December: Apparitions of the Acclaimed
A week later, Sophie stumbled into Darios. "Oh. Excuse me."
Darios moved to the side. "Quite alright. My name's Darios. Nice to meet you."
Sophie introduced, "I'm Sophie! Soleil and Shigure told me about you. You're the Prince of Gristonne, and you need to get back to Aytolis to protect Lianna and Rowan?"
Darios nodded. "Indeed. The merciful dragon Naga gave me a second chance at life. This time I hope I won't be possessed by an evil dragon and forced against my will to attack and betray my friends."
"Well, let me know what I can do to help. Weird things are going on between worlds. Hopefully we can get you there."
"Thank you for your kind words."
Sophie strolled to the courtyard to admire the flowers when she bumped into the rest of the army. Silas beckoned his daughter to join them. "Hi Sophie! We're discussing the strange anomalies."
She told everyone about Darios' plight, and pleaded with them to keep the secret. They agreed and added getting Darios home on their list. After a few minutes, the most beautiful woman Sophie ever laid eyes on materialized out of thin air.
Ignatius cried, "AAH! Ghost!"
The woman assured, "I am no ghost. My name is Ashunera. Priam, you are familiar with me, yes? Your ancestor Ike allowed Yune and Ashera to combine to reform me. I am one of the creator deities. I created this world, and helped make the 'Divine' Dragons. Naga is my head assistant."
Chrom stated, "So you're the one we should be worshipping . . ."
Ashunera replied, "Yes. You were aware of Ashera's existence, correct? But only that she dissipated after her defeat. It was destiny. I knew I was to be reformed after I split myself. It was meant to be. I want you all to listen closely. I am not alone. There are two others, Sothis and Yudu, who have fashioned the many realms of existence alongside me. We are the three."
Soleil whispered, "I've never seen such a majestic woman before!"
Ashunera pretended not to hear that. "There are strange happenings in the worlds. You need to travel to worlds and defeat the evil lurking in the darkness. You face an old but newfound threat. The portals to other worlds will open and close. The evil is trying to shut you out. You must overcome this evil."
She vanished.
Libra praised, "We are truly blessed to have such a generous goddess appear to us to reveal the inner workings of the universe."
Kjelle looked up at her father. "Who are these other deities, Sothis and Yudu?"
Sumia suggested, "Maybe when we go to the other worlds, we'll know!"
That afternoon, a scholar rushed into the throne room. "Your Grace, we got the Outrealm Gate working properly again! We don't know how long it will last."
Lucina thanked him and summoned the army. "You have the choice to go back to your world. Please, make your decision quickly before it closes again."
Takumi didn't need any time to think. "I need to get back to Izumo. I'm still a new ruler, and the people will panic if I'm gone too long." Takumi headed on, followed by Oboro.
Kiragi whined, "But I want to stay here and help the people!"
Oboro scolded, "You are too young to be in another world on your own. You're coming back with us." Oboro dragged Kiragi away while they said their good-byes and left.
Corrin sighed. "I suppose it's the same for me. Valla needs me. I wish I was able to assist you, but I don't think I can."
Kana vowed, "Where Mama goes, I go!"
Jakob concurred, "I will always follow Queen Corrin. Nyx, Dwyer, time for us to depart."
Sophie stared at her feet. "I want to stay until we stop whatever it is that's going on."
Silas frowned. "Sophie, that's very dangerous. But it's also very noble. I'll stay here with you while Corrin and Kana go back to Valla."
Kana held onto Silas' pant leg. "I-I'll miss you, Papa!"
Silas kissed his son on the head. "I'll miss you even more. Don't worry; Sophie and I will be back as soon as we help the people deal with the gates."
Corrin and Kana left while gazing back at their now separated family, followed by Jakob, Nyx, and Dwyer. The tearful moment ended when Xander grasped Hinoka's hand. "Come on, my love. We need to go back to Nohr."
Hinoka gestured for Siegbert to follow them when he protested, "No Mother. As much as it would please me to return home, my place is next to Sophie's. If my girlfriend is here, I shall remain here as well."
Hinoka approved, "I was the same way when Corrin was taken. I knew it was my job to help bring her back home. If this is what you want, you're old enough to make that decision. All I ask is that you'll make it back alive once this is over."
Siegbert affirmed, "I will."
Silas promised, "I'll look out for him."
Soon, the rest of the army left back for their world except for Siegbert, Silas, Sophie and Shiro. Lucina stated, "Now that Ashunera mentioned an evil we must face, no doubt an evil presence will present itself soon. We should be on our guard."
The meeting ended, and Sophie sought out Sully, the Shepherd who was a talented knight. When she found her, she took a deep breath. "Um, Miss Sully?"
Sully turned around. "Oh hey. You're the Princess of Valla, right? You're pretty self-conscious for royalty. Actually, you remind me of Queen Sumia that way."
Sophie stopped for a moment. "I'm like the Queen?"
"Yeah; Queen Sumia, Exalt Lucina's mother. She's very klutzy and unsure of herself, yet made a great ruler with Chrom. I've seen you practicing with your lance in the training ground. You've got what it takes to be a real warrior."
"I do?"
"Oh yeah. I've seen the way you use it. You're going to be a powerful adversary to anyone who tries to harm you."
