Hello Everyone! It's me, Sangheilix! With me, I have another story (Like I didn't have enough to do already...)! I accept all Reviews, so please, don't be shy. Have a beautiful day! Or night, if that's how you roll. Sangheilx Out!
Chapter 1- Damn Time Travel…
The Shepherds finally reached that last stair to this seemingly never ending mountain. Some of the more unfit Shepherds started to break off from the group to lie down while the rest took in the natural beauty of Mount Prism.
Of course, we couldn't stay long. We had to get Chrom's Falchion awakened then kick Grima off the face of this planet. It was going to be weird fighting another version of myself. A version that had failed to contain Grima, and gave into his power. In all honesty, I was a bit disappointed. My future self couldn't stop him, I sure as hell wasn't going to fail like he did, or was it I did, or had...or will? I outwardly sigh…Damn time travel…
It was going to be a long couple of days indeed. But I needed to think about the now, so I can get everyone out alive.
"It's so beautiful…" Lissa comments on the lush, green plants growing on the mountain.
"The divine dragon's power flows through every blade of grass here." Lucina says to her aunt.
"Wait… Something doesn't feel right." Chrom starts looking around, while on edge.
A sudden realization hits me, "We must prepare for battle!" I start reading up everyone, "Grima has sent servants here. I can sense it. They'll be on us soon!"
Up ahead, several Risen troops begin advancing towards us, blocking the path needed to get to Naga's altar to power up Falchion.
"How could Risen infiltrate this sacred place?" Lucina says in disbelief.
"Their Power must be linked to Grima's." Chrom theorizes, "We must destroy them!"
Quickly, all the Shepherds get their battle gear ready, as well as start partnering up for the upcoming skirmish. The usual couples got together as they always did, and the stragglers found one who they had either liked the most, or worked best with. Having gotten together, the Shepherds charged in.
Swinging my sword down unto the head of the last Risen, we claim victory. Mount Prism was free of those walking corpses. Now all that was left to do was to have Chrom awaken the power in Falchion so we can end the fell dragon's wrath for good.
Time was of the essence, so we hurriedly climbed the mountain to the altar that was perched up top. From here, it looked actually quite beautiful. With its marble pillars holding up the entrance, to the nice shine the sunlight was giving it. Grass was flowing back and forth, and nice flower batches had grown next to the walkway up to the temple. It had a very serene feel to it, to which everyone had complemented it, saying how lovely it was, or how they could just take a nap right then and there.
For me, unfortunately, I couldn't feel whatever peace they had felt. It really just seemed like an ordinary mountain to me. Maybe it was due to this cursed blood flowing in my veins. Damn lineage.
As we closed in to the entrance, Chrom stopped and addressed us, "I believe it would be best if we left most of the Shepherds to guard the entrance. Wouldn't want another surprise attack."
"I think that would be wise," I agree with him, "Okay, I suggest we take five of us to the altar, which should be enough to stop any trouble in there, if any."
"Right," Chrom agrees, "Shepherds, I want you to stand guard for any more uninvited guests." Seeing all of them agree, he continued, "I'll take along Lucina, Lissa, Frederick and Robin. Don't worry, we'll be back soon." As he finished, the rest fanned out and made a perimeter. "Come on; let's get this over with quickly." He says to the four of us.
Climbing up the steps to the temple, I was able to get a good look at the valley below. The ocean was not too far away, and the beach led up to a small forest. The view was breath taking. All the life down there will be destroyed if we didn't stop Grima. That only made my resolve stronger as we continued climbing.
Finally entering Naga's temple, we spot the altar. Chrom turns to us, "We've made it-the altar." Chrom takes a deep breath, "Wait here… I'll be back."
Lissa gives her brother a concerned look, "Be careful, Chrom."
"We must believe in him, Aunt Lissa," Lucina says, trying to comfort the worrying princess.
Chrom cautiously steps up to the altar, carefully pulling the Fire Emblem off his arm. Reaching the peak, Chrom starts to speak, "Hear me, Naga! I bear proof of our sacred covenant!" The five gems inserted into the Fire Emblem start to give off a radiating glow. Chrom continues with the ritual, "In the name of the exalted blood, I ask for the divine dragon's power!" A circle of light surrounds Chrom.
Besides me, I could hear Lissa quietly whispering to herself, "Please all right, Chrom. Please…"
"I believe in you, father…" Lucina mutters right after her.
"Baptize me in fire, that I may become your true son!" A flash of extremely bright light takes Chrom.
I hold in my breath, praying that Chrom made it. There was a chance that Chrom could be deemed 'unworthy', and he could die right there.
Slowly, the light fades, revealing an apparition standing next to Chrom. "Hrrragh!" Chrom falls to his knees in pain.
"Father!" Lucina cries out, starting to move towards the altar to help out her father.
"I'm…I'm all right!" Chrom's words stop Lucina in her tracks. He slowly gets up, using the pillar next to him for support.
