Chapter V

Although Kaguya and Azura were far behind the others, they managed to catch up to Hinoka, Sakura and Takumi. The closer they got to the battlefield, the more it made Kaguya feel uncomfortable.

Those were the forces of her siblings she had to go against and she noticed her hands trembling as she tried to calm herself and steel her nerves. Even when she had to fight against her Nohrian siblings, she needed to stay headfast.

"Are you all right, Kaguya?" Azura asked, sounding worried and Kaguya nodded in return, her fingers cramped around the hilt of Yato.

She was still confused over what has happened and her heart pained at the thought of her mother dying in her arms without giving Kaguya the chance to acknowledge her as her mother, it made her feel guilty.

The field they arrived on was a vast one, divided into two by a river with destroyed bridges.

Several Nohrian soldiers noticed her and came running up to her with made Kaguya tense but she quickly drew her sword and fought them, blades clashing.

She soon noticed how close she was standing to Ryoma who was battling someone else and the breath caught in her throat realizing who it was.

Xander was there, atop his horse and Siegfried in his hand.

He had a very severe expression but once his eyes caught Kaguya's joy flashed over his face and it looked like he was smiling.

"Kaguya, you're alive!"

"Xander…" She muttered in disbelief. She couldn't understand why he was attacking Hoshido - now of all the times! Her chest started to ache even more seeing the distance they were apart and Xander made a gesture which looked like he wanted to pull her towards him which made her heart quiver. Kaguya's body reacted on its own as she made a step forward and reached out her hand towards Xander, but Ryoma held out his arm in front of her in a protective manner thus stopping her.

"Be careful, Kaguya. That man is a Nohrian commander!" He shouted and pulled her behind him. As he did she could see Xander's face distorting in rage, his eyes seemingly glowing in anger and it looked like he tried to ready Siegfried to strike down Ryoma.

"Kaguya, Father says it's time to show our true strength! Join us and we will end this quickly. If we conquer Hoshido here and now, we can avoid unnecessary bloodshed." Xander shouted, gripping his sword tighter as she peeked over Ryoma's arm to him. He looked quite miserable and Kaguya found herself wanting to run over and hug him just like she had done when they were little, but something was holding her back.

Why did they had to fight? There has to be a different way to solve the conflict.

As she kept thinking what she should do, Kaguya spotted Camilla, Leo and Elise from afar and her heart sunk even more. She couldn't fight against them, she just couldn't. Her Nohrian siblings also tried to get Kaguya to come over to them while the Hoshidian ones were arguing that she was staying with them and it made Kaguya feel even more conflicted.

She couldn't decide for one side and betray the other. She has to find another way…

Her siblings looked at her in anticipation, her eldest brothers reaching out their hands for her and Kaguya stopped breathing, it felt like she was suffocating.

"I… I…." She stuttered, holding her breath. Something inside of her screamed, saying that she shouldn't choose a side. And Kaguya got the same feeling. She has to search for another way. "I can not choose a side and betray the other, I won't do it! I… I choose my own path!"

Kaguya bellowed and before anyone could say that she retreated, running off the battlefield. She was sure she had disappointed everyone - disappointed Xander - but she had to search for a different solution. Something bigger was happening there and she wanted to find out.

Reaching a nearby forest she felt goosebumps forming all over her body as she heard the battle raging on which made her feel sick, she doesn't wanted to betray her siblings so her only way was to run away - how cowardly.

"Ngh…" Kaguya fell to her knees, she had been unable to look into her siblings' eyes as she ran away and she felt like a true coward for running away and not talking to her but her body has moved on its own.

"There you are." A soft voice reached her and Kaguya winced, looking around to see Azura approaching her.

"Azura…" She muttered when she heard running and suddenly Jakob emerged from between some bushes, his expression softening upon seeing her.

"Ah, I'm so glad you're safe!" He beamed and jumped on his feet, moving towards her to help her up on her feet. "I'm here to help you, milady Kaguya."

