Severa's Tale: Act II

Puppets Don't Cry

Section B

Part XVI

Author's note: I recommend listening to Spiral from Final Fantasy XIV when you see one * mark, and Void Soul from Kirby: Star Allies when you see two ** marks.


Amidst the bottom floor of the Mila Tree stood a woman draped in a red cloak. Her face was obscured while she strode towards the back end of the area. She walked past various debris from when the tree was toppled. Massive chunks of bark were strewn about and some even jutted out from the floor. No foliage grew on the floor here, as there was neither sunlight or enough clean soil to sustain it. These lands had been poisoned, although it was not by her own hands. She had just woken up one day inside the tree, only remembering her past life.

Her destination was visible now as she approached a small chair made of tree branches and moss that rose from the ground. The chair sat against a wall and was atop a raised platform. On the chair sat a girl with green hair, pointy ears, and glassy eyes that struggled to remain open as she focused on the cloaked figure approaching.

The features of the woman in the cloak shifted until she resembled an older man, keeping the cloak on to complement his familiar form.

"Ban-Ban…" The slumbering girl mumbled, resting her head on the man's shoulder while she spoke.

"Child, hold out your hand." The older man spoke. She did as she was told with a lackadaisical energy as the man clasped his fingers around her hand. A surge of energy rushed to the man's fingertips from Tiki's hand, returning his vigor. Tiki winced a little. Memories rushed to his thoughts as well, the same memories that Tiki had shown him when he found her outside the shrine to Naga.

Still, he would need them if he was to deter the intruders. He already had their memories, but it was not enough to stay them.

Tiki pulled her hand away and curled up on the chair as she drifted back to slumber. The red-cloaked man stepped back and whistled with his fingers. Two members of the Chon'sin appeared from behind the chair, one of which was made of him and the other had been pulled from the outside.

"Brother, we must protect the Divine Dragon." The part of the man spoke as it drew her sword.

"Yes, Say'ri," Yen'fay replied back with a glassy-eyed stare. The red-cloaked man walked away, shifting his features once he was out of view. She paused, taking a moment to catch her breath before transforming back into a puddle of goo and climbing up the nearby wall.

That red-haired woman and her niece knew Grima. Why? Do they mean to harm him?


Lucina's plight was made apparent to Cordelia as they continued down the hall.

"That wasn't your mother." Cordelia had scribbled a message out and handed it to her.

"How do you know that?" Lucina asked with a shaky voice. Cordelia stopped, took a long sigh, and wondered if Lucina was ready to know the truth.

"Come to the Ylissean Castle and you shall see." Another note was written. Lucina furrowed her brow.

"That's not an answer. Is my mother alive?" Lucina questioned again. Cordelia's hands clenched and her posture stiffened.

"We need to keep moving."

"Gods-dammit, Aunt Delia! Just give me a straight answer!" Her tone rose and so did her frustration.

Cordelia grabbed Lucina by the shoulder and led her along the hallway, never stopping to give that answer. Lucina struggled against her iron grip but to no avail.

They arrived in a peculiar room; the walls were now stone and a thick fog rolled around. Lucina glanced to her left and saw shields bearing the insignia of the Exalt on the walls, just like the Ylissean Castle.

In fact, this was the Ylissean Castle. The hallway outside the guest room. She recognized it from the myriad of times she chased Inigo through it. "What the hell…?"

Cordelia glanced over and saw her husband standing at the door to the guest room, and herself standing just a few feet back.

Lucina only saw Grima looming over a door with the Cloaked Woman behind. He knocked on the door.

"Hello? Olivia? Are you in there?" Grima asked. Lucina's heart almost skipped a beat as she looked to the Cloaked Woman standing behind Grima, then to Cordelia who was behind her. They looked identical, save for Cordelia wincing. And Cordelia had been gone for only a few weeks, meaning this was...

"Go away." Her mother's voice rang out in a quiet whimper from behind the door. Lucina hurried to the door and began pounding her fists on it the instant she heard her mother speak. Grima acted as though she wasn't there, and the slamming of her fists was silent.

"Do you… need anything?" Grima motioned a beckoning gesture with his hand, and a risen carrying a platter of salad approached. "I brought food. Do you want me to bring it in?"

