Mia

Mia is a Mercury Adept and a playable character in Golden Sun and Golden Sun: The Lost Age. She is the only mage-style Mercury Adept in either game, and is probably the only Adept that can be labeled the "designated healer" to the player's party. She eventually becomes the mother of Rief.

=As a playable character=

Mia is a character that becomes a permanent part of Isaac's traveling party in Golden Sun early on while exploring the dungeon Mercury Lighthouse. She is the party's resident Mercury Adept, and she is the only mage-style Mercury Adept playable in either game, which makes her inherent class series the Water Seer class series and makes her the only character who can become this class. When the player first recruits her into the party she is level 10 (with 3226 experience points), is initially equipped with a Witch's Wand, Travel Robe, Leather Gloves and Wooden Cap, and has one Mercury Djinn Set onto her (Fizz). She also comes with an Herb, Antidote, and Elixir in her inventory.

Mia is exactly like Ivan in that she does not possess the attack power to strike with physical attacks anywhere near as hard as Isaac and Garet, for none of the classes she can have have a high Attack modifier. For players that only play with each Adept in their respective mono-elemental Class series, Mia's Water Seer class series can be said to be a little lacking in the way of offensive Mercury Psynergy as well, because unless she is level-grinded all the way to level 42 (players don't often level that much in the original Golden Sun where level 30 is considered strong and sturdy) to learn Ice Missile, her strongest Mercury Psynergy is Glacier at level 24. But Mia proves invaluable as a party member because as a Water Seer-series class she has the best healing ability in both Golden Sun games. She starts out with the potent single-target Ply Psynergy series, and when she has at least four Mercury Djinn set onto her she gains the Wish Psynergy series, which is excellent in restoring large amounts of HP to all current battling Adepts at once. Mia is often used as a designated cleric.

Mia, like the rest of her party, is absent from your own party as led by Felix for much of Golden Sun: The Lost Age. At a late point in the game, Isaac's party joins Felix's as additional party members, and the statistics and inventory of Mia as well as her companions Isaac, Garet, and Ivan are directly dependent on whether you're using data transfer, what level of data transfer you're using, and the actions and levels of progress Isaac's party committed in the previous game.

If there is no data transfer used at all, Mia will join at level 28, with five of the original game's 28 Djinn (instead of seven) Set onto her, and she will be equipped with a War Mace, Silver Vest, Silver Circlet, and Silver Armlet.

Statistical comparison
Mia has below average natural HP, Attack, and Defense, though in each of these cases it is not as low as the two Jupiter Adepts Ivan and Sheba; by the same token, her PP rating is high, but while she is notably higher than Jenna and more so than the four "warrior" Adepts, she is merely close to the PP ratings of the two Jupiter Adepts. Her Agility is quite low, in the exact midway point between Felix above and Piers below. She has an inherent Luck rating of 5, which is shared with Sheba as the highest inherent Luck rating of all Adepts. Compared to fellow Mercury Adept Piers, she has much less HP and Defense and somewhat less Attack, but more Agility, a lot more PP, and 2 more inherent Luck.

Classes
Mia has the following classes available to her:


 * Mono-Elemental: Water Seer class series
 * Duel-Elemental (Full): Hermit class series, Pilgrim (Mercury) class series, Seer (Mercury) class series
 * Duel-Elemental (Partial): Swordsman (Mars) class series, Swordsman (Venus) class series
 * Tri-Elemental (Full): Ranger class series, White Mage class series, Medium class series
 * Tri-Elemental (Partial): Dragoon class series

=Biography=

Background
Mia was presumably born and raised in the town of Imil in the snowy northernmost region of the continent of Angara. She, along with a fellow Mercury Adept named Alex originally living with her, are two of the last four known living descendants of the ancient Mercury Clan, who once lived in this region in the world's ancient past. As Mercury Adepts, Alex and Mia share the Psynergy abilities of healing and chilling, watery spellcraft, and they are the only two individuals on Angara able to enter and exit the nearby Mercury Lighthouse at will. Also, as Mercury Clan descendants, Mia and Alex share a bloodline responsibility to ensure that the Mercury Lighthouse is never activated.

