Corrin-Chapter Six-Final Countdown-Tiny Hamlet (Tatsuta Village)

I looked down at the map in front of me as it came up with another notification. This time, I would be last. I noticed the pattern; the four of us would each engage in battles, one for each of us, and then the next 'round' would start. I had accepted this pattern, as I descended on a tiny hamlet called Tatsuta Village.

Chester had carved his path further, cutting down the Valmese General for hire Zhara. Robert managed to quell Hinoka's rage and recruit her, and even found my mother, safe and sound...

That was where my problem lied. If I believed this map, the stories it relayed to me, Yukimura had betrayed my own mother for the throne. But if I abandoned Hoshido now, in its time of need... Ryoma would be alone to face Grado... I couldn't allow that to happen!

Azama had joined my party to confirm the stories were true. The thought gave me great sadness; I feared the future for Hoshido would be dark and deadly. For now at least, I had to pretend to be under Yukimura's thumb, to obey his every order.

Magnus, meanwhile, had his allies defeat Orton of the Plegian Army on his way to Cheve. I was thankful he was handling that mess on his own, but I feared that Grado was my main concern. I had to defeat them myself, no matter the cost.

Novala, the right hand man of the evil Blood Beryl, was about to launch an attack on Tatsuta Village. My soldiers and I had already encamped ourselves in the town, developed makeshift defenses, and were prepared for a bloody battle. The rumors said he controlled monsters, a terrifying thought.

It was the evening before they'd arrive, and we had a feast prepared. I decided before the group meeting though, that I'd pay a visit to Robert, to talk with him and... Mother.

I had neglected to visit the other two lords yet to introduce myself, but I would save that for later. With the orb I had in hand and a nod from Lilith, who had been by my side in her astral dragon form, I teleported from my castle in a flash of blue light.

I touched down from the mystical light, a feeling of weightlessness rapidly dissipating as my feet gently touched the ground in his courtyard. I staggered for a bit afterwards, unused to such a distinct, frightening sensation.

"Corrin!" I smiled as Felicia leapt towards me and I grabbed her, falling back down hard on my backside, "I missed you!"

I laughed as she hugged me, "I understand, Felicia, but please... You don't have to jump me. You can visit anytime if you just ask your lord first..."

Felicia's face darkened when I brought that up prematurely, "Ah... That is... Lord Robert is not... Well, I suspect you came to visit him anyways, so..."

Felicia jumped up, dusting herself off and lending me her hand. I grabbed it, and she led me down to the quarters of her allies, past the other rooms, and into a larger, central chamber built under the main grounds.

In the center of it was a single wooden casket. Robert was kneeling down in front of it, his hands clasped together in meditation or prayer, his hair unkempt, bags under his eyes, his face emaciated and pale.

"Lord Robert... Corrin has come to see us," Felicia announced half-heartedly.

Camilla, who was sitting in a chair across from the forlorn would-be king, hopped up to her feet, bouncing quite generously as she carved a path to me, wrapping me up in a bear hug, "Oh, Corrin! Is it truly you!? I've missed you so much, dear!"

"Camilla, hi!" I said, barely able to breathe as Camilla smothered me, crushing me against her bosom as if I might disappear from her arms somehow. She finally (mercifully) let me down, to which I coughed and hacked, "I... missed you, too... Gods, but can you... hold back the love a bit?"

Booping my nose, she shook her head, "No can do, dear Corrin. This is a wonderful occasion to celebrate, of course! What say you, Robert?"

"Felicia... Notify Mikoto and Hinoka posthaste. Whatever Camilla wants... We've the funds. Just... keep it out of here," he responded in a despondent voice, a voice absent of his normal character.

Camilla bounced in joy, "Perfect, let's go, Felicia! To the stores!"

Camilla picked Felicia up off of her feet and carried her over her shoulder as she hustled off to do whatever she was planning for our 'reunion'.

I walked up behind Robert, switching my gaze from him to the casket and back, "Is this...?"

"Lucina... Her memories... They... Anankos took her from me again, and now..." he sighed, standing up, "I've been... Training, living in here. Fasting, contemplating... Struggling to live again."

"You loved her intensely," I admitted to him and myself, "...What will you do now that she's gone?"

He put a hand on the casket, murmuring to himself, "I'm going to the Kitsune Hamlet... And if luck is with us, my friend and I will find in that place our wishes coming true... And should we fail, well... I'll have to move on."

