I do not own Golden Sun. Let's worship Camelot, everyone! Well, if you feel like it. On the contrary, I have absolutely nothing to do with it, maybe except you can say that I like it, and that I'm making a fanfic out of the characters.
Note: This chapter is NOT from Cinderella; I'm devising this chapter all by myself. This may be a crappy chapter to readers, but I certainly not hope so. I'm trying to add more 'spice' in this story so that it won't seem too much of a copycat from the original tale, which I'm quite sure some people find it a terrific bore. Take note that this chapter may be gruesome and may not be so, since it all depends on readers' minds. There is some blood-spilling though, but don't worry, not killings or rapes or anything, so feel free to continue and read. Well, at least I hope so.
"…" - Talking out loud
'…' - Thoughts
Chapter 4: Fate's Trials
A peaceful, silent and beautiful night. The nightly winged animals flew in the moonlight skies silently, as if respecting the quiet atmosphere. The wildlife animals too prowled and wandered around quietly with intent, watching for their prey before pouncing on them with a deadly snarl. Nothing disturbed the silent night; it seemed so still.
"Where…am I?"
A young woman rose from the soft soiled ground, looking around her in confusion and bewilderment. She found herself in a small patch of clear ground, surrounded by clomps of tall trees all around her. The aqua-haired young woman stood up and observed her surroundings more.
"Where…is this place? Why…am I here? Where…is everyone?"
Deciding that she was somehow in a forest in the middle of the night, she was surprised not to receive any sound waves from her ears. Not a single bird was heard chirping amongst the trees. It was as if they had migrated to another place altogether. The wildlife; the animals that roamed through the forests at night seemed to have vanished. There were astonishingly no sounds of life at all in that place.
Staring at the sky, the young woman was surprised to find a dead, dark blue sky above her. Not a single bright yellow star lay, thus causing a dark and foreboding night. The tall trees looming around her seemed to look at her with a stern glare, as if daring her to intrude their sacred place. The night was so indeed still.
Feeling chilly, the young woman rubbed her hands on her arms in effort to warm herself. Staring nervously and warily at the dark night, she felt so lost. The questions that were uttered out moments ago still continued bugging her in her mind, refusing to cease. She just couldn't understand, couldn't grasp anything, everything around her. It was as if a semi-reality, a totally different dimension from her own, the real world.
"F…Fizz? Step…stepmother? Sister Menardi? Karst?"
Mia called out, her soft voice echoing through the dark night. As sweet and lovely her voice was, nobody answered her call. No response was obtained, and Mia's call was left unheeded, and was all for naught.
"Is…anyone here?"
Still no response.
"Please…someone…answer me!"
And yet, Mia's pleas once again went unheeded as the strong wind blowing carried it to the skies. Her long silky aquamarine hair too obeyed the winds as they followed suit, her white robes swaying forth and back.
"No…I don't want to be alone like I was before…someone, please! Heed my call! Anyone…Father! Alex! Cousin Picard! Fizz! Where…is everyone?"
Many minutes passed, and still the aqua-haired young woman's desperate call received no response. Giving up hope, Mia let her legs fall under her weight. Sadness, despair and desolateness overwhelmed her heart and soul, and finally she let her strained tears fall. A big tear fell gently on her lap as she cried all alone in the midst of the darkness."No…it can't be…Why…why am I…alone?"
Mia covered her face with her hands as she cried, something which she rarely did in her life. Her legs curled up and were placed tightly near her chest, her head bent down. Her lips were drawn tightly together, and unconsciously she bit her lip bitterly.
Perhaps too absorbed in her tearful thoughts, she did not realise her surroundings had changed gradually. The dark night turned even darker than before, the trees seemed to disappear before her very eyes as she looked up in surprise, twirling and twisting in a peculiar manner as they did so. Waves of darkness surged through the eerie night; not a single dim light was seen. They swept over Mia, and in a matter of seconds she found herself all alone surrounded by pure darkness.
