Nightmare

"Uh... Reflet? Reflet?!"

Takumi was calling the tactician for the last couple of minutes. However, no matter how many times they called out to him, they'd yet to catch his attention. For some odd reason, after the meeting they held discussing ways to save Sakura in her dreams, the tactician had been seen letting out a weary sigh and glancing at something in his hand as he remained in his seat.

"Lord Leo. How about letting me have a try?"

As the Nohrian archer said this, Leo let out a sigh and looked to his retainer, "I suppose we don't really have much choice. Go ahead, Niles. Prince Takumi, let's just watch from here. Reflet probably won't be too happy with this..."

The counterpart prince shook his head in defeat, "Well, we did what we could. Even shook him and he still won't look at us! Gods, what could be taking this much of his attention?"

Without any other ideas, they watched as the Nohrian retainer stand by the tactician's side and smirked as he whispered something into the man's ear. Almost immediately, the poor man jumped out of his seat, but ended up stumbling and tripped over his chair before landing on his bottom. The two grimace as they watched their friend fall to the floor.

"W-wha-?! Niles?!", the mage said in shock before noticing the other two princes and the Hoshidan retainers behind the smiling Nohrian archer, "L-Leo? Takumi? Uh... How long have you been there?"

The Hoshidan Spear Master, Oboro, shook her head as she mumbled, "Of course, he would be the one to snap him out of it. Niles, what did you do?"

"Nothing much.", the man said with a grin, "Just something I thought he'd like to know."

"That's more than anything I'd like to know, Niles!", Reflet exclaimed slightly blushing, "Anyway, how long have you all been here?"

Takumi frowned as he answered, "Probably for ten minutes now."

As the tactician's eyes widen in shock, Leo shrugged, "We've been calling you for those past ten minutes, believe it or not. Seriously, what do you have that would consume so much of your attention?!"

Instantly, the man quickly stuffed what seemed to be a box into his dark coat as he said with a weak smile, "N-nothing! I-I mean... It's just something personal! I deeply apologize for that, Leo, Takumi. I know I should be paying far more attention to my surroundings."

Takumi shrugged as Leo sighed, "It's fine, Reflet. Just don't let this happen on the battlefield. Not all of us will be there when you get spaced out like that again."

As Reflet nodded with a disappointed frown, Takumi tilted his head as he said, "I know it's something personal, but shouldn't you just get it over with so you can focus on this war and saving Kinomoto? I can understand that it's difficult, but you should really just tell the poor girl already! I'm surprised how you haven't told her yet right, Prince Leo?"

The dark mage nodded in agreement, "Reflet, if you don't get it over with soon, it wouldn't just distract you, but her as well. I've been told by Camilla and our sister-in-law that she's not doing too good herself. Of course, she still shows nothing but excellent results alongside with Caeldori, but our sisters know her and Caeldori better than us. If they say either one of them is not doing well, then we believe that as well."

"I-is that so?", the tactician said with eyes wide in shock, "I-I suppose I'll go have a talk with her."

With that, he let out a sigh of defeat and smiled, "Nothing can get past you two, can it?"

At this, the two smiled as well while Takumi said, "It's not that hard, Reflet."

His best friend nodded, "Yes. I'm not trying to be offensive, Reflet, but you're like Chrom sometimes. Easy to read."

"Really now?", Reflet said in surprise, "I'd never thought I'd be that easy to read, like him. Guess that's something I should work on."

"I don't think it's that bad, Reflet.", the Hoshidan archer said, "We've just been with you longer than the other Shepherds, besides Chrom and your sister. So, we just know."

Leo nodded, "In fact, just about everybody knows about the two of you already as we did with Chrom and Olivia."

"Wait, what?!", the tactician said in shock, "H-how-"

"How long has it been?", Leo said with a chuckle, "Reflet, we've known it for the past two years! I'm surprised you haven't figured that out, yet."

Hearing this was news to the young tactician as he groaned in embarrassment as his ears grew visibly red, "I-I see... Oh god, this is embarrassing..."

"So," Leo said with a frown, "when are you going to ask her?"

Reflet looked up to the Nohrian prince with a look of resolution and said, "After we save Kinomoto. If we succeed in saving her from Grima, then I'll do it."

Hearing this, the two distant past friends looked at each other briefly in surprise before glancing back to their friend and nodded.

"I see...", Takumi said with a frown before letting out a sigh, "Well, all right, then. That explains why you're more determined to save her than usual"

Reflet nodded, "Of course, I want to ask her, but Kinomoto is another close friend of ours along with her brother. I want to save her before I can follow through with my other plan. Also, Cordelia is really close to her as well."

"Well, I see there's no stopping you either, so do your best, Reflet.", Leo said with a nod before a bead of sweat rolled down his forehead as he grimaced, "Just... don't make her cry all right? A message from them. Camilla said that she'd have you become Marzia's lunch otherwise. So, try to be careful."

"And Hinoka.", the Hoshidan archer added nervously, "She mentioned something along the line of beating you to a pulp... Again, just be cautious, Reflet... Really."

"R-right...", the tactician with a grimace, "Thank you, Takumi, Leo."

Finally, as the tension loosened up, Leo sighed and looked to the tactician, "But, are you sure about this, Reflet?"

The tactician nodded, "Regular weapons may not be as effective against Grima, but, even if the sacred weapons aren't Falchion or Kamui's Yato, they should deal some damage on him. I may not be as experience with my Seigfreid as Xander is, but we need a tactician on the squad in case there's a change of plans and, with my sister here, we won't have to worry as much on this side as well. She's just as good a tactician as I am. Chrom and Lissa must remain here against Walhart's troops, so we'll need both Lucina and you on the squad. We'll also require Kamui's assistance since he's the only one who bares the Fire Emblem of your time. Without a doubt, we may have to fight Risens on that side, so we'll need King Ryoma's and your help in taking them out and protect Kinomoto, Takumi. So that we may be able to stun Grima. Since we can only rely on Kinomoto to help bring us back, we'll have to do all we can to save her if we want to return."

At this, the two princes nodded in agreement as their retainer reluctantly did so as well.

