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Dawn came over the land of Weyard and sunlight drifted through the early
morning haze, making its best attempt to warm the Lemurian vessel. It failed
miserably. Thankfully for her, Jenna didn’t need the sun to warm her up – she
could barely feel the cold anyway. There were definitely some advantages to
being a Mars Adept.
No-one else was game enough to risk the open air when it was tainted by the
chilling embrace of the early dawn. Well, perhaps Garet would, but he preferred
the joys of sleep to the beauty of the morning. Sometimes, Jenna couldn’t blame
him, but she had to admit that it was worth getting up early to witness it.
It was very quiet – the only noise was the lapping of the water against the
boat keel, and the occasional creaking of a loose wooden plank. Such
peacefulness let Jenna reflect on all that had been, and all that may well be in
the near future.
Despite her outward appearance of a short-tempered, stubborn tomboy, Jenna
was a lot more. She loved to think about the situations she had been through,
and reflect on everything that had passed. A memory was a precious thing – a
human life was short, and every little occurrence was something to be treasured,
for better or worse. Jenna’s memories were so different from others, even at
this young age.
Before her, none had ever attempted to light the four elemental lighthouses
like she was now. Before her, few had traveled all over Weyard like she had. It
was an interesting thought to take in.
Jenna sighed and straightened her cloak, leaning against the rail of the
boat. The Great Western Sea. In only a few more days they would reach the frozen
city of Prox, according to her brother. Then they would light the final
lighthouse... had Agatio, Karst, and Alex not done so by now.
And among her were four people who, merely days ago, had been striving to
stop them and prevent the beacons from being lit once again.
Among them was Isaac.
Jenna lowered her gaze, staring deeply into the ocean’s depths and losing
herself in the lapping of the water. Isaac. With Garet, he was her best friend.
They had known each other forever... and during that time they had barely been
apart. Whether they had been playing tag in the plaza, or studying Alchemy with
Kraden, they had been together. Only now did Jenna realize that the past few
months had been the longest time they had spent apart in their whole life.
The golden-haired young man named Isaac... one of the most prominent figures
in her life. A quiet person, but always helpful and always ready to share his
courage and his strength with others. Jenna had always turned to him when she
needed help. More so than Garet, more so than her brother... Isaac had been the
one whom she relied on. Depended on.
And then in one short event, they had been separated under undesirable
circumstances. Taken from Vale against her will, she had found herself almost
disregarding her own safety and conditions. Instead, Jenna had been hoping with
all her heart that Isaac had survived the encounter with The Wise One. For days
on end she had been consumed by her worry, desperately praying to whatever deity
may exist that her best friend lived on.
It was in those days when she truly came to terms with how much he meant to
her. He was no simple friend to her... no simple helper in her terms of need.
There was something about him... something that Jenna was unable to truly
comprehend.
On top of the Mercury Lighthouse, she had seen his face once more, if only at
a distant glimpse. He had traveled after her... he was coming to save her. Like
a knight in shining armour from all the old stories, Isaac had come to free her
from her captivity.
The sensation that she felt from his presence, from his thoughts... in that
instant, when she had seen him preparing to fight her Proxian captors... the
sensation stepped forth into the light and revealed itself.
Love.
Jenna sighed and allowed herself a smile. Isaac... knowing that she had
finally come to terms with her emotions had been pure heaven and pure hell all
at once. Heaven, because her entire being was caught in the rapture of her
feelings. Hell, because she knew that every day ahead he or she may die... and
they would never be together again.
Now they were. On the Jupiter Lighthouse, Isaac had almost been slaughtered
by Agatio and Karst. She had worked with Sheba to heal him and the other Jupiter
Adept, the boy called Ivan. On the verge of death, she had felt all her
self-control begin to slip away... it had almost been enough to make her break
down and cry. Every ounce of her effort had been used to keep her emotions from
showing. It hadn’t been the right time... the right place.
They had both lived on. Death had been forestalled. And the two groups had,
much to Jenna’s delight, banded together for the sake of pursuing the two back
to the Prox. But she had been unable to come clean with herself then... there
was too much looming over their heads. Too many events were now in motion that,
should they continue spinning, would tear Weyard asunder. Her own concerns had
to be put aside.
But here, in the quiet of the dawn, Jenna was allowed that chance to think on
matters regarding herself. It was no longer the world... she could temporarily
take off the mantle of responsibility from her shoulders and think just as a
regular human. She could think as Jenna the person, not Jenna the hero.
A hero. Such a prominent word, and here she was using it in self-description.
Jenna laughed quietly to herself. She was not a hero. It had never been her own
design to get entangled in these events. Had Felix not return as a companion to
Alex... had everything remained the way it was... who knew what would have
happened in the months to come? What experiences would she have had that were
lost to her forever more?