Summoning her courage, Mia stood up unsteadily and surprisingly found that she could stand up in the middle of the darkness even though there was no solid floor. Her tear-stained red eyes wandered around wildly, yet failing to spot anything, as everything was pure black. She felt even more at a loss than before, but nothing changed.
She was still alone. Alone. That one single word meant little to many, yet so much to her. Being alone was something she disliked very much, perhaps even hated. She detested the feeling it gave her, the sight of her alone and nobody else…it was as if she was deserted.
Suddenly, in the midst of the darkness, a dim light shone far away. Mia's sharp eyes caught it and her hopes ran high in escaping from this detestable place she so much hated.
"That must be the exit! I must hurry!"
Not wasting a single moment, Mia darted for the dim light, the light that brought hope to her very being.
Mia kept running and running, never stopping in her run for the light. Her spirit told her never to give up, to continue to chase after the light, the only thing that may save her. She pushed her body forward as much as she could, not wanting to stay any second longer.
And yet, she still failed to grasp that light. It seemed as if it was running away from her too, not wanting her to escape, even so much as to stop and tease her when she too paused for a seconds rest. It lingered there, irritating the young woman so much whom wanted dearly to escape her dark prison.
And though Mia tried her very best to grasp that dim light, her stamina failed her, and soon she found herself falling onto the hard uneven unusual floor with her back on the top, even further away from the light of hope.
That very light that brought hope wandered and withered away into nothingness, into the black abyss.
Seeing that, Mia's hopes dashed away instantly.
"No…no…"
Choking back a gulp, she lay helplessly on the floor, and though she was indeed a determined young woman, she finally gave up all hope. She was too tired, too tired to even pour out all her sadness by letting her tears out.
Perhaps the everlasting abyss was the cause of all that suddenly happened to her, but somehow she felt her spirit suddenly withering away, her soul dissipating slowly, her life span gradually draining. Her head felt empty, only to be replaced by headaches. Her fingers, hands, arms, body and legs felt weak, unable to move. Her eyes lost all of her inner fiery spirit as they became dull and etched.
Suddenly, the uneven floor gave way, and Mia's limp body fell, yet her half-closed eyes registered that she was not falling at a rapid speed. Too tired to resist further, she just let it carry her to wherever it wanted. Darkness once again swept over her body and for a split moment Mia thought she would die.
Moments later, her blank, tired eyes fluttered opened and looked wearily around. To her amazement, she founded herself currently in a dark abyss that resembled a sea. Though how on earth did she get there, only Mercury's spirit knew and witnessed.
And then something immediately clicked into her mind, even though everything to her seemed to be progressing slowly. The very next thing that registered into her mind.
She, Mia of Imil, was drowning.
'Dying? I'm…dying? It can't be…to die now…will it matter?'
And for a split moment, the answer was instantly clear to her.
'Of course it will matter! Even though many may not care, but there are still few out there whom I know will grieve! I mustn't die yet! No, not now!'
And it was then, that everything changed. Her mind seemed to be responding faster. Her limbs, tendons and muscles no longer felt stiff and tired as before. Her nerve impulses worked actively, her life no longer felt drained of its spirit, and to her joy, her energy almost felt renewed! It was as if Mercury herself had helped to prolong her life by regenerating her life energy.
'I must reach the top of this dark sea, no matter what the cost!'
Having renewed hopes in surviving, the young woman tried to swim to the surface. Her legs kicked out with renowned energy, her hands were flung out as she swam like a fish. Fortunately, Mia was one of those who had taken swimming lessons, and was an excellent swimmer. Minutes later, she was overjoyed to find that her deep efforts were not in vain, and that she could see the glimpse of daylight above the water. That and that alone, was enough to make her swim even more vigorously to the exit of her nightmares.
'Daylight! Oh finally at last…thank Mercury!'
"Do not count your chickens before they hatch…"Least when Mia was not expecting it, a deep booming voice echoed in the midst of the dark sea, bringing a chill down Mia's spine. The voice was neither male nor female; it sounded dead, inhuman and monotonous, something that was never common in humans. And yet, it held a certain degree of sarcasm and bloodthirstiness, as if it craved for the young woman's blood.
