Disclaimer: I own nothing.

A/N: Warning. MAJOR SPOILERS in this chapter. If you haven't guessed who Amiti's father is, or you haven't played the game, and you want to be surprised, don't read. Otherwise, go on ahead.

Regarding weapons: I'm basing them off the last weapons each of them had in my game. It may not be the best combination, because I'm not the best gamer in the world—I beat RPGs to watch the endings.

XxXxX

A Different Kind of Storm

CHAPTER 2

Son of Veriti

XxXxX

The sound of rustling cloth woke him up.

Amiti's eyes snapped open, adjusting quickly to the gloom. His hand was halfway to his sword hilt before he realized what he was doing, and he was almost out of his chair. The infirmary was quiet. Most of the other patients were sleeping, or had been moved to other wards to give the king and his guests some sort of privacy. A lamp hung from the wall, burning softly. The room was lit by the glowing blue lines that marked the Alchemy Well's power, pulsing steadily along the walls.

He exhaled, removing his hand from Masamune's hilt.

Little paranoid there, aren't you? he thought to himself. But he couldn't help it. Having to travel through the Grave Eclipse, using both land and sea, had taught him the meaning of caution. And it was not something he meant to forget anytime soon. There were more than enough opportunists in Ei-Jei who knew that assassinating the king of Ayuthay would bring the country's political structure down over its head.

He stood up and readjusted his shirt. He had taken to wearing one, even while acting as Ayuthay's king. Neighboring countries apparently tended to take Ayuthay more seriously when their king wasn't attending meetings half-dressed, tradition or not.

His eyes moved first to Karis's bed, but she was still, her form outlined in faint blue through the curtains. Her father, however, was sitting up, sliding his feet off the side of the bed. Amiti frowned. He had theorized from watching Kraden that the Golden Sun effect had also granted them accelerated healing, which was why they aged so slowly, but he had never had any evidence for that before. Now, however…he was fairly certain that Karis should have been the first to wake.

He walked over to him tentatively. Ivan looked around, confused, before his eyes finally landed on him.

XxXxX

Karis was safe.

That was Ivan's first thought as he looked across the room and saw a figure lying in the next bed. Mind Read had allowed him to look into her mind. She was dreaming, and would probably be unconscious for a while, but she was safe.

Knowing that made it worthwhile, even if they had lost the soarwing.

He looked around the room. It seemed to be lit by some sort of light. Psynergy? Or was it Alchemy? Had they veered off course so far as to end up in Passaj or Ayuthay? His eyes landed on a figure in the shadows and Ivan held his breath, his mind seeking out the wind almost reflexively as he prepared for the possibility of a fight.

The figure stepped into the light. Ivan's eyes widened in recognition.

…Alex?

Another step closer, and the Jupiter Adept relaxed. There were similarities in appearance and in bearing, but that was where the similarities ended. The boy in front of him was clearly a different person. Ivan could see it in his eyes without even having to use Mind Read.

"Are you feeling better, sir?" asked the boy, picking a cup of water up off the bedside table and handing it to him. Ivan took it, taking a few quick sips.

"Much," he said. "Thank you. Are you the one that healed us?"

He was a Mercury Adept—that much, Ivan could tell. Nobody else tended to have such bright turquoise hair. The boy straightened up and nodded, his head lowered slightly in respect.

"I was," he said. "…Am I right in guessing that you are Ivan of the Warriors of Vale?"

Ivan paused. "…I am," he said. "And you are?"

"Amiti," said the boy. "It's an honor."

Ivan frowned, staring up at the boy. He looked into his eyes. They were bright green and sincere, but at the same time, they were quick to conceal. The combination was odd, but at least half of that combination was familiar. He realized where he had heard the name. "…Amiti," he repeated. "…Alex's son."

Amiti's eyes darkened almost instantly. But he didn't deny it.

"And son of Veriti, nephew of Paithos," he said. "…I would prefer those titles…in future."

