Kaden eyed the advancing troops nervously as he bit his lip. His Kitsune had survived every Hoshidan invasion thus far, but this was something else entirely. He had a feeling that the troops were mostly here for Corrin and not him, but he had no doubt that they would also love to exact revenge on the Kitsune for the many Hoshidan soldiers the clan had killed in the past.

"Kaden? Are you listening?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. You said that you want the Kitsune to head towards the base of the mountain, right?"

Corrin nodded. "Your men know this mountain best, so you can make it down there and outflank them pretty quickly."

"That's true, but… There's still four hundred of them. We can't do much against those numbers!"

"Well, you don't have to… Not really, at least. You're going to use your illusory abilities to make it look like there is a large force attacking their rear. This will cause confusion in their ranks."

Kaden sighed. "Okay, fine. Just don't expect too much, yeah?"

"C'mon, don't be so pessimistic, Daddy! This isn't like you," Selkie said, trying to cheer the chief up. "I'm sure we can do this if Uncle Corrin is leading us!"

"Just trust in my strategy," Corrin said with a confident smile. "While you're doing that, I'll send my infantry to their vanguard and catch them off-balance there. To further increase the confusion, I'll also send my pegasus riders through the forest and attack their center. The enemy will be watching the skies for pegasi, so they'll never expect them to come riding out of the woods like some sort of Nohrian cavalry force."

"And if that's not enough…?" Kaden asked, his ears drooping.

"Then we'll all regroup and form up in the village. That's why I had you evacuate most of your citizens. There's a good chance that we'll be forced to that point, though hopefully their ranks will be thinned by then."

Takumi approached the trio, his Fujin Yumi in hand. "It's about time we got going, isn't it?"

"Yes," Corrin agreed. "Kaden, get moving. Remember, you're fighting for your village and the lives of your clansmen."

Kaden perked up a bit as he drew in a breath and prepared himself. "Right. You can count on me, Corrin."

The chief and his daughter then ran off to gather the Kitsune, and Takumi frowned.

"Do you really think we have a chance?"

"Of course we have a chance," Corrin replied, then grinned, baring his fangs. "A small one, that is."

Takumi's frown deepened. "This is just a game to you, isn't it? You and I don't have to worry about being killed by the Hoshidans, but our soldiers will pay for any mistakes in our strategy with their lives. Keep that in mind."

"That's surprisingly mature of you to say, Takumi," Azura observed as she walked over with Elise and Sakura.

Takumi glared at her. "Are you implying that I'm normally immature?"

"If she is, then she would be right," Corrin said. "But don't worry, I fully understand what I'm doing. I wouldn't go so far as to say that I think war is a game… But this is my opportunity to prove myself, both to you as well as to Ryoma, Xander, Father, and everyone else who is watching what our army will do. I cannot and will not fail."

"Hmph. Good enough for me, I guess," Takumi decided as he walked off. "I'll go get the archer corps ready."

Elise grabbed Corrin's hand. "Don't worry, Brother! We'll be at your side no matter what happens!"

"Y-yes…" Sakura agreed as she wrung her hands around her festal nervously.

"Thank you, both of you," Corrin said as he smiled. "I couldn't ask for better sisters."

"Your Grace." Kaze appeared on the scene. "All preparations are complete. Give the word, and the pegasi will begin to move out."

"Good," Corrin nodded as he and Kaze began walking towards where his soldiers were gathered in the center of the hamlet.

When they got to the main square of the village, Subaki approached them and saluted. "Prince Corrin, we are ready to advance."

"All right, then. You know what to do: ride through the forest and flank their center from both sides, got it? Wait until you see confusion spreading throughout their ranks. That's when you'll know that our assault has begun."

"Of course. We will carry out your orders to perfection, Your Grace," Subaki replied confidently as he mounted his pegasus and grasped his lance.

The pegasus knights rode off, and Corrin headed towards the remaining, non-mounted soldiers. The archers would be led by Takumi, and they would stay at the top of the mountain and fire down at the enemy. The rest of the soldiers would charge the enemy frontlines once the fighting began.

Corrin mounted his horse, drew his weapon, and led his troops forward. He felt oddly at ease riding at the front, and he figured it was because Takumi had informed him that the Hoshidans had strict orders not to kill him, so he wasn't in mortal peril or anything even if he lost. Still, I should be cautious. You never know what a man who feels his life is in danger will do.

