Well, hello again. It's been a while, hasn't it? Three months, at least. Once again, I apologize for the delay, and will try to get chapters out faster in the future. (Yes, I know, I say that every time, and it never happens...)

I was amazed at the reaction to the last chapter. I thought it would bore you out of your minds... But I'm glad to see it didn't. I'd also like to remind you that now the story is heading towards the climax, and some things will be revealed that may not yet make sense. For those of you who have noticed discrepancies between the storyline and what Hama explained last chapter, that's good! It means you're paying attention. Just remember, simply because a character says something doesn't mean it's the whole truth- or even true at all. They are as much in the dark about what's going on as you are. And I intend to keep it that way... :) Just kidding! Don't worry, everything will come together in the end.

With that out of the way, let's continue!

CHAPTER 18

With the Eyes of a Child

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Isaac leaned back against the wall of the Inn, wondering if it was really a good idea to fall asleep. He was dead tired after the various emotional and physical battles of the day. However, he had no desire to return to the other world and face Felix's enthusiastic war preparation. The older Venus Adept seemed to take Isaac's appearance as an omen that revolution was nigh, and kept dragging him off to review troops or look at multicolored scribbles on maps.

Last night, Felix had taken him to the docks. Isaac thought back on the incident and smiled, remembering how the raven-haired Adept had swept his arm out grandly while showing him the 'armada'.

"Look at it," he had said, gazing proudly at the array of ships crowding the tiny Laliveran docks. "Isn't it magnificent?"

Isaac agreed that there were certainly a lot of boats packed into a small area, but he wouldn't call the sight 'magnificent.' Besides the trio of winged Lemurian ships, the only other seaworthy vessel was a chunky wooden behemoth powered by a square white sail. The remaining craft in the harbor were small fishing skiffs and barges.

"Yes, it's impressive," Felix continued, not bothering to look for Isaac's reaction. "But it's not large enough, I'm afraid. The Imperial Navy has at least twice as many ships as we do. They're based out of Champa," he added. "Isaac took over after driving away most of the villagers. The survivors came here." He pointed to the large sailing ship.

Felix continued walking, dragging Isaac along behind him. They passed the first Lemurian ship, which was being loaded with crates from the back of an oxcart. Isaac noticed Picard among the workers, his blue hair unmistakable beneath the scorching Laliveran sun.

"As you can see, we have three Lemurian vessels," Felix said, nodding towards the workers. "The one on the far end belongs to Picard, while the center one was Babi's and the closest one to us was one that escaped the destruction of its homeland." The Venus Adept's eyes darkened. "And it with only a handful of refugees, all of whom later perished from battle or the separation from their healing springs." His tone darkened. "Three Lemurian ships, and only one Lemurian left to guide them…" His eyes focused on Picard for a moment, then flickered back to Isaac.

"All three were outfitted with wings by the Contigans," he continued briskly, his voice bright once more. "We were able to get Sunshine, the blacksmith in Yallam, to divide the Hover Jade into three portions without losing its power." Seeing Isaac's blank look, he added, "That's the stone that gives the ship its ability to fly."

He led Isaac up the gangplank of the nearest ship. "We embedded a chip of the Jade into each steering wheel," he said, pointing to the small disc of bright green stone poking out of the wood. "Now any Adept can provide power by channeling their Psynergy into it. We remove the stones between journeys, of course, to prevent thieves from running off with the ships. There are far too many rogue Adepts these days."

"Why is that, anyway?" Isaac asked. "There were never this many before... And yet most of the soldiers we've met have Psynergetic powers."

"It's Alchemy," Felix replied. "It awakened the latent powers in many people- not all of them law-abiding. It's also partially his doing." He jerked his thumb over his shoulder in the general direction of Angara. "He's been taking fledgling Adepts and exposing them to Psynergy stones, then training them for his army."

"So are all his soldiers Adepts, then?"

"A good number. Some of the castle guards aren't, because the aura there tends to drive most mages insane."

"That could explain a lot of things..." Isaac mused.