Mia and Alex lived together in Imil for many years, using their healing talents to give care to the ill of the town whenever the annual cold and flu epidemics would arrive. (Note that while the English version of Golden Sun describes Alex as Mia's apprentice, the Japanese version describes him as the apprentice to Mia's unseen and presumably deceased father; this latter version is what is accepted by the fan community, especially considering that Alex appears far more powerful as a Mercury Adept than Mia.) In addition, Mia lives with and is deeply close to two younger apprentices named Justin and Megan. Mia's ability to use the Ply healing Psynergy has ended up earning her a degree of fame across various areas of Angara (non-Adepts, of course, have no idea about her power's connections with the art of Psynergy), and people label her an "angel" both as an endearing call sign and, in various cases, as acknowledgment that Mia must truly be some sort of angelic entity in human form because of her powers. Incidentally, within her Water Seer Class series, her highest class is Angel.

A short period of time before the start of Golden Sun, Alex departs from Imil and disappears without a trace, effectively abandoning Mia even as she has to combat the winter epidemics on her own. Whatever are Mia's feelings in response to this can only be imagined.

In Golden Sun
A period of time after the eruption of Mt. Aleph transpires, a group of travelers led by the Mars Adepts Saturos and Menardi pass through the town on their way to Mercury Lighthouse. Their mere presence apparently intensifies the situation with the epidemics, for Mia is forced to work even harder to save lives. Shortly afterward, however, another group of travelers arrive at Imil, and they are comprised of the Venus Adept Isaac, the Mars Adept Garet, and the Jupiter Adept Ivan. Mia crosses paths with Isaac for the first time while she uses her Ply Psynergy to save an elderly couple which she treats as though they were her grandparents, but they barely have time to interact before Mia notices that the Mercury Lighthouse is briefly glowing, which signifies to her that Adepts have entered the structure. A startled Mia immediately rushes out of Imil to investigate, and is especially concerned because only a Mercury Adept like herself or Alex can gain entry into the Lighthouse.

When Mia arrives at Mercury Lighthouse, however, she discovers that its entrance has been barricaded in a way that she cannot remove with her own abilities, as though the invaders were specifically aiming to prevent Mia from following. Right then, Isaac and his friends arrive, and he immediately removes the barricade using his own Psynergy; Mia is able to perceive this action as Psynergy, which causes Mia and Isaac to learn to their mutual surprise that they are both Adepts like each other. But Mia immediately resumes her pursuit of the tower's invaders, only to find both further obstacles in her path and that the tower has been infested with wild monsters from the outside world. Mia accepts Isaac's invitation to join his party so that they can work their way through Mercury Lighthouse and reach its top together, citing that she feels she can trust him.

When Mia and Isaac make it to Mercury Lighthouse's aerie, they discover to their great horror that Mercury Lighthouse's beacon has been activated. In shock, Mia recites that she has failed in the one duty set upon her by her bloodline. Isaac and Garet choose then to explain to her that this is Saturos and Menardi's doing; the Mars Adepts and the group they lead are in possession of the Elemental Stars necessary to light the beacons of the four Elemental Lighthouses, which would subsequently unseal the force of Alchemy and allow its return to the world. This is what Saturos aims to achieve, and Isaac and his group have been tasked by the guardian of Alchemy's seal, the Wise One, to pursue Saturos and prevent his objective before an easily abused and dangerous power is released. Isaac, in addition, is trying to save two hostages from Saturos' grasp, which include his childhood friend Jenna and the elderly scholar Kraden.

Suddenly, Mia and Isaac's party interacts with Saturos' party, and Saturos himself approaches the group, declaring his intent to finish off Isaac's meddling band through battle. Saturos is an extremely powerful Mars Adept and warrior, and should have been more than a match for four opponents at once, but he suddenly realizes that the Mercury-based influence being generated by the now-active Mercury Beacon is impeding his own Mars powers; while still a fearsome opponent in battle, this is what allows Isaac, Mia, Garet, and Ivan to eventually outlast and defeat him in battle.

