Jason: Wayward Awakening

The first thing Jason noticed was how sore he was.

And it was unlike anything he had ever felt, too. More like the sensation you feel when there is a lot of electricity buzzing in the air, but as if it were coming from within himself. With a groan, Jason opened his eyes and realized a couple things.

First, he wasn't anywhere that he recognized. It seemed more like a rustic tent than anything else. Almost like the sort you would see at a Renaissance fair.

Second, there was some girl who was also in the tent literally dressed like a medieval peasant. Jason couldn't really tell if he had gone to a fair of some kind, hit his head, and was being treated in an impromptu medical tent, or if he was just having the wildest fever dream of his life.

Only one way to find out, Jason thought, mentally shrugging.

"Uh, hello? Where am-?" was about all he could manage before the girl squeaked in surprise, took one look at Jason, then bolted out of the tent.

"-I?" Jason could hear the commotion the girl was raising, calling for a couple names he couldn't make out. His curiosity was sated, however, when two men hurriedly entered the tent. The first man was an old, kindly faced fellow who was probably old enough to be Jason's granddad. He also totally looked like someone took Gandalf the Grey and fused him with a balding Pope, but that was a description Jason felt he should keep to himself.

The second man, however, immediately caught Jason's attention when he followed the wizard looking guy in, having finished waving off the girl from before. The dude had literal, metal armor. Like full on plate was that a sword?! This fair really was going all out, although the obvious wear and tear on the dude's gear was starting to cast doubt in Jason's mind to the Renaissance fair theory.

Just where the hell am I...? Jason wondered. It was about all he could do in the state he was in, though he could already feel his strength returning at a surprisingly rapid pace.

"Good morning, young fellow!" greeted the old man. "Now, I'm sure you may be wondering where you are, and that's easily answered: you're in the Garden of Giants, a village off the coast of Valm."

There was a pause as everyone sort of stared at each other in varying degrees of confusion.

"…You really are from where I suspect, aren't you?" The old man sighed. "I'm afraid you may be farther from home than either of us could fathom. Are you well enough to walk?"

Why do I get the feeling that he's lying? Or at least hiding something? Jason wondered. And what was that about a… vahlm? In any event, he wasn't going to get answers sitting around here.

"Y-yeah, I think so." Jason grumbled weakly, letting out a groan as he slowly got up to follow the two men out of the tent. "I don't believe we've introduced ourselves, though."

"Ah, forgive this old and forgetful mind. You may call me Culsan, and I am a scholar of sorts. This here is Priam; he's more or less in charge of security here in our humble village." The armored man, Priam, only grunted in affirmation with a polite nod. Jason nodded back before facing Culsan to properly introduce himself to who he was beginning to realize would be the sole spokesman of the two.

"Nice to meet you guys. My name is Jason." For a moment, it seemed as though Culsan's eyes seemed to twinkle with amusement at this, but it vanished well before Jason's brain could register what he thought he saw. Priam didn't seem to outwardly react at all.

"Well, Mr. Jason, please follow me," said Culsan. "If I'm right about what is going on here, we'll need a place that's a tad more…private to clear the air." As Jason followed the two men out of the tent and into a small clearing, he noticed that said clearing was what amounted to a medieval town square. The only ornamentation for being the central locale of this village was a simple, worn well that had a couple women drawing water from it.

"So, tell me," Culsan said. The question spooked Jason out of his quiet observations of what he was starting to believe was some sort of Amish village and he turns to hear the rest of Culsan's question. "Where are you from Jason? The attire we found you in was certainly unlike anything we have ever seen before, so I'm hazarding a guess that you're from a land as of yet undiscovered by us."

So, there's a weird-ass Amish splinter group that's been somehow so disconnected from the world for who knows how long that they pretty much count as an uncontacted tribe? Jason thought incredulously. Canada's got some remote places, but this is just insane.

"Well, it may help if you answer a question or two so I can give a proper answer. Are you guys Amish or something?" Jason asked. The looks of bewilderment Culsan and Priam shared quickly answer that question.

"I'm sorry, that was a big assumption of me." Jason quickly apologized. "I figured you guys might've been from one of those faiths that shun technology. The Amish are the largest of those groups, I think, so it's the only phrase that really came to mind." This only seemed to further both his hosts' confusion.

