The rest of the Shepherds left Chrom and his family on the balcony for a while, leaving the five alone.
"... I let her die," he finally said. "I wasn't quick enough. I was too late."
Morgan shook his head.
"No, Father. It's not your fault," he told him. "They were going to kill her anyways."
Yui turned into her pixie form and flew towards Chrom's face, kissing his cheek.
"Mommy looked so happy to see you, Daddy," she sat down on his shoulder. "I think she knew you wanted to save her."
"But I failed," he tried to wipe his eyes. "Over and over, I keep on letting her slip away..."
"... No. Something was off," Lucina began to say. "Why would Mother willingly marry that admin? Surely she wouldn't do it unless she was bribed or blackmailed somehow..."
"What do you mean?" Hiro asked.
"From what I can gather from the situation, I can only assume that Mother was somehow captured by that admin and can't log out. If he really has the power to do that, then I don't know if it's in our might to save her."
Morgan thought on that.
"I can't imagine she'd marry him of her own volition, either," he said. "Like you said, Lucy, I think she's being forced somehow. But I can't say exactly how or why."
Anger bubbled up from within Chrom. The thought of Robin marrying another man, being the mother of another person's children was sickening to him. It made him furious when he saw her up on the balcony next to Oberon. So furious that he wanted to kill him.
"I think he might have some history with Mother," Lucina deduced. "Although I can't say if she regained her memories after leaving FE:A, we don't know anything about her previous life in the real world. It's possible he..."
Her voice cracked.
"It's possible he was her... Lover."
Chrom shook his head, pounding the stone ground.
"No," he clenched his teeth. "No, he wasn't. If he was, Robin wouldn't have looked so dejected and empty like that. She looked miserable. There's no way she could have loved him."
Lucina's words rang within him, making him want to vomit. He wanted to tell himself it wasn't true, that it wasn't a possibility, when in reality it was. But he didn't want to believe it.
"That's true," Hiro said. "I didn't feel like she held any affections for him. In fact, I felt hatred... But I also felt guilt, and sadness."
"What do you mean?" Morgan asked. "You can feel those things?"
He nodded.
"Well, Yui can turn into a pixie and open data information of the game, but I can sense the emotions of those around me and look into their memories if they recall them. I suppose that's why I'm so quiet most of the time; I'm always sensing what others are feeling. I knew Mommy was... Well, Mommy, when I saw her because of how she reacted to seeing Daddy. I sensed her heart fill with happiness, and hope. And love."
Chrom perked up slightly.
"... What did Oberon feel?"
"He felt..." Hiro shuddered. "Lust. Longing. And jealousy. He also felt a sense of satisfaction, and power, probably for his admin privileges."
The first word ignited a spark in Chrom, making him angry all over again. He'd learned how to control his emotions over the years of war, but when it came to Robin, he couldn't help himself. She was his other half. Seeing her hurt was like watching another part of him being stabbed.
"Isn't that illegal, though?" Yui asked. "Sure, I don't know much about the real world, but I'd assume that virtual kidnapping is a crime!"
"It is," Lucina knit her brows. "Perhaps if we report this to the game executives, they can do something about it.
"That sounds like a good plan," Chrom stood up. "Let's do it after we log off."
"You're leaving now?" Yui asked.
He shook his head.
"No, not yet. I wouldn't leave you that early," he smiled. "We still have two days to spend together. I wouldn't want to waste them."
The twins beamed and they all flew down to join the others, who were waiting outside the plaza. They decided not to ask questions and flew towards another forest to gain some levels. On the way there, Morgan flew closer to Hiro.
"Hey, um, Hiro? Can I ask you something?"
"Yeah, what is it?" Hiro responded.
"Well, you said before that you and Yui could do special things," he began to say. "Why is that?"
Hiro shook his bangs out of his eyes.
"When NAGA sent us here, she knew that GRIMA would delete her the first chance he got," he explained. "So she decided to give us some of her cybernetic abilities so that GRIMA couldn't take them from her. Yui received data access, while I received emotion sensory. I guess she thought those were two of the most important things she had control over."