It is then that Alex makes his appearance, commenting on how it's been a long time since he and Mia last saw each other. An aghast Mia is betrayed to learn that Alex has broken his bloodline's responsibility and joined forces with Saturos to help him light the Mercury Beacon. Indeed, Alex was the one who allowed Saturos' group entry into Mercury Lighthouse to begin with, and Alex demonstrates a strong admiration for power such as what Alchemy's return will give to the world, which is more or less his motivation. Alex is only slightly disappointed when Mia calls him mad. With his last statement being "I can't stay the same Alex you knew forever", Alex uses his own, personal warping Psynergy to flee Mercury Lighthouse with himself and Saturos; this shocks Mia as well, because even Alex did not have that degree of power before.

Mia, obviously dispirited by Alex's betrayal and what that entails, makes the decision to join Isaac and his group on their worldwide quest to stop Alex and Saturos from lighting the rest of the Elemental Lighthouses. She assures Isaac why there won't be any need for her to stay around Imil to keep on battling the townspeople's illnesses: With the beacon lit, the fountain at the base of the lighthouse is now flowing with enchanted healing water, which instantly cures anyone who drinks out of it, guaranteeing that the people of Imil will remain in good health permanently. Mia also goes to tell her young apprentices Justin and Megan, albeit hesitantly, that she will be leaving Imil for a long time to accompany Isaac on his quest, and declares that she will leave Imil in their hands. Setting off with Isaac in his resumed journey across Angara, Mia performs as the Mercury Adept of Isaac's party of Adepts from then onward.

For the rest of Golden Sun, Mia does not provide any substantial weight to the core plot. Instead, she, much like Garet and Ivan, accompany Isaac to provide him support both in battle and in his interactions with other characters. Mia effectively serves as the party's designated "healer", developing her Mercury Psynergy over the course of her travels with Isaac to increase her proficiency in both healing and water-and-ice-based techniques. Over the course of Isaac's quest, Mia is present for every event that Isaac partakes in, and she provides her input in all conversations Isaac's party engages in. She and Ivan serve a similar "voice of reason" role as opposed to Garet's more gung-ho perspective, though she is generally the least emotional of the group. At the end of Golden Sun, after Isaac and his friends slay Saturos and Menardi for good following the activation of Venus Lighthouse's beacon, the party obtains a Psynergy-powered Lemurian Ship, which they proceed to use to pursue Alex and Felix throughout the oceans of the world and prevent them from lighting the remaining two Elemental Lighthouses.

In Golden Sun: The Lost Age
Much like in Golden Sun, Mia does not affect plot progression in Golden Sun: The Lost Age much at all, instead functioning merely as a member of Isaac's party along with Garet and Ivan. She accompanies Isaac's group as they sail across the Great Eastern Sea in search of Alex and Felix, so as to stop them from lighting the remaining two lighthouses and to rescue their captives. A great period of time elapses, and eventually Isaac's party sails into the Great Western Sea, heading toward and arriving at the Jupiter Lighthouse.

When Isaac and Mia's party explore the Lighthouse in pursuit of Felix, Mia suddenly falls into a trap which lands her on a ledge below, and Garet reflexively falls in after her trying to save her - but he injures his left arm and ends up hanging off the ledge by his right arm. Mia does not have the strength to pull Garet up, and she and Garet are both in trouble as Isaac and Ivan are suddenly confronted by those responsible for setting the trap: Karst and Agatio, another pair of Mars Adepts and warriors in the same vein as Saturos and Menardi, who have come to kill Isaac and his party in revenge for the deaths of Saturos and Menardi on Venus Lighthouse. Karst and Agatio explain that they plotted to divide the foursome up with the trap and kill them while they were weakened; they were specifically targeting Mia because she, being a Mercury Adept, could have proven the most dangerous foe for Mars Adepts like them. It was a pleasant surprise for them that Garet fell in too.

