Editing Kraden

Kraden was present in Vale three years before the present when the Mt. Aleph boulder disaster transpired, in which a giant boulder collapsed and crashed through the town; [[Felix and Jenna's parents|Two of Kraden's friends]], their son [[Felix]], and Kyle were swept away over a waterfall and presumed lost forever, leaving Felix's sister [[Jenna]] behind alone and traumatized. Kraden shared in the mourning of Jenna, Kyle's son [[Isaac]], and their friend [[Garet]]. From that point on, the three youngsters studied and developed their abilities as [[Adept]]s of [[Psynergy]], another field Kraden is studying in relation to Alchemy. They continued like this over the next three years, and during this time period Isaac visited Kraden in his cottage frequently.

[[Image:KradenVale.png|thumb|240px|right|Kraden, in front of his cottage at Vale, talk with his young friends and Adepts [[Isaac]], [[Garet]], and [[Jenna]] about the strangers [[Saturos]] and [[Menardi]].]]By the present day and age, Kraden doubtlessly believes that he is running out of time in his search for the relevant information on Alchemy his lord and master Babi requires. Thus, he proposes to the young adepts Isaac, Garet, and Jenna that they carry out an in-depth investigation of Sol Sanctum of their own, without the authorization of Vale's elders, and he passes this off to them as part of their studies of Psynergy. In a rather incredible coincidence, however, on the day this investigation is planned to be carried out, Kraden is approached by a strange pair of foreign Mars Adepts named [[Saturos]] and [[Menardi]]. Saturos and Menardi grill Kraden for information about Sol Sanctum, and they demonstrate an unnerving amount of knowledge of Sol Sanctum's inner workings, things that not even Kraden and the elders of Vale are aware of; it is as though they had been in the sanctum before. They also say things about the subject of Alchemy that even Kraden doesn't know, such as how the [[Elemental Stars]] are the "keys" to setting the four elements of Alchemy "into motion", which the Mars Adepts intend to do. Kraden makes use of his natural cunning to weasel his way out of telling the Mars Adepts any information about Sol Sanctum, and he is able to send them away by announcing that he is waiting for some other people.

Shortly after Saturos and Menardi leave, Isaac, Garet, and Jenna arrive at his cottage, having bumped into the two strangers themselves. Kraden and the three young Adepts discuss the pair and come up with the suggestion that they might be thieves who came to rob the sanctum, in which case they should warn the high elders and the villagers. Kraden, however, notes that they don't know how accurate were the things the Mars Adepts told him, and he uses this as an additional reason why they should conduct their own investigation of Sol Sanctum first; if they can confirm from the Mars Adepts' statements that they were in Sol Sanctum previously and that they are intending to invade and loot the sanctum, Kraden and the Adepts would be able properly warn Vale. So, Kraden and his three students sneak into Sol Sanctum to commence their investigation.

[[Image:KradenStarChamber.png|thumb|240px|left|Kraden is overcome with excitment upon entering the [[Elemental Star Chamber]] and seeing the four [[Elemental Stars]] before them.]]Kraden's group explores Sol Sanctum, and Kraden makes use of the information given to him by Saturos and Menardi to delve deeper into the sanctum than previously possible. The Adepts eventually determine that Saturos and Menardi do intend to rob the sanctum, but Kraden insists they explore a little further, believing that they are very close to a great secret. The explorers end up gaining access to the [[Elemental Star Chamber]] at the heart of Mt. Aleph, and Kraden can hardly contain his excitement as he observes the four Elemental Stars situated on their pedestals. He tells his students about how each of the Stars contains the purified essence of its respective element, and how the four elements together make up all reality and how that can be manipulated by something known as the [[Stone of Sages]]. Kraden's curiosity and excitement overcomes his better judgment at this point, and he orders Isaac and Garet to remove each Star from its pedestal and place them in [[Mythril Bag]]s he prepared in advance, so that he may study the Stars on his own.

By the time Isaac and Garet have collected the [[Mercury Star]], [[Venus Star]], and [[Jupiter Star]], fate suddenly intervenes: Saturos and Menardi arrive into the chamber and take Jenna and Kraden hostage, and demand Isaac and Garet give them the Elemental Stars. Kraden calls them thieves, which the pair finds amusingly ironic because it was Kraden who had stolen their information on how to explore Sol Sanctum in the first place. The pair is accompanied by two accomplices, a Mercury Adept named [[Alex]] and a young man in a mask, who assures the hostages that they won't be hurt if they comply with their demands; when Kraden asks the intruders what guarantee he and the young Adepts have for this, Menardi orders the man to remove his mask and reveal his identity: Felix, revealed to have been rescued by Saturos and Menardi right after the disaster three years ago took place, and he is now sworn to serve Saturos' cause. Everybody is shocked enough that Isaac and Garet submit and hand their three Stars to Saturos' group.

