Golden Sun: The Broken Seal

Prologue: Storm of Tragedy

"Isaac, wake up!" Please dear, wake up!"

There was no response. What else did one expect from a fourteen year old boy at the dead of night?

"The Mt Aleph boulder is going to fall!" The boy stirred a little.

"I think I'll be safe in here," he murmured groggily, turning over in his bed. "Five more minutes at least."

"Isaac, we don't have time for this!" the voice snapped, making it clear that compromise was not an option in the current circumstances. "We have to leave now!"

The force of the voice shook the boy to alertness, the darkness of sleep giving way to blurry vision. Yawning and bleary eyed, he rose from his bed, his body seemingly conspiring against the sense of urgency that his mind was beginning to feel. As his vision sharpened, he could see that his mother, the one who had been trying to wake him, had a visage of extreme worry.

"What's happening?" Isaac yawned, his mother's comments, while having stirred a small sense of his urgency in his attempted movements, having yet to be fully processed in his mind.

"There's a terrible storm outside that's loosened the Mt Aleph Boulder! It could crash into the village at any second. Thunder rolled and wind howled by way of evidence of the statement. "Don't sit there gawking Isaac. Get dressed! Quickly!"

Isaac didn't need any more encouragement and quickly set about exchanging nightwear for proper clothing. The thought of a boulder that size crashing through the village…well, that was something you didn't want to think about if you wanted to keep in the right state of mind. The prospect ensured that Isaac finished dressing in less than a minute-a new record.

"Ok, I think we're done," said Isaac's mother, seeing that her son had finished dressing. "Have you got everything you need?"

"Yeah, I've got the necessities," Isaac murmured.

"Good. Let's get going."

XXXX

Following his mother down the stairs of the two story house that he lived in, Isaac cast his mind back to the day's events, or perhaps yesterday, since the current time could have easily been after midnight. He'd stayed up late playing with his friends, the summer sun letting its light shine upon the world for as long as possible. Neither day nor evening had indicated that there was a storm upon approach, let alone one as powerful as the sound of the rain, thunder and lightning conveyed.

Isaac had experienced storms before of course, but despite living in the wake of an imposing mountain, there'd never been the threat of a landslide of any kind, let alone the loosening of the Mt Aleph Boulder; a giant rock that was perched on an outcrop near the mountain's summit, its size dwarfing any structure that the town of Vale featured. Isaac glanced out the window as he and his mother arrived at the foot of the stairs, seeing nothing but a dark void punctured by a barrage of water droplets and a flash of lightning. Isaac cringed slightly, thinking that perhaps staying in bed wasn't such a bad idea after all.

He had no chance to put such an idea forward however, for it was at this moment that the door to the house burst open, courtesy of Isaac's father, Kyle. His earth brown hair, which usually stood out in a tuff from his forehead, was plastered to his scalp due to the rain, his light brown tunic drenched.

"Isaac, Dora, what's keeping you!? The boulder could fall any second!" As if to emphasise his point there was a sudden crash of thunder, loud enough to make the entire house tremor.

"Don't worry, we're ready," replied Dora, taking her son by the hand and leading him outside. Isaac couldn't help but grimace; "I'm fourteen, I can look after myself."

Such a thought evaporated upon exiting the house, or was rather carried away by the wind. It was obvious to Isaac immediately that his mother had made a drastic understatement when she said that there was a "storm" outside. This was more along the lines of a gale; howling, freezing wind, thick rain that prevented one from seeing anything with great clarity, the only illumination being provided by the frequent lightning strikes… "Is a storm of this size even naturally possible?" Isaac wondered.

Dora was meanwhile conversing with her husband, twisting her lime green dress in an attempt to maintain a sense of calm but not entirely succeeding; "Kyle…will they be able to stop the boulder?" she asked nervously. Kyle peered northwards towards Mt. Aleph; a wasted effort, as the rain was so thick it prevented one seeing anything further than a few feet away.

"Hard to tell," he murmured eventually. "I can't make it out from here but I'll doubt that the elders will be able to hold it back…not for long anyway."

