The Shepherd convoy passed through Ylisse briefly and the people were given direction that Valm was on the rise and they had tore into Ferox Port, many of Ferox's own best were laid low and the continent to follow if the Shepherds hadn't stopped the trained cavalry. That scared them, but the only ones really scared were the nobility, minus the Themis family, they were made of stern stuff, much like Maribelle. They wanted to desert and plead for mercy, but with Alex's recounting of a simple fisherman being ran through just for existing and under the command of the leader, the nobility then dawned a look of horror in their eyes, that was just one and Valm wanted to dominate all of Ylisse with that unrelenting power. It was also them that rose a shock to Plegia willing to give currency and ships to fight back, but not manpower, nearly shouting to accuse them of doing less than expected, but Chrom spoke a single sentence. 'Are we truly our fathers or grandfathers in war that we are truly blind to the threat, Valm is on the edge, but I only can hear how we are being cowards to such a force without taking a chance, Plegia is not a problem here, so any that wish to leave, will be escorted by Ferox members to the frigid kingdom for safety, they have better protection than what Ylisse is currently able to muster.' That quieted them right up as Alex looked through his documents once more, now that the meeting was over, his time with Tharja during the return was pleasant, nothing... based on instinct, but both did feel that connection more than once, both promising to wait until after the war was over.
To this, Alex was looking into the desert matter and what he had found was disturbing, not for the horror of all of it that he could find in some reports of the past, but... "There is so little about the desert..." Beyond is supposed to be tales of a mirage village where the wealth of nations was said to have been hidden and even a staff said to belong to an ancient sort of goddess, before both Valm and Ylisse, a relic from the far-distant continent of 'Tellus'. In the end, Alex could barely find heads or tails of it before the door swung open and he looked up to Chrom entering as he huffed. "These meetings are so tiring, this one was so much worse, can't any of those nobles get it through their heads that they will NEVER be safe from this invasion?"
"You know what they say, Chrom." Alex spoke as he snacked on a cinnamon roll, pausing as he was sure that Tharja was the one to have made it, its taste was more sweet than normal as he put it down, intending to finish it later, as soon as the sweetened taste slipped away. "If they want to believe 'see no evil, speak no evil, hear no evil', then they are the only ones afraid of change, we need to ensure that they do not make any reckless moves."
"Yeah, well, good luck with that..." Chrom breathed as Alex raised his brow and the Exalt pulled free a small binding that must be more paper. "There was some talk of one of the noble houses hiring some bandits or brigands to find more treasure and riches in the distant desert." Alex huffed as he opened the parcel and sorted through it...
The end result is that, there was need for worry as the bandit group was one of the more disrespectful ones and even a Ylissian one as Alex's eyes rolled as he huffed as he spoke. "So... Am I to assume that you want the Shepherds to move out again for this?"
"Yes..." Chrom ran his hand over his face and spoke. "As much as I want to slip into a state of peace and forget, we need to keep moving and you did want to check out the desert to the east of Ylisse."
"I did inform you and all of the Shepherds on that, but a moment of peace is okay, Valm is not making their move yet and we have the time before Ferox sends us telling signs of another invasion."
"...Thanks, Alex." The young man nodded as Chrom left, strange how he was able to get to Alex and talk to him, but he didn't pursue that thought and instead focused on resupplying the force, they were going to need the improved power and abilities that came with such changes in skills and weaponry...
The changes were not unwelcome, but they didn't think too much about it as some had advanced, some had gone back to the basis to relearn and train for a new section as Alex donned the Grandmaster attire as an actual meaning while Chrom was elevated to a Great Lord, but all that strength and belief was still just Chrom as he spoke to the old man they found to give them some detail. "...A mirage village?"
"Or rumors of one, at any rate." The Shepherds came to a stop in one of the villages that was out of the way of the myths that swirled in the desert. "People claim to have spied a desert village that sometimes appears during sandstorms. Tales speak of a legendary Goddess Staff that sleeps there, but who can really say?" Chrom hummed before he replied in kind, Alex rolling his eyes as he put his faith in Chrom for the next month or so.
"That sounds like it could be helpful. It may be more than idle talk, but it still bears further investigation."
"Just take care, sir. The sands are home to armed barbarians." The old man shook his head as Alex did notice that the company of barbarians in question must have made swift treks through the sands and ground with how little traveling wagons or feet came through to the desert. "Every year sees a few villagers go chasing the myth and finding the grave instead. I'll not stop you, but be sure you're well armed and fully prepared." Chrom nodded as they readied up and primed themselves for combat in the desert environment before Chrom paused and smirked as he asked Alex.
"So... another member of the Shepherds." Alex near stone-faced as Chrom spoke. "I was expecting that you would have said something from the get-go, that is how we encountered Noire, that is how we learned of Severa, and how you managed to get Yarne on board before I even realized it, this is my move, Grandmaster, any counter to my understanding?" The vessel of Amirg opened his mouth to retort, paused as he went over the details before he shrugged.
