Hello all, and welcome to this story of mine that I've been crafting. It was sort of an idea born from taking one of the main later-game plot devices of Fire Emblem: Awakening to new places and extents, though ones that would still seem logical within the context of the world. As of writing this, I'm at work on the seventh chapter, so I can say that (in my opinion at least), the story does pick up after the first few chapters. A lot longer too, considering that, at the time of writing this, chapter 6 is around 17000 words while chapter two is I think 2500. So, just in case this rewrite of chapter one, intended to make this whole story less amateur, doesn't really accomplish its goal, I implore you to at least give the rest of the story a chance, or to let me know what you didn't like.

Which brings me to my second point: PLEASE REVIEW! I don't care who you are, if you liked it, if you disliked it, if you couldn't finish it for some reason. Let me know what you think and why, and I'll take it to heart, even if it's brutal. I value your feedback, and I want to write what people want to read.

And finally, something I have been accidentally neglecting: I do not own the vast majority of this, including the universe, most characters, the basic plot, etc. I am not writing this for profit, and do not intend to claim anything that belongs to Intelligent Systems or Nintendo as my own. Anyway, on to the beginning:

It was a strange sensation, almost as if he was being assembled piece by piece where he lay on the ground. He was disoriented. Confused. Something was wrong, but what?

He needed to take this one step at a time. Where was he? In fact, who was he?

His name…Aiden. Right. It was starting to come back to him. Everything was still far too fuzzy.

The ground was covered in grass, that much he could tell. It was dark, but that could have been from the fact that he was lying face first.

Slowly, very slowly, Aiden got up. Everything hurt, and his head was spinning. Nothing was serious enough to warrant a healing item, luckily. He still didn't know what was going on, but he was healthy.

A quick glance around revealed a small, grassy clearing set in the middle of a forest. It was empty save himself and a long bundle next to his feet. The sky was dark, but the orange glow on the horizon meant that it was dusk. He shook his head to clear his senses. Odd that the moon was already so high in the sky...

Then he smelled the smoke.

That wasn't the sun setting in the distance. The forest ahead was burning, smoke billowing into the sky. What he thought had been his own unsteadiness was the trembling of the earth, and even through the haze, he could make out a massive wall of flame billowing out of the ground to the south. But this wasn't what held his attention.

Hanging high above, staring down like luminous eyes, an untold number of portals spewed dark shapes onto the landscape below.

Outrealm Gates. Like the one he had just travelled through.

That was right! The fog in his mind was clearing; he remembered running, fleeing in fact. He had activated the ritual, jumped through, and...fell. That whole process could have really gone better. In fact, Aiden was relatively certain that this wasn't where he had intended to go.

At least he didn't fall on the package. The package! Where was- by his feet. It made it through. Alright, at least one thing had gone well.

He really needed to get moving. The area was very quickly getting dangerous, and he didn't want to be around to find out what those dark shapes falling from the sky were.

Aiden checked his equipment to make sure nothing was damaged or out of place. Swordsman's gear, in place. Hardened lacquer plates on his chest and shoulders, segmented for mobility while still providing decent protection. A traveling cloak with a hood, for dealing with inclement weather. On his belt were two sheathes, each carrying a blade, commonly referred to as an "edge" due to its single-bladed nature. And...nothing else. No vulneraries, no food or drink, nothing. Great. His escape had been too quick to grab anything he wasn't already carrying. He'd have to stop somewhere for supplies; luckily he always kept a coin purse hidden on his person.

Figuring out where to eat could come later, he needed to move. He had no idea where he was, and consequently no idea where to go, but staying still would mean being caught by whatever was falling from those portals. And if his suspicions were correct, that would be a death sentence.

Aiden had been moving for a good twenty minutes now, and there was still no landmark or path to show him the way. On the bright side, he hadn't seen anyone or anything else. Just up ahead was a clearing, one that might provide some sense of direction, or at least a good view of the sky. Of course, this was assuming he hadn't just run in a giant circle.

Pushing through the brush, he emerged into the night. The clearing area he found himself in was much larger than the last, with what appeared to be the ruins of an old fort in the center. Rising prominently from the rubble was a large tower, aged by time but still standing. With any luck, it could give him a good view of his surroundings and perhaps show him a way out of the forest. It would also leave him exposed to anything that was looking, but he'd much prefer fighting out in the open as opposed to stumbling into something while blindly walking around the woods.

