Start of Book 2: Butterfly Effect
In which the Shepherds triumphantly return-
-and our hero rains on their parade
I woke to the sound of clashing steel and death cries in the distance.
Almost immediately, I jumped to my feet, scanning my surroundings.
An alleyway. It seemed that Sofia had dragged me away from the scene and into a place some distance away.
From the position of the sun in the sky, it seemed that almost no time at all had passed since-
Her smile, her broken corpse. Blood pooling beneath her body.
...Your fault.
I grit my teeth and shook my head. There was time to think about that later.
From the fact that there were sounds of battle nearby, it would seem that Plegia had made their bid to take over Ylisstol. Perhaps Gangrel was even nearby.
Think. What should I do in this situation?
There's nothing you can do now.
I remembered the words Sofia said to me before she knocked me out.
"Nothing I can do?"
Ylisstol was being invaded. Chrom and the others had yet to arrive. Who knew where Sofia and Donnel were.
"...You might be right."
I was one man against an army. If it was Sofia, she could probably do it. But I got the sense from her that she didn't care all that much about Ylisse, let alone Ylisstol. And now that I thought about it, the only ones she seemed to interact with around the castle were me and Donnel.
A mystery for another day. For now, I had to determine my next course of action.
Even if I was just one man against the Plegian army. Even if Ylisstol was fated to fall today... would I be willing to allow it to happen?
This had been my fault. Even if no one would blame me for it, even if Chrom and the others absolved me of my guilt, I could never erase it from my own mind.
Had I not gotten involved with rescuing Maribelle, there would have been parley between Ylisse and Plegia. Also, Gangrel wouldn't have been so decisive. But with my actions, he had full excuse to use more brutal methods. It was why he had killed Emmeryn directly instead of kidnapping her, like he should have.
I was one man, and yet my actions had changed history. Had led this world's story down a different path. The responsibility for the following events were placed solely on my shoulders.
Your fault.
It was my fault. The repercussions of reckless involvement. Of trying to be a hero when I wasn't one. When I was nobody special to begin with.
I could die. Even with the training course from hell Sofia had put me through, it wouldn't be enough to stop the trained soldiers of Plegia. Even with Blood and Mana conversion, even by putting my life on the line, the most I could do would probably be to stall the army's advance.
"...It's going to have to be enough."
The Shepherds were on their way back. I didn't know how long it would be until they arrived, but it might be soon enough to prevent Ylisstol's fall. And barring that, maybe with me placing my life in danger, Sofia might decide to come back from wherever she was at the moment and help out in the battle.
I nodded, decision made.
Despite leaving me behind here in this alley, Sofia had left me my iron sword and flux tome, along with my bag. And from the heavier weight in it, she had left behind some more items as well.
A quick glance inside showed that it had been stocked with a few vulneraries and... a Nosferatu tome?
Seeing that, I couldn't help but shake my head. "...You've got a weird way of telling me that I can't do anything, Sofia."
With the Nosferatu tome, I could actually use Blood and Mana conversion without fear of dark magic corruption. The spell tome was already designed to restore life force by taking it from the enemy, so it was a perfect medium for my purposes.
"Alright."
Sword, check.
Flux tome, check.
Nosferatu tome, check.
Vulneraries... check.
I glanced out through the alleyway and towards the street.
Are you really going to do this?
A moment's hesitation. I could easily hide out here. The alleyway Sofia had left me in was well hidden from the main street. It was dark, casting just enough shadows to obscure everything from view and narrow enough to prevent anyone from wielding a weapon.
It would be safe. It would be easy. It would be what I should do, what I would do if it was the me who first came here.
But now...
Emmeryn had given me a safe place to stay in my confusion. Chrom had granted me a title that allowed me to stand on even ground with the nobles. Ylisstol in general had served as a sanctuary for me while I was lost, having been thrown into this world with no aid or direction.
It was a kindness with no ulterior motives. A kindness I repaid by sparking the war with Plegia early, failing to save Donnel's family, and now failing to save Emmeryn.
It would have been safe to hide away. It would have been easy to hide here and forget all that was happening. It was what I should do...
"But sometimes, you have to choose between what is easy and what is right."
I recalled the conversation I had with Maribelle after I had saved her. Of me realizing the difference between us. Of how she was someone willing to lay down her life for her country. Who would rather die than see it embroiled in the flamed of war.
At the time, I didn't understand. But now...
I hope that my death will at least quell their anger...
...I still wasn't sure if I did. But I would be damned if I would allow Emmeryn's sacrifice to go in vain.