"Jakob?! What are you doing here?" She asked in surprise while Jakob put his hand on his chest and shook his head.

"I've been trying to find you ever since we got separated. It took a while, but now that I'm here, I'll support you. Even though I'm unclear which armies we're up against…"

"The short version is… we seem to be against the Hoshidan and Nohrian armies. I have not chosen to side with either one." Kaguya answered and it looked like something has struck Jakob as his eyes grew bigger looking at her.

"Yes, we managed to escape, but I'm sure they're still on our trail." Azura then spoke up and Kaguya looked surprised at her.

"We?"

"Yes, because I chose to side with you, Kaguya. You have shown me kindness in the past few days like no one else. But… we can't leave things as they are now - we will be branded as traitors by both kingdoms." Azura replied with a concerned expression but Kaguya kept quiet and looked to the ground, her mind was reeling as she was thinking. "Listen to me, you'll lose everything if you don't choose a side. It's either Hoshido or Nohr."

"No. There's another option. A third one! I can choose not to support either side." Kaguya shook her head.

"But… how?"

"I have family in Hoshido. I also have family in Nohr. Even if I were to lose everything… Even if all of them… despise… me and think of me as a coward…. I can't choose to side with one against the other. I simply can't do that. I don't care if I lose everything. This is what I've decided." Kaguya replied and looked deeply into Azura's eyes, her resolve not wavering. Azura gasped with a shocked expression but then smiled and nodded.

"I see… You have to be willing to risk a lot to accomplish something major… I suppose you're right. My own mother lost her life protecting Nohr. But I don't think she regretted her choice. She died to protect the ones she loved. I've made up my mind as well… I will follow you, no matter what."

"Thank you, Azura." Kaguya replied with a smile and gripped her hands, squeezing them softly. "Oh, and might you know what happened after I have rushed off the battlefield?"

"Yes, Prince Xander has accused Ryoma of corrupting you and they started to fight, but in the middle the Nohrian forces retreated."

"I see... " Kaguya muttered and looked down. It hurt her to know that they all had been expecting so much of her and were simply disappointed but she vowed to make everything right so that everyone could live in peace.

Suddenly, she saw something moving from the corner of her eyes and noticed it to be Lilith who flew down next to her.

"Lilith, great timing!"

"Lilith?" Jakob suddenly intervened after hearing a familiar name. "Milady, do you mean to say this creature is our stable girl? It can't be…"

"Actually, it can. And it is." Kaguya replied as Jakob walked closer and began inspecting Lilith who only smiled.

"Sorry, milady, but I fail to grasp the joke. Lilith is a human, not a… fantastical beast."

"Look, I know it is confusion, but I'll explain everything later. Come, I want to show you something before we catch up with the others." Kaguya answered and a light started to surround them which seemed to surprise Jakob as he looked around in surprise. A moment passed and they stood in front of the castle in the Astral Plane and Kaguya told Jakob and Azura about this peculiar place.

"...I see. So, to be clear, we are in something called an astral plane. Fascinating, truly fascinating." Jakob answered and walked off to look around the place.

"Lady Kaguya…" Lilith spoke up and Kaguya turned back to the small dragon. "I know the choice you just made was a difficult one. From here on out, you and your allies will continue down your chosen path. I promise to do everything in my power to help you on your journey. As such, please feel free to use this astral plane to rest or prepare for battle."

"Thank you, Lilith. Your kindness and support are very much appreciated." Kaguya giggled quietly and stroked Lilith's head who made a content expression.

"Aww, you're very welcome. Now, you should look around the commodities within the castle walls and get to know every little detail."

"You are right, maybe I should do that." Kaguya answered and walked through the field to see what kind of buildings stood within the castle wall. There was Lilith's Temple, several shops, a Hot Spring, a Main Hall with a kitchen, an Arena and a Prison.

