Corrin blinked and quickly wiped his forehead before tapping his ears, as if Fuga had said something totally different and the youth's usually powerful hearing failed him for some reason. "I'm sorry?" He said. "You mentioned that the previous owner of Yato was… mom? I mean… I know that she was a powerful magician, but I never imagined her to be a powerful swordswoman." The youth focused a little. "Not because she's weak! But because she doesn't sound like someone who'd really use weapons or even violence, you know?"

"That is understandable. Mikoto championed for peace and refused to go to war with Nohr even when Hoshido, and her own heart, cried for vengeance." Declared Fuga. "And she never was a violent woman anyhow. But, Corrin, with all due respect it is possible for people to change, and the woman you knew wasn't born with the righteous striving for peace that she applied for the rest of her life."

Gunter sighed and sat at the bench while a bunch of healers moved in to take care of their leaders. While Corrin had suggested bandages, it took only a staff for the leader of the wind tribe to be cured of his wounds, though he still seemed a bit fatigued. Corrin himself politely denied the use of one, since he didn't quite need it. "It all started when Qliphoth invaded. As you know, they landed south-west of the continent, and tore their way through the helpless countries in their way before matching Nohr. However, for every slain invader, five more would emerge, and while Nohr lasted far longer than any other nations, ultimately it ended up overwhelmed as well. The royal family was even chased off Windmire." Continued Fuga. "But however, they formed a rebellion to fight their oppressor and grouped with other scattered groups to raise their numbers. And when Hoshido and the other countries from the east of Kossatsu launched an attack, the Nohrians and their alies joined them. It took months of harsh fighting, and it seemed like the enemy had the advantage for a few moments, but the coalition ultimately got the upper hand, after much difficulty."

"Do we know why the inhabitants of Qliphoth even started invading?" Said Beruka.

"They intended to take the resources available." Said Fuga. "But otherwise, they made no effort to simply capture territory or keep prisoners around. What they could burn, they reduced to ashes. And what they couldn't burn, they found a way to destroy. Only Windmire was really left standing, and it appeared that they had no intention to keep anyone on the continent alive." The older man crossed their arms. "While their soldiers could recognize our language, they refused to speak it, and they would kill themselves if captured. The sights that I've seen… As a young monk, I was quite shaken by the stories of my ancestors about what they would do to defeated foes and civilians."

"They were more akin to beasts than men." Contemplated Gunter. "After killing one, I was surprised to lift their helmet to discover that he looked the same as me. A regular man, trust in a war, and without a doubt influenced to commit evil because of the hierarchy of his country."

"The coalition repelled Qliphoth and headed for Windmire, but the general in charge of the invasion spitefully decided to unleash a potent spell across all of Nohr, though I theorize that it was made to cover more perhaps. Nonetheless, the royal families of both nation managed to speed across Windmire, defeated the foes in their way and cancelled the ritual. However, the blight had taken over Nohr." Said Fuga. "And as a result, the country that you grew up in was born. On top of that, while Qliphoth had been defeated for now, they would certainly come back. As a result, an alliance was agreed and repairs started. The spell was quite complex to undo given its origin, and they only partially managed to reverse it across the years. Qliphoth attacked some more, spreading damage each time. While they thankfully never managed to complete their ritual, since they probably wanted to acquire resources and it took time to trigger, the continent still feared another invasion. Eventually, it was decided that for the good of the continent, we would need to reach the enemy and beat them directly. And King Garon and Sumeragi, then newborns, were trusted to take care of that."

Corrin listened patiently, though he wondered when his mother would enter the picture. Beruka simply watched. In the Nohrian telling of the events, things were of course different. Nohr with timid Hoshidan help bested the invaders, and the ritual was entirely stopped by the hands of the dusk country, at which point the Hoshidans half-heartedly worked to undo it but actually wished for things to remain this way, since it would make it easier to control the plagued Nohr.

And she couldn't help but wonder just how much truth could be found in Fuga's words. He likely had some bias on his own too, since he was likely taught this by elders from the Wind Tribe while growing up. At least, Gunter not stepping in to correct him proved that he was maybe right, since the older man would not allow Nohr to be dismissed so easily; Furthermore, he grew up at a different time, when Hoshido and Nohr were allies, as temporary as it was, so it was likely that he had been taught the truth.

"King Garon and Sumeragi were taught everything in the art of war, and their brothers and sisters were also trained to wield the legendary weapons. It was a glorious effort to gather an army across the continent and have it be led by some of the most gifted people in our time, or perhaps all of history, wielding the strongest weapons known to man… Well, the reality was that both Garon and Sumeragi were teenagers in the end." Said Fuga. "As soon as they saw one another, they became intense rivals. And, hey, this is how we met Gunter, haven't we? I was Sumeragi's friend, and you were Garon's retainer."

"Yes. It seems that old age and all these blows to your head have done little against your memory. But he's correct that they both had some rivalry against one another." Said Gunter. "It took them a while to get along, to my admitted surprise. Sumeragi as a young man was wild, impetuous and cared little about etiquette and proper manners. And Garon was… very much the same. I had to stop him from deliberately doing something stupid more than once!" He mused. "I thought that they would get along with their similarities, but they both disliked each one another at first sight, and would often engage in macho competitions to prove their might to one another."

"Even Ikona and Katerina hardly got along." Said Fuga. "At times, they were encouraged to fight by their fiancés but they managed to stand firmly above it. Heh, the summer house where we lived was meant to be a landmark and the place where several young geniuses would elaborate strategies but it was far less glorious in effect! We more akin to a group of wild teenagers rather than anything else. We were skilled at combat, of course, but our forefathers probably never intended that the warriors who brought down that empire of doom would be a bunch of rowdy young people."

