Chapter 3: First steps
I slept well that night. My bed was soft and the sound of the sea calmed me. It's strange, I hadn't bee this calm for years. My last calmness was on that faithful day… That day everything changed… I slept well, but I had this dream. A dream that made me remember. It wasn't really a bad dream, it just was a painful memory. But I slept well.
Running and running…I heard the gunshots already. Her scream…I had to make it! I was her Knight…It was my duty to protect her! I ran and ran, through the night, the night that was the void for me. I seemed to run forever. The closer I came to the memorial, the more my heart was shattering. I heard her cry, pleading. Trying to explain them that it wasn't her…The hands of man deals in false justice…And I came too late…She was dead. And I was thrown away by the people. I had been her Knight. And she was killed for something she didn't do. And I was blamed for let her do it, even though she was innocent. I had to watch her and her powers…But I had! She was innocent! My heart, my soul, darkened…
I woke up next morning, sun through the small window on my face. I opened the window and let the soft breeze of the sea inside. Today was a new dawn, new chances were given to me this day. I would see which one I would take. My first concern of course, was becoming like him. Okay. But I had to earn it, someday. So I had to find something else, something to keep me going until I was good enough. Night had given me wisdom, so I had the answer to my question already. Smiling contently, I headed to the living-like room. The others were up already.
"Morning Sephiroth." Isaac greeted, looking up from his cup of black coffee. I was a bit confused at first, for like a second, but of course, Sephiroth was my name. How could I forget? "Did you sleep well?"
"Certainly. It has been a long time since I slept this good." Would I tell them about my dream? No, not yet. My past… The things I will never be able to forget, those things will have to wait for a while. I had other things to do.
Mia offered my a seat at the table and I gratefully sat down. I gave her a thankful look out of the corner of my eyes. She smiled back. It was like these four people around me had no trouble with my presence. Something very different from my ex-home. Most of the time I was pondering and things were silent. But, not everyone can be silent for a long time. And silence apparently annoyed Garet. Like I'm surprised…
"Hey common guys!" he shouted "It's like somebody's dead here! A bit more cheery please."
"Who says we're down?" I remarked. "I'm not, if you want to know that. Just thinking. I have a lot on my mind." I looked to the table again, but suddenly I perked up. "Speaking of minds, stop reading mine Ivan."
The Jupiter adept turned red. "Could you see me using Psynergy?" he quietly stammered. I shook my head in response. "No. But I could feel somebody was in my head. Stay out of it, please, Ivan. I'll tell the things I want to tell when I'm ready for it. Understand that please. I've been through a lot of things I can't forget. Painful things. Let me tell those when I'm ready for it."
"Okay, I'm sorry." His voice became even more silent, like he was ashamed of himself. I tried to smile as friendly as possible. Hard, I forgot to really smile with happiness after she was killed…
"Don't feel ashamed Ivan. I know I'm a weirdo. But please, I'm hoping to change my looks soon." My gaze turned to Isaac. "As soon as we get to land, captain?"
"As soon as possible. We need to get some more supplies, anyway."
"Yes." Mia nodded. "We kind of left in a hurry."
"After we're done with that, where, if I may ask, are we going then?" Yeah, I was curious about that. "Golden Sun: The Lost Age" never said anything about Isaac's journey. Good thing I've fallen onboard of their ship. Not sure if I would've liked a trip with Felix…
"Finding Jenna. And prevent more Lighthouses from being lit."
I closed my eyes. "Not an easy task, huh?" They hung their heads and I understood. Two lighthouses lit, two left unlit. If only they knew how this quest would end… But I would not tell them. I couldn't. What if history was changed if I did?
"Well." Isaac said, breaking the fallen silence. "Time to get this ship to move. I looked at the map, and I think we'll reach the shores of Indra continent soon." He paused for a moment. "I hope we can get some supplies there and then we'll look for a way to the Western Sea, probably by going between Gondowan and Indra."
"What if we can't cross the Gondowan Cliffs?" I asked.
Isaac pondered about it for a moment. "Well… Maybe we should go to Osenia first then, seeing if there's a way more to the south, if not, Gondowan."
Nobody complained. Heh, Isaac was the captain after all.
And so to Indra continent we sailed. Bad luck for my companions though, the Tidal Wave had struck badly here. More to the south, we sailed to Madra. I was a bit nervous. If things we're right, we should see Piers in prison here… When we sailed past the coasts, we indeed saw his Lemurian ship. I heard the others wonder were it came from, but I wisely kept my mouth shut.
The day had passed by so quickly. Curious, we had no monsters attacks… I wonder how it came. I watched the sea and the land pass by, humming a song. The wind blew oh so softly, another great, sunny day. Mia came by, hearing me sing softly. She became curious and came standing next to me.
"So how are you feeling now, here with us, Sephiroth?" I looked in her eyes, shining with peacefulness. "Having the time of my life, at least for now."
"What do you mean?"
"I don't think it'll be this peaceful each day. Don't you find it strange we've encountered no monsters so far?"