After telling them of their plan, Chrom approved it almost after some thoughts about what the twins and their friends thought of. He was disappointed in being unable to join the rescue party, but he and Xander had little except to agree to it after hearing the thoughts of the four. With Chrom needing to lead his militia that makes Lissa and Xanderbeing the only one holding a sacred weapon followed by Virion, they had to remain in the reality with the tactician's younger sister, who would be acting as their only tactician till they return. The remaining royal family was obviously anxious about their other sibling, especially Kamui, with the way they planned who would go, but had little choice as they'd most likely be unable to go against a being of pure malice as the Fell Dragon with their own weapons. Some questioned Reflet's decision to join in the battle, but they acknowledged the logic that it would benefit the team with a tactician on their side followed that he also wielded a sacred weapon himself.

With everything planned out the way it did, Inigo and Owain decided to check on the young lady stuck in a coma once more after hearing of their eldest relative's participation in the rescue.

"So, this is 'Key-nomoto'?", Inigo said as he stared at the girl, "She's not just some sleeping beauty here? I mean I'm sure someone had to have already attempted a-... um..."

He whispered into his cousin's ear, "Pst. H-hey, Owain. Who's the kid giving us the glare?..."

The myrmidon sighed weakly and answered, "Inigo, my cousin, I'm afraid he's giving you the very hateful glare, not me. I've done nothing to earn his rage. For he is, well... Simply put, he's her beloved."

"O-oh... Y-you mean he's her other human friend... w-who trained under your father.", the mercenary said in shock before wearing a nervous smile to the young swordsman, "S-Syaoran, was it? I-It was just a joke! I promise. S-so-"

Before the man could finish, Syaoran averted his attention back to the girl at hand leaving the man with beads of sweat rolling down in the forehead from fear of the anger he sensed from the young man. He let out a silent sigh of relief as Owain muttered, "You're fortunate her sibling isn't here to hear this, Inigo. I hear that her older brother is strongly attached to his sister and was your father's pupil after all."

Hearing this, the man looked visibly shaken despite his effort to maintain the carefree smile across his face as more beads of sweat rolled down his cheek. Soliel silently mumbled to herself nervously as she overheard their conversation, "You really sort of messed with the wrong lady, Dad... And possibly at the wrong time as well, though it really could've been worse."

"So... Luce and Sir Robin will be entering her dreams, correct?", the cerulean blue mercenary said with an unfamiliar frown before putting on a laid-back air around him, "I wonder what kind of place her dream is?"

After some thoughts and hesitation, the man continued this time with a distant look, "Do you think it would be a good one, Owain?"

The man shrugged his shoulder with a sigh, "I don't know, Inigo, but, without much say, it should be better than ones we had..."

After a couple moments of uncomfortable silence, he grinned once more, "Anyway, it seems there's not much we can do here anyway, so we'll just have to wait for her to come back, then, After all, it's not till tonight, right?"

Seeing the sudden change in the man's expression the two girls looked to each other in surprise before back at their fathers' younger self as the two continue to chat and left the tent.

After the two were gone, Soliel quietly said with an anxious look, "I can't believe that I forgot. Dad and your father came from the future with Aunt Luce where this Fell Dragon conquered everything, didn't they? Father talked about how grandma died before him once..."

Ophelia slowly nodded her head in silence as she glanced at the empty healer's desk. It was hard for either of them to believe that the strong Ylissean militia they've been with for the past two years would just perish so soon. It was even harder for them to imagine the thought of the Ylissean Prince's death the day Grima resurrected. She quietly mumbled to herself as she glanced at the sleeping lady in worry before furiously shaking her head.

"If Kinomoto was up, she'd probably say that everything would be all right in the end...", Ophelia said with a determined look, "So, let's not give up! Lucina said that none of us were there in her future, so maybe that meant we can also help prevent the Shepherds' deaths as well! If we do that, things should be different. I'm sure with the power of the stars everyone will be all right!"

As the sorceress said this, an optimistic smile appeared on the mercenary's face as she nodded, "Yeah! If we get stronger, then we are able to help them out too! All right. Looks like I'll start training first thing tomorrow before coming here! I can always have tea in the afternoon after all."

While the girls talk with a hopeful look in their eyes, Syaoran glanced back to his loved one and a small smile appeared on his face, "Looks like your words finally got to them, Sakura."

Unbeknownst to the kids, a few figures stood just outside of the tent hidden from sight.

"Looks like we worried over nothing.", the blond hair mage said with a sigh of relief.

The taller black paladin nodded, "True. I was starting to think something happened when Seigbert told me about Soliel this morning, but she is 'Laslow's' daughter."

The cerulean blue hair man nodded with a smile, "Yes. I've heard from Lucina yesterday about her swordplay... To be honest, I've yet to see her skills myself. Xander, is it possible if I could train her from time to time? I won't try to disrupt her schedule."

Hearing this, the paladin said with a frown, "I think that's something you should ask her yourself. She's my retainer's child. I don't have control over what she wants to do. 'Laslow' isn't here either, which means you'll have to ask the child herself."

"Speaking of which," Leo said with a frown, "you've yet to actually talk with her at all, correct?"

Shaking his head in response, Chrom answered awkwardly, "No... I actually haven't..."

The man let out a sigh and said, "It's just hard to believe that I've already become a grandfather in my mid-twenties... Parents, yes, but..."

"Yeah... I can understand that.", Leo muttered with a nod, "But aren't you taking a bit long to accept this. I mean I've gotten over this a few days ago after Owain showed up."

Chrom shook his head, "True, but I'm sure you've gotten through this when you heard that we're your descendants, I assume. Also, the two of you already known about this, haven't you?"

"Actually, that is true...", Leo said with a frown, "I can't believe that I didn't connect to dots from there, though there was an exception..."

"An exception?", the Ylissean said with a raised brow, "What do you mean?"

"When we discovered that the two had the Brand, we only found it on Soliel because it was in the same place as her father's, which was rather obvious.", the Nohrian king explained with a frown, "But, because it was discovered this during the start of the Plegian war, we decided to try and hide her from the eyes of other soldiers, besides the Shepherds, to avoid something happening to her because she has the Brand on her eye. We decided not to tell you directly since the assassination attempts on your sisters. We were worried that she'd be found and mistaken for Lissa since you said that not many knew of her situation. I apologize for not telling you sooner, Chrom."

"I see. I recall you asking me if we have any other relatives in our family. So, you were trying to remain cautious for the children's safety.", Chrom concluded with a nod, "I can't really blame you for your decision. In that situation, I'd most likely have done the same, but that doesn't explain how Ophelia would be an exception."