"Probably," Felix sighed. "Alchemy has certainly brought a lot of evil into the world." But he hesitated. "And yet..."

"What?"

"Nothing..." Felix shook his head. "It's just... sometimes, I wonder... If the lighthouses aren't supposed to be lit, why are they here at all?"

Isaac hadn't had an answer to that.

His thoughts were interrupted by the door opening, and Ivan slipping into the room. The boy was almost in tears.

"Ivan?" Isaac said, immediately sitting up and swinging his legs off the edge of the bed. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Nothing. Everything's fine," Ivan replied shortly. His body was rigid, as though poised to run away.

"You sure? You don't look so good..."

Ivan shook his head, then nodded, then shook his head again. "Yes. No. I don't know..." He sat down on the bed beside Isaac. "It's just-she... she..."

"Who?" Isaac asked, as the Jupiter Adept's voice trailed off.

"My sis- Hama." He stopped talking for a moment. His eyes looked like two flooded saucers about to overflow. "She said... and I know I'm overreacting, but it's just that... after everything, I thought... I hoped..."

"What did she say?" Isaac asked gently.

"She... she said that I was... overly sentimental. And that if she had told me about us being family at Lama Temple, I would have abandoned my quest to be with her. And she said that I shouldn't think of her as a sister until the quest was over, and that we should hurry on to Mars Lighthouse as quickly as possible." He looked down. "And she's right, I guess... I oughtn't let this distract me, but..." He trailed off again.

"...But?" Isaac prompted.

Ivan's eyes suddenly narrowed. "But in the other world, she seemed happy to see me!" he said, with an anger that startled Isaac. "She didn't act like I was some sort of tool to be used in her plans! I'll bet she wouldn't even care if I end up dying as long as I light her precious lighthouse..."

"Now you know that's not true," Isaac said. "You saw how distraught she was in Altin."

"Yeah?" Ivan laughed bitterly. "So what? She said herself that's not real."

Isaac paused. "...Well..." he said slowly. "Maybe not. But still... Ivan, she does care about you. Maybe she hasn't shown it yet, but you must remember, this is not exactly the best time for reunions..."

"I know, but..." Ivan looked away.

"Ivan," Isaac said gently. "...I'm not exactly an expert on siblings, but... I've seen people who have them, and there's one thing I know for certain- no matter how much they fight and bicker, they still love each other. I'm sure Master Hama is the same way. Just give her a chance..."

Ivan didn't answer, merely looking at the bedspread.

"What you need now is sleep," Isaac decided, seeing how tired and confused the Jupiter mage looked. "I know it won't make that much difference, but... At least you'll feel better in the morning."

Ivan sighed, and stood up. "...All right. G'night, Isaac..." He headed for the door. Stopping with his hand on the knob, he glanced behind him. "And... thank you."

"No problem," Isaac replied, smiling. Ivan gave him a tired nod and slipped through the door.

Isaac leaned back on the bed, staring at a stain on the ceiling. He let out a low sigh. He probably should take his own advice... Closing his eyes, he tried to relax. It would be hard going back there again.

It isn't real, he told himself. But he couldn't make himself believe...

Outside the gates of Lalivero, a man in a brown cloak stood beside the large drawbridge leading into the city. He glanced up at the sun, already scorching though it was only about seven in the morning. The man cursed inwardly; he had hoped to reach the city much earlier, when it was still dark. There was nothing for it but to enter, and lie low until the sun went down again. He eyed the retractable bridge spanning the river. The distance was too great... He would have to get inside the city the ordinary way.

He stepped onto the drawbridge, stepping briskly across the sun-bleached planks. Each footstep made the wooden structure creak in protest.

"Halt," the gate guard said, half-heartedly. The soldier was obviously boiling in his armor, and ran a finger under the sweat-drenched headband he wore beneath a shiny iron helm. "What business do you have in Lalivero?"

"I am a traveler from Suhalla," the stranger replied smoothly. "I'm here to visit some old friends." It was not entirely a lie.

