Chapter 3: Sword of Spirits

By SodiumChloride12, derived from content from Fire Emblem, owned by Nintendo.

A/N Next chapter will come out in the coming days. Enjoy!

N: Our heroes continue on their journey, and Mark continues to receive weird dreams. Could they be the key to his past?

I was sitting on a desk, engaging my brain in a small library. The simple carpet pressed against my bare feet, cobwebs covered the corners of the room. My pocket watch was laid nearby, giving me constant updates of time. The dryness of the old book gave off a pleasant aroma. I continued my reading...a book titled: A study of unmagical phenomenon in Elibe, an observation of a natural principle.

It should be noted that magic is not the only force acting in our world. This can be observed in the phenomenon of what some researchers call gravity, the sensation that pushes us towards the ground. But if relating to a situation where you are not moving, like standing still, then what is the force pushing us up, the opposing force? Surely, if we were speaking in terms of pure force, a force cannot solely go down, otherwise, how would we maintain our position with respect to the ground? This can be explained through the known concept of weight, i.e the force that you feel that is influenced by your size. I believe that this sensation is dependent on your size (mass) and some gravitational constant. I propose this new concept as the normal force, a force that counters an opposing force (in this case gravity) if an obstacle is in the way. If we take the standing scenario into account, since we are not moving, the net force should equal to zero. Then your normal force should equal the opposing ratio of gravity and mass...

I took a sip of tea and felt it's warm texture calm me. A lone candle lit the room, giving off a small yellow flame. and to the corner of my eye, I saw a flash of red. I turned to see the familiar face of my brother.

"Ah...brother, a pleasure to see you." I said.

The man had a pale face and seemed to be much older than me. I couldn't help but think he was my senior.

He made signals with his hands, and for some reason, I could understand it.

"Doing some reading?" he inquired.

I nodded my head and showed him the title of my book, "Yes! It's quite an interesting read! Can you believe that there's a burgeoning field that is completely independent of magic?"

The man laughed, "Sounds like bologna. Magic is the one and only thing that governs this world."

We spent some time conversing, of which I don't remember.

Eventually, I woke up, and although I barely remembered any of it, I felt like I had the most wonderful dream.

In the plains of Sacae...

We walked through a sea of green as grass burrs dug themselves deep into my cloak. I had given up trying to get rid of them a long time ago. I looked at our knights ride effortlessly through the plains. I looked over at Lyn and wondered how these little shits hadn't attached themselves to her.

"These burrs are getting all over me. They're annoying as hell. How come none of these things are on you?" I questioned.

Lyn pointed towards her long boots, "Specialty boots made for walking through these tall grasses. Also, I don't wear long cloaks that cover my entire body. These things will latch on to you like a moth to a flame."

The consequences I pay for fashion.

I closed my eyes and smiled, "You know Kent, I had the most wonderful dream last night."

Not losing a step in his rhythm, Kent smiled back, "For a matter of fact I did as well, it was a flashback to my knighting ceremony."

Sain rode ahead of the pack with his thumb pointing at the ground, "Must everything be about duty to you Kent?" He let his head droop. "I dreamt about running into a beautiful traveling merchant, and then getting cast away."

Lyn rolled her eyes, "That wasn't a dream Sain, that was yesterday, it actually happened."

Sain, a little teary-eyed, replied, "But I wish it was."

The humor made the endless grass a bit more bearable.

After a few minutes of walking, I spotted something in the distance.

A house. No...three! They're flanked by a duo of forts.

"Lyn! Do you see this?" I said, pointing at the structures.

Squinting her eyes, Lyn looked over the horizon, "Oh! Those are forts Marne and Grace! I think we've arrived!"

I hope they have chairs, my legs are tired. I'm tired of assassins or bandits whatever always trying to kill us. What bandit in their right mind would try to attack a holy site anyways?

Rather than letting that thought simmer, my attention immediately transferred over a woman running towards our direction. She tripped on what seemed to be nothing (a rock?), and Lyn helped her up. This reminded me of an overused trope involving women running in distress, but the thought left as soon as it came.