"I was quite worried that we'd all get ourselves killed after landing on their beaches." Said Gunter. "But eventually, a friendship grew between them, as they trained together and discovered more about one another… And as we sailed on the ship, your mother came into the picture." He pointed at Corrin.

"She looked very much like you." Said Fuga. "Apart from the blue hair and draconic features, you have nearly the same face, and even the same mole under your lip." The bald man put his hand under his lip. "She was a fair bit younger than the rest of us, and a bit nervous, but there was a fire in her eyes when she asked to come along for the fight. Apparently, she was a warrior from a far-away land burned by Qliphoth before, who caught wind of our plan and came along to help."

Corrin dropped his arms and stared intently at Fuga, surprised by the story presented to him. Beruka griped his arm lightly and he relented though, since it'd be a long speech even without any questions. He stared at her, but she glanced at him back unflinchingly and he relented, dropping a small apology.

"We didn't take her along at first." Chuckled Gunter. "We didn't want a spy to keep track of us so we put her in a cell. She didn't resist, but insisted on her innocence rather strongly, and watched up seemingly leave from her cell." He said. "Then, she got bored of waiting and just escaped from her cell, while knocking out two guards on her way. Then, she leapt into the ocean and swam after the ships in the horizon. Once she arrived, she made her way to the ship and asked to accompany us to Qliphoth. Of course, by that point, we could quite say no, and while we put her in a cell, she made it quite clear that she could escape whenever she wanted to."

"This made her all the more suspicious for me."

"Oh, you're right, but there wasn't much we could do, so we kept her around. She always insisted to help." He said. "And proved rather… klutzy." The older man chuckled. "But she never asked to help with anything too important and was rather polite. Mikoto really does remind me of you, Lord Corrin." Continued Fuga. "Always a bit nervous, timid, overly polite and fidgety, but nonetheless a noble soul;"

"Erm, thanks? I'm glad to hear that you consider me as that close to my mother."

"She got fairly close to the Royals, and was always questioned about that odd sword of her. Yato." Continued Gunter, taking storytellers duties with Fuga. "It was an odd blade, clearly not built by the hands of a Hoshidan or Nohrian, but they felt an odd power run through its blade, according to what they had to say. She was courteous to everyone and quickly made bonds." Said Gunter. "When we asked her about her past, she was naturally evasive but nonetheless came up with names for her family, what was done within it, when Qliphoth invaded and other reasons. I still didn't quite trust her, but we had arrived on the shores of that country."

"Qliphoth was a tropical country. Way different from our idea of some kind of dark twisted empire. When we arrived unto its golden shores, the soldiers promptly came upon us, but the power of Garon, Katerina, Sumeragi, Ikona and the other princes and princesses of both countries made them an easy prey. And Mikoto proved her worth in the battle through her speed, agility and power, even if she seemed rather confused by the violence of the conflict."

"Yes. She was skillful in combat, but she always made sure to protect the civilians or the wounded soldiers, even when they were still lashing out against her." Said Gunter. "The others saw it as odd. Qliphoth did destroy everything that she held dear, why would she live them alive?"

"Well, the civilians and the people who ruined her country are not the same, right?"

"That was her explanation as well. Garon saw it as odd, but he didn't hold it against her." Declared Gunter. "He was much more reasonable back then, when he felt like it, though he reminds me a bit too much of Lady Camilla. He was loving towards the people close to him, but he didn't care much about the massacres done by his hand and could be supremely harsh even." The older man rubbed his chin. "I wonder if he was attracted to Mikoto outright? He was far less of a Casanova back then admittedly."

"Katerina would have slaughtered him." Grinned Fuga. "She wouldn't tolerate even the smallest glance in another woman's direction. He couldn't even talk to Mikoto without getting a rather angry glare his way!" This made the two men smile. "I do not know how to judge her. She was stoic and calm, like her son, but lacked his rather honorable behavior, and was a bit clingy towards her husband."

"Katerina was a particular woman, but she kept Garon straight for the most part." Said Gunter. "While she was around, he grew up into a fine man, wise, humorous yet ready to die for his subjects. And he did seem to cheer her up with his presence." The knight sighed, losing himself in the nostalgia.

"… But Ikona needed Sumeragi to keep her serious though." Answered Fuga, smart moving away from the subject. "Well, she knew how to be wise at times, but she was a bit more of a handful than him at times. Her temper was as deadly as her fighting style, for sure. When she started to think that Mikoto was seducing Sumeragi, in fact, I was a bit scared for her. Thankfully, she cleared that up in time and they got off on the right foot."

"Anyway… We moved further into Qliphoth, and while its shores were beautiful, we were shocked to discover just how barren it was after reaching further into it. We should fight hordes of their soldiers in barren plains and the sun's harsh glare was insupportable for everyone but you and a few select madmen. And the cities that we caught were rather undefended."

"I guess that this is why they were killing so many people and tearing down the cities." Contemplated Fuga. "They perhaps wished to settle here, or wanted to have the continent for themselves to make their country thrive. Nevertheless, this hardly seemed to shock anyone but Mikoto."

"Yes. Unfortunately, Qliphoth was the enemy for us, and in the face of the heat and constant attacks by soldiers, our patience had been… tested. The expedition may have looked quite jovial at first, but as we approached the capital, years of frustration were unleashed upon the population by soldiers from various nations, and most were bold enough to do it under the nose of the royals." Said Gunter. "I had to stop some rather despicable acts from being committed but that wasn't enough, regrettably. And while the royals did their best to stop this, they could not be everywhere." The knight clicked his tongue. "Nohrians, Hoshidans, Chevois, inhabitants of the tribes… to them, the people of Qliphoth were the enemy. A mass of remorseless murderers who threatened the safety of their land, and they've been taught of their dark deeds ever since childhood. Now that they had them at their mercy, they just couldn't see the cowering civilians as people."

