered my supplies, and quietly headed downstairs. I saw mother still asleep….
I sighed.
This is it mom, I'm leaving…..
"Goodbye, mom. I love you….." I whispered as I walked out the door. I was never to step foot in my house again. Until I finish my quest of course. But, how long will that be?
Feels like forever…
It was still early. Not many people were awake yet. And I was hungry.
Should have taken some breakfast with me……
I wonder if Garet's awake yet.
I headed towards his house and I saw Garet, lying in front of his house. He heard me coming and looked towards me, "Couldn't sleep either?" he asked.
I sat down beside him. "No," I answered, "I keep thinking of what might happen to us. And how long this quest will take."
He closed his eyes and sighed. "Yeah. I've been thinking about that too. I don't really want to leave. I'll be far away from my family. That's never happened before…. We never got separated from each other."
I felt envious. Garet has never lost a family member before. Unlike me. And unlike Jenna and Felix. He still has his whole family here to care for him.
I guess leaving Vale is like losing a family member to him. He won't be seeing them again in a long time….. If our quest will take that long….
"Don't worry, Garet. The sooner we get those Stars, the sooner we'll be home." I said cheerfully. But, deep down, I feel the same way as him. But I don't want to make him feel any worse.
We sat in silence all morning until Garet's whole family woke up and saw us outside.
"Garet, Isaac, what are you two outside so early? The day hasn't even started yet." said Garet's mother. She was still in her night gown but she looked ready for the day.
"Sorry, mom. We just couldn't sleep because… you know. Today's the day….." Garet mumbled sadly.
She gave him a small smile. "Oh Garet. Today's the day you become a real man. I'm so proud of you. Everyone is proud of you. Derik is even jealous of you."
"Yeah, I want to come too!" Derik squealed. He stood beside his mother.
Garet stood up, "But mom, I'll probably never see all of you again…."
"Garet, what the heck are you saying?!" Kaylina shrieked out angrily from behind her mother, "You are going to come back home! And when you do, you're going to do all the chores that I will have to do for you!"
"Your sister's right," his mother said happily, "This journey may be long and difficult, but you must trust in yourself, Garet. You can do this. You are always welcome to come visit us."
Garet thought for a moment. Then he looked at me to see what I think about it. I just nodded my head and said, "They're right, Garet. We are going to do this. When you want to, we can always come back to visit your family."
But I can't. I promised her I wouldn't……
Garet seemed to lighten up when I said that. He nodded his head and said, "You're right. What was I thinking? We will come back with the Stars. With Jenna. With Kraden. And Felix too, maybe."
Yeah. Maybe…. If Felix wants to come back home….
"Now come on in for breakfast, Garet. Shouldn't you go home too, Isaac?" his mother questioned.
I shook my head sadly, "No…. I'm not going home. Not until this quest is finished. I promised mom that I wouldn't see her until then so I left early."
"But your quest hasn't even started," she responded.
"It has already started, ma'am. The morning's already here. This is only the beginning……" I said.
"Oh dear," she said in surprise, "Well, it hasn't begun for Garet because he still needs to eat breakfast." She smiled warmly at Garet and me.
"Isaac, why don't you come and eat with us?" she asked.
My stomach growled hungrily. I nodded, "Sure. I would love to, ma'am."
"It sounds like Dora has been very strict with you going away." she said as she smiled. Her smile always lightened everyone's face.
After eating breakfast with Garet's entire family, we got ready to leave. All the villagers gathered by the gate that lead to the outside of Vale. They were preparing us to leave….
I didn't see mother anywhere…..
Kallis stepped forward, "Now be careful, you two. We are counting on you." He gave us an encouraging smile.
Garet and I both nodded. "We will, Kraden. We won't let you down," I said.
Kaylina stepped forward and gave Garet a hug. "Now take care, little bro. Don't drink the water if it smells bad."
Garet grinned, "I won't, sis. I'm not that stupid."
Derik giggled, "Yeah right, Garet. Don't listen to him, Isaac, he'll eat anything that looks like food!"
