Chapter 1 – An Unexpected Encounter
Earlier in the day
The Isle of Valor
Far from the place she had called home, the purple-haired half dragon Sophia from Arcadia had been wondering the vast fields of Valor looking for the old sage Athos. While she had initially encountered Hawkeye and later Pent and Louise over the course of an intensely drawn out battle, she could not let go of the feeling that something terrible were to befell on the legendary hero. She knew from her conversations that Athos was not there. But to her, he's far too important of a person to simply die in some foreign land.
Sophia could still remember the ecstatic face of her friend Fae when Athos promised to attend her yearly ceremony of age next month. Frowning, she wondered whether or not giving away her talisman was the right choice. She wondered if she should have waited until she actually found the old sage.
While she carried around a heavy Flux tome for protection, she had yet to use it. For the half dragon, however, she found it was really strange that not one corpse could be seen lying on the floor of the battle-ridden plains. There was certainly blood scattered all over the ground with many weapons now without masters, but she had yet to encounter a single person nearby. She wondered if it has something to do with what Pent had told her the other day. Entities Nergal created called morphs. "Oh…Lord Athos…where are you?"
As she rambled, Sophia had stumbled upon a heavily injured woman lying on the floor. With blood gushing out of her chest, Sophia covered her mouth in horror as she approached the person. "That's terrible…," she muttered to herself. Though she was bound to encounter something like this on a battlefield, it was the first time she even seen a fight to the death, much less a real battle.
Though the person looked different from any other woman she knew, Sophia had never seen someone so beautiful with such luscious dark hair and pale-white skin. Having been taught by her human mother as well as Athos many years ago to help a person who's in need, Sophia took out a roll of bandages she had with her. It was originally meant for herself if she were to be hurt, but Sophia doesn't mind using it for someone else. In fact, Sophia could sense the sadness in the person's heart.
Before she applied the bandaged, she tried removing the bloodied up tome that was on the person's hand, but the person doesn't want to let go of it. "…I…I can't help, if you…hold onto the book…" Troubled by an unexpected obstacle, she tried reasoning with the person. But to her dismay, the person doesn't seem to be fully conscious. "…What…what do…I do…?" She wondered if it would be okay if she just wrapped the bandage around her, book and all.
As the half dragon debated on how she should tend to the person in front of her, she could hear her own voice coming from behind her. "…Dragon…no…half dragon…why are you here?"
Though the response was delayed, Sophia responded nevertheless, dropping the roll of bandages in her hand. "…...Ah!" Though she was initially surprised by the voice, Sophia quickly turned to distress as her roll of sterile bandages fell into a puddle of blood on the ground. "Oh no…! My bandages…"
"…My apologies…" In the voice of the shy half dragon, the hooded Bramimond apologized with the unconscious Ninian in his arms. "I didn't…mean to startle…" Being close to the magic circle he had drawn outside the Dragon's Gate, he teleported not far from where Sophia was, shortly after Ninian had fainted from taming the few fire dragons that crossed in Elibe.
Looking back to see an unconscious Ninian in her arms, Sophia had grabbed her Flux tome. Her heritage quickly helped Sophia discern the person in his arms was the same species as she was. Eying Bramimond with suspicion, Sophia gave him a threatening stare. Alarmed, she bombarded the mysterious person with a series of questions. "…Half dragon? Who…are you…? Why...is she…unconscious? Why…do you…sound like me?"
Coupled with his appearance, Bramimond could see why the half dragon might feel threatened. "A child of Arcadia…you must be with Athos…"
Stunned by his response, Sophia nervously answered, "you know…Lord Athos?" Not trying to provoke her, Bramimond tried to ease the half dragon's fears by gently placed Ninian on a patch of unsoiled ground near Sophia. As he stepped back Sophia quickly advanced, in contrast to her usual behavior, to cover her blue-haired kin. Though she was relieved that the other half dragon had only fainted, it did nothing to clear her suspicions on Bramimond.
"Athos has been…a friend for centuries…"
"You lie…no human could live…this long…," Sophia remarked, excluding Athos and Nergal.
In response, Bramimond took out a dark tome from under his robes, but was promptly attacked by Sophia who thought he was planning to attack. "I…Bramimond…only speaks…truth-…!"
"Flux!"
Quickly teleporting back to the magic circle he created with a talisman, Bramimond could see that he narrowly escaped a larger than normal ball of darkness that would had swallowed him whole had he not moved. Being drained of magic having just revived Ninian's soul, it would be difficult for him to continue fighting such a strong practitioner of elder magic. He had also dropped his own weapon during that quick teleport. "…Wait…!" Bramimond pleaded, now meters away from her.