Ivan nodded, understanding. "…I didn't mean anything by it," he said. "And I'm honored to meet you, Your Majesty."

"Please," said Amiti with a faint smile. "Just Amiti. There's no need for titles here."

"Very well, Amiti," said Ivan, smiling back. "It's nice to finally meet you. Karis talks about you a lot."

"Likewise."

Ivan stood up. Ayuthay's monarch paused and turned towards him, ready to step forward in case he stumbled. He kept his balance, but just barely, shifting his weight from one foot to another.

"So, can I assume we ended up in Ayuthay?" he asked.

"You can," said Amiti. "My guards found you and Karis in the lake. They recognized Karis, so they sent one of my Djinn back to me."

"The soarwing?" asked Ivan.

Amiti shook his head, looking regretful. "It sank to the bottom of the lake," he said. "When Tyrell gets here, we can use the Sand Crystal to drain the lake and retrieve it."

"I see…" said Ivan. "…It's a small price to pay."

"Indeed…" said Amiti. "…It was a difficult healing. You were almost gone."

"Thank you for making the attempt," said Ivan. "You didn't have to."

Amiti shook his head. "Karis is one of my closest friends. And even if she wasn't, I would have helped anyway. I'm the only Mercury Adept in this city."

"Even so," said Ivan.

Amiti nodded. "You're welcome," he said, replying to Ivan's earlier thanks. "I was a little surprised to find you here, to be honest. You weren't due to arrive for the next couple of weeks."

Ivan nodded. "We meant to take a detour into Harapa to study the ruins," he said. "The storm carried us too far."

"I could send you to Harapa with an escort when Karis wakes, if you'd like," offered Amiti. "There isn't anything happening for the next two weeks."

Ivan shook his head. "Don't bother," he said. "By the time we get there, it will be time to leave. We can always go another time."

"You're welcome to stay for as long as you want," said Amiti. "The invitation my uncle extended to Matthew and the others applies to their families as well."

"Then I hope you don't mind if we intrude on your hospitality for a little while," said Ivan with a smile.

"Not at all," said Amiti. "I will have rooms prepared for you in the palace." He frowned, looking at Ivan with concern. "Are you sure you should be up?" he asked. "You were badly injured."

Ivan frowned, assessing himself. His muscles felt stiff and sore, there was a sharp pain in his side, and he felt slightly dizzy, but beyond that he felt fine. "I'm feeling much better," he said. "Just a little stiff."

"I'm not as good of a healer as Rief, unfortunately," said Amiti with a sheepish smile. "My apologies."

"Don't worry about it," said Ivan, smiling. "I'm just thankful that you're a healer at all."

Amiti smiled. "It's come in useful in the past," he said. He frowned, turning to the older man. "You should rest. It's late, but tomorrow, I could take you on a tour of Ayuthay."

Ivan nodded, allowing the Mercury Adept to help him back into the bed.

XxXxX

Amiti hesitated for a moment after drawing the curtains shut, glancing at Karis. She still slept—she hadn't even moved during the long conversation with her father. He reached into his inside pocket, pulling out a small square-shaped piece of glass framed in green and gold. It was just big enough to hold over one of his eyes. He drew back the curtains from Karis's bed just enough to look inside and held the glass over his eye. Amiti paused, drawing in a tiny droplet of power and pushing it out just as quickly.

It began to shimmer, the world around him seeming to waver in and out of focus as he looked through the Insight Glass. Karis's body wavered for a moment, before a glowing symbol appeared over her head. He frowned, lowering the glass. Mind Read or Spirit Sense was all that would affect her now. The Insight Glass often told him things he didn't know. He was afraid for a moment that he had missed something, and that the Glass would show it to him.

Deciding that Karis would awaken when she awakened, he tucked the Insight Glass back into its hiding place and drew the curtains shut. He had been serious about the time. It was late, and he would need to be heading back to his quarters too. Tomorrow would be another long day, and his people needed him to be awake and focused for it.