Chapter XXII
The Way Forward
It was some time the next day when Isaac and his companions arrived at the foot of Venus Lighthouse.
As they made their way through the sparse wooded path around the tower, they could see smoke reaching up above the trees.
"There is an ongoing study at the lighthouse," Iodem told them grimly.
They quickened their pace.
Upon arriving at the massive set of doors that was the entrance, they found a harrowing sight. A number of tents and tables were scattered and destroyed, having been burnt down some time not long ago. There were bodies everywhere, some burnt so much they were little more than charred skeletons.
"Oh gods," Garet said quietly.
"Those monsters," Isaac said. He clenched his fist tight.
At the sound of someone groaning, Mia ran off. They followed her to where a younger scholar was lying in the dirt, blood staining his robes.
"Oh no," the man gasped. "Who... who is-?"
"Ssh, don't move," Mia urged him, kneeling at once by his side, her hands glowing with healing Psynergy.
"Th-they just started... attacking us..." he said. "We said they couldn't go in and..."
"Who did this to you?" Iodem demanded.
"Don't know..." he managed. "Group of people... Kraden was with them. Why... why didn't he stop them?"
Isaac glanced at Iodem, whose bearded face was twisted with barely restrained anger.
"After everyone fell, they went in," the scholar continued. "Saw them some out not... long after. Went towards... Lalivero."
"Mia?" Ivan asked, noticing she'd stopped healing him.
She turned back, her eyes blinking back tears. She shook her head.
"Oh," the scholar groaned. "It hurts..."
"Rest easy, son," said Iodem. "It'll be over soon."
Iodem approached him, drawing a dagger from his belt. The Adepts were stunned, but turned their heads away. When it was done, Mia broke down in tears, and Garet went to her side, giving her a shoulder to cry on.
Ivan was pale, looking like he needed to sit down.
Iodem returned to them. "So this is the work of the group you pursue."
Isaac nodded.
Iodem turned and looked at the tower. "Whatever they wanted in the lighthouse, they were willing to kill for it."
"He said that they left," Isaac said. He looked up at the top of the lighthouse, where the beacon was still unlit. "They didn't make it far, it sounds like."
"Do you know why?"
"I can't imagine," Isaac answered. "We'll need to go in and see what they saw."
"Very well," Iodem said. "I will search the area for any other survivors who might be hiding. Try to be quick."
Mia quickly composed herself, and climbed to her feet. Once she was ready, the four Adepts made their way up the marble stairs towards the double door entrance of the lighthouse.
"I'm sorry," Mia told them. "I'm a healer; I've seen people die before. Just... never like that."
"It's okay," Garet told her. "You did what you could."
Within Venus Lighthouse, the marble brick stones were constructed the same as Mercury Lighthouse's, but coloured an earthy brown instead of blue. Just like Sol Sanctum, and the other lighthouse, torches lined the walls that burned with an Alchemy-powered flame that never went out.
"Even though that scholar said they left," Isaac told the others, "be careful, just in case."
They made their way into the lighthouse's depths.
Inside it was nothing like Mercury Lighthouse, which had massive chambers, pipeworks, grand statues of the gods, and fountains. There was little inside, only a few empty chambers and some stairs.
Isaac frowned, as he lead the way with his hand on his Gaia Blade. Something about it was off.
At the end of a long chamber, they found a spiralling set of stairs; it was the only way to go.
"Come on," he urged the others.
At the top of the stairs was another empty room, with a wall before them. Strange writing covered it, much like the one at Sol Sanctum that Kraden had wished he could copy down to translate.
"A dead end?" Garet asked.
Isaac walked up to the wall, examining it. There were carvings in the wall beside the runes, a depiction of the lighthouse itself, and a statue off to the side.
"If this is trying to tell us something, I have no idea what it is," he said after a while. "I can't read these words, and this picture is so vague it could mean anything."
"There has to be a way up though," Garet insisted. "I'm sure Felix and them wouldn't just give up and move on to the next lighthouse, would they?"
"If they did, it would make our jobs a lot easier," Mia pointed out.
Ivan, who had been silently staring at the wall until then, said, "Hang on a moment. There's something weird about this wall. Let me try using Reveal."
His Psynergy swelled, and they waited patiently as he stared intently at it, before the energy cut off as he stepped back with a look of shock.