Without a warp staff in the person's hand, a bewildered Sophia muttered, "…how…did you-?!" Stopping mid-sentence, she recognized some of the markings on the book the person had dropped, ones that she had studied from Athos' great achieves in Arcadia. "…Apocalypse…?"
Holding up some fresh bandages in his hands, Bramimond answered, "I…only wish…to help…"
Seeing what he was doing, Sophia dropped her guard. "…Lord…Bramimond…? Of the…eight heroes…?" Slowly realizing her blunder, she apologized to Bramimond with apologetic bows. "…I'm…sorry…I…I…didn't mean…to…it's just…I'm really…sorry!"
Bramimond sighed in relieve, slowly shaking his head. "No. It was…my fault." Making his way back to the remorseful half dragon, he dusted off his tome. "…I should have been…more clear…with my intent…" In helping Sophia tend to the injured woman on the ground, Bramimond and Sophia had discussed, explaining why Sophia was on the island and why he was carrying Ninian.
Though Sophia has gotten worried when Bramimond had told her about the Fire Dragons trying to escape the Dragon's Gate, Sophia was comforted by the fact that Athos and the others were dealing with the remaining dragon. As he sat beside Sophia, Bramimond gently brushed Ninian's hair. "I do what I must…to help this poor child…"
"…So you rescued her…thank you…" In response to to Bramimond's story, Sophia grateful for what the dark mage had done and returning her kin's soul as bandaged up a chest wound had finally healed. Though Bramimond himself did not comment on the terrible job the half dragon was doing bandaging a fully clothed person, he was quite impressed by her healing capabilities. But seeing the large wound on the person, Sophia frowned. "…Lord Athos…I must…see him…but…"
Noticing the glum, Bramimond commented, "you're…worried…" Sophia quietly nodded. Without a heal or mend staff, there was only so much either of them could do. Eliwood and his party had seemed to have exhausted their supply of staves, vulnerary, and elixirs as well before Bramimond took Ninian to safety. Having an idea, Bramimond handed Sophia one of his talismans. "Here…"
Puzzled, she asked Bramimond, "this is…?"
"A teleportation charm…," Bramimond told the half dragonm, "a charm to the Shrine of Seals…"
"The sacred shrine…?"
"I have…healing staves back at the shrine…," Bramimond explained to her. Reassuring her, Bramimond went on to tell Sophia he'll relay the message to him. "I'll tell Athos to meet you…I promise…We'll see you at the shrine…"
Appreciative for what Bramimond's had done for her despite seemingly more important matters to consider, she held the dark mage's ice-cold hand with energetic eyes. "Will you…?!" Bramimond nodded not knowing it would be the last time. In the end, Bramimond never had the chance to tell tell his old friend about Sophia's plight. Her premonition ends up being true…
The Shrine of Seals, Bern
Located deep in the forested mountain of Bern lies the Shrine of Seals, the massive structure that remains largely hidden from the rest of the continent. With the exception of the past few weeks, the shrine does not usually receive any guests. Despite its imposing size, its location was well thought out by its creators. For centuries, the location was only known by the royal family of Bern and a few selected individuals like Athos. The overgrown vines and leaves that covered and piled on the outer portion of the shrine reflects the legendary hero-king Hartmut's desire for its seclusion from the rest of the world, a feat his descendants had upheld for centuries.
While the occasional treasure seeker or explorer might have stumbled upon the silent behemoth by accident, not one in the past thousand or so years had managed to reach the inner most sanctum of the shrine. Even Athos when he brought Eliwood and his party of young champions to greet Bramimond, the old sage merely brought them to the outer atrium where the dark mage resided. Unbeknownst to Eliwood and his allies, they left without knowing the great legacy the legendary hero-king Hartmut have left behind.
A relic of the ancient conflict known as the Scourging, the Shrine of Seals housed the original weapon of Hartmut, the Binding Blade, well within its protective walls. Veiled in a vast array of seals Bramimond had created, it lies dormant atop of a stone, never to be touch by anyone but the bearer of the Fire Emblem.
While Bramimond's personal weapon, the Apocalypse, was also stored within its confines, the only reason why it remained with the sacred blade at the Shrine of Seals was because of Bramimond's presence. Having promised to maintain the seal from external threats, the dark mage took a permanent residence at the shrine, and with it, his weapon. Much has changed since Bramimond first arrived centuries ago, the surrounding forest and vegetation, a creeping erosion that could be found on one of the shrine's external wall.
