Golden Sun: The Sands of Time
Long update lags seems to be something of a habit with me. I'm really torn in trying to balance both Fire Emblem and Golden Sun fics, not to mention a normal life always beckons…
Oh, well, new chapter up.
Disclaimer: I own jack diddly.
Chapter 25: By What Makes Us Human
Huff. Huff. Huff.
Ivan ran with long steady strides down the corridor, eyes straining in the murky gloom. You won't escape. That single thought was foremost on his mind as he charged down the hallway, pursuing Geldor.
Rounding a corner, he jerked back as a blade swung by, narrowly missing his head and knocking a chunk from the wall. Backing up, he noticed three more Karan coming behind the one that had originally attacked him.
He didn't have time for this. Drawing his Tisiphone Edge, he lunged forward with inhuman speed. The blade bit deep into the foremost redskin's neck, and the warrior collapsed.
Twisting to avoid a spear-thrust, he concentrated, and windstorm blew up, staggering the remaining three warriors. Too focused on trying to stay upright, one of them failed to notice Ivan slashing through his torso. The second warrior fell like a stone.
Turning to face the remaining two warriors, he pointed his sword at them, gesturing with his free hand for them to come forward. They did. Moving too fast for any ordinary human to follow, they covered the distance between them and Ivan in the space of a second, weapons already flying through the air, thirsting for blood.
But Ivan was no ordinary human. He was Adept, a descendant of the ancient warriors that had defended the world against itself eons ago. The blood of Jupiter flowed through his veins. In the second it had taken for the Karan to attack, he had become a blur, throwing himself into a roll that brought him in-between the two stunned redskins.
"Gust!" Ivan cried. A blast of focused air slammed into each of the Karan, sending them reeling. Before they could clamber to their feet, Ivan had already dispatched them with quick, efficient swords strokes.
He stood there silently, for several long seconds. Waiting. Watching. Then he turned and called to the darkness. "You needn't think you can hide. I know you're there. Come out."
The shadows shifted, parted, and there stood Geldor, sneering at him. "Very good, young mage. You did very well indeed against my little puppets. But I suppose you must be well conditioned to slaying them by now, correct?"
"Puppets?" Ivan queried wearily. Geldor smiled thinly.
"Indeed. The Karan are my creations." He turned and strode further into the darkness. "I made them. Right here, in this fortress. If you wish to know more, then follow…"
" …!" Ivan grit his teeth. "The only reason I'll ever chase you is to ensure your death!" He spat before running off into the gloom himself.
He emerged to a vast cavernous hall, reaching so high up that he couldn't see any ceiling whatsoever. In the half-gloom of the area, he could see Geldor, crouched over a prone form on the stone floor. Or at least he had thought there was one. When the fire adept straightened up again, he could see clearly that there was nothing there.
Calmly, Geldor then proceeded over to what appeared to be a large three-headed lizard. As Ivan watched curiously, the shadowy form of the lizard began to waver, before vanishing completely. He blinked in surprise, and brought his sword up defensively.
Geldor turned to face him, his face hidden in the partial darkness. "So you came… I knew you would. Observe! This is the heart of the entire complex." With this statement the gray-skinned adept swept his arm out, gesturing grandly to the walls of the vast hall.
Ivan's gaze was then drawn to what appeared to be glowing sacs hanging from all walls of the place. Vaguely green in colour, they glowed with an unnatural, pulsating light. From deep within the sacs, he could vaguely make out something shifting and squirming.
"The Karan were created by me- a fusion of Jupiter and Mars psynergy. They are soulless killing machines- the perfect weapon for me to use against the elves. They do not question, they do not need rest, food or drink. They are the perfect warriors." Geldor shrugged. "However, when I tried to infuse a consciousness into a particular Karan warrior, the results were… less than satisfactory." He opened his bloodred eyes, shimmering in the murky gloom. "But all in all, they've served me well."
Ivan staggered back, shocked. "All of them… everyone we faced…"
"They were given puppet personalities, of course. Mainly a hatred of elves and the humans that intruded once in a while over Gaia Rift." Geldor continued his monologue as he paced slowly around the room. "No matter how many Karan the elves killed, no matter how many times they beat back their conquests, they can never win a war of attrition." Geldor smiled. "It is only a matter of time before ultimate victory." Then he stopped dead. "Don't think I haven't felt the change in the world. Psynergy has been released once more into the world. Weyard is starting to regather itself." He laughed a gravelly laugh. "How do you think the poor, naïve humans will react to hundreds of thousands of strange warriors pouring forth from the desert? The elves have fought for a century, and still they cannot win. How do you think the human soldiers, untried, untested, unused to our tactics and hopelessly outnumbered, will fare?"