"…What do you mean by 'shun technology'?" Priam asked, speaking up for the first time. Jason almost jumped in surprise but managed to keep his composure. He raised an eyebrow before deciding that he should just nip all of this in the bud and get it over with.

"Okay seriously, your ancestors must've gone off to practice their faith in solitude a long time ago if you're not even aware how far along the world is," Jason remarked. Priam and Culsan shared an odd, almost suspicious glance before looking back at Jason as they all followed Culsan up a hill, suddenly much more interested in what the young man had to say. Jason had kept talking, and as such missed the shared look entirely.

"I mean, we—Europeans that is—started settling in North America like four hundred years ago, but your English is pretty great, if accented, so your group had to have broken off from the main colonies after the British took Canada from France. That puts things more into the sixteenth century onwards, but swords like yours weren't really being used by… that…" Jason's voice started to trail off as they crested the hill and saw what was on the other side. Because what he saw looked like a bunch of military-type warriors training and tending to their horses.

As well as a pegasus.

And a dragon.

And he knew they weren't just amazing animatronics, because he saw a woman hop onto the aforementioned pegasus and take off into the air.

"…point." Jason managed to finish weakly.

Culsan took that moment to place a comforting hand on Jason's shoulder, which most likely kept him from collapsing on the spot. "As I said, young man, I believe you are quite far from home, more so than we could possibly anticipate. Come sit over here with me, and I'll do what I can to answer your questions and sort out my own."

Jason could only nod distractedly, eyes never leaving the pegasus as it soared effortlessly through the skies as Culsan gently yet firmly led the young man over to a log with its side cut off, clearly intended as a rudimentary bench. For his part, Priam let out a quiet snort of amusement.

As it turns out, Culsan was making a huge understatement.

Jason was, as explained to him before, on an island off the coast of a nation known as Chon'sin. Said nation was the largest and southernmost kingdom on the small (by Jason's standards at least) continent of Valm and was at war with a conquering empire to the north that shared the continent's name. The only other landmass known to anyone in Valm was Archanea, which was home to three kingdoms: Plegia, Regna Ferox, and Ylisse. Animals such as pegasi and wyverns (as they were apparently not "true" dragons, as that title was saved for most of the local's gods.) were commonplace, and magic was a real and vital part of daily life for anyone between here and the distant city of Ylisstol.

In other words, Jason was in another world.

"That's… wow," was about all he managed to say.

He was still struggling to cope with it all, but Culsan seemed to know exactly what the doctor ordered. Or what the wizard ordered, because that's what he apparently was.

"There is an ancient and powerful artifact," Culsan began, "Of great magic known as the Fire Emblem. It operates as a conduit for the most powerful and draining spells and rituals known to man and then some. I may be able to find a means to return you home, young Jason, but I am too old and frail to sustain such a portal spell on my own. We will need something like the Fire Emblem to bear the brunt of a spell such as that."

"I'm sensing a 'but' here," Jason cut in. Culsan merely gave him a tired smile.

"Yes, though hardly as worrisome as you may fear," he consoled. "The Fire Emblem is one of the Holy Treasures of the Ylissean Exalted Family, and they don't call upon its power lightly. While I am sure I could use some of my old contacts in their Mages Academy to grant an audience with the Exalt, the trip there may be dangerous, and I cannot guarantee that they will agree to lend us such a legendary artifact."

Priam used this moment to cut in. "You forget, Culsan, that the current Exalt is a far more empathetic ruler than her father was. If any monarch would be willing to listen, it would be Emmeryn."

Culsan smiled as Jason jumped in surprise. He had forgotten that Priam was there the entire time. To Jason's mild shock, Priam shot him a quick glance of amusement before focusing his attention on Culsan's response. Although to be fair, Jason didn't actually know anything about Priam, so perhaps the guy wasn't as stoic as he initially pegged him for.

"Too true, Priam," Culsan agreed. "Exalt Emmeryn is a kind and peaceful ruler. It is precisely why I even think to bother asking for their help at all. But Plegia's King, Gangrel, has been itching for war ever since he ascended to his throne. We will have to be swift if we are to reach Emmeryn in time."