Garet raised a fist, "Why you little….." he snarled. Then he grinned again, but angrily.
"Where is Dora? She's late…." said one of the monks.
She won't come… We promised not to see each other, but….. I wish she was here to say goodbye…..
I looked at the floor sadly.
"Oh, I forgot!" Derik squealed. "I have something to give you, Isaac. Aunty Dora wanted you to have this…" He stuck out his short little arms and placed a bracelet in my hand.
It was mom's Catch bead bracelet…. Her mother had given it to her and now she gave it to me….
Each bead was actually a piece of Psynergy stone that was made long ago. Each bead contained a small amount of Psynergy but when put together, it can be powerful. Well, these beads are very old and they can only manipulate small objects, so it's not that strong.
But still, it's mom's most cherished item. I tied it around my wrist.
I smiled and thanked Derik. I'll take good care of it, mom.
Garet sighed, "I guess we're all ready to go now."
"Think again, Garet!" Kaylina cried out.
"What?" Garet asked. He raised a brow as his sister glared at him.
Garet's mother sighed, deeply. "It must be very difficult for Dora. As Garet's mother, I know how Dora feels. I still have Garet's father, but Dora only has Isaac." She looked at me with sadness, "She doesn't want you to go, Isaac, but she knows you have to go and it hurts to see you leave."
All the villagers nodded in agreement. The mayor laughed out loud, "If we keep standing here, they'll never leave! Now, everyone," he turned to the villagers, "One final, farewell!"
All the villagers took a deep breath……
"Farewell!!"
"Good luck!"
"Take care!"
"Come back safely!"
We smiled and waved goodbye as we headed out the gate. I'm going to miss Vale.
I've never left Vale before. I only did when it was berry-picking season. Mother and I would go out into the nearby forest to pluck sweet, red berries for pie and cake. I'm going to miss her cakes…..
We walked for a little while in silence until Garet yawned and stretched. "I'm hungry…." he groaned.
"We just had breakfast. How can you still be hungry?" I asked. I was still full.
"Because I'm nervous. Whenever I'm nervous, I'm hungry…." he answered.
"Nervous? There's nothing to be nervous about. Even though we're going to be far away from home….. We will get this over with. You and me together, we'll save Jenna and Master Kraden and go home with the Stars…. Nothing to worry about…." I said cheerfully. I was trying to lighten up our mood. To make our quest seem more simpler. I sighed.
I only wish it were….
"Maybe if I sing a song, that might ease me up," he said. He cleared his throat and hummed a few notes.
I tried not to laugh, "You sing? Yeah right."
He gave me a look, "What? Grandpa always sang this song to me when I was little. He said all the people of Vale used to sing it back in the 'good old days of Vale.'"
I rolled my eyes. I've never seen or heard Garet sing in his entire life. This is going to be funny…..
"Let's see how it goes now…." he thought. We walked for another short while and still, Garet couldn't remember his song.
We walked and walked until I felt something bump into my legs…..
"Ouch!" squealed a little, brown creature that ran into me. It shook it's head and looked up at me with little blue eyes.
"Hey there, little guy," I said quietly in a soothing voice, "Are you okay?"
"That's one odd looking thing…." said Garet.
"Watch where your going!" it squealed angrily then it turned around sharply. It looked frightened when it saw a little blue rat carrying a fork. The rat squeaked loudly and charged right at us…..
It was actually far away and it was advancing towards us in a very slow speed. Probably because of it's short legs…. It had it's fork raised and it ran and ran as fast as it could towards us.
"Please help me!" the little brown creature squealed. "That Vermin has been chasing me for a long time!"
"Um…. Sure I guess." I answered. I stood out in front of the brown creature and Garet. I stood an waited for the rat to approach kicking range. But it was taking too long.
Ah, to hell with it.
I walked towards the rat instead. It squeaked angrily at me and it swung it's fork back and forth. I stared hard at it. Then I kicked it. Yes, I kicked it. The rat flew far across the road and into the forest, squealing angrily at me but it faded as it got farther.