"Be welcome, Awakener." A voice echoes through the temple. This voice was surreal, and had a tranquility kind of feel to it. The apparition standing next to Chrom had spoken. There was no doubt, it was Naga. "Your heart has been tested and deemed worthy. Cleansed in my fire, your desire has proven to burn the stronger." Looking at Naga was almost hypnotic. She carried herself with much grace, and her face looked as she was one with peace.
Chrom had finally gotten his breath back, looked at her with respect, "Then you will grant me the power to defeat Grima?" He asked her, "…The power of a god?"
Everyone held their breaths. If she wasn't able to give Chrom the power, there was no hope.
"Yes," she said after a second, "But know this: I am no god."
Lucina gave her a questionable look, "But milady, you are the divine dragon!"
Naga chuckled a bit, "So do the sons of man name me. But I am no creator." She became serious again, "I possess not the powers of making or unmaking. And neither does Grima," She added," Neither of us bears the powers to destroy the other utterly."
So it is as we feared, we cannot completely destroy Grima. It seems that we may only delay him.
Looking disappointed, Chrom spoke up, "Then what power can you grant me?"
"With my blessing, thou may draw forth Falchion's true might. The blade of the exalts shall again strike like the dragon's fang." She explains, "Your strength will then be my equal."
"But not strong enough to destroy Grima?" Chrom's question left a sense of dread within us, the remaining four.
"Alas, Grima cannot be slain. Sleep alone can be your victory." She takes on a sadden look. "Just as you ancestor put the fell dragon to sleep a millennium ago. But you must weaken him first." She looks to Chrom seriously, "Only as the final blow can my power used to bind his."
Lissa looked agitated, "Isn't there ANY way to destroy him for good?"
Naga went silent for a minute, "There is, perchance, a power that could end Grima. However…" She looked over to us, and I could swear she was staring right at me, "'Twould be his own."
"…He has to kill himself?" Frederick's usually stone face had taken on a look of surprise.
"Yes. And never would he do so of his own volition. He seeks only to add to his power and set ruin upon the world." She gestures towards Chrom, "Now come. There is little time…"
"Where is Grima now?" Chrom asks the divine dragon.
"To the west lies a volcano known as Origin Peak." She lifts her hand towards the west, "You shall find the fell dragon there."
Chrom nods and bows his head, "Thank you, Naga." Chrom walks away from the altar and towards us. "Come; let's finish this once and for all." As we are walking out, I take one last peak at the long living dragon. She looks me straight in the eye then fades out of existence.
'Twould be his own… Perhaps there was a way…
The path to Origin Peak was going to be a long one; it'll take at least a couple days to get there on foot. Not to mention the Risen we will most definitely run into along the way. The whole time I was trying to think my plan through. Each night consisted of me just lying awake in my tent, playing through hundreds of scenarios of what could happen. I mean, do we really stand a chance against a supposed god? I know that Naga kept pushing that neither one were gods, but they wielded power that had seemed close to one.
I pace back and forth in my tent, all you could hear at this time of night was the snores from the rest of the Shepherds, and the grass crunching beneath my tent. Along with the occasional cricket playing their song, it was pretty peaceful. You couldn't tell that the whole world was facing extinction. I decided to sit down in my chair that was facing a small wooden desk in my tent.
I'll just go over the map again; see if there was anything I had missed. After hearing our destination, I had asked Chrom if we could stop and pick up maps of Origin Peak. I don't doubt that there will be some line of defense there. Grima had to know we were coming.
Looking at the map for what had to be the hundredth time today, I go over possible maneuvers in my head. There were two passage ways through the mountains, which could be lined with archers at the peaks. Flying units could also be a huge problem; they could reinforce any position within seconds.
I run my hand through my pale white hair and slump over the table. I've had a flawless record of keeping all of the Shepherds alive, and I don't plan on that changing. I just wish things went our way from time to time.
Then there was Grima himself. If he was on a quest for power, and already could control hundreds of Risen at once, then just how powerful was he?
After a couple of minutes of just pondering over the map, nothing new came to mind. I just couldn't think with random thoughts that kept floating into my head.
The symbol on my hand has also been glowing brighter now that we've been getting closer.
I guess I'll take a small walk, that usually helps clear my head. I exited my tent into the cold night. Feeling the cool breeze, I wrap my coat around myself to keep from shivering and begin to walk, with no certain destination in mind. And let my mind drift. The moon is high in the sky; casting is glow down onto the earth. The Shepherd's camp was dead silent, which gave me a lonely feel. Gone were the days where we would spend the night talking, sharing stories around the campfire, pranking each other, laughing at Gregor's drunken antics…
Another thought ran through me… Many of the Shepherds had gotten hitched throughout these past two crazy wars. And as Chrom with Lucina, many of them had found their child from the future. After a couple of kids besides Lucina were found, many started bombarding her with questions like, "Do we eventually have kids in the future?" or "Is one of ours out there in the world looking for us?" A couple had even asked if they had gotten married in the future. She would tell a bit about the married couple's kids, but she would respond with the same with the unmarried people, "I'm sorry, I cannot say, I don't want to risk changing the future too much."
