Mittelfrank Opera House was open for the public for opera shows, that is what it would usually do but with the ongoing war, Manuela had made her job to watch over war orphans. The woman let go of a sigh as she finished tending to a child and their father, who were sick. The people were forbidden from practicing the religion of The Teaching of Serios and the churches were either burned down or closed. Yet that wasn't what was upsetting her.
"Lady Manuela," she looked up to see a young man with purple-colored hair and red eyes, holding a tray with a cup of, "sober tea" "Please drink this. It will help you rest a bit."
Ah yes, a group of children that had mysteriously appeared and immediately offered to help her take care of the orphan children in exchange for shelter. From young ones to teens, a total of six of them, all so lovely and helping her out. They even informed her that there was a secret passageway built under the opera house two hundred years ago.
If she knew about that, she would have helped people sneak out of the Empire ages ago! Still, those mysterious children took advantage of the passageway to go hunt and bring food to the table. As well as medicine in times that she needed. And especially she was finally able to communicate with Hanneman.
"Thank you, Henri." Manuela smiled softly as he handed her the cup, "You make such wonderful tea. You remind me of this young man from my days of teaching. His name is Lorenz. He was a bit of a snob at times but he made wonderful tea." Henri chuckled a bit nervously.
"Ah, Marcus has informed us that he was able to locate a couple of our friends. Now we know they are safe." Henri said and Manuela nodded.
"Skylar went hunting with Jacques and Marth, right?" She asked, "Hopefully they make it back by tonight. I manage to overhear that Edelgard has been keeping a strict eye on things." She sighed and the boy patted her back.
"By the way, I came to inform you that Marcus and Emma have finished making the healing potions along with some other medicines." He said and Manuela nodded.
[—-]
The forest near Enbarr was thick a green, so much so that Imperial Soldiers tend to avoid it but that wasn't happening today. Five Imperial soldiers fell to the ground with an arrow straight to their hearts, making it an instant kill. A young woman with short black hair, cold purple eyes and wore the armor of bow knight, walked up and pickpocketed them before setting their corpses on fire. Then with a snap of her fingers, they were nothing but ashes blown away by the wind.
"Hmm...nice. Tobacco cigarette." She cut off the tip and lit it up with a small flame, "Fancy." She took in a deep breath and let it out, watching the smoke blow away slowly, "Slightly fruity flavor. Huh. Must be from Sreng."
"And if Glenn saw you smoking, he would be angry." A young boy with orange-colored hair, quit-styled, green eyes, wearing a dark black coat with a dark green shirt and brown pants, looked at her worried.
"I see you don't know when to keep your mouth shut Jacques. Where's Marth?" Skylar said and the young man only frowned.
"He went to gather herbs. He asked me to keep an eye on you." He said and she scoffed.
"I'm a big girl, boys." She chuckled, "But in all seriousness," she turned to him with a somewhat worried expression, "Do refrain from setting the lab on fire again. I get you have been experimenting with the book Lord Macuil gave you but seriously be careful." She said and he smirked.
"I'm a big boy, girl."
"You sons of bitch."
"Oh, so you're calling my mom a bitch?"
"It's a figure of speech!" Skylar screeched yet the boy laughed, "Ugh!" She threw her hands up in the air and turned around, "Just go get Marth! I'm going to go catch us a few rabbits and wild boar." And away she went, muttering a string of curses in her wake.
Jacques laughed as he walked the other direction, towards the small river. He could hear singing the closer he got till finally, he reached the river where a young man with wavy organ-colored hair, green eyes, and wore the clothing of a paladin. The boy sang softly, a tune that his mother had taught him at an early age. Yet he held a stick as if he had an orchestra he was conducting.
"Marth." Jacques yelled and laughed when the boy jumped, his face turning crimson as he realized he was caught, "Caught you." The boy snickered.
"That's not fair!" Martha pouted as he flicked his wrist and floated towards him, "You know I don't like it when you sneak up on me." The boy landed in front of him, "Anyhow, I got the herbs we need. We should head back to Godmother's place."
"Agree. Anyhow, Marcus is finishing up the potion to help out some of the sick kids and Emma will be cooking today." And before he could finish, a loud thud was heard behind them.
Skylar dusted her hands as she set down a giant boar on the ground with a smirk.
"And tonight we are having a nice feast!" The girl grinned brightly as she also held a few geese she shot down, "I pickpocket a few Imperial soldiers I killed and found a few of them had gold. Manuela and the kids are going to be happy tonight." Skylar chuckled.
"We should head back. It's nearing the scouting hour and we don't want to be caught." Marth said and the two nodded.
"I wonder how the others are doing..."