Mia shivered involuntarily, but she was determined not to prevent her from escaping. Whoever that voice belonged to, it must have been the one who dragged her into all this nightmares! Rushing towards the surface, she kept reassuring herself that everything would be all right, and that she would prevail. Yet, something deep in her, perhaps her sixth sense, told her that something was wrong, and would go wrong.
"Escaping from my little cell might not be a wise action, young woman…"Shivering once more, Mia struggled to get to the top. Her hands and legs were starting to feel numb as the consequence from being in the cold sea for quite some time. She realised that her energy was slowly draining away, and so she tried to push away the tiredness that lingered all over her body, yet slightly failing to do so.
"If you still wish to resist, then I'm afraid I must act."
A big wave suddenly surged towards her, throwing her backwards deeper into the sea. Thrown overbalanced, Mia opened her mouth involuntarily and let out a scream that was lost and only to be replaced by small bubbles of water. Struggling to rise back forth, Mia shook her cold hands, ignored the cold, tingling sensation and swam forward to her desired destination.
'I must reach the exit no matter what! I must…even if I have to lose feeling of my arms and legs! I'll do it and escape from all this!'
"My my, such a persistent young woman aren't you? Well then, let's be serious, and I'll play fair game too. Show me more, and let me enjoy this more."
Unprepared for the next attack, Mia was again thrown overbalanced by multiple waves directly overlapping her, no doubt an act caused by the unknown opponent. She tried to resist and push forward, but every single step she took towards the surface of the sea, more waves seemed to come in order to prevent her escape, pushing her deeper into the sea.
This time Mia was perhaps not so fortunate. Letting out another scream, Mia hit the bottom of the sea with a sickening crack, and she felt her body go limp. Her numb arms and hands lay helplessly on her side; she couldn't even feel her legs anymore, due to the cold. Her eyelids fluttered open and shut, desperately trying to keep her consciousness in mind. Her mind soon became groggy and filled with heavy headaches as she tried to focus on anything.
'Oh no…no…this can't be…I…I failed even with…Mercury's help? No…I don't want…I don't want to die…I don't want this! I don't need…this…everyone…"
Tears fell easily and rolled down her cheeks eagerly and down to the seabed, appearing as in small glitters. Though only half-conscious now, Mia could still feel the unknown evil's presence near her, approaching her, laughing at her utter defeat.
"Remember, Mia of Imil, resistance against me, is so ever futile. No one, in the whole entire of Angara, has ever managed to escape my invitation of misery and wrath."
'No…is this…how dying is like? I can't stay conscious much longer…perhaps my time has come…oh Mercury, is it by your hand…that I die…under these circumstances?'
Mia could feel her life energy draining rapidly from her body, and she knew that it would be of no use to resist further, especially under her hurt conditions. Her eyes couldn't even open anymore, it just wouldn't obey her no matter how hard she tried to open them.
'I'm so pathetic…I can't even move at all…letting my enemy here…to do whatever it wants…if only I could move…that's it, I must move! I must…be able to at least do something even though I can't even open my eyes! There must be…something!'
Encouragement seeping through her weak soul, the rest of her leftover energy from all over her body was then gathered on the center of her heart. Releasing a cry, she was amazed when she could feel a ball of energy released from her chest, hurled towards her opponent.
"GUAAHHH!"
The monster-phantom above her shouted in pain, but as Mia's force was not strong enough, it still remained above her. Her efforts, after all, were still in vain.
"Impossible…after my attacks, she is still able to summon her energy to resist me?"
The phantom sounded disbelieving and slightly shocked, but regained its stoic and cool composure seconds later.
"Hmph, no matter. Even thoughyou still tried to resist me until the end, you still fail! Weak, helpless, pitiful humans…why, your attacks were just like a fart from a mouse that was going to die! Pitiful…how pitiful and sad it is! AHAHAHAHAHAH!"