"Oh!" Ivan said. "That's... interesting."
"What is?" Isaac asked.
"This wall is not a wall!"
Garet looked back at it, and then back to Ivan, confused. "It sure looks like a wall to me."
"No, I could see it's true nature with Reveal," Ivan told them. "It's hard to explain, but I think it's a construct of Alchemy. From this end, it seems to be a wall, but from the other end it's like the rippling surface of a pond."
The others stared at him, lost.
"So what does that mean?" Isaac asked. "And how do you get through it?"
"I don't think you can," Ivan said. "At least, not this way. It seems to move towards us when it ripples. Also, I can see through it. On the other side of the wall, there's stairs coming up like the ones behind us, and another set leading up into the lighthouse."
"So the other side is the way up," Mia said. "But we need to figure out how to get to it."
And then it clicked for Isaac. "Of course. It's Venus Lighthouse. Like a tree, it has roots that dig underground. This whole chamber, with those big elaborate doors, is just a trick. It's not the real entrance at all."
"And that's why Felix's group left," Ivan said. "Either Kraden was able to read the wall, or they figured it out like we did."
"But if this isn't the real entrance," Garet asked, "then where is it?"
"The guy outside said they were headed to Lalivero," Ivan pointed out.
Isaac frowned, looking back the way they'd come. "And they're on their way there right now."
They went back outside, where they found Iodem waiting alone; it would seem he hadn't found any survivors.
"Any answers within the lighthouse?" he asked.
"Yes and no," Isaac said.
They explained what they had found to him. The bearded man listened thoughtfully, and then nodded once they were finished.
"If they are headed to Lalivero, then things are worse than I feared," he said. "There can be only one place there that could be a secret entrance to Venus Lighthouse: the tunnel ruins beneath Babi's tower."
"The ones the Laliverans stopped construction for?" Isaac asked.
"Indeed," Iodem said. "And there is more. I found this among the rubble out here."
Reaching into his breast pocket, Iodem took out a tattered, slightly burnt patch of violet cloth.
"It might be a coincidence," Iodem said, "but Sheba was wearing robes in this very colour."
Isaac felt a sinking feeling in his gut.
"We must get to Lalivero at once," Iodem said.
They pressed on, leaving Venus Lighthouse behind them. All the while, guilt was tormenting Isaac. Sheba had been released at his request, and now the girl was either dead, or worse. He'd wanted to see her returned home, but perhaps she had been safer at Tolbi, than trying to make the journey while the Proxians were passing through.
Lalivero was about a half day's travel from the tower, but they set a hard pace and managed to get there before noon. As they drew near the city's walls, the first thing they noticed was scorch marks upon the stone bricks by the entrance.
The second thing was the Laliveran soldiers who aimed bows at them as they drew close.
"Halt!" one shouted. "Don't take another step!"
"Put down your weapons!" Iodem shouted. "I am Iodem, minister to Lord Babi of Tolbi!"
With some hesitation, they lowered their weapons. "Wait right there! We are coming down!"
As they waited for the Laliverans, Iodem scowled. "Drawing arms against an emissary... And where are the Tolbi soldiers who should be posted here?"
Isaac looked at the blast marks on the walls. "If they also tried to stop the Proxians..."
More of my doing...
Finally, the Laliveran soldiers reached them.
"My lord," one said to Iodem. "You should come with me at once."
"To?"
"The infirmary."
Iodem's face fell.
They followed the soldiers in silence, to a small building under the shade of the town's wall.
Inside, across a set of cots, two men were lying in bandages. Another man, with sandy hair and a thin moustache, was standing nearby. He turned in surprise as they entered.
"Iodem!" said the man. "So you have arrived after all."
"Faran," Iodem said, with a slight respectful nod. "What happened here? Are these my soldiers?"
"Indeed," said Faran. "I just finished speaking with them. They have been given painkillers and are resting now. Come, let's talk outside."
As they followed this man back out onto the sun-covered streets of Lalivero, Iodem asked, "Was it the group of thieves who attacked them?"
"Indeed," Faran said tersely. "We got your message yesterday morning, and the guards were informed. But we had no idea how powerful they would be. Who are your companions?"
"This is Isaac and his companions, champions of Lord Babi."
"Excellent," Faran said, not even bothering to look at them. "Perhaps they can be more help to us than your soldiers were."