[—-]
In the underground tunnels of The Church of Serios, were tunnels that led to many places but there was once a place where those shunned by the surface would seek asylum. The Abyss was a place known for many, especially for the elderly and children who had no homes. The ones that watched over the place were known as the Ashen Wolves. Their leader, The Savage Mockingbird, walked around the place after cutting down a few bandits that dare threaten his territory.
He was a slender yet built man with short shoulder length light purple hair and eyes, silver purple armor of the trickster class, with black and red shoulder armor and a black cape. He narrowed his eyes as he could hear panicked whispering in a dark corner. He hid in the shadows as he got closer and listened.
"We're so dead! We're so dead! Why did you think Abyss was the best place for us to hide?!" He could hear a young girl speaking in a panicked tone.
"Easy. Because there's a library here I miss and I want to prepare some hex's so I can throw them at those fake bugs." A halty tone spoke up, "Besides, Mom and Dad should be in this place so we're safe."
"Yeah, but they don't know who you are! Did you forget what year it is?" Another voice of a girl hissed.
"Look, can I say my piece now?" The voice of the young man said, "This place is the best shot we got in surviving. We've all been separated from the others and it will take a while till we locate the others. At least here we can have some sort of way of finding out the situation of the war." They said and The Mockingbird heard a whimper.
"But I want to find my big brothers and Mama and Papa! It's not fair we got separated," he heard the girl stomping her feet.
"Don't worry Alina, I, Darius, shall protect you!" A young boy said and the girl cheered.
"Alright." The one that hissed earlier sighed, "Luna you owe me for this! Anyhow, which passageway to the surface do I take so I can at least hunt us some food to eat." She let out a frustrated sigh.
"Aww...Rita gonna hunt?" Luna said, "And don't worry Alina. Frederick and Darius will watch you for a while while I help Rita reach the surface. I know this place like the back of my hand because I would always sneak here to escape my studies." She snickered and Rita scoffed.
"Okay." The little girl that stomped her feet, Alina sighed, "But shoot a biiigggggg boar! Mama loved when Uncle Ashe would cook it and Dad would get jealous because she loved his cooking!" Alina cheered proudly.
"Come on, you guys aren't seriously going to leave me here! As a War Monk, I got some pride for action!" Frederick said and the girls all groaned.
"Okay, in all seriousness, do you have a map of Abyss so we won't get lost?" The Mockingbird was suddenly very interested in hearing this as Frederick continued to speak, "I don't want to end up lost like two years ago."
"I have a map of every single tunnel, pathway, room, a secret passageway, and also that of the monastery. Oh, and I have a few items I pickpocketed from some Agarthan mages we killed. Like dad says, "Time to kill the rats that infest the place." Luna giggled as she handed each of them an item.
"These are necklaces Lady Nuvelle and I made together with the help of Mom! One for each of you! It also has a map of all the underground tunnels of the nations! Gotta be ready should the big guns come out." Luna smiled proudly.
"You know, this is helpful. Wish we had this a couple of months go though." Rita sighed.
"I get it, I get. But seriously we should move. The library here I come!" Luna giggled.
"Hey, if you manage to see some edible herbs, can you pick them? I'll cook for today." Darius said and the others cheered saying, "Your cooking is the best."
"Off we go!" This Luna person seemed to be the leader and they followed her, turning the corner to see a man with purple hair leaning the wall with their arms crossed and a small smirk on their face.
The group of children froze like statues as he got off the wall and looked at them.
"Hey there now. What a bunch of kids d—-!" The girls broke into blood-curdling screams that made him yell in agony, quickly covering his ears, trying to cancel out the sound.
It was enough time for the group to run for their lives in different directions (Except Frederick quickly scooped up Darius and Alina because they were the young ones of the group). The Mockingbird hissed and shook his head, looking around, cursing.
"Hey, are you alright!?"
"We heard screaming!"
"Yuri, are we under attack?!"
"No, no." Yuri grumbled as he recovered his hearing and heard a set of multiple footsteps running his way, "It was a bunch of kids. Looks like my presence scared them." He sighed and looked over to his team.
A young woman with long curly blonde hair with purple underneath, she wore a long dark purple tailcoat with the armor of a dark flyer underneath. Black armor boots and seems she was in the middle of one of the magic experiments because of the potion bottle she was carrying. Constance von Nuvelle looked ready to fight till Yuri reassure her that they were alright.
"Yuribird, I thought you were good with kids." A woman with orange-red hair and eyes, she wore a dark green valkyrie uniform, dark boots, and a dark green cloak.
She looked around and noticed something shining on the ground. Carefully picking it up, it was a small emerald pendant with a rune carved into the crystal.
"What you got there Hapi?" A buff man with long wavy black hair, brown eyes, who wore the brown and slight red clothing of a warrior monk, noticed the small pendant she was holding.