'This is it…I really can't do anything anymore…I'm even surprised to have able to summon my energy against him…I'm really dead now…'
"You have proved to be a very entertaining human, unlike the rest, but yet, you will still fall under my very hand! Well, I must say that it was fun when it lasted. Be grateful, stupid human."The phantom said mockingly, taking his dear time in killing the aqua-haired woman, savoring the awaited moment.
'No…this is the end…I never even got to say goodbye…to everyone…'
Too weak to do anything anymore, Mia just waited for unconsciousness to come, and death to take over her body. The dark phantom could be felt slowly bending downwards towards her, its limbs stretching out to claim her blood and soul.
"Let me relish in your blood and soul!"All was silent except for the phantom's soft cackling ringing in her ears. The eerie noise then suddenly came to an abrupt end and was placed with a sheathing sound.
"NOOOOOOOOOO!"The creature suddenly shrieked loudly in pain, an inhuman cry. Feeling that its presence was no longer above her, Mia opened her eyelids in surprise, for she had expected a quick death. She tried shifting her body, but to no avail.
It was then that Mia got the first look at her opponent. Not that there was anything to see anyway. It had the curious shape of a human body, but nothing could be seen clearly, for a dark shadow and aura enveloped its whole body from top to toe. It was bending and twisting, taking staggered steps away from her as it did so.
Too surprised by this turn of events, she could only stare in confusion at her enemy, and it was only then that she realise what made it shriek out in pain. A small hole could be seen around its body, slowly growing bigger and bigger by the minute. Endless blood poured out from the hole; the blood was disgustingly not red in colour, but a deep sticky, slimy grey. Seeing this, Mia shivered in fright. Calming herself down, she deeply wondered who and what did that, but as she tried to focus her eyes on the blurry dark sea, her mind started to boom away, giving her unneeded headaches. Thus she gave up on seeing her savior whoever that was.
Gaining her senses, Mia tried to stagger to her feet, though with no success, as her limbs and muscles refused to obey her commands. Her breaths were beginning to get short and raspy, she was scared that she would still die even if her enemy was dead. She fell down on the floor in a heap once more, though this time her fall not heavy. Managing a soft moan, she could only continue to look upon her enemy in fear. It was still twisting in a nightmarish manner, shrieking and shouting around in incomprehensible words. The evil phantom finally then collapsed to the floor inches away from her, finally succumbing to the pain it faced.
Mia heaved a big, heavy sigh of relief inwardly; at least she was safe from him even though she still could not move. She was safe from him…
Not.
A dangerous long tentacle suddenly reached out to the innocent young woman, and she cried out in pain when it pierced through her chest.
"I…may die…but I won't be alone! Suffer… in pain! In…the end…I…am…still…the…winner…"
The evil phantom said its last words proudly before its body all slowly turned into black ashes on the seabed, triumphing dearly over his win despite his own loss taken.
The pain was unbearable. Mia could not even cry out in pain anymore. Blood was pouring out, spilling over her body, drenching and spoiling her light-blue robes. Mia knew she would die within a few minutes. Nothing could save her anymore. Her body was too tired and exhausted, her breaths getting short, and worst of all, the pain that she received from the last and final attack, the long tentacle that pierced her chest. No ordinary human being could sustain all that, and certainly Mia was not a special young woman.
And it was then, that the second and final miracle appeared.
A bright light suddenly materialized and shone through, clearing the dark abyss-like sea and lighting it up in an instant. The light shone brightly indeed, but the light did not seem to affect Mia's eyes at all, unlike most common fluorescent lights.
Mia's half-opened eyes looked at the source of the light. She was indeed surprised when she found out that the source had the familiar shape of a human being, gender most probably a youngish male as she could see the blurry outline of high and broad shoulders. Above the blurry outline of that person, she could not see anything else as the light enveloped him all over. It was as if he was an angel himself, descending down from the heavens to save her.
He slowly walked over to the immobilized young woman, and when he finally reached her, he bent down and kneeled right beside her, his knees on the seabed. Mia's heart started beating painfully at a fast pace. She did not even know whether she could trust him.
