Anything Can Change

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I. Hope

"I believe the woman you want- is me!" The azure-haired woman swung her blade with all her might, and a painful scream resonated in the grand hallway as Falchion's steel tore apart Risen flesh mercilessly. As the limbless parts of the corpse rolled around on the floor before fading away into black smoke, Lucina turned to her fellow soldiers and citizens of Ylisse.

"We can't let these things win. Now grab a sword, and fight!"

A small battle cry could be heard in response to Lucina's rally as as several Ylissean soldiers raised their blades and fought against the swarm of Risen soldiers. The dark warriors had swarmed the royal castle and were ravaging buildings in the courtyard and civilian villages alike. Flames grew on fallen furniture and the walls of the castle were crumbling. A lone statue of the dragon goddess, Naga, stood motionless in the middle of the room, covered in fierce embers. Lucina swung her sword continuously, fending off Risen soldiers left and right as the great battle continued. In between her parries and strikes she saw her fellow companions- Severa, Inigo, Owain, Kjelle, and others trying their hardest as well to tip the scales in their favor.

"Do not give up! We must not lose hope!" Lucina cried again, slicing a Risen head clean off its body. "Rally-"

She was cut off by a sudden rumbling of the castle, which almost knocked her off balance. Part of the castle wall burst, spreading debris and smoke everywhere, obscuring everyone's vision. Lucina felt the floor cave in as the stones beneath her feet slipped, and she nimbly jumped at the last moment before the gaping hole swallowed her. As the smoke cleared, she saw the midnight black sky, and an ominous figure looming over the castle.

"So ends the human race," a menacing voice said. Lucina held Falchion up close to, gripping it so tightly that her knuckles turned white. Fear gripped her heart, and dark grey smoke began swirling around her. She turned around cautiously, looking left and right.

"The future is built upon the past..." the voice continued speaking. "But your kind shall never see it!"

Lucina continued looking around cautiously, before her eyes widened and she gasped. Three gigantic, blood red eyes shone through the darkness, staring directly at her. The eyes of Grima, the fell dragon...

"Your mother and father... are dead, tiny one," it said, letting out a evil, maniacal laugh afterward. The eyes reared back as the dark smoke cleared, revealing the gargantuan wings and body of the dragon as it hovered over the castle. Grima's head drew back and roared, baring the rows of its jagged, menacing teeth and its wicked curved horns.

"And now it is your turn... to die!" With a roar, the head lashed at Lucina. Facing the dragon's teeth, Lucina held her sword up in defiance, ready to face whatever it could throw at her. She knew facing the ancient dragon by herself would be fruitless, but she knew she could not give in. Her set her gaze on her father's blade one last time. Now, they would fall together.

Mother... Father... I'm sorry...

"Aaaaaaaaaaagh!" Lucina roared loudly as she held her blade up against the incoming foe. Her long her flew in the gust of air exhaled by the demon. The steel of her blade collided with the dragon's jaw, and Lucina felt an overwhelming amount of force fight against her. She kept her grip steady on Falchion, but with each passing second she was losing composure and her the dragon's strength was slowly sapping her own. Finally, she was about to loosen her grip and let it all go when a radiant green light burst forth from Falchion's hilt and engulfed the entire blade.

"What in the-" Lucina gasped. The royal blade continued to grow ever brighter, and the light started to repel Grima's attack. The fell dragon's head lurched backward, letting out an agonizing roar as it shook its head back and forth in pain.

"Let me aid you, young one," a serene voice came from above the castle. Lucina stared up at the sky to see a green aura in the sea of black. She stepped backward in surprise, putting Falchion at her side. A woman's figure could faintly be seen. "It must be... the divine goddess, Naga..." she whispered to herself.

Grima growled furiously as it flapped its wings. "I have put you down, yet you still insist to be a thorn in my side. No matter, you are nothing in shadow of my strength!"

"It is true." Lucina could hear Naga's voice resonate in her own head. "The return of Grima has greatly diminished my power. Yet... as long as humankind lives, it will fight back. Young exalt, you possess the power to change many a fate. In this timeline, I grow weak... however, in another future, anything can change."

Anything can change.