When Corrin's force finally sighted the enemy, he was glad to see that their structure had shifted slightly. Murmuring could be heard among them, as if they were passing a message through the column, and some of the soldiers kept turning around to see what was going on in the back.

That's our cue to attack. Corrin raised his sword, its golden hue reflecting the rays of the sun. "All forces, charge!"

Corrin's men yelled out various battle cries as they ran towards the enemy. Corrin hung back for a bit before he too sped forwards, his war horse whinnying as he approached the enemy.

As Corrin's sword clashed with an enemy lance, the battlefield engulfed the prince's senses. He roared as he hacked through the enemy, adrenaline coursing through his dragon blood. His Yato shrieked as it sliced through armor and metal, and as Corrin rode through his enemies with unforgiving vigor, he vaguely noticed Kaze flitting in and out of the battle, slicing open unsuspecting soldiers.

Corrin cut through another soldier, Yato slicing the man open from his shoulder to his waist. Morbidly, the prince noticed that he felt a strange sensation of joy every time he killed. He also noticed that this battle felt easier than his previous fight in Izumo. It was no surprise that he was outmatching most of his enemies, as he was a mounted unit and most of the enemy were on foot, giving him a maneuverability advantage. Corrin had also been personally trained in mounted combat and swordplay by Crown Prince Xander, who was widely regarded as the best swordsman in all of Nohr.

Still, Corrin felt that this fight was too easy. It was his first large-scale conflict, and he did not expect things to be as simple as kill one enemy and then move onto the next. Corrin was also aware of the intense heat emanating from his dragonstone necklace, and he wondered if that had anything to do with his bloodlust and seemingly-increased strength.

Soon enough, however, the tide of the battle began to turn, and Corrin felt himself facing a larger volume of enemies. Subaki and Kaden must have been forced to retreat at this point.

"All forces, retreat!" Corrin shouted over the din of the battlefield, holding his golden Yato up as a beacon. War horns sounded, and he then urged his mount back towards the village, hoping that most of his men would follow.

After a scrambled, fighting retreat, Corrin and his infantry force made it back to the village, the enemy forces having decided not to chase them too furiously and take a breather instead. When he reached the town square, Corrin found that Subaki and Kaden had indeed returned.

"How did it go?" he asked.

"Not bad," Kaden replied with a smile. "We did a number on their rear."

"You should have seen us, Uncle!" Selkie cried out excitedly. "We were unstoppable! They didn't know what hit them!"

"Good." Corrin then turned to Subaki.

"Our forces also succeeded in completing our task, though it didn't go as perfectly as I had thought it would," the pegasus knight admitted. "We lost about a third of our riders."

"That's not too bad, considering the numbers we were up against," Corrin said. He then turned to the forces he had led. "It looks like the infantry suffered about the same portion of losses as you did, maybe a bit less. Either way, we'll have to make our final stand in village. It looks like my plan worked, though, so we won't have to face four hundred soldiers."

Takumi then strode into the village square, his face covered in a light sheen of sweat. "It looks like we were quite successful. The enemy has less than half of what they started with."

Corrin nodded in satisfaction as he noticed Elise and Sakura approaching and beginning to assist the rest of the healers.

"I took out twenty-nine by myself," Takumi bragged. "But I must admit… Brother, you were something else. You fought like a man possessed out there!"

"Heh, is that so? I'm unmatched on the battlefield as well off it, I guess," Corrin boasted as he smirked and puffed out his chest.

Takumi rolled his eyes. "Don't get too cocky. We still have almost two hundred soldiers we need to hold off before this is all over."

"Right. Let's form up, then."

The soldiers then began setting themselves up in accordance with Corrin's formation. The archers climbed rooftops, the pegasi took to the skies, and the rest of the army took up defensive positions in the main square. The Kitsune were positioned inside, around, and behind buildings, their purpose being to ambush the enemy with their illusions.

Soon enough, the Hoshidan forces climbed up the mountain and began pouring through the wooden gates of the village. They were met with a hailstorm of arrows, but the army seemed unperturbed as they charged through, heading straight for Corrin's troops. The two forces met and clashed in the town square, and the fierce battle resumed in earnest.

