CHAPTER 7
Isaac parried a blow with his sword and spun to fend off the next attacker as a pillar of flame incinerated the blue dragon that had just attacked him. The monsters here are much stronger than any we've faced before, Isaac thought grimly as he continued his mad dance, dodging the attacks of their foes.
Ivan sent a bolt of lightning at a ghostly monster bent on taking his life, destroying it utterly. A wyvern caught Isaac from behind with its claw and opened a small gash on his left arm. The wound didn't last long as Mia's healing powers closed it up in seconds. The distraction cost her and the wyvern shifted its focus to Mia. A quick slash from Isaac brought the beast down, but another tried to take advantage of the situation and flew at Isaac's exposed back. It never reached him though, as it crashed to the floor, encased in a block of ice courtesy of Mia. A swipe of Isaac's sword shattered the beast into a million pieces even as he turned to assist Garet, who was busy holding off two more foes.
"Step back!" Ivan yelled as he gathered his psynergy. Purple bolts rained upon their foes as Garet disengaged from the fight and watched as the enemies fried to a crisp.
Stepping past the charred remains of the monsters, Isaac lowered his blade and checked to ensure nobody had been injured in the latest skirmish. "We'll have to be careful for more ambushes like these," Isaac reminded everyone.
"I miss the days where they fought you straight up instead of trying to sneak around and stab you in the back…" Garet complained.
Upon entering another room and seeing the puzzle already completed, Isaac motioned the rest of the party forward. "We did not come this far to allow another lighthouse to be lit…" Isaac muttered to nobody in particular.
"Well we sure won't catch up if you stand around brooding about it," Mia said with a smile, tapping him on the shoulder as she passed him and stepped outside onto a ledge. Garet followed her outside as Ivan and Isaac brought up the rear.
"Ah!" Mia burst out as the floor beneath her gave way and she plummeted downwards. Garet reacted quickly and leapt after her, hitting the ledge she landed on and almost falling off. "Mia! Garet!" Isaac and Ivan yelled out as they realized what had happened.
"Are you all right?" Isaac called down to them from above as he peered over the side at the ledge they landed on.
"I'm fine," Mia called back. "I think Garet may have broken his arm and I can't pull him up!" she added.
"We'll find a way to get you back up," Isaac called down as Ivan was busy looking through his pack for a rope or anything else useful.
"I'm afraid you won't be doing that," a new voice called out from behind them as Isaac and Ivan spun to regard the two newcomers. One was a shorter woman with flaming red hair and the other a tall stocky man with hair of a pure white color.
"Who are you…?" Ivan asked cautiously.
"Me? Why I'm Karst," the red haired woman replied.
"And I'm Agatio," the taller man replied. Agatio turned to Isaac and regarded him coolly, "You have a debt to repay to Karst here you know."
Isaac looked at him in confusion as Ivan replied, "Debt? But we've never seen you before…"
Karst eyed Ivan sadistically. "You may have met my sister Menardi."
Comprehension dawned in the eyes of the two blonde boys and they reached for their weapons, remembering events on the Venus Lighthouse aerie and the death of Saturos and Menardi after two grueling battles.
There was no way of avoiding the fight and the boys knew it.
Down below on the ledge, Mia's attention was torn between what was happening above and Garet dangling below. "Garet, what could possible make you jump down here like that," Mia scolded him as she tried to pull him back up once again.
"Sorry Mia," Garet said back. "I wasn't about to let you die now was I? Poor Isaac would never have forgiven me if I let that happen," he said with a wink.
Mia looked at him with exasperation. "You're still going to go on about that while we're stuck in this predicament?" She asked him.
"Nice ring," he shot back at her smiling as her face turned slightly pink. "I wonder where you got that from…" Garet added with a thoughtful grin, already knowing full well what the answer had to be. Mia ignored the comment as best she could and kept trying to pull him up.
