Liam watched as the pair shook hands and nodded at one another. "Well, look, that's all well and dandy," he said, "but I'm not so sure your whole love-and-respect sibling deal is gonna fly with the rest of the folks around here. Don't forget that we were in the middle of invading this town, Kana."

Kana nodded at Shigure. "He has a point."

"Maybe we can convince both sides to de-escalate this conflict," Shigure replied, "I think seeing Ryoma here might be enough to dissuade some of them, if he gives the order, but do you think anyone on your side would be willing to put a stop to this?"

"Lady Morgan leads our forces," said Kana, cupping her chin, "She used to work with papa. I bet if I tried explaining, she'd listen."

"Excellent. We have a plan, then—let's get to it."

The two pairs split their paths down the alleys spreading out from the corner around which Ryoma and Shigure had appeared: the exiled Hoshidans went back the way they came while Kana and Liam raced down a perpendicular street toward Morgan.

Morgan herself was continuing to prove a major hazard for the Hoshidans. She and her husband stood back-to-back, blocking entire circles of samurai as they tried to pin the pair down. They both swung with rhythmic precision, blunting the attacks and rotating to continue covering one another. The defense was easy to coordinate, but it took a bit of a toll, wearing them both out before long. "Getting a little tired of this," Morgan said between panting breaths. She flashed the silver-haired man behind her a sinister grin. "Feel like wrapping it up?"

"What, done already? I think all that time with Lord Corrin made you soft," Laslow answered.

"If you're gonna crack jokes at the girl covering your back, I think your head's gone soft."

"You really never do let anything get by you, do you?"

"It's in my nature. Just like being stubborn is in yours."

"All right, all right. Time for some fancy footwork?"

"On your mark."

Laslow nodded and leaned forward at the samurai in front of him like he was about to swing his blade, but when he saw his enemies had committed to a defensive position, he smirked at them and dropped to the ground. "All yours!" he called.

Morgan whipped around, flicking a red tome out of her pocket. She opened it and cast forth a wave of flames that sent the shocked samurai flying back and leaving trails of smoke.

One of the samurai behind Morgan decided to try to take this apparent lapse of attention, taking aim at her back. He started when he saw her leap up over a somersaulting Laslow, who sprang up to stab the samurai in the stomach, taking him down. The others tried to menace him, closing in from all sides as Morgan spun around. She switched tomes and fired a blinding flash of lightning that made the samurai stagger as Laslow shielded his eyes. When the light subsided, Laslow cut each of them quickly and kicked them to the ground.

"Lady Morgan!" The pair were distracted when they heard a voice drawing close accompanied by pounding footsteps. They saw Kana and Liam approaching, and Morgan instantly set about wondering why.

"Kana, Liam," she acknowledged them, "What's going on? Did your end break down?"

"No, listen, you have to stop this offensive!" Kana told her.

"Huh? What for?"

"My brother Shigure is out here, and so is King Ryoma. Neither of them want to fight us!"

"Shigure? And King Ryoma? What are they doing out here?"

"I'm actually not entirely sure myself. But, the point is, Shigure doesn't want to fight Nohr—he thinks someone outside our purview is pulling the strings in Hoshido's new government."

"Outside our—ah!" Morgan's eyes flashed. She stroked her chin. "Really? I figured he was involved, but to think he'd take such a direct approach… that's not to say it's unprecedented, but… Hm… I suppose, given the amount of resentment Hoshido's civilian population might bear…"

"Uh, mom?" Liam called out to her, "We kinda need you to do something today."

"Oh, whoops! I got a little caught up in thinking about things. Right, well, I'm glad Shigure and Ryoma don't want to fight, but how can we be sure their countrymen are going to feel the same?"

"They said Ryoma would give the order to stand down," Kana said.

"Simple enough, I guess," Morgan said, shrugging, "but it might be better if we can come together to organize a ceasefire—we can get everyone to pay attention at once. Think you can tell them that?"

"I can try."

"Good girl. We won't attack any more Hoshidans in the meantime—we'll try to just keep them at bay."

"Thanks!"

Kana and Liam began running back down the street to follow the path of their erstwhile allies. "I did not sign up for running a relay," Liam complained.

"Yeah, you just signed up for a war. Much simpler," Kana replied.

Liam cocked an eyebrow at her. "Was that… were you being…?"

"What?" she looked over, still running and panting.

"Never mind," he said, "Just watch out, princess. I think my family might be rubbing off on you."

They had to stop their sprint when they realized there was a wall of Hoshidans guarding the road Ryoma and Shigure had taken behind the unoccupied part of town. They readied their weapons when they saw the two Nohrians approaching.

"Aw, hell," Liam said, frowning, "guess it's true what they say about the best laid plans. You don't s'pose these guys'll just give us a pass, do you?"

"I doubt it."

"Even if we're really polite?"

"Liam, now's not a good time for jokes."

"Fine. But we do need to get through them. More specifically, you need to get through them."