And as the two wars went on, more people found each other within the Shepherds, and more future kids were added to the roster. She must've made an exception with me, because when I asked if I had a kid from the future, she didn't quite respond right away. She just looked at me, trying to figure out a way to form a correct sentence for the moment. "I'm sorry, Robin, but…you had remained unmarried in my future…you have no kids…"
I remember the depression I felt that day, which in fact I still feel to this day. Everyone else had a family to go back to. It did suck that I didn't have a son or a daughter that I would look forward to meeting, but I couldn't blame anyone for not wanting to be with me. Especially with this curse I have. No one would want to marry someone harboring the fell dragon.
I know that my friends will be there for me, but I could notice how some started to keep their distance from me. The only people who really seemed to not be swayed by me being a fell dragon were my closest friends. This didn't stop them from coming to me and giving me a good talk about how that wasn't me. At one point or another, all of them had visited me. But that couldn't stop the fear of what I could become start welling up inside of them. And I couldn't blame them, being a friend to a dragon that's supposed to end mankind was a bit of a deal breaker.
Then there was Lucina's attempt on my life. I can't lie about my feelings, I would've done anything for Lucina, but she was taken by Gerome, that lucky dastard. I was absolutely willing to give her my life so that she didn't have to worry again about the future. But Chrom had stepped in, and stopped her before she could do anything. I would gladly give my life to protect Chrom, Lucina, and the Shepherds. They were my big, dysfunctional family.
Seeing as I had circled the camp a couple of times, I decided to extend my walk into the surround forest. I had my weapons on me, so I was at least ready for anything that may pop up. I pull my thoughts back to the conversation with Naga at Mount Prism. One phrase kept repeating itself over and over in my head.
'Twould be his own… the other me had said that he and I were one and the same. An idea started forming in my head and I stop dead in my tracks. Even though he was me from a different time line, he was still me. Maybe…I could…finish him? Although, I wasn't sure if that was how time worked. But it is worth a shot, and if it works, then this world will never have to face him again.
There had to be a catch though. This seemed way too easy of a conclusion. What would happen to me? Could I die since I am technically killing myself? Or would I be okay since I'm killing me from a different time?
Damn time travel. That same thought entered my head again. I look up to the moon perched up in the sky. It had to be well past midnight. We were going to leave early tomorrow so I had better start trying to get back to sleep again. Quickly, I head back towards camp.
I quietly enter my tent, threw off my coat, turned off the lamp, and fell into my futon, face first. It was going to be a long day tomorrow, and we still had a ways to go.
A couple of days later, we finally reached that damn mountain pass. The one last obstacle until we face Grima. The lively chatter that had usually accompanied the Shepherds had died the moment we could spot the dragon resting over Origin Peak. Everyone was on edge.
I was mostly worried about the future kids; they had lived to see this monster wipe out their world. I can only hope they can see this through.
Owain's usual heroic outbursts had completely stopped. Which, while in some way a relief, made the air seem too quiet. Don't get me wrong, I actually enjoy listening to the young man's heroic adventures that are blown completely out of proportion. But after a while of hearing the same story, just told in different contexts can get a bit annoying.
Looking up to the burning mountain, I couldn't help but be nervous. Hell, everyone was, but this is it, this is where we end it all.
"Origin Peak…" I hear Chrom say next to me.
"The fell dragon is indeed here." We all hear Naga's divine voice echo out, "Remember, Awakener! The power I gave you cannot destroy Grima."
"It can only put him back to sleep…" I mutter quietly.
"Correct, Fellblood." Naga must've heard me, and of course she had to tack on the Fellblood.
I face the floor and chuckle to myself, "It's that obvious, huh?" I look up to Naga, "So you know of my lineage?" I ask her.
"You possess power not so different from my own," She explains to me.
"We must find some way to break this unholy cycle!" Chrom steps up next to me, "We can't just keep putting Grima back to sleep every few centuries. Otherwise we merely will his vengeance on our descendants." Chrom had a valid point. If this keeps going on forever, Grima will eventually get his revenge. I'd rather stop him from doing that now, than passing him on like the plague.
"…I may know a way." I say somberly, having thought of this a couple nights ago.
"Yes, Robin?" Chrom raises an eyebrow, "You have some strategy?" He was looking towards me for hope. The same hope that had gotten us through all these battles without a single casualty.
"The other me claimed the dragon and I were the same, yes?" I put my hand on my chin, "If I strike the final blow, he'd be killed by his own hand…"
Chrom ponders this for half a second before adopting a wide grin onto his face, "Robin! Ingenious!" He walks over and gives me a hard pat on the back. He looks to Naga with hope in his eyes, "Naga? Will it work?"
