Chris: As per my usual explanation, just thought it up and felt like it.

DotDotDot Man: Glad you like it.

Nightmare3: Yep. I write strange stories. It's really fun, actually.

Min the Noodle: Well, Ninian and Nils did say that the ring came from their mother, so…yeah, that's probably how part of this fic got made. Thanks for the compliments.

Phantom Kensai: Yeah….But Marcus sucks anyway. And he sucks even more in FE 6. So we're technically doing the people in the future a favor. I think.

Someone: Thanks for the compliments.


Self Doubt

"You did a great job, Erk. Fantastic!" Eliwood cheered as he slapped the young mage on the back. They had recently come out as the victor in a series of pitched battles against the Black Fang. This was mainly due to the valor of all of Eliwood's troops. However, Erk, a young purple-haired mage from Etruria, seemed to contribute the most to their war effort. At every edge of the field, he seemed to be there, launching his magic at the approaching forces. Fire and thunder flew from his fingertips, tearing up mounds of dirt and launching Black Fang members high in the air before they crashed into the torn-up ground with a sickening thud.

As for the hero in question…. He looked up and smiled faintly. "Thank you for your praise…But I didn't do much."

"He's modest, too!" Hector let out a booming guffaw and gave the mage a hearty pound on the back, which knocked Erk onto the floor and face-full into a mound of dirt. Erk wiped mud and dirt from his face and robes as he got up.

"Thank you, Lord Hector…But I must get back to my studies. I need to practice my spells." Erk nodded to Hector and Eliwood before walking off, looking at the ground.

Hector scratched his head. "Was it something I said?"

"I don't think so, Hector. That's probably the way he is." Eliwood looked at Erk's retreating figure. "But all of this studying is going to incapacitate him in one way or another. It's unhealthy for a young man to be cooped up with dusty tomes."

"Thanks why I'm the healthiest man around! You won't catch me near any books!" Hector's booming laughter rang out again.

"Exactly. Which is why I always got higher grades than you in our classes." Eliwood smirked. "Come on, Hector. Let's check on the others."

---

Erk opened the flap to his tent and collapsed on a wooden chair situated near a small desk. He quickly opened up one of the books lying there and began poring over the words, hoping to memorize every single word, every single detail. One might ask why a person would do such a thing. Even Canas, the army's resident magic/history/archeology buff didn't study as much as Erk did. Everyone was confused and slightly worried about his behavior.

Especially his magic teacher and mentor, Lord Pent. A sage of magnificent power who studied under the Archsage Athos himself, Pent was extremely confused by his pupil's behavior. Sure, when he was young, he studied long and hard, but not with the single-minded intensity that Erk displayed. Pent liked to walk around, enjoy the nature that gave his magic power and form. To him, he could learn more by lying on the grass and watching the clouds pass by.

One day, Pent decided to get to the bottom of this. The silver-haired sage walked to Erk's tent and lifted the flap, looking inside. There was Erk, poring over his tomes, as usual.

Erk looked up from his books. "What is it, Master Pent?"

"Erk…Why do you spend so much time over your books? Surely you can enjoy your life, right?"

"Yes, master…But I would rather remain in here, studying."

"Why? Don't you want to go outside? Feel the wind on your face? Did you forget what happened the last time you studied this hard?" Pent's eyes narrowed with concern.

Erk looked at the ground, upset. "Yes, master."

"Now tell me, Erk. What is the problem?"

Erk sighed. "Well, master Pent, have you ever felt that you weren't good enough to do something?"

Pent eyes widened. "Well, sometimes."

"With me, that's always. I don't need people telling me that I can't do anything or that I'm not strong enough. I do it to myself. Every time I go into battle, I always wonder…Is this the time where my magic will go awry? Is this the time where my magic won't be powerful enough to kill my enemy? Will this be the time where I will fail my friends…You…Everyone? That's why I study so hard. If I study…Then maybe…I can do everything."

"Erk! Don't be a fool! You can do anything you put your mind to!"

"I know, master Pent!" Erk said. "But still! It gnaws at me! Every time I close my eyes to sleep, I see people dying around me! It could be one of our leaders, it could be anyone in this whole army! Sometimes it's someone I don't even know! And in front of me, I'm shooting fire at an unseen enemy. It explodes and I think I've defeated it…But the enemy comes through the blast and kills the person I'm trying to protect! Every night, the same dream, over and over again!" Erk's voice had risen. He was getting slightly hysterical.

