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.

29. Alchemist of Dust

She could hear birds chirping and the faint warmth on her face met with sunlight. But, why did she feel warm? She swore she had fallen asleep in the place garden so why was she on something soft and plushy? Carefully, she opened her eyes, her vision adjusting as she sat up, yawning.

"Hmmm!" She stretched her back like a cat and looked around.

The bedroom's walls were painted a light royal blue and the wooden edges white. There were two big shelves filled with books. The bed was king size bed with dark blue colored bed sheets and fluffy blankets that felt they were made of the softest cotton she had ever felt. There was two cover shelf next to the bed with a glass of water. She looked around and saw the back of the couch that looked like it fit two people. She gulped and stood up. She didn't sense anyone but herself in the room thankfully. She kept looking around, seeing the room was pretty fancy yet simple. She admits, she likes the room, but it still felt too much for her. She went to the bathroom and it was just as fancy like the room. She washed her face and sighed as she looked at herself in the mirror.

"At least my eyes aren't red anymore from crying." She muttered and left the bathroom, and sat on the bed.

Right when she was going to lay down again, there was a knock on the door. She was a bit nervous but stood up, and opened it a bit. She peaked out and gulped when she saw it was Frederick but also, Yune and Alm. She quickly opened the door and before she had time to react, Yune had jumped into her arms, hugging her tightly.

"You're okay!" Yune said as she let go of her, "We were all getting worried when you didn't show up at the inn! But, Sir Frederick said that Alm, Martha, Owain, Indigo, Severa, and I were to stay here in the guest rooms!" She said and Sophia looked at the knight confused.

"Lord Chrom has arranged for them to stay here in the Shepherds Halls. Yune keeps insisting on staying with you." The knight sighed and Sophia looked over to Alm with a questionable eyebrow.

"I watched over her to make sure Henry didn't teach her how to blow up a tree." He said and Sophia couldn't help but let out a small laugh.

"Thank you, Alm. I'm sorry to ask you this, but...please watch Yune for me. I need to speak with Frederick." She looked to the knight, who nodded.

"Oh..." Yune's wings drooped, "Okay...I was hoping we could eat breakfast together with Sir Frederick and Alm." And Sophia was mentally cursing herself.

"Hey um!" Alm quickly picked her up, "How about I take you to get some cinnamon sweet bread?! Or maybe those spicy sweet candies?" The girl's eyes were sparkling.

"Ahem!" Alm and Yune turned to look at Sophia, who crossed her arms, "It is still morning and I will not allow you be eating sweets in the morning. Sigh..." she sighed, "After I finish talking to Frederick, how about an I make new a homemade breakfast?"

"Make it pancakes with sweet green tea!" Yune chirped and Sophia nodded.

Alm excused himself with Yune and Sophia couldn't help but smile softly as she saw the, walk away.

"They seem like brother and sister." Frederick hummed and if Sophia was drinking tea, she would have spat it out, "But, the reason I came was to escort you to The Exalt's office, where My Lord and Lady wish to discuss with you." He seemed distant.

They were silent as they walked down the hallways. A few servants were whispering to each other till made a turn to the left, a hallway that was guarded and only allowed entry to certain individuals. Once they reached it and made a turn, Sophia stopped.

"Be honest." Sophia muttered and Frederick turned to her a neutral expression, "You're angry at me, aren't you?" The man was silent, "I know… the execution of my plans was...questionable."

She gulped as she held her hands together.

"I understand if you do not wish to ever speak to me again or if I am banished from Ylisse, I will not fight back in leaving. But..." she quickly bowed, "The only thing I ask is that Yune is taken care of and gets a proper education. I'll take full responsibility for my actions but please do not blame, Tharja, Morgan, Henry, and Derrick for any of this!" Her eyes were shut tightly, her hands trembling.

Frederick looked at her shocked as she finished these words, he could see fear was written all over her. She was willing to take the fall all by herself. For some reason, it frustrated him... What happened to the crude and rude attitude of a woman that looked ready to rip in pieces? But war changes people.

"Sophia, do not bow your head to me." He said and she gritted her teeth.

"Yes, I do. I abused your trust and stayed quiet. I used to silence to manipulate you to believe she was dead. And, and—!" She suddenly felt his hands on her shoulders, his eye furious as they met her own.

"Sophia, enough! Listen to yourself!" He tried to keep himself composed.

He took a deep breath and let it out, sighing to calm himself down as he spoke softly.

"Yes, I am angry that you hid this from all of us. Yes, I am angry about the pain you caused. But, while I am glad that are accepting the consequences of your actions I do not accept you tearing yourself apart." He let go of her and sighed, running his fingers through his hair.

"You have a track record of overthinking the worst scenarios. You're not going to be banned from Ylisse." He said and Sophia flushed as she looked down to the ground.

"Um...I know it's a bad habit but, I just need to ready myself for the worst-case scenario. I-I-It's how I've survived so long. I-I plan ahead and s-such." She was stuttering too much and she wanted to dig a hole and never come out of it.

"Answer me this." The man crossed his arms, "Now that the war is over, and you are no longer a prisoner of the Grimleal. You can live a peaceful life. Yet, you act as if you are still in the war. Always on edge." He said and Sophia frowned.

"Wouldn't it be the same with you?" She said, "You're technically known as Frederick the Wary. You always have your guard up except around an exceptional few. While I understanding the reason why, I don't see how it's not the same as me. We're both wary." Sophia explained and the man only frowned.

"But there is a difference." He sighed, "For now, let us discuss this later. I do not wish to keep My lord and Robin waiting."

She nodded and they continued to walk till they reach the office. Frederick opened the door and allowed her to come in. The room seems to have a better atmosphere now that the current was opened to allow sunlight in. But the sight that greeted Sophia, made her quickly use the wall for support as she had covered her mouth to keep herself from bursting out laughing. Chrom's and Robin's desks were piled with papers and documents that need to be signed. Robin had already three mugs of coffee empty on her desk along with a half-eaten egg sandwich. Chrom had a few cups of orange juice empty and had yet to touch his food, also an egg sandwich. Robin looked up from her desk and grumbled, seeing the red-haired woman trying not to laugh.

