Cheve was in an uproar.

Ryoma's impression of the southern province was that it was a desolate place. Dry savannah stretched for miles, with only the barest hints of forest every so often. The days were near scorching, and he felt as if the grass would be set aflame by the sun. At night, it was the exact opposite; cold winds chilled his blood, turning it to a thick slurry and froze his bones to the marrow. Still, he marched ever onward.

How else was he to take advantage of the opportunity given to him and his people?

Cheve had begun a rebellion. Before Saizo had disappeared in search of Ryoma's other retainer, Kagero, he had given a detailed report on the situation. A woman named Scarlet, growing tired of witnessing the brutality first hand by which her people were treated, an uprising had begun to stir. That little spark of resistance led to the gathering of weapons, ambushed patrols, and the fracturing of Nohr's hold over their people. Before long, a civil war had broken out in southern Nohr, effectively splitting King Garon's attention between it and Hoshido.

Despite Nohr's wealth of manpower, Yukimura told Ryoma that a twin front would eventually spell Nohr's downfall. And so, with his guidance, Ryoma was bade by his father to aid the rebellion in Cheve, while he rallied more troops in preparation for another offensive near the Bottomless Canyon.

Ryoma had mixed feelings about such a mission. Not because of its importance – he realized how it would help the war effort. If Nohr could not be beaten in a straight offensive, then they needed to weaken it until they were forced to broker for peace. Hehad no doubt that Hoshido and its surrounding vassal states would be able to hold out for some time against the Nohrian onslaught, but in the end, they would likely be crushed by sheer numbers.

It was also where Corrin's mother was slain, and where the small newborn was taken from. Ryoma shifted his stance to make himself more comfortable, to no avail. He hadn't seen Corrin for a while, and he doubted he'd see her before the war was over. He had heard reports, of course, of a group traveling alongside Hoshido's eastern coast. If their luck held out, they would be intercepted by Hinoka's squadron, and be convinced to go home.

Somehow, though, Ryoma doubted things would be so simple.

"Big brother?"

Snapped out of his reverie, Ryoma found himself staring at the star-filled sky. A cold wind screeched across the vast plains, as only the distant sounds of crackling campfires and footsteps made their way to his ears. He turned around and saw his youngest sibling, Sakura, standing behind him, quietly shivering as she looked at him with wide eyes and pale skin.

"Sakura, what are you doing out here?" Ryoma asked, approaching her before he knelt to her level, grasping her shoulders. "You should be asleep. The cold will do you no favors."

Sakura looked down, her expression strained and exhausted. "I-I can't sleep. I keep thinking about… them. What they could be doing. Why they're not here."

"You're thinking about them," Ryoma stated, "of Hinoka and Takumi."

Sakura's lips trembled. "Yes."

Takumi had been the first to disappear, but Ryoma had known where he went the instant he heard the news. If anyone within Hoshido had more reason to desert, he didn't know them. In the end, he supposed it was inevitable it would end the way that it did.

Hinoka, on the other hand, was strange. She had been training since her childhood in preparation to take Corrin back. Despite barely knowing her, she devoted her life to becoming one of Hoshido's finest Sky Knights just for the chance to see Corrin again. With that purpose fulfilled, Ryoma had wondered what she would do with her immense skill. Seeing her disappear into the country of Izumo, and having not been heard from since, there was only one answer as to what happened in Ryoma's mind.

We're already being torn apart.

"D-do you think about them, brother?" Sakura squeaked out, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Of course I do, Sakura," Ryoma mumbled. "I always do. Every night before I sleep, and every morning when I wake, my thoughts are of them. Of our family. You are not alone in your worry."

"H-how do you handle it?" She asked. "Every time I think of them, my stomach begins tying itself into knots. My heart pounds in my chest, wondering what has become of them. But beyond that, of the people we lead. Of their own families back home, and what they think knowing their sons and daughters are fighting in the biggest war they've ever seen…"

Ryoma closed his eyes and nodded. It made sense that Sakura would think that way. She was always empathetic, perhaps even to a fault. He would not change that about her, though. Truthfully, he found her perspective refreshing. It was a far cry from the talks of honor and blood in the Hoshidan Court.