As Garet continues to hang for his life and Mia is unable to do anything about it, Karst and Agatio engage and quickly overpower Isaac and Ivan - but Felix and his party of Jenna, Sheba, Piers, and Kraden suddenly step in and stop them from killing Isaac. Felix has had interactions with Karst before, and he forces Karst to spare Isaac's party in exchange for him lighting the Jupiter Beacon with the Jupiter Star. Karst and Agatio agree and go to the top of the lighthouse together with Felix, while his other party members stay behind to help Isaac and his friends; Garet and Mia are saved from their predicament, and Isaac and Ivan are healed. Jupiter Lighthouse is then lit. However, when Isaac's party makes it to the aerie, they discover that Felix had just engaged in an intense battle with Karst and Agatio, who have now fled the lighthouse. (If Felix's party had lost the battle, Isaac commands Mia to revive their unconscious forms.) Isaac and Garet demand an explanation from Felix about everything that has been going on, but Jenna and everyone else is quick to agree that rather than have a stressed confrontation, the two parties are to convene officially in the nearby town of Contigo.

Felix and Isaac and their respective parties of Adepts hold a meeting with each other in Contigo, the purpose of which being for Felix to explain himself to Isaac's side. Mia shares in Isaac's shock when they learn that both Felix and Jenna's parents and Isaac's father Kyle, originally presumed dead for years, are alive and well in Prox, the hometown of Saturos and Menardi far to the north, and that Felix had been working with Saturos on his goal to return Alchemy to the world to earn his parents' freedom. Isaac's side is shocked even further when Felix then relates what his party had learned later on in their own quest - Alchemy is, in fact, a commodity necessary for the world to physically survive, and if its seal is not broken in time, the world will physically wither and collapse into the abyss. Isaac's party comes to understand and accept that Alchemy must be restored to prevent the world from reaching a gradual end that is otherwise certain to happen in the future, even though no one can be certain that Alchemy won't automatically destroy the world the moment it is released. Thus, Isaac joins forces with Felix, and a final traveling party of eight Adepts is formed. The Adepts proceed to sail north to Prox and Mars Lighthouse, intent on finishing Saturos' original quest objective.

By the end of their quest, Isaac and Felix's combined party arrive at and head into Mars Lighthouse, and eventually climb their way all the way up to Mars Lighthouse's aerie. There, they and their objective are confronted by the Wise One himself, who calls Isaac and Garet betrayers for disobeying his command to keep the Elemental Lighthouses unlit. Mia joins everyone else in explaining to the Wise One everything they know about why the restoration of Alchemy is necessary for the world to survive, but the Wise One responds that if Alchemy is placed back in the hands of the populace, they would likely destroy Weyard themselves, and that it is human nature for one man to seek to rule over all using its power. What the Wise One reveals next leaves Mia even more thunderstruck than everyone else: Alex has used everyone for his own gain, for he is now at Mt. Aleph awaiting the final Lighthouse's beacon to be lit so that when Alchemy is released at Mt. Aleph (in the form of the energy of the four Lighthouse beacons merging into a sphere of pure Alchemic power called the Golden Sun which then shoots itself down into the mountain to form the Stone of Sages), he will gain supreme power. Mia expresses outright disgust that Alex, one of her own people of the Mercury Clan, could do such a thing.

Nevertheless, everyone insists on releasing Alchemy regardless; thus, the Wise One makes them battle a powerful, three-headed dragon in order to earn the right to light Mars. Mia joins the Adepts in engaging and eventually winning their final battle, and she shares in their subsequent grief and anger when they discover that they were tricked into slaying an amalgam of none other than Isaac's father Kyle and Felix and Jenna's parents. The parents are too far gone even for Mia's healing ability to help. Ultimately, the Adepts agree to treat this as a price that was necessary to save all of Weyard from eventual destruction, and the Mars Lighthouse is activated with the Mars Star. As the Mars Beacon is formed, Mia proclaims that she will never forgive Alex for setting all this tragedy in motion, but nonetheless she does not regret breaking Alchemy's seal to save the world from eventual collapse.