"Oh don't worry. This will also be you in a couple more days." The tactician thought and Chrom groaned, rubbing his eyes because of the amount of paperwork that needed to be done.

"My lord, Sophia and I have arrived." Frederick coughed and Sophia finally composed herself after the small glare he gave her.

"Oh thank goodness!" Chrom cheered but quickly tried to fix what he said because of the cold gaze Frederick was giving him, "Ahem! I mean, good morning Sophia. Thank you for coming."

"Ha! I know that look the knight is giving him! The Exalt has tried to escape paperwork!" Bryhildr cackled in her mind, "My husband used to do the same but one look from his right-hand man made him fear his life!"

"Greetings your highness." Sophia did a polite bow, "My, you both look lovely with all that work."

"Oh hush!" Robin rolled her eyes, "You're enjoying seeing us like this!"

"Well, I'm not going to lie on that. Don't worry," she lightly waved her hand at her, "You get used to it."

Robin slammed her forehead on the table and whimpered. Sophia could only guess that she's been adjusting and learning the duties of a queen. It must have been a culture shock to her but she's doing it because she loves Chrom more than anything in the world.

"Besides, like Frederick, I wouldn't let you escape paper." Sophia internally snickered as they closed the door.

"Thank you for coming Sophia. I'm sure you understand why I called you here." Chrom began and she nodded, "First, again, thank you for everything you've done. Especially saving my sister."

"Where is she anyway?" Sophia asked and Chrom sighed.

"For now, we will not announce yet that Emmeyren is alive. A huge uproar will be caused. Even more, sigh...things have not fully settled in the court. Many are still opposed to Ylisse having a military regardless of the information your provided that proves Valm will try to invade us. And..." his hand balled into a fist and Sophia's became half-lidded.

"There are those who will try to convince you to step down and make Emmeyren Exalt again...correct?" Her smile was anything but kind, "Figured." She sighed and crossed her arms, "So, I'm guessing this where I come in?"

"Correct!" Robin got out of her seat and went to stand beside her future husband, "Emmeyren is in no condition to rule, especially after I read her medical records. You um...have a very...detailed report when it comes o medical records." She chuckled nervously as Chrom scratched his cheek.

"It was...a difficult for me to understand till Lysithea and Maribelle explained it to us." Chrom said, "Still, your medical practice is very advanced.

"If you want examples, I still have Frederick's records when he was healing in Plegia." Frederick choked on his spit while Robin and Chrom just looked at her shocked.

"Why would she keep a record of my health?!" Frederick gawked and Sophia turned to him angrily.

"What do you mean I wouldn't?! First of all, I had to strip you of your armor and clothing to properly perform surgery on you! And I had to keep injecting myself with pain killers for me to last 20 hours!" She hissed and the room went silent.

"You saw me naked?"

"THAT'S NOT THE POINT!"

"The point is" with a flick of her wrist, a 40-page document appeared in her right hand and she slapped it with her left, "I recorded the time you slept! The medication you were given and how much! The time and date of how long it took for you to heal. The meals you were given as well as I had to put you on a diet!" Sophia panted trying to catch her breath.

She slowly turned back to Chrom and Robin, who were completely silent.

"I feel like we just witnessed a married couple argue." The couple thought as they looked at each other then back to her.

"Cough!" Sophia coughed, "My point is, it's part of my job." She sighed, "When we treat patients, we have the medical history of them. It tells us their family medical history and we document their appointments. This helps the doctors that the patient is seeing understand what is going with the body. With it, we also learn about diseases and others. Unfortunately, a lot of the technology in my country does not exist here. As well as medicines and medical equipment." She sighed as she remembered her beginning days in Plegia.

"I had to learn to adapt. I had to research and experiment to find alternatives to create the medicines from my homeland. I would commission a blacksmith to create the tools I needed." Again she sighed as looked to them, "I hope this clears up some things."

"Oh, your knowledge is going to help us!" Robin clapped her hands together, "This is why we need your help."

"Wait, so I'm not in trouble for hiding Emmeyren?" Sophia asked and Chrom chuckled.

"You still are, my friend." And Sophia wished she kept her mouth shut, "That is why we decided to use this opportunity to expose someone." The Exalt said and Sophia looked at them confused.

"I know you only just arrived but we're honestly concerned. As of now, we have sent some of our spies to keep track of what has been going on in shores of Ylisse." Frederick began, "Valm has closed off their borders and won't let anyone in or out. Ferox also has soldiers stationed out at their shores should refugees come ashore. But the main concern is the growing number of Valentian Monsters attacking villages and cities." He said and looked back to Chrom.

"My lord has been dispatching smalls groups to scout the lands. You and the others ran into one of them." He said and Sophia nodded.

"Lissa did say that there hasn't been any Risen activity lately. However, they did have a run with Bone Walker." Sophia held her chin in thought, "I don't understand. How are Valentian Monsters showing up in Archanea?"

"We have a theory that the Grimleal have been smuggling these monsters into our lands for a few years now. Their numbers began increasing 25 years ago. As now, many have adapted to the land here." Frederick said and handed her a paper, "We already learned the hard way that there was a traitor in our numbers."

"The Hierarch." Sophia gasped as she began to remember certain details from the game.

She had completely forgotten about that. The Hierarch was someone that help Emmeyren since her early days as an Exalt. Someone who the royal family trusted. It was the biggest blow to Chrom and the others when it was revealed in Chapter 7 of the game that he gave away their location. The old man's betrayal caused the downfall of so many things.

"Expose..." she muttered and looked to Chrom with an unreadable gaze, "You want me to expose corruption and betrayal going on the shadows. The Hierarch was a higher-up, wasn't he?" Chrom nodded, a frown on his face as he spoke.

"Yes...He was a higher-up of the Church of Naga. You can imagine how badly this went. Because of his actions, the Church has gone into chaos, and many have pointed fingers." He sighed because the number of paper works that have come in was a nightmare.

"They haven't taken things to the extreme, have they? Such framing, execution, public punishment examples." She asked as Robin motioned them to sit down.

"No." Chrom said, "However, they did use the opportunity to kick out people that did not meet their standards or share their beliefs. But I am worried things will escalate. I know this may be too much for me to ask but I want you to use your knowledge to expose who truly was behind this and why the Hierarch chose to betray not just us...but my sister. I want to know why." He gritted his teeth, his hands tightened.