Not even taking a second to compose herself, the woman said, "Milady! Are you headed east? To the altar?"

Lyn replied, "Yes, we are indeed."

The woman was talking so fast she nearly stumbled on her words, "Then you must hurry and help the priest there! I saw a local band of ruffians head in there not long ago. They want to steal the Mani Katti!"

Lyn took a step back, "The Mani Katti, they're going to steal it? This won't stand!"

Oh boy, I can already see my happiness flying away...oh? It's just crows.

Priest Joseph was holding his knife firmly as he dumped it into a pail of warm water. His room was a humble abode, lightly furnished with a rustic desk, small straw bed, and a window that let in warm air. A spider called the corner of his room home, Joseph's lone companion in his sole guardianship of the relic.

He cut off the ends of his long beard, a reminder of his lengthy tenure here at the temple. Suddenly, he heard a loud noise from the south end of the temple.

Oh? Has that old wall finally collapsed?

He put down his knife and began to walk out of his old granite door. He placed his hand on its handle as it fell out.

In my younger years, I could fix this myself. Oh, how old age has hampered me.

He managed to pry the door open as he began to make his way through a long series of halls. Colored glass lined the hallways, depicting a nomad hero through her adventures. Joseph's particular favorite was of her dealing the final blow to a great dragon during the waning days of the Scouring. Besides the Mani Katti, these colored halls were the pride of the temple. He made his way to the end of the hall and opened the door towards the main worshipping area.

The door opened with a loud creak. Joseph was shocked when he realized that the loud noise wasn't the wall collapsing, but of a break in. He looked onto the shattered door that lined the front entrance. His eyes met with the five men that had let themselves in.

"Old man! Stay where you are! Don't say a thing!" said a bandit.

Standing his ground, Joseph stood strong, "What brings you ruffians to a holy site?"

The man pointed towards the Mani Katti that rested on the altar. "That sword. I want it."

"I will not allow a sinful soul like you to wield the Mani Katti! It's sacrilege!"

The man approached Joseph and push him onto the ground. He felt a striking pain at his hip.

He went over to the altar and threw off some candles that adorned the piece. He rested his hands at his scabbard and attempted to draw the sword. The sword stayed fixed inside the scabbard.

"Why can't I draw it?" he questioned.

Joseph lifted himself from the crackling floor. His joints ached as he regained his posture.

"The spirits of the Mani Katti have judged you! Your heart is vile and wicked! The sword wants nothing with you!"

Hah! The sword is sealed up with my magic!

The man, who identified himself as Glass, fumed with rage. He kicked Joseph and the old man fell to the floor once more.

Glass observed the sword and strained his muscles as he tried to draw the sword over and over again.

I can't...draw this damn sword! I'll get that old man to show me how to use this even if I have to...where did he go?

Glass frantically searched the area for the old man, but his efforts were in vain. Nearby, Joesph successfully executed his escape...

He melted away into the wide and confusing corridors that filled the interior of the temple. He went to a secluded storage closet and opened a hidden tornado shelter that he had installed in his younger years.

I haven't ever had to use this, bless the spirits. Today, this will serve as my shelter.

He disappeared into the darkness of his shelter. Alone with nothing but the coming sounds of battle above.

"We have intelligence from homes nearby." said Kent.

I looked over at the moderately sized temple. On its sides, I could see colored glass that gave off vibrant colors. The temple's walls were stout and will force us to attack through the front. The path towards the entrance contained rolling hills and forest cover that makes a full-on assault difficult. I was worried about how we were going to pull this off.

The place seems more like a fortress than a place of worship. What were the bandit's numbers? If they had more than half a dozen, they could easily repel any attack we throw their way. We need to make our next step carefully.

"From what locals have been telling me, the western wall seems to be in need of serious repair", said Kent.

My ears perked up. An opportunity.

"Kent! No need to bash these poor people on lack of funds! There is more to life than money you know, like the milkmaid back home." said a smiling Sain.

Lyn rolled her eyes, "I'm going to pretend like I didn't hear that."

