A Dark Saint's Heart

by Sakura108645

Cold. Void. She has been called that all her life. When the ocean waves grow high and drag her out to sea, she the felt cold like the void. When the darkness nearly swallows her to it's depths, a light chases them away. Now, that light has taken her a world she only knew through a screen. Now in Plegai, she learns she needs to survive if she wants to live. The iron maiden opens.

12. Changes of One's self

- Dream -

Drip.

Drop.

Drip.

Drop.

The place he walked; the walls of stone glowed with different colored gems. The faint sound of water could be heard, as well as droplets falling slowly. The scent of water made his nose twitch a bit as he continued ahead. He could see an opening. Yet, a voice sung softly as they danced at the surface of the pond. He leaned on the wall, with arms crossed and nearly screeched when a little girl appeared next him.

"[-] what are you doing here?" The girl whispered as they both watched the woman dancing and singing at the same time.

But the woman wasn't alone. There was another. The two were practicing dancing together and the boy looked back to her. They quickly and quietly scurried to hide behind a boulder and continue to watch.

"Our moms snuck off again. I wanted to figure out what they were doing." The boy made signs with his hands and the girl handed.

She began to do sign language also to speak to him. His mother taught her how to speak using their hands and body. She taught their friends as well.

"Oh! I already knew about this!" The girl says with her hands, "Mother explained that this is a type of dancing ritual that is connected to the Fire Emblem." The girl explains.

"Wait what?" The boy says back.

The girl grins and places her index finger on her lips and then motions her eyes towards the two dancing women.

Without fail, together

It hurt

In the vessel, I don't want that

I wanted to protect that daily life,

The lines up faces

The skies of twilight

Quiet, the greatest of strategies

I will permanently end this despair

Even if this body disappears

Fire Emblem~ Don't give up! I will not forget that promise!

Fir-Ghhhhaaaa!

Both children suddenly covered their mouths quickly to keep themselves from screaming when they witnessed their mothers suddenly be electrified by some purple lighting. The two women lost concentration and sunk into the water. They swam up, gasping up for air, a bit of blood gashes from a cut on their foreheads.

"Are you alright?" The first woman said as she looked over to her friend.

"I'm...alright...This...is difficult. He really is doing everything to prevent us from stopping him." The second woman said as she looked over to her right hand.

"[-], I'm not going to give up you. We can do it. The fact that this can help us stop [-] is amazing. My friend, we both are a key to this. We can do it." The first woman smiled sadly as the second looked at her left hand with guilt.

It had the same brand as hers.

"I still feel guilty...I wasn't there but it still felt like I was the one that inflicted that on you." The second woman muttered and the first one shook her head.

"Before we continue..." the second woman turned to the boulder and smirked, "Alright you two! Come out!"

The first woman blinked and chuckled as they saw the little boy and girl shyly walked out from behind the boulder. The two kids fiddled with their hands and the two women swam to the pound bed, resting their arms in it.

"So...snuck off from your studies you two?" The first woman grinned as the little girl pointed to the boy quickly.

"He did it! He brought me here!" The girl screeched nervously.

"I did not! You followed me!" The boy growled and the two kids suddenly had sparks flying between them.

"Gods!" The second woman laughed happily, "You two remind me of your fathers back when we used to travel together more!"

The two kids made "hmph!" As they crossed their arms and then turned away from each other. The two women chuckled as they motioned the kids to come closer, which they kid.

"Now, now, you two." The first woman smiled softly to them, "Want to learn the song with us?"

"Are you sure?" The second woman looked at her a bit worried.

"It's fine [-]. The song is safe for them." The first woman smiled, and the kids had sparkles in their eyes.

"Yes!" The kids grinned and the two chuckled.

"Okay. The song starts like this. The hand that was outstretched~ The feelings and bonds that join together ~"

- End of Dream -

Opening his eyes, Alm sat up from his bed and frowned. An old memory from the past that once brought joy to him. He stretched and stood up, walking to the closet to get dressed. His usual clothing, he put on, and used some magic to change his hair and eye color. He let go of a sigh as he saw that the bed next to him was empty, neatly fixed. He could hear wood being massacred outside as he went to the restroom to wash his face. The old, abandoned cottage he and Lucina were staying in at least had clean water. Letting the water drip off his face, he looked up the rusty mirror, staring at his own reflection.

"I really look like dad..." he let go of sigh as he observed his own features, but his eyes were inherited from his mother.

Alm let go of another sigh as he took out his dagger and began cutting off the long tips of his hair that had gotten too long. Took around five minutes, he cleaned up, and walked out. As he walked outside, he saw Lucina using the rapier she bought, to...

"Holy...what did the poor wooden stump do to you?" Alm chuckled as the woman stopped her thrusting and turned to him.

It felt refreshing seeing her without the mask anymore but for him, he still put it on. Well, except when they are alone, he has it off.

"[-]." Lucina muttered as he walked up to her, "Good morning. How are you doing?"

"Other than I cut my hair, fine." Alm sighs as he sat down on a tree stump that was turned to smithereens.

"Are you sure?" Lucina said, "It's been nearly a month since we saved my aunt..." she muttered.

"Yeah...that was...embarrassing..." Alm groaned as he covered his mouth and avoided eye contact with her.

"You are lucky I was nearby and threw you my scarf. While I admit, you looked ridiculous..." Lucina let a coy smile come on her face, "It was a fun sight seeing you nearly get stomped over by Panne." She snickered a bit.

"My love! You wound me! I could have turned to bunny food!" Alm gave her an offended look.

"Don't let Yarne hear you call his mother that." Lucina sighs a bit.

"Don't worry, he'll become stew before he even gets a chance."

"[-]!"

Lucina looked at him like he grew a second head and Alm just shook his head, chuckling.

"I'm joking Lucy. You know I never do that to him." He says as he stood up and stretched a bit.

