Golden Sun Fanfiction

This is just something I practice on, but I'd still enjoy some criticism. =D

Chapter One
Myself

    Argh. It’s too boring here, having to guard this place. I enjoy the quiet and everything, but really, nothing can beat adrenaline rushing through your veins, soaring in the skies, free from rules except ones you’ve bound for yourself. Really, that was the life I wished. But no, I have to guard these freaking ruins.
    To compensate for my ‘sin’, I have to guard the temples of Stella, Sol and Luna. Which all happen to be conveniently located at the Sacred Ruins. Really, I don’t think trying to run away and then defying Kolen’s orders is such a big deal. They’re the ones who’re overemphasizing it. Saying I wasn’t trustworthy, responsible and such. Hey, being a babbly male doesn’t necessarily mean I’m a gossipmonger.
    Really, one day I’ll get out of here. This is one  of the disadvantages of being honor bound. Unless something of greater purpose comes along, you’re stuck doing the thing you’ve sworn to do. Taking an oath to protect the ruins from evil wasn’t really wise of me. I mean, what evil can I protect it from? Nothing wants anything from it anyway. Hardly anyone’s stupid enough to go through Stella forest, there’s legend that if you go against her rules and enter the forest, you end up never returning.
    A pair of Vermin Magicians passed. Well, fighting keeps me entertained. Before they could turn back to see me and try to attack me with one of their weird fire attacks, I concentrated the energy in me and brought out a gigantic whirlwind. Each took it pretty hard. One of them attacks. I dodged it, but before I could react, the other attacks me with some sort of fire blast. Argh. I brought out my Misted blade and charged at the one who attacked me with fire, and he went down. The other managed to lay his spear on me, but I managed to get the sword to connect with his body. That’s it. He went down too. I picked up some loot. A nut, and some coins. A lot, considering that the fight was easily won.
    Gahh. But those attacks hurt. But I continuously wonder why I don’t end up burning with those kinds of attacks. Weird. I hunted for some prey and cleaned the fish I managed to catch. I started cooking dinner over the fire. I had to keep the food site away from my camp. I added a few herbs to help me recover from those blasted blows I received.
    Great. Night had fallen. Another pointless night of staying awake. I couldn’t sleep for the past few days because of a . . . presence. It was hard to place what it exactly was. I knew they were humans, but I could tell they were . . . different. Like they had abilities that shouldn't belong to a normal human.
    Yeah right. As if anyone else had the ability to detect emotions and see in the dark, oh, and sometimes conjure up a ball of energy you concentrated hard enough. Also, who else could have my queerly shaped creature. It reached up to my knees, and was the color of gray, white, and black with eyes of gold. It had a small pair of gray wings attached to its back, and usually followed me whenever it could. Anyway, I can’t see very far ahead of me. I’m surrounded by thick forest everywhere, but luckily there’s a freshwater stream nearby.
    Seriously, I really don’t know about what I’m going to do with all the gold I’ve earned from defeating monsters. I can’t go and buy some new armor or weapons, since I can’t leave the ruins unguarded. Heck, what am I even guarding the ruins from? And what’s with the temple? There’s really nothing that interesting in there anyway. I’ve already checked. All I found were some new monsters and symbols on the floor bearing Stella, Sol and Luna. Surprise, surprise. Like you wouldn’t expect to find those things there.
    I think it’s fine to sleep tonight though. The presence is a good distance away from my camp, and anyway, they haven’t attacked these past few nights. Eating the fish and then throwing the remains a good distance away, I made my way to my bed camp. I grabbed the flask of water and gargled as I reached the stream. I refilled the leather container and headed back to camp. There, I crawled into the tent. It didn’t take long for the sleepless nights to catch up to me. Soon, I was asleep.

