The Infinite Treasure Room (II)


Darkness. That was all he could see, all he could sense, all he could feel. He could sense his eyes being straight open, but he still couldn't see anything. He felt his legs light and not touching the ground, as if he was floating. The tactician couldn't but kept hearing the dull sound of his breath over and over again.

"So, this is death, huh?" He wondered. His vision was shut, but his thoughts carried him away. His nervousness and stress for his comrades was there next to him. Guilt for his inability began haunting him. "She can't have died. There must have been a way…" he though but deep inside he knew there wouldn't be one. He tried to comfort himself by providing him with false hopes, but no one can fool themselves. He knew his adventure with the Shepherds was over.

The former tactician didn't want to cry, but his eyes were already misty. "What's the point?" He thought. "Would it change anything?... Damn it!" His attitude changed instantly. His fury for his mistake burned him on the inside like the blistering fire of his spells. However, this guilty feeling couldn't be burnt alongside them. Robin wasn't able to see but felt the tear running down from his right cheek. "And what could I do? She was unreal!" He continued his monologue. "My attacks weren't enough, Severa's attacks weren't enough. No… This wasn't right. She wasn't herself. Lucina wasn't herself. The trial… To put the past behind… We weren't ready, yet Tiki made us try to pull it through. Why?" He asked. "Why!?" He shouted. "And were in the world am I?" He yelled. His angered voice echoed in the nothingness. Its sound was more saddening that he could ever believe. He was alone. And this hurt him the most. This was the most severe loneliness. He didn't ache by being alone. Instead he ached by being alone, as a result of his own mistake.

"It's futile. All my actions were futile and everything I try from now is in vain," he believed, letting another tear flow. "I'm sorry Severa, in the end I couldn't p-protect you... He was right. Owain, Laurent, I… Damn!" He cried with mixed feelings. "I-I wonder…"

"I wonder if you… You'd feel sorry now that I'm gone, or you'll be angry with me because I failed you," this was his last thought before he stopped trying. Robin tried to relax his body and empty his mind only to fail. "I wonder…" He said before cracking.

In this silent time, like a faint ray of light and hope the tactician heard a feminine voice. It sounded pure, majestic and this sweet sound reminded him of his favorite one. The voice brought peace and lightened his mind, which was clouded by his dark thoughts. Out of thin air a woman appeared in front of him. Everything was dark, but he could clearly see her, as if it was a miracle. She was shining like a small sun, with the strength of the light slowly fading. Her light embraced the man and he saw her with his very own eyes. She had straight long emerald green hair, which looked like a field full of life. Her eyes were of the same enchanting color, which resembled Tiki's. She was thin and elegant, wearing a light pink dress, while her pure white arms were studded with golden rings. Lastly, behind her snow white neck a velvet blue veil floated.

"Wh-Who are you?" He asked curious. Although her appearance was sudden, she inspired confidence. She smiled. This pure and bright smile warmed his heart.

"Do you love her?"

Such a simple question, with such a hard answer. "What kind of question is this?" The tactician thought. "W-What do you mean? Who are you?" He asked feeling his cheeks getting hotter and hotter. The woman giggled.

"So, you do not? I thought you promised even if you die you would return to her no matter what. However, dear soldier you've surrendered." Those words stroke him like a thunder. His heartbeat exploded. "What do you mean? This doesn't feel like a dream at all?Am I indeed… dead?"

"You're the closest to death you've ever been." As soon as the woman finished her sentence the scenery around Robin changed instantly. The darkness was no more. Nevertheless, this didn't mean it was time for light either. Intimidating sounds echoing in the thunderstorm broke the silence. The tactician found himself on a battlefield, a limitless barren land expanding before his eyes. It was a matter of seconds after his clothes and skin were wet. Nonetheless, the tactician knew this place was the embodiment of his worse nightmare. He somehow knew it wasn't real. He had gotten used to the series of dreams, illusions and any form of trick his mind could pull. And now this was indeed the worst one. The heavy downpour gave away the illusion of creating a wall of water in each of the tactician's step. The ground was nothing more that pure mud. The water would also form small ponds to difficult his steps. But Robin knew where he was heading.

The icy dark grey sky restlessly grumbled. The clouds got only darker and denser. The tactician eventually stopped walking. He wasn't apathetic to what he saw. Only grief and guilt tortured his mind. There was nothing but corpses. The mutilated or burned bodied of his best friends. The heavy rain only washed away the blood, but not his guilt. He heard the voice again.

"This isn't a dream, brave soldier. This is the reality," she said raising more questions than answers. "Do you mean that all of the S-Shepherds are…?" He didn't even want to think about this. He feared making this question. He had already accepted the fact that his own miscalculations cost him his life, but he was happy he could at least offer something to the Shepherds.

"Yes," she said in a cold way. "They all faced horrible deaths, with the leader having the worse fate," she continued. Robin felt like loosing the ground beneath his feet. "W-What? How? When?" He slowly started to lose his mind. Then the woman appeared before him for one more time.

"Who a-" he tried to ask acting on impulse. "I am the Divine Dragon, Naga. What you see now is a world that faced the ultimate demise. Even I did not have the power to save it. But you… You can! This is why you were summoned, to prevent this world from destruction. This is the fate of a world without your intervention. You are very important brave soldier. You are of outmost importance," she said in an assertive tone. This load of information was too much for the tactician to handle... "Why me?"