"...Slide it through the door." A slight tone of aggression was in her voice. Grima sighed as the door slipped open by a crack, allowing him to slide the platter in. Lucina desperately tried to pry her fingers into the crack and force the door open, only for Cordelia to yank her back before the door could slam on her fingers.

"Let go of me!" Lucina screamed. She grabbed onto Grima's shoulders and tried to hang on to his cloak, only for Cordelia to pry her back. With her hand outstretched towards her mother's prison, Lucina was dragged out of the room from the Ylissean Castle and back to the interior of the Mila Tree.

Cordelia stopped and released Lucina, only for her niece to slam her fist into Cordelia's jaw. Her head slightly recoiled from the blow, but she still remained on her feet. "You knew! You knew she was alive all along and you didn't tell me! How long did you know?"

"I didn't want to hurt you." Cordelia scribbled a message out and handed it to Lucina. She crumpled it up and hurled it at Cordelia's head in response.

"How many secrets have you kept, hoping you don't hurt someone? Morgan told me you killed innocents just to feed your family. You faked your own gods-damned death and didn't have the compassion to tell your daughters." Her tone was unnervingly calm. "YOU ABANDONED US TO A WORLD BROKEN AND BATTERED BY FORCES WE HAD NO CONTROL OVER, AND ALL YOU GIVE US ARE SECRETS?" Lucina screamed in her face, sending spittle onto Cordelia's visor. She drew back, shoulders tensed and sword drawn. Cordelia's ears were ringing and her face was scrunched into a frown while Lucina pointed her blade at her. "I. Hate. You."

*She backed away, sword still aimed at her aunt. Cordelia approached. Her lance was not drawn. Lucina bent her knees and continued to back away, into the large room that Cordelia recognized from before.

Behind Lucina was a raised platform. The blob of goo had returned as it sat on the platform and began to shake. Cordelia juggled her focus between it and Lucina while the goo began to take a humanlike shape, then was enveloped in a magical barrier of petals. Cordelia recognized this from whenever she would've witnessed Nowi in combat.

The flower would appear right before a Manakete was about to transform. A roar sounded as the flower unfurled, revealing a golden dragon that reared up like a bear on its hind legs. It unleashed a mighty roar, rocking the foundation of the room and the log Lucina and Cordelia stood upon.

Visibly shaken, Lucina turned around only to see the dragon lock eyes with her and rest on its fours. She remembered a diagram she had read once, detailing how Divine Dragons looked vastly different from the current, leafy manaketes like Nah.

But, she would have to ponder who this dragon was at a later time. The dragon opened its maw and expelled a misty breath at her. She darted back, stumbling and falling on her rear as the cloud approached. Lucina couldn't even see through it until it was dispelled, and in its wake was the ground it covered. Said ground had, and still was, melting; the edge of the log had fallen off like snow in the summer.

The dragon began flapping its mighty wings, rising into the air and flying towards Lucina while she continued to sit in terrified awe. A hand grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her off of the ground. She barely had time to register that Cordelia was holding her as she looked up and saw her aunt's face above hers. Before she could protest, she noticed that they were now on a bridge made of hardened, amber sap that connected the massive logs. The log they were on, however, now housed the dragon as it lumbered towards them.

Lucina looked ahead to see that there were more logs and bridges in a forward formation, each log lower in elevation than the last. Cordelia stopped dead in her tracks, allowing Lucina to stand on her own feet. Lucina did not keep running out of respect for her aunt, but out of fear for the dragon that was gaining on them.

Something sounded behind them. It was not the booming footsteps of the dragon, but an object somewhat like glass shattering. Ahead of them, as they neared the next log, a crack darted underneath their feet and towards the end of the bridge. The amber platform snapped in two. Lucina felt her footing slip as she looked behind to see the bridge's connection to the log behind them had been shattered from the breath of the dragon.

With a hand outstretched towards the log right ahead of them, Lucina and Cordelia lost their footing and began to slide down the bridge as it angled downwards. Cordelia jammed her spear into the bridge and gripped it with both of her hands, holding onto it for dear life as it stuck out from the makeshift wall. The edge of the bridge was just above them, but not close enough for Lucina to reach if she used Cordelia as a stepping stone. Lucina held onto Cordelia's leg as well, and the two of them dangled above the abyss below them.