My mind filled itself with potential strategies.

An attack from an unexpected front...if we could create a diversion through the front entrance...our knights could charge at their rear!

I rubbed my hands together, "Everybody. Come to me! I have a plan!"

There was a tense stare among the rolling hills. On one end, there was a lone swordswoman and her trusty green robed tactician. On the other, three bandits wondered why two weaklings would bother challenging them. One of them, a drunkard named Boris, charged blindly towards Mark, who effortlessly stepped aside and slashed Boris' left shin. Boris fell forward and Lyn delivered a swift kick to his head, followed by a swift draw of her sword. By the time Boris hit the floor, he had already lost consciousness. He would be dead within three minutes. His two bandit companions, in a fury, charged the assailants.

One went for Lyn, who, using the rough terrain to her advantage, managed to parry the blow and drive a deep gash into the bandit's arm. Rather than risk a further brush with death, he limped away, throwing curses at the duo.

The other went for Mark, who glared at his opponent.

I locked eyes with this bandit, who screamed: "I'll get you for killing my friend!" He fell forward with his ax, and although I was able to dodge the brunt of the blow, he managed to clip my shoulder, letting a crimson ooze drip on it. I stood there in shock.

Agh! What is this feeling? Where am I?

I found myself still in the great plains of sacae, but they were different. The temple and hills around me morphed into a village that was ablaze. Screams began to penetrate my eardrums, clawing at my very soul. Suddenly, a couple appeared in front of me. A husband and wife. The looked at me with sheer terror, but grabbed an ax and threw it at my shoulder. I fell onto the ground, and in an instant, the couple erupted into flames...

Lyn saw as Mark stepped back after taking a small hit from his opponent. No problem, Mark's taken hits before, albeit most of his own doing. But there was something off about him now. Lyn watched in horror as the bandit raised his ax to make the killing blow.

Mark's going to be killed!

She extended her hand towards him in vain, as if some ranged mysterious force could stop the bandit. She screamed his name.

"Mark!"

Was that Lyn? This f-fire. These sounds. It's all in my head. I-I…I NEED TO SNAP OUT OF IT.

My vision came back to me as sweat dripped down my forehead. I looked up to see the rusty end of an ax.

"I'll kill you! I'll kill you before that bitch has a chance to save you! he screamed.

I ducked and rolled over behind the bandit. My shoulder gave a brief impulse of pain as it hit the ground, and the ax landed harmlessly onto the earth. I pushed my heel deep into the bandit's back, causing him to lose his balance and lurch over.

A flash of green appeared over the bandit, and a deep cut was inflicted on the bandit's chest. The bandit attempted to throw a punch at Lyn, but she was too fast. He missed the blow and was rewarded with a sword strike to his neck. He reached for his wound as it bled profusely, eventually keeling over as he died to blood loss.

Lyn sheathed her blade and rushed towards, vulnerary in hand.

I was rewarded with a swift slap to the face.

SMACK!

"Hey!" I exclaimed.

Lyn's palm left a wide red mark on my cheek. Her angry expression and the fire in her eyes frightened me to the core.

"What the hell do you think you were doing?! You can't just stand there and scare me half to death! You could've gotten yourself killed!"

She emptied the medicine into my wound. A comforting aura began to surround it.

Still wincing in pain, I responded, "I don't know what happened back there, it's like I was brought to a world full of pain."

Calming down, she wiped away a stray tear from her face, "A world full of pain? If it's alright, can you try to explain it?"

I took a moment to think about what just happened, but the memory left about as quickly as it came.

"It's gone...I don't remember it anymore. Everything's a haze now. But it felt so real..." I replied.

Lyn finished treating my wound. She sighed and patted my shoulder.

Somberly, she said, "What am I going to do with you? Whatever. Your battles are my battles too Mark. Remember that."

My mind wandered for a brief moment...

Why...why is Lyn so nice to me?

"Lyn...why are you so nice to me?" I asked.

Lyn was noticeably taken aback by this question, and she replied, "What do you mean?"

"It's just that, I get that we poke fun at each other sometimes, but I feel like you always have my back. Why?" I said.