Morgan's eyes widened.
"So basically you have the powers of an AI?"
"Well... Something like that. But since we're not AI's, we can only use them to a certain degree. For example, Yui can only access the database of the game or program she's in, not all of them. And I can only feel the emotions and see the memories of those around me, not everyone on the network. So in short, we can only use them on a smaller scale."
"Ah, I see," Morgan said. "... So, you wanted to know more about Mother?"
Hiro's eyes lit up.
"Yeah! I... I've always wanted a mom. I don't even know what it's like," he looked down at the forest below. "I always hear people saying that their moms are calling them, telling them to come back to the real world for lunch or dinner. But I've always... Wondered what it feels like."
"Well," Morgan smiled. "In my future, before I got sent back in time and lost my memory, I remember when Mother and Father left. They both went back to the real world, but Lucina and I, along with the others, all stayed behind. Back then, the de-virtualization machine wasn't fully developed yet and we stayed there for years. But Mother would always video message us and tell us about the real world... She was always worrying about us. She told me that she wanted to come back for us, but the CEO's of the company owning the game wouldn't let them. And then... One day, it all changed. Mother was going to use the AmuSphere at the hospital to finally see us in FE:A after she finished a gaming session with one of her patients, but... GRIMA deleted the whole game while she was inside of it. She... Died. I had never seen Father so miserable, so upset and angry. He vowed to avenge her, no matter what. Then he helped to buy us time for NAGA to launch the time travel program before he died, too..."
He sighed.
"I want to see that my father of that time's wish comes true. That we won't let her die again," Morgan looked his brother in the eye. "Having Father and Mother back was one of the best things that ever happened to me. I won't let anyone take my family away again."
"... I want that, too," Hiro finally said. "Before, the only family had was Yui. But now, I have you, Lucina, and Daddy too. Now I want to meet Mommy."
He looked up to see Lucina flying alongside Chrom, talking to him about something he couldn't hear.
"Lucina seems really close to Daddy," he observed. "She feels very... Protective around him."
Morgan looked at them as well.
"Yeah, she's always been like that," he reflected. "In the future, within the game, our memories were altered so that Grima of the game took control of Mother's body and killed Father. Ever since then, Lucina became extra protective around him when we came back."
"... She tried to kill Mommy after that, didn't she?" Hiro asked after a pause, causing Morgan's eyes to widen.
"How did you know?"
"When Lucina saw Mommy, she felt happiness and joy, but then that was all washed out by guilt. I could feel it strongly. I wondered why at first, but then I saw the memory that surfaced in Lucina's mind. I saw her... Pointing her sword at Mommy."
Suddenly they began to descend towards the middle of the forest, following Chrom.
They touched down before Morgan continued the conversation.
"Hiro, listen to me," he placed his hand on Hiro's slightly spiky blue hair. "I know it must be hard for you, seeing all these bad memories, but please, trust me when I say that our family bond is woven tight. And you're family. So you can tell me anything, okay? I'm your only brother, after all! I think, at least..."
Hiro smiled slightly, a rare sight, in contrast to his twin sister, who wouldn't be caught dead without a grin on her face.
"Alright, I will," he agreed. "... And I see good memories, too, sometimes. While Daddy was sleeping one night, I saw his dream. He and Mommy were sitting together and talking in a library. They were smiling and happy."
"Well, we should make some good memories for you to see with your own two eyes!" Morgan proposed, equipping a tome. "Now let's do some leveling!"
"Yeah!" Hiro equipped his axe. "Although Yui and I still have to work on our skill."
"Oh, okay. Can you join me after you two are done?" Morgan asked.
"Okay."
Hiro found Yui cutting down a small weed, giving her a mere five gold.
"Hey, Yui? Let's practice now."
She turned around.
"Okay!" She beamed. "Well, first, we have to start by making sure that we can attack our target in sync. Let's try it on that big Venus Flytrap."
Hiro nodded, and the two leveled their swords at the monster. They charged towards it, Twin Blades activating as they ran, opening their wings.
"It's over!"