"I do…" she agreed. "But I'm actually also relieved for it."
"Oh?"
"Don't take it personal, Sephiroth. But you've got no weapon, no protection or no Psynergy we've know of so far. It would be dangerous for you and also you'd be frustrated to hide below decks, am I right?"
"You know me too well." I grinned. "I do hope to change it soon, however, I'm sick of looking like… well… The forgotten me." Silence came along. We looked at the waves. The seagulls screeching.
"What song was that?"
"Huh?"
"The one you were singing before I came."
"Oh that one. It's called, 'If I could fly'. I always liked it. Remember Mia, songs easily describe who I am, how I feel, or how my vision on things is."
A smile formed on her face. She seemed very interested. "Mind singing it for me?"
"Well, if you insist…"
"I do!"
I closed my eyes, imagining the song, like I always had imagined it in my old home. How I took place in the song. How it described my desires…
No fear, no pain
Nobody left to blame
I'll try alone
Make destiny my own
I learn to free my mind
Myself I now must find
Once more
Once more
If I could fly
Like the king of the sky
Could not tumble nor fall
I would picture it all
If I could fly
See the world through my eyes
Would not stumble nor fail
To the heavens I sail
If I could fly
So here I am
In solitude I stand
I've got dreams inside
I need to realize
My faith has grown
No fear of the unknown
No more
No more
If I could fly
Like the king of the sky
Could not tumble nor fall
I would picture it all
If I could fly
See the world through my eyes
Would not stumble nor fail
I could ravage my jail
If I could fly
If I could, if I could, fly
If I could, if I could, fly
If I could, if I could, fly
If I could fly
Like the king of the sky
Could not tumble nor fall
I would picture it all
If I could fly
See the world through my eyes
Would not stumble nor fail
To the heavens I sail
If I could fly
Like the king of the sky
Could not tumble nor fall
I would picture it all
If I could fly
See the world through my eyes
Would not stumble nor fail
I could ravage my jail
If I could fly…
So many things had passed by. Memories of my past. And him. I sang the song and realized something. I felt peaceful. Satisfied.
"Someday… I'll be him. And I'll have a Wing, growing out of my right shoulder. A great, black wing. To carry me to the heavens. To be a One-Winged Angel."
"You sure have a lot of imagination." Her face seemed relaxed. Pleased, too. "I loved the song. It's different of what we usually hear here. And yes, I do think it fits you. You just seem like the lyrics described you. Wanting to do things alone, not afraid of things new to you…"
"You'll learn more about me as time passes. Believe me. I have a lot of songs, all describing something of me. Songs and music in my world are very popular. People listen to music nearly every day. And the style of songs changes over the years. But there will always be songs that no other song can surpass. This was one of those. At least, for me."
The Mercury adept nodded, like she just understood something. She seemed lost in thoughts, her eyes closed. Just as she wanted to say something, Ivan came up.
"Hey you two! We'll be going on land soon!"
"Thanks Ivan!" Mia smiled, but the Wind adept had already gone back to Isaac. She turned to me, a mixed look in her eyes, like she wanted to say many things. But she got a grip of herself, shook her head, then smiled. "Well, let's go Sephiroth. Hopefully you get what you want today."
She ran towards the others, but I thought for a while. "Not what I want Mia, not completely. I'll have to earn what I want. But today, I just might take the first steps…"
First steps on solid ground. In Weyard. Nifty experience, in some ways. Then again, the sand felt the same it did in my ex-home world. I looked around, taking in the scenery. This world was different. No traffic anywhere, no high buildings and grey streets. No, nature. Forests, plains, coasts and beaches. And between all the nature, there happens to be signs of human presence. Roads through the woods. A city or a village, here and there. I liked it.
"Judging from the excited look in your eyes, I take it where you come from is very different." Isaac said, pleased that Weyard was pleasing me.
"Yeah, you bet." I nodded. "It's so… Refreshing. The beauty of the simple things. Like a tree for example. Where I come from, I think there were like, only five trees in the entire city. I don't really remember correctly, because I don't want to."
"Well, forget all you want about where you come from! It doesn't sound like a nice place at all!" Garet smirked. Well, yelled actually. He speaks so loudly! Can't he understand the beauty of the silence?
I looked at Ivan, he was… thinking about something. I walked up to him. He gazed off in the distance. "What are you thinking about?"
"It's your world." Ivan said. "I've seen it in your mind. I also know it took mankind a long time to develop that 'technology' as they call it there. Will people here too, discover such horrors? Will this forest and beach once disappear and make place for grey, oversized cities?"
"Good question." I sighed. "But I'm afraid I don't know the answer. If anything, people won't learn those foolish things from there from me. If that makes you feel better."
"A bit…"
Isaac mentioned us to go. It was already almost evening. We would probably stay in the Inn tonight. The boat was sealed by Psynergy anyway. Like Piers' ship must have been sealed as well. I saw Isaac faithfully holding the black orb.