She wondered what the purpose of some of them were and realized after a while how tired she was, after all she had a long day behind herself and once forcibly transfigured into a dragon. She invited Azura to have a dip in the Hot Springs with her and they ate dinner together with Jakob who prepared it for them before she went back to the room she had used before she was taken to Hoshido.

She fell on the bed, hugging the pillow as she thought about the events that had happened today. She has lost her mother and the trust of her siblings, but she knew she was walking down the right path.

Her mind drifted to Xander and she bit on her lower lip to not think how he must have felt when she had ran away instead of choosing one side. He must have been so disappointed.

Her heart clenched at the thought and she felt a wave of desperation wash over her, she doesn't wanted Xander to hate her. She would never be able to get over it if this was the case.

Kaguya shook her head, trying her best to not think about it when she heard a faint knock on her door.

"Yes, come in." She said and sat up, throwing the pillow aside. It was Azura who peeked inside with her brows raised.

"I'm sorry, did I wake you up?"

"No, I have been still awake. Come in." Kaguya answered and Azura nodded, quietly closing the door behind herself before sitting down next to Kaguya. "Is something bothering you, Azura?"

"Not really, I just have some doubts regarding our whole situation. I am sure we are going to be fought as enemies by both kingdoms once we start walking down our path. And I just wanted to ask you again if you are a hundred percent sure that you want to do it." Azura said and raised her brows, looking uncertain and Kaguya nodded.

"I might have been not certain in the beginning, but I want to follow the path I'm on. I want the two kingdoms to be in peace and be with both my families. I will do everything to make that happen." Kaguya replied and Azura looked surprised at her and then nodded. "Besides, I have a feeling that there was something bigger behind everything. Well, I was indirectly told that before but I have never known what she meant with it until now."

"Who told you?"

"Uhm… since I was little, I had to stay in the Northern Fortress and I was often visited by a friend who has taught me many things." Kaguya replied and remembered Aria who hadn't visited her for quite some time and she found herself wishing she would be here.

"What kind of friend was she?"

"Well, her name is Aria and she is a very powerful mage as she was able to freeze the time around the fortress every time she came to visit. And in all those years she never changed and kept looking the same…" Kaguya muttered with a melancholic smile pulling her legs to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. "But when I told someone of her they assumed she was just an imaginary friend I made up, no matter how hard I tried to convince them."

"I see… but it does sound nice." Azura smiled and then looked over to the Yato leaning against a chair. "It seems like we have quite the journey ahead of us."

"Yes, but I'm looking forward to travel by your side." Kaguya giggled and Azura looked astonished at her at first, but then laughed and added that she was looking forward to travel with Kaguya as well.

"Oh, by the by, you are a songstress, right? Can you sing me some songs?" Kaguya asked, leaning forwards and Azura nodded, starting to sing many different songs which started to soothe Kaguya's nerves.

The two of them kept talking to each other, finally falling asleep next to each other in Kaguya's bed.

The next morning the two young women woke up to Jakob standing next to the bed with a faint smile, holding a tray with two servings of breakfast for the two. He told Kaguya that he had assumed the two would be sleeping together in the night when she inquired how he knew Azura was with her.

"Have you two considered what our next move will be? Nohr and Hoshido against us; we don't have many friends right now." Jakob mentioned during pouring tea for the two ladies and Kaguya cocked her her, thinking while munching on a piece of bread.

"It seems like we should lay low for a little bit."

"Then… I know a place where no one will find us. We should be safe there." Azura answered with a slightly pained smile.

"Really?"

"Yes. And once we get there, I have much to tell you. Things I heard from my mother… and the truth about this world…" Azura answered and Kaguya nodded in response, she was wondering what Azura wanted to tell her but secretly looked forwards to it.

They quickly finished their meal and got ready to head out, telling Lilith good-bye as they passed the portal.

Azura then lead Kaguya to a place she did knew; the Bottomless Canyon. Furrowing her brows, she looked over to Azura who stopped on the bridge and grabbed the railing.