"…Perhaps." Her voice echoes to the rest of the Shepherds, "But there would be consequences. Grima's heart and Robin's are inexorably linked. Dragon and man can no longer be separated. Therefore, slaying Grima would also cause the end of Robin's life." Chrom immediately freezes up, his wide grin completely falling off his face.
I nod, having already come to that conclusion, "…I realize that." I couldn't look into Chrom's eyes, or any of my friends'. "I am ready."
"There is…a chance you could survive, but it is small indeed." The divine dragon's light voice caught us by surprise, "You have bound your heart to those of many others in this world. If those bonds prove strong enough, they may yet keep you in this reality. However, not even a thousand human friendships surpass the dragon's grip," the floating figure tells me, "In truth, you will almost certainly cease to exist."
I couldn't respond to that, and only could look to the floor. I could feel all of the Shepherd's fixed glazes on me.
"R-Robin would…cease to be?!" Chrom stutters out, "No. We'll find another way." He crosses his arm through the air, deciding that option was no longer up for debate.
"Chrom, wait." I place my hand on my best friend's shoulder, "You're not thinking clearly. Think about what your sister would have wanted." I had to do this; I had to stop Grima from threatening any more lives.
Chrom was shocked, he couldn't believe me, "Emmeryn would never have asked you to do this!" Chrom blurted out, motioning out his hand.
"What is one life, when weighed against millions?" I mutter quietly.
"Stop it!" Chrom gives me a good hard shake, "You're one of us. You'll ALWAYS be one of us. There has to be another way. We just have to find it." Chrom grabs both of my shoulders and shakes me, pleading with his eyes, "Promise me, Robin. Promise me you won't do this!"
To see my best friends like this, pleading with me to stay and not sacrifice myself, it had touched me. To stay with the Shepherds sounded like paradise, to not have to worry about the future ending, or being Grima in this time.
But what about next millennium? What about when Grima comes back, and threatens the world again? Would our descendants be able to fight him off and put him asleep again, only to have him come back later? I just can't take that risk. And what if we never get a chance like this to destroy him for good, so our lands can be safe from him for all eternity? This is just something I cannot pass up. I have to end it here, while we actually have a good fighting chance.
"You have been so very kind to me, Chrom, always…" Having come up with my choice, I gently pull both his hands off my shoulders. I look him straight in eye with all the confidence I could muster, "But this is my decision."
"Robin…" Chrom's face turns into grief, unable to believe that I would do something like this.
"The time for deliberation is over, Awakener." Naga interrupts us, "The Grimleal have found us."
"Father!" Lucina runs up from behind us, "We're under attack!"
Looking further ahead, I see a full legion of troops marching our way, along with more flying units over that'll be here within minutes. I glance at Chrom. He just shakes his head and moves into the defensive formation that has been set up by the rest of the Shepherds.
"I'm so sorry, Chrom," I whisper to myself, "You had given me a chance to live a new life that day," I was thinking back to when Chrom had found me in the plains outside Southtown, "now it's time to make sure your descendants get the same opportunity."
The battle was going smoothly, with only some of us sustaining mild injuries. Up ahead sat Aversa on her dark Pegasus. I had hoped that the Grimleal altar was going to be the last time I saw her, but her devotion to Grima had made her come back. This was admirable in some way. Unfortunately for her, that can't stop us now, nothing can stop us, we need to get to Grima, so that I may end this…
Walking up to her, sword in hand and my Thoron tome in my coat, I call to her, "Aversa! Lay down your weapon, I don't wish to fight you, but I will if I must."
"You will pay for taking him away from me," She hisses back to me.
"He brought that upon himself, reviving Grima is a no-win situation, why don't you understand that?"
"We all have our reasons, and mine just so happen to involve killing you myself." She begins her chant to summon dark attacks. She was wielding Goetia, which, by my experience, took a bit to use. The incarnations only used up a couple seconds, so I didn't have much time.
I bring up my sword right into her side, giving it a nasty slice. To which she quickly backed away on her Pegasus, and finished chanting her spell. The darkness surrounds me and gives me a hard push, forcing me to the ground. She switches to secondary tome, and launches another spell towards me. I take out my Thoron tome, and counter it, dispelling the dark spell, and hitting her Pegasus.
Spotting her completely opened wound, I fired my Thoron right into her side, knocking her off her Pegasus, giving her a mortal wound.
"Ah…finally…" Aversa croaks out, "Sweet…death… Finally…the pain… F-finally…it ends…" She slowly lets out her last breath, then lies still.
After that battle with Aversa, I take out a voluntary, and down the last of its contents. The pain in my chest resides, and my battle fatigue fades away. I spot the tome, Goetia, Aversa was using, lying on the ground. It'll be better with me than her right now. I scoop up the tome and put it in my coat's pocket. I wasn't exceptionally skilled at using dark magic. Only recently had I taken lessons from Tharja and Henry. Henry was, as usual, very awkward, with his continuous talks of blood and death. Tharja, on the other hand, always wanted to get uncomfortably close to me, and insisted that she taught me using 'hands on' lessons. I'll never feel the same way about that term again…
This battle has been won. For now…
Chrom comes up to me, "Is that all of them?"
