Chapter 15 – An Offer You Can't Refuse


Beta'd by A.O. Talmidge


The chill feeling of cold seeping into her side pushed her to consciousness. Anna breathed in and her nose filled with the smell of stone, dirt and filth. This was followed closely by the realization that everything hurt.

A lot.

She opened her eyes, confirming that, yes, she was lying on a hard dirt floor, and when she tried to shift to sit, a stab of pain in her chest made her breath in sharply through clenched teeth. The sharp intake of air set off a chain reaction, momentarily and painfully made everything more vivid, but feel even worse.

Her head swam, followed by her gut rebelling against all the sudden stimuli. She threw up, seeing flecks of blood mixed in.

Anna groaned and painstakingly rolled over, closed her eyed and curled into a pathetic ball away from the disgusting scent of her own sick.

Breathing anything more than shallow breaths hurt. She didn't know how long she lay there, but eventually the pain subsided enough that she passed out once more.


The thrill pulsed in an annoying rhythm, and pushed Corrin back to consciousness.

Memories of what just happened flowed back into her mind. The light, the encompassing sound of the thrill, the tug, the water, the feeling of drowning.

Diving, no, falling into the ground.

Corrin opened her eyes, and breathed.

In.

Out.

The air was different. Invigorating, and even as she breathed again, a feeling, a sort of strength filled her lungs. Her hand clenched, kneading the grass on which she could now tell she was lying face down. She slowly, carefully, pushed herself up to her knees.

The grass was simply a small part of a lush field, dotted with trees. A nearby mountain towered upward. Wind rustled her hair, blowing in uneven gusts, making the grass around her look like it was waving. She looked up.

And couldn't help but stare, her mouth parting involuntarily at the sight that greeted her.

"What the…"

The sky was filled with floating islands, landmasses of all sizes, both suspended and moving through the air, tilted at angles that didn't make logical sense. Her head whipped back down, glancing around the surrounding area.

She was on one of those islands floating in the sky.

A light glinted off the surface of a small body of water, situated near her, and she shielded her eyes from the glare. Hadn't it been night before? Was she really out cold that long?

Corrin shakily brought herself to her feet, stumbling slightly. Even with how invigorating the air was, she felt…tired, drained in a way that wasn't physical. It must have had something to do with how she got here. Going through a portal at the bottom of a pond obviously wasn't normal, so maybe the act of it drained her? That seemed likely.

Actually, why wasn't she wet? Even if she hadn't dived through a pool, she had been standing out in the rain for some time before that, and she doubted that she had been unconscious long enough for everything to dry off completely.

Maybe that should be the least of her worries. Obviously, this wasn't the Northern Fortress, or any of the landscape that she could normally see from its ramparts. The feel of everything was too visceral, too real to be a dream.

Corrin couldn't help the smile that crept on to her face. Then a chuckle, then a laugh.

She wasn't there anymore; she was free from the Fortress' boundaries. She didn't fully understand how, but she relished in the feeling of freedom it brought. She breathed in deeply the unfamiliar air, feeling again the way that drawing it into her bolstered her initially sluggish feel.

The thrill reveled at its sensation.

Was this what the air of freedom tasted like?

She started exploring the surrounding area, basking in the newfound independence. No one telling her where to go, no duties, no sparring, no lessons. No wards keeping her confined.

And no one but her.

She walked, and walked, but couldn't find anyone. The sun never moved even after what felt like hours passed. Tracking it to its source, she came to the realization that the sun…wasn't the sun, even though it was bright and round enough to initially trick her into thinking so.

The not-sun didn't move, but instead hung stationary in the sky.

She abruptly stopped as she came to the edge of the isle she was on, and peered over the edge. Her stomach dropped.

The landscape stretched far below in a similar fashion, floating isles, she thought she spotted what could be buildings, but it was difficult to tell at this distance. Most moved at a furious uneven paces. How did they not ram into each other? Was the isle she was on doing the same? That might be creating the uneven wind she felt.

She carefully backed up and sat down, feet dangling over the edge, enjoying the feel of the wind on her toes.

She couldn't ever remember anyone talking about a place like this before. None of the maps, none of the stories or histories she'd read had ever mentioned it either. Why? She would think that people would clamor to write or talk about something as amazing as this.

So why not? Could no one else but her come here? Maybe they didn't know it existed? She supposed most people wouldn't be thrilled about having to dive until the point it felt like you were drowning, but for a view like this, who wouldn't want to risk it?

Or, maybe that was just her isolation speaking.