Once again, Corrin fought and slashed his way through the enemy ranks, his dragonstone glowing and his Yato crying out for blood. Kaze followed closely behind, providing support for his master. Jakob and Felicia had been ordered to hang back and guard Elise and Sakura, so Kaze was Corrin's sole retainer for the fight. Corrin pushed on, his war horse trampling a katana-wielding soldier as Corrin's sword beheaded another. The prince was carried by the flow of the fighting and soon found himself backed against a wall of one of the buildings. An enemy pegasus rider swooped down from above and tried to impale Corrin, but a golden blur shot out from the window in the house behind Corrin and slammed into the enemy, slamming her off her pegasus and onto the ground. Selkie undid her transformation and shot Corrin a grin before leaping over the corpse she created and heading back into the shadows.

Corrin took this chance to catch a breather, and he gingerly reached for his dragonstone necklace, slightly amazed at how hotly it was burning. However, Corrin suddenly felt the wind change in his direction, and he quickly pulled his head back as a sharp pain slashed across his face. The prince cursed as he rubbed at his stinging left eye, which was still intact but blinded by the blood flow from the nearby cut.

"You're lucky you dodged that," a gruff voice said as a crimson-clad ninja appeared on the scene. He had red hair, wore a black mask, and only had one working eye, and Corrin recognized him as Saizo, one of King Ryoma's retainers.

"Saizo," Kaze said as he too arrived. "What are you doing here?"

Saizo glared at his brother. "I am here to dispose of you two traitors."

"Leave now, Saizo." Kaze held up a shuriken between his pointer and middle fingers. "Or I will be forced to eliminate you."

"Don't make me laugh. Give yourselves up and I might go easy on you."

"So be it," Kaze said as he closed his eyes and frowned.

The green-haired ninja then disappeared, only to reappear behind Saizo and hurl a handful of shuriken at his back. However, Saizo anticipated this and easily blocked Kaze's projectiles with his wrist guard. Saizo then disappeared in a puff of smoke, reappearing a second later and slashing at Kaze with a blade hidden up his sleeve. Corrin's retainer barely managed to avoid the blow, though Saizo's blade did succeed in leaving a scratch on Kaze's neck.

Corrin used the distraction to charge towards Saizo, and the prince moved to impale the red-haired ninja on his divine blade. Unfortunately for Corrin, Saizo avoided the hit with time to spare and launched a flurry of shuriken at the prince's back, though most of the metal throwing stars simply bounced off Corrin's armor. Corrin urged his steed to a stop beside Kaze, and the pair tried to regain their bearings as they faced Saizo, their positions on the battlefield now reversed.

"Do you novices really believe that you can defeat me?" Saizo inquired, somewhat rhetorically. "You're loud and your moves are slow, Prince Traitor… And you, Kaze, don't forget who it was that taught you everything you know. Neither one of you stands a chance against me."

A deep frown marred Kaze's handsome face as he stood up, wiping the blood from his neck. "Stand back, Your Grace. I will make sure no harm comes to you."

"There's no way I'm going to let you fight him alone," Corrin replied as he dismounted.

"Alone or together, it doesn't matter," Saizo scoffed. "Prepare yourselves, fools."

The red-clad ninja then disappeared once again, and Corrin and Kaze braced themselves for the onslaught. A split-second later, Saizo reappeared, sending a fistful of shuriken hurtling towards Corrin as he himself moved towards Kaze, his wrist blade poised to slice open Kaze's throat.

Corrin brought up his arms to block the shuriken, managing to deflect a couple of them but failing to prevent a few from leaving scratches on his unprotected face and neck. He then grit his teeth as he concentrated his power on his dragonstone, and a draconic tail erupted from his backside. The appendage slammed into Saizo's side, catching the experienced ninja off-guard before he could land his strike on Kaze. Saizo's eyes widened as he tried to dodge the tail, and though he was able to avoid the brunt of the attack, his tunic was torn open on its side as he leapt away.

"What… What are you…?" Saizo asked incredulously as he stared at Corrin in shock.

Corrin opted not to answer, instead aiming his tail at Saizo once more. This time, however, the red-haired ninja was expecting the move, and he nimbly wove under the tail and shot a shuriken at Corrin's face. In order to prevent his eye from being put out for good this time, Corrin ducked. Though he avoided the shuriken, Corrin was then met with Saizo's boot in his face, and the prince was sent to the ground as the savage kick collided with his chin.

