Author's Note: Hello everyone! Your friendly, neighborhood, amateur author here just making sure everyone is okay! Sorry about this chapter being late. I wish I could say anything else, but the truth of the matter is… I'm going stir crazy. I'm out of work and being stuck at home isn't really doing positive things for my mental state. Thankfully, I started working again recently, so… that's gotten me out of the house.
I also tried out for an Overwatch team and got in, so I actually have something fun to look forward to three nights a week. Everyone on the team is pretty chill, and I enjoy the vibe I have with one or two of the team. So, I get to do something fun with my hobby with like-minded people.
Also, man, this story got harder to write when I'm doing original content rather than following the game's storyline. Granted, it's original content within the framework of Awakening, but I'm finding myself questioning "how will I pace each chapter, what will happen, how long should I take each scene" and all these questions.
I was re-reading Chapter 19 to re-acquaint myself with a specific scene and as I re-read the chapter, I saw that Nowi was supposed to be a part of this side-quest as well. Except when I worked on the past three chapters, Nowi wasn't anywhere in my notes and I forgot she existed on this mission. So, uh, casually deleted her two lines out from Chapter 19 and didn't have to worry about editing anywhere else, since she didn't show up anywhere else.
Oh, Nowi, don't pout! Please! I'll make it up to you! I'll give you a scene when Raven and them return to Ylisstol! I promise. Pinky swear.
As an interesting side note, I just found out Miriel and Ricken's voices are actually married in real life.
Chapter 22
Revelations
I woke up with what felt like a massive headache. I put my hand to my head and just felt the pain reverberate, as if it was a fireball bouncing around maddeningly in my skull.
"Ohh," I let out with a groan.
"Oh, he's awake. He's awake!"
I tried opening my eyes and was greeted with a dark, candlelit room. Everything was a blur, but I could see a mass of blue at the foot of the bed leaned down on it from what looked like a chair. A mass of green and grey was moving around quickly before a light from some kind of staff started glowing.
I immediately closed my eyes from the light.
"Ow," I mumbled.
"Sorry, just wanted to see if I could reduce the headache," a person said.
I felt stirring from the bottom of the bed, as if whoever was sleeping down there was beginning to wake up.
"What's… going on?" I heard a sleepy voice say.
"He's waking up. He's conscious again," the voice with the healing staff said.
I opened my eyes again and carefully looked around. The glow from the healing staff didn't bother me as much. In fact, it seemed my headache was going away. I tried sitting up, but my body felt sore, so I laid back down.
"Give it some time."
I looked up to see Elise with her staff, healing me up.
"An hour?" I asked.
"You were unconscious for three days. Let your body get re-accustomed to moving again," she said.
"Why was I unconscious for three days?" I asked. Elise looked down at the foot of the bed and I saw a still half-asleep Marth looking at me with a concerned expression.
"Ask her," Elise said plainly, although I could hear the note of disdain in her tone. "I'm going to go inform the others you're awake again. Then we can start our trek to the Outrealm Gate when you're ready."
"I…" Marth began, but stopped.
"You need to get up and move as well. You've been practically in that same spot since we got here," Elise advised.
"I will. Thank you," Marth replied.
I watched Elise leave the room and looked at Marth, who slowly stood up from the bed and started to walk around the room to wake up and stretch out a bit.
"What happened?" I asked.
"You were unconscious," she replied.
"… I already figured that part out. Why was I unconscious?" I asked.
"Our spar. I… may have accidentally hit you on the head with the wooden practice sword," she said.
"Oh, I… I vaguely remember that," I said, trying to recall memories of our spar. "Why are you here, though?"
"I was concerned," she replied.
"Concerned for me or just feeling guilty that you did this to someone?" I asked.
"Are you really going to start this now?" she asked.
"Well, considering what we were talking about in that spar, I think it's a legitimate question, Marth," I said.
"I was concerned for you. Seeing you laying on the ground, unconscious, and bleeding from the injury... it just… I can't put it into words," she said.
"Try."
"… it changed how I felt about you. Something about seeing you down there so vulnerable. It was like I had this realization of how you were a different person. I know we talked about it, but it was as if it went from something I was just saying to something that I actually believed. I'm sorry I did that to you, Raven… I'm sorry…"
"… for what it's worth, I'm glad that we were able to move on from that. No more lying or misdirection, Marth. There will be no third chance," I said firmly.
"No, Raven, no more. I promise you. From here on out, I will do my best to trust you and be honest with you with as much as I can," she said.
"… and I will do the same," I replied. "How about your name?"
"Raven, I already told you why I can't tell you my name," she said with a frown. I shrugged.
"Wasn't sure if you were lying about that before or not, but you seem honest about it," I said. "Where are we?"
"We are at a little port town on an island," Marth replied. "This is where the Outrealm Gate is believed to be."
"Believed to be? You mean, we don't know for sure this is where it is?" I asked.
"… the others think this is the location based upon rumors, but I know for a fact this is the place," Marth said.
"How do you know that?" I asked.
"… because the Outrealm Gate was used to bring us back in time. We had to venture here, fleeing the Risen chasing us, and made our way to the Gate to travel in time to where we are now," Marth said. I nodded in reply.
"Tell me where it is, and I will lead us there with the claim of I had heard rumor of its location," I said.
Marth and I planned out our expedition over the next few minutes. As we talked things through, I started stirring more and more, trying to get my knees and body in working order again. Was that blow to the head enough to put me out for three days? Is that the kind of strength she possesses?