"Looks like one of the kids dropped it." Yuri hissed a bit because his ears were still ringing from the screams, "Balthus, make sure you and the others keep a lookout for a group of kids wearing armor."
"Got it."
Hapi studied the necklace and poked before nearly dropping it when the rune began glowing brightly. Never mind she dropped it and a magic projection formed showing a huge map of the nations. The group was awed by the sight and couldn't believe their eyes.
"Oh, my goddess!" Constance screeched as she quickly picked it up, "I have never seen such an advanced magic tool before! This was done in such a way that rivals the magic tools of today!" Typical Constance was fascinated by the magic tool.
"Yuri, you said a group of kids dropped this." Balthus said, "We don't have these types of magic tools. That's not...how do I say this, normal." He said and Yuri nodded as Constance figured out how to make the image go away.
"Whoever these kids are, they're suspicious. Could they be Empire spies?" Hapi said as they grouped up.
"I'm not completely sure." Yuri muttered and held his chin as he thought for a moment, "One of them called Ashe, Uncle. And the one I heard called Luna spoke of a Lady Nuvelle." Constance's eyes widened, "But she also called some Imperial soldiers fake, and...this is the first I have ever heard of the word Agarthan."
"Oh!" Yuri suddenly had a predatory look in his eyes that the others knew about, "They mentioned the library and going to the surface. Two passageways lead up." He held up two fingers, "Balthus and Constance, I trust you two to take care of the west one. And Hapi, make sure to bring your pet, Bucky, with you." The low laugh he was having to himself was scaring Constance and Balthus.
"So where will you head to?" Hapi asked and Yuri smiled.
"I'm going to the library."
[—-]
Kuskuskuskus!
Left and right Luna looked and only saw the normal people of the Abyss.
Kuskuskuskus!
She quickly scurried left and right like a cat to hide behind pillars and such till finally, she reached the Abyss Library entrance. The girl's orange-red eyes were sparkling under her hood as she stepped in and practically bounced in her steps as she looked at the place. She nearly squealed when she looked around, seeing the shelves filled the forbidden holy grails of knowledge. She rubbed her hands together, laughing eerily as she made her way to a specific shelf. Yet part of her was hesitant to pick up the first book. But not just any book. It was a book that her mother would read to her before she would go to sleep.
Carefully she pulled out a blue-colored book with golden lettering, the cover reading, "The Tales of the Snow Queen." Luna's lips trembled as she held it in her hands. In her time, she watched as Abyss was destroyed by The Pillars of Lights and from the wind, blew into her hands a burnt page of the book. Her parents were killed and weren't able to escape. She never once forgot the day she screamed and begged her parents to come with her before they both pushed her into the warping tile with Frederick and his father. Lady Nuvelle also perished that day.
"I'm home...I'm home...I swear I won't let what happened to you both in my time happen here. I swear...I swear..." Luna sobbed as she felt her tears streaming down her face, the droplets falling on the book.
From the distance, Yuri didn't have it in his heart to speak to the mysterious girl. He could hear that she was mourning based on the way she tightly held the book she pulled out. He turned away, sighing as he walked, running his fingers through his hair. He smiled bitterly.
"When did I get soft?"
[—]
"And down we go," Frederick said as he carefully put down Darius and Alina.
"You don't have to be like that Fred." Darius said to him as Alina held his arm, "I'm not a prince in this time." The boy said and the older one shook his head.
"It's fine. Besides, your parents saved my life. The least I could do is protect you." He said and Darius looked at him sadly.
"By the way, where are we?" Alina said as she looked around, seeing a huge field, four statues of warriors, and the scent of dust all over the place, "I've never been to Abyss so I don't know."
"Ah. Looks like I subconsciously ran here." Frederick sighed as he looked around, "We're in the old battlefield of Abyss. The four statues represent the Four Apostles."
He pointed to the north one, "Apostle Aubin." To the east, "Apostle Chevalier," to the west, "Apostle Noa," and finally the south, "Apostle Timotheos." He sighed as she had held his hand as they walked.
"I used to come here often to train with Mom and Dad. Brings back memories. Anyway, we should find Rita and head to the surface. I think w—-!" The boy suddenly lunged at the kids and brought them to the ground, something flew past them.
They slowly looked back, seeing the brick wall sang, and looked towards the direction the attack came from.
"So these are the ones Myson ordered to catch?" A few mages walk out from the shadows, as the kids scurry up, "They're just a bunch of kids. Should be easy." They chuckled yet they became tense when the older one of the trio raised his fist, glowing with blue fire.
"You two, run on my signal." Frederick gritted his teeth, getting into position, "I'm serious!"