The fort had seen better days. Huge gaps in the walls allowed easy access into the central courtyard, though as the gate had long since rotted away, the walls would have been useless anyway. All he needed was that tower, though. If that was stable enough, it could be his guide.

He strode underneath the empty gateway, pausing to check his surroundings. The interior was long since overgrown, a grass field with a few boulders strewn about. Weeds grew through cracks in the rocks, and vines covered most available surfaces. There was a set of stairs, weathered but intact, heading into the tower.

Something stopped him, though. A few still shapes in the moonlight. Not boulders, or stone at all. In fact, they looked like bodies. Wait, bodies? A closer look confirmed Aiden's fears. Four prone forms were sprawled out, clustered near each other.

He was immediately down next to the nearest one, with two fingers two their neck. A pulse, good. Strong and steady. They were unconscious, not dead. More interesting to Aiden was the fact that he recognized the comatose individual. They had no more business here than he did. So why were they here?

They must have been sent after him. This wasn't good. He thought he'd have at least a few hours before anyone even noticed his theft. But here they were, and now his plan was in shambles.

He carefully checked them over. No one was injured, and, interestingly, they seemed to have very little in terms of supplies. Their departure had to have been sudden, too. If they left quickly, then they probably didn't have time to get outside assistance. Good for him. But if they didn't have someone else watching out for them, that might mean...

Yes! Buried in one satchel was a tome. The tome. It appeared simple enough. It was a small, white book that looked like any other spell tome, though the cover was blank. In truth, it was much more. Inside was transcribed an ancient ritual, meant originally for a time of great strife. The ritual was meant to open a portal between worlds, often called Outrealms, sending the caster to a world akin to their own, though set in the past. It was meant to be a way out if the world was collapsing. It allowed the traveler to survive and to forge a new fate for themselves.

The ritual itself, unused, was discovered and transcribed at great cost into this tome. No longer bound to the ritual from which it drew its power, the spell itself could be altered to reach other worlds beyond that which it was originally set for. It was more accurate and safer than an average Outrealm gate, if one could figure out how to use it, or so he had been told. Unfortunately, tearing open the fabric of reality was a dangerous proposal, so very few had dared experiment with it. Some daring mages with a thirst for knowledge had discovered how to use the gate, but with no knowledge of what could be on the other side and no desire to use it, few had ever tried traveling to another Outrealm.

At least, until he came along. It had been a brilliant plan, or so he thought. Steal the package, use the tome to escape to another realm, and hide until everything had blown over. They wouldn't be able to track him between realms, if they even suspected him of using the tome. He wasn't going to steal it, after all. He had no need, and it'd be a great way to cover his tracks. What kind of thief would leave it alone, if they had the access to it? Once everything had blown over, his contact back home was prepared to open a portal and find him. From there, they could enact the second step of his plan.

But now these four had followed him here. That meant that his contact might be compromised and that he was at risk. Well, that complicated things. He couldn't let these four remain in this timeline, that was certain. If he sent them back and kept the tome, he'd be safe. They'd be out of his hair, and stuck back in their own realm. Unfortunately, that meant keeping the tome. He couldn't be sure when it would be safe to go home, if ever, since he was now cut off from his only ally on the other side. To worsen the deal, he'd be stealing an incredibly powerful magic artifact. Well, another. He hadn't figured on this being part of the plan.

And yet, he didn't have much of a choice. He opened the tome and began, working through the spell very slowly and carefully. His magical abilities were limited, and it wouldn't be good to mess up a step. If something went wrong, there was no telling what would happen. At worst, he might wind up blown apart by ancient and powerful magical forces. At best, he'd open a portal to some entirely different Outrealm. Considering he had no idea where or when he was, he'd already made that mistake one too many times today.

He finished the spell and focused, channeling all his willpower into opening the Outrealm gate. He stood there for a solid minute, channeling everything he knew about spell casting, but the only thing to appear was a brief flash caused by an ember as it fel from the sky. The ritual hadn't worked at all. The four comatose figures were still in the courtyard, it was still night, the forest still burned in the distance.

Right, he was remembering more now. An interesting side effect of the conversion: when the ritual was transcribed to the spell tome, it lost its connection to its divine creator's power. It only worked at locations where the power of said creator, the god Naga, permeated the air. But now he found himself in the ruins of an old fort in a forest, so of course it wouldn't work.

