Here is the next chapter of my story. I am excited about this story. This re-write has gotten more support in one chapter then 3 chapters in my previous version managed to obtain. Also I am sorry for my horrid update time. Now let's begin the chapter.

War is not a river, or a lake, but an ocean of all that is evil." -Gustavus Adolphus, King of Sweden

DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING EXCEPT ME.

I sighed tiredly resting my chin on my hand as I observed the room I was in. Me and all of the newcomers were seated in a training room designated for combat training. Half of the room was a combat rink while the other half being a spartan room with just wooden chairs. I observed as some of the newcomers were more fit, better armed and more protected then me, and my height meant I was a big target if I was put in a combat scenario. Good for them, not so much for me.

Due to the fact I wasn't issued leather armor I was given a grey woolen long sleeve undershirt that went underneath my Tunic with only the arm sleeves being visible. It wouldn't protect me from much other then weather but it was better then nothing though that didn't easy my mind much.

The Commander of the Guard entered the room as everyone straightened up to listen to him. I saw him take a brief glance at me and something in his gaze worried me. Welcome to the first day of Combat Training he said as I silently leaned forward slightly to listen as he began walking back and forth in front of us.

"I will not lie to you, this training will be hard, demanding and after this you will hate me, but it will make you stronger." he said sternly as I resisted the urge to fidget in my seat. "Whoever passes this training will begin more advanced training before finally becoming a guard which is an honor that not all of you will gain." he said, as he glanced in my direction as my eyes narrowed at him.

He then stopped walking and stood still as he turned to look at us with an insane glint in his eye. "Now we will begin with some sparring." he said looking at a piece of paper. First up Marth Vs James he said as I felt my breath hitch. "Oh shit" I muttered eyes wide.

"Onto that field now" He said sternly no room for discussion as I stood up only to fall on my face as I tripped over a stuck out leg. "What is this High School?" I thought amazed at the immaturity of it all, and what was supposed to be mature adults. I made my way up to the arena clutching my two combat knives fiercely in irritation.

I felt fear enter my body when Lucina brandished the Parallel Falchion with grace, as I knew the kind of damage that sword could put out. Breathing in deeply I got into position. "Might as well do my best." I thought grimly "BEGIN!" the commander yelled. My eyes widened as Lucina burst forward nearly a blur, and my fight or flight sense screamed at me as I stepped backwards trying to evade. Lucina appeared in front of me as she did a palm strike into my stomach making me gasp in pain as I was sent skidding back, just barely maintaining my balance. I ex

Managing to regain my composure, I began rapidly moving backwards to gain some distance. I reached into my cloak which had built in pockets and began rummaging through it's pockets as me and Lucina circled each other, though I knew if she wanted she could advance forward and end this.

"I have smoke bombs, throwing knives, and my primary weapon." I thought thinking of a rather primitive plan, but a plan was better then no plan. I withdrew out a small white sphere making Lucina tense, grinning savagely I slammed it against the ground, deploying the smoke bomb and covering the immediate area around me in a thick layer of smoke. Lucina ran forward but I was already deep within the layer of smoke, as I began layering the area with additional smoke bomb. I slowed my breathing to avoid her hearing me. The entire area was now in a thick layer of smoke, making visibility practically 0 and I could hear the other occupants of the area coughing as I mentally grinned.

"Come on I need a sign of where she is." I thought making sure to keep my breathing slow, and soft as to not be heard as I silently moved around the arena. All of a sudden I heard a cough to my right giving away Lucinas Position. Withdrawing 3 throwing knives and praying to any god that could hear, I threw the knives towards the direction of that cough hearing it pierce flesh and a slightly Pained yipe. 'Bingo!" I thought grinning.

Taking out my primary dagger I charged towards the direction of where her cry of pain came from. I was sure I was near Lucina when a feeling of primal terror surged through every muscle in my body as I seemed to freeze.

Suddenly a blue aura swept through the room dispelling the smoke as I muttered several curse words at my smoke screen being destroyed, and for the time being I was out of any more smoke bombs. Lucina was looking at me with a glare and slightly pained look, as my throwing knives had hit home, lodging themselves in her arm and side though they unluckily hadn't gone deep enough to hinder her at all.

I saw Lucina withdraw one of the knives from her arm and before I could even process what was happening, she threw it back at me scoring a hit on my upper right arm as it penetrated my arm, making me grit my teeth and hiss in pain. I was now pissed, and without thinking charged her. With my knives in hand, I began wildly slashing at her, as she managed to maneuver through my blows with little effort. Suddenly without warning she slammed the pommel of her blade directly into my stomach making me step back and my jaw dropped,feeling my ability to breathe leave me.