"We can't leave you behind!" Alina yells but one look from Frederick made her take a step back.
"Don't worry...it w—!"
A mage suddenly fell back, an arrow right through the head. The group was stunned at what had just happened and before Frederick knew it, a woman with tan skin, burgundy braided hair, wearing burgundy-green clothing with tribal markings on her skin. The woman flicked her wrist and the bow she had dissolved to dust and was replaced with a long dagger.
"You are all cowards to go against a group of children!" Darius felt his body shaking as he recognizes the woman's voice, "Today in the name of Brigid, you die! Boy, support me!" Petra Macneary yelled and the two charged at the group.
Darius was frozen but quickly grabbed Alina's hand and swooped her into his arms. 13 years old he may be but the strength he has he will put to good use.
"Hold on tight!" He yelled and jumped high in the air before using his free arm to throw daggers at the mages.
Many screamed when the dagger pierced their shoulders, thighs, and stomach, the aim the boy had was scaring them. Petra watched from the corner of her eye as she jumped back and slashed at another mage. She wondered what a group of children were doing here but right now she needed to focus on these thugs. It took a lot of effort to escape Count Gareth to get here. Abyss was the best place she could hide. Not only that…
"And that's three down. Five more left."
"Oh yeah! Mini reunion!"
"Seriously you two, don't leave me behind!"
A woman with short orange-colored hair and eyes, wearing a cream-colored dress with blue ribbon on her chest and an orange shall with cloth, raised her ax and brought down on an assassin. On her right, a man with spiky blue hair with part of it shave, wearing heavy gray-colored armor and wore iron gauntlets, punched another mage, enough to kill him. And on her right was a man with dark green hair combed back and part of it tied into a small bun. He wore a dark green long sleeve cloak, with a white collared shirt and pants, and his tome glowed brightly in his hands as he sent multiple wind spells at the enemy group.
"Lindhart, support Petra and the boy!" The orange-haired woman yelled and the green one nodded, quickly running towards the two that were fighting to support them.
"Annette, think you can get those two to—-Oh come on! More are coming!" The blue-haired one yelled as Annette, the orange-haired one, gawked as more enemies were coming in.
"Caspar, think you take them on?" Annette said and Casper nodded, "Good. I'm going to help the boy that is fighting with the girl in his arms." And she nodded, watching Annette jump in the air, with her axe and smash it down on a mage that was about to injure the two kids.
"Are you two alright?!" Annette said as she looked at the two.
A young boy with silver-colored hair, tan skin, burgundy eyes, and wore blue shirt tank top with a fur cape, baggy blue pants, with necklaces with wooden beads with different colors of orange, red, blue, green. His boots were made of black leather with armor and a fang-like marking under his left eye. The little girl on his arms had blonde hair with streaks of red, green eyes, peach skin, and wore the clothing of a War Cleric, yet she hugged tightly in her arms a stuffed yellow animal with a long neck and spots.
"Aunty Annette!" The girl squeaked and Annette looked at her confused but quickly cut down another mage.
Had they not been in battle, Annette would have reeled back at being called Aunty at such a young age. But right now, they needed to focus on finishing the rest of the enemies. The last one remaining unfortunately retreated before they could be finished off. Petra quickly caught the boy that was fighting beside her, worried because of how tired he looked. At most, he looked about 16 years of age.
"Are you alright? Do you need rest?" She asked and the boy shook his head.
Wavy brown hair with the underneath blonde, purple colored eyes, and wore the armor of a warrior monk. The boy coughed as the group quickly came together. They watched as the two children lunged at the boy, hugged him tightly.
"Frederick you idiot!" The girl cried, "You idiot! You idiot!"
"I thought I told you and Darius to run." Frederick chuckled a bit and got a smack on the head but Darius, the silver-haired boy who looked ready to punch him but sighed, smirking a bit.
"Fat chance big boy. We ain't going nowhere." Darius said and helped him but before the trio turned to the adults, "Thank you..."
"Don't mention it! But seriously, what a bunch of adults picking on a group of kids? Cowards! Next time I see them, I'll take them out!" Caspar said and the trio couldn't help but laugh a bit.
"Are you from Brigid ?" Petra asked as she was looking at Darius, "Your clothing is similar to mine."
"Yes." Darius said, his hand shaky, "I'm...here to find my parents. They are part of the Faerghus army."
"Speaking of Faerghus," Linhardt said as he looked at Petra, Caspar, and Annette, "It's good to you all again."
"It is the same!" Petra grinned, "It took me some time to escape Count Gareth but I managed! I am glad to you three are well. I came here to Abyss to seek asylum as well as aid The Ashen Wolves for a while." She explained and hugged the trio, "I missed you all."
