Lance: You just love to jerk your readers around, eh, Drago? *chuckles*

FD: I don't follow.

Tychon: Um, did you not remember the last chapter you put out? You made Severa cry. Which is already rare as it is. Y-you better apologize to her!

FD: Oh, I will. Somehow. Eventually.

Now I know what you all are thinking. "THREE chapters in the same month? Are you modifying your upload schedule?" Short answer: no. It is still sporadic as ever.

We own nothing. On to the chapter!

Music: Sen Ikusa by Wagakki Band

(Instrumental) The Brand of Pandora falls down while spinning, landing on a familiar forehead with bangs. The perspective shifts back slightly to show Eric looking up ahead, while Chrom's side profile is shown facing the other direction behind the former. Their respective brands plaster the background as Chrom stands with a hand on his hip and Eric stands with arms crossed. Then Sumia crouches on one knee in front of Cordelia, an emblem of upward curving wings beside them. Next, Frederick, Raven, and Robin, each with their respective weapons of an axe, sword, and tome in hand, accompanied by a scythe and dragon emblem. Next, Walhart stands tall with Wolf Berg on his shoulder with the emblem reminiscent of his axe beside him. Then the black scene receives two slashes to reveal the black scene to show the title "Fire Emblem: Decisions

(Kataku chikatta yurenai omoi nara koko ni aru darou?) Falchion and Eternity stand in the ground in an X when suddenly, Eric and Chrom run through from each side and grab their respective weapons. With flame emitted from the blade, Eric swung a few times, a torrent of fire torching the scene

(Shinnen aru nara surechigai mo mata hitsuzen darouka kotae wa izuko da) Chrom slashes the screen accompanied by powerful gusts of wind, and a battlefield of troops are blown away with an explosion, revealing the two kings back to back grinning at one another over their shoulder. A familiar background of royal blue is displayed behind Robin as he points forward, Frederick appears on screen with an axe in hand. Raven, armed with Uramasa and a smile, each of the two on Robin's left and right sides. A red background replaces the blue, with Walhart holding his Wolf Berg. Yen'fay, Excellus and Cervantes each appear at Walhart's side before Yen'fay slashes the scene

(Iza, maichire sakura saite inochi no aru kagiri maire) A silver lance, a steel sword, and Uramasa lock with one another, the scene widens to show Frederick, Robin and Raven smiling at the sky, making a pact of sorts. Now, the Shepherds all stand in a group with Vaike pointing up at the screen, then the scene switches to a black background, with both Aversa and Validar standing parallel to each other while a pair of ominous red eyes glow on a darkened face

(Aa, mou dare ni mo inai fuwari, kaze ga naida) Chrom stands beneath a veil of sakura trees, petals dancing along the wind in the glow of the moonlight. Sumia hugs the prince from behind, bringing a warm smile to his face as he places a hand on Sumia's. Meanwhile, Eric looks out at the crescent moon over a cliff. Cordelia looks at him with worry and sadness in her eyes with a hand on her chest.

(Hanate, hanate ikusa he inotte, inotte mirai he) A bolt of Thoron is launched from Robin's hand, Frederick attacks with his lance, then Sumia and Cordelia charge through the sky with their lances in hand. A familiar blue haired swordswoman stands with her hand on Chrom's sword, surrounded by 15 silhouettes before one of them jump out to cut the scene with a purple flash

(Waratte, waratteruyouni douka, chikai no nakade chirasetekure) A young Chrom and Eric run side by side with smiles on their faces before the scene cuts to a dreary looking castle, the two now adult royals charge at Walhart with swords in hand. Chrom avoids a strike from Walhart as Eric jumps in the air and meets the Conqueror's axe, the force cracking the ground beneath them and causing it to explode

(Sono kokoro, makoto ni musou) Falchion and Eternity fall from the skies and land in an X once more. A freeze frame of Eric and Chrom both running is displayed, Cordelia and Sumia appear next near their respective love interests, then Raven appears in the middle in front with a hand on his hip and a smile. Frederick stands on Chrom's side with hands behind his back, Robin, on Eric's side with a hand on his chin in thought. Finally, a large portrait style view of Walhart towering behind them all, ending the opening

Narrator PoV

The door shut behind the disheartened Pandorian as he exited the household, a somber mood permeating the air like a thick fog. The three who remained, as befuddled as they were, all expressed their own symptoms of grief, sorrow and despondence. Raven was left trying to piece together answers for the many questions that plagued his mind, to no such luck. Any answer he even considered gave birth to more unsolvable riddles that he failed to wrap his head around. Say'ri sat in her spot with a cold, unresponsive glare at nothing in particular, her eyes focused on the general direction of the floor. Her hands, laid flat against her lap, still trembled lightly as the softest of sobs escaped her. Cordelia had the same crestfallen look as the other two, even she was on the verge of crying.