"This is the Bottomless Canyon where we lost Gunter. You don't mean for us to hide out there, do you?" Kaguya asked Azura with a doubtful expression but she nodded.

"That's exactly what I mean. We'll jump into the canyon." Azura replied and started to climb over the railing while Kaguya hurried to her side, thinking she might fall.

"Just wait a minute!" Jakob shouted suddenly. "If we jump from here, we'll all one will ever find us, that's for sure - but we'll be ghosts!"

"Don't worry. You won't die if you jump. You have to trust me." Azura answered and looked at Kaguya with a hopeful expression who took a peek over the railing of the bridge.

"Azura… you'll tell us more of what you know after we jump into the canyon, right?"

"Yes, if that's what you wish."

"Then we have no choice." Kaguya replied and climbed over the railing, standing next to Azura and looking down. She it gave her a queasy feeling to look down but she steeled herself to not get scared of jumping down.

"Are you certain about this, milady?" Jakob asked as he went closer to her and Kaguya nodded.

"Yes, everything will be fine. I trust Azura."

"Thank you, Kaguya. Well then, I will go first and wait for you to follow." Azura answered and then threw herself from the rope bridge. Kaguya saw her plunging into the darkness and took a deep breath before imitating her.

She could see Azura looking around to her and nodding before the two of them were swallowed by darkness.

"Kaguya…" A voice was calling out to her in the darkness, a voice she knew very well but couldn't remember clearly whose it was. "Kaguya, the place you just entered is very dangerous. You better keep your guard up and leave as soon as possible. You are not safe there."

Kaguya wanted to speak up to the voice, but she couldn't and wondered who it might be as she slowly opened her eyes. She could feel herself lying on the ground with grass tickling her nose. Slowly, she rose and looked around. She was lying in a field which continued to a sideways land formation. Above her were some floating islands, some inverted and others sideways as well as broken skies. All of the islands had remains of buildings and grassy fields and Kaguya had a feeling she had been here before, but couldn't remember.

"Is… this the bottom of the canyon? That was a heck of a jump, but nothing seems to be broken." She muttered after checking her whole body for any injures.

"Thank goodness." Kaguya heard Azura saying who was standing next to her and extended one arm to her to help Kaguya back on her feet. "I said you'd be all right, didn't I?"

Kaguya nodded, feeling a bit lightheaded and looked around to see whether Jakob was also there only to find him standing a bit away from them, beating the dust and grime off his clothes.

"Jakob, how do you feel?"

"I'm fine, of course. I'm relieved to see Lady Kaguya is unhurt as well." He answered and straightened his clothes before approaching them.

"So… where are we? This place looks like it's definitely seen better days." Kaguya muttered and looked over to Azura who sighed heavily.

"...This is the kingdom of Valla. It's responsible for the war between Hoshido and Nohr."

"Responsible? How?"

"Follow me, both of you. If we linger here, we'll be spotted." Azura said and looked around before heading to a mountainous site where they entered a dark cave. Unable to see anything, Kaguya created a small light ball in her hands which illuminated their faces.

"We should be safe here." Azura took a deep breath, apparently mentally preparing herself. "As I was saying… the throne of Valla is occupied by King Anankos. Before his arrival, this land was a peaceful one. All was well until Anankos killed our king and took the throne for himself. Once bountiful farmlands were devastated, replaced by wastelands and graveyards."

"He destroyed an entire kingdom?! For no reason at all?" Kaguya asked but then started to notice that there was a certain similarity to a story Aria has told her some years ago.

"Yes, and he isn't finished. He wishes to lay waste on the entire world. First Valla, then Nohr and Hoshido. Even now, he's the hidden influence that quietly forces Nohr and Hoshido to fight. King Garon's invasion is the result of Anankos subtle manipulations."

"That's horrible! But… if it's true, then maybe we can stop this war by defeating Anankos! We need to get back above and explain this to everyone! If we can get Nohr and Hoshido to work together with…"

"I'm sorry but you can't." Azura quickly intervened. "You mustn't talk about Valla to anyone when you're beyond it's borders. If you do, you'll trigger a curse that will cause your body to dissolve and disappear. That's what happened to my mother… to Arete, the former queen of Valla."

