Robin slowly opened his eyes. He scanned his surroundings. All around him, it was just darkness. Perpetual darkness that stretched on without end. Everywhere he glanced, it was just himself standing in a vast expanse of… absolutely nothing. It did not matter which way he stared. Even when the tactician looked up or down, it was the same view: darkness. A world that looked completely erased from existence. A world before Naga created the life and terrain. He was even standing on top of that same darkness as if he was levitating. In Robin's mind, this place does not make any sense. Although he was not well versed in science as well as Miriel, he was pretty sure humans could not float in midair. That does not obey the laws of physics nor the laws of gravity. Only creatures with wings like Pegasus and wyverns could attain flight.

Robin decided that mystery was something he will have to figure out for another time. Maybe Miriel will have an explanation for this. He had more pressing matters right now: how to get out of this world. Thinking back to what Henry has told him about death, Robin first checked to see if he was truly dead. If his memories weren't deceiving him, Henry taught him that people became spirits after they died. That meant they cannot touch nor feel anything. Robin moved his hand over to his other arm and quickly disproved that notion.

"Hmm…. I could still feel myself. That probably means I am still alive. There's probably still hope for me to return to Ylisse. I just have to find out how." Robin thought to himself.

After this epiphany, the tactician attempted to walk in every direction he could possibly imagine, trying to understand how physics in this bizarre world functioned. He quickly figured out he could move in any direction he wanted on the ground. He wanted to see if he could fly up, so he jumped multiple times, but always fell back down to the invisible ground. It seemed just like the world he was accustomed to. However, he quickly discovered there seemed to be invisible barriers all over this place. Robin almost broke his nose walking into one, as the concept of invisible walls did not exist in Ylisse. Using the classic strategy of staying to the left of a wall to figure out a maze, Robin tried to get a mental map of the place. After testing the place for around an hour, he quickly realized the invisible walls made a square, and he was trapped inside.

After determining the fact he was stuck in an invisible prison, Robin began testing the wall. He tried out all his tomes, ranging from fire, thunder, and wind. None of them seemed to have any effect, as the walls just seemingly absorbed the spell and the magic just dissipated in the air.

Next, he tried to see how tall the facade was. Maybe there was a way to climb over the barricade if it was short enough? However, that plan also failed, as Robin could not find a place in the wall where the wall was short enough to climb over. Heck, he didn't even know how tall the invisible wall was. It could stretch up for kilometers.

In a last desperate attempt, he took out his Levin sword and began to slash at the wall. The sword clanged with the barrier, but the barrier still stood. There were no signs the wall was going to collapse anytime soon. Robin also didn't know if he actually did any structural damage to the wall, since it was invisible.

Sitting down, Robin closed his eyes, and for the first time, sat down defeated. He wanted to get out of this bland world and return to Ylisse. He wanted to see the Shepherds again. He wanted to see the future he fought so hard for. Most importantly, he wanted to see his "girlfriend" again.

"But I don't see how! This place doesn't make any sense." He desperately wanted to scream. Never has Robin ever felt so lost at sea before. No matter how bad things were, Robin could always find a solution or escape any situations. Heck, with Robin's quick thinking, the Shepherds successfully escaped Plegia Castle, one of the most guarded places on the continent. However, all of that was no use when he had absolutely no idea how the invisible walls functioned in this world, and how to destroy such obstacles. Even his years of being the grandmaster and tactician of the Shepherds did not prepare him for this situation.

It was starting to get boring after a few days… Was it days? There was no way to even track time. For the most part, Robin gave up trying to escape and just decided to wait for something to happen. After days of waiting monotonously, hearing his name in this blank world of nonexistence was a welcome surprise.

"Robin…"

"Hmm? I heard my name…"

"Robin, it's me. It's Lucina!"

"Lucina? How are you here? Actually, where are you? Come out already!"

Robin saw a projection of Lucina materialize out of the darkness in front of his face.

"Robin!"

"Lucina!" Robin rushed over to hug Lucina, but his arms just passed right through her. Confused, he asked, "Is this…just an illusion? Is it really you?"

"Yes, it's me. I don't know what is going on, but yes… it's me. Oh, I've missed you so much!"

"I'm happy to see you, too."

"Robin, listen, I… I…"

"Whoa, what's wrong? …Lucina? Did something happen? Is the future not going as well as you'd hoped? Augh, I wish I was back at the castle in person to comfort you! I don't know what to… Please don't cry."

"You're not angry? I tried to kill you after the Fire Emblem got stolen by Validar."

"Huh? Wait, that's still bothering you? I thought we already went over this. I already forgave you because I could understand your view. I mean sure, I was sad you considered killing me. But I'd never get mad at you."

"Why not?"

"Why not? You sure do like putting me on the spot. Didn't we already have a conversation similar to this after that incident?"

"Ha! I suppose we did. You were always so nice to me, while I- While I'm always thinking only of defeating Grima. I'm sorry, Robin…" Lucina's voice began to falter, and Robin could tell something was on her mind from her facial expression, even if she was just an illusion.

