Here we are at Chapter 3.

FE:CSR fans, want some spoilers? Look no further than the poem below.

Conflagrant warrior of the Lord,

How great is your power,

Red are the fields you tread upon,

Only the demons themselves can stand to rival.

My heart calls out to you, begging for peace,

Redeemer sent forth from God,

Empty these lands of the vicious damned, in

Perdition's flame must they burn.

Laced with darkness are their hearts,

All those who fight against the Lord,

Claim vengeance upon you will they,

Even after death shall you fight them.

Sentenced will you be to burn forever,

Mighty warrior who claims the power of hell,

In the darkest hour will your true colors show,

How I have come to loathe you, forsaken one.

Never will you receive redemption yourself, for

Even the holiest will suffer you in the fiery pits,

All you who still serve the Lord, fear the new Demon, bane of all.

Azura woke in a cold sweat. The malevolent poem reverberated in her mind alongside the images of all her loved ones dying to a great dragon. Somehow, she could hear that dragon calling to her from beneath the Bottomless Canyon in the home in which she was born. It was telling her all her friends, all her family would die in a river of blood. It called them all by name, except Ryoma. No, she felt something else regarding him. He died earlier, in a pointless battle that caused nothing but pain for everyone involved. She also felt that all the warriors were simply being manipulated, though how exactly she was unsure. All she knew was she had to stop the fight at all costs.

Xander and his siblings stood before Mikoto's barrier. A legion of Hoshidan soldiers stood on the other side, mocking them. Even with Xander's mighty sword, the holy weapon Siegfried, the Nohrians had never been able to penetrate the barrier. But now, with the combined force of Xander's Siegfried and Leo's Brynhildr, the royals were confident they'd have a better chance. The two siblings fired energy blasts from their swords, and after a sustained barrage, they finally saw the forcefield before them shatter.

"At last," the Crown Prince smiled. The Hoshidan army standing on the other side suddenly fell silent and hurriedly drew their weapons.

"Knights of Hoshido, stand ready to defend your Queen!" the enemy leader said. Xander pulled out his horn and released a great call to sound the charge. His army barreled forward, fueled by feelings of hatred and revenge, cutting through every Hoshidan in their path.

Mikoto collapsed to her knees and groaned.

"Mother! What's wrong?!" Takumi and Hinoka moved to assist her. Saizo closed his eyes and sighed,

"It's the Nohrians."

"They've… broken through my barrier and are tearing through our army… our end may be upon us," Mikoto said weakly.

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" Ryoma roared, "Saizo, get my soldiers ready, then form a defensive perimeter around the city. Takumi will assist you, Hinoka, guard our mother at all costs, understood?"

"I'm going with you!" Hinoka shouted, "I will not allow all the Hoshidan blood spilt to go unpunished."

"I'm not staying behind, either!" Takumi scowled.

"Yes you are… all of you are. Someone has to protect our Kingdom if I fail."

"But-"

"Prince Ryoma is correct," Saizo said. He and Ryoma exchanged glances, and all was understood.

"Princess Hinoka, Prince Takumi, I will go in your place," Hans said, "no one knows Nohrian strategies better than I."

"Your aid I will accept," Ryoma nodded and took Hans to prepare for the defense. Before they could get far, Azura appeared and fell to her knees before her brother,

"No, Ryoma, you must not go!"

"Azura? What's gotten into you?!"

"I had a vision… more specifically a premonition. All of Hoshido was covered in blood… your blood, and the blood of everyone I care about! All because of one recklessly fought battle."

"Azura…" Mikoto sighed.

"There was a great dragon… it was killing everyone while a malevolent voice recited a terrible poem. I saw each and every one of you die!" Azura's tone was becoming more frantic by the second.

"Him… he's coming…" Mikoto gasped, then hung her head in defeat, though all the attention in the room was directed at Azura.

"If you're that concerned, come with me. With your magic, we might stand a better chance. I could always use your support on the field, sister," Ryoma raised Azura to her feet and hugged her.