She rubbed out a wrinkle in the hem of her shirt absently, pushing through many of the thoughts that ran through her head at the moment. She glanced over at the blade princess, not with a rage of jealousy or contempt like she once did. But one of sympathy, of warmth. Upon coming here, to the pegasus knight, Say'ri was… intolerable, to put it lightly. The mention of her name a few days prior invoked feelings of jealousy within her that she didn't want to feel or experience. She had already won his heart, no damned way was she going to fight for it after she'd already claimed it. All she could think of was her jealousy towards the other woman.

Now, it had been different. Seeing the woman before her, Cordelia saw not the woman who wanted to break apart a loving relationship between two for her own selfish ambition. But rather, she saw before her a woman who simply wanted her family whole. Say'ri had jumped her hurdles, travelled hundreds of kilometers overseas so that her child would want for nothing. She knew Eric would be there for his kid, more than anyone, even Say'ri herself. Which is where the problem presents itself.

Cordelia loved Eric, without a doubt in her mind, and he loved her just as much, she knew this. He would sooner run a blade through himself than to break her heart. He would never choose that route. However, despite his words before, she knew better than anyone else that his solution was a cover-up. The smallest inconsistencies to her were clear as day; it killed him inside to even suggest aborting his unborn child, but he had to convince himself it was the only solution, he would have gone mad trying to find an answer to such a dire question. His stubborn nature wouldn't allow him to leave without an answer. As least, not before now.

Her voice finally came back to her as she cleared her throat. "Perhaps I have a solution."

The other two fixed their gazes onto hers. "You do?"

"Yes," she replied. Her thumbs twiddled around one another as she spoke, but she still had a clear thought in mind. She was only hoping that it would be okay. With a slight shuffle, she angled her body a little to her left to face the Chon'sinese princess, her features softening down to a welcoming smile.

"May I help you?" the swordswoman mumbled timidly.

"Say'ri," Cordelia began. "I know we weren't on the best footing a few days ago, but despite your feelings toward me, I don't blame you. You've experienced far more pain of love than I have, I can tell you love him as much as I do, and now, you're only doing what you can as a mother, making sure your child grows up proper. I know every kid deserves to have both their parents, that's how I would want it."

Unsure as to where this conversation was going, the brunette simply nodded along, curiously hanging onto every word. "I don't know how you'll feel about this, but, um… why does he have to choose?"

Raven's eyes narrowed with a tilt of the head added in for good measure, matching Say'ri's similar confusion. "How do you mean?"

She breathed out what could be a cross between a sigh and a chuckle. "I mean that Eric's been killing his brain trying to come up with something under the impression that a choice has to be made between you and I; his love or his family."

Finally, the swordswoman's eyes widened in genuine surprise as she moved her head back a bit. "A-are you suggesting…"

"Yes, I am…" she coughed out meekly. "It's certainly not the ordinary, but… how much would you consider the possibility of sharing? I mean… we both love him, and he cares for us both as well… and this way, all of us win. He doesn't have to make that difficult decision, he and I will still be together, and you can still have your family."

"I am conflicted," Say'ri sighed. "Certainly, I never considered it. Yet I question: how do you suppose that Eric has those feelings? I doubt."

Cordelia exposed her hand as if to gesture. "Please, after that display, I could tell. Not many men would break down like that, let alone apologize."

This little quip elicited a small chorus of laughter between the two females, giggling together like they'd done something incredibly amusing. Raven, the bystander to this conversation, had watched with an eye of indifference, his mouth forming a straight line. His focus was honed more on his king at the moment. Remorseful, he had seen him before, but this was something different. He had been resigned, almost as if in repentance. But above all else, Raven had this nagging feeling in the back of his mind that he couldn't shake, no matter how hard he tried. Often, this happened to him only when a terrible event was about to take place.

The swordsman shook his head. 'No,' he thought. 'We're in peacetime. Ylisse is in no state of war. And yet…'

"Raven," Cordelia asked, drawing him out of his trance. "Is there any given law about the courting of more than one woman?"

He placed a hand to his chin in thought. "If I remember correctly, it's in an… awkward grey area. Normally, it is perfectly legal for two or more women to be romantically involved with the same man, given that the women in question both find said man worthy, and vice versa. I know a handful of high-ranking soldiers and nobility in Pandora do this. However…"

"However…?"

