I opened my eyes, and everything was still very dark.
Why am I awake? I thought, tiredly looking around my room. It didn't take long for me to notice an eerie glow coming from somewhere, faintly creeping in from under my door and through my window. For a good second I thought it was the sunrise, but when the rest of my senses came to, I heard frantic voices in the distance, and more voices getting closer to me. Someone was shouting orders, but I couldn't tell who it was or what exactly they were saying. Part of me thought it was a dream, but as the voices continued to grow closer, I snapped into fight-or-flight mode.
"No, never! You'll have to...ngh...get through me first!" It sounded like Ranulf, growling fiercely at an adversary I couldn't see.
What's going on? I panicked, feeling my instincts urge me to go out there and help him. In a hurry, I reached for one of my tomes and rushed toward the door, but just then, bursts of orange and green lights flashed outside my room, and a horrific shriek soon followed.
Thud. My door shook.
Oh no, oh goddess no! I grasped the doorknob and pushed against the door, but the door would not budge. A heavy weight obstructed it, and I didn't have nearly enough strength to move it aside.
"No, Serena," Ranulf voiced feebly. "S...stay insi—" another barrage of orange and green flashes illuminated the hallway. He gasped painfully, and then fell silent.
My heart sunk. No. Please don't be dead, Ranulf, please.
More screams pierced the heavy air, and the sound of weapons digging into flesh made my stomach churn.
What are they doing? What the hell did they do to Ranulf? Please, Goddess, let me help, I thought as I desperately pushed against the door with all my might, but to no avail. Curse my lack of physical strength. Let me out of here! I continued pushing harder and harder as the sound of distant shouts and explosions rumbled the fort, but it was no use. No amount of pleading, tears, or anger was going to help.
"She's in there, behind the cat!" a mysterious voice yelled.
Then some new voices appeared. I didn't recognize all of them, but one of them was definitely Ike. He sounded so enraged, even I was terrified of him at that moment, and I couldn't even see him.
"You bastards will pay with your lives!" he spat with fire in his voice.
More lights flashed within the hallway.
Ike laughed. "You'll have to try harder than that. Hyaaaaah!" Thud. It sounded like he took down whoever was out there with ease, and I could hear some people run off, but Ike's voice had moved closer to my door. "Ranulf...you'll be ok," he grunted, and I could see shadows shift from under the door. "You'll be ok." His words reeked of sorrow.
Oh my god, what the hell happened? Please don't be dead, Ranulf, I sniffled, standing motionless in front of the door as denial tried its best to swallow up my feelings of fear. As the fierce shouts began to die down and Ike's labored footsteps faded, I tried to open the door again, and it worked. But I was still petrified as all hell and overly cautious, so I first peeked my head out. Then I stuck one foot out the door and inched out into the hallway once I was 110% sure it was safe. I had only barely exited my room, but I couldn't bring myself to move any further as the sight before me was horrific at best. Nobody was in the hallway anymore, aside from the corpses of strange mages cloaked in shadowy robes. Scorch marks and burnt blood painted the walls and floor around me, and I stood within a massive pool of crimson that continued to spot the path towards the main hall. And having heard what happened to Ranulf, my fears and feelings of guilt were like shackles, pinning me to the bloodied spot where it all went down. It's all my fault, I thought to myself.
Outside the large windows, I caught sight of Ike among a crowd of people next to some faint patches of orange embers, and my stomach lurched. I didn't want him to see me standing and doing nothing, so I shamefully ducked back into my room and sat on the bed, hugging my knees. The longer I sat there, the more I realized that it was less about embarrassment, and more about the fact that I needed to process what had just happened. Something horrible happened to Ranulf. He might have died. The shadow was still after me. And...oh shoot. I sprang up off the bed in fear, as if the shadow was in the room with me. I didn't see it anywhere, but there was no way to know for sure. One thing was for certain: I had to get to safety. Clutching my tomes, I sprinted out of the fort and through the smoky air towards Ike. He was speaking with Titania when I saw him, but as soon as he noticed me approaching, he quickly wrapped up his conversation with the red-haired woman and dismissed her just before I arrived.
"Serena...I was starting to get worried. Where were you?" Ike scowled down at the blackened earth, avoiding eye contact with me.
"I was in my room but I—"
"Come with me," he firmly grabbed my arm, and he did NOT sound happy. Understandably so, considering what had just happened.
Is he mad at me? I panicked. Oh no, he must be, since this is all because of me.
He dragged me back inside the building and straight into his room, which was completely unexpected.