Dora adjusted the bun that her golden hair was tied in, trying to hide her fear. "Anyway," continued Kyle. "You two go and take refuge in the plaza, I'll catch up with you."

"What!? Aren't you coming!?" exclaimed Dora. Isaac subconsciously tightened his grip on his mother's hand, something that at his age he tended to avoid. Still, the idea of his father hanging around longer than necessary with a gale blowing and a giant boulder set to crash into the village...fear and concern began to flow through Isaac with as much speed as the wind that was howling around him.

Kyle shook his head; "No, I've got to help the other villagers. A few minor landslides have already occurred and not all may have been as lucky as us." He smiled faintly, trying to look reassuring; "You two just head to safety. I'll be with you before you know it." With that, he turned away from them, prepared to carry out the altruistic task that he'd set upon himself. Before he could actually begin the task however, he felt Dora's hand upon his shoulder;

"Dora?"

"Kyle, let me help you," said his wife, determined not to let her husband face the wild side of nature alone.

"Dora, I'll be fine. Just take care of Isaac."

"Isaac is old enough to get to the plaza on his own," said Dora firmly, looking at her son for confirmation.

"Mum's right, I'll be fine," said Isaac eventually. "You can trust me."

Kyle sighed; "Alright. Dora, stay close. Isaac, head down to the plaza and don't do anything foolish."

"Dad, I'll be fine," said Isaac stubbornly, trying his best not to shiver from the freezing rain and wind.

Kyle didn't look too certain, but understood that trust was something that he'd have to place in his son and that time was of the essence. Giving a nod, he turned around and sprinted north. Giving a faint smile to Isaac which was returned, Dora followed him.

Isaac waited until his parents were out of sight, which, given the darkness of the storm, didn't take long. Emotions warred within him. On the one hand, his parents were exposing themselves to danger, a fact that, due to the bonds inherent between a child and his or parents, did not sit well at all. On the other, he understood that there was precious little that he could do to aid them, and to attempt to do so would be betraying their trust.

It felt like an eternity passed before Isaac made his choice and began his flight south. Vale was divided into a number of flattened hills that steadily ascended towards Mt Aleph to the north, making any southward journey easy. Of course, that was under the assumption that the stairways linking the different sections remained open. Isaac quickly saw to his dismay that the southern stairway had been blocked by a landslide.

"Perfect," Isaac mused, a roll of thunder sounding like mocking laughter. He could see other villagers running in panic on the level below, either heading down towards the plaza, looking for loved ones, or both. Isaac knew that the chances of any of them helping him to move the landslide was remote and besides, such a thing might not have been physically possible. Not that he would have asked them to do such a thing right now.

Gritting his teeth, Isaac turned and sprinted north, ready to loop around and head south at the earliest opportunity.

XXXX

The rain, along with the villagers running around in panic prevented one from seeing Isaac with any great clarity. If one was able to do so however, they would have seen a boy wearing a blue tunic that took after his father in many ways; he was reasonably well built for one of his age, his hair sticking out in a tuff from his forehead. He also had a tendency to be rather quiet and thoughtful, though not to the extent of being antisocial. Yet in other ways he took after his mother; he'd inherited her golden hair (although nowhere near as tidy) and blue eyes, though his were the colour of the sky and far more clear-piercing even.

Given his speed at which he was moving, it wasn't long before Isaac started passing the house of Garet, one of his friends. To Isaac's relief, it looked like he and his family and already left for shelter, yet sight was not a sense that should be relied on entirely. Indeed, despite the roar of wind and rain, Isaac would hear someone grunting with exertion, the sound coming from the garden at the back of the house.

Raising an eyebrow, Isaac gave the satisfaction of his curiosity priority and ran to find the source of the sound. He quickly found it, seeing, to his amazement, that Garet was there, trying to drag a heavy chest along using a rope tied around it. Given that the rain had turned the soil into a quagmire and the weight of the damn thing, he wasn't having much luck.

"Garet, what the hell are you doing!?" exclaimed Isaac, running over to his friend. Rage was an emotion that rarely came to Isaac, but given the current circumstances, it was hardly surprising.

