Disclaimer: I don't own Golden Sun. Obviously.

A/N: I recently edited this chapter again.

I was up on the roof, mending it with Psynergy.

Mother called up, "Isaac! Haven't you finished yet?"

I shook my head. "I'm almost done, though." I replied.

"OK! Keep at it!" she shouted.

I heard a warm laugh. Jenna for sure. Garet said something I couldn't hear. She laughed again.

Three left.

I could still hear Jenna and Garet talking. I hoped they'd hurry up. At this rate I'd be done and Mother'd be up here with another job for me, or, worse, one of her "talks".

Slowly, but not suspiciously slowly, I used Move for the remaining few straw pieces. I gulped. "I'm done!"

"Good job, Isaac." said Mother approvingly.

She climbed up the ladder onto the roof and paced around, checking for weak spots.

"All right, you're done. You're very reliable, Isaac...just like Kyle was." Her voice cracked when she said Father's name. I tried not to look too upset, but there's no fooling Mother. Sometimes she reminds me of the mind-reading Adepts Kraden taught Jenna, Garet, and me about.

"What is it? Do you still think about the accident?" she demanded.

I shook my head. If I said yes, then she would start to talk about it even more, I figured.

"I don't believe you..." she said firmly.

Walking over to the edge she scolded, "You and Garet have been working too hard studying Psynergy. Do you think things would be different if you had stronger Psynergy?"

"Yes," I answered truthfully, hoping that she'd be quiet.

"I was devastated when Kyle died..." Oh no, I thought, she's bringing up that subject again!

"I felt all alone..." Like Jenna. She acts very brave, but I know she'll never be the same. Losing her parents and her brother...I was very upset, because not only did I lose a parent, for a time I lost my very best friend, even closer to me than Garet. I shook my head, shaking the thoughts of the female Mars Adept from my mind.

"It's taken some time, but I'm better now." Mother continued. "I still have you, Isaac."

I frowned. She was making me kind of nervous. I hoped Mother wasn't expecting me to stay here and do more chores. I'd already been up since dawn, doing everything from cutting firewood to my most recent job, mending the roof. And it was all so that she'd let me go to Kraden's.

"You're almost seventeen. You're so much like Kyle was when he was your age." What was with her and that subject? It's been three years and now she just can't stop talking about it! Doesn't she see it's bothering me?

"MA'AAAAAAAAM!!!" called Jenna. Thank goodness for Jenna, I thought. Then I blushed slightly. Had she been here the whole time? Had she heard our conversation?

Jenna climbed the ladder limberly, a wide grin on her face.

"Hello, Jenna." said Mother calmly.

"Good morning," replied Jenna, winking at me secretively. I knew what that wink meant-Jenna was excited about going to Mt. Aleph.

Garet took that moment to clamber up the ladder clumsily. He shook his flames of red hair as he reached the roof.

"Well, if it isn't Garet too!" exclaimed Mother.

"Good morning, ma'am," Garet greeted, grinning. He sent a wink towards me, too. I gave a slight one back, hoping that my friend wouldn't be too obvious about our little secret.

"Where do you all plan to go today?" Mother asked, suddenly suspicious. I shifted from foot to foot, knowing she wouldn't like the answer. Mother was wary of Mt. Aleph and had warned us never to go there without an adult. Our wizened teacher was most definitely an adult-but knowing Kraden, we might end up hanging off the side to investigate the air currents near an active volcano.

"We're going to Mt. Aleph with Kraden." answered Garet. I would have kicked him if I were any nearer. Sure, I didn't want to lie, but I knew that Mother would never say yes...

"Mountain climbing with Kraden?"

We all nodded, looking at each other cautiously. Was she actually going to let me go?

"Kids and their games..." she muttered.

"It's part of our studies!" exclaimed Jenna indignantly. I cringed. Mother didn't really approve of our studies of Alchemy. She considered them part a waste of time and part "too dangerous!".

"Ah, yes...Alchemy." Mother said with a knowing look on her face. I winced. There was no way she would say yes. "Alchemy is the foundation of all Psynergy. And you all know Mt. Aleph is the greatest source of Alchemy."
We all nodded again. Safe answers.

"They say Kraden is the best teacher around. Alchemy-I wonder what use it all is?" she pondered, adding pointedly, "Your mother would rather see you grow up to be an ordinary man."

I sent her my most winning look. "But-"
"But I suppose you still want to go..."
"Yes." I nodded to emphasize my answer. I couldn't miss an oppurtunity like this!

"Well, I guess I can't persuade you! You're just as stubborn as your father!" Mother laughed.

Leaning on the fence, she fell, crying out, at the same moment Garet said, "Be careful, ma'am!"

Garet leaped over to the fence too late to hear Jenna's warning, "Garet, don't!"

The other Mars Adept rolled her eyes. "Idiot,"

He fell in a weak spot in the roof, wincing. The Adept groaned. "Ouch..."

"Oh, that was exciting!" cried Mother. She climbed back up on the roof without a scratch.

Garet, his face as red as his hair, stammered, "I...I'm sorry, ma'am, I'll get out of your way right away!" The Mars Adept stumbled over...

"Wait! Not there!" called Jenna, giggling, but it was too late...he had already fallen into yet another weak spot.

