++The Lovers: CHAPTER 3++

Prologue

Chapter 3:

After the events at Jupiter Lighthouse, the Mars Adepts and I were all too happy to part ways. Karst and Agatio, with the Mars Star now in their possession, departed north to their hometown of Prox so they could enter the Mars Lighthouse and light the Mars Beacon, thereby completing Saturos's original objective. Whereas I immediately prepared the final phase of my master plan: I knew that once the last of the four Lighthouses Beacons were lit, the place for me would be at the top of Mt. Aleph.

Yet, I had unfinished business to attend to before I became God.

Once Karst and Agatio were out of my hair, I watched as Felix's group and yours took shelter in Contigo, the ancient city of the Anemos; that was rumored to rise up into the sky and became the moon. Both parities were finally reunited, and I knew that the two groups would finally settle their differences.

I decided to wait. I wouldn't interrupt.
But before I realized it, suddenly, night had fallen.
Although your combined party now had the 'Wings of Anemos', you all decided to stay the night in the Inn. This was my last chance.

In the middle of night, when the sky had completely fallen and the stars now lit Weyard, I watched as you stepped out from the Inn and left the village. Obviously, I was curious, and this was the perfect chance for us to talk alone. For the first, and probably last, time.

I followed you as you walked to the edge of the Contigo crater, where once the ancient city of Anemos rested before Alchemy was stolen from the world. You stopped abruptly, your yellow scarf breaking the darkness in the breeze.

"I knew you had followed us…" you turned to face me.

Those grey blue eyes of yours, so cold. Why did you have to look at me in such a manner? Did you know that it was rude to stare so fiercely at someone that lov- my thoughts digressed.

I smirked as I flicked my azure hair back, " It's only natural, our journey has yet to be completed. You still plan on traveling to the Mars Lighthouse, correct?"

Isaac crossed his arms, but his eyes refused to leave me, "Yes. Elemental energy drives the growth of civilization. Without it, we and our world will wither. Also-" Isaac stopped and shook his head.

"Your father, and Felix's parent's, are being held in Prox," I concluded for him.

"Saturnos and Menardi had more tricks up their sleeves then I realized," Isaac nodded, "but we must complete what we were sent out to do," you paused as you looked back at the crater, "Why are you here, Alex?  You have proven to be nothing but a traitor, yet here you accost me alone."

I tried to hide the smirk on my lips, " I may be a traitor, Isaac, but are not Felix, Garet, Jenna, and you not the same? Was it not Felix who wanted to take the blame for violating the Sacred Teachings of Vale all to himself? Traitor indeed, I just wanted to see Alchemy restored like the rest of you. Does that make me a monster?"

Your eyes seemed to burn with hatred as you listened to me, but I knew you understood that this was the truth. Or part of the truth.

"A..monster..," you repeated slowly, " Wait, you didn't answer my question! Why are you here?

"Mercury is naturally attracted to Sulfur. The pair is considered the parents of all metals."

"What?" you looked dumbfounded.  Did I sound like Kraden?

"Alchemists thought of mercury as the First Matter from which all metals were formed. They believed that different metals could be produced by varying the quality and quantity of sulfur contained within the mercury. Sulfur is the vitriol of Venus simply separated from a white, ductile, mercurial body."

Were you blushing? I couldn't help but bite my lip, I realized I had said too much,

"Never mind that, Isaac. I have a question for you- Do you still have the Lemurian ships?"

You frowned, " Plan on stealing more ships?"

I couldn't help but smirk back, "I was hoping you could lend it to me…since you now have that other amateur Mercury Adept's ship."

You crossed your arms in thought and took a step towards me. I tried to keep my composure, but I kept wondering what you were thinking as I avoided your gaze. Suddenly, you tossed me a Black Orb, "Take the ship, Alex. I don't know why I'm doing this but….one day this will all make sense…"

"Until then."

Turning my back on you, I began to walk away. Words and thoughts escaped me, why could I not think of anything to say? Was it because I no longer wished to lie to your face?

"How unlike you Alex, to not properly say good-bye…"

I stopped.
You were right; I was always rather the polite one.
Quite the oxymoron, all things considered.
I glanced back and saw you smiling at me, eyes dancing like the sky and your hair radiating like the sun. I didn't want to say farewell to you, this moment was too perfect.

"Good-bye, Isaac."

"Good-bye, Alex. Don't get yourself killed, OK?" You laughed slightly, were you nervous?

"Be the hero you were destined to be, Isaac. Light the Mars Lighthouse and save the world."

Shock from my words were clear upon your face, but I meant every word of it.
Equivalent Exchange, in order to obtain something, something of equal value must first be given up. Isaac was the hero of this story, not me. Was I the monster, the villain? Or was I the Angel that Alchemy needed.

Psynergy surrounded my person as I warped out of Contigo. Only my words remained on that cold night breeze before the Golden Sun.

Our time was up, Isaac. Now was the moment for a new dawn.