Her musing was interrupted as a shadow fell over her. When she looked up her eyes widened as she spotted another island – perpendicular to the one she was on – rushing towards this one at furious pace. It didn't look like it was going to miss.

She quickly scrambled back up, getting as far away from the edge as she could. She stumbled as the isle shook and rumbled, and she covered her ears at the ear-grating sound of grinding rock.

Then the sound and sensation abruptly stopped.

She hesitantly uncovered her ears and glanced back, her mind trying to comprehend what she was seeing.

The island that had been speeding towards this one had…merged with the one she was on, creating what looked like a wall. One made up of earth, fields and trees, buildings and mountains all sticking out of it.

"Okay, that's not normal."

But then again, nothing about this was.

Once she had waited a while to make sure that the landmass wasn't going to move anymore, she carefully trod over to the connection between the landmasses. Where they joined, the land looked like it bent upwards. She stopped and warily moved back when a tugging sensation in her gut started. A pull, like…

She searched the ground around her, eventually coming across a large pebble. She picked it up, and with an underhanded toss, sent it towards the newly joined isle. Her mind said that it should have just bounced off, but instead, it flipped in the air and landed on the ground of the other island.

That was…

Amazing.

She carefully stepped forward, past the part where the feeling of the pull started, and let out a cry of shock when, instead of taking another step forward, she fell towards the wall.

Instinct and training turned that short fall into a painful roll. She glanced back. The other landmass was now underneath her, and the one she was just on looked like it was now on its side.

A shaky laugh escaped her, before it devolved into a giggle fit. That was disorienting to say the least, not to mention hard to wrap her head around how that worked.

Rolling her shoulder where she had landed on it, Corrin stood and started looking around again. Her heart leapt when she spotted what looked like might be a cluster of buildings. The first sign of civilization, maybe even a town. She set off immediately.

It would be invaluable if there was someone else to explain what was going on.

But when she came to the buildings, she found them in ruins. The first she looked through had no signs of life. Same with the next one, and the next. Had they been abandoned?

Something in the back of her mind started to irk her as she moved around the empty village. It took her a while, but when she pinned it down, an involuntary shudder went up her spine. Besides the plants, there was no life to be seen or heard here. Even in Nohr, there was life if you knew where to look for it. Hardy animals, insects. People.

This place was alive with the feel of what she started recognizing as magic, but in every other way, it felt dead.

Well, maybe not quite dead, but certainly off in some way.

Eventually, she settled down on a boulder near the middle of what she decided was probably a village at one point. The relatively open area was near to the largest building in the village. Though its steepled roof sagged, it was more intact than the other buildings in the village, even though it had a large hole in the stonework on one side. She had yet to check it, but more than likely, it would be empty like the rest.

The not-sun still hadn't moved an inch as far as she could tell, but it was clearly getting dimmer and everything was getting darker with it. The dimming glow reminded her of a sunset, but without the colors. Had she been here that long already?

Fear, bubbled up in her. What if she couldn't get back? How did she get back? She couldn't really remember how she'd gotten here in the first place. Yes, she'd dived through a light at the bottom of the pond in the Northern Fortress, but how? She probably should've tried to see if she could get back before exploring.

Odd as it was to think, it had felt natural to do it, like something from her instincts. But why?

She paused, as a stray thought graced her mind. If she went back, wouldn't she just be trapped again?

But her family had to be worried about her, right? She dreaded what Camilla would do when she found her missing. Elise would be crushed, Xander might not be able to personally search but would no doubt send out search parties. Leo would head the effort from behind the scenes. Her retainers would no doubt get wrapped up in it too.

Well, if, no when she got back, she would at least have quite the story to tell them. Assuming they even believed her.

She jumped to her feet at the crack of a twig snapping, realizing two things very quickly. She was out in the open and had no weapon.

The thrill trilled a warning, and she twisted out of the way as something whistled past her ear. An arrow lodged in the ground near her. The way its fletching faced meant its trajectory was from her left into the trees bordering one side of the village.

Well, even if they weren't friendly, at least she wasn't alone; that was something. She ducked behind the boulder, putting its mass between her and the trajectory of the arrow.

If there were people here, actually living here, then it was possible there was civilization of some kind. Hopefully whoever fired that arrow would be willing to talk. She had hoped her first interaction outside of the Northern Fortress wouldn't be with an unreasonable bandit.

"Look, I don't want to fight you," she called in a manner that she hoped sounded peaceful, "I just want to know where I am." She poked her head towards where the archer likely was, though she saw no one.