'What will this person do? Is he also my enemy? I do not think that is so…but even so, is this person the one…who saved me earlier on? If so, what is he going to do right now, kneeling beside me? He can't save me…I can't be saved anymore…'
Thousands of questions circled in her mind, but all was erased immediately when her unknown savior lifted out his hands and gently carried her bleeding body halfway up from the seabed, one arm alone supporting her back. Looking confusedly at him, Mia could only see a light warm welcoming smile in response from the unknown person. Somehow, that action alone could already soothe her heart and confirm the fact that he wouldn't harm her.
His other hand free and unoccupied, the young seeming-like angel placed it on top of the tiny hole in her chest where the dead tentacle had pierced. As soon as it was placed there, the dark sea was immediately erased in a split moment, and both of them seemed to be floating in the middle of the glorious heavenly light in the middle of heaven. Light seemed to flood out of nowhere, aiming towards the center of the young male angel's palm.
A calm, warm and healing feeling surged through Mia's whole body. It felt so pleasant indeed to the young woman who had exhausted all of her limbs. That feeling alone made her feel as if she was already in heaven, and that nothing could ever hurt her anymore.
Moments later, the angel withdrew his hand, and suddenly Mia felt fully regenerated and energized. Much to her joy, the hole in her chest was fully healed; it was as if she had never been pierced at her chest at all. All of the bloodstains on her robes were all gone, and her robes were as good as new. Her face was no longer stained with blood; her eyes seemed to shine with their usual glory and beauty once more.
No longer afraid of her angel, she smiled serenely at him and held his free hand tightly.
"I don't know who you are, but you are my savior, and for that, I owe you my life and eternal gratitude. Thank you so much for saving me."
The angel smiled back in return, and to Mia's surprise, the light the enveloped around him seemed to disappear slowly. His body was gradually revealed and Mia blushed slightly when she saw a well-built and muscular body. Her inner mind, however, quickly chided her feelings, protesting that she could never like an angel. No ordinary human being and angel could get together. That thought alone was impossible.
The angel's reply was soft and welcoming. His voice was soothing, reassuring and pleasant to Mia's ears.
"I am indeed happy to have saved you. There is no need to thank me. I did it out of my own free will, and nothing else can change that, my beautiful lady."
"But still…I know you're most probably an angel, and that I don't and won't know you…but isn't there anything I can do…as a small reward for saving me?"
By this time, Mia had not bothered to shift from her position and let go from the angel's hold; she seemed happy and pleased to be in such a warm and pleasant situation. She did not want her angel to go yet; she wanted to see the face of her savior that was still enveloped by the light at least once, if that would be the last time forever in her life.
The angel just smiled back in return once more, though this time a playful smile.
"I do not think you can do anything in return…"
Mia lowered her head in regret.
"…But perhaps, just perhaps, there may be something which I can only get from you…"
Mia's eyes instantly looked up at the face of her savior, though she could still see nothing of it except his warm, inviting smile.
"If that is so, I will be indeed very happy to do it and give it to you…I have no hesitations at all. I owe you my life, and I intend to give something in return before you go to the heavens. Though I must confess that I am curious as to what I, a low-level class normal human being, can offer to you, a great angel…what is it that I can only give and not anyone else?"
"Hmm…perhaps it can be explained clearly in actions and not words…"
"Hmm?"
Mia looked quizzically at the angel, her face showing bewilderment and confusion.
The angel in return just kept smiling at her, though Mia was surprised to find her angel smiling in a shy way, something what she did not expect from an angel.
The next moments were unforgettable. It happened so fast, yet so slow. Mia's aqua eyes widened when she saw and felt the angel's face nearing hers. Drawing her breath sharply, she blushed, her cheeks turning a light red. As their faces drew close together, she could feel his light breath on her face; even his hold on her seemed to be tighter, as if not wanting her to let go.