"Huh?" asked Garet, looking up to find the source of the question and quickly finding it; "Oh Isaac, it's you." Garet continued to attempt to drag the chest and fail to make any progress; "What does it look like I'm doing?"

"Signing your own death warrant," said Isaac firmly, noticing what Garet seemingly hadn't, that his brown tunic was drenched and his light red hair, which usually stuck upwards like a set of spikes (exactly how that was the case Isaac didn't know) was plastered to his forehead, just like that of everyone else who'd set foot in this storm.

Isaac grabbed Garet's arm; "Come on, you're family's probably waiting for you in the plaza."

Garet looked up, his dark brown eyes registering surprise; "What? They're not here?"

"Fraid not," said Isaac. "They probably assumed that you wouldn't risk your life for materialistic pursuits." The sound of lightning was heard as if to add to Isaac's condemnation.

"Aren't you the pragmatist," Garet murmured, his gaze straying from Isaac to his chest of possessions, then back again. "Still, you're right," he said eventually.

"As usual," said Isaac, noticing that the wind was picking up. "Come on, let's go."

XXXX

Despite the miserable and dire circumstances, Isaac couldn't help but smile faintly at the fact that, even in said circumstances, he and Garet played out their usual roles. Garet tended to be rather headstrong; thinking before acting and paying the price, unless Isaac was able to talk some sense into him before hand, something that he was luckily able to do quite often when the need arose.

The pair cautiously headed over the rope bridge suspended over the river that ran through Vale, its usually clear and calm waters now raging violently, with the banks having burst in many sections, mud churning along in its violent flow. Isaac glanced back at Garet and grinned, seeing that his friend's face was devoid of pigmentation. It was hardly surprising really; simply put, Garet hated water.

Arriving on the other side, the pathway split off into west and south. Unfortunately, only the first option was available to the boys, as the southern one had been blocked by a landslide. "Is fate conspiring against us?" Isaac wondered. With a storm that seemed to defy the laws of nature raging around them, it wasn't so far fetched an assumption in his mind.

True to his nature, Garet wasn't deterred, immediately setting about the task of trying to shift through the rubble. It didn't take him long to realise that it was a wasted effort. "It's no use," he eventually panted. We'll have to find another way. Any ideas?"

Isaac thought about it for a moment, the wind and rain not making the task easy; "Yeah," he said eventually. "We'll head west past Kraden's cottage, then head south, passing by Jenna and Felix's house."

Garet looked slightly uneasy at the proposed plan; Jenna and Felix lived right on the river's edge, and Garet wanted to keep his distance from any body of water, especially in a situation such as this. Still, it was the only route left…

"Alright, let's go," he said eventually. The pair started running down the western path, the wind howling in their ears.

XXXX

Standing outside his house by the raging river, fifteen year old Felix couldn't help but appreciate the irony of the situation. His insistence on staying up reading in his ordinary clothing had ensured that that he was the first member of his family ready to leave after news of the incoming boulder had reached them. Standing on the banks of the river, he was currently waiting for his younger sister Jenna and their parents to change into clothing that was suited to the torrential downpour.

Being literate from an early age, Felix had stayed up late many nights reading various books, starting off with simple subjects like ugly ducks and mischievous rabbits to his current spree, which was based around historical fiction and history itself. He was often berated for wasting candles, but his parents had never been truly angry to find him asleep on the desk, using an open book as a pillow. And although Jenna and their friends, Isaac and Garet, often made fun of him for it (Garet and Jenna in particular), there'd never been any harm in their comments.

Felix had always been a quiet individual and labelled, with good reason, as being deeply perceptive. Looking out at the storm, Felix felt that such a label was justified; how could such a storm have started so suddenly? His dark brown eyes scanned the turbulent sky, but no clues were provided as to why this was the case. His concentration was only broken when the door behind him opened, revealing Felix's thirteen year old sister, Jenna. Surprise was etched on her features;

"Felix? What are you doing out here?" she asked.

"Waiting for you drowsers," he grinned, taking pride in the fact that his love of reading had allowed him to be the first out of the house.