"Um...why are we here, what's up?" I asked, anxiously awaiting what I expected to be a harsh scolding.
"I need to discuss some things with you. Privately," he said in a serious tone.
Great, that cleared things up. "M-me? Why me?"
"Because. I…" he paused, as if he was unsure of the reason. "I feel like I can trust you. And I'm not sure who else to turn to in a moment like this," he continued to avoid eye contact.
I was genuinely confused. "But, weren't you just talking to Titania? What about Mist or Soren?" I asked, as they were people who were closer to him than I was.
He shook his head. "I can't talk to Soren or Mist right now. And Titania...I've left her in charge of overseeing the troops right now while I figure all this out."
"Wait, but why can't you talk to Mist or Soren?"
Ike sighed. "About that. See, Soren...he got badly injured in the attack. He's unconscious right now and Mist is busy trying to heal him."
Damn, Soren too? I looked at Ike worriedly. "Oh no, I...I'm so sorry to hear that. I'd help if I could, I...is there anything I can do?" I felt like I was responsible for this mess, so I wanted to make it up to him somehow.
"You're already helping," he stated bluntly.
I tilted my head, maintaining my concerned expression. "How?"
"Just by being here. I need to process what just happened and think of a plan to move forward, because we're in a tricky situation right now with only a few hours to solve it." He sat down on the bed. "And you have a tactical mind, so I was hoping we could figure something out together." Then, he looked at me with a glimmer of hope in his eyes.
I blushed a little, but I didn't believe I would be able to help in that sort of way. "Don't you think a war council or something would be more helpful?" It was almost like I was actively pushing him away, even though I had just agreed to help.
Ike shook his head again, seeming a little frustrated. "No, this isn't battle strategy."
I sighed deeply. "Ok. But first I need to know what happened just now." I took a seat next to Ike but kept a fair amount of distance between us in an effort to keep the talk professional, despite my (most likely unrequited) attraction toward him.
"Hold on, how much of the scene did you witness?" Ike questioned.
"Well, I woke up to some noise, and I...I heard Ranulf outside my door. I heard you come in too and...god please tell me he's ok," I whimpered.
"I see. So you woke up around the tail end of the whole thing. Unfortunately I found Ranulf a little too late," he paused, not knowing how to deliver the news. "When I found him, his wounds were severe."
"But is he alive? Is he going to be ok?" My chest tightened, imagining Ranulf dead, and how much pain he must have been in. It was hard not to cry while waiting for Ike to say something reassuring.
But he just stayed silent for a moment and gave me a troubled look. After a few torturous seconds, he finally spoke up. "He still had a pulse when I left him with Mist, but we're not sure if he's going to make it. The same thing happened to Soren. By the looks of it, they suffered the most severe injuries out of those who didn't die."
My voice started to shake. "Oh...oh no. I have to see them. If they die, I couldn't live with myself if I didn't at least get to talk to them one last time. Even Soren. He helped me so much." Tears flooded my eyes as I imagined the worst.
"You can't. They're unconscious. And I don't think it would be a good idea for you to look at them the way they are right now. It will only make you feel worse," he frowned.
I suddenly felt empty and depressed, feeling everything weighing down on me all at once. It was like I was preemptively grieving even though they were apparently still kind of alive. Nothing is worse than ambiguity when it comes to whether someone will live or die.
Seeming to pick up on my inner turmoil, Ike stood up and faced me, and without a word, he grabbed a hold of my hand and brought me to my feet. The boy gazed at me for a moment before pulling me into a warm hug with one arm, using his other hand to hold my head close to the crook of his neck.
Now that he could no longer see my face, I allowed a few tears to roll down my cheeks as if he would have no way of figuring out I was crying.
"Serena, please, don't be sad," he spoke softly. "They're alive. They're going to be ok."
I knew he was just sugarcoating things at that point to make me feel better, but it worked anyway. Even though I was so incredibly sad and scared at the time, that little bit of kindness physically heated my soul and almost immediately calmed me down. The depressing feeling was quickly replaced with a little bit of warmth and hope. It was such a simple action, and I felt like if it had come from anyone else, it wouldn't have had the same effect.
"Everything is going to be ok," he said with a voice as smooth and as sweet as honey.
I knew goddamn well that everything might not have been ok, but dammit, I felt compelled to believe whatever he was saying. And considering I had never been that vulnerable and trusting with anybody in the history of ever, he held an incredible amount of power in his hands. He could've easily taken advantage of it, but the mere fact that he didn't was enough to make me melt. And I didn't want that moment to end. I felt so warm and safe that I almost completely forgot the dire situation at hand.