Jenna seemed so small. She had explored all corners of Weyard. She had seen
nearly everything it had to offer. And she was just one girl... it all seemed
far too big for her to be involved. No matter what she did, she was
inconsequential – the world would continue without her meager field of
influence.
Well. She may have been small, but Jenna knew that she was inextricably tied
into the fate of Weyard. Regardless of the outcome, there was no way to escape
that now.
But that did not particularly matter to her... what did any of it matter? To
Jenna, the only true thing that mattered to her was her feelings. She had always
been a strong young person... independent, tough, and sometimes a little brash.
But there was a deep interior to her core, one that she held close to her heart.
Her emotions were strong... they were not something to be scoffed at. Deep
down, on the inside, Jenna’s emotions ruled her. They defined her being – how
she reacted, how she saw things, what she considered to be moral.
They also defined what was important to her.
What was important to her was Isaac. She knew this beyond doubt these days...
it seemed impossible to ignore. The golden-haired young man whom she had spent
so long with... the one who she’d only become closer to in his absence. Denying
her emotions was like denying the existence of time.
A light touch on her shoulder brought Jenna to her senses, and she
straightened suddenly. She span on her heel to face the intruder.
It was Isaac. Somehow she had guessed it would be.
“Sorry I disturbed you,” Isaac said, withdrawing his hand. “Did I interrupt
anything?”
Jenna shook her head and gave him a cheery little smile. “No, nothing at all.
I was just thinking.”
Isaac nodded and moved to the rail, leaning beside her and looking out over
the water. Jenna returned to her previous position, and her eyes joined his in
scanning the horizon.
“I never imagined it would come to this,” Isaac murmured. “I had always
imagined that we would come and save you... instead, you’re the one that saved
me. And now we’ve teamed up in order to accomplish something I sought to stop.”
Jenna nodded, thinking how on how much harder it would have to be for him to
come to terms with such a thing. She could understand it well enough, but her
feet had been planted firmly on this path for countless months now. He had only
altered his path and joined her a few days ago... it would take him some time to
adjust.
“Afraid that you weren’t able to be a knight in shining armour for me?” Jenna
joked.
Isaac laughed. Jenna smiled deeply at this reaction... it felt good to see
him laugh. She could feel her heart pounding inside her chest... Isaac’s
presence in such close proximity to hers seemed to strengthen her emotions for
him.
“I suppose so.” Isaac shifted his gaze to face her. “Still... I am glad that
we’re together again. I’ve missed you, Jenna.”
Jenna could barely keep her eyes on his. “I missed you too. I don’t think a
day went by without me thinking of you... where you were, what you were doing,
whether you were safe... I lost a lot of sleep because of it.” She laughed.
“I must admit, I did the same,” Isaac confessed. He hesitated slightly. “I
was worried about you so much. You and Garet are my best friends... without you
both at my sides, I just didn’t feel complete. Nothing seemed to feel right.”
Jenna inched closer to him and touched his hand with hers. “Do you feel
complete now?” she asked quietly.
Isaac also inched closer, until their shoulders were rubbing together. He
gripped her hand tightly and gave it a friendly squeeze. “Yes... I do.”
Jenna’s heart was certainly pounding now. Almost without realizing it, her
head was resting on his shoulder, looking out over the water. She seemed to be
in a trance... her feelings were overwhelming all other thoughts in her body,
until the only thing she could focus on was Isaac.
“I feel complete now,” Isaac continued. “You make me feel complete.”
“You do the same for me,” Jenna whispered. “Isaac... I... I love you.”
Isaac’s grip suddenly went tighter around her hand, and Jenna continued.
“I’ve never been able to stop thinking about you. Ever since I saw you
following me on the aerie of the Mercury Lighthouse... I knew you would stop at
nothing to save me. You would face death a million times just to pursue my
captors. I knew from that moment, that you were special to me... no-one else
would ever do such a thing. I can’t deny it... I’ve loved you from that moment
onward.”
Isaac’s grip relaxed in hers, and he sighed slightly.
“Me too... I never saw this journey as a trip to save the world. That was
mere details. The thoughts at the forefront of my mind for the whole time was
‘save Jenna’. Nothing else mattered to me except your safe return. I wanted you
back so much... just so I could be with you.”
Isaac turned his head to face hers and kissed his forehead softly.
“I love you Jenna.”
“I love you too Isaac...”
His arm snaked around her waist and pulled her tighter to him. Jenna felt
herself swept up in his arms, and she craned her head to reach his. Their lips
met, and they kissed tenderly.
For Jenna, it was the most perfect sunrise ever.
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