Chapter 50: Lost

Chrom knew only sea, storms, and blood. Of tumbling end over end as the currents spun around him. And a searing pain exploded within him whenever he tried to breathe; it buried deep into his chest until it rested close to his heart. It felt as though his scales were being severed from his skin, one shaky inhale at a time.

But despite the splitting pain, only one thing echoed through his head.

'I… I lost her.'

His mind was fogged with pain and fatigue… And that ever-present ache of loss. He could do little more than continue to bleed, sinking deeper into delirium. Falling to a place where even the hurt couldn't follow him, as his senses began to blur.

All around him the ocean and sea life shifted, becoming little more than flashes of color.

Colors that began to mix together; twisting into something… Else. Strands of kelp and rocks transformed into phantasmal towers, the sands turning to paved streets, and the waves into an achingly clear blue sky. Visions from both dream and hazy memory as a landwalker returned to him as he floated among the pale stone.

'Ylisse. This looks almost like Ylisse, but…'

But different. Something older, more ancient… Something he'd only seen in visions.

A part of him knew he was dreaming, or hallucinating. But he was still entranced by the sight, nonetheless.

"This is your birthright, Tide Touched." A woman's voice thrummed through the ocean and rang in his ears. Even the towers seemed to ripple and shimmer in answer to her words. A part of him knew the power in that voice, and a name came to his lips unbidden.

"N… Naga?" His voice wavered. Part of him wished to search for the speaker, but the rest was too captivated by the city. He longed to circle the towers and drift close enough to touch the stonework. They were an echo of-

'Of the tales.'

"Emmeryn… Always told me stories about this." He could almost hear his sister's voice in turn.

'And so the first Exalt sacrificed his home, to seal the dark dragon away and save the surviving lands. The ocean took its payment, and at last the storms subsided. And even now the ancient city is said to sleep beneath the waves-'

"W-waiting for the heirs to return." Chrom finished the story, staring at the buildings. "Is that… Is that true? Is there still remnants of the old kingdom, before Ylisse ever existed?"

The water seemed to thrum in reaction.

"The old kingdom and city… Still…"

Another wave of agony set his body alight, the illusion vanishing with the sudden jab of pain. Chrom thrashed like a fish on a hook, fighting his way upright. His vision cleared, and with it came a fresh sense of loss as the buildings faded away to a faint mirage.

'You lost her.' His thoughts repeated.

Chrom couldn't chase after the illusion; not when there was someone very real he needed to look for.

"R…Robin…" He murmured. His hands balled into fists, and he grit his teeth against the aches in his body. He fought through the pain, forcing himself to swim.

'Are you really going to search an entire ocean for her?' The rational part of him whispered. The rest wasn't interested in listening. He ignored it, and forced his way forward.

-o-o-o-

Emmeryn sank below the waves, gaze fixed on the ship overhead. The vessel battled storms instead of Valmese now, trying to outrun the tempest. Libra had to be aboard the vessel by now, she told herself. And relatively safe.

As she watched the ship fight its way through crashing waves and find shelter at the battered town, a strange feeling settled over her. A slight twinge in her thoughts. Something in her insisted that the sight was familiar; that she'd seen Libra's face before, much like Chrom's.

It made her wonder.

'Isn't there someone else you've forgotten?' A face formed in her mind, framed by silver hair, lit by gentle eyes, decorated by stray white feathers caught in the twist of her hair.

"Ph… Phila…" The name slipped from Emmeryn's lips. Somehow she found a different way to hurt despite taking no fresh wounds from the battle. Lights flickered in the corners of her vision and spilled down her cheeks. She was trying to cry, and instead she glimmered… Although she didn't understand why she wept.

She blinked, forcing her gaze from the ship and focusing instead on the ocean's waves. She searched them for any sign of the others; a flash of Chrom's blue scales, Robin's violet fins, or even a wisp of white or dark hair from Henry or Tharja. But all of it was futile. Everyone had vanished into the inky waters, pulled away by the storm.

