Chapter XV

What Secrets the Future Holds

"Hurry!" Isaac urged his companions.

They ran as fast as their legs could carry them, in the direction of the Alpine Crossing gate, which still stood intact, albeit shaken by the heavy rockslide. Two men in light armour stood outside, staring in shock at the devastation that had just roused them; they did not notice Isaac and company until they were right upon them.

"What happened?" Isaac asked them.

"I-I have no idea!" one of the men managed. "One minute we were playing cards inside and the next, we thought the world was ending! We rushed out here and saw that!" He pointed at the heavy rocks, now at rest in piles that reached up and beyond the walls of the gate.

Isaac glanced at Feizhi, who returned a worried look.

"We need to get through," Isaac said. "I'll see if the door is safe. Everyone, stand back." He started towards the gate, not waiting for a response.

"Whoa, whoa, hang on just a sec!" the guard exclaimed, hesitantly moving to stop him. "Even if you have a signed form, there's no way you can go through there right now! The pass could still be dangerous! There might be more rocks that haven't fallen yet!"

Ivan stepped in, producing the papers Master Feh had signed for them. "I'm sorry. We have a friend who is to be coming back through around this time, and we're just worried that he might have been caught in that..."

His voice drifted away from Isaac's attention as he went to the gate. The usually-locked door was knocked out of frame from the impact of the falling rocks. Though it was stubborn to move, Isaac managed to get it open. He rushed in, followed closely by Feizhi, Garet, and Mia; Ivan stayed behind to deal with the guards.

The somewhat narrow road was devastated by the fallen rocks, huge piles of stone blocking their path each way they turned. The previously clear dirt road was almost impossible to see under a layer of smaller rocks and debris.

Isaac turned to their new companion. "Feizhi, in this vision you had, did you happen to see exactly where Hsu would be trapped?"

"No, I did not," she answered, somewhat nervously. "I only saw him, stuck under enough rocks to block out any light. He was not terribly injured, but he could not free himself."

Isaac glanced worriedly at the path before them. "He could be anywhere in here..."

"What do we do, then?" Garet asked him.

"Split up and search for him. Call out his name, and listen closely for a response. We don't know how far down he might be, so his voice could be muffled." It was far from a good plan, but what other options did they have?

The others nodded, and they made their way through the passage, scattering and calling out for Hsu. Many of the piles were so large that they blocked the way entirely, and needed to be climbed over. Isaac could hear the others calling out for Hsu even as he searched himself, and no one seemed to having any better luck.

They searched fruitlessly for what felt like an eternity. Isaac forced himself not to consider the passing time; even a single breath's moment could make the difference in saving Hsu's life. It must not have been more than several minutes that they searched, but each second was a tense moment that stretched on.

And then, finally, he heard one of his companions calling out for him.

"I hear him!" Garet shouted. "He's over here!"

They rushed over to where Garet was, and Isaac grimaced; he stood beside one of the larger piles.

"He's down in there," Garet said, pointing to the exact centre of the pile.

Mia and Feizhi caught up to them, and they all grew quiet. They could hear a very faint voice, calling indistinguishably out for help.

"Damn," Isaac said under his breath, considering the situation. Had it been one of the smaller piles, he could have easily used his Psynergy to lift the rocks away while the other pulled Hsu out. But trapped as he was in such a huge mess, Isaac could easily topple thousands of pounds of rock right onto Hsu just trying to get to him…

"What do we do?" Mia asked, looking to him as the others did.

It was too risky. Isaac understood better than any of them the delicate nature of shifting earth around. Unless he knew exactly how the boulders had fallen, and how to move them without causing any more to fall, it would be far too easy to screw up.

And yet, they didn't have the option of doing nothing. Feizhi had said that Hsu's injuries hadn't put his life in any immediate jeopardy, but it wouldn't be long before he ran out of air. Or the rocks could shift on their own, without Isaac's hand, and crush him anyway…

Isaac bit his thumb. There was no time, he had to do something!

"Perhaps I could be of some assistance?"

They all jumped in surprise at the new voice, seeming to have appeared from nowhere.

Alex stood only a few paces away, his hands unassumingly at his side.

"You!" Isaac exclaimed, drawing his sword without hesitation.

