A small wave of cool faucet water washed over my face as I stood hunched over the bathroom sink. It wasn't exactly the fountain of youth, but a good few punches to the face any kind of relief felt like it came from Christ himself. I brought my hand to my jaw and then my nose, making sure nothing was broken. It was a small mercy, but nothing was, though my face was sporting a couple of nasty cuts. Damn glass.

But that's what you got when you signed up as a bouncer. You were there to look tough, be tough and apply force wherever necessary. Sometimes they just brought the fight to you. Though generally I never actually met anyone who got rowdy enough to be an actual problem. Usually it was just a couple of sad guys at the bar, drinking their sorrows away until you put a friendly hand on their shoulder and helped them out. Standard stuff.

But obviously, tonight wasn't exactly "standard".

This guy turned out to be one angry drunk, flailing about like a literal madman. So, naturally, I had opted to politely, yet firmly urge him to go home.

I only just barely dodged the bottle he was waving around, glass shattering into a million pieces. Of course I'd get some cuts; that was just how shattered glass worked.

So, of course, I had to get physical. What I didn't expect was the guy to have a friend, a friend who decked me right in my face. That got the other bouncer's attention, and with a bit of force, we finally kicked the two drunks out. All's well that ends well, yeah?

That's what I would be saying if I didn't look like a mess.

"Fuck, I feel like I just got hit in the face with a pound of lead…"

I like to consider myself a fairly sturdy guy. I was tall for a twenty-something, had a bit of muscle on me, all that good stuff. A look into the mirror allowed me to take stock of the rest of me. But these guys, inhiberation aside, definitely decked me one. They made me look like a total tool in front of everyone, and that just couldn't do for someone in my field of work. Bouncers were the guys you looked at and thought, "Damn, he looks impressive", not "Oh look at that asshole, getting his ass laid out by a guy who doesn't even know what year it is." At least, that's something mom would say.

Not like I bothered listening to her winded sermons. Not since I moved out.

I reached for the cheap paper towel dispenser, grabbing one towel and began to dry my face off. I cleaned up alright, I thought, but I definitely needed to sleep it off. Tossing the used towel into the trash, I stepped out of the bathroom and back into the bar proper. It wasn't a big club or anything; just a simple one story affair with plenty of sports memorabilia decorating the walls. The bar had seen better days in terms of upkeep, but it was a cozy place.

A throaty laugh escaped the lips of the bartender as his eyes locked onto me. The bar had started to close up for the night, so the only people still there were either janitors or our humble barkeep. Guy went by so many names, it was hard to keep them all straight, but I liked to call him Boss.

"Jesus H. Christ, Victor," Boss chuckled. "You look like death warmed over."

I let out a tired sigh, plopping my sorry behind down on one of the many stools. "Hey, I like to think I clean up alright. Least I look better than you, Boss."

Another laugh escaped the fifty year old as he poured me the last glass of the night. "Can't exactly argue with you there. Go on, have a little 'anesthesia'. On the house."

Under normal circumstances, I usually never drank a drop of alcohol. It messed with me too much, so I usually just ended up drinking water. After a night like tonight, though? I definitely needed a shot. So, I gulped the drink down in one go, which didn't exactly turn out to be the wisest course of action. I choked down the shot of Jack Daniels as Boss shared another laugh at my expense.

"If there's anything I know about you, Vic, it's that you can't handle two things; women and booze."

I shot Boss a dirty glare as I turned to face him. "Is tonight just gonna be a conga line of humiliation for me or what?"

"Only if you let it be." Boss shrugged. "Sometimes a bad day's only one if you let it fester around like a stomachache. Some days you just gotta look for the silver lining in the clouds."

Ah, more sagely advice from my friendly neighborhood barkeep. If Boss wasn't busy snarking at me, he was busy trying to give you some life advice. It was kinda like my mom or dad, but without the year-long lectures.

"Not saying you're wrong, Boss," I said, giving the man a shrug. "But it's a bit hard to look on the bright side of things when you're busy getting your shit pushed in by two drunks."

Boss grabbed my glass and began cleaning it, just one glass of many to clean after that night. "Yeah well, that aside Victor, there's something I need to talk with you about."

