Chapter One

Was this how it would end?

I crawled across the mounds of leftover corpses as I mentally prepared myself to join them in their slumber. Between the arrow in my leg, the stab wound in my stomach, and the axe buried in my shoulder I wasn't optimistic about my odds. The battle had been fierce and I'd done my best…but to no avail. It was over and the "Heroes" were no doubt on their way home to celebrate the brand new "Peace" they had ushered in, meanwhile, myself and others like me tried in vain to survive just a few extra minutes as we feared what would come after death: Would the gods be merciful, or would they condemn us? The least comforting thought being the possibility that the gods didn't exist at all and we would wind up spending eternity in a void where time meant nothing.

I coughed and wretched as I continued forward, hoping beyond hope that I could somehow live through this and exact justice on the orchestrators of this awful massacre. The smell of blood and steel was overwhelming, making me feel light headed and nauseated, or was that just my loss of blood's doing? It was impossible to tell at this point but it mattered not. I needed to keep moving because if I stopped to rest then I knew Death would collect me just as he'd done with the rest of my comrades.

Just a little further and I'll be okay.

That's what I kept telling myself even if I didn't believe it in the slightest; there was no chance of me being remotely okay on my own…not in the state I was in. My pace began to slow and I knew my time would be soon as my vision blacked out on the edges. I stopped my advance…it was futile and I knew it.

My thoughts drifted to my loved ones and all those that I would see once more if Death was kind to me. My parents, my sister, my baby brother. I'd felt empty ever since the day they'd been…since they died, but now I would have the chance to see them again and reconcile my wrongs with them. I smiled at the thought of seeing their faces and hearing their voices once more, assuming they wanted anything to do with me when I got there. My smile twisted into one of bitterness.

"Well, well, well. What a marvelous landscape I've been gifted with." A voice spoke from somewhere to my right. The speaker was male and seemed to be speaking with a strange lilt to his voice. A foreigner perhaps? "Let's see what I can see across this sea of cadavers."

I turned my head with the last ounce of strength I possessed in order to spot this mystery man. I could just barely make out a white blur through my tunnel vision. There was only one figure as far as I could tell so I assumed he must have been talking to himself. He crouched down.

"Nope, no good, absolutely not! This simply will not do." A heavy sigh. "I suppose I'll have to…"

He stopped mid-sentence and slowly stood back up. He was looking for…something it seemed. Heaven knows what kind of man would be looking for anything in a bloodied battlefield.

"I see." He said simply, letting out a small chuckle. "That will do just fine then."

Before I could begin wondering about his statement, I was hoisted upward like a puppet on its strings. My vision returned to normal and the pain of my wounds faded to a dull buzz. I could see the man more clearly now, though he was still rather far away and with his back turned towards me. In the distance I spotted several other individuals strung up similarly to myself.

"Well now, aren't you all just the bravest souls around? I'm rather surprised that many of you lasted for as long as you did." He clapped loudly. "Don't be shy now, come a bit closer, won't you?"

Without telling them to do so my legs moved forward, taking me closer to the enigma of a man before me. It seemed the others were doing the same.

I could see him up close and personal now, not that it helped me identify him. He wore a smooth white mask on his face, its only features being a long, wide grin and two arching crescent moon shapes where his eyes would have been making for a rather mischievous look altogether. He wore a well-tailored suit that was all white in color and wide brimmed hat on his head that was the same color as the rest of his attire. The only splash of color to his ensemble was the dark red that adorned his shoes and the hems of his pant-legs.

"There we go, it feels a bit more personal and important this way, don't you think?" None of us had the strength or wits about us to reply. "Tough crowd, hm? No matter! I will speak and you will listen. As you are no doubt aware, your kingdom lies in shambles, your King has been executed and things look generally bleak for you lot; especially those of you with mortal wounds, which includes…all of you." He paused for a moment. "I, however, offer you an alternative to death, though do not mistake it for life. Think of yourselves as being more like a…a phantom, or a revenant perhaps.

"Of course, these bodies you have now are no good; they've been virtually destroyed inside and out. But fret not, for I will make you new ones, thus giving you a new identity and a new lot in life."

He watched us, gauging our near-death expressions for any sign of comprehension or understanding, and I suppose he found it as he proceeded to clap loudly and chuckle.