Mia did not understand this feeling, the feeling in her heart that did not mind this; perhaps, it even welcomed it. Yet, she knew such a feeling was impossible; after all, she had only just met the angel, and the same probably occurred to him too. How could he…of course, unless, he had been watching her all the time from the heavens, but…
Their faces were only a few inches apart, when the angel's face was suddenly revealed. When Mia's eyes were about to close, her beautiful aqua eyes caught something: his eyes. She suddenly saw his eyes and gaze on her; a pair of startlingly calm, beautiful crystal blue eyes that reminded Mia of the sea…
And that was all the beautiful young woman saw before her eyes closed shut and their lips met in a tight embrace, all else lost and forgotten. And away they flew, into the fields of paradise…
Author's Notes: Yay, done! Wow, I actually did some romance! I hope it doesn't sound too mushy or crappy…yeah well since this is my first time after all in trying out this genre. I'm quite happy with this chapter though; I kinda like it. Hopefully it will appeal too to other readers.
SO WHO'S THE ANGEL? I mean, so-called 'angel'…I thought that word was a suitable one, so in it went! Anyway, I'm sure all readers know who is it already; I mean, it's too obvious right? But if anyone really doesn't know, then it's still all right. Refer to the shippings and you'll straightaway get the answer. (hint, hint)
Oh and by the way, just some information for readers, I AM going to add more djinn into this story, at least eight more. All elements will be included. I hope that will spice up the story more, and make it more likeable.
To tell you the truth, I was going to continue this chapter longer, but since I saw that it was already quite long enough, so I thought I should separate it into two chapters, so next chapter is directly connected with this chapter. Stay in tune until then! Please read and review!
Reviewers:
Kodoku: Oh no, don't worry, I won't get pressured when it comes to updating soon, I'll just probably get excited in updating fast so that readers can read…guess it's slightly different. Well, hope so. And as for the 101 reasons for thinking otherwise of mudshipping, I won't say anything. Tell the Valeshippers to do that, not me. I probably can only think of five reasons at the most. Ehehe…thanks for reviewing!
Neo Juste Belmont: Oh yeah, I'm glad at least someone likes fairytale retellings…I thought it would be a bore. As for Garet and Jenna's roles, you'll know soon. Oh and don't worry, I won't kill you for creating a Aquashipping fairytale spinoff; on the contrary, I'm feeling so happy that my fic can inspire other readers to write too! Thank you for reviewing!
Ayumi187: Wow, I'm so glad I captured Isaac's personality nicely! That makes me so happy…-drools- Well anyways, yes it's true that I have never played either Golden Sun games, though I do know a little of it since my sister played it, but of course watching is totally different than actual playing. I hope you like this chapter…thanks a lot for reviewing!
GoldenSunGeek: Jenna as the fairy godmother…yup, I guess it's as plain as daylight. And 'course you're a loyal reviewer! Don't forget you, Kodoku and Ayumi187 started reviewing ever since chapter 1…I hope you like this chapter. Thank you for your review!
Gothix: I'm glad you suggested the idea of adding Djinn…and don't worry, I am adding some of your favourite djinn, though I think it wouldn't be nice if I were to spoil the fun for you and tell you now…thanks for the suggestion!
akissinthedreamhouse: Yay, I'm so glad another person complimented my fic! And don't worry; I don't take any offense for your comment on Kyle and Dora. After all, I can't really imagine them becoming King and Queen too…I also had a good laugh. After all, they were just normal villagers, but then again, Isaac was one too, and yet he's a prince here, and I don't seem to find that weird. Thanks for your review!
Goldens Sun Forever: Another compliment! Yay! –skips around happily- Oh and yes, I will be adding more Djinn in the story, and possibly a Djinnshippinng too, though I won't say whom yet now. Thanks for the review!
enigma4ever2020: Of course Isaac sounds like Isaac! Well yeah, since I meant it to be like that, so er…yeah. Hopefully this chapter is good to you, hopefully you won't puke and phone me and say 'Walau…so mushy wan!' Okay? Good sister. Oh yeah, and thanks for the answers for my questions and the review.