"Gunter, Fuga, did you…?"

"No, no." Gunter shook his head. "We were both naïve but we knew that something was wrong with the ongoing events, and while I hated Qliphoth, I realized that the civilians weren't at fault. Rather, it was Samael and his sycophants who were to be blamed. Sensing our approach, he did various despicable deeds, such as burning the villages where we'd find respite and quickly sending untrained recruits to fight our army, in the hope that this would weaken our soldiers somehow. A few even had some bomb spells strapped to them, so as to avoid interrogation."

"Not everything is so easily black and white, but Samael was one of a kind… While he was the king of a kingdom in need of resources, which would explain his conquering ways, he treated his people with such ruthlessness and cruelty that I found it hard to believe that he seeked to improve the country as a whole, and not just himself. Alas, in the face of our growing advance, the citizens of Qliphoth either joined us or left the country outright. As we defeated his generals and grew in power, he became desperate." Fuga turned to Corrin. "Your mother was growing in might too. With each battle, her resolve and anger grew, as well as her bond with the royal family. Yato reached a new form, with a blue blade."

Corrin contemplated his weapon briefly, noticing the purple spark on the blade. Had he went somewhere wrong? Or perhaps the sword simply adapted to his goal? Mikoto had fought for a heroic cause, defeating a tyrant, while Corrin's own cause was definitely less heroic at the moment. Perhaps it'd change color once he'd measure up against Garon and the others?

"What is Samael's history?" He asked, curiously.

"I don't know, but Qliphoth seemed to have a monarch in place. He was a bold coward, promising death to us while hiding in his castle. Only ever coming out once all his generals had been bested and his capital was under siege. It had been a challenge, for sure, but it had been an easier victory than during the first invasion. Perhaps because of the fight with the neighboring faction, Sefiroth?" Pondered Fuga. "But we were glad to be able to end the conflict. We were all exhausted, eager to go home and eager to forget what we had seen. But unfortunately, Samael refused to give up. In his desperation to win, and as we made our way into the castle, he activated some cursed magical spell of his."

Gunter actually frowned, and Beruka even caught a glimpse of fear in his eyes.

"Words fail to describe the new depravity of his form. He had discarded his mortal shell to become a creature made out of hideous grey tar, kept alive by his sheer will power and unable to be brought down by mortal weapons. His strength was enough to easily massacre the soldiers sent against him, and when his tar reached their dead bodies, it warped them into undead beasts, just as immune to common blades as their master." Fuga frowned, unsettled by his memories. "The royals could tear through them but, alas, they ended up at a stalemate against Samael himself. While they held their own well enough, his bottomless stamina and ability to regrow whatever body part they cut off ensured his victory."

"Then why not use it sooner?" Questioned Beruka.

"Samael is a coward. Even with such power at his hands, he perhaps didn't want to expose himself to danger, even when there was hardly any for him to begin with. He also perhaps didn't see fit to trust this might to his generals, out of fear that they'd turn against him." Answered Gunter. "He was a paranoid man, desperate to get power and reluctant to give any in return. Quite vein, according to descriptions too. Not that I would know, since he had already turned into a beast of pure willpower by the time we fought."

"Things seemed hopeless. With his ability to transform dead bodies into creatures, his inhuman abilities and power he wielded, it seemed certain that Samael could transform our entire army into his slaves and conquer the world." Fuga then looked up. "But your mother refused to give up. When even Garon had seemingly resigned, she stood up and begged for the others to give her the power to slay the beast. She declared that her weapon, the Yato, would be able to pierce the beast if everyone trusted her." He said. "And then, to prove her point, she proceeded to battle alone against the monster."

Corrin looked worried for a while but nodded. It was shameful, but he already felt the tears reach his eyes again.

"She continued to fight, again and again, even when the monster battered away at her. Moved by this, the royals decided to trust her, and poured their might into stopping the monster's movement temporarily, trusting that she would be able to finish it off with one strike." Fuga said. "And… this hope, this trust, seemed to reach her sword. Glowing with newfound power, it reached a bizarre shape and cleaved the air, with such sheer might that the portion of Samael's body that she hit was eradicated." He made a lateral hand movement. "Nothing remained of it. But before he could even react, she sliced at him a thousand times at once, and his life was forfeit." The bald man grinned. "Not even the smallest bit was spared, and thus fell the King of Qliphoth, Samael. Needless to say, there was elation. After all, we finally defeated the enemy leader, pillaged their stronghold and routed their army. Of course, the work wasn't done yet, since there would be pockets of resistance, but it didn't matter much of us, not when we had beaten them."

"We weren't quite sure on how to proceed afterwards. After all, in desperation, more could unleash that monstrous form, and since only Mikoto managed to slay it, it was clear that the tides could still reverse. But thankfully, we broke into his vault and seized some of the more exotic spells that he had unleashed." Gunter sighed. "But unfortunately, we failed to find a cure to that blight. It seemed that they only ever used it when they found an area to be unsalvageable, somehow." He declared. "Or Samael decided to destroy it in anticipation that we'd try to acquire it. Nevertheless, we figured out that we could attempt to engineer something by researching their magic. In the interest of fairness, those particular spoils of wars were shared across the countries, to be analyzed. We would have done a debate on what more we could do it with, but we found ourselves interrupted."