"I'm going, to be honest." Sophia sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose, "My knowledge in my country is considered 'modern'. The medical practices here in Archanea are considered outdated." Frederick gave her an offended look, "Hey! In my defense, I grew up in a very different society. And another thing, I came from a country where magic doesn't exist."

"A country without magic?" Chrom muttered and Robin held her chin in thought for a moment.

"By any chance...is this place called...The World of Steel?" She asked and Sophia's eyes went wide.

Robin saw the shock that was written on her face and spoke calmly as she pulled out a purple-colored book from her coat.

"This is an old record dating to the age of King Marth. There is a record of a knight called Syrus. He was a knight who was the adopted brother of Queen Caeda. He fought beside them. The knight was found at a young age, near a destroyed door-like building called, an Outrealm Gate. The boy claimed he came from a place where there was no magic. Carriages are made of a metal called cars. The building that reached the skies. And most importantly, knowledge." She placed the book down on the table.

"The next story is of a woman, who was the sister of a mage called Sara. This mage, her name was Whitney, a foreign name. Whitney was said to have medical knowledge that looked similar to yours. However, those of the Loptyrian Church captured and tortured her because they believed her to be an aberration." Robin frowned, "Whitney...this was said from the scrolls we managed to recover from the Grimleal, her soul was said to be older than her physical appearance. That she had memories of a land with no magic and gods. As for her fate, she took the final stance in killing the DeadLord that possessed the body of her sister and died on the battlefield. She had a son who helps Prince Selphi and Princess Julia overthrow Julius." She sighed and looked at Sophia.

The red-haired woman was shaking as she looked at her hands and then at the book. Something inside of her was screaming. Perhaps, joy, because she wasn't alone. Maybe anger or sorrow because how many others like her have been ripped away from their homes? Or perhaps they even chose to leave and never look back. Or maybe accidental? Or reincarnations? Her vision became clouded as she picked up the book and opened it.

"M-My name is Philip." Her voice was cracking as she began to read a passage from an old diary page.

The language it was written in looked foreign to others, but to her, it was one she grows up in. It was English.

"As of now, I have adapted to living in this world. To be honest, I never thought I would be..be...Living in the world of—-Ahh...Ah..." her composure was breaking at this point and she ignored the voices of Frederick, Chrom, and Robin to relax, "If there...is someone like me out there, then you recognize these words and understand what I am saying. When...I first came to this land, I was 16 years old. I was in my room, asleep when suddenly there was a sudden bright light that engulfed me. I thought my house was on fire. When I woke to, I was being treated by two kids. I didn't believe it at first till they told me their names. They were...Prince Roy and Lianna." Her heart was pounding in her ears.

The two kids were 12 and 11. They told me they had found me in the forest that was near the palace garden. At was shocked. In denial. I didn't understand how I ended up in this world. I remember I was just too shocked. I had to make a cover story that I was kidnapped by slave traders and managed to escape. That the Nike shirt and pants I was wearing were stolen from a merchant. I know. I know. It sounds like BS but it was the best I could come at the moment when I was put in my first situation. I killed for the first time in my life. An assassin tried to attack the kids and out of instinct, I grabbed the nearest weapon and used it. I was horrified. Stunned. I didn't know how to feel. I never took a human life. I just...I guess that was realities way to make me realize I was not in a world of fantasy.

I knew I wasn't going to survive as a normal person. So, I took advantage of me saving Roy and Lillian to join the Knights. It was...interesting to say the least. I can't say how many times my face met the dirt when I was trained by Alen and Lance. I experience war for the first time. It's not the same same as in the movies. To be honest...I miss my home. I miss my mother and brothers and sister. It's been at least 3 years since I was brought here and...honestly, I just wish I could see my family again. I miss my mother cooking me my favorite dish. I miss my little brother who would always nag me. I miss my older sister who would smack me on the head if I did something stupid. I miss dad teaching me how to wood carve. I miss seeing the highways. I miss fast food. I miss technology. The so many things I took for granted, now I understand how hard it is to lose them.

My name is Sitonia. I was born in Florida. I was a police officer in my old world. I was born as the twin sister of Corrin. What was my last name? It used to be Unique. That doesn't matter anymore. My old memories are fading away but I want to write this before I forget. There will be times we miss our old homes. There will be times we wish we could just leave and disappear. I guess what I'm trying to say is, everything will be alright. You will be alright.

Just be you.

At some point, Sophia stopped reading out loud. She didn't know when it happened or the sinking feeling in her stomach as she put the book down on the table.

"Do...you mind...if I hold onto this book?" She whispered and Robin shook her head.

"Not at all. Perhaps we should take a small break before we continue?" Chrom said and Sophia shook her head, placed her hands on her eyes, and used some healing magic to make the redness go away.

"I'll be okay." She took a deep breath, "Let us continue."

"Alright." Robin smiled softly, "About your knowledge, we want you to teach your medical methods to a newly established corps. For now, we're calling it the Medical Team, until we come up with a better name." She chuckled and Sophia nodded.

"And, this team will be working with the Alchemist Corps," Chrom said and Frederick frowned.

"My Lord...are you sure that is a wise idea? I understand if they would work with mages but sages and clerics have always been at odds with Alchemist. Their animosity towards each other is...ugh...I can't believe I agree with Morgan on this." Sophia snorted, "Explosive."

"I get it now. You need an outsider." Sophia chuckled as she crossed her arms, "And, I can grantees that combining Alchemy and Magic is considered a sin in both departments." A whisked smile formed on her lips, "Well too bad. I didn't know that till now and I have been combing the two since I have arrived."

"You're lucky Miriel and Martha aren't present or else they would have dragged you down to the Academy." Frederick sighed.

"Alchemists study the foundation of the world. Science. Clerics, Sages, Monks, and Priest, connect to the spiritual realm. If we were split magic in two ways, we have, Faith and Reason." She decided to use the example of the Three Houses Magic System, "Faith Magic is created from someone's beliefs and emotions. The stronger the emotional connection to a belief, the stronger the spell becomes. In this case, Light and White Magic would fall into the category of Faith." She asked Robin to hand her a paper and pen and started drawing out the system.