Due to this I couldn't make much of a noise when Lucina picked me up despite the weight and height difference and threw me in the wall causing an indentation in the wall. I grunted as everything in my body was now aching. Before I could even try to move, she was within range of me again and placed Parallel Falchion at my throat to prevent me from making any moves as my skin paled. I grit my teeth when I realized if this was a real match I would already be dead.

I then let out a pained grunt as Lucina pulled me out of the wall and chopped me in the back of my head with her hand intending to knock me out. I could hear the Commander of the Guard announce the winner in the background before I slipped into blissful unconsciousness.

Flashback

Location: Lucina's Original Timeline

Fall of Ylisse

Lucina POV

I was in the battered Ylisse Royal castle. Grima and Robin had been battering the outskirts of the city for a week, and it showed. All around me were wounded soldiers that had very little effect in slowing Robin's advance. I looked around and saw all of the different new shepherds(aka the shepherds offspring), were sitting around with varying wounds, and looks of dismay on their faces.

The rest of the Shepherds had left to put down Grima and Robin and hadn't returned in some time and everyone assumed the worst. The risen had been pushing us farther back with each day and had finally pushed into the royal capital and the sounds of the dying and injured still haunted my dreams. Everyone tensed when they heard footsteps as everyone grabbed their weapons and turned towards the door.

The door creaked open as our eyes widened when James stumbled through the door with half of his left arm gone, the rest having been cauterized, along with mostly non-fatal wounds but he had a rather fatal one along his side. "James where are all of the other Shepherds?" Morgan asked panicking as James looked up and his eyes held a haunted look as he suddenly lurched forward and coughed up a wad of blood as everyone's eye's widened. He looked at everyone as he leaned against a pillar to stay upright.

"Dead, all of them are dead." he coughed out as ice seemed to settle in the hearts of everyone present as all of us silently cried at the loss of our family. "How did you survive If none of the others did?" I asked suspiciously as my comrades glared at my suspicion.

It was warranted after Robin's defection. He looked down and I could see him shaking with anger at both his inability to fight Grima and at my Suspicion. "She wanted a survivor, a messenger." he whispered just loud enough for us to hear as our eyes widened as he punched his bloody and mangled right fist into the wall. "I watched them all die before me, and I could do nothing but watch as she cut down every single one!"he said falling to his knees as he coughed out even more blood. I didn't even survive, because I was able too, I was all but dead but she let me live he whispered, still loud enough everyone could hear.

He then looked at us. "It is time for that last resort of a plan, nothing else will work." he said the tone in his voice showing how desperate we had gotten. "What about you?" Severa asked in a rare case of genuine worry. He chuckled coldly and gestured to his arm and wounds. "I am at death's door right now, I will stay and fight and die with at least some dignity." he said making us all angry he wouldn't even try and come. He looked at us smiling with a true smile.

"It's the job of the old generation to protect the new one." he said smiling before wincing as he coughed up some more blood and a bit of bile. "So it's settled then, we will return to the past and stop Grima's terror before it begin's." I said as he nodded and We began preparations for the ritual which would open the Outrealm gate to the past. A ritualistic circle was drawn as the Fire Emblem would be the main power source. I walked forward into the middle of the circle before stabbing a glowing Falchion into the middle of the circle as the area erupted into a swirling mass of blue Mana.

I watched in awe as light seemed to bend inward before a blue door was formed. I watched all of the others entered the door before only James and me were left. He was getting more pale by the moment "Promise me you will save Robin." he whispered in a weak breath as I knew he didn't have long left and if the distant clacking of metal and dark energy was any indication then it wouldn't be by bleeding out.

"I will save her." I said lying to him that I planned to eliminate the woman no that monster, as I wanted him to at least die thinking he saved her. My fist clenched at the thought of the woman who killed my father in cold blood, Grimas influence or not. Be prepared for a weak version of me with no skill, as I didn't get much skill until the war with Plegia started he laughed before wincing as I stepped through the gate and everything went white…

…...

James watched as the door dissipated and he was left alone. He had tried to put up a facade of strength but in truth he was afraid, so so very afraid. Afraid of Robin, afraid of Grima's arrival, and most of all afraid of dying. Was it truly wrong to fear ones's death? Oh how he wanted to go in their place and leave them here, but he knew Chrom and the other shepherds would never forgive him for it, and it's not like he would be much help with the wounds and an arm missing. He glared at his wounds, the symbols of his weakness. He tensed as fear creeped into his being as he felt Grimas dark energy near.

His gaze snapped towards the door as it was blasted off it's hinges and Robin walked in grinning with an evil glee visible on her face before that glee vanished when she noticed the lack of her intended targets. "You did that ritual didn't you." she said glaring as James grinned.

"You know I will just follow them, you know it is well within my ability." she said her eyes glowing red as James chuckled nervously. Oh I know, but you underestimate them he said standing up and picking up a rather battered Killer Edge with his mangled right hand as it hang loosely as she scoffed. "Even a scared and cornered animal would fight back in the face of impending death." she said mockingly. "They are weaker then Chrom and we know how easy he died."she said as he glared heavily at her remembering that day, and the death of one of his first true friends. His biggest failure.

