BioshadowYet again another story, this one will take place before and with FIRE EMBLEM PATH OF RIDDANCE, so expect some of the characters of the game.
Edit: I kinda rewrote the chapter all over, since I felt there were some parts lacking and to get the chapters narration scheme the same as the latter episodes. As always, write reviews if you like, or if you don't. Just don't go flaming me for no reason.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything from fire emblem, except for my own characters.
It's all so foggy, I can't remember anything… Where am I? This place is so familiar, why? What's that smell? Blood? Is it my own blood? … No, I can feel more people here. They're talking; I can hear them but… I don't understand anything… I feel so… tired, what happened? Someone has me surrounded with her arms… My mother? I can't feel her breath; her hands are so cold… Am I covered in her blood? … My father, where is he? His body is next to me… at least, it seems so, is he alive? … No, his heart has stopped; I can't feel its beats… M-my sister, she is not here, a soldier is carrying her, I understood something… Fainted…
I can barely open my eyes; my arms, my legs, I cannot move them… There's another person with the soldiers, a young woman; her face, she is so familiar, but why? … She is walking in my direction… Why am I so scared? …Her golden eyes, they're not human; why her sole eyes bring so much fear upon me? …That evil grin on her face… Am I going to die? … That golden dagger… It's so familiar too… The edge is covered in blood… Her lips are moving; is she telling me something? …No, she is casting some sort of spell, because the golden dagger is glowing red now… She… She stabbed m-me? …Weird, I don't feel any pain… Wha…? She is lifting me with so much ease… she put her other hand in front of her face… she is casting another spell… The rest of my energy is being drained, it's painful now…
Now I can't move my body at all, my head is going limp, I can't control my head… I- is that my body on the ground? What's going on? … She is retracting her hand… I'm falling to ground; the pain is too much to bear… I'm bleeding… That girl, what did she do? … She is heading with the soldiers; they're talking about something… I don't understand a word…The girl… She is looking back at me, my body is being filled with fear again… yet… she is directly in front of my now, she's kneeling down… Her face is getting closer… Dammit, I can't move at all… Her lips are t-touching mine… Is she kissing me? … Why? … I don't understand anything… One of the soldiers is shouting, he looks worried. The young girl, she is now reaching her weapon… A red cat is slaughtering the soldier; it's all so fast; another soldier is yelling in pain… A battle is going on; I know it… but… I'm so tired, I'm falling sleep…
The beginning: A tale about a boy
"Is he alright?" A worried voice...
"It seems so, but he needs to stay here more, for his sake." Two people are talking...
"Can I stay with him, at least for the night, please?" That person...
"… (Sigh) Okay, but don't disturb the sleep of the other patients" I think I know them...
"Thank you, gramps!"
...
What happened...? Where am I…? May head... it's all too blurry and I feel sickly... this place... it's all dark but I can still see it somehow, this looks like some kind of rest home… Huh...? To my right, brown hairs spread all across her face and on the mattress, the girl sleeping on a chair next to me… I think I recognize her… "Mina? Is that you?"
"Wha…? Who's there?" The young girl says, rubbing her eyes, still half-sleep
"Mina, what are you doing here?" ... Wait, that was the wrong question... If I'm in a rest home... that means...
"I'm taking care of you, silly!" Mina just chuckles and gives me a warm smile, yeah, I knew ti was the wrong question. What I want to know is how I got here, "Mina..."-"Wait here, I'll tell the doctor you woke up" Her voice overlaps mine and before I can do anything, she rushes out of the room. Mina… thanks for being kind to me... here she comes.
"So you finally woke up" Mister Carseno, Mina's adoptive grandfather, comes in, he looks a bit troubled...
"I guess... Mister Carseno, what happened?" I can't shake the feeling... My memories are still vague but I remember being accosted by some weird girl...
"Well, you've been out for 5 days now. We were hoping you told us, we found you right across from the hospital" Mister Carseno explains while putting his bifocals on. "Although" He continues, why am I so anxious...? "The wounds in your body points a laguz attack" WHAT?!?
"It can't be, I know the only Laguz in the area, and they're friendly! They wouldn't attack me, even their kids are friends of mine" Gah... the room is being filled with a strange, almost painful silence, the look on both of their faces... Mina looks so distressed...
"Sorry, but the marks in your skin tells a different story" Mister Carseno says in a very serious manner. I know it can't be true, I don't want to listen anymore! "Listen, they couldn't...!" I yell, but a sudden feeling is stopping me... Mina holds my hand with hers shaking her head, telling me with her eyes to stop.
