Chapter 17: Prophecy

After seeing the inside of the Astral Realm, and establishing that the orb could be transported safely, with people only entering and leaving with the permission of somebody with dragon blood, Yukimura agreed to my plan.

Mikoto entered the orb easily, and immediately recognised the castle for what it was – a reconstruction of Castle Gyges. She did not say as much, of course, but her misty eyes at the sight confirmed it.

The reactions of Corrin and the other Hoshidans was one of much greater surprise. They easily accepted Lilith for a dragon, but were astonished by the plan to transport everybody in a tiny bubble, and the fact that it contained an entire acre's worth of resources and accommodation.

Mikoto had decided to assign Sakura's retainer, Subaki, to carry the orb to the Canyon. Reina, her first choice, was still away, delivering messages to the nations we hoped to ally ourselves with.

With our new plans in motion, things started moving a lot faster. Soldiers and servants constantly streamed in and out of the castle gardens, aiding Lilith in preparing her Deeprealm for hosting an army.

I still had much to do, and could only spend so much of my time in the library if I wished to complete it all. So one cold morning I emerged from the corner I'd claimed for myself amidst the piles of books, and went searching for my target.

I finally found my first target in the archery range. Walled off from the rest of the castle, targets lined the three walls to my left, right and directly parallel to the entrance. Ezras, Araksi's teacher from Fort Shadowgift nodded as I entered, then turned back to her own work.

Another archer, with blue hair covering one of her eyes, watched me curiously as I approached the Prince.

He wielded a normal yumi, instead of his legendary weapon, and seemed focused on his shooting. His target was already littered with arrows like a pattern, and several of the vacant targets next to his were practically covered.

"Damn," he muttered, as one of his shots veered off a little too far and hit the legs of his target.

Immediately, he swivelled to me and gave me an accusing glare. His fingers twitched at the quiver on his hip.

"Um... I wanted to... Can I speak to you for a bit?"

Takumi barely moved as he responded, voice taut and snappish, "Make it quick."

"I... I'm sorry," I began. "My words the other day were out of line... I was..."

Takumi did not respond for a moment, then looked past me. "Spare me. I've no use for your apologies. So long as you serve my mother faithfully, I have no need to interact with you. Nor do I desire it."

I felt as though I could breathe a sigh of relief. From what I knew of Takumi, that was as good as I was likely to get. He did not seem to harbour any true grudge against me.

"Thank you," I nodded at him. He paused another moment, then turned back to his archery practice.

I turned to leave, and made my way to the next target. So far so good. I hoped with my apology that Takumi would be less likely to turn against me, and by extension Corrin. Of course, first I had to be sure that Corrin would make the decision I wanted. Provided she was still offered that same decision, of course, but that was another problem to solve later.

Corrin had taken a great liking to Lilith's Deeprealm. She especially seemed to have loved learning the ins and outs of the new castle's mechanics.

Corrin, and her other royal siblings, possessed Dragon Blood through their lineage. This let them see and activate Dragon Veins – tiny spots of massive power where the world's magical leylines intersected. According to Lilith, the Astral Realm, as a magical construct, was basically one big Dragon Vein, so Corrin had been having fun using this ability to change and shift the Deeprealm to her liking. Mainly, she'd been very productive in her exploitation of Lilith's gift to her. Buildings had sprung up from the ground, fully formed, and the Hoshidans had started filling them with furnishings, stock, or supplies as they assigned them roles. An armoury, apparently similar to one she'd seen in Nohr once, a medicine shop she'd passed on her way to Castle Shirasagi, and many such constructs from her scattered memories.

She had created a tree for herself, a cosy house high in the branches to which she had climbed and made a home for herself away from the castle.

It was this treehouse which was my initial destination too, as soon as I entered the Deeprealm.

I needed to be sure that Corrin would be able to save Valla from Anankos. After all, it was only because of Anankos's compassionate side that I had been able to survive this far. After she'd made her choice...

