Author's Name: Blue Sun Studios

Date of Beginning: November 2, 2014

Story Title: Fire Emblem: Reawakening‒Premonition: The Awakening

Theme: Dive into the Heart

Darkness…they were completely surrounded by nothing but darkness. Were they falling? They couldn't tell at this point; it felt as if they were floating in the air or at the surface of water, yet it also felt as if they were lying still atop a flat surface. Were they dead? Hard to say exactly; they felt as if they were fully aware of their own consciousness but it didn't feel like an earthly experience, rather it almost felt like they were being spirited away.

"Awaken…" a distant voice said. It reverberated all throughout their minds with a powerful and commanding voice. It didn't take too much effort to open their eyes, but they weren't met with anyone. Where could that voice have come from? "Awaken," the voice repeated, this time with even more force than before. Weren't they awake already? Either way, not wanting to test this figure's patience, they made to stand themselves not feeling the least bit exhausted. Their gaze was cast about everywhere and found nothing but darkness, save for a lone figure who stood right beside them. Upon closer inspection this person was quite quaint in physical appearances.

Before them was a garb that appeared to be magical in nature, with special mention going to the black coat that was draped over this other person's frame with hints of purple and gold, yet the most peculiar aspect about them was their mystical white hair and molten gold eyes. Their eyes beheld confusion and curiosity, and they stared at them intently leaning forward to inspect them better. Before the other spoke the voice from earlier had returned.

"Good, you both have finally awakened," the voice told them, "but not completely. Neither of you will experience the complete Awakening right this moment; that will soon come to pass later on. For now, you must focus on removing yourselves from this dream state." These words had confused the identical looking pair, nevertheless they heeded the mystery entity's voice and began looking around for an exit. The only thing they could see was (again) darkness for however long it stretched. "The only way to exit this state is to answer these questions," the voice said. Before they themselves could question this figure a blinding light from beneath them shot up, and as they tried to look down at their feet they caught a glimpse of the darkness itself parting and giving way to what appeared to be a stained-glass portrait. When the light had dimmed enough they both saw that it was a portrait of themselves in a yin-yang position with each other, both brandishing a jagged sword and a single book. Their eyes were closed as if they were sleeping much like they were now supposedly.

"Which do you value more than ever?" the voice asked them. From the glass-stained pillar upon which they stood came forth ten different relics, all wildly different in appearances. "Here, you must choose to keep one and discard the other. The one you choose to keep will represent what holds more meaning to you, while the one you choose to discard thusly will represent what holds the least meaning to you." Each relic moved of their own accord to the pair as if they were sentient and rose into the air further as the voice explained each one in detail. "Before either of you keep or discard any of the relics, wait until I have finished explaining all of them before you make your decision. You may both choose the same relic if you desire or not; the choice is entirely up to you."

"This is the Seraph Robe," the voice began, "introducing" the robe in question that was shaped like folded angel wings and with a golden halo floating above it. "It will grant you extended longevity should you desire it, but shall likewise take away from your own lifespan should you discard it." Next came what looked like a large crimson tear drop with a fire raging inside of it.

"This is the Energy Drop. Should you wish to keep this, it will empower you enough to be able to move the very mountains themselves, figuratively speaking. Refuse it, and your physical prowess will suffer dearly in that department." Following suit was a collection of light blue dust that glittered brilliantly.

"This is the Spirit Dust. This relic will augment your magical capabilities in terms of offensive applications, on the battlefield and off. Or you can choose to deal with a weakened magic power if such is what you seek." The fourth relic came to the forefront; a green book with arcane writing stood before them.

"This is the Secret Book. Your adeptness in dexterous tasks will be pushed to its limits with this, but your peaks and skills therein will be set to a lower bar as a consequence of disregarding it." Next was a single shimmering feather which gracefully floated towards them.

"This is the Speedwing. Under this relic's blessing your body will move and react at speeds others could never hope to attain, but it shall spite you with those same attributes but reduced if you reject it." Stepping up to the plate after was a statuette of some holy-looking figure.

"This is the Goddess Icon. Take this with you and enjoy having the Luck Balance of the Universe tip in your favor, but beware if you care for it not, for the Luck Balance of the Universe will verily tip out of your favor." Hiding behind the Goddess Icon was a large shield proudly displaying a fierce dragon on the front.

"This is the Dracoshield. Carry it with you and you shall be as unmovable as the mountains, again speaking figuratively. But if it has no meaning to you, you are very literally liable to become a pushover." Soon a red and gold medallion emanating a magical aura stepped forward.

"This is the Talisman. If it is in your favor then it will act as a ward to protect you from various other types of magic, whether in battle or otherwise. But toss it aside and you will not get those benefits, instead cursed to endure a lack of defense against malicious magic." The next relic shown did not appear too out of the ordinary: a pair of plain boots.

"These are the Boots. Take them and your legs shall carry you to the ends of the earth and beyond. Or, if they hold no significance, then your feet will tire out much sooner than they do now." And last but not least was another book, but this one was blue and had a sword-and-tome combination on the front.

"This is the Arms Scroll, Treasure it, I say, and you will gain an increased learning ability to master any form of weapon much sooner than any other. Don't, and you will be slower to even grasp their basic functions than most others around you." As soon as the voice had gone through each and every relic the duo of snownettes understood their benefits and disadvantages. But they didn't seem ready to keep and discard any of them. They thought that there had to be another relic that had all of their benefits combined and that this voice was hiding it. They looked past the presented artifacts and all around themselves but found nothing.