"But in the rain?"

"Hey, if I waited with mum and dad they'd waste time scolding me for staying up late. And if I waited with you, well…"

Jenna sniggered, knowing that she would probably give Felix the same treatment, if only for the sake of it.

Jenna was different from Felix in many ways; by way of physical appearance, Jenna's hair was a lighter brown, always tied up in a ponytail. Her eyes were of the same colour and far less dark than those of her brother. The lighter colours were perhaps a reflection of Jenna's loud, tomboyish personality that stood in stark contrast to her brother's usual quiet disposition.

Still, she could be nice when she wanted to be. Now was one of those times, but more out of concern than anything else, considering how close Felix was standing to the overflowing river.

"Felix, what are you doing!?" she exclaimed, having realised the danger that Felix's proximity represented. "The banks look set to burst!"

Felix looked down; indeed the river was close to overflowing, a section of the pier that extended from their house having already been washed away. Still, he felt little trepidation, the smugness he'd felt from being the first out of the house having led to arrogance. Plus, there was also the golden rule that brothers should rarely, if ever, take advice from their little sisters.

"Relax Jenna, it's not as if the bank is going to collapse at any second-…"

It was at this point that the bank decided to collapse into the river, taking Felix with it…

XXXX

Running down the path that led to the house of his friends Jenna and Felix, Garet couldn't remember having a worse night in his life, and that included ones where his five year old brother Aaron had woken him up due to some nightmare about monsters, or other similar factors.

Isaac had made the right decision concerning which route they should take, but hadn't accounted for the numerous people that had settled upon the same decision. They'd been knocked down numerous times by citizens running in blind panic and the ones they'd helped were in too much of a hurry to express any gratitude.

Despite not being the most insightful of individuals, Garet could tell that he and Isaac had fallen well behind the crowd that had been running down to the plaza, but were still making good progress overall. Despite the heavy rain, he could make out the house of Felix and Jenna. Hoping that they'd made it out safely, the two boys pressed on.

Due to the darkness and intensity of the rain, neither Garet nor Isaac could see that this wasn't the case. True, they could make out the general outline of their friends' house, but not any of the finer details, which as of this moment included the fact that, after having fallen into the river, Felix had managed to grab one of the poles that had supported the pier, specifically until half of it had been washed away.

Luckily, his plight hadn't gone unnoticed. Jenna and her parents; Garcia and Jasmine, along with Dora, were standing on the pier, shouting words of encouragement, half of which were lost to the howling wind. Kyle was there as well, getting ready to throw a rope to the teenager;

"Alright, get ready," yelled Kyle, curling the rope back. However, it was at this moment that Felix lost his grip, being swept away by the raging body of water.

"Nooooo! Felix!" cried out Jenna, burying her face in her mother's arms and sobbing furiously. Despite the usual conflicts that existed between siblings, Jenna and Felix being no exception, the young girl had no wish to see her elder brother removed from her life.

It was only when she heard sighs of relief and cheers of joy that she risked glancing back at the river. She experienced a rush of elation, seeing that Felix had managed to grab hold of a rock a few metres further downstream from the pole. Still ok, but in a more precarious position.

Far more.

Kyle gauged the length of the rope, compared it to how far Felix was away from the pier and threw it down on the wooden planks in frustration. "It's no use," he sighed. "The rope won't reach him from here and standing on the banks is too dangerous." He turned to Garcia; "We'll have to use psynergy."

"Sorry," said Garcia, the fear for his son showing in his eyes and quivering brown moustache. "I don't have any techniques that could help him. How about you Kyle?"

Kyle sighed; "I'm drained from helping the other villagers," he said despondently, his words making Jenna let out another unmuffled sob. The entire situation was a dark tunnel and it was becoming increasingly unlikely that there'd be light at the end of it.

An uneasy silence descended upon the group, the sound of the rain and wind seemingly fading away. "We have to get help," said Dora eventually, causing all present to look at her in surprise. "There's nothing else we can do for him." Uncomfortable silence once again descended upon the group.