We got on the road. It took us through a forest, and eventually, we reached Madra. The walk had taken about an hour. But, I wasn't tired. I couldn't be. I was to busy looking around, taking in the gorgeous scenery. It filled me with an unknown kind of energy. A spirit that keeps you going. And again, no monster encounters. But why not? What was wrong? I couldn't think about it any further, for we had reached Madra. Of course, I was the only one that secretly knew it was called Madra. On the map Isaac had on the ship, only the places of the villages were shown. I wondered, oh yes, since Piers would probably be in prison, the Champa must have attacked already. Meaning the guards would probably stop us. I wondered if they would let me through. Can't blame them if they wouldn't. I looked so, weird, compared to the clothing here. Well, maybe I would look even more weird if I asked to make the outfit I desired. But alas, if I wanted to become him I maybe had to look weird. Who cares? I would think I looked good. And if they would still disagree, whatever weapon I would probably get would speak for me.
So, we climbed the stairs, up, up, up the stairs. And, like I had predicted, we were stopped by the two guys who guarded the gate. After a bit of explaining and discussing with Isaac, they seemed to be willing to let us through. But only after Isaac had made sure I was no harm. It made me laugh.
The town looked much better in real life than it ever had in "The Lost Age". Far more lively, real. It was a lot bigger as well. A few buildings and shop the game hadn't. Like, a clothing-shop. Perfect, just what I needed. They agreed that I would go and get what I needed, while they would go around town a bit. We agreed to gather at the door of the Inn again. Then they went their own way, and I entered the shop.
The young female tailor was confused, or scared, I don't know, at first. But after some explaining, she relaxed. I might have seem a bit distant, cold perhaps. I don't know, she looked at me like I had acted that way. We talked a very long time about how exactly my desired outfit would be created. I had to think about it, too. Of course I had ideas. She added things to it. And after we both were pleased with the final design, talk began to change. I had noticed from the start how lightly coloured her hair was. Nearly white. Memories of her… My dear Sorceress. I was your Knight, I should have protected you…
She told about her daily life, I tried to give her some views about how my life was, without it getting complicated. Eventually, I dared to ask her name, which was turned out to be Elia. It grew a bit late so I decided to head back to the Inn, as promised.
"You can get it tomorrow. I'll work on it the entire night." She promised.
"Thanks."
"Hey Sephiroth, a bit late, aren't you?"
"Any problems with that Ivan?" The boy shook his head and I walked past him, before suddenly turning around, grumbling. "And stop reading my mind!"
The Jupiter adept backed away and hung his head. "Sorry."
"It's the third time I have to forgive you reading my mind. Let it be the last, okay?"
He nodded and I decided to forget that it happened. We took dinner and my companions chatted a bit. But I was silent. The meeting with that Elia had been creepy. For she resembled her so much… Was it fate that I stumbled upon somebody like her? I didn't understand it anymore at all. I went to bed very early and tried to sleep. When Ivan, whom I shared my room with, came, I pretended to be asleep, but I was very much awake. I was afraid that I would have those dreams of her again, and I didn't want that. I want to meet him in my dreams again… To ask for advise…
I couldn't eat next morning. Nothing could get through my throat except for some strong coffee, but that was it. My mind was flooded by memories. Dreams, dreams and dreams. It's all I had this night. I want to forget! Leave me alone, you stupid memories! Maybe it would help if I would finally abandon everything I had from my ex-home and finally got my desired outfit. So I left as soon as we decided we're to meet again. Again, in front of the Inn.
Elia had worked all night, alright. And the result was, for me, amazing. Exactly how I wanted it. Completely black clothes of heavy material. A black shirt wrapped tightly around my body, black pants disappearing in my iron-tipped boots, which nearly reached to my knees. Some belts wrapped around my waste for decoration. What I liked most however, was my black cape with long sleeves. It wasn't exactly like his outfit, things were a bit different and my cape was shorter, but at least I looked more like him now. Around each wrist I had a belt wrapped as well, partly to hold my sleeves. I wore no gloves or shoulder protection like him. I would get those later, if I had finally earned the right to be him. I was satisfied for now.
"I can't thank you enough." I smiled. "Oh yeah, I need to pay you." I grabbed for the wallet Isaac had lent me, but she waved her hand In a very familiar way.
"No need to pay. See it as a gift."
I stared at her, confused. Eventually, I managed to get something over my lips. "Thank you."
"Don't thank me. I'm happy I did it. You should go now, your friends are probably waiting."
I nodded and headed for the door, before I opened it, she said a last thing. "You know, grey hair would suit you much better…"
I faced her and smiled. "I know. And someday, I'll get that, too."
Then I left. It was months later that I heard that Elia and her shop had disappeared as soon as I had left the village…
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The song "If I could fly" is one of my favs. I think it was done by Helloween, don't shoot me if I'm wrong.
Don't worry, more songs will pop up in this story as it continues.
Next chapter, I'll give you guys some action. Ah, cheery beginnings... How will they end?