My research into the Dragon's Gate – the magical portal that connected worlds – had been infuriatingly inconclusive. I had expected there to be at least passing references to portals or magical gates in numerous books, but had not found a single one. At this point, after skimming through hundreds of books, I had taken the closest thing I could find, and was reading as I walked.

The worn, leather-bound tome was clearly frequently used, with stains over its pages and severe fraying at the corners and edges, where dozens of hands had left their marks. The librarian had been happy to let me take it, confessing that there was to be an updated version of the book given to them soon.

"An update is well overdue at this point," he had admitted, his balding head bobbing as he wrote the details of my reservation of the book. "That book was one of the assigned materials for many healers trying to hone their craft. But nowadays, medical students take one look at the state of the book and decide they can learn elsewhere."

"Medical students?" I had asked, flicking through the cracked paper as carefully as I could. True to Silverio's words, there were indeed detailed descriptions of healing rods, as well as what I was truly after – the Rescue rod.

"Oh yes, the author was one of the best practitioners of light magic ever recorded. I'm told she lived hundreds of years ago in some other country – Nestra or some such place. Hard to pin down, with her being so secretive."

The author's name had once been emblazoned across the front and spine of the book in golden cursive Hoshidan, but had since faded to a dull bronze, 'A. Drachma'.

"Because healing students therefore don't gain the proper knowledge from that book, their ability to use healing rods is seriously damaged. And that means that rods have become ludicrously expensive and in short supply."

That was something I loved about Silverio – he had a tale for every book in his library. He had once spoken about a man who claimed to have met a small child with pointed ears when I picked up a book about dragons. Another time he had mentioned a goddess who took the form of a small bird when I had been looking up deities.

Despite his well of knowledge, he had shook his head when I had asked about the Dragon's Gate.

"I've heard of many gates and draconic structures, from the great gate of Izumo to Fort Dragonfall in Nohr, but I'm afraid I've never heard of a portal like you say. If there were any literature about a portal, be it fact or fiction, then I'm afraid we have no such books."

If Silverio said that, it had to be true. He had been in the library for a decade, and claimed to have read every one of the thousands of books in there. And he was a terrible liar. Although he had a story to add for each of the topics you cared to mention, not all of them were true. The ones that were, he would tell with a straight face, but for every tale he invented, his cheeks would flush, and his fingers drummed an arrhythmic beat on the closest surface.

The only thing I knew and could remember about the Dragon's Gate from playing the game, were what it was in Nohr, or at least on that side of the canyon. But its precise location escaped me. Even knowing it was somewhere to the north wasn't really much help. The country was simply too vast to explore it all.

Oddly, Jake couldn't help either. The map option on the small tablet offered a satellite view of the world (probably using magic, rather than actual satellites), that I could zoom in to see labels and birdseye images of different locations – whether it was a mountain or a village. Despite my glorified Google Maps app however, there was no sign of the special structure I had been looking for anywhere in the north of Nohr. Just mountains, dead plains and a scattering of villages.

That was a mystery for later, I had decided. It wasn't as though I could go running around Nohr on my own, looking for something which was a secret to many. And for good reasons.

I blinked. Prince Ryoma was ahead, and he was waving at me, a broad smile on his face. My hand reflexively straightened, my arm lifting to wave back, when a trio of ninja suddenly passed me.

"Lord Shura is in place, Lord Ryoma," Kagero said, bowing to her liege.

Ryoma frowned at his retainers' expressions. "Well done on your mission, of course... I would have thought this a cause for celebration for you?"

"It is good to have justice for father, of course," Kaze nodded. "But we ran into a problem."

"A village named Suzume was attacked. A horde of Faceless led by a group of Nohrian dark mages. The few survivors were captured and taken across the border before we arrived."

Ryoma's face turned grave, "How could that be? The barrier remains active!"

"Evidence suggests there was a... Flicker. It was shortly after Princess Corrin's return to Hoshido."

Kaze nodded at his brother's words. "We at first assumed it was due to Queen Mikoto being attacked. News of that travelled fast."

Kagero kneeled. "I apologise, milord. Saizo and I should have been here to assist you."

The prince smiled easily, "You were where you were ordered to be. While we suffered losses here, they were mostly material."