"Alright," said Kyle eventually. "But be as quick as you can."

"Jenna, can you go too?" asked her father. Jenna nodded in response, trying to maintain her composure.

"We'll stay here in case it comes to the worse," said Kyle. Nodding, Dora headed back to the shore, Jenna following her.

"I'll check up north," said Dora to the teenager. "You head down to the plaza."

"Y…yes ma'am," whispered Jenna, seemingly having lost most of her ability to speak.

Dora put a hand on Jenna's shoulder; "Your brother's counting on you," she said simply. Her voice was firm but kind, and helped stem the flow of tears coming from the young girl. Nodding, Jenna dashed south, Dora heading in the opposite direction.

XXXX

It came as a great surprise to Isaac when he saw his mother running north, towards the boulder. "Mum, what's going on!?" he yelled. Dora stopped and saw him;

"Isaac!? Why aren't you down at the plaza!?"

"Landslides," replied Garet simply. He cast his eye to where the pier house was, the washed away section of pier and burst banks made his stomach lurch.

"Felix…Jenna…are they alright?" Garet whispered.

Dora looked pensive; "They're fine, except Felix has fallen into the river and we're all out of psynergy. Garcia, Kyle and Jasmine are there with him."

"What about Jenna?" Garet asked.

"She and I have gone to look for someone with psynergy."

Isaac turned pale, the thought of his friends in such dire straits making him feel weak. "Is…is there anything we can do?" he asked.

Dora considered the question, then nodded; "Sure. If you want to help, head down to the plaza. Jenna should be there." Dora went to head north, stopped, then turned back to face Isaac; "Be careful," she added in a softer tone." With that, she continued heading north, looking for someone to help Felix. Within a moment, a silent consensus having formed between the two boys, Isaac and Garet started sprinting in the opposite direction.

XXXX

Isaac was tempted to call out words of encouragement to Felix as he and Garet passed over the southern rope bridge that would take them to the plaza but decided against it, knowing that such an action could distract his friend to the extent that he could lose his precarious grip on the rock. Isaac had no desire to lose such a good friend and the thought of Jenna growing up without a brother… for some reason that elicted just as much fear inside him, though he wasn't quite sure why.

It was strange how he and Garet had both started developing feelings for Jenna that seemed to go beyond normal friendship, but both their parents had refused to talk about it "until they were older." Garet's elder sister, Kay, had said something about adolescence but refused to elaborate, seemingly finding the entire issue humorous. Regardless, they pushed on.

The plaza was in sight.

XXXX

Garet's grandfather, Heph, had been mayor of Vale for twenty-seven of his seventy years in the world, yet despite his age, had never considered it to be a distinct drawback when it came to carrying out his duties. Right now however, his view was beginning to change; standing near the entrance to Vale, upright on his walking stick, supporting a man with grey hair and a wrinkled face, he hardly considered himself to be an inspirational figure.

Vale had remained peaceful for three thousand years and thus wasn't a town where one would expect to find heroes. While beneficial overall, it was this lack of heroes that was coming back to haunt Heph, as, without said exceptional individuals, coping with the storm that had suddenly beset the village was going to prove difficult.

Still, Heph persevered, trying to look reassuring to the villagers who passed by him while heading for Vale's southern exit, wanting to out of harm's way from the boulder if…no, when it fell. However, Heph's act was beginning to deteriorate, as his mind kept wandering to his grandson, Garet.

"What the hell is that boy doing?" wondered Heph as yet another family passed by him, not really taking much notice of the senior citizen that was their mayor. "Where the hell is he!?"

The threat of the boulder, and through it the issue of Garet's safety, was constantly looming on the mayor's mind. He'd sent two more Valeans to help the elders slow its advance, but further help didn't look promising. Thomas, a very muscular man with jet black hair, was charging his psynergy by the giant psynergy stone that was embedded into a small piece of land in the centre of a small pond, but a full recharge would take time, a luxury they didn't have.