The dark mage nodded with a nervous sigh, "Right. Ophelia is a little different. We didn't know she was under the same circumstances as Soliel till Lucina began talking about Owain the day we found him and what she said made me think of my retainer, so I tried my luck. 'Odin' was also said to have made his daughter keep some secret as well..."

As he recalled that night she mentioned this, his voice slowly faded causing the two to glance over to him before he continued, "Anyway, it was on that same day we found Owain that I could pretty much guess the secret 'Odin' made her keep. We later discovered that she wasn't the only one who knew of this. It seems my son and Nina knew of this as well, besides Elise, and have been helping her keep it hidden for the past two years..."

Hearing this, Chrom's eyes widen in shock before he could finally manage a chuckle, "It seems Forrest is quite a strategist himself and have hidden it for two years is quite an accomplishment itself. Ophelia is fortunate to serve under him."

Leo nodded with a proud smile as Chrom continued, "Still, I recall Lucina had asked you if she could speak to Soliel... So, she knew of this much earlier than we did, didn't she?"

The black paladin nodded, "Yes, she did and I can guess why."

Leo sighed in defeat as he said, "If that man were your own sibling, of course, you would want to go see their children as soon as possible. I never knew that he would be her younger brother though."

The Ylissean prince chuckled lightly, "I can see why. However, why in the world did he decide that it'd be fine to teach her that of all things... But, if Lucina said her swordplay is just that good, then it seems he taught her well. Lucina rarely tells me of someone's swordplay before other than Lon'qu's. It would be best if I go and see it for myself tomorrow, then. I see he also picked a really good wife. I suppose I don't have to worry over 'Laslow's' future as much... Now, about Ini-... Huh? Wasn't he going to the Mess hall with Owain earlier?"

After a couple seconds of silence and blank looks, Chrom let out an irritated and frustrated sigh, "Oh, gods... Don't tell me..."

With that, they watched the man rush off and disappeared as he turned the corner to the camp entrance.

"Brother...you've... yet to tell him of all those reports from our time...right?", Leo said to his eldest brother with an anxious expression on his face.

Xander let out a long tired sigh as he shook his head, "No... This is probably as much as he could handle... for now... Who'd have thought it was this bad before..."

It was late afternoon by the time they gathered in a large separate tent with Sakura deep asleep in her own blankets. It was finally time for them to go to save the girl.

"I know Yue said that there may be two more open spaces, but are you sure of this, Syaoran?", the older tactician cautioned, "If something happens to you, we may not be there to help you."

The young swordsman had a firm determined look as he nodded, "I promise I'll be fine, Reflet. I have learned as much swordplay from Lon'qu and have magic from my world to protect me as well. Also... I've decided already that I'll go save Sakura."

Upon hearing the resolved words of the young man, Kero let out a defeated sigh, "Fine, then. Reflet? Robin? Chrom?"

The three friends looked at each other before shrugging in defeat.

"All right. We'll let you come with us.", the man said, "But stay close once we're there."

"Hmm... If the brat is going...", Kero mumbled before glancing over at the young man, "Hey, brat. You brought that board with you, then?"

Syaoran nodded as Kero glanced over to his counterpart. The man nodded and said, "Then, get ready. I'm going to use the card's power."

Hearing this, they looked to the white-haired man with an affirmative nod as he cast his magic. A bright light appeared before them as a woman with long straight hair wore a flowing white caplet, an elaborate headdress that obscures her eyes from view and a white dress with blue trim and short white robe appeared before them. Their eyes widen in shock as the mysterious woman, Dream, disintegrated into a group of glowing white butterflies and flew around them obscuring their vision of the Exalt and the female tactician.

Immediately, the exalt and his retainer quickly caught Reflet and Syaoran before they could hit the ground and dragged them onto blankets prepared for them ahead of time as did the other past retainers did the same. Lissa glared to the beast guardian as she complained, "You know you could've at least had them prepared ahead of time about this, Kero!"

The beast guardian shrugged and said, "How was I suppose to know that? In this world, Yue's powers fluctuate from time to time. Sometimes, he has more powers than usual and other times he has less. I can't tell when he needs to cast it. I just give him the signal."

Lissa sighed as she shook her head in frustration, "You know, Kero, sometimes I think you're no different than Vaike. If Chrom or Frederick wasn't here, I'd be forced to catch both Reflet and Syaoran and you know I'm not as strong as my brother in strength!"

Despite the young lady's complaints, Kero glanced to the group lying on their respective beds and muttered with a serious tone, "Now, we just got to wait and hope everything goes all right..."

It wasn't long when they opened their eyes and found themselves in a dark open space as ripples of water formed under their feet.

"This is her dream?", Leo muttered in shock, "I thought I'd see some images or something similar, but this is rather unusual already, I suppose."

As the tactician glance to his surroundings and the ripples under their feet, he frowned, "Is this how she can envision things with her hydromancy? If there's water like this in her dream, then I'd say it's possible for her to be able to do it when she's asleep."

They glanced around in surprise as Syaoran began to pull out a small wooden board from his belt.

"What's that?", Takumi said as he took a closer look at the object, "Is it the object that Kero was asking you about?"

"The Rashinban.", the young man said with a nod, "It was created by Clow to locate the Sakura cards when it was under his magic and ownership. It's a special device that has been passed down my family for generations after his death. Now I'm going to use it to help save Sakura."

"It's been passed down in your family for years?!", Kamui said in shock, "But how did your family acquired it in the first place if Clow was the one who created it?"

"Unless...", Ryoma said with a frown.

The young swordsman nodded, "I'm a direct descendant of Clow Reed, at least from my mother's side, apparently. At first, I brought this with me before I got to your world in case something happens to the cards again, but it seems there is another way of using it now."

"Hold on!", Leo called out in shock, "How are you going to find her with that board?"

"Well, Yue used Dream, just now didn't he?", the man said as the others confirmed with a nod, "The card will always return to its master after it's used, so all we need to do is track the direction it disappeared to and follow it."

With confirmation from their tactician, Syaoran began his chant, "The kings of gods, command gods appear from all directions."

As he spoke, the board soon began to glow as he continues, "Gold, wood, water, fire, earth, thunder, wind, lightning. The New Command. Soft Thunder, Spinning Thunder."

As he said this, the light from the board lifted itself away from the object maintaining its glowing shape, then, after some rapid spins, the movement came to a stop. Seeing this, the young man glanced back to the tactician with a nod. Immediately, Reflet said, "All right. Let's hurry!"