Corrin's tail dissipated as the prince tried to stop his head from spinning. He noticed Kaze coming to his defense and clashing wrist blades with Saizo, but it was clear that Ryoma's retainer had the upper hand. Corrin tried to stand up, but he was far too slow to rise. Kaze grunted in pain as Saizo's blade slashed across his shoulder, and the green-haired ninja was dispatched with a swift kick to the back of the neck. Kaze joined his master on the ground, though unlike with Corrin, Saizo's kick had completely knocked him out.

"Your turn, Traitor!" Saizo shouted as he lunged at Corrin.

Damn it, I don't have the energy to fully form my tail again… I guess this will have to do!

Grabbing a fistful of the cherry blossom petals that littered the ground, Corrin threw it into Saizo's face as the ninja prepared to strike.

"What -" the ninja choked out as the petals obscured his vision, and that was all the time Corrin needed.

The prince roared as his dragonstone necklace bounced around wildly, and his hand formed into that of a dragon's. Corrin drove his clawed fist into Saizo's stomach, the force of the attack completely stopping Saizo's momentum. Corrin followed through with his punch, the muscles in his arm protesting angrily as they drove the huge draconic fist into the ninja. Saizo didn't even have the strength to cry out as Corrin's punch launched him at an incredible speed into the building Selkie had jumped out of, and the red-haired ninja was sent smashing through the wooden structure.

Corrin stared in muted surprise at his handiwork, then smirked. He roared in victory, his cheer momentarily cutting through the clamor of the battlefield.


"Stay back, Princess Sakura," Jakob cautioned as he hurled a knife at an encroaching ninja. The butler grimaced as the ninja easily side-stepped the projectile.

Despite the defensive formation Corrin's army had taken up in the hamlet, they still found it extremely difficult to prevent the enemy from swarming them due to the Hoshidans' superior numbers. Sakura had spent most of the battle towards the back, only darting out in order to heal injured allies. However, one such excursion had led to her current predicament, and she now found herself in the thick of it. Along with her two retainers, Sakura only had Jakob to guard her, and she herself had no combat abilities to speak of. Subaki and Hana were currently occupied fighting off the seemingly-endless horde, so Jakob and Sakura were left to fend for themselves as the ninja rushed towards them.

Jakob tossed another knife at the Hoshidan, but the ninja deflected it with a shuriken and then threw the metal star towards Jakob. The butler leapt to the side to dodge, but this action caused him to smack right into another enemy. Jakob didn't have any time to right himself, barely avoiding being impaled by his new enemy's naginata. Unfortunately, the naginata managed to cut open Jakob's side, causing the silver-haired man to cry out in pain. As he fell to the ground, Jakob flicked his wrist and embedded one of his knives into the Hoshidan's throat, killing him.

"Jakob, no!" Sakura cried out as she watched him fall. She tried to run and heal him, but the ninja appeared in front of her, blocking her path. Her eyes widened in horror as the ninja raised his fist in order to knock her out.

Sakura shut her eyes, preparing for the inevitable spike of pain. However, after a moment passed and nothing happened, she opened her eyes and saw Subaki and his pegasus. The red-haired rider's lance was impaled through the ninja's torso, and he gave Sakura a reassuring smile.

"Are you all right, Princess?"

Sakura looked away from the corpse. "Y-yes. Thank you."

"My pleasure," Subaki replied as he yanked his lance free. "Prince Takumi's retainers have arrived to help us, so I left Hana over there with them and came here."

Sakura nodded in thanks, then looked over at Jakob. The butler had a deep frown on his face, and he looked to be in great pain. He was holding his side, which was now red with blood. The princess rushed over to him and began to heal him with her festal.

"Please, Princess, don't trouble yourself. I will be fine," Jakob grunted as he tried to get to his feet.

Sakura shook her head. "Stay down, Jakob. This shouldn't t-take too long."

"Enemies approaching," Subaki warned as he dismounted from his pegasus. A group of three archers were rushing towards their position, so Subaki decided it was best not to make himself into a bigger target by taking to the air. "Stay there, Princess Sakura. I will protect you."

Subaki readied his lance as the trio approached. I can't let them get into position in case they fire at Princess Sakura. I need to get in close and take them out from there.