Now that caused me to sit up in my chair. It was rare for Boss to actually look semi-serious and honestly, it kinda scared me. He set the glass and rag down to look me dead in the eyes.

"Vic," he began. "Don't ya want something a bit more for yourself?"

I raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by 'more'? What, you want me to start singing like a Disney princess about wanting more in life? I'm fine as is Boss-"

"That's a load of horseshit and you know it." For once, Boss actually looked a bit angry with me. "Think about it for a second; you've been doing the same exact crap day in and day out for nearly two years now. This can't possibly be what you want out of life, is it? Running out drunks and looking like someone took a dump in your cereal for a living, that can't possibly be what you want."

What I wanted? Where the hell did all that come from? I was doing fine as is, family situation aside. I did my job, earned my keep and paid the bills. What was so wrong with that? I didn't need anything else out of life, because the instant I tried doing better by myself, life managed to take a heaping crap on me. Wanted to go to college? Oh, look at that; dad's health was failing so you gotta give up those dreams of being somebody, ol' Vic! Wanted to try and help out around the house and help buy groceries? Mom complains that you're doing a shitty job at everything, and tells you not to bother!

Nothing refused to change, so I just gave up. What was the point anyhow?

"I'm fine as is, Boss." I repeated the words with a hint of venom. "It's not exactly the greatest way to live, but I ain't starving or out on the street."

Boss looked like he had more to say, but just didn't feel like getting into another argument. He just let out a tired sigh. "Just… get home safely, Vic." His tone indicated a fair amount of disappointment, but he didn't argue the point any further.

I frowned, turning to face the exit and not having the guts to look Boss in the eye. "I'll see ya next week, Boss."

If Boss heard me, he didn't acknowledge me as I made my exit.

It was a cold, chilly night, a great time to have forgotten my jacket as I shuffled my way to the car. Most people made a big fuss about the cold during winter, but me? I loved it. The way the wind blew past my face, the way I didn't have to worry about my clothes getting covered in sweat from just taking a morning stroll, all of that. Growing up in Florida sucked, but at least I usually had the winter to look forward to.

I fumbled to get my keys out of my pocket, the whiskey not exactly helping my already tired disposition. I was far from drunk, but it took a few seconds to turn the key and unlock my car. Plopping my butt down, I took a minute to just sit in the dark, feeling my eyes getting heavier and heavier. Jeez, what was in that shot anyway?

I allowed myself to lean back in the cheap leather seat and sigh. Getting my shit pushed in and getting lectured? Was it high school all over again? Besides, I didn't need anything fancy out of life. I didn't bother other people and they didn't bother me. That was how it should've worked. I didn't need a massive circle of friends, I just needed peace and quiet.

Yeah… peace… and quiet.

The weight of my eyelids proved too much for me in the end as I slowly allowed them to shut, gently breathing in and out until all I could hear was the sound of my own breathing and the occasional car passing by and then nothing.

Just nothing.

"C'mon, Chrom! We have to do something for them!"

When I wanted a hint of a peace and quiet, I was hoping for some actual peace and quiet. Instead, I found myself slowly waking up to the voice of a young-ish sounding girl panicking. My head felt like it was swimming in a sea of mud, and my body didn't exactly feel that much better.

"What do you propose we do then?" another voice asked, this one more masculine and confident. It occurred to me that the two voices were talking above me, which meantI was laying on the ground, and not my car.

Oh god, happened to my car?

"I-I dunno!" the female voice exclaimed, "I never had to deal with two people lying in a field unconscious! I'm used to healing people that are wide awake!"

The more I listened to those two, the more familiar they sounded. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but I swore I'd heard of a "Lissa" somewhere before. But where was it? Bah, speculating would get me nowhere. I needed to open my eyes and figure out what the heck was going on. My vision was a touch blurry as I allowed my eyes to open, but it didn't take long at all for me to see who was standing over me.

The person on my right was a young girl, no older than sixteen by the looks of it. Her greenish-blue eyes complimented her blonde, pigtailed hair nicely. She wore a dress of yellow and white, along with some kind of ornate staff tied to her back. The man on my left was a bit older, likely in his early twenties. The first thing that stood out about him was his cool blue hair, his sleeveless leather armor and a pure white cape, ready to blow freely in the wind if given the opportunity. Of course, I couldn't forget the ornate sword sheathed at his hip. Always important to note anything that could be used as a weapon. One other thing that definitely stood out was the mark on the man's right shoulder. It looked like a crest or a symbol of some kind, but I couldn't quite put my finger on what it was exactly.