"Alex…" Mia stared in shock and disbelief. "What…? Why are you here?!"

"Did you not hear me?" Alex asked, looking a bit impatient. "I'm offering to help you."

They stared, frozen for the moment, unsure what to make of this.

Garet scowled, and pointed an accusing finger at him. "You've got a lot of nerve, just showing up like that! Where's Jenna, huh?"

"I'm on my own for the moment," Alex answered. "My companions are on the road, ahead of here. So don't worry, you aren't going to have to worry about Saturos this time. I'm here of my own volition."

Feizhi looked at them, confused, but also still visibly concerned about Hsu.

"You're offering to help?" Isaac asked, deciding that the urgency of the situation was more important.

"For the third time, yes," Alex answered. "I was passing by, and couldn't help but overhear that your friend is trapped under those rocks. I might be able to help you get him out."

Mia didn't say anything, but her lips were drawn tight and her eyes narrow.

"What are you suggesting?" Isaac probed.

Alex casually walked over to stand by them at the edge of the rock pile, seemingly uncaring of their distrust of him. "I'm sure you're concerned about the possibility of upsetting the balance of the rocks by moving them away, right? You wouldn't want to accidentally squish him while you're trying to dig him out."

Isaac nodded.

"Well, I could simply warp in and out with your friend as soon as I can see him. You need only lift the rocks up for a moment. Still risky, of course, but much less so than trying to slowly dig him out."

Isaac had no argument with that. Starting at the top and moving the rocks off one by one could potentially take hours; if he did not run out of Psynergy before even making it to Hsu. Lifting up the whole pile would be much quicker, but that much weight would be impossible to maintain very long...

"Exactly how much time will you need?" Isaac asked him.

"If I can see him clearly? No more than five seconds. Even if there's still a rock pinning him down, I'll be able to warp him out of danger."

As Isaac considered, Mia gave him a quick look. She didn't trust Alex, but he didn't need to be reminded of that. Isaac was sure that whatever reason he had to suddenly appear and offer his help, it wasn't simple altruism.

But every second counted, and if Alex could get Hsu out of danger that quickly, they couldn't afford to turn the offer aside. Alex hadn't asked for anything in return, so if he was planning to try to trap them into some kind of deal, they could easily just tell him off.

"Alright," Isaac said.

He instructed his companions to back away, for their own safety, and to give them space. They were reluctant, but if Alex was planning something after all, then the only person in his reach would be Isaac. He was willing to take that risk.

Lifting the rocks was immensely difficult; the weight was easily more than Isaac had ever attempted to move with Psynergy before. Even getting the rocks a few feet up into the air was an effort that had him straining and sweating. However, true to his word, Alex was in and out in the blink of an eye, so Isaac was able to just drop the rocks and all but collapse in exhaustion.

Hsu was in rough shape; he was bloody and bruised, and his leg was broken from being pinned by a heavy rock. But he was alive and conscious, and able to reassure a tearful Feizhi that he would live.

Isaac sat on one of the smaller rocks resting, Garet beside him, watching as Mia and Alex used their Psynergy to treat Hsu's injuries. The tension was between the two was thick enough to cut with a knife.

"I'm just waiting for her to grab her mace and bash his head in," Garet muttered.

Mia was clearly not happy to be working with her cousin after what had happened, but Isaac was a bit surprised she hadn't expressed more outrage. After that strange look she'd had after hearing about him in Xian, Isaac had been half-expecting her to attack Alex on sight. But now, she seemed a bit uncertain.

He saw her casting quick glances at Alex when he wasn't looking.

"Would you do the same to Felix if he were here now?" Isaac asked his friend.

Garet scoffed and shook his head. "No, Jenna would never forgive me for it. I'd definitely bash a couple things of his, though."

And then, suddenly, Alex was in front of Isaac again.

"His surface injuries are patched, but that leg is going to need time to fully heal," Alex said. "I wouldn't try to get him back to Xian right now; I don't think he's up to it. My recommendation would be to take him back to Lama Temple and letting him rest there."

"Thank you," Isaac said. "But with that aside, let's talk. What are you-?"

However, Alex was already gone.

Garet climbed up to his feet and looked around, but there was no sight of him. He'd simply warped away without so much as a goodbye.