"Me too," they said and hugged her back before they let go, "We should find the others and inform them. I have information that was shared recently and it's...very serious." Annette had never looked so grave in her life.
"So that explains why there was a rumor of you running away..." Linhardt whispered, "You escaped your uncle's house, didn't you?" He said and the woman nodded.
"We can speak of it later." Petra sighed, she wanted to catch up to eve but the situation was dire, "Also," she turned to the kids, "Why don't you three join us? It is not safe to be wandering around. You are targeted." She said.
The children trio looked at each other worried but eventually nodded in agreement.
"Um...I'm Adelina. But you may call me Alina." The young blonde girl said as she hugged her stuff animal closer, "This is Gafi, a giraffe from Brigid. He is my best friend." The girl said and Annette couldn't help but coo.
"I'm Frederick. War Monk and I have been protecting these two." Frederick said as he nudge his head a bit towards the two.
"And I'm Darius, I'm from Brigid. Thank you all once again for helping us." The three bowed politely.
"No worries kids!" Caspar grinned, "Now let's go find your friends!"
And right at that moment, rumbling could be heard not too far. The group quickly sprinted towards the direction it came from.
[—-]
"Just great..." Luna grumbled as she stood back to back with Rita, "We're surrounded." She said and looked at their third guest, also standing back to back with them, "Hey lady, had you not chased my friend with the shadow panther, we wouldn't be in this mess." Hapi only did a "Hrm." At her.
"Well, if you kids weren't suspicious, then maybe I wouldn't have chased you. Anyway, the name's Hapi."
"Luna." Hapi could see her orange-red eyes a bit, "And sorry you got dragged into this. These people are the real bad guys." She said as Rita nodded, making her bow disappear and taking out a dagger.
"These guys are called Agarthans. They work for a man named Thales." Rita hissed and saw the Mages become angry.
"How is it that beast of the surface knows of our existence? Now we certainly can't you live." One spat and Luna cackled, feeling her right hand become warm because of the weapon she had equipped.
"Did Cornelia send you? Or should I say, Cleobulus?" She grinned the Mages roared, charging at them with their weapons out, and Rita roared, pulling from her sheth a golden bone-like sword with fang-like blades on the sides.
A stone on her necklace glowed brightly, lighting up the blade. Terror filled the mages and Hapi's eyes went wide, gawking once she realized the weapon the girl Rita was wielding.
"That's Thunderbrand!"
The mage yelled and was cut down quickly by the girl. Her fluid movements were like a dance as she spun, her hood came off, revealing a tan skin girl with aquamarine-colored eyes, black hair tied in a high bun with a feather hairpin. She wore the armor of a bow knight yet she was using a legendary relic like a machete, cutting down the enemies. Hack and slash, Hapi didn't even notice help had arrived with Yuri, Balthus, Constance, three kids, Petra, Caspar, Annette, and Linhardt had arrived and quickly joined the battle help. Luna gritted her teeth as she jumped back felt a fist meet her stomach.
"GWWHAA!" The air was knocked out of her lungs and she was sent flying back, even worse now she could tell a few of the enemies were Agarthan War Monks.
She should have hit the brick wall hard, and possibly snap her spine but instead, she felt was caught by someone. She was still shaky, coughing, and trying to recover from the impact when she looked up, her eyes going wide. Purple ones looking back at her worried.
One she missed so much.
[—-]
"Kid, are you alright?!" Yuri said as he tried to help the girl be steady.
Her hood had come off revealing a dark tan girl with light curly purple hair with a green headband with a bird pin. Red-orange colored eyes, and wore the clothing of trickers except instead of pants, she wore a knee-length skirt with black tights and black boots. The girl was still gasping for air, wiping her lips from the spit she spat out. Yet the murderous glare in their eyes when she looked back to the one that attacked her, for some reason brought up sour memories.
"I've...Huff...huff...suffered worse." The girl panted began laughing eerily, "I'll just call some help."
"No, Luna! Not here!" Frederick and Rita screamed, "At least a small one though!"
And with that, Luna whistled.
The ground began rumbling, tremors shook the place and the second group of enemies didn't get a chance to attack when the ground underneath their feet gave away. They all scream and fell yet in a haunting halt, the sounds of their bones being crushed and eaten alive were all were heard. Hapi knew immediately a monster was called in and looked at the girl who just smirked.
"Kill them all!" The enemy leader yelled and Luna had recovered enough to stand on her own.
She walked forward and removed her glove, the stone on it glowing brightly as well as the necklace she was wearing. A gasp could be heard from the enemy as she balled her hand into a fist. The bone-like hand relic glowed brightly as she grinned.
