It was almost scary to Liz how organized Izumo became once the source of their troubles were found.
Liz watched as guardsmen, once confined to their homes under orders from the Archduke himself, surged through the town and the castle itself. The sorcerer behind it all still remained below. Liz half-expected the poor bastard to try his luck and attack the guards that brought him food. Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on how she looked at it, there was no report of that happening.
The more she thought about it, the more she thought about how unfortunate it truly was. He deserved more than two arrows for what he had done in the Wind Tribe.
Liz blinked before shaking her head, feeling herself grow light-headed.
The day after Izumo had been liberated, she decided to go by herself to town. It hadn't changed much since the first time she had been through it, but then again, why would it? Thankfully, they had been spared of the battle that raged at their castle. What's more, the townsfolk seemed more alive than they had when they first arrived. Hell, the entire town actually seemed more lively! It was like some sort of fog had been lifted off her and everybody's shoulders.
Well, there was still something dragging Liz down, but at that moment it was negligible.
Liz eventually found herself closing in on the markets, which were just reopening. She didn't have much gold, but with the help of what she could pry from Severa's hands, it would have to be enough for what she needed.
Of course, that didn't even get to the person she knew was stalking her. Distant, cold eyes drilled into the back of her skull, a far cry from the warmth of the sun and the nice breeze that blew through the town.
"I can see you," Liz said suddenly, just as she was about to take a turn into the markets. The sound of bustling townspeople and laughter reached her ears, but what mattered to her was what she saw when she turned around. "I'm pretty sure everyone from here to the castle could see you. Probably hear you, too. Hell, maybe they could even smell you."
"Language, uncouth as always," the man stated, marching up to her from the shadows with his hands behind his back.
It was Jakob, and Liz had to stifle a groan as the butler approached.
"Don't you have anything better to do than to stalk me around the whole town?" Liz asked, turning around completely and crossing her arms, tapping her foot on the while. "It just seems a bit creepy, y'know? To be following a young woman like me around. It could give some people the wrong idea. Or maybe they have the right idea, I dunno."
Jakob sniffed as he looked down at Liz from the bridge of his nose. Which he would have had to do anyway, considering their height difference, but Liz could tell he was putting extra effort into looking as snooty and superior as possible.
"Making sure dangerous individuals such as yourself are under constant surveillance is certainly a good use of my time, for what it's worth," Jakob said, "And of everyone who I have sized up as threats to Lady Corrin, you rank as the highest, even now."
"Ah, well, I'm flattered," Liz laughed, placing her hands on her hips. "Good to know I got the psycho butler from hell hot on my ass. It really makes me feel all warm and fuzzy. Come on, Jakob. Me? Dangerous?"
"You broke my arm," Jakob snarled, suddenly stepping forward. "To make light of the danger you present is an even greater insult than you know, fool! Look at yourself!"
Liz looked down at her body and twirled around. "Yeah, I'm still short. Your point?"
"My point," Jakob growled, "is that you are a hazard. You walk among royalty as if you are one, and your flippant disregard for propriety, frankly, makes me furious. The fact you have walked beside Corrin as a friend when not but two months previously you were our greatest enemy is a source of constant frustration. You should not be there. You should have been executed."
Liz looked down at her feet. "You know what's funny, Jakob? I kinda agree with you."
"Perhaps your entire being isn't devoted to being as annoying as possible, then," Jakob mused, holding his chin for a moment before sighing and shaking his head. "Care to explain? I could have sworn that you would have either lashed out or fallen apart upon hearing my speech."
"I mean," Liz began, rubbing the back of her neck, "I get it, alright? Or at least, I kind of do. I'm… I don't know, exactly, what became of me when Anankos took over. It's all just a blur and what has been told to me by everyone else. I…" Liz shrugged. "I guess I am kinda dangerous, huh?"
"As far I can tell, yes," Jakob rubbed his forehead. "Why did you persist in goading me before, then? If we are of the same mind, then you know what you must do."
Liz looked up. "You want me to stop talking to Corrin, huh?"
"That would be prudent, yes," Jakob said, nodding. "I'd prefer it if you left our group entirely, but I am not without mercy. Especially when you have family within it."
Severa…
Liz shrugged again, a small giggle leaving her lips. "I can't do that, Jakob."