With a determined heart, I dashed out of the alley and into the main street.
-Emmeryn had died for her people. Though I couldn't do much...
"...Naga, if you're listening, at least help me do a little to save her people."
...I had to try.
Emerging onto the street from the alleyway, I realized that it was the same street where the Plegians had-
thrown her broken corpse onto the ground
-shown up. The one leading to western entrance of Ylisstol.
I didn't know how the other entrances faired, but from the fact that they had chosen this one to show up at, as well as the fact that Plegia was to the west of Ylisse, it would be where the majority of their forces would arrive.
The crowd of people filling the street had dispersed, though I noted that there were a few unlucky souls who didn't manage to flee in time.
Fires had been lit, causing the air to be filled with smoke, a scent intermingled with the iron smell of freshly spilled blood.
I was a fair distance away from the western entrance.
-Ylisstol had a central plaza which was divided into the four streets leading to the other main entrances, as well as a path leading to the castle. If the Plegians managed to reach this, it would be all too easy for them to sack the castle.
Perhaps because Emmeryn had ordered them not to while she met with Plegia, or perhaps because they were yet unaware, the knights that had not gone with the Shepherds to Regna Ferox were nowhere to be found.
That meant that I was the only one standing between the invading Plegian army and the castle.
I would be lying if I said I didn't find that terrifying.
My heart was throbbing, pounding as if it wanted to fly out of my chest. My knees were shaking, and if they could make noise, would no doubt sound like a pair of rattles playing staccato notes at about 200 beats per minute.
-But I couldn't falter here.
Screams were echoing throughout Ylisstol, the citizens in both despair and terror at their Exalt's fall and Plegia's invasion.
I let out a long breath and took a step forward towards the Plegian army. Invictus triggered, and I felt a calm settle over my mind, allowing me to focus on the task at hand.
The few citizens nearby stopped to take a look. "Who's that? Is he crazy?"
"He's... going to fight the Plegians alone? Does he have a death wish?!"
"That emblem on his clothes... that's the Exalt's brand! The only one who has that right now..."
"The Emissary! He's the Emissary that Lord Chrom brought into Ylisstol a few weeks ago!"
"I thought he left for his homeland? Could it be that he returned with reinforcements to save us?"
I heard the chatter grow, more and more people questioning why I was there and why I was standing alone.
I paid it no mind, focusing on the Plegians before me.
...These were no untrained bandits. The men were lined up in an orderly fashion, some battle formation that I didn't know, but one that showed no gap in their defenses. At the front were cavalry, leading the vanguard. Behind them were archers and dark mages, intermingled for ranged support. And leading them all from the back was that same burly man I had seen who showed Emmeryn's corpse. A general, judging from his armor.
The enemy general saw me walking towards them and said, "A sole man is all the resistance Ylisse has to offer? And a cripple at that?" He let out a booming laugh. "I guess it was true that the Exalt disbanded the army after the war!" Following those words, the general sneered and said, "Looks like it's Ylisse's turn to be razed to the ground! Men!"
At the general's shout, the cavalry raised their lances and the ranged attackers prepared their bows and tomes. "Let's show Ylisstol how we feel about their 'peace'!"
The street thundered with the sound of over a dozen horses charging towards me. Light gleamed off of silver lances, showing that these men were the elite, and no simple cannon fodder.
The people behind me screamed, and I heard the sounds of fleeing footsteps as they made haste to put as much distance between them and the advancing soldiers as they could.
Even through invictus, I could feel the growing dread inside me. Who wouldn't, faced with an advancing army and no support?
But I pushed that down.
I could not run. Though I could still live if I ran, could still escape from this advancing army, that would mean allowing more casualties while the Ylissean knights mobilized. That was something I couldn't allow. And besides, if I ran then and there... I would be losing something far more valuable to me than my life.
Instead of fleeing, I drew forth my Nosferatu tome.
One of the advancing cavalry saw my action and said, "He's a mage! Be careful!"
Another said, "So what, he's one man!"
The distance between me and the soldiers was a distance of over twenty meters. Even the fastest horse among them would require a few seconds to close the gap.
-I was weak. Even with Sofia's sadistic training, there was no way in hell I could stand against these men through ordinary means. The Shepherds probably could, but as for me alone, no way.
...But I didn't just have ordinary means at my disposal.
I let out a breath, mentally preparing myself. It would be a gamble. Sofia had stressed more than enough that with my current pool of mana, trying to use the spells I'd made to fight would be purposefully taking one foot in the grave. Like burning a man to keep him from freezing to death.
