Wings of Anemos

by HyrulianJedi

Generations ago, the Kings of Anemos took their people and fled the world, becoming little more than a myth. When myths come alive, however, Weyard's most recent heroes find themselves struggling to balance their own issues in this new world against the future of Weyard itself, learning the price some must pay to be heroes.

5. Diversions

Golden Sun: Wings of Anemos

Chapter 5 – Diversions

- \/\/ -

All around Ivan, bodies lay in the streets. He could not bring himself to look at them anymore; though none of them bore obvious injuries, every single pair of eyes looked at him, their faces twisted into expressions of despair, hurt, horror, and worst of all, disappointment. They seemed to accuse him, though he had no idea what had caused such devastation.

He did not recognize the city streets he walked, but this was not uncommon; seldom did he recognize his location in dreams, though he never realized he was dreaming until he woke. He chose his path carefully, always moving in the direction of less carnage. Somewhere, someone had to be alive. They just had to.

Yet on every street, in every broken window, in every shattered doorway, he found only the dead, watching him with their lifeless eyes. Inside he could feel the disquiet rising and giving way to terror, though the progression was slow. It had not yet billowed inside of him, leaving him unable to do much more than stutter helplessly.

If he waited, though, it would come. It always did.

Unwilling to let himself be reduced to such a state, he continued to search, even as hope continued to dwindle. Though he found less of the dead as he moved on, none of the living were present for him to celebrate that mercy with. No sound could be heard save the echoes of his own footsteps on the stone streets, nor could he feel the slightest breath of wind on his sweat-covered cheeks

Even the sky lacked the typical black clouds that frequented these nightmares, instead replaced by the clearest of blue skies. Had he not been traversing a city of corpses, he would have enjoyed the beautiful weather, but at the moment he found it sickeningly contradicting to the butchery surrounding him. Compared to that terrible mockery, the ominous clouds seemed much less loathsome.

At long last, on the turn of a corner, Ivan found someone standing, a book in one of their hands. Relief flooded his body, banishing the growing terror instantly. He rushed towards the other person, then suddenly stopped short.

Alex turned to look at him.

Mia lay at his feet, dead.

- \/\/ -

As Ivan looked out the window, he felt unease at the sight of black storm clouds rolling in. Though he knew they represented an ill omen only in his dreams, the sight of them in the waking world still set him on edge, wondering if the gods had sent him a sign.

He shook his head at the thoughts. None of them needed signs. The world lay in turmoil, instigated by the Anemoi. Even his dreams had ignored them lately, focusing instead on...other threats.

Not all of his dreams were prophetic, he knew. Normal dreams still plagued him, as he had been reminded of a few nights ago. Sometimes, he would have difficulty trying to determine if a dream had been prophetic or not.

This had not been one of those dreams.

"We can't trust him," he had said flatly, looking at Mia. "I'm telling you, if we trust him, he's going to kill you, Mia."

"Nonsense," Alex said immediately. "You can accuse me of manipulation, betrayal, and greedy ambitions for as long as you wish, but do you honestly believe I would ever harm Mia physically?"

Ivan nodded. "I do now."

"He's right, Ivan," Mia said quietly before Alex could respond. "I don't fully trust his motives, but I do know he would never do that."

The boy looked pleadingly at Sheba, who simply shrugged. Isaac looked at the floor, his hand absently fingering something under his shirt. Jenna frowned, but said nothing. Garet continued to stare at Alex steadily. Felix had already left the room. He turned to Hama, positive that she would have something to add, that she had seen it too, but the woman merely met his gaze, revealing nothing in her expression.

Finally Kraden spoke. "Ivan...you've certainly been under a lot of stress these past few days. I understand seeing Alex again is a large shock, enough for you to-"

"It wasn't a normal dream, Kraden," Ivan said. "I swear on my mother's grave, this was no normal dream. The last vision I ignored resulted in this." He waved out the window. "I'm not letting it happen again."

Alex held up his hands. "If there is a possibility of Mia being harmed because of my presence, I will gladly remove myself. However, I've foreseen nothing of the sort." He looked to Sheba. "Have you?" When the girl shook her head, he turned to Hama. "Or you?"

She paused for a moment, her eyes flickering back to Ivan momentarily in what he suspected was an apology. "No, I haven't."

"And yet, you did have a vision of Tolbi's lightning storm, correct?"

"I did."

"And is Master Hama not the most renowned prophet in Angara, if not all of Weyard?" Alex asked to the room.

Kraden nodded slowly. "Her sight far surpasses that of both Ivan and Sheba, yes."

"Then I see no reason for concern," the Mercury Adept said coolly, looking back at Ivan. "I suggest you evaluate your dreams a bit more carefully, so you can stop accusing me of ridiculous crimes."

He had left the room in a fury, his eyes burning at the unfairness of the situation. Even now, after he had calmed down, the memory still blew at the embers inside him, threatening to flare up his anger once again.

A soft knock came on his door, but he ignored it, instead laying down on his bed and planting his face into his pillow. After a few seconds, the door opened anyway and someone stepped in, gently shutting the door. For a wild moment, Ivan wondered if it was Alex, come to silence his accusations in a more permanent way. The man had the same light step as whoever had entered, but he realized if he was to be killed, his murderer would not have knocked first.

He felt his mattress sink slightly as the person sat down beside him. "You shouldn't sleep in your clothes," Sheba's voice gently admonished. "It wears them out faster."

"Wouldn't want that." The words came out muffled and he could now taste the pillow's fabric in his mouth. Sighing, he pushed himself up and sat against the headboard, pulling his knees up. "Sorry. I'm just..."

She shook her head. "You don't need to explain, Ivan. I know this isn't easy."

He fell silent, feeling the terrible pressure of helplessness pressing on his chest once more. "You...you do believe me, don't you?" His voice cracked as the question came out in little more than a whisper, but the usual feelings of weakness and shame that followed paled in comparison to his fear and concern.

"Of course I do," Sheba said immediately. "And so do the others."

"Mia doesn't."

"Mia doesn't know what to believe. She's confused." Sheba paused, chewing at her lip. "Try looking at it from her point of view. You're telling her that someone she has known since she was a child is going to kill her. She's going to have a hard time believing that, even from someone she trusts."

Ivan picked his head up from his knees, spreading his arms in confusion. "But he's betrayed her already!"

