-Absent Arcadia

Black hair and yellow eyes, coupled with a skin the pallor of the dead. Those were the distinctive features of a morph, one that I recalled and saw now staring back at me.

They were softened, the black hair carrying a tint of brown, the yellow eyes tending towards green, and my skin slightly tanned from travel, but I could not mistake the truth.

A morph. A being of recycled quintessence, created in the image of 'Marc'. Someone who could exist only due to the exception, the contradiction occurring in this world.

Time was not linear. It branched, split, and sometimes looped endlessly. And the result of that...

I let out a deep breath and looked away.

It didn't matter. So long as I could keep Lyn safe, I didn't care.

The sun's rays filtered through the window. It would be time to leave soon. Time to head towards Caelin and put this story to a close.

Before then, there were preparations I needed to make. Strategies to ensure our victory.

A contingency in the worst case scenario.

Wallace becoming a morph, Kent being killed, and Ephidel's appearance. They were anomalies, along with I.

In addition to that, meeting the White Wolf at the inn during our travels hinted at an acceleration of the events to come.

Tactics, strategies, trumps.

Before the worst came to be, I would act.

I grabbed my cloak, wrapping it around me as I always had, and left the room.

The Eagler Estate spanned a large expanse of land, primarily due to General Eagler's own fame, and partly due to his service to the Marquess. Due to that, the manor that the general called his home also spanned a large area.

For any guest, carelessly wandering around would result in getting lost. Twice so at this hour, where the help were still attending to their morning duties and were not out and about.

Despite that, I found my feet guiding me to where I needed to be.

Up a flight of stairs, past tapestries and decor, then along a hallway. With that, I arrived at a pair of double doors.

I opened them and walked inside.

General Eagler sat behind a stout wooden desk, scanning a pile of parchment. An extra chair stood in front of the desk, but I refrained from sitting in it just yet.

As for the room itself, the shelves of books and plaques adorning the walls revealed its nature as the general's studied.

After a few moments with no response from General Eagler, I called out a greeting. "General."

"Hm?" He looked up at me and smiled. "Ah, Lady Lyndis's tactician. Mark, was it? Come in."

He gestured towards the chair in front of him. "Have a seat. We have... much to discuss before our march on Castle Caelin begins."

His smile faltered near the end of his sentence, and I could see him barely restrain the urge to sigh.

I nodded and did as he suggested. When I took my place in front of him, the general showed me the parchments he held.

"These are reports from the men that remain loyal to the Marquess near Castle Caelin. I would like your opinion on them, Mark."

I grabbed the parchments and scanned them as quickly as I could while retaining the information they carried.

Though verbose, in short, they told of the citizens rising in arms against the tyrant Lundgren and rallying behind the banner of Marquess Hausen's true heir, Lady Lyndis. The knights appeared sympathetic to the cause, but awaited Eagler's orders before they would act, though a few squads had already departed to join the cause.

The reason for that...

"So Elizabeth actually did it?"

Lines had been drawn and sides were chosen. And from the looks of it, Lundgren's supporters numbered few.

At my words, the general let out a sigh. "This concerns me. Civil war? Did you have a hand in this, Tactician?"

The fact that the general addressed me with my title rather than name did not go unnoticed.

"Yes. And I also saved your daughter from her captivity, General."

He stared at me for a moment longer, and then gave a curt nod. "Very well, Tactician. Tell me why you decided to send Caelin into a civil war and use my daughter as the head of the rebellion."

"Is it not obvious, General? Before, with just Lyn, Caelin was divided yet silent. Though there were rumors of Lundgren's atrocities, they were few and quickly quelled. But now that there is a voice behind it, a person well-respected and adored, there is no more hiding it."

I smiled. "Where we were once villains, we will now march to Caelin as heroes, with the people and knights behind us."

"And Lady Lyndis?" The general shot out of his chair, eyes glowering. "Is she nothing more than a pawn in your game, Tactician?"

I remained silent and continued sitting.

"Do not hide behind pretenses, Tactician. Though Lady Lyndis may trust you, and though Sain may follow you, I will not fall into line so easily." He narrowed his eyes. "Who are you? No simple traveler could have guided Lady Lyndis so easily across the plains with Lundgren sending his assassins. No simple traveler could have one of Ostia's spies break him out of Caelin's most secure prison. And no simple traveler would risk their life for Lady Lyndis with the might of an entire nation pursuing her! WHO ARE YOU!?"