"The capital had been set on fire." Said Fuga. "Over the course of our absence, it had been decided to begin pillaging the city. Why they would do so while we were present, I know not. But by the time we came out, there was little we could have done. And yes, I do understand the wrath that these Nohrians felt. Their home country was forever tarnished because of Qliphoth's invasion after all. But still… The sights that we saw amongst the burning streets. The sheer brutality towards cowering civilians, the manner in which men and women that I fought alongside with and treated as equal turned into ravenous beasts no different from the fearsome monster that we put down... All the royals were left to gaze at this sight, and when they eventually reacted, it was unfortunately a bit too late to stop the tragedy, and we left a scarred capital."

Corrin frowned, being reminded of Cheve but on a much bigger scale. Was that was people could do when sufficiently angry? Could good persons really become deranged beasts out of a thirst for revenge? Of course, Qliphoth was not really innocent in all of this, but he doubted that all the citizens that died that night were evil or guilty of any crimes at all, besides being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Now he wondered though. Would the Nohrians do this to Hoshido, after all that they've been taught, all the brothers and sisters lost to Hoshidan blades, all the pain and effort? He'd like to say no, but he was slowly accepting that he would need a big leash on his soldiers. Or at least, he'd need to stop those degenerate dogs of wars from even entering a city while he was around.

Gunter shifted a little and spoke. "We prepared to finish off some pockets of resistance but a convoy of Sefirotians came at us. They congratulated us for our victory, and explained that they would take over with disposing of Qliphoth. Of course, we knew that they would not do this out of kindness. They had an occasion to easily dispose of their rivals for good, and they were taking it, and I suspect that they would have attacked us if it weren't for the sheer power wielded by Mikoto and the royal family. Regardless, we actually agreed to their offer. We were tired of war and eager to go home to lick our wounds and build a future together."

"What happened to them?" Said Corrin.

"We don't know. I do believe that our performance somewhat scared them, since they were very prudent around us. We offered to trade with them, and they agreed to it." Said Gunter. "They stuck to their promise and helped Nohr at first, though they seemed to lack the magic to dispel what had been done. Recently though, they've stopped sending ships." He folded his arms. "I do not know why. We have our own issues to deal with after all. Nonetheless, when we got back…"

"Should I take over?" Said Fuga. "I shall not be biased, my friend."

"Please do."

"When we went back home, we were mostly greeted by Hoshidans, and Garon was surprised to discover that the prices of the taxes were to be raised." Said Fuga. "The Hoshidans pretended that it was because the war drained their own bank, but it was merely an attempt at further placating Nohr, by forcing them to pay more for the resources that they desperately needed. Of course, such a tactic had been anticipated, but the Nohrians sincerely thought that they would find a cure for the ill that had struck their nation. As a result… He had to agree."

"Why not fight the Hoshidans directly?" Proposed Beruka. "Surely the rest of the continent would not approve of this."

"Even a Nohrian can be tired by war. Garon was a bold young man, but the sights seen in the war tamed him a little. And Sumeragi promised him, before their eventual separation, that he would work hard to undo what had been done. Garon was disbelieving, but in the name of their friendship, he accepted it. Mikoto stood against it, and had the power to perhaps forcefully convince the leaders to back off but…"

"She didn't want to do it that way."

"Correct. Your mother was upset but needed to depart it seemed. She was fascinated by our continent but explained that she had other duties, and perhaps other evil empires to strike down. Sumeragi was particularly sad to see her go, but alas, he simply left her to vanish into the horizon. Of course, plenty of people from different nations went looking for her, but she was unable to be found. However, we soon found ourselves dealing with some bigger issues, such as what to do with Hoshido. While they were honorable enough not to outright invade, because of the recent war and also because they did fight alongside us, they were quite unwilling to budge on the issue of the taxes, and apparently, Sumeragi could not convince his parents nor the elders to stop that. After all, Nohr and Hoshido have been fierce rivals ever since the millennia, and Hoshido finally found a way to ensure that they would gain the upper hand. Of course, the nations allied to Nohr helped it as much as they could, but they couldn't do much to contribute. That, and various nobles were looking to escape the country, so that they may inhabit greener pastures."

"Ah, Forlorn Forest."

"Indeed." Retorted Gunter. "Garon used a guide to trick a bunch of nobles into heading towards the Forlorn Forest to leave Nohr, but they were set upon by him, Katerina and some soldiers. He then seized their riches and concentrated the power in Nohr around himself, while promising freedom and a share of that power to remaining nobles as long as they stayed close to him. It was a pretty ruthless strategy. In fact, I was almost surprised that he would devise it." Confessed Gunter. "Desperate times calling for desperate measures. Still, in spite of the betrayal, he held strong and ruled Nohr to the best of his abilities along with Katerina." A shadow covered the older man's eyes. "Until an attempt at revenge for the massacre at the forest took her life as well as those of his siblings. He was never quite the same after." Commented the Nohrian. "He was never unkind to his family, and could be courteous to women, but his tone with others grew harsher and he started to grow weary of the manipulation and deceit of the court. Watching him, I was fearful of his constant marriages and lack of care for the war between his concubines. He could have stopped it, of course, but he was too self-pitying to do so, and I suspect that he knew that only a large-scale massacre would stop it by this point. When Arete came into the picture, things seemed to grow better… But she fell ill of a mysterious disease, and he ultimately became the bitter shell he is today."