The cavalry halved the distance, only a breath away from running me through.
Do it.
"Synthesize: Blood and Mana conversion!"
A torrent of darkness burst from my tome just as the first of the cavaliers arrived. It erupted with enough force to physically repel the advancing charge, knocking every rider back a few paces.
"What the-?"
The road became pitch black, all light obscured by the encompassing darkness from my spell. Cries of confusion sounded out from the cavaliers that charged into it.
"What kind of spell is this?"
"Argh, my skin is burning!"
"What in Grima's name-? GRAGH!"
"MY ARMS!"
Cries of confusion quickly turned into those of fear as the effects of my spell washed over them.
YES. TAKE THEIR BLOOD, THEIR LIFE, THEIR POWER.
The voice that had been absent for the past week returned. That sinister whispering in the back of my mind, that thirst for more strength.
I felt my pool of mana expanding with every second, the fuel I had to work with increasing at an almost exponential rate.
"Dammit!" The enemy general cried out. "Since when did Ylisse have a dark mage?! Cavalry, fall back! Archer and mages, advance!"
TOO LATE! HAHAHAHA!
The darkness vanished with a single thought. Where before there had been a line of advancing cavalry, riders garbed in armor and riding upon armored war horses, there was nothing left but cracked metal and bones that were turning to dust even as they were gazed upon.
I dropped my tome and clutched my head, feeling a splitting headache emerge.
"Quick! He's weakened!" The general shouted out again. "Signal the wyvern riders! Take him out!"
A mage shout a burst of fire into the sky, and then a large shadow swept down from above. At the same time, I heard fierce roar resound through the skies, the intimidating sound of a wyvern.
When my tome hit the ground, it shattered, turning into dust. The act of my last spell proved too much for it.
MORE! MORE BLOOD, MORE MANA, MORE POWER-
I ignored the maniacal voice in my head and pulled out my flux tome. It was already close to breaking from my frantic use of it to get to Emmeryn, but there was still enough to get out one more spell, two if I was careful.
I glanced at the western gate. The enemy general was standing there, along with the remaining archers and mages. However, in the distance I could already see more soldiers en route.
-Idly, I noticed that Emmeryn's body was nowhere to be seen. Hopefully that's Sofia's doing.
I could use my flux tome as intended and take out the wyvern riders, but that would leave me with no catalyst to reinforce myself for the inevitable melee. Then again, the mages up ahead would be carrying some as well.
Or I could use my flux tome to start my reinforcement spell and then fuel it with my recent ill-gotten mana, which might be enough to see me through this.
The faint whistling of a thrown spear told me that my time to think was over.
"Synthesize-"
YES! POWER, STRENGTH! SHOW THEM-
"-Mind of steel."
WHAT? YOU-
I heard a burst of static, and then my mind was quiet, calm yet focused, like a sheathed sword ready to act at a moment's notice.
The main concern with not using a tome had been the voice in my head, that sinister whispering that drew me towards bloodlust and gaining strength with a complete disregard for anything else. The more I drew from my own reserves, the greater it grew.
...But it was a part of me, and according to the principles of dark magic, it was something I could sacrifice to cast a spell.
-An exploit. Sofia hadn't mentioned this, and 'that' book didn't say anything about it as well. The greatest worry of a dark mage was losing their mind and soul to the corruption of dark magic. This spell would prevent that from occurring, sacrificing any corruption of my mind or magic to instead reinforce my focus.
...Unfortunately, it seemed to restrict the power of my magic as a result. Where before I felt a vast ocean of power, now it was more like a puddle.
-But it was still enough to use reinforcement.
My flux tome crumbled in my hands, and I dodged the thrown spear, a feat easily accomplished with my hyperaware mind. Out of the immediate danger, I quickly cast reinforcement. A faint hum of power in my body told me it succeeded without a hitch, though I also felt my reserve of mana quickly dropping. It seemed that I wouldn't have more than a few minutes of enhanced abilities without gaining more mana.
"You incompetent fool!" The enemy general called out again. "Gragh! Mages and archers advance! If the wyvern rider can't take him out, you do it!"
The wyvern rider that had tossed the spear swooped down to attack. A halberd was held in his hand, and he was armored in crimson platemail.
Armed with only a sword, I would be hard-pressed to take him out, let alone the fierce mount he rode upon.
But wyvern riders had a crippling weakness to magic in the games, didn't they?
I didn't know if that carried over to reality, but it was a better idea than trying to match him with my plain iron sword.