"Well, we can't attack. Hard to claim we're trying to bring peace if we have to carve our way through the enemy's ranks to deliver our message."

"True enough. I think I have a solution, though."

"You do?"

"I think. One question: can I borrow your hair tie?"

Kana blinked at him.

Liam walked up to the Hoshidans as they readied their weapons. He had stuffed his arms back into his sleeves and tied his hair so that it collected in a straight, short ponytail. He had his eyes mostly shut and a placid smile plastered on his face as he approached them. "Greetings, brothers!" he said in an airy voice, "I require your assistance to flee from this place."

The Hoshidans exchanged glances.

"I am a priest from Izumo, and I do so desperately need to get out of this awful place if it's to be ravaged by war in this way."

"What's this guy's deal?" one of the Hoshidans shout-whispered to another.

"I think he's just some confused old man. Definitely not a threat, but…"

"Please, sirs, would any of you be so kind as to escort me away from all this violence? Or will you, perhaps, keep me safe up here for the time being? In either case, I would be eternally grateful."

The Hoshidans began conversing again, and Liam turned his head to the side of the street, spying Kana inching her way between pillars and windows. She looked back over at him and screwed her face up. He scowled at her, waving his hand and mouthing "Go!" She complied and ducked behind another pillar just as the Hoshidans started facing Liam again.

"You're a long way from Izumo, father," one of the Hoshidans told Liam, "What faith do you belong to?"

"Er, faith?"

"Yes, what for what religion do you act as a priest? You don't wear the robes of a Dawn Dragon worshipper."

"Oh, right… er, I come from the Servants of the Noble Groundhog."

"'Noble… Groundhog?'"

"Yes. That is… what I said. For you see, gentlemen, groundhogs are endowed with a great many traits that we consider praiseworthy in humans—they are humble and know their place in the universe, to enumerate just one such quality…"

"Somebody hurry up and help this guy out of here."

Fortunately, the rest of the Hoshidans were much more scattered throughout the roads of Shotenmachi and much too concerned with the battle to notice Kana slowly creeping through the darkened parts of those chaotic streets until she found an orb of periwinkle hair and, beside it, a long brown mane. She crept up close and, when she thought she was adequately visible, she called out: "Hoshidan general!"

Shigure and Ryoma turned around to face her, stunned. Shigure began, "Kana, what are you—"

"Our commander, Lady Morgan, wishes to parley with you to cease hostilities. Will you command your troops to stand down?"

Ryoma and Shigure exchanged glances before Ryoma nodded. "Very well," the former king said with authority, loud enough for all the Hoshidans around to hear, "Soldiers of Shotenmachi, your king hereby orders you to stand down, and to disseminate that order as quickly as possible. Young Nohrian, will you please escort me to your Lady Morgan?"

"All too happy to," she grinned at him.

[…]

"So, you mean to tell us that Princess Kana is no longer among your numbers?" Jakob resumed.

"In brief, yes," Xander told him, "what about this is so vital? Share it with me, and I'll happily pass it on when our numbers recombine."

"By that point, it may already be too late."

"There's no need to be so vague and ominous, Jakob. You've been in my family's employ for ages, haven't you? So why not explain yourself clearly, for my sake?"

"I wish I could afford to give more detail, but… Your Highness, if you have any sense about you, don't let this become a conquest. Defeat the Hoshidans, exact your revenge as necessary, and then leave this place. Some of the actors on this stage have been replaced between acts. And we may soon find the setting itself changed."

"I never took you as one for so much poetry, Jakob."

"It's come with serving Lady Azura, I believe."

"That's right, how is my sister-in-law?"

"Well, but she went in a different direction seeking her son. She may even find Kana first as a result. Funny, that."

Xander sighed and looked out over the hill that gradually climbed into the Great Wall of Suzanoh, where beyond stood Castle Shirasagi. There would be no fewer than two great battles standing in the way of achieving his objective. He couldn't afford to even have his forces weakened in either of them. "If you have a message for Kana, you should hurry to the northwest, then. And be wary of Hoshidans who will be looking to prey upon hapless Nohrian travelers."

"I'll do as much. Thank you for your assistance as always, Your Highness."

"Don't call me that."

"It only feels right."

"Not to me."

"Well… another time, then, Lord Xander."

"Um, father?"

Xander turned around to find his son waiting, staring up at him. "Siegbert," he acknowledged, "what is it?"

"I apologize if I was interrupting, but I bring some rather unfortunate news. Some things that I… can't quite make sense of."

"Very well, go on."

"Well, for one… the town of Kaigancho… much of it has been burnt to the ground. Civilians have been executed or forced into their homes and robbed by soldiers."

"What?! This can't be our soldiers' doing—"

"No, that's what's so strange about it. According to our spies, the one who orchestrated the attack was the new King Takumi himself. Their information says it had something to do with the fact that the civilians didn't fight us when we landed."