She ducked back behind the boulder as another arrow lodged itself into the ground in answer. "So much for that," she muttered.

Unless there were others hiding, there was only one archer. With the archer where he was and the open expanse between her and the next potential cover – the largest building with the hole the side closest to her – her options were limited.

Rushing them was out of the question. She would be shot down long before she got to them, especially since she couldn't tell where they were. Even if she found them, she was without a weapon and it seemed unlikely that the archer would be alone. What had Gunter taught her to do when pinned down by an archer?

Don't stay in the same position, and get out of their line of sight. Right. Easier said than done.

Hopefully, this feint would work.

She hefted a rock and tossed it out from behind her cover. The twang of a bowstring – now closer than before – signaled the arrow, which whizzed past in the direction of the rock. Corrin bolted off toward the hole of the nearby building. The moments in-between her strides seemed to stretch, even as the thrill swelled and she ducked another arrow.

At last, she vaulted through the hole, taking shelter inside, her breathing still fairly steady. She turned her attention inward to the building, which was still relatively intact. She spotted wooden pews, in various states of decay, a raised dais at one end, and a set of ornate-looking doors – one hanging slightly off its hinges – at the other end.

Was this the remains of a church?

She shook her head; she could worry about that later. For now, maybe she could lure her unseen assailant here, disarm then and get answers. Or maybe just run.

She inhaled sharply at the rasp of a sword clearing its sheathe. The sound was close, somewhere still outside the building, by the sound of it. The archer definitely had backup. Not good.

Where were they? She strained her ears, listening for footsteps.

Her heart jumped and she covered her ears as the door barely hanging on to its hinges busted inward, slamming to the floor, shedding more light of the dimming not-sun into the small room. The sound of boots of the stone floor echoed, but she couldn't see anyone.

An illusion?

The thrill surged, and she rolled out of the way of as something slammed into the floor where she'd been. She glanced around for something, anything that she could use as a weapon, and spotted a broken leg of one of the pews not too far away from her.

She darted forward, awkwardly grasping the short wooden pole, searching for her attacker.

The light of the not-sun glinted through the hole in the side of the building she initially came through, and her eyes narrowed at a human-shaped shadow on the floor where it looked like nothing stood.

She'd never heard of it before, but maybe this was some sort of invisibility magic? The shadow showed the person's weapon to be a sword, clenched in a one-handed grip.

And it was running directly towards her.

The shadow showed a simple overhanded strike, she whirled to the side, and with yell, swung the leg of the pew where she judged the head to be to stun them. The wood snapped in half where it impacted something solid.

The impact seemed to have dispelled the magic and she could see them now. They wore simple if ragged looking clothing, but were cloaked in violet flames, which she really didn't have time to think about.

However, because she could see them now, it was nothing more than a duel.

She pressed forward with the remaining half of the pew's leg, ducking under the follow-up swing of the sword as she knocked her makeshift weapon hard into the person's sword arm this time. Her attacker made no sound at the impact, but stumbled. She lanced out with a rising kick to their hand.

The sword flew out of their grasp.

The thrill surged, and in a moment of clarity, she threw the pew leg half, then snatched the sword by the handle out of the air, and swung down in a two-handed strike. Her attacker made no sound as the crumpled to the ground. The violet flames snuffed out after a moment, and they no longer moved.

The thrill thrummed in a feeling of triumph. She did it – she'd won! She-

She…

She looked down on the still body lying on floor.

She had just killed someone. Just like that. Corrin swallowed, her throat suddenly feeling very dry, a pit forming in her stomach.

The thrill nudged her.

She shook her head in an attempt to clear it. Right. She was still under attack from at least the archer, and likely others. She…she needed to move.


Shura had learned the hard way never to rely on luck.

Even before Kohga had been razed to the ground, he'd had to learn that lesson. With how much he'd been on both sides of dirty plays in the years after, it only cemented his view.

At least now, he wasn't alone. It was him and his crew.

He shook his head, and internally smiled. For the longest time, his crew hadn't had a name. Still didn't at least in the public eye. Course that hadn't stopped his crew from thinking up nicknames. It was around five years ago, while acting as a highwayman around Windmire, that one of the recruits had made a joke.

"So what's your group called, anyways?"

"Doesn't need one and it never will."

"So I've joined up with a bunch of nobodies. That's rich."

The rest had laughed and teased Shura about it relentlessly, especially Niles. Of course that was before they'd realized the kid was a spy for one of the Nohrian royals.

But that nickname, among many others over the years, dumb as they often were, stuck, and Shura wouldn't have had it any other way.