Jakob raised a brow. "Why not?"
"Because I…" Liz swallowed. "Because I want to pay her back. Because I want to be there for her the same way she and everyone else have been there for me. You guys, you saved me. Even you." Liz smiled softly. "The entire reason I went out to town like this was so I could try and get her something nice, too."
Jakob looked at Liz for a few moments, his steely gaze unblinking as he analyzed her. After a few more moments of awkwardness, he eventually sighed again.
"I could forcefully stop you," Jakob said, "I could, but I will not. It would cause too many questions. I can't make you disappear, but I can give you a plea. A beg, if you will. Leave her. Do not pursue her, like I assume you are. It will only hurt her when it inevitably ends."
Liz held a hand to her chest. "And if I continue?"
"As I said, my hands are tied," Jakob let out a breath. "In the end, with you, all I have are my words as a weapon, which are evidently not enough. Do with them what you will, but remember what was said here. You are a danger. You were under that snake's control once – how do you know you won't be again?"
Liz shrugged as a swift breeze blew through the street, whipping her hair around her, longer than it once was. "I don't. If it does happen again, I guess I can only hope that you guys finish the job. If it does happen, Jakob, don't worry about what Corrin would think. Don't worry about what everyone else would think, although I doubt that you ever did. Just kill me, as fast as possible."
Jakob closed his eyes. "I can do that. Do not expect me to take my eyes off of you Elizabeth. If I see any sign, any single instance of you losing control of your body, I will not hesitate to plunge a dagger into your chest."
Liz nodded, her lips pressed into a thin line. "And, uh, before you go, Jakob…"
The silver-haired butler opened his eyes and raised a brow curiously, waiting for Liz to continue.
"What do you think Corrin would like most?" Liz asked, tapping her chin. "I was thinking a silver hair clip for her headband."
The throne room of Izumo had long been cleaned of the corpses and blood stains, but if Corrin looked closely, she felt like she could still see them.
It was filled with people standing on the sides, murmuring among themselves as Corrin stood to the side of the throne, her hand on Yato's pommel at all times as she looked around nervously. On the other side of the throne stood Hayato, who fidgeted nervously and occasionally fixed his headwear. On the throne sat Izana, his eyes closed and yet Corrin felt he could still see every little thing that happened within his throne room.
Just beside Izana, stood the stocky form of Daisuke, his previous cheery demeanor gone. Corrin knew Daisuke had something to do with how the battle panned out, but until his part was recounted, she didn't know exactly what.
Sunlight streamed in through the windows, and Corrin pulled her hood tighter around her head, agitation making itself known as she tried to keep herself from jittering. Something about being in a room with such a large amount of people, with some of their eyes staring at her, it made her feel more uncomfortable than she could really fathom. It wasn't like when she was speaking to her band, or to her family.
"Ah, Daisuke, those guardsmen are taking their time, aren't they?" Izana suddenly said, leaning on his throne lazily. "I feel as if I'll start turning into dust out of boredom at this rate!"
"I must stress patience, sire," Daisuke replied calmly, his gaze focused solely on the doors at the other end of the throne room. "They must ensure that this monster cannot use his magic against us. And what's more, if he were to get away under their watch…"
"What? I wouldn't execute them!" Izana protested, "I'd just give them a stern talking to! You know, like a father does to his rowdy sons! Anyway, I gave them the necessary tools to restrain that sorcerer. How can it be more complicated-?"
Before Izana could continue on his tirade, the doors opened and Corrin let out a sigh of relief. She found herself dangerously close to interjecting.
From the opened doorway marched two pairs of guardsmen, and within the middle of them walked the hunched over figure of Zola. He didn't look much different from when Corrin had seen him the day previously, although the scared glances he gave to the crowds reminded her of a cornered rat.
"Ah, and there he is!" Izana laughed, "The man of the hour! The bringer of doom and destruction to not one, but two nations! Strange, I imagined you would be taller."
Corrin heard Zola grumble something out as he reached the area just in front of the throne, the people around him hurling insults and curses his way. Corrin found herself wincing at some of them.