Pent stared at his pupil for a while. "I understand. Well, if you think studying will help you do everything you can, then go right ahead. Just remember to go out and take in the fresh air once in a while, okay?" He stood and left the tent, leaving the purple-haired mage alone.

"Right…" Erk shook his head dazedly and went back to his tomes, poring over every letter to make sure he got everything correct.

---

The days passed on and the army continued its march across the continent, following the trail of Nergal and the corrupt Black Fang. In the numerous encounters they faced, Erk tried his best and accomplished much, becoming one of the best warriors in the army. But still, in the back of his head was the nagging feeling that he wasn't good enough, that he would fail. So, the mage continued to study in his tent.

Now, people other than Lord Pent and Lady Louise were getting worried. Canas, a fellow magic-user with an insatiable taste for the unknown as well as Priscilla, a royal healer who had romantic feelings for the mage were the first to try to break through Erk's impenetrable emotional barrier.

"Erk, I know that books contain vast amounts of knowledge and that every word is proof that we are alive…But aren't you pushing it?" Canas adjusted his monocle. "I've talked with your teacher, Lord Pent. I know what you're going through-."

Erk whirled on the shaman. "Do you really know what I'm going through? Please…Just leave me alone to my studies! I…I need to prove to myself that I am strong! That I am deserving of this praise! Every thought is a detraction of my character. I'm too short. I'm not handsome. I'm not skilled in the ways of magic. I'm not healthy….Everything! I…I wish I could stop, but the thoughts keep coming! Only by studying do they go away!" He stared at his tomes, which were lying in a heap on his desk. "If I analyze every letter and word, I'm certain that I will never fail! Ever!"

"Yes, but isn't there a limit to all of this?" Canas looked at Erk uneasily.

"The limit will come when I stop doubt myself. When I finally realize that I can accomplish everything I want to. When that moment comes…I will toss these tomes into a fire and live my life a man free of self-doubt." Erk smiled, envisioning the scene. He shook his head. "But that time…will be long in coming. I still hear it. My voice, echoing in my head, telling me that I'm not strong. That my magic is not strong enough."

"…" Canas shook his head mournfully, leaving the mage's tent. He met Priscilla, the red-haired healer, as he left the tent. "He…His self-confidence is lower than anyone else's. I've never seen anyone like that." Canas slid his hands into the pockets sewn into his black and purple robes and walked off, muttering.

Priscilla clutched her healing staff to her chest and looked worriedly at the tent. "Oh…Erk." She lifted the flap with her staff and walked inside. "Erk?"

"Yes? What is it, Priscilla?" Erk turned from his seat again, his eyes lighting up slightly as he spotted her.

"Erk…I'm worried about you." She sat down on Erk's small cot, across from the mage. "I never get a chance to speak with you, except in battle. And that isn't conversation…. I want to speak with you, as people…Not as soldiers."

Erk lifted an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"You worry me, Erk! You always spend your time cooped up in your tent, reading your books! Why don't you spend time with others? Enjoy life? Walk through the forests? When have you read a book just for the sake of reading it, not so you can glean knowledge from the words?" Priscilla's eyes were wide, pleading, as was her tone.

Erk started in surprise. "W-Well…"

"Erk! Answer me!"

"…I don't remember." Erk looked at the ground sadly.

Priscilla frowned. "This is what I'm talking about! You need to go out! You're worrying all of us, just not me! We're like a family in this army, Erk! We need to talk to each other!" She leaned forward and grasped Erk's hands.

"P-Priscilla…" Erk flushed. "Look…It's not that easy, okay? I…I've got some problems with myself that I need to work out first."

"What are they?" Priscilla looked at Erk, her eyes round. "You can tell me. I'm…I'm your friend, right?"

"You consider me a friend?" Erk's eyes widened.

"Yes! Of course!" Priscilla stared at Erk, her eyes fierce. "I like you, Erk! I like you a lot!" Priscilla gasped and brought her hands to her mouth when she realized what she had said.

Erk flushed a little more. "W-Well…To tell you the truth…I like you too…It's just that…I didn't think I was good enough for you."

"Erk! …You were always good enough for me." Priscilla kissed Erk lightly on the cheek and stood. "I…I have to leave. I hope that you get out more, Erk. Please…For me?" Priscilla turned and left the tent, leaving the mage to think.