"You should work on your sense of humor." Luina huffed a bit.

"My dad and yours always told me that. Except my uncle. He actually liked my jokes." He gave her a grin and Lucina shook her head.

"Anyhow, I got some good news...but also not so good news." Alm sighs and Lucina looked at him, concerned.

"The good news is that we got a lead at where one of the twins maybe." He began, "The bad news...Plegai...There have been recent reports that the Grimleal have been kidnapping women and children from villages across the nations. And one of them is..." he stopped talking immediately when Lucina suddenly stabbed the wooden stump viciously.

"What?" Lucina's voice was laced with venom as the shadows covered her eyes, "How exactly did this happen?"

"Morgan came across a village that was under attack and fought to protect it. And well...he got taken. I'm worried he's going to be sold in a black market there. Unless we get someone to get to him, we have our ropes tied." Alm explained and Lucina was seething.

"Extreme Warp." She nearly yelled, "You can use Extreme Warp, right?!"

"Lucina, as much as I wish I could use Extreme Warp...I was never taught how." Alm shook his head as she gritted her teeth.

"But..." hope appeared in her eyes as he continued to speak, "maybe...we can take advantage of blending with the Plegai Army. I could use the illusion spells Bernie and Ryo taught us." He replied.

"That could work. But seeing how things are, we should start heading Plegai if we want to reach it in time. Unfortunately, today is also the day Exalt Emmyren must head towards the eastern palace." Lucina sighs and then smiled softly when arms wrapped around her from behind.

Alm rested his chin on her shoulder and muttered.

"We'll find them Lucy...our friends...our family. We'll save them. Don't give up." He mutters and they intertwine their hands.

"Your mother would say that a lot..." Lucina whispered and Alm let go of a small sigh, looking up to the blue sky.

"I know."

- Plegia -

Cold ruby emerald eyes narrowed as she bent down to touch the sand of dessert. She looked around, only seeing cactus, and almost screamed when the ground began trembling. She screamed and ran for her life as a sand hole opened and out came the monstrosity of a Sand Worm.

"Hey Sophia! Look what I can do!" Henry laughed gleefully as he was sitting on top of the sandworm and poor Derick was holding on for life.

"Why must you drag me into this?!" Derick whined loudly and Sophia just shook her head as her lips twitched a bit.

The loud screech was heard as she looked up to the dust covered sky, a faint shadow of brown was seen. It swooped down as Sophia extended her arm. A small smile graced her lips as the Plegain Owl chirped happily as she fed it a dried fish.

"Find anything Claude?" Sophia muttered as the owl flapped its wings rapidly.

"Oh? So, you finally found the earth vein?"

It took everything in Sophia not to groan as she put on a void face and turned to the man that walked towards her with an amused look on his punchable face.

"Claude has found at least a small oasis that can help us locate a vein." She still wore the black veil that hid her face, "King Gangrel, be honored that I am kind because I seek prosperity for the people of Plegia. The land weeps and mouths weep for food. For the winds of the land cry for life and yearn for peace." She said coldly.

Arca along with a few Plegai generals nearly snarled because of the cold tone she spoke to the king. Mustafa, along with General Heriot, shook their heads. Thankfully, they understood her anger. It has been a month since Sophia was forced in a position of power by Validar and Aversa. These past weeks have been nothing but studying books about magic. Learning how to cast curses, how to create hexes, how to use necromancy magic (which she nearly vomited making a dead rabbit rise). Next, to study the history of Plegia as well as the history of Grimleal. As much as Sophia hates to admit, reading the history of Grimleal and Plegia was...interesting to say the least. She still has not forgiven Arca for snitching on her and if given the legal chance, she does consider killing her. But that is a consideration.

They made her a motivator of the country. Spreading propaganda of power, conquest and glory. She had been playing the role of "political" puppet. Only few good things have happened so far is when Validar's "death" was announced and that the assassination was a failure. Of course, once Sophia was alone in her room, she began cheering, a bright smile on her face to know that Emmeryn survived. However, she knew that at some point Validar would return. The most she could do right now is to start planning some form of escape but she doesn't want to abandon the people. Plegai has suffered much and the good thing about her political position is that she has been allowed now to travel to villages to help the people. Gangrel and Grimleal want their soldiers to be ready for war.

She wants to help the people. Thankfully, finally being allowed to travel after the first two weeks October after being quarantined in the damn castle called the Garden. Now that the weeks have passed, it was November. Sophia realized she was going to be spending her first winter in Plegia. From what she has learned from reading the history, fall and winter were nightmares. The dry land made the winter nights harsh. The freezing temperatures would literally freeze the ground and peaks of ice would form. It felt strange watching a country be at war from the enemy side. But she knew that the real enemy was Grima. Not to mention more battles that are yet to come.

"How far is the oasis?" Aversa muttered as she walked and then stood next to her.

"Around four hours from here. If it hasn't dried up, we may have a chance to make some of the land fertile." Sophia sighs and looks over to one of the higher up mages of the Grimleal council, "Have the methods of farming and cultivating been taught yet at the villages that produce greens?" She asked.

"While the method was recently applied," an old coon spoke in a snooty tone, " they have been seeing resul-Ghhaaa! Make that sandworm go away!" The sandworm got closer to the group, and the others were about to run for their lives.

"You two get off that blasted thing!" General Heriot yelled and the two males on it whined like kids.

The fact that Henry learned how to control the monster impressed her. Sophia just shook her head as she saw Tharja seated on a wyvern. She had her own wyvern that was bought for her. The gentle giant was covered in black scales and had deep pink eyes. It had grown attached to her, which she will most likely steal this sweetheart away from this place once the opportunity arises.

"Let's go." She mounts the wyvern and flies up with Tharja.

Aversa flowing behind her with her pegasus as the others are to stay behind. The feeling of the wind in her face and hair was a wonderful feeling. While it had only been a few weeks, it felt like years to her.