With a scream, Lucina used all of her strength to continue holding onto Cordelia's legs, and she felt as though she was going to pass out at a moment's notice. Cordelia watched in frustration as the body of her spear began to wobble like a flimsy pillar in a shoddy house.

Lucina looked up just in time to see Cordelia's spear snap in two, with the head remaining in the bridge and the body in Cordelia's grasp as they fell into the abyss. Another scream escaped her lips as wind lashed at the back of her head. The dragon watched as they fell from its perch atop the log; Cordelia swore she saw it wince in pain but considered it naught but a trick of her imagination.

As they tumbled through the air, deeper and deeper into the abyss, Cordelia wrapped her arms around Lucina and closed her eyes. Lucina closed her eyes as well, but from exhaustion rather than bracing for impact.


A smell of something rotten infiltrated Lucina's nostrils as she stirred from her slumber. With a groggy gaze, she looked around and saw a deep green fog that surrounded her. She seemed to be on solid ground at the very bottom of the tree, in a large, open space. Another thing surrounded her in an embrace, but it was Cordelia's arms. Her arms that felt cold as the ground below her, which Lucina realized was also Cordelia. She rested atop her motionless aunt and quickly got to her feet in a panic.

"Aunt Delia!" She began shaking Cordelia but to no avail. Her fingers ran over her aunt's body and felt an irregular bump in her left shoulder, a massive bruise on her back, and a slow heartbeat. Cordelia was still alive but horribly injured. She must have taken the brunt of the fall for Lucina's sake.

Lucina frantically reached into her pocket for a vulnerary or any healing item to help her aunt, only to find nothing. She fell to her knees and began to sob, holding onto her aunt's hand all the while. Her aunt was dying, and there was nothing she could do. The last memory Cordelia would have was her horrible niece hating her.

A branch snapped nearby. Lucina jerked her head up and saw two figures approaching. Yen'fay was one of them, and the other was his sister. They strode towards her with their swords drawn; she tried to get to her feet only to collapse on the floor. Her hands and knees were trembling as she looked up and saw Yen'fay standing over her.

"She means to harm the Divine Dragon, brother." Say'ri muttered. Lucina tried to prop herself up with her sword but to no avail. Her mind was already racing, trying to focus on both this new information and her approaching death.

"You… You meant to deceive me… My sister is alive, and right here. Not on some 'train' as you said." Yen'fay aimed his sword at Lucina's neck, drawing it back with a cold look on his face.

"You're… You're the only one being deceived here, you… you…" Lucina looked up and glared with the nastiest look she could muster. Yen'fay was unfazed.

As Yen'fay brought his sword down upon her neck, Lucina unleashed a mighty roar that was loud enough to shake his eardrums. She raised her sword with newfound strength and blocked his blade. Her grip on Falchion was so tight that she felt like the blade might pop off of its hilt like a cork from a wine bottle.

A blinding light erupted from Falchion as it locked with Yen'fay's sword. Both Yen'fay and Say'ri were staggered from the light and unable to see. Lucina exploited this as she rolled away from Yen'fay and got to her feet. Light filled the area and continued to emanate from her sword, which she drove through the chest of Say'ri.

By the time Yen'fay could properly see, he saw that Lucina was gone and now standing behind Say'ri, driving her glowing blade through his sister's chest.

He almost screamed in shock, only to see Say'ri dissolve into a puddle of blue goo at Lucina's feet. Yen'fay looked up from the goo, to Lucina's enraged face, then back to the goo. She was already pondering her next move, basing it off what she believed both Chrom and the Hero King would do.

"I don't… What?" He asked. His eyes were noticeably less glassy than before.

"Tell me why that thing mentioned the Divine Dragon." Lucina's tone was very abrasive and her brow was furrowed. Imitating her father's voice and how she believed he would respond.

"Don't take that tone with m-"

In the blink of an eye, Lucina was now standing before Yen'fay and holding her sword to his neck before he could even reach for his blade. A technique she had studied from the Hero King.

"I'll take whatever tone I want, gods-dammit. You and your stupidity are the reason my aunt is dying." Lucina pointed to Cordelia, still unconscious and likely not getting better. "And before you even-"

She stopped. This wasn't her. Instead of asking what her father or the Hero King would do, a simple question flashed in her mind. "What would Lucina do?"