"I... guess...?" Alex rested his arms as he continued. "If I had a notion, I would have said it, but it, right now, feels like nothing would convince the matching party without some big discussion." The two looked over to Miriel who was looking through her book and glancing into the desert, Alex learning that it was a journal of her mother's and she kept it with her everywhere. They looked back to each other as Alex finished. "Need I say more...?"
"Point taken..." Chrom paused again in his thoughts as they headed into the desert with the convoy. "But what if her kid had something so impossible that she had to acknowledge it?"
"Then, Chrom..." Alex chuckled as he finished once more. "We would all be doomed..."
As it turned out, they were on guard, there was indeed a brigand band doing the work of some corrupt nobles as their leader yelled to the high heavens for all the loot and goods they can find, calling it the 'Golden Oasis', but that gave the Shepherds ample time to work on their newfound skills. Somehow, there was a clear terror to a Great Lord leading a great band of highly-trained individuals that they were sweeping through with apparent ease, despite the new routine in their skills, Tharja sticking to Alex as well in her new Sorceress attire as they continued on, finding a young, scholarly man and Chrom bringing him aboard after a short chat between him and Miriel, his name Laurent. With that, they searched the sandy dunes, beating the brigands back and obtaining the number of clues and treasures that the people had. Soon, it came down to a narrow spot near where the brigand leader had set up camp and Alex narrowed his eyes, it was... something in the air as Tharja strolled to his side and spoke. "'Last tree north... two steps north and one more...?' Sounds like a great deal of Wyvern droppings, there is nothing here at all."
"That's because you are not looking..." Alex spoke with a calm tone as he spoke once more. "All one really needs to do is to see with all senses." Alex answered as he extended out and, right before him formed an old man as he spoke with a chuckle.
"Well, well. This village does not often play host to outsiders..."
"Could it be that we are often rushing to the next without a further look about?" Alex asked as Tharja was surprised to see the village in some way, to her, it was like illusions made of water.
"Few hold faith in that which cannot be seen to exist, yet I sense such faith in you." The elder pulled a staff from thin air and Alex quickly felt the power surge, the power to command absolute order, but at the cost of humanity, if it was enchanted even further. "Here, then. Claim what you have come for. I hold my own faith that you will use it with wisdom." Alex took the staff and answered back.
"We will not misuse it." The man and village faded out and Alex took the minor time to stash the staff as the leader shouted to reveal any loot, but they quickly put him in the sands, the remaining bandits that were of more sane minds lingering to surrender while the rest tried their luck further in the desert...
"The battle is won, and the sun is fading." Chrom spoke up as the last of the brigands were rounded up and sent to ponder on their future plans while dismissing those that just took off without any further supplies. "We'd best make tracks." He took a few steps away from the cooling sands and peered back to the dunes, recalling how Alex spoke of the hidden village, how it was hidden from all in sight unless they looked further. "Just what was that place, in the end? Something beyond our ken, I suppose..." He pondered it further as he headed back to the convoy. "Maybe a small proof that faith, even the intangible, can still be rewarded?" He decided to connect it to something more commonplace. "Like faith in a better future, perhaps." He chuckled as it was a worthwhile goal. "That's treasure enough for me." Chrom rejoined and their journey on was underway to leaving the desert, Miriel herself tidying up before a voice spoke up.
"Might I have a word?" She turned to Laurent entering the tent and she didn't dismiss him as she spoke.
"I don't see why not." Laurent nodded as he came closer and asked.
"Tell me honestly - how would you assess my performance?" This took a moment as Miriel wasn't sure what he could have been doing to ask for her input, but she gave it either way.
"You have certain natural deficiencies, but you compensate for them well. I Surmise this is the product of considerable time and effort."
"Hah! The best response yet!" Miriel narrowed her brow, what does that mean? "You're as perspicacious as you are blunt, Mother." Her mind blanked as she took in it, this is completely INCON...!
"Mother?" She breathed as Laurent nodded and answered.
"Indeed. I am your future progeny." Proof, she needed proof for that!?
"Do you have concrete evidence to substantiate this proposition?" Once again, he nodded as he pulled out a necklace, the ring its centerpiece, from his collar.
"I have a ring which is the same as yours. Quite literally." He removed it and offered it to her as she took it in. She detailed it down to its base material and found that it matched the ring that she wore too well.
"...Fascinating. It does appear identical."
"Do two instances of a unique object coexisting constitute sufficient proof?" It does indeed, but knowing where it came from and who held on to it was another fact to look at as Kellam's dark hair could be seen under the brim of the hat itself, no one else seemed to have the dismissive hair like he does.