Ivan mouth hung open, as he tried to process the enormity of what Geldor was saying. "You… you're talking genocide." He finally managed.
Geldor shrugged carelessly. "Call it what you will."
The callousness of it all, the flippancy with which the Mars adept spoke of eliminating human and elfkind- Ivan finally managed to stammer out "Why?"
Geldor paused at that questioned, as if unsure of how to answer. Then, slowly and deliberately, he answered. "Souls."
Without waiting, he continued. "It has been the Stone of Sages, the purest of form of Alchemy, can cheat even death itself. However, I've found that I don't really need to go through so much trouble to attain immortality." He smiled softly. "Simply taking in the essence, the lifeblood of all the fallen elves in the wars… I can extend my life. And boost my power. Would you like to see?" A fireball exploded from his outstretched palm, cruising straight for Ivan.
The Jupiter Adept raised his sword in reply, parrying and batting away the flaming projectile. Leaping forward, he narrowed his eyes.
"Kite!" A blast of wind and suddenly Ivan was looking at Geldor from two different angles at the same time. The resulting information overflow would have overwhelmed most, but Ivan had long since learnt ways of dealing with it.
Closing his eyes, he focused, letting the winds of the cavernous room caress both his bodies. They connected to everything, letting him see the entire area, letting him know everything.
Let it's knowledge become your knowledge. He could 'see' Geldor staring at both of him in bewilderment, not knowing which one to strike down first. Let it's flow be your flow. Both of him danced through the air, moving swiftly, closing the gap between them and the Mars adept. Let it's song be your song. Raising both blades, he charged forward, moving with all the supernatural speed that all the Jupiter clan had been blessed with.
Become one with the wind.
A strike, almost seeing to waver but cleaving the air with sureness and strength, and then Geldor parried the blow with a longsword of his own. The ringing of steel resounded through the chamber, and then Geldor, using his superior strength and weight, pushed Ivan back.
But then Ivan attacked, using this distraction to his advantage. Geldor cried out in pain and anger as a swift strike fro the Tisiphone Edge sent him staggering. A thin line of blood trickled from the red-haired adepts torso, where the blow had pierced his armor.
There was a blurring sensation, and Ivan was one once more. Stepping back, he settled into a defensive position, eyes narrowed. Geldor snarled at him, before raising his own blade. "Come then." He growled.
Ivan was more than willing to oblige. Exploding into action, he traversed the length of the room in a heartbeat, letting a windstorm blow from behind him. Relentlessly he hacked at the Mars Adept, while calling down thunder from above seemingly at random, the burning rays gouging huge chunks from the stone floor.
Geldor did what he could to defend himself. Blocking blows, twisting, giving way, sidestepping, he continuously evaded the nimble youth's attacks, and kept himself from harm. But he was the underdog in this match of skill, and he knew it. What fires he called forth were quickly dispersed by the howling winds in the cavern. The young mage was also handling the swordfight with fine skill, forcing Geldor on the defensive, never allowing the Mars Adept an instant to retaliate…
Ivan sank deeper and deeper into a wild fury as he continued his unending assault on Geldor. Twisting, he used his momentum to slash horizontally at the Fire Adept, sending him staggering. "You would cause genocide." He spat, as he shot his foot out, catching the Proxian and dumping him to the ground. "You would slaughter the race of humans and elves all alike." Bolts of crackling electricity were hurled forth from his hands, slamming into Geldor. "And for what? Selfish, personal gain? Immortality? Gale!" A blast of wind hurled the Proxian into the far wall, sending him sprawling over one of his own Karan eggs. He stormed over to the semiconscious warrior. "Everyone that you've caused to suffer… Sheba, Davion, Aldos Firestar, all the fair elves of Anthis… all for yourself? All for the chance to extend your own worthless life?"
He was trembling. Rage. Blind, unadulterated rage. His hands clenched into fists, hiss eyes screwed shut; he let himself fall into the madness that threatened to overtake him. He let himself sink into the deepest, darkest core of hatred.