"For now, yes."
Chrom calls Frederick over. "How do we fair?"
Frederick retrieves his report, which never ceased to surprise me how fast he had completed it. "Five light cuts, three burns, six deep gashes, and a lost axe."
Seems like we had gotten very lucky, these guys were unlike anything we've fought before. I'm glad that everyone could watch each other's backs.
"Very good, have our healers take care of them immediately. The real battle begins soon and I want everyone to be in top shape." Chrom takes deep breaths. "And how are you, Robin?"
"Nothing a little voluntary couldn't fix, but now I'm out, got any spares?"
Chrom pulls one from his side and hands it to me, "That's good, but not what I was referring to."
I sigh, and put the healing potion in my coat's inner pocket, "I'm okay. But let's not focus on that right now. We just need to end this soon."
Suddenly, like all the gods had yelled, a thunderous boom washed over the land we were currently standing on, causing a shockwave to roll through.
"AHH!" Lissa screams at the sudden roar, "...What was that?!"
Lucina, having recovered quickly, replied to her in a grim voice, "The dragon's roar…"
From over the mountain filled with lava, a ginormous beast flew into our view, causing every single person to stop in their tracks. My mouth fell open, slowly, despair washed over me. How in hell are we supposed to defeat THAT!
"Grima!" Lucina and the other future children started to visibly sweat.
This is what they had to live through? Knowing that THAT huge monster was chasing them. How could anyone live through an encounter with the beast? It was a one way ticket to death.
From my side, Chrom had built up his confidence. He turned to the others, "We can defeat him!"
"Milord, how does a man challenge a mountain?!" Frederick was actually losing his composure, "Where would one even strike?!"
"The fell dragon has a weakness on the nape of his neck." Naga's ever soothing voice came over the Shepherd's screaming, "But that weakness will be guarded by his servants. I can send you onto the dragon's back, but the rest is in your hands."
"Then please, milady, and quickly!" Chrom addresses Naga, "We would ask no more of you." Unsheathing his sword, he turns to his allies, "Everyone, gird yourselves! One way or another this ends here!"
Naga quietly mutters under her breath, and brings both her hands together in front of her chest. The ground around the Shepherd's feet starts glowing. Everyone was silently getting their gear together, getting with their loved ones, and even shooting of a quick prayer.
I looked at them, noticing how they clung to one another. It brought a sad smile to my face. I will save them. It's worth my life to make sure they were happy, and that they all made it through together. And to make sure their children's children's children, or however long it went, would never have to worry about someone like me coming into their lives…someone like me who could harbor an entity that wanted nothing but power and destruction.
Naga had finished her chant, and shot both her arms forward. We all disappeared in a flash of light.
When the light finally faded away, we had been placed on the surface filled with scales. This was it, we were on Grima.
Everyone was currently trying to get a footing on the smooth surface.
"WRETCHED SON OF NAGA…YOU WILL BE DESTROYED." Grima's demonic voice silences all quiet talk.
"Are you ready, Robin?" Chrom asked me when he finally got a good grip on the flying monster.
"As ready as I will ever be, Chrom." Prepping myself, I turn to him, "Let's finish this!"
Other than being hundreds of feet in the air, and a steady air current pushing against us, it really wasn't all that different from a regular battleground. The huge worry I had was if Grima decided to do some quick turns, we'd all slide off.
That was until I saw how many Grimleal were up here with us. They had all teleported up here with us after a second or two. All heavily armed. Warping up with them were also long ranged healers. That could cause a problem if we didn't take out an enemy fast enough.
All the Shepherds were about to begin their charge towards the other me, when a rumbling was heard going through Grima's body.
"Wha-" was all I could get out before several large spikes shot up through Grima's body, impaling all of us.
"Hrrngh!" A spear catches Chrom in his side. He falls to his knees, breathing heavily "…Wh-what… What manner of magic…"
"Magic?" Basillio was holding his bleeding side, trying to catch his breath, "That was a…damned…catastrophe… He's weakened us all… He's too…strong…rrng…"
"It cannot end like this…" Frederick was trying with all his strength to stand back up, "I won't have…all our struggle…be for naught…"
"No…" Lucina's cries were heard over the other's struggles, "This darkness… The future is upon us! Oh gods… F-Father…"
"And so it ends, Robin." Grima walks up to us casually, as if old friends. "See how frail these human bonds of yours are?" He motions to the other Shepherds with both his hands, "How short lived? How pointless? You have all thrown your lives away, and the result is the same!" He laughs.
"We're not dead yet!" I had actually gotten up to my feet first. All my body wanted to do was stay on the floor, however. I was stumbling to stand up straight.