"That is not what we heard, milord. The queen was struck. That should be impossible," Kagero countered. She glanced at Saizo, noting that he had fallen silent.

Ryoma nodded, "We believe the assailants used some strange new Nohrian magic to bypass our defences. Still, she remains unharmed."

"And we will speak more of this," Saizo interjected, turning his head, "When we have fewer eavesdroppers."

I started, but a voice beside me spoke up in dramatic alarm. "Alas! We've been caught! None can be as stealthy as a ninja in a game of cats!"

Kagero and Kaze smiled at the woman beside me, and I turned to her too. Her hair was tied up in a bun with golden pins, and her outfit was a baggy match of light linens and silks. She waved a folded fan around, indiscernible markings along its length. A feline smirk graced her face as she regarded the sight she'd apparently joined me in spying on.

"Orochi," Ryoma nodded, clearly restraining a smile of his own. "I would have thought you would know better."

"You wound me, milord!" Orochi said, still smirking. "Is there a penalty now for approaching my friends to greet them after so long apart?"

"It has not been that long!" Kagero protested. "But it is good to see you."

Ryoma coughed into his hand, suppressing a smirk at the pair's interaction, before turning more serious. "Still, is there anything I can assist you with?"

Orochi shook her head, "Actually, I was looking forward to a little chat with Derek here!"

"Them take him. And prevent him from eavesdropping any longer. Not that you are much better, Orochi." Saizo glared at me, and frowned at Orochi.

"You cannot have been talking about anything too serious if it took you so long to raise an objection!" Orochi countered. She rolled her eyes, and smacked her fan against my arm, "Come along then, nosy mouse! Let Orochi drag you away from these noisy beasts!"

True to her words, she gripped my arm with a surprisingly firm grasp, and began tugging me away. I glanced back, offering a weak smile in apology to Ryoma, but he was deep in discussion again already. Finally, Orochi stopped, pushing me up against the wall of a stone building as she rummaged through the satchel at her waist.

I opened my mouth, but immediately, without looking, she pressed a fragranced finger to my lips.

"There you are, naughty cards!" she grinned, pulling out a deck. She glanced at me, and immediately barked out a laugh, "Oh, wipe that red off your face! You look ridiculous!"

I reached up to rub at my cheeks. They had become very warm all of a sudden, and I found myself looking anywhere but at the woman.

"Listen," Orochi said, her voice suddenly more serious. When I looked at her, her face had turned grave. "I've been meaning to speak to you for a while."

"W-what about?" My voice felt odd in my throat, with how awkward I felt.

"One of my many hobbies and ineffable talents is being able to give fortune readings. And they are invariably flawlessly accurate. A few months ago, I gave a reading to Queen Mikoto. A reading that... Was wrong."

"You..." I began. Orochi moved to silence me again, but I persisted. "You predicted her death."

Orochi scowled, "Good at guessing, I see."

"She told me. I told her a plan to prevent it."

The diviner's eyes widened, "I see! Well, that at least explains why..." she nodded to herself, shuffling her deck idly. "I kept checking my cards, and at some point, the fortune changed... Suddenly I saw her surviving... And then she did."

I stared, confused. "You didn't tell her?"

"My readings had never changed like that before... I... I wondered if my telling her had managed to save her, and worried that interfering more would doom her again."

Orochi looked genuinely regretful. I almost raised a hand to comfort her, then stopped awkwardly. Suddenly, she glared again.

"But now!" she grabbed my raised hand, pulling it towards the deck she held in her left. "Take the top three!"

Startled, I obeyed almost reflexively, plucking three cards from the deck. She nodded, so I turned them over, looking at them. Almost immediately, Orochi was upon them, taking them to study herself.

"Your past... A locked door. You're too secretive." That was a door? The picture on the first card looked more like a coffin to me, covered in cobwebs and dirt.

The second card was a skull, a maggot crawling through one of the eyeholes as it sat alone in a dead forest. "Your present... Death plagues you, and all you hold dear..."

I grimaced at that, then again at the next card. A lone figure, hanging by its neck with a rope, a dagger through its back. Unlike the other two, this one was upside down, at least from my perspective.