'You couldn't help them.' The thought weighed heavily on her, and she slumped defeated in the water.

"I… I am sorry…" She whispered.

"L-Lady Emmeryn!?" A voice called to her, its pull even stronger than the currents rushing around her. She lifted her head to see new merfolk swimming towards her, at the edges of a green place. With a jolt she realized she'd been pushed back out to sea, all while she mourned. Back into the reaches of Say'ri's rebels, and close enough that she could see the concern clear on their faces.

"Why did you strike out on your own?"

"I… I wished to help…" And yet, she'd only succeeded in losing them.

That thought gave her even more grief. She bowed her head under its weight, and when Say'ri's rebels reached her, she let them lead her away. Putting her back on all the chaos and loss.

-o-o-o-

Lissa watched as a pair of pegasi dashed across the storm-flecked sky. She held her breath, hoping they'd make it back safely and with some form of good news. It wasn't until Sumia and Phila touched down on the deck that she allowed herself to breathe again.

The wild storm winds had tangled the hair of the riders, and the feathers of their pegasi were dripping wet.

"A-are you both okay?" Lissa asked, rushing towards them. She clung onto her healing staff, ready to help… But it seemed that their only wounds were fatigue lines around their eyes.

"We rode a stormfront to get back to you." Phila answered, sliding from her pegasus and working her fingers through the creature's mane, trying to reassure it. Sumia was far less graceful as she slipped and crashed to the deck. Her mount shied from the sudden motion, only stilling when Frederick and Sully approached to steady the pegasus and help Sumia back to her feet.

"That's one hell of a risk." Sully said, her harsh words at odds with her posture. She was running her hands along Sumia's pegasus, calming the creature until it furled its wings. "Why didn't you just wait for calmer weather?"

"B-because we saw… We saw things." Sumia said, leaning against Frederick. She swiped at the damp bangs plastered to her face, trying to lock eyes with Lissa. Lissa didn't care for the haunted look on Sumia's face. "A-and the Exalt needs to know about it."

Lissa fought down a flinch at the title; this wasn't the time or place to debate whether or not she was up to the title of Exalt. Not when Phila and Sumia looked ready to collapse, and were fighting for every breath to give their report.

"So… What did you see?" Lissa asked, and motioned for Sully to take the pegasi off to be combed and calmed. Would that she could steady Sumia and Phila so easily, with how shaken they looked.

"B-battle. A battle between the Valmese… And one of our far territories." Sumia looked over her shoulders; far off to where the worst of the storm clouds bruised the horizon. Off to where the mists might have been hiding distant beaches.

"That's…" Lissa frowned out across the water, desperately trying to remember the charts and maps, and their locations.

"That's where our fishing villages used to be." Frederick told her, frowning in turn. "I… Worry that our garrison is spread thin, with how we've been scattered. How badly pressed were they?"

"It looked like a losing battle." Phila said, shame coloring her words. "We couldn't close with the ships to lend any help; our mounts were already ragged, and they wouldn't have been able to dodge any archers or mages. The Valmese had both those things in abundance… And they also appeared to have a grudge against Ylisse, with how ferociously they attacked."

"So… So we've lost another town?" Lissa bit back on the dread, and forced a deep breath. It wouldn't do to cry in front of the crew.

"We feared as much." Phila said. "We could only fly and watch… Until the tide quite literally turned against the Valmese."

Lissa froze at that.

"Sh-she's right." Sumia added. "Something… Happened to the sea. I'd say it was a rogue wave, but there were a dozen more just like it striking the Valmese ships. A-and then… There was the lightning, and maelstrom." She gave a shiver, shutting her eyes as she thought back. "It… It was like watching the bottom drop out of the ocean. A whirlpool opened beneath the Valmese."

"What about our own ships?" Frederick pressed, frowning over the news.