"Because you can save it. You promised the princess that you would create a future for her to be happy didn't you?"

"Lucina…" He murmured, lowering his head.

"You do love her, don't you?"

Robin's silence said more than his words ever could have.

"Love, brave soldier, isn't expressed with mere words. Our words bare no value. Love is expressed through our own actions. Your actions are the ones that define you. You proved that during your first day with the Sepherds by passing their loyalty test."

"But what can I do? I failed them! I did noting but fail them! My actions killed Severa! In the end, my own vanity of protecting them backfired!"

"That is for you to find. You're good with tactics, right?" Robin smiled, slightly irritated realizing his own mistake. And he now realized how important he was and how easy everything could simply collapse to pieces. He wasn't a white knight, fighting to help everyone. His role wasn't to carry the burden of his friends alone, but to help them carry it. You can never save everyone. Severa fell on the battlefield and because he believed he could save her all alone. That was his flawed logic. Severa's true enemy didn't lie in front of her, but inside. It was something she had to fight alone. By paying more attention to others, Robin forgot to care about himself. If he wasn't in condition of helping them, what was the point? Although realizing his true place in Shepherds would mean more stress for him, he wasn't at all stressful. Instead, he felt motivated for having a second chance. He had reignited the spark of his endeavors.

"Thank you, Naga. I'll do my best," the snow white haired man said with a smile. Naga nodded and dissolved along with his guilt, his fears and surroundings...


"Lucina!" He screamed his head off. His heartbeat was fast, and his skin had taken on a glossy shine. It was glistering in the room's light. "Damn it all!" He shouted as soon as he realized he had lost his way. The vibrant swordsman was alone in a room that felt the same as every other. The red carpet under the gold-like floor, the faint lights and the dampness of the atmosphere only made things worse. "Okay, remember what our father told us. Let's take things from the beginning. We left Robin at Brady's hands… Entered the main door… and then… Gah!" He shook his head in annoyance. "Remember you dolt! Oh, now I sounded like her… She needs me. For the first time, Owain, she needs us," he said with courage.

However, the swordsman was already tired. He could feel it on his body. The battle and the stress knowing the importance of their mission had taken a great toll on his body. This tiredness affected his concentration as well. In this moment of confusion he couldn't remember the timeline of events. "Come on Ow! And then… Damn I don't have time to think!" He was right. The vibrant swordsman rushed to find an exit. In front of him lied three doors one in each direction. He chose to go right. The man faced the door. There was something particular about it. The door was made of pure wood and had the color of black. It was amazingly crafted depicting the face of a snake. Owain didn't pay attention to it and rushed to close his fingers around the handle. The creaking noise of the door brought a chill down his spine. He proceeded to enter the next room, but he decided not to close it. His reason was simple. He wanted to find his way back in case he got lost. However, he was already.

The blonde swordsman entered an identical room. "It can't be…" He said as he stared at it. Series of thoughts crossed his mind. Like a downpour his head was instantly flooded with different scenarios and explanations trying to answer what is happening. Though, this wasn't his true rival. It was a race against time and the clock was ticking. Owain tried to run choosing a door at random. He faced the next door. This time the wild and open mouth of a lion was crafted on it.

His worse fear became a reality. The next room wasn't any different. He panicked. Tension grew in his face and limbs, his mind replaying his worries and his thoughts. He couldn't make a single step. His only move was the shaking of his limbs. He knew this feeling. He knew it well. He hated it.

Despair. He stood there powerless. He had every reason to succeed, like a hero. The hero he used to hear about every night, though the lips of his mother. Though everything led to the conclusion that he wouldn't. He was remembered of despair. Wanting to help, begging to be able to help, but can't. He knelt and in his anger he tightened his fist and slammed the floor. He was reminded of the fateful day he last saw his father. It was a scary sight. His chest was penetrated by an arrow as well as his leg. The man ready to lose all consciousness spitted any blood that was left inside of his mouth. His legs now weak began crumbling down. His son, standing behind him stood astonished. Fear, anxiety, anger and above all despair. Powerless to do anything he began pleading for nearby help. He shouted, he screamed, but before he tried to leave his father in search for help he extended his weak hand telling him to stay. Owain knew he couldn't. The boy tried to run but the moment he did an arrow slashed his right cheek. He lost his balance and fell close to his father.

At that moment, the blonde boy saw him. An archer from far away was targeting him. It was supposed to be an ordinary day, but the worse always come when they are the least expected. With his eyes misty he gazed at the murderer as a new arrow flew against him. It would have hit him, if not for his father once again. This time it was the palm of his hand. The arrow had pierce through it, but it acted as the perfect shield. The man now fell on the ground. The boy was left alone.


Fire Emblem: The Man That Never Was
Chapter 15: The Infinite Treasure Room


A/N (Author's Note): We're back. Oh boy... We we got a new working environment, we got sick multiple times, we went to hospital several times... A crazy lot of things happened... But we're back. I would like to thank everyone for their patience and positive feedback on the story. It literally gives me the strength to continue. Thank you. I'll only work hard to deliver and reach your expectations :)

As always, thanks for reading and until next time, please have yourselves a darn good one ;D


J.D. King

Dedicated to some friends, who without them I wouldn't be the person and writer I am today.