She paused and took a quick breath before speaking with Yen'fay again as she sheathed her blade. "Is the Divine Dragon here?"

"Y-yes." Yen'fay noticed the trail of blue goo lead in the direction he had come from. "Follow that trail the monster left and you shall find her."

"...Thank you for your help. Watch over here until I get back." Lucina turned around and followed the trail of goo.

So Tiki was alive. Somehow, she had found her way here and into the clutches of a shapeshifting monster that almost killed Cordelia and broke Lucina. As she walked deeper into the bowels of the tree, Lucina swore she saw thousands of red eyes staring at her from the darkness ahead. Without even thinking, she raised her sword and held it high as light erupted out from the blade, dispelling the darkness and replacing it with the back wall of the tree.

At the very back of the large room was Tiki, sitting in a chair on a raised platform and slumbering. Lucina neared the slumbering dragon, only to see a small droplet of goo land before her. She looked up and on the ceiling of the cavern was a massive, vibrating blob of the same goo. It detached from the roof and landed on the ground with a mighty thud. Lucina darted back and drew her blade as the pile began to shrink, yet it still continued to shake. It had gone from triple Lucina's height to now equaling her height. The monster shifted again, taking on a humanoid form.

Lucina felt like she was staring at a mirror as she watched a replica of herself emerge from the pile of goo and glare at her. Its features and limbs weren't like the other creatures spawned from the goo; it was entirely blue and it looked like their face was melting.

"You… You killed my mother…" The gooey Lucina spoke with a rasp. Its sword was drawn and pointed upright in a casual stance, the exact same one that her father had taught her.

Lucina simply said nothing as she drew her blade in return. Not in the stance her father had, but one where her blade was pointed directly at her foe and the hilt rested next to her head. "No answer? You wreak havoc upon my family, and you say nothing?" Its tone was growing more and more agitated as the moments passed.

Lucina waited, and waited. She knew what she used to be better than anyone else, and thought back to her sparring match with Yen'fay. "Say something, gods-damn you!"

She almost bit her tongue as she remained silent, watching the imitation of her wait as well. But, in the blink of an eye, the other Lucina charged with her sword dragging along the ground and kicking up dirt.

Lucina closed her eyes and waited with bated breath. She could hear the footsteps of the other Lucina grow closer and closer until she was surely just in front of her. Her panic from before was replaced with stillness, and she quickly aimed her sword horizontally to block the clone's strike.

"I judge you unworthy." She muttered, then followed through with a slash at the clone's jugular. Goo erupted from the other Lucina as she staggered back and unleashed a howl. She toppled to her knees and bowed her head before Lucina.

"Do it! Finish me!" Her voice warbled and her features were shifting. Lucina paid her no mind and walked past. "Please! End me! Return me to my love!"

**Her mind hung on the word 'love' as she stopped. With a quick turn around to see what was happening, Lucina was pelted in the face with a blob of goo and knocked to the floor. She looked up to see the clone of herself had transformed into a woman with purple skin, violet hair that tied itself in a bun at the top, and pitch-black eyes strewn with tears. A red cloak was draped over her figure.

"You mean to hurt Grima, my one true love!" The woman grabbed a chunk of her own, gooey flesh from her thigh and hurled it at Lucina. She rolled out of way and saw that the woman's leg had grown back.

"What?" Lucina asked as she got to her feet. "How do you know Grima?"

"You shall not harm him! Do you hear me? I will not allow it!" Another blob of goo was hurled by the woman. Lucina batted it away with her sword and began walking towards her.

The woman raised her clenched fist. Gusts of wind began to howl at Lucina and blow her back. Her cloak shook in the gales as she continued her assault. Lucina struggled back to her footing and began to slowly make her way towards the woman.

"Who are you?" Lucina yelled amidst the howling gales.

"Why should I tell you?" Lucina couldn't even see this woman as she held her sword in front of her head and felt projectiles collide with it. Her approach continued. "Grima and I were to be wed! And then you stole him from me!" Her voice was now a screech.