The guard glared at him suspiciously, but he was much too hot to inquire further. "Go ahead in," he muttered, shifting his grip on his spear.

The traveler nodded politely and complied, passing through the thick archway into the city streets.

"So what're we doing today?" Isaac asked, as he, Ivan, and the group of alternate-Adepts stood in the main plaza. Random citizens bustled around them, going about their daily business.

"Well," replied Felix, holding up a tightly wound scroll of paper, "I was going to show you the blueprints of the castle Garet's drawn up for me so we can plan our attack, but it's much too hot indoors." He glared accusingly up at the sun. "So as soon as Picard manages to get his lazy self over here, we're going to find some shade where we can work."

"Sounds good to me," Ivan said, shading his eyes and peering out across the plaza, looking for the distinctive hair of the Lemurian. The only people in sight, however, were ordinary citizens and a group of children, which included Dylan and Gregory, playing stickball in a corner. Mia and Sheba sat watching them, Sheba with her new baby on her lap. Beside them, Rose and Sheba's daughter Tierra were playing quietly with dolls. Well, Rose was playing quietly- Tierra was babbling away nonstop in the way only toddlers can.

"Ah, there he is, finally," Felix said, as the Lemurian came into view from a side street. Ivan waved at him, standing on tiptoe so he would be more visible above the milling people. Picard noticed him and waved back, lengthening his already long stride. He reached the group a moment later and nodded to Felix.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," he said. "There was a bit of a commotion at the docks. Someone thought they saw somebody sneaking around the ships, but it turned out to be a false alarm."

"That's good," Felix said. "We can't afford to lose anymore vessels, not after the incident with the Interceptor..."

"What're you talking about?" Isaac asked curiously, as he saw Picard's eyes darken.

"We originally had four Lemurian ships..." The mariner replied, his gold eyes not meeting Isaac's blue ones. "Four years ago... after the destruction of Lemuria, the survivors fled in two ships to Lalivero. We, of course, welcomed them with open arms... Most of those who had survived didn't last long. Some, like King Hydros, were already old, and died because of the lack of the healing springs to sustain their life... but most did not. My uncle commanded the Lemurian vessel, the Interceptor. His crew consisted of all the Lemurian men and women who were willing to fight. Even those were not many, and he had to take on others to fill out his crew... They won many battles against Isaac, and some called them invincible. Until one day...

Two years ago, Isaac's fleet launched an attack against the small fishing village in the straights around Indra. Of course, my uncle set out at once to rescue it. When they got there... They found the village razed to the ground, and that they had sailed right into a trap. Isaac's navy surrounded the ship, their numbers bolstered by support from Alhalfra. My uncle didn't stand a chance. The Interceptor was destroyed, but not after taking several of their ships with them. But they had the resources to rebuild them... we do not. We are still suffering from the loss of our ship.

Picard sighed, and concluded his tale. "The few Lemurians who were not aboard the Interceptor died off later, from various causes. It seems only by sheer luck that I have managed to survive. Maybe it is because I have lived so long among those of the outside world... it allows me to better understand the dangers we face here, dangers the other Lemurians were not prepared for... But whatever the reason, I am now the only Lemurian left. After I die, my people will be lost forever."

"Hey, you don't know that," Felix said, trying to cheer up his friend. "You can still have children, right? There'll still be Lemurians left in the world."

Picard looked at him sideways. "I doubt that I will ever marry, Felix."

"I used to think that too, and now I've got two kids. Don't worry, Picard. The right woman will come along before you know it."

"It's the 'not knowing' part that's the problem," Picard said dryly.

"That's not what I meant..." Felix continued his debate, but Isaac's attention was wandering. His eyes swept over the stones of the courtyard, taking in every sunny sandstone building and shadowed alley. It just didn't make sense, he thought. If this place wasn't real, then how did it know about Picard before Isaac had even met him in his own world? If this was only imagination, then why did he feel real pain from injuries sustained here? How could a dream ever be so detailed as to conjure this?