"But not maliciously," Sheba said quietly. "Not with the intent of hurting her."

Ivan could not think of a response. Slowly he calmed down, his anger fading. Sheba was right, after all; he had never tried to harm Mia. Or any of them, come to think of it. Even Jenna had mentioned once that he avoided hurting people, where possible.

He suddenly looked at Sheba sharply, feeling the slightest of grazes across his mind, little more than a single strand of a single feather brushing the surface. "Stop that."

She blushed, looking down, and he felt the touch vanish. "Sorry. I thought it might be good to calm you down a bit."

"I don't want to be calm," he said irritably. "I want people to listen."

Sheba stared at him flatly, and this time he felt his anger fading of his own accord. He was being a bit childish about this whole thing, he realized. Throwing fits and being angry would not make Mia listen any more than she had already. "I'm sorry again. I'm being stupid."

"You're being concerned," she said, "and you're right to be, but you don't need to be so knee-jerk about it."

"I know, I'm sor-"

"And stop apologizing about it. Just cut it out."

Ivan sighed, shaking his head. "It's just...I know what I saw. I don't know why it happens, but it will, and I'll... I'll do anything to stop it."

Sheba looked over at him sharply. "What do you mean by that?"

He looked away, immediately regretting the words. "I... nothing."

Her hands shot out, slamming into his shoulders and pinning him to the headboard, her face grim. "I swear to Procne, Ivan, if you don't tell me, I will read your mind." Even as he shielded his thoughts in defense, masking them with an onslaught of random words and images, he felt her push harder. "And I'm far better at it than you. I will find out, one way or the other, so tell me now."

Another knock came to the door, loud and rapid. Both Jupiter Adepts immediately looked toward the door as it suddenly opened and Garet stepped in. "Hey, Ivan, I... Oh." He stopped suddenly, looking between the two as they stared back at him. "Uh...never mind, it's not important." He backed out slowly, not taking his eyes from them until the door closed once more.

A few seconds of awkward silence hung in the air between them before Sheba returned her fierce gaze to Ivan. "Well?"

The boy sighed and looked down, unable to meet her eyes. "You already know exactly what I want to do, Sheba. You wouldn't have done this, otherwise."

"I want to hear you say it."

His arms tingling from the pressure, he took a deep breath. "I want to kill Alex."

A sharp crack resounded across the room as his face exploded in pain, courtesy of Sheba's hand. When the bright burst of light cleared from his vision, he found her with her open palm still extended to the side, where it had remained after passing across his face. Fear now blended in with the fury in her expression, which confused him. Why would she be afraid? "How can you even think about such a thing, Ivan?" she asked.

He did not answer at first, feeling the blood rushing to the hand print he knew would be visible on his face. "You've never experienced it," he said at last, softly. "You grew up around people that found your powers wondrous and amazing. I grew up around people that feared them and hated me for it. All my life, I've been called a...a freak or a weirdo. Do you know how many times I've wanted nothing more than to snap, to attack someone over and over again until they stopped talking? Stopped moving?"

Shaking his head as Sheba released him and sat back, Ivan said, "If I've found one thing that makes me angrier than that, it's watching someone I care about get hurt and not being able to help. You're my only friends. I... I don't know how to deal with something like this."

As he felt a portion of the pressure lift from his chest, he realized that it felt good to tell Sheba these things, things that he normally kept hidden deep inside for fear that, one day, he might actually find them reasonable. He looked up, opening his mouth to mention this, but his words were automatically replaced by others. "Sheba? What's wrong?"

The girl had stood up, crossing her arms across her chest as she backed away from Ivan, eventually standing with her back to the wall. Her head still shook side to side gently as she looked at him, eyes wide with fright. "No..." she mouthed, the word inaudible save for the slight exhale that accompanied it.

His own troubles forgotten instantly, he jumped from the bed and moved to her, but stopped as she retreated further, backing into a corner. Slowly he sat back down on the edge of the bed, placing his hands in his lap, looking down once more. "Sheba...I'm not a monster."

"Aren't you?" she said. "Aren't we all? Is this just our nature?"

Ivan looked back up at her, confused this time. "What do you mean?"

"Our people. The Anemoi." She gestured vaguely out the window. "They seem to have no problem killing hundreds of people. Now you tell me that you've thought about the same thing. Is it in our blood? Are we destined to wrestle with ourselves until we give in and become butchers?"

He frowned. Having been so focused on what he had seen, he had completely neglected to think about how the situation affected not only Mia, but all the others – especially Sheba. While he might be descended from the Anemoi, the Contigoans were far removed from their ancestors. But Sheba...in Sheba's veins ran the blood of a pure Anemian. Hers were the people responsible for Tolbi's devastation, for Imil's near-miss. The people she had spent so long searching for.

Moments like this reminded him of how young she was; of how young they all were. Conflicts like this were not meant for children, but adults who had seen enough of the world to remain steadfast in times of emotional trouble. Ivan felt he made a good run for it, but even he succumbed to his own problems. Hama was much better suited for this sort of thing, given the experience she had with life. Piers, too, who had probably seen more years than all of them combined, even if they were sheltered. Felix and Mia...they had probably both seen enough to pull through.

But the rest of them? They had no business with this, like they had no business with the lighthouses. Circumstances, though, had denied them the opportunity to avoid such conflicts. If they refused to fight, no one could rise to fill their roles properly. Others might be better suited, or more courageous, but for good or ill, they held the power. Theirs would be the hands to resolve this.

No matter what the personal cost.

"No," he said finally. "We're different from them. Everyone thinks bad thoughts at times, Sheba, especially when we're angry or hurt. We can't help that. But a person shouldn't be judged on his thoughts alone. That's the difference between us and them: they act on their cruel thoughts. We have the strength to resist our temptations and do what's right."

She looked up at him, still holding herself tight. "But Alex... You said you wanted to kill him."

Ivan paused, then nodded. "I did. I still do. But I won't. We need him, whether I like it or not, so I'll just need to do everything I can to make sure my vision doesn't come to pass."

Sheba nodded in return, slowly returning to the bed and sitting next to Ivan. "I think it's my turn to apologize. This whole thing has really spun me around." Sighing, she tilted her head back to look at the ceiling. "It's just... All my life I've wanted to know where I came from, the place that might have been my home. I've wanted to meet my real parents, just to know who they are."

"You never expected it to be like this," Ivan said gently.