The sounds of combat rang out above them and Mia looked up with worry, but was unable to see anything. She returned to trying to pull Garet up, and with his help they were finally making some progress. Using his one good arm, Garet managed to hoist the rest of his body up far enough for Mia to pull onto the ledge.
Looking up above, Mia tried to figure out how they were going to get up and help Isaac and Ivan. Noticing her gaze, Garet decided to throw one last comment out there: "Don't worry Mia, Isaac's a tough guy. He can handle himself."
Without averting her gaze Mia gave a response laced with frustration. "How can you be so carefree at a time like this?" she asked him.
"Mia, we're stuck here," Garet pointed out. "We have no way of getting up just yet. I'm trying not to worry about them too you know."
Mia sighed and looked away from the battle above as she healed Garet's arm as best she could. "You're right," she said, admitting defeat. "But you should be careful about what you say or you might just end up back on that ledge again," she said with a hint of a smile.
Garet paled slightly even though he knew she was joking before letting out a laugh. "So Mia has a scary side. Who would have guessed…" he said. Mia looked like she was about to reply when they head a scream from above.
"That sounded like Ivan!" Garet exclaimed as he shared a worried glance with Mia. There was no more room for jokes.
"Hold it together Ivan!" Isaac called out, followed by a laugh form one of their foes.
"Never let your guard down in battle!" Agaito called out.
Isaac cried out as Agaito struck, causing Mia's breath to catch in her throat.
Just then a new voice was heard from above, this one undoubtedly feminine: "Isaac!"
Garet's worried look faded as he recognized the voice and placed a hand on Mia's shoulder to reassure her. "Hey Mia, Jenna's here. She won't let anything happen to him so don't worry."
"Hey Jenna! A little help here would be great!" Garet called up to her.
"Garet? Is that you?" she called back.
Moments later, Jenna's head peaked over the edge of the ledge and a rope was tossed down to help Garet and Mia back up. Upon reaching the top, Mia rushed to where Isaac and Ivan lay, casting the most powerful healing psynergies she knew on them. Their wounds disappeared at a rapid rate, a testament to her skill as a healer.
Jenna stood there astonished as wounds melted away from the bodies of Isaac and Ivan while Garet watched her with an amused smile. "She's pretty good huh?" he said, nodding toward Mia.
"I don't think I've seen healing that impressive before," Jenna said with stark honesty as she continued to watch the healer at work.
"I'm pretty sure she's the only reason we're all still standing," Garet said with a laugh.
"Remind me to thank her later then," Jenna told him.
"Must be great to have a healer like that," Sheba said standing next to Jenna. "I doubt she accidentally burns people sometimes…" she added, laughing while dodging a swipe from Jenna's staff.
Isaac and Ivan finally sat up, their energy partially restored as a relieved Mia stayed at their sides. Felix chose this moment to approach Isaac and ask for the Mars Star. Ivan and Mia stared incredulously as Isaac looked Felix in the eye then pulled out the star and handed it over.
It was Jenna that spoke up to ease the tension. "Thanks Isaac. We'll explain everything, I promise, but for now...just trust us."
"You know I still do," Isaac told her.
Mia continued to heal the two boys to the point of exhaustion, draining nearly all of her psynergy as Garet, Jenna, Sheba, and Kraden watched.
Jenna frowned. "Something's wrong. I'm going to help Felix and Piers. Take your time and get better. We aren't going anywhere."
Sheba followed Jenna shortly after and Mia helped Isaac up while Garet helped Ivan to his feet.
Isaac stood for a moment, his hand on Mia's shoulder for balance. "Thanks Mia," he said to her.
Mia smiled as she responded, "Just take it easy now. No need to try and move about too fast after that battle."
Just then a powerful wave of Jupiter energy passed over the group and a bright light indicated that the lighthouse had just been lit. Isaac staggered and Mia put an arm around him to steady him and keep him on his feet as the Jupiter energy reached the already injured Venus adept. Fortunately the opposite was happening with Ivan and he looked refreshed and rejuvenated by the beacon's power.