I expected the anger and the suspicion from the general. It was true, after all. To gather a ragtag group of individuals and lead them across the Sacae plains. To repel skirmish after skirmish with next to no casualties, and then to break out of prison with the aid of an Ostian spy... those feats pointed to an extraordinary individual. One who could topple a nation, and with the civil war beginning, one who seemed to plan to do just that while ingratiating himself with the heir-to-be at the same time.

But I didn't care about that.

He accused me of treating Lyn as a pawn.

Lyn, who had always been kind to me, no matter how many times we met.

Lyn, who I cared for more than the world itself.

Lyn, who I would raze the world to the ground to save.

I rose to my feet, meeting the general's narrowed eyes with an icy gaze. "Lyn, a pawn in my game? You are mistaken, General. Lyn... she is more than that. More than a pawn, more valuable than a king, and more than deserving of meeting her remaining family! THAT is my end game, General, and that is all I care for, all I LIVE for!"

Eagler, to his credit, didn't flinch at me raising my voice, but his eyes widened in surprise.

"Who am I, you ask. I am someone with no name, someone with no home, someone with no world to return to after this war is over. I am the one who will fade away into obscurity time and time again, with no one to remember me when I leave. I am someone who does not exist, General."

Idly, I noted that I said more than I intended, but that didn't matter. At this point, nothing would change in consequence.

"It is because of that I follow Lyn, aid her, do everything I can for her. She is my sole reason for living, General."

We stood in silence for some time, and then Eagler smiled.

I narrowed my eyes in response.

When I did, Eagler broke out into laughter, a hearty laugh that echoed across the room.

I growled. "You find that amusing?!"

Eagler lowered himself back into his chair. "Forgive me, Mark. It's just... your conviction reminded me of something." He shook his head and said, "Time truly has a strange way of repeating itself."

"What?"

"It's nothing. Just the musings of a man reminiscing on the past." Eagler gestured towards the chair again. "Sit down, Mark. Let us put this conversation behind us and focus on what's to come. Tell me, what plans do you have for the coming battle?"

I stared at him for a moment longer and then sighed. With that, I sat down and said, "Do you have any spare parchment and ink?"

With that, we made plans for the coming battle.

After the strategy session concluded, I had ensured Eagler's support, his role in the coming battle, and a promise for him to keep an eye on Lyn after this battle ended.

It had gone awry from my original intentions I had in walking the room, but as it worked out, I considered it a success.

With that taken care of, I headed towards the next person to assure our victory and Lyn's safety in the future.

I knocked on the door to his room and said, "Erk. Are you awake?"

"Mark? Come in."

I opened the door and walked in.

The room was similar to the one I had slept in. Its occupant, Erk, had been sitting on his bed and reading before I entered. Now that I did, he looked up at me.

"Did you have something you wanted to go over before we departed?"

I nodded. "I did. Do you recall what had happened back in Araphen?"

Erk paused for a moment, and then his expression darkened as realization hit. "No. Mark, you cannot possibly be thinking-"

"I don't plan to use it, Erk, but with all that has happened..."

Erk snapped his tome shut and leapt out of his bed. "Are you that selfish, Mark? Lady Lyndis and Ev-, Serra thinks the world of you! If you use that- Do you even understand the consequences of what will happen?"

"Of course. More than just dying, I will cease to exist. But then, I was never a person in the first place, Erk."

My words gave him pause.

"...What are you saying?"

"As a student of the Mage General, you know of morphs, do you not? You also know their distinguishing features?"

Erk nodded. "Of course. Creatures wrought from the darkest magic, whispered only of in legends. Eerie yellow eyes and dark hair possessing superhuman strength-"

He cut himself off. "The enemy yesterday... are you saying they were morphs?"

"Not just them."

Erk frowned, and then his eyes widened. "You jest."

"No. I remember."

Erk remained silent for a few moments and then shook his head. "Impossible. From what my teacher told me, morphs cannot- No. Mark, you are too human to be a morph. Even if you were... it changes nothing. You are still the one who led us safely to Caelin, who will lead Lady Lyndis to her grandfather."

"Perhaps. But that brings me to my original intent in speaking with you. Erk... you must warn your teacher. One year from now the Dark Druid Nergal will begin acting in earnest. He will seek to throw all of Elibe into war to gather quintessence, enough to open the Dragon's Gate."

