DISCLAIMER: I don't own the Kingdom Hearts nor Fire Emblem: Shadows of Valentia characters, Square Enix, Nintendo, and Disney are the owners.
Anthex-The Legendary Zoroark: Effectively, that Celica/Liprica is from another timeline, I can't say too much but she's like Namine but battle-hardened warrior who had to do something to get her body back.
CHAPTER 14 – ANOTHER SIDE… ANOTHER STORY I
/
TOP OF THE DUMA TOWER
Celica and the others climbed to the top of the tower to demand Jedah to release Mila, only to learn that she was turned to stone and sealed away by the Falchion sword.
Roxas made a poor decision that almost cost his life if Liprica hadn't showed up on time and stopped him from throwing his life away.
"Somebody whose soul you had sacrificed, Jedah." She said pointing her keyblade at the Duma Faithful.
"What?!" Celica whispered in confusion after hearing her let out this strong statement, her mind, and the others' were filled with many questions about the woman's past and motives.
"Heh heh, how would I believe such a lie you are saying, you Sofian Princess-wannabe?" Jedah made fun of her thinking that she was lying, however, he felt a strong thundaga spell sway past his cheek, leaving him stunned.
"Stop making excuses, you fool!" Liprica was visibly angry at Jedah as she spoke ill towards his actions. "You manipulated women into becoming mindless witches… I suffered too much to end this senseless war between Sofia and Rigel, and in the end… my efforts didn't nothing despite becoming a Duma Faithful witch myself and get killed by Alm…" her voice cracked as she sheered tears off her eyes, especially at the latter.
Roxas then came to understand her feelings, but Celica also was perceptive on her other self.
"Did… did he really… have to do this to you?" she asked wanting to know if what she said was true.
"Yes… I was out of my mind that I didn't have a choice but to ask him to end my suffering, Anthiese." Liprica replied her with the truth on her words. "This is why I had been following you guys in the shadows… I didn't want anybody to find out about my identity until at this moment. As you can see… I'm your nobody, Anthiese… I still retain my memories of my former life, but I have no heart unlike you."
"Liprica… I'm so sorry." Celica gave her compassion to her loss, a big loss. "I didn't know you went through this hardship. Is it true that you don't have a heart?"
"It is true, I got my body back but as a nobody I am, I lack a heart to become like the others… but your sole presence soothes me down, I apologize for being so rash to you, especially you, Roxas… but I didn't want you to go through the same path as me, giving yourself to this old man's lies." Liprica helped Roxas to stand on his feet apologizing for her actions.
"It's okay, now I'm straight again." He said with a smile on his face, something that warmed her.
"What the fuck are you people talking about?!" Jedah spat at the group. "There's nothing you can stop Duma's power if either the boy or the child of fate offer their souls! You know how it is! The sword's divine powers have been sealed away by that dragon and this is something you can't do about it!"
"Are you sure?" Liprica asked him the question as she walked towards Celica and then showed her the said weapon… "Take it, you have the Mila's brand so it should work when you hold this."
"But how!? Where did you get the weapon?!" Jedah expressed rage seeing this, he had never thought that Liprica was very sneaky and come to grab the weapon without alerting anyone and remain undetected.
"Are you sure this is going to work?" Celica demanded to know if it was true.
"Yes, your brand should bring its power back to the blade, now, take it." Liprica motivated her other self to grab the Falchion.
When Celica grabbed the weapon, the Falchion sword changed its shape into a keyblade weapon, just like Roxas's and Liprica's, much to her surprise.
"How in the world…?" Celica stared at her new weapon in surprise. "Did it just become… a keyblade?"
[Celica has obtained the Falchion Keyblade]
Was it because of her Mila's Brand? Celica wasn't sure about it but she knew something, it looked like Mila didn't betray her at all.
"Celica… look at you. Now you are a keyblade wielder!" Boey compelled her.
"Am I? I see… then I have what I takes to take down Jedah." Celica was determined to defeat Jedah alongside Liprica and Roxas.
However, Jedah was not willing to give up that easily... "You muppets…! Do YOU think you are getting away with this?! Well, since all of you wanna die… how about I give you something to have fun with!"
Jedah summoned like thousands of heartless scattered around the tower, but Roxas had a plan in mind.
"We must stick together to kick their asses!" he indicated the team.
"We will not falter!" Mathilda prepared herself to fight the heartless army.
"Duma will go down." Sonya agreed to land a hand to the gang.
/
AT ALM'S SIDE – AT THE SAME TIME
Meanwhile, Alm and his army had been fighting their way to the Rigel castle at the same time as Roxas and the others to confront and take down Rudolf once and for all.
