Beginning Commentary: OKAY, so should the second team (of the Khans and Priam among others)'s expedition be told here or in Sidetracked? Also, would anyone like to write it, or should I just write it myself? It's crucial to the story, I believe, but yeah, first-person…

I won't be able to continue on with the story until I figure out what to do. Sorry folks. D:


Chapter Eighteen: Sibling Blades


"So I'm guessing the one who informed those Bandits and such in the surprise attack was Morgan," Cynthia sighed.

"I knew something was up when he couldn't control the Risen back in Plegia all those years ago," Severa muttered. "There's no way he would be overwhelmed by it…"

Why, Morgan? Why you of all people? Was I really such a terrible mother to you in the future? Am I a terrible mother now? I'm only fighting to get your father back… But right as soon as we're done, I'm heading straight for the Garden of Giants and will raise you like how a caring mother should. You'll never feel mistreated ever again…

"Hey, uh, are you okay?" Stahl asked me.

"Why would you care?" I responded coldly. "Aren't you worried that I'll hurt Cordelia or something?"

He looked upset when I said that.

"If it means anything, I'm sorry for how I acted all those years ago. Heck, I'm sorry for not trying to make things right again until now of all times. Cordelia still is important to me, and so is Severa, but that doesn't mean I should have acted like a huge jerk to you. You didn't do anything wrong to them, I overreacted."

"I-I'm sorry, too," Donny interrupted. "Y'all ain't so scary like I thought you were way back then."

"Your apologies seem to be too late," Tharja said for me.

"Well, y'all was gone for two whole years and then we got ourselves into this crazy-ass war! It's hard to remember!"

"Donnel, I've taught you not to swear!" Maribelle gasped, then coughing up some dirt.

"Ah, give 'em a break, Ma," Brady grunted. "With all the work Pa did back in the Farfort, he should get swears outta his system!"

"Would all of you please remain silent so that we may concentrate?" Frederick snapped. "Digging a tunnel with a limited light source and constant chatter is far too tedious!"

We all silenced ourselves.


"Ah, I see light!" Vaike exclaimed.

Indeed, as he and Frederick dug upwards, we managed to find a very gray sky with a dim sunlight beaming down on us. We were all escorted out of the underground after they breached.

"Alright, where are we?" Lissa asked. "I'm lost."

Hold on, there was a volcano in the distance…! Smoke was rising out of it!

"Say'ri, we've been here before!" I exclaimed, pointing to the landmark. "Remember on our diplomatic mission?!"

"Aye, I remember," Say'ri replied. "We are near the Demon's Ingle, home of the Chon'sin Fire God. It was considered holy grounds until the nation became one. Now only those who are foolish enough to pass it are allowed to enter."

"Is it true that molten earth resides in this volcano?" Laurent asked. "I have never encountered one in person."

"Aye, and it will give you third degree burns if you dare touch it. Pray that the Fire God does not awaken and cause it to erupt."

"Duly noted."

"Then we should be in former Note dynasty territory…" I said. "Knowing the Imperial Army, Walhart probably forced Yen'fay to root out the best recruits he could find."


Before any of us could start strategizing our approach, a harsh light started to glow from underneath us.

"What the-?!" Chrom gasped.

"It's…a teleportation spell!" Henry exclaimed.

"Someone, counter it!"

"It's…too powerful!"

"Jump out of it, then!"

"The range is too large!" Tharja yelled out.

Everything went to a complete halt. The same flightless feeling returned, but it definitely wasn't whimsical this time around. We were all blinded by the light. All the horses whinnied.


When everything returned to normal, we found ourselves with a new light glowing underneath. It was bright red with a hint of orange, and it bubbled. We were standing on extremely darkened rock, almost crumbling from our weight, and eye-stinging smoke rose above us. The temperature skyrocketed from mild to burning. Everyone aside from the Manaketes and myself coughed and sweated.

"W-where?" Say'ri gagged.

"Right where we want you, of course!" Excellus' voice called out.

In an instant, he teleported right in front of us. With no Morgan…

"Welcome to the center of the Demon's Ingle, you Ylissean and Chon'sin scum! Here, Lord Yen'fay will dispose of you. But in the case that he fails, I've enough mana to ensure it instead!"

He conjured a similar spell that he intended to use on Say'ri, only to have it splash near us.

"Ah yes, how lovely! Your bodies will be charred to piles of ash, which will be swept away in no time! Oh, how glorious!"

"You snake…!" Say'ri shouted.

"Where's my son?" I yelled. "Where's Morgan?!"

"Hm? Oh, he's marching alongside his father now as we speak. He seems all too eager in killing you specifically."


"That will be enough, Excellus," a far too familiar voice ordered.

In the distance arrived a swarm of Warriors, Paladins, Bow Knights, Sages, and most notably, Swordmasters. One in particular. One with his long, white hair in a high ponytail. One in purple, but now also black due to the armor placed around his forehead and jaw, going down to his torso. It made him look like he was being eaten by a demon.

"Yen'fay…" I mouthed.

Morgan soon followed.

"Brother, why must you fight alongside Walhart?!" Say'ri shouted. "Why must you go back on everything you have stood for!? Why, my brother?!"

