Wise One

The Wise One, a large, spherical, boulder-like entity with one single eye as his only organic feature, is the being that influences the majority of the events in the Golden Sun series. The Wise One had initially laid dormant within Sol Sanctum, in Mt. Aleph. Based on his actions at the beginning of Golden Sun and at the end of The Lost Age, the Wise One’s motives and purpose are only somewhat apparent: Because Alchemy was sealed away within Mt. Aleph in the ancient past to save the world from the destruction brought about by Alchemy’s abuse as a military weapon, the Wise One is essentially the guardian of Alchemy’s seal. When the inevitable attempt by Weyard’s inhabitants to bring back Alchemy would come in the future, he would awaken and take any number of complex, subtle steps to ensure that they would never be successful if they lacked the resolve, conviction, and virtues to prevent history from repeating itself. He would test the resolve of whoever removes the Elemental Stars from their pedestals to ensure that that individual would have the capacity to lead the world down the path of peace rather than another world war once Alchemy is returned successfully.

This is indeed what happens when Saturos’ band instigates the effort to restore Alchemy. The Wise One sees that Isaac is the individual he had hoped for in this case. Therefore, the Wise One modifies the scenario in subtle, complex fashions so that either Isaac will succeed in Alchemy’s restoration or Alchemy will never be returned at all. The Wise One proceeds to give a dubious explanation to Isaac about the nature of Alchemy, stating that it is a destructive force that is better off sealed, and he tasks Isaac on a quest to stop Alchemy’s return. This is the main part of a test of Isaac’s virtue; the idea is that it is up to Isaac to find out and accept the truth about Alchemy on his own, for only the strong in soul and understanding in heart can succeed at that.

Under the influence of the Wise One’s half-truth about Alchemy’s destructive potential, Isaac valiantly pursues Saturos and Felix. Over the course of Isaac’s quest, though, he is unable to prevent the lighting of three of the four Lighthouses necessary for Alchemy to return. After the episode at the third Lighthouse, Isaac confronts his rival Felix and learns the truth about Alchemy from him, and though Isaac is flabbergasted, he comes to grips with the truth and joins Felix’s cause, just as the Wise One had been hoping.

As Isaac and Felix and their extended party travel to the Mars Lighthouse to complete their quest, the Wise One arranges for one final test; he lures the parents of Isaac and Felix from the nearby town of Prox and subdues them, transforming them into a monstrous, three-headed Doom Dragon. When Isaac makes it to the top, the Wise One appears and pretends to admonish Isaac for disobeying his command to stop Felix and Saturos, saying that Prox had committed an unforgivable sin, and that when the party had learned about how not activating the Lighthouses would destroy Weyard, they had actually learned too much. When Isaac explains how the truth he learned about Alchemy is the reason why he would break the seal against the Wise One’s command, the Wise One summons the Doom Dragon to battle them, expecting the Adepts to be crushed in spirit once they slay the beast and find out that they had murdered their own parents. Isaac is fully aware of what the creature is, but he is willing to sacrifice his loved ones in the name of Weyard’s welfare and ultimately slays the dragon. In other words, Isaac and his friends completely pass the Wise One’s test of virtue and conviction.

The Wise One, in setting up this test for Isaac, never actually intended for the parents to die from the start if Isaac was to succeed, and this is illustrated by what happens after the Mars Lighthouse is activated: The energy let loose by Alchemy’s return miraculously revives their parents, and they all reunite. When the Golden Sun is formed above Mt. Aleph, a subtle effect previously employed by the Wise One causes part of the Sun’s power to enter Isaac’s body so as to counteract the ambitions of the man who desired the full power of the Sun itself, Alex, and at the same time the Wise One evacuates the citizens of Vale and saves them from the destruction of the town that occurs when Alchemy returns to Weyard. This proves Hamma’s contention that the Wise One has a caring heart; essentially, the Wise One elevates his stoic image once he finds the heroes necessary for Weyard’s well-being.