"That's… The strange thing. The tempests seemed to wash past them-"

That snagged at Lissa's thoughts. The story was an uncanny echo to what had happened to the Shepherd when it faced the Valmese and Plegians. She could still picture the vessels trying to advance on the Shepherd, trying to pounce… Only to be smashed to splinters by a sudden turn of fate. Frederick's eyes had gone wide as well, also making the connection.

"Did you see anything else!?" She blurted out, giving Phila a desperate look. "Any shapes in the water?"

Phila stilled, slowly dipping her head.

"I… Glimpsed shapes that could have been dolphins, or fish… Or…" She trailed off, going even more pale. "Or… Merfolk. Do you think they had something to do with this?"

Lissa could only nod at that, half afraid to voice her theory; that maybe they had allies amongst the sea folk, after all… Provided her imagination and memories weren't playing tricks on her.

-o-o-o-

'You think you can search an entire ocean for Chrom?' The thought was a faint echo of Robin's common sense, or whatever was left of it. The fight had done something to her, had somehow muted her mind and her strength. She could barely cling to the rings as she drifted, let alone follow a coherent train of thought.

'I just have to make it to Valm; gods, but I hope he remembers our goal.' She clung to the reassurance, and pointed herself in what she hoped was west. The sunlight had all but faded away… And she felt desperately alone.

She also felt exposed, drifting in the open water. She scanned her surroundings, once again trying to will herself to focus… Until at last she glimpsed a few darker shapes.

She wasn't the only thing prowling the seas, Robin realized. Serpentine bodies twisted and writhed in the currents. Sea serpents, she knew. But there was something else rising from the depths and brushing them aside. It looked like the body of a dead whale, centered in the middle of the monster's feeding frenzy. But the shape of it was wrong, oddly angled-

'Wait-'

She spotted long spars and a mass of half-shattered wood that clearly didn't belong to any sea creature. With a horrified jolt, Robin knew she was looking at a shipwreck. It could very well have been one she'd caused; the sails still looked fresh, and had an odd red tinge to them.

This was a Valmese vessel, torn apart by storm and pulled out to sea… And by all rights it should have sunk to the depths. But instead something pushed it towards the surface. Something that billowed around the ship like a storm front, or like clouding blood. She watched in shock as the ship was pushed further up, and the dead bodies of the sailors were consumed by the roiling black waters. The ship turned ragged, into even more of a gaunt skeleton, and Robin stared as the ocean became dotted with red. The mily dead eyes of the corpses snapped open, and took on a crimson glow. And they were focusing on Robin.

'Risen… Gods, that's a Risen Ghost ship!'

The sea serpents scattered in a screeching panic; those who didn't escape were skewered by the Risen. Robin tried to whirl around, bracing herself for a fight… But something went wrong with her tail. A numbing pain lashed from her fins and up into her spine, leaving Robin slack in the water. She was helpless to defend herself, as the ship drew closer.

The Risen glared at her, their cold hands grasping at familiar weapons. She still remembered the bite of metal fangs as they cut into her body. She would do anything to avoid feeling their steel again, but no matter how she screamed at herself to move, Robin couldn't fight back.

Those harpoons had done something to her.

'What… Is…?' She sunk, limbs going heavy as the surface fell away. 'Happening… To me?'

The further she plunged, the more the shadows and inky water closed around her. It felt like she was falling into the jaws of a monster… Just like in her most feverish visions and chilling nightmares. As she fell, a deep thrumming rose up from the depths, ripples the size of waves spreading out all around her. It was as though something the size of a submerged island had stirred, and was now turning over in its sleep.

"Insolent… Humans…" All her confusion and dread froze at that voice. It was like a shout in her ears, but there wasn't anyone or anything close enough to hear-

What WAS close enough to her, however, were the Risen harpoons. Too close. The weapons gleamed with a light that wouldn't fade, even against the dark magic clouding the water.

The more she looked at those weapons and recalled what they did to her, the more her head filled with a familiar red rage.

"In my… Domain…"

As the voice snarled in her head, Robin shuddered in answer. Her mouth was wrenched open, and she all but choked on the cursed waters. They flooded her senses, drowned out her thoughts and clawed at her throat with a new pain.