She wasn't the best at drawing up plans but when it comes to certain things, stick figures work best.

"Let's take for example the spell, Heal. It is White Magic. Heal is rooted in the caster's desire to aid and help. Rescue, the person must have feelings of peace and to desire that the person they want safe, to be right next to them. Warp, however, is the opposite of wanting to be near that person. The Caster must have feelings of tranquility and longing. In this case, you must desire you want to be far away or nearby. This allows the caster to move freely to one area or another. It is the same when they are casting the spell onto someone. Another example," she pointed to the large tile that was a few feet from the desk that had the Brand of Naga, "would be warping tiles."

The stick figures were drawn with their hands up with sparks around them and arrows still show they were moved from one place to another.

"Then we have Reason. In this case, it would count as Black and Dark Magic. Reason magic pulls from one's understanding of the magical matrix, also known as the understanding of the spiritual medium that is inherited through physiology and ideals. The caster must use their intellect and imagination to construct the spell and turn it from a concept to reality. Take for instance Fire. You must imagine flames are conjuring in your hands, then you must visualize the physics of the fire and focus that mana to mold it into what your desire." She explained and Robin nodded.

"Now I understand!" Robin's eyes went wide, "By manipulation of the magic formula, you can create a new variety of spells. White and Light magic is created by belief or emotions. Like those that are full devotees to the Church of Naga. Faith Magic can be strengthened by daily prayer, songs, and such! However, there are also the rare few that are non-believers but can still cast Faith Magic. That is because their emotions are towards the people they wish to aid, and how much they believe in themselves as a person!" She cheered, suddenly very excited with how Sophia categorized Archanea's magic system.

"Ahem!"

Both Sophia and Robin turned to look at Chrom and Frederick. Chrom chuckled nervously while Frederick had his arms crossed.

"Did you two forget we are here?" Frederick glared at them and both women looked away, embarrassed that both got real caught in at the talk of magic systems.

"It's alright." Chrom chuckled, "Honestly, I enjoyed how much you two looked like you were having fun." He smiled, "But back to the original topic, yes, it would be better if an outsider were to take the position of leader. Sophia, aren't bias toward either group. You have a practice of both." He said.

"So, take advantage that an unknown person is put in charge of teaching. See how many are going to challenge my teachings. As well as see if there will be a hostile environment." Sophia muttered, "Got it. I think I figure out what to do from here. I thank you and Robin for this opportunity. I won't let you down." And she bowed her head a bit.

"Thank you, Sophia." Robin smiled, "By the way, have you chosen what room you will be living in? Marth, Alm, Severa, Owain, and Indigo have all chosen to live in the Knights' Quarters. They said they will work with us till the wedding. Yune, I met her. Oh, she an adorable girl!" She squealed at the thought of the little girl.

"That's another thing I want to talk about." Sophia said and the trio looked at her confused, "I don't want to live in the castle."

"WHAT?!"

"I-I just feel uncomfortable seeing all this fancy atmosphere and I only just arrived! I-It wouldn't be fair to the others since you all know each other since the beginning! I haven't earned my place with you all so, I don't think it would be right." Sophia quickly explained and Chrom sighed.

"Alright, I understand. But you do have living arrangements, right?" His and Robin's gaze was boring into her soul.

"I want to buy a small house or rent an apartment near the capital or here. Is that too much? Please tell me I'm not overstepping my boundaries?" Sophia looked at them a bit panicked.

"Well, there is this one building that is near the woods of the castle." Chrom turns to Frederick.

"Please you tell me you aren't suggesting the old Mage Quarters where...Albert used to work?" Frederick frowned and Chrom sighed.

"Did something happen?" Sophia asked, worried and Frederick decided to explain.

"Albert was my friend of mine and husband of my cousin, Martha. He...was an amazing person. Unfortunately...at some point, we all became distant from each other. The Mage Quarters was a place he built so he could study. It was also...a childhood place of ours." He sighed, "I think it would be better to discuss this with Martha first."

"Agree." Sophia said, "In the meantime, I'll stay at an inn."

"Or, you can just stay in the room you woke in." Robin chirped and Sophia gave her a "Really?" Look.

"Okay, how about this. I can tell you feel overwhelmed with all the paperwork so how about I help you get some of it done? I know Frederick helps Chrom with his work." She said and Robin suddenly held her hand, her eyes sparkling.

"Sophia, will you be my right-hand woman?!" Sophia just looked at her completely stunned while the others just stared.

"Let's talk to Martha first and then I'll think about it."

[—]

The walk to the Alchemy Department was about 20 minutes. They had to pass through the garden, and through that walk, Chrom and Robin decided to show her around a bit since she was going to be working with them. Frederick was silent the majority of the time. Honestly, she wanted to ask him how she ended up in a room when she was sure she fell asleep in the garden but decided to wait. They soon reached a monolithic dome building that looked to be about 3 stories high. Multiple windows with blue stain glass, the outside has small lakes and wide grass field areas for practicing combat. But what was interesting was the number of willow trees all around the place.

"These are willow trees." Bryhildr muttered, "The Weeping Willow, interesting concept."

Sophia stopped for a bit and looked up towards the windows.

She could see someone was looking back at her. Too bad the window was a dark blue, and she could only see a shadow. She caught up quickly with the others and Robin opened the door. The inside of the building was huge and spacious. The scent of chemicals, herbs, and such was obvious. Alchemists wore white uniform coats, black, and gold, with the crest of their house on the back. Men and women, young and old, whispered to each other as they saw Chrom, Robin, Frederick, and her walkthrough.

"Greetings Exalt, Lady Robin and Sir Frederick."

A young man with blonde colored hair tied in a ponytail, brown eyes, black glasses, and wore a black shirt underneath his long tailcoat. He had a steady gaze, almost elegant. His form of speech was that of a higher up.

"Good afternoon Ethan." Chrom smiled and turned to Sophia, "This is Ethan of House Hersvelg and Martha's right-hand man."

"Pleasure to meet your acquaintance." Ethan smiled and then turned to look at Sophia, his tone changing a bit, "If I may, who is this?" Oh, was he judging her already?