Her sense of taste unfortunately has been lost. The shock from learning who turned her made all the emotion she was holding in, just burst out. It was like a dam had split open. Everything poured out like a rushing river. The anger and resentment she felt just poured out. Then there was a small sick feeling when she made her first kill, returning when she nearly killed Arca. The only reason she didn't kill the girl was because Henry and Tharja held her back. Tharja said to ignore the girl because her pitiful soul was not worth torturing. Henry said that she should wait for the legal opportunity or just let him plan her death. As they flew, Sophia could see a few Grimleal members walking through the desert, every 20 minutes. She was glad not to see them with people they have kidnapped but the minute she did spot one, the woman would instantly swoop down and demand they return the person back to their village. As much as Aversa wanted to tell Sophia to shut up, Validar, before his death, had granted her limited commands she could give to the Grimleal mages.

"I SAID TAKE THE WOMEN THIS INSTANT TO THE NEAREST VILLAGE BEFORE I TURN YOU TO CINDERS!" Sophia roared as her hands literally produced balls of black flames.

Add that with her wyvern, which she decided to name Petra, snarled viciously at the mages. Sophia has proudly (internally) declared herself a Malig Knight.

The Grimleal mage was terrified and quickly used his magic to warp the two women to the nearest village, which was two hours away.

"If I find out those women weren't returned to the village..." Sophia's hands were now suddenly crackling with black lighting, "I will personally turn you to cinders or have you fed to the Sand Worms."

"Yes, your Dark Holiness!" The mage screeched and quickly ran away.

Sophia let go of a sigh as she extinguished her left hand but made the ball of black fire and lightning become the size of a tennis ball in her right hand. She stared at for a while as they continued ahead. Her fire and lightning magic weren't like this before. She wiggled her fingers a bit as she moved around the fireball, making it spin around like a pencil. A movement she would do when she was bored. Ever since she has been made to study the dark arts, her magic has taken a different shape. Aversa along with many of Grimleal were happy to see her nack for dark and black magic. Dark Magic is dubious in nature, but not necessarily evil. It comes from knowledge. Just because she is the caster, does not mean she is evil. However, black magic is created and harnessed from negative emotions. Sophia has to be careful when using it because she learned the hard way that if she abused it, it could harm her. Dark and Black magic can take on the shapes she desires. Sophia doesn't feel proud learning these dark arts. Despite having been forced to study them, her strength has grown, and it was frightening.

"I see trees up ahead!" Tharja yelled out and the flying units sped up a bit more.

The sight of a small pound and a few palm trees was enough to bring some hope to Sophia as they flew closer, and then landed. The oasis was decent, plenty of water and some desert plants growing. Aversa frowned as she looked around and tapped her heel on the dirt, which was soft and a bit muddy.

"Do be a dear and hurry. My shoes are becoming filthy." Aversa muttered.

"Then you shouldn't have come if you're going to complain." Sophia snapped back and the two had sparks flying between each other.

There were very few people Sophia got along with in Grimleal. There was Henry and Derick who she got along with greatly. Tharja was not so sure but she knows she can trust her. Arca can go fuck herself. Aversa, she didn't get along with at all. The two would start bickering and then turn into full yelling matches regarding both political topics and other things. Gangrel found it entertaining because seeing Aversa finally meet her match was a satisfying thing to see. Then there was her mentor, the one that was in charge of teaching her magic. The man, it was a civil relationship. Though he didn't hesitate in ripping her apart using his words when she made a mistake or didn't learn a spell fast enough. Because her mentor also saw that she had a closer affinity to earth and wind magic, he also decided to teach her how to feel the energy of the earth and use it to her advantage.

Tharja just stood back as she did not want to get involved in the fight that was about to occur. But the two females just glared, and Sophia went to pound. Touching the water, she could feel magic flowing through it. A month ago, she wouldn't have been able to do. A month ago, she lost her sense of taste and unfortunately it has not returned. A month ago, and still to this day, she hopes she can escape this place. But she does not want to abandon the people. Ever since she was made a political tool, and allowed to travel the land, she was able to learn how much damage the war from 15 years ago affected the land. So much war...many still feeling the after effects to this day. Lands that were once fertile, now desolate. The chance of life returning to those lands was low, but it was possible. She met people that still hold resentment and grudges towards Ylisse. She didn't blame them. If she had been in their shoes during the time of war, she would too. War orphans that lost their parents had either had to resort to thieving to survive, or join the army to fight to be fed. Some helped the people restore as much of the lands as they could, or left Plegia altogether. Derick is a war orphan. His mother and father both fought in the war and were killed in battle. Yet he holds no grudge towards Ylisse. General Heriot took him and raised him as his own son.

"The vein..." Sophia muttered as she removed her veil to have a better look at the place.

In the presence of the public, she is not allowed to remove the veil. The citizens of Plegia do not know her identity, nor do they where she hails from. For them, she has become in a way a savior to them. Some sort of light that has helped bring some sort of prosperity to the land despite the war happening. This winter was going to be the first many people would be able to sleep with bellies full. Supplies to create medicine have been provided to her, and once they are made, they are distributed to the people. Those who have to go to war, the most she could do is teach (force) the dark mages basic healing magic. They now carry at least a Heal or a Restore tome with them.

"Well?" Aversa said in an inpatient tone that Sophia just shot her glare as she dipped her feet in the water.

"I found it. But it's withering. If I'm going to expand and revive it, I need a few earth and wind tomes. Tharja." Sophia turned to the dark mage, "Did we bring earth elements gems?" She asked.

"Yes." Tharja muttered as she warped her a small purple bag into her hands.