Mother, smiling, apparently also found the situation amusing. I had to stifle a laugh myself. Garet looked ridiculous.

"I guess you better get going," said Mother. "This old house will fall apart if you stay much longer. I'll get this fixed up."
"Thank you, ma'am," Jenna replied politely, secretively winking again.

"Please, call me Dora," Mother insisted.

We climbed back down the ladder, and I said goodbye to Mother. Walking by Garet's house, I had to stop from laughing-Garet's older sister Kay was about ready to murder him for crushing her flowers with his training stone.

Entering the small, woody area around Kraden's cottage, I heard a familiar voice say, "They seem to know little of the mysteries of the Sanctum."

I gulped. I knew that voice. It was that blue-haired man from the day the Boulder fell! The storm...

"The elders of Vale must not permit even Kraden to enter it." he continued. He was not far from us, from the sound of his voice. I shivered. Those people were evil for sure. I wondered if Garet had recognized the voices, too.

Then I heard the woman's voice. "Kraden...can we use him?" she asked the man.

"His knowledge is no meager thing; we can use him." he decided.

"But he's more stubborn than we expected." noted the woman.

"And cunning beyond measure." observed the man.

I could hear Jenna stifle a laugh beside me. Kraden? Cunning? The very idea was laughable!

"If he won't go willingly we can always..." It was her again.

Then the two came rushing into view, stopping just in front of us.

"You there! What are you doing?" snarled the man.

"What are we doing?" asked Garet stupidly, apparently still in shock from the sight of them.

"Were you eavesdropping?" asked the woman.

"No," I lied hastily. Well, it wasn't our fault, after all, and I really didn't want to see the wrong side of their Psynergy after the display after the Boulder.

"I guess we should take you at your word," sneered the woman.

"Hey, you're the ones who were sneaking around!" accused Garet.

"Sneaking...who are you to accuse me?" growled the man.

"So Kraden's engagement was with you," purred the woman softly.

Jenna nodded. "Yeah, we're off to see him right now." she told them plainly.

"And is this appointment important enough to drive us away?"

"Yes," muttered Jenna angrily, bits of flame tingling the edges of her balled hands.

"Uh, yes!" I blurted out, hoping that Jenna wouldn't rashly try to use a Fume or two on these people. They were Mars Adepts, too, as I'd seen after the Boulder fell. The chances were that it wouldn't even hurt them.

The man made an odd noise. "If your errand is more important than ours, then...go."

Amazed, I stared at him.

"You're letting us go?" asked Jenna incredulously, the flames fading away from the tips of her fingers.

"Are you sure, Saturos?" asked the woman.

"Menardi, we have no reason to delay these children any further." said Saturos.

They backed away.

"Let's...let's go, Isaac." said Garet nervously, fidgeting.

I shuddered slightly as we passed the silent two, who were glowering at us like they wanted nothing more than to fry us with their powerful Psynergy.

We found Kraden outside his cottage, pacing. The wrinkled man was fiddling with a few stray gray hairs.

"Who were they?" he pondered. I realized he must be talking about Saturos and Menardi.

"They already know too much about Sol Sanctum..."

He kept muttering stuff about elements and the Sanctum as we waited, exchanging glances.

He was so caught up in his thinking he didn't notice us til we were right next to him.

"Oh!" he squeaked in surprise.

"You look like something's bothering you." noted Jenna.

"Me? Ah, well..."

"It's those two, isn't it? Saturos and Menardi were their names?" Garet inquired, turning around to search for the duo we'd passed.

"Are they still out there?" asked Kraden. "They're very persistent."

Jenna, mimicking Garet, turned around and questioned, "Did they want something from you, Kraden?"

Kraden, sounding worried, said, "Yes, that seems to be the case..."

"Seems to be?" Jenna asked.

Kraden frowned. "Mount Aleph and Sol Sanctum...They spoke as if they themselves had seen them..."

I remembered-that night-they'd been talking about the Sanctum.

"Isn't that odd?"

I nodded, wishing I could tell our teacher about how they'd been talking during the storm, but I was too terrified of what Saturos and Menardi might do to me.

"You can't enter Mount Aleph without a very good reason." Kraden told us.

"And if they entered secretly, they could be thieves!" exclaimed Jenna.

Garet, excited, declared, "We have to go tell the high elders and the villagers!"

I agreed. "Let's go!"

"Wait, everyone!" called Kraden. "I still don't know how accurate the things they said were...We must confirm what they told me."

"Then what should we do?" Jenna asked.

Kraden, with a very mischievous smile on his wrinkled face, said, "We go confirm it."

Eventually, we decided we had to go. After all, it was our duty, right? And we'd always enjoyed being explorers when we were younger. Right...sure...I knew that the real reason we were going was that none of us could resist an adventure.

Then, something very unexpected happened.

Kraden said, "We'll make you the leader, OK, Isaac?"
Me? The leader? Me?

"Uh..."

Jenna nudged me.

I looked up. She was giving me one of her famous if-looks-could-kill poison glares.

"Sure."

Kraden went quickly inside his house and back out, clearly carrying something, I wasn't sure what.

Saturos and Menardi were gone, and I was very thankful. It was off to the Sanctum-but little did I know what would happen next...