I looked up when I heard the door open to see the rest of the Shepherds on the mission enter the room.
"Yeehaw! I jus' knew ya'd be wakin' up anytime!" Donnel exclaimed with a big smile.
"Heh, thanks Donny. Thank you everyone for worrying," I said.
"On a professional level, it would have been a loss to scientific discovery had some grievous fate befell you. The information gleaned from researching the effects of your outfit could benefit for generations to come. However, I am willing to compromise my professional integrity to a degree and admit that… I had a level of concern on a personal level as well," Miriel said before adjusting her glasses.
"Thank you, Miriel. When I recover a little more, I would be honored and humbled to subject myself to your scientific experiments in an attempt to further advance knowledge," I replied. The barest hint of a smile crossed her face.
"Your diligence and eagerness to this endeavor is appreciated," she replied.
"Yeah, Shady, you looked like hell when you were first brought to us! What happened? Accident below deck while training?" Gaius asked.
"… it's no longer important. What is important is that I am recovered, we are here, and we can make our way to the Outrealm Gate," I said firmly.
"Where do we go from here?" Sophia asked.
"I was doing a bit of… information gathering while in the port town before we departed. I have it on good authority the approximate location of the gate," I said. Gaius whistled in approval.
"Yeah, Shady, you'd do well in my former line of work. You sure you weren't one of us beforehand? Especially with your movements?" he asked.
"My movements?" I asked.
"The way you quickly move around. Usually that's a sword wielder's movement," he said. That got me thinking about the duel with Marth. I thought I saw her flick right behind me, but… she's never shown proficiency in quick movements, preferring to strike with all power. Where did that come from?
"Hm, perhaps," I replied with a shrug. "The point being, once we are all rested and ready, we can depart."
"We are all rested and ready, Raven. Whenever you're ready, we can depart," Elise said with a smile.
"Really?" I asked.
"Yes, I took the liberty of assuming your responsibilities while you were incapacitated," Elise said before stifling a small yawn.
"You seem a little worn down. Perhaps a little bit of rest before we head out," I said.
"Of course," she replied with a small smile.
"Okay, everyone, back to your rooms. Elise, if you could stay for a bit, I would like to ask what happened while I was out," I said. The others nodded and left, except for Marth.
"Did you need something, Marth?" I asked.
"No, I figured I would report as well," she said.
"… did you not report everything to each other?" I asked.
"Yes," Marth replied.
"So, Elise already has a gist of what you would be reporting anyway," I clarified.
"Hmm, I believe she does…" Marth replied. She was still standing there. I sighed a bit to myself for her not getting the hint.
"Marth. I would like to have a word with Elise. In private," I said directly. She got a look of realization on her face.
"Oh, right, I apologize. I will go back to my room and attempt to make myself busy doing arbitrary things to pass time until we are ready to depart," she replied, blushing slightly at not understanding my inference earlier, before leaving the room.
"You really didn't need to do that. She has been invaluable in helping support us in this mission," Elise said.
"… you trust her, despite knowing nothing about her?" I asked.
"You trust her and I trust you. Should that not be the case?" Elise asked.
"No, you're right…"
"Any reason you wanted to speak to me in private?" Elise asked.
"None in particular. I just… would you believe it if I said I just wanted to spend time with one of the only two other people who can fully appreciate and understand what I'm going through right now?" I asked.
"Honestly, I feel the same way. With everything that had been going on and you spending more time with Marth and Lissa and… um…" Elise trailed off.
"Cordelia. You can say it," I said.
"Y-yes, you and Cordelia seemed to spend much time around each other. I… thought you had grown to forget about Robin and I," Elise said. I sighed.
"No, Elise. How could I forget about the two people who woke up alongside me on a random dirt road in the middle of nowhere?" I asked.
"Do you trust me?" Elise asked.
"Of course I do," I replied with a warm smile.
"Do you trust me enough to tell me what happened between you and Lissa?" she asked. I sighed to myself after she asked her question.
"Somehow I just knew this would be coming up," I replied.
"You two are such close friends that I thought it was strange she didn't see us off," Elise said.
"She… that morning… she asked for my hand in marriage," I said quietly. Elise put her hand to her mouth in surprise.
"Did you accept?" Elise asked.
"No, I… turned her down," I murmured.
"How? Why? I thought you two were… wait, really?" Elise asked.
"Yes, Elise, I turned her down. I feel terrible about it and—"
I didn't say anything else as she pulled me into an embrace.
"Shhh, Raven, it's fine. Look, you did the right thing. It hurts knowing you hurt someone else, but she'll get over it. Honesty is always appreciated, even if not at first. In time, you two will move past that and act as if those things never happened," Elise said soothingly.
"I still feel like a jerk. Did I give that impression between her and I?" I asked.
"… truthfully, yes you did. But you give that impression with everyone. All the time you spent with her, all the time you're spending with Marth, all that time you spent with Cordelia, all the time we used to spend together… that is your nature, Raven. You are just a person who cares and smiles and tries to make everyone feel better. It is hardly a flaw, so please never try to change who you are," she said.
"Heh, thanks, Elise. I promise I will try my best not to change, although I hope I never have to see that expression on anyone's face ever again. I felt… so bad," I said quietly.
"That's because you have a heart. You care. You care deeply for your friends and you sometimes are willing to compromise yourself for their happiness," Elise said. "I am glad you did not for her sake, though. It would cause her no small amounts of grief had you two married and she realized her feelings were not equally reciprocated."
