Listen well son, for the story I am about to tell you happened. Long ago, in ancient times. Long ago, a terrible dragon, with scales as black as the night and wings of the darkest shadows descended upon the land. It ravaged villages, and destroyed whole farms and fields. And the suffering the people of the land was great under this beasts savage tyranny.
But one day, a young warrior pleaded to the gods for a weapon and was visited by a goddess. The goddess gifted the warrior with a blade forged of the purest light and with its great magical power he vanquished the dragon, sealing it deep within the earth. That warrior was your ancestor and as a descendent of his, you like all those before you are given the great task of making sure this shrine is never opened for it is here where the terrible dragon was sealed so many years ago.
Davis stared at the large group of boulders, set far into the forest away from the compound of his grandfathers'. The compound was set several miles away from town, where Davis attended the college. The twenty year old young man had come now that the semester was over and as usual his grandfather had put him to work doing various chores around the compound that Davis knew he could have easily one on his own…considering he did.
"Still guess I gotta make myself useful. Otherwise I'd probably just laze around getting fat." He said, chuckling. After all, maybe that was why his grandfather, already eighty three, was still so fit. That or the old man had found the fountain of youth somewhere.
Davis chuckled, hissing slightly as he rubbed a bruise on his arm. But chuckled as he spun the key ring around his finger as he thought back to a few moments ago.
Davis dug around the desk of his Grandfathers room. Those keys were here somewhere….damn it where did the old man keep them?
Davis had completed his share of the chores, and none of his friends were free today due to personal business, and he was not twenty one yet so thus not legal to drink, the twenty year old was starting to feel rather bored and finally decided that he might satisfy an old childhood curiosity.
The Family Shrine.
Davis thought it odd that his family had a shrine, let alone an old tale concerning it. Still, he figured all families had something like it. But what sparked his curiosity was the fact that an old family artifact apparently lay within the shrine.
A sword, and while Davis was no sword fighter he wouldn't deny that he was rather curious to see this 'legendary blade.' Now…if he could only find the keys to the iron gate closing the damn shrine off!
"Davis. Curiosity killed the cat."
Davis froze, and his eyes slowly moved to the side as he turned his head and saw his grandfather giving him a smirk. Davis jumped back as he turned, falling onto his rear.
"G-gramps. Hey…I…I was just..uh…I was just…" Davis stammered, trying to come up with a convient lie.
"Looking for these yes?" His grandfather said as he pulled a key ring from his pocket and spun it around his finger. The glint in the old man's eyes spoke that he found his grandson's perdiciment humours, and perhaps even taunting him to come and take it.
"That…I…..yes." Davis said with a sigh.
"I had thought after all these years you had finally given up. But I suppose even young men cannot but be curious of old childhood taboos." His grandfather said with a sigh.
Gramps held out the key, "Well then Davis. If you can take these keys from me…they're yours."
Davis blinked, then smirked, "Alright. Deal." Davis jumped to his feat, arm slightly extended as he got ready to make a grab for the keys.
"Annnd….NOW!" Davis shouted as he charged and swiped at the keys, while sweeping a leg at his grandfathers feet. All that grappling training to keep in shape was going to pay off this time.
But his grandfather smirked and jumped over the sweeping leg and planted his foot into Davis' chest, before grabbing him by the arm and twisting it.
"OUCH!" AHHH!" Davis shrieked as his arm cried in pain from the twisting, feeling the skin get a slight bruising from the force. His world then went upside down as his grandfather flipped him over, into his arms and tossed him onto the ground
"Omph! Oooooww." Davis groaned as he lay on the ground, face down.
His grandfather laughed, "Keep trying. Maybe when you get to my age you will have that curiosity of yours satisfied." And so the old man left with a laugh, crossing his arms behind his back.
Davis lay on the ground, and slowly chuckled. He lifted himself off the ground and lifted the arm that had been under his chest when he hit the ground. There in his hand…was the key.
"….Ow." He said once more before getting up and running out the house laughing. Avoiding his grandfather's current location.
"Took a few bruises, but as they say. No pain, no gain…..although I wish it didn't have to be so literal." Davis said, rubbing his arm again.