No wonder Mia felt so betrayed, Isaac thought.

Isaac and Garet joined the two girls, who were kneeling at Hsu's side. The injured young man was propped up against another small rock on the side of the road.

At Isaac's approach, Feizhi charged at him. "Mister Warrior! Thank you so much! Hsu's life is saved thanks to you!" She tackled him into a tight hug, and in the ensuing awkwardness, pulled away with red cheeks.

"Y-you can call me Isaac," he managed. Composing himself, he added, "Alex said we should take Hsu back to Lama Temple."

"I was just thinking the same," Feizhi said. "The temple is only an hour or so away from here, and the path will be easier. He is in no condition to walk yet, I'm afraid."

"Ah, and I had just left there," Hsu said quietly. "I was supposed to return to Xian, and now I must go back to Master Hama injured. How shameful..."

"I'm just thankful you're alive," Feizhi said to him, with a genuine smile.

Isaac looked to Mia, wondering if he should say something about Alex, but her eyes were elsewhere, deep in thought.

They spent the next few minutes putting together a makeshift stretcher to carry Hsu on. Ivan caught up with them during that time, and told them about the crazy experience he had trying to talk his way past the guards. However, once they told him about the encounter with Alex, he seemed disappointed that his story wasn't as interesting as theirs.

Eventually, they got Hsu up on the stretcher, and Isaac and Garet each took a side and carried him. Since Feizhi knew the way, she took the lead, and they made their way out. The rough terrain around the crossing made travel difficult at first, but once they were out and back on the dirt path, it was easy-going.

The moon was still high in the sky when they arrived at Lama Temple. After all the praise he'd heard for it back in Xian, he found the temple was smaller than he'd expected; it was only a single building, sitting on a hill by the river.

A woman was waiting for them at the gate, accompanied by two shaven-headed monks. The monks approached them and wordlessly took the stretcher from Isaac and Garet's hands. Feizhi said a quick goodbye to her friend, and then ran ahead to greet the woman.

"Master Hama!" Feizhi greeted excitedly. "You were waiting for us! Did you foresee this?"

Hama nodded. She was dressed in simple robes and had dark, shoulder-length hair. Her eyes flickered over Isaac's group for a moment before she answered Feizhi. "I did, but only a few hours ago. I knew you and your new companions would be there to help Hsu."

"I saw it, Master," Feizhi said to her. "I've been having many visions like it, ever since…" She grew quiet as Isaac and the others drew near.

"Greetings," Hama said to them. "Isaac, Garet, Ivan, and Mia, correct? You have my thanks for saving the life of my student."

The Adepts exchanged stunned looks.

"How do you know our names?" Isaac asked.

"Ah, there is much to discuss, and we will address that question in time," Hama said. "Why don't you all come inside and warm up? I'll have some tea made."

They agreed, and Hama led the way, walking some distance ahead with Feizhi at her side. Though Isaac couldn't make out what the younger girl was saying, he could guess from the angry frown she had that she was talking about her visions, and the response she'd been receiving thanks to them.

"I never knew Master Hama was so young," Ivan said curiously.

"You've never met her before?" Isaac asked.

"No, I haven't," Ivan said. "Weird, isn't it? All the times I've passed through here with Master Hammet and we never once stopped at Lama Temple..."

"This is where everyone comes to study ki, right?" Isaac asked.

"It is," Ivan answered. "Hama is the undisputed master of ki. Many come here to learn from her, but most of them leave in disappointment. Even the greatest masters of chi struggle with ki, which is why Hama is so respected. And for her to have learned all that and only be in what, her thirties? No, not even that, she might even be in her twenties..."

"It can't hurt that she's pretty easy on the eyes, too," Garet muttered slyly.

Though there was no way that she could have possibly heard that, Hama turned back and gave an unamused look right in Garet's direction, causing his face to turn deathly pale.

He didn't say another word until she was out of sight.

Isaac and his companions were taken to what they were told was the tea room, which turned out to be exactly what the name suggested. The four of them sat and waited, and the boys made idle chatter, while Mia was still quiet and lost in her own thoughts.

Finally the door slid open and Master Hama stepped inside with a tray in hand.