"Is there something else that you seek?" the voice questioned, already knowing the answer but wanted to tease the two silent ones. "Is it the power to wield them all, without having to degrade yourselves from sacrificing one? A sensible thought; who in their right mind would willingly handicap themselves in one area while increasing their capabilities in another area and not strive to break their limits in all places? But what if you only had the choice to take one and abandon another while the rest are unchanged? What then?" Their eyes remained defiant and they held their original decision; if they were capable of pushing themselves further than anyone else in the world then that was not an opportunity they wanted to pass up. "So…you remain vigilant in your stance. Ha, how greedy of you, to wish to wield every power known to man! What a typical notion that many beings hold, both mortal and divine! However, unlike most I sense a greater purpose in you than to simply have everything at your fingertips; it is something much deeper and goes beyond what any would ever dare to go, therefore I respect that stance nonetheless. Very well then, if you do not desire to settle for less then I shall grant you what you truly seek…" The relics retreated almost as if they were hurt from rejection and began spinning in the air, drawing closer towards each other before magically converging in a flash of light. When it disappeared, the only thing left behind was a single object that was in the shape of the Energy Drop, but it was a lovely golden color that glowed with brilliance and looked like it was made out of liquid as opposed to the fire that the other relic was. Amazed, the duo walked forth and beheld its magnificence in their hands.

"This is Naga's Tear, an artifact forged together from the very tears that the Divine Dragon Naga herself shed for humanity. It combines the effects of all of the other artifacts, and since you are so intent on wielding the power of all, it shall be yours both. But, as with this artifact, there is a catch…" The pair was about to look as if they were tricked but the voice stopped those thoughts dead and cold. "You will not suffer from a downgrade in your abilities, I assure you, but I suspect that your life when you reawaken will adapt to your newfound powers if only to make itself harder to live out. Many might attempt to seize your power out of envy or to kill you outright. Others may feign their nature to get closer to what you hold, and others still will want to control you, to make you theirs. Be wary of those who walk in the sun with masks, and cherish those who are able to see past what you have, treasuring what you are at your cores…Go on, take what is yours…" And took Naga's Tear they did, simultaneously grasping it and noticing the other's hands around the object. They were quick to remember that they both could receive the object if they wanted and accepted, nay, welcomed the other doing so. Suddenly Naga's Tear shone even brighter and the pair too took on the same glow. They both felt a powerful surge of power shoot through them and they recoiled from the feeling, clutching their chests as they struggle to breathe.

"Relax," the voice told them. "Naga's Tear has simply spread itself within you. You will feel the effects of the empowering very soon. And thus concludes the first of five Awakenings…go forth, and prepare yourselves for the next Awakening…" Once they were able to stand fine they were sure that they were very much prepared for the next "Awakening"; shattering their confidence was the platform underneath them shattering, with both of them silently screaming as they fell to parts unknown. And not too soon, they stopped, suspended in midair above another stained-glass platform, but it beheld two different figures: they were both blue-haired individuals, one male and one female like they were and appearing as if they were royalty of some sort, and they both held different weapons from what the last image's pair had. Like the last depiction their eyes were closed suggesting that they were also asleep.

"These two figures," the voice began, "they are the forefront of the few who will play an important role in shaping your ultimate destiny and fate…they are known as 'Chrom' and 'Lucina'…the former is a representation of the Light of the world, while the other is a representation of the Twilight…" The figures themselves lit up in correspondence of the spoken names, with the man being first and the woman being next. "You both represent the foil of the former and the other half of the latter: the Darkness…in between Chrom and Lucina are the rest of those that you will meet on your journeys. They may either join you as allies or oppose you as enemies, and they represent everything else either including Light and Darkness or not…" What exactly did their future hold in store for them? Was it something that they would find pleasurable, detestable, or something else entirely? "I know not what the future will be; that is something that you must discover on your own…"

Before the duo could think of anything else, the voice suddenly shouted out at them. "Here they come," it said. "Those who will oppose you in your lives are coming to make quick work of you. Arm yourselves. Quickly." They looked around and spotted the same jagged sword and tomes from before and hurried to grab them. Once in their hold they saw numerous people descend from above, all of them dressed in various wear, armed with weapons, and looking to kill. "They are without a restraint of morality, therefore they will not take mercy on you. Kill them before they kill you." The pair did not hesitate to battle these people, bringing their swords against them with swift strikes. Each swing they made was accentuated with a violent spark of electricity which transferred over into their opponents, their bodies convulsing rapidly before they collapsed, This continued on until the last enemy had been felled with their weapons; the pair looked on in shock at the sheer display of power they held.

"It is only a fraction of what you truly hold inside of you," the voice said. "When you undergo the True Awakening, your power will be at its fullest potential. You will wield the power of a God." That alone was a bit of a scary prospect, but they figured that they chose it, therefore they had to bear with it. Looking upon their downed opponents they saw their bodies become pale in color and sink into the platform below them in a pool of darkness. "On guard," the voice ordered, "they are not your only enemies here." From above dropped down more beings who wore what looked like the toughest armor around, and they had large lances ready to impale with. "Your swords will have little effect on them. Try to defeat them with another method." Already on the draw they took their tomes and channeled magical energy into their other hands, quickly casting what looked like thunder spells into their enemies, and they watched as their enemies exploded into a display of electricity flying everywhere. They repeated the process until all of the armored opponents could stand no longer. Again they marveled at the strength that they commanded and saw how their enemies once again sunk into the ground like those before them.