Eventually, Alm got through many odds to seize every piece of Rigel and take the fortress which led them to the Rigel Castle.
All he wanted was to end this senseless war and reunite with Celica at any cost.
Meanwhile, Berkut had been defeated twice by the Alm's army which made him very furious, pretty furious that his mind became totally clouded by rage and his impediment of becoming the king of Rigel.
He wanted one last chance to redeem his failures and get Rudolf to give him his title but…
/
RIGEL CASTLE
"…Then the fortress has fallen." Rudolf said after knowing the terrible news of his army.
"It has, Your Excellency." Massena, one of his men affirmed his words. "I fear it's a matter of minutes until the Deliverance reaches the castle doors."
"Very well. We shall greet them with a sea of blades." Rudolf knew what was coming for them, he was prepared to die in battlefield like a warrior he was. "I leave the rest to you, Massena."
"As your will commands, Your Excellency." He nodded his head taking his final order.
"Now go." Rudolf ordered him to leave.
However, Berkut came out running towards his uncle with only one purpose… "Your Excellency, wait!"
"Berkut." Rudolf said drily.
"Sire, why have you not given me leave to join front lines?" Berkut complained about not having a spot on the army. "I know I failed you at the border, but all the more reason I beg for this chance!"
All he wanted was to redeem himself from all the fails he had made in the past, however, Rudolf was willing to give him any more chances… "A merciful may grant a second chance. Only a fool allows a third." He coldly rejected his request, much to his nephew's dismay and shock.
"Your excellency!" Berkut was shocked by his uncle's negativity, such a lost opportunity.
"My army has no place for the weak. You'll remain here and watch in quiet." Rudolf brushed off his request telling to sit down and shut up before leaving for the battlefield.
"No… Please!" Berkut tried to desperately persuade his uncle, but it was useless as he helplessly watched the emperor leave him behind in deep despair. "Have mercy, sire! …Your Excellency! UNCLEEEE!"
/
The battle between the Deliverance and Rigel Army broke out outside the castle, it was a matter of time before Alm and his comrades breached the bridge and finally face Rudolf, however, the emperor wasn't attacking him for some reason, something that made Alm suspect of that man.
"What's the matter with you? Why aren't you attacking me?!" Alm inquired him. But Rudolf didn't say a word, more like, he was waiting for Alm to strike him down.
Without waiting any longer, Alm charged towards Rudolf and pierced his sword through the emperor's chest, it was obviously odd for Alm to have done such thing… Rudolf didn't finch a finger as he was stabbed and fell to the ground.
"You've… done well…" Rudolf panted as he coughed some blood coming out of his mouth. "I'm proud of you… my son…"
"What?" Alm looked confused about his words, why is the emperor talking like he was his family?
"I knew I was right to entrust you to my dearest friend." Rudolf said with a weak smile on his face, leaving Alm intrigued.
"your friend… You mean… Mycen? What's going on here?" he asked him the question, he wanted to tie loose ends, he wanted answers now. "What are you saying?!"
"I'd thought you'd have realized by now. Your true name…" Rudolf let out a big revelation about his origins… "Your true name is Albein Alm Rudolf. You are… my one and only son."
Alm felt like a freezing cold water wetted him everywhere. He just fatally wounded his own father! But how could he have known that Rudolf was his dad, right? HOW?
"I… What? That can't be true…" Alm was shocked as he tried to deny his father's statement. "You're lying! Why should I believe a word you say?"
"Be still, Alm." Rudolf asked him to calm down and listen. "I haven't much time… to explain. But I beg you to grant me one… final favor."
"You want a favor form ME?" Alm questioned him while looking upset.
"Go… go to the tower and find that capable person of wielding that keyblade… that boy in black…" Rudolf gave him the final request, without knowing that Liprica had already retrieved the said weapon. "Duma has become a thing of mindless evil. If you see him… aid him and destroy Duma once and for all… Please, my son… You must…"
"No, wait!" Emperor Rudolf!" Alm tried desperately to keep him alive as he wanted some more answers. "Were you truly my father? Then I've just… Oh, gods… What have I done?"
Alm let out an anguish wail as he saw his own father die, die by his own actions… now he had to live with the consequences… this was a traumatizing patricide, to have a father killed by his own son…
He became bitter standing up and headed to the castle to search for Mycen until finally found him in the entrance.
"So you've come, Alm." Mycen greeted him.
"Grandfather, what the hell is going on? What are you doing here?" Alm demanded him. "Rudolf said I was his son, and now all these people are calling me a prince!"