"I'm not sure if royalty is in the clear, not because of any legality, but by manner of example; I know not of any Pandorian royalty who has enacted this," Raven answered concisely. "The last Queen was close to finding out how it works, but ultimately only courted one man."

"Oh." Cordelia sank in her seat, delivering one of her trademark sighs.

"I believe it is still worth the gamble," Raven added, in hopes of bringing up the redhead's spirit.

"Ha, you seem to be in favour of this option as well," Say'ri poked.

"I don't see anything wrong with it, you two agreed on it," the swordsman replied. "What's more, it will finally bring milord back to his senses."

There it was again. Poking at him in the inner confines of his mind, the same feeling that told him something was up. It seemed to get worse the more he let it drag on, and all the more upsetting is that he didn't know whether or not Cordelia had picked up on it as well. He saw her brow knot ever so slightly whenever it wasn't her turn to speak ever since they got there. Knowledgeable of it or not, he didn't like it.

"Lady Cordelia?" Raven inquired. "Is something troubling you still?"

"Um, excuse me," Say'ri interrupted, jumping to her feet. Her face had gone pale, and her body appeared tense and unstable. "May you direct me to the restroom? I feel a sickness brewing."

"Up the stairs, first door on the left." As Say'ri stumbled her way up to the restroom, Raven looked back at the crimson haired knight, as if prompting her to answer his previously interrupted question. She saw this prompt, fortunately for him, and he received a look of concern and frustration from her. "I suppose you share the same feeling as well, don't you?"

"What feeling?" she asked.

"That feeling," he ambiguously remarked. "Something is amiss. A sense of foreboding perhaps."

Cordelia hadn't given an answer, her narrowing eyes gave Raven all the confirmation he needed. He gave a great sigh before making his way to her on the opposite side of the room, his hand still closed around the object his lord had given him just minutes ago. With only a few feet between himself and the redhead, he bowed down to a knee and presented her with the same ring she wore days ago, the gem sparkling in the flickering lamplight.

"Oh, wow," Cordelia quipped in the best surprised role she could. "Raven, this is sweet and all, and I'm flattered… but I think Olivia may have a thing or two to say to this."

He couldn't help but let out an exasperated, yet amused sigh. "It appears that milord has rubbed off on you indeed," Raven muttered. "No, Lady Cordelia, not from me. On milord's behalf."

"Yes, yes," she laughed, taking the ring from the swordsman and slipping it onto her finger. Turning her hand, she admired the garnet ring with a fond smile. "I don't know why I ever took it off… I missed it."

Raven nodded in agreement. "Aye, it is a beautiful piece of art and tradition. It has been the family heirloom since the early days of Pandora."

Cordelia shook her head, dismissing Raven's statement. "No, that's not why… its tradition and make is captivating, yes, but to me, it means much more. To me… it's a true symbol of Eric and I as a couple. Our eternal love."

Once more, Raven nodded in agreement, although his smile disappeared in an instant once he felt a jolt run through his body. The alarming thing is, this same thing happened to Cordelia, nearly making her jump out of her seat. Slowly, Raven rose to standing position, looking out into through the window into the cloudy night sky. The moon, hanging passively in the sky greeted the affable swordsman with its soothing glow of dim white light punching through the cloud layer. But to him, all it seemed to be was a foreboding presence of something potentially dire.

Then, as if it were nothing more than a mere mirage, Raven's eyes picked up on something. It was minute, small, completely unremarkable to the untrained eye. For him, however, it was a confirmation that his pensive actions had been accurate.

"Did you feel it, Lady Cordelia?" he asked rhetorically, knowing that her answer was in fact a yes. "Something is wrong. Whatever it is, I-"

Suddenly, that same little detail he noticed from earlier reenacted itself, dashing across the surface of the moon's reflection, but on top of it, he felt a strong collective wave wash over him, his sense of danger increasing tenfold. They all moved in synchronization, like a collective force of men, towards the innermost direction of the capital. Raven's thoughts went wild, causing him to mutter curses and random numbers until something happened that made Raven's blood run cold.

At the hind of this large group, there was a presence so heavy, its existence shook the air around it, the pressure was absolutely overwhelming. It even managed to overtake the full collective of the the group that preceded it several times over, but what shocked him the most was that this group weren't going specifically to the capital palace. If anything, and it was only a hunch, it seemed like they were heading for…

"Lady Cordelia," Raven demanded, panic-stricken. "Get your armour on, grab your spear, and follow me. Quickly! I fear milord may be in danger."

"Oh gods," she gasped, rapidly searching for her plate. "Wait, what about Say'ri?"

"She isn't in the condition to aid us, leave her be," he called. Without little to no time to spare, he grabbed Uramasa from the kitchen beside the counter where the sink was located, and after a quick lace-up of her armour, Cordelia and Raven were both ready to head out.