"In time for what?" Jason asked. Seemed like a weird choice of words to him.

"Emmeryn believes in peace above all else." Culsan explained. "Ylisse's armies are virtually non-existent, so if Plegia finally wages war…"

"There might not be an Exalt left to ask, and anyone willing to invade their neighbour isn't likely to share something like the Fire Emblem," Jason finished for him.

"Precisely." Culsan grinned at him with a surprising amount of youthfulness. "You are a shrewd young man to have picked up on that so quickly."

Jason just gave a half smile, half grimace as he ducked his head. "Oh no, you pretty much just spelt it out. I'm sure anyone could've figured by that point," he mumbled.

Culsan merely shook his head with a slight laugh. "I'm afraid if one is not taught such academic thinking, it would take a man far longer to come to such a conclusion. You must have been quite the student wherever you're from!" Jason, deciding that it wouldn't be smart to admit that he had actually been a terrible student up until college, could only give a sheepish nod.

"Gotta say though, I doubt that my school grades are going to help me out here." Jason confessed. "Self defense ain't exactly part of standard school curriculum."

"Quite so, young man!" the wizard laughed. "Which is why I have hired Priam here to act as both teacher and protector as the two of you make your way to Ylisse." Jason gave a start, and looked back at Priam, who just gave him a brief nod. But Jason caught the twinkle in the man's eyes: both amusement at the younger man's bewilderment, and sympathy for being in perhaps the most outlandish situation any of them could imagine. With that, a thought crossed Jason's mind as he turned back to Coulson in confusion.

"But what about you?" he asked Culsan. "Didn't you say we needed your contacts to even just have an audience?"

The wizard nodded sagely as he slowly made to stand, Jason following suit. "I would accompany you myself as well, but there is much business that I need to attend to, both here in Valm and across the sea. I'm sure our paths will cross many a time, but for the most part it will be just the two of you until Ylisstol," Culsan explained. Jason could only give a small nod; it made sense after all.

"Though I must ask," the wizard continued. "Is this an undertaking you are willing to make? It will not be easy, and if you so choose, you may remain in this village and begin your life anew. It is peaceful and out of the way; a simple life, yet a safe one."

Jason hardly needed to think over that one.

"I understand the risks, but if Priam is willing to train and prepare me for it, I see no reason to back out now," Jason asserted. "If there's even a chance that I can go back home, I'll go whatever distance it'll take." Culsan chuckled and opened his mouth, but before he could say 'good answer' or anything of the sort Jason cut him off. "But I have a question of my own, if you don't mind."

Culsan's silent yet polite nod to continue was all Jason got, but it was all he really needed.

"Why help me so much? Don't get me wrong, I'm super grateful for all the help the both of you are offering, but it's quite a lot. While I fully intend on repaying you somehow, I guess I just need to know why you guys are so willing to lend a hand, let alone believe my origin and take it in such stride."

There was a pause as Culsan silently appraised the young man before him before giving a small smile. "Priam's reasons are his own, beyond me paying him, so you'd have to ask him when you both have the time. As for me, it is part scholarly fascination towards this whole ordeal and part utter sympathy, which I suppose comes from the years I spent learning healing magic. That magic is empathetic by nature, so I'm sure it's rubbed off on me some." Jason, seemingly satisfied, merely nodded in thanks. "As for why we so easily accept your origin, well, it would be best to show you," Culsan explained before making his way down the hill and into the woods.

Jason wasn't too certain about the look in Culsan's eyes, and he couldn't seem to catch Priam's gaze either as they followed Culsan into the woods. Eventually they followed Culsan into yet another, smaller clearing, but this one seemed to be new, and created more forcibly. Jason's curiosity was soon satisfied, but a small part of Jason wished he hadn't asked.

Sitting in the middle of the clearing was the smouldering wreck of what used to be his car.

The world seemed to melt away from Jason's peripheral senses as he took in the chunk of metal that, upon closer inspection, was charred and covered in soot. A chill ran down Jason's spine when he realized, with a jolt, that he shouldn't have survived a crash such as this. In his numb shock, Jason almost didn't hear Culsan speaking softly behind him.