It took all of two seconds for the duo to notice that I was awake. The girl smiled a relieved smile as she crouched down to meet me.

"Hey there," she greeted with a soothing tone. "Are you feeling okay?"

The man also flashed me a smile as he met my gaze. "I see one of you is awake, at least." He held out his left hand to me, his smile unwavering. "There are better places to take a nap than on the ground you know."

There it was, that sense of familiarity again. Why did I feel that sense of deja vu? Well, whatever the case might have been, I offered a shaky hand to the man, who helped me up with remarkable ease. Ignoring the man's upper body strength, I felt considerably heavier. My mind was an absolute mess, swimming in what felt like ten different layers of mist.

"How do you feel, friend? Any injuries?" The man looked me over from head to toe, as if expecting to find some kind of wound before settling on my face. "You certainly look as if you've had a bad run in with someone or something."

On instinct, I brought my right hand to my face, remembering the bar fight I got dragged into. The cuts were healing, but they were still noticeable it seemed.

"I'll be fine, thanks. Just a rough night is all."

The man gave me a questioning look before turning his attention to the girl next to him. "Lissa, give him a heal."

The girl, now identified as "Lissa" jumped a bit before nodding and grabbing her staff. "R-right! Stand still, please!" Before I could ask her why, the jewel affixed to her staff began to glow with a bright, ethereal light, followed by a warm sensation washing over the entirety of my body. I could literally feel the remaining cuts just mend themselves back together, like nothing had ever happened. Just like that, the pain was gone and I felt as fit as a fiddle.

"There, all done!" Lissa beamed at me, a proud smile fixed onto her face as she returned her staff to its holding position. "How do you feel now?"

I took a moment to feel my face again, only to find smooth skin and no cuts. I stood there utterly befuddled, trying to figure out what in the hell this "Lissa" just did to me.

"What did you just do?" I asked nervously, backing away ever so slightly which elicited some confusion from Lissa.

"I… used a healing staff to fix your face up. Why, is something wrong?" she asked, tilting her head.

"No, I meant how did you do that?" I asked. "You just shined some kind of light over me and suddenly I'm all better? The hell kinda medicine is that?"

Lissa and the man just looked at each other with confusion before turning back to me, looking at me as if I had grown an extra head.

"I just used some healing magic on you, silly." She said that as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "C'mon, everyone knows what healing magic is!"

Yeah, everyone except me, apparently.

"Are you sure you're alright?" The man steps forward, now a bit concerned. "We found you and your friend unconscious, and we weren't quite sure what to do."

"Wait, my friend?" I asked, the confusion evident in my voice. "What friend?"

The man gestured behind me, causing me to turn my head to where he was pointing. Right next to where I was lying was a young woman with pale skin, dark robes and snow white hair, still conked out too from the looks of things.

"We were lucky to find you when we did!" Lissa chimed in. "The bandits out here can be real nasty."

Every time Lissa or the man next to her opened their mouths, I just got more and more confused. Seriously, who called a bunch of thugs "bandits" anymore? What's with their get-ups? Did I walk into a renaissance fair or something? Actually no, that wouldn't explain the literal healing magic I just experienced only minutes ago. Seriously, what was going on?! Where was my damn car?!

Just as I was about to start asking some more questions, the woman on the ground suddenly began to groan quietly, stirring herself awake as her pure red eyes fluttered open. Lissa and the man quickly took notice as they crouched down to meet her like me.

"Seems like you're finally awake then." Just like with me, the man held out a friendly hand. "Can you stand, miss?"

The woman looked at Chrom curiously for a minute before slowly taking his hand. "T-thank you, Chrom."

..Wait a second.

Lissa, Chrom, waking up in a field next to a white haired robed woman? Why did this-

..Oh. Oh shit. I'm in a fucking Fire Emblem game.

Okay, don't hyperventilate, Victor! You're only God knows how many miles away from home, stuck in a strategy game you haven't played in roughly five years. Everything's gonna be just fine! Everything's… gonna be just…

"W-wait! Are you okay there?!" I faintly hear Lissa call out to me as I struggle to stay standing, hyperventilating for the first time in… forever. "Here, hold on!"

