- Chapter 12: With Friends Like These -

"Your head's a mess, Felix," Isaac said, with the same tone as if he were telling him that his boots were muddy. "Want to know how Sheba really found you? Your chaotic thoughts stick out a mile away."

"It's not just because of Karst," Garet put in, folding his arms smugly. "Felix hasn't been the same since he got taken to Prox years ago. He takes after Saturos and Menardi. That's what his problem is."

While Felix struggled for something to say to his friends' bizarre appearance, Jenna exclaimed, "Isaac! Garet! You guys are alive! How did you do it?"

"Hey, how didn't we do it? We're gods now, Jenna," Garet smirked, flexing his bicep at her. "What do you think of me now, huh?"

"You're a god too, Jenna," Isaac said. "Sheba was right all along. If you lend Garet and me a hand, we can fix things for Felix."

There was a moment of silence. What in the name of Mars is going on here? Is that really Isaac and Garet? What happened to them?

"Um..." Jenna said. "What do you mean by that, Isaac? 'Fix things'?"

"I guess Sheba never told you - or maybe she doesn't even know - but gods can do more than just read minds. We can change them. Somebody probably did just that to Felix... that's why he's been acting so strange. It will be a complicated job, but we can get him back to how he was before."

"Isaac... that's... Are you sure that someone did that to Felix? I mean... If we do this even a little bit wrong..."

"Does it matter? Even if we can't recreate the way he was perfectly, we can make him a lot better than he is now. I read his mind when I came in, Jenna, and believe me, it's a frightening mess. Guilt at things that aren't his fault, a constant uncertainty about right and wrong, perverse lust for one of our enemies, all bouncing off each other in total chaos. Do you really want to leave him with all that?"

While the two of them debated, Felix silently crouched down beside Karst. He wasn't sure what was going on yet, but at least one thing was sure: Isaac wasn't going to be convinced to let Karst live.

"Those two are completely insane," Karst whispered to him. "And believe me, I know insane."

"This doesn't make any sense," he whispered back. "They say that power corrupts, but this quickly? Less than a day ago, Isaac was one of the most sensible men I've known. Besides, where did this power -" He stopped himself. "That doesn't matter right now. Can you move your legs yet?"

"No. But it doesn't matter. Leave me and get out of here. I'll distract them as best I can."

"I'm not letting you sacrifice yourself."

"It's not a sacrifice." Her tone was derisive. "You plan to save me? Unless you can climb up to the hole Sheba's friends made with Isaac miraculously not noticing, the only way out is through the water. And if you put me in there now, I'll drown. So what are you going to do? Defeat both your friends?"

Before he could answer, Jenna's voice hit a fever pitch volume, blowing away their whispered words. "No! He's my brother, and I won't let you! We're not taking chances with him until we're sure of what's wrong with him... and until I'm sure that you two are really Isaac and Garet!"

"Jenna, you're talking nonsense," Isaac said.

"No, I'm not! I saw the two of you die... and the Isaac and Garet I knew weren't gods, and they sure wouldn't be acting like this! Felix hasn't even had a chance to explain himself, and you want to go playing around with his mind!"

"I think Jenna's got a point, Isaac," Garet put in. "Don't you?"

"No."

"Oh, come on! We've got all the power in the world, and you don't think we can take the time to figure out what's going on here? Have you forgotten how to use your brain, or what?"

"You're willing to just let Felix live with this insanity in the meantime?" Isaac's face was no longer cold and impassive. His eyes burned with anger and determination. "Well, I'm not! Saturos and Menardi have turned Felix against us for the past five years... I'm not letting it go on any longer."

Jenna gasped. "Gods, Isaac, you're talking about Felix as if he we were your servant or something! Who are you?"

"Listen to yourself, pal," Garet said. "Do you realize how stubborn you sound? I've always supported you all the way, but now y-"

Garet's admonition turned into a scream of surprise as the aura surrounding him disappeared, leaving him to plummet to the hard ice below. His howl of pain almost completely drowned out the sound of one of his leg bones breaking in two.

"Garet!" Felix heard himself cry, in spite of his resolve to keep quiet. "Garet, are you alright?"

"D-dammit," Garet gasped, his face clenching in pain, tears running down his face. "What happened? Where did my power go!"

"You never really had any," Isaac answered. "I'd begun to suspect... I was just subconsciously letting some of my godly power flow to you, using it to answer your desires. I'm a god, Garet, but you're no more than another adept. So I don't have to listen to your arguing with me any more."

"Y-you did this to me?" Garet grit his teeth. "Isaac, I'm your best friend! We're all your friends! How can you -"

"Don't give me that load of nonsense, Garet!" Isaac almost bellowed the words. "You were never my friend! A friend is someone who respects you, who stands up for you, who supports you, even when he doesn't completely agree with you. The only thing that ever made us friends was that I knocked some sense into you when you were going to get yourself killed over some stupid possessions! I tried to be a friend to you, Garet, but you never once were a friend to me. You asked me to take charge, but you just made fun of me whenever you disagreed! That's not what friends do, Garet."

"H-hey... That's not fair, I was just teasing 'cause you're my friend, and..."

"Jenna can heal you if she wants. I've had enough of you." Isaac folded his arms, closed his eyes, and let out a weary sigh. "I don't have to put up with you anymore. Felix was the one who was my real friend, and he'll be my friend again."

"Open your eyes, murderer of my sister!" Karst's voice made both Isaac and Felix start. Cursing inwardly, Felix looked to see she had managed to get to her feet and was firing a wide beam of fire and lava directly at Isaac. For a moment, he thought Isaac would be burned to nothing but ashes... and he wasn't sure that wouldn't be for the better.