I walked up behind him, and when Robert turned to face me, I grabbed his hand, "I... lost someone I grew to care about, too. I let Zonta down, and he died because of me... It's hard, and I know it must be insufferable, but... You can't give up on life! There are people that still need you, that care about you!"

"Like you?" He smirked at me, as if reading my mind. When he noticed my surprised reaction, he shook his hands to try to diffuse any bad feelings, "I'm just kidding, of course."

Sighing in relief that he was only joking, I asked, "The legends say kitsunes can grant wishes, is that right? That's what you're after."

He nodded, "That's the plan. Although, to be honest... If only one of us gets a chance to grant our wish, well. I'll just remember that it's best not to dwell on the past; on what we can't change." Walking over to a table, he pulled a single white rose out of the bouquet, "I intend to retire early this evening, so I won't be there for your reunion. But here, a gift."

The rose he handed me was splendid, beautiful and full of life, as if picked yesterday, "T-thank you, Robert."

"Goodnight, Corrin. Stay safe."

In the mess hall, Camilla had assembled my entire team and Robert's, and the guests were intermingling (or arguing amongst themselves). I noticed Sakura, Azura, Hinoka, and Mikoto seated together, and after Beruka, a retainer of Camilla's, offered me a plate of delicious food, I joined them with a smile, "Hey, everyone. Getting along together?"

Mikoto smiled and greeted me kindly, "Thank you for your safety, Corrin. I am glad to know Yukimura hasn't moved to harm you, either."

"As we've discussed," Hinoka spoke bluntly, as she always did, "The bastard wants to use Ryoma. As long as he needs Ryoma to keep Grado at bay, he won't betray Corrin yet. Unfortunately, he seems to be arming forces of traitors and mercenaries to pursue Robert instead."

Camilla sat across from the Hoshidans next to Azura, right across from me, "I will enjoy culling them. I expected to fight Hoshido; just not as an ally to the throne."

Hinoka scowled, "Tch, whatever you say, wench. I heard the crimes you've committed against my people. I'd sooner trust a snake than you."

"You say that with such ferocity, my dear, but your beauty makes me stare..." Camilla smirked like a deviant, "Such a beautiful princess is more fit for modeling than fighting, wouldn't you say, Corrin?"

Stumbling over my words, I struggled to answer, "Wh-why not both?"

Camilla gave me a gentle nod, "Of course, versatility is necessary as well. Father never let us get away with just fighting or just looking good..." she turned to the floor, a dark shadow coming over her face, "Or let us get away... with anything at all."

"Camilla?" Azura asked, "Are you alright?"

"No, I'm not," she answered earnestly, "You were stolen from us in retribution for Corrin, and Father never even lifted a finger to find you! He... for the longest time, I've felt alienated, from him, from the royal court. I'm more fit to be a mistress than a Queen..."

The mood had turned sour, but Sakura quickly lightened the mood, and by the end of the night, the differences between our two teams had lessened, at least a bit. Eventually, the festivities were called to a close and we all returned to my castle, where we went to sleep, readying ourselves for the gruesome battle the next day.

When I awoke, everyone was in their designated locations, the villagers had all taken easily defended locations around the map. According to what we had heard, Novala brought with him the entire horde of monsters acquired by Grado during their time abusing the Dragon's Gate.

The rumors suggested that thousands of monsters were under his employ, and they were tearing through villages on their way here. We had gotten word from a messenger that Takumi was leading an entire Hoshidan army here to route them, and that Ryoma was charging from the south.

Even if Novala and Riev diverted most of their forces to deal with Ryoma and Takumi respectively, the enemies approaching in the distance were numerous, far more than we could have had anticipated. The battle for this small, quaint village might indeed be the last we'd ever fight.

Did we even have a chance?

"Worried about the fight?" I noticed Azama seated across from me, giving me an evil smirk, "Scared to watch everyone you love die?"

I glared at him, "Is this your way of trying to cheer me up or are you just being rude?"

Azama shrugged, "Does it matter? Your opinion of me won't change the outcome of this fight, clearly."

"Thanks for the confidence vote," I glumly replied.

"I assure you, it'll be fine. Monsters don't understand torture, so our ends will be swift!" Azama chuckled to himself, "Everyone is living on borrowed time. We all march forward to the same end."

I wanted to hit him right now, "Maybe you could shut up if it doesn't matter then? You're not helping at all."

Azama chuckled again, "Whatever you say. I'll be at the front. Don't want to suffer long."