Just like from before, Lissa waved her healing staff over me as a calming, gentle aura took hold of my body, helping my panic to subside slightly. Lissa, even though she was a fair bit shorter than I, grabbed onto my arm and helped me down gently.

"There we go," she reassured me, giving me the kind of smile that doctors and nurses used for bedside manner. "Just calm down, okay?"

I nodded wordlessly, noticing that Chrom and the woman were staring at us with some concern. Once Lissa gave her brother a nod of affirmation that I was okay, he turned his attention back to the woman, who I know managed to recognize as Robin, or rather the female incarnation of Robin.

"That aside," Chrom began. "You know my name, stranger?"

Robin took a moment to consider what she just said before shaking her head. "No actually, it's… strange. Your name just came to me the moment I laid eyes on you."

Chrom let out a small "Hmm…" sound before helping Robin up. "Tell me, what's your name, miss? What brings you out here?"

"My name… it's…" Robin struggled with her words, her face scrunched in concentration as she made an attempt to recall her name. Those efforts seemed to be in vain as she just shook her head in frustration.

"You don't know your own name?" Chrom asked, his eyebrow raised questiongly.

"Hold on, Chrom! I've heard of this!" Lissa exclaimed. "It's called amnesia! It's some kind of thing that blocks your memories and-"

"What it actually is, milady, is a load of pegasus dung."

All four of us turned in the direction of the new voice. He was nearly as tall as I was, sporting heavy blue and white armor, flanked by a monster of a stallion wearing a similar set of armor. The stern look and dark brown hair tipped me off immediately that it was Frederick, Chrom and Lissa's retainer, and he did not look too pleased at either me or Robin.

"First of all," Frederick began, his tone ice cold. "We're to believe that you know milord's name but cannot recall your own?"

"B-but it's the truth!" Robin protested.

"And you." Frederick suddenly rounded on me, his figure a fair bit more intimidating in real life than on a 3DS screen. "We're to actually believe that you haven't heard of basic healing magic? What nonsense."

Sadly for Frederick, I wasn't one to take accusations lying down, regardless if I had just jumped dimensions or not.

"I'm telling you the truth," I countered back with a fair bit more bite than Robin. "I've never seen anything like that till now. And I'd definitely appreciate a bit of space, friend."

If looks could kill, then Frederick would have killed me about ten times over by now.

"Alright you two, let's calm down." Chrom stepped in between the both of us, his tone more stern and commanding.. He turned to Frederick. "I understand your apprehension, Frederick, but what if they're telling the truth? We can't just leave the two of them out here while they have no clue what to do. What kind of Shepherds would we be then?"

Frederick seemed to relax by about two percent as Chrom addressed him. "All the same, milord. I am simply advising caution. After all, t'would not do to let two wolves into our flock."

"Right, right," Chrom sighed in defeat. "Just as a precaution, we'll at least take them to town and sort this out there."

"Wait, hold on a second," I said. "Don't we get any kind of say in this?"

Robin nodded in agreement with me as Chrom chuckled lightly.

"Peace, friends. I promise that we'll listen to your stories once we're back in town proper. Now, come along."

With that, Chrom turned his gaze back to the road and began walking down the hill we were on, Lissa following suit. Without any real choice in the matter, not if Frederick had anything to say about it anyway, both me and Robin followed suit as Frederick flanked us, now joined by his monster of a warhorse. Seriously, I'd seen horses before, but clearly whatever Ylisse fed their horses, it was way better than the shit we had back on Earth.

Welcome to your precious little life, Victor. Let's just hope you manage to keep it, eh buddy?

The walk to what I could only presume to be Southtown was not kind on my legs. Sneakers, it would seem, were not designed for long treks across vivid medieval countryside. Robin, Chrom, Lissa and Frederick were all wearing appropriate footwear, and there I stood without even a pair of insoles. I didn't dare complain though. I wasn't keen on giving Frederick any more reasons to run me through with his lance. Instead, I tried retracing my steps from when I left the bar to when I woke up in a literal Fire Emblem game.