"Princess Say'ri," Raven called. "Lady Cordelia and I are heading out for a little while. Do you need anything?"

He paused for an answer only to hear a strained and disgusted groan. "I'll take that as a yes. We won't be long."

Eric PoV

I took a deep breath, drawing in the chilled fresh air of the winter night. The small gales bristling against my skin, nipping at me and causing the hairs to stand on end. Just an observation on my part, not particularly noteworthy, but Ylisstol was in a lovely position geographically where they experienced much less snowfall than one would expect in the winter season. Their winters were still cold, yes, though they were still bearable. Sometimes they would have a white holiday, sometimes not, it really depended on how fickle Mother Nature wanted to be.

I swung my pack by the string absently, strolling along to wherever the nearest bar was, mentally writing a farewell card to my liver, but Naga knows I need it now more than ever. Granted, alcohol got me into the mess I'm swamped by in the first place, but damn it if it didn't do its job. I needed to forget about Cordelia. About Say'ri, about Raven.

About everything.

A light patter of liquid made contact with my skin as I strolled down my path, and before long, the light drops escalated into a cold drizzle.

"Hmm. Freezing rain," I mumbled, looking up into the night sky. "I suppose in a way, it's sort of refreshing. Don't often see it these days."

I rose my true hand up into the sky, reaching out to some unknown or unseen object beyond the clouds, and watched the beads of water roll down my outstretched limb. "Water, the essence to which we owe our lives to, it works wonders. It can put out fires, used to cook food, and wash a number of different things."

I brought my hand down, inspecting the droplets as they lay as tiny bubbles on my palm. "If only it could wash away sins."

"I believe there is one way to cleanse sins, though it does not involve water."

I whipped my head around instantly to face the person the voice belonged to, this oddly deep voice. "Who goes there?" I called. The veil of night made it hard to track down the person, and the lack of street lighting in this area did not help anything. Fortunately, a stray beam of moonlight parted the clouds above, giving me a small bit of light, but enough, and I finally met eyes with my counterpart.

The man was tall and broad, his features were a little softer and rounder than his voice would lead one to believe. His jet-black hair, meticulously done up in a single braid, ran down his right shoulder, right over a familiarly shaped insignia I couldn't quite place in this darkness. He wore a dark maroon vest if I had to guess, and underneath it, a black shirt which was protected by a steel chestplate and a pair of shining silver gauntlets coming to midway up his forearms. He also wore loose-fitting pantaloons, no doubt for ease of movement in combat. But the most noticeable element of his appearance was the spear on his back. It was the one thing on his person that stood out in colour, the shaft of the weapon painted bright red all the way to the blade, which instead of the standard issue leaf tip, was a three-bladed cross.

He stomped his mighty armoured boot. "Greetings to you, milord. My name is Luar Nagrion. And you… are Lord Eric of Pandora."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "So… you know who I am, hm? Can I help you?"

"Me?" he asked coyly. "No. I don't suppose I need help, now do I…?"

A low chuckle escaped him before the dimly lit scene was approached by more men in darker, more common clothing. All of whom were armed, and some of them seemed like they were dying to get their orders. "But maybe I can help you."

I narrowed my eyes in frustration, grinding my teeth. Now I damn well know what's going on. This is an assassination. They've come for my blood, though I am left scratching my head about this, I don't know a single person out of the horde. Each of these men, on their own or in a group is small fry, even without my sword. But that one man, the one with the spear, something felt off to me. Like going deep into a jungle. One can always feel the coming danger, but the danger itself is unknown. "Look, uh… Luar. I appreciate the effort, really, but I'm not in the best mood right now, so if you could leave me be, that would be-"

"Go." At that call, the thunderous boom of boots stomping towards me filled my ears, much to my ire. Reluctantly, I tossed my pack to the side and took a fighting stance. This was just not my night.

The first man darted at me with a sword, attacking with a thrust of surprising speed. Of course, not enough to actually hit me, but enough to be acknowledged. With a simple turning step, I evaded the jab, countering with a punch to his open back that sent him barrelling to the ground. Next followed a man with axes, looking at me with a wild grin. The dull whipping in the air told me he threw one of his weapons, alerting me to block it with my metal arm. The hunk of metal bounced off of my arm and clattered to the ground nearby. It was a lousy offense but a decent tactic; it distracted me long enough to allow him to close the distance between him and I. Once he used the other axe in close quarters, I dodged, took his arm in a two on one armbar, and put pressure into his shoulder, taking him down into the ground face-first. Briefly, my ears twitched at the straining of bowstrings, prompting me to pull the axeman off of the ground, making good use of him as a meat shield to defend me from the oncoming arrows.

