My head throbbed, a deep, sharp pain that erupted within my forehead. Ever since the fall of Anankos, I had been plagued with an almost constant pain that I wanted nothing more than to stop. This is nothing, I told myself. You've faced worse; ignore it.

"Brother? Are you alright?" Leo's voice cut thorough my thoughts, and I opened my eyes, pulling my hand from my throbbing temple as I realized I had stopped walking. I started to continue on, only to feel another twinge of pain run through my head.

"Xander, if you're not feeling well, we could have a servant send lunch to your room so that you can rest." Camilla placed her hand on my shoulder, a comforting, motherly gesture that was so like her. I nudged her hand away and kept walking.

"It's only a small headache, nothing too serious. Besides, if I can't even handle something as simple as this, I've no right to be called the king of Nohr." King of Nohr. I sighed inwardly. Though I hated to admit it, life was so much simpler during the war against Hoshido and then against Valla; With a sword at my side, I could confidently say that I was right and my enemy was wrong. Yet now I dealt with politics, with keeping my people content and with keeping good relations with other countries, where I had too many options to the point where it was impossible to know the most just solution. I was lucky to have Leo and Camilla's aid and Corrin and Elise's support.

"Maybe it's just the stress taking its toll on you. If there's anything I can ever do to help, please, just ask."

"Thank you, Leo, and you as well, Camilla, for your support."

We pushed our way into the dining hall where several servants had already begun and finished setting out lunch. The telltale sound of crashing porcelain and a shout coming from the kitchen indicated to us that tea would be served late. Even from where I stood, I could hear Jakob's scoldings as Flora rushed to tend to her sister's blunder. I sighed, though this time it had a happier air to it. Though I was almost constantly bogged down by duties, it was comforting to know I would always be surrounded with those I could consider my family, even if it was only on rare days like these that I would be able to enjoy the luxury of having lunch with them. I began eating, only to have my short-lived happiness utterly change.

"Lord Xander! Milord!" I stood at the call of my name, turning quickly towards the panic-stricken shouts. Laslow stumbled into the dining hall and Camilla gasped at his state of being; from head to toe he was covered in blood splatters to the point where I could only hope that it was from nothing more than preparing game for the kitchen. The cuts in his clothing and skin said otherwise. He pitched forward and Leo and I dashed to his side, helping him to stand.

"Laslow, what happened?" I questioned him once he was situated in a dining chair. Camilla, who had left to find a healer, returned with Felicia in tow, and the maid immediately raised her staff once she saw Laslow's state of being. He let out a breath of relief as the healing magic came over him, his wounds closing and his strength returning. But magic could do nothing for the panic he felt.

"I'm not sure, they... they came out of nowhere and just started attacking anyone they saw-"

"-Do you know who they were?"

"Not a 'who', milord, more of a 'what', and I'm afraid I don't know that much, either. Peri and the rest of us are doing the best we can to fend them off; we at least know that they can be beaten."

"Then we'd better get out there before things get much worse," Leo cut in. I nodded in agreement, my hand moving to my hip to draw Seigfried. When my fingers touched only fabric and not a leather sheath, I panicked, cursing under my breath. How could I have been so careless? I thought, wracking my brain for where the legendary sword could be. I must have left it in the throne room.

"I have to go back and get Seigfried. Leo, Camilla, you two go without me-"

"Xander, there's no time; We need to help those already on the battle field as soon as possible."

"I'm afraid that if we don't have both of Nohr's legendary weapons fighting it may not be enough. Leo, I'm counting on you to make sure no one dies until I can lend my aid." Giving him no time to argue, I turned to Laslow and Felicia and began giving them commands. "Send anyone in the castle who can fight as reinforcements-we'll need all our strength as we are heading into this battle blind. Now go!" We all ran our separate ways.

An attack so soon after the war... And Nohr was just entering a time of prosperity. What with the changing of the skies happening, it seemed only right to see a bounty of crops and good harvest in Nohr, a much-needed change from the years of famine and death. Instead, my kingdom was facing an attack from an unknown enemy. I reprimanded myself for just earlier today thinking of how war was much simpler than times of peace; the mere gravity of the situation was enough to remind me that politics yielded such smaller losses.

Finally reaching the throne room, my hands found their way to the door handle and I slammed the door open. I wasted no time in finding my sword, as I immediately spotted it lying beside the throne itself. Running up to it, I began attaching the sheath to my side. Never again can I afford to do something so foolish.

"Xander! I'm so glad I finally found you." I turned to see Silas enter the room, and when I laid eyes on him, I felt a wave of unfamiliarity wash over me. Something seemed... off about him, something I couldn't quite pinpoint, as if he had a whole new air about him. When I saw the bow in his hands, I wrote that off as what seemed off; I knew Silas was skilled with many different weapons such as swords and lances, but I had never seen him once take up archery. Even so, I realized quickly that it seemed more right in his hand than anything else. I guess I had just been a bit unsettled by the difference.

"Silas? What is it? What are you doing here?"

"No time to explain, just come on!" Coming over to me, he grabbed my wrist and headed back from where he came. I was too focused on arriving at the battle that I didn't even protest as we ran throughout the castle. It wasn't hard to tell that we were nearing our destination-the sounds of weapons slicing through air and adversaries alike as well as the shouts from the wounded and those giving out their war cries-and my hand itched to go to my comrades' aid. We burst out into the sunlight and I could finally see the battle for myself.

"Gods..." I gasped in shock at the scene laid out before me. It seemed so unreal, like something out of a child's worst nightmare, and I realized what Laslow had meant when he said that we were battling a 'what' rather than a 'who'. Not one of the enemies looked even remotely human-a distorted creature formed of two monstrous green hands joined together at a spiked collar shot projectiles from its single, incredibly large red eye; a floating green monster whose entire body was composed of its eye, which slashed about with its tentacle; monsters that looked like octopi possessing skulls scuttled about. I remembered the fear I felt when my father first showed me a Faceless, the terror that shook me as I watched the creature rise from an unholy pile of sludge... even that couldn't compare to the emotions that racked through me at the moment. I was utterly frozen in fear.

"We have to keep moving. Come on!" Silas jerked at my wrist, pulling me forward. I was about to agree until I saw that he was leading me away from the battle instead of towards it.

"Where are you taking me, Silas? We've no time to be running from the battle!" I planted my feet, trying to turn and pull me hand away from the knight, but his hand held firm.

"They'll be fine on their own, but we're needed elsewhere."

"How dare you try to abandon your comrades like this! What's gotten into you?"

"Xander, you don't understand, but I can't-behind you!" Quickly, I turned, unsheathing Siegfried to slice upward at one of the hand creatures who dared to attack us. As it fell to the ground, Silas took the chance to unleash multiple arrows, hitting each of his targets directly and fatally. Then he had my wrist once again and we were running.

I was about to try and stop once again, though Silas beat me to it. "This spot should be good enough."

"Silas, unhand me; we're needed to fight."

Jerking my hand back, I once again aimed to escape his iron grip and return to the battlefield. He looked like he was about to speak, but instead he looked skyward, my wrist still imprisoned by his hand, and shouted, "Lady Palutena!"

Intense light poured down from the heavens in a beam of light that enclosed us, and, though it wasn't painful, I could feel absolutely nothing. Is this a trap? Has... has Silas betrayed us? I thought frantically as I prepared for the worst. I could feel nothing, not even Silas's grasp, and all I could see was pure white light.

And then there was darkness.