"Wasn't so hard," I said proudly, hands on hips, and with a big grin to go with it.
Garet rolled his eyes at me but the little, brown creature jumped up and down happily.
"Thank you! Thank you!" it squealed. Then it stopped and looked carefully at us. It's eyes widened, "You… you're both Adepts!"
We nodded.
" I have been searching for Adepts who have potential and strength. Please, may I ask to join you?"
"Join us?" Garet asked, confused. He scratched his head, "What exactly are you?"
"Oh! Forgive me!" the creature bowed in front of us, "I forgot to introduce myself. I am Flint, a Venus Djinn."
Djinn? I'm sure I heard that word before…..
"Oh! So that's what a Djinn is," Garet said, surprised, then he looked at my confused face, "Don't you remember Isaac? Kallis and the Wise One told us about these things."
Oh yeah, now I remember.
"Right. Kallis told us to look for these. But what do they do?" I asked him.
He shrugged and we both looked at Flint. Flint looked like he was smiling but I don't see his mouth anywhere….
"I can aid you in battle!" he squealed happily.
I raised a brow.
"We may not look like much, but we, Djinn, can use powerful Psynergy."
"Wait a minute. We? So there's more than one of you?" Garet asked.
Flint nodded. "Yes, but we all got separated when the mountain erupted," he sad sadly. "But if you help me look for my brothers, sisters, and friends, I'm sure we'll be a big help to you!"
"Well… alright then. I guess you could come along. The more the merrier, right?" I said. Flint squealed happily.
"Thank you so much, sir!" he said.
"My name is Isaac and this is Garet," I pointed out.
"Nice to meet you. And Isaac, you are a Venus Adept. Am I right?" Flint asked.
I nodded.
"Then I am more suitable with you because I am a Venus Djinn."
"Um, okay."
So we headed off again with our new friend, Flint, who followed right behind us. He had to jog to keep up with us. Poor little guy.
"Hey," I said to Flint, "Why don't you just jump onto my shoulders? It'll make it easier for you."
"Really?!" Flint panted, "I would love to!"
I kneeled down for him to jump on. Then we headed off again. Garet was still trying to remember his song. He could remember only the first part of the song which he sang a few times, trying to remember the rest:
The road is long and winding
But you most never give up
For the end is closer then you think
So sing loud and cheerfully
……….
Then he forgets the rest…
We walked and walked and stopped once to eat lunch and headed off again. We crossed a bridge. It was starting to get dark and luckily we spotted a town.
I was exhausted. We have walked all day and my feet hurt. Garet kept complaining about his hunger and Flint, thank god, stayed quiet.
"Ooh! A town! Let's go to the inn and get something to eat!" said Garet. He jogged into town.
A man at the entrance saw us coming in. "Welcome, travelers! Welcome to the town of Vault, the heart of Angara!"
"A very nice town you have," Garet said politely, "Where is the inn? We've been travelling all day and we're hungry."
"Right over there," the man pointed to his right. I spotted the inn, one house away.
"Thank you, kind sir," I said and we headed towards the inn.
"Wait!" the man called, "I just wanted to tell you to be careful of thieves roaming around. Lots of things have been stolen from people lately."
We nodded. "Thanks for the warning," I said and we entered the inn.
It smelled wonderful inside. The aroma of freshly baked bread and just-made soup filled the air. It smelled good….
The middle-aged woman smiled and greeted us as we came in, "Welcome wary travellers. Would you like a nice warm meal and a room for tonight?"
"Yes, please!" Garet said excitedly. I could hear his stomach growling. And mine too.
"Very well, boys. That will be 16 coins."
I took out my pouch and handed the money to her. She smiled warmly and gave us the key to our room. Then she gestured to the kitchen.
"The chef has just prepared supper. You boys can sit at the tables and the maid will serve you some food."
"Thank you very much," I smiled warmly back.