This was such an exasperating task, having to deal with man after man, wave after wave of attacks, when all I wanted was to take a stroll, get wasted, maybe blow up a mountain or two. You know, just some peace and quiet. Though it was painfully obvious that it wouldn't be the case. With every attack coming my way, it was either dodge-dislocate/disarm-knockout-repeat, or when it really started to get to me, I took up some of their own weapons and cut them open with them to mix it up. I think I may have even smashed quite a few skulls in with my fists alone, I lost count after the thirteenth one. Once their number dwindled to their last, the mysterious man with a spear finally took point, the tip of his spear making contact with my metal arm.

"Very good," he chuckled, grinding his spear against my arm even harder. "Wonderful reactions. Let's see if you can keep up that pace!"

With a strong growl of effort, I pushed the spear off of my arm, gaining a little bit of distance to catch my breath. And by extension, think of something fast. Channelling power through my limbs, I get ready to challenge him, the buzzing of raw magic coursing through me, enveloping my limbs in a radiant glow that pierced through the darkness. His spear came at me with a vengeance, however it never made its mark as I evaded the oncoming strike to close in on the man behind it. As if on instinct, Luar swings his weapon to try and intercept me at the very least, which doesn't work out too well for him. In the crook of my right arm, I catch the weapon, each man struggling for dominance over it.

"Oh dear, it seems you're missing that left arm of yours," Luar stated. "How about I give you a matching right?"

It didn't even occur to me what he meant until I felt a sharp tug on his end, forcing me to let go of it and backflip away. For someone who, underneath the eyes of many seems to be normal, he's pretty damned strong physically, but his movements are somewhat lacking in speed. That said, I still have to be cautious with him.

I caught myself in the middle of thought just in time to close my hands over the broadside of his spearhead, holding the metal spear over my head. His eyes were hungry, waiting to see my blood spilled across the street like a gory, grotesque painting. Not today, I roared, slamming the blade to the side with all the strength I could muster. His spear now out of the picture, he covered for it quickly with an incoming boot. Big mistake on his part. Now leaving himself wide open, I grab him by his outstretched limb and twirl around once before slamming him into the ground. His form left an indent in the earth as his form rebounded back up to about chest level, giving me the opportunity to land a heavy punch straight into his body and send him tumbling backwards a few feet.

I smiled with a little bit of pride and enjoyment, cracking my knuckles. At least he lasted longer than the rest did.

I began closing in on him, the man named Luar now disarmed shaking in terror with every step towards him. I would be lying if I said his whimpering and trembling wasn't bringing some twisted form of joy to me, or at least it put my mind to focus on something more than what I had been plagued with earlier.

Yet, as I got close to him, I started to notice his terror growing. Not from me. It was from something else. Someone else.

"B-Boss!" Luar croaked. "There's no need to get involved, I was going to step back in!"

"I've been stuck on that blasted boat for nearly four weeks, and on the road for another two," another voice growled out. "I refuse to sit around and do nothing."

This voice was more stern and held a heavy amount of authority behind it. Cold and unforgiving, coupled with his slow rhythm of bootsteps and his stature, I could see why Luar was so afraid. The man, while not necessarily the tallest-shorter than Raven was by an inch or two-was broad and sturdy-looking, his bald head, bearded face, and dark blue eyes tying his intimidation motif all together. He wore pantaloons of navy blue tucked into armoured boots, and his upper half donned a shirt of the same colour, with a dark grey sleeveless coat over it. What stood out on him the most, however, were a pair of gauntlets he wore. They were enlarged, almost unnatural on his hands. Even his posture commanded authority, but I knew that whoever he was, he didn't come to play, he meant business.

"A-a-apologies, Boss!" Luar sputtered out. "I tried the best I could against him, and-"

"Enough," the bald man bellowed. "Stop your jabbering. I'll figure out your punishment later. Besides, now I think I prefer this. I finally get to see the face of the king."

"So you knows me too, it seems," I called. "Who are you? And what do you want?"

"I see, you're such a man who gets straight to the point," he drawled. "As for the 'what', I'm simply here to… tie up some loose ends. And as for the 'who'... my name is Shuyo."

Narrator PoV

"Raven, how are you not cold at all?" Cordelia sneezed, being careful to sneeze in the other direction away from him.

"B-believe me, I fare no better than y-y-you." He shivered a measly bit, removing a handkerchief from his pocket. "I could have fooled you, however."