"You speak so many words of wisdom on that topic. It's almost as if you speak from experience with that," I said with a smirk.
"You know as well as I do the extent of my memory," she said plainly in reply. "Call it female intuition."
"Huh, female intuition. Well, you are a female after all," I said. Elise frowned at me.
"Very astute observation, Chrom," she said sarcastically.
"Hey, look, that's not fair!" I protested. She put a finger to my lips to silence my protests and smiled at me.
"One slip, Raven. It was merely a slip. Relax. When you have a track record like Chrom's and Frederick makes you a motivational recruitment poster with a nude likeness of yourself, that's when you should probably start taking to heart the Chrom comparisons," Elise said warmly.
"Mmm," was all I could say with her finger still on my lips. I glanced downward and she realized what was going on. She pulled her hand away and gave an embarrassed grin.
"I am sorry," she said.
"You're fine, Elise…"
"Is there something on your mind?" she asked.
"Do you still wonder about who you were before? I mean, I know we talked about this once, but I'm curious how you feel about it now," I said.
"Hmm, not as much now. Perhaps that might be because sometimes scenes play through in my head when I dream at night and I feel like I'm slowly recollecting memories," she said.
"Really? Like what?" I asked.
"There was one dream I had where we were sitting on a bench in what seemed to be a fancy aristocrat's manor. We were sitting there talking, although I could not discern what we were saying," she said.
"Just sitting there talking?" I asked.
"Indeed. It seemed to be nighttime. You looked much younger and I had much longer hair. It only lends credibility to the idea that one of us has to be related in some way to some noble or lord," she said.
"Any other dreams involving you and me?" I asked. Perhaps I could get a few more ideas of who I was from her dreams. She looked out the window of the room.
"None at all, none whatsoever," she said emphatically. "The weather looks like we should be ready to travel soon."
"I, uh, okay," I said. "Uh, Elise?"
"Yes, Raven?"
"… were you being honest with me? There are no other dreams that involve me?" I asked. She started walking out of the room avoiding eye contact with me.
"I answered your question the first time. Do you not trust me?" she asked.
"Not when you're acting out of character, avoiding eye contact, and seeming suspicious," I countered. She turned to me with an odd expression on her face.
"Two times in a day. Perhaps you really are becoming Chrom. A lady is entitled to her secrets, guilty as they may be! It is not like every dream with you in it was a memory!" she said emphatically.
"Wait, so… I'm in some of your other dr—"
"If you finish that sentence or discuss that wildly absurd theory with anyone else, I will personally make sure you are left behind on this island when we are done here," she replied firmly.
"Yes, ma'am," I said sullenly. She bit her lip awkwardly before hurrying out the door. As I began to get out of the bed, I saw Marth re-enter the room.
"Could you knock first!" I said as I pulled the blanket back over myself.
"Oh, oh! Sorry, Raven," she said as she turned away.
"What did you need!"
"I, um, I just wanted to report to you that everyone is packed and the convoy is… ready to depart. Is everything okay? I saw Elise rushing out of the room in a hurry, so I couldn't even report to her," Marth said.
"Fine. Fine. Everything's fine. I'm sure this wasn't intentional, just like Chrom walking in on Elise all that time ago. Now, could you please leave my room so I can get dressed?" I said firmly.
"You're trying to get dressed? Oh, of course! I'll… um, I'll just leave! I did not mean… I mean I didn't… I'm sure that you look fine under there and… I mean…"
"Marth! Out!" I yelled at her. She didn't even give a second thought before leaving the room. Can I get some peace and quiet, please? For the love of Naga and everything holy, just give me five minutes!
I finally got into my outfit, neatly folded beside the bed, and slowly started making my way to the door. Everything felt a little stiff, but I'm sure after a few minutes moving around, it would be back to normal. I walked out of the room to the hallway of the inn, looking around. Plain decorating and plain hallways implied this was a relatively cheap inn. Thank goodness the group had the sense to not splurge on a larger building.
I made my way out the front door of the inn and saw the convoy in front of me. I took a small sniff and realized the lack of odor on me. Was someone washing me while I was unconscious? Is that why I was unclothed under the blankets?
"Welcome to the land of conscious beings!" Sophia greeted with a warm smile. I nodded back to her in reply.
"Thanks, everyone. Thank you for patiently waiting for my recovery. Now, as I mentioned earlier, my research back in the port town indicated the Outrealm Gate to be at a specific location where… uh… does anyone have a map of this island?" I asked. Marth pulled forward a parchment that had a map of the island. I nodded and pointed to a specific area of the island, right where Marth told me.
"There? That's not too far. We could be there within a few hours," Gaius said.
"The path is supposedly treacherous. The people who live here do not travel out there. They are superstitious and heed the warnings nature and human alike have provided," I replied.
"How treacherous could it be?" Elise asked curiously.
"Treacherous enough that apparently no human to this point in time has ventured out here and confirmed the location of the gate. Still, our goal here to confirm its location and the staff's existence, as well as to execute the mission we were assigned," I said, carefully wording it as to not exactly tell a lie.
"If there are no other questions or objections, we will march forth," Elise said firmly.
"Yes ma'am!" the group replied in unison.
We marched down the trail that was before us that led into the forest before us. I found myself walking alongside Marth and Elise and found myself strangely feeling indebted to them for keeping the group together while I was unconscious.