"No," she said, shaking her head. "I dreamed of Anemos returning a lot, so much that I hoped it was a vision. They would return, bringing with them the secrets of the ancient civilizations, revealing the mysteries of Psynergy. They would help bring an era of peace. Not...this."

"You couldn't have expected this, Sheba."

"No, but I've still been a little stupid about it."

Ivan smiled. "Well, that makes two of us, then. I've been wallowing in self pity when I could be doing something useful. Or at least not being so much of a downer."

Sheba bumped her shoulder into him playfully. "Yeah, you always have been our resident source of negativity. Not even Sour Face Felix can dampen cheer as effectively as Ivan the Pessimist."

He looked over at her cautiously. "In all seriousness, though, are you going to be alright? I know you're not taking this well, but..."

The question hung in the air for a few long seconds before she answered. "I'll be fine. I'm just... I was worried about myself, especially after what you said...but I've been overreacting about this. Felix said it best: I am me, not my heritage."

"And he's right," Ivan said, nodding. "You're nothing like them. In fact, if I was blind, I'd call you Laliveran without hesitation."

She raised an eyebrow. "Why? I don't act anything like most of them."

"The accent," he said simply. "If you ever need to talk about anything, though, you know I'll be around. In the meantime, we should probably go find out what story Garet is spreading. He did catch us in a very, uh, awkward position, and the gods only know what he started thinking."

- \/\/ -

Mia sat on her bed, wringing her hands. She wanted to sleep so badly and ease both her remaining fatigue and teleportation sickness, but she simply could not find it. Ivan's words still lingered in her head, a stalker that hung in the shadows, always just barely visible. The accusations against Alex did not necessarily bother her; after all, with how little she herself trusted him, why would anyone else?

No, Ivan's absolute certainty bothered her. She had known the boy almost as long as Isaac and Garet, and she knew Ivan avoided confrontations wherever possible. They made him uncomfortable, and though he had certainly improved in his assertiveness, the outburst against Alex still struck her as rather uncharacteristic of him. The only thing that would have driven him to that would be if he had completely believed that Alex's staying would bring her harm.

The snide voice in her head did little to help her mood. How is it, it asked, that you trust the traitor and doubt the friend? Pangs of guilt wracked her mind whenever the thought surfaced, feelings of betrayal and hypocrisy accompanying them. How must Ivan feel, then, when he realized the same thing?

Mia stood up, abandoning her plans for a nap, and walked to the window. The late morning sun hung in the east, lighting up the city for another long day of work. The others had told her what happened to Tolbi, but not until she arrived did the destruction hit her fully. True, much of the town was still intact; the bolts had been sporadic, obliterating what they struck, but leaving the surrounding areas untouched. The absolute destruction of those areas still surprised her, though.

She could see some of the black sores from the window, small trails of smoke still rising from a few. Some people, little more than ants at this distance, stood around them, but most avoided them entirely. Better at the moment to focus on what remained than what had been lost, she supposed. Or maybe people just wanted to avoid thinking about them, hoping that by ignoring them, the terrible storm would not return.

That was a sentiment she could agree with. A distraction would be good right now, something to take her mind off the concerns that plagued her. Her eyes settled on a flock of people around an inn near the bottom of the hill. While she had neglected to bring any of Hermes' Water with her, she doubted disease was the primary concern, at any rate. She could at least provide some service as a healer.

Pulling on a light set of robes and her boots, she left her room, trying to decide where Felix would be. Kraden had retired to his own chambers for a nap as well, though for different reasons than she, leaving Felix's primary confidant unlikely. His other was still sailing the seas, hopefully unaffected by the great hurricane Hama had seen, which left Felix with...who, exactly?

Hama, probably. Though Mia had only met the woman twice before today, the impression she had given led the healer to think that she and Felix would get along well. But where would they be? Mia tapped her lips thoughtfully, then set out for Kraden's study. Felix probably wanted to dodge the members of their little group who would avoid the study on principle.

When she opened the door quietly, she found her assumptions correct: both Felix and Hama sat inside, quietly speaking. Felix's face held a serious expression, but that mattered little; she had learned quickly that it usually did. "Good morning once again, Mia," Hama said as she entered. "Your nap seems to have been very quick."

"It didn't happen," she said, closing the door behind her. "There's...too much on my mind."

"That's unfortunate. Would you like some help in sleeping?"

Mia shook her head. "No, thank you. I had something else in mind, actually." She turned to Felix, who said nothing, waiting silently. "I'd like to head to the bottom of the hill to help at the inn. They're taking in refugees, and I'm sure they could use some help, at least for a while."

Felix frowned, making Mia fight down a smile at how quickly he had settled back into his role, assuming he had ever let it lapse. "I don't like the idea of leaving. We don't know if the Anemoi will attack again, and I don't want to spend more time looking for people if they do."

She opened her mouth to find out just how set in that decision he was when Hama spoke up instead. "I've seen no more attacks like the last. I believe they simply used Jupiter Lighthouse in passing to make use of the opportunity before landing. Without proper damage assessments of the areas they struck, more attacks would be useless."

The frown lessened, but still remained. "I don't know. The city isn't entirely safe, and there's a storm coming. I know you're capable of handling yourself, Mia, but I don't like pressing my luck."

"I can go with her," Hama said. "I wouldn't think anyone in this city poses a threat to the both of us."

"I won't push myself, either," Mia added. "I just... I need something to do right now. Something to keep myself busy."

Felix looked at her for a few more moments, thinking it over, then nodded. "Alright. Be careful, though. We plan on leaving in about...three hours."

"We'll be back," Hama said, standing up. "We can pick this up some other time, Felix. It's nice having someone new to discuss with."

"It's nice having someone at all," Felix said, a small smile making its way onto his face. "There's a distinct lack at home."

Mia turned back to the door and walked out, Hama following. "What were you talking about?" she asked.

"Philosophy, mostly," Hama said. "I enjoy seeing what views others have about the world. It helps me evaluate my own."

"Searching for enlightenment?"

Hama shook her head. "I don't think such a true state exists. I believe there's always more to learn about oneself, others, and the world. My master disagrees with me on that, so we always enjoy a good discussion on the topic when I visit."

"Your master?" Mia looked sideways at the woman. "I thought you were a master."

"A good monk never stops being a student or a teacher," she said. "There is always more to learn, and always someone to teach. My master will be my master forever."