"Impressive," the voice congratulated, "but you are not finished here yet. Any of your weapons will work against this last opponent, but only if you are capable of working together. By 'working together' I mean 'fighting as one, moving as one, trusting in each other's abilities'. Here comes your final enemy." In an ominous swirl of dark clouds a figure manifested before them, taking on the appearance of a tall and dark skinned man who dressed in intimidating robes with dragon motifs while carrying a violet tome in his hand.

"Perish!" the figure hissed, drawing forth forbidden magic energy and casting it around the pair. They easily dodged the lethal spell and closed the distance to deliver a slew of coordinated slashes with their swords. He appeared to defend himself but had no such luck in fending off his attackers and fell quickly when they blasted through him with their combined thunder magic. Down to his knees he fell, uttering under his breath, "What have you…?" before he collapsed completely, this time disintegrating into dark smoke and fading away into the darkness.

"That man was 'Validar'," the voice told them. "He is a sorcerer who wields mighty fell magic; he will most definitely cross paths with you in your lives. Depending on how this next Awakening goes, he will either be an ally or an enemy, just as with everyone else…" Suddenly they felt something clasping at their ankles, or rather they were being dragged down by the floor itself into the darkness. They panicked, trying in vain to free themselves from this shadowy quicksand before it swallowed them whole. "Do not fret," the voice tried to assure them. "This is where your next Awakening – the one that decides your destiny – shall begin…" Despite their words meaning to comfort them they only felt fear as they sank further and further until they were no more…

Their eyes shot open and they frantically looked around to pinpoint their location. They seemed to be laying down in an open field full of flowers that stretched as far as the eye can see. Turning to their side they found their lookalike present in the same predicament. They were relieved that they at least had each other around, someone else to fall back on. Wondering if they were out of the dream state, having not heard what the mysterious voice last said to them, they surveying their area finding that they both were all alone, at least until they glanced behind themselves, and they met with a familiar sight.

"Had a nice nap I presume?" the man asked. It was Chrom from their dreams, wearing the same attire he was depicted with in the glass and smiling brightly at them. "You look like you both need a hand. Here." He offered his own arm to lift them both to their feet and they accepted, the man being surprisingly strong enough to hoist them both up. "That's better," he said. They both had a feeling that they would end up liking this man.

"Would you two mind if I asked you a personal question?" he asked, catching them by surprise seeing as how they had just met him. Nevertheless they nodded in agreement granting him permission to do so. "Thanks. Now, do you think this would apply to you best? Are you the type to put others before yourselves, to take risks for their sake, and to make sacrifices to ensure their well-being whether or not they deserve it?" It wasn't too hard to come up with an answer; they figured that they would do that under the right circumstances, and they felt that protecting others was a good thing to do even if they didn't deserve their protection. There was no need for them to pay evil onto evil.

"I figured you'd say that," Chrom said. "Heh, I think I'm beginning to like you two already." This brought a smile to their faces finding that they've already seemed to make a friend. "I just know that the world will become a better place with you two around…" Before they could affirm that Chrom turned to leave; they were going to stop him until a gust kept them in place and shrouded the man in a shower of flower petals. When they dissipated he was gone, gone as soon as he came. Where did he go? They looked around their entire surroundings and far out behind them they spotted a woman crouching down with flowers cupped in her hands. They wasted no time in reaching her spot and noticed that she appeared to be weeping over something. She didn't seem to notice them so they placed a hand on her shoulder attempting to calm her down.

"Wha—?!" she gasped jumping back from the foreign touch. "Oh! I-I'm sorry, I didn't see you there…" Upon closer inspection they found that this woman was Lucina. She too had the same clothing that she wore in their dream and the sword and its scabbard was exactly the same as Chrom's from what they could see. Perhaps the two were related somehow? They did share a similar blue hue in hair color. But where Chrom's hair and flesh looked vibrant and full of life, Lucina's was dull and pale, befitting that of a corpse. Where his voice was proud and bold hers was trembling, and where he was happy she was despairing. And of special note, Chrom's eyes were normal in appearance; Lucina's eyes each beheld a strange sigil, her left bearing the same mark that Chrom had on his right arm, no doubt cementing their connection, and the right one bearing a mark of uncertain origin, although they swore that it almost looked identical to the mark that the Validar figure had on his book.

"I—I don't mean to trouble you two, but, may I ask you something?" Of course she may. If it did anything to ease her apparent woes than they would let her do just that. "Thank you so much. What—what would you do if you had no other favorable choice but to…kill yourself for those you loved if it would keep them safe? To give up the most precious thing to you just to allow them to see another day? Would you do it?" Of course they would. If there truly was no other way they could save their close ones they would happily jump in the line of fire without regret or hesitation, even if it meant breaking their hearts. As long as they had another chance to enjoy life yet, it was worth whatever the price may be.

"That…you have no idea how much that means to me…" Lucina said, a small smile gracing her lips, and the two before her couldn't help but pull her into a hug to make her feel better. "I suppose…I suppose that that is what love is at its purest form, willing to do anything for those who live in your hearts…that…makes my own heart rest…much…easier…" They were glad that they could put this woman at ease…wait, was she gasping for air? They weren't hugging her that hard they knew, yet when they looked she appeared as if she was suffocating. They were ready to breathe some air into her, and right before their lips could connect her head lolled back and her eyes had took on a glazed look while titled back slightly. No…they could not let her go out like this. One of them performed CPR on her while the other pushed against her chest hoping to jumpstart her heart back up. Their efforts were in vain, as the pale woman had shown no signs of life. She wasn't actually dead the pair thought; they tried to hold on to the belief that she was simply unconscious. Desperately they tried to find someone, anyone, who could save this lady. They tried looking for Chrom once more and see if he was still here, but they found someone else.