The winds grew stronger and stronger until Lucina felt like she was going to be swept up by a tidal wave. But she continued to stand, pressing further and further against the gales and projectiles. "Stop it! Get away from me!" The voice was even closer now. Maybe even right in front of her. Lucina pulled her sword away for a brief moment to see that the woman had raised her clenched fist and was attempting to smash it down on Lucina.

She blocked her hand with her sword, only to feel the woman slam her hands against the blade again, and again, and again. Lucina bent her knees from the repeated blows and used her free hand to support her blade.

The woman gripped Falchion with both of her hands, holding onto the blade and trying to pry it from Lucina's grasp. Goo spilled from the open cuts in her hands caused by the sword. "I... I..." Tears streaked her face and spilled onto the blade. she tried to find the words to exclaim to blame this girl for her misfortune, but none came to mind.

All that escaped her lips was the primal scream of a broken woman. The same scream Lucina was all too familiar with.

Lucina bashed her blade against the woman, knocking her off balance and onto her rear. Her blade flashed with a blinding light, stunning her as she laid on the floor. The winds died down and the gooey woman slumped on the ground as she continued to sob. She looked up and saw Lucina looming over her, sword drawn and expressions motionless.

A whimper escaped her lips as she bowed her head, grimacing in anticipation of what was to come. "I'm… I'm sorry. I just…"

"What is your name?" Lucina's sword was still raised high.

"M-Marla."

"Why did you kidnap Tiki? Or Yen'fay? Why did you almost kill my aunt and me?"

"I... I don't..." She tried to speak amidst her sobbings. Lucina slowly brought the tip of her blade against Marla's head.

Marla could barely find any justification for the wounds that she had caused. For the lives that she had ruined. The only thing she could think of was how she was never going to see her beloved again.

A few seconds passed. Lucina had cast her judgment. Silence filled the room as Marla waited, and waited, and continued to wait until she looked up.

Lucina held her hand out. Marla slowly reached for it and Lucina helped her to her feet. She felt as though she had just performed a handshake with a blob of jelly, and it didn't help that the sobbing Marla was leaning on her for support. "T-thank you…"

Lucina's skin crawled but didn't mind as she walked towards Tiki. She stopped and helped Marla up the steps. "Do you… Want me to rouse her?"

"As yourself. No more lies." Lucina stepped back and watched from afar. Marla hesitantly stepped up to the slumbering woman and waved her hand over her forehead. Tiki stirred from her slumber and gave Marla a puzzled look.

"Bantu? Is that…" Tiki noticed that the person wearing her caretaker's red cloak was a woman.

"Bantu isn't… He's... He's not here." Marla replied. Tiki got to her feet and looked quite angry.

"I know he's here. Where is he! What did you do with him?" Lucina watched from afar, unsure if Tiki had noticed her by now. Marla shifted her features to look like Bantu. Tiki stopped and just watched with a dumbfounded expression as she shifted back to her normal form. "You… You lied to me?"

"I'm s-sorry. I just wanted to make you c-comfortable, b-but it was wrong of me to lie to you." Marla neglected to mention that Tiki's rejuvenating powers had been the only thing sustaining her for a while now.

"Get away from me." Tiki got back to her feet and glared at Marla.

"I understand..." She sighed and stepped away, revealing Lucina. Tiki's features brightened up the moment she saw Lucina.

"Lucina!" She called out with a cheery smile. Tiki rushed over to her and wrapped her arms around her. "Fancy finding you here in an unfamiliar place such as this. Speaking of which… Where are we?"

"Inside the Mila Tree," Lucina replied. Her tone was noticeably lighter than before, yet still had a sense of urgency. Tiki's eyes widened and she slowly turned to face Marla, who was cowering in the corner.

"Did she… do this…?" Her fists were clenched while she glared at Marla. A hand grabbed her by the arm and stopped her.

"No, she did not. Grima did this. Just please let her be." Lucina held onto Tiki's arm and could feel the seething anger radiate from her body.

"That thing kidnapped me." Tiki gritted her teeth and tried to break free of Lucina grasp. "And kept me here in this twisted depiction of my home!"

"I know, okay! And she tried to kill me! Yen'fay tried to kill me! I even thought you tried to kill me! But if I can forgive all of you, why can't you forgive her?" Lucina yelled amidst Marla's sobs. Tiki seethed with anger but rested her shoulders with a sigh.

