Grima did not take human form often. Humans were wretched, miserable creatures that deserved to be crushed under his heel. Were it not for Naga interfering with his attempt to stop those little rats from scampering to the past, he wouldn't be in this strange place and lacking the power to return to his true form.

Yet, he was intrigued. He could hear a battle taking place nearby. The scent of blood aroused him, and the screams of dying humans were music to his ears. Most intriguing of all, however, was that he sensed the presence of another dragon, one even more ancient than he. It was not that damned meddler Naga, but someone else entirely.

He needed to investigate.

The pitiful human woman he embodied resumed her annoying, useless struggle. She was like a meddlesome fly that would not go away no matter how much he swatted it. Her voice always became louder when he borrowed her form, which was another reason he preferred his true self.

Grima opened the grand doors in front of him and discovered the tantalizing sight of dozens of human bodies. Blood dyed the floor crimson and mangled limbs and torsos were scattered every which way. He quickly ascertained they were all soldiers and grinned. They would make a fine army of Risen.

Oh, but one was still standing. The sole survivor of the massacre stared Grima down, blood red eyes locking with his own. A dark purple aura clung to the stranger's form, and his movements were jerky as he raised his bow.

"Another…?" the boy whispered. "All Nohrians… must die!"

Grima lazily leaned out of the way of the jet black arrow's path. "You dare challenge a god? Well, aren't you a plucky little mortal? Oh, how interesting... You've been dead for quite a while, haven't you? I can smell your flesh rotting all the way over here. And yet you still move like a Risen. So, who is controlling you?"

The living corpse responded by firing another arrow along with a shout of "DIE!" Grima swatted it away as he approached, mildly impressed. The arrow's power paled in comparison to his own, but was far above that of normal weapons.

"Tell me, where did you get a toy like that?" he asked.

"War… Death… Betrayal…" the corpse muttered. "I… I must kill…"

"I grow tired of this nonsense," Grima gathered power in his right hand, "I see you're nothing more than a mindless puppet, no different from my own Risen. How sad. I suppose you'll make a good servant, if nothing else."

He unleashed his breath on the corpse, but to his surprise, the aura surrounding it deflected the attack. Grima's mouth twisted into a wicked grin. "Ah, so the dragon bares its fangs at last. I was wondering when you'd show up."

"Another… dragon…?" the corpse wheezed.

"I am the Fell Dragon, Grima. And if you dare stand in my way, I will show you no mercy."

The dragon's puppet huffed a few times before responding. "I am… the forgotten dragon. The betrayed king. The entombed god. I am the Silent Dragon, Anankos!"

Grima snorted. "You call yourself a god but use a rotting corpse to speak for you? How pathetic."

"My true body lies elsewhere. And you… you also speak using a mortal's body."

"Normally I wouldn't stoop to such a low, but my power has been drained. No matter. Once I've recovered, this world is mine. Naga and her wretched children aren't here to stop me. And should you oppose me, you will die along with the humans."

"I only seek to eradicate humanity. If that is also your goal, I shall not interfere."

"Is that so?" Grima lifted the puppet's chin with his finger. He could hear the mortal souls inside both of them screaming for them to stop, and he grinned wickedly. "In that case… shall we have some fun?"

Robin and Takumi could only watch helplessly as the dragons' primal urges overtook them. As Hoshido and Nohr crumbled around them, they took small solace in the fact that at least they were no longer alone.

I know I said I was gonna take a break from writing , but the Fallen Hero banner did this to me. I can't believe I wrote something this dark and twisted. But it was actually really fun to write Grima. Very different from my usual fare, but in a good way. I'm a bit disturbed, though.