Theme: ...

A tall woman wore a heaping amount of ornate golden armor fashioned after a dragon's skeleton around her upper body, followed by a flowing black dress attached at the waist with purple and gold highlights and transparent enough to partially see through them, her flesh was the same dull and pale pallor as Lucina's but a tad bit darker, and she possessed snow white hair like the snow-haired couple. They took up the unmoving body of the blue-haired woman and ran straight towards this other woman, and when they reached her they hoped that she would recognize the presence of a dying lady who needed help.

"What is it that you seek?" her empty voice came, carrying no emotion unlike Chrom and Lucina. They hoped that she had the power to save this unfortunate person from death. When she turned around they had just noticed how what they thought was red spots were in actuality bloodstains, a bouquet of dead and withered roses were held in her black-clawed fingers having almost turned a dark grey and sporting a ton of still sharp thorns, and atop her hair was a black wedding veil that draped over her eyes, partially covering some violet facial markings. All in all, this woman looked like a dead body too just like Lucina. As if to emphasize this all of the flowers beneath her bare feet and several flowers nearby them were all dead, creating an eyesore of a sight that sharply contrasted everything else.

"You wish for the power to save her?" she asked, a wisp of dark purple and black smog accompanying every syllable she spoke, and the insides of her mouth were just as deathly colored as the rest of her was, also revealing her bloody teeth and longer than usual canine teeth. They furiously nodded their heads desperate to stave off death. "You cannot save her from dying, for her death has already passed." Were they too late? There was no way that they would let this come to pass. She didn't seem to be finished speaking however, kneeling down to the deceased Lucina. "There is a way to spare her this fate. To bring her back from the jaws of death." The duo were ready to do whatever it was this woman had told them to do.

"Do you believe in 'Invisible Ties'? They are the ties that bind every creature in this universe together…you, me, and your unfortunate companion are all bound by this single thread…can you feel it? It is all encompassing force that resonates through time and space…do you believe in such powers that be?" As odd as that sounded they found that they agreed with this woman. The mysterious voice from earlier had already said as much that their paths were destined to intertwine with Chrom, Lucina, Validar, and many more beings. Considering the odd nature of recent events happening to them they very much believed that such ties existed and held them all together.

"I see…" the woman said. "With this belief you may yet be able to save this woman Lucina, and protect all those around you from those who would seek to destroy your bonds…" This had them overjoyed that they had a chance to save Lucina from death and they looked up to the woman to thank her for giving them one last hope to believe in. "However, now is not the time for that."…What? It's not time to rescue their fallen companion? What was that supposed to mean? "You will be able to save her in due time…but that time is not now. Before you depart here, look into my eyes as I impart one final message onto you…" This woman took a single hand and brushed the veil out of her eyes, and the pair were off put of what they beheld. The woman had large under shadows that encompassed her sunken eyes, and the facial marking was the same as the one in Lucina's right eye and Validar's tome: six eyes connected to each other with the middle ones surrounding her real ones, and that wasn't even the most unnerving aspect of her eyes. They had the whites as everyone else did and they looked dull, but the colors bordered on demonic with black irises and lone blood-red rings in each center that mimicked pupils to some degree.

"You will have many trials ahead of you both, and if you wish to overcome them you must do so as one, lest you fall as two. And you alone will not have the strength to carry on through every single obstacle that your journey will place before you. With your destiny determined, look to your allies to help guide you down the path you wish to tread, and tread with utmost caution. Remember these words well…" She took the lifeless body of Lucina and made to leave as Chrom had before her, but the pair still had questions to ask her. As if sensing this she turned around one last time and her eyes had turned completely black with the red rings enlarged to appear as irises, with blood tears streaming down her emotionless face. "I am Akasha, Queen of the Damned, and we will meet again…" They wanted her to tell them how to bring the dead woman in her arms back to life but they could feel themselves slowly slipping out of consciousness. But they had to save her, they had to…

Theme: Dive into the Heart

When they came to, their eyes were met with a familiar black sky, and rubbing the exhaustion out of them they looked around and saw that they were atop another stained-glass platform, but this one had a different scenario: it was the woman Akasha as they last saw her, but her eyes were closed while she was apparently being gripped by shadowy arms. Opposite of her was Validar, who was depicted as having his eyes wide open with a dark aura surrounding him and a wicked smile adorned his face. The shadowy arms that bound Akasha were traced back to his aura and in his hand was the same book from their encounter. The six-eyed sigil appeared behind them and what's more was that there were blackened-out figures whose only distinguishable feature were menacing red eyes that shone bright against their dark forms. Was everything they just experienced another dream of sorts?

"You have made it through the third Awakening…" a familiar voice said. So they were still asleep after all, which was somewhat disappointing to say the least. "Now that we now have an idea of what your destiny is, the next Awakening will push your power to its limits to see how you fare against this enemy…Akasha and Validar themselves are currently intertwined with each other as they are with you, and the figures behind them are also connected. They are what you will be facing as your next enemies…Go towards the edge of this station and prepare yourselves…" Now definitely in the mood to leave this dream state more than ever they complied, standing to their feet and moving towards the edge where they saw another "Awakening Station" down below. Were they seriously going to have to jump this one? It didn't help that the station looked to be pretty far down. "No harm will come to you I assure you," the voice told them. "Now jump, onward to your next Awakening. If you don't you will not leave from your dream state." They didn't even have time to prep themselves for the long fall when something shoved them off of the edge. Screaming out in terror – albeit without sound – they braced for an impact when the station came ever so closer, and right before they touched down they were held above it in the air. It was only for a second though, as they were soon "released" and landed face-first onto the platform. They quickly looked about to find that damnable voice and give them the what-for for this scare.