Those were the words her father had told her when she was young. That no matter how bleak the circumstances looked, no matter what preordained "destiny" awaited a person, he or she could fight to pave their own path. Words she took to heart.

"I shall buy you some time. Use the Outrealm Gate I have opened... you and your friends will return to a time before the rise of Grima, and the fall of the exalt. There, you will meet familiar faces. Aid them, and they shall aid you..."

In the distance, a lustrous portal opened up far away from the castle. The figure of Naga in the sky shone brightly, sending out rays of light in all directions. Lucina could hear the painful cries of Grima as the fell dragon retreated from the onslaught of light. With newly-found courage, the female lord sheathed her blade and sprinted toward her comrades.

"All of you!" They turned to her, bringing the last of the Rise soldiers to their knees. "Follow me!" Lucina continued, waving her hand to signal. "There is still a way we can change this bleak future!"

Her companions rushed to her side as she explained the situation, pointing toward the white portal in the distance. "We must act now. Grima could be in pursuit any minute now. Hurry!"

The ensemble rushed toward the portal, past the burning remnants of the forest and dodging the battlefield of flying arrows and cannonballs. The occasional Risen soldier stood in their way, but they were easily disposed of by the combined power of the cast. A surge of hope rose in the hearts of everyone as they continued their sprint to the gate.

"My sword hand twitches!"

"This is your last dance!"

"Say goodnight!"

The gate in the distance grew ever closer with each passing moment. Keeping her eyes focused on her goal, Lucina mustered every ounce of energy to make it there in time. Behind her, she could hear Grima's roar once more, which meant time was running out.

"Lucina, wait!"

The young woman whipped around to see a similar aged man riding on a black Wyvern, rushing to her side. His hair was slicked back and spiked, and the most striking feature was a black mask obscuring his eyes. He had an axe strapped to his belt.

"Gerome... Minerva... what is it?"

The man and his wyvern screeched to a halt, before he stepped off quickly and reached into his pocket, pulling out a blue masquerade-like mask and handing it over to Lucina. She looked confused.

"If we are truly to return to an alternate past, it would be wise to keep our identities a secret. We do not wish to interfere with the flow of time more than we are already going to. Use this to keep your true self a secret."

Lucina nodded. "Thank you, Gerome."

As she held the butterfly-esque mask in her palm, she already formed an idea in her mind. Tying up her dark azure hair, she put the mask on her eyes, and turned to Gerome for his opinion.

"Radiant. Much like the heroic king of old. It suits you well," Gerome said as he gave a weak smile, something rare for a man stoic as he. The warm flames danced around them, shedding a soft light on both their faces as they stood with each other.

"Thank you once again, Gerome," Lucina smiled back. She petted his wyvern. "You too, Minerva."

Their conversation was cut short by a rumbling, followed by another ferocious roar.

"We must be quick," Gerome said, and Lucina nodded in agreement. As Gerome mounted Minerva once more and set into flight, Lucina, now donned in disguise, ran the final distance to the gate.

Mother... Father... I'm coming. Just wait...

"Go, young one. As long as you still stand and fight, hope will never die."

"Anything can change,"she whispered to herself. She passed her grim surroundings- the dark smoke, burning trees, fallen citizens... all this could be averted. The dark future is not what would await them. No, she would change that. Destiny had nothing to take from her. The light from the gate grew immensely brighter as Lucina neared it. With her cape fluttering behind her, and her determination set, Lucina ran through it.

.

"Who are you?"

She stood stoic, her identity veiled by her mask and sword sheathed by her side.

"You may call me Marth."

"After the heroic king of old? Well, you certainly fight like a hero..." She turned away as Chrom conversed with his fellow shepherds, into the dark veil of the night forest, before gritting her teeth. How badly she had wanted to just tear apart her mask and embrace her father right then and there, so happy at the fact he was alive here. She wanted to be in his arms, be a little a child again, crying in his arms as his firm arms calmed her. How badly she wanted to stay as a family, experience those warm bonds once more...

But she had a mission. A single tear fell from her mask down her cheek. She would sacrifice everything to ensure that this future would not be the one to fall in despair. She would change it. If there was one thing that was absolutely certain, it was that anything can change. She gripped her father's blade tightly, walking off into the forest. She had one goal.

She would challenge her fate.