I took a shot, got in my car, passed out and that was it! Nothing that really answered what in the heck had happened to me. I might have been a lightweight when it came to booze, but one shot of whiskey wasn't enough to knock me out. I'd also ruled out the possibility of my situation being a really weird dream; I'd pinched myself at least five times, much to everyone's confusion, and I was still very much awake. It felt like I was stuck in one of those fanfictions- fuck, what did they call em', isekais or something like that?

So, I was stuck in a game I hadn't played in ages, I'd probably never see my home or Boss ever again, and I was most likely going todie on some thug's pointy metal stick. The only upside to all of itwas that I was about as far away from my mom as humanely possibly, just not in the way I wanted.

Robin finally stopped walking, her eyes wandering to the mark on the back of her right hand. Grima's mark if I remember correctly. She stared at it with confusion and apprehension before turning to Chrom.

"What do you intend to do with us?" Robin asked. "Are we to be your prisoners?"

Chrom didn't show any sign of annoyance with her question. He kept a friendly smile as he turned his head toward us and let out a soft chuckle. "Worry not, you two will be free to go just as soon as we make sure you're no threat to Ylisse."

Robin furrowed her eyebrows at Chrom's remark on Ylisse. "Ylisse?" she parroted. "Is that the land we're in right now?"

"You've never heard of the halidom?" Frederick inquired before shaking his head. "Hah! Someone pay this actress, she plays quite the fool. The furrowed brow is especially convincing. With the addition of her clown of a compatriot, we have quite the theater duo on our hands."

"Frederick, that is enough!" Chrom sternly interjected. Taking a deep breath, he turned to Robin and I. "This land is known as the Halidom of Ylisse. Our ruler, Emmeryn, is known as the Exalt. Now that I think about it… I suppose now's as good of a time as any to get introductions out of the way."

He flashed us a small smile as he jutted a thumb to himself. "My name is Chrom, but I suppose you know that much already." Chrom then gestured to Lissa. "And the delicate one here is my younger sister, Lissa."

Lissa spung on her heels to give Chrom an angry, pouty look as she fumed. "I am NOT delicate!"

Chrom laughed at his sister's antics as she gave me and Robin a forced smile. "Please, do ignore my older brother, he was born with the thickest head in the family. Forget Chrom for a second, you two are really lucky we found you both when we did! I don't think you would've gotten as warm of a welcome with brigands."

"That's the second time you've mentioned that word, 'Shepherds'," Robin noted. "So, do the people of Ylisse generally tend to sheep while wearing full armor?"

An image of good ol' Tinhead Donnel in the Hero class armor suddenly popped into my head, forcing me to fight down a chuckle.

"It's a far more dangerous job than it sounds," Chrom smiled. "Just ask Frederick the Wary here."

Frederick rolled his eyes. "A title I shall carry with pride," he said. "Naga forbid one of us opts to keep an ounce of caution." He then turned to face Robin, his stern face ever unchanging. "I apologize for my earlier rudeness, ma'am, but my station demands I remain ever alert to any possible danger to milord."

True to character, Robin didn't seem that offended at Frederick's wariness. "No, your caution is quite understandable, sir. I doubt I'd be any less cautious myself."

Frederick, ever the gentleman, gave Robin a polite nod whilst also giving me quite the cold shoulder, merely shooting me another glare. Evidently, he wasn't exactly fond of the fact I had opted to argue with him earlier. So, rather than focus on the mountain of armor right behind me, I decided to introduce myself and be a little more than just an observer.

"My name is Victor," I said. "Victor Callahan." My voice was a bit shaky, like I was introducing myself to the teacher of a new class, or trying to be all nice and proper for a job interview. It still hadn't quite hit me that I was literally talking to video game characters either, creating what almost felt like some kind of out of body experience.

"A fairly foreign sounding name to be sure," Frederick noted with a scrutinizing tone. "And never have I heard of the family name 'Callahan'."

Wait, Victor was a foreign name in Ylisse? It didn't sound that out of place along with everyone else, did it? I mean, sure Victor was a latin phrase, but it didn't sound any more out of place than "Chrom". What exactly constituted "foreign" in Ylisse anyhow?

"From where do you hail, Victor?" Chrom asked. "From those clothes and that name, it's at least somewhat apparent that you're a stranger to Ylisse. Is that true?"