---

Once again, time moved on its infinite circuit and Erk continued to struggle the voice in his head and the words from Priscilla. He managed to eke out a small compromise. As Priscilla had advised, Erk stopped studying as much and spent some time outside, walking through the open plains with the wind brushing against his face and the sun shining over his head. He had to admit, it was a refreshing feeling when it wasn't during the heat of battle.

And he reviewed his feelings for Priscilla. Now that he realized that Priscilla truly liked him, the voice that was nagging him about how he wasn't good enough for her disappeared in his head. Unfortunately, it was replaced with another thought. A thought that said that Priscilla was only saying those things so she could take advantage of him. A thought that said that Priscilla loved someone else and that she thought he was beneath her notice. Luckily for Erk, he realized that those thoughts were complete garbage, so he was able to ignore them with some success.

Priscilla and Erk were now recognized as a couple within the army, with only Sain and Raven upset. Sain because another girl had turned him down for someone else and Raven because he was Priscilla's brother. But Raven was able to keep his brotherly instincts under control, although he still would have preferred to know about her feelings before she had dropped this bombshell on him.

Erk had improved, mentally and physically. He did no longer doubt himself as much and he spent less and less time in his tent as the days went on. However, the voices still echoed in his head, still resounding in the cries that he would fail and he would let everyone down. And that dream still persisted. The dream of him failing the person who was in danger. The person who died because he had been too weak.

---

Time continued to tick away and the army was on the shores of Valor Isle, come to settle the score with Nergal once and for all. They were under siege by legions of morphs, creatures that looked the same and had no personality and blithely obeyed the orders of their creator. In a sense, clones. One morph, a woman named Limstella, was leading the attack and had the supreme advantage of greater numbers. Fortunately for them, Eliwood and his friends were a lot stronger than the mass-produced morphs.

But that didn't stop the enemies from coming. And soon, the army was split up into small two to three man cells. Erk and Priscilla were fighting together. When Priscilla had gained enough experience to move onto the next level of magic, she had asked Erk to help teach her how to use nature magic. She was an apt student and Erk often felt that she was better than he was. Priscilla had just laughed.

Magic exploded from Erk's fingertips as he laced deadly fire through the enemy ranks, turning the morphs into ash that quickly blew away in the wind. Erk breathed in, smiling happily. So far, they were doing fine from the onslaught of morphs. Luckily for them, they had been fighting against wyvern knights and cavaliers, enemies that were weak against their magic.

"Erk! There are more coming!" Priscilla looked up and pointed to the sky. Erk cursed. They were pegasus knights, flying soldiers renowned for their ability to shrug off magical attacks at astounding speeds. Priscilla called down thunder to strike down one of them and succeed, only to feel her magic tome dissolve in her hands, the magic that had bound it together disappearing.

Priscilla turned, looking worriedly at Erk. The mage grimaced and searched through his pack for an extra tome. There were no more.

"Don't worry, Priscilla! I'll protect you!" Erk launched fire from his hands, turning the approaching pegasus knights into dust. Each one fell to the fury of his magic. That is, all but one. One still remained, looking as strong as it did when Erk first began his attack. The mage cursed silently. It was a falcon knight, the deceiving name given to pegasus knights that have surpassed all others in terms of speed and magical resistance.

The falcon knight dive-bombed Priscilla, the knight's lance gripped firmly in her hands. Erk called upon all of his magical energy, sending an orb of pure fire to incinerate the falcon knight. He watched as the orb flew right at the pegasus, exploding brilliantly in a mixture of reds, oranges, and yellows. Erk sighed. The danger was gone. Or at least he thought.

The falcon knight burst through the inferno, still charging straight at Priscilla. The falcon knight's lance tore through Priscilla's chest, knocking the girl off of her horse and launching her to the ground, her blood flying through the air.

"NO!" Erk yelled in horror. 'The dream!' He stared at Priscilla's unmoving body. 'The dream!' He looked at the blood staining the ground, turning it a sickly red. 'The dream…THE DREAM CAME TRUE!' Erk fell to his knees, stunned. The voices in his head resounded in victory, telling him that he truly was worthless, that he was weak and miserable.

Looking at the corpse of his beloved, Erk didn't care what the voices said. He didn't notice the sounds of battle resounding over him. He didn't notice the cool breeze in the air. He didn't notice the fact that Priscilla's horse had run off, terrified that its mount had been killed.

And he didn't notice the blood-stained lance aimed for his chest…


Chris: There it is. Hope you enjoyed it, and you know. Review please. Advice and stuff is always appreciated, just as long as it's good advice.