The wyvern rider let out a shout, one echoed with a roar by his mount, and then swung his halberd.
It was fast. Even reinforced as I was, I could quickly see that I was only barely faster than him.
Still, barely faster was still faster.
I immediately crouched and dashed forward, avoiding the attack at the last moment and paying the price with a few shaved hairs.
In that fraction of time where I dodged, the wyvern's underbelly was exposed to me. And, knowing what I did about dragons, that was my chance.
I quickly drew my sword and lashed out, carving a line in the wyvern's belly. Its blood, a warm and viscous liquid that almost burned, splashed onto me. Blood that I could use.
A surge of darkness emerged around me again, enveloping the wyvern and its rider. Blood was converted to mana, and that mana was instantly converted to strength.
When the wyvern rider finished his pass, both man and beast crashed into the ground, shattering into nothing more than bone dust.
Yet, despite the morbid and terrifying scene, the remaining soldiers didn't so much as flinch. Already arrows were flying through the air interspersed with an array of fire balls and dark magic that blacked out the sky.
I kicked off the ground, sending myself flying forwards at the group of archers and mages before they could react. Moving faster than they had expected, the barrage of attacks crashed down into the ground behind me and left them open.
"By Grima, you fools-! Must I do everything myself?!"
I heard the enemy commander call out again but ignored him, cutting down as many of the mages and archers as I could with my sword. Despite my speed though, they quickly caught on to my actions and beat a hasty retreat. Before long, I was standing there alone, with the closest enemy being the enemy general.
He gave me a long look before scoffing. "You're pretty good to have lived for so long! If Ylisse had even another of you, we might have lost. But-" The general reached to his side and drew a massive broadsword. That act was followed by donning a helmet and taking a step that shook the ground. "You face Gazak, Plegia's greatest general! This is where you fall, along with the weak Exalt's country!"
I didn't say anything, only raising my sword in reply. I also made sure to keep a careful eye out on the other Plegian soldiers. Despite the general's act of advancing by himself for a duel, I wasn't naive enough to believe the other soldiers would just idly stand by and wait.
As if proving my point, shadows streaked across the ground, cast by wyvern riders directly bypassing me to head towards the castle.
There wasn't anything I could do about that though, so I focused on the task at hand.
I briefly evaluated the enemy general. Gazak was a name I wasn't familiar with. He was probably just a nameless opponent that had been easily cut down in the later chapters while the Shepherds headed towards Plegia.
But just because he was nameless in the game didn't mean I could take him down easily.
My eyes tracked his every movement, and from them, I could tell that he wasn't one to be taken lightly. Which made perfect sense. A person that had become a general, who had gone through a promotion even if it was an early one still possessed strength far outstripping what I could contest with at the moment.
I knew my limits very well. This battle was one I couldn't win. Not only that, but I was quickly running out of mana to fuel my reinforcement. The complications emerging from layering spells, it seemed.
But I didn't need to win, only stall.
I was drawn out of my thoughts by Gazak's roar. "Die!"
Despite being in heavy platemail, the man moved with as much speed as I did, if not a fraction faster. He quickly closed the distance between us and swung his sword in a domineering vertical blow.
My eyes grew wide, and I quickly brought up my sword to parry the blow-
CRACK.
"Hah! Did you think you could block my sword with that puny thing!?" Gazak laughed and drew his sword back for another slash.
I narrowed my eyes, quickly reassessing the situation at hand. A glance at my sword revealed it to be cracked all over, unable to contest with the general's broadsword. An unfortunate consequence of physics rearing its ugly head at an inappropriate time. In its current state, even trying to strike Gazak's armor would shatter it, let alone attempting another parry.
I leapt back, an attempt to increase the distance between us, but Gazak matched my retreat with an advance every bit as swift.
"Oh no you don't!" His words were punctuated by that broadsword cleaving through the air again.
No choice.
I was too close to avoid the attack, so all I could do was swing my sword once again in an attempt to parry.
There was the sound of metal shattering. As expected, the iron sword's durability was exhausted. Still, it lasted long enough for me to divert the broadsword and avoid the attack.
The moment my sword shattered, I tried to use Blood and Mana conversion on the general. Darkness gathered around the man, and I felt my reserves replenish a small margin as it did-
"Trying to use dark magic on me? Hah!"
-And then an armored boot kicked out from it, sending me flying through the air.
I heard and felt a few ribs crack, more doing so as I crashed into the ground. It seemed that even with reinforcement, I wasn't a match for him.