"Just try not to worry. Let's focus on what the both of us can do right now, and it'll all fall into place. I promise." Ike pulled away from the hug but one of his hands lingered on my arm. Once he realized what he was doing, he quickly retracted it. "Er...sorry if I made you uncomfortable. I would do something like that for my sister as a kid when she'd get upset, so I guess it was just an instinct."
"O-oh, you didn't make me uncomfortable," I blushed as I sat back down on his bed. "It actually helped a lot." I looked away in embarrassment.
In response, the blue haired boy looked strangely surprised. "Really?" He sat next to me.
"Yeah. I...I feel much better now. Thank you."
"Well, I'm glad I could help," Ike paused, presumably trying to remember what we were talking about before. "Ok, so as I was saying, things didn't go too well. And that blasted shadow probably had something to do with it."
My heart sank upon remembering that fact. "Oh….right…" I frowned. It was my fault.
"I honestly have to thank you for showing me that letter," Ike said. "Had I not been awake to organize a defensive force, we would've been in a much worse position."
You guys wouldn't have even had to deal with them if I wasn't here…
"That said, some of them were able to sneak past us and into the fort without us even noticing."
I shook my head, frustrated. "I'm sorry, this is such a mess. It's all my fault," I cried.
"Enough of that, Serena," Ike snapped, a deep scowl making its way onto his face. "It doesn't matter who's fault it is anymore. It already happened, so let's just focus on moving forward, ok?"
Looking up at him with surprised, brown eyes, I was slapped in the face with truth and had no choice but to listen. I was being stupid and way too self centered. What kind of Master even was I? There were way bigger things at stake than me! "Alright," I sighed. "What can I do?"
"Just...talk it through with me," Ike said. "This wasn't some run-of-the-mill surprise attack, and I feel like there's more to it than just the shadow trying to capture you."
"Why do you say that? The letter was addressed to me only."
"I wasn't saying that wasn't their goal. But when the attack started, they aimed at the tents outside hoping to kill, not capture."
"So they wanted to inflict casualties too?" I chimed in.
Ike looked at me. "Yeah, seems that way. But they seemed especially focused on defeating Soren and I, too. About eight or ten men tried to gang up on us and managed to reach Soren before I could kill them all." He paused, then looked away from me. "That's when he got injured and almost killed."
"Wait," I said, scanning Ike's person without noticing any wounds. "How the hell did you not get injured?"
"Don't underestimate me," he chuckled briefly, but his smile quickly faded. "But like we said, you were a target too. There was a group of men inside the fort by the time I got there, saying something about the 'earth girl'. They were entirely fire mages and spearmen with wind lances."
"Fire mages and wind lances…" I started. "Hold on. I don't think those were random choices."
"What do you mean?" Ike looked at me curiously.
"I mean, it's possible they could have picked those mages at random in hopes that one type would be effective, but...I'm slightly weaker to wind magic and physical attacks. More than other things. And Ranulf is very weak to fire magic. It's almost like they knew Ranulf would try to jump in and save me."
"...I never made that connection," Ike gasped.
"There's no way they could have known Ranulf would try to save me unless they knew we were friends. And that could only mean—"
"There was a spy among us after all," Ike whispered.
Sitting there in silence, I tried to imagine who it could have possibly been. I sifted through my chaotic mind to unearth old memories, and one common thread stood out to me from encounters of the past. "Is there anybody named Kun Jin in this army?" I asked suddenly, surprised at myself that I hadn't remembered it sooner.
Ike looked at me, confused. "Kun Jin?" He squinted his eyes. "I've never heard that name. I don't think so. Why?"
Damn, I thought. His name had always popped up whenever a group of bandits captured me, so he must have had something to do with them. But a name alone was no use to us if we had no idea who it belonged to. "It's nothing."
Ike spared me a confused glance before continuing on. "Alright, anyway, we already suspected there was a spy and there's nothing we can do about it now," he said. "And even though they failed to capture you or injure me, we're still at a big disadvantage."
'What else happened?" I asked nervously.
"They also burned most of our supplies. We barely have any food for our soldiers, and the majority of our extra weapons are useless," Ike answered. "The weapons aren't a big deal since most people have their own. But...if everyone is fighting on an empty stomach, they aren't going to be able to fight to the best of their ability. To top it all off, everyone is in a state of disarray because of the chaos and confusion the attackers caused."
Looking over at Ike, I tried to gauge his feelings, but his face looked the same as it always did, perhaps a little more tense and serious than usual.
