Inheritors of the Fallen: A Fire Emblem Story

Prologue: Sacred Relic, Reborn

It had been four days since the expedition to the Alfor Ruins had been assembled. Progress was slow, as rubble blocked every corner, and old riddles gave nothing but setbacks. The army was growing weary, and soldiers began to collapse with exhaustion.

The commander, Roland, saw the state of his army, and began to speak. "Alright men, I know we're all sick of this place, but our lord will accept no other result than success!"

"Is he really sure about this? All these stories about the Aum staff have been nothing but rumors." Multiple soldiers looked at each other in disbelief.

"I don't know, soldier, but I can feel us getting closer."

"That's what you've said for the past two days."

Roland was becoming irritated by this talk."I haven't been wrong, have I? Or do you want to turn back now, and report to King Argo that we failed our mission?"

"N-no, sir!" He went stiff while saluting.

"Then get off your ass and get moving!"

"Yes, sir!"

With that order, they continued marching forward. The sound of orderly footsteps and hushed voices filled the empty corridors. Bandits tended to avoid this location, believing it to have been cursed by an evil presence, long before their time. So far, there had been nothing of the sort. Just dust and debris. Soon, Roland spotted a mural in the distance.

"This way!"

They moved forward, as the mages lit the path in front of them. The wall carried a mural, depicting two men and a woman climbing out from a hole in the ground, as a robed man held a golden staff to the sky. Beneath this was a faded inscription, written in a language known to few.

Roland turned to his army and projected his voice towards the rear."Reese! Work your magic for us."

A middle aged woman, with brown hair reaching to her shoulders, round glasses, and a red cloak presented herself, and began to study the symbols. Her facial features contorted as she studied the words. She reached out to them, and gently placed her hand over one particular section.

"Okay, this is what it says." She turned to the rest of the army. "Travelers of the fallen, seek no further to restore your hope. Your resolve has brought you forward, and now you face one last test." As she spoke, her hands waved as if she were conducting an orchestra. "To lift the ones lost to time, there is no way forward. You must follow them, and find a tool within their souls."

Roland raised an eyebrow. "What the hell does that mean?"

"Let's see..." Reese began pacing back and forth. "We must follow them, those lost to time... On a quest to find a staff to raise the dead... Aha! The Aum staff lies beneath us."

"So what? You expect us to dig our way to the staff?"

"I don't think it will be as tedious as you think. You've seen how weak the structural integrity of this place is." She pointed to a spot on the ground. "If we break a hole in the ground with a well placed spell, we can reach the staff in no time."

Roland turned to the mages in the army. "You heard the lady!"

Reese repeated the location of the floor to strike, and a mage opened his Elfire tome. After most of the unit fled the blast zone, the spell was cast. A large explosion gave way to flying, grey stones, and a thick cloud of dust. Soon, there was silence. The unit returned from their hiding point, and gazed upon a narrow passageway underneath the wall. Roland and Reese dropped into it, after ordering the rest of the army to hold their position, and lighting torches for themselves. Inside the corridor, the air was dank, and cold. A welcome change from the warm air of the ruins. Not too far in, the tunnel widened into a spacious foyer, adorned with jade statues, towering pillars, and a large, circular doorway, containing a slot in the middle. Roland and Reese stood agape at the unknown riches.

"This must be it, don't you think?"

"Like hell I do, I can't wait to show the king this place! Just look at all the treasures!"

"Just remember that's not what we're here for."

Reese produced a smooth, round stone from her bag, and proceeded to insert it into the door's cavity. The keystone sluggishly rotated clockwise, until it was upside down. At first, nothing happened. Then, there was a rumble, as the door slowly opened, to reveal a pedestal. On it was a slender, gold and black staff, decorated with red cloth ribbons, and topped with a lustrous red orb on a hexagonal base, surrounded by a diamond cover. It glimmered in the light of Roland's torch. Reese could not contain her excitement, as she rushed to the pedestal.

"Oh! After so many years, I can say that the legends are true!" She spoke with the joy of a young girl on her birthday. "The Aum staff does exist! I need to bring this back to the Mages' College immediately! We can't have it break! This is too exciting!"

"Hold on, we agreed on the terms that King Argo would retain possession of the staff."

Reese's ambitions quickly faded. "Oh... of course."

"Don't be such a downer, let's take this back and get our reward, and I'll treat you to something nice, what do you say?"

"I already told you my response to that."

"What? No? Well, shoot. Guess I've got nothing to do with all the money I'll get."

Reese sighed in response to this. "I'll think about it, then."

"Heh, I thought you'd come around."