"Alright… I'll come. I can only pray we'll survive the ordeal."

The temple Priam took Corrin and Gunter to was impressive, albeit somewhat dilapidated. Made of now-crumbling limestone, it was large enough for the greatest of dragons to wander about freely. It had walls adorned with gold and oil paintings of ancient battles. The massive ceiling was painted with images of the angels; how their artists ascended that high completely eluded the Nohrians.

"Your seer resides here?" Corrin asked Priam.

"We all do. Despite its appearance, this temple is the only refuge in which we are safe from Anankos." Before Corrin could respond, a voice echoed in the dark,

"I sense an additional presence. Who have you brought before us, Priam?"

"Who was that?" Gunter reached for his sword.

"That is our seer," Priam's young assistant, a brown haired boy in a tan tunic and brown coat named Anthony, responded. Suddenly, a purple sigil appeared before Priam; from it emerged a brown-cloaked man with a long white beard and ears as pointed as Corrin's.

"I see two, but I can only sense the human. The manakete… his quintessence eludes me," the figure said.

"Manakete, Lord Sage?" Priam raised a brow.

"The boy… surely you can tell by his ears! He is a dragon like me… like him," the sage said, then turned to Corrin,

"Tell me, child, where is your stone, and what happened to your wings? There is no way you can hide them under armor that tight."

"I don't know what you're talking about. I carry no stone, and I have no wings. I am Prince Corrin of Nohr, and I am as human as anyone else."

"Ah, now I understand. I was wondering if I'd ever see you again," the sage smiled, "the late King Nils… he spoke of this day, but I did not believe him."

"What are you on about, sage?" Gunter folded his arms.

"Your liege, good sir, is originally of this world. Surely you knew he was not of Nohr! His father was a full-blooded dragon, and his mother… well, there is someone I think I should take you to. Come with me," the sage turned and walked off to a small chamber. Corrin instinctively felt he could trust the old man, so he followed him, to Gunter's dismay. The old knight felt no other choice but to follow him as well, despite every drop of blood in his body advising him against doing so.

When they entered the room, they saw a small, glowing platform hovering above the floor. The sage muttered a few incantations which invoked a figure who the Nohrians assumed must have come from the netherworld. He wore a black cloak with purple accents over a tan tunic and trousers. A brown glove covered his left hand, but his right was left uncovered, revealing a black mark Corrin recognized as being identical to the one on his upper arm. More remarkable was the resemblance the figure bore to the Nohrian; if not for the difference in eye color – yellow instead of red – and the latter's pointed ears, the Nohrian would have assumed him to be a long lost twin.

"Thank you for coming, Grandmaster," the sage bowed.

"I see you've recruited some new blood. Have you told him yet of what is to come?" the man said solemnly, the pessimism in his voice far exceeding his apparent age.

"No… I was leaving that to you, considering he is your grandson. He reminds me so much of you when I first met you two thousand years ago… that fateful day in the Feroxi plains."

"Grandson, you say? So my third child…"

"Yes. With the creature you spared."

"The one whose murders I am responsible for."

"Forgive me for interrupting," Corrin cut in, "but who are you?"

"I fought in a great war that ended long before you were born. Your mother was conceived of my magic a millennium ago. She shared my holy blood, as do you, I presume. Tell me, do you have a mark on your body like the one I have on my hand?"

"Yes, on the side of my right arm just below my shoulder."

"I see…" the figure paused for a moment, bearing a forlorn visage, before continuing, "so you are the one I was told of."

"Who is it you think I am?"

"You are the son of Anankos, a corrupted Dragon God. I do believe you are the last thing he made before he lost his mind."

"I knew before he was corrupted. He was wise, caring, and had the greatest moral fortitude of any man I had ever known," the sage added, "his turn started four thousand years ago, when the Divine Dragons and Earth Dragons of old went to war. You see, the great dragons of the ancient past had become so powerful, they began to mentally degenerate. In order to survive, they had to place their power into gems called dragonstones and take humanoid form. That is when they began to refer to themselves as Manaketes. But the Earth Dragons refused to give up their power and went completely mad, forcing the Divine Dragons to wage war on them and seal them away. Anankos was one of two Earth Dragons to listen to the Divine Dragons, so he was spared the madness, at least so we thought."