Davis moved into the cave, following it in till he came upon an iron grated fence. A padlock, which was easily dispatched with the key and left to fall onto the ground with a clang. Davis pushed open the door and at last, after nearly thirteen years when he first heard of this place, entered the deepest part of the shrine.
The inside walls were lined with roots of plants. Davis looked around till he spotted the target of his curiosity. A small stone shrine, with a wide gap in the center; the hilt of a sword sticking out of the gap reminiscent of Excalibur.
"Nice. Well then….let's see what this sword is." Davis said as he walked over and grabbed the hilt and yanked up. And almost yanked his arm off.
"Agh…damn….must be stuck or something." He grunted, readjusting his grip, now with both hands, and planting a foot on the stone and proceeded to pull. He pulled with all his might, till he finally felt the sword begin to slide out with the loud grinding of metal against stone
At last the sword gave way, and Davis found himself staggering back and hitting the stone wall, bumping the back of his head against a rock.
"Gah…damn…." He swore, rubbing his head a moment before looking at the sword….and then feeling his excitement die away.
The sword blade was all rusty…the hand guard as well and the hilt itself seemed worn and old. Granted nicely designed…but ….well he guessed he had been expecting more.
Davis sighed, "Well, it's not surprising. Old stories usually embellished. Still…kind disappointing."
Davis felt a bit sad that the blade he had thought so fondly of in his younger days was now brought to light what it was now…..junk. Well, such was the case with childhood and adult life. The mysteries lost and give way to either interest or disappointment as the world becomes more clear.
"Damn. This thing couldn't even be restored in this condition." Davis said as he swung it down, and smacking the blade against a rock and snapping it in half.
"OH SHIT!" Davis swore, his eyes going wide as he looked at the now, broken, blade. Oh he was so dead!
"Oh man…gramp's is gonna kill me." Davis said as he tried to figure out what to do, not noticing the stone he hit splitting and the wall behind him opening up slightly. Davis kneeled down and carefully picked up the blade piece and shoved it and the hilt into the stone it had been in.
"Okay…uh….hopefully….oh man I really hope gramps doesn't come in here." Davis said, rubbing his head. Even if it had been junk, it had been a family artifact…AND HE BROKE IT!
Davis turned, hoping to get out before he broke something else, until he noticed the wall.
Davis blinked and walked over, "That's….interesting." He looked around and then noticed the now broken rock. The halves seeming to have edges designed to slide together as if to act as a switch or lever of some sort.
Davis looked into the new path that was open, seeing a long hall descending down into the earth. Davis slowly stepped in, part of his mind telling him that he should get out now.
"I should not go down this way….but….I got this feeling something is down here." Davis said. Indeed feeling something in the back of his head telling him that down this path….was….something.
Davis walked slowly, pulling out his cell and turning on the light to use as a makeshift flashlight as he noticed the light fading. Taking a further step, Davis soon found himself falling, or sliding as he the hall took a sixty degree incline and the floor wet with moisture.
"Holy crap!" Davis swore as he slide down at an inceasing speed.
"Wooooo!" Davis finally started cheering, actually starting to enjoy the ride until the found himself at the end and flying off the end of the slide and landing onto flat ground.
"Omph!" Davis said as he hit the ground with his rear, groaning and rubbing his ass as he got up.
He noticed his phone on the ground and picked it up pocketing it. He looked around, taking notice of….purple?...glowing torches around him. He looked around, now standing in a wide circular room. Torches lining around the wall. There at the center stood a tall stone structure, reminding Davis of Stonehedge.
"Wait….is that?" Davis said, noticing another stone in the center of the structure…another hilt of a sword within.
Davis blinked, and found himself walking toward the blade. He didn't know why, but…something felt like it was calling him. Telling him to draw it.
Davis felt his hand slide against the hilt, feeling a slight shudder rush up his spine as he hand gripped the worn but intrice handle. Slowly he pulled the blade from the stone, easily and held it up as it gleamed in the purple light of the strange torches.
The blade itself was long, though it could be used with one hand, the hilt had enough extra length for half a hand to hold. The blade piece was of a fine steel or some such, and the gleam made Davis feel as if it was brand spanking new. He swung the blade once, listening as the sharp edge cut through the air easily.