But if there were to be a few things that remained constant throughout the passage of time, it would be the grandiose height and its seemingly never-ending stairs to the shrine entrance. It was by this stair where Sophia had waited for Bramimond and Athos, until the woman she tended were suddenly thrown into a state of agony. Checking her wound, Sophia was baffled when she saw nothing wrong. It was perfectly sealed by her magic. She knew however if the person continues to flail around, it would only increase the likelihood aggravating the wound, so left for the nearby forest in search for some herbs, hoping it'll calm the person down.
Pain.
Pain was the only thing the morph named Limstella could think of as her body twists wildly on the hard ground. Having been jolt by a sudden, but needle-like sting coursing through her body, she wraps her arms around her body, wailing in agony. Though confused as to how she managed to survived her engagement with Eliwood and his allies at the Dread Isle, she recalled what her master had told her before setting out to collect their quintessence.
"Limstella…," Nergal had said, "your flesh cannot endure the power of this sorcery. Before tomorrow, your entire body will be corrupted. But this is what you desire, yes? The chance to die for me?"
Drenched in cold sweat, she muttered between her heavy breathing, "…Is this…the corruption-…ugh!?" Covering her mouth as she coughed, a warm red liquid could be felt flowing down her hand. With the pain becoming increasingly unbearable, she gritted her teeth, hoping that her death would be swift. Having been defeated in such a humiliating fashion, the morph could help but felt ashamed. Though she wondered if this unwarranted notion had anything to do with what was eating at her body, Limstella never thought highly of her artificial emotions.
After all, she believed they were nothing but a hindrance to her master's plans as evident with Sonia. And yet, the notion of Nergal simply seeing her in this miserable state frightens her to no end. She was his perfect gem. A true masterpiece of power and beauty. Even though Limstella knew Nergal simply sees her as a tool, a pawn that can discarded and replaced for his own agendas, the morph does not want her master to see her in such a pitiful state. Not when she's defiled like this.
With pain saturating her senses, she did not notice the approaching footsteps until her vision was darkened, darkened by the outline of a person in dark robes. With the little strength she had left, Limstella managed to peer upwards towards the hooded figure. At first, the morph wondered was simply delirious from all the pain, but the closer it came, the more frightened she became. Despite the sun blaring into her golden eyes, she could distinguish the attire of dark magic practitioners. Believing him to be Nergal, her thoughts raced. "…Master Nergal?" He was the last person she wanted to see.
Fully anticipating her imminent punishment, Limstella closed her eyes. "…" While the morph had long been prepared for for her death, Limstella regretted of not being of use to Nergal in the very end. She couldn't bear seeing him in the eye. Referring to herself, she faintly muttered, "…yes…I'm just another failure…"
Having waited for a few seconds, nothing of the like came, much to her disbelief. "…Why?" She coughed, "why am I-…ugh?! Still alive…" The longer she remained in pain, the more frustrated and confused Limstella became. It was then when she felt someone's icy-cold hand over her head. "What…?" Opening her eyes, she could see her line of sight also being blocked by the hand. Though the hand was cold like the snowy mountains of Ilia, the darkness it provided was like a void draining at her senses. Together, it was provided an island of comfort and relief in a much larger sea of torment. It did not take long before the torture succumbs to a wave of calm.
Granted that the feeling of darkness was familiar to that of her master's, something felt odd. The act itself was strangely out of character for someone like Nergal. She knew of her master's temper. Incompetence like hers would have been met with an instant death. But the lack of action only heightened her suspicions. Having took advantage of her frail condition, Limstella quietly snapped at the person. "Who's there?" Limstella tightly gripped the icy-cold hand that was covering her eyes.
No response.
Given that she was the last remaining morph in the defense of the Dragon's Gate's entrance, there was only one reasonable explanation she could think of. To add insult to injury, it was reasonable for Limstella to believe that she was captured by the enemy. But why would anyone as self-righteous as Eliwood or his lordling friends offer any amnesty to a cold-blooded puppet like herself.
In a cold voice, she issued a threat. "...Don't even think of using me as a hostage. I'm nothing but a disposable doll now. You will all fall in the hands of Master Nergal." From her statement, she notices a quiet murmur tickling her ears. As if responding to Limstella's words, she felt the hand that was on her head was pulling away.
Squinting as the sunlight began to invade her eyes, Limstella couldn't catch what was being said. Inching towards her was the lower face of a surprisingly young man. And because of how she was positioned on the floor, it was not until he leaned closer did she see the rest of the person's face under a large hood. Though she was initially indifferent about the icy glare being returned to her, something from the person's face managed to catch her attention. The mismatched colors in the of the person's eyes quickly caught her attention, a pair of yellow and blue heterochromatic eyes.
Having been rejuvenated, the morph wasted no time interrogating the person that had just tended to her ailments. Regaining her original composure, she asked, "…who are you?"