"I knew this day would come… It's only natural that you're feeling confused." Mycen began explaining him. "But there is no denying fact—you are the only son of Emperor Rudolf. Scion of the Rigelian imperial bloodline, and true heir to Rigel's throne."
This made Alm become angry, his own grandfather had hidden a lot of things from his own grandson, unable to restrain himself anymore, Alm punched Mycen hard on his face and struck him against the wall, face to face.
"What the fuck, grandpa?!" Alm lashed out in anger telling him to confess, while refraining from punching his own grandfather again. "You knew all this time, and yet you kept it from me! You KNEW, and you still sent me off to murder my own father!"
"Alm, Alm! Please remain calm, please!" Mycen tried calm him down before Alm went through a deep end. "Let me explain you… …Best I start at the very beginning. As you well know, Valentia has always been divided north from south—split between the two gods, Mila and Duma. But their involvement with mankind eventually grew too deep. When madness takes a god, man is lost. And where gods meet their ruin, men die too. That is the plight Valentia now faces."
"You're saying the gods are…dying?" Alm asked him calmly, showing a big concern on his face.
"I fear so." Mycen affirmed him. "Rudolf was among the first to understand the signs. He saw Duma's growing madness and knew it for a harbinger of ruin. But then you were born, Alm."
"What does that have to do with any of this?" Alm wanted to know the reasons behind these events.
"You bore the Brand—sign of the hero who would rise to save Valentia." Mycen replied spilling out important things. "hearing that prophecy, Rudolf knew you must be kept hidden from the Faithful. He concealed the news of your birth, and entrusted you to me in Sofia. I will never forget the pain on his face when he placed you in my arms…"
This whole statement was very touching for Alm, who lowered his head in melancholy.
"That day marked a change in him." Mycen continued. "He donned the mantle of one who would destroy the old world order—one who'd free men to live by their own power, even if they hated him for it. He knew such heresy would bring forth those who wished for his death. So for that death to come at the hand of his beloved son was…a mercy. He told me himself that he could imagine no more peaceful end."
"And what of my peace?!" Alm was taking the pity but his grandfather interrupted him.
"This is not the time for mourning or self-pity, boy." Mycen told him to pull himself together. "Rudolf's purpose now falls to you. The true foe you must defeat is Duma. As well as the zealots tainted by his madness who seek control of Valentia: Jedah and his Duma Faithful. If you do not hurry, Celica's and Roxas's life will also be in peril."
"Oh gods. Celica! Roxas!" Alm gasped upon hearing their names. "They set out in search of Duma in order to save Mila. Wait a second… I think Roxas can handle this to keep Celica safe… but anyways… I have to get there as soon as possible!"
"A passage beneath this castle leads to the Temple of Duma." Mycen told him the direction where he and his army should head to. "Go, Alm, Go and finish this. Return the mad god Duma to the darkness from whence he came.
[Mycen joined Alm's party]
His whole story was a lie.
Alm's youth…
His days of training with Mycen…
All were but calculations in a far-reaching plot by his lord father, Emperor Rudolf.
Alm had taken his father's life, and that sadness would stay with him always.
But destiny would not permit this son of the Brand to simply walk away.
Valentia lay yet in the grip of Duma—
The wicked god, the War father—
As well as Alm's dear Celica, who denied becoming Duma's willing servant…
And Roxas, a keyblade wielder who became her bodyguard throughout their adventure together…
/
SOMEWHERE IN DUMA TOWER.
Berkut had figured out that Alm was the son of Rudolf and the true heir to the throne, this made him angry, really angry as walked around the catacombs aimlessly.
"It's not possible…" he began in distraught and vivid voice. "Alm is the emperor's true son? Which makes him the rightful successor to the imperial throne. All this time… All the effort! What has it been for?! …No. it isn't true. It can't be. I refuse to believe it. Nothing but lies… Lies, lies, lies, lies, LIES!" he screamed as he noticed an erupting flame. "Is that… an altar? How did I get here? What's happening?"
"Heed me…" it was Duma's voice who resounded through his head.
"Who are y—?" Berkut questioned in a panicked voice.
"Heed me, you who thirst for power…" Duma's voice was telling him to let himself be overwhelmed by the darkness. "Call to me. Accept me unto your soul. "
"That voice…" Berkut said figuring out that he had heard him some time ago. "Duma? Is it really you?"
Duma just replied with a slight sound.
"What…?" Berkut tried to ask in confusion when Rinea came in.
"Lord Berkut!" she called him.
"Rinea…" he replied uncaringly.
