Author's Notes: Before I get started, let me just say that this setting is based off of a combination of canon, headcanon and things I wanted to happen in canon. Therefore, I'm classifying it as AU - it follows the same basic plot as the original, but there will be some changes, and some of them will be very big.

This idea's been floating around in my head for a while, but not all of it is concrete yet, so there may be inconsistencies. I'll try to keep up to date on revision, but revision has admittedly never been my strong suit, so.

Though most characters will eventually be paired off, only a few of these pairings will be focused on. For the sake of avoiding plot spoilers, I will not list any of these pairings in advance (unless I am requested otherwise).

Of course, there's my obligatory warning that this probably won't ever be finished. And for the record: yes, this prologue-ish thing is ridiculously short on purpose. I apologize for that.

And with that, I'm done with these ridiculously long author's notes. Why do I even do these, anyway? I think my fics would be at least half their length if I didn't do these...

Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem or any of its characters. They all belong to Intelligent Systems, which I am not affiliated with in any way, aside from being a longtime fan of the series.

Premonition: The Cycle of Time

From the start, there was only one course that time could follow; the root of the timeline branched off with every alteration, and when those branches were created, the world following that branch would cease to be the same as the original. The primary timeline, the one that continued in a straight line from the root, qualified as the sole factor in determining what was supposed to happen in the world - and that fact intrigued the one who had watched the timeline since before it took root.

After all, he was from a branch. The timeline he hailed from was not the primary timeline... which, in his eyes, was all wrong. He had succeeded in a few other timelines, yes, but they were all branches as well - and he could not see the end of the primary timeline, the point at which his soul was summoned back into the world and he would continue the task set forth for him.

The array of the timelines indicated that his was the closest to the original. Therefore, it was up to him, and him alone, to see what had changed - and to set history back on its proper course, the course in which his fondest dream was realized. Of course, he could not do this on his own; he could watch the timelines, yes, but traveling between them was beyond even his vast capability.

The only thing he could rely on was, in a twist of painful irony, the power of his greatest nemesis. Any day now, the inheritor of his foe's mark would return to the primary timeline in search of a means of stopping his return... and he could almost taste the day she failed in her quest.

Yes, it was almost time.

"Someday, they will come for you. When that day comes, be prepared to flee."

Chris recalled the words that his mother had told him several times before, a warning that the people she took him from were still searching for him - and would someday find him. He was of special blood, and his mother had told him as such... but she hadn't told him anything else, and he was left to wonder just what the mark on the back of his hand meant.

There was one important thing Chris had learned in his studies; Plegia, the nation to the west, was known for the lawlessness and cruelty of its citizens. Attacks on the border of Ylisse were common, mostly from ruffians and dissenters - but this was the first time that the brigands had reached this far, and Chris suspected that his mother's words echoed true.

The village that he knew as his home was in ruins, and his sister had made herself scarce already; she was the only other person that Chris witnessed outside the village, and he suspected that they were the only survivors of the massacre. He could still smell the smoke in the distance, and every nerve in his body told him that this was not the time to be calm... but he refused to give in to that fear, as he knew that doing so would allow the bandits to find him again.

He would have to hide for just a while longer. Once they left, he could search for his sister and meet up with her-

A rustling of leaves behind him alerted Chris, and he turned to face whoever had approached. Before he even saw their face, he could feel his heart rate picking up - and, when his eyes met those of his mysterious assailant, his thoughts left him and he froze in place.

"Well, well. What do we have here?"

His own face was the last thing Chris knew before he passed out.

Author's Notes: And my end-of-chapter author's notes are here too! Go figure. Feel free to complain about them if you like.

If anyone is actually interested enough to do so, you may guess at various things related to the ficverse (pairings, plot twists, etc.), and I can confirm or deny them only if you want me to. Of course, I doubt I'll get that level of interest, buuut you never know, right?

Anyway, see you all next time (if there is, indeed, a next time)!