"He's a real mess," Brady sat beside me, a cup of tea in his hand, "Givin' everyone a downer feeling, too," he spat to the side, drinking from his cup. When he finished, he set the cup up on the fortified wall we'd been leaning against, made of wood and hay, "This battle is going to be pretty grisly. I'm ready to beat them back, but unlike my Ma..."

I joked, "You're not as good a fighter?"

Brady corrected me, "I don't have an umbrella. Things's deadly. When we met up with the other team, she nearly found me out, hahaha! That woulda been bad..."

"The first wave is here!" Someone shouted, and we heard growling from the front entrance.

Charging to the fore, I had my allies around me, arming themselves. Outside, a horde of what looked to be demonic dogs were leading a raid on the village, led by three-headed, purple versions of themselves. According to the information handed us by Luke, they were Mauthe Doogs. The leaders of the pack were Gwyllgi? Such odd names... Must be foreign.

"Mages, fire!" Subaki announced, his hair blowing in the gales that swept across the field of grass as the enemies charged en masse like a black wave of evil, tainting the ground beneath them. Flowers, grass, dirt, all were torn to shreds by their blackened claws as they dragged them through the ground in their rapid sprint.

Orochi and Hayato rolled out a couple of scrolls and sent animals to meet the hellhounds in the fields, the spirits of mice, tigers, rabbits, snakes, and even a dragon decimating the beastly opponents, but where one was slain came four to replace it.

Subaki grabbed a javelin from a filled weapons rack covered in them. With as much skill and speed as he could manage, he threw it, aiming for the lead beast. It fell a few feet away, because his strength stat wasn't shit.

I'd laugh were it not for the situation we'd found ourselves in. Sighing to myself, I yelled out, "Get it together! Arm yourselves!"

Saizo and Kaze popped up from under the ground. We had built a series of interconnected tunnels for them to pop in and out of and as they unearthed themselves just before the enemy hordes, they began flinging shuriken far and wide, slaughtering the frontrunners of the enemy force. Blood spilled all across the field as Kaze and Saizo continued rising from the ground like a horror play or even moles waiting to be whacked.

Subaki flew in, the sun glinting off of his naginata as his horse trampled through dogs, crushing some underfoot while its rider swept through the dogs with his blade tilted to gore enemies in the face as they charged past.

I braced myself, looking at the villagers armed alongside me. We were cooperating to fight off this huge attack, but we knew our efforts would likely be in vain. I was staring death in the face, but I can't turn away from the inevitable outcome.

"Let's go," Raising Tyrfing to the sky, I charged into the battlefield. Only when I was a hundred meters or so from the place where we would clash did I see the second layer of enemies; centaurs, some purple, others green and screaming, howling for blood, charging with axes in hand.

Realizing the entire battlefield had dramatically changed in front of me, I felt fear. There were hundreds of dog-like beasts rocketing towards the village, where a meager selection of maybe three hundred villagers awaited, armed to defend the village alongside us.

I knew going into this that this wouldn't end well...

The night before...

"We have no choice but to retreat," Kaze finished his report, giving me and the village elder, a man named Saitou, bad news.

Saitou's brow raised, "Is that it, then? Our village will be decimated..."

Saizo argued, "We can get every able-bodied person out of here and just wait for the army to come help us. Prince Takumi is headed here with enough soldiers to turn the tide."

"We would have to abandon the village," Saitou sighed, a deep sigh of regret, of defeat, "Tatsuta Village is known for its techniques passed from a Grass Tribe member... We have nearly three thousand wounded, elderly, perhaps two thousand women and children. They wouldn't be able to move fast enough."

I smashed my fist into the table, "Why!? Why is this village so defenseless!? If it's the main center for healing in northern Hoshido, then why!?"

"Grado never launched such a massive onslaught before," Saizo admitted, "Ryoma never expected... When you closed the Dragon's Gate, we hoped it would be a turning point..."

Orochi bitterly added, "Too late. This village will be burnt to the ground and slaughtered, and the innocent turned into monsters to further bolster their forces. They've..."

It was true; Novala and his forces had repeatedly routed forces under Haitaka and Kumagera, pushing them all the way back to the Tenryuu River, just five miles east of here. They were waiting on Takumi's aid; the counter attack would be swift, but Tatsuta would be...

"I'll buy you time. We just need to hold out three days, right? For Takumi!?"