He really was getting old if he was reminiscing like this.

Probably didn't help that he was still waiting for his crew to start their distraction. By his count, he wouldn't have to wait much longer.

His target sat at a desk, leaning over a piece of parchment, scratching away with a quill. Even just looking at him made that well of resentment boil.

In his prime, Kotaro was a monster in battle. Of course, in recent years, as age began catching up with him, he'd moved to more bureaucratic measures manipulate things in his favor. But that didn't mean Shura could slack off.

Normally, it would have been impossible to sneak into the daimyo's private office in Mokushu, but with Kotaro's loyal forces already stretched thin, it was slightly less so. Those were the kind of odds Shura was used to working with. Disguised as one of the two ninja on duty protecting the daimyo, all he had to do was wait for the perfect moment.

Not much longer now.

A knock on the door to the office echoed softly through the small room. Kotaro glanced up and set the parchment aside. Not good, but he could still improvise if needed.

Of course, it helped that Shura didn't expect to walk away alive.

"Enter," Kotaro called.

The door slid open and a man in a dark cloak entered, the cowl drawn over his head, obscuring most of his features. Shura hadn't seen the man around recently, but he'd seen him before, slinking around. One of his crew had eventually gleaned that they were an envoy from Nohr.

The man glanced at Shura and the ninja standing silently on the other of the room. "Care to dismiss your little pets so we can talk in peace?"

Kotaro let out an amused grunt. "I'm not so foolish that I would trust being alone in a room with you."

"How very astute of you. No matter, I suppose. With the way things work around here, everyone will have heard about it before night's end anyways." Clearly, whoever this guy was, he didn't enjoy working with Kotaro. "I've captured the supposed assassin as you…requested." The last word was punctuated with enough vehemence to put out a window.

So who was this assassin? Shura narrowed his eyes as his mind raced through the potential candidates of who they were talking about, but came up too many possibilities to pin down just one.

"Already?" Kotaro mused. "Well, that was quick."

"Tracking down an anomalous nuisance is child's play and hardly the best use of my time. There was no use toying with them, especially with how dangerous the Izumites claimed him to be."

Wait, were they talking about the guy who had killed Izumo's archduke?

"Are the rumors of his abilities false?"

"No, but whether they are or they are not was of no matter in capturing him. It was a simple matter of silencing his magic and threatening the lives of his companions. After that he came quietly enough. While his companions are already in the dungeons, I took the liberty of assuming that you wished to speak with him in person. You need only say the word, and he will be brought in."

"How uncharacteristically thoughtful of you." Kotaro gestured with his hand. "Leave after you send him in."

The man in the dark cloak bowed, though Shura easily caught the mocking manner in which he did so. "Of course, daimyo."

Well, this was just his luck. Now he had to bank on his crew taking longer than expected. Otherwise, he might have a larger audience than he intended.

The door slid open again, and in between two armored guards a man in shackles was dragged forward. He had white hair, like Niles. He had a simple tunic and trousers, feet bare. Shura spotted glowing onmyoji seals on his visible skin. Definitely some sort of mage.

So this was the guy everyone had been setting their heads on fire for the last week about? He barely looked old enough to be in his mid-twenties. Then again, that was about the time Shura had unintentionally started attracting people into his crew.

The shackled man looked up to Kotaro, and Shura could clearly see intelligence glimmering in those eyes. "What do you want?"

Kotaro cocked an eyebrow. "Believe it or not, I didn't bring you here to gloat or some other such nonsense. I simply wanted to express my gratitude."

The man let out a snort. "You have a wonderful way of showing it."

"You fancy yourself quite the comedian, don't you?" He turned to the guards. "Unshackle him."

Shura caught the guards glancing nervously at each other. "Is that really wise, daimyo?" one of them voiced.

"It's difficult to have a civilized talk when one party is in chains. Besides, there are seals on his magic, and I have no doubt your abilities to recapture him should he try anything reckless."

The guards moved to unchain the man, and as they did, Shura moved in tandem with the ninja opposite him, poised – in theory – to knock him out or kill if necessary. It also let Shura keep an eye on Kotaro, who had stood and gone to a shelf behind his desk, pouring drinks into two separate goblets.

A padded chair was pulled up to the desk and after finishing unshackling him, the guards roughly set the man down in it. They backed away a respectful distance when Kotaro gestured for them to do so.

He set one of the goblets in front of the man.

"Care for some?"

"I'll pass."