That was 7 days ago, It took me a couple of days but I felt better and the doctors let me go. Naturally I walked to my house, I couldn't abandon the feeling... of helplessness, I knew that if I came back... I would find something I didn't want to find, I don't know how exactly but my mind seemed to block what had happened that day at my house... I was shocked, at the scene, I didn't remember it being so loathsome or disgusting, blood splattered all over the ground... and the decaying bodies... My mother and my father... they deserved better than to decay out in the open or being killed for that matter... The thought then came... follow those men... they still have her... but what could I do...? I'd get lost... or get killed if I really found them... taking into account what they did to me that night... I couldn't bear with it, I was discouraged, I couldn't help my baby sister... even more... I was completely alone... It hurt but I knew nobody would ever come and help me... a 15 years old kid fighting all alone to keep existing such a meaningless life... it was truly unbearable...
Days passed by, with no sign of anything getting better, Mina came by the house every day, checking up on me, it's was hard, but I was getting the hang of things... It became peaceful... no attacks whatsoever, like some kind of calm before the storm... I wished for it to keep like that but... one day, without warning, word came by that another kid was attacked, it was the laguz that saved him from death by risking they're very own lives just taking him to the rest home, I couldn't believe everyone thought the Laguz were doing those horrible deeds. Then, again, another attack, this time with fatal consequences, the laguz intervened again... but the kid didn't make it to the rest home... it was a tragedy that everyone else besides me where blind to the truth... It was disheartening to hear Mina say that I shouldn't talk to them anymore...
I couldn't help it, the laguz and Mina are my only other family in town... if I didn't talk to them soon... I thought I might go crazy... I had only my father's sword to spar, and spar I did... trying to keep my head off things, or at least, thinking that next time I wouldn't just get stabbed without doing something before...
"Nooo!!!" What? That scream, it came from the woods near here!
"Agh... Stop!!!" It sounds like someone is really in trouble, it sounds far, but I might make if I run.
Why do I have this feeling? I anxious, it's no use hiding that fact, but I'm worried that I feel so... expectant, I'm hoping for something to happen...!!! That stench... blood? Damn! Why do I feel like if I was looking forward to this?
Over there... there's a strange glow coming from where the shouts came.
My heart is rising, to my relief, it's pounding hard out of fear, because there's something more now, the sound of metal clashing, loud footsteps, the soldiers screaming like mad, the sounds of a battle... It might be bad if I get caught in it... but I already came all the way here... I would take a peep, but the light is too bright, and it feels hot too... like, way too hot...
Huh? The light, is fading slightly, I have to move now or... Th-the green-haired girl! The same girl from before that awful night! Appearing out of the light like some kind of horrible nightmare. A golden dagger, that she is holding, is deeply implanted into his stomach! The sound of something dripping, the kids blood, tells me I'm way too late... Darn it, coming all the way here and getting frozen out of fear like this!
She smiles devilishly, like if she thought she's just playing some sort of sick prank... It's completely surreal... "ARGH!!!" A soldier suddenly comes into view, or at least, the upper part of his body does as well as a black tiger, while a big, grey cat slashed another soldier's leg. It was the same... The soldiers, that girl, the laguz and the kid... it was all like that day...
I better stop daydreaming! I might get cut down if I don't do anything! I jump out of the woods with the sword in hand… However, giving just a few steps I find myself unable to move more, the girl stands between me and the kid, holding the dagger at shoulder height "Huh? Schauen Sie, was wir jetzt erhielten, wenn es isn' t das nette Kleinkind wählte ich letzte Woche aus!" She says with with a playful voice, as if recalling some good memories, she gives me a warn smile... Is she kidding? "oh gut, beende ich Sie vorher…" She says but suddenly leaps to the side avoiding the giant claws of the black tiger that lands in a perfect spot to jump at her again, however he does nothing and instead turns my way.
The tiger looks fevently into my eyes, like if he was trying to tell me something, the kid... Darn it! I totally forgot about the kid! this isn't time to fool around, I need to take that kid out of here! The tiger's eyes widen as I make a run for it, "Ha ha ha! Wenn das ist, wie es ist, dann holen Sie es!!" She gives a hollow laugh as she lowers herself in a spring-like motion, she bolts at me, I hold my breath as I keep moving, suddenly, the black blur appears between me and the dagger! "Gah..." She moves to the side and lands swiftly, jumping again to get farther from the tiger. "Alright!" I quickly take the kid, his chest is still flooding with his blood.
Shoot, his wound is real bad, he is bleeding too much! I got to hurry if he is to make it! But Likon and the others... the laguz are now back to back, with the green haired girl dancing all around them and more than a couple of soldiers trying to stab them with their spears. As much as I hate being useless, that is not a fight in which I can help them. I finally run, breathing heavily as my clothes get stained with his blood.