"Priam's men found you in this contraption after they came to investigate a strange, eye-shaped portal that hung in the sky over here a month ago. They pulled you out just in time, as not a few minutes later it burst into flame. Thankfully, nobody was hurt in a way that couldn't be healed, but you were already hurt badly from whatever trip brought you to us. Unfortunately, most of your possessions couldn't be saved, but we managed to preserve a few."

"I… how am I still alive?" Jason managed to ask, fumbling over his words.

"It wasn't easy," Culsan sighed wearily. "As I said, we found you a month ago. You've been comatose ever since, and it took the first week to get you stabilized. It took everything I knew as a healer to save you, and that's saying something; I've been practising this field of magic longer than you've been alive."

Jason, still numb, could only give a barely perceptible nod. He had plenty of brushes with death before, sure, and most of them behind the wheel, too. But none of those had ever felt nearly as real as this did, seeing how destroyed beyond recognition his old car was. Not even when he hit that deer and careened out of control while still going well over a hundred kilometres per hour had spooked him this much.

God above, he should be dead.

Jason jumped when Coulson gently placed a hand on his shoulder, giving it a comforting squeeze. "Do you… remember what happened?" Culsan asked, voice softer than ever. Jason shook his head, then let out a shaky laugh.

"Oh no, I think it's far better that I don't remember. Sure, it makes the details of how I got here even more mysterious and frustrating, but a crash like that… I shouldn't be alive right now, Culsan. Thank you. I owe you my life," Jason muttered quietly. He couldn't see it, but Culsan just gave him a tired, weary smile.

"Then don't waste your life, Jason. Live it well and live it long."

Jason laughed. "Yeah, I know a 'please-don't-die-and-therefore-waste-a-month-of-my-life' when I hear one," he joked. Culsan blinked, and Priam broke the quiet atmosphere with a bark of laughter, startling them both.

"I knew there was something I liked 'bout you, kid," he exclaimed, walking up to Jason and clapping him on the back. Jason winced at the strength behind the impact but hid it well. "Come on, let's take you back to the village and get you something to eat. Then I'll get you fitted into something a little more suited to travel. If you're feeling up for it, we can leave in a week or so when you have your strength back."

Culsan watched them go, hanging back for a moment. When they both were long out of sight and sound, he let out a long, low chuckle of amusement.

"So, after all this time, opportunity drops upon my doorstep just like that." He laughed to himself as he followed the two much younger men. "Fortune truly shines upon me this day."

AN: Hello everyone, and welcome to Through Space & Time!

For those who may be wondering, Lucina makes her debut in Chapter 3, which takes place the morning after her first in-game appearance. This is both because I felt Jason needed a little extra focus initially—as he's a brand new character and most of what will deviate the story from the original game comes from his involvement—but also because I just couldn't write the game's "Unwelcome Change" mission from Lucina's perspective in a way that met my personal standard for these chapters. It just wasn't good, so I skipped it with the trust that we all know her story well enough by this point. If you're worried that Lucina will be underdeveloped compared to Jason, don't worry—I'm using a "lead 1A and lead 1B" system that alternates who gets to take center stage until they're fully on board and working together. Jason is 1A for the Plegia arc, Lucina leads in Valm.

As for Jason, I knew I wanted him to eventually join the Shepherds, but first I had to come up with a way for him to get involved with everything in the first place. While Jason's story doesn't use it per say, I started with the Hero's Journey template to help prototype Jason's story and help get him started in a hostile and exotically dangerous world. That's how Culsan came to be (the character who guides him narratively) and why I put Jason in the Garden of Giants; so Priam could be his "practical" mentor (the teacher who serves as Jason's training wheels as he learns how to fight and survive). Priam is also Jason's initial link to canonical Awakening, giving the reader someone familiar so they don't feel too alienated. I can only hope I built a believable scenario to push Jason towards the Shepherds.

Finally, a big thank you to my librarian sister, who was kind enough to be my editor! But also thank YOU, dear reader, for giving this story a look! Feel free to drop a review if you liked it (or have some useful criticism to impart) and I hope to see you in future chapters.