Yen'fay remained silent. Instead, he unsheathed his blade. The Amatsu…

"Answer me, damn you!"

He positioned himself.

"Yen'fay, please! I don't want to fight you!" I cried out. "I'm begging you, hear us out!"

"It won't work!" Morgan smiled. "You have no other choice! And knowing how powerful he is, he'll easily cut you all down!"

"Morgan, you dastard!" Lucina yelled.

Both he and Excellus teleported away once more, leaving us with Yen'fay and his army.

"Yen'fay! Listen to me! I want to talk this out with you!" I continued pleading, hoping we would finally come to his senses.

Silence. He leapt toward Chrom in order to engage in combat. We were left with his foot soldiers.


The ground shook underneath us as we attempted to defend ourselves. The lava continued bubbling.

"Gods, that creep was right," Lissa panted. "This heat'll kill me before these guys do…"

"Yen'fay!" I called out in a sea of soldiers. He and Chrom were too far away. "Yen'fay!"

I refused to fight back anyone who would strike at me. I didn't want to harm anyone, they were a part of the royal guard I never had the privilege of getting to know! Where was Lieutenant Qiang'wei or Ten'shi to help us reason with Yen'fay?! Yen'fay, why won't you let us speak?! Do you even know who Morgan is?! Did he tell you before?!

AH, SOMEONE STRUCK MY BACK!

"DAMMIT WOMAN, DRAW YOUR WEAPON!" Frederick barked.

"I…I won't!" I cringed. "Please don't make me, Yen'fay! Call off these orders!"

I was struck once again in the legs, causing me to fall to my knees.

"YEN'FAY!"

All I could do was watch him and Chrom duel. He had used Astra, Chrom had used Aether. Chrom, you idiot! Let me talk to him!

"You're in no condition to walk!" Maribelle shouted. "Stay still while I heal you!"

"Yen…fay…"

"Brother, you are being foolish!" Say'ri called out. "You must realize what the Conqueror intends to do with Chon'sin! He shall soon take over Ylisse, and he will be an unstoppable god! Please, withdraw your sword!"

Yen'fay only struck at Chrom more.

"Why are you so damn stubborn!?" Chrom grunted.

"That is none of your concern, Ylissean!" Yen'fay replied coldly.

"As a fellow ruler, I have no other choice but to make it my concern!"

"You would be wise to stay out of other country's affairs!"

Yen'fay…This isn't like you…You're not under some kind of mind control spell, are you?! Is that what Morgan's been doing?!

"OW!" I gasped.

"Hold still!" Maribelle said through her teeth, doing her best to restrain my movements.


In that moment, Say'ri withdrew the Sol Katti.

"Lord Chrom, I shall handle this," she said. "Allow me to strike at Yen'fay in your stead."

"Say'ri, no! I refuse for you to fight your brother!" Chrom exclaimed.

She positioned herself with the sense of death in her eyes.

"I have no brother."

Both of them began to strike with Astra, every hit landing on Say'ri and few landing on Yen'fay. Nearly all of Yen'fay's army had been burned by the lava or had retreated to escape from the heat. Some of the Shepherds were contemplating that idea themselves.

Yen'fay…Please…Stop fighting!

"Is that all you've got?!" Excellus' voice rang. "Pathetic! No wonder Qiang'wei so easily captured you!"

"SILENCE!" Say'ri shouted.

"Say'ri, we'll have to work together!" Chrom told her.

"Fie! Stay out of this!"

"But you'll die!"

"I would rather die with honor than live with the knowledge of-"

Before she could finish her sentence, Chrom interfered and blocked an attack from Yen'fay.

"I get that your nation's ideals are far different than mine, but that doesn't mean I'm going to let you die before Walhart does!"

Say'ri nodded, and they both began to strike at Yen'fay.

No, you idiots! You're going to leave a fatal mark! We're supposed to get him to join us so we can unite our forces and defeat Walhart together!

"I SAID HOLD STILL!" Maribelle yelled, tightening her grip on me.

"It's taking…too long!" I yelped. "YEN…FAY!"


SWING! SLASH!

…NO. NO NO NO NO NO!

"ANNE!"

I ran as fast as I could manage, trying my hardest to avoid the pain I still experienced. I couldn't even tell if I had a heartbeat. I just needed to see if they had killed him.

There he lay, blood beginning to overflow from his sides and his mouth. I immediately knelt down beside him and placed his head on my thighs.

"Yen'fay," I whimpered. Tears were starting to build up.

He slowly but surely placed his hand on my cheek.

"Do not cry…my sunlight," he coughed.

"Someone, heal him now!" I shouted. "Please, he has to live!"

"NO! This isn't how it's supposed to be!" Morgan cried out. He soon ran up to us, tears started falling from his cheeks. "We were supposed to live happily together, Father! With Mother gone, I'd finally be able to get to know you as you are now!"

"Fa…ther?"

Maribelle, Lissa, Brady, and Libra all began to tend to his wounds.

"Yes, this is our son from the future," I explained. "His name is Morgan."

"Our…son?"

I nodded.