Fuga folded his arms. "Much tragedy has happened to Garon." He ponders. "It is a shame that such a brave man was twisted into becoming such a monster. Sumeragi was always sorrowful whenever he heard of the latest news. As soon as he became king, he lowered the taxes as much as he could but he encountered heavy resistance from the elders. Meanwhile, history was being told differently in schools." He continued. "The conflict with Qliphoth had become a tale of brave Hoshidans gallantly leading the brutish Nohrians into battle and then having to babysit their plagued country. Even the Wind Tribe was finding itself teaching such stories to its children." The older man grimaced. "A blatant showing of disrespect to the men and women whom I fought alongside with during the war, of course. With Qliphoth gone, Hoshido needed an enemy again, and Nohr took the place that it had filled uninterrupted for centuries until the very first Qliphoth soldier laid a foot on the continent."

"In Nohr, we also changed history as well. Though in this case, King Garon himself had encouraged it. This greatly saddened me, but I was too loyal to the crown to depart… And if I were to be honest, I was quite angered at Hoshido too. Of course, I will never forget the help they've provided us with, and I shall strive to honor the Hoshidan soldiers who fought at my side during the war, but I felt quite betrayed as well. However, there was little I could've done to stand against the movement even if I had wanted to. No one in Nohr was very much fond of Hoshido after what they had done, as you can guess, and even the veterans of the conflict had no issues with some changes to what had truly happened."

"When your mother, and, well, you joined us." Fuga turned to Corrin. "Sumeragi decided to try and send a letter to Garon. He had gained enough influence to overturn the elders if he really needed to, and he felt that if Hoshido and Nohr could work together again, then they would become the leaders of a most mighty continent. Why, they could even work together and purge the blight." The older man put his hands on his hips and stared wistfully at the air, perhaps thinking of another time.

"When Garon replied, Sumeragi was overjoyed, and they would continue to talk to one another. I do not know how Garon reacted though… How was he?"

"Gleeful." Said Gunter. "The weariness that he had vanished whenever Sumeragi was concerned, and he seemed to be happy about reuniting with his friend, and especially finding Mikoto back. He truly regretted Ikona's tragic demise, laughed when he heard about the hijins that the mighty king of Hoshido still found himself into… It was like he was a different man. I appreciated it, though. Peace with Hoshido would greatly help our nation and while I was still insulted by the betrayal, I figured that it would be better to, as they say, suck it up and allow our great nation to finally heal and move forward." Then, the older man sighed. "But then, Garon proposed a peace treaty. Well, there was no real conflict, but both Nohr and Hoshido would promise not to fight any longer and would unite the two of them. Sumeragi loved the idea of course, since he immediately agreed to it. Cheve would be the rendez-vous point, since it had been recently fully rebuilt and would serve as neutral grounds. However, I grew suspicious when he specifically asked for you."

Fuga nodded, as Gunter pointed slightly to Corrin. "Sumeragi did question me about this. One could take it as a gesture of goodwill, and a further reassurance that there would be no damage, but I was convinced that there stood something darker. However, Sumeragi was convinced that the future was at hand, and he decided not to offend Garon by refusing his offer. After all, he joked, if you ever fell into troubles, Mikoto would simply run to Cheve and instantly dispatch the offender."

Corrin tried to chuckle a little but the sound he made was closer to a scoffing sound. Sumeragi seemed like a good man, if only a bit naïve (a considerable assessment, since even Corrin had realized that the man could be overly trusting), and he was always a little upset to hear about his mother. He could only picture her patiently awaiting for her husband and son to return, eager to be regaled with tales of a future where both nations stood in harmony, only to receive the news that her husband was dead and her son was now in captivity.

It almost made him want to cry, just as much as it enraged him. Garon… He simply couldn't pity the man. What happened to him was indeed very tragic, but he had done so much harm to his mother, Hoshido and even Nohr, through his inability to take care of the Concubine War! The more he heard about the man, the more Corrin wondered just how he had managed to basically worship his false father through most of his life. In fact he was almost ready to just run him over with his sword by their next meeting.

"Garon, unfortunately, had other plans. You know what happened." Said Gunter. "He left with a trusted soldier of his and archers. For the sake of his defense, he assured, but I knew that the archers would provide a rather poor protection in case of a surprise attack. Regardless, while most of his escort died, he defeated Sumeragi and then took you in. He confessed the true nature of his crime to a small audience, me included, and said that Hoshido would be blamed for the attack. Their "peace treaty" was a fraud, and they intended to merely slay the King so as to further weaken Nohr. Of course, going along with it was unthinkable, but those of us who protested were put down or sent into the slums." He said. "So the plan was approved. I assume that you know the rest of the story from that point."

"I thought that your mother was going to take her revenge, but alas, she didn't. She explained it to me though. Nohr is a fragile country, for all its bravado and strength, it stands on quivering legs. If she were to invade it, then its infrastructure would completely collapse and plenty of innocent citizens would end up killed or in need of a new home. She also said that Yato had been lost, and that even if she wanted to, she probably could not beat Garon. I… sense a lie coming out of her, but I knew just how stubborn she could be and agreed that Garon would bring down the entire country with him in defeat. Of course though, I was curious as to what chains of events could lead to the loss of such a powerful blade, able to bring down a beast capable of withstanding the full might of several legendary weapons. Alas, she didn't answer." Fuga folded his arms. "But she did explain to me how it worked, in the events that you would find it. It seems that Yato is a special blade that can only be wielded by one person, after all, and she said that in the hands of anyone else, it would be no sharper than a farmer's tool." He declared. "In a way, I've been entrusted to help you figure out the sword. Though you've already made advance, so it seems."

"Y-yeah, it actually got broken but…" Corrin eyed his sword. "It eventually, erm, regrew even stronger. I think that it work based on how confident I feel. When I decide to focus fully on a fight, armor may as well not exist for it. I mean, all my abilities get a boost of a sort when I feel confident, but I don't know. I feel like I could carve a mountain clean with only a few swings at a time."