"What? But that's-"

"What will occur. I will... probably not be around to prevent it, and I know this is a large favor to ask, but..."

Erk sighed. "Fine."

I blinked. "You'll agree just like that?"

Erk nodded, a grim look on his face. "Of course. Though I cannot guarantee anything will come of it, you have earned my trust. And I know that if it involves Lady Lyndis, you would not lie. Or am I wrong?"

"...No. You're right."

"Very well. I'll inform Lord Pent, but on one condition." He fixed me with a stern look. "Mark... you must promise me to not do anything reckless. Not for my sake or your own, but for her sake."

"I-"

"Promise."

I sighed. "Fine. I promise."

"Then it's settled."

Erk sat back down on his bed and went back to reading his tome.

I turned and left the room.

Nothing more needed to be said.

The remaining preparations for our final battle finished in no time at all. At noon, we departed from Eagler's estate, followed by Eagler's men. Knights of the realm, soon to be comrades in arms, took up Lyn's banner and Lyndis's Legion grew from a small ragtag group to a minor army.

As we marched across the country towards Castle Caelin, our number only grew.

Elizabeth joined us, accompanied by Guy, sometime during our march. I didn't notice until she had come over to introduce herself to Lyn and thank me again for rescuing her.

-Was it nerves? For some reason or another, time seemed to slip away from me. Only Lyn's smile and determination grounded me, but even then, before I knew it, we were standing on the outskirts of Castle Caelin.

I stood next to Lyn, at her side as always. Behind us were the original members of Lyndis's Legion, the ones I called my comrades, and the ones who followed us on this journey that many others would have called a death-wish.

Dorcas stood at arms, his hand axes kept at his side.

Florina shied away from everyone, hiding behind Huey, but remained near Lyn and I despite her fear and timidity.

Wil stood with a smile on his face, the carefree attitude the archer carried never faltering.

Serra and Erk, Lucius and Raven, Rath... even Nils and Ninian.

Everyone stood behind us, offering their support and showing their determination.

At any point, they could have left. At any point, they could have turned their back on this journey and returned to their lives beforehand.

Instead, they were here and standing behind Lyn, someone targeted by Lundgren, the man who carried the might of Caelin in his brother's absence.

The only one missing from this picture was Kent, the dutiful knight that gave his life to save my own. The one who entrusted Lyn to me, and who I would not let down.

We stood before an assortment of knights, civilians, and other men and women that threw their lot with Lyn. Those people that believed in Marquess Hausen's heir, who rebelled against Lundgren's tyranny... their reasons varied, but at that point and at that time, they united.

Sain strode past us to address them. As if to make up for Kent's absence, all traces of humor and laughter were gone from his expression. The jovial man who had joined us at the start was gone. In his place was a harsh knight, the one that demanded respect from all he encountered.

"Brothers in arms! Today we lay waste to the tyrant who would seize the throne! Onwards! For Lady Madelyn! For Lord Wallace and the rest who have fallen to Lundgren's mad schemes! And lastly... onwards, for our Lady Lyndis!"

"For our lady!"

Sain's right hand went to his side, gripping tight around the hilt of a crimson blade. "Too many have fallen at his hands! Too many have been harmed by Lundgren's mad schemes! Today, it ends!"

A cheer erupted in response to Sain's words.

"For those who have fallen! For Lady Madelyn! For Lord Hausen! And most of all, for Lady Lyndis, the rightful heir to Caelin!"

At those words, Sain drew his blade, a memento of his departed friend and a reminder of what we fought for.

"Today, we ride!"

And with those words, the battle began.

The end was before us. I didn't know if it was due to nerves, fear, or anticipation, but time continued to race before me.

Lyn and I charged together, seeking our way to Lundgren. Though I would have preferred otherwise, this course remained the most effective path to end the battle.

To that end, I fought.

We fought.

I swung my sword to parry one seeking my head. In the next, I stepped forward and cut down my attacker.

A knight. Young, brash.

...Black hair and inhuman yellow eyes.

The moment he fell, I noticed his body fading into black smoke, but allowed my attention to stay no more than that. Already, my legs moved towards my next opponent, a cavalier donned in shining armor.

Lyn fought close by, the Mani Katti glowing as if to match her resolve. Cutting down a knight, she dashed towards the next foe, eyes narrowed with intense focus.