"That's suicide, Princess," Kaze advised, "Even if we held our entire force here, even with Azama, we'd be overwhelmed in minutes."

Saitou offered, "What if... I gathered all the villagers willing to fight? If we could round up enough..."

Saizo scoffed at the thought, "Barely trained, armed with hoes and sticks? It would be a swift battle."

"Then leave," I knew what was right, "All of you can run, if you want. I don't want you dying needlessly..."

Sakura ran to my side, "Corrin, please! I just got you back, we all did! I can't lose you!"

I knelt down and smiled at Sakura, grabbing her and hugging her close, "Listen to me, Sakura. You know I love you, all of you... But I can't stand by and watch this happen," I patted her head gently as she sobbed into my shoulder, "You have so much more to contribute to Hoshido, but I... This is what I must do."

Azura finally capitulated, "I will remain, as well."

"Azura!" Saizo put a hand out to her, "If I let anything happen to you, Ryoma would-"

"Saizo..." Azura shook her head to dissuade him, "I've never been accepted. When Mother died trying to warn Garon of the true evil, she vanished. And Garon forgot about me... Let me get kidnapped. And for so long... In Hoshido, I was bullied. Hated. I was Nohrian scum," For a second, her lip quivered, "If I stayed here, if I could save one person..." a single tear fell from her right eye, "...maybe they'd forgive me for being born."

"Gh!" Saizo curled his hand into a fist, "Then I will fight at your side... Corrin."

I met his gaze, "Hm?"

Saizo drew both hands into a fist and held his arms up, "I won't lie... I didn't trust you. Didn't want you to. I thought you... You were just a mole, a traitor in our midst. But not once did you hold it against me... Instead, time after time..." He played through some of their adventures in his head, capturing the gate, defending my friends, charging an enemy camp alone, crying over Zonta, "You forgave us. For our pasts, for our wrongdoings. You accepted every one of us wholly... And I returned that sentiment with distrust and doubt."

"Saizo, it's just your job," I rebuked him, "You trust want to keep your country safe."

"And I pursued that end so blindly, I didn't notice its greatest hope right in front of me," Blushing slightly, he bowed to me, "I pledge my life to your cause, for better or worse."

Kaze snickered at his brother, who shot him an angry glare, "That's just like you, brother. I, Suzukaze of the Mokushu Saizou Clan will also... As your retainer, I'll follow you to the end."

Hana tilted her head, "Frankly, I don't get the drama. If there's a fight, I'll fight. If Sakura wants it... No, that's wrong. I'll do this, not just for her, but for all of you."

"Even if we die," Subaki spoke next, "...I'm not... Who I wish I was. I'm a deeply flawed man, one too vain to acknowledge it. But if I left now..." he dabbed his eyes with a tissue from his pocket, "...If I ever want to be the man I...struggle to become every waking moment, then I will fight!"

Azama sat back against the wall, lazing about as the people around him signed their fates. He couldn't believe how ludicrous they were being. Why throw your life away for strangers? We'll all die, anyways...

At least, that's what he thought... But he didn't become a priest because of his lax attitude. No, once upon a time, he...

Brady chuckled, "Well, isn't this nice? The last crew I worked with, they had this same attitude. I'm in this fight, with you all. And should the worst come to be... They'll save this world for us."

"I... I'm scared," Hayato admitted to the group, his entire body trembling, "I've never felt so... powerless, so small... I trained so hard to... To become a man afraid of nothing. It was my dream, my motivation... I wanted to be like Fuga... So even... Even if I'm scared, I'll fight! So what if I'm not the tallest, or the most confident, or the smartest!? I'm here, and I can help!"

"Mikoto... Please forgive me," Orochi whispered to herself, "Obviously, I'll fight to the end. My cards have told me that I have a grand fortune ahead of me, anyways. Our journey won't end so sadly..." Or so she hoped.

Azama sat, mouth agape. Really!? Had they become a suicide squad all of a sudden!? What idiocy is this!?

Sakura gave me a determined look, "I'm staying, too. Even if I can't help much... I've been called useless, weak, a burden... But no more! I will protect my family! And that's every last one of you!" She shouted it, to assure us or herself I couldn't tell, trembling and tears hitting the ground, "I love... every one here!"

"Well, I don't really get all of this," Kaden shrugged, "But I'm in. Ever since poachers took..." he growled, "Selkie is at home, praying for her dad to come home safe. And I will not let anyone take me from her... I can't leave her all... alone."

