The sunlight of the beginnings of autumn warmed the islets of Skyworld comfortably, bringing the white fluffy clouds around them and coaxing out the rich green of the grasses on their warm earthen surfaces. The light sparkled on the spring's waters as Lucina kicked up a small splash before submerging her bare foot again. She rested against the warm, smooth surface of a rock with her eyes closed and a smile on her face as her ears enjoyed the beauty of the melody her companion played.

Pit smiled as well, bracing the instrument on his shoulder and running his fingers across its neck as he drew the bow over its strings, some slow, some quick, as he weaved the notes together to create his music. Once he had finished, he removed it from his shoulder and set it down gently next to him before sliding off his rock to join her.

"Beautifully done," she remarked, and he grinned as he dipped his head in a bow. "Tell me again how long you've been playing?"

"I had been when I was young," he replied. "Before war started threatening us at every turn, I would play for Lady Palutena. But..." his smile faded. "When she passed, I guess I lost my inspiration." After a moment, it returned as he came to rest next to her. "But I found a new one." After over a thousand years, he'd decided to take up the practice again to entertain his new partner. He'd been rusty at first, of course, but almost a decade of practice had reawakened his talent with it.

"Well, I consider myself quite lucky, then," she teased as he pulled her into his arms. "You're quite the musician."

"When you live for eternity, you find ways to pass the time," he laughed. "But your enjoyment is a nice bonus." Her long blue hair tickled his face as she leaned in to place a kiss to his lips, one he gladly returned before she pulled back to smile at him.

"I certainly prefer it to the grueling training your brother has put me through!"

"What, still?" he grinned. "I told him to lighten up a little."

"Oh, don't worry," she chuckled. "You know that staff I picked up?" He nodded. "I've set him straight with it several times."

"That might have been overkill," he agreed. "Where did you even find that thing?"

"I noticed you had some old weapons lying around and decided to see what I could make with them, what with those guides you have posted around."

"Ah, right," he nodded. "Well, just make sure you use it on enemies, not on us!"

"Don't worry, love," she laughed. "I only use it when Kuro starts getting a swelled head." He chuckled and pulled her down for another kiss, holding her gently against him.

"Lord Pit!" a voice called, and he groaned slightly as he and Lucina looked up just as Ephraim landed a short distance away, his black hair tousled more than usual from the wind, and he held his trademark Samurai Blade. "I need to- Oh." His embarrassment etched itself all over his face. "Sorry for the interruption."

"No harm done, Ephy," the god replied as he released his partner and got to his feet, and she followed his example a moment later. Once Ephraim's embarrassment faded, concern and urgency quickly became apparent in his expression. Pit frowned, worried. "What's wrong?" Ephraim took a deep breath, and his hesitation made his leader nervous.

"U-Underworld monsters," he stuttered, and Pit could tell even he was having trouble believing it. None of them said anything for a moment.

"What?" Lucina asked, her voice guarded with that same disbelief.

"I wish I knew," Ephraim went on. "Commander Kuro said he thought something was off, so he checked your pool in the temple and said he found Underworld troops attacking some remote village. He already left to handle them but wanted me to tell you." Pit watched the angel carefully for a moment. They hadn't had issues with the Underworld Army since the fight with Mastema, and that was over a thousand years ago.

"Okay, okay," he cleared his throat. "Maybe they're just a few renegades. What were they doing?"
"They were attacking the humans," Ephraim replied, his voice shaking. "It's a farming village, I think. Their crops were destroyed and their homes are being broken down."
"No!" Lucina said quickly. "No... That can't be. But why?"

"I don't know, but I'm going to find out," Pit growled, anger and grief quickly boiling within him. He took to the skies with Ephraim following quickly behind and Lucina struggling to catch up as he headed for the Skyworld Temple, unable to believe what he'd been told.

Was it true? Had the Underworld Army launched an attack? Why? Were they really renegades, or were they being ordered to strike? If so, who was leading them?