"Who is he?" Mia asked. "Your master, I mean."

Hama smiled, glancing sideways with only her eyes. "You've met him, Mia. In fact, I believe he taught you something about Psynergy. Or, as it is known to the monks, Ki."

Mia's eyebrows rose as they walked outside. "Master Nyunpa! How is he doing? He didn't look well last time we saw him."

Frowning, Hama said, "No, he didn't. He searches for enlightenment by trying to rid himself of all physical needs. He'll be gone within a year if he keeps this up."

Mia only nodded in response. The man had been fasting when they left, already little more than a skeleton. His Psynergy could help sustain him, for a time, but she suspected Hama's prediction would hold true. "So he taught you Psynergy?" she asked after a short while.

"Some," Hama said. "I learned basic control on my own in Contigo, but he taught me many ways Jupiter Psynergy can be used in regards to the mind. I also learned Chi from him."

"What exactly is Chi? Master Feh told us it was energy of the body, but I've never really understood it."

Hama exhaled through her nose softly, not answering for a moment. Mia kept quiet, patiently waiting for Hama to organize her thoughts. "It's...difficult to describe. Imagine describing how Psynergy works to a non-Adept. Describing Chi to one who has not felt its effects is difficult. What Feh said was correct: Chi is the energy of the physical world, as Psynergy is the energy of the mental. Like Psynergy, though, its effects are immeasurable."

"So, it's not just used for combat?"

"No," Hama said, shaking her head, "though the applications are very useful for it. For example, by reaching out and sensing others' Chi, I don't need my eyes to read an opponent's movements."

"Similar to..." Mia paused, thinking. "Wait. You can read anyone?"

The woman smiled again. "Unlike reading the Psynergy signature of an Adept using Psynergy, everyone is using Chi. They simply don't realize it, so their Chi is unfocused."

"That's right," Mia said slowly. "I remember Feh mentioning that anyone could use it. What other things can you do with Chi?"

"Well, I know a much more practical use, and one you would find useful, but I think you might prefer a demonstration instead."

Mia looked at her questioningly. The woman gestured ahead and Mia realized that they had reached the inn without her even realizing it. Her surprise must have shown in her face, because another small smile came over Hama's face. Hama motioned for her to lead, so Mia picked her way through the dense crowd, pardoning herself frequently. It took a few sudden movements to avoid being knocked over by people who could not see her, but eventually she reached the door and pulled it open.

The inside held few standing people. Most lay on tables or benches, though some had been relocated to the floor for space. Mia quickly understood that the inn had been converted into an infirmary. Many of the people here slept, but a few lay awake, looking at her. One let out a soft moan that ended more like a grunt, an attempt to cut the sign of weakness off.

"Please, sir, if you're not injured, I need to ask you to wait outside."

Mia looked up to find a middle-aged woman talking to a green-haired man, wiping her hands off with a bloodied towel. "Of course, I'm sorry," he said softly. "I didn't mean to get in your way."

As he turned and walked past the two, the woman looked at them next. Before she could say anything, though, Mia said quickly, "My name is Mia. I'm a healer, from Imil. I came to see what I could do for the people here before I leave the town."

The woman's eyes widened slightly. "Imil? We haven't seen one of your healers around here for years. I'm Lina, and I'd welcome your help, if you can give it. The only healer we have is a bit overrun. I've been helping where I can, but I don't know enough to take over for him." Her eyes drifted over to Hama. "You don't look like you're from Imil, though."

"I am Master Hama of Lama Temple," she said, bowing briefly. "I'm here to assist Miss Mia."

The suspicion cleared from the woman's face immediately. "Oh! Master Hama! I'm sorry, I just... I'd heard you were in Atteka."

Hama nodded. "I just returned. Do you mind if we look at the injured?"

Shaking her head, the woman said, "No, of course not. The ones upstairs have all been tended to, so they just need time to recover. We've run out of space in the rooms, though, so new people have been coming in here. If you need me or have any questions, I'll be making my runs through the rooms."

"Thank you," Mia said, watching as the woman moved to the stairs, then turned back to Hama, rolling up her sleeves. "All right. Are you ready?"

Hama glanced around briefly at the tables, looking thoughtful. When she turned back to Mia, she said, "None of them seem to be in a critical condition, so I'd like to try and teach you some useful Chi techniques, if you'd be willing to learn."

"Of course I would be, but I don't know how to use it."

"That will make it a bit more difficult, but not impossible," Hama said, then waved her over. "Come. We can start here. Watch first."

Closing her eyes, Hama turned toward the unconscious person and placed a hand over their foot, hovering it mere inches above. She slowly moved her hand up the body, pausing briefly at times. Mia glanced up at her face to find an expression of utter calmness on it. Looking back at the moving hand, she tried to sense the energies that Hama had spoken of, but not knowing what to look for, she found nothing.

After passing the head, Hama pulled her hand back and turned to Mia. "There is internal bleeding beneath three broken ribs. He also has a minor sprain in his left ankle." Instead of returning to the patient, though, she walked over to the stairwell. "Lina," she called up. "Do you have any ink and paper?"

"At the desk," the innkeeper's voice came down. "Take some paper from the back of the ledger."

"Thank you." Hama followed her instructions and returned to Mia with a freshly dipped quill and a sheet of paper. "A standard healer will be able to deal with these injuries, so I'd like to simply leave a note as to what they are and move on. If we have time, we can come back and deal with him."

Mia nodded in agreement. Certain injuries, though normally difficult, became much easier with Psynergy. Those were always her priority, second only to life-threatening ones. After Hama had jotted down her note, Mia asked, "How could you tell that? I mean, I know it was Chi, but how did you use it?"

Hama walked to the next patient. "One useful technique is the ability to look at another's Chi flow and find internal injuries."

"Chi is affected by that?"

Nodding, Hama said, "Chi is affected by everything in the body. This is why many martial artists condition their body to be resistant to injury. In addition to the obvious benefits, it helps maintain their Chi flow undisturbed. Some things, such as a fractured rib, won't affect the flow much, due to it being a minor injury in the center mass, where the majority of Chi flows through. However, internal bleeding or a broken bone in an extremity can severely hamper Chi flow to the area, throwing off one's balance. You've fought; you know how important balance is."