"Details, details." Grima sighs overdramatically, "But yes, I suppose it's time I got you all off my back, so to speak-permanently." His face adopts a sickening smile.
"No…" My weak legs give out on me, causing me to kneel back down.
"No, you don't want this, do you?" Grima says, "You do have a choice, you know." He waves his finger into the air, "It doesn't have to be this way. You can still save all your friends… Become one with me, and we shall spare their lives… Refuse, and watch as I rend flesh from their bones!" Ending his sentence, he clutches his fist.
"…I…" I don't know how to respond. It's obvious he's lying, so why even try to make a deal?
"No, Robin!" Chrom begs to me, "Don't…do it…"
"He's lying…" Lissa tries to speak up, "It's…a trap…"
"NOW!" Grima's voice booms through the air, making us jump a little, "I will have your decision! Will you save these worms? Will you JOIN ME and become a GOD?"
Grima stood there, looking at me straight in my eyes. His grin, so smug, like he had already won without a fight. And his red eyes, piercing my own, filled with unmeasurable evil. Those eyes say that he won't stop at anything to make sure all living things cease to be. But why? What's the point of just killing everything? Is it to stop anyone from halting his quest for power?
Slowly, wordlessly, Grima starts stepping closer to me. He was leaving himself horrendously open to a long ranged attack. He was still quite far from us though for an accurate shot from my Thoron tome.
"Do you think me a fool?" I was laying on my hands and knees, "You'll kill them anyway!" I hunch over as to hide my hand that was reaching for my tome, which was currently housed inside my coat.
Finding the yellow covered book, I try to insert my finger into a random page.
"Well of course I would!" With his grin gone, he continues, "I only thought you might want to leave your comrades with a heroic, selfless image" He shrugs, "…But so be it. Abandon them with the final memory that you were their undoing!" He begins raising his left hand, with dark magic swirling around it.
Now was my chance, while he was casting a spell! I launch myself forward with all my might, opening the Thoron book and firing the spell with my right hand. "Thoron!"
From the distance, I had aimed for his center mass, but was slightly off. My Thoron spell had struck Grima's left hand.
"Aaarrgh!" was all I could yell before a dark circle enveloped me and I fell in.
"Robin!" Chrom's words echoes out to me. His figure, along with the Shepherd's, were stuck at the end of a dark tunnel, expanding away from me. Then everything went black.
Robin! That was the last thing I heard. What happened? All I remember was being sucked down into a black hole.
Slowly, my consciousness started to piece itself back together. Along with it came a pounding headache.
Augh…feels like Sully challenged me to a drinking contest again. My whole body was sore. Whenever I tried to move, my body ached. Better try and get up from the ground then.
I felt a patch of grass underneath me. I forced my eyes opened. What greeted me was a bright sun with some waving trees in the background. Looked like the place where I had first met Chrom and Lissa…
Wait! Chrom and Lissa! The thought just came back to me. We were atop of Grima's dragon body. The battle was about to begin, then something happened. I can't remember right now due to this massive headache that felt like I gone one on one with Sully's horse…then the drinking game.
Realizing the current situation I was in, adrenaline rushed through my body, giving me the strength to shoot up from the ground. I start moving in all directions, ready for anyone to attack me while I was vulnerable.
"All right, Grima, where did you…?" I looked around to see no dark, cloudy sky. No ominous flying dragon over the horizon or walking shambles of a Risen looking for blood. Did Chrom do it? Was he able to put down the dragon? My racing heart started to slow down, and the adrenaline in my body resided.
"Augh!" I fell to the floor, clutching my side. Oh yea, my wounds… Now I remember Grima hitting us with a devastating magic attack that had nearly killed all the Shepherds. Aside from the headache, my body felt like someone tied me to the back of a horse and sent it running for days.
My consciousness started to fade due to the pain of me quickly moving around a second ago. In the distance, a faint outline of what seemed to be a little boy running towards me caught my attention. Dammit, here we go again…
"Mister!" The boy yelled at me. My eyes slowly closed again, as I drifted into unconsciousness.
One day later…
"And so it ends…" Grima laughed.
"No, how could this have…happened?" Lying near my feet were the bodies of my friends. All killed by this monster standing in front of me. I was currently hunched over, holding my arm.
"See how frail human bonds are?! They stand nothing against a God!" Grima raises his open palm to me, "Now that you're all alone, there's nothing to stop me from consuming you!"
Grima's dragon roar tore through the skies. His head turning 360 degrees to see me. It lets out one last scream, then charges me with its mouth open.
"NOOOOOOO-"
My eyes shoot open, and I lean up from the bed I was in, using my arms to prop myself up. I was breathing heavily and had cold sweat dripping down me.
Just a dream, just a dream. I fall back into the bed under me.
After a couple seconds, my haggard breaths finally calm down. Taking this opportunity, I take a glance around in the room I was in.