Lyn paused for a bit. I could see she was thinking about her answer. "It's just that, honestly Mark, your the first friend I've had in a long time."

"A long time?"

"Yes, after my tribe was...I was alone for so long. I lived out my days alone with my deteriorating sanity as my sole companion. You...you don't know how happy I was when I discovered you alive. More so when you agreed to take me along with you. In a way...when I saved you, you saved me as well."

"I see...so you see me as a good friend?" I inquired.

Smiling, she replied, "Of course!"

I need to put myself in less dangerous situations, but given that we're in the middle of a battle, that might be easier said than done. I'll make sure to stay beside Lyn's side when I can.

SMACK!

The thought hadn't had much time to simmer when Lyn backhanded the rear of my head. I recoiled.

She scorned, "Don't get used to my flower talk tactician. We may be friends, but we're nothing more, nothing less. Don't get any bright ideas."

With an uncertain tone, I replied, "U-Understood."

Lyn punted the empty vulnerary into the temple. It's brown leather spiraled with the wind as it came out of view.

"You know we have to get that back right? Vulnerary pouches are worth more than the stuff inside." I said.

"I guess we'll just have to go get it." she replied.

I watched Lyn disappear into the temple. I grumbled some whispers of protest, but I ended up following her anyway. All that was left, were for the knights to do their part...

Kent had tried everything to get this wall open. His lance, his sword, Sain's sword, Sain's lance. He even tried getting one of the dispatched bandit's axes to do the job, only for him break it on the first swing. This wall was much stronger than initially thought.

Sain walked up to the wall, "Maybe we should try thinking outside the box."

He leaned against the wall, which collapsed immediately.

Watching his brother-in-arms fall through the wall shocked Kent, and he went over the help his comrade. While putting Sain on his feet, he saw a magnificent pillar holding up the temple.

A huge structure like this would need supports to keep it stable. Where's that rearguard that Mark was talking about?

He saw a bandit poke his head from it.

The bandit locked eyes with him as he removed debris from Sain.

"Sain, get your sword," said Kent.

Inside the Temple...

Glass was surrounded now. We had dispatched all his goons, and now it was just us, him, and the sword. Sweat was covering him now, and his anxiety caused him to repeatedly beat his sword against the floor. Lyn stepped forward.

"It doesn't have to end this way, leave the sword and be on your way." she said.

Glass took his sword and pointed it towards her, and slammed it on the ground surrounding him, "You, woman, what makes you think you have a chance against me, Glass? WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?!" He readied his posture for battle, "Will you accept a duel, on your honor?"

There's no way that Lyn was about to take this bait, right?

My mouth fell open as I saw her step forward.

"I, Lyn of the Lorca tribe, accept your challenge" she took on a defensive stance.

"NO! What do you think you're doing?!" I exclaimed.

Without turning to face me, she explained, "In Sacae, if a plainsman challenges another plainsman to duel on their honor, it is their obligation to accept. It is the law of Sacae, and if broken, will result in dishonor to my tribe."

"But if you die what will happen to us? Our mission!?"

"Lyndis, please reconsider, your Grandfather!" exclaimed Sain.

Lyn continued to face her opponent, "I have to…I'm the last of my tribe…I have to defend their honor, their memory."

I shook my head, "By Elimine, Lyn if you die I won't forgive you!"

"Don't worry, I won't." she replied.

Lyn faced Glass, and taking the initiative, she struck first. Glass parried the blow and quickly tried to deliver a blow to her gut, but Lyn was quicker. She had gotten much better since our first battle together, and she demonstrated that by dodging the attack and delivering a quick sub-concussive blow to head with the hilt of her sword. Glass dropped his sword, and landed on the floor with his hand over his head.

Lyn approached the man, "I won't kill you if I don't need to, but I will. Do you surrender?"

Glass looked up his victorious opponent, then he took something shiny out of his cloak that blinded me.

"Ah!" I said while stepping back.

All I could hear was the quick draw of a sword and a painful scream. When my senses came to, Glass and a hidden steel dagger were on the floor of his throne, dead.