The rest home! I can see it, this close... she might hear from here, "Mina!!!" My voice is so weak, I'm panting and wheezing so hard I can't even speak now, how much did I run anyways? Wait, she's coming out of the rest home! "Hey, Mina!" She finally notices and looks at me "He's hurt!!!" She's just waving her hand at me! Darn it, she can't hear!
"Darn it! Mina!!!" I yell with all my strength, still running as fast as I can. Mina jumps in shock, finally noticing the kid in my arms, "Grandfather!!!" She cries and goes into the rest home. Just as I get to the entrance, a group of healers quickly came out.
"Koel… Wh-what happened?" Mina asks with more concern for me than for the young kid. However, I can't reply yet, I feel like if my heart was just about to explode, I guess I ran for some good 5 miles non-stop.
There... I take another lungful of air, and sigh in relief, I think I was still in a daze... All thought processes are returning to normal... I just need to cool down now... "I found the boy on the forest, being attacked by a bunch of strangers…" I start, with Mina's inquisitive eyes stuck right on mine...
It was a complete madhouse yesterday at the hospital, the kid's family wouldn't believe a single word I said... I'm still tired, but... I have to warn them, it's now or never
I'm still shaken by what they were saying yesterday, "Damn right, it was those monsters, those sub-humans have to die if we want the attacks to stop!" One of the ladies that were with the boy's mother said. I sure tried to change their mind, but it was to no vail. They wouldn't hear a 'tainted one' such as me...
I'm still running toward Reguriar's house, the only laguz in the whole area... It's a relief to see that the house's still there... I better warn them now, if not...
Stopping for only a moment, to think... I am well aware that I won't be seen with kind eyes if anyone spots me here, but it's not like my family was popular on the town... I knock the door very hard, waiting almost nothing as soon mister Reguriar showed himself.
The old man, smiles upon seeing me, "Hey Koel, it's been a while isn't it?" Reguriar says with a giant smile, giving me a back breaking hug.
"Agh..." Too... strong... He's gonna... break me! "So tell me son, why are ya here?" He says while releasing me from that mortal lock...
"Sir, you need to get out of here, the people of the town want to…" I stop, the look on his face... I kind of got scared for a moment, he looked totally different just when I said the town...
"I already know that"
"What?" He looks at me with this sad eyes... I'm not sure I want to...
"Get in now!" He suddenly pulls me inside of the house so hard that I though he was going to rip my arm.
Taking me to the dinning room, as I enter to the modest room I finally see the faces of Mr. Reguriar's off springs. All of them good friends of mine since childhood. The 20 years old Seid, always serious and cold... Yet, very reliable, I know that whenever Nina is involved, he would always help her, and by collateral damage ending up helping me too, Lykon, 16 years old, the second child... always ready to pick a fight, and maybe not the best person to keep around when you don't want a fight... next to Nina, he is the one I talk to the most. Nina, she's 15 years old and is the 3 child, she's been always close to me, always teasing me into some dangerous stuff, still, very kind and cheerful... and the little Lethe with only 8 years old, she's the cutest, smallest fur ball in all of Tellius, she's been friends with me and my sister... They all have...
"Hey, heads up!" Lykon suddenly shouts as he disappears into the thin air. Well, leaping faster than the eye can follow is more accurate. "Again with that?" Alright, bring it on! Lykon jumps on me, arms outstretched. There, he always leaves an opening unconsciously whenever he leaps, I throw my arm, barely avoiding his hand, I take him by the elbow and pull hard, redirecting his weight straight into the... "Whoa!!! Aww, darn it, still too good for me, eh Koel?" He says with a smirk while shaking my hand from the ground. "Koel... Good to see you're okay... after what happened yesterday" He looks coldly, but then looks away from my face, moving his lips like if he was saying something to himself...
"I'll take my leave..." Seid says before vowing and leaves the room without so much as a creak from the floor, as always. "Kolly!!!" That voice, "Nina, how are...?!?" What the...? Before I can react, Nina moved suddenly, pushing her head on mine... "Wai..." Nina's lips find mine and she gives me a corny kiss, even so, I can tell I'm blushing so hard right now.
"How are ya?" She says with a very big smile while taking a couple of steps backwards, looking intently at me, as if expecting I just melt into the ground in embarrassment."N-nina!!!" I... I... "As easy as ever, Kolly, you should practice more for when you're with some other girl you know?"
"Nina!!!" They're happy laughter... sigh... I feel at ease... they're my second family, I have just as many happy memories with them than with my real family... Wait a moment, where's Lethe? "Agh, ouch! Le-lethe!!!" I feel her... clawing her way up my back with her claws... her long, sharp, deadly little claws...
"Hi Koel, did you come to play with us" She smiles with the innocence of a child, pulling my ears happily, I can't believe the townsfolk think they are killers...