"...Fine." Tiki walked away from Marla and towards the entrance. "Do you know the way out of here?"

Lucina paused, unsure of how to word her request. "Cordelia is dying and needs your help." Her tone was rather plain for how serious her statement was.

"Cordelia is… Oh gods, is she in here too? Where is she?" Tiki looked around in a panic. Lucina took her by the hand and led her out of the large room and past the various debris. She was dumbfounded at all the damage that had been done to the floor of the Mila Tree while Lucina continued on. They stopped before a small area where Yen'fay stood. Cordelia was propped up against a rock and conscious.

She waved her trembling hand at Lucina, looked surprised to see Tiki, and then looked to be in pain just from moving her hand. Tiki picked up her pace and rushed to Cordelia's aid, kneeling down next to her. "What happened to her?"

"We fell from a high place and landed here. She broke my fall." Lucina seated herself at the other side of Cordelia, who turned her head to face Lucina.

"That sounds awful…" Tiki's hands began to glow as she placed them on Cordelia's stomach. The bump in her shoulder moved down. Cordelia winced in pain as Tiki continued to hold her hands on her.

A few more moments passed. Yen'fay watched from afar as Tiki pulled her hands away and Cordelia got to her feet. Her legs were trembling but Lucina considered it a miracle that she could stand at all. Cordelia focused on a figure up ahead, wearing a red cloak and approaching. Lucina followed her eyes and saw Marla.

"Easy, easy. She doesn't mean us any harm." Her hands were held up as she stood between Cordelia and Marla. Tiki turned to face Marla as well and noticed she was handing her something.

"Here." Marla smiled as she removed her cloak and handed it to Tiki. Although nervous, Tiki graciously accepted the gift. "If you want, I could show you all out of here."

"That would be nice. Thank you, Marla." Tiki smiled and fitted the cloak over her body. It reminded her of her younger days when Bantu would let her wear his cloak for warmth. However, she felt a bulge in the pocket. Reaching into the pocket, she found a folded-up paper note. "Is this yours?" She asked Marla.

"No. It drifted down here from above." Marla shook her head. Cordelia recognized the note as the paper she used to write messages and raised her hand. Tiki handed it to her and watched as she unfurled the note.

A smile crept along Cordelia's lips as she began to scribble on the note. This was the very same one she had written to the illusions of Severa and Morgan, but she had added a few words before handing it to Lucina.

"I'm sorry. I should've told you about your mother. I love you." Lucina read the note and remembered the words Marla had spoken mere minutes ago. She wrapped her arms around her aunt and hugged her.

"I'm sorry I said such horrible things to you."


Eventually, with Marla's guidance, the group found their way up the twisting bridges inside the Mila Tree and down the confusing hallways, until they stood outside. Marla had stayed inside the tree, waving goodbye to the group and apologizing for the fifth time during the walk. The walk was rather awkward, such as Lucina explaining to Tiki why Cordelia couldn't speak or why she had a mask. To be frank, Lucina didn't know the answers either. Cordelia never stopped her, so she assumed her guesses of 'hiding her identity' was somewhat accurate.

It seemed to be afternoon as they looked up to the red sun. Tiki was shocked to find the horrible state of the swamp outside the Mila Tree.

"I can call for transportation." Cordelia wrote out as the group puzzled what to do next.

"Will there be enough room for all of us?" Tiki asked. Cordelia pondered this and so did Lucina.

"Where's Severa?" Lucina broke the silence. Cordelia turned and wrote a note.

"She's at the Father's Pride." The note read.

"The what?" Lucina tilted her head.

"We'll head south from here and we'll get to it eventually." Another note read. Cordelia began scribbling another one about how they should wait for transportation, but by the time she looked up Lucina was already walking away. Tiki and Yen'fay didn't react; they weren't sure if this was normal or not.

Cordelia caught up to Lucina and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"You three go without me. I want to meet her on foot." Lucina gave Cordelia a reassuring glance.

"Will you be okay? Will you have food? It's very dangerous..." Cordelia's new note read. She looked deeply concerned.

"I'll be fine." Lucina turned around and walked away, deeper and deeper into the dead forest.

Something about her seemed different. Cordelia watched while a smile crept along her masked face.