Mia nodded, then smiled against her will. After a raised eyebrow from Hama, she shook her head. "I just thought of when I first met Ivan. He hadn't quite learned to balance with his sword yet. He, um, fell a lot in their sparring matches."

"Really?" Hama asked thoughtfully. "He seemed to handle himself fairly well when we met at Lama Temple."

"He's come a long way," Mia said. "Apparently, when he first met Isaac and Garet, the only way he knew how to fight was with wind. Garet still makes fun of him sometimes for it."

Mia could sense Hama hesitate before she spoke again. "How does he fit in with you all? Whenever I've talked to him, he seems very...reserved."

Nodding, Mia said, "He's very reclusive with people he doesn't really know, but he's fine with all of us."

Hama sighed. "That's good. I've worried that he had difficulties connecting with people. I was...afraid he might not have friends."

"Oh, no! All of us are friends to him," Mia quickly assured her. "And he's a very good friend to all of us, too. Isaac and Garet are like brothers to him." She paused thoughtfully. "Jenna might be a bad influence, though she does mean well."

Hesitation again. "Is he...a reliable friend?"

Mia immediately understood the true meaning behind the question and lowered her head, smiling weakly. "And here I thought by coming out here I could avoid this."

"I apologize, Mia. If you don't want to talk about it, then we-"

Shaking her head, Mia cut her off with a wave of her hand. "No, it's probably not good for me to avoid things like this." Breathing out slowly and collecting her thoughts, she said, "Ivan is one of the most reliable people I know. I've counted on him so many times, and he's always done his very best to help and protect us all. This..." She wiggled her fingers briefly, searching for the words. "This is confusing. He really believes what he sees is real, but I know it can't be possible. I might not trust Alex, but I know he would never hurt me."

"I can talk to him," Hama said after a few seconds. "It's possible that he simply misinterpreted his dream. I still misread symbols at times. Visions are not always clear, nor are they necessarily true. The outcomes they show can be changed."

"I hope so," Mia said quietly. "I feel terrible about this whole thing."

Hama clapped her hands together, startling the healer slightly. "Well, then I'll need to give you something to occupy your mind. Come here, and I'll teach you how to read Chi. We've only a couple hours, so let's make the most of them."

- \/\/ -

"I don't want to talk to you."

Garet sighed, laying his forehead on the door. "Aaron, come on. Unlock the door."

"No."

Growling slightly, Garet pounded his fist against the wood again. "Do you want me to break it down?"

"You won't."

"I will," he said, pulling his hand back in preparation as he eyed the door. He wouldn't even need Psynergy for this.

"Kraden would get mad at you."

He paused, then dropped his hand. His brother was certainly right about that. Kraden tended to disapprove of anytime Garet used excessive force, and he suspected that would only apply twice as much in the man's own house. "Then I'll climb in through the window."

"You won't climb up here. You don't like climbing on anything."

Garet cursed under his breath. That one had been a bluff. "Are you just going to stay in there all day?"

"Unless you take me with you, yes."

Throwing his hands up in frustration, despite the fact that he shared the hallway with no one else, Garet shouted, "Fine! Then stay there!"

Turning around, Garet stormed back down the hallway, fuming all the while. Why was Aaron being so difficult? He had nearly died once already, when Tolbi had been attacked. Why was he so eager to place himself in harm's way? As much as it bothered Garet to think it, Aaron really couldn't help with anything. His spirit and determination had nothing to do with it, that much was certain; he was simply too young.

Garet blinked suddenly, finding himself outside. He thought back to his path, but could not remember actually making a conscious decision to leave the palace. Shrugging it off, he decided to walk around it and see what he could find, but the moment he turned to his left, he found Felix instead.

The other man knelt on the ground, his hands meticulously searching through the thick flower garden along the front of the building. He looked up briefly as Garet approached, then returned to his work. Garet waited for a few moments, wondering if Felix would explain, but when he held his silence, Garet decided to break it. "What're you doing?"

"Weeding the garden." Garet watched as Felix gently separated two flowers, took hold of a short, green plant between them, then pulled up on it carefully, removing it all the way down through the roots. Once free of the earth, he tossed the weed aside negligently and moved on, continuing to scour the flowerbed.

"Couldn't you do that with Psynergy?" Garet asked.

"Probably," Felix said, tugging free another weed with a soft ripping sound.

Garet waited a few seconds, but Felix said nothing further. "Why don't you, then?"

Rip. "Two reasons. One, I don't have anywhere near the level of control that Isaac has over plants. I might pull up flowers with the weeds, and that defeats the purpose. Two, I like the work of weeding. It's rewarding." Pulling another out, Felix suddenly stood up, brushing off his hands and turning to Garet. "Now, why don't you just tell me what's on your mind?"

Garet stared at him. "What makes you think something's on my mind?"

"Because you're trying to make conversation with me," Felix said, one eyebrow arching slightly.

The Mars Adept thought about that for a moment. To his knowledge, he had never actually talked to Felix about anything insignificant, not alone. Any time that the two of them talked, it concerned something that needed to be done. He could not remember a time the two of them simply talked about nothing. "It's Aaron. He's angry at me because I didn't let him come to Imil yesterday."

Felix shook his head. "You've got quite the record at this, don't you? First Kay, now Aaron."

"You're not really one to talk," Garet shot back.

"No, but at least I know why Jenna is angry with me." Felix frowned. "Look, Garet, I'm not trying to argue with you right now. It's obvious that you're confused about this and don't know how to deal with it."

Garet paused, then shook his head. "You're right, I don't. I'm not good at things like this. Would you be able to talk to him?"

"No," Felix said, then pointed at Garet. "That's what got you in this mess with Kay. It doesn't matter if you're good at it or not, Garet, you need to be the one to do it. Someone else talking to him will only make him angrier at you, even if they can explain your reasoning better."

He fell silent for a few moments, looking in another direction and thinking back again. Felix was right; he had not spoken to Kay since their fight several months ago, but he had tried getting Isaac to talk to her for him. The details had faded a bit from his memory, but he felt fairly certain she had not started ignoring him completely until after that.

Even if he had to talk to Aaron, though, that still left him a problem. "I don't know what to tell him, though, or how to say it. He won't even open the door for me."

"You could just talk through the door," Felix said. "They're not much more than wood."

Garet shook his head again. "I can't stand talking to someone I can't see."