"This is Sophia, the new Commander of the Medical Team." Robin said and Ethan's eyes widened slightly, "Is Martha here? We wish to so—-!"

BOOM!

The building shook and Sophia began panicking but she saw the others were just calm. Frederick pinched the bridge of his nose while Chrom and Robin shook their heads. Ethan just sighed as he took out a notepad and began writing. Under his breath, she could hear curse words being said.

"Are we under attack?" Sophia squeaked and Ethan shook his head.

"No. It's most likely someone's failed experiment. This is normal and we have all gotten used to it by now. It's a common occurrence when alchemists are involved. We can tell by the vibrations of the building and the speed of sound of the explosion is dangerous or not. This one, most likely a potion experiment went wrong based on the scent." Ethan sighed as he took off his glasses and then cleaned them again.

"Anyhow, yes. Lady Martha is here. I shall escort you all to the third floor." Ethan said and they nodded.

The walk up the stairs was silent but the blonde man turned his head her way and spoke.

"Lady Sophia, if I may ask, what are your skills and qualifications?" He smiled and she raised an eyebrow at him.

"Are you questioning my skills?" She said and he just smiled, while the others suddenly felt the temperature in the room drop.

"Oh no. On the contrary." He held his chin, "This is my first hearing of you and I just wanted to make sure we have someone with experience in our ranks. Are you a mage or alchemist?" He smiled.

"I'm a doctor who knows how to fight and will not allow my skills to be questioned by some man who believes he is at higher rank just because he knows to turn dust to metal." Her voice was even.

Ethan did not like the tone she was using and spoke.

"Metal dust? Now you are questioning my skills?" He said and Sophia only smiled.

"Oh no. I'm just deflating the ego of a man who has a knife stuck up his ass." Robin quickly hid her face in Chrom's chest to keep herself from bursting out laughing at the face the others were making while Sophia had a chipper smile.

"Okay! Right here, right now! Alchemist vs Alchemist battle!"

"Is that a bug I hear? Oh no! Maybe I ought to bring Swarn Z to slather the fly! Ohohohoho!"

"Alright, can it you two!"

SMACK!

"Ooowwwwww!" Ethan and Sophia held their heads in pain as Robin gave a light massage to her fist after giving them both a hard smack.

"Do behave yourselves." She smiled at me they flinched at her gaze.

"That's my wife." Chrom smiled and they continued ahead.

Minutes later, they arrived at the third floor, which was built completely different from the others. It was as she walked into a greenhouse. Many unknown plants she saw all around. Trees of all kinds. Fae was flying around and sleeping on trees as well as a few other creatures. However, that the very center, was a giant tree. Now that she thought of it, the giant tree trunk could be seen going through all the building floors and the green she saw at the far top must have been the branches and leaves.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Ethan spoke as he was looking up at the tree, "They say this willow tree grew is the resting place where a Dawn and Dusk dragons chose to lay rest. Their names are unknown unfortunately but this tree is called The Crystal Tree. Think of it as Archanea's version of The Mila Tree." He said and looked up his head, "This way please."

The more they walked they soon arrived at a door that led to a giant magic lab. There was a table with different symbols carved on it that glowed blue. Bottles filled with different specimens lined the shelves and the scent of chemicals was in the air.

"Lady Martha?" Ethan called out, "Exalt Chrom, Lady Robin, and Sir Frederick are here to see you." He said no there was no response.

They walked deeper into the room, seeing more books and papers all over the place. It irked Sophia.

"How can anyone live with this mess? She muttered and suddenly...

"Ehehehehehe!"

Sophia took a step back instantly as pink-colored eyes were suddenly too close to her face. Frederick caught her before she slipped on a piece of cloth. The step she took allowed her to have a full view of the owner of the creepy laugh. Dark long flowing magenta-colored hair that dragged on the floor. She wore a veil that was light pink in color and long sleeve turtle neck dress with a gold belt. On the belt were strapped on several potion bottles with different colored liquids. Some of them had a strange glow. She looked back up to the girl and noticed her pale skin and dark circles in her eyes. On her head, she wore a gold thin chain with the Brand of Naga.

"Oh my, oh my." The little girl turned to the Future Exalt with a puzzled look, "Lord Chrom, who is this? A rare specimen indeed. Have you finally brought me a plaything?! Hehehehehe!" She intertwined her fingered as her face had a blissful look.

"No." Chrom sighed as Frederick looked like a stone, "Sophia, I apologize. As you learned, Miriel is the director of the Magic Academy as well as the Head of The Magic Department of Ylisse. This woman is..." he didn't get to finish.

The girl quickly zoomed past him and again, was a bit too close to Sophia's liking. She grinned, her teeth almost looked like they belonged to a vampire.

"So you are the Witch of Crimson! My! Hehehe...I heard you did a number on those Plegain mages. I am a Knight of Ylisse in charge of the Alchemy Department even if I do not look like it. My name is Martha Don Albright. You may also know as...Frederick's cousin." She grinned and suddenly held Sophia's hands.

"Welcome to Ylisse! I hope we cause many explosions! Hehehehe!

"You're acting like a lunatic," Frederick said and the little girl just stuck her tongue out at him.

"A lunatic I may be, but there is a reason why ~" Martha sang as she took a step back, "No one ever said being a nut job was easy ~" she then pointed to Frederick, "Ask little Fredy right here! After all," she grinned as she held lovingly a glass jar with an embryo in it, " I'm older than him!"

"EEEEHHHHHH?!" Sophia whipped around so fast that everyone thought her neck would snap, "SHE'S OLDER THAN YOU AND CHROM?!"

"Cough...Yes." Frederick coughed while Chrom looked away.

"BUT SHE LOOKS THE SAME AGE IF NOWI WAS 12 years old!"

"Kyahahahaha!" Martha laughed as she placed the glass jar down on her table, "This child form I use is to reserve magic. I can turn to my adult form whenever I want but I prefer this form because I can take advantage of pretending to be a kid to get free food." She beamed as she began to move a few things.

"Anyhow, Chromy~" She cooed, "I got my hands on a Risen corpse. It was very fun cutting it to pieces but I did find some disturbing things." She pointed to Risen's corpse that was in a coffin near the window.