"I apologise for the wait," she said. "I wanted to make sure Feizhi and Hsu were all right before I let them be."

"That's fine, we understand," Isaac said.

Hama joined them at the table and set out a small cup for each person. The tea she poured out was hot; and after a quick sip, delicious as well.

"Feizhi has told me she's had visions of you all and your journey," Hama continued. "I hope she hasn't made you uncomfortable? She can be a rather energetic girl at times."

The way Feizhi had phrased it, she had implied she'd been having visions about Isaac specifically...

"We were just glad to be able to help," Ivan answered.

"Well I'm sure you're all very tired after that, so I'll get right to the point," Hama said, after taking a sip of her tea. "Yes, I knew you were all coming. I am a Jupiter Adept, like Ivan, and have visions of things that will come to be, just as Feizhi does. Thus, I know much about your quest for the Elemental Stars."

Ivan stared at her incredulously, and then asked, "So can you read minds, too?"

Hama nodded. "Among many other abilities."

Ivan's eyes lit up like a child on his birthday, but the others were a bit more reserved about this.

Garet asked, in an uncharacteristically intimidated voice, "You, uh… don't see us all the time do you?"

Hama laughed, and answered, "No, you have your privacy, if that's what you're worried about. The visions only show me…important things, I guess you could say."

"Exactly how much do you know about our quest?" Isaac asked her.

"I know what happened at Sol Sanctum, and I know who you follow," Hama answered him. "I know they have your friend captive, and that you want nothing more than to save her."

"Jenna," Isaac said. "Is she alright? They haven't hurt her, have they?"

Hama shook her head. "She is far from content with her situation, but no, they have not harmed her."

"Where are they now?" Garet asked. "When we ran into Alex he said they weren't much farther ahead. Was he lying?"

"At the moment, they are about to cross into the Lamakan Desert," Hama told him. "Saturos was the one who caused the landslide that blocked the passage. A few hours ago, you were right on their heels, and he needed to slow you down."

So it had been their fault that it had happened...

Isaac clenched his fist under the table.

Saturos had nearly caused Hsu to die a painful death, just to slow them down a bit.

"Those monsters don't care who they hurt," Isaac found himself saying. "The only thing they care about is lighting the lighthouses."

"I would caution you against judging them so quickly," Hama said.

"Why do you say that?"

"Not all is as it seems."

"Then what are they after?" Isaac demanded. "If they're not doing this for power, then what secret noble reason do they have that justifies putting the world at risk?"

Hama hesitated, for the first time looking uncomfortable. "I wouldn't exactly call it 'noble', but they do have their reasons. But it is not for me to tell you."

"Why?"

"Because the future is not as certain as you might think," Hama answered, giving him a very serious expression all of a sudden. "And in order for things to unfold they way they must, we cannot know everything we would like to. I have a clearer picture than most, but there are still things I do not know. If I were to simply tell you things you are not meant to know yet, that could derail us all from the path the gods have set out for us, and that is a greater risk to the world than Alchemy ever could be."

The room was quiet for a moment, the weight of her words settling in on them.

At times, it was easy to forget what was at stake in their journey.

"I would not choose to trade my fate, but I would also not wish it on everyone," Hama said quietly. "Truth can be a terrifying thing is you are not ready for it, and some never are."

They sat in silence for a moment, until Ivan spoke.

"So…is there nothing you can do to help us? Are your hands tied?"

"Ah, not quite," Hama answered, smiling again as she addressed him. "The entire reason I have waited here for you was to help you in your quest. There is a skill you will need in the desert ahead that I must teach you. A power that will allow you to dispel illusions and see the true path ahead.

"To prepare for this day, I have practised the passing of Psynergy arts to others. Though none of my students were Adepts, I figured any could learn a skill with practice and proper guidance. However, I saw little success and grew disheartened. Until…"

"Feizhi?" Isaac guessed.

"Indeed," Hama said, nodding. "She was such an insightful girl, I thought the power to foresee the future would come naturally to her. However, there was no success, despite the many hours I spent working with her. Until very recently."

"What changed?" Ivan asked.

"As she told me earlier, a violet stone fell and struck her in the head a few weeks ago. At that moment, her visions began at once, as vivid and powerful as my own. It was as though the power had been there all along and had simply been locked away."