"Your mother was a queen in Valla, not Nohr? Then that makes you…"

"Yes, I am a Vallite princess. The king that Anankos murdered was my father. I was forced to flee and wasn't able to tell anyone about this before. Because of that curse… Even if I wanted to talk, I couldn't. I was trapped - no matter how much I missed my parents. I had to keep it all bottled up inside… until now." Azura showed Kaguya a sad smile and it pained her to see her friend in such a state so she approached the princess and put her arms around her in a comforting hug. She could feel Azura wincing but she then put her arms around Kaguya as well and hugged her back, sobbing quietly.

"Don't worry, you don't need to keep everything to yourself anyone. I'm here to share everything with you - no matter what it is, you can come to me and talk about it."

"Yes, thank you…" Azura whimpered and stepped back, wiping the tears out of her face with the back of her hand. "But listen, Kaguya. I'm sorry to say this, but… Now that you've chosen this path, you'll know exactly what I've been feeling. No matter how much you want someone to understand what's happening… No matter how much you want to tell them the truth… you won't be able to tell them. You need to prepare yourself for that. I can't even express how painful it is to know the truth and not be able to say it."

"All right, I understand." Kaguya said and nodded, but then remembered the voice in her head telling her to leave Valla as soon as possible due to danger when she was unconscious but at the same time enemies appeared and Azura hissed, telling her to tread carefully as the enemies could be in the shadows waiting for them.

They kept fighting and upon reaching the end of the cave Gunter miraculously joined them and fought with them so that they could escape the maze-like structure of the cave.

Stepping outside they suddenly stood in front of three nearly invisible beings with a purple hue and Kaguya raised her sword in defense.

"Leave now… You should not be here." The front being said with a female voice and Kaguya winced.

"Who are you?!"

"I am a mage of Valla… You were warned. Vallite warriors, eliminate them." The female voice told the other invisible beings around her to attack them and Kaguya groaned, telling the others to run as they were not strong enough to fight against all of them.

Azura lead them through a portal and soon the group found themselves back in the Bottomless Canyon and Kaguya fell to the ground sighing in relief.

"It looks like we've made it back. But who was that woman down there? She said she was a mage…"

"When dawn turns to dusk. When dusk turns to dawn. Then the door will spawn." Azura suddenly said and Kaguya shot her a confused glance as she went back on her feet.

"Is that a poem, Azura?"

"My mother… she said those words to me long time ago. She said that when dawn turns to dusk, and dusk turns to dawn… the pass in the Bottomless Canyon opens or closes."

"When the dawn turns…" Gunter repeated the words with a frown. "Oh, I get it. Once every few decades, the skies above Nohr and Hoshido will reverse. However, if I remember it right, we have to wait a long time until then."

"Yes, I'm sure that's the sign that the pass down there has opened or closed. Since we're obviously able to travel there now, it will be closed next time. Once it closes, it will stay that way for decades. We won't be able to get there… Even if it will happen in many, many months due, we don't have much time."

"I see. The, we'll need both kingdoms to stop fighting each other and help us. If we had Xander and Ryoma, there's no way we'd lose." Kaguya muttered and rubbed her chin lost in thoughts.

"But how can we convince them? We can't tell the truth!" Azura quickly reminded her.

"We'll just have to find another way. It's the only chance we have. Now that I know there is a common enemy for both countries to fight… I think we can save Nohr and Hoshido. All I can do is believe in myself and try to convince others to join us." Kaguya answered and pumped her fist in determination.

"Kaguya… I suppose you're right. I felt so powerless on my own, but together we might be able to pull something off! Nothing will change if we stay here. Let's return to Hoshido first, I feel like they might be more willing to listen to us."

And with that, they headed out towards Fort Jinya.