The tension between the two was thick. The Adepts followed uncomfortably, half-expecting a fight to break out at any moment.
If Iodem took any offence at Faran's words, he did not show it. "This group also attacked our scholars at Venus Lighthouse. They were all slain."
"I see."
"I found this cloth there," Iodem said, handing it to Faran. "I fear it came from Sheba's robes. She was being escorted here, to be returned to you, but-"
"But now she is being held captive by these people," Faran finished for him.
"You know this?" Iodem asked.
"Yes. I was just told by the wounded soldiers. Other witnesses in town told me, but I wanted to know for sure."
As they walked, Faran held the cloth, staring at it with heavy eyes.
"My wife sewed these robes herself," he said finally, his hand curling into a fist around it.
"I assure you," Iodem told him, "I will do everything in my power to ensure she is returned safely-"
"She would not need to be returned if you hadn't taken her in the first place!" Faran shouted, stopping and turning angrily at him.
"I know," Iodem said. "It is... not what I would have ordered."
Faran turned away, continuing on. They were already at the edge of the city. In the distance, the fort-like construction of Babi Lighthouse stood.
"They went towards the tower," Faran said. "I cannot image why, but they must be headed for the ruins there."
"How long ago was this?" Iodem asked.
"Only a few hours," Faran said. "I cannot bring any of my people. Though they would gladly risk themselves for Sheba, I cannot let them throw away their lives against these monsters."
"So what is your plan?"
"I will go there, as Sheba's father, and beg them to return her to me. It is all I can do now."
"Saturos will kill you," Isaac said. "He will laugh in your face. Your family means nothing to him; he killed my father."
He scowled, and said, "In any case, I have to try."
"Mister Faran," said Ivan. "What reason could they have for taking Sheba?"
"Besides her value to the people of Lalivero? Perhaps they want war to erupt."
"I don't think so," Isaac said. "That doesn't sound like them."
"What is it about Sheba that makes her so special?" Mia asked.
The tall structure of Babi Lighthouse slowly approached on the horizon.
"She is sacred to us," Faran said. "A gift from the gods."
"How?" Isaac asked.
"She is not my daughter by birth," said Faran. "Sixteen years ago, Sheba fell from the sky, just outside of the ruins we are approaching now."
"She fell from the sky?!" Garet exclaimed.
"The people of Lalivero believe this?" Ivan asked.
"Believe it?" Faran scoffed. "I was there. I saw it with my own eyes. She fell, like a shooting star. We went there, thinking it was a mere meteor, but within the stone was a crying baby girl. I pulled her out myself and my wife and I raised her."
"I'm sorry," Ivan quickly said. "I didn't mean to imply-"
"No," said Faran, with a dismissive wave of his hand. "It sounds like a fairy tale. I would not believe it myself if I hadn't been there. But you can ask anyone in Lalivero old enough to remember, and they will tell you the same."
"She fell from the sky, huh?" Garet muttered, looking up at the clouds.
"My people worshipped her as a gift from the gods," said Faran. "And indeed, she has gifts beyond mere men. You cannot keep secrets from her."
Ivan look to him with a start. "Is that so?"
"Yes, ever since she was a child," Faran said, smiling slightly at some memory, in spite of situation. "Any withheld truth, no matter how small; all she had to do was stare you in the eyes and she would know it. We knew she was sent by the gods to judge us, so we strived to be honourable in our ways."
Ivan exchanged glances with the other Adepts.
"And now her life is in peril," Faran said, his voice low. "If anything happens to her, not only will I lose my daughter, but all of Lalivero will be subject to the retribution of the gods..."
"You know there is more at stake than her life," Iodem told him. "If anything happens to Sheba, it will threaten the peace between Tolbi and Lalivero. And you know, as Lord Babi's first minister and emissary, it is my responsibility to do anything I can to keep that from happening. So if you cannot trust me as a man, trust me as an officer of my nation."
"For whatever that is worth now," Faran said.
Some time later, they arrived at the construction site of the tower. The workers had abandoned it, discarded tools lying on the ground. Though there were more blast marks from the Proxians' Psynergy, they did not see any bodies, to which Isaac was relieved.
"Be wary," Iodem told them. "They were not far ahead when we arrived in the city. We could encounter them at any time."