Saitou smirked to himself, "A group of spirited youths, is it? Sumeragi was much like this. Yukiteru, though..." Thinking back to Yukimura's father, "And his son... They would never do somethin' like this."

I gave him a thumbs up, something Luke taught me, "We're better than that," I wondered if that was mean afterwards, but shrugged it off, "We won't lie down and die, either."

Azama stood up, the buffoonery around him giving him indigestion, "Well, I choose life. The rest of you can die if you want. I'm going to the river. Peace out, everyone."

And like that, Azama left, abandoning us instantly. He was a cold, callous bastard, or so I thought at first.

It was the next morning when I found him standing on the village edge, a naginata over his shoulder, his staff in the other hand, as he gazed across the field at the incoming horde, "Is that you, Corrin? What are you doing out here?"

"Finding a runaway layabout," I countered, "Why are you still here?"

"Well, I was weighing my options," Azama answered frivolously, casual as he ever could be.

I sighed, wondering what he'd do to piss me off this time, "What do you mean weighing your options?"

Azama sighed, a deep sigh of remorse, or perhaps annoyance, "If I run to the river, Haitaka would gut me; rally the others to slay the traitorous monk. Takumi would be less forgiving, and with Yukimura... If I run, I can't stay in Hoshido."

Was he really that concerned for his own life!? Are you kidding me!?

"If I went to Nohr, Garon would hunt me down. Plegia's killin' everyone they met for that death cult of theirs... My options are Grado and Valm, but Prince Ryoma or Xander could kill me. So I either die here or on the road," Azama turned to me, a gentle smile, "Might as well die with people I like."

"You like us?"

Azama thought on that, "Tolerate, at least."

I wanted to hit him, "Close enough, I guess. I just don't get it... Why did you become a healer, a priest, if you're this apathetic!?"

"..." Azama hesitated to return a smarmy reply like always, "I had a lover, once. A girl named Nigami. She was beautiful in her own plain way, gentle, sarcastic to a fault. I got my harsh tongue from her."

"And she encouraged you to be a healer?"

"More like forced me to," he chuckled at his own pitiful situation, "And we had a daughter together, whom we raised in the Deep Realms. Mitama, a healer just like her parents..."

Azama was a father? Talk about hard to imagine; I'm scared to think how cruel he'd been to the poor child with that tongue of his.

I thought back to myself, "Then leave. They wouldn't want you to die."

Azama shook his head, "No, no, it's fine. Nigami has passed from this world..." he leaned against the makeshift wall, "Incurable sickness. And oh boy, did I look for a cure..."

"Azama... I'm sorry."

"Sorry? For what, life? It happens," Azama said it, but Corrin felt a different vibe from normal coming from him, "And Mitama, she... Well, she'd take my death pretty calmly. I'd like to think I taught her well."

I couldn't believe him right now, "...Azama, are you really alright? That's not something to be shrugged off..." I walked over and held out my hand, "It's understandable to mourn."

Azama chuckled, "You're quite an interesting woman. Even with how I treat you, you'd still offer a word of kindness..." He sighed again one of relief, "I'm staying. If I die, it's... acceptable. I would eventually, anyways."

"I'm not going to just let you die!" I fervently rebuked him, "Even if you're cruel, and mean, I wouldn't let you get hurt!"

"That face you're making reminds me of Princess Hinoka... I dare say, you'll hopefully show me a good fight, too." We shook on it, and that was the last thing that I remember before a day of training, of building defense posts and visiting my mother.

I was drawn from my daydreaming when a hound lunged for me. Sliding Tyrfing forward, I severed it in half, sending it crashing to the ground around me. Kaze and Saizo had erupted from the ground like spurts of lava, tearing through the foes around them in a whirlwind of daggers, shurikens, and dodging what they couldn't block. The two fought their way to me.

Surrounded, I drew strength from my blade, and unleashed the results of my training upon my foes, felling them left and right as my forces, and the villagers behind them, charged to the field and began fighting dog and centaur alike.

Subaki dropped Hana down beside me, and back to back, we twirled our weapons in sync, clearing a path for our allies to flank the enemy from the right side. Kaden, transformed fully, barreled through the dogs from the hole in their rear, crashing through them like a wild boar, his tails grabbing and throwing the occasional dog at centaurs to slow their advances further. We were disrupting their forces quite effectively, as we had hoped.