So caught up in all these problems, it took Heph around ten seconds to become aware of someone tugging at his tunic. Looking down, he saw Jenna, one of his grandson's friends. Even with the pouring rain, Heph could make out a few tears running down the young girl's face. For Jenna, an individual that had always struck Heph as a bit of a tomboy, to show such emotion, something drastic must have happened.

"Jenna?" exclaimed Heph. "What are you doing here? Where's Felix and the rest of your family?"

"That's…that's what I'm here about," Jenna whispered.

XXXX

The plaza was full of people that were either trying to put as much distance between themselves and the Mt. Aleph boulder or those that were searching for friends or family. Isaac and Garet were of the latter case, namely searching for Jenna. Although both were aware from the outset that finding their friend in such a panicked throng was next to impossible, they-

"Garet, look!" shouted Isaac. There, in the shadow of the purple psynergy stone that stood like a sentinel over all present, were Jenna and Garet's grandfather. With a nod from Garet, the two boys ran over.

"Grandpa! Jenna!" Garet shouted as they neared. Both turned in surprise.

"Garet? Isaac?" Jenna asked, looking a bit more composed than she had been a few minutes ago. "You came to help me?"

"What, you expected otherwise?" asked Isaac, getting a smile in response. It was a welcome sight.

"Good boys," said Heph, trying not to adopt a patronising tone, given the situation. "Jenna could use a hand. We need someone with-…"

"Great, I'm all charged up!" boomed a voice. Four pairs of eyes turned to see Thomas jump their way from the psynergy stone.

"You've finished recharging your psynergy?" asked Heph.

Thomas nodded; "Enough to save Felix at least. Couldn't help overhearing." Isaac expected Jenna to make a point about eavesdropping but instead heard a sigh of relief.

"Very well," said Heph, turning to the two boys. "Isaac, Garet, you two lead the way, the pathways may have been blocked by landslides. I'll see to the remaining villagers." With that, Heph hobbled off, hoping to play hero.

"Isaac…Garet…thank you," said Jenna softly.

Blushing profusely, the two boys led the way.

XXXX

Despite their physical exhaustion, Isaac and Garet quickly led Thomas and Jenna back to the rope bridge suspended over the river near where Felix had fallen in. By this stage the rain had cleared a little, allowing the four to see that Felix was still holding on, both literally and figuratively. Kyle, Garcia and Jasmine were still on the pier, providing vocal support for Felix. Upon seeing Jenna and her companions, the shouting was redirected to her;

"Jenna, is that you?" her father called out.

"Yeah, it's me," Jenna responded. "I also found some help. Is Felix ok?"

"He's hanging in there," answered Kyle. "I-…"

"Jenna!?" interrupted a voice. Dora was seen running from the north. "I couldn't find anyone with psynergy. How'd you do?"

Thomas saw this as his cue and ran on ahead, adjacent to where Felix was. He was about to start using his psynergy when there was a sudden crash…a very loud crash…the type of crash that didn't come from thunder or lightning.

"That seemed to come from Mt Aleph," thought Isaac. Looking up towards the mountain, peering through the rain, he saw the elders scattering in panic, running from… "oh no…"

The Mt Aleph boulder was falling. And it was headed right for the pier where Kyle and Jenna's parents were.

Time seemed to slow; Kyle, Garcia and Jasmine looked up to see the looming rock above them. They and Felix had pure terror etched upon their visages.

Dora ran towards Kyle, despite the fact that she was too far away to make a difference.

Thomas threw what psynergy he had at the stone as he ran towards it, but it was too little too late. He slipped on the mud, twisting his ankle.

Jenna screamed and covered her eyes, not wanting to see what was coming.

Garet and Isaac were paralysed with shock, seeing what was happening, what was about to happen. Like Jenna, Isaac covered his eyes, not wanting to bear witness to the inevitable.

There was a sickening crash. And then…

Silence.

Opening his eyes, Isaac viewed a sight that made him feel like collapsing. Half of the house had been destroyed. The pier was simply…gone. And so were his father and Jenna's family. The howling wind barely registered in Isaac's mind, nor did he feel the chill that the rain brought. The chill of death overshadowed it.

"Kyle…not, it must be a dream…" Dora whispered, staring at the space where her husband had been standing a few seconds ago.

