Chapter 1
In front of the small group, the city of Cyrkensia was burning, its beautiful architecture crumbling to the flames.
With the sharp taste of ash in his mouth, all he could do is stare at the damage being done to the city. Battle flags were burning, and war cries could be heard from across the water.
"How can this be happening?" the man asked, sword gripped tightly in his hand, though it seemed that it would fall from how badly he was shaking.
With a soft sigh, someone standing not too far away felt the same but showed no such emotion, spots of black marking her blue hair.
"Such is the world of war; something like this is never too far away. Events that may not have been based on certain actions are read in a certain way, and result in certain outcomes," she said, ready to support her allies.
Far from where the group was preparing to engage, the two most powerful auras on the field could be felt, as the loud crackle of energy from their swords clashing was ringing loudly in the air. One of the warriors, clad in bright red and white armor, clasped in his hands a blade crackling with lightning, checked his surroundings before reengaging his contender, a rider dressed in black with a sword radiating purple energy.
"Oh, they're really going for it. I would hate to be the one that has to break them up, that's practically suicidal," an archer called out, his bow glowing with green energy, readying himself to fight his kin.
"Well, this can't last forever, and the sooner we end this, the better we are, right sweetie?" a rather busty lady called, pulling the lord into her bosom, much to his protest.
"Ah, Camilla. Let go," he whined, flailing to get out of her firm grip.
Taking his cue for help, the blue-haired dancer stepped forward, ready to tell the group their objective.
"We are to make sure that both sides are unable to reach Corrin so that he can push forward and interrupt the fight between Xander and Ryoma. For now, our priority is to get them to stop fighting each other so that the start to listen to us," she said, water starting to ripple around her.
Taking the opportunity as Camilla let him go to get on her mount, Corrin started to steady his blade, before giving a nod of confirmation.
"Let's go!"
Arrows and spells were flying, as the attempt to push towards the center of the destroyed city was starting to get harder and harder, with both armies quickly regaining the territory that they lost in the initial push by Corrin's militia.
But there was little concern for it; the main goal was to get the fighting between the commanders to stop, and there was no reason to take back what wasn't needed.
"Milord, keep an eye out for Kaze, he should be returning soon," a woman dressed in a maid outfit said, following her lord around and throwing daggers at odd targets that managed to evade him.
"It may be better if you did Felicia, your eyes have been better at that than I was," Corrin responded, before turning a bit too quickly and running into part of a wall.
Brushing off his run-in, Corrin started to wonder if anything he could say would affect what his brothers would think. For now, he had Sakura and Takumi behind him, and with Camilla on his side, he had a feeling Elise wouldn't be far behind.
The thought was quickly interrupted with a close call from a lance, followed up with a sword slash to his face.
"Hey, you seem pretty good. I didn't get to stick my lance through your head," a lady mounted on a horse giggled, putting Corrin off a bit.
"Now, now, Peri, we can't kill him; Lord Xander may not take it too kindly that we killed him when there is a chance to saving him," the mercenary following her sighed, sword twirling in his hand.
"Aw, but killing is so fun, can we kill the girl with him instead?" Peri asked before someone swooped down in front of them on a wyvern.
"You could try, but I might kill you first," a voice of honey laced with arsenic said, causing shivers down both sides.
"Go on, sweetie, I'll make sure that you make it there," Corrin's defender said, and he promptly did, not wanting to see what horrors would come.
"Lady Camilla?" the mercenary asked, sounding as if he wet himself.
"Oh, boo! When we fought for practice, you always won! It's not fair!" Peri cried, backing away from the monster in disguise.
"Oh, come now, Laslow, Peri, surely you heard from my dear brother about this?" Camilla asked, wyvern screeching.
A few yards away, the pair took a quick break for a drink, looking if Kaze was near. "Even if she isn't going to kill you, I'd still hate to be on the receiving end of her ax," Felicia shuddered, guiding Corrin's flask down a bit to keep water from entering his nose.
"Yeah, even in her spars against Leo, she would be relentless," Corrin reminisced, recalling the bruised and battered mage after a brief five-minute trail against their elder sister.
Finishing their break, they were about to continue moving when a blur of green passed by, before coming back and stopped in front of Corrin.
"Kaze, did you find them?" Corrin asked, pleased to see his retainer return.
"Yes, milord. There is a less fortified way to reach them, but that means we risk having to go back into areas where they know we're here," the ninja responded bowing down, before remembering that it was better if he stood.
"Is there another way?" Corrin asked, wondering what else they could do.