Dammit Sofia. Now would be a good time to show up!
I forced myself back on my feet, knowing that not doing so would lead to my death.
The ground trembled as Gazak advanced towards me. "Die!"
-I couldn't move in time. As wounded as I was, and with my low reserves, I was barely able to stand, let alone dodge.
There was a shadow dropping from above, and then the sound of a sword scraping against a shield.
I let out a sigh of relief as I looked up to my savior. "About time you got here-"
The words stopped in my throat when I saw who it was standing off against Gazak. "...Donnel?!"
It was Donnel, not Sofia who had come to my rescue. That alone threw me for a loop. But then I realized what he had equipped.
He still had on his tin pot helmet, but in addition to that... Blue armored plate mail, a tower shield along his left arm and silver long sword in his right. That wasn't the outfit of a villager, but rather-
"Yeehaw! Looks like I got here just in the nick of time, Hoopa!"
I blinked, still not believing my eyes. "Since when did you become a Hero?"
Donnel kept his eyes on Gazak, who had retreated a few steps upon seeing Donnel easily block his blow, but tilted his head slightly back and said, "Since I figured out what my Pa's rock did. Boy was I surprised when it shot lightning at me... but that's enough of that. You just sit tight there, Hoopa. It's my turn to help ya out now."
His Pa's rock?
I frowned. Was there something like that in the game? ...Right. Nowi's conversation with him mentioned something like that. They never really went into what it was... but could it have been an Earth Seal?
In the old games, they didn't have Master Seals, but rather class specific items to promote. The only one that could promote multiple classes was the Earth Seal, which, now that I thought about it, did look like a rather odd rock...
The sound of clashing steel drew my attention again.
Donnel was keeping Gazak on his toes, the young villager... no, the young hero easily seeing through the man's moves and possessing both the strength and speed to stand on equal ground with him.
Being hard pressed, Gazak growled and said, "Dammit! Since when did Ylisse have so many hidden aces!?" At the same time, he brought his sword down to try and cleave Donnel in two.
Donnel blocked with his shield and then said, "How 'bout this! Aether!"
-What?
Gazak looked as surprised as I did and frantically brought up his shield to block.
-But how could that stop Aether, which combined Luna's armor piercing damage with Sol's restorative abilities?
Donnel's sword glowed with what looked like azure flames before swinging up towards Gazak. Upon meeting the general's shield, the sword cut through it with ease before splitting through Gazak himself.
"Im...possible..." The general managed to get out those last words before collapsing on the ground in a pool of blood.
Donnel flicked his sword and then turned towards the other Plegian soldiers. "Come get some!"
For a moment, everyone froze, still struck by the impossible sight Donnel's last attack.
One of the mages was the first to break the silence. "Wasn't that... Aether?"
"No way! That's impossible! Only the Exalted line should be able to use it!"
"But the blue flames, the way he cut through general Gazak's Pavise! What else could it be?!"
A seed of doubt had been placed in the hearts of the Plegian soldiers, preventing them from doing anything more than stand there and stare.
I walked over to Donnel and then converted Gazak's spilled blood into some mana, enough to heal my body.
Seeing me do that was the last straw. With their leader done for and faced with impossible opponents, the Plegian soldiers turned tail and ran...
"YOUR END HAS COME!"
Only to have their retreating path obstructed by the Shepherds, with Chrom leading the vanguard. A few moments later, there was the sound of pegasus wings, and then Robin landed on the ground nearby.
He took a look at me and said, "You've seen better days."
I laughed, invictus fading away. "About damned time you guys got here."
Donnel looked at Robin and said, "Who's that, Hoopa?"
"Ah, he's the tactician of the Shepherds. Trust me when I say we've got this in the bag now that he's here."
Robin scratched his head. "That's giving me a bit too much praise, but thanks. Ah, right. Where's Lady Emmeryn? We rushed back as fast as we could when we got her letter that she was going to parley with Plegia."
His words caused my stomach to drop. "...Emmeryn?"
Donnel snapped his fingers. "That's right! One of the maids told me you'd be heading here to save her Grace, Hoopa! Knowing you, you've got her secreted away with one of your awesome dark magic spells, right?"
The earnest way that Donnel spoke didn't make me feel any better.
Robin seemed to have noticed something was off. "...Hoopa. Lady Emmeryn... is safe, isn't she?"
"...Emmeryn, she-"
Chrom was heading this way, the Shepherds having made quick work of the Plegians. In the distance, I could see a few soldiers with the insignia of Regna Ferox as well.