Garet and Ivan both looked to Isaac, concerned.

"A purple stone, you say?" Isaac muttered.

Just like the one that had landed on Tret and caused all that misfortune in Kolima...

"So does that mean Feizhi is an Adept now, too?" Garet asked.

"Perhaps," Hama said. "It is too early to say. I only just learned of this development myself, and I will need to work with her more to see if any other skills can be mastered."

And then, as if realising how late it was, Hama continued, "Ah, but I am sure you are all very tired. We can speak more in the morning. Ivan, will you meet me outside when you wake? It will not take Saturos' group long to cross the desert, so I must work quickly to teach you what you need to know."

"Yes, of course."

After their long talk with Master Hama, they were taken to guest quarters and retired for the night. Isaac, still feeling drained from lifting up those rocks and also carrying Hsu to the temple, wasted no time in dozing off.

He woke hours later to sunlight streaming in from a window and the singing of birds. He rose up, stretched, and quickly got dressed. Wandering through the halls of the temple, he didn't find anyone, so he guessed that he must have been the first to wake.

Isaac went outside to the cool morning air, and the sight of the sun slowly making it's way over the mountains on the horizon.

"Good morning," greeting a polite voice.

Though startled, Isaac did not reach for his sword this time. "You're still around?"

Alex ran his hand through his hair, looking a bit indignant. "That's the way you treat me after the help I gave you?" He stood leaning against the temple wall, a few paces away from the door, as though he had been waiting for him. He probably had.

"Don't give me that," Isaac countered. "You know well enough why we don't trust you. After the way you deceived us at Mercury Lighthouse-"

"'Deceived'?" Alex repeated. "You seem to be remembering things a bit differently. All I did was save my companion and help him get away. I even gave you some helpful advice while I was there, didn't I?"

Isaac found the good mood he'd had upon waking up melting away, replaced with a building irritation. In the few brief interactions he'd had with Alex, the man had consistently managed to get under his skin with his false congeniality.

"Let's just cut all the nonsense, and get to the point," Isaac said. "Why have you been following us?"

"Ah, so you did know," Alex muttered. "I thought so. Well, to put it simply, there is something I need to know; something which you can tell me. And given the reception I've received from you and your friends so far, I knew I couldn't simply approach you and ask."

"So you waited until you had a chance to help us in some way," Isaac guessed. "You made yourself useful, so we would owe you. That's the only reason you helped us save Hsu; because you wanted something from us."

Alex shrugged. "If you wish to think of it that way. I prefer to see it as a mutually-beneficial exchange of services."

"Would you have stopped to help Hsu if we hadn't been there?"

Alex didn't answer that.

Isaac scoffed. "Saturos created that landslide to slow us down, didn't he?" He already knew it was true, thanks to Hama, but he wanted to hear what Alex would say.

"That was the plan. But my offer of assistance was my own idea. I was supposed to have rejoined them by then."

"And I'm just supposed to take your word on that?"

"Lies are unbecoming. Even Saturos will not lie to your face."

"No, but you'll speak in riddles and forget important things in ways that benefit you, won't you?"

"Aren't you the one who asked if we could 'cut the nonsense'?" Alex asked, showing the slightest trace of irritation. "I only want to ask a small favour of you; I wish to see the Mars Star for a moment."

"Not a chance," Isaac responded immediately.

"I don't mean that I want to take it from you," Alex added hastily. "I just want to see it with my own eyes, out in the open."

Isaac hesitated. "...why?"

"To be sure that you do indeed have it," Alex explained. "After all, the whole reason we've been holding poor Jenna hostage is to ensure you bring it to us. But perhaps you might have considered that it would have been safer to simply leave it behind in Vale; perhaps this whole time you've simply been bluffing that you have it. So if you do plan to use it as a bargaining chip against us, we would need to know for certain that you actually have it, understand?"

Isaac considered him warily. "No tricks?"

"None, I assure you."

He did have a point, Isaac admitted silently. What standing his group had in negotiations with theirs depended entirely upon them actually having the Mars Star. And as far as Alex and his companions knew, it could simply be an ordinary rock inside that mythril bag…or a fistful of old cheese.