"Ease yourselves," it said with a slight hint of humor in it. "I did promise that no serious harm would come to you did I not?" They pitifully tried to glare in every which direction for the trick believing that they'd at least look in its general direction. Now that they had a chance to look at the station it showed them two great dragon in another yin-yang pattern like the previous images. They were directly facing each other unlike the previous portraits, behind each was what looked like two different worlds. The white colored dragon did not look too out of the ordinary but it definitely held a divine look about it, and behind that dragon was a peaceful world with happy people beneath it. Opposing it was a black dragon which was drastically different. It had six eyes from what they guessed and great horns jutting from its head while sporting six wings, and behind this dragon awaited a world of ruin with the same shadowed out figures with red eyes found everywhere. These must have been two dragon figures who battled each other for the fate of the world, but who won?

"Get ready," the voice called. "They are here…" They? With little warning pools of darkness swamped the station and deathly hands crawled their way out of them. When the enemies were in clear view the pair recognized them: they were the same enemies they had fought earlier minus Validar, but they were different now. They didn't look as lively as before, both figuratively and very literally, still sporting the same weapons, the same wear, and the same wounds from earlier. Their eyes however looked especially different; they were pitch-black with red rings for irises, exactly like Akasha's eyes when they blacked out. "They are the Risen," the voice said. "Reanimated corpses with only the will to kill. They are more deadly now than they were alive. Show no mercy and no hesitation, for they do not know the meaning of those words." The duo took out their electric swords and lunged at some of the fallen, only for their blows to be blocked with an opposing attack. They were pushed back by the shambling party with relentless blows of savage fury. They tried to think of a way to outmatch these creatures but every time a plane came together they tore it apart with their wild swings, throwing off the duo at every turn.

"You will not beat these creatures with strategy," the voice told them. "You must match their ferocity blow for blow, never letting up or giving them a single opportunity to strike hard. Unleash all of your fury onto them!" Obeying the command they began to fight off their enemies just as ferocious as they were, if not more ferocious. The Risen soon found it hard to keep up with the fast pace of the battle as the electric swords slowly chipped away at their endurance and weapons, pushing them back up against the edge of the station. The pair got an idea; supercharging their swords with the power of their tomes they increased the magical output and struck one last time at each Risen. The overwhelming force of the weapons were too much to handle and the undead horde was pushed off of the edge of the station, howling out their last breaths as they descended into the unknown. That battle was definitely tougher to manage than the ones before it, and they honestly hoped that this was the last of them. They however had no such luck right now.

"That was an impressive first victory against the Risen," the voice congratulated, "but they have not pulled back just yet. Sometimes, they will be spearheaded by a Chieftain of their kind or even someone else who commands Risen of higher intelligence than the ones you have faced right now." Almost as if on cue more pools of darkness spawned forth and more Risen came crawling their way up to ground level. These ones were the heavy armor enemies who turned from their last battle, and making a grand reappearance was Validar, entering the battlefield the same way he had done last time.

"You cannot deny fate its true course!" he bellowed. "Accept your eternal slumber as was written long ago!"

"Some of your enemies may come back for multiple encounters after the first," the voice explained. "Whether it be they legitimately survived or they turned and rose from their grave they will hound you once more. As these particular enemies utilize strategy you must defeat their ploys to stand a chance. And in this case, defeating the commander of the Risen will cause the rest to lose focus, cohesion, and likely scatter about. Give them a reason to stay down this time." They nodded, taking up their tomes once more. They watched as the heavy armor Risen banded together to form a defensive wall of some sort with their lances pointed outwards and covered behind their large shields. Validar himself stayed behind them while he charged up his fell magic, giving it an extra punch than before.

"It is all written!" the sorcerer cackled. "Now DIE!" from his hands flew the condensed fell magic heading straight for the team of two. They noticed that Validar had distanced himself as far as possible from them, giving them another idea to try out. They charged up their tomes until they began to crackle with lightning sparks going wild. When it was so they raised their arms skyward and cast a different lightning spell, combining their individual spells into one powerful variation and a vicious lightning bolt came down upon Validar, even partially singing the Risen who stood to defend him. The power of the spell charred the sorcerer while flinging him off of the edge of the station, his screams of his impending demise being the last sound that was heard. Within seconds the Risen shifted out of their position and stood about growling in confusion.

"Without their leader they are little different than the rest of their mindless brethren," the voice said. "Now finish them off!" Taking advantage of their confused state the white-haired duo fired off rapid rounds of thunder magic at the bewildered Risen, slowly but surely pushing them off of the station one by one to share the same fate as their master. The pair could only grin at how well they seemed to be doing thus far and honestly wondered if the next challenge would be this easy. "Once again, an impressive victory," the voice complimented. "However, the challenge is not yet over. Two more battles await before you can move on the Final Awakening. And I warn you: these next two will not be so easy…" What could their next opponents possibly be? A sharp inhale of breath from behind them told them exactly who their next opponent was. Turning to look they saw the miraculously moving form of Lucina. With their previous experience with her coming back to them they were quick to try to welcome her back but stopped short when they saw her rise to her feet for the first time. She inspected herself and was horrified to see what she had seen. She was a walking cadaver, no longer possessing the telltale signs of genuine life, instead being reanimated as a parody of true living creatures. She looked ahead of herself and found the two white-haired people from before, at first feeling shock, but that gave way to rising anger.