The Jupiter adept took a look at the party and spoke with a somber expression: "I think it's about time we found out what's going on."
"They will explain everything," Kraden said from the side as the group slowly made their way towards the aerie of the lighthouse.
As they reached the aerie, they came upon Felix's party looking as if they had just fought a fight they barely won. Agaito, Karst, and Alex were on the left elevator and descended just as Isaac's group stepped onto their aerie. Isaac turned his attention to Felix and Jenna. "All right Felix. We want to know what's going on," he said with a nod from Garet.
Kraden spoke up. "There are...a number of extenuating circumstances," he told them.
Garet shook his head and was about to respond when Ivan stepped between the two parties. "Look, I don't think any of us are in the condition to have this conversation here," Ivan said. "Let's head back to Contigo and sort out our issues there."
Kraden nodded. "That's a wise idea Ivan. I agree," Kraden stated.
"Very well," Isaac said. "We will meet you back in Contigo and then you owe us the truth. Don't think you can sneak off again."
As they turned to leave, Jenna called out: "We'll be there! I promise. We'll explain everything."
Isaac raised a hand in acknowledgement as he stepped onto the lighthouse elevator with Garet, Ivan, and Mia and made their decent.
There was no sense in brooding on the topic as the group walked back to Contigo and as a result, the adepts were unusually quiet. Upon reaching town, they entered an empty building and sat down to wait for the others to arrive.
Garet finally got fed up with the silence and decided to talk. "I can't fathom what their motivations could be, but I know they have a reason for it. I know Jenna hasn't changed and even Felix doesn't feel like a bad guy…"
He got a nod from Mia and Ivan while Isaac continued to sit there in silence, composing his thoughts. Shortly thereafter Felix, Jenna, Sheba, Kraden, and the blue haired man Piers walked through the door.
Introductions were made between the parties and they sat down to talk. Isaac, Garet, Ivan, and Mia listened as Kraden explained that Saturos and Menardi were trying to light all the elemental lighhouses.
"That still doesn't explain why you decided to help them…" Isaac pointed out.
"Our parent's lives were at stake!" Jenna interjected loudly.
Isaac stood there shocked while Garet shook his head with disbelief. "But your parents died 3 years ago…"
Kraden finally explained about Saturos and Menardi triggering the storm by failing the puzzles of Sol Sanctum and how they were the only survivors of their raiding party that day.
"They were the ones that saved Felix's life…" Jenna began.
"In fact nobody died by the boulder that day!" Kraden said.
Mia watched as Isaac's body stiffened. It can't be…she thought.
Isaac spoke. "So that means…"
"That's not the only reason to light the lighthouses either," Kraden said. He explained all about the balance of the elements and how the world is steadily eroding without the power of alchemy to keep it in place.
Mia was barely able to listen. Our ancestors were wrong. We were wrong. How is this possible? How could we have fought all this time without knowing…She let her gaze land on Isaac who was standing there in stoic silence as Kraden explained the situation. And Isaac…your father…She took a half step toward him before stopping as Isaac finally spoke.
"Why didn't you say anything? We could have helped you…" he said
"Felix wanted to play the role of villain alone," Kraden Explained. "He never wanted to get any of you involved."
It was at that moment they were interrupted by a visitor. To everyone's surprise, Master Hamma walked through the door and addressed them all: "Now that we know this shouldn't you all be going?"
Hama introduced herself those who didn't know her. "I'm Hamma, descendant of the Anemos. I was born in Contigo and I inherited the power of the Anemos," she explained as everyone looked at her with shocked expressions.
"Hey…We just got into Contigo and we found out this is where Ivan was born!" Garet pointed out.
"Yeah…We also learned he's got a sister…" Mia added.
"Sister…you don't mean…" Sheba began to say.
"That would be me, yes" Hamma replied with a slight frown.
Ivan took a half step forward and opened his mouth, but Hamma silenced him with a gesture.