"Very well, but only for a moment."

"A moment is all I need," Alex said, his eyes glimmering with satisfaction.

Isaac always kept the Mars Star in its mythril bag, stuffed in a pocket on his person; it was far too important to leave with his other things. He reached in and took it out, and undid the knot on the bag. As he pulled the burning red orb out into the open, the very air seemed to grow heavier.

"There is no doubt about it," Alex said slowly, his eyes on the orb. "Hard to believe that so much power is contained in something so small. Enough power to change the entire world..."

"And are you trying to change the world for better or worse?" Isaac asked, stuffing the Mars Star away.

"I suppose it's a matter of perspective, isn't it?" Alex mused. "You think that unleashing Alchemy will bring about chaos and destruction; I think it will bring about another age of prosperity."

"Sounds like justification," Isaac scoffed.

"Are you so invested in what happens to the world?" Alex asked. "I thought you were doing this to save your friend? What would happen if, now that we know you do have the Mars Star, we offered to trade Jenna for it? Would you be able to just walk away, leaving us to decide what becomes of Weyard?"

Isaac didn't even need to think about it. "No. I would still follow you, and try to stop you. What you're doing is wrong."

"That's what I thought," Alex said, with an amused smile. He paused for a moment, seeming to be listening to the air, and then said, "I suppose there is nothing else we need to say to each other. I'll take my leave then."

Before Isaac could say another word, Alex vanished.

He stood there, baffled at the sudden departure, until a moment later when the temple door opened and Mia emerged.

"Oh, Isaac," she said. "Good morning."

"Morning, Mia," he answered. "Did you sleep well?"

Isaac wondered if he should tell her that she'd just missed Alex by a few seconds.

"Well enough, I suppose," she said, her tired eyes telling him otherwise.

There was clearly something she wanted to say, and after a moment of consideration, Mia said, "Isaac, would you mind if I confided something to you?"

"Not at all; what's on your mind?"

She took a deep sigh, toying with a strand of her blue hair, as if she were having trouble finding the words. "I am…conflicted. As a healer of the Mercury Clan, I've been taught from an early age to treat everyone I meet with universal kindness. To not judge, and to not deny anyone help if they need it. A sort of...code of ethics for a healer to carry herself with."

He nodded slowly, prompting her to continue.

"My own feelings are irrelevant to the duties that I have as a member of my clan. I should never allow them to control my actions, and yet...since joining your group I have been wrestling with my own personal matters. I'm sure I don't need to tell you who has been the source of this conflict."

"Alex."

"When he left Imil, a few months before I met you, we had a falling out." Mia turned slightly away, fidgeting with the edge of her sleeve. "We were forbidden to enter the lighthouse, and he had long questioned why that was the case, as well as the necessity of our other duties. When I found out that he had been going inside the lighthouse for several months, and had been keeping it from me, I confronted him about it.

"We fought for a while, and at the end, he just stormed out without a word. I would have been willing to forgive him, if he had just come back and said he was sorry, but the next time I saw him was up on the aerie…my last living relative had turned again me and our home, and shattered everything our clan had spent generations working for."

It sounded familiar, Isaac thought.

"So when he just appeared out of nowhere last night and offered to help with Hsu, like nothing had happened..." Mia was now gripping her sleeve with a clenched fist. "I couldn't possibly turn aside the chance to save someone who was in trouble, but at that moment I wanted nothing more than to grab Alex by the neck and choke the life out of him."

"But you didn't," Isaac pointed out. "You set aside your feelings and did the right thing."

Mia turned back to him, concern in her eyes. "Isaac, is it wrong of me to feel this way? A healer shouldn't be so hateful, and yet..."

"You're only human, Mia," Isaac said gently. "What you're feeling is no different than what Garet and I feel towards Felix. What Alex did to you was awful, and if you can't forgive him for it, that's because he failed you, not the other way around."

"I can't imagine what reasons he could possibly have had to do this," Mia said. "If there was something he'd learned inside the lighthouse…why didn't he just tell me?"

Isaac thought back to his conversation with Alex, just minutes ago. According to Alex, all he wanted was to see the world prosperous again, the way it had been during the Lost Age of Alchemy. He seemed to have no regard for the dangers that unleashing Alchemy would expose.