"Is that why you had Anna make a contract with you?" Ethan asked and she smiled at her student.

"Ethan my boy, there are some things that must remain a secret." She picked up a shard of gray-colored glass and showed it to them.

"What is it?" Robin asked and the woman made it turn to dust.

It was for a brief moment, but mirages of man hunting and a little boy cheering him on were shown before it faded away.

"They say Risen's possess revetments of their once human souls." Martha whispered and snickered, "What you all just witnessed, was an old memory of this Risen when it once was a human."

"Martha." Frederick's voice held an edge but she chose to ignore it as she looked back to Sophia.

"Anyhow, I will speak of my discoveries later. So, Lord Chrom, care to introduce me?"

"This is Sophia. She is the woman I was telling you about that Robin and I have chosen to lead the new medical team. She is the woman you will be working with." Chrom said and the girl's gaze became half-lidded.

"Is that so?" She let go a small sigh, "Don't get me wrong but I ought to remind you that Alchemists aren't welcoming someone from the Church of Naga. Especially since she will be also training those...muggles." She said and Ethan sucked in his breath.

"I have no relationship whatsoever to the Church of Naga." Sophia said, "As a matter a fact, I'm a foreigner. You might better know me as...The Shadow Exalt or Saint of Archanea." Martha didn't miss the hostile tone when she spat out those titles with venom.

"What?" Ethan looked at her shocked and before he could say anything, Martha raised her hand, for him to remain silent.

"Are you from Valm?" She asked and Sophia shook her head, "An outsider...Very interesting choice my lord. Very well, I shall give this woman a chance to prove she has the skills needed." Her child form dissolved and turned into an older woman.

Her clothing was the same but for adults. The dark circles under their eyes no pale skin almost gave her the aura that she was a vampire. She was few inches taller than Sophia as she walked up closer.

"In a few days, I will send you 4 students of this department. Four others will be sent to you by the Church of Naga and another four from the Magic Academy." She began to explain, "Now, this decision was made by The Ylisse Council. They have heard of you, but they want your skills proven." She intertwined her fingers together and smiled, "I wonder how long it will take for you to crack?"

"Martha!" Frederick growled and even Chrom wasn't pleased with the way she was talking.

"You should know how I am dear cousin." She closed her eyes, "Can an outsider make 12 students from three different factions get along? Let's not forget, Alchemist and Mages do not look eye to eye with those of the Church." She turned to look at Sophia, "I do wonder how you will take charge of things?"

There was a tense silence yet Martha raised an eyebrow when Sophia smiled, and rest her cheek on her hand.

"Water: 35 liters, Carbon: 20 kg, Ammonia: 4 liters, Lime:1.5 kg, Phosphorus: 800 g, salt: 250g, saltpeter:100g, Sulfer: 80g, Fluorine: 7.5 g, iron: 5.6 g, Silicon: 3g, and 15 other elements in small quantities... that's the total chemical makeup of the average adult body." Sophia began to recite a well familiar quote and Martha narrowed her eyes, "You think I'm going to let someone dictate my life to fit their needs?" Her eyes went wide, "I will teach the way I want. I don't need people dictating me. In the end, my role is to guide these students. I'm already playing with fire. All I need is to light up their spark." She winked.

"..." the pink-haired woman was stunned and broke into a grin, looking over to Chrom, "I like this one."

The Exalt and Robin let out sighs of relief but Frederick was still tense.

"Ethan, what is said here is not to be spoken outside this room. Do I make myself clear?" Martha said and the man gave his bow, "Good! Now, how about Sophia and I have a little chat? Oh and Robin," the white-haired woman raised an eyebrow, "Morgan is the one that caused the explosion earlier." Never before had Sophia seen Robin dash out of the room so quickly.

"MORGAN!"

Chrom quickly went after her while the woman laughed and looked over to Ethan.

"Go inform our candidates." And Ethan nodded, excusing himself, closing the door.

Frederick looked at them worried and also excused himself but he seemed hesitant but left.

There was silence till Martha spoke, she held to her chest a strange glass jar. She held almost lovely but also a deep possessiveness and protective to it.

"Chrom and Robin wouldn't just hire an outsider just because. You must have done quite a number in the shadows of Plegia. Saint of Archanea...it is best you do not reveal your identity that you are the Saint because there is a high possibility that the Church of Naga will try to earn your favor. They tried to do the same with Lysithea when they learned she was a child of Mila and Duma Faithful. She shut them down quickly once she pulled out Dark Spikes T! Haha!" Martha laughed loudly but it faded away.

"But, I can see you've been through hell in the back." The woman waved her hand and suddenly the hair dye in Sophia's hair was gone, revealing her white hair.

"Why did you do that?" Sophia gritted her teeth and Martha chuckled as her eyes looked like they had become that of a snake.

"The white hair is a symbol of modifications done to the body. When the body goes into extreme stress, the result is white/gray hairs. However, there are also other reasons." She frowned, "Torture. Anger. Losing control of magic. Not being careful when using Dark and Black magic. After-effects of a potion gone wrong and the list go on." She gently petted the jar, "You became a Nightmare against your choice." She closed her eyes.

"And what exactly is a Nightmare?" Sophia said as she waved her hand to make her hair red again and Martha stared at her for a moment as she continued to pet the jar she was holding.

"Think of it as someone who has gone through hell and back. They are people who chose to let the darkness in them take over. Have you heard a voice whisper in your mind to give in to your dark desires and when you wake up, everything around you is destroyed?" She asked and Sophia froze, the color draining from her face.

"The term, Nightmare, originates from the old days. Night, from scriptures and maere, from the ancient language of Archanea, which means, incubus. Combine the two and you get the word, Nightmare. The name was given to a single woman, who brought darkness upon the land to exact revenge on her family for ratting her out to the Divine Dragons. The woman used her power to transform form herself into a monster. Her punishment, the curse of emotions. Over time, there were soon people that suddenly began to transform into monsters when they were in a time of great despair, and once they exacted their revenge, they would return to being themselves and live normal lives. It was discovered that woman left fragments of that dark power to different people around the world." She sighed a bit and looked back at Sophia.

"Do you know the story of The Crystal Witch?" The woman asked.