Felix shrugged. "I've given all the advice I can, Garet. This isn't exactly my forte, either. Just...don't lie to him. You're always brutally honest, so use that to your advantage here and let him know it all."

Garet nodded slowly. "Alright." He turned to leave, then stopped and turned back slightly. "And...uh, thanks, Felix."

The other man nodded in return, then knelt back down at the garden, resuming his work. Before Garet could leave, though, he asked suddenly, "What do you want to do with him? I mean, where do you want him to stay, for now?"

He paused again, thinking about it for only a moment. "Back home. Our family's there, and it's a fairly small town. He'd be safe."

Felix nodded once more. "I thought the same. You should tell him that."

Garet left him there, walking back inside. Felix's advice made sense, but he still needed to get around his other problem. If no one could do the talking itself for him, maybe he could at least go to someone else first and get their thoughts. Talking it through with someone might help him figure out what to say.

Who, though? The answer came immediately to him, accompanied by a mental 'duh'. Ivan knew how to appease people better than anyone else, especially with all his training as a merchant. Garet also knew he would not find the conversation with Ivan uncomfortable, which would be a pleasant change from the one he had just left. If anything, Ivan was usually the uncomfortable one in their conversations.

Reaching the boy's door, his hand snapped out as he approached, knocking quickly. Without waiting for a response, he opened the door and stepped inside. "Hey, Ivan, I... Oh." His question trailed off as he noticed that Ivan seemed to be occupied. The boy had squeezed himself tightly against the backboard of his bed, Sheba inches away from his face with her arms on his shoulders.

Both stared back at him, Ivan looking uneasy, Sheba looking furious. Oh. "Uh...never mind, it's not important." He reached behind him for the door that had drifted partially shut and pulled it back open, not willing to take his eyes off Sheba; her eyes looked feral. Once his feet had cleared the door frame, he slammed the door shut again, exhaling slowly.

After a moment, he began to walk away, chuckling softly to himself. Good of Sheba, he supposed. Ivan certainly would not have initiated anything between them. Hell, he looked ready to curl up into a ball and vanish as it was. Sheba must have come on pretty strong. He imagined Jenna would explode upon hearing this news, the face his mind gave her making him laugh harder.

He almost headed to her room, then remembered that he had something else to do. Stopping somberly outside of his own, he raised his hand to knock on the door. He paused before dropping it, though, then gently placed his head against the wood instead, his hand falling back to his side.

What could he say? Nothing came to mind that would make Aaron open the door. He had tried earlier, but no new ideas had surfaced. Talking to him through the door would only get himself frustrated, and likely not change a thing. How could he get in?

The answer made him groan softly. He already knew exactly how to get into the room, but he hated the idea. This wasn't for him, though, he realized. This was for Aaron. Steeling himself, he walked to the empty room next door.

Though sparse on the third floor, the second floor held a respectable number of viewing balconies, spaced to include every other room. Garet's room had lacked one, but his window was flanked by two. Onto one of these balconies Garet stepped, turning towards his own window and eying the wall critically.

He could make it, he supposed. The grooves in the wall would allow him to shimmy over to his own window, which he would have to count on Aaron to open for him. Stepping to the railing, he glanced down, finding the distance to the ground short enough to survive without significant injury, provided he fell right.

The reasoning did little to calm his nerves, though. He had always found it ironic that heights had never bothered him until after Jupiter Lighthouse; he figured after dangling from such a great height, lesser ones would seem insignificant by comparison. That seemed to be how Sheba felt, at least.

Looking up, he realized he would have to do it quickly, though. Soon enough it would be raining, and a maneuver like this would be impossible with wet stone. Taking a deep breath, he wiped his hands on his pants, wishing he had grabbed some dirt while he had been with Felix, then placed both hands on the railing.

Getting onto the other side was simple enough, but once he found himself on the outside of the balcony, nothing but air between him and the other balcony two rooms down, he found himself reluctant to remove either hand from the rails. The fear did not incapacitate him, as he had seen fear do to others, but it did make him unwilling to advance further.

...How different this was when no adrenaline coursed through his veins. Had Aaron been trapped in the room by a fire, or some such emergency, Garet would not have even blinked at such an obstacle. Yet now, with no danger present save for the possible loss of his brother's trust, it brought him to a halt, at least temporarily.

Because temporarily was all that he would let it stop him for. No urgency beat at his senses, but necessity still hammered away its dull rhythm, reminding him that he had no alternatives available, or at least none he could think of. He would do this, and if he had to do it while suffering from the fear he normally bypassed without a second thought, then he would crush his fears back down and do it anyway.

Reaching out, Garet slipped his fingers into the indention, barely deep enough to fit up to his second knuckle, then stepped off the balcony with one foot. He paused for a moment, taking a deep breath, then moved his remaining hand and foot. The moment he did, his fingers instantly began to burn in strain, trying to support the majority of his weight. He bent his knees and braced his feet against the wall, removing some of the stress from his fingertips, and began to slowly move across.

What had seemed like mere feet became closer to miles as he moved. With such little space to actually hold on to, he could only shuffle his fingers along in small increments, each movement covering barely more than an inch. The burning in his fingers began to spread to his lower arms as they stretched out, supporting him.

He wiggled his feet around briefly, searching for the groove below him. Once his boots found it, he tried fitting his toes inside. Had they fit, it would have given him much better leverage, but unfortunately, the groove was slightly too large. Abandoning his ideas for a foothold, he continued his trek across the wall, feeling that the great window had not moved any closer.

He imagined what someone would say if they saw him like this, creeping along the building to a window. The guards would be called, he imagined. Felix would probably yell at him, and this time, he really had no legitimate reason to endanger himself – not one for others, at least. To him, needing to talk to Aaron was all the reason he needed.

At a gust of wind, a rattling above caused Garet to look up. Above his hand was the edge of the window, ready for grabbing. Unfortunately, he could not remember by how large of a margin the glass panes themselves cleared the wooden frame when it opened. Trying to hang onto the edge itself might result in nothing more than Aaron smashing his hands with the window.

He paused there momentarily, thinking about how to signal Aaron. Quickly deciding Psynergy would be easiest, he fixed his grip slightly, then forced a flame into existence above his head. He danced it around briefly, flaring and dimming it as he did, then snuffed it when he heard the window open.

"Aaron?" he called out hesitantly, suddenly worrying that he had picked the wrong room.

A small, red-haired head poked out and looked down. "Garet!"