It was not to be, however. Karst's power hit the aura around Isaac but went no further. Only the light of the flames penetrated, forcing Isaac to shield his eyes from the brightness. "I'm not a murderer... I killed your sister in a fair fight! You're the one who likes ambushes and stabbing people in the back! You and Agatio don't deserve the same mercy your sister got. I'm going to make sure you suffer before you die!"

Damn it! They're not leaving me any choice, either of them.

Karst wanted him to use the distraction to escape, but he couldn't do that. He couldn't let Karst die, and leaving Jenna and the others in Isaac's hands wasn't something he felt comfortable with, either.

He had no choice.

Isaac was floating towards Karst, more or less; blinded by the light of her flames, he was probably following their path back towards her. As soon as he came in low enough, Felix leapt directly at him with all the strength in his legs. Upon colliding with his old friend, he threw his arms around his torso in a solid hold. Isaac got out a cry of surprise, and then together they plummeted to the ground, smashing through the thick ice with their combined momentum, grappling against each other with all their strength even as the icy water consumed them both.

"Felix!" Sheba screamed, having arrived just in time to see him fall through the ice. A moment later, a violent burst of psynergy fumed up from the water, like the aftershock of an incredible explosion. Oh no oh no I shouldn't have left him I shouldn't have left him!

She ran towards the pool, but she knew she was too far away to reach him in time to do anything. This made it rather alarming when she arrived at the pool and he still had not surfaced again. "Felix!"

Nothing. Sheba turned on the person nearest to her: Karst. "What's going on?" she demanded. "Who is he fighting?"

Karst looked at Sheba, her face blank. "His friend, Isaac. He went mad and attacked all of us."

While Karst was talking, Sheba was mind-reading her. A person's thoughts always answered more honestly and more completely than their lips. As at Mars Lighthouse, Karst's mental defenses were down, and she seemed completely unaware of what Sheba was doing. Her thoughts flowed to the little blond adept, disjointed and confused: Because of what I did to Isaac... That's why he went mad, why he attacked... That's why Felix fought his friend... That's why he's good as dead now... Dead, dead, dead, dead, dead... Because of me... Because of me...

"What did you do to them!" Sheba screeched at Karst, horrified by her thoughts. She grabbed at Karst's little shirt and pulled her face down to hers. "Answer me, you... you witch! What did you do! What..."

But her anger was only a poor mask for her despair. Sheba's head slumped, her throat heaved a massive sob, and the tears flowed. If I'd just been a few seconds sooner... if I'd just...

Poor girl... Sheba froze. That thought had definitely not come from her. She really cared about Felix, and she couldn't do anything. The thoughts became increasingly resolute. It's not fair. She should not have to suffer, and Felix should not have to die. There has to be a chance left for him, so long as someone is willing to take the risk.

For once, Sheba wasn't sure who she was mind-reading. It had to be Karst, but it didn't "sound" like her. But she didn't care who it was; all that mattered was that whoever it was had a point. And if anyone was willing to take the risk for Felix, it was her.

As she moved to jump into the water, however, a hand caught her by the shoulder. "Karst, let go!" she cried. "I have to save him!"

She sneered. "You think you can drag him out of that icy ocean, with your scrawny little muscles and your skin as thin as flower petals? I'll do it." Karst shoved her back and dove in.

But she had not yet reasserted her defenses against Sheba's mind-reading, allowing her to pick up a more reassuring message: Felix would never forgive me if I let Sheba die. Karst couldn't be worried about Felix forgiving her or not unless she was confident that she could save him.

Sheba clasped her hands tightly together. But... Can I rely on her? She's crazy...

"Ow ow OW! What are you doing, Jenna?"

She couldn't help but turn and look; it was Garet, trying to fight Jenna away from his leg. "I'm fixing your leg, Garet, if you'll just let me set it back in place!"

"Leave it alone! Are you in love with me, or something? Your own brother is drowning, and you want to fix my leg!"

"You really think Karst would let me save him? She'd just kill me too!"

"No, Jenna," Sheba said solemnly. "She wouldn't. The last thing she'd want would be to kill you."

Jenna's eyes popped over to Sheba with excitement. "You mind-read her? Do you know what she did to Felix?"

"She didn't do anything to Felix. Felix... Felix is the same as he was when I first met him, except that he's stronger, braver, and... and wiser, I think." She stopped, thinking over what she'd just said, what it meant, and also thinking about why she was so calm despite Felix's peril. "He's not going to die," she added, conviction in her voice. "If he doesn't pull out on his own, Karst will save him. She's insane and cruel, but she still wants to believe she's doing the right thing, just like everyone else. She can't go on believing that if she lets Felix die."

"Sheba, honey," Jenna said, her voice tense with sadness. "She and Agatio started all this, remember?"

"But she didn't try to kill Felix. She -"

There was a splash of water accompanied by a pair of gasps for air, and she whirled around to see Karst shove Felix up out of the water. Sheba scrambled to help pull him out.

"Felix!" Jenna approached but seemed afraid to actually touch her brother. "Are you okay? What happened to Isaac?"

He gasped for air a few moments, then managed, "I... I threw him off-guard. When I attacked him, I think that made him doubt whether he was really all-powerful... or maybe, he didn't really have it in him to kill me. So he just fought me with knees and fists... like we were kids again. I don't know if I could have beaten him, or if he would've gotten the guts to use his power again... Something grabbed us both, pulling us down. I couldn't see what it was... Probably undertow, but it could have been a sea creature, or... I don't know. That's when Karst caught me, pulled me away from whatever it was, but it still had a hold of Isaac. I don't know what happened to him, but..."

He finally paused in his rambling and looked around. "Where... where is Karst, anyway?"

"Huh?" Sheba said. "She's right -"

But looking back at the surface of the water, Sheba saw that she was mistaken. Karst was gone.