Opening it, inside is sapphire, zircon, quartz, beryl, tiger's eye and pietersite. These gems represent the earth in her old home. So, learning that they had some magic in them and could be used, was a great finding. While mages here in Archanea do use magic tools, they usually do not mess around with the more potent natural resources of the land. That usually falls onto Faerie Doctors, which are rare. Sophia removed her armor along with the cape and kimono she wore. Underneath it, she wore a black tank top and shorts that stopped just above her knees.

The day she snapped; her hair had grown longer. Henry described it looked like black wings till she snapped out of it and then it was back to normal. So long that the tips just barely touched the floor. The fact that it remained black with the hair dye still surprised her. Sophia cut off about five feet of her hair using her dagger and began walking towards the center of the pound. It looked like she was going to commit suicide but that wasn't the case. She took a deep breath and dove down, using wind magic to create an air bubble around her head, allowing her to breath properly. The pound had life, which was a good sign. Schools of freshwater fish swam peacefully as she continued deeper. At most, the pound was 40 feet deep. Feeling the magic of the earth, she could tell Tharja was a bit worried. Aversa hoped she drowned.

"Fuck you too bitch." Sophia muttered as she kept swimming and finally reached the pound bed.

There were small cracks that glowed a faint green, yet the light was somewhat weak. Sophia's feet touched the mud, the feeling cool on her skin. She then knelt, placing her hand over one of the cracks. Her eyes went wide as her magic veins suddenly became visible all over her body. It wasn't hurting her. In fact, the vein felt it was welcoming her, like it missed her. Sophia didn't understand. Two months ago, she didn't know what an earth vein was till she was imprisoned in Plegia. The Earth Veins were said to be created by Mila during the time the Divine Dragons ruled the land. The vein brought life to infertile lands, allowing humans to prosper and build kingdoms. Before Mila was banished, she bestowed her knowledge of how to activate them to a clan named after the Earth Dragons, The Gaia. The people are said to have been lost in time but some of their books, scrolls, and tomes survived the passage of time. Valm possesses those books, locked away. Sophia only hoped they weren't destroyed because of the war. Grimleal only managed to get their hands on one tome when they broke into the Khan's treasury in Ferox.

And since she had an affinity for earth magic...she had been allowed to take the book from the Restricted Section in the library. Sophia sighs a bit as she takes out the gems and stands up, using her feet to start drawing a magic circle. Around 10 feet. She used her fingers to write the many small characters in it. They were a mixture of the native language of Valm, Archanea and surprisingly, English. Though it goes by a different name here. After that, she used magic to remove the black dye off the hair she cut, revealing it's real color. Sophia let go of a sigh as she stared at her own hair. The color of a reddish orange red brought back memories, both harmful and warm. She used magic to make it stay in the center and then place the gems around it.

"Relax...you can do it." Sophia took a deep breath as she extended her arms out, as if she was about to sing to an audience.

She closed her eyes, letting herself feel the life of the water, the fish swimming, the silent song of the earth. This was the first time she was ever going to perform a ritual like this. The fact that her mentor went brutal on her to prepare her, she sends them a silent thank you.

Ancient light~

Away ~

Sing with me tonight ~

Mother Earth ~

Away~

Let us sing ~

The song of life ~

I breath in this life, to walk my path ~

The future I create, by my own hands ~

The magic circle began to glow a bit as she continued to chant the incantation. The veins on her body began to glow brighter, the feeling of energy poured into her body.

Full field ~

Of life ~

The bird sings with its chicks ~

Ancient life ~

Rebirth ~

The cycle of life continues forward

I sing this song of life ~

Praying for love and joy ~

I sing song of peace ~

Prosperity restored ~

She could hear whispers and murmurs fill her ears and mind as she kept singing. The cracks began to glow brighter, as if they were coming to life. The more Sophia began to chant, the more the vein like structure began to become visible. Back at the surface, Aversa and Tharja walked in shock as green light poured from the pound. A bead of sweat ran down the silver haired woman's cheek as she noticed the plants suddenly start growing even more. Sophia gritted her teeth as she was starting to feel a bit tied but force herself to keep singing. She saw the hair she offered align with the gems, dissolve, entering the cracks.

Ancient songs reborn~

The soul rebirth ~

Mother Earth ~

Sing once more~

I sing this song of life ~

Prosperity restored ~

I sing this song of life, hoping for rebirth

Sing away ~

Breath away ~

Ocean of Stars, life beings ~

Life returns ~

"Ngh!" Sophia grunted as the veins almost seemed like it was singing with her. Its shape began to show, it began to grow, almost extending like tree roots. The once thin dying vein was growing once more, becoming fuller. The ground underneath the two females on the surface glowed, almost looking like cracks. They quickly mounted their flying suits and flew up, their eyes going wide as the roots kept growing, extending their reach more and more. Sophia's singing became louder, as beads of sweat rolling down her face as she was feeling drained but kept going.

"Tomes! Throw the tomes into the water!" Sophia mentally yelled to Tharja.

The dark mage quickly had her wyvern fly over the pound and dropped four wind and four earth tomes into it.

"AaaahhhhhhAhhhhhhhh~" Sophia sung louder as the tomes turned to green dust and were absorbed by the vein.

"More...Just...a...little...longer!" Sophia thought as she kept singing, the vein now slowly coming to a halt.

She nearly froze when she felt like eyes had snapped open and were staring at her in shock but also amazement. It was as if she encountered someone else. She could feel them observing her but didn't do anything. They were merely curious. They meant no harm.

"Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh~" She sung the final verse; the magic circle slowly faded away.

"Thank you! Thank you! Welcome back! Welcome back!"