"Um, thank you both," I said.
"For what?" Elise asked.
"For keeping things in order while I was unconscious," I replied.
"… it was the least we could do, particularly in my case considering I was the one responsible for your condition in the first place," Marth said.
"It was a mere accident. Please don't be upset with yourself over it," I said soothingly.
"I am, though! What if that blow did permanent damage? What if it killed you? It was only a wooden practice sword, but it was enough to render you unconscious for three days," she said back to me.
"Marth, stop. Listen to me. Accidents happen. It was a training session that got a little heated. Let's put it behind us now," I said firmly. "I have a few questions, though, but they might have to wait for later."
"… if that is an indirect way to ask for privacy, I can respect that," Elise commented. I shrugged my shoulders.
"It really wasn't, but if you're offering…" I said. Elise nodded and moved toward the rest of the group to talk to Sophia.
"You are always asking me things, Raven," Marth commented.
"You're an enigmatic curiosity in my eyes. In fact, you are even more of one considering there's very little I know of the world in general," I replied. She sighed slightly to herself.
"Ask away," she said.
"Your swordplay betrays you, Marth. How did you learn it? You said I trained you, but I am hardly knowledgeable in the ways of the sword," I said.
"It so happened by chance that it was discovered that I could wield Falchion. When that was discovered, Chrom tried to verbally describe the various forms and techniques of his style to you. You then tried to teach them to me, but not being a natural sword wielder as well as Chrom's style being relatively unique to House Ylisse, it was never fully and properly taught to me. I compensated with my lack of technique by trying to simply overwhelm enemies," Marth said.
"Why not the lance? Why did I insist on teaching you the sword?" I asked.
"Falchion is the hope and prayer of our people. Chrom was thought to be the last person to wield the sword. When he was no longer able to fight, the people lost hope. When it was discovered I could wield the blade, it brought a sense of hope back to the people. I was… given a fate and a destiny from the time I was born and when I was found to wield the sword, I was forced upon the role of the world's savior and forced to learn the blade itself. It was my responsibility to destroy the Risen and their leader and bring peace back to Ylisse. Needless to say… my friends and I failed," she said.
"Why not have Chrom train you now?" I asked. "Surely he'd be happy to help you refine your technique."
"I'm sure he would be happy to spend time around me in whatever fashion possible," Marth said with a frown.
"So, he asked you on a date to dinner. What's wrong with that?" I asked.
"For various reasons, I find that idea… extremely repulsive," she replied. "I would prefer to discourage such thoughts from him in as vehemently of a fashion as possible."
"Is it because he's the parent of someone you are friends with?" I asked.
"He's not the parent of any of my friends," she replied.
"… so he has no children in your timeline. I wonder… Cordelia… if Selena was born… hm..." I mused to myself. Who was Selena's father?
"I would appreciate a topic change," she said firmly.
"Okay, why did you call yourself Marth?" I asked. She bit her lip at that question.
"I… wielded Falchion and was supposed to come back in time to help humanity. If naming myself after the great hero lent me some of his strength and his spirit and his conviction to me… then it was worth it. Would you have taken my predictions as seriously had I said I was a random girl from the future?" she asked. I thought about it to myself.
"Hmm, I suppose not. Still, quite a bold move to name yourself after the hero king," I said. She gave me a guilty look.
"You were right. I am no hero. I am no king. I'm just… me. Even now, I struggle to know what to do next. Every day, it's an unknown to me. I cannot predict the future that efficiently. The difference between me and everyone else is I lived through what could possibly happen. I try to be strong for my friends' sake, but sometimes it's hard not to be the scared teenage girl that most people would be in my situation… because, if I might be honest, every part of me wants to do that," she said.
"That's not true. You faced many dangers and fears that most would cower from. Yes, you made mistakes, but you are human. We all make mistakes. The thing that matters most is not how hard you hit, but how hard you can get hit and keep going back for more," I said reassuringly.
"… thanks, Raven. Thank you for that," she said with a warm smile. Quite possibly one of the first truly sincere smiles I've seen from her since I met her.
"Hey, Marth, one other thing," I said.
"What is it?"
"In our spar… you used one of my signature moves in my fighting style, where I use a bit of some kind of internal energy and flick from one place to another. It's somewhat draining to do, but it seems something only quick, agile sword wielders can do. How did you do it?" I asked.
"I… hmm… it's something hard to put into words. I saw you do it so many times as an ally in combat and in that spar that I got a subconscious feeling in my head of knowing how to execute it," she said.
"You also started using thrusting moves a bit more in the end of that battle. You were picking up speed and technique in that spar," I said.
"Sparring with current you is nowhere near as difficult as sparring with adult you. I was able to see your moves and started imitating them accordingly. You have a fluid, graceful style, but your current self is much slower, so I was able to see what you were doing. In a way, I started incorporating your movements into my style as I observed you fighting. Oddly enough, it seemed more comfortable than using Chrom's style, if we're being perfectly honest," she said.
"Have you ever considered that maybe Chrom's style is not appropriate for you?" I asked.
"The style has been passed down with Falchion across House Ylisse for generations," she said.
"You're not a part of House Ylisse. You're not bound by its traditions," I said. She opened her mouth to respond before closing it.
"… I shall give that some thought," she merely replied.
"Please do. I would like to see the best version of you out on that battlefield," I said with a smile.
We paused as we saw a wooden sign in front of us. Painted on it were the words "Do Not Enter".