"If they do appear," said Isaac, "or any monsters, stay back and let us handle it."
"You?" Faran said, raising an eyebrow. "But you're... children."
"Trust them," urged Iodem.
Faran led them into the tower, built hastily of layered stone blocks and scaffolding wood. It was largely hollow within, with little besides a set of stairs meant to spiral up to the top. Another set of stairs, leading down into the ground, was surrounded by wooden barricades, which had been forcibly destroyed.
They descended into the cold ground, the area around them soon growing dark. Iodem took a torch from his belt and struck it with flint, producing a modest flame to light their way.
"Hang on," Faran whispered suddenly. "I hear something."
They stopped, listening. Somewhere in the distance, there was a very faint tapping sound.
The Adepts exchanged glances, and then drew their weapons, advancing slowly.
They soon caught sight of a creature, resembling a man, with a bird's head and wings spouted from its shoulders. In one hand, it carried a sword, and in the other, a round shield with the image of a three-eyed face.
At the sight of them, the creature flapped it's wings, taking to the air, its sword high.
"Ivan!" Isaac shouted.
The Jupiter Adept sprang forward, conjuring a small cyclone of wind around the beast. Unable to fly, it struck the ground, where a spire from Isaac was waiting.
Garet and Mia followed up with a blast of fire and ice respectively, and the monster moved no more.
"Impressive," Iodem said, as they put away their weapons.
Faran stared at them, stunned.
"You're... like Sheba," he finally said.
"Yes and no," Isaac told him. "It's complicated, and we don't really have time for it now."
He nodded. "Of course. Let's go."
They made their way further in, thankfully encountering no more monsters. Eventually, they reached an open chamber of the cavern-like ruins, where a large door of sealed stone waited.
"This is as far as any of us have ever reached," Faran said. "That door defies any effort to be opened. Nothing we have ever tried has managed to open it, so we knew it was sealed by the gods."
"And yet, look there," said Iodem, pointing to the soft dirt. "Tracks that lead right through."
Though there were so many footsteps that it was difficult to make out any individual one, Iodem was right, the trail led right under the stone doors.
"I think this is on us," Isaac said. "If the others passed through, then we should be able to as well."
He considered. He could perhaps use his Psynergy to force the doors open, as they were made of stone, but somehow that felt too direct for the ancient peoples. If he had any idea how they worked by now...
As the others watched, he approached the stone door and placed his hand gently on it.
He did not even need to use any Psynergy; the door started to open immediately, the stone rumbling and shifting as the two sides of the door parted for him.
Faran watched in disbelief.
"I am see so many things today I never believed possible," he said.
Isaac and his companions turned back to him.
"The people we're following have hurt a lot of people," Isaac told him. "We're the only ones right now capable of stopping them. And that's what we're here to do."
"Then you are my only hope of having my Sheba back safely," Faran concluded. "Iodem I feel there is little we could do here besides get in their way."
"I have seen what they can do," Iodem told him. "If there is anyone in all of Weyard who can stop the monsters who took Sheba, it is these four."
"Then I must place my trust in you," Faran said. "Please, bring Sheba back safe."
"We will try," Isaac assured him.
"I will await you back in Lalivero," Iodem said. "Good luck."
With that, they turned and entered the dark tunnel ahead, hearing the stone doors sliding shut behind them.
"So Sheba is an Adept," Ivan said, as they walked through the dark tunnel. "A Jupiter Adept like me, no less."
"How ironic is that?" Mia asked. "Babi spent all that time and effort looking for Adepts, only to have one right there in his palace without realising it."
"There's no way she would have agreed to help him the way we did," Ivan said.
"Most likely," Mia said. "Do you think she'll cooperate with the Proxians, though? Surely that's why they took her."
"Definitely," Isaac said. "Jupiter Lighthouse is next on their list after this one, and they'll need an Adept like her there."
"Not if we have anything to say about it," Garet said, determined.
Isaac grew silent, guilt plaguing him. It was his fault that Sheba was now in this situation, his fault that those scholars and soldiers had been killed. He had been trying to do the right thing, but his choices had once again resulted in the suffering of others.
No, he told himself. He couldn't go down this road again. If he let himself be held back by the weight of his every choice, he would never accomplish his mission.
