Henry sighed. All eyes were on him. "As Corrin stated our enemy is manipulating both Hoshido and Nohr into fighting each other."

"Who would do such a thing?" Hana asked. "And why?"

"I'm afraid I cannot give you the actual name of our enemy. If I do a curse will destroy me. That said, Corrin's attempt earlier has shown me that we need something to refer to our enemies as. So, I decided on another name we can use."

"I see…good idea, Henry." Corrin said. "What will we call them?"

"The Invisible Kingdome."

"I see…" Ike replied. "Our enemy uses invisible foes and have been acting completely unnoticed by both kingdoms…"

"Right. As for "why" I suspect they are trying to add more to their group. See, these enemies can raise the dead and make them do their biding."

"They already revived King Zephiel." Roy said. "Who knows what else we're dealing with."

"So, the longer this war goes on, the bigger their army gets." Tiger Lilly noted.

"Exactly."

"We need to put a stop to this before it gets out of control." Robin said. "But I also have a personal stake in this."

"Personal stake?" Kaze asked. "What do you mean?"

"It seems the Nohrians got their hands on, Robin and Lucina's daughter." John said.

"Robin and Lucina have a daughter?" Tiger Lilly asked.

"That's awful!" Sakura gasped. "Will she be alright?"

"I'm sure she will." Marth nodded. "Once we make our way to Nohr, we'll save her."

"But we need all the help we can get." Corrin said. "That's why I need to convince Xander and Ryoma to help."

"If we find Ryoma I can convince him!" Sakura insisted. "And if we save Takumi, he'll help!"

"I don't know…he's clearly not found of me…"

"I'll talk to him."

"Then let's get going." Henry said. "We'll start by looking for clues on his whereabouts."

"Sounds good." Corrin nodded.


A ridder in black armor and a rider in green stood over a cliff looking at a nearby village.

"There it is." The ridder in black said. "The crop from that village has provided for Hoshido for generations."

"Yes, it would be such a shame for them should something happen to it." His companion replied with a mischievous smirk.

"Indeed."

The man in black armor snapped his fingers. A pool formed behind him and a army of Faceless came out one by one.


Corrin was thinking to himself as he and his companions walked across the plain.

"Something on your mind?"

He then noticed Chrom was right behind him.

"No…just…thinking."

"So, something is on your mind?"

"Er, uh…okay, yes."

"Want to talk about it?"

Corrin's face became slightly red. "Well…Chrom, you're married, right?"

"I am."

"Well…did you find approaching your feelings…difficult?"

Chrom laughed at the question. "It always is. For everyone. Got someone on your mind?"

"Maybe…"

"Azura."

Both of them turned to Robin as he approached.

"Wai-wha-how did-when-

"As if it wasn't obvious enough." The tactician smirked, rolling his eyes.

"I…well…okay, maybe the time I've been spending with her has…made me care for her…"

"So, you want to tell her but you're to nervous. I can relate."

"What do I do? Should I tell her right away? Or will that ruin everything?"

"You'll have to find the right time yourself." Chrom said. "Just as we did."

"It'll work out Corrin!" The men turned around to see Dorothy catch up with Lucina, John and Henry close behind. "I mean look at Robin and Lucina! They're together now!"

"That we are." The princess smiled. "We got married a year after the war."

"And I'm proud to be the husband of such a lovely woman." Robin replied with a kiss on his wife's cheek.

"Aww…"

Everyone stared at the depressed Dorothy.

"Something wrong?" John asked.

"I miss the funny, cute couple that got all flustered at everything we said about them."

That comment got Henry, John and Chrom bursting into laughter. "Me too Dorothy! Me too!" the captain replied.

"You sound like my sister!" Chrom snickered.

The laughter was short lived, however. Distant shrieks replaced it.

"Did you hear that?!" Corrin asked. "Those screams! Something terrible is happening!"

Felicia ran up to them as quickly as possible with the others. "We've got trouble, all right! This village is under attack by the Faceless. But this place has been ravaged. We're too late!"

Alm looked into the smoke, not far from where they stood. "Maybe not! There could still be survivors!"

"Alm's right!" Celica replied, stepping forward. "We should search the area! We can't ignore the possibility of people needing our help!"


Hiding in the trees, not far from the village, a young with brown hair quietly sobbed. "M-M-Mother... My village... They're all dead... I'm alone. Nowhere to go! And those monsters... They're coming back for me..."

Soon she heard clanking and looked behind her. A mysterious figure slowly approached.

"EEEEK! WH-what is that?!"

"My apologies. I did not mean to frighten you. I assure you that I mean no harm. Are you alright?"

"Waugh! No! My mother... My friends..."

"Are they in danger? Fear not. I will assist. Where are they now?"

"My mother wouldn't take my hand. She's... she's..."

"My…condolences…such heartless monsters! To destroy a helpless village! If only my team were with me…we'd teach these vile terrors a lesson!"

"Hey! You there!"

Just then Corrin and his friends arrived.

Henry immediately identified the newcomer. "Tin Man! You're here!"