The kitchen dining room was almost full of people. I managed to spot one free table beside the wall. I dragged Garet over to it and we sat down, exhausted.
I sighed in relief. My legs and feet were killing me. And I just want to quickly eat and go to bed.
I looked around. There were so many people. Townsfolk and other travellers. But I didn't see any warriors. And beside us was a kid, about our age, sitting by himself. He looked very worried.
Our food arrived shortly and it smelled so good that I ignored everything around me and dug in. The soup and bread was nice and hot. When I was finished, Garet already ordered another serving. Flint ate some pieces of bread I gave him. Garet wolfed down his food and ordered another serving.
After Garet ordered his fourth, everyone was gone but us, the cook, and that kid who sat by himself. He still had that very worried look on his face.
I wonder what's wrong?
After Garet finished, he yawned, "I'm full. Let's get some sleep. Tomorrow's going to be a very long day."
"Yeah," I agreed as we got up and headed up the stairs. I took one last look at the kid. He hasn't moved ever since we got here. But oh well, it's not my problem….
A/N: For those who don't know, no the song that Garet is trying to sing is not mine, but Snoopy6458's. He was really kind to let me use it! Review!!!
Oh and sorry for not putting the whole song, Snoopy. Garet hasn't remembered it yet….
Oh and Kirby, you adorable little guy, Please untie SmashSage so he will take you and the other smashers to Disneyland! ^-^
Chapter 7
Felix's POV
Slowly, I approached the door. I was nervous. I didn't quite have the courage to go up and talk to Jenna when we left Vale or during the journey to Vault…. I was a coward.
But along the way, Alex kept urging me to go up and talk to her. He says that loved ones should always be united even if they are lost. I'm not really sure what he meant but he gave me some courage to go up and face her.
We were, once again, resting in the inn of Vault. It brings back memories, sad ones, of how I met Saturos and Menardi, three years ago….. Tomorrow we will be heading to our first lighthouse. The Mercury Lighthouse. Saturos had mentioned that it was located near a small northern village called Imil. Alex had also mentioned that he was from there…..
I quietly knocked on the door and waited. The door swung open and Kraden was standing in front of me with a grudge and hateful look. But when he saw my face, his face lightened up, a little.
He gave me a kind but cautious smile. "Ah, Jenna's brother. Felix was it?" he asked.
I nodded, "Uh, yeah…. That's me. I was wondering if I could talk to her…"
He turned to look at her. I couldn't see clearly into the room as he blocked the doorway. "Jenna, your brother wants to talk to you." he told her.
After a long pause…."Tell him to come in." I heard her say. It sounded like she was crying.
Kraden stepped aside to allow me through. Jenna sat at the edge of her bed, looking at the floor. Her fists were tightly clenched and I saw tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Jenna….." was all I could say. I couldn't stand watching her like this. She's in pain….
"I will leave you two alone." said Kraden. He closed the door behind him, leaving me alone with Jenna.
This is my chance…. Say something!
But I couldn't say anything.
It was silent for a moment until finally she looked up at me, with her tearful eyes. "Felix… Why?" she whispered.
I didn't respond. Instead I kept looking at her beautiful face…
"Why?" She tried again, "Why didn't you come back?"
I took a deep and shaky breath. "Jenna," I said, barely even a whisper, "I couldn't. After they rescued me, they took me with them. I couldn't just get up and go….. They…. They saved my life. And I have to repay them by listening to them."
She shook her head, "Couldn't you have at least told me you were alive?!" she cried out in sobs. She buried her head in her hands.
I walked up to her. I hesitated a little but I sat right beside her and wrapped my arm around her, "Shh, don't cry." I said, "I'm really sorry, Jenna. I really am. I wish I could've told you but…. It was difficult. I was too far away to reach you. I didn't even know that our parents…. You know… I never knew until I came back to Vale. For three years I've wanted to come back and see you and mom and dad again. But now….. I'll never see mom or dad again."