The sky knight charged at the archers, not wanting to give them a chance to draw their bowstrings. As Subaki got in close, the first archer's eyes widened in surprise as he hurriedly tried to notch an arrow to his bow. However, Subaki was much faster, and the archer found himself impaled on a lance before he could complete his task. Subaki then moved on the next archer, who was currently in the process of aiming, an arrow already notched on his bow. At such a close range, Subaki lacked the time to put enough distance between them to fully dodge the arrow, so he threw his lance instead, adrenaline pumping through his veins. Sakura's retainer grinned in satisfaction as the lance tore into the enemy soldier's stomach, throwing him off balance and causing his arrow to fly off harmlessly into the distance.

Subaki's victory was short-lived. Immediately after the second archer had been felled, an arrow flew towards the sky knight, stabbing into his shoulder and sending him to the ground. With no weapon to defend himself and with the remaining archer rapidly notching another arrow for the killing blow, Subaki found himself in quite the pinch.

N-no… Is this really how I die? Subaki thought as he clenched his teeth through the pain and feebly attempted to get to his feet. Princess Sakura… I'm sorry. I suppose I wasn't so perfect after all.

The sound of a bowstring being released cut through the air, and Subaki knew death was near. His senses heightened as his heart rate increased, and he heard Sakura calling out his name. The whizzing noise of a fast-approaching arrow slashed at his ears like some sort of horrible whistle, but the arrow itself never hit its mark. Instead, the projectile sailed wide, completely missing Subaki.

The red-haired knight looked up, and to his surprise, he saw that the archer had been killed. Standing atop the corpse was a muscular woman with pale blonde hair, and Subaki recognized her as Rinkah, daughter of the Flame Tribe's chieftain.

"Wow, you people really are hopeless," she observed as she hefted her bloodied club onto her shoulders. "Guess it's good that I stayed behind for a bit, huh?"

Subaki gingerly got to his feet as Sakura rushed over to heal him. "Thank you… Rinkah, was it? You saved my life."

"Yeah, don't mention it," she replied off-handedly. She then glanced over her shoulder, frowning as she noticed another group of soldiers approaching. "Besides, it isn't over yet. Better get ready."


The battle raged on for another hour before all was said and done. Eventually, despite suffering significant losses, Corrin's army had managed to overcome the enemy, and by the end of the fight, all of Hoshido's forces had either surrendered or been killed. Corrin himself only had light injuries, and he was glad to see that all of his siblings were safe as well. He had set up his command post in Kaden's longhall, and that was where he currently sat as he listened to the various post-battle reports.

"... And so we suffered minimal losses," Takumi concluded, referring to the squad of archers he led.

Corrin nodded, shifting in his seat. "At least one portion of our army wasn't almost completely destroyed, I guess."

"Would you stop moving around so much?" Oboro said from where she sat beside Corrin, a needle and thread in her hand. Corrin's cape had torn a bit during the battle, so Takumi's retainer had offered to repair it.

"Sorry," Corrin apologized as he glanced over his shoulder to observe Oboro's progress. "So, can you fix it? Or is it going to be permanently disfigured?"

"Please. Don't insult my skills," Oboro responded as she continued to work on the cape. "You'll really only be able to see a difference if you look closely. Otherwise, it should be as good as new."

"Why do you care so much about a dumb cape, anyway?" Takumi cut in. "I would be more worried about your face if I were you. That wound near your left eye is going to leave quite the scar."

"A scar is the mark of a true warrior," Corrin countered haughtily. His gaze then fell. "And this cape was a gift from my older brother."

Takumi looked away. "Crown Prince Xander? I see."

An awkward silence descended on the group for a few seconds before it was shattered by Kaden's sudden entrance.

"What's up! I'm back!"

"You seem to be in a much better mood," Corrin observed. "I take it things went well for the Kitsune?"

"Yep! We did pretty well, if I do say so myself," Selkie said with a grin as she popped out from behind her father.

Kaden nodded. "We barely lost any men. We trashed the enemy and looked damn good doing it too!"

"I'm sure you did. Now, about my proposal before the fight… Have you come to a decision? We both know that the Kitsune would have been exterminated if it weren't for me."

"Hmm… I guess this was kind of fun… All right, I'll help you," Kaden answered with a smile. "I can't promise you our entire fighting force, of course, but I can give you about thirty, and I'll throw myself in as well! Pretty good deal, huh?"