He held it falt, blade resting in his other hand as he slide his hand down the hilt. The hilt was well carved, the area where the blade met the hilt looking like a Chinese dragon head, mouth agap to hold the blade tight. The hilt continued down, covered in a tight white leather, before ending in what looked like a dragon's claw holding a black stone that was surrounded by the talons protectively.
The stone was dark like obsidian, but it didn't feel right when Davis brushed his hand against it. In fact, he felt a surge of cold run down him again when he touched it. A feeling of something in the back of his mind appearing for but a brief moment before fading. He choked it up to his own awe as he held the magnificent blade.
"I think…this is the real sword. Wow…this is…damn wow." Daivs breathed. But why go with an elaborate ruse to making a fake sword and hiding the real one?
Davis frowned but shrugged as he moved to put the blade back into the rock. Despite feeling sad to see something so well built just rotting in the ground, something was feeling off about this place now. Maybe because he was under god knew how much ground, or the weird purple flames for torches that frankly defied all common sense. Or perhaps the purple glow and slowly opening blue eye ball appearing in the center of the stone columns.
"Wait a minute!" Davis said, turning as he stared at a wide open blue eye staring at him within a field of purple light.
"What the-Whoa!" Davis gasped as he felt air beginning to be pulled toward the eye. The light flaring and the ground shaking as Davis sank the blade into the rock it had been originally in and hung on for dear life as the wind current grew stronger that his feet were lifted off the ground.
"God damn it!" Davis swore, feeling his legs being pulled by the force toward the eye. The sword shaking as the pull grew stronger and inevitably slowly pulling the sword out of the stone, and his only life line.
"No no no no-AHHHH!" Davis screamed as the blade slipped from the rock now, the pull to strong and pulled it and him into the eye. A sudden feel of vertigo hittin him as he was plunged into a vortex like tunnel, purple and blue lights spiraling around him and his body spinning in free fall, the sword slipping from his hand.
"I should have just stayed at home!" Davis screamed as a white light engulfed his vision, and the look of solid ground coming into view as he hit the dirt hard and everything going black.
The eye appeared once more, the sword falling from it as well and hitting the ground not a few inches from Davis' head, blade first. The sword tilted slightly and the eye vanished in an instant. Leaving the boy in silence, till consciousness came to him again.
Ylisse. Both kingdom and continent. The Halidom of Ylisse was a prosperous nation, ruled by the Exalt line descended from the Hero-King Marth and bearer of Holy Blood of Naga. Only the Exalt line could wield the powerful blade Falchion, used by Marth to bring peace to the world long ago, and the very first Exalt to defeat the Fell Dragon Grima.
Once, the Halidom went to war with their neighbor Plegia, fought by the Exalt of the time who strove to destroy the Grima worshipping nation in a holy crusade. The fighting had been savage and both nations were nearly destroyed till the Exalt died, leaving a scarred nation in the hands of his daughter Emmeryn. It took many years but in time Emmeryn won the hearts and spirits of her people, and devoted her life to peace and pacifism.
But, this peace and recovery was short lived, for during the night after a diplomatic incident at the border between Ylisse and Plegia, assassins broke into the castle and assassinated Emmeryn and stole the Fire Emblem. The Halidom lost a great woman that day, and the Exalt's younger brother and now new Exalt, Chrom with his friends and fellow Shepherds, led the armies of Regna Ferox and Ylisse into another war with Plegia. The fighting had been harsh on both sides, but eventually the mad king Gangrel was slain, the Fire Emblem recovered and Plegia defeated.
Though victory was given, Chrom suffered many scars both physical and emotional. The loss of his sister was a great blow, but the young man strove to live by her ideals of peace, and with his best friend Robin and his wife Sumia at his side, he would strive to build a better more peaceful world for his people, and especially his daughter Lucina and later Cynthia.
But….even this peace…did not last. For across the ocean another enemy came seeking conquest. The armies of Regna Ferox and Ylisse marched forth once more, and after many months of hard fighting, and the aid of rebel forces in Valm, the great Conqueror Walhart, was defeated and his body laid low.
It was here that Chrom felt that finally the days of war were at last gone, but…there would be one final war to fight. A diplomatic meeting in Plegia turned to treachery as the Fire Emblem was stolen, and Chrom and the Shepherds with him moved swiftly to recover the stolen artifact at the Dragon's Table. When victory seemed assured, another enemy vanquished, it was treachery that finally brought the kind and strong hearted Chrom low and an old enemy….rising once more. A rise that drowned the world in darkness.