"Hm, yes. Well, Yato's might is tied to your confidence and your bond with a wielder of a legendary weapon, it seems. If you and, say, the wielder of the mighty tome Brynhildr cooperate closely together and already trust one another deeply, then Yato will receive the weapon's power." He declared.

Corrin blinked. "Y-yeah, Leo helped me at Cheve a bit before the sword repaired itself but…" He glanced at Beruka. "It only really regrew after I got more confident thanks to someone's support." While he dared not directly name Beruka, in fear that she'd find it humiliating, he was pleased to see her make a slight smile. "So, do I need to get even closer to Xander? I mean, he's my elder brother, isn't it? It should be easy to just do that."

"It needs to be a token of trust. A sign that you would trust each another no matter what would happen. Even if the whole world decided to unite against you two, you would feel still confident in your odds by mere virtue of being allied with him." Answered Fuga. "You just need to show that you fully trust the prince with your life, and so forth. Then, the sword will reach its second form." Said Fuga. "Though Mikoto has never seen what happen if you receive power only from the Nohrian relics and not the Hoshidan ones."

"What do you mean? Oh, the reason why Yato took that golden form was because the power of all four weapons were focused into it, is that right?" He pulled Yato out of its sheath and contemplated the gems on its blade. Up until now, he had always wondered just what they were. The blade's original form had none of those four gems glowing, while the current one had one of those. Of course, he had figured out that the more gems the better, but until then, he had never figured out how to make it work. However, the actual explanation caused Corrin to gaze with sorrow instead of triumph.

"So… I'll never get to see that golden blade in my lifetime, right?"

"… Yes." Replied Fuga, opting to be blunt. "A deep bond needs to be created first, and then trust must be established. I actually do believe that you still have a bond with your Hoshidan siblings, because of your fate. But…"

"I do understand." He looked at the sword, now thinking that he couldn't help but see it as a representation of the path that he chose. In another world, where he chose to stay with Hoshido, would he gaze at his blade in a similar manner? Would he perhaps regret choosing the dawn country over his Nohrian family and friends?

"… So, how does mom know it though? And did people ever realize that it'd be odd for a stranger from another continent to have a blade that need the power of the legendary weapons of Dreiz to work?" He asked, sensibly.

"At the time, she said that the blade had been forged by a dragon, just before her arrival to Dreiz. I do not think she was fully lying on that one. It was crafted by the Rainbow Sage according to her, and perhaps it was built in case Nohr and Hoshido ever found themselves up against an enemy too tough for them to defeat alone. The wielder of the blade would appear and uses its power to overcome the enemy. Or it would help tip the scales for the moment where they would eventually fight once and for all." The bald man watched as Corrin sheathed the blade. "So she was told by him."

"Hm… Alright, so essentially, to unlock the second gem, I need to show my trust in Xander and vice-versa. I see! Well, I do want to ask. What could happen if my confidence falters? I think that Yato got all broken up because I was losing my confidence at the time. And while I'm stronger now, well… What if I lose my way again?"

"I'll help you find it." Said Beruka, barely keeping her tone neutral, though she managed to put up a better façade. "Since you apparently need my help for everything." Said the assassin, confused when Corrin laughed a little at her joke.

"Unless you abandon the mission entirely, no. The blade is a representation of your will. If you continue on your path, no matter how hesitant, it will still work. If you run against it, or even deviate though, it may end up broken. To help with that, it is necessary to make you trust the path again, of course, so you'll have to listen to miss Beruka." He chuckled. "That is all I know."

"I thoroughly appreciate your explanations, thank you for taking the time to help me!" Said Corrin, bowing down. "But before I go… After I reached its power-up form, I gained a better amount of control over my draconic ability, is it tied to the blade? I feel a bit more in control whenever I wield it."

"Your draconic ability? Ah, yes, your ability to transform into a dragon, right? I've heard rumors of a beast with the might to topple entire legions being on the side of Nohr."

"W-well, beast is being a bit rude… But I can actually transform parts of my body too, and I've started doing that after unlocking that second form." To demonstrate, he transformed a part of his arm into a claw but then quickly shafted back into its regular form. "It's like I can do it more easily when Yato's close. Beforehand, I could only do it when I felt really enraged, like when that bastard, Hans, attacked Gunter."

"Hm… I do remember that your mother had mentioned that the blade would help you hone your skills but I failed to interpret it as such. I do hope that you can forgive this particular failure, Lord Corrin. The ability to shapeshift into a dragon is unique, and only the oldest books mention creatures capable of transforming into dragons." Said Fuga. "Those that speak of the land where the dusk dragon, the dawn dragon and others hail from."

"I see… Well, I guess I could always read those! Thank you for your time, and thank you for the fight! It was a genuine pleasure to fight someone as strong as you! When I'll be done with that war and its after-effects, maybe we could even fight again?"

"Oh, I'm not too eager to get bested in front of my son yet again." Chuckled Fuga. "But I did appreciate the fight. I would very much appreciate the chance to fight you again! Though I suspect that my waning strength would make an easy opponent to overcome. After all, I'm quite old myself."

Corrin shuddered. "Well, I guess I'm lucky I never crossed blades with you when you were at your best!" He said. "Well, we'll be leaving. May the eventual alliance between our nations last through the ages!"

While they prepared to head out, they noticed that the boy, Hayato, had decided to sleep through the explanations. Corrin saw no problem with it, since he had no stakes in the matter, but Fuga frowned a little. Grabbing the sheath of his discarded katana, he moved to whack his son on the head, even if he didn't put much force in the blow. "Sleeping too much will make you weaker, my son. You may do push-ups for the next 2 minutes to try to make up for that lost strength!"