The voice of Earth vein kept repeating excitedly as their voice faded away. Sophia dropped to her knees, panting as the veins on her body faded away. She was so tired. She had never performed a full ritual like this, and it was the first time she used magic to an extreme. She was confused as to why the earth vein kept saying "Welcome back." Not to also mention the other person she encountered suddenly. She did not expect it at all. She looked up towards the surface, seeing the sunlight pour in. The plants on the lakebed look healthier and happy. She took a deep breath and quickly began swimming to the surface. It took about 10 minutes, but she made it. The minute her head was out to the surface, her air bubble popped, and she took a deep breath. She allowed herself to float on the water, laying on the surface peacefully. She wanted to sleep. She looked up and saw the wyverns and pegasus flying above her. They swooped down and hovered a bit. Aversa had an unreadable expression as Tharja spoke.

"It went well. The ritual was a success." The woman spoke, despite her blunt tone, there was a rare smile on her face.

"How...many miles?" Sophia muttered as Aversa frowned.

"500 miles. You managed to expand the vein that much. It is...impressive. I thought most you were going to only succeed at 100 but it seems you surpassed that. You aren't so useless after all." Aversa muttered and Sophia just smiled weakly.

"I'll take that as a compliment..." Sophia sighs as Tharja uses a bit of magic to make her float, then mounted her on Petra.

"Let us head back."

[-]

The ride back to The Garden was silent. Before they returned, Aversa gave (threw) a black cloak to her and used to cover herself completely. After all, only a selected few of Grimleal and Plegai could see her face. She quickly retreated to the garden, where she went to have her clothing changed. At least now she could wear her original clothing she would usually wear. Sophia let go of a sigh as she entered her room, Claude perching himself near the window. She was so tired. Right when she was about to lay down to sleep, the damn doors of the Garden slammed open. Sophia grabbed the nearest pillow and screamed into it, pissed that someone disturbed her right when she was going to sleep. She stood up, grabbed her black veil, put it one, and stormed out of the room despite how much her body ached. A few minutes later she arrived at the balcony of the second floor, seeing Gangrel's with his punchable smirk. Henry and the others were silent as the king came in, followed by Aversa and another Grimleal higher up. She jumped down, like usual, and landed gracefully on the floor.

"What do you want?" Her voice was cold as she walked up and stopped about five feet away from them.

"How long till people can start settling on the land?" The Grimleal mage said, right down to business.

"One month. It should allow the vein to properly heal the land." Sophia muttered and the Grimleal mage nodded.

"One month?" Gangrel glared, we need the land to heal now! We have war and the soldiers need to be ready to fight!" He growled.

"You started this war! Deal with the consequences!" Sophia growled back, anger in her eyes.

"Hahaha!" The man locked as he looked down at her with a smirk, " Look at your true colors showing! Under that cold and voidless mask, lies a human filled with nothing but rage and anger, ready to destroy everything in their path. You're just a walking time bomb." He laughed cruelly at her as her hair suddenly raised itself as if they were snakes.

"Keep at it Gangrel...I'll be more than happy to RIP that head off your shoulders." She hissed.

"Ha! I do wish to see a performance of rage again! But seeing you are tired...hmm..I have a better idea." His grin became sadistic, "The Black Market. I heard there will be an interesting auction tonight."

"I swear if your men caught fae again!" Sophia growled and barely quickly used magic to cast a barrier around herself.

"Argh!" Gangrel hissed when his hand hit the electric barrier she creaked, he nearly slapped her.

"You witch!" Gangrel snarled and raised his sword to strike her but stopped when the Grimleal mage began screeching that The Hierophant of Grima should not be fighting.

"Tch." Gangrel put his sword away and glared, "You win this round witch. I'll see you tonight at the Black Market." And he turned away, storming out.

There was tense silence and the mage spoke.

"You will not go to the Black Market!" They screeched and she just rolled her eyes.

"I will do what I want. Besides, it's been awhile since I have sold medicine there. You need funds for the war anyway." And the word of "funds" the mage coughed.

"V-Very well then, that can be arranged." He coughed and left, with a greedy smile on his face.

Of course, money was the thing that motivated him or at least let her do what she wanted. Aversa shook her head and turned to her.

"Who would have thought you be the type to enjoy things like that. Have you fallen to madness yet?" She smiled and Sophia just rolled her eyes as she turned away, waving her hand.

"Unlike you, I have my own definition of fun. It involves books, rare materials, a table full of liquor and sweets. It CERTAINLY does not involve you! Shoo! Shoo!" Sophia shoos Aversa away as if she was a rodent.

The woman glared at her coldly and left. Just a few more weeks and the ritual to summon the darkness will take place.

[-]

She could sleep. Which resulted in her sleeping till 9pm and scrambling into her warlock red dress and put on her fox mask. Tharja said she wanted to do nothing with the black market. So, the one's escorting her to the damn place were Henry and Derick. Personally, she rather goes alone but considering the amount of times she has nearly been poisoned...

"I hate this..." Sophia groans as she and the others walk through the black-market plaza.

The place seemed livelier. Perhaps because business has been booming ever since she has been made into a political pawn. Very few good things have come out being at the mercy of Grimleal and Gangrel. She learned the hard way what it was like for noble to constantly be awake, with a dagger besides their bed. There have been at least 40 attempt assassinations on her. Poisoning the food brought to her was the most obvious. It forced her to start taking small amounts to make her body become immune to them. The second was someone would break in. That would result in either Henry or Tharja using magic to have them meet a gruesome death, or the Grimleal get their hands on them and they also meet a gruesome death. Or Derick gets to twist their neck, having them meet a quick death. They arrived the entrance, where they were greeted by a dark mage, and lead them to one of the balconies. Of course, on the right side across from her, sat Gangrel, with an amused smirk on his face as he saw her sit down. Henry and Derick standing behind her to make sure she was safe. There was a table full of fruits, cheese, and crackers, mostly likely to snack. Even wine. The underground bidding area was like a giant stage of those of the Roman empire. There were countless people dressed in black and wore mask, to hide their identities. Sophia mentally scoffed.

During her time here, she learned that more about the black market. People from all around come here. Especially when it comes to biddings. Even nobles from Ylisse come here to get their hands-on things. She let go of another sigh as she watched people get in their seats and ready to bid.