It was impossible to say how far they walked, but after a long while, the cavern walls emerged to carefully placed stone, just like the lighthouse. A massive chamber greeted them, a large statue of a goddess at the heart of it. In her hands she held a round sphere that glowed with a mysterious light. The room stretched out, a primitive map of the region, before ending in a miniature statue depicting the lighthouse.
The goddess statue was the same as the one on the wall of the false entrance. The runes had been instructions after all.
"That is our path," Isaac observed. "Let's follow it."
They continued down the stairs at the end of the chamber. A smaller chamber waited for them next. As soon as they entered it, the door behind them slammed shut, causing them to jump in surprise.
"What was that?!" exclaimed Garet.
In the centre of the room, a pile of earth began to move, gathering and coalescing into a central form.
"A test!" Isaac shouted, drawing his sword. The Gaia Blade seemed to glow green in his hands.
The other Adepts followed suit as the clay before them formed into the rough shape of a human man, though several heads taller and with a massive, hulking form.
The golem, once fully formed, began to slowly advance towards them. It's hands, each the side of one of their torsos, curled into fists.
"Don't let it hit you!" Isaac shouted, as the golem suddenly lurched forward with surprising speed.
He conjured a wall of stone from the ground, which absorbed the incoming punch. The Adepts dodged to the golem's sides, as it quickly delivered a second punch that shattered Isaac's wall to pieces.
As Isaac dashed past the golem, he swung his sword at it's side. Though the blade cut through it with little resistance, he saw when he turned back that the clay making up the creature's body simply reformed to close the wound.
"Mia, try to freeze it!" he shouted.
The girl on the other side of the chamber did so, heavy blocks of ice condensing around the golem's legs. It stopped in place for a moment, considering the obstruction, before a heavy punch shattered the ice.
Garet, who stood beside Isaac, gave him a glance. "Any ideas?"
"Melt it," Isaac told him. To the others, he shouted, "Keep your distance!"
Ivan and Mia backed away at the golem approached them, blasting it with lightning and ice spikes. Still, this slowed it down little, and it continued to get closer.
Isaac charged, his sword in the air, ready to swing at the golem's legs, in the hopes that that would force it to stop long enough to get it in place for Garet's Psynergy. But before he could attack, the Gaia Blade in his hand suddenly surged with Psynergy.
"What the-?"
The sword let out a howl, and its power was unleashed.
A blade of Psynergetic energy, much like his Ragnaok ability, suddenly came down from the air above the golem, piercing it in place. A waterfall of golden Psynergy flowed out as the blade sank into the monsters, bathing the room in light, before exploding and turning the golem in a pile of half-destroyed body parts.
The others were in awe.
"Isaac, did you do that?" Ivan asked.
"No, the sword did," he answered. Seeing that the golem was already starting to reform, he instructed Ivan, "Cast Halt on it!"
Ivan's Psynergy surged, and the golem's reanimation stopped in place. Garet, already having prepared his next move, let out a sustained blast of fire energy.
The Adepts stepped away from the heat in the centre of the room, watching as scattered pieces of the clay golem began to lose shape, turning into a mud-like goop.
Soon, the torso of the golem was half-melted, an Isaac saw what he was looking for: a golden sphere of energy right in its centre.
"Alright, stop!" he told Garet, already running towards it as the Psynergy dissipated.
Though the golem immediately began to regain its shape, it could not do so quickly enough; Isaac drove his sword into the creature's heart, and with a shudder, the creature collapsed entirely.
"Wow," Mia said, wiping her brow.
"How did you know about that?" Ivan asked.
"I just figured it would be something like that," Isaac told him.
On the wall opposite from where they had entered, the door slid open.
The Adepts continued on through the tunnel.
Garet asked, "So that Psynergy that appeared, that was the sword that did that?"
"I guess so," Isaac said, glancing at it. "I meant to just swing at the thing, but it went and did that instead. I'm just as shocked as you are."
"Babi did say they found it within the lighthouse," Ivan pointed out. "Perhaps it was made by ancient Adepts as a way to amplify their power."
"If that's the case, then it's the perfect time to have it," Garet said. "We'll need every trick we can get if we fight the thieves again."
"What do you think is going to happen at the aerie?" Mia asked. "If it comes down to a life or death battle again...?"
"I'm ready for that," Isaac answered. "We've come this far. We can't hesitate now."