Chapter Two
Introductions

    “Isaac, do you think we should wake him up?” asked a female voice.
    “Nahh. I think we should leave him.” countered a rather loud male voice voice. Oh please. Not in the morning.
    “Ivan, you should check him out.” said another mouth. It was quiet, like he really didn’t speak that much.
   “If you want me too.” answered a younger sounding boy. Just then, I felt a hand touch my head. And then a buzzing sound started filling my mind.
    Get out of my brain, noise. The buzzing’s giving me a headache and I don’t want to wake up yet.
    Instantly, the hand withdrew. “Um, Isaac?” It was the boy’s voice. I could tell he was the one who had touched me by the volume of his voice.
    “What?” asked that quiet voice again.
    “He told me to get out of his mind. And that he doesn’t want to get up yet.”
    A silence followed the young boy’s response.
    Wait a minute, why were people here? And how did he find out that I didn’t want to wake up yet? That thought caused me to bolt upright, causing a collective gasp of surprise from the group. I palmed for my weapon, but when I looked to my right it wasn’t there. I looked at the group again, and upon closer inspection I found that the aquamarine-haired girl was holding it. She had my Misted Blade. I glanced at their weapons. The girl had a ankh, the loud dude had an axe, the kid who touched me and the leader each wielded a sword. Argh. No chance of me winning a fight.
    “Why are you four in the Sacred Ruins?” Were the first words out of my mouth. Just when I thought I could relax, the ‘presence’ shows up. Lucky me.
    The guy with the orange hair raised an eyebrow. I’m sorry, but that was the first color that came to mind when I saw the redhead. “What are you doing here first?”
    I brushed the black hair out of my eyes. Really, these people have no lives. And apparently they didn’t leave them behind in Lopus, since the didn’t know about me. “I’m here to guard the ruins.” Yeah, and have been for seven years now.
    The blue-haired female spoke again. “About your weapon. We just confiscated it in case you tried to attack us. We’re not here to raid the ruins.”
    “Oh.” Surprise. They would have knocked me out by now if they were after the ruins. And either way, I’d still have lost.
    The ankh-bearing girl spoke to me again. “So, what’s your name?” She smiled a bit, I think she was trying to reassure me.
    For the first time in years, I could use my name to introduce myself to some human. “Creston.” I said returning the smile. Talking to another human companion felt great.
    “Creston, that’s cute.” Was the biting sarcastic remark from the redhead. I could tell he and I were going to go along just fine. “The name’s Garet, Mr. Silent over there’s Isaac, the girl’s Mia and the kid who touched you is Ivan.”
    Isaac spoke. “How did you know Ivan was invading your mind?”
    He was reading my mind? “I didn’t.” I answered truthfully. “There was just this annoying buzzing in my head that I wanted to get rid of so I told it to shut up.” Wait a second. How was the kid able to read my mind? It’s mine and mine alone.
    I saw Ivan nod to Isaac, who also nodded in response. He glanced at the others, and if my theory was right, they’d come to some sort of conclusion.
    “You’re an Adept.” Isaac said. There was a hint of surprise in his voice.
    “What’s an Adept? Seriously, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
    “Well, can you do anything unusual?” Isaac asked.
    “Yeah. I can talk to moles.” Was my answer. A soldier’s rule is never reveal too much to the enemy. And since I couldn’t gauge if they were enemy or friend, it was better to be safe than sorry. But I was being half-serious. I really did talk to moles. They didn’t talk back though. I could only read what was currently on their mind.
    In result to my response, Isaac had a frustated look on his face. Ivan looked at me with as if what I said was the weirdest thing he’d ever heard, which I have to agree is. Garet was stifling a laugh and Mia was chuckling softly.
    “Hey, Creston? Isaac’s been unusually demanding these days. Mind helping us ease the load?” The kid explained. Well, I couldn’t exactly call Ivan a kid, since he was about seventeen? Or something like that. But hey, he was younger by at least three years.
    “Yes. So, can you freeze puddles into ice pillars? Read minds?” Isaac looked at me with curiosity. “We wouldn’t be spending time with you if I didn’t think you’d be helpful to us on the journey.”
    Read minds? They were taking that seriously? I checked his face. Sure enough, his composure was set. Before, when I told my best friend I could read minds, he only laughed at me. When I checked his mind, he didn’t believe it too. If they knew about that ability, well maybe, just maybe, I could trust them. But they needed to explain themselves. “If I answer, would you explain why you’re here and why you think those powers exist?”
    “Argh. Why are you so stubborn?” He looked frustrated. He frowned a bit, and then calmed down. Wow. Hey there Mister Keep-Your-Cool. “But I guess you have a point there. You do need a reason to trust us.”
    I agreed. Of course I needed a reason. I didn’t go around looking for someone to trust randomly. “So, tell the tale, dear travelers.”