-Chaos. Compared to the battles before, the scene we fought in could be called nothing else.

Men and women alike died all around, casualties emerging upon both sides despite our greater number. The reason for that lay in the nature of our opponents.

Against ordinary men, odds of three to one were assured victory on our part and death on their part. But against morphs... it barely tipped the odds.

Thankfully, none of our friends had died, but it was a close thing.

Focus.

Our success remained contingent upon Lyn and I reaching the castle. To that end, no attention could be spared on extraneous manners.

The cavalier I faced sent his horse into a charge. A lance, steel and already bloodied from previous encounters, thrust towards me, intent upon ending my life.

Facing it, my body moved on its own, half-recalled instincts and memories triggering to allow me to fight at the level I required.

I slid to my left, avoiding the lance by fractions of a second. In the next step, my left foot stopped my body and sent me moving in the opposite direction, changing my trajectory too fast for the cavalier to react.

My blade found its way into the man's neck, and then I had gone, already moving.

I couldn't afford to stop moving.

Lyn and I cut our way through those before us, crossing the bloodied fields of war step by step.

Static filled my ears, my vision, and my arms, but I ignored it.

-This was the end.

The story's close drew near.

A general, garbed in heavy platemail barred the way. He raised a lance to challenge us, to stop us.

Words were spoken, but I didn't hear them.

Three steps. One to prepare, one to attack, one to return.

Like with Wallace, I moved. Ducked under the attack, created an opening, and allowed Lyn to cut him down.

And then we reached him. The one who instigated this all, the one whose death would mean the end of it all.

"So you finally show yourself, girl!"

Lundgren stood before the gates of Castle Caelin, garbed in a seemingly impenetrable suit of crimson armor. Gold trimmings showed the man's vanity, but the pile of bodies around him showed that it was not without reason.

In his right hand, he carried a silver axe. Once pristine, the weapon was pitted and bloodied, but it only emphasized its danger rather than detracted from it.

Lyn raised the Mani Katti and glared at him. "Lundgren! Your time has come!"

The tyrant laughed and raised his axe to meet her challenge. "It's a shame you didn't die with your parents! You would have saved me the trouble of killing you myself!"

Static.

Time was blending together- No, it wasn't that time was blending together but that my perception of it was fading.

FOCUS!

Lyn let out a yell and leapt forward, the Mani Katti swinging to cleave Lundgren in two.

"Wait, Lyn-!"

I moved to join her only to find my way blocked by a hooded figure.

"Miss me?"

Static.

Time ran out, sideways, and upside down as I stared at the one before me.

"Ephidel...!"

I couldn't see most of his face, which remained obscured by his hood, but I could see his mouth. It shifted into a smile, a twisted expression mocking (encouraging) me.

"Come on. Let's finish this act, shall we?"

Ephidel reached into his cloak and pulled out a blade.

Golden, rusted, and pitted from seeing countless battles. The Runeblade that would steal life and energy to aid its user. The sword that allowed the user to fight past their limits and defy death.

Static.

I didn't have time to waste on him.

Behind Ephidel, I saw Lyn struggle to match Lundgren's might. As fast as she moved, it made no difference when Lundgren need only wait for her attack and counter with one of his own.

She needed an opening.

She needed me.

A flash of golden light.

I swung my sword to meet it, causing a clash of steel to echo.

Ephidel leaned towards me, pressing against my blade with his own and said, "Keep your eye on your opponent, Mark. Lyn can't be helped if your dead now, can she?"

I leapt back, creating an opening between us.

The sudden lack of resistance sent Ephidel sprawling a step or two, but he righted himself in an instant. He raised the Runeblade against me, that smile never fading from his face.

...I still couldn't read him. Everything about the man before me remained-

"Shrouded in shadows... that's what you're thinking, right? You aren't wrong about that."

Static.

A flash of a girl with blonde hair. An accident resulting in her death. Departing to another world to save her, even if she wouldn't remember, wouldn't be the same.

Thoughts like those, memories like those... I threw them away as I dashed towards Ephidel. My sword swung twice, faster than should be possible, and created a silver cross in the span of the same moment.

Despite that, a duet of clangs erupted, and again I found myself locking blades with Ephidel, only this time it was my blade against his.

"Such ferocity... or is it despair? You have realized it, I assume? How you are like these puppets Lundgren is using? How you have no soul?"