Both Yui and Hiro's Sol activated, and Yui stabbed the creature's head while Hiro whirled around and severed its neck.
It roared and hissed, spitting out filthy slime before shattering, granting them each fifty gold.
They both landed near the front of where the creature once was.
"Hm, I think we're getting a lot better!" Yui laughed.
"Yeah," Hiro agreed quietly, in his normal tone.
His sister elbowed him playfully.
"Aren't you excited? We're a step closer to finding Mommy!"
"... We are?"
"Yeah! Once we give those Grimleals a beatdown, they'll have to spill some info on her!"
Hiro pondered that silently.
"Hey, Yui, can you check the player list?" He asked.
"Huh? What for?"
"Just do it, please."
She opened up the database and scrolled down the player list.
"Hiro, what exactly am I looking for here?"
"Look for the name 'Robin'."
"Robin? Isn't that Mommy's name?"
"It is."
Yui got to the "R" section and then to "O".
"... She's not here!" The girl exclaimed. "I don't see her name!"
Hiro narrowed his eyes, looking at the list.
"Something's not right here. We saw her in the game, but she's not on the player list. That can only mean she's either not on this server or she's been externally classified as something else."
"Daddy said she didn't have external access to her account, so there's no way she could have left Yume Online. But why would she be externally classified as something else? The only reason that could happen if..."
She gasped, her brown eyes widening.
"Hiro! The fairy king Oberon was an admin, remember? That guy in the mask said so," she recalled. "That can only mean he's behind this! He forced her to marry him and locked her account so she can't log out!"
Her brother nodded.
"Yeah, that makes sense."
Yui curled her lip in frustration.
"Argh! Who does he think he is?" She cut through the trunk of a tree, leaving a long slash mark. "He can't just do that! Daddy's her husband, not him! I'll make sure he pays for this!"
Hiro sighed.
"I know how you feel. But right now, it's over our heads. At the moment the best we can do is train and get stronger," he told her. "Speaking of training, I promised Morgan I'd level with him after we practiced. Do you mind?"
She shook her head.
"No. I'll go train with Lucina, then," she beamed, before bouncing off. "See you!"
Hiro allowed himself a tiny grin before meeting up with Morgan, who took down a fern monster with a steel sword.
"I've never seen you use swords before, big brother," Hiro said after the tactician finished.
Morgan noticed him and smiled, wiping sweat from his forehead.
"Really? The tactician class can use swords as well as tomes," he informed him. "I've just always been better with magic."
Hiro observed him.
"Oh. I've never been that good with staves or tomes," he said. "Yui and I are better at using physical weapons."
"I see," Morgan said. "Well, how about we take down some monsters together? And maybe talk?"
"Yeah!" Hiro agreed excitedly.
Meanwhile, Yui searched for Lucina, who was sparring with Chrom. The hero girl noticed they were both using the same sword before she checked the database for info. Interestingly, her father's "Exalted Falchion" was exclusive to him, while her sister's "Parallel Falchion" was exclusive to her as well. She then noticed that the fight was over, and Lucina had lost.
"Damn," Lucina grumbled before being helped up by Chrom.
"You're getting stronger, Lucina," he said. "Your mother would be proud of you as well."
At that, Lucina smiled before taking notice of Yui.
"Yui? Do you need something?" She asked.
Yui smiled before she approached them.
"I wanted to train with you," she said. "Do you mind?"
"No, of course not," Lucina informed her before looking up to Chrom. "Is that alright with you, Father?"
"Of course," he said, examining the two. "You two sisters should bond, after all."
"Thanks, Daddy!" Yui exclaimed before running off, holding Lucina's hand and dragging her.
"Whoa, Yui! You've got a strong arm!" Lucina observed.
Yui giggled a thank you before stopping near a big tree.
"Here's a good spot! A lot of big roaches and spiders spawn here, and they give a lot of exp. and gold!"
"R-Roaches?" Lucina's eyed widened in fear, slowly backing away.
"Yeah! They- Uh, where are you going?"
"I'm sorry, Yui, but roaches are off the table, I- EEK! YUI! PUT THAT DOWN!"