"Yes." Sophia muttered, "I overheard Cordelia and Lon'qu talking about the story."

Have you heard the story of the Crystal Witch?

Eyes like jewels and hair-like moss.

Her tongue spoke words that were razor sharp.

Eyes and voice cold as ice, like a blade ready to cut.

She toyed with all and the price to pay, was her life.

The Crystal Witch took the root from a tree and played.

The warning was not heeded, the curse was laid indeed.

The curse of emotions raged within her, till one day, she met a strange man.

The man created life from dust and chalk.

The Man showed her his talents in she in return showed her own.

The Witch learned to accept and fell in love.

The Man and Witch married and lived happily ever after.

But fate was cruel.

Say, have you heard what happened to The Witch?

She died.

The Man cried and begged but madness soon took hold.

He created life and made the dead rise.

But all he tried, he could never bring back his wife.

Say, what happened to The Witch?

They say her soul hunts another body...

So she may return to her beloved.

Eyes of jewels and hair-like moss.

Beware of words that become razor-sharp.

When the voice becomes cold as ice

So when the stars align and the moon turns red, run into your homes as fast as you can or...

The Witch will take you away.

"It's an old story used to scare children to keep them from sneaking out at night." Martha chuckled, "Goodness! I remember telling the story to Fredy Bear to scare him!"

"Now that's just evil." Sophia snorted and Martha smiled.

"When these people succumb to that power, it is as if they are possessed by a demon. And that power is often associated with the Crystal Witch. Thus, the name, Nightmare, was bestowed onto those people." She sighed and looked down to the ground, "The people of Valm respect those who have that power while the people of Archanea fear them." She looked to Sophia, "Do you fear it? That power?"

"I do." Sophia muttered as she rubbed her arm, "I've seen what it has done. What it has caused me to done." Her first memory was when she stabbed her mother out of self-defense, the second memory when she nearly killed Arca.

The third memory when she terrified Morgan when she told off Aversa. The fourth memory when she let it take over her to protect Yune and the last one when she had that strange episode of coughing blood.

"Embrace it." Martha said, "But do not succumb to it. Learn to control it."

"I don't understand. Why would I do such a thing? I nearly hurt people because of it." Sophia said and the woman gave her a half-lidded gaze.

"That's because you don't know how to control it. That power has saved you more times than you can count." Martha muttered, "You are running away from your flaws. Accept them." She whispered and turned to her shelf.

"I chose to become a nightmare."

Sophia didn't know if she should feel unsettled or amazed as Martha held the jar in her arms, hugging it tightly to her chest. There was some sort of magic on it, preventing her from seeing what was inside it. The alchemist's smile was anything but kind as she continued to speak of work.

"There comes a time in life where you no longer care about what the world thinks of you." She extended her right hand towards her, "The role of an Alchemist is to transform things for the better. To study the world and learn its secrets. But even we know not to mess with the unknown." She chuckled as she placed the jar back on the shelf.

"The greatest examples of punishment from the unknown is The Crystal Witch and the Alchemist, Forneus." She turned back to her, "The Crystal Witch played with life. Forneus broke the rule of death. Both played with laws of the world that must never be broken. Their punishment: madness and death."

"But what does that have to do with me?" Sophia asked and Martha only raised an eyebrow at her.

"It has nothing to do with. I'm only telling you the warning because it is a law of all alchemists to tell it to recruits. As it said, it serves as a warning to future generations of the consequences if they chose to play with the Law of Cycles. Anyhow," she waved her hand dismissively, "I've had my fair share of warnings."

That's when Sophia realized that Martha was doing something more. She stared at the jar on the shelf and frowned. Playing with life…. Huh...Martha was already doing that.

"But that hasn't stopped you from creating life," Sophia muttered and Martha's gaze became half-lidded.

"True. Just don't say a word to my sweet cousin or anyone else or you might find yourself thrown in a well."

[—-]

Sophia was silent as she was eating in the dining hall of the place. The dining hall was built similarly to the one in three houses, except bigger and runes were written on the walls and charts about the elements and chemicals. She poked at the cake she got, a sweet green tea cream cake with cookies, and iced tea.

"Not hungry?" Bryhildr muttered in her mind.

"I wouldn't say that." Sophia thought as she took a sip of her drink and frowned, "My sense of taste is still gone after all these months. Everything smells amazing but...it's just not the same." She sighed and took a bite of the cake but nothing.

"What Martha said, it's bothering you, isn't it?" The DeadLord asked and Sophia nodded.

"It is. I never would have thought that the dark voice I was hearing in my head was created from my emotions of despair. Now that I know I am...a Nightmare, what do I now?" She thought and sighed again.

"Well, learn to control that power. Besides, like the old saying. Light can not exist without darkness. But also, magic comes with a price." Bryhildr muttered and Sophia let go another sigh.

"May we sit with you?"

Sophia looked up and saw two young men and two girls. The first was twins. Spiky light gray hair, green eyes, tan skin with red markings under their eyes, and wore they wore long uniform coats, black pants, and scarves. The one on the right had a black scarf and the one on the left had a yellow one. The two girls, Sophia almost spat out her tea when she saw the Awakening version of Annette and Marriane. Except, both were the same age, 15 years, and the boys looked around 17.

"Yeah, sure." Sophia nodded and they sat.

Annette on her left and Marianne on her right. The two boys sat across.

"Are you a new student here?" The boy with the black scarf said, "It's rare seeing new enrollments in this time."

"Oh, um, yes. I came to speak with Lady Martha." Sophia said, "I'm Sophia"

"Name's James!" The black scarfed boy grinned and looked at his brother, "This is Ray. We're from House Dyrus! Family of a blacksmith from Ferox!" James said and Ray nodded.

"I'm Annette Fantine Dominic of House Dominic! Nice to meet you!" Annette looked the same chipper person.

"Marianne of House Rigel," Marianne said softly and Sophia froze.

"House Rigel...as in...a descendent of King Alm and Queen Celica?" Sophia said and Marrie frowned.

"No. My family hails from Prince Berkut and Lady Rinea. But yes...I am a descendant of the royal bloodline." She muttered and took a sip of her tea.

"Wait, but I thought...House Rigel fell after Walhart invaded," James said and he flinched when the tea in his cup was frozen solid in an instant.