"You…" she venomously spat out. "How could you…?" They didn't understand what she meant; what exactly had they done to her other than…then it came back. She was dying, and they failed to save her. "I can't believe that you really just left me to die like that!" Tears were welling up in her eyes but these were white hot tears of sheer rage. "I thought I meant more to you than to deserve that!" They wanted to tell her just how badly they wanted to prevent this from happening but the voice stopped them to tell them of their next fight.

"The actions you make can either lead to positive or negative consequences such as this," they said. "Sometimes, your failure to protect your allies may lead to them rising from their graves to pursue you and take measures to make you pay for them. She is beyond reason by now, her heart consumed with hatred towards you and vengeance over her own undeserved passing. End her miserable un-life as soon as possible."

"I can't ever rejoin the others…I'm doomed to wander the pits of Hell for all eternity…" she nearly sobbed but didn't allow herself to cry, not until they paid dearly. "And if I am truly cursed to suffer infernal torment forever, then I will be sure to drag you both with me!" With that she drew her sword from its resting place and charged at the pair in a rampage. "You will not stop me!" she shrieked, and with speed they didn't think capable for her she was the first to draw blood, slashing at the male just barely above his intestines. He faltered for a moment but took his own blade out to parry the following blows from the enraged woman. A forceful slice aimed at his head was fortunately dodged in time for him to swiftly counterattack with an electrified swing right above her abdomen. Lucina cried out from the pain and staggered backwards a few feet while the female snownette rushed to assist her injured ally. When Lucina regained a semblance of her footing she glared at the pair before her with her eyes shifting into the familiar black and red pattern that the rest of the Risen and Akasha bore.

"I will kill you!" she roared, her rage overtaking her and causing her to recklessly charge again in a second attempt at revenge. This time she wasn't as fast due to her injury and her enemies could easily predict her next attack. An overhead vertical bisect was successfully blocked, yet Lucina continued to press down harder with her sword hoping to overpower her foe. It almost seemed to be working too, the keyword being "almost". A shrill gasp escaped her lips as she felt just about all of her strength leaving her and a sharp pain surge through her. She looked further down beneath where she attacked and saw the female counterpart with her sword jammed firmly into her chest cavity, utterly destroying her heart and partially poking out through her back. As if that wasn't enough the jagged blade was caught between her ribcage and puncturing her lung as well, ripping that and some of her ribs apart when the blade was retracted from her body. Blood poured out of her like a stream while she dropped her sword; the weapon itself shattered like glass on contact with the floor and Lucina stumbled back trying to keep herself standing while covering the gaping tear in her chest. She took one last look at her killers, seeing the look in their eyes that told her that they didn't mean for her to die. She looked pitiful to them, clutching on to dear life with tears cascading down the sides of her face.

"I'm…I'm so sorry…" she managed to rasp out before consciousness left her for good, her body falling down in a pool of her own blood with a wet thud, and she ceased to move anymore after that. The two fighters tried their best not to choke on their grief over losing Lucina again when they slowly approached her form and knelt beside her. As they were holding her, her body melted away into a thick plume of purple smoke until there was nothing left of her to hold. The tears shed for her at this point were very much inevitable.

"Do not mourn over this…" the voice consoled them. "That was only an apparition of the real Lucina. She did not truly die; this was merely a representation of a consequence of possible actions that you may soon commit." This did help cheer them up somewhat but it still felt all too real for them to get over so quickly. "Worry not; the next battle will not be so emotionally distressing, I can promise you that. And then you can finally move on to the Final Awakening…" They silently stood to their feet gearing themselves up for this last battle.

"Finally, in your journey, you will face many enemies," the voice explained. At that moment two new figures descended from the black sky and landed on the glass with a loud clanging sound. "However, some of the most difficult enemies you will encounter may actually be your allies in disguise…" The two tall beings rose to stand at their full height, dwarfing the tacticians several heads over. They were covered from head to toe in thick and imposing armor despite it largely being white colored, wore long flowing capes at their backs and waists, and carried large shields on arms opposite of each other. All of their flesh was completely obscured though one could make out either a glowing red or glowing blue eye peering out of their crown-adorned visors, and one of them wore a breastplate that signified that they were female. In their left arms they brandished straight swords while their right arms held a weapon that almost looked like handheld cannons of some sort.

"These two individuals fight in tandem with each other," the voice said. "They are either attacking at the same time or at different intervals than each other to throw their opponents off. You currently cannot defeat either of them in actuality, but here, as long as one of them is defeated they will both retreat. Beware: they will both aggressively defend each other throughout the entire battle. Take them on individually, keep them occupied, and don't let them lower your guard too often. And lastly, watchout for the weapons in their right hands more than their swords, especially concerning the one in blue colored armor; that is his primary weapon. They cover a lot of distance, are incredibly fast, and they will go right through you if they hit." Where could they possible get such a weapon? They didn't get much time to wonder as the first blow of the battle had already been dealt; it happened so fast that it barely registered to the female that her male partner was instantly felled in a single shot from the blue knight. She tried to scream out in terror at losing her companion so easily.

"Ooh~, literal shots fired!" the female red knight squealed. "Or, 'shot' fired…whatever. So, how many points do you think that was?"