...What could I say to them? That they were too little too late? That I tried to save Emmeryn, but that I was too slow and that even now her body was missing?
"Hoopa!" Chrom called out and gave me a wide smile. "Glad to see that you're in good health." He saw my empty left sleeve and quickly said, "Er, well as good health as you can be considering the circumstances." He took a look around the surroundings and said, "I don't see Emm anywhere... did you manage to change her mind about parleying with Plegia, Hoopa?"
I didn't say anything.
"...Hoopa?" Chrom looked at me, his good humor quickly fading. "Say something. Emm's fine, right?" With my lack of response, he turned towards Robin. "Robin? Do you know anything?"
The tactician shook his head. "No more than you do. Hoopa was about to tell me what happened when you got here."
"I see." Chrom looked at me again. "Well, Hoopa? Where's Emm?"
By this point, the Shepherds had made their way over as well.
I saw Lissa standing next to a taciturn Lon'qu. Maribelle and Ricken arguing about something or another. Sully and Stahl casually chatting, while Virion tried to get a word in edgewise between them. Vaike and Miriel, with the latter handing back the former his axe. Sumia calmly petting her Pegasus, with Cordelia standing next to her. Gaius, Panne, Frederick... even Gregor and Nowi for some reason were present.
Seeing Chrom address me, I was suddenly the focus of attention, the entire group waiting on my word.
"...Lady Emmeryn, her Grace..."
Hearing my somber tone, Chrom took a step back, his face twisting in shock. "No."
"Earlier today, she came out to parley with the Plegian forces. And the Plegians who were to speak to her..."
"No." Chrom shook his head. "No. Hoopa... you can't mean..."
I closed my eyes, unable and unwilling to meet the gazes staring back at me. "They cut her down where they stood and threw her corpse to the ground for all of Ylisstol to see."
"NO!"
I felt my shirt being tugged and I opened my eyes.
Chrom had grabbed my shirt, pulling me close to him and was staring at me with intense eyes. "Don't lie to me, Hoopa!"
I laughed, a sound pitiful even to my ears. "Why would I lie about this, Chrom? Too late... I got there too late. And now, not even her body's left. All I could do was stall the soldiers as best as I could until you arrived."
"You-!"
He was angry. Chrom was in denial and looking to lash out at anyone he could.
I saw him pull his fist back, ready to knock me to the ground.
I didn't try and stop him. I deserved it, after all.
But he didn't. He let me go, taking a step back, and let out a ragged breath. "You... did your best, I suppose."
"Chrom... he's kidding, right?" Lissa's soft voice. "Emm... she can't be dead. I mean, we arrived just in time!"
Chrom turned towards her. "Lissa."
"DON'T YOU LISSA ME!"
Chrom was dumbstruck at Lissa's outburst.
The princess ran towards me and said, "You! You're lying, right? Emm's safe, right?"
I didn't respond. How could I?
"You saved Maribelle, how come you couldn't save my sister?!"
Again, I didn't say anything. She was right.
"WHY WON'T YOU SAY ANYTHING!?"
Faced with Lissa's furious outburst, I could only stand there in silence and endure it.
"ANSWER ME, DAMMIT! ANSWER ME! ...Why won't you answer me...?!"
"...Lissa, darling. Leave him be."
Maribelle was the one to rescue me from the predicament. She walked up towards Lissa and placed a hand on her shoulder. "As amazing as Sir Hoopa might be, even he couldn't have stopped this."
Her words were meant to be comforting. I was sure of that. Maybe even a sort of apology. But even then...
Your fault.
They did nothing to absolve my guilt. And it was with a heavy heart that I followed Chrom and the others back to the castle.
This was your fault.
The pained look in Chrom's eyes, Lissa's broken sobs. Robin's blank gaze.
I couldn't do anything about it. I couldn't do anything to change the past. All I could do from this point on was...
...Become strong enough that this never happens again.
A/N: So I was struck by a sudden desire to write this chapter this morning and couldn't stop until it was finished.
...I really wish stuff like that happened more often with my other stories as well...
Anyway, we see a change in mindset, the beginning of Dark Magic exploits, as well as the shifting of certain events.
Sofia's nowhere to be found, as well as Emmeryn's body.
We also advance into Book 2, something I forgot to put last chapter. For anyone who missed it, Book 1 is called "A Drop in the Waves of Time". Make of it what you will.
Anyway, hope you enjoyed it, and leave a review if you want. It's optional, but I do enjoy them whenever they appear.
Either way, until the next!