"Captain Fleming! And many of our old friends are with you! Thank goodness you are here. Though I fear we are too late. This girl is the sole survivor of this chaos."

"Damn monsters!" Chrom growled.

"They'll pay for this!" Corrin growled. "Tin Man, was it? Stay here with the girl! We'll deal with this!"

The villager wiped her tears and stood up. "No! I have to fight! For Mother! For all my friends! For everything those monsters took from me!"

"I will aid you as well then." Tin Man replied. "Though I fear I am currently unarmed."

"Here." Hana said, giving him a practice Katana. "You can have this."

"Thank you. Hmm…it has been many years since I held a Katana. I hope I haven't gotten rusty…"

"Wait…are you a samurai, too?"

"I was…long ago."

"I've never seen one with that kind of armor."

"That's not armor." Dorothy explained. "That's his body."

"Huh?"

"It is a long story." Tin Man replied.

"Then let's save it for later." Azura said. "We need to get to work."

"Young, girl, you can have my spare weapon." Subaki said, giving her a Brass Naginata.

"Thank you."

Alm drew his Falchion. "Let's go! Charge!"


The two knights continued to watch into the distance.

"Hmm?" The one in black armor looked into the distance.

"Milord?"

"I thought I heard something…something…familiar…"

The knight in green gave him a concerning look. Then he saw armed men emerge from the trees and begin a attack on the Faceless. "Milord. It seems the ruble have gathered reinforcements."

"What? Who would bother rescue a bunch of worthless pawns?"

"There don't seem to be very many of them. Our Faceless can deal with them, without our help."

"Let us watch carefully. This could be interesting."


Ike swung Ragnel upwards, flinging one of the monsters into the air, and shoulder charged into it as it came down. "God, these things are everywhere!"

John them smashed another with a hammer. "Then their ain't no excuse for missing!"

Robin cast a thunder spell at another and came back to back with Corrin. "Something's not right." The tactician muttered. "These things and their attacks are way to organized for a normal pack of mindless monsters. Someone must be giving orders."

"I hear you. We'd better find them."

Just as another attempted to ambush them, a arrow flew into the back of it's head, and it faded in smoke. Holding her, Iron Yumi, Tiger Lilly rushed in with Alm and Celica close behind.

"Any survivors?" Corrin asked.

"No…nothing in any of the houses remain." The young emperor replied.

"Damn!"

"They were sure to leave no evidence." Tiger Lilly added. "Who would do this?"

"Whoever it was, must be close by." Alm said, looking around. "I'll bet it's the Invisible Kingdome...Maybe they're trying to frame this on Nohr."

"Alm!" The green-haired royal turned to Celica, who looked up towards a nearby cliff. "Up there!"

Alm turned to where she was pointing. He could make out the image of two ridders.

Corrin looked up as well. "Hey, I know those two! Azura and I ran into them when we were escaping from the caste in Va-

"Corrin!" Robin grabbed Corrin's shoulder before he could finish.

"Opps! Right, I mean the Invisible Kingdom. Thanks Robin."

Alm slightly squinted.

Up on the cliff the knight in green noticed someone familiar facing their direction. "Wait…" The knight in green noticed the group. He could recognize Corrin right away. Then he saw someone he knew personally. "What?! Milord look!"

The knight in black looked where his companion was pointing.

Both he and Alm looked at each other in disbelief. The ladder feeling a pit in his stomach. "No…"

The knight smirked at the sight of him. "So, fate has brought you here as well…Prince Albine."

"No…someone tell me this isn't real…"

Celica looked at him in concern. "Alm?"

Slowly Alm, started to feel his legs weaken. Just as they gave out Celica ran up and caught him. "Alm?! What's wrong!? Alm!"

Back on the cliff the knights did not avert their gaze from Alm. "I certainty did not expect to see him." The green knight muttered. "What now milord? Should we engage?"

"No. Why bother? The village has been destroyed. Let them mow down a few expendable Faceless. It'll be merely trying to spit out the fires of hell. Besides…I think we should tell him that we found the little prince."

The knight's turned their mounts around and galloped away.

"You're not going to escape!" Corrin grabbed his Dragonstaone, ready to transform and fly after them, but Ike grabbed his cape. "Hey!"

"Oh, no you don't! We let you run off on your own last time and you nearly got killed!"

"Ike's right, let them go for now." Robin said. "They could be trying to lead us into a trap. More importantly, without them, we can deal with the enemy with ease."

"Alm! Alm! Hang in there!" Everyone brought their attention to Celica who tried to shake Alm's shoulders, but he stayed in his shocked trance. "I…I don't know what happened to him!"

"Stay close then!"


Hiding further away from them, two figures observed the battle. One had brown gloves and boots, with baggy white pants. They also wore a black coat with purple markings that had a hood that was currently concealing their face.

The other was taller with white boots and gloves with black pants and shirt with white sleeves and a skirt. She had a bandana in her long, pink spiky hair. "Looks like they're all here, just as you said they would be." She said to her companion. "Are you sure you don't want to tell them?"

The hooded figure nodded.

"Well…okay. We should probably meet up with the others."

With that, the two of them walked away.