"To be sure, time travel is one viable hypothesis to explain the rings." She lowered it before handing it to him. "But the possibility also exists that you pilfered the ring from said time traveler. As a means of identification, I fear it inconclusive." Laurent nodded as he breathed.
"...An astute criticism." He looked back up and continued in his speech. "I'm uncertain that any truly conclusive case can be mounted to prove my claim. But I intend to spend the rest of my life investigating the matter, if necessary." He rolled his wrist as he finished. "A single-minded pursuit of the truth may be the best proof of my heredity."
"This is a reasonable assumption. But I'm afraid a unilateral investigation is hardly credible." Laurent looked surprised as he inquired.
"Then how should-"
"However, I have no material evidence to suggest you are not, as you claim, my son." She thought about it as well as there would be one person that could help unravel the mystery a bit more. "We'll investigate the until a clear conclusion emerges." She nodded as she finished, resting a hand on Laurent's own. "...Together. Until then, I will grant the fundamental assumption that you are, in fact, my child." He paused before he nodded.
"...Thank you, Mother." Both nodded and headed their own direction, Laurent to get familiar with the whole of the Shepherds while Miriel had someone to see... A clever and mysterious tactician...
It took a bit of time before the Shepherds started to head into the Regna Ferox wilderness, Christian humming as he spoke to the halted travel, their next location being some strange manor, said to have been from an older generation, when the isle in question was of a warmer climate. "So far, it looks like we still have plenty of time searching Ylisse, Valm still hasn't figured out that we took out their landing party."
"Yes, it is strange that they haven't taken notice of them yet." Alex hummed as he moved a few pieces into place, based on their locations across the land. "An empire that doesn't care for its people is an empire that I cannot see win this war they seek." But it still lingered in his mind, something that egged him and Amirg on, something to do with Plegia.
"Well..." Christian huffed as he leaned against the nearest pole and spoke. "I just hope that we can check out all of those random sites and get back to Port Ferox to deal with any more of those crazed guys, they are not the smartest bunch around."
"I actually think they could benefit from Vaike's way." Both chuckled before Alex shooed. "Get going, we are going to need to set up some boats to get to the next spot, so just be ready." The now-Hero nodded as he headed out and Alex returned to messing with his tactics of current affairs in Ylisse as well before the cover moved again, this time to a female voice.
"Ah, it would seem that I was actually right with my first thought of your possible location." Alex glanced up to Miriel who, has yet to ascend to being a Sage than just a Mage, entered and continued in her speech. "I found that you were not as easy as I had suspected, the thought crossed my mind that you may have been wandering about the convoy and speaking to the other members of our diverse company."
"A bit late there, Miriel." Alex replied as he finished with a small movement of supply and scripted down some orders to send to the quartermaster. "I was wandering before settling here, Tharja is very critical with her details of both of our movements."
"Indeed, she is quite astute with her observation, but that is not the reason that has brought me before your guidance." Alex paused before he nodded, slowly moving the papers and materials to the side, even putting them away as Miriel took a seat. "It strikes me as abnormal that you had seen and acknowledged the existence of the other youths that have joined in the future princess's efforts, but what part of that objective meant that you would have not informed me of my own son's existence?"
"It is not something very exact, Miriel." Alex pointed out as he continued. "You would prefer to work with solid facts, not baseless reasons, you look at a situation and give a logical answer or theory about it, you would not have believed that he was your son from the start, nor trust in my judgement if I did tell you." Miriel was quiet as she looked to be pondering the same thing before she sighed.
"Indeed, and I would apologize for not believing in your 'unique' abilities and methods." Alex listened as Miriel spoke... in the 'low-intelligence' talk that she disregards. "I am... surprised to know that my... son was part of some nightmare... a ruined world where we do not live to give them hope. I... feel less than smart or wise to know that, I could have done something more for them... but I cannot speak for someone that fell, I can only speak for myself." Alex nodded as he added.
"No doubt to that, I don't want to think about what my own life had been to leave those that I protect or care for to such a fate." Alex hummed before he continued. "It's strange... not just the fact that they have come from a time wrought by despair, but that they had changed history in such a way, the Plegia War was changed in that regard." He wasn't sure how Lucina's actions had a full effect, but she told how Chrom would have been injured at the castle, affecting them deeply while losing the Fire Emblem to King Gangrel. He understood that she couldn't share what she knows, but still, some difference must have been made while she was on and off the field of battle and view...
He didn't follow the thought too deeply before Miriel stood up and nodded. "Very well, I will make ascertain that I will treat my own blood as both a source of knowledge and virtue for my own studies, I may even learn a great deal of things while adjusting to the sudden addition and his likewise companions." With that, she headed off and Alex remained before returning to his notes, resuming his look into the manor that they would be visiting soon...
The Manor of Lost Souls, as the locals have come to call it...