At the end of the corridor there was a large flight of stairs. They started up in single-file.
Isaac's heart was pounding.
It was up to them to stop Saturos and Menardi here, once and for all. Everyone was depending on them; Jenna, Sheba, Dora, the people of Vale, every innocent person they had met during their Trek across Angara...
They emerged from the stairs into a chamber of brown and green bricks, at the center of which was a sigil with the image of a large, powerful tree. There was no doubt about it now; they were in the heart of Venus Lighthouse.
He would stop the Proxians here, and return home with the remaining Stars and Jenna.
No more doubts, he told himself. It was time to move forward, and face whatever was ahead.
"Here it is," said Saturos. "This was where we started."
The group of seven found themselves in a large, empty chamber, with only a strange wall that resembled rippling water facing them.
Earlier, when they had entered Venus Lighthouse through what they thought was the front door, they had arrived at the opposite side of that wall. The Proxians had forced Kraden to hurriedly translate the writing, revealing that it was a one-way passage, and that they needed to enter through another path; even Alex's teleportation could not reach the other side.
The day and a half since leaving the desert had been a living nightmare. Jenna had had no choice but to follow behind the Proxians in silence, beside Felix and their new captive Sheba, as the two warriors carved a path of bloodshed in their wake. First the scholars outside Venus Lighthouse, then the guards outside Lalivero. Thankfully the workers outside the tower had had the sense to flee as soon as Saturos had conjured flames.
They had said almost nothing since the desert, but Sheba had been completely silent, terrified and looking a second away from tears at any moment.
Jenna was furious more than anything. She wasn't afraid of them; not anymore.
The Proxians, now each dressed in their armour, having discarded their cloaks, inspected the water-like surface of the wall.
"We will split ways here," Saturos announced. "Alex, take our captives and go through this gateway. Leave the lighthouse, head to Idejima, and wait for the others there. After we light the beacon, we'll catch up."
"Shall I take the Jupiter Star, then?" Alex asked him, glancing at the mythril bag on Menardi's belt.
"No, I think we'll hang on to it," Saturos said.
"Are you sure that's wise?" Alex asked. "I think perhaps we should follow the same strategy as the last lighthouse, when you gave the other Stars to Felix and I went up with-"
Saturos approached him, giving him a cold stare with his red eyes.
"Felix cannot be trusted any more," Saturos said slowly. "And if you keep questioning my decisions, I will have to assume you can't either. Is that how you want to do this?"
"Easy," Alex urged him. "I'm not your enemy. I'm just as invested in this quest as you."
Menardi joined Saturos' side. "Then what do you suggest?"
"I agree that sending the others ahead is a smart move," Alex said. "My only concern is that, with Isaac's group so close behind, it might not be wise to... put all our eggs in one basket, so to speak."
"You think we have anything to fear from them?" Saturos laughed. "I only lost to them at Mercury Lighthouse because it was four to one, and the beacon was draining my Psynergy. If they think things here will go anything like that, they are gravely mistaken."
"And if you are wrong?" Alex urged. "Then everything we have done, all of us, will be for nothing!"
They stopped at the sound of Jenna laughing.
"What is so funny, girl?" Menardi demanded.
"You're the ones making a grave mistake," Jenna said. "You really should take Alex with you to the aerie."
"I'm going to cut that tongue right from your mouth." Menardi started towards her, but she was stopped by Saturos' arm.
"So you think we'll need him there?" Saturos asked her with a raised eyebrow.
"Of course," Jenna said smugly. "You needed him at Mercury Lighthouse, and Isaac's group has only grown stronger since then."
Just behind, Kraden was staring at her like she'd gone mad.
Saturos only smirked, perhaps finding this amusing. "And what makes you so sure of that?"
"Because we both know that Mercury's beacon didn't drain your Psynergy," Jenna told him. "At least, not enough for it to matter."
Alex looked between the two groups, also confused.
"Is that so?" Saturos asked.
"Yeah," Jenna answered, staring back defiantly with her smug grin. "I know your secret."
And then, Jenna's Psynergy swelled.
Everyone present, save for the Proxians themselves, watched in shock. Jenna's Psynergy, though she did nothing with it, surged, the amount staggeringly overwhelming.
And then, just as quickly as it came, she let it go.