What would he do with these four, then? Killing wasn't an option. He was a thief, not a murderer. Besides, he knew these people. He had considered them friends, once. There had to be another way. He could just keep running and hope they never found him. But considering that he had their only way home, they wouldn't give up until they found him. He wasn't going to turn himself in to them, that was certain.

Aiden had no idea where he was, but that was ok. All he needed was somewhere to hide out until everything was in place. His plan required patience, and as long as he wasn't recaptured, it could all still work out. In fact, having the tome at his disposal could expedite the process, since he wouldn't have to wait for help from his contact before enacting the second part of the process. That was still a long ways off, though. But he could wait. Assuming he could find somewhere that let him open an Outrealm gate, that was.

That was his number one priority, it seemed. He needed to get out of here, and he also needed his pursuers, still comatose, out of his hair. If he could find a place where Naga's power was palpable and open a portal, he could send them home and get himself out of here at the same time.

The only problem was that areas where Naga's power truly manifested itself weren't exactly common. Such areas that did exist were usually hard to reach without aid. Even then, people generally settled near these locations to be closer to their god, which meant more people to avoid, not to mention the difficulties of sneaking into an area they considered sacred. And, if he was correct about the identity of those…things, they would probably be drawn to those same focal points that he would need in great numbers. If that wasn't enough, he had these four after him. The best location he could think of, assuming he was even on the correct continent, was Mount Prism. It was isolated, serene, and most certainly sacred to Naga.

The issue would be getting there. If he was anywhere nearby, there would still be travel involved, along with all the risks that came with it, while trying to avoid being captured by his former friends. Maybe he should just turn himself in. After all, this was getting more and more daunting by the minute-

A low groan, really more like a hiss, came from behind him. Aiden turned, and came face to face with a nightmare.

Crawling over the remains of the wall was a corpse. Its skin was thin and purple tinged. The garb it wore, most likely a fighter's, was torn and tattered, and its axe, though pitted and rusted, gleamed sharply in the moonlight. It hobbled over to the edge of the wall, moving in a jerking, stuttering fashion, its limbs contorted at unnatural angles. It jumped down, and looked up. The face that stared out was inhuman, withered and scarred, and was dark despite the blazing red glow of its eyes. When it hissed again, a small tendril of shadow seeped from its maw. The creature was followed over the wall by another, this one using a sword and wearing a shoulder plate common to mercenaries.

The Risen had found him. Of course. They were instinctively drawn to defile anything linked to Naga, and here he was, holding such an object. There was only one way this would end.

Aiden drew his blades.

They charged.

Damn, they were fast! The fighter was first, closing the distance in seconds. It wound up and swung from above. His offhand blade came up, catching the axe and driving it to the side as it came down. Then the other edge came up, slicing across the now unprotected Risen's front. It stumbled back, axeless, as a third strike ended its life.

A sword strike just barely dodged reminded him of the second Risen. It swung again and he caught the strike on his blade, and then drove forward with his shoulder, pushing it back. It lunged forward with the sword, so he sidestepped the wild attack. The move had taken him within range of the monster, so he drove his elbow into his face and followed with a blade strike. The Risen fell to the ground and started to dissipate into a shadowy mist. It was dead.

They were already here. Those abominations that he had been so desperate to avoid had found him anyway. They were more horrible than any story could tell. And he just killed two of them. There seemed to be no more Risen around him, but he could no longer assume that this area was safe. The longer Aiden stayed in one spot, the greater the chance that they would be drawn by the book he carried. He could leave now, hopefully throwing any of the undead creatures that sensed him off his trail. At the very least, it would draw them away from the sleeping bodies he refused to let die. It would have been simpler to forget about them, but he wasn't so sure he could live with himself if he did.

The rest of the night was spent walking, running, or fighting. Risen would show up, die, and be replaced. The forest was mostly enclosed, but Aiden had managed to find a path well-worn into the dirt. It went north and south, though there was really only one direction he could go. To the south, a massive slab of rock has risen high above the surrounding terrain, creating a great chasm that spewed molten rock and fire across the forest. It completely blocked any travel in that direction, and so he headed north.