"Now, now, where was I going to go with this? Oh, yes!" Izana sat up straight in his throne, and his face morphed into one of neutrality. "Zola of Nohr, you stand accused of the heinous crimes of inciting a coup, unlawful torture and mutilation, and the murder of hundreds. I would ask how you would like to plead, but really, this is hardly a trial, is it? It is merely a recap. We know what you did. You know what you did. I imagine you have no pretenses on how this will play out."
"This is a farce," Zola snarled out.
"Oh, absolutely! But let's keep it going for a while longer, shall we?" Izana stated before Corrin felt his eyes on her. "Princess Corrin, in the Wind Tribe to the north, you said a sorcerer used its peasants to create monsters? The selfsame monsters you fought in this throne room?"
"Y-yes," Corrin stammered before regaining her bearings. "Yes, archduke. I fought against both Faceless and those abominations in the Wind Tribe. Someone had taken over its castle and used it as a testing ground for their experiments. We did not get to see the sorcerer behind it, but I see little doubt that the man I am looking at was behind it. He all but confirmed it to me before the battle began."
"Oh, indeed?" Izana mused, turning to his left, "Well, as it so happens, we have a member of the esteemed Wind Tribe right here! What're the odds? Hayato, was it?"
Hayato nodded, his gaze firmly planted on Zola, who looked away. "Yes, Archduke Izana."
"I realize this might be painful for you, my small friend," Izana said, reclining back on his throne and crossing his legs, "but I want you to recount what happened in the Wind Tribe, from your perspective."
Corrin saw Hayato's lips tremble slightly, and her heart sank. "They came in through an underground passage that was once used to escape the castle in ancient times. He used it and… and we were cast out. All of us. Except for me. He used me to-" Hayato wiped at his eyes, sniffling lightly before schooling his expression into one of complete emotionlessness. "He tried to use me in an experiment to create a Greater Faceless. When that didn't work, he sent his unholy forces into our village to kidnap helpless citizens, and used them as the core of its weapon, all the while I was left to rot inside our own dungeons."
Izana closed his eyes and waved a hand. "You need not say more, Hayato of the Wind Tribe. You will no longer have to relive those terrible days. Now, this is already damning, Zola of Nohr, I'm sure you know."
"Why waste time with this!?" Zola snapped, "Why!? What point does this serve? Do you expect to see my wallow? To beg for forgiveness? I will not! I regret nothing!"
"Wasting time is an honorable pastime in Izumo, I'll have you know!" Izana replied haughtily. "And no regret? The gods usually smile upon such stalwart refusal, but today they're frowning! Very deep frowns that scar the skin! You disappoint them with your wickedness!"
"Your entire country is a bed of nothingness!" Zola screamed, and yet he remained completely still. "It's a festering cesspit! It and the Wind Tribe! Do you not know what is coming!? The world will be drowned in blood and despair, and yet you sit here with your festivals and your praying with nary a care in the world! You are weak!"
"Daisuke, my friend, have you anything to say?" Izana said, looking to his immediate right at the pudgy retainer. "You were serving directly under this wretch, were you not?"
Daisuke bowed. "Indeed I was, Archduke. If only so that I could weaken him from within. It pains me that I was not able to save some of our citizenry, but in the end, I paved the way for this fool's destruction. When Princess Corrin and her company prepared to assault this very throne room, I ensured Zola's 'trump card' would not come into effect."
"And these were… ah, the Greater Faceless, as we have so dubbed them," Izana said, tapping his fingers against the armrest of his throne. "We will speak later of that, Daisuke. Just know that you have my thanks in this."
"Of course, my lord."
"Now, Zola of Nohr-"
"Do it," Zola demanded.
"Do what, my homicidally insane friend?" Izana asked, blinking. Then, he laughed, "Ah, you mean your execution! Yes, we will get to that in just a moment. But, I just want to say something to you, before we say our oh so tragic goodbyes!"
Izana stood up, his face growing deadly serious – his glare could melt through stone, it felt so vicious. He felt less like the goofy Archduke that Corrin had come to know and more like an actual, living and breathing god. So great was his newfound presence that Corrin found herself backing away slightly.
"You are the answer to a question many have asked. You are evil, pure and simple, and on this day, I rid the world of you. You have tortured and slaughtered thousands in the pursuit of a goal I am unsure even you have thought about. Power for power's sake? What is the point, I ask you? It matters not. For the crimes you have committed, I am afraid there is no redemption. There is no light for you. Perish."