The Mars Adept wasted no time in reaching out to grab the window's edge, making use of his much improved grip to get his second hand there a moment later. Now able to get horizontal leverage, he quickly pulled himself up, grabbing at other available handholds until he could get a knee into the window and swing himself into the room.

His brother stood back with his mouth hanging open slightly, causing Garet to smile. "Surprised to see me?"

Catching himself, Aaron turned away, crossing his arms. "I just didn't think you'd actually do it."

Garet realized he still had no idea what to say. Instead, Felix's advice came to mind: don't lie to him. "I did it because I needed to talk to you." He shut the window, grabbed the nearby chair, and sat down in it, still facing Aaron as he flexed his fingers repeatedly, trying to work out the lingering burn. "I'm not going to tell you that you shouldn't be mad at me. I'd like it if you weren't, but if you are, that's fine. I'm not doing any of this to make you happy, I'm doing it to keep you safe."

"That's what dad always told you, but you're still fine," the boy said, still facing the door.

"Because I was ready when I left," Garet said. "Or at least ready enough to start learning the rest on my own. And I had help, too."

Aaron spun back around, throwing his fists down at his sides. "But you would have been with me! You were there to protect me if I couldn't do it myself! Isn't stuff like this why you've been training me?"

"No," Garet said, shaking his head and surprising himself with the answer that came out. "I've been training you so that you didn't leave. So long as I was training you, I figured you wouldn't want to leave home."

"That doesn't make any sense," Aaron said, some of the anger leaving his posture. "I've always wanted to go on an adventure like you. You know that."

Garet nodded. "I did. I do. I wanted to stall it for as long as I could, until I was sure that you could handle anything you came across. Do you know how many times I almost died last year?"

Aaron slowly shook his head. "But...all your stories... Were they fake?"

"No," Garet said, sighing. "They were all real, but those aren't all the things we did. There were plenty of times that stray monsters could have killed me, if I had been alone. Stories where the only reason I survived was because Isaac had been paying attention, or Ivan had fast reflexes, aren't very interesting for me to tell. I lived through luck, not because of something cool I did. It happened just as much to the others."

His anger forgotten now, Aaron climbed onto his bed and pulled his legs underneath him. "Like when?"

Garet paused for a moment, thinking. "Like... Like the Kraken story. Yeah, I made a good show of cutting off a few tentacles, and Ivan eventually fried it with his Psynergy, but he also got hit in the fight. He spent the next few days unconscious from the Kraken's poison. The only reason he's still alive is because Mia is such a good healer. If she hadn't been there, he'd have died.

"My point is, we survived a lot of things we probably shouldn't have through dumb luck. We weren't ready for what we did, and neither are you. I don't want to risk your safety and just hope everything goes right for you. I want to know you can handle everything you might see, especially now."

Aaron looked down at his knees for a while, wiggling his toes behind him. "Why couldn't I have come with you to Imil, though? You would have been there."

"I didn't know what we would find. What if the town had been overrun by monsters? What if the person we thought was responsible had been there? We figured anyone who could do this to Tolbi would be far more powerful than us. How would I have protected you? You saw how well the others could protect Isaac against Alex. What if that had been you, instead?"

"I guess," Aaron said, fidgeting slightly. "It's just...I want to go places, Garet. You got to see so much of the world, and all I know about them are from your stories. I want to see them for myself."

Garet stood up and walked to the bed, pulling Aaron into a tight hug. "You will, I promise. When this is all over, I'll take you myself." He released the boy and looked into his raised face. "We'll go on a trip together."

"...You mean it?"

"I said I promised, didn't I?" Garet asked, smiling. "Once we've dealt with these Anemian nut jobs, we'll go."

Aaron stared at him for a few seconds, then jumped at him, flinging his arms around his brother's neck. Garet's own arms returned to their spot around the boy's chest, where they stayed for a while as the sound of raindrops tapping against the window filled the room. As he felt Aaron's fiery hair tickling his nose, Garet smiled. Felix had been right, once again.

He wondered if he could repair his relationship with Kay in the same way.

- \/\/ -

Sheba poked at her food idly, stirring the remainder around her plate. The roll of bread still lay next to it, now cold and half-eaten. Her head rested in her empty hand, propped up on her elbow as she gazed down at her plate, not seeing the food anymore.

Her appetite had abandoned her halfway through the meal, but with nothing to do save wait till Felix decided they had recovered enough to leave, she continued to pick at it, not really wanting to move from her seat in the dining hall. Her encounter with Ivan told her that she might be better off avoiding people for a while, at least until she could better come to terms with her feelings.

So far, though, the strategy had succeeded only in that she had not suffered from any more breakdowns. Instead, she simply sat still, thoughts running through her head in circles as her eyes unfocused and drifted to a point far beyond anything she could see. She ignored even the distant thunder that rumbled across the city from the east, growing steadily louder.

She never even noticed Alex until he sat down across from her.

Suddenly startled from her tortuous musings, Sheba sat up quickly, her spoon clattering down onto her plate. Alex raised an eyebrow, an amused smile seizing his lips. "Not very attentive today, are you, Sheba?"

Leaning back in her chair, the girl pressed the palms of her hands to her eyes. "In the last twenty-four hours, I've woken from a near-lethal dose of lightning, disobeyed my mother, run away from home, made my little brother cry, found out my people were genocides, terrified myself into thinking I would turn into a murderer, and nearly alienated one of my closest friends with an overreaction. Not been that great of a day."

The smile did not leave Alex's face, a trait about him that Sheba had never gotten used to. "In that case, let us talk about mundane things. How is the food?" he asked, gesturing to the pair of small pots on the table and the bread basket beside them.

Sheba dropped her hands back on the table, looking down at her own plate. "Alright, I guess. It's rice and some spicy sauce. Not sure what, exactly."

Alex reached out and lifted the lid from one of the pots, peering inside curiously at the brown sauce. "Ah, curry. Very common in southern and eastern Angara. I haven't had it in some time."

As he began scooping rice onto his own plate, Sheba watched him silently, new thoughts finally replacing the troublesome ones. Only realizing after the words had left her mouth that it was rude to try and talk while he was eating, she asked suddenly, "How can you take this so calmly?"

He looked up at her, mildly surprised, and pulled the spoon from his mouth. "Why should I be any other way? A calm mind is the easiest road to solving problems."