"By the philosophers I am named Mercurius.
My spouse is the gold;
I am the old dragon found everywhere on the globe of the earth,
father and mother, young and old, very strong and very weak,
death and resurrection, visible and invisible, hard and soft;
I descend into the Earth and ascend into the Heavens,
I am the highest and the lowest, the lightest and the heaviest.
I am dark and light.
Often the order of nature is reversed in me.
I am known yet do not exist at all.
I am the carbuncle of the sun, the most noble purified earth,
through which you may change copper, iron, tin and lead into gold.

With bravery and broadness of understanding,
The mysteries of my art are to be done,
I am the egg of nature,
that only the wise one knows,
who by piety and modesty
let the microcosm arise out of me,
what is destined to people by the most high God,
but what is given only to a few, while most long for it in vain:
that they do well to those in poverty from my treasury
and that their soul will not cling to the transitory gold.


~*~

Stopping close to the peak of Mt. Aleph, I glanced out at the view that was Angara. I could see the village of Vale, Isaac's hometown, but it looked rather vacant.

I shrugged at this observation and took a seat to catch my breath. I had been warping all the way up this mountain and my psynergy was running low. I smirked and laughed out loud as I realized that low psynergy wouldn't be a problem after I obtained the Golden Sun. My mind was flourishing on the idea of supreme power, yet once again my thoughts waned back to Isaac as I looked down at Vale. I had an odd sense of déjà-vu, something suddenly felt off.

Just then, my eye caught a red spark in the distance. I stood up and realized I didn't have the strength to warp anymore. Instantly I clung to the mountain side and began climbing,

"The Golden Sun…The very quintessence of Alchemy's power! It's beginning!"

In the distance light from each lighthouse began to form above me. A golden sphere of alchemy was finally within my grasp. As I reached the summit of Mt. Aleph, I threw my hands to the sky as a beam of golden light blinded me. Suddenly I felt a power like no other coarse through my veins and Weyard inhaled me as its new God.

Finally, Mercury and the Golden Sun were united. A perfect union of Moon and Sun. I gave shape to the Stone of Sages, infused with immense power and limitless life: effectively, the power of the Golden Sun itself.

Greed consumed me as I began to laugh, "At last! I have it! Eternal life...and limitless power! At last, the power of nature is mine to control, as I will! Rise, storms! Rise up and unleash your might upon Vale and the foothills of Mt. Aleph!"

So soon was my humanity tossed aside now that I had the power of the Golden Sun. The fact that I wished to destroy Isaac's hometown didn't even register in my mind. Yet, there was only silence, "That's odd... I should have limitless power... So why can't I call up a simple storm?" My confusion was answered when I could suddenly see a large blue eye staring me down, "The Wise One? Vale's protector…"

"You wish to have limitless power?" the floating rock asked.

"Wish to? I just got it!" I jeered.

"No. Your power is nearly limitless, but it has boundaries."

"Nearly limitless…You speak in riddles. Can't you see? The power is mine!"

"Yes. You also have nearly limitless life. And your Psynergy is... somewhat stronger."

"If you are trying to anger me, have a little taste of exactly how much power I have attained! Look at me! My body is brimming with power!"

With the power of a God, I thought I could easily push the Wise One away, however, I was telepathically driven into the ground and immobilize within seconds, "How!? What's going on? I should be all-powerful! How can you defeat me?!?"
"You are not all-powerful, Alex. Your power has its limits, as does your life."

"That cannot be! 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?" I gasped. Suddenly I could feel my heart beating rapidly through my chest. I was not only in the ground, but I was speechless.

"I believe you know better then anyone else, Alex," the Wise One answered, "From the very beginning I knew your intent, your dream, and your hearts desire.  I saw what was to come in the future; Dreams of power and dominion, attempting to use Alchemy's power for developing militaries and waging wars in the name of conquest…"

You could say, my hate for the Wise One began here, yet there was more.

The Wise One continued, "I also saw your love for Isaac, Alex. Even though it was the first time you met him, your mind said it all. How did you put it, it was only natural? A glimmer of hope, a chance of purification of earth and fire. I had hoped, that maybe you're mind would change, yet you still tried to steal the power of the Golden Sun for yourself,…" Suddenly the earth around me began to shake. Mt. Aleph started to tremble and submerge itself into the ground, " 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!"

"Flee?! I can't flee! I can't even move!"

"Ah, yes. You now see the limits of your power. If you are swallowed by the earth, you may not survive. If you survive, perhaps we shall meet again someday..."

My world went mute as the Wise One disappeared and I was swallowed by the earth that was Mt. Aleph. All this time I thought I had been out-witting everyone, however, it seems I was being played the fool.

The Wise One….
We would see again someday, the day I gain my revenge.

Isaac…
It would seem we would see each other again someday as well.
I thought that the next time I saw you I would be a God, but it turns out that the next time I saw you…

I might have to kill you too, Isaac.

Yet as I fell from the first place we met, I realized I wasn't only falling from Mt. Aleph, but I was falling for you.

I am called Mercurius by the Philosphers;
my mate is the philosophical gold;
I contain the light of nature (lumen naturale);
I am the dark and the light,
I come forth from heaven and earth;
I am known but do not exist;
all colors radiate in me
and all metals by the sun's rays.
I am the solar carbuncle,
the most refined, glorified earth,
by which you can change
copper, iron, tin and lead
into gold.

~*~