"I would ask that you don't think of that, but I realize that is a fool's request," Ryoma said quietly. "Instead, I would ask you to temper it. To nurture it. You have a large heart, sister. It is in your nature to care for others. All I truly ask is that you do not let it overwhelm you."

"Y-you didn't answer my q-question," Sakura said meekly, shivering as a gust of icy wind blew past them both. "How do you handle it?"

"I don't," Ryoma admitted, "Seeing my people bleeding in the dirt, watching as they fight and die for their country… I used to see it as honorable, but I fear Corrin's words have sown seeds of doubt. I can no longer look at them and see honorable men fighting and dying for their country. All I can see are scared men and women struggling and falling because they have no other choice. Because we had no other choice."

"S-so you're just… better at hiding it?" Sakura asked.

"Indeed." Ryoma nodded. "At first, I used calming herbs. And when those stopped working, I needed to endure many long sessions with father, morphing my body itself into a mask. Underneath this cold and calculated exterior, Sakura, is that self same boy who shivers at the sight of his own shadow."

Sakura giggled. "T-that's still a bit hard to believe."

"Hm. Maybe so, but it is the truth," Ryoma rumbled, standing up. "As I said, keep a hold on your heart, my sister, but do not let the outside world frighten you so. Don't let it."

Sakura bowed. "T-thank you, brother! I knew it was a good idea to come to you!"

Ryoma nodded. "Yes, now get some sleep. We will make it to Cheve by tomorrow morning and judging from the size of those fires and smoke plumes, we will need all of our strength to help this rebellion."

Sakura bowed, and walked away. Ryoma was alone with his thoughts once again. He turned back to stare, not at the endless horizon of stars he had been before, but at the smoke and bright lights he saw in the distance. The smoke rose so high into the air, it looked almost like a foreboding thunderstorm was on its way, and the lights glowed so brightly it was like the stars had come down.

He didn't know why, but Ryoma felt something in his gut, looking at those flames. It was as if something shifted. It felt as if something would change irrevocably the moment he stepped foot in Cheve.

There was no turning back, though. An order from father was an order, no matter how much he might object.

A part of him asked if he still really believed that.

"The Nohrian army will either attempt to bypass the Bottomless Canyon and its associated dangers by taking to the sea," Yukimura explained, standing in front of his lord, Sumeragi, with both hands behind his back. "Or they will, either foolishly or bravely, move through those shattered peaks again and attack from the plains. I will say, milord, that our victory at the plains should not be cause for celebration."

"We lost many?" Sumeragi grumbled, his elbow on his armrest as his fingers idly tapped his chin.

Yukimura nodded in affirmation. "We may have successfully pushed back the first Nohrian wave, but there will be more. If Prince Ryoma is unsuccessful in his aid to the Chevois, and if Hinoka is not able to convince the Izumites and the Mokushujin, then we are looking at a near insurmountable force making its way across our country, completely unopposed."

"Ryoma will not fail," Sumeragi said with a sense of finality. "He is of my flesh and blood. And Hinoka, too. I have faith in both of them."

Yukimura bowed. "Be that as it may, milord, we must still consider the possibilities."

Sumeragi sighed. "Of course, Yukimura."

"The last we heard of Prince Ryoma, he was only a stone's throw away from Cheve. And as for Hinoka… I apologize for bringing you this news personally, milord, but we have not heard from her in weeks, and Izumo has gone completely dark."

Sumeragi's brow twitched. "Send a detachment to Izumo."

"Milord-"

"Do it."

"Lord Sumeragi, our manpower is stretched thin as it is," Yukimura sighed, pushing up his spectacles. "I will do as you say – I'll send a full company of samurai and sky knights should it come to it, but I doubt they will find anything. If Hinoka is alive, then she is imprisoned, or she has been taken in by Princess Corrin."