"Monstrous," Xander said, shaking his head, "Even a stubborn fool like that Prince Takumi wouldn't be so callous as to do something like that to his own people. He's a foul-tempered brat, but not a maniac."

"I can only tell you what I've read, father."

"No, I don't mean to criticize you, my son, I'm… I'm just as confused as you are."

Siegbert stared at his father and knitted his brow a moment before continuing: "In any event, the other news is that Princess Sakura has sent an envoy to us. She's leaving the confines of the Great Wall right this moment to lead an army against us."

"An army outside the Great Wall? I suppose they mean to fatigue us before the real battle," Xander decided, pinching his chin, "but why send their princess to head such an attack? She could easily be captured or worse, were Nohr's army not reformed and firmly under my command."

"Your orders, father?"

"Assemble everyone, of course. Be prepared to fight, even if I don't yet fully understand why. And, Siegbert… you should lead alongside your mother and I this time. It's important that the troops see you in a leadership position, as you ought to be regarded?"

"But I'd be doing more good fighting with the others, don't you think?"

"Not always. A good leader knows when to be a king and when to be a soldier, son. Someday, you'll need to be both, so it's important to get battlefield experience as both."

"I understand. As you say."

Siegbert rode off, expelling a cloud of sod as his steed carried him away quickly.

"Something here reeks like a rotten tomato," Leo said, folding his arms and staring at his older brother, "That is to stay, still pleasant in some manner, but with a level of unsettling destruction of purity at its heart."

"I'll be interested to see Princess Sakura's take on all this," Xander said, "Something isn't sitting right with me, either. Remind our men that the princess is to be taken alive and attacked only if it is critical to the survival of others."

"You can't hide your anxiety behind orders with me, Xander. What are you thinking?"

"It's strange: we're the invaders, and we have a clear advantage over the enemy—even they know that… so why do I feel this lingering sensation that we're walking into a grander trap with every step that we take toward that castle?"

"It's natural to assume Lord Takumi is preparing some kind of ambush, coward that he is."

"No, it's something beyond that. Leo, did you feel a tingle in your skin when we fought our father? Like… like your very flesh was repelled by him?"

"Maybe… but I chalked that up to being reluctant to fight family."

"I'm feeling it again."

[…]

"So, here we sit, at the moment of climax once more," Corrin said to his mother, watching over a ridge. Just as in days past, they're at each other's throats once more. They never seem to learn. It's… regrettable, in a way, isn't it? Regrettable… if they only heeded that advice about learning from history, maybe this wouldn't…"

He let the thought escape him and grimaced before hanging his head.

"You're still too sentimental, boy," Sumeragi told him, "Don't worry, those feelings will fade in due time. For now, we can watch our master's orders come to fruition. Every fallen soul, every drop of blood on the dirt and grass will be another step closer to this world reaching the end it rightly deserves—control will be guaranteed and then all will be as it should. This world will be wiped clean of its human influence."

"I find myself… wishing they didn't all have to… you know, that they…" the young man struggled.

"It's all right, my sweet child," Mikoto said, placing her hand on his shoulder, "You are sympathetic to them, because you are so good-natured. What you need to understand is that this is the best course for them. Soon, they will all be relieved of the strife that makes their lives so unbearable—the same pain that made you pray for death over having to choose in your weakest moments—all that will soon pass from their minds, and everything will fade into the gray."

Miles away, inside a darkened chamber that smelled of mildew and death, there came a stirring not felt in some time. The walls of the sizeable chamber shook: dust fell from gaps in the ceiling and stones in the floor split apart as the rumbling shook the building's foundation. A low growling and groaning filled the air, like the suffering words of a man deranged played and echoed back upon themselves hundreds of times.

At the back wall of this chamber sat a massive stone mask. The expression of this mask was carefully crafted by the artisans who built it to house the entity that lay behind it. The mask featured shut eyes, a blunted nose, thin lips, and a ritual mark in the center of the forehead. It showed no age or expression. The face was neither old nor new, neither pleased nor upset—it was the face of a man who had accepted death in his final moments, relaxed with a kind of benign acceptance that humans could never hope to describe or share, for the moment it was experienced meant the end of their capacity to speak. The cheeks and forehead of the mask had begun to crack, allowing purple and scarlet mists to jet out of the gaps, wheezing like dying breaths.

The walls of this underground structure, the basement of Castle Valla, shook ferociously as this mask ripped itself away from the wall to which it had been affixed. The golden walls holding it in place cracked and fell to the side. A snakelike body with jagged protrusions shook itself, including the portion covered by the mask, groggily, waking from its long slumber. Its voice was horse and filled with a dark grain that had come from eons of disuse. "I am… betrayed," it said, "I am… betrayal. I am conquered. I am the conqueror. I am beloved. I bring love. I am despised. I bring hatred. I am… silent."

The heads of all the Vallites suddenly stopped and found themselves irresistibly attracted toward the direction of the castle.

"I am… your god," said the voice of ancient shadows.