"One, two, three." Luna grinned as she counted the mages coming her way, "Like mom and dad said," She smirked cruelly as she raised a dainty hand near her lips, "Time to kill the rats! OOOOOHOHOHOHO!" At them she ran, jumping in the air with her hands out like claws, her relic burning brightly on her right hand.
"HYYYAAA!" A wild scream she did as she summoned her sword and spun her body like a spinning top, slashing a mage right in the chest before she stabbed him in the stomach.
Yuri couldn't help but be reminded of himself when he would lose himself in battle yet the girl strangely also reminded him of Constance when she would become too invested in her magic experiments. Yet the combat style was similar to Hapi's when she would switch to the Assassin Class. He watched her move fluidly through the groups of soldiers called Agarthans, seeing her cut through them like nothing made a shiver go down his spine. But the look in her eyes and manner of speech reminded him too much of himself when he was her age.
When he had to fight to survive or pretend to be someone else to accomplish his goals. The little girl Adelina, her eyes were covered by a boy named Frederick because he didn't want her to see the carnage that was happening.
So strange. A girl who wields Thunderbrand like a bat. And a bunch of mysterious kids.
"Looks like Abyss just got a little lively."
Minutes felt like seconds, the enemy was wiped out. But not before Luna's habit of pickpocketing the corpses came out quickly. She scurried quickly to the ones that weren't mangled by the monster she summoned. Removing their weapons, potions, tomes, whatever money they had, and quickly put it in her bag. Right when she was going to go to the last one. A hand grabbed her wrist forcefully. She snarled like a beast, but stopped once she saw who it was. Yuri was not looking at her but at the relic, she was wearing. He looked back and forth but was quickly kicked away, the girl grabbing the last items from the corpses before she stood in front of the other children, protectively.
"T-Thank you for saving but we need to go!" Luna said, her voice shaky, "We c—-!"
"WE'RE STAYING!"
Luna never whipped around so fast to see Frederick was the one that yelled out.
"We're staying! Please, Luna, I don't know how but I think the Agarthans are onto us! You heard them mention Myson! Please, let's just stay here!" Frederick begged "Please...We can tell them who they are and why The Emperor declared war!" He said and Luna gritted her teeth.
"Even if you tried to run, we wouldn't have let you leave." Yuri said as he walked forward, "By the way, it's good to see your four." He said to Petra, Annette, Caspar, and Linhardt.
"They could be imposters! You know how Agarthans can take on their faces!" Luna tried to argue but Rita shook her head.
"My friend, if they were imposters we would be dead." The girl said yet Luna didn't want to give up.
"Ahahahaha!" Luna broke in a sorrowful laughed as she wiped a tear from her eye, "I don't see why we should give them information about us! How do we know they are not an imposter?! Huh?!" She stepped in from of her friends, her eyes somewhat glowing red due to her magic.
"Kid, if I was an imposter, you wouldn't be alive." Yuri said as he was trying to defuse the situation, "Put the weapon down...slowly." The Fetters of Dromi on his right hand seemed to be reacting to the one she had.
But how was it possible for two Fetters of Dromi to exist? Rhea never once mentioned there were replicas. But Balthus did mention at some point that his relic was a replica of the original. The girl seemed to be very protective of her friends but most of all, far too wary of him and the others. The way she was looking at them reminded him of his old days. When he saw the world as his enemy and needed to survive.
"Luna please..." Alina tugged her sleeve, "I'm hungry. We haven't slept in days. We're safe here in Abyss till we find the others. Also," she pulled up her shirt and saw Luna's stomach was bruised, "You need medical attention."
"Dammit." Luna cursed as she pulled her shirt back down "alrig—ULP!" The taste of iron suddenly filled her mouth and she quickly turned away, covering it, searching for the near place to run and vomit.
She ran behind the Apostles statues and vomited, Rita, running behind her to make sure she was alright but screamed when she saw the blood on the floor.
"Hey...Hey...It's alright!" Luna had a bloody grin, "We've been through much worse! This...this..."
The last things say before her world became black was her father and mother running towards her.
- Enbarr -
"You kids are too much!" Manuela couldn't help shake her head and grin when Skylar, Marth, and Jacques placed on the table the animals they hunted along with herbs and vegetables they gathered, "This is enough to last us two weeks! Oh, you all didn't have to go through that."
"Please, Dame Manuela, accept it." Skylar smiled, "Besides, Emma is planning to make an amazing meal for everyone tonight. I think you will like it. A braised pork then roasted and drizzled with a sweet and slightly spicy sauce with stirred vegetables and rice." The girl always had a way of convincing people.
"Oh alright." Manuela sighed, giving in, "But make sure to help Emma cook! Honestly that girl h—-!"
"OW! WHO PUT THIS BARREL HERE?!"