This time, Ephidel slid backwards and I was the one sent staggering forward. But like he did before me, I instantly righted myself and raised my sword to challenge him.

Seeing that, his smile dropped, turning into a frown. "What purpose do you have? What is it that makes you fight? After all... to you, this time here is meaningless."

I didn't answer, instead moving to cut him down.

Lyn struggled to fight Lundgren, and there were none to aid her. No one except for me.

In the corner of my eye, I saw Lundgren throw his axe. The sudden attack caught Lyn off guard, and I saw her blood splash against the ground.

A light wound. The attack had only grazed her arm.

...But attacks like those would be her downfall at this rate.

Static.

No more hesitation. I would not last for long beyond this battle.

In that case, there was no need to hold back.

Thunder punctuated my resolve. Rain began to fall, lending its presence to the finality of this battle.

At the same time, I cast away the limiter, the only restraint... the only protection that allowed me to exist in this world.

A flash of clarity, an instant where time seemed to stand still.

It passed, and then my blade thrust towards Ephidel's head.

An unavoidable attack. Though I couldn't see his eyes, I knew that they would have been wide in shock.

Despite that, my attack failed. The instant before it connected, Ephidel moved to his left, causing the attack to tear away his hood instead of his head.

Both a cloak and a shred of fabric fluttered to the ground, and at that time everything was made clear.

Ephidel stared at me with wide emerald eyes, set beneath mousy-brown hair. "I see. So that is your answer."

Despite not a drop of blood being spilled between us, our fight was at its end.

"...Even if I am a fake. Even if I have no soul, no place in this world, I will fight. I will fight for everything that I have come to love, for everyone I have come to care for, even if those feelings are fabricated."

Ephidel... no, Marc nodded and stepped to the side.

"I see... but you know as well as I do what happens next, right? You don't belong in this world. As an anomaly that should not exist created from distortions of time and space..."

I stilled, hearing the truth in his voice.

"You will fade away. An artificial construct that is discarded after it is no longer useful. Whether you wish to fight or not... you will not last."

"It doesn't matter. So long as I'm still here... so long as Lyn still needs me, I won't disappear."

"...Alright. Have it your way, Mark. Your role's almost over anyway, so I'll let you see it through to the end. Just remember... you aren't the tactician of this story. I am."

He vanished with those words, but I didn't care.

Instead, I charged Lundgren.

Seeing my advance, Lundgren growled. "That traitor! ...No matter. Even with your help, boy, I will-"

Static.

Five overlapping slashes in a single instant, bypassing Lundgren's steel plate entirely.

In the next, I stood before Lyn, who had been knocked onto the ground by Lundgren's last attack.

Her eyes were wide as she looked between Lundgren and me. "Mark? How did you-?"

"It's over now."

Static.

It was getting harder to think, harder to maintain my grip on reality. Even so, I smiled and held out a hand to Lyn. "We've won, Lyn."

It was a moment of happiness. A time of relief where she should be smiling, happy that this long journey was at its end.

She gave me a smile in return and grabbed my hand. "Yes. At last, this long journey of ours. Thank you, Mark."

Static.

I pulled her up and gently nudged her towards the castle.

All around us, I could see the battle coming to an end as the Morphs serving Lundgren began fading.

Static.

My vision dimmed, color fading from view even as I stared at Lyn.

"Go on then. Don't keep your grandfather waiting, Lyn."

She hesitated. "Why don't we go together? He wouldn't mind, I'm sure. And if he does, I-"

I laughed. "After all we've been through, why hesitate now? Go on, Lyn. I'll be waiting here for when you come back." Liar.

She nodded, my words reassuring her enough for her to turn her attention back to the castle and away from me.

It was a moment, brief and fleeting. Barely the blink of an eye.

"Wish me luck-"

Lyn turned around, one final moment of hesitation, seeking one last moment of reassurance.

"-Mark...?"

-And in that moment, my world returned to zero, leaving behind only scattered memories as a sign of my existence.

A/N: The final chapter to Mark's story. While there are many unanswered questions, I think I'll end this here for now. An epilogue might follow this as a last update, but to me, at least, it's a fitting conclusion to the premise I started the story with.

I hope it was a good read, and thanks to everyone who's stuck with this for so long.

While Mark's story comes to a close for now, as well as the year, it does not mean the end. But for now, let's let these scattered memories lie while the next tale comes to life...

-WhizkidHV