Venus Lighthouse…

Saturos regained consciousness remembering precisely why he hated the Fusion Psynergy.  His entire body ached – though he did allow that some of his pain may have resulted from the disastrous final battle.  Or falling from Venus Aerie to the bottom of the lighthouse.

How had he and – he checked – Menardi survived their fall?  What had cushioned them, prevented the breaking of their backs, the smashing of their heads?

He wished thinking didn’t hurt so much.

Saturos wasn’t sure how long he and Menardi lay there before footsteps resounded in his ears.  It wasn’t often the Proxian, strongest of all the Mars Clan, knew fear.  He was not pleased that this was one of those times.

Devoutly he hoped the approaching feet did not belong to the soldiers of Tolbi.  In their weakened state, he and Menardi were helpless.  In the next instant, however, he realised that the footsteps were far too light for even a full-grown man, let alone one in armour.  A child?

Saturos heard the footsteps stop, then a startled gasp.  Then they began again, much faster this time, before a boy with dark green hair and a concerned expression knelt beside Menardi.  He barely had time to register light fingers feeling for a pulse before blacking out.

-§­§­§­§­§­

Mount Aleph…

Alex hadn’t realised he had such a deep, seething hatred for mountains.  Among their other problems, they took far too long to climb up.  Even helping Saturos and Menardi through Mercury Lighthouse had taken less time than this.  However, his frustration would soon be over: he had almost reached the top.

Golden light sparkled in the corner of his eye.  Turning his head, he could see the source.  “The Golden Sun… The very quintessence of Alchemy’s power!  It’s beginning!”  He climbed faster, crying, “Wait for me!  Please, wait!  Wait until I reach the summit of Mt Aleph!”

Had he miscalculated somehow?  The light should not have begun until he had already reached the peak!  Spurred on by his lust for power, Alex pulled himself onto the plateau atop Mt Aleph and raced to the very middle, where he doubled over, fighting to reclaim his breath in the thin mountain air.

This didn’t quite match up with his mental picture of his moment of triumph.  On the other hand, nobody else would know of this momentary weakness.  As he straightened, the four beams from the lighthouses converged over his head, bathing Mt Aleph – and Alex – in golden light.  Laughing aloud, he raised his arms toward the heavens and cried out, “At last!  I have it!  Eternal life… and limitless power!  At last, the power of nature is mine to control as I will!”

He could feel the energy coursing through his veins, strengthening his Psynergy beyond his wildest dream.  Drunk on the power, he whirled to see the world laid out before him.  “Rise, storms!” he commanded.  “Rise up and unleash your wrath upon Vale and the foothills of Mt Aleph!”

A breathless moment… nothing.

Alex blinked, lowering his arms in confusion.  “That’s odd… I should have limitless power… so why can’t I call up a simple storm?”

Malevolence suddenly made itself known, and the young Imilite whirled.  “Wh-who are you!?” he  demanded of the stone creature that had appeared.

“I am called the Wise One…,” it replied.

The name rang a bell.  “The Wise One?  Vale’s protector?”  Of all the luck!

“You wish to have limitless power?” the Wise One inquired.

Alex laughed harshly.  “Wish to?  I just got it!”

“No,” was the cool reply.  “Your power is nearly limitless, but it has boundaries.”

“Nearly limitless?  You speak in riddles.  Can’t you see?  The power is mine!”

“Yes.”  Nothing Alex said could shake the Wise One’s infinite calm.  “You also have nearly endless life.  And your Psynergy is… somewhat stronger.”

Alex, on the other hand, found that his normally unshakeable tranquillity had been shattered by this… boulder with an eye in!  Shaking with rage, he snarled, “If you are trying to anger me, have a little taste of exactly how much power I have attained!”  He focused all his will on the Wise One, forcing it back.  “Look at me!  My body is brimming with power!”

Now he focused on destroying the guardian of Vale, hoping to be rid of this obstacle.

Instead, power crashed into him, throwing him to the ground and almost off the edge of the small plateau, paralysing him from the neck down.

“How!?” the Mercury Adept cried.  “What’s going on?  I should be all-powerful!  How could you defeat me?!?”

“You are not all-powerful, Alex,” the Wise One said, calm as ever.  “Your power has its limits, as does your life.”

“This cannot be!” Alex wailed.  “Who is responsible for this treachery?  Who has robbed me of my dream?”

“I, the Wise One, imbued the Mars Star with some of the power of the forming Golden Sun.  It rests even now in the hands of young Isaac.”

“Why?”  Alex was never to discover the answer. 

“The heavens and earth are changing, Alex!  You must flee now!”

“Wha-What!?”

“Mt Aleph will soon be drawn into the heart of the earth!  You must flee or join it forever!”

A deep fear gripped Alex’s heart.  “Flee?!  I can’t flee!  I can’t even move!”

The Wise One somehow managed not to sound smug as it said, “Ah, yes.  You now see the limits of your power.  If you are swallowed by the earth, you may not survive.”

The ground underneath the stricken Imilite began to rumble.

“If you survive, perhaps we will meet again one day…”

Alex blacked out.