"It was my folly, allowing him to become what he is now. He was captured and tortured by a sorcerer I failed to destroy, then further manipulated and made into a monster by a demon I once called friend," the figure from the netherworld hung his head, "I died trying to stop them. I succeeded in sealing most of his demonic power in a medallion, the location of which I do not know."

"That's… unbelievable…" Corrin said, but somehow in his heart he knew it to be true.

"Lord Sage, you said you were around four thousand years ago; how is that possible?" Gunter questioned.

"To protect humans from the dragons' conflict, I forged for them five weapons capable of slaying even the Gods. I thought it was for their benefit, but they just ended up using them against each other, time and time again. For that failure, I was cursed to remain on this world until I bring peace to mankind."

"You… you're the Rainbow Sage!" the Nohrian knight exclaimed.

"That is correct," the old sage bowed his head. Corrin was silent.

"I know it's hard to accept, and I don't expect you to believe it at first. But in time, you will come to understand," the sage said.

"Are you truly telling me my father is a demon?" Corrin frowned.

"Your father was a good man, driven mad by animalistic instincts invoked in him by those who sought to destroy the world. Those who created him are all dead or permanently sealed away in the fiery pits of Perdition, but Anankos himself is yet to join them," the figure rebutted.

"And you think I can kill him when no one else here could? What makes me so special?"

"I believe you may be capable of properly wielding a weapon no one else here save Priam has been able to control," the Rainbow Sage said proudly, "and in your veins runs the blood of the Great Grandmaster Robin."

"There is nothing great about me," the figure averted his gaze.

"You… you're the Robin of myth? The man who led–" Gunter started.

"Don't recite tales of my past to me. I remember them far better than history has recorded."

"But–"

"Enough. I am long dead; all I can provide you now is strategic advice, which means little in situations like yours," Robin frowned, "Lord Sage, give the boy the sword; see if he can indeed use it."

"The sword I already have, the Ganglari, is quite powerful and contains a great deal of black magic. Surely that would be of use!" Corrin folded his arms.

"The Ganglari?" the ancient strategist chuckled, "that blade is enchanted with the same demonic magic that fuels Anankos; if you bring it anywhere near him his power will only grow. I strongly suggest you try the weapon we have." Corrin nodded in response, though he was unsure why he trusted these people so. Was it some sort of manipulative magic? Regardless, Corrin followed the Rainbow Sage to a second chamber, where the ancient dragon revealed a golden shortsword with a trident for a pommel. On the fuller there were four black indents, from which Corrin could sense a great deal of hidden power.

"Behold the Yatogami, the most powerful sword in the realm," the Rainbow Sage said and presented the weapon to the Nohrian. The Prince drew the sword from its sheath, marveling in its might as he practiced with it. He soon found that the blade felt natural to him, more like an extension of his arm rather than a separate weapon.

"As I thought, it suits you well,"

"What do I do now?"

"We shall join the others in the main hall and discuss a strategy to face Anankos now that we have two Holy Weapons."

"Two?"

"Priam wields an ancient blade known as Ragnell, but we can discuss that later. For now, just come with me." The Nohrian acquiesced without further question. Neither he nor anyone else present noticed the dark figure eavesdropping on their conversation.

So yeah, I'm keeping the Romanization of the original Japanese term for the blade. Yatogami, or more properly Yato-no-Kami, is a serpent god in Shintoism. It translates to Night Sword God. Yato on its own seems boring and simplistic to me.

This will be Robin's only appearance… probably.

You may have noticed I also included a little trivia from Marth's games here. I think it fits the backstory of FE14 well enough.

Writing tunes: Choral music. Mostly Russian. Threw in some German works too.