"Never mind..." Manuela slumped and Marcus gave her a pat on the back.
Marcus was a young man with sleek brown hair combed back, green eyes, wearing glasses as well as wearing a familiar brown coat that Manuela couldn't remember where she had seen before. It'll appear at some point. Henri passed by them to help a young girl with short blue curled pigtails, orange eyes and wore the dress of a dark flier. As for Henri, he was a young man with long spiky purple hair, a long bang covering the left side of his face with a mask squared mask he wore. Red eyes and wore a long-sleeve black shirt with black pants, brown boots, and a sword on his waist.
"We got her," Henri reassured her and went to help the girl to keep her from setting the pots on fire.
"Imperial soldiers didn't stop by today?" Jacques asked as he took out some vegetables.
"Thankfully not." Manuela said as Marcus called a few of the older kids to come help cook dinner, "I swear...I do not want to speak to The Emperor or her General. Why won't they get the message?" She sighed and Marth spoke up.
"Miss Manuela, do you know them?" He asked and Manuela smiled sadly.
"Once upon a time, the Emperor and her general were my students. Things changed when the war was declared five years ago." The woman sighed as she wanted to get a bottle of wine to drink.
"Nope! Nope!" Marcus ran quickly to take the wine bottle from Emma, "You're too young for wine!" The boy glared and the girl puffed out her cheeks.
"But it's cooking wine! I'm not drinking it!" Emma pouted and Manuela couldn't help but laugh a bit as the kids bickered with each other.
She let go of another sigh as she looked out the window yet frowned when she saw Imperial soldiers dragging away a priestess who practiced her faith in Serios. Even if just a moment...just a few more weeks and she will join with her fellow staff of the academy. She still prays that Professor Byleth was still alive somewhere.
"You alright?" Marcus asked and the woman smiled sadly and looked back out along with him, "This isn't right...People should have the freedom to practice their cultures and faiths without being subjected to such horrible things. I don't understand why The Emperor is doing such things. A ruler is supposed to help their people, listen to their voices. Help nurture the land and help them heal. Not...this..." the boy muttered, and Manuela looked at him sadly.
"Marcus, you sound like you've been through some things." She said and chuckled a bit dryly, the smile on him, bitter.
"War is only a continuation of another battle. For me, I wish my friends and I didn't go through it. We...all of us lost our parents to war." He said and a few of the kids stopped and looked over to them.
"...You kids remind me of my students." Manuela smiled softly, "A few of them were mine. Others were professor Hanneman's and the rest belonged to Professor Byleth. Still, seeing you kids reminded me of the simpler days when I only had to worry about grading tests and not be caught drunk." The woman chuckled yet Marcus frowned as an old memory resurfaced.
"Do you wish to return those days?" He asked as his hand held tightly the rim of the coat, "If you had the power to change the past, would you, do it?"
"The past is something many wish they could change but time is like a fleeting dream. Think of it as a song, " she smiled sadly once more as she looked out the window, "For every song, there is, a new moment created. Each moment will lead to a different moment, yet they cannot be changed." She closed her eyes and thought of Hanneman.
"..." Marcus remained silent for a moment before looking back outside, "What will happen to the priestess?" He asked and the woman smiled bitterly as she began to close the curtains.
"She will be whipped publicly as an example of what will happen to those that practice the Teachings of Serios."
—- Abyss —
"Run!"
"Papa wait!"
"GO NOW!"
"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Luna screamed and sat up straight, panting and gasping for air, frantically looking around, and suddenly felt a gentle hand on her shoulder.
"Shhh...shhh...it's okay." Annette spoke in a gentle tone, hoping to calm down the girl, "It's okay. You're safe. Shh...you're here in Abyss." She explained and Luna took multiple deep breaths before she calmed down enough.
"How...long was I out?" Luna asked and Annette pulled a chair near the bed.
"You've been asleep for three days. Dark magic was somehow used to poison you. It took a while for my friends and me to extract it from you. The bruise on your stomach should be healed in a few more days." Annette explained as the girl had pulled up her shirt to look at her stomach.
Indeed, she was wrapped in bandages with some healing cream.
Luna sighed and began to look around and then looked at her hand.
"Where's my relic? And my belongings?" She squeaked.
"Your friends went AWOL on us the minute I tried to touch your bag and your relic."
Luna and Annette looked back to see Linhardt come in, rubbing his eye and...a black eye.
"I am so sorry if I did that to you..." Luna whimpered, her head down yet Linhardt shook his head as he sat at the chair near the table where the medical supply was.
"I've felt worse." Linhardt waved his hand lazily, "But that's not what I'm here for. While yes, I am glad you are alright, I wish to speak to you regarding your crest." He said as Luna shifted uncomfortably.