Without needing further directions, the group quickly rushed off with the young swordsman in the lead with his board. As they rushed through the dark scenery, Takumi glanced at the swordsman and asked with confusion across his face, "I don't get it. If you're a direct descendant of the sorcerer who created the cards Sakura holds now, why didn't you inherit it instead of Sakura? I'm sure she didn't say that she was his descendant or that if there ever was one."

Without looking back, the otherworld man answered without hesitation, "I understand your confusion, Prince Takumi. My family is known amongst the society of magic to be one of the few families of sorcerers in our world that still exists because of our connection to Clow Reed, who is known as the strongest sorcerer in the world. I use to think that, because the board was passed down in my family and I held the strongest amount of magic than any of my other relatives around my age, I'd be the one to inherit the cards. However, that wasn't the case. After Sakura and I finished collecting all the missing cards she accidentally scattered, we both took the final trial that would determine who would be the sole successor of the cards by fighting against Yue. Yue was to be our judge during that time after a long period of time in hiding and, if we fail his trial, we lose our cards and our candidacy as the successor. With his control over the cards, the portion of the cards I've captured was forced to leave me and joined Yue, which also meant that I failed the trial ultimately, so I was unable to fight back as soon as it began. I was too weak and Yue beat me to the ground."

"So you lost your candidacy when your cards chose to return to Yue with or without their choice. I had no idea his role in the trial was so vital in this...", Reflet said with a frown, "Then, how did Kinomoto passed such a difficult trial? If I recall correctly, Kinomoto and Kero said that the two of you were around ten when Kinomoto was chosen as the mistress."

"What?!", Leo said in shock as he turned to the swordsman, "At the age of ten?! To be in control of such powerful cards at such a young age..."

Despite the dark knight's outburst, Syaoran just continued, "Sakura disliked using the cards' abilities to her own benefit and was taught by Kerberus not to randomly use their abilities whenever she liked, but when she truly needed it. So, she was rather responsible with it, to begin with. However, if there's one flaw, I'd say she's too softhearted at times, though that just makes her who she is. During the trial, she didn't attack Yue, as I did. Instead, she tried to talk to him and befriend him, which I deemed to be impossible to do without force. The reason why he was given the role of the judge was that he was very close with Clow during the time he was alive and strongly refused any other masters besides him. However, rather than trying to replace what Clow was to him, Sakura asked if she could be his close friend instead and, like that, she regain control over the Clow cards and gained Yue's trust and friendship. She transformed the staff Clow created for her to the way it is now and one of the cards to its current form. She passed the trial without trying to fight and gained Yue's acceptance, just like that. It was such a naive plan, but she was able to do it. It was unbelievable. After that trial, she became the official successor and mistress of all the cards."

Hearing his story, Reflet glanced to the swordsman with a frown as he recalls the strong magic of the winged man, "I agree that the plan was rather naive, but it's rather quite a miracle that she passed with such a thought in mind, especially since this is Yue we're talking about."

Leo looked to the otherworld man with eyes narrowed in suspicion, "So, you didn't try to take back Sakura's succession? I thought that it would be rather important for you if you went so far just to become the successor."

Syaoran glanced over to them eyes widen in shock and anger, "And why would I do that?! Yes, those cards are important, but the reason why I was sent there as a candidate is that they were on the loose. If left to their own device, they could destroy our world. That was the whole point of going to Sakura's country in the first place. After she accidentally scattered the cards around her country, my mother immediately sent me out of the rest of my family to the town where Sakura live and gather them back together. So, as long as the cards are together and someone responsible is in control of it, then it's fine."

"Your mother sent you to another country by yourself?", Reflet said in surprise, "Also, how did she know something that would occur in another country?!"

"My mother is the strongest sorceress in our family as well as the direct descendant of Clow. So, she sensed the disturbance in the cards before any of us did and sent me to the location.", Syaoran explained, "Also, I wasn't sent there alone. Our butler came with me and I maintain communication with my mother regarding the mission progress throughout the time I was there. After Sakura inherited the cards and strange things were happening around town again, I was then assigned to help her when she needed to change the ownership of each card individually to her magic. She struggled with it at first but finished changing them under her ownership over a year in secret. Only my family, Tomoyo and I knew of this at first. Throughout the time, I remained in her country for the purpose of studying in her school."

"Over a year?!", the dark knight said in surprise, "Is there a reason it took so long?"

"Sakura's magic was still growing.", Syaoran explained with a grimace, "So, it took a long time for her to change every single card before they could fade due to lack of Clow's magic to thrive on. After she finished changing her first card, she didn't wake until a day later. The transformation exhausted her from using a majority of her magic. What's more is that she cannot recklessly transform the cards or use them. Otherwise, she'll endanger both herself and the cards. Over time, her magic began to grow stronger and she became less exhausted to the point where she was able to transform the last two cards at the same time. Those last two were also the one that requires the most concentration and magic. Not even I would've been able to successfully do that on my own."

"You stated 'strange occurrences' earlier in her town just now.", the Hoshidan king said, "Can you tell me what happened?"

"That's-"

Before he was able to continue, he came to an abrupt halt as the others followed.

"Reflet.", the boy said with eyes trained in the distance ahead, "I'm picking up a presence of a very violent, dark energy coming from up ahead."

As Syaoran pointed to the direction ahead of them, the grandmaster tactician walked over to the young man's side and focused on the horizon.

"That dark mass... Leo, do you think that could be it?"

As he asked the man, he went over next to them. After a couple seconds of observation from afar, he slowly nodded with a grimace, "Without a doubt. It seems exactly as Nyx described it. A mass of darkness..."

Hearing this, Ryoma asked their tactician, "Reflet, do you have a plan? I recall that we're going against a dragon, correct?"

The Ylissean tactician nodded as he scanned their surroundings, "I don't see any obstacles that we can use to our advantage... Lucina, you said that there is a weakness?"

The future princess, who had been silent throughout the whole talk nodded with a stern expression, "Yes. It's on his forehead. After he attacked the castle in my time, I saw something shining on his forehead and struck that place using Falchion with my friends' help. He wasn't gravely wounded, but it seemed to have injured him greatly."

The Hoshidan archer nodded, "Okay. So, either Leo or I could strike him on his forehead and-"

"That's the problem...", Lucina said with a frown, "After I struck him on that spot, I got the feeling that the damage could only be dealt if it was by Falchion. Normal weapons would've probably been unable to leave a dent in him. I'm not sure about the sacred weapons since they don't exist in my world anymore."