"I don't know what to do about this," he turned to me, looking for some kind of support.
Then, I saw it. There was a hint of defeat in his ocean blue eyes. It wasn't much, but it was there. And it was heart-breaking. He had put in so much effort to get to this point in the war only to have this massive obstacle come up at the last second, putting everything in jeopardy when it would count the most. When our eyes met, I felt an immeasurable amount of warmth within me. And that was the very moment when I knew for sure that I didn't just like Ike, I loved Ike, even though I felt so certain that he didn't return those feelings. That was a painful thought, but I couldn't ignore everything that he had done for me up until that point. He saved my life. He protected me. He supported me. He didn't mind that I was branded. God, he didn't even care that I may have started this whole mess in the first place! I knew I owed it to him, and it was time that I gave back somehow. What to do, what to do? I panicked as I realized my deeper feelings, desperately trying to come up with a quick and effective solution.
"Can we postpone the battle?" I blurted out first.
"Gahh, no," Ike shook his head in frustration. "I forgot to tell you that. Some of our hawk scouts returned telling us that a horde of Daein soldiers are headed our way, that's why we only have a few hours. But with how unnerved and hungry everyone is, I don't know how we'll be able to handle it."
God damnit, I cursed in my head. But suddenly, an idea hit me. I had a solution. I could help Ike...even if it meant making a sacrifice. I breathed in deeply. "We can work around it."
"How?" Ike scanned my face, as if the answers were written all over it. There was now hope emanating from the very core of his being.
"We...or...you, I should say, can easily boost people's morale. You're the leader of this army after all. When the time comes, you should go out there and give everyone a speech. Show everyone how confident you are we can win this. Get them focused on the battle ahead of us." I smiled with a faint blush coloring my cheeks. "When they see that confidence come through even after what happened, I just know they'll be motivated again."
Ike blinked. "Hmm. It's not like me to do that. But...I suppose I can. Solving one of the two problems is better than nothing."
"Wait." I looked down. "I wasn't finished yet."
"Hmm?" Ike tilted his head.
"I...I can help with the food problem too. Somewhat. If there are any seeds from untarnished fruits or vegetables, I can use those."
The general's eyes widened. "Are you able to grow enough food for a whole army just like that?"
I nodded shyly. "I guess I never told you the extent of my powers. But...I'm not sure if I'm able to do that yet. I've only just started to recover my old strength." I looked away from the boy.
Ike shifted a little closer to me, just enough so that I could feel the bed dip a little bit to my left. "You don't have to push yourself," he reassured me. "Anything, no matter how small, will help us a ton."
Suddenly, a thought popped into my brain, causing me to smile, then giggle. It was probably the worst time to be giggling in the history of mankind, especially since the thing I was thinking about wasn't even that funny, either!
The boy next to me chuckled nervously. "Uh...what's so funny?"
"So...even if I grew one single tomato and we gave a tomato cell to each person, that would help?" my giggly self sputtered.
Ike closed his eyes and sighed. "Come on, Serena. You know what I meant," he said in a serious tone.
I stopped giggling pretty quickly after hearing his tone, and a dour mood rapidly overtook my previously jovial attitude. "I know, I know. I will do what I can." When Ike didn't say anything in response, I fearfully turned to him, anticipating being shamed for giggling about a tomato. But I was met with a much more tender gaze than I expected. He looked at me with a softness that I had never seen from him before, and his eyes told me he was happy, perhaps because I offered to do such a big favor for him.
"Thank you, Serena. You have no idea how much this helped me." He looked away for a moment and stood up, then fixed his gaze on me once more. "There's something else I want to discuss with you, but that's going to have to wait. For now, we need to put our plan into action. If you need anything else, we can talk about that quickly. Otherwise, we should head out now."
I knew it would be very selfish of me to want to continue my private talk with the general considering the circumstances. I wanted to talk to him about a million different things, but only one of those things was relevant at the time. "Actually..." I started.
Attempting to feed an entire army in my current state was risky, maybe even impossible. I had only learned Soren's energy technique the night before, so I definitely hadn't mastered it yet. Not nearly enough to be able to effectively apply the technique to my growing capabilities, since there was no way it could work identically to attacking. With attacks, I wasn't providing the land with anything. On top of that, the last time I used my plant growing powers, it barely worked. So if I was going to accomplish something of this magnitude, I would need some form of energy that wasn't the land. "I need some support while I try to grow the food," I spoke.
"I'll be there with you," Ike responded without a second thought.
"Ok then. I'm ready."