Chapter Three
A Matter of Honor

    Their story ended and eventually Isaac and Ivan coaxed me into telling my story. It was midday, and we were eating lunch. I’d forgotten how enjoyable it felt to eat with actual people. It made me realize how lonely it really was to stay in the forest by yourself, moles being the only companions you have. I sure was going to miss them once they got through Stella forest.
    “So you really want to know how I ended up here? Trust me, it’s not half as interesting as your’s.” I’m serious. Theirs involved exploring the two largest continents of Weyard and lighting the legendary lighthouses. Now they were after some insane alchemist who was starting to upset the balance. They led exactly the kind of life I wish I had. “Simply put, I decided to go against a higher-up’s command and ran away. Of course, they caught me and as atonement for breaking the order and starting a rebellion, I ended up having to protect the Sacred Ruins.” And luckily, they still don’t know about my powers. And from what I’ve heard, it seems like me and Ivan possess the same talents. Hope he doesn’t start reading my mind.
    “So, Creston, what’s so special about the Sacred Ruins? Is it a village treasure or worship place?” Asked Mia. I had quickly learned that she was the healer and the compassionate one of the group.
    “The ruins aren’t really important. It’s what’s inside that counts. I’m speaking literal truth. The Sacred Ruins contain three sacred temples, hence the name.” I explained. I took a bite out of the food. It was spiced with herbs, which was helping a lot. Though a single nut would have sufficed.
    “What do the temples worship?” Ivan inquired. He was the inquisitive one, intelligent kid. But he and Garet were the mischief makers of the group. Who would have thought that kid had that much in him.
    Not surprising when I learned Garet had a short temper, a loud mouth and a bossy attitude. But he and I were coming along nicely for now. At least, we weren’t having verbal fights, much less physical ones. His way of showing affection to Isaac and Ivan were playful insults.
    After a bit of thought, answering that question wouldn’t be bad. I already knew about them. I guess I could repay their honesty with truthful answers. “The three temples are of the Sacred beings, or things, if you think them as objects. The temples of Sol, Stella and Luna are all honored in these ruins.” I decided to add in my own opinion. “But truly, the only danger to the temples is being overrun by monsters. There’s nothing important to inside.” They still hadn’t question about my abilities again. Hey, I might be lucky and they wouldn’t remember.
    “Really? I doubt that.” Garet spoke. Isaac was silent now, just absorbing.
    “Yeah. I opened a secret passageway, but all I ended up in was a dead end. The temples have been long raided of anything beneficiary.” After a bit of memory shifting, I suddenly recalled something. “And the last time something unusual happened, the floors of the three temples glowed light. I think it happened three months ago. Probably around the time all four lighthouses were lit.” Yeah, and then another passage was opened. But then it was permanently blocked when you reached to the farthest back.
     Only when the Sacred Being of the ultimate power is reawakened will this path be opened once more.
    That was text written on the wall blocking the next path. Those words must be a prophecy. It means that the most powerful of the three Beings will be resurrected, or maybe all of them. Maybe that was the reason why I had to protect the temples. So the Beings had some place to return to. It’s a little farfetched, but it’s a good theory. Still no questioning about my powers. Yes!
    “Well, it said that when the Sacred Being’s back, the blocked path will be opened. And the Being’s not back yet.” I answered.
    “Okay.” Isaac’s silent voice spoke again. “Hey, do you know the way out?”
    “Yeah, I do. But I can’t help you.” Bitter disappointment coated my words.
    “Why not?” Mia’s timid voice asked. “It’d be nice if you were able to help.”
    “I’m honor bound to duty.”
    “Then pledge your honor to our mission.” Isaac’s voice was confident. “The code of honor states that unless something of greater sense comes along, you are bound to your original duty. I think trying to stop someone who is starting to help in the world’s destruction is of higher duty. So, what do you say?”
    “That was the biggest mouthful I’ve heard Isaac say in a while.” Garet whispered nearby. I don’t think he intended anyone to hear it though, but I thought I saw Ivan smirk a bit. "Actually, that's the longest I've heard from him."
    “Good point.” I said, ignoring the two snickering males. I stood up, and knelt down to one knee. “The tradition in my village is that the one who you have sworn duty to is the one to present the sword and necklace of being.” I took out the necklace. “The necklace is the ultimate code of trust. The weapon’s just for show. All you have to do is say what I’m bound to and I repeat it. Then make me wear the necklace and give me back my sword. That should cover it.”
    “Okay.” Isaac did as I instructed, and I was now free to get out of the forest.
   “Thanks. If I’d have tried to help you while I was still bound to guard, I’d have gotten lost and never returned.” I moved onto a stack of stones with a drawing of Luna. “These stones are a guide. The drawings are pointing to which direction you should go. Sol would be going to your left, Stella’s straight ahead and Luna’s go to your right.”
    I hastily snatched my bag and sighed. Guarding is the only life I know. Maybe I’ll adjust. And maybe I’ll be a pessimist and say I have no life outside the ruins.
    We continued to our right until we came to another stone. It was Stella, so we went straight ahead. Then next appeared was Sol and then another Luna and so on. We eventually reached a proper path.
    Soon, small cottage chimneys came into view.
    “Hey, there’s a town here.” Mia said in surprise.
    “That means the end of the forest is nearing.” I answered.
    “Any idea on what town it is?” Asked Ivan. He may be smart, but forgetful. He didn't remember the original reason why they told the tale.
    “Probably Lopus, where I originally came from.” My gut was saying ‘Stay away!’ but I had to help these people. After all, I’m honor bound. I could escape but . . . It’s a matter of honor. My whole life has revolved around those words.
   “Are you sure you want to enter the village with us? I know it’ll be quite awkward for you.” Mia’s compassionate offer was tempting, but I had to see them through. It would be quite shameful to suddenly back out on something like embarrassment.
    More like humiliation. That voice in my head again. Sometimes it was helpful when I needed it, but more often than not it made me even more depressed. It had made me think that because of my loneliness, I’d somehow become insane enough to hear voices in my head. And still no questions. I might be able to pull it off.
    Isaac suddenly grinned. “Okay then, let’s head on out.”