Within time the last of the monsters were finished and Corrin had Felicia and Kaze scan the area. Once they confirmed they were in the clear, he finally sheathed his blade. "All right. We've finished off the last of the Faceless."

The young villager they saved turned to him. "Um, but what do I do? They took my Mother...My life."

"Do you have any family, nearby?" Chrom asked. "We can take you there."

"There's no one. I couldn't even start over here by myself. All the homes, fields... It's all destroyed." The girl looked like she was ready to cry. "But I wouldn't want to stay here even if it wasn't. Everyone I called family is dead. Every house...a grave."

Corrin thought for a moment before he took her by the shoulders. "Listen, we'll take you in. We can't replace all those you've lost. But we'll take care of you."

"I can join your group?"

"Corrin, we can't bring her with us, with what we're up too." Henry said.

"Well, we can't just leave her here. She won't make it on her own." He replied, before turning back to the survivor. "But I suppose it is true that our group... a family of sorts... is bound by a dangerous cause. We go from one battle to the next, ever in peril. That's no life for you."

"I'm not afraid. I can help. I might even save you or your friends. Let me join your cause, whatever it is. I'll keep your family safe."

"Yes, of course. I have to admit, you sound just like one of us already."

"I'll do my best. And I'll stay safe. After all, Mother's watching over me now."

Ike smirked. "Don't expect it to be easy…um…"

"Mozu."

"Right. We'll have battles far tougher than this one."

"Then I'll get stronger."

"Everyone."

The whole group brought their attention to Celica and Alm, who seemed to have recovered from his shock.

"Feeling better, Alm?" Henry asked.

"Yeah…sorry. Corrin, you said you saw those knights at the Invisible Kingdome?"

The prince nodded. "Both me and Azura were attacked by them when we were escaping the castle. They were too strong…we had to run."

"Alm, do you know who those two are?" Robin asked. "They were clearly staring right at you."

The young emperor looked away, as Celica helped him sit down on a rock. "The one in black armor…his name is Berkut."

"Wait…Berkut…If I remember my Valentian history, correctly…wasn't he the nephew of Emperor Rudolf?" Chrom asked.

"Yes…the nephew of my father."

"Wait, what? That guy was your cousin?" John asked.

"Yes…consumed, by jealousy, and hate, for me, he turned to Duma for power…it corrupted him and I…had to end his life with my own hands…"

Celica rubbed Alm's back as he spoke.

"What of the other?" Lucina asked.

"The other one was Fernand. He used to be part of the Deliverance…The army I lead into battle. When his best friend Clive assigned me as the new leader, Fernand became furious and left."

"That's a little overdramatic for a slight change in command." Henry muttered.

"It's because…well…in the past I thought I was a simple villager. A grandchild of Sir Mycen. Fernand's father was a noble, but at the time Zofia, was suffering from a drought, and the people were starving. And that lead to commoners killing his entire family…he held resentment to all commoners ever since."

"Oh…"

"So, he left and joined Berkut…we fought each other a couple of times, until Berkut sold his soul to Duma and hurt him. He was mortally wounded by the time we found him in Duma's underground temple. He begged for us to stop him before he passed away in Clive's arms."

"I see."

"You mentioned our true enemy can resurrect the dead." Tiger Lilly said. "Did he bring them back as well?"

"Most likely." Azura replied. "I'm sorry, Alm but the Berkut and Fernand you once knew do not exist in the men you saw. If you see them again you will have no choice but to destroy them."

Celica looked at the singer in shock. "How can you say that?! This isn't so simple for Alm!"

"…No Celica. She's right. I made Berkut a promise that I would make Valentia a land of men, not gods. I know what he'd want me to do. And when Fernand learned what happened to him he begged me to free him from the control of gods."

"You'll be ready to fight them?" Ike asked.

The green-haired warrior stood up. "I am. I have no choice."


Berkut and Fernand returned to the castle in Valla and walked down the halls. Upon entering a meeting room, they came face to face with the man in red armor and white hair.

"Huh. I thought the castle was remarkably quiet." The prideful prince smirked. "Is he gone already?"

"He left for Nohr, some time ago." The man replied. "But enough of him. Is the village gone?"

"Yes sir." Fernand replied. "We left no evidence. With luck, Nohr will be blamed for the crime."

"Very good. Anything else to report?"

"Something very interesting actually." Berkut replied. "It seems that Prince…or should I say…Emperor Albine is supporting Corrin and his friends."

The man was silent for a second before he responded. "Are you certain?"

"It was him. No doubt about it." Fernand replied.

"I see…"

"I don't think I need to explain how this could hinder our goals. How do we proceed?" Berkut asked.

"We have Corrin under surveillance. He will report if this becomes a serious issue. For now, focus on bringing out Hoshido's rage. Without their queen to calm them, it should be a simple task."

"As you wish…uncle."


That probably came as no surprise to the Shadows of Valentia players. In fact I'd BE surprised if it WAS a surprise. And the guy in red armor shouldn't be a mystery anymore but I'll keep my mouth shut regardless. Hope you look forward to the next chapter!