She remained silent. She stopped sobbing and remained looking at her hands. "But…" I continued, "I can still see you…. Alive and well. You've grown so much, Jenna. You've become a beautiful woman."
I could see a small smile form on her lips. "How has Garet and Isaac been treating you? They didn't make fun of you too much, did they?" I continued. A smile was starting to form on my lips too.
She wiped her tears away and shook her head, "No, they don't make fun of me, that much. They've been very nice to me ever since the accident. Except Isaac has been very annoying most of the time."
We both smiled at each other. "Felix," she began as she stood up, "I'm really glad to see that you're okay…. I always felt alone. But deep down inside, I felt something…." She looked into my eyes, "I felt that somewhere, someplace that you were still alive. And I'm really glad that you are, big brother."
Big brother…. I've never heard that in such a long time….
She continued, "You've grown so much. You're as tall as dad used to be. And you need a haircut." she chuckled.
I grinned. "You've grown up too, Jenna. But … you know what, you're still a cry-baby."
Her expression quickly changed from a happy face to a murderous glare….
Uh oh….
"What did you call me?!" she snarled. Her eyes burned angrily at me and she raised her fists….
I quickly raised my hands to protect myself and I slowly backed up as she stepped towards me with anger flushing her face.
I completely forgot about her bad temper…..
"Jenna., Jenna, I was joking!" I quickly told her, nervously. I hate it when she's mad…. She somehow gets stronger when she's mad….
I backed into a wall…. I'm cornered!
Jenna stepped face to face to me and glared. Then her lips started to twitch into a grin. Then she giggled and started to laugh. She laughed harder and harder, making it impossible for me to restrain my own laughter. I bursted out laughing along with her. We laughed and laughed. Just like old times, when me and Jenna, Isaac and Garet, would laugh for no reason for a long time….
After what seemed like an eternity, our laughter subsided. I took deep, shaky breaths, trying to calm myself down. My stomach was aching but I was happy. I've never felt this way in such a long time….
"Felix…." Jenna said, when she stopped giggling, "I'm so happy that you're alive! But…." She looked away saddened all of a sudden.
"But what?" I asked, concerned.
"What about Garet and Isaac? Do you think they're still alive?"
Oh no….. I forgot that they were trapped in the volcano…. But, even if they were trapped, I know that somehow they'll make out alive. I just know it….. I know them too well. They always got out of trouble when they were kids. And hopefully, they would get out of that one……
"They're still alive Jenna. I know they are…."
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Isaac's POV
Keeping my promise to mom and also I couldn't go back to sleep, I quickly dressed into my father's tunic, tightly wrapped the bright yellow scarf around my neck, strapped my sword to my back, gathered my supplies, and quietly headed downstairs. I saw mother still asleep….
I sighed.
This is it mom, I'm leaving…..
"Goodbye, mom. I love you….." I whispered as I walked out the door. I was never to step foot in my house again. Until I finish my quest of course. But, how long will that be?
Feels like forever…
It was still early. Not many people were awake yet. And I was hungry.
Should have taken some breakfast with me……
I wonder if Garet's awake yet.
I headed towards his house and I saw Garet, lying in front of his house. He heard me coming and looked towards me, "Couldn't sleep either?" he asked.
I sat down beside him. "No," I answered, "I keep thinking of what might happen to us. And how long this quest will take."
He closed his eyes and sighed. "Yeah. I've been thinking about that too. I don't really want to leave. I'll be far away from my family. That's never happened before…. We never got separated from each other."
I felt envious. Garet has never lost a family member before. Unlike me. And unlike Jenna and Felix. He still has his whole family here to care for him.
I guess leaving Vale is like losing a family member to him. He won't be seeing them again in a long time….. If our quest will take that long….
"Don't worry, Garet. The sooner we get those Stars, the sooner we'll be home." I said cheerfully. But, deep down, I feel the same way as him. But I don't want to make him feel any worse.
We sat in silence all morning until Garet's whole family woke up and saw us outside.