"I don't know," Isaac finally said. "I can't promise you that this will all make sense in the end, nor can I promise that everything will go back to the way it was. In fact, I would say that's probably impossible now. But we're doing what we should. We can't just let them get away with what they've done, or what they're still planning to do. You have nothing to feel guilty for."

Mia smiled. "Thank you, Isaac."

And yet, she still looked concerned.

"There's…something else," she said after a moment. "Hama said something last night, after taking me to my room, that's been bothering me. I…wasn't sure if I should tell you about it or not."

"What is it?"

"We spoke a little about Alex on the way there, just the two of us. And she told me…that I shouldn't judge Alex yet, because one day I would make the same decision he had."

"What…?"

Mia shook her head. "I still don't know what to make of that. When I asked her to explain, she just said that she couldn't say any more and left." She chuckled, in a somewhat anxious way. "I got the feel that she said that to try to make me feel better, and didn't understand how I would actually take it. If she was trying to put my mind at rest so I could get some sleep, it did the opposite."

Isaac didn't know what to make of it either. Mia would make the same choice Alex had? As in, she would betray her clan? The thought was absurd; Mia's clan was everything to her. This entire conversation had been about how betrayed she felt from Alex's actions, and Hama was saying that Mia would come to do the same thing?

And yet, if Hama had seen it in a vision…

Perhaps this was what she'd been trying to tell him back in the tea room. Did Isaac really want to know how his life would turn out? If some terrible fate was in store for him, did he really want to know about it?

"Isaac," Mia said, "are these visions ever…wrong?"

But he didn't know the answer to that, and now he wasn't sure he wanted to.

A/N: Once again, I really fudged the geography to make this work. The distance between Alpine Crossing and Xian is considerably larger in the game than the distance from Alpine Crossing to Lama Temple, but in this story I had them make both trips in only a few hours. Not only that, but they spent a few days getting from Mogall Forest to Xian, which is actually about half as far.

There's also the fact that the fallen boulders specifically blocked off the path to the temple from Xian, hence the need to go through the Altin Mines, but we're going to just go ahead and ignore that. I always found that section to be a slog, and nothing of consequence happens there anyway (Fun fact! If the world map was consistent between both games you would be able to see Champa from this area, as well as the Ankohl Ruins).

Maybe once the whole story is done I'll create a Weyard Map that shows all the areas I shifted around for story convenience.

Anyway, I should probably talk about the chapter itself...

Compared to the last chapter, this one practically wrote itself. Not a lot of crazy stuff happened here, it was a pretty character-focused chapter.

The line from Hama to Mia about her making the same betrayal that Alex did was something I was certain was in the game...but after doing some research it doesn't appear it was. It's really weird because I can remember it very clearly, but after checking the game script and wiki I can't find any trace of it. In fact, it doesn't seem that anyone says anything even close to that to Mia in the entire first game (and she hardly has any lines at all in the second). Maybe I'm mixing it up with something I read in another fanfic, or it's just a weird Mandela-effect thing. In any case, I felt it was a good way to end the chapter, so I kept it.

If any of you feel there was too much focus on Alex and Mia, don't worry, there will be plenty of interaction between Ivan and Hama in the next chapter. We all know what's really going on with them, so it's not like I'm worried about accidentally giving away the twist, but I still don't want to make it too obvious. There's a point where it strains belief if even the characters should have put two-and-two together.

We'll also be seeing some more of Jenna and those rascals next chapter. The next few chapters are going to have some interesting conversations between her and Felix, and I'm really excited to write those, and even more excited to hear your thoughts on them.

I know I said I wouldn't do this any more, but I'm going to try to set a rough schedule of one chapter every two weeks. A crazy thing to say after a hiatus of a year and a half, I know. I'm hoping to set up a p-a-t-r-e-o-n (apparently the site filters this out, go figure) for my original writing some time soon, so I'm treating this as a sort of practice run for that. I have to prove I can actually stick to a schedule before I would feel right asking people to give me money for my work. As always, if you liked the chapter, or if there were things you felt could have been better, please drop a review in the box below.

Next chapter: "Nice Try Sweaty, But That Oasis Is Actually An Antlion Pit"