"Let us start with jewelry!" Of course, the bidding was going to start off with rare gems.

Nothing caught Sophia's attention as the hours went by. Animals, jewels, rare materials that she already had plenty of. Weapons, books that were of high value from Ylisse, and other things. The final hour has come as the man came up to the stage, a magic stone he held in his hand as he began to speak.

"Now ladies and gentlemen! It is time for the rare prize that has been brought to us tonight!" The man says as he motioned the mages to come.

"Let go of me!"

Sophia slowly stood up as she walked to the balcony edge, her eyes wide as she masked her shock. Many began muttering to themselves as the mages forced a child to walk out. Blue colored hair combed down, their clothing was a bit in tatters, but their legs and wrist had chains that drained them of magic. Their skin was a bit pale, most likely from being held captive for battle. The child was made to stand at the center, while the mage smiled.

"Today's prize a young boy with incredible magic talent as well as the mind of a tactician! Seems they also carry around a powerful tome!" The man grinned as the boy sent him a dirty look, "Let's start off with 2 gold coins!"

Sophia was horrified and Henry could see her mind racing. The woman gritted her teeth as a bead of sweat ran down her face. She could just turn away and pretend this never happened, or...she could live with the torment of letting a child be sold. And not just any child. The number of gold coins kept increasing as the bidders kept saying numbers. Clearly, everyone wanted this boy, for either sick things or such. Gangrel laughed at how frustrated many were getting.

"4000 Gold coins!" One woman yelled.

"4000! Going once, going twice, going three times and s-!"

"10,000 GOLD COINS!"

Every single person's eyes snapped up to the balcony, Gangrel's smile only grew as he watched the woman stand on top of the rail. Sophia used her wind magic to start walking down the air, as if she were walking down on stairs. Her eyes cold as she walked down, never taking off from the land and child. As she walked, her heels sounded as if they were clicking on glass. The mage could barely make out words as she made her way down.

"10,000 gold coins. Along with boy's tome, I add another 1,000. Making it 11,000 gold coins." Sophia said in a monotone voice as her heels now touched the stone stage.

The mage stuttered as the boy could barely make out words. Her voice sounded familiar to them.

"Umm...Anyone else?" The mage barely stuttered out, but no one could go past that.

"Going once...going twice...going three times, Sold to...uh..the woman of the fox mask." The mage yelled out and Sophia nodded then turned to the boy.

The boy looked at her confused, unable to figure out who she was. For now, this was all she could do.

[-]

"Here you go Miss Client." A mage handed her a magic ring as she handed him her card.

The mage tapped it on a magic tool and Sophia saw the money transferred to them. They brought the boy to her still in cuffs and a collar around the neck.

"Remove the cuffs." Sophia ordered and the mage looked at her with a not so sure face.

But they did as they were told and removed the cuffs off the boy.

"Ah, Ms. Client." The mage spoke and pointed to the ring she put on, "The ring is to help your slave obey you. If they disobey, you can electric shock them with it." They said.

"Noted." She said coldly and motioned Henry to put a cloak on the boy.

She began to walk, the three following behind her. The boy was still confused but something about the woman felt familiar. He felt...safe. Unfortunately, Gangrel had to cross their paths. The king smirked as he walked up to her, and she put her hand across, to keep the boy back, also her way of saying if he dared even try anything, she would ruin him.

"Very interesting. You used quite a bit of coin. All for a child? My, you certainly have strange tastes. Wouldn't it have been better to let the boy be killed?" His voice irritated her ears and she spoke.

"I spend my money however I want." She said and walked past him.

"Ah, before I forget." He said and she stopped, "You will not be the only one in the garden in a few weeks." He smirked and she just continued to walk.

[-]

Arriving at the Garden was quick thanks to the wyverns they flew. The next problem was after they went in and Tharja looked like a walking corpse.

"Holy shit! What happened?!" Sophia yelled loudly as she and Henry quickly locked at the doors.

Tharja's hair was an absolute mess and seems a part of her clothing was in tatters. The woman painted as she pointed to the second floor.

"Magic. LAB. NOW!" The woman said angrily but Sophia raised her hand.

"I'll be there in a bit. I first have to address him." She looked over to the boy, who still looked at her confused.

That's right, she hasn't removed her mask yet.

"Very well." Tharja muttered as she narrowed her eyes.

Sophia and the group walked up the stairs to the second floor, the trio went to the library while Sophia took the boy to her room. Once in, she closed the door and had the boy remove his hood.

"Are you alright?" She asked as the boy stared at her with narrow eyes.

He was still very tense but nodded.

"I am...But...why did you buy me? Are you going to use me for sick experiments?" He said coldly and Sophia laughed a bit.

"I'm evil but not that evil." Sophia sighs but continued to speak, "I saved you because I know you are important." She removed her mask and the boy's blue eyes went wide.

"No...way...It's...S-So..." the boy stuttered as he looked at her shocked, a giant goofy grin suddenly appeared on his face.

"Teacher!" He said full of joy while Sophia looked like she got punched in the gut, " I was worried we got separated!"

"Say what?" Sophia blinked multiple times at him.

"Yeah! No harm done! That means we can head back to home! Mother and Margaret will be happy to see you again! Wow! You don't look so depressed anymore! Like a decade younger you look! Does that mean you are finally not overworking yourself?" Morgan said happily while Sophia's head was spinning.

"One moment!" She yelled as he looked at her confused.

"Teacher, are you alright?" He asked, worried and she shook her head.

"Morgan...I...you came from the future also..." she muttered and he looked at her confused.

"The future? Umm...Teacher, are you alright? What do you mean I come from the future? Why are you so confused and conflicted? It's me! Morgan! Your number one student in the arts of chakram wielding!" He says, "You are acting strange. Did you drink too much sake again? Margaret always says you have a drinking problem." He looked at her innocently.