"Now… Call out…"

Robin wanted to shut her ears to that voice and the pressure in her throat… But her willpower was lost the second she felt the bite of a blade across her skin and scales. The steel snapped past her, pushing fresh and sharp pain through her flesh. She tried to cry out… But something worse screamed between her teeth, and set the ocean to trembling. Her vision flickered in and out, and her entire body felt like it would somehow burn beneath the waves.

She could barely make out the Valmese ship as it turned to splinters from the force of the shriek, and the voice gave a triumphant roar.

"…Mine…" The voice hissed at her, insistent, trying to pry something loose from her head and her heart. It threatened to claw its way out of her chest, or tear her in two.

"Because you dare use… My voice…"

Robin twisted and writhed, trying to shrink away. She curled into a ball, and her hands clutched at her heart, in a desperate attempt to shield it-

Her fingers tangled in the rings and the chain that hung around her neck. Something about the cold touch of the metal seemed to drive away the pressure in her head. She was left with just enough strength to push forward, swimming away from the swirl of dark magic, pushed on by storm currents.

Her thoughts were a roil, but she could still remember one thing; the need to go west, and find… Somebody. She couldn't remember past that; only that it was important to seek them out.

-o-o-o-

"Grima stirs." The voice thundered through Chrom's head, spinning him about.

His scales all shivered, like they'd just been brushed by a lightning spell.

"And-" He strained, trying to piece together what he heard and what he felt… Only for the voice to fade out.

"What… What do you mean? What are you saying!?" He shouted out, but only a faint rumble of a storm skating over the surface answered him. Chrom spun about, finding only open water, crashing waves overhead, and the shadows of storm clouds.

The vision of a lost city flickered in and out around him, finally fading away completely.

"I'm going crazy…" Chrom muttered to himself, shaking his head and feeling bubbles tangle in his hair. "I…"

He stilled, realizing he could finally swim without pain dulling his senses. The wounds on his body had half healed, and the fever brought on by the harpoons was dimming with each breath.

'Was that… The grace of Naga? Was any of that real?'

He still wasn't certain if he'd imagined the voice, or those visions… And he knew that he couldn't dwell on them just then. Not when he still had to find the others.

He struck out, and this time refused to stop. Even as the half light faded into night, he couldn't bring himself to rest.

Chrom drifted through the seas, searching for the others with his hands and eyes. Every time he turned his head, he found only empty water. Sometimes his vision flickered, those long lost buildings lingering in the corners of his sight. His fingers kept reaching out, but could never find contact with the arms or hands of another. The maelstrom had picked him up in its teeth, shaken and thrown him, and he had no notion of where it had left him.

Just that wherever he was, he was alone.

'Robin…' He was battered and bruised, with leftover phantasms lingering in his head… But his thoughts could still manage that name.

'I couldn't hang onto her… And she was pulled right out from my fingers.'

He coasted for what could have been hours, lost in the ocean, with only a vague idea of where to go next. Only one thing pulled him forward; an odd tugg in his heart. He wasn't blind to the way his scales glowed at the edges, either. It wasn't the usual bioluminescent patches that showed whenever he was angry or sad, but instead a gold shimmer confined to their very edges.

'But even with you glowing like a beacon in the ocean… You're not finding Robin. You'd better keep searching.'

He kept hoping for a hint of violet scales… But all he found were night shrouded waters.

'Where is she?' He wanted to believe that she was safe… Even though his last memory was of clinging to her, and praying her wounds would close. However, as hours stretched by with no sign of her, his desperate hope felt like it would sink to the depths.

She'd slipped from his fingers when he passed out. Because he wasn't strong enough. STILL wasn't strong enough. The thought made his tail roil and lash out, allowing him to eat up the distance as he swam.

'Emmeryn survived, somehow…' And if she was alive, he could find her again. Just like he'd be able to find Robin, and all of the others. He'd keep telling himself that, until he proved it true.