"This sign issues a warning to prohibit entry," Miriel commented.
"I never would've guessed," I sarcastically remarked.
"That's why this'n a smart lady! 'er informin' us of things we ain't knowin' already is 'er strength," Donnel said with a smile. Clearly Miriel's lack of understanding social cues is rubbing off on Donnel.
"These individuals specifically chosen for this mission do not need to heed the warnings that are issued to those who are not chosen," Sophia said, staring at a gemstone she was holding. "We have been chosen to ignore such frivolous warnings in an attempt to complete our quest to accomplish our mission."
"Sophia, uh, those are legitimate warnings," I said carefully. Marth rubbed her forehead with her hand in frustration.
"Regardless. We are the best equipped to handle such trials and tribulations to attain a staff that will bring justice for all. This is our solemn mission, in the spirit of justice, to push forward and achieve victory," Sophia replied. I nodded.
"This is it, everyone. This is your last chance to turn back if you feel this might be too dangerous for you. I won't hold it against anyone," I said. There was a moment of silence, but nobody made any noise.
"Then, forward we march!" Elise said with fervor. We marched forward and made our way past the sign and down the trail. Our senses were heightened, every sense was heightened and on alert for any traps. Every snap of the twig caused half of the group to jump in fright; every crunch of a leaf caused everyone to turn wildly at the noise.
"This is irrational," Miriel muttered to herself. "Afraid of the unknown. For all we know, there is nothing here."
"Shh," I replied. "Focus."
We made our way forward until we emerged into a clearing in the middle of the forest. I saw what appeared to be a miniature castle of some sort standing before us.
"The Outrealm Gate…" Marth breathed to herself.
"We made it," I said with a sigh of relief. "I wonder what those rumors were about, then."
We all made our way to the door of the fort and entered. What greeted us was an entrance hall. It was unspectacular, but I still felt a tingle of reverence and power exuding from the atmosphere.
"Everyone, stay alert. There may still be traps yet," I said.
"You will find none of the sort."
We all jumped as an elderly man started making his way toward us.
"Stop. Who are you?" I asked.
"Who am I? My name… it has been forgotten after all these years. I mean you no harm. Welcome to the Outrealm Gate," he said.
"Thank you, um… what shall we call you?" I asked.
"You may give me any name you please. The last great warrior to come through here bestowed me the name Hector, after her deceased father. Although, I suppose in the years that have gone by, she has long since passed on as well. Her spirit, though, continues to live on. Thousands of years to the outside world, yet time holds little meaning in this place. You can choose to keep that name or give me another," he said.
"Hector it is. No need to change tradition," I said.
"May I inquire the reason for your visit?" he asked.
"We have heard rumor that you possess an incredible magical item, specifically a staff," I said.
"Ah, I have many of those. Are you perhaps looking for the Saint's Staff? Perhaps the staff created and wielded by the olden goddess Ashera herself? Perhaps not? I have master creations, such as the Matrona staff or the Latona staff," Hector said. Miriel's eyes opened wide
"I would be highly interested in observing them at length at some point," Miriel commented. Hector nodded in reply.
"I can acquiesce that," he replied.
"Sir, the reason we are here is because we heard rumor you have the Aum staff," I said.
"Ah yes, I do have that staff. The last time it was used, it was many thousands of years ago in the years of the Radiant Hero. A princess who wished to bring back the life of a recently fallen friend used what was believed to be the last usage, but the staff's magic was salvaged and saved. It, along with Bifrost, has the ability to bring those who passed recently back to life. However, I must warn you, to tinker with the natural order of life is no small business," he warned.
"We understand, but we wish to use it to reverse an unfortunate fate and potentially avert a great calamity," Marth said insistently. The man looked at her carefully.
"Hmm, I sense something within you. I sense… ah… now it makes more sense. Yes, indeed. Very well. If your group can pass the trials that are set before you, then you may make use of the Aum staff as you see fit," he said.
"Thank you so much!" I said with a smile. Finally, progress!
"I must warn you, there have been those who have perished in the trials. To reclaim a soul from death, one must be willing to risk their very own. Are you willing and prepared to do so?" he asked. We all nodded solemnly.
"If you need time to prepare your bodies, weapons, and minds, I will allow that," he said.
"Does anyone need anything else? Extra weapons? Side weapons? Anything at all for this task at hand?" I asked. Everyone shook their heads. I turned to Hector. "We're ready."
"Then follow me," he said. He led us down the entrance hallway until he stopped us.
I was standing in front of a door as Hector stood beside me. Everyone else was slightly behind us.
"You all have to survive and overcome these trials. Only then will you accomplish the goal which you have been seeking," Hector said. I nodded and walked through the door with the rest of the Shepherds following behind me. We entered a room that was all black in all directions as far as the eye could see, except a doorway on the other side of this dark expanse. We walked carefully forward when suddenly a glow appeared before me.
"What is that?" Elise asked.
"That is an einherjar," Hector replied from the doorway behind us. "The spirit of a warrior lost to time, preserved in here for all eternity in perfect replication of their prime."
"We have to defeat it to proceed?" I asked.
"The spirit will only activate when you approach it with an equal number of participants. One spirit has to duel with one of you," Hector said. I nodded and stepped forward. Immediately the glow formed a being of light with no face. I gasped in surprise as I realized that, although the clothes were also made of light and were consequently all white, the fighter was wearing the same exact outfit I was, except it also had a cape.