"What?!", Leo said in shock, "So... only Lucina can strike him down... This is going to be difficult. We can help clear you and Kamui a path, but... Reflet, what do you think?"

They all turned to the tactician who frowned as he folded his arms deep in thought. Finally, he looked to them with a nod, "For now, let's have Takumi and Leo stay to the rear of the battlefield and take out any archers or mages on their side. Lucina, you and Ryoma will team up and head to Grima as will Kamui and I. When we get close enough, we'll switch, so that you and Kamui can get to him. Syaoran, you go find Kinomoto. When Grima is stunned for a few seconds, I'll give the signal and we all fall back immediately, got it?"

As they nodded in response, Reflet glanced over to the distance as he frowned and said, "Now, to find that tree Nyx talked about...uh... Do any of you know what a Sakura tree looks like?"

After a moment of silence, Takumi mumbled, "Well, I suppose I haven't seen a single Sakura tree ever since we got here. Our kingdom is practically covered with them. They're basically trees literally covered in small pink flowers."

Leo nodded, "Yes. I remember seeing that once with Sakura during a visit."

"I recall seeing some in Chon'sin last year as well. I've yet to witness it this year though due to Valm's conquest.", the Hoshidan king said as he glanced over at the dark robed mage, "They're really easy to spot. Their petals are known to fall leaving a large pile of pink petals nearly covering the ground."

Syaoran nodded, "Our world has them as well and they were really well-known in Sakura's country. In fact, they're considered very popular when it comes to her country's tradition. So, in a sense, it seems Hoshido and Japan are quite similar in some ways."

"I-I see...", Reflet said nervously, "I suppose we'll be counting on you, then. I've never seen such a tree before. Have you, Lucina?"

The Ylissean princess shook her head with a curious expression, "No, but it does sound very beautiful. I've never traveled to Valm, so I never knew."

Takumi shook his head with a frown, "Somehow, I'm not that surprised the tree itself would be powerful enough to protect her if she was named after it. It was the same with our youngest sibling after all."

"I've heard.", Reflet said with a nod, "For now, let's hurry and find the tree. Syaoran, is the board of yours still working?"

Upon seeing the swordsman nod and show them the magical device, the tactician nodded, "Good. Everyone, let's hurry!"

As the pale red hair woman from her previous dream cried out in fear once more, Sakura was by her side reassuring the young lady as the loud pounding continued to ring throughout the area. As she huddled close to the black panther's side, Sakura walked over to her friend, "Eriol, how long do you think the barrier will hold up?"

The young man frowned as he answered with a grim expression, "Not long I'm afraid, Miss. Kinomoto."

As the lady looked down with a frown, Eriol slowly smiled and said in a calm tone, "However, I've sensed some presence not too far from here. Can you tell who they are? I'm sure you can recognize one of them already, Miss. Kinomoto. The one you hold very close to you."

As the priestess looked at her in confusion, Sakura gasped and closed her eyes with her hands clasped over her chest. Suddenly, she looked up and glanced at the small opening between the tree roots. Eyes widen in a mix of surprise and joy, "Syaoran?! He's here?!"

Bewildered by the girl's sudden change, the priestess timidly asked, "K-K-K-Kinomoto? Does that mean w-we're going to be saved?"

The girl spun around with a bright smile and nodded, "Yes, but how did he get here? Wasn't this suppose to be my dream? Did I...?"

The sorcerer shook his head with a smile, "No, Miss. Kinomoto. You did not dream of him, otherwise, he'd have your magic coming from him and this is your unconscious mind, so a dream simply put. It seems those two finally figured the other way to use Dream to get here."

At the mention of the card, the card mage's eyes widen in surprise, "That'd explain why Dream came to me just now, but I didn't know she had that ability as well. Still, thank goodness they're safe."

"Um... do you think Orochi is with them, Kinomoto?", the priestess said with an anxious look.

Sakura had an anxious look as she said this. Ever since they've found her just by the roots of this tree, they've stayed in hiding for what seems to be hours as time slowly elapsed. The priestess has told them of the disappearance of her late mother's retainer and onmyouji, Orochi. However, neither of them have seemed the woman at all. Despite this, Sakura wore a hopeful, gentle smile as she shook her head, "I'm sorry, but I don't feel her presence, S-Sakura. However, we've yet to hear that anything bad happened to her, so let's not give up. I'm sure she's somewhere safe as well."

"You really think so?"

The girl gave her a nod, "Yes!"

As the priestess began to smile with a hopeful feeling, the four began to notice what seemed to voice holding some sort of quiet conversation as the thunderous pounding continues. They looked to one another before Eriol and Sakura began to creep closer to the large gap between the roots leaving the priestess close to the panther's side. The two looked to one another with an anxious look before a familiar voice could be heard, "Seriously, I've seen many Sakura trees before, but never one this big."

Another familiar female voice gave a weak chuckle and said, "But these flowers and the tree itself are so beautiful. I can see why Kinomoto and your youngest sibling was named after it. Though I'd love to continue observing it, it'd be difficult with Grima so close by."

"Yes. Syaoran, go find Kinomoto first. Everyone else, get ready."

Sakura gasped in joy and relief but was grabbed by the wrist before she could get a chance to run out. She turned around and saw her friend slowly shaking his head with a frown, "If you run outside, the darkness will find you. Miss. Kinomoto, what do you think can attract the attention of your friends, but not enough for it to notice?"

Hearing this, the sorceress thought carefully before her eyes widen in surprise, "That's right!"

Upon seeing the reaction of the girl, he nodded with a smile as he let go of her hand. Slowly, the girl let out a deep breath before she began to concentrate on her magic, "Glow card, become a guiding light and guide Syaoran and the others here, Glow card, Release and Dispel!"

As she said this, the image of a radiating Sakura card appeared before her and slowly changed into several small flickers of bright light. As they gathered around her, the card sorceress nodded and gently said to them, "Be careful out there, okay?"

With what seemed to be a nod, they quickly flew out of the small space as their mistress held her hands over her chests praying for their safety and the arrival of their would-be rescuers.

"W-what's this light?"

"...Syaoran is this-? Huh, wait!"

"It's all right, Leo. I think we've found her. In the meantime, let's get ready to create a diversion."