"Mum…dad…Felix…" Jenna whispered. "Please…no…don't leave me like this…" Jenna fell onto her knees, letting the tears come again, with more intensity than ever before.

Thomas lay on the ground staring, his twisted ankle seemingly not bothering him.

Isaac was tempted to join them, to succumb to his grief. His father was gone, along with Jenna's family. He may as well…no, there was still time… "There's still time," Isaac shouted, running back along the rope bridge. There was no indication that anyone had heard him or was even aware of his departure, but Isaac didn't care. He could get back to the plaza, find some help and then run downriver, rescuing them.

The treacherous seed of hope didn't last long. Isaac came to a ledge that overlooked the plaza, seeing that everyone had left, the boulder's fall probably being the final incentive. No-one could help him. The chances of saving the lives of his father and Jenna's family were drastically reduced.

"No," thought Isaac, slumping against the ledge above him, finally giving in to grief and exhaustion. "There never was a chance."

Everything…everything that he'd doe this night had been for nothing. He'd let his family and friends down. He'd failed. The tears finally came bursting out. Isaac didn't care that he was sitting in mud, didn't care that he was freezing from the wind and rain. Nothing seemed to matter anymore. Nothing would ever-…

"Only the two of us survived," came a male voice, weary, yet filled with a degree of power. Isaac heard it but paid little heed, continuing to sob.

'You needn't blame yourself," came another voice. It was female, but filled with the same combination of weariness and power. "How could we have anticipated that Sol Sanctum would unleash such fury?"

Isaac found himself subconsciously getting to his feet and listening intently. Where were the two voices coming from?

"It's a miracle that even the two of us were spared," came the male voice.

"That switch…it must have been a trap…" answered the other.

Isaac finally caught sight of the voices' sources, seeing a man and woman standing on the ledge above him, facing northwards. His feelings of grief began to be replaced by feelings of bewilderment. Sol Sanctum? Switches? What was this all about?

The pair turned towards the village but such was the angle and height that they didn't see Isaac, although that didn't mean he was unaware of their appearance in turn. Luckily, they didn't hear his gasp of shock either; both were indeed humanoid, but there were key differences-the man's skin was a light grey colour, with hair of a similar tone. The woman's pigmentation was white, and her hair a curled gold. She might have been considered attractive, but the red markings on her face that were akin to war paint cancelled out any notion of that.

"But to think that the sanctum could conjure up a storm this powerful!" continued the man.

"Merely another demonstration of the awesome powers of alchemy," his female counterpart stated simply.

The man nodded; "Perhaps. Regardless, we must not fail the next time we challenge Sol Sanctum." With that, the pair began to walk away.

"Agreed," said the woman. "Next time we shall certainly-…"

"Isaac, wait!" yelled a voice.

Isaac's heart skipped a beat as he saw Garet running towards him. The pair stopped, turned, walked back to the edge of the ledge and looked down at Isaac with menace.

"You were listening to us just now, weren't you?" the man hissed.

"Y-y-yes," Isaac stammered. The power the pair radiated…Isaac felt that lying would not only fail to fool them, but would incur even more of their likely wrath.

"Isaac?" asked Garet, walking up to him. "Who are these people? What's going on?"

"You must forget everything you heard," said the female simply.

"Huh?" asked Garet, oblivious to the nature of the situation. "Forget what? How can we just forget something?"

"Oh don't worry," grinned the man. "We'll help you!"

With that, the pair jumped down from the ledge. Isaac saw that the man was equipped with a longsword and the woman a scythe, but neither had their weapons drawn. Before Isaac or Garet could fully comprehend the situation, the man raised his hand. There was a white flash of heat, excruciating pain, and then…nothing.

The man walked up to the unconscious boys, nudging both with his foot. Apparently satisfied with the results, he turned to his partner. Both gave a nod of understanding. With that, they headed south along the riverbanks, out of Vale, into the night, leaving the unconscious bodies of their victims behind them.

The sun was rising and the storm was abating. But for some, such tidings would bring no comfort.