She grinned before vanishing as James eyes widened as she appeared in front of him Steel sword gutting his stomach as the steel blade impaled him straight through his stomach and out through his back. James eyes widened his mouth opening as blood trickled from his mouth. His grip on his sword slipped as it fell off as he felt suddenly very gold.

He was only standing due to being attached to the steel blade as Robin gave him a dark sneer, and seeing how far his friend had fallen made him only further glare at what he knew was Grima in control. A pale mockery of his comrade.

"Robin I know you are still in there, you have to fight it." he said barely able to put out a whisper, before crying out in pain as she twisted the blade causing much internal damage. "Robin is dead, all that remains is a vessel for Grima." she said her voiced laced with another more ancient one as she twisted the blade one final time before pulling it out violently as James hit the floor not having the strength to stay standing as blood poured from his stomach.

Everything seemed to end.

Robin looked at her former comrade with a gaze of hatred.

"You ended as you began, weak and alone." she said as the words hit, and the fear was gone, left with only regret.

He felt the dark energies in Robin be used in a bastardization of the original time ritual, which would send her back in time as Grima's power replaced the Fire Emblem's. Only once she was gone back in time did realization dawn on him that he would die alone with no one around to say good bye too.

" I….am…...alone.." he whispered each breath taking more out of him as he bled out and everything was going dark. Images flashed of the family he hadn't seen in so long, as the deal for a new life led him to an early grave. His mother wanted to see him grow up but his leftover anger and bitterness towards the people who hated him made it so she wouldn't even remember her son. "I…..deserve….no….pi-ty" he thought angrily before he felt his life leave him.

Lucina POV

I looked down at the unconscious James who was being treated by a healing mage as she frowned. "He is sweating heavily as if having a night terror but other then that he will be fine." the nun said before she walked out leaving me alone.

I silently locked the door as he began to wake up. I intended to have answers before he managed to gain strength. I watched as he regained consciousness and his eyes looked devastated as if he saw his own death. His eyes widened in fear when I put my blade to his neck.

He tried to scramble but I pushed it forward to where it was barely touching him as he paled and froze. "What is my name?" I asked wanting to confirm something. "M-marth." he said though I could tell he knew more as realization shone in his eyes.

"The other name." I growled as his eyes widened in shock as he looked at me as if I was the reaper, and that what he knew would end him. "L-ucina." he said only to cry out in pain as I picked him up and shoved him against the wall with my glove against his throat. "How do you know that?" I asked not hiding my anger at being known. He gasped for air.

"Y-you wouldn't believe me if I told you." he said struggling to breath, and I could see anger in his eyes. "Your an Out Realmer from another realm, and I came from the future, I think I have an open mind." I stated in sarcasm. James looked at me with a dead look as he glared and gave me an explanation that was more far fetched then anything I would have expected.

I wanted to call him a liar but Sully taught me how to detect lies and he was showing none of the signs. I stepped backwards several times before falling into a chair as I glared at the floor. I was young but felt 10 years older after that explanation. "So in short, my world is a glorified war game, and the entire world was made up by some guy looking to make money." I said eyes twitching as he raised his hands up in surrender not wanting to be the target of my anger

"How do you think I feel, the entire concept of Fiction is being brought into question for me?" he said dryly. I felt it was time to let the final cat out of the bag. "The Guard Commander wanted you to fail." I said plainly as I watched James stiffen. "What ?" he said with a voice in defeat as I handed him some papers I "Borrowed".

As James flipped through them and I watched him frown before throwing the papers across the room and leaning against the wall and sliding down so he was sitting on the floor. "Even in this new world, people are still trying to screw me over behind my back." he said darkly chuckling.

"The circumstances surrounding Donnel finding you were suspicious at best." I said as I saw James breathing heavily and clutching his head. "Not like I could chose where I was dropped he mumbled. "Well given the current situation, you have to main choices." I said making him look at me with a tired expression. "You can either mope around until you get kicked out, or have me train you." I said making his jaw drop as he looked at me in shock. I will take that as a yes, be prepared for a gruel training regime I said as I left the room before he could object.

So yeah….. I couldn't think of a way to get him into the guard without some outside help. So I figured why not have the Commander try to screw him over by placing him in a fight that would show his weaknesses and give him grounds to fail him.

This way I am able to introduce a main character for the audience sooner, while not making him part of the shepherds or strong for quite a while. And about the training regime, let's just say death would be a good alternative. Yeah my SI is fucked and not in the good way either. The next chapter will feature my character getting beat to a pulp by someone that could kill him without batting an eyelash, fun times. :) Herzog The Conqueror logging off.