"Linhardt, don't be like that." Annette looked at him disprove, "She just woke up. Oh and I nearly forgot, my name is Annette, " she smiled, placing her hand over her heart, "and that green head is my friend Linhardt. What's yours?" She asked.
"Luna." Luna mumbled, "My friends and I...have been running from those Mages."
"You called them Agarthans." Linhardt said, "This is the first I have heard of this."
"I think it is better if I speak to all your group. Crucial information. Figured since your all saved our lives, it is fair trade." Luna sighed, asking her head a bit, "Also where's my bag and relic?"
"Your friend, Frederick has it. He won't let anyone of us near it." Annette chuckled a bit.
"Good for him."
—- In a different location: The Palace of Enbarr -
The city of Enbarr was not as lively as it once was. The streets were filled with Imperial soldiers stationed at nearly every corner to keep watch for any unusual activity. Yet the citizens felt tense because they were not allowed to leave the city. That didn't stop any bold souls from trying to leave. From the balcony of the castle, the window doors closed, a woman with white hair tied in a side ponytail, looked out. Her lilac eyes watched the bustling city as she gently place a hand over her stomach. She wore a crimson tunic with black tights and a long red cape. Her armor hid her stomach well.
"Sigh...a few more weeks and you'll be here." She muttered softly as she caressed her stomach, "I wish you were born in peaceful times but unfortunately not this time." She sighed, "I wonder what you will be? A girl or a boy?"
The sky's of Fodlan only seem to become grayer. A knock from the door she heard and she allowed them to come in.
"Lady Edelgard." A man with pale skin, wave black hair combed back, he wore a black military uniform with cape and had green eyes, "Are you alright?"
"I am well Hubert." Edelgard smiled a bit, "I was speaking to our child." The man couldn't help but chuckle a bit as he walked in and behind him was an old woman with short brown hair with a bit of gray, and wore a priestess dress, "Gasp! Nanny?!"
"Oh, look at you!" The old woman grinned as Hubert let walk in and he closed and locked the door to the office, "It's been so long, my dear! I thought I lost you!" Edelgard hugged the woman tightly and let her go.
"I thought you were...I thought you were killed during the insurrection!" Edelgard wanted to cry but held back, "I was told by Duke Aegir that you were executed."
"Oh, that did nearly happen." The old woman sighed, "You ought to thank Hubert. A boy he was but cunning he is. How he managed to make a fake body is beyond me." She shook her head.
"I made arrangements for Lady Fina, who has been hiding away in the Alliance." Herbert said as he walked up to them, "We can trust her."
"Hubert...thank you." Edelgard smiled softly, "Nana, I'm sure you are confused as to why you are here. Especially with..." the old woman shook her head.
"My dear, you have your reasons for declaring war. I know one of the reasons is due to avenging your siblings and because you do not want anyone to go through what you did." Lady Fina smiled sadly, "I am not one to judge your actions."
"Thank you." Edelgard smiled softly, "Nana, what we are about to tell is something no one, and we mean no one but us three can know about. Do you understand?" Her gaze became serious.
"You can trust me, dear. Now, what is it?" Nana said and Hubert stood beside Edelgard as she removed her armor and revealed her stomach.
A gasp left Fina's slips as she quickly covered her mouth and slowly walked towards the woman.
"How many months?" Nana sobbed bit in worry and joy as she was allowed to gently place her hand on Edelgard's swollen stomach.
"The final month. Nine." Hubert answered as the woman looked at them surprised, "She is due in a few weeks. We don't know anyone else to trust with this information. Originally, we were going to have Manuela check her, but the woman refuses to speak to any of us after what happened five years ago." He explained to her.
"No. No. I understand." Fina sighed, "I have served as the Imperial family's nanny for the former Emperor's concubines. I have helped your stepmothers and mother give birth to their kids." The woman smiled sadly, "I'm assuming you will be using the hidden room in the Emperor's Quarters for the little one?" She asked and the couple nodded.
"Of course. I want to make sure the birth of our child is an absolute secret. Especially with my uncle around. I do not trust that man one bit." Edelgard said because she knew very much about who he was.
"Of course." Fina nodded firmly, "I will make sure everything is prepared as well as memory wiping spells for two midwives that will work with me. Now one question, have you decided on names?" The woman couldn't help but grin as she saw the couple look at each other.
"Well, I was thinking of naming the child Atlas if they are a boy. And... Elysia, if they are a girl." Edelgard said and the woman couldn't help but shed a tear as she looked at the two.
"Atlas after your older brother, Hubert. And Elysia after your elder sister, Edelgard. Oh, you two." She hugged them both, "I will make sure you deliver safely, my girl."
"Thank you, Nanny."
The first gear of fate cracked.