"Very good. I see what they call 'hope' shining in your eyes. Hope for a new tomorrow. Hope that you will live. Hope that your loved ones can be saved. Hope…that you can pass judgement on those who left you in such a sorry state. And it is exactly that hope that I wish to nurture, to grow, so that you may achieve those things you so desperately hope for." He snapped his fingers I was dropped from my invisible strings and back into the muck of the battlefield. My vision began to grow darker and I could no longer feel my body. "Worry not what your lot will be, for I know that you can handle it and that you will come out conqueror."

Those words were the last things I heard before being sucked into a tight and all-encompassing blackness that I could only assume was the great void we call death.

But one should never assume.

I shot up in my bed, a cold sweat trickling over my body. I clutched my chest in an attempt to slow my rapidly beating heart. I'd just had a dream, hadn't I? But what had it been about? I couldn't quite recall all the details but there was a man in white, a bloody field of corpses, pain that had felt all too real, and a hope tinged with despair. The man in white had said some things but it was all too fuzzy for me to remember, and with each passing minute the dream seemed to fade further and further into the depths of my memory. I closed my eyes, rubbed my temples and tried to think harder; tried to glean anything I could from what remained in my mind of the dream, but no matter how hard I tried, nothing else came.

I sighed, opening my eyes and looking around my room at the stone walls, the bedside table, and the rug in the center of the floor. And although it felt like I should know this room it just felt unfamiliar to me. I shook it off as a result of the weird dream.

The room was dark and I could see stars outside so it was definitely still nighttime. I laid back down on my pillow and tried to go back to sleep, and sleep took me quickly. But as I drifted off into dream land, I thought I heard the voice of the man in white speaking from my bedside.

"Hmm, a little too rough, I suppose. But what will it matter in the end?" His voice trailed off into the distance as the comfortable warmth of sleep enveloped me once again.

When I next awoke it was to the shining sun and the chirping of birds. A welcome awakening. I sat up, rubbed my eyes, and stretched as I prepared for my day. First on the list was…was what? I was sure something was planned for today. My eyebrows furrowed for a moment as I thought harder about it. I hopped out of bed, my bare feet connecting with the cool stone floor of my room. I glanced absentmindedly into the mirror on my bedside table and suddenly everything clicked into place. There was a woman in the mirror that I had never seen before, that much I was certain of. She had a slim and pale face, a dainty nose, and long dark purple hair that matched oddly well with her green eyes.

I touched my face and the woman did the same, bearing the same look of shock on her face that I did. It became very clear very quickly that I was this woman I saw, but the major problem I had with that was the fact that I knew I wasn't a woman. Last I knew I'd been a man.

I stumbled back as this realization caused last night's dream to flow back in full force. The man in white had promised a new body and it seemed he had meant it quite literally. I sat on the edge of the bed as mind raced trying to connect all the dots and make sense of this situation I was in. Putting my head in my hands I sat…and sat…and sat…

A/N:

Edit: I'm sorry, I'm an idiot. I've just modified the OC template to include the character's personality. I don't know how I managed to forget about that.

First chapter of a new story that I really shouldn't be starting! Aren't you guys proud of me? Because you shouldn't be. In any case, this fanfic is going to take place in the world of FE: Fates with the same characters and all, but it takes place after the events of said game. Meaning that (SPOILERS) there's peace between Hoshido, Nohr, and Valla currently. To explain though, the main character's kingdom that was decimated is a currently unnamed kingdom further to the west.

Now, early in the chapter, the man in white speaks to several individuals including MC. Five others to be exact. And I'd like those five to be OCs from you guys, and if you'd care to submit one I'd be really happy. Please send OCs through PM though. NO OCS THROUGH REVIEW PLEASE! It's just harder to do that way. Anyway, the template is as follows:

Name:

Age:

Gender:

Sexual Orientation:

Appearance: (This includes their outfit as well)

Personality:

Backstory: (I don't want everyone's backstory to be tragic and sappy, m'kay? Also, be detailed if you can)

Class: (Myrmidon, Archer, Fighter, etc. etc. And any class from any fire emblem game is fair)

Romance?: (Would you like your OC to have a romantic relationship in the story? And if so, any preferences? Keep in mind though that some characters from the games will already be taken by default. I'll try to be accommodating though)

Alignment: (Good, Evil, Neutral, or anywhere in between)

Loyalty: (Are they loyal to Hoshido, Nohr, Valla, the fallen kingdom, or are they loyal to no one at all?)

Other: (Anything else you think I should know about your character in order to properly portray them)

That does it for the template, but I do have another favor to ask. I haven't officially chosen a class for MC, so if you guys have any suggestions I'd much appreciate it.

Welp, thank for reading and giving my story the time of day. And I hope you'll continue to read more of it. ^^

Farvel!