I struggled for a minute on what I should've said. I was no stranger to using a silver tongue, but given how little I actually remembered about the finer details of Awakening, honesty probably seemed like the best policy, even if it seemed completely nonsensical to them. Though keeping the whole "Your world is actually entertainment for people" bit to myself was likely a good idea.

"Well Chrom," I began, "you're not wrong in assuming I'm not from Ylisse. I come from a country called 'The United States of America', and I doubt you all ever heard of it."

Chrom shook his head, along with Lissa. Robin just looked completely confused about everything. Frederick? The look on his face said it all: he wasn't buying it.

"America? I've peered over many a map, sir, and I can say without a shadow of a doubt that I have never once heard of such a land."

I offered Frederick a shrug. "I literally have no reason to lie to any of you, you know. I've never heard of Ylisse back home, and I certainly haven't spotted it on any maps I've seen either."

Before Frederick could say anything else, Chrom beat him to the punch. "I must say, I've never heard of this 'America' either. I'd hate to doubt you, friend, but some definitive proof would be helpful."

Proof, eh? Well my ID would've probably been good enough for them. Plastic wasn't a thing in Ylisse as far as I was aware, nor was photography. Plus, having currency that wasn't gold would probably help.

"Give me one second," I said, as Lissa watched with interest while Frederick kept his grip on his spear. I dug through my wallets to confirm that both my wallet and phone were still on my person, despite the journey between dimensions. I had opted for the wallet first, figuring the phone would be a bit too much for everyone. It took all of two seconds to fish out my ID and a twenty dollar bill.

"This is a wallet. This is also the currency for my country along with a form of identification for further proof. Take a look."

Chrom and Lissa obliged, Lissa going for the money, while Chrom analyzed the ID card. He was taken aback almost immediately by the picture, his eyes switching from me back to the photo.

"What kind of portrait is this?" Chrom asked, looking at the plastic card with intrigue. "I see no paint! It's as if the artist has captured you in real time. And this material..."

"And this is paper!" Lissa quipped, flipping and analyzing the dollar bill like a child with a new toy. "Your country uses paper for money? Don't you all have gold?"

For whatever reason, I wanted to mention something about the US Gold Reserve, but immediately realized I knew next to nothing about any hard specific details, save for us having a gold reserve and the fact that we used gold to back up the value of the dollar. Though it did make me think about how medieval societies kept track of their money. I assumed Ylisse had some form of treasury keeping track of all that gold in some shape or form. Taxes probably had something to do with that. But like I said before, the specifics flew entirely over my head like a bad joke. Numbers were never my strong suit

Pay attention to class, kids. Don't be like me.

"Nope," I replied, "it's all paper. We use gold to back up the value of our currency compared to other countries."

At that point, Frederick walked over to investigate my pieces of evidence with a wary look in his eyes. He started with the money, taking at least two minutes on each side before investigating the card proper. The thing that struck him first was the plastic, giving a good couple of gentle taps with his gauntlet-clad hand. Then he took notice of the picture, looking between it and my face before sighing in defeat. He returned my things and sauntered off to Chrom, speaking in some kind of hushed whisper.

"So," Robin's voice circled from my side, a hint of nervousness in her tone. "I… don't suppose you have any idea why the both of us were unconscious in that field, would you?"

Honestly, I felt bad for Robin's situation. I wished I could try give her more info to work with, but it wasn't like I could say that she was the vessel for Dragon Satan, could I?

"Nope," I said, partially lying, "I'm just as lost as you. I know that doesn't exactly come as a relief, but it's all I really know, Miss…?"

"Robin." Her response came as much as a shock to herself as it did to the rest of our merry little group. "That's… strange. My name just came to me the moment you asked for it."

"'Robin?' Is that foreign?" Chrom asked, walking over to the both of us. "Ah well, no matter. We're close to Southtown now, and we'll be able to-"

A terrified shrill shriek cut Chrom off before he could finish his sentence. "C-Chrom! Look, the town!"

It took Chrom all of a second to clear the distance between himself and his panicking sister, with Frederick, Robin and myself following suit. What awaited us over the hillside was a sea of flame, the distant sound of people screaming for their lives as fur and leather armored bandits stormed the gates.

Bandits armed with axes and swords.

Shit.