"Suit yourself." Kotaro took a sip. "It's quite good, you know. An excellent vintage from Kohga, quite rare nowadays considering its untimely fate a few decades ago."

Shura's hand clenched.

"You didn't drag me in here to talk to me about wine vintages. I'll ask again: what do you want?"

"Straight to the point. I can appreciate that. Let me start with the question I'm sure everyone wants to know: what did you gain from killing the archduke of Izumo, Robin? Revenge?"

The man – Robin, apparently – stayed silent.

"Very well, I suppose I have no need to know your motives. Even so, you took down a target I've been struggling for years against, and escaped cleanly out of the capital, even with the massive scenes you caused." He paused, taking another sip. "I have to thank you for that. I can appreciate a man with flair."

"And the attention it must have drawn attention away from whatever you were doing, no doubt."

Huh. Smart kid.

"Precisely. It's good to know you have a decent head on your shoulders to go along with your abilities." Kotaro leaned in slightly, resting his elbows on the desk and interlocking his hands in a steeple. "You are aware of the age long war between Hoshido and Nohr, correct?"

"Everyone does keep mentioning it."

Shura raised an eyebrow. Maybe not so smart. He was either cocky, or really didn't get how thin of ice he was treading on.

Kotaro continued despite it. "Yes. Its reach is felt everywhere across the continent. However, the balance of power has shifted. Some believe that such a thing is natural, and something that will be corrected again as it has time and time again.

"Ordinarily, they would be right. However, within these past thirteen years, the balance has undeniably shifted in favor of Nohr. Were it not for the ward which now resides around core Hoshidan territory, the war would likely already be over."

"Ward? You mean the barrier?"

Kotaro waved a dismissive hand to the side. "Call it what you will. While I don't know where Queen Mikoto got ahold of the knowledge for such a creation, its effect is clear enough. However, it is only a temporary reprieve, another stall for time. Even with its effects, Nohr has already found a way to continue to harass them."

"The Faceless."

Kotaro nodded. "Of course, and while the beasts are nuisances, they are but a distraction. It will only be a matter of time before they find a way to make the ward fall. When it does, I intend to aid in Nohr's effort."

"So Mokushu isn't as neutral as it claims?" Robin asked.

"On the surface, perhaps. However, I am a man of action, Robin, and I'll admit I've done things I'm not proud of. But at least I did act; that's something that time and again Hoshido has shown they can't do. They stumble along, hoping, dreaming, pretending; but when it comes time to act, they never do. Nothing disgusts me more than people who sit idly by."

Kotaro shifted in his seat. "So, when the time comes, the choice is easy; I know whom I will side with. The future safety and prosperity of my nation depends on it."

Shura resisted the urge to snarl. Mostly because if you took it at face value, it actually sounded like a good thing. But he knew Kotaro. He would ride on the coattails of Nohr's conquest, ignoring the lives destroyed in the process. All while spouting this nonsense about action.

"I can tell you're very passionate about this, but what do you gain from telling me this information?"

Kotaro let out a chuckle. "Can you really not tell? I want you to work for me."

Shura caught something pass over Robin's face as his eyes narrowed. "You want to recruit me? Why?"

"To speed along Nohr's effort and bring a swifter end to this long war."

"And you would want me to do what exactly?"

"You'll get the details when you accept, of course."

When, not if, Shura noted.

"However," Kotaro continued, "I won't expect you to work for free. You will be compensated and I can grant you what you desire, within reason of course. Riches, land, power."

"My services aren't for sale."

Well, the kid had guts, Shura could give him that.

"Every man has a price, even if they don't realize it."

"And what if I just want to be left alone?"

Kotaro snorted. "Then you've done a poor job of making that dream a reality with the price you've put on your head." His demeanor shifted and the tone of his voice dropped, becoming menacing. "However, know this. This deal only lasts for as long as you stay in this room. You can walk out here in my service, or you will not walk out at all."

Kotaro paused, likely to let the severity of that statement sink in.

"So, Robin, what will it be?"


When Anna woke up again, she noticed that she was on a cot, a thin blanket covering her. The smell of sick was gone. Someone had taken pity on her?

She probably looked pathetic.

No doubt about that.

At least the pain she felt before had faded to a dull enough throb for more coherent thoughts to form.

How had she gotten here and, where was here? She carefully opened her eyes. The area was fairly dark, but past strong metal bars – she was in another prison cell – she could see firelight reflecting off the stone floor outside the cell.

Either it was night, or she was underground.