"Okay, let us change the topic." Sophia quickly said because she noticed how upset Marianne became when he said that, "I see you kids looked a bit down."

"Not too bad." James shrugged, "We've been chosen to work for the new Medical Team. What the hell was Ethan drinking when he chose us?! We have the worst grades here!" He sighed.

"I already told you if you need help to study, you could have asked me." Annette chirped.

"You forgot to return your books the other days and Sita went after you," Ray whispered and the kids shivered at the mention of the librarian.

"Could you kids tell about this place?"

[-]

Frederick took a deep breath as he stood in front of an old house that had brown shrubs and vines all over the place. The trees had grown so much, they needed to be trimmed. The vines covered the walls, flowers dark pink and blue grew on them. The garden of roses and hydrangeas had overgrown. Again, he took another deep breath as he walked through the gate and felt the familiar wave of noglastia. The pound that had overgrown grass and new ducks swimming in it, he recalled the times he, Martha, Emmeyren, and Albert would go fishing in their free time. He sighed again, arriving at the door, taking out the key to open it, but stopped. His eye narrowed when he saw the door was bit opened and carefully pushed it open. The inside of the room that greeted him was a hallway that led to a living room. He saw someone had removed their shoes to come in. Another sigh escaped his lips because he already knew who the shoes belonged to. He removed his and walked in. He stopped at the door that led to the living room and opened it, he was greeted by the sight of a dimly lit room. Furniture covered in white sheets, yet no dust touched anything. The curtains were opened to allow sunlight to come in, revealing a few things on the shelves. Yet, his eye zoomed onto the person that sat at the table, drinking a hot cup of tea.

"You're late." Martha said as she had her eyes closed and placed her cup down, "This is rare if you to come here. I was even more surprised that you stepped foot into my academy. You usually avoid it." She opened her eyes just a tad bit.

"Come and drink with me." She motioned her hand to the empty seat and tea that was served.

The man sighed again and went to sit across from her. The silence was uncomfortable but he chose to speak.

"What is your impression of Sophia?" He asked first and Martha smiled a bit.

"Rude. Arrogant. Prideful. But all that is just a facade to hide the deep pain she has." She opened her eyes, "Chrom and Robin chose well. I did read that report that was sent. She will be of greater use if she joins my academy." She took a sip of her tea.

"She will be working as a commander like you." He said and Martha raised an eyebrow at him.

"You realize all three factions will be sending in four students that have the worst grades? Not to also mention a few of those students come from fallen houses." Frederick nodded, "Miriel is choosing to send her four out of good intentions because she believes a different environment could help them improve. I'm choosing to send my four because I want them to realize their potential. The church, however, is sending those that they have seen as disgraces to their image." She took another sip of her tea.

"I know." He muttered and then looked to her, "I know I should not be saying this but I think you deserve to know." Again, the woman gave him a questionable look, "Emmeyren is alive."

A window suddenly cracked as her eyes shot open and her lips parted a bit as he looked at him shocked. As much as she wanted to say he was lying, Martha knew Frederick wouldn't do such a thing. His eye held a firm gaze and did not waiver one bit as he continued.

"Right now, only a few Shepards, and I know, along with Phila. For now, we want things to settle first before we reveal she is alive. I hope you understand." He said and she drummed her fingers on the table.

Frederick knew that when she would do that it was her way of processing words or a conversation she just heard. Either way, the second they stopped, she looked back to him.

"Can I see her?" She asked and he nodded, "Sigh...I want to cry but the tears don't come. Perhaps it is because my tears have dried up after event after event." She rested her elbows on her cheek and looked up to him, "It's amazing how much war changes people."

"What do you mean?" He asked and Martha shook her head a bit.

"So, Sophia is the one that saved you correct?" He nodded, "I'll have to give her my thanks. Haha." She chuckled a bit, "Hard to believe that just a few years ago you were a tiny boy who followed me around like a duckling." Frederick began grumbling a bit.

"Sister—" she raised her hand for him to stop talking.

"I told you not to call me that." She said and the man shook his head.

"You will always be my sister to me. Regardless of what others think or say. Yes, you are my cousin but I see you as a sister. Always have and always will be." He smiled sadly and Martha chuckled.

"Honestly, you have a way with words." She took another sip of her tea, "But I'm pretty sure there is another reason why you come here. So, spill."

"Chrom and Robin offered Sophia to live in Shepard's Quarters but she said she did not feel comfortable living there. She asked if there were any houses or apartments that were available for sale or rent." Martha went silent, "Chrom...suggested speaking to you about possibly, her maybe living here."

The woman held her chin and thought for a moment. The silence made the man uncomfortable but he knew better than to outright ask if Sophia could live. The red-haired woman already told him if Martha said no, then she would live in the Knight's Quarters or an apartment she spotted not too far from the training grounds. Martha looked back at him and spoke.

"Alright, I'll let her live here. I'll even have a few more rooms built-in for her students. But!" She raised her index finger, "On a few conditions."

"Name them." He said.

"The first condition, she and the students must clean up the place. Pulling weeds and all that. No magic is to be used to do this." Frederick nodded, "My second condition is, she must pay rent. I am technically the owner of this place so of course, as her landlady, she must pay rent. 7 silver each month." Again he nodded, "My final condition...I want her to be part of my investigation team I will be taking to Ferox."

"You're still insisting on investigating those ruins?!" Frederick glared at her, "You know how active the Grimleal are there! Have you heard the story of that place?! Martha, please!" He insisted and she shook her head.

"I already got the okay from Khan Flavia and Robin has also expressed she will join me." Frederick's facepalms, "Frederick, I won't be alone. Please understand, this ruin has clue on how to defeat Grima. I have to do this!"

"For yourself?! Or a different reason?!"

"To find out the truth why Albert was killed!"

The table rattled as she abruptly stood up, her hands slammed on the table. Her eyes are wide and furious.

"Albert was investigating the Grimleal and specific members of the Church of Naga. I know he must have dug too deep. I want to know what he found. I refuse to let my husband die in vain." She growled.

"Martha you...Sigh...alright. But I do need to speak to Sophia about this. Is that understood?"

"Of course."