And the battle of the first day continued much the same. We fought to our limits, battered, weak, and weary. Even with Azama, Brady, and Kaze's knowledge of herbs, we were unable to heal everyone sufficiently by evening. Several dozen villagers had been killed, and our defenses had remained intact thanks to their sacrifice.

We returned to the center of town that fateful night, where a surprise would await us...

Saitou handed me a small cup of herbal remedies, "Here, drink. It's from the Grass Tribe's stock."

I gratefully bowed to him, bringing the small cup to my lips, the poultice both tangy yet bitter, sour yet sweet, a cornucopia of conflicting flavors but not altogether too bad, "Thank you very much, Saitou-Sama."

"Haha, such a prestigious title for an old man like me," Saitou guffawed as if I had joked at his expense, "Saitou-san is fine, dear. I have long outlived the age where I would take pride in such names..."

"As you wish, Saitou-san... I must say, the village's defenses are impressive. That we survived is in no small part thanks to your brave friends..." I admitted, impressed by their impeccable defense, "It's unfortunate that any have to die in the lines of war..."

Saitou shook his head and ruffled my hair, "No, dear, it is you who won this day. We fight to keep you and your retainers alive; for you will be the hope of Hoshido in the near future."

I blushed wildly at that, "T-thank you, but uh... I'm not sure about that. Ryoma and Takumi will be able to handle things, I'm certain of it."

"The young prince has much to prove, alas," he muttered, "I am not certain Ryoma will be able to fight Yukimura as he will need."

"Ryoma cares about him that much?" That was probably a stupid question, but I hadn't actually seen them interact much.

Saitou chortled once more, bemused by my lack of sufficient information, "Yes, indeed. Yukimura, the uncle he never had. Raising his blade against family... I'm not certain Ryoma is capable of doing that. Not without holding back, at least."

I thought back to Xander, fighting alone on the front lines, his siblings all taken from him by other groups, "...Yeah, I can see that. Xander was... the same."

"You still love the Nohrians, don't you?" he asked, knowing the answer, "...I hope after this war, we can all realize we're just people. With varying opinions, beliefs, rituals, ideas, preferences... but human none the same."

"That's a noble goal..." I commented, wishing that as well.

Saitou grunted, "But I waited my whole life for peace... And look where we are now. I fear human nature is too weak to ever grow beyond this petty hate."

Before I could argue, I saw a shadow from behind us, and Sakura approached, "Corrin... Sister, I... Oh, am I interrupting?"

"No, child," Saitou welcomed her in, "We were just discussing people. So what do you think? Is there any hope for us?"

Sakura looked down at the staff in her hands, the calloused hands from all the healing she'd done hours ago, "I'm not sure what you mean, but... I think, if anyone can make the world a better place, it's up to people to do it, right?"

Saitou seemed taken aback for a moment, his smile fading as he took a more contemplative look about him, "Perhaps you are right, young princess. I have seen much evil in my life, but where there was pain, there was also joy."

I patted Sakura on the shoulder, "Is there something you wanted?"

"Well, we counted... Fifty-five people... They, they... died..." Sakura hung her head in shame. She knew it wasn't her fault, that they were too far gone, that the monster's poison ran deep, but still, it hurt Sakura to watch someone pass away.

"And many more would have gone with them, had you all not been here," Saitou reassured her, "Even though things look bleak, we all can-"

He stopped and fell to one knee as blood leaked from his mouth, a dark shade of red staining his chest. Behind him, a flying monster, barely visible in the dark, a single eye with tentacles drooping down, blinked at us.

I pushed Saitou out of the way as it shot another dark arrow or spirit at us, my hands burning at the mere touch. I drew Tyrfing and shouted out for everyone to get to arms, and in a single swing cut the beast in half.

"Corrin!" I looked up to where Sakura motioned, to see the sky, darker than normal, as more eyeball monsters descended on us like a plague. Mogalls; Novala struck with them at night from the sky to sneak attack us. If we couldn't see them beforehand, who knows how much damage they'd wreak!

"Hoshidans! To arms! The enemy is upon us, in the skies!" I screamed my lungs out as the swarm came after me, flinging spells and striking out, tentacles outstretched. With Tyrfing in hand, I cut a swath of them down, their blood soaking me as more came down, "Sakura, take Saitou and go for cover! Now!"

Sakura nodded and grabbed the old man, carrying him into the nearest open house. I refocused on the Mogalls, led by several Arch Mogalls, the purple ooze emanating from their gangly forms.