"A mirage," Jenna said. "Oh you have powerful abilities, yeah. But you can't use them any more than any other Mars Adept could. Because you only project an image of having such a massive amount of Psynergy at your disposal."
Saturos' smirk was long gone now.
"All you do is make threats," Jenna continued. "Because that's all you have. Your power is a shallow pool, quickly emptied if you ever need to dip into it."
"How did you figure it out?" Saturos asked quietly.
"I saw you doing it at the bridge. I wasn't sure until just now, but then it clicked. I was thinking, why would you care so much about sending us to Idejima? After all, you had no problem taking us into Mercury Lighthouse. But you weren't worried about Isaac's group then. And now that you know you can't trust Felix either? You still need him; even after Venus Lighthouse, you can't take the risk of getting rid of your Venus Adept."
Jenna approached the two Proxians fearlessly. "Because otherwise, why not just kill him? You threatened to, after all. But that's how you control people; with threats."
Menardi pushed away Saturos' arm, and started towards Jenna. "I'll show you we're more than just threats-!"
Jenna stopped her with a slap in the face.
"Shut up," Jenna said. "I wasn't done."
Menardi stood in shock for a moment, then she screamed, reaching for her knife.
Jenna stood, unflinching, as Saturos rushed to stop her.
"If you kill me, Felix will never follow another order from you," Jenna said, not moving an inch. "Even in Sol Sanctum you were worried about your grip on him, weren't you? That's the whole reason you abducted me in the first place. It was never about wanting to ransom me to Isaac for the Mars Star, or you would have done that at Mercury Lighthouse; it was always a way to keep Felix in line."
Saturos wrestled the dagger from Menardi's grip, and released the woman. She stood inches away from Jenna's face, fury in her eyes, her breath coming in angry heaves.
But she did not attack her.
"I thought so," Jenna concluded.
Behind her, Felix was glaring at the Proxians, while Kraden was standing near Sheba protectively.
Alex, who had watched all this in thoughtful silence, simply gave a slight smile.
"So," Saturos said slowly. "Now what?"
"My brother and I are going to Idejima," Jenna declared. "This is our quest now; and if you want to continue cooperating with us, I suggest you treat us better. And I highly recommend you take Alex with you up there to patch you up after Isaac's group kicks your ass."
"You're braver than I thought, girl," Menardi said, still inches from Jenna's face. "Brave to the point of foolishness."
Jenna shrugged.
"We don't have time for this nonsense," Saturos growled. "Come on, Menardi. We'll deal with this after the beacon is lit."
"And me?" Alex asked.
"Go with them!" Saturos spat. "Keep an eye on them and do not let them pull any more of this foolishness!"
Jenna crossed her arms, as Menardi stepped away with a hateful glare.
"You will regret this, girl," Menardi told her. "I promise you."
Jenna answered with only a mocking smile.
The two Proxians were about to head down the stairs when Saturos suddenly stopped.
"Sheba!" he shouted. "Come on!"
The small girl hesitated, and then followed after them.
A moment passed, and the Proxians were gone. Felix watched them go with a conflicted look.
"Well," Alex said, walking to where the others stood. "That was an interesting encounter. I think the dynamics at play might have shifted?"
Felix and Jenna gave him a glance, and a moment later Felix shoved Alex hard, sending him stumbling backwards with a shocked cry, through the one-way wall.
"Smug bastard," Jenna muttered.
"Did it work?" Felix asked her.
Jenna uncrossed her arms, and held out her hand, within which she had been concealing the mythril bag in a tightly-closed fist.
"Garet passed on a few bad habits to me," she said, grinning.
"Wait," Kraden said, stunned. "You pick-pocketed it from her? Was everything that just happened a scheme to get her close to you?"
"Yeah," Jenna admitted. "Truth be told, I wasn't even sure about the Psynergy illusion thing until I tried it. I just wanted to anger them both enough to be distracted. I can't believe it actually worked."
"But you knew they wouldn't hurt you, right?" Kraden asked.
Jenna shook her head.
Felix frowned, glancing again at the stairway that the Proxians had disappeared into.
"We should go before they realise we have this," Jenna said.
"You two go," Felix said. "I can't leave that girl to them."
"But, Felix-!"
"I know," Felix said, turning back to her. "Alex will help you get to Idejima. Whatever happens at the aerie, we'll meet up there, okay? I promise."