It was small, to say the least. A candle from a night stand to the right me dimly lit up the enclosed space, a chair had been pushed up to the night stand. With the candle was a bowl of water, and a damp towel. Above the night stand was a small window, the curtains were closed, but I could make out a faint light peaking though. My bed was pushed up against a corner, and the door to exit was about two feet from the edge. This type of furniture appeared odd to me. I haven't seen these styles yet.
I looked down at myself. All my clothing had been stripped and I had been bandaged all over my midsection. Where did my beloved coat go?
Someone must've healed me; I'll have to thank them later.
Unsure of where my saviors were now, I crept out of the bed. Careful enough as to not disturb my already aching wounds. Testing the water with slight moving, I found that most of my wounds no longer had hurt as they did before. So whoever had healed me must've known their stuff.
Thankfully, I still had my pants on, but my shoes were also missing. I raise my arms into the air to get a quick stretch, and felt my back go pop a couple times.
"Ahhh…" I sigh in relief, that felt pretty good. From outside my door comes a pitter patter of steps, followed my some people talking. I couldn't make out what they were saying, due to the sound being muffled by the door. Taking the blanket from the bed, I wrap myself with it. It was kind of chilly, and I missed my coat.
I reach out for the door handle, and turned the knob. I slowly pushed the door open; I didn't want to give my rescuers a scare.
Right from the door, it led to a cozy living room. It housed a partially torn couch, with a wooden chair facing it; I was facing the back side of the couch. The rug was stained, and was spotted with dust. The wall opposite of my held small paintings, a creaky, wooden desk, much like the one I had in my tent (though far much older). The desk had papers carelessly thrown over it.
Farthest to my left was what I assumed to be the front door, two medium sized windows filled the space on either side of it, with sunshine pouring through. The couch and the chair were parallel to the door. To my right led to an equally small kitchen. The chatter I had heard from the room originated there. As soon as I exited the room, the talking had stopped. A chair sliding on tiles met my ears. As did footsteps
The footsteps gradually got closer to me, and around the corner came a lady. She was dressed in village clothes. When she saw me standing in the room, she smiled. "Thank goodness, you're awake. I was afraid those wounds were too much for you. Come come, I just finished diner, and by the way you look, you could use some to get some of your energy back." She waves her arms into the kitchen.
Since I could guess she was the one who had nursed me, I assumed she didn't mean to kill me and take my belongings. Wordlessly, I follow her into the kitchen. All that filled this area was a table with some chairs, a stove for heating, and a fire place.
In one of the chairs sat a young boy dressed in blue clothing. I'm guessing this was the offspring of the woman. The resemblance was certainly there.
"Please take a seat; I'll get you a meal." The woman gestures to an unoccupied seat.
I sit down in it carefully, the chair squeaking as I make contact. "Did you bandage my wounds?" I ask the woman.
"Yes, and I must say you had quite the marks on you. I hope you don't mind, but I had to use the voluntary in you coat's pocket to speed up the healing." She said. She grabbed a bowl, and started pouring soup into it.
"That's very kind of you, I am grateful." I smile. She is a very kind woman indeed.
"That's good." She finishes pouring the soup and hands it to me. I take the nearby spoon and start eating.
The woman takes the chair next to the boy, "May I ask your name?"
Pausing from my meal, I respond, "My name is Robin, pleased to meet you."
"A strange sounding name, but lovely nonetheless! My name is Kaitlyn. And this is my son." She gestures to the young boy drinking out of his bowl.
"Hi, my name is Nico!" His small face fills with a smile
The morning sun shone through the city… or at least it would've if there wasn't heavy overcast today. Just a quick walk away from Kaitlyn's and Nico's house was a nearby stall market. It wasn't very big, it just housed some fruits and vegetables the local farmers had grown themselves.
After a quick chat over breakfast, Kaitlyn had shown me my belongings. Carrying on me, I had my steel sword, about 1000 gold coins, my Bolganone tome, Goetia, Thoron, and my beautiful purple coat. In my experience, lighting magic was the best magic! In my opinion anyway. My voluntary was used to heal me, so that was no longer there. I don't plan on getting in huge trouble soon, so I should be good.
Today, I decided to head out with them into the market. I had also given them 500 gold coins to repay them for their kindness, which they accepted quite well actually. It did take a bit of persuading to do, but they finally caved in.
Much of the town looked very unfamiliar to me. That is until I noticed all of the red armored patrols. "Are we in Valm?" I asked the mother. It would be a weird place to end up in, considering that the Shepherds were nowhere near that continent.
"Valm? Oh no, we are in Nevassa, former capital of Daein."
Nevassa? Daein? How long have I been gone for? From the look of the guards, they adopted the similar Valmese army colors. I wonder if after the war, Valm had split up. That wouldn't exactly surprise me. But Kaitlyn also said that it was the former capital of Daein, which I have no recollection of. Well, that's not entirely true…There was a Daein way back in the Tellius Lore. But that was over hundreds of years ago.