Noire kneeled low, arrow notched and ready to fly. She was hidden among the remaining, if not dried and tainted, shrubbery. The dead grass and fallow ground beneath her feet and the nearly endless clouded skies letting not even the barest hint of sunlight through made her easily concealed with no real contrasting color to differ her from anything else.
Over beyond, leaning beside two trees, hands at the hilts of their swords, Owain and Inigo lay in wait. And amongst the trees were other soldiers in various regally of their former home nations, waiting for the signal to strike. The three watched as the column of risen lurched forward, their armor and gangly arms thunking against each other, while sharp black metal weapons hung loosely in their grips. Red eyes glaring through helm or mash, mouthes hanging agap with rows of jagged teeth for tearing flesh.
At the front, standing more erect then the others and moving with a more semblance of intelligene, but still not bothering to properly scan the area. Dressed in more ornate armor, a much larger risen lead the column.
This band of risen had been plaguing the country side for awhile and were now getting dangerously close to where a band of refugees were resting, before heading onward to the Ylisse capital. But they would not get a mile closer.
Noire took aim, lining her arrow up with the lead Risen's head. The commander had to die first, for his will acted as the guiding force for the other risen. Without him the rest would be easier to remove. Though never the less still deadly.
Risen, servants of the Fell Dragon Grima, may look lanky or even less of a threat then one might think, but when they go moving their strikes were as dexterous and strong as a living man's, perhaps more so. Especially when under a Commander's influence, allowing them to fight in coherent tactics then just the normal mob tactics.
Noire nodded to Owain, and the swordsman jumped out from his hiding place and brought his sword down upon a passing risen, cutting the beast in half, before bringing the blade up into a diagnol slash across the chest of another. Inigo soon jumped out, swinging his sword as he moved across the field, removing three more risen and letting out a sharp whistle for the rest of the soldiers to charge.
The soldiers howled their cries as they poured out onto the colum of risen, taking them by surprise. Before the commander could give out psychic orders, an arrow puncuted into its skull and it fell to the ground dissipating into a fog of purple gas.
Noire drew another arrow and took aim. Her eye and reflexes honed by years of practice, and need. Her eyes taking a harden look, unexpected of a sixteen year old girl.
"Blood and Thunder!" She shouted and shot dead another risen, before it could bring down its axe on the head of a distracted soldier.
"Come you monsters! My sword hand twitches in anticipation!" Owain called as he continued to move through enemy.
The risen were scattered in due time, their numbers fleeing from the surprise attack into the forest. The soldiers rallying to give chase for a time to be sure they were driven off. Without the commander the remaining Risen would no doubt wander aimlessly till they came upon another unit with a commander to take them under control. Though still a danger, they would be less of a threat then they would otherwise.
"I-is it over?" Noire asked, coming back to her usual self and looking around as she held her bow close to her chest.
"I think so. Do we have any injuries?" Inigo said, calling over to a soldier.
"No sir. Only a few minor wounds, nothing serious." The soldier said, saluting.
"A lucky victory indeed. But my blood boils knowing that such evil monsters had come so close to the refugees." Owain said, frowning slightly.
"Their numbers have been increasing lately, as have the attacks on what villages and farms remain." Noire said as they all began the march back to camp.
"I hope it's not a sign of something to come." Inigo said, frowning.
The three friends grew silent; their tired and weary minds already thinking of what possible scenario could come about from additional risen movements. Another attack on the capital? More raids? Or something worse?
Ever since the Fell Dragon returned, things had gotten worse and worse. Risen attacks on outlying villages and farms grew common place, and many nations fell. Eventually armies of risen were roaming the world, slaying and burning all that humanity had built. What remained all converged on Ylisse, which remained one of the few remaining places where the ground was not fully dead, save perhaps the Mila tree and Mount Prism where the Lady Tiki now resided; safe guarded by some of the best soldiers from the fallen Valm nations.