"What? It's adorable! I think I'll name him Pony. Wanna see?" She held up a baseball sized roach in her gloved hand, offering it to Lucina.
"YUI! NO! KEEP THAT AWAY FROM ME! STAY BACK!" The princess screamed so frightfully that she didn't notice when Chrom ran up to them from behind, Falchion in his hand.
"Lucina! What's wrong? I heard you screaming," he said puzzledly, to see his two daughters staring at him, Yui with a large brown insect in her hand.
Chrom sighed, putting down his sword.
"Daddy, look what I caught! His name's Pony!" She held the roach close to his face, so close he could smell its awful stench.
"Urgh... Uh, that's great, honey," he said, attempting to distance himself from the insect.
"You don't seem very excited," Yui pouted. "Sure, it's not the cuddliest creature, but it's cute in it's own way, don't you think?"
Chrom smiled before patting her head affectionately.
"You really do take after your mother," he said.
"I... I'm sorry, Father," Lucina apologized, hanging her head down. "I must've worried you and could have caused some trouble."
Her father placed a hand on her shoulder comfortingly.
"No, you're alright, Lucina. You should be able to act like a normal teenager from now on," he told her. "You've gone through too much, and you deserve some rest."
"... Thank you, Father. For everything. Even though I'm not your real daughter, you've still taken care of me all the same. But I'm inevitably going to have to leave home one day," Lucina responded sadly.
Chrom frowned.
"No, you don't," he said. "You don't have to leave. We've already gone over this, Lucina. You and your mother talked about it as well, right? You will always have a home with us. Always. You're our daughter, no matter from what time. And family have to stick together... So don't even think of leaving us again, okay? For the sake of your real mother and father."
"Oh, Father, I..." She embraced him longingly.
It lasted a few seconds before they heard Yui's scream.
"Lucy! Daddy!" She exclaimed, being grabbed by a giant hawk the size of a library bookshelf. "Help!"
"Yui!" Chrom and Lucina called out before leaping up and opening their wings, chasing the large hawk. It was much faster than them, and the gap was getting bigger. Yui struggled to wriggle out of the talons' grasp, but they cut into her chest armor, leaving her dangling dangerously. The two began to tire before two more figures shot out of the forest, one firing an Arcfire ball and the other hurling a volant axe. The axe traveled much faster and nicked the hawk's wing, hindering the bird before the fireball hit it straight in the stomach, causing it to drop Yui, who was unconscious from the impact and bleeding heavily as the talon remained in her flesh. She tumbled down from the sky motionlessly before Chrom caught her just as she approached the treetops, landing carefully, followed by Lucina, Morgan, and Hiro.
"Yui! No! Come on, stay with me, " Chrom urged her, holding his inert daughter in his arms. The large talon, which looked like a long and hooked dagger, was embedded in her armor, stabbing her precariously close to her heart. Much to his surprise, her brown eyes were open and looked into his blue ones, their bright cheerfulness replaced by dull murkiness.
"Pa.. -raly...zed..." She breathed heavily.
"You're poisoned, too!" Hiro dropped to his knees, placing his palm on his twin sister's forehead. "She's burning up!"
"I'll go get Aunt Lissa and Aunt Olivia," Lucina said, opening her wings again and flying off hastily.
Yui then began to stir, coughing roughly. To Chrom's horror, virtual blood spilled out from her mouth, and her HP fell to the yellow zone.
"We should get the talon out," Morgan observed the wound.
"Do it," Chrom held her head desperately. "Please don't die, Yui, please don't die..."
"D-Da... Dad-dy..." She murmured, causing Chrom to hold her hand.
Morgan carefully held the edge of the talon and pulled it out of her side gently and armor, crimson rolling onto the grass as he removed it.
"... Wait, there's something inside the bone," Morgan said curiously, observing the inside. Inside was an empty player poison vial with the mark of the Grimleal on it, and a small piece of paper with it, sending chills up his spine. "Oh no..."
He handed it to Chrom, who opened it, his hands shaking in rage.