"Garet, Isaac, what are you two outside so early? The day hasn't even started yet." said Garet's mother. She was still in her night gown but she looked ready for the day.
"Sorry, mom. We just couldn't sleep because… you know. Today's the day….." Garet mumbled sadly.
She gave him a small smile. "Oh Garet. Today's the day you become a real man. I'm so proud of you. Everyone is proud of you. Derik is even jealous of you."
"Yeah, I want to come too!" Derik squealed. He stood beside his mother.
Garet stood up, "But mom, I'll probably never see all of you again…."
"Garet, what the heck are you saying?!" Kaylina shrieked out angrily from behind her mother, "You are going to come back home! And when you do, you're going to do all the chores that I will have to do for you!"
"Your sister's right," his mother said happily, "This journey may be long and difficult, but you must trust in yourself, Garet. You can do this. You are always welcome to come visit us."
Garet thought for a moment. Then he looked at me to see what I think about it. I just nodded my head and said, "They're right, Garet. We are going to do this. When you want to, we can always come back to visit your family."
But I can't. I promised her I wouldn't……
Garet seemed to lighten up when I said that. He nodded his head and said, "You're right. What was I thinking? We will come back with the Stars. With Jenna. With Kraden. And Felix too, maybe."
Yeah. Maybe…. If Felix wants to come back home….
"Now come on in for breakfast, Garet. Shouldn't you go home too, Isaac?" his mother questioned.
I shook my head sadly, "No…. I'm not going home. Not until this quest is finished. I promised mom that I wouldn't see her until then so I left early."
"But your quest hasn't even started," she responded.
"It has already started, ma'am. The morning's already here. This is only the beginning……" I said.
"Oh dear," she said in surprise, "Well, it hasn't begun for Garet because he still needs to eat breakfast." She smiled warmly at Garet and me.
"Isaac, why don't you come and eat with us?" she asked.
My stomach growled hungrily. I nodded, "Sure. I would love to, ma'am."
"It sounds like Dora has been very strict with you going away." she said as she smiled. Her smile always lightened everyone's face.
After eating breakfast with Garet's entire family, we got ready to leave. All the villagers gathered by the gate that lead to the outside of Vale. They were preparing us to leave….
I didn't see mother anywhere…..
Kallis stepped forward, "Now be careful, you two. We are counting on you." He gave us an encouraging smile.
Garet and I both nodded. "We will, Kraden. We won't let you down," I said.
Kaylina stepped forward and gave Garet a hug. "Now take care, little bro. Don't drink the water if it smells bad."
Garet grinned, "I won't, sis. I'm not that stupid."
Derik giggled, "Yeah right, Garet. Don't listen to him, Isaac, he'll eat anything that looks like food!"
Garet raised a fist, "Why you little….." he snarled. Then he grinned again, but angrily.
"Where is Dora? She's late…." said one of the monks.
She won't come… We promised not to see each other, but….. I wish she was here to say goodbye…..
I looked at the floor sadly.
"Oh, I forgot!" Derik squealed. "I have something to give you, Isaac. Aunty Dora wanted you to have this…" He stuck out his short little arms and placed a bracelet in my hand.
It was mom's Catch bead bracelet…. Her mother had given it to her and now she gave it to me….
Each bead was actually a piece of Psynergy stone that was made long ago. Each bead contained a small amount of Psynergy but when put together, it can be powerful. Well, these beads are very old and they can only manipulate small objects, so it's not that strong.
But still, it's mom's most cherished item. I tied it around my wrist.
I smiled and thanked Derik. I'll take good care of it, mom.
Garet sighed, "I guess we're all ready to go now."
"Think again, Garet!" Kaylina cried out.
"What?" Garet asked. He raised a brow as his sister glared at him.
Garet's mother sighed, deeply. "It must be very difficult for Dora. As Garet's mother, I know how Dora feels. I still have Garet's father, but Dora only has Isaac." She looked at me with sadness, "She doesn't want you to go, Isaac, but she knows you have to go and it hurts to see you leave."