Now that all four Lighthouse Beacons are lit, the process that heralds the return of Alchemy to Weyard ensues in earnest; the energy let loose by the Lighthouse beacon suddenly and miraculously prevents the parents from death, and the Adepts flee the tower with the parents safely. It would later be revealed that the Wise One's cruel trick was actually a test of the Adepts' emotional capacity to handle tragedy, and that he did not actually intend for the adults to die at the hands of the Adepts if they were to pass this test to begin with. Mia and the other Adepts have hereby succeeded in saving the world from eventual destruction by bringing about a new golden age where Alchemy's power may drive the advancement of civilization, and in passing the Wise One's test to choose the welfare of the world over their own parents, they have proven themselves to possess the morality necessary to ensure that throughout the world, Alchemy is prevented from being used for evil.

=Trivia=
 * Nearly every screen from a beta version of Golden Sun shows that Mia was originally planned to be a resident of Vale, and be the female lead that accompanies Isaac and Garet in the prologue, playing the roles that Jenna would in the prologue in the final product. Mia was moved to Imil afterwards. Also, both she and Garet have frontal sprites that have the NPC characteristic of being slightly turned instead of directly head-on like Isaac's. See here for full gallery.

=Quotes=
 * On Mercury Lighthouse Aerie:
 * Mia: (After discovering Mercury Lighthouse's beacon has been activated) "I have failed in the one duty placed upon me... This is terrible."


 * Alex: "It's been a while, Mia."
 * Mia: "Alex, do you realize what you've done?"
 * Alex: "Ha! Of course... I have freed a great power that has long been sealed away. Mercury, the lighthouse of Water... What a mighty force."
 * Mia: "Alex, you... Are you mad!?"
 * Alex: "No, Mia... Don't you understand? The lighthouse granted you great power during your battle with Saturos."
 * Mia: "It's true... I could use my power without ever depleting it."


 * Ivan: (After Saturos and Alex leave Mercury Lighthouse) "They're gone..."
 * Garet: "Shoot... We couldn't even save Jenna..."
 * Mia: "I don't deserve to be a healer... We couldn't stop them from lighting the beacon. I've failed my clan, failed in my duty..."
 * Ivan: "That's not true! We can still beat them, right, Isaac? (If Isaac says yes) That's right, Isaac! All we have to do is stop them from lighting all the lighthouses! The beacon of Mercury Lighthouse has been lit, but we'll stop them next time."
 * Garet: "That's right. We can save Jenna at the next lighthouse."
 * Mia: "Yes. We won't let Alex get away with this...Let's go after them now! What's the matter? We should hurry!"
 * Garet: "We? Mia, are you coming along with us?"
 * Ivan: "But the people of Imil need you, Mia."
 * Mia: "It's okay. "The fountain shall be filled as long as light fills the lighthouse." That's an old saying. The fountain will run over with healing waters now. I have mixed feelings about leaving, but Imil will be fine as long as the fountain continues to flow with the Water of Hermes. We should hurry if we're going to follow them."


 * In Imil
 * Justin: "What's the matter? You look strange today, Mia."
 * Mia: "I... How should I tell you?"
 * Megan: "You have something to say? What is it?"
 * Mia: "Well, I... Uh... I... I'll be joining Isaac on his quest. It's very hard for me to leave you, but it's the lighthouse."


 * Mia: "OK, I'll leave the village in your hands, Megan, Justin..."


 * At Kolima, if Mia has already joined the party by the time they first get attacked by Tret's curse:
 * Garet: "Everyone in Kolima has been turned into a tree."
 * Mia: "It's horrible! All these trees with clothes are really Kolima's villagers!"


 * Ivan: "That's a relief, Isaac. I thought you'd given up on Kolima altogether."
 * Mia: "I was beginning to lose faith in you, Isaac."


 * In Babi Palace at Tolbi:
 * Garet: "What should we do, Isaac? Will you do what he wants?"
 * Babi: "If you do, I will grant you whatever you wish."
 * Mia: "You shouldn't make vows you will later find you cannot keep..."