She made a face at him as he placed another spoonful of curry into his mouth. "Yeah, that's what my tutors always said, too. What I mean is, how can you control it so well? Do you just not care about what's going on?"

Raising an eyebrow as he casually chewed, Alex finally asked, "Are you accusing me of something, as well?"

Sheba shook her head. "No, nothing like that. You're just...in control. You know that nobody around you trusts you, even though your intentions are good. Doesn't that bother you?"

"That is a situation I've gotten quite used to," he said, setting his spoon down. "I mostly just find it irritating, but I suppose I've earned that. I've spent a lot of time learning to control my emotions, rather than allow them to control me. Felix has done the same."

"Is that all it takes?" she asked. "Time?"

Alex stared at her for a few moments, his expression unreadable. Sheba wondered if expression control came with the emotion control. "Time is not the only factor," he said at last. "To be able to control one's emotions, one must first emotionally invest himself in something all-encompassing. Many people can do this in certain situations, but it is difficult to do at all times. The emotional investment must be kept at the forefront of the mind at all times, to prevent unrelated situations from jeopardizing one's emotions."

Sheba felt her brow furrow on its own. "I'm not sure I understand."

Leaning back in his chair, Alex's eyes swiveled up as he thought. "Take for example...Felix. He'll work well. Felix is a highly protective individual, both of Jenna and you. In everything he does, the protection of you two, as well as others, of course, always factors into his choices. Because he recognizes that letting his emotions take control could place you two in jeopardy, he is able to restrain them."

"But he does get emotional," she said. "I've seen him get angry before."

"I would wager that his anger had something to do with either you or Jenna being in danger, as his substitute for fear. Am I right?"

Every instance she could think of in which Felix had been angry flashed through her mind, and in each one, she realized Alex was right. Only while dangling from the aerie of Venus Lighthouse had she seen him truly afraid. At the time, she thought nothing of the fear in his face, but as she came to know him better, she realized how seldom such displays were.

"But everyone has things they care about, things they're emotionally invested in," Sheba said, looking back at Alex, who had resumed eating while she thought. "Shouldn't everyone be able to control them, then?"

Shaking his head, Alex said, "At times, yes, they can. Even Jenna has her moments in which she controls her moods tightly, but only when her concerns are being thought of and not endangered. Complete control comes when one keeps their primary concern in mind at all times, everything they do working towards it in some fashion." He tapped his chin thoughtfully, leaning back once more. "Now that I think about it, Saturos was quite good at it, as well."

"Saturos? You think so?"

Alex nodded. "Yes. He always held the goal of lighting the lighthouses in his mind, never letting anything divert him from it. It was what made him a good leader, as it did for Felix."

Frowning, Sheba said, "But I saw him angry. A lot, actually."

Alex wagged his finger at her. "Emotional control is not simply hiding or ignoring them, Sheba. A controlled rage is a great weapon in battle. Saturos knew how to focus his rage into defeating the enemy, which is what made him a great warrior. Having control of oneself leads to much success, in many areas."

She leaned onto the table, placing her chin in one hand thoughtfully as Alex resumed eating once again. As she applied his explanation to a few of her friends, she realized it fit well enough – each of them did show control, at least in some situations.

What about Alex, though? What did he invest his emotions into? After all, he served as the walking definition of control; it was his controlled responses that had prompted the discussion in the first place. Could it have been the restoration of Alchemy, as he often claimed? Sheba doubted it. If so, why work so hard for the Golden Sun, then? No, that had obviously been his goal. But what now, if he had willingly set his quest for it aside?

She discarded concern for the world immediately. Very few people could drive themselves on such a vague priority, and she doubted Alex was one of those few. Had the Golden Sun simply been the means to another end, an ultimate goal further down the path?

She briefly considered asking him, then dismissed the idea. He loved his secrets too much for that. At the moment, she decided, it was enough that he had allied himself with them.

"So, now that I've satisfactorily answered your question," he started, his plate now empty, "I wonder if you would answer one of mine." He waited until Sheba looked him in the eyes, then continued. "You said earlier that no one trusts me, but I think that's not quite true. You trust me, don't you, Sheba?"

Sheba continued to look at him for a few moments, then looked away ashamedly. "...I trust that you won't do anything to place Mia in harm's way, yes. Since leaving the...this whole situation alone would get her hurt, I believe that you want to help us stop it."

"And what makes you think that?" he asked. "I'm not contradicting you, I just wish to know what makes you one of the two people to trust me."

"Because..." She hesitated. Did he even know she had done this? Would he care, even though it had been almost a year ago? No, she thought, he had never gotten angry the other times. "When we met you in Jupiter Lighthouse, I read your mind as we passed. You wanted to help Mia. Even though you were focused on lighting the lighthouse, you wanted to wait and rescue her first. It's the only emotional slip I've seen from you."

Alex's eyebrows raised slightly, then folded his hands on the table in front of him. "Interesting. I never realized that had happened. I applaud you on that, then. You're right, of course. I wanted to rescue her myself. The only thing that stopped me was Felix, actually."

"Felix?"

Nodding, Alex continued. "Felix has this uncanny ability to win people over to his cause. I felt that, if Felix could save Isaac and his friends, he might be able to win them over. A larger group would have a simpler time firing Mars' beacon. Apparently, I won that gamble."

Sheba nodded slowly, confusion overtaking her thoughts. How could she believe both Ivan and Alex? It seemed contradictory to think it, but she realized that she did anyway. Both of them seemed so very sure of themselves in the matter.

"I need to...get some things together," she said, kicking herself for the lame excuse the instant it left her mouth.

Alex made no sign that he knew of her lie. "I will see you when we leave, then."

Sheba wiped her mouth, stood up, and pushed in her chair. As she walked around the table, lightning snapped just outside the window, striking the metal rod atop the palace. In the same instant, thunder tore through the walls in a ferocious blast. Sheba immediately shrieked and dropped down, covering her head with her hands.

By the time she realized what had happened, Alex had already stood up, making his way towards her. "What is it?" he asked.

Feeling like a child as she straightened up, Sheba dropped her arms back to her side and looked away. "Nothing, I... Nothing."

Alex frowned, but did not press the matter. Grateful, Sheba began to walk away again. Only after she had stepped into the hallway and leaned against the wall to let her heart slow did she realize that Alex had been showing concern, at least some.

He had just been concealing it.