"Nemo..." he mumbled too softly for his companions to hear. If they had escaped or were under someone else's command, Pit had no doubt the Oracle of Darkness would immediately do everything he could to stop them. But if he himself was commanding them... What had provoked him to strike?

Since they defeated Grima and Lucina had come to Skyworld, the humans had been rather quiet as they rebuilt across Ylisse and Valm. Save a few bandits, they had been peaceful and Pit saw no reason whatsoever for Nemo to decide to suddenly strike against them, especially without warning.

As he came to the temple and headed for the Gate chamber, he chewed his lip. The location didn't make any sense either. Of all the places he could strike, why a remote farming village? Why not head for a larger center of life and commerce? Was he hoping Pit wouldn't notice? He flew up to the pool and waved his hand over the water, pulling up the battle below. He quickly found Kuro pummeling the Underworld fools, but felt a twinge of fear as he realized his brother was struggling, even if only slightly. Nemo's new troops were built for quality, not quantity, and it was easily apparent as they attacked and countered Kuro's strikes. Around him, smoke billowed in the air and humans screeched as they were shot down.

"These aren't just renegades," he mumbled. "Ephraim!" He spun around to find his angel standing at attention. "Get down there now. Kuro needs help." He could tell Ephraim was already worried about the fight and the news that his seemingly unbeatable Commander was struggling only concerned him more. But he nodded and headed for the Gate once Pit had opened it and dove into the air. Once it had closed behind him, the god sighed heavily and created a lift for Lucina to join him on the platform. Once she had, she took his hand gently in hers.

"Is there anything I can do?" she asked, having no need to confirm whether he was okay.

"I don't know yet," he replied. "If it gets bad, I may send you down with them to help quell the monsters. But I need to know why this is happening..."

"Not to mention people may be rather confused why the princess of Ylisse suddenly has wings and is fighting there with no sign of the Exalt," she mumbled.

True to her words, close to sixteen years had passed since Grima's defeat, and the infant Lucina had grown into a fine and noble princess under Chrom's guidance. While she could handle a blade well enough, she wasn't nearly as skilled as her counterpart from the future who could arguably take down an army of Risen on her own. But while the mortal Lucina grew and aged, Pit's partner in Skyworld did not- not noticeably, anyway. Her wings hadn't yet matured, though Pit figured they would within the next few years. Outside of that, she had perhaps grown and matured a slight bit in her time with him. Even if she didn't, he hadn't particularly noticed.

"I need to talk to Nemo," he said rather dully, changing the subject and turning to the pool. He again waved his outstretched hand over it and took a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself down. He focused, seeking out the lord of the Underworld in his home realm, but couldn't seem to quite pinpoint where he was. "Nemo?" he called out, both out loud and within his mind as he continued to scan. But there was no answer. "Nemo! Answer me!" Again, nothing. His frustration quickly grew stronger, and he frowned. "Nemo!" he all but yelled. "We need to talk. NOW!" Nothing. He sighed and massaged his forehead. "Great."

"Do you really think he could be behind this?" Lucina wondered as she placed her hands on his shoulders.

"I don't know... But if he isn't, then whatever is probably managed to capture him. But I feel like we would have known about it..." He shook his head and turned his attention to the pool. "Maybe..." He changed his focus and spoke up again. "Levica? Can you hear me?" He waited, but again there was no answer, and he felt fear settle in his core like a ball of ice. "Levica!" He scanned through the Underworld but found no sign of her. "Oh, no..." He slowly turned his head to exchange a worried glance with Lucina before again facing the pool.

"Don't jump to conclusions," she told him, though he could tell she could barely take her own advice.

"Okay..." he pursed his lips and tried to push back the wavering in his voice. If there was anyone he knew he could rely on... "Remiel!" But it seemed even the first prince of the Underworld, the pure embodiment of the order between Light and Darkness, wouldn't or couldn't answer him. Panic forced his heart rate to rise. "Remiel, please! Answer me!" He waited, holding his breath.