[[Image:KradenMercuryLighthouse.png|thumb|240px|right|Kraden, now a hostage to [[Saturos]] and [[Menardi]], calls out to Isaac's group as he and Jenna are taken away at [[Mercury Lighthouse]].]]When Isaac and Garet remove the last Star from its pedestal, the entire area suddenly quakes under the influence of a volcanic eruption, and a powerful boulder-like entity emerges into view, which Kraden is able to identify as [[the Wise One]] from the healers' tales at Vale. Saturos and his group must flee Sol Sanctum while they can, even though this means leaving Isaac and Garet and the Mars Star behind. Saturos and Menardi take Kraden with them as a captive of their group because his knowledge of Alchemy and related matters makes him an important asset for them to have on their objective, which is nothing less than using each Elemental Star to activate the four [[Elemental Lighthouses]] situated across the world and break the seal on Alchemy. They also take Jenna captive because, if Isaac and Garet survive the volcanic eruption, they will pursue Saturos and attempt to save Jenna from them, and they would bring Saturos the Mars Star. With all things measured and considered, Saturos, Menardi, Alex, Felix, Jenna, and Kraden flee Mt. Aleph and immediately begin on their worldwide journey.

Kraden and Jenna are obviously not happy about everything that has just transpired, and Kraden feels particularly guilty for having had the idea to disturb the sanctum, which ended up causing a volcanic eruption and endangering both Vale and the lives of Isaac and Garet. He and Jenna are now forced to accompany Saturos' band of Adepts as they travel to and climb the first lighthouse on their quest, [[Mercury Lighthouse]], and the activation of the Mercury Beacon is eventually achieved with the Mercury Star. Following that, the course Saturos' group takes towards the next lighthouse, [[Venus Lighthouse]], leads them across the entire continent of [[Angara]], then into Gondowan. Whether they stop by Kraden's hometown of Tolbi before traveling southeast in the lighthouse's direction is unspecified. While they travel through [[Suhalla Desert]] on the way to the Lighthouse, Saturos happens upon the young girl [[Sheba]] lost in the desert, and he and Menardi take her captive just like they did with Jenna and Kraden. Felix begins to disapprove of Saturos and his procedures in response to him kidnapping yet another uninvolved party.

[[Image:KradenVenusLighthouse.png|thumb|240px|left|Kraden, Jenna, and Alex are faced with soldiers from [[Tolbi]] and [[Lalivero]] demanding that [[Sheba]] be handed back from their group's grasp.]]Saturos' band reaches and enters Venus Lighthouse, and at some point Saturos and Menardi order Felix and Alex to lead themselves and Jenna and Kraden back outside and wait for them at [[Idejima]], a peninsula where Menardi moored the group's personal [[Lemurian Ship]] before their journey began, while the Mars Adepts go to the Lighthouse's aerie to light the Venus Beacon, bringing Sheba along with them. Felix, however, decides to head back up to the aerie to confront Saturos over the involvement of Sheba in their quest. After a short discussion, Jenna, Alex, and Kraden exit Venus Lighthouse, but are faced with large groups of soldiers and ruffians from Tolbi and Sheba's hometown [[Lalivero]], who demand that they give Sheba back. While Alex holds off the Tolbi soldiers, Jenna fights her way through and Kraden accompanies her safely. As soon as Alex rejoins Kraden and Jenna at Idejima, the Venus Beacon is lit; all of a sudden, the tower wracks itself and the landscape with a violent earthquake as part of an automated process triggered by the beacon's activation, which tears a rift that separates Idejima from the rest of the Gondowan mainland, turning it into quite literally a buoyant island which begins floating out east into the [[Great Eastern Sea]]. Kraden, Jenna, and Alex are now marooned on Idejima as a result of rather fantastic circumstances; some time afterward, to everyone's great surprise, Felix and Sheba wash up ashore on the island, alive but unconscious.

==In ''Golden Sun: The Lost Age''==

Kraden is present for most of the cutscenes that transpire in ''The Lost Age'' because he travels with Felix's party and is somewhat of a key player in the plot, despite only ever appearing as an NPC. Whenever Felix and the other Adepts find themselves in a physical battle with wild monsters and whatnot, Kraden merely stands aside to avoid getting hurt. In cutscenes, he functions essentially as a voice of wisdom and an inquirer for Felix's party. Considering his age, Kraden demonstrates a remarkable degree of vitality and stamina in that he is able to travel with Felix across entire continents on foot.