"Not now, Ivan. This isn't the time," she told him.
"Three lighthouses have been lit…The elements have been thrown out of balance," she continued. Hamma explained that without the heat of the Mars beacon, all of Weyard would freeze. Using her Jupiter powers she told the party that Agaito and Karst are doomed to failure and that they must sail to the northern reaches to light the last lighthouse together. Everyone in the room nodded at her words and she left them with a parting message.
"I must leave now, but I have prepared a gift to aid you on your way to the Mars Lighthouse. Meet me at the inlet tomorrow before you leave," Hamma told them, before walking out of the room.
Jenna apologized again for not explaining things earlier, but was met with understanding from Isaac and Garet. With that settled and the two groups combined as one for the single purpose of lighting the last lighthouse, they decided to spend the night at the inn before sailing to the northern reaches the next day.
As they made their way into the inn the adepts got to know each other a little better as they talked, mostly about their travels and the places they had been. As the group talked into the night, one by one the exhausted adepts headed off to bed to get some sleep.
Mia excused herself and went to her room where she lay on the bed for hours, as events from the past day ran through her mind. Before she knew it, it was almost midnight. It already seems like a lifetime ago that we were trying to stop the beacons from being lit…she thought as she absentmindedly ran a hand through her azure hair. Isaac still hasn't come to bed yet she noticed as she turned to face where he should have been. I know it's the first time he's talked to his friends in months but he still needs his rest…he's not fully healed from that battle earlier. Mia turned over on her back again before coming to a decision. I guess it can't hurt to take a peek outside and make sure he's all right…Mia slipped out of the bed and silently headed for the door.
...
As the number of adepts in the inn dwindled down, Isaac eventually found himself alone with Jenna. "I'm glad you're finally with us Isaac," Jenna was saying.
"I'm glad I don't have to chase you anymore too," Isaac smiled.
"I have so many things to tell you about," Jenna told him in an excited voice.
"I'd love to hear all about it Jenna. It's getting quite late though; maybe you should tell me later?" Isaac suggested.
Jenna sighed and stood up. "You're right. We do need to get some sleep before tomorrow," she said with a smile. Isaac stood up but Jenna stopped him before he could walk over to his room. "I missed you, you know," she whispered into his ear as she pulled him into a hug. Isaac returned it and smiled, happy to finally be reunited with his longtime friend. "I love you Isaac…you're the best friend I've ever had. I'm sorry we had to be apart for so long…"
"I love you too Jenna," he told her. Jenna pulled away suddenly and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before running off to her room giggling madly. Isaac just stood there for a few moments wondering what the heck just happened before shaking his head and turning towards his room.
For a second he thought his eye caught a flash of blue at the end of the hallway, but he shook it off. "I must be really tired…" he muttered to himself. As Isaac opened the door to his room he noted the sleeping form of Mia on the bed across from his and confirmed he had just been seeing things. Just to make sure, he crossed over to her and watched her slow and steady breathing for a moment before turning away.
Good night Mia, he thought to himself with a smile as he slipped into his bed and closed his eyes.
Unknown to Isaac, Mia was anything but asleep. When she heard him get into bed, her eyes opened and stared at the wall away from him replaying the scene she had just seen.
'I love you too Jenna.'
A single tear ran silently down her cheek.
Finally some combat. That's one thing I find hard to fit in when I write about events during TLA. Combat against strong foes is scarce after the Jupiter Lighthouse and it limits the amount of fun interactions I can use that result from combat. Anyway, I hate writing about the reunion section of the game because it really leaves no room for deviation. I could just assume everyone reading this far knows what happens (and they probably do) but that just doesn't make for a very cohesive story. In the end, I went with a compromise and skipped as much of it as I possibly could while keeping the main points.
I've now decided how this fanfic is going to end and I'm writing a stand-alone oneshot that depicts the other possible ending. I'll probably release it before this story is over so you'll have a hint as to how this one will end up =)