Corrin saw Izana produce a scroll. Even from her distance, she felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. Zola screamed again, jabbering almost incoherently.
"Dusk Dragon take you all! Hoshidan dastards! Let the devil reap your souls!"
With a swish of his arms, Izana's scrolls opened like a portal to another realm. In the next instant, a dragon of ethereal blue light surged forward. He traveled forward in a soundless roar, and when it struck Zola it completely engulfed him. Corrin looked away, finding it hard to look directly at the brutal sight in front of her. Before long, however, the light dissipated, and Corrin forced herself to look forward.
Zola laid upon the ground, his body charred black. There was no smell, no smoke, nothing. It was as if a god had smote him, rendering him into nothing more than a piece of charcoal.
"Well, that's that," Izana stated, putting his scroll away and rubbing his hands together. "What unpleasant business that was! Honestly, this room got so quiet I could hear my own thoughts, and that never ends well!"
"It's finished," Corrin said, taking in a deep breath as she bowed her head. She looked at the Archduke. "I hope you'll carry out your end of the bargain now, Archduke."
"My end of the bargain? Oh, yes!" Izana said, laughing a bit. How he was able to laugh after what had just happened, Corrin would never know. "Give until this evening. I'm terribly sorry for delaying but I couldn't allow a miscreant like Zola to have time to escape. Please, return before sundown. I'll have everything ready for the ceremony by then!"
Corrin let out a weary breath. "Alright, Archduke."
Liz watched the procession funnel out of the elevator. Tightly, she clasped the small silver hair clip she bought from the market. She sifted through the crowd, looking for any sign of Corrin.
Just as she was about to lose hope and pocket the present for later, Liz found her. She was at the very back, looking lost and tired; there were small bags under her eyes, and her gait was lazy. It was a far cry from the usual way she so gracefully walked everywhere. Liz furrowed her brow but decided to file that information for later. Besides, she had a job to do.
"Candy Corn!" Liz called.
Corrin simply kept walking as if her feet were encased in cinder blocks.
"Corrin?" Liz asked before coming up behind her and placing a hand on her shoulder. "Are you-?"
Corrin whirled around, her hand on Yato's grip before she recognized Liz. She let out a deep breath as she relaxed, pulling her hood over her head a little tighter as the light streamed in.
"Please don't scare me like that, Liz," Corrin mumbled, "I don't react well to being spooked."
"I… called your name, though?" Liz said, taken aback. "I said your nickname once, but then I said your real name and you acted like you didn't hear me."
"I… I didn't act. I suppose I really just didn't hear you," Corrin replied, rubbing her forehead. "Dusk Dragon, it has been a long, long few days. I don't think I slept at all last night. Apologies for coming off so irritated."
Liz waved a hand. "Eh, don't worry about it. I got shouted at much worse by, well, both my brother and my niece now. I don't think I'll ever get used to that."
Corrin chuckled. "Yes, I imagine that whole affair was confusing. I don't have the full story from them, and I feel as if I'd collapse by the time half their tale was done. Anyway, I imagine this is for something important? The Archduke will want us with him here soon to receive a vision."
"Ah, uh, yeah! I do," Liz fumbled slightly before she simply held out her hand, a small blush on her face. "I have something for you."
Corrin raised a brow before opening her own hand. Liz let go of the silver hair clip, letting it fall into Corrin's palm. Liz stood there for several seconds, her mind completely blank as Corrin inspected the trinket.
"I, uh," Liz stammered, "I just thought I'd get you something, you know? If nothing else, than to repay you for all that you've done for me. I know it's not much but-!"
"It's beautiful."
"Huh?" Liz went slack-jawed as Corrin held up the trinket to the light, and she could've sworn she saw Corrin's eyes sparkle more than the hairclip did.
Corrin flicked her hood back, letting her long platinum hair flow freely and taking Liz's breath away. She clipped it to the black headband around her head and let out a small squeal when it fit perfectly.
The way Corrin smiled, the way her eyes lit up when Liz gave her the hair pin, it made Liz's heart skip a beat. With her pointed ears fully visible, and her pronounced fangs bared in her smile, it was almost like staring at a modern vampire. Liz couldn't get enough of it.