"Your future... Betrayal. And flipped this way means that, voluntarily or not, you will be the traitor."

"Well, that would be unpleasant, wouldn't it?"

Orochi and I both turned at the voice. A monk, with messy brown hair and a healing rod in his hands smiled blissfully at us.

"Are you betraying a secret lover perhaps, Derek? I'm sure they'd be devastated to see you hidden here with fair Orochi."

"Why Azama!" a smirk came back to the diviner's lips. "I wasn't aware you found me so breathtaking!"

"I could personally never find somebody so attractive, that they would have such a high opinion of themselves!" Azama retorted. "The correct response would have been to laugh at the idea that Derek would have a lover hidden away."

"I'll not give you that satisfaction!" Orochi rolled her eyes, flicking her tarot cards back into her satchel. She turned to me, eyes narrowed. "For the record, I don't believe you are the traitor. You saved Mikoto's life. But this fortune warrants caution from all of us, including yourself!"

I nodded lamely at her, still rather taken aback by her dominant personality as she strode away.

Azama clicked his tongue at her as she departed. "That woman..." he turned to me, insincere smile back on his face. "Well then! I was sent to retrieve you, and I do find it more amusing to disappoint when I am sometimes known to actually complete my duties!"

"What?" I blinked at him.

He sighed. "Must I spell it out? If I were known as someone who never does as he is asked, I would never be asked anything again. And that would be no fun!"

I shook my head at him, finally feeling it kicking back into gear. "You came for me?"

He nodded, "Ah yes! Apparently Purantek has suggested you attend combat training. Why he thinks you'd be suited for that, the gods haven't clued me in. But perhaps he hopes you will absorb a few stray arrows for him."

I prevented myself from rolling my eyes, but he was right. I needed to get stronger. Despite my body somehow overcoming infinite injuries, I still felt the pain. I needed to be able to protect myself. And others too.

...

Training consisted of swinging a club at straw-filled targets while the teacher, a muscular beast of a man, shouted obscenities and threats at me and the other trainees. Rinkah and Kahua often stood off to the side, watching and judging me, when they weren't training themselves.

Only two days before we were due to leave for the meeting with the Nohrian royal family, Purantek gave me a surprising challenge.

Standing almost double my height, Kai had been forced to have a club custom-made for his huge hands, and it was about as thick as my head in diameter. He was supposedly the strongest warrior in all of the eastern continent, though his over-seas ancestry was evident in his decidedly non-Hoshidan face, which loomed over me with a cocky grin. His orange hair shone, draped down his back like a curtain of daylight.

"I've been looking forward to testing my mettle against the monster of Castle Shirasagi," he grinned at me. Rinkah gave him a frown from the side, before grunting and turning back to Kahua.

Purantek crossed his arms, smirking at me. It was clear he didn't think much of my chances.

"Do you accept my challenge?" Kai asked. He held out his pizza plate hand for me to hold, and I gingerly grasped his fingers briefly, as I nodded at him.

"Great! Let's go!" immediately, he swung for me, his club whistling down through the air before striking my left shoulder like a speeding car. If he was surprised that I went down so easily after one hit, he didn't show it.

I barely registered his huge club colliding with my face, but I certainly heard the crack. I screamed, as the blood burst from my nose, or what remained of it.

He paused enough that I was able to wipe some blood from my eyes, and see that he wasn't going to stop. I curled my right hand around my club, and he smiled as he lowered his club again.

Another sickening crack. I wheezed, feeling my chest cave in. My arm swung almost reflexively, missing him entirely.

What was going on? Was he seriously trying to kill me?

The next blow didn't come. I heard him chattering to somebody else, but couldn't focus on his words, nor their reply.

Footsteps, a voice, a warm glow... Searing pain!

I cried out, feeling my lungs and heart burn within me, the pain rising to my head, until a bright light filled my vision and thoughts of death flooded my aching mind.

...

I woke up a few minutes later, the pain still lingering in my face and chest as the world swam back into focus.