As they said this, the face of a shocked swordsman appeared from behind the large roots as he desperately called out, "Sakura!"

"Syaoran!"

Immediately, the sorceress jumped and embraced the young man, "Thank goodness, you're all right!"

"H-hey! That's my line!", the man said in surprise with bright red ears before he finally noticed the other three before him, "Eriol?! Spinel! So, this is where you were the whole time... Who are you?"

The priestess slowly got up and dusted herself off as she said timidly, "M-my name is Sakura. I'm the youngest sibling of the Hoshidan royal family."

"H-hold on! You're their youngest sibling?", the swordsman said in shock, "How did you get here? We thought that you were in hiding with your retainers at some area taken over by Walhart's forces."

"I was.", the princess admitted nervously, "But I somehow fallen asleep and haven't woken up for a long time according to Orochi. The last thing I remember is hiding in a shrine when I heard some footsteps."

"So, you were caught?"

The princess tilted her head with obvious confusion, "I-I don't know. I'm sorry. Orochi came into my dream here and said that a man appeared out of nowhere and sent me into this dream realm. He said that it was for my safety, but Orochi is suspicious of him and tried to get me out of here not too long ago before she vanished as well. I-I don't know where she is right now."

As she said this, Glow returned to her master in her card form and vanished before her as did her previous card. Syaoran nodded and said, "I don't know much about what's going on, but let's go back with the others and let them know we've found you guys. Eriol, Spinel, you too!"

Spinel glanced over at his master with a worried look before the sorcerer nodded with a smile, "It's all right. I've figured something out for the time being that is if you give me your hand in this."

The beast heaved a sigh of irritation before nodding his head, "Right... I assume it'll have to be the only way to get you out of here. I understand."

With that, the four rushed outside close behind the swordsman. It wasn't long before they saw the other six members of the squad.

"I was afraid that this was going to happen?", Takumi said with a frustrated frown, "We've fought against an enormous dragon before, so how come I didn't think of this in the first place?!"

"I know, Prince Takumi.", Leo said with a nod, "So, how are we going to get Big Brother Kamui and Lucina up there, then?"

"Not just that, we also need to help them get back down unharmed.", Ryoma added as he glanced over to the large mass of darkness looming over the invisible barrier.

After some thought, Kamui looked up as a thought seemed to have come to him, "Well, why don't I just try and carry her in my dragon form?"

Hearing this, Reflet shook his head with a frown, "Transforming into a dragon, then carrying her up there isn't a bad idea, but I don't think she'll be able to wield your Fire Emblem with her Falchion at the same time. Lucina, what do you think?"

The woman nodded with her arms folded, "It's disappointing to say, but, besides a bow, a lance, and my Falchion, I've been unable to wield dual blades or a battle ax. My uncle tried training me once simply because Owain insisted that I gave it a try, but I only ended up nearly cutting off my own hand."

"It's all right, Lucina.", the Hoshidan king said with a nod, "Everyone has their own weaknesses, but the problem is how are we going to get both of them up there. Kamui can turn into a dragon and fly up there, but Lucina doesn't have that same advantage as him."

The Hoshidan prince nodded, "Yeah... If only we could- ... S-Sakura?!"

At the mention of their youngest sibling, they all turned to the direction the archer was looking at and saw Syaoran with the four. The princess quickly rushed over to them and gave the archer and the dark knight tight hug surprising the two. As the family talks with the priestess anxiously, Sakura smiled awkwardly as she said, "We've kind of been here for a while now..."

Hearing this, Reflet wore a nervous frown, "Wha-?! Really? S-sorry about that. So, if this is King Ryoma's and Prince Takumi's last missing sibling, then who might you two be?"

As they glanced over at the man and the black panther with a wary expression, the young man only nodded with a calm smile, "My name is Eriol Hiiragizawa. I'm a fellow sorcerer from Miss. Kinomoto's world."

The panther bowed his head and said calmly, "My name is Spinel Sun. One of his two guardians. It's nice to meet you."

"L-likewise...", Reflet raised a brow in confusion, "So, like Kero, then..."

As he glanced over to the swordsman, Syaoran nodded, "We can trust him. He's the one who helped us transform Sakura's cards, after all."

"I see... Eriol, I'd like to ask you more questions, but, with the situation, we're in, can you fight?", the tactician asked with a frown.

After glancing over to his guardian, the sorcerer nodded, "I still retain most of my abilities, so I'll be all right here. May I ask what sort of plan you have in mind... Pardon me, but I haven't asked for your name, sir."

"I'm Reflet, one of Ylisse's grandmaster tacticians.", the man said with a nod, "We were told that Sakura can use one of her cards to send us all back to reality if we could just distract Grima for just a few seconds. However, we just realized the size of the dragon and now we're just thinking of a way to get them up there and back safely after we hit his weak spot."

"Is that so?...", Eriol said with a frown as he hesitantly glanced over to his guardian then to Sakura.

Finally, before he could say anything, the black panther spoke, "Then, how about riding on my back?"

"E-excuse me?", Reflet said in bewilderment.

Leo held a hand to his chin in thought as he spoke, "She can reach the enemy faster this way, but-"

Before he could continue, another loud pounding was heard and this time a crack was seen on the barrier making it visible to everyone. Reflet cursed under his breath before shouting, "Everyone, remember your positions. We're going to against him head-on. Syaoran, go with Takumi. Eriol, go help Leo take out any Risens that comes at us. Spinel, stay by Princess Sakura till I give the signal! Kinomoto, stay with Syaoran and Leo. Everyone understands their positions? Let's go!"

As they rushed towards the darkness, the cracks in the barrier began to spread before it finally began to collapse. Using her card's powers, the sorceress quickly placed another large barrier around them before Eriol used his magic and lightly tossed the shards of the broken barrier to the side of the field. It was just as they thought on some points. Grima had sent his army of Risens after them. Even the Fell Dragon himself appeared before them. Upon his appearance, the future princess froze in horror before Kamui and his elder brother pulled her along snapping her out of her stupor before nearly being cut down by a nearby Risen. As he cut down the enemy, the Vallite king glance to the Ylissean princess briefly, "Are you all right, Lucina?"

Regaining herself, she nodded in response, "Yes, sorry about that. I won't let it happen again!"