All the villagers nodded in agreement. The mayor laughed out loud, "If we keep standing here, they'll never leave! Now, everyone," he turned to the villagers, "One final, farewell!"
All the villagers took a deep breath……
"Farewell!!"
"Good luck!"
"Take care!"
"Come back safely!"
We smiled and waved goodbye as we headed out the gate. I'm going to miss Vale.
I've never left Vale before. I only did when it was berry-picking season. Mother and I would go out into the nearby forest to pluck sweet, red berries for pie and cake. I'm going to miss her cakes…..
We walked for a little while in silence until Garet yawned and stretched. "I'm hungry…." he groaned.
"We just had breakfast. How can you still be hungry?" I asked. I was still full.
"Because I'm nervous. Whenever I'm nervous, I'm hungry…." he answered.
"Nervous? There's nothing to be nervous about. Even though we're going to be far away from home….. We will get this over with. You and me together, we'll save Jenna and Master Kraden and go home with the Stars…. Nothing to worry about…." I said cheerfully. I was trying to lighten up our mood. To make our quest seem more simpler. I sighed.
I only wish it were….
"Maybe if I sing a song, that might ease me up," he said. He cleared his throat and hummed a few notes.
I tried not to laugh, "You sing? Yeah right."
He gave me a look, "What? Grandpa always sang this song to me when I was little. He said all the people of Vale used to sing it back in the 'good old days of Vale.'"
I rolled my eyes. I've never seen or heard Garet sing in his entire life. This is going to be funny…..
"Let's see how it goes now…." he thought. We walked for another short while and still, Garet couldn't remember his song.
We walked and walked until I felt something bump into my legs…..
"Ouch!" squealed a little, brown creature that ran into me. It shook it's head and looked up at me with little blue eyes.
"Hey there, little guy," I said quietly in a soothing voice, "Are you okay?"
"That's one odd looking thing…." said Garet.
"Watch where your going!" it squealed angrily then it turned around sharply. It looked frightened when it saw a little blue rat carrying a fork. The rat squeaked loudly and charged right at us…..
It was actually far away and it was advancing towards us in a very slow speed. Probably because of it's short legs…. It had it's fork raised and it ran and ran as fast as it could towards us.
"Please help me!" the little brown creature squealed. "That Vermin has been chasing me for a long time!"
"Um…. Sure I guess." I answered. I stood out in front of the brown creature and Garet. I stood an waited for the rat to approach kicking range. But it was taking too long.
Ah, to hell with it.
I walked towards the rat instead. It squeaked angrily at me and it swung it's fork back and forth. I stared hard at it. Then I kicked it. Yes, I kicked it. The rat flew far across the road and into the forest, squealing angrily at me but it faded as it got farther.
"Wasn't so hard," I said proudly, hands on hips, and with a big grin to go with it.
Garet rolled his eyes at me but the little, brown creature jumped up and down happily.
"Thank you! Thank you!" it squealed. Then it stopped and looked carefully at us. It's eyes widened, "You… you're both Adepts!"
We nodded.
" I have been searching for Adepts who have potential and strength. Please, may I ask to join you?"
"Join us?" Garet asked, confused. He scratched his head, "What exactly are you?"
"Oh! Forgive me!" the creature bowed in front of us, "I forgot to introduce myself. I am Flint, a Venus Djinn."
Djinn? I'm sure I heard that word before…..
"Oh! So that's what a Djinn is," Garet said, surprised, then he looked at my confused face, "Don't you remember Isaac? Kallis and the Wise One told us about these things."
Oh yeah, now I remember.
"Right. Kallis told us to look for these. But what do they do?" I asked him.
He shrugged and we both looked at Flint. Flint looked like he was smiling but I don't see his mouth anywhere….
"I can aid you in battle!" he squealed happily.
I raised a brow.
"We may not look like much, but we, Djinn, can use powerful Psynergy."
"Wait a minute. We? So there's more than one of you?" Garet asked.