The day was won.

Joseph heard a familiar man scream.

Has someone come to the sword's rescue?

He limped out of his chamber to see a quartet of armed soldiers near the relic. Nearby laid the body of Glass. Elated, he approached them.

An old man appeared seemingly out of nowhere.

"Halt! Who goes there?" asked Kent.

The man stopped, but his attire gave his status away. He was the temple's holy man.

"I can't thank you enough for saving the sword." he said.

The man offered to allow us to touch the blade so we could receive its divine protection. Lyn went first, and as she closed her eyes as she focused her aura into it, praying for a safe journey.

I have a slight feeling she isn't praying for herself.

Suddenly, the blade began to glow, and it emanated the room. Lyn looked at the priest with eyes of shock.

"At last." said the priest. "All these years...generations upon generations of holy men predating the Scouring. The blade calls out to you young lady. The Mani Katti has found its owner."

Later...

"Wow...the Mani Katti...I can't believe it" said Lyn.

We had since left the temple and situated ourselves at a faraway hill. The sky was clear as ever, and the sun was beginning to set.

Drawing the sword, Lyn added, "I'll admit, I feel a bit uncomfortable being chosen to wield it."

Kent said, "The clergyman said that the sword itself chose you. If the spirits inside the sword say so...who are we to deny it's will?"

Lyn returned the sword into its scabbard, "Well I suppose your right."

"Although that priest was thankful that we rescued him, I wonder what he'll do with his life now?" I asked.

Sain shrugged his shoulders, "Yeah...I wonder".

Joseph's mission had been completed, though to be completely honest, he had assumed he'd be long dead before that happened. Now that the shrine's chief relic was gone, what was to happen to the shrine? What about himself? Maybe he'd join his brothers further south.

Yes, that's what I'll do.

All that was left was to say goodbye to the neighbors that were so kind to him during his duty here.

Before he left his home for the past 70 years, he looked back and thought about all the memories with Father Richard, Father Orasco, and Elder Micheal. He left one thing nailed on the table that used to hold the sword. A letter.

Dear travelers, over the 70 years that I've been here, I've had the honor of guarding a sacred relic that gave protection to everyone that asked for it. Over the centuries this sword has been here, we've helped countless amounts of people. I would not give that away for anything. However, recently the sword called out to a young woman who is on a mission, a lady with a heart of gold. In honor of all the holy men who came before me, I declare that our mission to defend this blade has been completed. I wish you all the best, and rejoice with me that the blade, after all these years, has finally found it's rightful owner.

From, Father Joseph.

That night...

The small drizzle that appeared out of nowhere quickly worsened into a full-on storm. The knight quickly felled some trees and Lyn and I used some buffalo skin to make a crude lean-to. Once the work was done, the knights ignited a fire that gave us some well-needed heat. We all crowded around the small structure, trying to conserve as much heat as possible.

Kent asked, "Who'll stay up for the first watch?"

I replied, "I will, I barely ever do, so I got to make it up to you guys somehow."

"Better get to it." said Lyn with tired eyes.

No one said a word, hoping that the sounds of the storm would be enough to take them through a woeful sleep. Stray, isolated beads of rain splashed onto my face, but I continued to sit with the others, unfazed. The constellations that I had grown fond of were hidden by the gray clouds. A fierce wind brushed up against me, with my robe successfully preserving my warmth. The fire danced against these conditions, always seeming threatened, but never conceding.

Lyn laid her head on my shoulder. I felt stomach jump as I remembered what she said earlier.

She whispered, "Don't...get the wrong idea. You owe me a life debt...and I'm tired. Your shoulder makes a good head rest...even if its nothing but bone."

I replied, "I'm not even sure how to react to that."

She said, "Don't. Just be quiet. Let me sleep..."

Her breathing slowed, and eventually, drowsiness overtook her.

One by one everyone eventually dozed off, with the blaze's embers dimming with time. I fought the urge to join my friends.

Through the thicket of trees and rain, a lone tactician waited for his turn to finally get some rest.