"Uh, Liz?" Corrin said. Liz blinked as Corrin waved her hand in front of her face. "Are you still with me?"
"I wish I was," Liz mumbled.
"Huh?"
"Yeah, I'm still here. Sorry, I was just…" Liz closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Distracted."
"Distracted by what?" Corrin asked, looking behind her. "There's only us two here."
"By God, please have mercy on my soul…" Liz whimpered.
"Okay, seriously, are you alright?" Corrin asked, stepping forward and placing a hand on Liz's shoulder to steady her. "I may be tired, but I can tell that you don't seem to be at full strength either."
Liz shook her head. "Maybe. I dunno. All of a sudden, I just feel real lightheaded, ya know? It's been, uh, it's been a day, hasn't it?"
Corrin sighed. "Agreed, and unfortunately for me, it's not done yet. Me and the others need to speak to Izana later, but that doesn't mean you should run yourself into the ground like this."
Liz shrugged. "Eh, it's you I'm more worried about. You're our leader, you know? And my friend. I think."
Corrin's brow furrowed. "You think? Why wouldn't we be?"
"I dunno, I just don't want to be presumptuous?" Liz replied, trying hard not to stammer as she fidgeted in place.
"You're my friend," Corrin said resolutely, putting her other hand on Liz's shoulder and looking her in the eye. "You, and everyone else who follows me and my family, are a friend. And you… I…"
For several moments, they stood there, staring each other in the eye, blue meeting red in an endless battle of emotions.
Slowly, agonizingly, Corrin stepped back, and Liz coughed. "I consider you a friend, too. You can talk to me about anything, you know? I'll listen. It's what I'm good at!"
Corrin nodded, a small smile on her face. "I'll be sure to do that at some point, then. Perhaps I'll sit in on those training sessions with Severa. I could give pointers and other information. Or at least, I hope I can. How good of a teacher has she been?"
"Why do you think I'm always exhausted?" Liz whined, rubbing her eyes. "Anyways, yeah, I think I'll take your advice, Candy Corn. Hopefully Izana lets us stay in the room that Zola dude gave us."
As Liz walked past Corrin, she felt a shiver go up her spine. She didn't make it far before she was stopped.
"One more thing!" Corrin called. Liz turned around to see Corrin showing off the silver hair clip she had given her. "Thanks for this, Jelly Bean!"
Liz smiled but quickly turned around when she felt her cheeks heat up.
The rest of Corrin's day was agonizing. Hour after hour passed with no tell from the Archduke or anyone associated with him. It was as if she were waiting to be ambushed again, as Camilla softly hummed a tune before the doors burst open to reveal a cloaked assassin.
That didn't happen again, thankfully, and this time, she had her family around her.
"So that is what happened then, hm?" Leo asked, leaning back and crossing one of his legs over the other. "I had assumed one of our soldiers simply succumbed to his nerves and let his arrow fly, and the rest is history. But these invisible men – these 'Vallites', they've been behind everything, haven't they?"
"She's already told you everything, dear. Remember?" Camilla lightly chided, "Why do you feel the need to repeat it?"
"Because it is still difficult to wrap my head around," Leo replied, holding a hand to his chin. "Because even if I have accepted that these Vallites exist, and that Corrin's cause is just, I still want to make completely sure that all of this is as it seems. What if it was one of our soldiers? I know the arrow came from our side, and everything you have said…"
"I like the skepticism," Takumi said as he leaned beside the doorway. "Trust me, I really do, but you're in the thick of it with us now, Nohrian. If you keep trying to poke holes, you'll sink the whole ship."
"And so the Hoshidan prince feels the need to butt in with his own brand of sarcasm, the lowest form of wit," Leo responded, rolling his eyes. "If I want your opinion, I'll ask for it, Hoshidan."
"I see this Nohrian has the claws of a barghest," Takumi chuckled, "Look at him, baring them at me! Unfortunately for you, I'm already taken."
"I hate you the most. I have decided," Leo mumbled before looking back to the others, particularly Azura. "I didn't get the chance to say 'hi', did I?"
"Could you find it in yourself to come up with a better greeting?" Azura asked softly, "We only knew each other for a short while, didn't we? But even then, maybe better than a simple 'hi'?