"D-damnit! Hey, I would be training if you didn't monopolize the room for your little story session!" Said the young boy, pouting. He got up and turned to face the group. "Farewells!"

"Farewell, Hayato!" Declared Corrin, politely waving away at him. Gunter simply glanced at him with a stare that could freeze someone's blood cold. Beruka ignored him entirely. The prince had to admit that he was a little envious of Hayato's position. The young man was safe from the war after all, and it was unlikely that harm would come to him with a father as strong as Fuga.

But other, more pressing matters were well-present within the young man's mind, and he pondered on those. Was his mother bestowed with draconic blood as well, or was she actually a royal from another country, blessed with the power of the dragons too?

Would that make him the prince of that country, or at least a legitimate heir to its throne? What did it look like? Was his father also from this land and had to be left behind for some reason? If he were to look for it, would troubles await him? He didn't quite believe Ryoma's story anymore, but he doubted that his older brother lied to him about Mikoto's initial arrival. Was was she exactly fleeing from, without her husband?

Hm… It was better to set that aside for now, he thought. He had his own war to deal with and the repairs would provide more than enough headaches for him to bother with, so leaving to go seek for his seeming homeland was out of the question as well. It seemed like there would be no revelations for him yet… Though perhaps later, when he'll be old enough to get himself a full beard, he'll look into it. But for now, it was a matter of dealing with Hoshido and Nohr.

The small trio was escorted out of the palace and Corrin prepared for his final farewell. Beforehand, though, Fuga turned to Gunter. "When you're done with this conflict, don't hesitate to come to my nation." He said. "An old man like you would very much enjoy the purifying air here."

"Oh, I regret that Nohr will always be my country." Said Gunter. "And I am… mild towards the wind tribe's aesthetic. Nevertheless, may we cross paths again, old friend, and may your star continue to shine as bright as it does." The knight sighed, but gathered a smile. "I will try to come back though, and tell you about that glorious war that you just missed."

"Try not to break your back upon charging first." Said Fuga. "Live well my friend. I would hate to learn that some Hoshidan fool managed to get the better of such a warrior." Then, he glanced at the two Nohrians in particular. It made sense, since he didn't really know Beruka and had figured out that an attempt at a dialogue would be short. "May you both live through this war as well. It pains me to be unable to assist you through it, but I do have my duties… And I cannot send my soldiers to die for a war that does not concern them, nor can I find the resolve to attack the country of Sumeragi, Mikoto and Ikona."

"That is fine, Fuga. You've already helped us enough!" Said Corrin. "I shall heed your words, friend. May we meet again!"

"And may your path be a glorious one." Says Fuga. "You may face tragedies and hesitation, but remember to always strive to make the best out of your situation and remember that you are a worthy hero of Nohr." He raised his hand. "Farewell!" And with that, Fuga was off. Corrin actually was pretty sad about such a fearsome warrior not being on his side, but at least Fuga had shown that he also didn't want to be on the other side and he could understand the reasons, both political and personal, behind the bald man's refusal to fight Hoshido. And, he thought, with the power that would soon be his, Corrin could easily make up for that absence.

"You will be escorted back to your army." Said the guide, appearing behind them. "The Wind Tribe is deceptively difficult to explore in spite of its size, and even if it should take a few hours, the heavy winds here and there could block your path or slow you down. You will need to walk down the stairs and get to the bottom of the mountain first though. A caravan will be waiting for you."

"Heh, walk down the stairs?" Corrin contemplated the view, and felt a dumb idea pass through his head. "Could I actually, erm, just fly down? I bet that the view is nice and my wings should be strong enough to fight off the current."

"Fly?" Said the guide. The prince, who had almost longed for an occasion to show off his wings, deployed them, carefully avoiding anyone nearby as they spread out. The Wind Tribe's usual stoicism (or excitation) in the face of danger or surprise proved itself outmatched by the sight of a winged humanoid, and the guide's eyes (as well as on-lookers) widened slightly before he managed to reassert a straight face, though his facial expression was a bit less composed than it was before. "I see… Well, if you do believe yourself strong enough to match the current, erm, please feel free to jump off the high mountain, sir."

"May I accompany you?" Said Beruka, all of a sudden, taking two steps forwards near Corrin. "There are issues I would like to talk about with you, and it would be easier to do so without people potentially listening on us."

"It is nice to see that I am trusted." Assured Gunter, in the background.

"Well, sorry Gunter, but it'd be a bit awkward if I had to carry you both." Said Corrin. "Erm, I hope you won't mind being alone for a little bit. W-well, not alone, since you'll have the guide to escort you down the stairs!"

"Ah, but since I'm alone with Mister Gunter, it'll be all the more easy for me to ambush and kill him." Said the guide, perhaps opting to bring some humor in a manner that very much fit his tribe. Beruka didn't react and kept her eye on Corrin, who himself turned towards the guide with a look of pure shock on his face. Gunter, meanwhile, glanced at the guide.

"Try me." He said, with a voice that could cause a charging Faceless to drop dread. Wisely realizing that his humor had not been appreciated, the guide simply moved towards an edge of the city. Rather wisely, several wooden panels had been put to avoid having someone accidentally fall to their death. Sure, most people would be careful not to fall, but if a member of the tribe had a beef with someone else, or was drunk, or was somehow distracted, then it was still good to have some measures against the void. The structures even had watchtowers, to quickly intervene in case someone decided to be foolish and attempted to climb. Luckily enough, they always arrived on time. No one had the strength and agility to easily jump to the top of those boards, after all. Well, no one without either very intense training or draconic genes within them, as both Beruka and Corrin were quick to prove by making the leap. Their guide, who was ready to fetch some ladders, stared in utter bafflement.