Slowly, his eyes opened, his lips uttering words in a voice he scarcely recognized as his own. "I am the Shadow…"
He concentrated, feeling his revulsion, his anger surge up, becoming an almost physical force, rising in him. From the darkness- From my mind? Or is it real? – one could barely discern a towering figure, striding forth with a blazing sword in hand.
"The keeper of Light…"
No… it was no illusion. It was real. Clad in amethyst armor, standing tall above the two combatants, the image of Dullahan, greatest of the demon warriors, appeared, standing in the gloom.
It's headless body swiveled, turning to face Geldor. An armored foot crashed down onto the ground, leaving a visible imprint. An ethereal glow shone about the shadow knight.
"You who seek the power over death…"
His blade was raised, perfectly vertical, into the air. Sapphire lightning began to crackle along it's edge. A low, thunderous growl resounded around the chamber.
And still Ivan stood, stock still, trembling with the effort.
"Show me your own."
A vertical slash, a blast of light, and Dullahan vanished, leaving only a fading afterimage. Geldor lay sprawled on the ground.
Ivan stood panting with exertion. What… what did I…? Then he turned to face the defeated Mars Adept. "You!" He seethed. In an instant, he was standing over his fallen foe.
Silently, Ivan drew the Tisiphone Edge again, and crouched down. One swift blow, and this worthless cretin would be exterminated. He did not deserve life. Not after what he had done.
He pressed the blade to the Proxian's neck. One twitch, and he could end this Mars Adept's life. One tiny flick of the wrist, and he would kill Geldor.
He didn't move.
His body trembled violently.
What are you doing? Kill him!
Ivan tightened his grip on his sword, eyes squeezed shut, gritting his teeth. A softer voice spoke to him. Are you prepared to do it? Are you prepared to kill another human?
And suddenly he was himself again. Ivan. Still filled with seething fury, perhaps, but not completely given into the dark emotions within his soul. He opened his eyes, staring at Geldor's. Surprise, anger, and… fear. Ivan could see it clearly in the Proxian's expression. What am I suppose to feel? Revulsion? Anger? Hatred? Uncertainty? Pity?
And again that voice niggled at the back of his mind. Are you prepared to kill another human? You have never done so before. Saturos and Mernadi fell off the lighthouse by their own accord. Agatio and Karst were defeated as dragons, not men. You have never killed another man before. Are you prepared to do so now?
Ivan didn't know. He didn't know at all.
(X)
Isaac pushed open the double doors to the room, and stopped dead.
Sheba lay crumpled at one corner of the room, eyes closed.
With a tiny cry of alarm, he dashed over, the others trailing closely behind. Crouching, he reached over. "Sheba, you okay?"
There was no response, but the steady rise and fall of her chest told him that she was still alive. That was good enough for now. A second later, Breath flittered into Isaac's live of vision.
(You've got to help Ivan!) She cried. (He went after the Mars Adept behind this whole mess.) She paused, then continued in a softer tone. (Sheba will be alright. Trust us.)
Isaac nodded, and shifted his Sol Blade into a more comfortable position. "Count on us. We'll deal with him before the hour is out."
Then, as one, they turned, running deeper into the halls of Snarlgrin mountain.
(X)
"AHHHH!"
Ivan fell away, his hand clutched to his chest. From it protruded a black-feathered shaft, gleaming in the dim light.
Geldor slowly staggered to his feet, wiping a trickle of blood from his mouth. Careless… He had let his guard down, let this little youngling overpower him, no matter how temporarily.
It would not happen again.
Slowly, with staggered steps, the grey-skinned warrior advanced until he stood over the mortally wounded youth. "Never underestimate me, boy." He turned to glance at one of the many slits in the wall from which the mechanically propelled arrow had been fired. "You're fighting in my fortress. I hold all the cards." He grinned. "And now…"
A hacking cough, and Ivan felt blood pooling in his mouth. He could already feel his strength slipping away, the edges of his vision going dark… "Da... damn you..."
No… He thought weakly. Can't die… not here… not until… Sheba…
Suddenly, pain flared through his body. A horrible, rending sensation wound it's way through him, and his body seemed on the brink of being ripped apart into a thousand insubstantial pieces, to be blown away in the wind.
And then, those eyes… those eyes…
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