His gaze shifting from one of pure indignance to curiosity, Sumeragi's quiet voice returned as he asked, "Corrin has been seen in that area?"

"She has been witnessed traveling along the eastern coast, milord," Yukimura reported, "However, these reports are scattered and vague. Her movements suggest she will be heading towards Mokushu next. Mokushu itself has not responded to our pleas for aid, either."

"Then hopefully Corrin can right her wrongs, and rid us of that blight," Sumeragi growled. "I still remember the day Saizo came back. Those were…"

"They were dark days for all of us, milord," Yukimura stated.

"Indeed, and now Nohr's darkness encroaches upon our light!" Sumeragi suddenly shouted. "The world is coming apart at the seams, Yukimura! Perhaps even Garon can see it, so he has begun his offensive, to take what he could not bargain for! Nay, there will no longer be bargains! Within the year, Garon will lie broken and bloodied at my feet! Make note of it, Yukimura! Have the scribes jot it down and have it preserved for future generations! That we did not bow to those mongrels to the west! That we-!"

Sumeragi was thrown against his chair by a force only he could see. His breath left him in shuddering gasps as he wiped his forehead. Yukimura, dazed by the force of Sumeragi's words, took a step forward once he saw his lord against his throne.

"Are you unwell, milord?" Yukimura asked, before long bounding up the steps and standing beside his old friend. "Shall I summon a priest for you? It seems you have been caught by a fey mood…"

"I am caught by something, Yukimura," Sumeragi breathed out, his nails scratching against the armrests of his throne. He suddenly felt smaller and more vulnerable than he'd ever had before. "But it is not simply a fey mood. No, I am caught by something far more sinister – the drums of war beat in my head."

"Milo- No, Sumeragi. Tell me. Is there anything I can do?" Yukimura pleaded.

"Promise me something, old friend," Sumeragi whispered, "if I ever truly lose sight of who I am, if I ever put my own personal feelings of vengeance and use them against our own home, our own nation, then I want you to…"

Yukimura paled.

"I want you to kill me," Sumeragi finished. "Kill me. Stab me through my bastard's heart. But until then, continue as you have. As we always have been."

"S-Sumeragi, what could this possibly mean?" Yukimura's eyes widened as he took a step back. "You don't mean to say that you have…?"

"Aye. My mind is my own, for now. Or, I suppose it still is? It is hard to tell sometimes," Sumeragi grumbled, massaging his forehead. "Please, my old friend. Confirm that you have heard my wishes. I want to hear from you. From my last true friend I have in this world."

Yukimura swallowed an egg-sized lump in his throat as he bowed as reverently as he could. "If it would please you, milord, then I would do it without question."

"Good!" Sumeragi explained, his voice reaching a pitch Yukimura thought impossible for the old samurai. "Good. Good, good… It will not be long now, old friend. It's coming. Can you feel it?"

"Feel what, exactly?"

"The encroaching battle," Sumeragi breathed out, leaning his head on his hand. "The tension in the air. The smell of blood. I wager if I went outside, I would drown in it. This will be a war to end all wars… and by the end, Garon will pay for what he has done. They all will."

Yukimura remained silent.

"Go, my friend," Sumeragi said, "I have much to think of, and you have much to strategize. Go, with my blessing."

Truthfully, Yukimura had to keep himself from letting out a sigh of relief at that. He spun on his heel as he spoke. "At once, milord. Call for me if you need me."

It was Sumeragi's turn to remain silent. Once Yukimura's footsteps echoed their last, the throne room was as silent as the grave.

He saw such wondrous and glorious things.

The vast forests of Mokushu spread out as far as the eye could see. So dense was the canopy in some places that the sun's light never touched the earth. It was the perfect training ground for young ninja to hone their skills.