There was a small commotion nearby. A pedestrian walked in the way of an oxcart driving past the central fountain, a few yards from where Isaac stood. The driver of the cart swerved sideways to avoid a collision, overbalancing his vehicle. A torrent of fresh fruit spilled from the upturned cart, rolling over the cobblestones. The playing children immediately ran to snatch it up, while being pursued by their mothers.

The driver pulled himself from the wreck and stormed angrily towards the pedestrian, who was trying to sneak away into the crowd. The person was wearing a long, light brown cloak that obscured his face and blocked the Laliveran sun. He almost slipped away but the man grabbed him by the arm, shouting incomprehensible words in a booming voice. But Isaac didn't even try to pay attention to him. He was riveted by the man, for when the driver had grabbed him, it had shaken loose his hood, and revealed the long, blue hair underneath.

"That's Alex!" Felix gasped, breaking off his conversation with Picard. He looked shocked. "I thought he was dead long ago!"

Alex struggled in the grip of the driver, then turned and saw the group of Adepts staring at him. Even from this distance, Isaac could see the cold, calculated sneer appear on his face. The next moment, there was a blinding blast of Psynergy and the oxcart driver lay several feet away on the cobblestones, unmoving. There were screams in the crowd and panicked pounding of feet as everyone tried to get out of the line of fire.

Alex floated into the air, surrounded by rings of bright blue Psynergy. Isaac thought back to that day in Sol Sanctum, when he had first met the man, floating above the platforms in the inner chamber.

"Well, that didn't go quite as planned, but no matter," Alex said, in an almost cheerful manner. "I don't need to sneak around, anyway. I can finish this here and now." As if to prove a point, he pointed a hand at the oxcart driver, who was rising to his feet, moaning, and sent a blast of Psynergy that sent him headfirst into the remains of his vehicle. Isaac stared, appalled at the display of violence.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded, desperately wishing for his sword.

"Well... actually, I was sent to kill you..." he smirked.

Then there was a flash of light, and suddenly Alex was behind him. The Venus Adept had only time to register the fading glow of Teleport before he heard the soft whistling of the katana behind his ear. Throwing himself to the ground, the blade whisked past where his neck had been moments before. Isaac rolled over and kicked out at his opponent, but the man had vanished again. He quickly stood up, spotting Alex standing a few feet away, his calm demeanor slightly disrupted.

"You're quicker than I expected," the water mage admitted, his eyebrows furrowed. "But no matter..."

He teleported again, and Isaac tensed, ready to dodge a second time. But Alex was nowhere near him. In fact, he was on the opposite end of the courtyard.

"If I cannot take your life, then I shall have to take the next best thing," Alex said evenly, while holding his katana to Dylan's throat.

Isaac froze. Garet, standing a few feet away, let out a strangled cry and stepped forward.

"Take another step and he dies," Alex declared. Garet stopped, his entire body taut with rage.

"Why, Alex?" Isaac demanded, his fists clenched. "He's innocent. I thought even you weren't low enough to stoop to using hostages."

"Why? There are several reasons, my dear boy." Alex laughed, fueling Isaac's anger. "While my power is far superior to yours, you have demonstrated a certain skill of your own. I certainly would be able to kill you, eventually, but the strength of numbers is in your favor. The likely outcome would be us both dying, and I'm not too keen on that." He smirked. "On the other hand, my master will not be pleased with me returning empty handed. So, I shall bring back a present to keep him pacified."

He took a step backwards, dragging Dylan with him. The boy looked petrified, staring wide-eyed at his parents across the cobblestones.

"And now, I bid you farewell. Till we meet again, Isaac, if that is truly your name... You shan't be so lucky next time."

He gave a left handed salute, grasped Dylan firmly by the arm, and with weapon still to the boy's throat, disappeared.

We're nearing the end. If fate is kind, there should be two more chapters and an epilogue. If fate is not kind, there will be twenty more chapters and an epilogue. This story is taking on a life of its own...

And on another side note, I'm very angry at FF.N for taking away my ability to use happy-face emoticons... T.T
Well, at least I still have the sad face to express my disappointment...