Medeus burst at Marth with one final breath, but it was already too late.

Marth held the Falchion high above his head. This was it.

Everything was on his shoulders now. The fate of the entire continent.

The blood of the hero Anri flowed through him, and it was draining from his body. But he was the only one who could do this. And he would accept his job at any cost.

Medeus began to activate it's dragon stone for another attack.

It was over seconds later, the Falchion still glowing through the dragon blood.

Five long years, over in an instant.

Marth had won the Dark War. Akanea was free once more.

------------------------------------

It kept returning to him, especially in times of peace.

Three years had passed since than, and Akanea was prospering. Marth was the new king of Aritia and engaged to Sheeda, Princess of Talis. Falchion, the Sword of Light, was locked away safely in the treasury. Most importantly, rebuilding from the five year Dark War was almost complete throughout the entire continent.

Yet Marth couldn't shake off the feeling of dread. No revolutions seemed to be stirring, but the uneasiness was unmistakable. And the memory of his battle to save Akanea kept revisiting him, almost warning him that it wasn't over. Today, the feeling of impending doom was stronger than ever. It almost made him feel...

"Marth?"

The young king looked up, returning from the thoughts of his mind to reality. Before him stood a beautiful girl, about the same age as him. Her hair was blue, like his own, but much lighter and longer. Wearing a simple dress and an innocent face, no one would have guessed that she had only years ago fought alongside Marth as a Pegasus Knight.

"Marth, are you okay?" she asked again, looking into his eyes.

Marth looked away for an instant; she had such intense eyes. That fact had never changed, though their relationship certainly had. "I was just thinking, Sheeda." Marth answered, trying his best to put on a fake smile. But his fiancee knew him better than that.

"More darkness on the way?" Sheeda asked, referring to his thoughts lately. Her tone had only a hint of sarcasm.

"Yes. It seems particularly strong today." Marth replied. "I'm worried. Something's not right..."

"You're just being paranoid." Sheeda said. "If something was happening, you would have heard about it by now. We do have friends all over Akanea. Relax."

"You might be right, but…" Marth began, but Sheeda quickly put her finger on his lips.

"It'll be okay, Marth," she said, moving her hand back. "Even if something happens, we'll stop it. I mean, you ended the Dark War! What could be more dangerous than that?"

"True, I don't think anything can really compare." Marth realized.

"Exactly! We can stop anything that gets in our way. Together." Sheeda finished, smiling.

Before Marth could reply, the princess took his hand and led him outside. "We've got a lot of work to do, Lord Marth." she said.

And neither of them gave the thoughts any more time that day. Members of royalty didn't have as much free time as many would assume, and they were soon caught up with work, their minds at ease.

But that night, the memory returned to Marth. Along with something else he had never seen. A dream..

A massacre.

And he was in the middle of it, soaked in blood and staring down at...someone. It was quite blurry, and all Marth could make out was a hint of red. And the smell of fire.

The Falchion was in his hands, and Marth realized he wasn't anywhere in Akanea he had ever seen or even heard of. This appeared to be another continent altogether. Perhaps another world. Whatever it was, it caused the king to wake up in sweat.

"We need you..."

A chorus of unknown voices called him, yet they seemed to be inside his mind. Whatever they were, they were powerful, and Marth found himself moving against his will. Entering the royal treasury, he picked up the sheath the sacred Falchion slept in and changed into his armor. Than he began to blank out as his body continued to move, Falchion unsheathed.

Something was calling him, and before Marth knew it, everything went black.

He was under its control now.