Kai was shrugging at someone – a woman. She hit him with her healing rod.

"He's awake," Rinkah's voice called, and the two arguing turned to me.

Kai gave me a bashful grin, "Sorry about that. I don't know my own strength sometimes."

"Don't give excuses!" the woman beside him glared. Mahi was Purantek's daughter, and was often on duty as the training yard's healer, just in case anything went wrong. Curiously, Purantek himself seemed to have disappeared. "Kai was just eager to test your weird healing power."

"Yeah..." Kai rubbed the back of his head, glancing down at Mahi, "And he was right! I've never seen anyone shrug off injuries that severe before!"

Mahi gave him another glare. "I wouldn't call it shrugging it off! You're lucky I came here to help speed up the healing process."

I sat up, rubbing my bruised chest. "Is it supposed to hurt? The healing?"

Mahi looked at me, surprised, and shook her head.

"And... Why didn't you tell me?" I frowned, glancing warily at Kai's bloodstained club.

Kai raised his eyebrows, "Hah... well... sorry about that. You're not exactly the most popular, though."

"Kai!" Mahi scolded. There was a pause, before she sighed, turning to me. "It doesn't help people's opinion of you that you keep getting special treatment from the royal family. But... that's still no excuse to try to kill people, Kai!"

I shook my head, and she slammed the end of her rod into the dirt. She began complaining to Kai, but I tuned her out. I'd had enough. I'd train another time.

...

The day before we left, I decided to get changed into some clean rags before I visited the throne room. The guards paid no attention to me, despite my nodding my head at them. I entered to find Corrin leaving.

"Oh, Derek!" she smiled as she passed. Mikoto watched from near her throne. "Sorry I can't stop! I'm going to play with Lilith!"

I nodded to her just the same as I had the guards, though I managed to mumble out a greeting. Whether she heard it or not, she nodded back at me as she left.

"Derek, I wondered where you had disappeared to," Mikoto greeted. She pressed her palms together.

"Is something the matter?"

She pursed her lips, "There might be. I spoke to Silverio recently, and he mentioned you had an interest in teleportation magic, or portals." At my nod, she continued, "He only came to us from Izumo a little over eleven years ago, so he would not know that I... Removed the books regarding those subjects."

At her mention of portals, my hopes had suddenly been raised. I found myself crashing back down to reality as I took in the rest of her words, however.

"You removed them? Why?"

She clasped her hands together, wringing them, "What may be an exit may also be an entrance. You know the enemy, Derek. If they were to learn of any ways to access this land, or should any of our own stumble upon those secrets by accident, a great evil would be unleashed here that we could not hope to counter. By removing and destroying that knowledge, I sought to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands. I can only apologise to you that in my doing so, I have effectively trapped you in this world."

After a moment to parse her words, I sighed. The knowledge of where the Dragon's Gate was might have been in one of those books. Or perhaps another way home. But by destroying the knowledge, she had not really destroyed the Gate, or those other exits. They would simply be harder to find, especially as Jake was being no help. At least I knew it was somewhere in the north of the western continent...

Besides, Mikoto had a valid reason for her actions. Knowing what Anankos could do to those who fell into his domain was adequate cause to prevent anybody from seeking him or Valla. I couldn't hold this against her, and said as much with another sigh.

"I understand..." I nodded to her. "I wouldn't leave anyway until I knew things here would be safe. But I will keep looking for a way home."

Mikoto gave a sad smile.

Despite my words, my heart did ache as I left the throne room. I could have found a way home, if not for the weighty secret over the queen's head...

...

Author's Note:

I'm still not technically part of a prophecy - that was just a fortune reading.

The training scene gave me far more trouble than it probably should have. I was sat on it for a long time, deliberating over various details. Originally, I was going to use Hinata and Hana instead of Kai and Mahi, but I swapped them out at the last minute.

I want to emphasise that the maltreatment of Derek is there for some very good reasons. I have thought this through, though not executed it nearly as well as I'd have liked.

This chapter was going to be drastically different at first, but I ended up using it as a rush to wrap things up, start other things and generally try to get things moving.