"I'm sorry if what I said earlier offends you, sister," Leo shrugged, looking down at his legs. "The scars of the concubine wars are on us all, but I know they were brutal to you and your mother before you were taken from us. Perhaps a little of my own mother's grudge resides in me, though I barely knew her."
"Indeed," Camilla agreed, looking to Corrin, "Which is why I am glad you were spared from that much, at least."
Corrin's lips pursed. "I didn't even know they existed until King Garon told me of them. I'm… sorry you all had to go through that."
"It was a long time ago," Azura sighed, "And I forgive you, Leo. It is better to let go of the past rather than to allow it to repeat itself, hmm?"
"Yes," Leo answered, looking between Takumi and Hinoka. "I wonder if our Hoshidan compatriots feel the same."
Hinoka snorted. "I have no problem working with your kind, Nohrian. Not even after all that has happened. You should be honored."
"Oh, there she goes. Now she's done it," Takumi whispered. "If only I had something to eat – this would be an entertaining show."
"Even after all that has happened?" Leo echoed, "You were the ones who kidnapped Corrin during a routine mission!"
"You stole her in the first place," Hinoka answered, crossing her arms. "Or did they not tell you about Cheve? About how Corrin's mother was murdered there, and she was stolen?"
"And so the Hoshidans – all of you – decided to do the same?" Leo asked loudly, standing up. "You decided to stoop to my father's level and steal an infant as well? I shudder to think how Azura was treated in Hoshido. Nohrians are all dirty thieves in Hoshido, aren't they? Every single one of them. What's worse than becoming one?"
Hinoka moved forward until she was right in front of the Nohrian prince, her red eyes glaring into Leo's.
"Choose your next words very carefully, Prince Leo," Hinoka snarled, "We are both here for one purpose – stopping Anankos from drowning our world in blood. This fighting is pointless."
"And who started it, I wonder?" Leo hissed back. "Do not pass the blame onto me when you are the one who incited me."
"Both of you, stop. Right now," Corrin said, stepping forward. "Hinoka is right, but that doesn't mean that Leo is wrong, either. I do not want us to succumb to infighting this soon into our campaign! Am I clear?"
Leo and Hinoka remained quiet. Leo, in the end, was the first to reply.
"Crystal," he said as he sat back down.
Hinoka was next. "Perhaps I let my bitterness get the best of me," she mumbled, "I apologize for dredging up old feuds."
Corrin nodded. "I realize that it will take more than a common goal to completely unify you all. If nothing else, cling onto that, for now. The fate of the world itself is more important than anything else right now. We can sort this all out when Anankos is gone."
The room became silent after that. Takumi looked between everyone; from Leo to Hinoka and to Camilla to Azura.
"Wow," Takumi said, "Impressive. I thought for sure they would have killed each other."
"A stern talking to is usually all it takes," Azura mused. "I do hope that pudgy man arrives to collect us, soon. I am growing weary of this room."
Corrin sighed. "You and me both."
As if almost on cue, the door to their shared room opened, and from the hallway came Daisuke, a more genuine smile on his face than there used to be.
"Growing tired of waiting? Well, no worries!" he said, holding his arms out to his sides. "Archduke Izana is ready to see you now! I only hope this meeting goes better than the one you had with the imposter."
Corrin rubbed her forehead as the rest of her family got up. "You and me both, Daisuke."
The trip to the castle's throne room felt mercifully quick for the first time since they'd come to Izumo. Tension was thick between her Hoshidan and Nohrian siblings, but Corrin felt that there would be no more fighting for them. Not that day, anyway. There were more important matters to get to, like their incoming vision from the Archduke.
When they arrived at the great hall, Corrin squinted into the darkness. Barely a single candle or torch was lit, and she led her siblings hastily through the cloaked blackness, just behind Daisuke.
"Ah, there they are!" she heard Izana say from his throne. "Apologies; I would have come to collect you myself, but currently I feel as if all my organs have been shot through my body and turned into liquid. Perhaps that was the payment the gods sought? It's a very rude payment, if I do say so myself!"
"Are you alright, Archduke?" Corrin said, "If you need it, we could-!"
"Ah, no worries, Princess Corrin!" Izana said, and Corrin saw him wave his arm lazily in front of him. She still couldn't get the best look at him. "I decided to talk to the gods almost immediately after that little farcical trial we had for our dear friend Zola. Turns out, the backlash was more than I foresaw!"