Ylisse had been attacked on a number of times, and each time they had managed to push back the attacks, though at the cost of lives of soldiers and townsfolk. It had been a few months since the last major attack, though Risen still continued to attempt light raids against the castle. Still, it felt more like a calm before a storm to the children of the shepherds and the soldiers they helped lead.
"It's getting late. We should head to the camp and rest for the night, then bring the refugees to the capital." Inigo said as he motioned for the captain to give the orders to march.
Noire and Owain nodded in agreement and after collecting any spare arrows from the risen archers and the ones Noire had shot, the three friends lead the soldiers down toward the camp. As they moved, a sudden scream of terror pierced the eerie calm, causing them all to draw their weapons in shock and look for the source. Though they could tell it was not the sound of Risen but of human origin.
"Someone's in trouble! The sound of an ally in need makes my blood boil and my sword hand twitch!" Owain said, before running into the woods toward the source of the scream.
"Owain wait! Damn it. Noire come on!" Inigo called and ran after his friend.
Noire gasped and seemed unsure of what to do, "Captain. Take the soldiers back to the camp, w-we will see what is happening." Noire said, uncomfortable of giving orders, but knowing that the refugee camp would need these men to guard them.
The captain was hesitant, but nodded and ordered the men to march, but left ten soldiers with Noire to offer back up. Noire nodded and ran after her friends, arrow already out of the quiver as she raced to catch up. And just hoping that whoever was in trouble was still alive.
'I-I don't want to see any more innocent lives taken!' She thought, tears welling up slightly in her eyes before wiping them away.
Davis groaned as he felt his consciousness return, and when he opened his eyes the first thing he saw was the sharp edge of the family blade not two inches from his face.
"Yikes!" He gasped and scrambled away and to his feet, and falling back to his rear, hands running over his face and neck, mind imaging all the other more horrible possibilities that could have occurred.
'I almost got stabbed in the head!' He thought, as he tried to ease his breathing, so sparked by his close shave with death.
He held a hand over his heart as he slowly started to calm down, and gave a chuckle. From blue eye gate things to nearly getting stabbed, he was starting to wonder if he had kicked a kitten or something that he didn't notice and this was Karma getting equal with him.
'Wait a minute.' Davis said, remembering the blue eye gate thing. He shot to his feet and looked around. Trees, dead grass and shrubbery and cloudy skies. No cave….no stone structure…
"Where am I?!" He asked, looking around as he started to panic again, moving toward the family sword, wanting to be close to something that was at least familiar to him now.
Davis went still when he heard something break a twig and he turned to see a dark figure in the woods. He waved a hand and called over, "Hey! Can you give me a hand here I…I uh..I'm sort of lost."
Davis felt a bit relieved to know that there were people around. Maybe he could get some help. Maybe he could find out where the hell he was and how to get out of being at here.
Davis' smile though went flat and into a look of fear as the figure became more apparent, or at least the glowing red eyes housed within a sickly black body of gangly limbs and armor, holding a rather wicked looking axe. An axe that Davis had the feeling was all to real.
"S-stay back." He said, hand gripping the family blade and lifting it up and holding it in shaky hands toward the beast. The monster moaned and lifted its axe before moving at a speed that Davis would have thought impossible for such a creature. The axe came down and Davis' reflexes kicked in and he moved back. Still searing pain ripped across his chest, and the sound of his shirt being ripped.
"AHHH!" Davis screamed as he hit the ground, a ahnd going to his chest. He felt something wet and warm and when he lifted his hand up he saw it was covered in blood. Looking down, he saw the front of his t-shirt torn in a long line, a thin wound cut into his chest and blood seeping out. His blood!
"Oh god….Oh god…I'm gonna die…I don't wanna die." Davis screamed, before realizing he had the sword and screamed as he stabbed it into where the beasts stomach would be.
The zombie, or at least that is what it seemed to him, moaned and looked at the blade sticking out of its gut. He moaned and lifted its axe once more for a finishing strike, showing no sign of injury or pain.
Davis felt his hands shaking, and his grip slipping from the hilt of the sword as the axe came down. A sudden feeling of calm came over him, as he felt his life flashing before his eyes. And as he came to terms that he was going to die, he thought, 'At least I'll finally know what happens. The greatest mystery solved at last.'
A sudden flash and the clang of metal struggling against metal came apparent as the body of someone stood in front him.