"That's my outfit," I said aloud.
"Ah, it appears this warrior either had the same outfit you have, if it's a unique outfit, or one similar to yours," Hector said. This raises more questions than answers! What is the origin of this outfit I wear?
"Very well," I said as I pulled my lance out. The warrior before me unsheathed two swords from its waist, one yellow and one green. It got into a stance with the green sword as the leading sword. I dashed forward and blinked immediately right in front of him for a lightning-fast opening strike. As soon as I thrust with my lance, though, a sphere of fire crackled into existence and enveloped the person. My lance bounced harmlessly off the sphere and deflected it to the side. The deflection in one direction and my forward momentum combined caused me to lose my balance and fall forward.
"Who… could you be?" I asked in wonder.
"A defensive mage who wields two swords! How incredibly fascinating," I heard Miriel say aloud. I retreated slightly back to put some distance between myself and the mysterious fighter. That turned out to be a bad idea. The fighter swung its green sword, slashing through air. A wave of green energy emanated from the blade and I dropped to the ground. He can send waves of magic at me from a distance? Before I had a chance to get up, it disappeared from sight and reappeared in front of me, moving just as I could. Is it a mage or is he a swordsman? I don't know! It started executing a series of thrusts with its lead blade and the occasional slash from his off-hand sword. The speed and precision of each of these strikes were simply frustrating as I found myself getting outclassed and outsped by this warrior. Its sword thrusts were not as far-ranged as mine, but I couldn't put the proper distance between us to use my lance to its natural advantage.
"I don't think I can do this," I said aloud.
"You can!" Marth said. "You can defeat him! I believe in you. I believe in you, Raven."
"We all believe in you!" Elise called out.
"Show this here shinin' fake fighter what real flesh and blood can do!" Donnel cheered. I smiled slightly to myself and renewed my efforts. Yeah, no way was I going to let some echo of some forgotten warrior of times gone show me up! I paused for a second as I recalled a conversation I had with Lissa once.
This person standing before me was a powerful mage who used defensive spells and two swords. What did Lissa say this warrior's name was? Oh, right!
"Miriel!" I called out while still watching the movements of the warrior.
"Yes, Raven?" she asked.
"How well do you know historical figures?" I asked.
"Relatively well, although history was my weakest part of academia," Miriel replied.
"Tell me what you know of the Spymaster General," I said. She paused for a second and snapped her fingers.
"If that is indeed the echo of who you are fighting against, the surest method of surviving is admit defeat," Miriel said.
"What?" I asked blankly.
"There is very little historical data on the figure you are facing. Their abilities, name, contributions… it was all lost to history, which was apparently what they desired. That their contributions and actions not be attributed to them," she replied. Great. I'm fighting a mystery.
"Then take notes and amend the history books!" I exclaimed to her.
"I have been taking detailed notes this entire time, Raven," she said. "A mage with defensive spells is a relic of ancient times and observing it myself with my own eyes is truly an extraordinary experience."
The figure swung the green sword vertically and a vertical green wave came flying at me. I sidestepped it and it shifted stances and thrust the yellow sword forward. The beam of light that came flying out from it struck me and I immediately felt energy sapping from my body. I quickly got out of the way of the beam and the feeling of energy drain disappeared. Was that an energy-stealing sword?
"Raven, those weapons I perceive to be a sonic sword and a rune sword. The sonic sword's capability allows the user to cast wind magic through it. The rune sword's capacity allows the user to cast lifestealing light magic through it. Both swords were the predecessor to our modern Levin sword and are inferior products," Miriel concluded.
"Inferior? How is the ability to drain my energy inferior?" I asked.
"Both swords are inefficient in harnessing the magical energy of the user. Those swords cause a greater magical drain to the user than current magical weapons," Miriel replied. I charged forward and thrust my lance at the mage before it had a chance to react. The fire shield went up, but this time I steadied my aim and struck the shield. I saw a few cracks appear in the barrier. Success!
I started executing a powerful volley of strikes over and over and over, occasionally shattering a fire shield before a new one popped up. I could see the mage start to take a few steps backward. Yes! I got it starting to feel pressured. I saw it sheathe both swords at their waist and conjure a fireball. It threw the fireball at me and I hopped back a few times to dodge. A flurry of fireballs was raining down upon me and I found myself quickly on the defensive, using every ounce of concentration to watch the fireballs coming at me and predict their direction in order to effectively dodge. As I dodged the last few, a thunderbolt came flying at me and struck me in the chest, throwing me backward. I landed on the ground and felt the magic of my outfit immediately get to work repairing the damage.
I quickly got off the ground as I saw a barrage of fireballs flying at me again. This time, I started hitting them with my lance and quickly found I could send them back to it if I aimed the hits properly. I saw fire shields pop up to block the blows and a smile crept on my face. This person's offense was fiercely powerful, but relatively predictable. Everything was a pattern in their fighting style and everything moved at a pace that I could read and evade. The predictability and pattern-based nature of the attacks was something I wholeheartedly plan on exploiting.
For a few seconds, the figure stood there doing nothing before a purple glow appeared around him. Something didn't feel right. This feels like they're casting a powerful spell, but I can't even hear the chant.
"Dark magic! Careful! Don't let it hit you," Miriel called out.
"Yessiree! One of 'em hits ya, and ya might be limpin' your way outta 'ere with a missin' limb!" Donnel warned. Great.