And a second battle was already upon us. It was nowhere near as fierce as the first; the Mogalls in comparison were weaker, and even in their huge numbers, only thirty-eight more villagers died. 207 villagers remained alongside my team. The casualty that hit us the hardest though... was Saitou's.

He succumbed to his wounds despite the best efforts of Sakura, Azama, and Brady, and passed with some final words, "Whether you save anyone or not... you are all true Hoshidans, no... truly human." He said this holding my hand as he closed his eyes a final time and rested, the look on his face more peaceful than I'd ever seen him in my short time here.

We held a small ceremony for the village elder at the break of dawn. News had just arrived; Novala was headed for us with Revenants and Wights, a veritable flood of skeletons and zombies. Orochi and Hayato burned the bodies of the dead so as to not provide Novala a chance to flank us by reviving them, but we all felt weary, weakened, terrified.

The Gorgons and the Baels had yet to be unleashed, which worried us. Why had Novala taken the fore? According to a brave scout who risked his life, Riev had arrived to lead that force himself. Worse than that, he had a Draco Zombie in tow.

Morva, that's the name I was given. A former Manakete who defended the world from the Demon King turned minion himself. A fearsome enemy to have, if I ever heard of one. Then there was the Elder Bael, a gigantic spider leading its brood of hundreds of giant arachnids to conquer us in one fell swoop. If we survived Novala's attack, that is.

They were only a couple of hours from us when our hero arrived.

Takumi and his retainers appeared before us, a confident smirk on his face, "Miss me, Nohrian scum?"

"That's a rude way to greet me, you know," I deadpanned.

"Psh, like you even like them," Takumi dismissed my feelings almost instantly, "We have an enemy to prepare for. My army is still on its way, but Hinata insisted we rush here to try and save you."

Hinata gave us a smirk of his own, "Hehe, well..." he was blushing, too, "I mean, I just thought it'd be horrible of us to leave you all alone. And Takumi insisted we make it on time, so-"

Takumi glared daggers at Hinata to shut him up, "I did no such thing!"

Oboro ignored the two of her allies bantering and bickering behind her, "The army has to move supplies along, but since we're the best they have, we hurried ahead. I'm ready to kill something... even if they're not Nohrians..." She gave off a scary face, one that might just haunt my nightmares.

"Thanks, Takumi," I hugged him. Sure, he was sometimes... Mostly an idiot, but he had a heart somewhere in there.

Takumi blushed wildly, "Uh, Corrin, get off! It's not fitting of a prince to be seen like this!"

I held onto him, disregarding his complaints, "But I..." I felt tears well up in my eyes, "I... I'm scared, Takumi... I let Saitou-Sama die, let these villagers down... I needed to be stronger, but I screwed it up..."

"...Dammit, Corrin," Takumi grimaced, pushing me away and patting my head, "We're here now. And not a monster is going to separate us again, got that?"

I nodded, struggling to stand up straight, wiping my eyes free, "...Thank you, brother."

Blushing a bit more, he pushed past me, "Alright, everyone. I'm going to be on the furthest building out to the field. Everything will be fine now. Oboro and Hinata, lead up the front lines on the sides. Don't let us get flanked!"

"Yes, Lord Takumi!" The two answered in unison, each spiriting a look of eagerness to succeed.

The time came when Novala and his monsters finally reached the outskirts of the village. Opening with a flurry of magical glowing arrows, Takumi and Fujin Yumi cleared through entire lines of revenants, felling the beasts the second he could get a headshot, his fingers moving like clockwork.

The Wights were another story. Since they can't really be killed by brain damage... Wait, how are they alive? Do we just break them!? Whatever...

"Crush the Skeleton army!" Hinata cried out in excitement as he and Hana, side by side, led the charge into the army of the dead.

Azama dryly commented next to me, "And they said the Skeleton Wars is for after you die..." Rising to his feet, he drew a lance himself, "Let's not keep them waiting, huh?"

I nodded, "You seem surprisingly upbeat..."

"Well, the way I understand things is that either we'll win and I get to see Mitama again, or we'll lose, and if the Afterlife is nice..." Azama thought to himself, "I'll see Nigami again."

"Azama... Whatever happens, I'm glad to have met you..."

Azama shrugged my comment off, "Whatever you say, Corn. Let's go!"

I yelled at him, my fist raised, "Stop calling me that!"

He ignored me, running off into the field, and I chased after him, another weary battle in front of us...