"You're going too?" Takumi questioned. "Don't you… You know, have a tribe to run?"

"Says the prince who's not even fighting for Hoshido anymore," Kaden parried. "But yeah, Erwin usually handles the day-to-day stuff, so I'm sure things will be fine even if I'm not here. An offer like this is just too interesting to pass up!"

"Yeah!" Selkie cheered along with her father. "I'll be coming along too, so be ready!"

Looking at Selkie, Corrin then remembered Azura and how the blue-haired princess said she knew something about these strange 'Deeprealms.' Corrin recalled seeing her shortly after the battle, singing to the healers as they tended to the wounded, but she seemed to have disappeared since.

"Someone bring Azura to me," Corrin said, wanting to unravel the mystery behind the Deeprealms as soon as possible. If he was to fight a war on two fronts, he couldn't have something like this looming over him the whole time as well.

"Sure!" Selkie responded as she bounded out of the longhall, nearly running into the group of people who were arriving at the same time.

Elise and Sakura entered the hall, their retainers (plus Felicia) following closely behind. Corrin also noticed that Rinkah was with them, which came as a bit of a surprise since he thought that she had left before the battle.

"Hi!" Elise greeted, though her voice was lacking some of the enthusiasm it usually carried. Corrin guessed that she and Sakura must have been exhausted after helping heal all the wounded. Izana's army did not come with many experienced healers, so Elise and Sakura had to do most of the recovery work by themselves.

"Hello. How are Kaze and Jakob?"

"They're fine. Kaze is asleep right now, but he should be up soon. Jakob is also resting, but he's awake and is being his usual grumpy self," Elise answered.

"Good… Sakura, is something wrong?" Corrin asked, noticing his Hoshidan sister's downcast expression.

"N-no!... It's just that… It's my f-fault Jakob was hurt, and Subaki and Rinkah fought to protect me too. I just wish I c-could have been more useful…"

"Well, your abilities helped them recover, right? Jakob will be all right, and Subaki and Rinkah look mostly fine to me," Corrin pointed out.

Sakura nodded, but she still looked to be a bit disappointed with herself.

Corrin then turned to Rinkah. "Speaking of… What are you doing here? I thought you left."

Rinkah snorted. "As if I could have left you all here by yourselves when I saw that huge army approaching… And you're lucky I stayed, too. Subaki here would have been a red pincushion if I didn't show up when I did."

"I wouldn't put it quite like that, but yes, Rinkah was a big help," Subaki admitted.

"I see," Corrin said. "Then does that mean you have decided to join us?"

"Are you kidding me? You think I want to go up against an army like that again?"

"Please reconsider," Subaki asked. "I've still got to pay you back for saving me, after all, and I can't do that if you leave."

Rinkah sighed. "... Fine, I guess I can stay and help for now. I suppose I still have someone I need to pay back as well."

Corrin smirked. "Good. We're glad to have you with us."

Just then, Selkie returned with Azura in tow. "I brought her, Uncle Corrin!"

"Thank you. Azura, I called you here because you said you knew about the Deeprealms earlier. Care to tell us more?"

Azura frowned nervously. "I… There is only so much I can say, and I doubt you will believe me."

"If I've already decided to believe that Selkie came from the future, then nothing you say will be any more ridiculous," Corrin pointed out.

"I suppose… Well, in that case, you should know that I am originally from a Deeprealm as well. As are you, possibly."

Corrin narrowed his crimson eyes. "... What? I thought you were originally from Nohr."

"Yes, but I am not the child of King Garon. I was born in a kingdom in a different dimension. I am sure that Xander could tell you that I arrived with my mother when she came to Nohr. I was very young at the time, so I barely have any memories of my life outside of Nohr, but I know for a fact that I was born to a king and queen not of this world."

"So you were adopted by the Nohrian royal family," Corrin concluded. "... And you said that I am also from this alternate dimension?"

Azura nodded, her golden eyes unsure. "I believe so. My parents were the king and queen of this kingdom, but you… You were born to the god of that world. His name is Anankos."

"A… God?" Corrin repeated. All the eyes in the room were now on Azura, willing her to explain.

"Yes, a dragon god, to be more precise. That would explain why you are able to transform using that dragonstone," Azura said. "Your mother, Queen Mikoto, had to flee that world, just as my mother did. The difference was that my mother went to Nohr, while yours went to Hoshido."