It would have taken immense force to create the chasm, but Aiden had no doubt that it was related to the portals that had filled the sky minutes earlier. Some strange magic was the culprit, and was probably responsible for knocking him so far off course. It wasn't too outlandish that whatever magic the Outrealm portals relied on had altered the destination of his own. Such things had ha-

Fighting. Gods, it was close. There was the clang of weapons on weapons and armor, the sound of thunder, the shrieks of Risen, and the sound of shouting that was currently incomprehensible through the trees. Who was fighting? And could Aiden afford to step in?

Luckily, he didn't have to make a choice. The noise very quickly died down, leaving only silence. He snuck closer, curious, but aware he might stumble onto a field of corpses and a horde of Risen.

"You saved my sister's life." Wait, he knew that voice. But it couldn't be. Why would-

"My name is Chrom. May I ask yours?" It was him. That didn't make sense. Why would Chrom be here? And who was he speaking to?

"You may call me Marth." Damn. That voice was familiar, but something kept him from placing it. It couldn't be who he thought it was. There was no way.

"Really? After the heroic king of old? You certainly fight like a hero. Where did you learn your way with a sword?"

"I'm not here to talk about me. The world teeters on the brink of a horrible calamity. What you saw tonight was but a prelude. You have been warned." Yeah, they had. So had Aiden. The Risen had made it abundantly clear, even without the ominous and entirely vague warning. Things were starting to make sense. That warning…

"The what's teetering on the edge of where now?" That voice sounded young. There wasn't a response.

"Not much for conversation, is he?" Another voice, someone who hadn't spoken yet. Footsteps approached Aiden's position as he knelt beneath the underbrush. He needn't have bothered, as the masked figure who ran past was too preoccupied to check their surroundings.

"...I am sure we will see him again. But for now, I am more concerned about the capital. We should make haste." Whoever that was, they were oddly focused. They'd just been attacked by the undead, seen the ground split open and belch fire, and met someone naming themselves after an ancient hero, and their first thoughts were about those in the capital.

That meant that they were leaving. They, too, chose to walk right past his hiding place. He was able to get a quick glance at the group. A blue-haired man that could only be Chrom led the group, followed by a man in a long black coat, carrying a thunder tome. He had a mass of black, somewhat unruly hair and a determined gaze. Following closely behind was a tall, dark-haired knight astride a horse, and a young, blonde woman with pigtails and a healing staff. He made no movement as they passed by, unaware of their observer.

That conversation had been far more useful than he could have hoped for. Chrom's presence, Marth, the Outrealm gates, the split in the earth, the warning…combined with what Aiden knew from stories he had heard told and retold, everything together told him what he needed to know. He may have been in the wrong place, but he was in the right time.

A lot was going to happen in the next few months, the next few years even, though he hoped he would not stay that long. He could use the turmoil to lay low and prepare. When he was ready, he could figure out how to send his pursuers back to their own time, and then follow through with his plan.

Aiden already knew his next destination: Ylisstol. It was a lot of people, and so a high level of risk, but he was undersupplied and didn't have much in the way of a plan. The city could provide all of this, hopefully.

As he stepped back onto the trail, the swordsmaster raised his hood. It would help him remain anonymous, which was exactly what he wanted. Finally, after months of planning, he had taken action. One small step, but it had been enough.

There was no going back now.

Alright, hello everyone. I hope that this was at least moderately enjoyable. This is my first real attempt at writing fiction, so I hope it isn't too terrible. Check my profile for author's notes and explanations.

There are original characters in this story. Quite a few. But it is, and has always been, my effort to make believable characters, ones who could actually make sense within the context of the story and mesh with canonical or gameplay established rules and roles. A lot of things I do with original characters has a role, though it may not be so obvious at first. This is also not a self-insert, that oh-so-popular genre, judging by top stories here. Not because I have anything against them, but because thatt's not the story I want to tell (not to mention I wouldn't last two seconds outside the modern world). Nonetheless, if you just hate original characters in every way, this story isn't for you.

Hah. Looking back on this, I'm amazed by all the flaws I could find. It hasn't even been that long! Are all the first drafts of my chapters like this? Anyway, I hope that this update makes the story as a whole seem less crazy. I worry that I may have retroactively created some issues with the next two chapters. Please, if you read further, understand this should you come across one. Better yet, let me know! I'm probably going to be redrafting those two at some point anyway.

Thanks! And REVIEW! Please, your feedback can only help.