"Save the banter until after the battle has been won Eve," the male blue knight reprimanded. "There breathes one more enemy before us here. Take her down."

"Aw Adam, why so serious?" the female stuck her tongue out. "Oh well, you always were a buzzkill." Out of her left eye she caught her opponent trying to reach her fallen ally. "Hi there!" she yelled out, catching her foe's attention. "You want to play a really cool game?" She watched their expression turn from nervous to flat-out horror, laughing a little at the sight. "Aw, come on! I promise that it's not going to be nothing particularly nasty like dismemberment or anything like that." That only made the white-haired one freeze in place briefly before running straight to her male counterpart. "Hey, that's not how the game goes!" Those were the last words that she spoke to her enemy before she figured that this whole thing was a killjoy. "You know what? Frick it, this is boring." Much like her blue clad partner she ended the other with a single decisive blow. The white haired woman struggled to move but couldn't feel anything past her neck. Her vision blurred fairly quickly and darkness took her before she could feel the severing of her neck from her body.

"Finally," the blue knight sighed. "That took longer than what it should have…"

"Only because you're a total party pooper!" the red knight pouted. "Really, you could try to spice things up a little more…"

Theme: Dive into the Heart

She had awoke in a sudden bolt, the last thing she remembered having haunted her unconsciousness. Her eyes frantically buzzed about in their sockets looking for her friend. She was immensely relieved to see him groggily coming to, holding his head in pain. Remembering how he had been felled she rushed over to him and removed his hand, searching his head for any wounds. She was grateful that she found none and hugged her partner as hard as she could. This confused him as the last thing he remembered was wondering about the right hand weapons before he completely blacked out. At that moment the voice returned to them.

"That was sorely underwhelming…" they groaned. "Though I suppose that I should have expected the outcome given who I pitted you against. It seems that even in this dream state that they are immensely powerful…" The two of them definitely wanted answers for this one-sided match-up. "Those two warriors – Adam and Eve – they are powerful entities who are not of this world. Where they hail from I do not know, but I do know that they are exceptionally strong. They share an unbreakable bond with each other and have been alive for countless amounts of time. I pitted apparitions of them against you to test your endurance against those who outclassed you, to see if you could overcome your present limits and triumph, but it seems that I picked the wrong opponents for that battle…" And right after the voice promised that it wasn't going to be an emotionally stressful bout, at least it was for the female. "At least this was in this dream state, where death is temporary for you two. And I doubt that the real Adam and Eve would have reason to kill you in reality. Either way, I suppose that this will suffice enough for you to advance to your Final Awakening…" They both jumped up in joy as this meant the end of their slumber; they could finally wake up and meet the real world since they first awakened. From the station they stood on a pathway of light stairs revealed themselves and lead up to another platform higher up. In their glee they raced up the steps to their final destination making it in record time, and turning around to view the way they came from immediately turned their glee into unease. The previous platform they were on could be seen, neither could the stairs that they just climbed.

"Whatever Awakening Station you were previously standing on disappears once you have completed that stage and have moved on to the next one," the voice said. "There are no battles to partake in for completion for this Final Awakening. The only things left are my words to impart to you before you are truly awakened, so listen carefully…" While listening for the voice to speak up, the floor they stood on also had an image on it. They almost assumed it to be the first portrait from when they first awoke, but it had many twists in it that were different from the first. The scenario was about both of them, but their hair was noticeably more messy and their clothes torn in several places, but that was the least notable feature they had. Tattooed to the front of their faces was the six-eyed sigil from earlier, two extra pairs of eyes, two large horns protruding from their heads, a bony spine running along their backs, flesh partially covered in coal-black scales, sharp talons replacing their nails on hands and feet, and six black wings in the style of angel wings sprouting from their backs. A tail was also spotted on the ends of each of them, and their six eyes appeared halfway open with blood red color. They did not carry either their sword or tome, instead a dark aura pulsated around them both, connected to each other. Behind them was another point of interest. The head of some great dragon appeared behind them, also bearing six red eyes, and from all of the sharp-teethed mouths spewed an ominous smoke of sorts. Two more people were spotted further behind bearing the same outfit and weapons as they previously did, and both bearing the same red eyes. Looking closer the dragon head matched that of the black dragon's from the former station, and that they had all of the distinct features of that dragon. A sickening feeling crept into the duo's collective stomachs; were they the death-bringing black dragon from before?

"You both are creatures of the darkness," the voice began, "therefore you must take caution of how much light you receive…Too much will burn away the darkness that you are. This is two-fold in meaning: the physical light itself from the real world can be lethal in very high doses against your unprotected form, which is why you are covered in much clothing to shield your body from it, especially your enchanted coat. With that coat you will have want for no other article of clothing for any other reason, but do take caution to at least wear something else along with it; not much of anyone, either darkness or light, wishes to see your unmentionables free as birds." They honestly didn't think they would go that far just to have an excuse to walk around in their birthday suits. "The second meaning is to beware of those of the light, including Chrom for he too is a creature of light;" the voice began explaining again. "They can be warm and enticing yes, but just as they are delicious to an extent they are also horrible poison if taken in excess, emotional poison. Darkness is generally feared and rejected in the real world while light is uplifted and worshipped. A creature of the dark must be careful with which creatures of the light they decide to mingle with. If not careful it can cause stress for either you or them, which may or may not end in unforgettable tragedy. I am not telling you to avoid the light altogether though, for while the darkness and light cannot change their original composure or add from one onto themselves, they can mix together through bonds and find compromise in the ensuing twilight, which bears the best of both worlds. Lucina is such a creature, one who straddles the fine line between darkness and light. It may be easier to interact with the twilight more than the light for now…"

This did not answer their question about whether they were that ominous dragon from before seeing as how they were being depicted with its features, but this made up for the lack of an answer for the moment.