"A friendly reminder that getting stronger won't help you one bit. Robin is ours now. Unless you want to lose your children, as well."
In his fury, he shouted and pounded the ground. First, they take his wife, and now they hurt his daughter. This was too much.
Soon Lucina was back with Olivia and Lissa, who flew down and ran to them as fast as possible.
"Yui!" Lissa called out frantically. "Don't worry, Aunt Lissa's got you!"
"Let me clear her statuses her first," Olivia said, holding her hand out over Yui's wound. She opened her mouth and began to sing a short, beautiful and enchanting song that lasted about ten seconds, the yellow glowing words wrapping around her arm and curing Yui's paralysis and poison.
"Olivia, singing is an ability in this game?" Chrom asked.
She nodded.
"I was so focused on dancing that I realized I haven't been singing for a while... So when I checked my stats, I found out that singing can cure status conditions," she informed him before looking down to Yui. "But enough about me, she needs help!"
"I'm on it!" Lissa held her Mend staff, chanting the incantation for a healing spell.
Immediately the wounds closed, leaving only a gash in her side and a hole in her armor. Hiro took his sleeve off and used to wipe his sister's face while Chrom held her tightly.
"Olivia... Lissa... Thank you so much... If anything happened to Yui, I'd..." He couldn't hold back the tears any longer, and they spilled onto Yui's collar.
"D-Don't cry, Daddy," she said, her voice still hoarse. "I'm okay now."
He buried his face in his hands.
"I'm a failure as a husband and a father," he said dejectedly. "I can't keep anyone safe. Not Robin, or even my own children."
"No, you're not!" Yui suddenly exclaimed. "You're the best daddy in the world! If you give up now, nothing will ever change! I don't care how many times I have to get stabbed, I'll get Mommy back no matter what!"
"Yui, that's..." Hiro said quietly. "... You know who did this, right?"
She shook her head.
"Who? ... I couldn't hear much. The poison made my hearing fuzzy," she said.
Hiro narrowed his eyes, clenching his fist.
"It wasn't Oberon who took Mommy," he gritted his teeth. "It was the Grimleal the whole time. They were using him as a scapegoat to make themselves look like the heroes."
"What? What do you mean?" Lucina asked.
"They said they stood for rebellion against admins who used their power for their own gain within Yume Online, right? They used Oberon as an example to show the many players attending the wedding that the fairy king was taking advantage of his admin rights, while in reality, they themselves have admin privileges as well."
"Huh?" Yui said. "But they..."
"They're the ones who have Mommy," he concluded. "Which means Oberon was likely a part of their scheme to gain dominance over Pallas."
Hiro turned to Chrom.
"Daddy, you have to go now," he said. "You're wasting time here. You have to report this to the Internal Affairs of Dream Co. If you don't, it'll likely become harder to get Mommy back."
"But... You and Yui..."
"We'll be fine, Daddy," Yui smiled.
He took a deep breath.
"Alright. Come here, you two," he pulled them both into a big embrace. "I love you so much. I couldn't be prouder of you... Take care of each other."
After the twins said their goodbyes to their siblings, relatives, and friends, Chrom and the others logged out, waking up in the real world, where they would bring the fight from the virtual one.
Robin sat, levitating in her cage again, the images of Yume Online spinning around her in an endless cylinder. The last she remembered, she had been stabbed by a masked lady and woke up again here. She recalled the conversation she had with Oberon before the wedding.
"You look beautiful, love," he stroked her long white hair, twirling it through his fingers.
She flinched away.
"I'm not your love! And I'm not marrying you!" Robin pushed him back.
After he regained his balance, he smirked.
"Oh, but you well," he chuckled, opening up a screen in front of her. "Because if you don't, we'll eliminate the ones you truly do love."
The screen showed a hospital room, with someone in a bed... It was her! She was still hooked up to the NerveGear, in her hospital room. And at her side was Chrom, holding her hand, with Lucina and Morgan sitting on the other side of the bed, arranging flowers for her. It made her want to cry out of happiness. Her family had made it back to the real world. Then the realization dawned on her.
"... No, you... Can't," she choked. "You can't kill them."