"W-well… Don't fall, alright?" He advised, less and less composed as things went along. Beruka just stared at the void beneath her as he spoke, and noticed that she could barely see the caravan supposed to escort them. Or she thought, it was complicated to know if that black dot at the end of her vision was a caravan, a rock or something else entirely. Corrin nearly moved to hold her before realizing that it'd be inappropriate to do so before asking. Luckily, she simply wrapped her arm around his waist and he decided to do the same, making sure that she was held steady, before jumping off… Though he was surprised by her bold decision to jump off a second before him, apparently wholly fearless. He found that very amusing, for some reason.

The two young people fell, and Gunter stared at the guide.

"… Are they all like this in Nohr's army?"

"Yes."

…

Beruka was taking in the sights, while still firmly holding unto Corrin with all her strength, though she had to admit that he was probably the reason why she was still attached to him and not helplessly being swung along in the air. Not that it worried her at all, as Corrin discovered when he glanced at Beruka and saw that she kept her usual poker face in spite of the heavy wind. Not that surprised though, the young man quickly unfolded his wings and glided along the mountain for a bit before further rising up in the sky (causing a bunch of wind tribe watchmen to very nearly jump off the mountain in surprise as well) and going down it again, this time keeping both arms on her to truly make sure that she wouldn't fly off.

She'd very much mind having someone else's hands on her, but she wasn't prideful enough to get stupid. And he was keeping them where they belonged, so instead of speaking, she just turned to stare at the world now below her. The vast blue sky, for one, but also the endless plain, stretching into the horizon far past her eye's ability to see, and the numerous mountains in the distance… She was already a bit surprised to see the Hoshidan hills, but never before had she even entertained the idea of outright flying above the land of another country than Nohr. And, as barren as the Wind Country looked like, it was still fitting to her vision.

Nohr was a dreary place, and she had spent a good deal of her life in a slum. The sky and its secrets had always been unknown to her, and when she took a few curious peeks while standing at the last floor of a tall building, she saw naught but darkness and despair, and had moved past even seeing such sights by the time she became a wyvern rider, or was preoccupied when she could see them.

Now though? Now she had no imminent worries, and all the time in the world (or so it felt) to contemplate the world stretching on the horizon. And it was as colorful as the world beyond the slums that the storytellers of the street spoke of. Instead of perpetual muddy greyness and clouds, the land of the wind was a golden land, with an ocean blue sky floating above. And while she had been in the greener pastures of Dreiz for some months now, she felt overwhelmed all of a sudden, almost as if she was rediscovering those colors for the first time.

She pondered on just how exactly she reached such a point in her life. Where she, an assassin who trusted no one and had long since discarded her dreams of freedom, could even be there, flying and admiring another land all while fully trusting someone with her life. This prompt caused her to look at Corrin, who seemed to be concentrated with his flight but occasionally looked at her to see how she was doing. He didn't speak, because of the high current, but his smile was enough.

She felt a sensation, like a ball forming in her chest and going all the way to her heart, but instead of being invasive or something to be wary over, Beruka welcomed it, and appreciated it too. In her entire life, she had never felt "happiness" (which she guessed she was sensing right now). One per one, target per target, she never truly felt complete or satisfied. Well, she did feel pride or joy when she outwitted a target or managed to defeat a tough enemy, but never genuine happiness. It was… perhaps hard to describe for her.

But either way, it felt nice. And she finally realized that perhaps continuing as a King's shadow would not help her feel that kind of things again. She would simply close herself off again, and say goodbye to those bonds that she had gained. And, while she would never let it be said out-loud, doing so would be too bad for her. She simply couldn't part away from these feelings or just discard them, not again.

Her decision had been made. What she would do after the end of the war, she didn't know. But it would not involve being in the shadow of her king… Though it may perhaps involve standing next to someone else in the royal family.

Corrin finally reached the ground and looked around for any observers before settling her down, though she waited until she had his full attention before speaking up. "Thank you." She said, and he was surprised to see a genuine smile on her face, though he just smiled back in answer and scratched the back of his head, blushing.

"I'm… I'm just glad that you enjoyed it." He said. "O-oh, you meant to talk to me though! I completely forgot that! Sorry!" Corrin smacked his forehead. "I'm sorry, I just get so entranced when I fly, it's…"

"Okay." Said Beruka. "I would like to speak to you, but it can wait." She said. "We have much to do, and we should be fully focused on our… current work." The assassin folded her arms behind her back. "It is better that we keep ourselves focused on the mission."

"Erm?" He raised an eyebrow but shrugged. "Well, sure. I'm going to be wondering what you mean for a while though!" He looked away, perhaps wondering further, and Beruka just smiled at him. Corrin noticed this and blushed ever so slightly, though he began to look for a different topic, curiously putting his finger up his chin and looking at the mountain he just flew down from.

"Well, we've got a long way to go… I'm just hoping Gunter won' talk too long!"

"Hmph." Beruka's smile faded. "Old man."

…

N/A: Haha, long exposition chapter! I'm sorry for that, but the next chapters will have a lot of actions! We're definitely getting into the latter half of the fic!

Here's the backstory about what really happened. I know, it would've been more epic/intelligent to put flashbacks instead of telling but not showing, but it would've made for a pretty disconnected story in my opinion, and I didn't want to drag the fic out any longer

Also, the continent that the dusk and dawn dragon hails from is already known, I might say! And we've already seen Qliphoth's continent as well. Not telling who they belong to or in what era!

Do leave reviews, I love hearing what you guys think about the latest chapters and twists!

See ya later!