The two were flying up above in the night sky, Cordelia making sure to hold on to the swordsman from behind with an iron grip. His hand raised above his head, and within it, the piece of cloth he pulled out. Giving her thanks, Cordelia carefully took the offering with one arm, the other coiling around Raven's shoulders for support as she wiped her face clean, placing the item in the crook of her chestplate afterwards for safekeeping. They had been searching for the Pandorian royal for fifteen minutes from the sky above, and they had yet to see hide or hair of him. He had been gone for no more than an hour since, he couldn't have gotten that far. If Raven was able to find him within the bounds of the entire world, surely a simple city would not best him.

Unfortunately, this time he had no leads to go by. Their first trip was to the castle itself, as far as the two knew, perhaps Chrom knew where he was, or at least would've heard from him. That hope was quickly extinguished once the prince denied that he had even seen him throughout the day period. The second place they went was the closest bar to his house, where Raven knew his lord frequented, if nothing more than to exchange a few words with his ginger headed sugar-addicted friend. Also a drawn blank, so to speak; the thief also denied seeing him throughout the day. This frustrated Raven immensely, forcing him to try and rely on his third option: scanning the area and searching for his signature, which would normally be the easiest… but Raven picked up nothing. He chalked it up to the royal warrior purposely hiding his signature, so that he wouldn't be found.

What was more alarming, however, was that extremely large power he felt before he left, and it continued moving forward. Its obnoxious size made hard to detect smaller signatures, drowning out every other power around it. The sheer weight, its density, Raven could feel it gripping him. He even dared say that it rivalled his own. Something like that was certainly something Eric had to be wary of.

"Wait, Raven," Cordelia called over the wind. "You said that there was a large power, right?"

He nodded without a word. "Call it intuition, but I want you to follow it, it may lead us to Eric."

Raven shook his head. "Lady Cordelia, that would be placing you in immense danger, I hope you realize that."

"What difference does it make?" she barked back. "The more time wasted here, the more you put him in danger. Follow it."

"Of course." Raven bit his cheek, drawing a tiny bit of blood. With a mighty push, he changed his trajectory, heading straight for that large power. He and his current passenger rushed closer and closer to the scene, the wind in their ears drowning out all.

If luck were on his side, Eric would not be there when he arrived.

"Shuyo, hm? I take it you're not as simple to take down as the rest of them." The royal tossed his head side to side, feeling a pair of cracks in his neck reverberate through his spinal column. Warily, he eyed his opponent on the notion that anything can spring at any moment, provoking the Pandorian to raise his guard up, taking his stance again. Muscles tensed and relaxed with every breath, aching in wait for combat, begging for the first punch to be thrown and let the battle commence. He was ready.

The bald man, now named Shuyo, chuckled heartily-nay, hostile was more like it, though in a more subtle manner. "I must say, I am impressed, I expect no less from the king of Pandora. Well, technically, prince. I don't suppose you were officially coronated."

"I will admit," Eric chuckled weakly. "Prince does have a certain charm to it, but legalities don't matter, chrome dome. I'm not sure why you're here, unless you're here to pick up some more shoe polish for your top, maybe some hats even? Or-"

"Okay, shut up," Shuyo barked. "I know you have a large bag of exceptionally witty retorts in store for me. But it matters not how sharp your tongue is. But rather your blade, so to speak."

He looked past the blue blood to see blood spilled everywhere and bodies laid all across the path they were on. "Back to what I was saying before I went on a tangent… I'm rather impressed that you managed to defeat a hundred of my good men without so much a sweat. Or should I say, hm… your men."

Eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. "M-my men…?"

The royal fighter looked back behind him at the bodies he had laid waste to only a moment ago for a brief second. "You mean to tell me… that-"

The bald man cracked a menacing grin. "Aye, strong and sharp. If only your family wasn't so stubborn and arrogant, you'd make for a perfect leader."

While trying to process this information, Eric heard the click of footsteps on the stone road, a pair of them to be specific. Two figures were running towards the two men, both were calling out to him in a mess of pants and huffs.

"Cordelia…" he whispered breathlessly. "Raven…"

Both were making a mad dash for the Pandorian royalty, however the dash was suddenly halted once Raven truly realized who else they were in the presence of. This was the one time in his life Raven truly felt pure disgust and ire for a single person; the time where one experiences the uncanny taste of bile on their tongue and in their throat. Raising his arm out to prevent Cordelia from advancing forward, he growled at the bald man, receiving a crooked grin from him in response.

"Raven Gallo," he lulled. "Unbelievable. Truly, a match made by fate itself. I came looking for a meal, and I am presented with a banquet."