Oberon held her chin, forcing her to look him in the eye.
"I can and I will," he told her threateningly. "Unless you agree to marry me."
Her heart shattered. It felt like someone dropped a weight in her stomach.
If she didn't marry him, her family would die for the sake of her own life. If she did, they could live... Forever separated from her.
He grabbed her face, hovering his mere inches away from hers.
"You can't win either way," he placed his lips in front of her ear, sending chills down her spine. "You might as well try to play the hero role while you're at it."
Her eyes filled with tears.
"... What's your choice?"
"... I..."
"... Come again?"
"I'll... Marry you."
"Say it louder."
"I'll marry you," she said grudgingly, causing a satisfied and sinister smile to manifest itself on Oberon's features.
"Smart choice, my dear Robin..." He purred before leaving, causing her to break down in tears, cursing at him and at herself for being so weak.
Now she was in the same position again. Weak, powerless. At the mercy of others, forced to do their bidding for the sake of her loved ones.
Suddenly someone teleported into the cage, standing in front of her.
"You...!" Robin exclaimed, stepping back. In front of her was the masked lady, her white mask contrasting against the black of her cloak.
"Don't worry, I'm not here to hurt you," she said, pulling down her hood and shaking out her long black hair before removing her mask.
"What?! Who-?" Robin examined the lady's face, identical to her own.
"Allow me to introduce myself, sister," she said. "I'm your twin, Jay."
Robin's brow furrowed.
"I have a sister?" She asked.
Jay turned up her gloved palms.
"Hey, I didn't know either until just recently, too," she shrugged. "Mom took you when we were babies. We were separated at birth, literally."
Keeping cautious, Robin began to question her.
"You know about Mom?"
"Hardly. I stayed with Dad my whole life, you know. You've met him, right?"
Anger rose up in her chest.
"MET him? He tried to force me to become the body host of a demon dragon within FE:A!"
Jay sighed.
"Yes, well let's just say I was never fond of him either," she spat, her features cross at the thought of him. "You see, the only reason he wanted kids was so he could see if we were capable of being transferred to the cyberworld permanently."
"Permanently? He wanted to transfer our consciousnesses on the internet?"
Jay nodded.
"Exactly. You see... In your daughter's future, they believed you died when GRIMA the AI deleted the server you and your patient were in. But in truth, GRIMA took over your consciousness and transferred your it over to the network, meaning your body was left behind in the real world. This made the doctors believe you were dead. GRIMA needed a host to survive for good on the cybernetwork, and he used your virtual body and mind to hack into NAGA's network so he had control over the entire virtual world."
Robin gasped silently, words stuck in her throat.
"... Why me? How come he didn't make you do it?"
Jay frowned.
"You were the only one who was physically capable of it. So it's only natural Dad would want to pay more attention to you," she explained. "But Mom saw that and took you in the middle of the night. Ever since then, we've been separated... Until now."
It all sank in.
"Wait, then why are you doing this?" Robin asked. "Why are you keeping me here?"
Her sister shook her head.
"Look, Sis, I'm trying to get you out of here," she whispered. "So far I think I'm doing pretty well. I learned how to be a good actor around Dad. Just remember... Whatever happens, I'm on your side!"
"Wait! You can't log me out?" Robin questioned her.
"No, I'm afraid not," she sighed. "I only have moderator privileges, not admin. But I have a plan. You just need to go along with whatever I want you to do, okay?"
"... Alright," Robin finally agreed.
After a few seconds Jay wrapped her arms around Robin silently, yet comfortingly.
"Wait, Jay, do you know who Oberon is IRL?" She asked.
Jay nodded.
"Yeah, I do," she paused. "And I'm sorry about the whole wedding thing... But it had to be done."
Robin looked down.
"Could you tell me his name?" She asked again hopefully.
"It's... His name is Jin."
Robin's eyes widened.
"... No," she gasped. "Not Jin. Anyone but Jin."
Author's Note: And scene! Sorry for not posting for a while, I just started going back to school *crais*. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and if you did then please leave some feedback! Stay tuned for the next chapter!