Chapter Four
Lopus

    Creston walked ahead of the group. He started pointing out some random things, like the Inn, or the armory. His steps were silent, yet because of his hushed voice, you could still tell he was there. It was like having an invisible teammate. His hair was black, and he blended in with his surrounding without a hitch.
    “Over there’s the Herbalist.” He pointed to a slightly rounded cottage. “The lady that runs it is nice, but she’s a cleanliness freak.” He suddenly turned his bark-brown optics towards me. “Isaac, my house is a little ways from there. My friend’s living there, and we haven’t seen each other in a long time, so be prepared to fight. Just keep your sword sheathed, I beg of you.” He shook his head, as if trying to shake off a feeling. Then he proceeded to the northern path, which, I realized, was heading into the forest again.
    “My house is at the outskirts, since Mother and Father never enjoyed being disturbed. It’s not too deep that Stella has control over it already, but it’s distanced enough for peace.” He padded through the fallen leaves, the night air passing fanning our warm faces.
    “Hey, Isaac.” Ivan whispered to me. I was sure Creston wouldn’t have been able to hear it. “Creston’s a Jupiter Adept, I can tell.”
    I looked at him. How could he be so sure?
    As if sensing my doubt, continued to talk. “While I had the chance when he was asleep, I did a quick sweep of his mind. There were some things that I’m pretty sure other people would have preferred hidden.”
    I cocked my head slightly to the side. “How can you be sure he had been reading minds? People might have found him an excellent keeper of secrets.” We were falling farther behind, but that was better. That way we could be certain Creston wasn’t listening in on us.
    “Is a memory of telling his best friend his powers proof enough?” He asked matter-of-factly.
    I stopped a bit, pondering on the new information, then resumed walking. I guess that proved enough that he was a Jupiter Adept.
    Ivan must have seen the approval in my eyes, since he resumed his usually happy demeanor. “Hey guys, wait up!” He waved his hand out, trying to signal them to slow down.
    “Isaac, hurry up!” Garet called out to me. He waved his hand a bit, probably making sure I wasn’t dazed out or anything.
    I quickened my steps, and soon, a huge cottage came into view.
    Ruefully, Creston gestured towards the house. “Welcome?” He seemed rather embarrassed. “The house used to be a clinic, since mother’s a healer and dad’s an herbalist. We used the extra rooms for patients who needed extensive care. The rooms are regularly cleaned by Miss Herbalist though, so you’ll find them suitable for sleeping in. Mother and Father are out traveling Weyard, so they won’t be home.”
    “Ria? You there?” He knocked on the door. Mia and the others restlessly started pacing while I sat down on the tree stump. Just then, a shadow moved behind the others. Standing up, I started to warn them. “Gar – ”
    My words were cut off by an ear-piercing shriek. I quickly covered my ears. Soon, enough, it stopped, followed by a loud thud. I looked at Garet and the other guys first, and they seemed fine, just a little shocked is all. Then I turned to Mia, who was kneeling over something.
    “Mia, what’s that?” I walked towards her, and bent down. Garet and Ivan quickly followed.
    “It’s a male.” Was her answer. I noticed that her ankh was still clutched tightly in her fists.
    Creston looked over my shoulder. “What happened?” And when he glanced at the man shock was clearly portrayed on his face. “Shoot. Lancer.”
    Then Creston started speaking. “Ivan, search his pockets for the key inside the house. Mia, help him. Garet help me support him into an upright position.” I started helping the unconscious man into a sitting position. Soon, Mia and Ivan started looking through his pockets.