Over the two year break between the two wars before Grima, I had studied up a bit on past history. That was mainly to look at the tactics they had used before. Most of my studies were on the tacticians such as Mark or Soren, to name a few.
"Which continent are we on, currently?" I ask. If we weren't in Valm, we had to be somewhere near it.
"Why, we are on Tellius right now." She looks at me with concern. "Are you sure you are all right?" I stop dead in my tracks.
WHAT! That's impossible! I couldn't have heard my ears right. These two must be playing tricks on me.
"Hey mister," Nico pulls on my sleeve, "do you know the Silver-haired Maiden?" Seeing me look at him, with no response, he continues, "'Cause your hair looks a lot like her's. Are you two related?"
My mouth drops open. The Silver-haired Maiden!? When I was reading at Ylisstol's great library, I had come across that name. She lived during the Tellius Lore, along with Ike and his famous Greil Mercenaries. I know that she was a part of the Dawn Brigade, fighting against the Begnion Empire. Her real name was…Micaiah, I think? As I said before, I never had really gotten too much into the whole Tellius Lore.
"…I…" I couldn't form words. This can't be right. It doesn't make sense.
Right then, I felt a handle smash into the back of my head. The force used pushes me straight to the ground.
It had been a quiet day so far, something that Micaiah and Edward were thankful for. All they had to do was wait for Leonardo to finish scouting out the buildings in front of them. The whole Begnion Empire was after them, and Micaiah was determined to not be found. A couple more streets to go, then Micaiah and Edward could finally meet up with the founder of the Dawn Brigade.
After pacing around in the alley for a couple minutes, Edward decided now was the time to voice his opinion, "Something must have happened to him."
"Don't worry. He'll be here." The ever so calm Micaiah replied to him. To be truthful, she did sincerely hope nothing had happened to Leonardo.
Edward stopped his walk, "Hey, I have an idea… Micaiah, why don't you use your farsight to see when Leonardo will arrive?"
Micaiah sighs outwardly, "Edward, you know that's not how it works. I foresee some things, but I don't get to choose what I see."
"I was just teasing!" Edward chuckles to himself, before growing serious, "Still, Leonardo's never late. Something must have-"
"H-help! Someone, please help us!" Out from the alley the two were hiding in, a voice comes screaming, surprising them. A second later, a young woman appears ahead of them, giving them a warning, "Bandits! Bandits are attacking the town! They've taken one villager hostage!"
"Where is the Imperial Occupation Army this time? How can they keep the peace when they're nowhere to be found?" Micaiah said with obvious distaste.
"Who, the Begnion soldiers?! Hah! They don't care a lick about us! We lost the war, and they won. We're nothing to them. They're only interested in chasing down the Dawn Brigade. They let the real scoundrels run wild and brutalize us."
Micaiah felt outrage towards the newly expanded country, "They're worse than useless! We'll be glad to help you. Just find someplace to hide, and leave those bandits to us."
Edward steps in, "And don't worry about us. We happen to be members of that same Dawn Brigade that the Begnion troops are so interested in!"
The little boy's eyes widened upon hearing that, "What?! Really?! You guys are in the Dawn Brigade?! Wow, my friends and I talk about you all the time!"
The women gasped, "You? But you're just children! Oh, how Daein has fallen… Children, forced to fight and steal for the good of the poor. But we can't fight the rogues, so we'll take you up on your offer. Please be careful. They'll slice clean through you if they can."
Micaiah nods to the women, and motions Edward to follow her out the alley. If the Begnion forces weren't going to do anything about the crime, then she definitely wasn't just going to stand around.
Rounding the corner, she is met with several bandits pillaging the nearby stalls. Near what had to be the leader was a young man in a strange purple coat. His hair had matched Micaiah's, much to her amazement.
"Listen up, you louts!" The leader of the bandits yelled out, "This town is nothin' but idiot kids and drooling graybeards. Steal everything you can! I'll talk with our Silver-haired friend." He turns to the young man kneeled over, clutching the back of his head.
"Yune, it's dangerous here. Go find someplace safe for now." Micaiah tells the bird resting on her shoulder. The small bird flies away, and Micaiah turns her attention to her ally, "All right, Edward. The usual plan of attack?"
"Yup!" Edward responds, unsheathing his sword, "You strike the brutes from afar with your magic. Then I'll head in and finish them off. That's the safest strategy."
Micaiah nods to him, "I'm ready. You and I should be more than a match for them. Let's go save that villager!"
End Chapter One
Sorry about the sudden cut off, I didn't know how to end it. Plus, this came out WAY longer than I had originally planned, about 3k more words. Oh, and I'm not sure how well the whole 'Robin went back in time because of Grima' thing sounds, so I was wondering if it was okay to you guys. I hope you enjoyed, see ya next time! Sangheilix Out! (For real this time)