Glancing around, Kaze seemed unsure if he should answer, but decided to anyway.
"There is, milord, but I would offer it as a last resort. There are several paths from destroyed buildings that lead to them, but it seems as if they're being destroyed by invisible enemies. If we were to risk going there, something may collapse and injure someone," Kaze responded as if he was unsure of his report.
"Invisible enemies you say?" Corrin asked, turning back to Felica for confirmation for what the man said.
Staying quiet for a bit, Corrin seemed to think about what was the best solution to take.
"Show us the path with destroyed buildings, and see if you can get Sakura and Camilla to join us as well. If the invisible enemies are what I think they are, there may be some way to convince my brothers," Corrin decided, and Kaze bowed quickly, before leaping up to guide them.
Taking a quick break to catch her breath, Sakura was being escorted by her retainers between allied groups to heal their soldiers, when she ran into two particular beings.
"Oh, this is not looking pretty," one of them said, tails swaying in the wind.
"It would be better if you tried a bit harder," the other one said, slamming something into the ground, before turning around and spotting the trio.
"Ah, no, I don't want to fight you," Sakura yelped, as her retainers took a defensive position, waiting for an attack, before the two collapsed, and their bodies changed to more human like shapes.
"Are they alright?" Sakura asked, before someone leapt in front of her, bowing as he landed.
Leaning against a wall, both Corrin and Felica were starting to wonder if this was actually a good idea.
After arriving at one of the paths, Corrin insisted that they move forward, and that he would count on Kaze and Camilla to get Sakura to him safely. Now, he was up against more enemies than he could possible take on, and Felica had a rather nasty gash against her shoulder. Their options were starting to get smaller.
"Milord."
"Yes, Felica?"
"Seeing how things are, I may not have another chance to tell you this, but I wonder if I should."
"You don't have to worry too much, either we die here, or you get your chance."
"It's not that kind of thing though, not really meant to be said out loud."
"Hey, you say it or you don't."
Mumbling around a bit and throwing one more dagger, she leaned into his ear, and before she could say anything, a beam of lightning flew by, destroying all the enemies in front of them, and even stopping the sounds of the rest of the battle.
Looking on in shock, both lord and retainer attempted to process what was happening, before Corrin felt something plop onto his head.
Attempting to pick it up, he was rather confused when he couldn't see what he was holding.
"Well, if we need proof of invisible enemies, we have it right here."
Clashing their blades once more, the two warriors were starting to tire, struggling to keep up with their own movements.
"I must say, for someone low enough to attack like this unprovoked, you have a lot of skill, Norhian coward," Ryoma spat, readjusting his stance.
"I could say the same to you, though we had nothing to do with this attack, you dirty liar," Xander huffed, scrubbing some grime off his armor.
Getting back into position, the two charged, before some yelled "Stop!" and a large ball of water flew between them, forcing them to separate to avoid getting hit.
Glancing at the direction it came, the two paused for a moment, as if unsure of what they were seeing.
Corrin was being supported up by Felica, being followed what appeared to be Sakura and Camilla, but only their bodies.
"You're both wrong, neither of you attacked this city," Corrin started to huff, as the priestess and the rider started to remove whatever was obscuring their faces, passing them to their brother.
"Camilla, I expected better than this from you; are you so willing to throw your country away for one traitor?" Xander huffed, unfazed by the display, as Ryoma started to grow tense.
"Sakura, you stay away from her!" he yelled, cautious of his youngest sibling so close to the enemy, causing Corrin some frustration.
"Did both of you not see?! They were wearing helmets that kept their faces from being seen. Helmets of invisible enemies," Corrin started to huff again, starting to lose his balance a bit, before chucking the helmets to the ground, the metal rattling against the cobble path.
This time, the two took interest in the invisible gear, before feeling a type of energy they never felt before.
"There's another party involved, bent on removing both kingdoms from the earth, controlling father from behind the curtains," he continued, looking at Xander wobbling a bit more.
"How very interesting," Ryoma panned, "And tell me, who is controlling the Norhian king then?"
Huffing a bit more, Corrin started lean back further, before barely getting out, "Just join me at the canyon when the skies change," before Felica lowered him, asking Camilla to get something out of her pocket, concern written on all their faces.
Silence continued to carry through the site, before Ryoma started to turn around, as if preparing for a retreat.
"Where do you think you're going?" Xander asked, turning to face his adversary once more.
"You say that you value your brother, and that you fight to bring him back. Now here he comes, offering a way to get him to join you once more, and only think of the current battle. Maybe you care more about this war, prince."