    “I think this is it?” Ivan showed a rusty key, which Creston nodded to. “Open the door. Come on, Garet.” I helped drag ‘Lancer’ up and the two started supporting him towards the door.
    Ivan and Mia had readjusted the chairs and created some sort of temporary bed. Garet and Creston gently put down the unconscious male on the makeshift bed. I saw Mia and clasp her hands together, and a silver-tinged fairy came and sprinkled her dust all over the sleeping man.
    Soon, the man roused, and started rubbing his head. “Note to self, never touch a restless woman.” I think he didn’t mean for anyone to hear, but it was amusing nonetheless. I couldn’t help the small smirk on my lips.
    “Lancer, are you okay?” So Creston knew him. “What happened?”
    The newcomer responded with ease. “So you finally escaped?” Lancer seemed a little annoyed.
    “Later, what happened first?” Garet was being loud again.
    “Are you really that curious? Oh, fine then. Won’t take long though.” He sat up. “I had just wanted to ask that girl,” He jabbed his thumb towards Mia’s direction. “What she wanted. I touched her shoulder, and then she let out a screech, and elbowed me in the gut. To knock me out, she used her ankh to hit me hard on the head.” He rubbed the spot where he had hit her.
    “Sorry, self-preservation instincts.” I heard Mia mutter. “I managed to rouse him, but I can’t do anything about the bump.”
    Creston just seemed to find it funny, and apparently Garet as well. “Idiot. You should just have approached me instead.” Creston seemed really glad to see him. I wondered what exactly his relationship with him was.
    “How was I supposed to know you were there? I thought you were still with the ruins.” He then the auburn-haired Lancer turned towards us. “And who are they? Friends of yours?”
    “As a matter of fact, yes.” Creston answered him with a familiarity I could guess were with friends. “The dirty-blonde one’s Isaac, the younger one’s Ivan, the one who knocked you out is Mia and the redhead’s Garet.”
    “Hey, did you say redhead?” Garet was getting annoyed. This could be interesting.
    “Yes, redhead.” Responded Creston mockingly.
    “Oh, that’s great, Cresty.” Nice little banter. I heard Mia giggle and Ivan chuckle a bit.
    “Sure sweetie, I’m sure Isaac would enjoy being your fateful wifey.” What? Me, wifey? What in the world is he talking about? Even this Lancer guy was laughing now.
    “What do you mean by wifey?” Garet looked ready to hit him. And yes, what did he mean by wifey.
    “I’m just saying that your affection to your best friend might be returned.” He bent his head into a cocky angle.
    “What?! Are you saying I’m gay?!” Garet fists clenched threateningly, and I knew this was going to end with a bump on their heads as well. And chaos erupted.
    “You said it, not me!”
    Creston was now evading and playing tag with Garet. Lancer, Mia, Ivan and I were discussing room assignments. I pretended to not have heard, since the ones I was talking to were still snickering a bit.
    “Okay then, it’s decided!” Said Lancer rather loudly. Excellent timing too, because Garet had already cornered poor Creston. “Mia, you can sleep alone. Ivan and Garet, you guys can sleep together. I’m sleeping alone, while Isaac and Creston share a room, since I’m not familiar with any of you.”
    Mia, chose the room right beside the staircase. Ivan and Garet were sleeping in the room in front of hers. Creston and I were sleeping in my original room while Lancer was taking the last spare room. There was one more room, but Creston forbade anyone to even step inside the room.
    We all got our turn in the bathing and facilities area, and were soon ready to fall asleep.
    “The room you’re taking is my sibling’s so take care of it.” Creston told Mia.
    “The ‘Ria’ you were calling out to when we arrived?” Asked Garet.
    “Yes. Rialto’s my sibling.” Answered Creston.
    We all entered our respective rooms and as I lay down, exhaustion overcame me and I fell asleep.