"Uh, Rem can't really answer right now," a voice replied. "Can I take a message?" Pit braced his arms against the pool and lowered his head, sighing a bit in relief.

"Henry?" he called as Lucina's hands tightened on his shoulders. "That you?"

"Last I checked," Henry replied. But even this jovial, if not somewhat scary, youth seemed weighed down and distracted. "But it's a good thing you called. I... Well, I'm trying to get Rem to Skyworld."

"What? What happened?" Pit demanded quickly.

"He's hurt," Henry said rather bluntly. "Lotta blood. And much as I don't mind decapitating wounds, it's probably better if it stays in his body. So I figured he'd be better off up there." Pit grit his teeth.

"What happened to him? Are you okay?"
"I'm a little banged up since some troops were trying to stop me from getting out. But you know what's funny? Death curses work on them too! I just mumbled a few hexes and poof! They were done for."

"Okay..." Pit took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Was the Underworld attacked? Or are they just rebelling? What's going on down there?"

"Rem could explain it better," the silver-haired boy replied. "I'm not really sure myself."

"What about the ones that are attacking the humans?"
"I can promise it wasn't my fault! I don't order them around. Usually Dad does."

"And there's no one else that suddenly showed up or anything? Mastema? Anyone?"

"Not that I've noticed," Henry confirmed. "If I had, they'd be ash right now. Anything that hurts my family pays in blood."

"Alright, alright," Pit muttered. "Just..." Just what? He found himself lost for a course of action. Remiel needed help badly, from the sound of it, and Henry was a far cry from mastering his abilities as a spirit rather than a human.

"Pit!" he heard another voice call and shifted the focus of the pool to the village. "Can you hear me?" Some weak relief filled his heart for a moment as he found his brother standing there.

"Yeah, Kuro, I can hear you. Are you okay?"

"I've had worse," he replied. "We finished off the morons, but... Well, these people are gonna be hard-pressed to recover."
"No..." Pit lowered his head again. "Okay, look. There's not much we can do right now. I need you and Ephraim to head for the entrance to the Underworld. Find Henry and help him get Remiel to Skyworld."

"What's wrong with him?" Ephraim demanded.

"I'm not entirely sure," Pit admitted. "All I know is that he's hurt and can't come on his own. So go! Quickly!"

"On it, Lord Pit!" Both angels quickly departed, leaving the village survivors to repair the damage done and mourn their dead.

"Where the heck is Nemo?" Kuro inquired. "What's he doing?!"
"I don't know," the god of Light mumbled. "That's what I was trying to figure out, but he's nowhere to be found."

"Great. Remiel had better be able to tell us something."

"I hope so. Look, Kuro, just be careful, okay? Both of you."

"Don't worry," Kuro assured him. "We'll be there soon." Pit nodded and turned his attention back to the Underworld's princes. "Henry? Can you hear me?"
"Loud and clear!" he replied.

"Kuro and Ephraim are on their way. Meet them at the entrance of the Underworld and they'll help you get to Skyworld."

"Much appreciated. Rem is kind of heavy when he's unconscious." He fell silent for a moment. "...He'll be okay, right?"

"I'll do everything I can," Pit vowed. "I promise." With that, he stepped back and sighed heavily.

"I should probably get Falchion polished up," Lucina said softly, and he turned to her with an ache in his heart. He said nothing, but pulled her into his arms and held her close to him, resting his head on her shoulder.

"I don't know what's going on," he said dully. "But I get the feeling it's just beginning." He held her tighter as she wrapped her arms around his back. "Please, Lucina. Be careful. I don't want to lose you."

"I'll do my best," she told him gently. "Pit, I know you'll bring peace back. You'll restore the light of the world just like you always do. And I'll be there with you every step of the way." He nodded to agree with her, but doubt surfaced in his heart and mind. Hades had almost killed him several times in their battles, he'd narrowly escaped Nemo finishing him in their duel so long ago, and several people had agreed that he had survived the fight with Mastema by pure luck.

He could only wonder when that luck would finally run out.