To Saizo the Fifth, however, it reminded him of his ultimate failure. It reminded him of things he would rather forget. His one good eye looked over the forests with a mixture of trepidation and hate. A part of him wanted to burn the entire thing down – no doubt Kotaro would be waiting for something. Even if it wasn't him and his small band, Kotaro would prepare for potential incursions from the north, either from Hoshido itself or from Izumo. If nothing else, the vile man was slippery and well-prepared.

Even still, if something did come from the north, it would provide an opportunity to sneak in uncontested. As much as Mokushu was a land practically built for ninja, Saizo was confident he could silence most that came his way. He wasn't just any normal ninja, after all.

Then, he grumbled as he closed his one eye and felt a cool breeze brush against him. He remembered what such hubris led to last time, and he traced one hand around the outline of his eyepatch.

"Staring out at the landscape, facing towards the fading horizon, with your back to me – ah, I can see it now! Kagero would've loved to have drawn a painting of this moment," a silky smooth voice said behind him, and Saizo had to bite back a small sneer. "Don't think I didn't hear you growl at me! I don't need the cards to hear!"

"Have you come to gather me, Orochi?" Saizo asked, turning around with a brow raised, "or has Reina snapped again?"

"That's mean. You know as well as I that Reina is well within her right mind," Orochi harrumphed, crossing her arms and pouting. "But, no, she has not lost her mind. Not yet. I was just looking to see where you went, and it turns out you're sitting here brooding. You do that a lot, you know? Brood, brood, brood! Is Kagero into men that brood incessantly?"

"Our relationship was one of convenience," Saizo grumbled, "until it was no longer. That is all there is to it. You agreed to help me find her, fortune teller. That is the extent of our relationship; do not presume to be my friend."

"Ha!" "You seriously think I believe that? No. I do, however, see you as a capable enough leader, and I would be very disappointed if you fell. I know for a fact that Kagero would never forgive me or herself for it. Even when you're all broken up, you two care for each other, don't you?"

"I would not have asked Lord Ryoma to allow me to do this if I did not care for her," Saizo mumbled, his fists clenching. "But our time together has long come to an end. At this point, it is just a ninja looking out for his fellow ninja. We are both retainers to Lord Ryoma, after all, and I know what these Mokushujin can do."

"…Ah. I'm sure you do," Orochi said, coming up behind the ninja. Saizo looked at her again before looking away hurriedly. Leave it to a fortune teller to wear nothing on her midriff, or to leave her dark purple hair to wave in the wind in such a messy style. "You were captured by them once. I remember. Have you ever thought that they captured her specifically to lure you in?"

"If not me, then Lord Ryoma, and one of us is the more expendable," Saizo replied. "Better it to be the foolish retainer than his lord take such bait. I cannot leave her in the hands of the Mokushujin, however. If I am to die trying, then let me die. It will have been an honor to do so."

Orochi giggled. "Alright, I'm starting to see what Kagero saw in you. All this talk of honor, though – what good is honor if you're dead?"

"You claim to be Hoshidan, and yet you ask me such a question?" Saizo looked at her again, scowling. "You disappoint me."

"Oh, please, don't give me this lecture," Orochi stated, rolling her eyes and she crossed her arms, as if mocking the ninja beside her. "You know what I mean, either way. Ryoma needs you. King Sumeragi needs you. They all need you alive. Revenge is all well and good, but what about the after? Nobody who is on a quest for revenge seems to really care about that, do they?"

"My brother is still out there," Saizo said, closing his eye. "It will be alright."

"Kaze, huh?" Orochi hummed, "Do you really think he has what it takes to rebuild your clan?"

"There is no 'rebuilding' our clan," Saizo growled. "It's gone. Turned to ash and stomped on by the Mokushujin. I may carry its naming traditions, but everyone besides my brother and I are gone. Perhaps it should stay that way."

"If you two are still here, then it's not dead," Orochi replied, looking out towards the rising sun. "As long as you still live, its spirit lives on, Saizo the Fifth. Do not throw away your life for revenge."

Saizo remained silent.