"It was after I left for Ylisse when I found out I was pregnant…And I wanted to tell you, but then this war happened…"

"His arms…"

"Birth defect."

Yen'fay managed to pat Morgan on the head before he cried out in pain.

"Dammit all, this place's no good if we wanna heal him!" Brady grunted. "The smoke's irritating his injuries! We gotta get outta here!"

"Oh no, you don't!" Excellus' voice echoed.

He teleported right in front of us as soon as he said that.


"DAMN YOU!" Say'ri yelled, but she soon collapsed from her injuries.

"Temper, temper. Honestly, you Chon'sin scum are far too proud to do you any good. But I suppose it's not as bad as the Fellblood's here, now is it?"

Stay calm…

"Ah yes, that whole incident back in Plegia was quite a spectacle to behold. Your allowing of Grima to take over your body caused so many deaths! Lord Walhart knew he had to do something about this, even before you were born."

"What do you mean?" Chrom sneered.

"Oh, don't you know about Grima, Lord Chrom? Certainly, you should by now."

"Yes, but what do you mean Walhart planned this before Anne was born?"

"Well of course, a mighty and powerful deity such as Grima has been known for generations long before our time. When Walhart came to power thirty-whatever years ago, he made it his mission to charge right into Plegia and destroy any hint of there being a Fellblood. But Valm was such a small country thanks to the Schism, so he had to first expand the country before he could even think about completing his mission!"

"Wait, does that mean that this entire war…" Lucina began.

"That's right! A crusade against Grima!" Excellus cackled, pointing directly at me.

"So the invasion of Rosanne, and now the unifying of Chon'sin…"Chrom mumbled to himself.

"That was…not what I had agreed to…" Yen'fay's breath hinged as he struggled to get on his feet.

"Yen'fay, please, don't," I silently begged. "Let everyone heal you."

"Won't do you any good, sweetheart. His wounds are too deep and he's already lost a fatal amount of blood. Better say your goodbyes now while you still have the chance!"

No…


"You know what? I feel generous today," Excellus smiled with those disgusting fish lips of his.

The ground shook violently, even causing rumbles to be heard. Lava started circling around us.

"I'm going to kill you all in one fell swoop!"

His cackle echoed as he teleported away.

"Okay, we have to get out of here NOW!" Chrom ordered. "Everyone, let's go! Carry whomever you can!"

"Anne…" Yen'fay whispered. "Forgive me…I…wanted to protect…you and Say'ri…"

"It's okay, you're going to live. You have to…" I sniffed. "Please, don't die. I've already lost so many. Emmeryn, Mustafa, Vasto, old man Campari… Every other Plegian and whatever else I had to strike down…"

"Brother…" Say'ri huffed, restraining herself from crying. "I am sorry that I did not think of you as my brother. I…I was frustrated…"

"It is alright…sister," Yen'fay smiled, soon coughing blood up. "I have lived…a good life. I have you, Pheros, and Anne to love along with all of Chon'sin. And now I know that the Chon'sin legacy will continue once I am gone…"

Morgan choked up.

"The sun is shining brightly today…"

He closed his eyes, and became limp on my thighs.

"YEN'FAY, NO!" I cried. "WAKE UP, PLEASE!"

"Mom, y-your face!"

"SHUT UP! YEN'FAY, DON'T DIE!"

"You're starting to change!"

"I AM NOT! YEN'FAY!"

"ANNE!" Tharja and Henry called out.

"WHAT?!"

One of them conjured up a mirror.

…!

Oh Gods, not only did I have dragon hands, but I also had dragon fangs! Scales were beginning to develop on my face! My eyes were reptilian! All six of them! …I HAD SIX EYES!

I couldn't help but cry even more. Someone, I couldn't even tell, picked me up and began taking me away. I attempted to struggle out of their grasp.

"BUT YEN'FAY!"

"We have no time!" Frederick called out.

I reached my hand out toward his body.

"YEN'FAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!"

The volcano began to erupt just as we escaped.


Nobody spoke for a very long time. Say'ri was on the verge of tears and didn't want to meet with anyone. Morgan had to be restrained so that he wouldn't try to attack us, but it felt unnecessary with how he felt.

Yen'fay, this is all of my fault. I was so stupid… If it weren't for me, you, Pheros, and everyone else would still be alive… Why…Why did this have to happen? Why did I have to be Grima's vessel? Why make me lose the people I care about most?!

I couldn't eat or sleep. All I could feel was heartbreak and guilt. Heartbreak in knowing that my husband died just so he could protect me, guilt in knowing that I caused his death. My sheer existence itself…

…I can't take it anymore…

"Mom, what are you doing?" Morgan asked as I escorted him away from where we had established territory.

"You're going to turn me over to Walhart," I explained. "That way, we can get this Fellblood nonsense over with. No more people have to suffer because of Him."

"But…he'll kill you!"

"I have nothing left to live for."

"But-"

"If you cared about your father in the slightest, you will do this. He died because I was a fool..."

In the middle of the night, we made our way to the Valmese Castle. I threw away my Balmung and the Dragonstone that Nowi gave me alongside my Plegian robe.