All of a sudden, flecks of purple appeared in the air in front of me. It was like, dark and twisted versions of fireflies floating through the air. The back of my neck prickled slightly seeing these floating specks. They were unnatural. Dark magic makes me feel on edge for some reason. I got myself in a defensive stance, ready for the onslaught. Immediately, all the specks started flying at me. I quickly began thrusting and slashing my lance at these magical abominations while dodging the ones that got through my reach. I was doing a morbidly graceful dance where any misstep could mean being hit by the spell.
For some reason, this spell felt familiar to me… as if I faced it before. Did I face it before in my past? How did I instinctively know where these weird fireflies of darkness were flying to? I had to have faced something similar in my past.
As I destroyed the last part of the spell, I saw the person doing motions to cast the next spell. I dashed forward, intent on interrupting the spellcasting. I slashed as hard as I could at it, only to have the lance bounce off the fire shield that popped up. What is going on? Where is the end of this person's magical reserves? It stopped doing the motions for the spell and I ran as fast as I could away, putting distance between myself and them in order to anticipate what came next. A scalding wave of fire and brimstone went flying at me, every part of the wave crackling with thunderbolts as the air around seemed to ripple from scalding wind. I did what I could and dove to the ground and covered my head with my hands. The spell went flying over me and I heard the others in the room dive to the ground as well to avoid the spell. As the wave rolled past me, I felt every pore vent out sweat in an attempt to keep myself from burning up. That was one powerful nature spell!
"Give up! You can't hit me!" I yelled out in frustration. All these powerful spells that could probably kill me in one hit… they were pointless if, like Marth, they couldn't land.
But, like Marth, it only took one good blow. I hope this mysterious mage isn't as lucky as Marth was on the ship. For some reason, facing this mage and their spells… it made me want to wear my old outfit. My cloak and hood. I can't explain why, but the back of my mind is telling me it was the more appropriate outfit for this battle. Yeah, I must have faced someone with a similar skillset in my previous life.
A bright light shone from the ceiling down to the battlefield, causing me to squint my eyes to prevent me from seeing clearly. As my eyes adjusted, I saw the light get brighter as it grew more focused on my location. I immediately ran to the side to get out of the ever narrowing, ever brightening beam of light. I managed to get out for a second, but it followed me around the battlefield. I stopped for a second. He was just going to follow me with it until it was ready. I stood still, trusting my instincts. Any time now…
… there!
I saw the beam stop narrowing and the light stop intensifying. An alarm signaled in the back of my head and I dove to the side. No sooner had I escaped the light than a powerful surge of magic shot down from what felt like the heavens to where I was just standing, creating a deep crater in the ground as the exact shape of the beam.
If that spell hit… I would have been flattened as if a building fell on top of me. I cannot wait for another one. I saw it standing still, as if chanting for another spell. I charged forward and began thrusting at him like a madman. Fire shield after fire shield kept popping up as he started glowing purple with the dark magic. I could see the person in front of me grow slowly grow dimmer, as if all the light in the room was being extinguished. I barely survived the ultra-powerful elemental spell and I barely dodged the ultra-powerful light spell. I have no inclination to try my luck a third time with an ultra-powerful dark spell.
I thrust and thrust and thrust and thrust over and over and over until finally one of the thrusts got through and pierced it through the shoulder. Immediately, the purple aura vanished as the caster lost concentration. I took a step back as it looked downward. I saw dark magic explode out from the caster's body from where its mouth and ears and eyes would have been.
The magic flew into the air before flying all over the battlefield. Most struck the mage, but a few struck me. I cried out in pain! Every stream of dark energy that flew through me felt like was stabbing me straight through the chest with a white-hot sword. It was as if my spirit itself was being attacked beneath my skin. I fell to my knees from the pain of the injuries. I touched my chest to feel no physical injury at all. Dark magic… it attacked my mind. As my consciousness faded, I saw the light from the warrior before me fade until there was nothing left. I slumped to the ground and fell unconscious as well.
I woke up to see a few of the Shepherds standing around me.
"You are awake," Elise said with a smile.
"This is the second time you have, in recent memory, lost consciousness from battle injury. Pray, let us hope this does not become a habit," Miriel stated.
"What happened?" I asked.
"Dark magic requires intense concentration. Spirits cannot replicate human determination," Miriel commented. "Therefore, when you pierced the spirit with your lance, you disrupted its makeshift concentration and caused the spell to backfire. You just happened to be in the spell's destructive radius when it turned on its caster."
"That sounds terrifying. Who would want to practice those arts?" I asked.
"The levels of concentration by human dark mages transcends that paltry display we had witnessed. Disrupting the concentration of even a below-average human dark mage would take far more blows of a much stronger nature to achieve half of the concentration lapse as you had witnessed. I deem this replication to be not a true replication of the spirit of the legendary figure known as the Spymaster General," Miriel stated.
"How long was I unconscious?"
"Not three days this time, that's fer sure! We just finished battlin' the last o' the spirits!" Donnel said. He turned to Hector and gave a bright smile. "This group 'ere passed yer challenge, your gracefulness!"
"It would appear so, and without any casualties as well! My, I feel one day at least one of you will have your echo enshrined here for all of eternity to serve as a benchmark for future warriors," he said calmly.
"Perhaps not the one who is always asleep," Sophia commented, giving me a meaningful look.
"Hey, look, not by choice!" I replied with a frown. She laughed slightly.