"I have a drinking problem in the future? Fuck." Sophia cursed as she rested her hand on her forehead and looked at him unsure.

"I see you still curse a lot. But why were you in the black market? We should head home. Which-Arrghh!" The boy suddenly held his head in pain and she quickly ran to him to calm him down.

"Morgan, do not force yourse-" He suddenly grabbed her shoulders tightly and his eyes held fear.

"Wait...you shouldn't be here! I... Margaret and I...we saw you...argh!" He held his head again and Sophia this time began using healing magic on him to calm him down.

Calming sensation filled the boy as he looked back at her. Her magic felt warm and sunny yet a bit cold, compared to when she previously used Heal on him. That heal she used when he injured himself in one of their training sensations was filled with kindness but an immense amount of sorrow.

"Morgan, listen to me." Sophia spoke calmly, "I shouldn't be having this conversation with him." She thought as she continued to speak, "I...am not the Sophia you know. You come from the future."

"What?! That's impossible! Time magic is extinct from what I know! It shouldn't even be possible!" Morgan denied and she shook her head again.

"It's not. Look at me." She chose his face and made him look at her, "Morgan, look again. Do I look like a hollow shell of a human?" She asked.

The boy's eyes wandered around her face and shook his head slowly.

"Your eyes...they aren't dull. You...don't smell like sake or that drink you call tequila. There..aren't dark circles under your eyes." He muttered, trying to process the information he just gained.

"See." Sophia sighed a bit, "Morgan...at this time, I am still too young to have you as a student. Much less...in a way you are...never mind." She sighed once more, "What I'm trying to say, you are not born yet. I know this is difficult to take in, but I do hope you understand." She explained.

"I think...I understand..." Morgan looked at her a bit worried as she let go of his face.

"For now, yes. I did save you from nearly being turned to a slave. From now on, you will remain with me until we find your sisters and friends. Especially with your memory gone. Another thing, if you ever meet your mother, do not call her that. Not yet." Sophia muttered as she ruffled his head a bit.

"Why can't I call her mother? And...I think...I remember I have two...sisters? Margaret one is named...but I don't know the other." Morgan says as she looks at him sadly.

The sad thing about the situation is that Morgan will never properly get his memories back. What was even worse was learning that her future self-had become an alcoholic and a depressed hollow human! Sophia let go of a sigh as she used magic to remove the collar off Morgan and then spoke.

"It's alright. In time...you will remember. For now, go use my bathroom and take a bath. I'll make you some food after you come out and clothing should be prepared for you by a brownie." Sophia sighs (she lost track at this point) and points to the bathroom door.

"Wait...there fae here?" Morgan blinked and at that moment, Aqua and Ariel manifested with mischievous giggles.

"Aye! The boy is innocent! The scent of the fell is on him but it's not evil~" Aqua giggled as she circled around the boy.

"What do you mean fell?" Morgan asked and their eyes went wide.

"You can understand us?" Ariel landed on his head, confused.

"Somewhat? But I can still make out some sentences?" Morgan questions and Sophia smiled a bit as she saw the other fae, the brownie, pouting.

"Ivy, could you get some clothing for him please?" She asked and the fae nodded as she disappeared like a ghost.

"Anyhow," Sophia turned back to the boy, "Go get cleaned up. You have a rough night."

[-]

Once Morgan went to take a bath and the two fae decided to sleep on her bed, she went to the library where the others were. Ho, boy. She was in for a surprise. Sophia could hear bickering from the other side of the door and opened it, barely ducking down as something flew above her. She looked back and saw it was a book, and slowly looked back inside the room.

"Come on Sunshine! I swear I'm not here to kill your master!" An orange haired man wearing a brown bandanna on his head and wearing the clothing of a thief, was trying to back away from Tharja.

The woman looked ready to curse him.

"Come on, Tharja. I swear he's a friend." Derick tried to reassure the woman, who gritted her teeth.

"Some friend! How on earth was he able to get inside here?! The fact I detected him shows he is a danger!" The woman growled and everyone turned when they heard the door close.

Sophia covered her face with one hand as she walked forward, and Gaius narrowed his eyes at her.

"So...this is the rumored Shadow Exalt of Plegia.." he muttered and she looked up to him.

"Excuse me what?" Sophia was barely able to say.

"Oh come on." Gaius looked at her like she was stupid, " You seriously don't know! You're being called the Shadow Exalt outside of Plegia! You give medicine to the people, helping them out, and such, it's just like the Exalt in Ylisse!" He says and the temperature in the room dropped.

"I am no Exalt!" Sophia growled furiously, "I am a doctor! I save lives! That is my job! You think I wanted this position?!" Gaius suddenly looked at he shocked, "I was forced to be here!" She slammed her left hand on the table, "I gave up my freedom to save my friend! They would have taken her prisoner if I didn't! I may be some political pawn right now but no way in hell am I turning my back on the people! You think I wanted to be dragged into this?! INTO THIS DAMN WAR!? INTO YOUR NATION'S AFFAIRS?! I'M A FOREIGNER FOR FUCKS SAKE! I SHOULDN'T EVEN BEEN BROUGHT TO THIS! " Sophia roared furiously as she suddenly grabbed her right wrist, to keep herself from nearly casting a fire spell.

The silence was tense ahead and she tried to calm down her breathing.

"You're Sophia."

Her eyes suddenly went wide as he looked at her up and down, concerned on his face.

"You're Cupcakes friend, aren't you?" He asked and Sophia blinked multiple times.

"Cupcake...Wait...Lysithea?! You know Lysithea?!" She ran up to him and he saw concern and worry in her eyes.

"Yeah. We work together sometimes. She and I hang out to gather and eat sweets when we get the chance." He said and Sophia became filled with joy but also sadness.

"She's okay...She's okay..." Sophia muttered and he gave her a small smirk.