"We could have been here! You didn't need to do it yourself!" Corrin exclaimed, "There was no need to hurt yourself!"
"Unless, of course, that's what you wanted?" Takumi asked.
Izana made a 'pop' sound with his lips. "No, my friend. I would not wish this kind of pain on anyone, least of all myself! But I know what is to come. What will happen should the Silent Dragon not be stopped? Blood. Blood everywhere! Blood to drown the world and steel to burn it away!"
"Oh dear, I think he's having a conniption," Camilla remarked.
"A conniption! Yes, that is a word! A word most apt!" Izana said, slamming himself against his chair. "This is the most horrific vision I have ever received! And believe me, I have seen some horrific things! You, Corrin… Corrin!"
Corrin took a step back.
"Travel to Notre Sagesse!" Izana screamed, his voice reverberating across the great hall. Corrin swore it caused the windows to bend and shake. "Travel there, and meet the Rainbow Sage! Learn what he can teach you! The Maker! The Great Shaper! The end of an era! Unlock the Seal of Flames! Let it engulf you and shape you, so that you may do the will of the world itself! Put an end to this nightmare of a thousand years, I beg of you!"
Corrin felt as if she would fall down from shock at any moment. One minute, the Archduke was still his jovial old self, and in the next he was screaming bloody murder. He barely even sounded human; his voice was the stuff of nightmares, like someone's death rattle.
The Archduke convulsed once and then was still. His chest rose rhythmically, so Corrin could tell he was still alive, but he looked completely unresponsive.
"Do not worry about him, my friends," Daisuke said quietly, "This vision was quite strenuous for the Archduke. He will recover in time, but I suggest you leave for now. The winter equinox approaches, and by tomorrow I think you should be far down the road to Mokushu, and Notre Sagesse beyond."
Corrin nodded, her jaw clenched so tightly she wondered how her teeth didn't shoot out of her mouth. "A-alright."
"Well, that was a harrowing experience," Leo grumbled, massaging his temples as he walked beside Corrin. Before long, the royals found themselves gathering around one of the many pillars in the castle's lower levels, and Leo leaned against it, trying to steady himself. "Who knew talking to the gods would be so dangerous to one's health?"
"That portly man did mention that this vision was harder on the Archduke than usual," Camilla supplied, resting her head on her hand. "Of course, it was worth it. We have our destination, do we not?"
"Notre Sagesse," Hinoka muttered, "That's a small island nation out in the sea. Father never took us there. Said there was no reason to."
"That's because there's nothing there," Takumi shrugged. "It's just a bunch of rice farmers and old ruins. The only people who'd want to be there are those studying the past or looking to get away from their troubles. Or natives, I suppose. The only good thing there is the Rainbow Sage, but even he is only spoken of in legends."
"He exists. I'm sure of it," Azura chimed in, "I trust in Archduke Izana's vision. If he said that we must meet the Rainbow Sage, then he must be alive."
"I hope he is," Leo said, rapping his knuckles against the column. "We've all put a lot at stake under the hope we can destroy Anankos. If all of that is for naught, then, well…"
"Everyone, I understand your concerns," Corrin said finally. "Trust me, I do. I even share them. But the path ahead of us is now clear. Come tomorrow morning, we will make for Mokushu, and from there, we will go to Notre Sagesse. Believe me when I say that there is still hope. Besides," Corrin stopped for a moment and smiled, "if I have all of you by my side, there's no way we can lose."
"Aww, look at you!" Camilla cooed. "When you start like that, I just want to pinch your cheeks!"
Despite the unwitting condescension on Camilla's part, hope bloomed in Corrin's chest. She found herself believing in her own words. The world seemed so much brighter than it had in the past few days.
A small, venomous part of Corrin chided her for being so naïve.
And with that, we head off to Mokushu and towards the end of this whole Hoshidan arc that I have had so much fun writing.
That's a lie, its been a bit of a slog, but I guess that's what happens when I decide to follow the canon path for this part. Once this is over, however, we finally get to some more explicitly original stuff. That'll be fun.
Anyway, here's a link to our Discord server: discord .gg/9XG3U7a
See you guys next week!