"Another thing of concern is your own matter as creatures of darkness…" the voice started. "While this is true the darkness itself has proven to be something of a wild beast. Such a wild beast dwells within you both, and it is not just the darkness itself; a malevolent daemon with a lust for despair and ruin rests inside of you. They are known as the Fell Dragon, and they take on the appearance of the great dragon you have seen before." So that's why that dragon kept showing up; they were basically a jar containing a giant destructive dragon within them. "Your own personal mastery of the darkness and your ability to come to terms or tame this dragon will determine how much you can assume the form of the creature. Lesser skill with both of these may result in your own body being stolen from you, and the dragon will attempt to snatch your body away from you at every opportunity they get." They could lose their bodies if they failed to control the dark beast inside of them? Just when they thought that Naga's Tear had no hidden surprises for them this comes up. "Fret not, I will act as your guide even after you awaken from this state, speaking to you in your minds and occasionally taking control of your bodies if I feel that it is necessary. And last but not least, I bear two last warnings for both the light and the darkness before I leave for some time…" Right on cue a warm pulsating light sprang to life right at the edge of the station; as the pair got closer to the light their "guide" spoke advice to them that almost went unheeded.

"The closer you get to the light, the greater your shadow becomes…" the guide said. Just as the pair were about to touch the light they retracted their hands and snapped around, witness their own shadows already gargantuan in size merge together into a singular piece. This giga-shadow's shape contorted into a phantom form of the dreaded fell dragon, entirely black in body and beady ruby orbs stared back at them with predatory intent. As if it was their nightmares come to life it tore itself from the floor and towered above their puny forms, outstretching its six wings and cutting loose a triumphant roar of freedom. In response the station became flooded with shadowy cesspits, the Risen returning from these pits to feast on their foes. Instinctively the pair pulled out their weapons and made to do battle with these dark imitations of life. Among their figures they spotted an inky black silhouette of Lucina among their numbers, surrounded by many other figures each brandishing their own unique appearances and weapons. None of them had made a single sound, not that they needed to for signaling their attack. The pair charged forth at them and did battle, but quickly learned that these enemies were stronger than they were, smarter than they were, and they knew that they were outnumbered but that point was now hammered into their heads as they could feel the deathly cold arms grasp and claw at them.

"He who fights monsters should see to it that he himself does not become a monster…" the guide's voice rang out in their minds, referring to their vain struggle against the dark ensemble that trapped them. "And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you…" They tried to scream out to something, someone, to save them from this predicament. They wondered as the darkness was swallowing them up into itself: had they failed to awaken themselves from this slumber? Oh how cold the darkness felt to them now, how they wished that the light would come and rescue them from themselves. They never did catch the name of their guide nor the Fell Dragon who threatened to entomb them. A lone voice echoed throughout their head, though whether it was their guide or someone else was uncertain.

"I am the wings of despair…I am the breath of ruin…I am the Fell Dragon Grima…" They prayed to whatever Gods were available to deliver them out of this slumber. And it seemed as if their answers would be answered very soon. The light had not truly left them; it began moving on its own and sought out the entrapped duo. From it a voice called out to them.

"No, not you!" it said, desperate to save them. "Fight back!" it commanded. It sounded so familiar…was it…Chrom? Had he come to whisk them away from this sea of darkness? So he hadn't truly left them after all!

"Open your eyes!" his voice rang throughout the nothingness, "OPEN YOUR EYES!" With the last utterance the light itself expanded and covered everything in its radiant dawn, burning away the darkness. The mass shrieked and gnarled as it dissipated entirely. The two snownettes looked as if they were asleep, but their eyes opened and found the man's frame suspended in the air above them.

Theme: Id‒Serenity

If he was supposed to be their guardian angel he certainly looked the part, with his arm held out for them to grab; they eagerly accepted it and he pulled them up. They floated up towards what appeared to be a sun, with the three of them smiling at each other as bright as that light was. "Welcome back," he said. "It's over now." This nightmarish experience was finally at its end, and the pair were overjoyed that they could finally meet the real world again after quite the few unpleasant trials they had to plow through. Faintly, they could hear their guide whisper their final words to them as they departed. "Remember…"

Author's Departure Notes:

And that concludes the Premonition. It's drastically different from the original and is obviously inspired by Kingdom Heart's Dive into the Heart sections; I figured that that would set the mood for this story a tad better than the one from Awakening proper, but the rest of the story will heavily draw from Awakening's plot itself with a mixture of other franchises to create a different feel (you'll see which franchises I mean with future chapters). The "Themes: " are meant to give the reader (ie you) what each section's mood is almost like a video game; if there is no "Theme: " after a horizontal line than that means there is no music playing setting the mood for that part (of course you can disregard the music if you want). This chapter alone marks several cameo appearances of characters who will have a great deal of importance later on in the story (with temporary OOC moments on Lucina's part I now realize), and there is definitely some foreshadowing going on. Not that I'll let you know if you DO get them right but have fun trying to figure out what I'm going to do next. I WILL tell you if you get any reference found in this chapter right, but ultimately I hope that you liked this entry. This means that I've officially started up my original main entry, so for those that liked the original story that used to be up I hope that you enjoy this revision just as much of not more. This is Blue Sun Studios, signing off of the air!