"I see…" Corrin managed, unsure of how to feel about this revelation. "And do you have any proof of this?"

"... No. Only my word."

Corrin rested his chin on his fist. "I suppose you have no reason to lie to me… A god, huh? So does that mean that King Sumeragi is not my true father either?"

"No… Your father is King Garon, in more ways than one," Azura replied. "You see, the reason why our mothers had to flee that land was because your father, Anankos, went insane, destroying half the kingdom before disappearing. The cause of his bout of madness is still unknown, but I believe that Anankos' soul now resides within King Garon."

"Within Father?" Elise interrupted. "B-but how?"

"I am not sure how he did it, but King Garon and Anankos seem to be joined as one now," Azura continued. "This would explain his rapid shift in personality and appearance."

Corrin stood up, causing Oboro to frown. "None of this makes sense, actually. Why would Anankos go mad? Why would Father and Anankos join forces? Why would -"

"I'm sorry, but I don't know," Azura cut in before Corrin could ask any more questions. "This is the extent of my knowledge, and even that only comes from what my mother told me. I'm afraid the only living person who can answer your questions is King Garon himself."

Corrin grit his teeth and clenched his fists, then sat back down. Father… "So, has Father become possessed by Anankos? Is there is still some way to save him?"

Azura shook her head. "My mother told me that Anankos could not leave that land, and therefore, it is not possible that he has taken full control of King Garon. Though it is likely that King Garon is being heavily influenced by Anankos, it is still Garon himself who has control and is making all the decisions."

"... This changes nothing," the red-eyed prince finally said after half a minute of silence. "Our goal remains the same. We were always planning on stopping Father's insane war by any means necessary."

"I still don't understand what she has to do with all this," Takumi interjected, pointing to Selkie. "So, what, is she from your Deeprealm as well?"

"No," Azura answered. "Deeprealms are simply portals to different worlds, and while Corrin and I came from an entirely separate kingdom, Selkie has come from the same continent but from the future. Technically, that is still a different world from the one we are living in."

"Okay… But why exactly is she here again?" Takumi asked.

The group turned to look at Selkie, who seemed to be more interested in a stray dragonfly that had flown into the hall rather than their current conversation. She snapped back to attention once Takumi cleared his throat.

"Oh! Uh, well, like I said before, I came here with a group of friends to stop the destruction of the world."

Takumi squinted in disbelief. "Huh? Just what the hell are you saying?"

Selkie frowned in frustration. "I thought we went over this already! If Uncle Corrin sided with Hoshido, the whole world would be destroyed."

The sniper prince sighed. "Yes, but that's not an explanation. Why would Corrin's siding with Hoshido lead to the destruction of the world?"

"It's a long story, but basically, the war against Nohr forced Uncle Corrin to kill most of his siblings. His surviving siblings hated him for it, and eventually, the grief of the situation was too much to bear, and he turned into this giant dragon and went crazy and killed everybody."

"I did what?" Corrin asked with a frown.

Selkie grinned at him. "Hey, don't worry! Since you've decided to take on both Nohr and Hoshido instead of choosing one side, I'm sure that this future has been averted… Or at least I hope so, heh."

"I've got a question!" Elise chirped. "Why did you come back from the future? Even if you fix the problem here, would that really change your future?"

"I guess…? I wasn't really paying much attention to the details when that Rainbow Sage guy explained it to us, but supposedly, Uncle Corrin's powers of destruction spanned across space and time or something."

Selkie's face then fell. "Besides, coming back here was definitely a better option than staying in a world where everyone I knew and loved was dead…"

"... Moving away from that cheerful topic," Corrin started, "you said that there were others who came with you?"

Selkie perked up. "Yep! A bunch of my friends came with me, but it looks like we all got separated when we went through the Deeprealm. They should be around here somewhere, though."

Corrin stood up as Oboro finally finished with his cape, and a determined glint flashed through his eyes. "All right, then. If we've already averted that future crisis, then we continue towards our original goal. Everyone, prepare to head out. We go to the Wind Tribe next."

As the group prepared to move out, Azura regarded Corrin with her sad, golden eyes.

Oh, Corrin… You do not realize that this path you have chosen may be the most difficult of them all. It it is up to you where we go from here, but that future Selkie spoke of… It may not be completely gone just yet.