"Lucina? What's wrong?"

"I've finally remember why I wanted to see you so much, Robin! I miss you so much. Come back!"

"What? Lucina, trust me, I—I'm hoping that too, but I don't know how! There's an invisible barrier preventing me from going anywhere in this place."

"Even so, you have to figure out a way to return before it will be too late! There will soon be another member in our family."

"Huh? What does that mean?"

"I.. I'm pregnant. I found out about it just before fighting Grima. I never the chance to tell you before you sacrificed yourself."

"No way… You're pregnant?"

"And that's why you must come back—you have family back home… waiting for you."

As surprised as Robin was, he began to process all Lucina has told him. Robin was still confused what she meant by "before it's too late". As Robin began to connect the dots, the truth dawned on him.

"Wait, Lucina… there has to be another reason, and I think figured it out. You're actually.. You're actually worried about what your parents will think about this, aren't you? You wanted to see when I could return and see if we could get married to cover this incident up. Princess Lucina."

"…I am. Heh. I guess my secret's out."

"Ugh, now I'm cringing at what we did back at Valm Castle. Talk about thoughtless! Forgive me, Lucina. But don't worry—I promise I'll come back from the dead. So please promise me in turn that you won't harm—"

"It's kind of you, Robin. But don't worry. I will never harm myself."

"Okay. I'll do everything I can to come back. Please just…be safe. You and your unborn child."

"You too. Please just… come back in one piece."

The image of Lucina suddenly began to become fuzzy. Robin knew that it would probably disappear pretty soon.

"Lucina? Wait. Lucina! Lucina!"

But she was already gone.

As Lucina disappeared, Robin suddenly had a terrible thought. Was Lucina dead? She was just an image, an illusion. Did she die and end up in the afterlife and find a way to communicate with him? She looked the same age as the last time Robin saw her, and it would be a pity if she killed herself just to be with him. Was she one of the "spirits" that Henry told him about? After much thought, he decided that wasn't the case. No, she told me she was waiting for me to come back to Ylisse. But how was she able to visit me here? Is this another one of Henry's dark magic? These thoughts haunted him as Robin realized he was back in the same ethereal plane of darkness, trapped between the walls.

"Great! Now I actually have more pressure to find out how to get out of this wretched place. This was already impossible, but now it just became even more impossible." Robin muttered to himself.

Lucina slowly opened her eyes. She quickly realized that her meeting with Robin was all a dream. "But that dream seemed so real", she thought to herself. "It was almost like I was actually talking to Robin. How is this possible? And.. I revealed my secret to Robin in my dream. Did that really happen? Or is it just my subconscious playing tricks with me?"

She began to get up from the bed and quickly realized she was in her mother's private bedroom. She was sleeping on her mother's bed. Looking around, she saw her mother and Tiki were sitting in chairs next to the bed talking to each other.

"Uhh…" Lucina managed to mutter out. The last thing she remembered last night was telling her mother about her story with Robin and falling asleep crying in her mother's arms.

Seeing Lucina moving on the bed, Sumia was the first to react.

"Good morning dear. Did you enjoy your conversation with Robin?" Sumia asked cheerfully.

If Lucina wasn't fully awake before, she now became fully awake when she heard her mother asked the question. Panic suddenly rushed throughout her body. How did my mother know I was talking to Robin in my dream? Also that wasn't the real Robin was it? It was just a dream right? Dreams are personal, correct? Was I sleep talking? How much does she know?

"How.. how.. how did you…?"

"Relax, dear. I'll explain everything in detail later. But I will give you the short version of the story. Our friend Lady Tiki used her sacred powers and managed to find Robin. He is currently stuck in what is widely considered to be the gateway between life and death. The good news is most people stuck in that dimension are usually given a second chance at life, so I believe if everything goes well, he will be back in Ylisse soon."

"That's great news." Lucina said happily, "So how exactly did I meet Robin there in my dream?"

"As I was saying, she used some of her power to allow you to talk to him in your sleep. I figured it was probably the least I could do, seeing you were extremely heartbroken about Robin. I know I didn't tell you about this in advance, and I'm sorry if that dream was not what you expected, but I didn't want to ruin the surprise! We can talk about this later. But you should probably go get breakfast. I think all the other Shepherds are all currently eating right now, and you don't want to miss it. The cooks prepared a lavish meal for us. "

"That's kind of you mother, but wait… , so that dream with Robin? Were… Was it..?"

"Was it real? Real in the sense you were able to talk to Robin yes. If you are talking about your physical body then no. Only your subconscious was really there." Tiki explained.

"No.. I meant to ask. Were.. were any of you able to see my dreams?"

"Me? Personally I couldn't." her mother said. "However, Lady Tiki here, as the one with the power for you to meet Robin, could keep track of what was happening in the dream. She told me everything as they occurred."

"Everything?"

"Yes?"

"Even my conversations with Robin?"

"Every last word."