 * On Venus Lighthouse Aerie:
 * Mia: (To Saturos and Menardi) "We'll fight you as many times as it takes. We won't lose!"


 * In Lalivero, in front of Faran's house:
 * Garet: "Where are you going, Isaac? Iodem asked us to wait. Did you forget?"
 * Mia: (If Isaac says yes) "We're going to need to work on your memory, Isaac."


 * On Jupiter Lighthouse
 * Mia: (Having fallen down into a trap with Garet) "You shouldn't have tried to save me when I fell into that hole..."
 * Garet: "Oh, Mia, don't blame yourself... I wasn't going to leave you down there!"
 * Mia: (Tries to pull Garet up onto the ledge) "It's no use! I can't pull you up, Garet! I'm not strong enough! Isaac, please! You've got to save Garet!"


 * In Contigo
 * Mia: "I'm just relieved that we've sorted our differences..."
 * Piers: "Me too, Mia... We could not have stood divided against a common foe."


 * Sailing on Piers' Lemurian Ship
 * Garet: "Faran raised Sheba like his own daughter. He's cared for her ever since he first found her!"
 * Sheba: "Yes, that's true, but..."
 * Garet: "But you can never be his real daughter, is that it?"
 * Jenna: "Garet! You don't have to be so blunt about it!"
 * Mia: "No, he's right... I'd want to know my real parents, no matter how caring Faran might have been."


 * On Mars Lighthouse Aerie:
 * Piers: "Alex planned all of this? Then he must have been after this power all along!"
 * Garet: "We've been duped! He used us all! Oh, you'd better believe he's not getting away with this!"
 * Mia: "Alex... How could he do this? He's... He's one of my own people! I feel sick... disgusted..."


 * Garet: (About to fight the Doom Dragon) "What's [the Wise One] thinking? We already beat a two-headed dragon. How much tougher can this one be?"
 * Mia: "I don't care how many heads it has. Nothing's going to stop us now!"


 * Mia: "Even though lighting the beacon may create wars and strife, I regret none of this."


 * Mia: "If Alex set this all in motion, then he's responsible for this, and I'll never forgive him."


 * In front of the destroyed village of Vale:
 * Garet: "Your family's safe, Felix. You don't have anything to worry about anymore... But what am I supposed to do? ...I'm all alone now."
 * Sheba: "Aw... Poor baby..."
 * Jenna: "Sheba, what's gotten into you? How could you say that to Garet?"
 * Mia: "Tee hee! I wonder..."
 * Garet: "Sheba, Mia!? You think this is funny!? I've lost everyone! My whole family!"
 * ?????: "Garet! Don't be so sad!" (It is revealed that all of Garet's family and everyone else from Vale survived the town's destruction)


 * In the Battle Mode lobby:
 * Mia: (If you won a battle and Mia was in your party at the time) "I'm glad we won... But don't you feel at all bad for your opponents?" (Or if Mia was not in your party at the time) "The most important thing is that nobody got hurt. Except your opponents."

=In fan circles=

Fan fiction often depicts Mia as Isaac's love interest, so a lot of fiction about this relationship, called Mudshipping, has been penned. This is the most common genre of shipping because of the tendency of RPGs to pair a main hero with a female party member (Mia being the only permanent female party member in the first game). Steamshipping, which pairs Mia and Garet together, was heavily derived from an incident on Jupiter Lighthouse, where Garet jumps after Mia when she falls into the trap Karst and Agatio had set. Mia has in fact been paired with all five male playable characters from the first two Golden Sun cartridges, but while none of the five resulting shippings are rare, Mudshipping and Steamshipping are by far the most common.

Also, because Mia had a close relationship with Alex prior to the first game, many interpret their relationship as having been romantic in nature. This is known as Imilshipping. However, it is usually assumed that this relationship was broken by Alex's betrayal at Mercury Lighthouse, opening a place in Mia's heart for one of the playable characters of Golden Sun.

Mia