"Now, now kids, I want to talk with Koel from Laguz to Beorc" Reguriar says jokingly, however, I know he isn't joking at all, and quickly they all scramble, even Lethe, who carefully claws her way to the ground, "Remember to practice a lot Kolly!"
"Nina!!!" I can only sigh as she slips away... "Well then Koel, take a seat" Reguriar looks at me very seriously, my uneasiness quickly reaches new heights as I look at him. "Are you comfortable?"
"Y-yeah..."
"Well then. Koel, my boy, I want to ask something, if that's okay with you"
I nod silently, I don't know if I really want to hear it, though...
"Could you promise me that you'll take care of the kids when I die?" I can't avoid feeling shaken... I mean... I kinda was prepared for something like this, but still, it feels like a knife cutting through my heart. "Y-yes..." I hesitated, this was something I wasn't used to talk about... It's a bit... surreal...
"If so, then it's all good, I know you will take good care of Nina and Lethe in my stead..." ... Why do I feel so... uneasy...? I don't like it... "They'll get to your house by the afternoon, be sure to watch over the 2 of them very carefully" He is... saying good bye, isn't he...? I can almost feel it... somehow... I know they are going to... fade... before tomorrow...
"Alright..."
Finally, the afternoon, although, I'm very uneasy, why…? Not now, I need to stay calm… I can't stay here... I keep trying to distract myself by fidgeting, taping my fingers on the table... but it's useless... They're taking too long... I know, I'll catch up with them in the forest; that will be the best… I can't really sit and wait here, I walk hastily toward 's house, the waiting was driving me crazy... W-what's that...? It looks like torches... No, it can't be... The people are going to assault him right now, in mid-day? I cannot believe… Then I need to hurry...
...pant... pant... I didn't remember that Reguriar's house was so far... huff... huff... Yeah, there's the house.
"Mister Reguriar!"
"What is it kid; I thought I told you I would send the kids in the afternoon"
"No, you don't understand, they're coming right now, I saw them!" Reguriar's eyes widened, at the smell of the townsfolk closing in on us, he grits his teeth, and grunts in disgust...
"C'mon here, escape with the kids by the back entrance" "Mina! Lethe! Come here!!!" Immediately Mina appeared with Lethe on her shoulders, and carrying a wooden box. But wait... why didn't he call the other 2?
"Reguriar, what about Likon and Seid?" Where are those two...
"Their choice was to fight, kid, they didn't hesitate, not even a bit, when they told me that they would stay with me, and I cannot convince them of do otherwise, for your sake, I recommend you not to see them now, just go away as fast as you can" Reguriar pushes us, chasing us away from the house...
"C'mon, we… We need to move on" ... I... can't bear leaving them alone... But I made a promise, I must take care of Nina and Lethe… I grab Nina's hand and lead the way, running as fast as I can, I can see... the torches, they're going to reach the house any minute now... I... "Kolly... I'm scared" Nina says, with tears swelling up in her eyes...
I can almost hear the people screaming... It's been like this for the past hour, I'm going to get sick...
We're at my house's door... still... I can't cope with the feelings... "Nina, make yourself comfortable, I need to go back, I forgot something" Nina is naive, but at the same time she is very intuitive, I don't know if she will believe... "Kolly..." She turns her face to me... I couldn't feel worst in my entire life... she was crying the whole way here. "Let's just get inside..." I sighed as I opened the door...
"Daddy isn't coming back, isn't it?" Lethe looked back... She is crying but she won't stop smiling... "Lethe..." I got to take care of them... I grab Lethe, and then we enter the house... The floor creaked as our feet stepped on it... there's smoke coming from the place already… I close my eyes and wish for all of this to be a bad dream... I get the feeling this is one of those nightmares I won't be waking up from...
... It feels like an eternity, there are still signs of struggle over Reguriar's house... I feel really bad… The only thing bothering me is that I couldn't do anything… I must be strong, but how am I supposed to be like that, if I couldn't save them… I can't forgive myself for being so useless, but… I'll try to be… I'll try to be strong for Nina and Lethe…
Those two? They are still crying, for the same reason as me… I will show you Mister Reguriar that your trust was not misplaced… I won't let them cry again, I won't leave them alone… This is what my father would do… isn't it?
It's getting dark, time to sleep… Think I better go to my bedroom now…
I walk to my room, I keep an eye on the window...just in case someone want to pay us a visit, but it won't happen, they must be celebrating their victory over the 3 laguz…
Walking into my room I found Nina and Lethe, waiting me to sleep the three together, although I wasn't expecting this, I didn't care too much, I still feel very shattered. I jumped into my bed and closed my eyes… trying to catch at least a little nap…
Good night Nina, Lethe… Good night father, mother… May the gods grant us with a better tomorrow…