"Cupcakes is just fine. She fit right in with the Shepherds. Though, she described to me that you had pink hair...huh..interesting." he held his chin in thought, "Oh, I'm Gaius by the way. Nice to meet you Nymph."

"Nymph? Really...? Not you too!" Sophia turned back around as she threw her hands in the air in frustration while Henry began laughing.

"Nyahahahaha! That name is never going away! It suits you! You have many secrets like a Nymph and!" He made a wave motion with his hands, "I found you passed out near the ocean!"

"Aha!" Gaius snapped his fingers, "So Miss Water Nymph fits you better!"

"Oh, come on!"

The men were laughing while Tharja just grunted.

"Anyhow, why are you here?" Sophia sighs as she turns back to him.

"I hired him." Derick raised his hand, "Figured we need someone to help us trade information to help stop Grimleal and Gangrel. That's what you want to do." He says and Sophia was silent as she bit her lip and held her hands together.

Stopping Gangrel and Grimleal...no matter what she did, the actions still led to the future. Grima will come no matter what and try to destroy the future. But what about the others? She doesn't want the world to end. She already has learned negative things about herself that she is not happy about. Even then...she wants to live. Her actions here in Plegia have been to survive.

Now...

"By the way, I got something for you." Gaius pulled out a small bundle of letters from his cloak and handed it to her, "Cupcakes misses you. A few others have also written letters even if they kind of don't know you. Guess they want to cheer you up." He smiled a bit.

Sophia stared at the bundle of letters and then held them to her chest, trying to fight off a smile.

"Wait here." She says and quickly runs to her room.

Once she got there, she saw Morgan was eating the food Ivy had made for him along with a nice set of blue colored pajamas. The boy was confused as she went to her closet and pulled out a bundle of letters. While she has been imprisoned in the Garden, she has been writing letters to Lysithea and a few others. It was a form of comfort to her. She quickly ran back to the library and handed it to Gaius.

"Please...make sure...they get them." A small smile came on her lips.

He smiled and he nodded as he put them away.

"Will do."

- Two Weeks Later -

Sophia was a bit surprised to learn that there were at least another 20 rooms in the Garden. Their bedrooms. From what she learned from Derrick; the garden was built 2,000 years ago during the founding of Grimleal. Forneus dedicated the garden to his wife, as a form to show she lived on in his heart.

"Or he became a damn mad man and became obsessive about her." Sophia thought as her mentor was reading the history of the founding of Grimleal and the Fell Bloodline.

Honestly, she wanted to say she has nothing to do with this but unfortunately, she must learn. Morgan sat next to her, taking notes as her mentor started speaking about the formulas of the dark arts. Sophia managed to convince the Grimleal mage that the boy needs to learn if he is to properly "serve" her. It's been two weeks since she saved Morgan. The boy is...well to say the most part, energetic? She had to stop him multiple times from bashing his head on the walls in hoping to regain his memories. He gets along well with Henry. The white-haired mage teaching him pranks and how to do all sorts of curses. With Derick, the man showed him how to properly wield a sword and treat the boy like a little brother. Though Tharja does not speak much, when he makes a mistake in creating hexes, she points it out. Morgan is wacky in his own way. There were already a few victims outside the garden that fell victim to his pit traps. Unfortunately, she ended up being one of them along with Aversa.

The boy has been practicing creating traps and one of them happened to be creating pit falls. He decided to try out the traps near the outside gates of the Garden. The walkway looked completely normal to everyone's eyes. Sophia had to meet the witch and the other Grimleal mages outside and as both were walking towards each other, then they suddenly screamed when they fell to the hole. Aversa's pit trap was filled with mud while Sophia's was filled with water. So, imagine how happy the boy looked when he cheered out the window and then realized he not only made one of the higher ups of Grimleal fall into his trap but also his teacher? That joy immediately turned to fear as he and many others watched the women crawl out of the pit traps looking like The Grudge.

"Hoooo~ Boy! Sophia and Aversa looking like ghosts is a pretty sight! Nyhahaha!"

Henry hid Morgan before the females got their hands on him. Sophia, despite being ready to send the boy to hell, made him come out, and with her hand on the back of his head, both bowed. She apologized on his behalf because she knew Aversa was going to punish him.

"Control your slave! Not only did I end as a victim to his pranks, but you did too!"

The doors to the castle slammed open and even her mentor's face turned to scowl because the sound interrupted their lesson. Sophia let go of a frustrated sigh as she told Morgan to wait for her and for her mentor to continue the lesson. The mage nodded and she excused herself. She put on her black veil and began walking down the hallway, but her steps became faster as she could hear shouting but also almost like a fight. She ran and made it to the balcony. She could see the guards surrounding someone, they had them on their knees, and Aversa's and Gangrel's smirks were wicked. Sophia was confused.

"Don't. You should go back." Henry said, unsure and Sophia just looked at him confused but still jumped down despite the protest from her friends.

"What is going on?" Sophia said coldly as she walked towards them.

"Ah." Gangrel smirked as he saw her coming, "So there you are, witch. I see you are as late as ever." Her eyes narrowed at him.

"What have you done again?" She said coldly and her chuckled.

"Do you recall how I said you will not be the only prisoner in this place anymore?" He says and she twitched, his grin only growing.

"..." Sophia was silent as her memory was stirred as Aversa smiled.

"Guards, move so our Hierophant can see her fellow companion." She grins.

The guards moved as Gangrel ordered, to allow Sophia to see. Once she got a clear view, Sophia's blood ran cold as she began shaking. The king noticed and began laughing as her eyes were glued onto the person in front of her. It felt like hands were suddenly on her neck, waiting to chock her.

"Hierophant of Grima, I introduce you, the Exalt of Ylisse!"

Chapter 12: Changes of One's self

[-]

Song of the Earth:

Original lyrics are written by me.