"I've been looking all over for you." Rinea said showing a lot of concern about his wellbeing. "This is the last place I would have expected to find you. You always hated the Faithful, after all."
"This is true…" Berkut acknowledged her words, he seemed to hate Duma's stuff. "But then I had the throne snatched from under me by some magical heir. Plying the gods' mercies is what men do in hopeless situations, is it not?"
"I didn't mean…" Rinea apologized for not watching her words. "Forgive me. I shouldn't have said anything."
Berkut was clearly disturbed by anything that happened around him, about everything, emotionally and mentally, his sole prude was harming him reaching for the point of no return…
"Please don't despair so." Rinea tried to persuade him to not let himself go deep end. "Alm seems like a kind and generous man. I'm certain he'll treat you fair."
This made Berkut's anger boil, he hated Alm so much, pretty much that he deserved to get revenge on him for everything that took him away.
"And I'm to be content with that?!" he spat showing a lot of hate making her gasp in horror. "I wanted to BEAT him, Rinea! To dispatch him and claim the throne! I wanted to make you my empress and hold all Valentia in our palms together! But what of dreams now…? Even Rigel alone is now forever beyond my grasp. So I'm to live in this Alm's shadow? Throw myself upon his mercy? I would sooner an honorable death at the executioner's blade!"
"Berkut!" Rinea reproached him for his hateful and sick way of thinking, she wasn't liking how this was turning out for the two. "You mustn't say such things. I never… The truth is, I never wanted to be empress."
"…what?" Berkut was surprised by her statement, he never came to think that her fiancé didn't want to go and become his empress.
"To stand at your side is all I've ever desired. I don't care if you're the emperor or a swineherd so long as we… Berkut?" Rinea was explaining her reasons to be with him when she saw the man starting to lose his mind.
"…You too, Rinea?" Berkut spoke in shock and sadness.
"What?" Rinea didn't understand his expression at all.
"Were you laughing along with them? Rudolf, Massena, all the rest?" Berkut interrogated losing himself to the deep end. "Watching me toil away while you knew I would never become emperor! Was every kind word part of the act? Every smile an act of PITY?!"
"Berkut, you're frightening me!" Rinea made one step back as she saw his anger grow more and more.
This was at this moment when Berkut finally lost his mind when he finally made the most vil choice… "Duma! O ancient god! I call out to you now! Grand me the power to set this land to ruin for good and all! Take of me what price you will! I care not anymore!"
Berkut finally gave himself to Duma and gave him Rinea's soul as his price to pay, he laughed evilly as he stared at the flames while holding Rinea's lifeless body.
"Lord Berkut!" Fernand entered to the place trying to find him but he immediately turned around to see him at his back but something was not right… "Lord Berkut?" he said as he saw few dark flames engulf around his body.
Fernand immediately saw something that horrified him, he could tell that this was not the Berkut he knew, but most importantly, that person was carrying Rinea's lifeless body and also noticed her flower accessory on the ground.
"Wh-Who are you?! What have you done to lady Rinea?" Fernand tried to interrogate him.
Suddenly, Berkut stood on his feet and, much to his former partner shock, he summoned a keyblade which looked similar to Liprica's but had a sinister look as it was also being engulfed as well, judging by its dark red-purple colors.
Berkut pointed his weapon at Fernand and casted a spell which involved a flame containing Rinea's nude soul.
Fernand was about to be struck down but nothing came to harm him, actually, he was protected by the Reflega spell but nobody was there, how did he do that?
By the time he opened his eyes, Fernand saw something holding at his hand, it was a keyblade!
"What the…?" he was surprised to see the weapon.
However, Fernand knew that he was powerless himself to face a now mad Berkut so he resorted to escape as fast as possible, he had to warm Alm of this, but he knew that he wasn't there yet so he instead opted to go and tell Roxas as soon as possible.
As Fernand managed to escape, Berkut laughed maniacally, expressing deserve to kill anybody who gets on his way…
END OF CHAPTER 14
AUTHOR'S NOTES:
I know it's been a while guys, did you all miss me? I'm sorry I took so long, I had been dealing with normal cough and flu, this is not COVID stuff just to let you know.
Anyways, we now enter in the final arc of the Valentian Cold war saga, men: Together to the end, like always we will dub this as the "Final Cold War".
There will be a lot of fierce battles involving Roxas, Celica, Liprica and Alm and the plot will be pretty different for the most part from the original SoV game and lastly but not less important is that there will be a surprise secret ending after the epilogue.
That's all I wanted to say fellas, see you.
P.S: I will resume writing Sora's story after I finish this.