As she said this, the woman ran up and cut down a nearby undead brigand and mercenary. Kamui then continues to assist the Ylissean tactician as he did his best against the Risens with his sacred weapon in one hand and a tome in the other. As they went through the endless number of Risens, Sakura concentrated before her once more as she shouted, "Mist card, Destroy the weapons of those who stand in our path, Mist card! Release and Dispel!"

With that, another bright card appeared before her as it disintegrated into a large mass of thick, green fog and flew through the enemy army as their weapons quickly became corroded before dissolving away in their hands. Leo glanced at the girl in surprise before letting out a sigh and said, "G-good thinking, Kinomoto. B-but, it may be best if you save the rest of your magic for our return."

The sorceress nodded with a smile as here card returned to her hands and vanished. As they continued cutting down the now unarmed army, Takumi said with a frown as he shot down an unarmed pegasus knight, "Thank god they aren't humans anymore, otherwise, I'd have a harder time shooting them down while they're unarmed."

As they drew closer to the dragon, everyone could feel the negative energy oozing out of the dark dragon.

"Go!", Reflet shouted as he incinerated another Risen with his Thoron spell.

Immediately, the Vallite king and the Ylissean princess rushed past their teammates as Lucina shouted, "S-Spinel!"

At once, the beast left the Hoshidan princess to the card mage's side and dashed through the crowds of Risens and their teammates. He then pounced on top of a nearby brigand and leaped into the air as large blue and black butterfly wings sprouted on his back much to their surprise. As he glided toward the princess, Lucina jumped onto his back while Kamui transformed into his silver dragon form and soared into the sky followed by Spinel and Lucina as they flew around the spears and arrows of reinforcing Risens untouched by Sakura's card. The two split paths and flew around the dragon's gigantic head leaving it uncertain of which to go after before the Vallite king reverted back to his human form with his blade in hand as Lucina jumped off the panther's back. Together, the two managed to land on top of the dragon's head before thrusting their blades into the certain spot of its forehead at once. A bright light shined as the dark dragon flung its head back roaring in pain and anger. Unprepared for this, the two were thrown off its head much to their teammates' horror. Their terror was short as Spinel dove down and, with skillful maneuvers in the air, caught the two before they could hit the ground. Immediately, Eriol called out to the sorceress, "Miss. Kinomoto!"

The girl nodded and immediately began to concentrate hard as Reflet saw the dragon tossing his head to the sides in pain. Without hesitation, he shouted, "Now, guys!"

Upon his shout, they all began to fall back around the card mage as a bright card appeared before her once more. Focusing on her powers, Sakura began to chant, "I call upon the powers of the stars, draw the power from my light..."

Out of the blue, a loud roar shook their surroundings causing everyone to look back in shock.

"Don't tell me that attack wasn't enough?!", Takumi shouted in surprise.

"Oh, gods...", Leo said with a grimace, "Both the Fire Emblem and Falchion wasn't enough to faze him longer?!"

"Maybe we can strike at him again?", Kamui suggested with a glint of determination in his eyes.

"No.", Lucina said with a frown, "It worked before, but we can't guarantee that he would fall for the same trick twice."

"Damn it!", Reflet said as he glanced around his surroundings only to find nothing they could use to their advantage.

"I-I feel something!", Syaoran shouted as he glanced over at their fellow sorcerer, "Eriol!"

The mage nodded, "Yes, I feel it too. This enormous amount of magic. It's not enough to rival against Grima, but it's still powerful nonetheless. It's... coming from the tree!"

"Now that you said it, I also got the feeling that there's something in that direction.", Kamui said with a frown as he glanced over to the direction of the large Sakura tree.

Reflet glanced to the Vallite king in surprise, "What?! You too-"

Before the tactician could finish, a large ball of flame shot across the field and landed straight on the Fell dragon's chest knocking him back much to their surprise. When they looked back to the direction it came from, a man wearing a grey hooded robe with aqua blue hair sticking out of it appeared out of nowhere catching his breath with beads of sweat dripping from under his hood, "Thank.. god... I made it... in time! Phew!"

Stunned by his words and sudden appearance, they stared at him as the Kamui said, "Were you the one who attacked the Fell dragon just now?"

Upon his question, the man froze in place before slowly getting back up, "...K-Kamu...?! Y-Yes. Anyway, that's not important! You need to take this chance and get out of here! All of you!"

Snapped out of his stunned expression, Syaoran quickly turned to Sakura, who nodded and continued, "Use your powers and save us all from this terrible nightmare... Dream card, Release and Dispel!"

The glowing pink cards shined bright as it changed into the same woman figure as the one who brought them into her dream realm. A large magic circle appeared under their feet as a gust wind circled around them making the numerous fallen Sakura petals surround the large group. In the midst of all this, Kamui noticed the mysterious man about to walk out of the circle from the corner of his eye. Immediately, he reached out and grabbed his sleeve, "I know that you were able to knock the Fell dragon back, but I'd rather you not put yourself in danger out there, sir. It'd be better if we have Chrom and his Shepherds for help. My siblings will be there as well and I'm sure they'll aid us when we find Grima."

Before the man could say anything in return, the petals around them spun faster as the wind blinded all of them.

After Lissa was told to retire for the night, Chrom and the others remained in the large tent set up specifically for the group to the dead of night. The Nohrian king and the other family members of the six came by to check on them every now and then throughout the night. It wasn't long before a head popped in did the exalt averted his attention from the situation. As the figure stepped inside, Chrom muttered, "Olivia? Did Inigo finally returned to his tent?"

The pink hair dancer greeted her husband then glanced over the eight unconscious figures as her eyes settled on her future daughter, "He returned from the nearby forest not too long ago... Chrom, Lucina will wake up, won't she?"

After hearing the timid dancer's question, Chrom looked to his future daughter and nodded, "I'm sure of it, Olivia. Reflet, Syaoran, Kamui and his siblings are with her as well. We've seen how strong they are. She'll wake up for sure with the others and they'll bring back Kinomoto as well."

Hearing this, the dancer slowly nodded as she anxiously watched over them. After some thought, Robin slowly got up from her spot and dusted herself off as she said, "I'll go check on Toya and Tomoyo. I find it unusual that they're not here when something like this concern Kinomoto is happening."

The Ylissean prince gave his friend a nod as she took a step out of the tent only to stop as she turned her head, "Oh... They've could've just come in..."

As the people inside looked to one another in confusion, Chrom called out, "Robin? What is it?"

