They'd arrived in Ylisstol ahead of time, Robin surmised, judging by the position of the sun in the sky. It might have been because they left early, or might have been because he had unconsciously kept his pace fast. He did want to see everyone again. Well, the kids, anyway. That thought soured him just a bit, that after all this time he wouldn't even get a proper reunion.

During the trip, Robin idly asked Severa and Owain questions about what had happened while he was gone. He had been gone for about a year and a half, according to them. During that time, Chrom and Sumia had ushered in a new era of prosperity and goodwill, with no threat of war to bog everyone down; Basilio and Flavia remained the Khans of Regna Ferox, with the reins being passed to and fro with stunning regularity; Virion returned to Rosanne, with his popularity having tanked, until a certain fiery redhead increased his popularity... by force; Say'ri returned to Chon'sin and helped restore peace to Valm; and so on, and so on. Robin listened intently, enjoying the conversation, but at the same time using the details to try and unscramble his memories.

As they made their way up to the castle, he noticed quite a few stares in his direction, and he could understand why. There were excited murmurs permeating the crowd, and he distinctly at one point heard "No, his hair's too dark, that's not him."

...Huh.

And yet, as he walked, he could tell the crowd was moving to make way for him, like his own personal parade.

"Heehee... It's kind of embarrassing, isn't it?" Cynthia said, her pegasus walking alongside him. "It takes a while to get used to. But once you do, it's kind of a nice feeling."

Well, Robin wasn't sure about that, but he smiled nonetheless. "Yeah... I guess I'll get with it eventually."

After a while and a few fans without a concept for personal space, they had made their way through the castle gates, into the courtyard, and to the main hallway. Robin looked around, getting a feel for the atmosphere. It was about as extravagant as he remembered it, that is to say not too extravagant at all. That was one of the constants in his memories, and he was thankful for that. It was an anchor for him to root himself with.

Eventually, they had made their way to the door to the main chamber.

"Everyone was hoping that we'd actually be able to find you. They're going to be so happy to see you!" Cynthia said, before pushing open the door. "Hey guys! Look who I-"

"Robin!" Robin had had about 0.8 seconds to react before a diminutive form wrapped itself around him, causing him to stumble backwards.

"Um... Nah?" Robin started, "It's nice to see you too, but... when did you become your mother?"

"Oh, hush!" Nah said, still gripping him in a hug. "Can't I just be happy to see you after a year and a half?"

"Well... I guess, but..."

"See? So just let me be. Everyone's missed you too!"

It was a few seconds before Nah released him, and by that time everyone else had formed a circle around him. He exchanged handshakes and tearful smiles with everyone.

"Robin," it was Lucina that spoke up after everyone had settled down, "I'm sure you've been told about the current situation."

Robin nodded. "But the question is... how? And why? We're sorely lacking in clues..."

"I may have a hypothesis," Laurent chimed in, "though I haven't found any proof to test it. The disappearance of the Shepherds and the appearance of the Simulacra seem to coincide in a time frame that is too close to be coincidental. Perhaps one is related to the other... though I haven't figured out what the connection could be."

"Hmm... that's a point," Robin mused. "That reminds me, on our way here, we were caught in an ambush by these... Simulacra. That's odd though, isn't it?"

"Indeed. These things do seem to act like the Risen on an individual scale. That they would stage an ambush implies that someone is maneuvering them," Laurent said, bringing his hand to his chin, "we've only seen them once, attacking Ylisstol. But if what you have told me holds merit..."

Robin nodded. "They're targeting us."

At that, various murmurs came up between the group.

Robin sighed. "I guess this isn't the best time for worrying. For now, I should catch up with you guys. It's... been a while."

He saw smiles light up the entire group.


Robin sat in his old bedroom, the one that had been given to him and his wife after the war in Valm.

Dinner had been lively, and he was to thank for that, according to Lucina. It had been the first time everyone had been able to meet and have dinner as Shepherds in a long time. They had talked about many different things, from the groundbreaking to the mundane. Owain's theatrical style of speaking translated especially well into writing, and he became a successful novel writer. Inigo traveled with Brady to perform as a musical duo. Kjelle continued to train in Wyvern Valley with Gerome, turning down the title of Duchess of Roseanne. To be fair, the nobles didn't try very hard to persuade her. Cynthia took over as the captain of the Pegasus Knights. Laurent traveled with Noire around the world to discover new things, but eventually settled down in Ylisstol. Yarne and Nah did the same, electing to find a house in the outskirts of the city. Morgan and Severa continued to live in the castle, although Severa occasionally traveled to the other nations for adventure. She never strayed far from Ylisse, though. She didn't want to miss Robin's return.

Robin took a deep breath and stood, heading over to his desk. He pulled out a spare parchment, and began to write down everything that he recalled in the past few hours. Details of the current loop, as it were.

After a few minutes, he rubbed his eyes. He'd written down most of what he could remember, but there were a few details still missing. And that wasn't even considering every other loop. There was... a lot.

"Father?" He heard a voice at the same time he saw Morgan opening the door.

"Hmm? What's going on, Morgan?"

"Oh, no it's just... I... I miss Mother."

"Mother... Morgan, so do I. We'll bring her back. I promise."

"No, I... I mean... never mind. Sorry to interrupt you, Father."

"...Okay? ...Uh, goodnight, Morgan."

"Goodnight, Father," she murmured as she left.

Robin yawned, and he moved to the bed. He laid his head down, trying to think about how he was going to keep his promise. He missed... them."

Robin sighed. He looked at the empty space next to him on the bed. He had a feeling things might get... awkward... between him and all the women.

"Well... I just brought that thought upon myself," he mumbled as his consciousness drifted away.


Morgan slipped back into her room. She looked over at Severa, sleeping soundly in her bed. She sighed. She shuffled over to the mirror in the room. She gave her reflection a good look. She brought her hands to her cheeks, slapping them softly, and curling her lips up. She brought a hand to her hair next, holding a strand of hair in between her fingers. Her smile fell, and she sighed.

Personally, she thought she looked better with blonde hair.


She swirls the wine in the glass, swiping her fingers across the mirror. She smiles at the scenes that scroll by.

Maribelle in the fetal position, holding Lissa's disembodied head.

Lon'qu frantically looking for an escape, surround by distorted, featureless, grey female humanoids.

Donnel staring in horror as his village and its villagers burn endlessly.

Nowi crying on the ground, surrounded by hundreds and hundreds of gravestones.

She smiles. The build-up has gone on long enough, she thinks. Time to start... the real story.


A/N: When you set a precedent on yourself by updating every day, suddenly not doing so makes it feel weird. My last update was four days ago and while that may be super fast for most others, like I said, precedent.

Also, a few key things are happening in this chapter, most important being that whoever is responsible for everything that's happening right now is... eager to get on with the show. And what a show it will be. Robin will soon discover that... actually, I probably shouldn't tell you.

She'll get mad.