"You must be Shuyo," Raven ground out in an uncharacteristically rugged tone. "Truth be told, I've heard much about you, but this is the first time I've ever seen you in person."

Shuyo let out a bark. "Amusing you say so, because I've seen you more times than I care to remember. Now then, you and your girlfriend stand aside…" He turned back to face Eric. "...the big boys need to talk."

"Yet you stand to be the most vertically challenged," Raven cleverly retorted. "This woman is not my girlfriend. In fact, she is Lord Pandora's companion."

Shuyo's mouth formed an "o" in realization. "Ah, so she is his woman, I see."

Eric bit down on his tongue, forcing back a stare at his beloved redheaded knight. "I-It's complicated."

"What do you want, Shuyo?" Raven spat. "I've much a doubt you've come for the festivities this time of year."

Another low chuckle rippled through the night air. "What have I come for? Why, I've come to see milord in wellness… and to challenge him in a duel."

"A duel?"

"Yes," he answered. "You see, I'm in a rather stagnant point in my life where, honestly, it's been rough trying to find someone to give me the challenge I wish. Even in a land full of warriors, those who come to push the bar are far between and few. Then suddenly, I'd heard of the Black Beast who had killed the mighty Gangrel of Plegia, and I knew I had found my potential equal."

"So you say," Raven grumbled. "Then if it is a challenge you are aiming for…" he began as he unsheathed Uramasa slowly and murderously. "...you've come to the right place."

"Raven, stay out of this."

The swordsman's composure dropped a few notches, expressing his surprise at his lord's words mid-release of his sword. "What? But milord, this man is dangerous! His intentions are not what he says!"

"I'm aware of what he wishes to do, that's not what is concerning me," Eric replied sternly. "I couldn't care less about what he says versus its meaning, but if he wants a good fight, I'll give him one. Besides, I think it's high time these bones and joints got some exercise."

"Glad you feel the same way, Lord Pandora," Shuyo smiled. "But just so we're clear… I don't pull back punches."

A simple grunt left the king's mouth as he launched himself towards the shorter man, his form shining with wild crimson light. Eric threw the first punch and kick, both of which were avoided entirely by the bald headed tyrant. Still, this did not stop Eric from continuing his relentless assault, as he made sure to chain each one of his attacks from one to the next with perfect fluidity. Punch with a haymaker, then when he dodged to the side, follow with a kick in momentum. If he jumped, follow through with another hit. Flip away if he moved with offense of his own. Punch, kick, punch, flip, kick, block, attack again. Each of his attacks were lightning fast, but it appeared that Shuyo was always just one step ahead each and every time.

"You're fast, I'll give you that," the bald man huffed dully. Another punch was thrown his way, only for him to catch it in his palm. "But you can't hit me."

"Shut up!" Eric growled, kicking Shuyo's legs from underneath him. Seeing his opponent fall, the royal followed up with a powerful ground punch that shattered all of the stone around the area of impact, but just missed his target barely as he-and the two bystanders-jumped out of the way.

"Excellent comeback. I would have expected better repartee from the Prince of War."

"You want a retort? Well, here's my answer." The taller man roared out with a fiery spirit as his hair and aura went to gold and his eyes went to red. Like always, his hair stood on end pointing skyward and the aura surrounding him rippled with a coarse wisping sound.

"I was not aware you could change your hair colour at will." Shuyo redoubled his stance, donning the same grin. "An interesting tactic."

Half-lidded eyes stared directly at their target, wordless and silent as he took his stance, crouching low with arms close to his body. "Oh? Does you going blonde make you lose your tongue, boy?"

"No." In the literal blink of an eye, Shuyo felt the presence of his opponent elsewhere. "It makes me someone not to mess with!"

Finally, a direct hit. The backhand from Eric sen the bald man barrelling down a few blocks, crashing through a few buildings along the way. The Pandorian, amongst his companions, winced at the damaged caused by that simple blow. Certainly in the dead of night like this, someone had to have been awoken from this ruckus. One could only hope Chrom would let this one slide if even just a little bit, else it would be a considerable dent in his next pay.

"Neat trick." On instinct, Eric thoughtlessly moved out of the way and backed off a few steps, seeing Shuyo standing where he once was. The shorter man, with a stream of blood going down his head from a humble laceration, stared at the warrior opposite from him with a nigh malicious grin as he rose his gauntlets in a fearsome manner. Out of the wrist of the right one shot out a rather thick spike of steel; a hidden blade he planned to use to carve up any who stood in his way.

"I've seen all I need, I've wasted enough of my time here. It's time to finish this." Waving his arms about before adopting a very cryptic stance, he took a deep breath in before muttering one bone-chilling word. "Die."