She could feel that she'd been stripped of all her gear. The thin shirt and pants she now wore did little to keep out the slight chill, not enough to be freezing, but very much unpleasant. If there was another blanket somewhere, she didn't feel up to moving enough to retrieve it.

Compared to the cells in Izumo, she couldn't see or hear anyone else close by. Unlike Robin, she couldn't just wave her hand and blast through the cell to escape. Even if she could, there was little chance of escape, especially in her current condition. She'd be recaptured in an instant, likely in a worse state then she was in now.

So it was just her, alone with her thoughts.

Anna closed her eyes as a fresh wave of pain and nausea passed, followed by the memories of the night before.

The attack. The exploding Faceless, being crushed under a different one's fist. The man in the dark cloak controlling the abominations. He'd said something about taking them the Mokushujin capital. And that was where she'd lost consciousness.

They couldn't actually be there already, right? They'd been barely in Mokushujin territory and Mokushu's capital, Suterusu, was many days worth of walking away from where the village they had been near. So, unless she'd been out for longer than she thought, this had to be some sort of interim holding cell, right?

Unless he transported them via teleportation.

Anna frowned. Over that sort of distance? That seemed unlikely. But…then again, with what had been happened to her, it probably wouldn't do to outright dismiss the thought.

It still didn't change the fact that she was stuck, injured in a holding cell, barely more than a full week after being her brief stay in the one in Izumo. Would the sight of a cell become normal?

A buzzing, painful full-body sensation, coupled with a headache washed over her. She almost threw up again. No, she just dry heaved. Nothing to come up.

What just…?

A pulse. An abnormal beat.

Anna looked down to the visible part of her right arm. The grey scars tingled.

Nothing.

She blinked. And her arm, no, everything, fluctuated.

And everything waswrongwithpainitwasn'thersitwasn'thersnothers

The world shifted.


Corrin's lungs burned, and sweat poured down her face, even though the not-sun had dimmed to the point of something like moonlight long ago.

Block, parry, riposte, dodge, duck, weave. A dance where any moment would be her last.

The thrill sang in a frantic, rhythm as she desperately dodged out of the way of another strike, but felt her opponent score another hit on her armor with his katana. Then the second katana passed upward, tracing a thin line above her eye before her own sword caught deflected it away.

She leapt back, trying to give herself some distance. Blood welled from the wound, dripping down and obscuring her vision. It wasn't the first near miss in this fight that could have otherwise ended fatally.

Her opponent, this monster of a man, stayed in the center, watching her as she circled. She was surrounded, a loose circle of people, all armed, all radiating those same violet flames when she could see them. The message was clear. This was a duel, and there would be no escape.

At least her opponent remained visible.

She just wished she knew why this was happening. Why were these people attacking her? Did she do something wrong? Had she trespassed onto their territory? She couldn't tell, because the moment the first of these people had attacked her, she hadn't stopped fighting for her life, and throughout it all, none of them had said a word.

Corrin gritted her teeth, breath evening out slightly if only slightly, and she wiped the blood out of her eye, carefully keeping watch on her opponent.

That smirk on the man's face. He was enjoying this.

It terrified her to think some part of her was as well.

Even so, she was at her limit, maybe even past it. If she didn't do something to end it now, she was likely to collapse.

The thrill thrummed under her skin.

An opening in his guard. She took it without hesitation, ducking under one swing, deflecting another, then another. There was a slight give, a bend in her sword.

Her momentum pushed her forward as her stolen sword broke.

The world spun and she landed hard on her back, driven back by a kick. One of her opponent's katanas slammed down in the dirt right next to right her ear, and she felt the other tickle her throat. Was this going to be her last moment? Dying in an unknown land?

And then, to her surprise, the man burst out laughing. "I haven't had that much of a challenge in years!" The laughter abruptly stopped, and his eyes bore down into hers and she flinched at the intensity. "But I wonder; why do you hold yourself back?"

She blinked. Not only was he speaking clearly, he thought she had been holding back? She might have argued but for the katana still at her throat.

"What…" she swallowed. "What do you mean?"

"I can tell you feel it, utilize it to your advantage. But you hold yourself back."

What was he talking about?

She breathed a sigh of relief as the katanas were pulled away from her, even if she didn't know why. He wiped them off and sheathed them.

He extended a hand. "Come, there's someone who wants to meet you."

Did he expect her to grab his hand even though, like the rest of his form, was still radiating violet flames? Well, it wasn't like she had much choice. Corrin carefully clasped her hand in his.


A/N: Parallels.

Also, we see more of Valla, and Anna's really bad week(s) continue.