The tactician let out a sigh before a small smile appeared on her face as if the tense atmosphere they were in had disappeared instantly. She turned to them and said, "Oh, it seems we weren't the only ones waiting for their return. Can someone help me carry these kids back?"

Upon hearing this, they looked at one another in surprise as Chrom and Olivia took a step outside. There, sitting against the side of the tent away from view, were the two that Robin was searching for followed by the exalt's future son and future nephew all fallen asleep on the ground. Upon the sight, Olivia gasped in surprise as she rushed over to their future son, "I can't believe I didn't see them when I was coming here. I was sure I saw Inigo walk back to his tent earlier too!"

Chrom frowned as he walked over to her side and examined the four, "They're fast asleep..."

"What happened?"

They turned around and saw the Nohrian king standing near the entrance to the tent. Chrom nodded and said, "It's fine, Xander. They're just asleep. Frederick, help Robin carry them back. I'll bring my son back to his tent. By the looks of it, it seems we weren't the only ones waiting for them to return tonight..."

As the two carefully woke the four not to wake the other Shepherds and began escorting them back to their respective tents with the assistance of Kaze, Chrom did the same as brought the mercenary back to his tent. After seeing the young man had actually fallen asleep, he walked back to the large tent only to find it lit up from the inside with a gentle glow. Immediately, the prince rushed inside and was blinded by a gentle light, "W-wha-?!"

When it started to dim slightly, they could see a kaleidoscope of clear butterflies fluttering around the space obscuring their vision of the unconscious group. When it slowly came together, it merged and the figure of the same woman appeared briefly before returning into her card form and landed next to her mistress's pillow. It wasn't long before Syaoran was the first to open his eyes and immediately sat up looking around him as the others slowly got up as well. Upon seeing their future daughter rise, the exalt smile in relief and walked over to her, "I see you're awake now. You've all slept for quite a while."

As the woman looked up in surprise, the pink hair dancer tearfully rushed over and embraced her future daughter with a relieved look, "Thank goodness you're safe!"

Upon seeing their safe return from their long sleep, Robin and her brother quickly glanced over to the sleeping girl, as did Syaoran. For a while, she didn't stir as they held their breath desperately hoping for any movement from the unconscious young woman. After what seemed to be a couple moments, the sorceress's eyes finally began to flutter open as she tries to adjust to the lantern's light leaving her friends to release a sigh of relief and joy. As Reflet and Syaoran began to talk of her current condition, Robin ran out of the tent to fetch the blond Ylissean princess. Chrom smiled in relief at the sight of the squad's return and said to his best friend, "Uh... Reflet, how about let's hear about your report tomorrow? It's... a bit late."

Before Reflet could give an answer, they noticed the raised brow of the Ylissean prince and followed the direction of his gaze before their eyes also rested on a priestess, a hooded man, and a blue-black panther. Seeing this, the tactician scratched the back of his head and said anxiously, "R-right..."

Not long after their return to reality, Lissa had rushed in to the tent with her nightgown and pushed everyone, besides the card mage, out of the tent immediately after her best friend and her 'daughter-in-law' confirmed of their stable condition leaving none of them the time tell notify the girl of her untidy hair much to the poor Ylissean retainer's shock. As Sakura watched all this occur around her in confusion, she was finally able to snap out of her daze upon seeing the sight of the Ylissean princess and the noble healer.

"Lissa? Ms. Maribelle?", the girl said weakly to the two as she desperately tried to regain her thinking, "Am I... finally back in reality?"

"Yes.", Lissa said with tears welling up in the corner of her eyes with a relieved smile, "Yes, you're not dreaming, Sakura! You're finally back with us! It seems your condition is good too, so you should be all right. Thank god!"

"Oh, don't ever scare us like that again! You've had us all on pins and needles!", Maribelle exclaims anxiously as she gives the girl a tight hug, "I've even sprouted another 14- No, 20 gray hairs fretting over you!"

Sakura frowned worriedly as she said, "I-I'm really sorry for making both of you so worried, Ms. Maribelle, Lissa."

"Oh, it's all right!", the Ylissean princess said as she wiped away her tear, "I'm just glad you're back with us again!"

It wasn't long before she soon felt an unfamiliar presence and turned to see another blond hair girl in black gothic clothing and a staff, "Excuse me? Who are you?"

The healer looked up in surprise, "Oh, right! My name is Elise. Let's see... I'm Ophelia's mother! I'm also a healer, too. A troubadour, like Forrest! I've heard a lot of good things about you from Lissa and the other healers, Kinomoto!"

"O-Ophelia's mother?!", Sakura said with eyes wide in surprise, "Then If I remember correctly, you're Leo's little sister and the second princess of Nohr!"

"Yup!", the woman said cheerfully, "Oh, but you can just call me Elise! It's nice to finally meet you, Kinomoto!"

The sorceress nodded cheerfully in return, "Yes, it's nice to meet you too, Elise!"

After the return of the tactician and his team and Kero's reassurance of the dream being unable to occur once more, everyone could finally return to their respective tents as Lissa suggested for the card mage to remain in the medical tent with her two guards and beast guardian for the night. After being persuaded by both the tactician and the swordsman of the knight's wary suspicion over the three newcomers, Frederick finally assigned them a couple of tents to stay in for the next few nights before they could come across another town nearby as Chrom decides to listen to their story the next morning. With this, everything was put to the side temporarily till the next day after the tiring night. Due to the fatigue of the eventful night, everyone retired for the night almost immediately after they reached to the own tents.

YueTian: Well, I was planning on doing more but I felt that you've all waited long enough and my own exams are coming up, so I'll post something for my readers, anyway. I was finally able to get access to office 365 thanks to a friend of mine. So, hopefully, I'll have less spelling errors as well. I also have found a person who has and will look over my chapters for me as well as the previous ones, so I'm making updates on those as well as I already had in Chapter 1. I've yet to show them my other story, "Question and Reason", due to how I felt I need to look over it before having them take a look for my sake... Anyway, as that's going on, I may not be able to post anything else for a week or two due to exams, but I'll still be making more chapters along the way, just very slowly. Kero, you take over. I'm going back to study for the rest of my exams! ...Kero?... Oh, right. It's night... I also need to put up a title. Oh well, I'll get to that in a bit. I hope you all do your best in whatever you do as I take my exams! I'm going to study, then take a quick nap before review for my tests again! See ya!... Darn, I forgot to eat too... Guess I need to start somewhere...