"The truth should not offend, but merely offer a guidepost for where one must address to improve. Only the fool ignores the truth and you certainly are no fool! Take it as an opportunity to introspectively reflect in reverie during our journey back," Sophia commented.
"Whatever! We came here for the staff. We did the stupid challenges. Let's get on with it," Selena said before holding her head again. Did she actually fight in her condition?
"Understood," Hector said. He held up a hand and a staff materialized in his hand.
"As you know already about the existence of the staff, you also know the conditions required to use it?" he asked. We all paused. Nobody ever told us anything about conditions on how to use it.
"Conditions…?" I asked. He gave me a look of confusion.
"How can one know of the mighty power of the Aum staff and not know the condition for wielding it. One who is a seasoned staff user must be of noble blood through royal lineage in order to use it," he said. I frowned slightly. This could delay our plan slightly.
"Oh, well, we'll just take it back to the palace and have Lissa—"
"The Aum Staff and Bifrost does not leave this area," he said firmly. "These two staves hold too much power to alter the course of human events. They are only to be used here."
"We… wait… Marth!" I said. She gave me a very confused look.
"Me?" she asked.
"Don't you have some trace amount of royal blood in your bloodline?" I asked.
"What?" she asked. I gave a meaningful glance to her sword.
"There are certain conditions for doing certain actions that only you and one specific other person can do," I said. She gave a look of recognition.
"Oh, yes, that's true. However, I cannot wield a staff," she said with a frown.
"There is one in your group that fulfills the condition," Hector said. "The Aum Staff has informed me so."
I looked at Miriel.
"Pray, do tell why do you look at me? I am a practitioner of the offensive arts. I do dabble in the healing arts, but I have little proficiency there. Also, I do not believe I have any royal blood," Miriel said. We paused and looked at Elise.
"Elise…? Are… are you the one?" I asked. She gave me a petrified look.
"No… no way... I cannot believe this…" she said quietly.
"Try it," I said.
"I… I will try," she said. She took the staff from Hector's hands.
"What now?" I asked him.
"Think hard of the person who recently passed. Focus on their memory, what they looked like, their name, what they had done… and imagine them here in this very spot," Hector explained. Elise nodded and closed her eyes.
"Lady Emmeryn. Exalt Emmeryn. Please… let us right the wrong we have committed against you," Elise quietly said to herself. She looked deep in concentration, but nothing happened. No glow of the staff. No appearance of the exalt. Did we fail? Do we really have someone who could wield the staff?
"What… what happened? Why isn't it working?" I asked.
"Either her proficiency with the staff isn't high enough, she does not have royal blood, or the target has not crossed over," Hector said. Elise sighed to herself.
"I am sorry… I am truly sorry, everyone. I feel like I let you all down," she said quietly. I gently put my hand on her shoulder.
"Elise, we never expected you to do it in the first place. It specifically says a queen or princess or some royal lineage. I'm sure if you were, you would have the skill to do it. You're one of the best clerics I've ever met," I said reassuringly.
"Thank you, Raven… you always know what to say to cheer me up," she replied with a smile.
"I try my best to cheer everyone up. Nobody deserves to feel sad. Whether it's you or Lissa or Marth or Cordelia… we deserve to try to live our best lives," I said reassuringly. Elise gave me an odd look before looking back at the staff. She closed her eyes and started concentrating.
"Did your pep-talk do something, Shady?" Gaius asked.
"… maybe?" I said. All of a sudden, the staff started to glow. Without warning, the room was covered in a bright flash of light. When our eyes readjusted, we looked to the floor to see… to see…
Cordelia.
We all turned to Elise and stared at her in confusion. She looked at each one of us, her face full of confusion and fear.
"I… I… I…" she sputtered out.
"Ah, so she was a princess or queen after all. Why did you not mention that, your highness?" Hector said as he shakily got on one knee.
… what in the f—
"P-Please, do not call me that," she said in a scared, timid voice. Her panicked, frantic eyes started darting around at everyone in the room. She dropped the Aum Staff to the ground and ran out before any of us could react.
"Elise!" I called out.
"Shh, let her… that's… that's a lot to take in," Gaius said. "Give her time to think it over. In the meantime…"
Gaius took off his cloak and covered up the newly brought back to life Cordelia.
"I… um… I have her clothes in the convoy outside," Marth said. "Selena, do you feel any better?"
"No, why?" she answered with a snap.
"I thought… I mean, I thought…"
"Marth, I told you! I had food poisoning! You get worked up over the dumbest of things and always misinterpret them," she sharply said. Even through the mask, I knew she was glaring at Marth. You mean… she was just sick with some stomach issues this whole time?
Marth.
"I thought… you were lying to cover up… I mean…" Marth stuttered out.
"Marth, learn to trust others more, okay? There ain't that many people out there that are trustworthy. Learn to trust the ones that are," Selena said in a scolding manner, almost parental-like.
"Y-yes, I'm sorry," Marth said apologetically. "That seems to be a lesson I am slow on learning."
"What about the exalt?" I asked.
"… if your royal friend could bring that one back from the death, she fulfills two of the three conditions. The skill level with a staff and the royal bloodline. That means most likely the person you were originally trying to revive has not passed on yet."
"She's… alive? Exalt Emmeryn is alive?!" I asked.
"… it would appear that way," he replied.
What in the world is going on? Elise is royalty to some degree and Emmeryn is alive? What else could possibly be going on?
What could possibly go wrong next?