"What the?" Davis said.
"You okay?" The man asked, before shoving with strong force and pushing back the zombie, Davis' sword still in its stomach.
"Foul creature! You dare try to take yet another life for your dark master, well face the might of Owain, Scion of Heroes!" The man, Owain shouted before leaping forward with surprising speed and striking with a sword that to Davis looked more like flashes of light.
"Whoa he is fast." Davis said, before gasping as someone else came beside him. This one a young man, who also had a sword but had set it on the ground and was pulling something from a bag at his waist. But what Davis was most curious about was his hair.
'It's pink!?' he thought, wondering who dyed their hair pink?
"Hold still. The wound doesn't seem too bad. I wish Brady was here, but this should help with the healing." The man said, before taking a strange bottle and pouring a liquid over Davis' wound.
"Wha-Arght! Damn that stings!" Davis said, wincing as the liquid felt like alchohol. But he gasped as he watched the wound slowly start to seal shut.
"How in the-" Davis started before being cut off by a loud scream.
"BLOOD AND THUNDER! COME YOU CRAVEN CUR! I WILL SEND YOU TO YOUR MASTER ONCE MORE SO YOU MAY ASK HOW HE FLAWED WITH YOU!" A female voice shouted. A very…threatening and scary female voice shouted.
Davis saw as three-no four arrows were shot from a woman in the woods, a bow in her hand and another arrow ready to fire. He couldn't get a good look at her, but she seemed to radiate a very evil and deadly aura. Even from the distance Davis was starting to feel uncomfortable around her.
Davis watched as Owain finished off the zombie, swinging his sword once and sheathing it with a flourish. It reminded Davis of a video game character ending a battle actually.
"Ha. He won't bother anyone any more. Are you okay lad?" Owain said, turning and walking over to Davis.
"He should be fine. A little scuffed, but he wasn't that hurt." The pink haired man said.
"Oh, th-thank goodness."
Davis blinked and noticed the girl from before, but she seemed….different. The way she clutched the bow to her chest, and the way she breathed uneasily as if of weak constitution or shyness. Where was the demon woman he had seen earlier? Also why was her hair a sort of whitish blond? That couldn't be normal.
"Tell us, what are you doing out here? Are you another refugee?" The pink haired man asked.
Davis blinked, "I….god I wish I knew myself. What do you mean refugee? In fact where the hell am I and what the hell was that thing?" Davis said, pointing to the body of the zombie.
Davis felt his eyes widen as he saw it slowly vanish in a purple smoke. Okay…now he was starting to freak out. Davis shot to his feet, starting to feel his breath quicken. He saw his family blade, laying on the ground and he rushed to pick it up. A strong need to hold it close to him now. Holding the blade made him feel comfortable…but only just a bit.
Owain and the two others held their hands up, the pink haired man walking over to him "Now just calm down good man. You're in shock with your brush with death. Just try to relax."
"Relax….relax…yeah…relax…I just…" Davis struggled to speak as he breathed faster, "Hey…where am I?"
"Um..this is Y-Ylisse. Um..are you sure you're okay? Maybe you should sit down a moment, we are near our camp . You can rest there." The girl said, looking at Davis with a worried expression in her eyes.
"Ylisse? Ylisse…where the hell is that!?" Davis screamed, gripping his sword tighter by the hilt, "I just need…dream this is a dream."
Davis laughed and closed his eyes, pinched himself….Nothing! He wasn't dreaming….he wasn't dreaming.
The three strangers looked at him oddly, as Davis started to laugh.
"This…this isn't a dream." Davis said…..before falling backwards fainting. The sword still clutched tightly in his hand.
"Oh no!" Noire gasped and ran over.
"What was that about?" Inigo asked as he ran over as well, and lifted the unconscious man up on his shoulder.
"Hmm. Ah I know he was merely in awe of my heroic skills that he fainted in amazement. It's a common thing." Owain said, tapping his head with his hand, "I should be more-"
"Owain just shut up and help me carry him." Inigo shouted.
Owain looked a bit dejected at being interrupted but nodded and ran over to help his friend carry the man back to camp.
It was getting to be dark. And the Risen grew more active in the night. There could be time for questions later. When the sun, or what little of it shone through the clouds, came again.