Tensing the muscles in his leg, Shuyo launched himself at Eric in one powerful step, lunging out one powerful attack with his fist spike. The king dodged in the nick of time, his clothing being the one torn by the attack. Quick on his feet, Eric enacted a counterattack that Shuyo just wasn't ready for, ending in a breakneck upwards kick that sent him up into the air, only to send him careening back to earth again with an axe handle blow. Once the two righted themselves on the ground, the two devolved into a tit-for-tat exchange, each man matching the other blow for blow as they exchanged several different advances too swift for the average human eye to follow.

Now, it was Eric's turn to land the finishing move. A hawk zeroing in on its prey, the Prince of War had his fist lit with the power of lightning ready to crush the bald man, intent on bringing it down on his smaller form. There were many different responses Eric had in mind that Shuyo could have done to make his offense fail. What he didn't intend on, however, was for him to completely halt it with nothing but his unarmed hand.

The bald man gave a half-lidded stare with a smile only ever seen on the most dangerous of psychopaths. "I've grown tired of you, boy. Goodbye."

A single swipe. From one end to another, a single swipe from his blade did so much damage. Like a disgusting, horrifying balloon, a torrent of blood burst from the wound inflicted, a little bit of that blood following the steel that caused it. No longer able to support him, Eric's legs collapsed beneath him, only one knee was able to keep him somewhat upright. He hadn't a single response to such an attack, all he could do was let out a pained cough, blood gurgling its way out of his mouth as he fell to the ground and laid there on his stomach, or what was left of it.

"Well now," Shuyo began monotonously. "I thought I succeeded in cutting you straight in half. Looks like I didn't strike deep enough. Oh well."

"Hm?" Up above came a growl of unbridled rage, focused on beheading the evil bald man. Silently, he jumped out of the way and looked up to meet eyes with the enraged charge of the Pandorian royal family.

"You've had your battle with Lord Pandora." Raven's voice dropped to such a register none would think possible for someone with such a sweet and supple voice. "Now it's my turn. But unlike my lord, I will kill you without hesitation. Perhaps even with a sadist's pleasure."

Despite the death threat being sent his way, Shuyo seemed completely uninterested in the words of the swordsman. "Lovely, but I have places to go and people to see. You would be better off trying to help him rather than pursue me. Not that it would matter. I've severed everything in his gut, only a measly bit of muscle and his own spinal column is left keeping him in one piece."

Shuyo's face now became manic. "So then, Gallo… what is your choice? The present," he gestured to the fallen fighter. "Or the future? I will leave you to decide. Luar, away we go."

And with that one word, he and his companion vanished into the night, never to be seen again. Raven clenched his fist in fury and frustration, he'd failed once again in keeping his king safe; he stood there and watched tentatively as the Pandorian king was rend of his own guts. A bite to his tongue would serve as his punishment for now, he sufficed, as Cordelia's voice seemed to be calling out to him. "Raven!"

Her eyes were overflowing. "He's still alive, but his pulse is almost gone, do something!"

"Right," he said solemnly. "Hold on to me. We have no time, we have to teleport to the castle. Lady Lissa is the only one who can help him right now."

As the two warped to the castle, they ran to the Exalt and his family, each of whom were absolutely mortified by the state Eric was in, and in a short while, Cordelia, Lissa, Sumia, and a team of others were in a brightly lit room trying to keep the king alive. An entire group of guards had to keep the loyal knight of Pandora from trying to wrest his way into the room where his lord had been undergoing surgery. A soft, muffled cry escaped his mouth briefly, he really didn't think much of his lord's chances after a wound such as that. But he had to keep hope, he surmised, or at least that's what Eric would have told him. Well, more so along the lines of a fat lady singing, but the message was all the same.

One thing that Raven remembered back there was Shuyo's rather particular last choice of words. Over and over, they repeated in his head. 'The present… or the future…?' He asked himself the meaning of that question countless times over as he saw the medical team running around gathering and preparing the things needed as they went along with the surgery.

Try as he might, however, Raven could not come up with an answer.

FD: Wow. I'm starting to think my darker side is coming out now.

Lancer/Tychon: … *completely frozen in shock*

FD: A second chapter, written only two days after the last. A shocker, I know, the biggest of the chapter. I get bored over the break, and my sleep schedule is out of whack, so I pulled all-nighters just out of sheer boredom.

So now we see the capabilities of the mystery man known as Shuyo, if only but a fraction of it. Seeing how easily he made short work of our protagonist, you can see why the four Generals have to be wary when it comes to facing off against him. This will lead us down the rabbit hole of an extremely important turn of the plot. But anyway… Fell Dragonite out.