Jenna wanted to stop him, to grab him and force him through that one-way passage like he'd just done to Alex. But she knew her brother, and once he had that determined look to him, nothing would change his mind.
"Please be careful," she asked.
Felix nodded, and turned and disappeared up the stairs into the heart of Venus Lighthouse.
Jenna hesitated one last moment, and then she and Kraden turned and walked the other way, through the one-way passage.
A/N: Another day, another chapter! There's some interesting changes I made here, so let's dive right in.
The false entrance of Venus Lighthouse is very important for plot reasons, so the chamber (which you see plenty of in the TLA Prologue cutscene) that can be used to exit but not go back up had to be used in the story. I didn't want to directly translate the game mechanic of a wall of electricity, and the statue that shuts it off but resets when you go downstairs, so I came up with something that serves a similar function. The one-way illusion wall is a bit more literal, but I like it as another example of the strange and powerful technology that was left behind from the Lost Age, like the torches that never go out. And as we see later in the chapter with Felix pushing Alex through it, it needed to be a more immediate effect to work with the changed circumstances of the story.
I try to avoid calling the second tower Babi Lighthouse when I can, because while that is what it's named both in the games, and in this story, it can get a bit repetitive when talking about it in relation to Venus Lighthouse, especially since the underground tunnel connects them.
On the topic of Golden Sun fan casting, as I mentioned picturing Christopher Lee as Babi, I can't help but imagine Cary Elwes as Faran. It must be the moustache.
The door in the ruins requires Reveal in the game, but I try to make sure there's a logical consistency to the world in this version of the story, therefore I had a simpler explanation for how to open it. As Sheba does not have Reveal yet in the story, how would the other group have been able to solve that puzzle? Or for that matter, how did Kraden get through if it closes automatically when a non-Adept tries to pass? Why is Reveal the thing that gatekeeps so much progress in Venus Lighthouse when its a Jupiter Psynergy? These things don't matter so much in a video game where there is an element of gameplay and story segregation at work, but in a fic like mine I don't want to be coming up with explanations all the time for how Felix's group got past every gameplay mechanic that they shouldn't be able to.
Reworking the golem into a challenge to enter the lighthouse was fun. While I try to avoid having random enemy battles when I can, I felt some action was needed, and I wanted to show the power the Gaia Blade had before they reached the aerie. The earlier battle with the gargoyle was much shorter for the simple fact that it was only there to show Faran that the party was powerful enough for him to trust them to save Sheba.
Faran and Iodem's interactions are notably more hostile here than in the game itself, a consequence of the tweaks in circumstances, and the consequences that will ensue. While I don't want to give away any future plot points, suffice it to say that after everything Babi has done to Lalivero, getting Sheba kidnapped (and as far as they know, killed) is not going to do any favours for them diplomatic relationship.
The scene with Jenna confronting the Proxians was something I was planning for a while, and I went back and forth on what parts to include. The thing with the Proxians not actually having a huge Psynergy pool, but rather projecting the illusion of it was something I nearly cut, but after foreshadowing it for nearly half the story it would have felt wrong not to have that revelation. I felt it was important to show that the Proxians, though powerful and fearsome warriors, are not superhumans. And the main point of the scene - to show that Jenna was no longer afraid of them and wasn't going to tolerate their threats any longer - held more weight if she was able to show that a lot of their threats were indeed largely bluffs.
The second thing Jenna brought up, her theory that she was taken captive only as a way to keep Felix in line, I decided to leave more ambiguous. The Proxians don't confirm one way or another if that is the only reason they took her, but it's clear enough by now that it was at least part of why.
And lastly, Jenna pickpocketing the Jupiter Star off of Menardi serves as a way to explain how it ends up in Felix's group's hands despite the Proxians no longer trusting them. I do wish I had had a scene in an earlier chapter establishing that this is something Jenna is able to do, but this was a late addition so I had to make do (the original outline had them giving it to Alex but I didn't like that for a number of reasons). I do like that this shows that Felix and Jenna didn't simply give up and meekly comply after the Proxians' violent turn in the previous chapter; if anything, they're even more determined now to break away and finish the quest themselves. I like that they have more agency and that they were able to coordinate this scheme right under everyone's noses.
Next chapter: The confrontation at the aerie!