"I'll go get ready. Reina and I are still with you. Don't worry. Just remember what I have said," Orochi finished before walking away.

"How does a woman such as that get away with acting a fool for so long, only to spout out actual wisdom?" Saizo whispered harshly to himself.

As one of the last of a lost clan of ninja looked down at the home of his sworn enemy, his ally's words refused to leave his mind.

Valla was a land rife with mystery and mysticism.

From the time its inhabitants walked its floating isles and sailed across its massive chasms, to when it fell into ruin and dismemberment, with no signs of animal life anywhere on its twisted islands, Anankos endured.

Trapped beneath Castle Gyges, the Silent Dragon had waited, plotted, schemed its way between the world above and below, quietly manipulating its denizens and tying up loose ends.

Even so, it could feel defeat looming over itself. In the words of its once and future vessel, it 'gave her a bad feeling'. The mask that covered its face - or perhaps it was its face, and it could no longer be removed - cracked and groaned as its mouth opened wide, and a roar so loud it caused the entire castle to shake. Bits of stone fell to the ground and split apart further as the imprisoned dragon let out all its pent up frustration in the one bestial way it knew how.

Before long, however, she finally let up, and the castle went quiet once more.

Soon after, Arete arrived. Her form invisible save for the flowing gold eyes and the ethereal flames that surrounded her, only visible by the dragon that gazed upon her. She looked beautiful, in her own way. In a way that mattered, Anankos reminded herself. Most humans looked disgusting to her, truth be told, but that hardly mattered anymore. Soon, they would all be reborn.

"You called for me, milady?" Arete softly asked, as she knelt.

The rumbling voice of Anankos would have deafened anyone who could hear it. "I require your aid, Arete. I need you. This form is limiting. I need out. I want out."

"Milady, you need a vessel in order to-!"

"Damn the vessel, fool!" Anankos snarled, her hollow eye sockets glowing with light. "I need out! I want out!"

"…There may be a way, milady," Arete replied calmly. "Your control over your domain allows you to create minions, yes, but what if you…?"

Anankos was talking to herself. She spoke through Arete and Arete spoke through her. They were connected, but not in the same way she and Liz were once connected. A vessel was a vessel, but some vessels were better than others. The equinox was approaching, but it was not fast enough. She needed more time. She needed something more. Something better.

And what's more, anger boiled inside her, making her feel like steam would come out of her mouth. Anger justified and aimed at four in particular. One was out of her reach, but three were not. All it would take would be a small peek, to see what they were most vulnerable to…

Her vessel, too. Her vessel needed to be taught a lesson, and her traitorous daughter, as well. They all needed to be taught the error of their ways. Arete was a massive boon, but she was only one. If there were multiple…

Anankos formulated the plan in her head as Arete stood there silently. Her golden eyes watched her master.

"Gather my materials," Anankos demanded, rising up higher as if trying to establish her superiority. "I will make myself a body, and generals. They will be my vanguard. They will aid me in my mission. I will recreate them in any image I see fit. I am my own domain! The time for subterfuge and hiding has passed! Ready yourself! I will not spare a single breath! I will break them upon the ruined visage of their homes, and once the color has drained from them, I will recreate them!"

Arete bowed her head reverently, unflinching at the rumbling that surrounded her. "It will be done, mighty Anankos."

Once Arete finally left, Anankos laughed. It was a demented, insane laughter that echoed throughout the empty and broken halls of Castle Gyges. The structure bent and broke in several places as Anankos wriggled like a snake in her bonds. The same bonds placed upon her when the ones before thought she had died, they weakened ever further. As the world waned, her power waxed.

The entirety of Valla shook with power, with anticipation as Anankos awaited the day she could crush the world with her power. The madness that would take all dragons swirled within her mind unabated, forever twisting her thoughts.

Not even the love for her daughter she absorbed from her human half could stop her.

I'm totally not planning anything devious. No, not at all.

:)

Here's a link to our Discord server: discord .gg/9XG3U7a

See you guys next time!