Flint nodded. "Yes, but we all got separated when the mountain erupted," he sad sadly. "But if you help me look for my brothers, sisters, and friends, I'm sure we'll be a big help to you!"
"Well… alright then. I guess you could come along. The more the merrier, right?" I said. Flint squealed happily.
"Thank you so much, sir!" he said.
"My name is Isaac and this is Garet," I pointed out.
"Nice to meet you. And Isaac, you are a Venus Adept. Am I right?" Flint asked.
I nodded.
"Then I am more suitable with you because I am a Venus Djinn."
"Um, okay."
So we headed off again with our new friend, Flint, who followed right behind us. He had to jog to keep up with us. Poor little guy.
"Hey," I said to Flint, "Why don't you just jump onto my shoulders? It'll make it easier for you."
"Really?!" Flint panted, "I would love to!"
I kneeled down for him to jump on. Then we headed off again. Garet was still trying to remember his song. He could remember only the first part of the song which he sang a few times, trying to remember the rest:
The road is long and winding
But you most never give up
For the end is closer then you think
So sing loud and cheerfully
……….
Then he forgets the rest…
We walked and walked and stopped once to eat lunch and headed off again. We crossed a bridge. It was starting to get dark and luckily we spotted a town.
I was exhausted. We have walked all day and my feet hurt. Garet kept complaining about his hunger and Flint, thank god, stayed quiet.
"Ooh! A town! Let's go to the inn and get something to eat!" said Garet. He jogged into town.
A man at the entrance saw us coming in. "Welcome, travelers! Welcome to the town of Vault, the heart of Angara!"
"A very nice town you have," Garet said politely, "Where is the inn? We've been travelling all day and we're hungry."
"Right over there," the man pointed to his right. I spotted the inn, one house away.
"Thank you, kind sir," I said and we headed towards the inn.
"Wait!" the man called, "I just wanted to tell you to be careful of thieves roaming around. Lots of things have been stolen from people lately."
We nodded. "Thanks for the warning," I said and we entered the inn.
It smelled wonderful inside. The aroma of freshly baked bread and just-made soup filled the air. It smelled good….
The middle-aged woman smiled and greeted us as we came in, "Welcome wary travellers. Would you like a nice warm meal and a room for tonight?"
"Yes, please!" Garet said excitedly. I could hear his stomach growling. And mine too.
"Very well, boys. That will be 16 coins."
I took out my pouch and handed the money to her. She smiled warmly and gave us the key to our room. Then she gestured to the kitchen.
"The chef has just prepared supper. You boys can sit at the tables and the maid will serve you some food."
"Thank you very much," I smiled warmly back.
The kitchen dining room was almost full of people. I managed to spot one free table beside the wall. I dragged Garet over to it and we sat down, exhausted.
I sighed in relief. My legs and feet were killing me. And I just want to quickly eat and go to bed.
I looked around. There were so many people. Townsfolk and other travellers. But I didn't see any warriors. And beside us was a kid, about our age, sitting by himself. He looked very worried.
Our food arrived shortly and it smelled so good that I ignored everything around me and dug in. The soup and bread was nice and hot. When I was finished, Garet already ordered another serving. Flint ate some pieces of bread I gave him. Garet wolfed down his food and ordered another serving.
After Garet ordered his fourth, everyone was gone but us, the cook, and that kid who sat by himself. He still had that very worried look on his face.
I wonder what's wrong?
After Garet finished, he yawned, "I'm full. Let's get some sleep. Tomorrow's going to be a very long day."
"Yeah," I agreed as we got up and headed up the stairs. I took one last look at the kid. He hasn't moved ever since we got here. But oh well, it's not my problem….
A/N: For those who don't know, no the song that Garet is trying to sing is not mine, but Snoopy6458's. He was really kind to let me use it! Review!!!
Oh and sorry for not putting the whole song, Snoopy. Garet hasn't remembered it yet….
Oh and Kirby, you adorable little guy, Please untie SmashSage so he will take you and the other smashers to Disneyland! ^-^