A realm of blue and gold-lined stone. Carpets of aqua, chandeliers of steel, and a large, stained glass window. The room had two entrances, two sets of hardwood double doors on the left and right sides.

At the end of the chamber opposite the window, was a throne. A regal, gold and dark blue seat, one with centuries of history. Sat upon it, was an usurper.

Her hair was long, reaching down across her back and parts of her front. The very tips of her hair curved over her voluptuous chest. She wore the dress of a Gremory, with many furs sticking from the top, on fabrics of dark brown and purples in great contrast with the blue of the throne room.

The woman smirked as she rested her head upon her palm while seated on the throne. She remained that way, content with merely enjoying her place in the world. For now.

Cornelia reveled in her supremacy over the Kingdom, now Dukedom.

"How delightful. I have three of the Kingdom's noble houses under my control. It is only a matter of time until the rest fall into my grasp."

Her smile widened.

"That foolish Rodrigue…he believes he can stop me. He thinks he can put an end to my reign. But he does not know of the true power I possess. None of them do."

She began chuckling to herself.

"My lovely children will protect us all. They shall guard all that I have worked so hard to create. Those pathetic humans…"

The veins on her forehead bulged as her cackling turned into outright laughter.

"They shall fall! Not to the hands of Agartha - such a thing will not be necessary. They do not have the right. I will need only my children."

She allowed herself to be caught up within her laughter. All alone, her sounds of poisonous joy reverberated across the entire throne room. A small echo was even created.

In time, Cornelia calmed herself. She played around with a ball of dark magic in her free hand, giving herself time to relax.

But then the rightmost set of doors began to shake. A knock came from them. Cornelia crushed the ball of magic she'd been playing with before turning to address the source of the unwelcome noise.

"What is it?" She called out to whoever was behind the doors, a mild hint of irritation to her voice. "What do you want?"

"Ma'am, I…" A meager, female voice said in response. "I have an important update to give you."

"Oh? Then do come in. Try not to waste my time, will you?"

"Of course, ma'am!"

The doors slowly and gradually swung open. A knight from the Dukedom's army stepped through, closing the doors behind her. She then increased her pace as she walked over to the steps leading to the throne.

Before speaking, the knight bowed to her superior.

"Now, do tell me. What is this 'important update' of yours, hmm?" Cornelia asked.

"Ma'am." The knight said, her head tilting up to meet the mage's gaze. "I a-apologize. It's not a particularly good update, but-"

Cornelia glared at the knight. "What did I say about not wasting my time?"

Fortunately, the knight was covered in armor. Barely any of her skin could have been seen. This meant that her shocked expression, and the immense amounts of sweat rolling down her face - they weren't visible.

Even so, Cornelia inwardly grinned. She kept up her outward scowl.

"A-again, I apologize, ma'am. It's just…no, I'll get to the point. Like you asked. Ma'am…Arianrhod has fallen."

"What? How is that possible?!" Cornelia's scowl only worsened. "That Rodrigue…was it him?"

"No, ma'am. Rodrigue and his army have not been seen leaving their home. We believe it was another force."

"Another force? Who could it be…?"

Cornelia stopped to think, but then was soon hit by a wave of realization.

"Oh…them." She returned to smiling. "I see that the Resistance has finally appeared in Faerghus. They have finished wandering within the Alliance."

"The Resistance? I have only heard rumors about them, m-ma'am. They're here?"

"Yes. It could not be anyone else. How fortunate. I can finish what the Flame Emperor has started. You said they have taken Arianrhod?"

"I did, ma'am."

Cornelia smirked, again. "They likely did so for strategic reasons. Calling for help will be far more difficult with that area under their control. But not to worry. It is not as if I need assistance."

"What is your plan, ma'am?"

"My plan? Hmph. It is simple. As our contact with the Empire is now severed, the Resistance is likely to move in on the capital. We shall eradicate them when they arrive."

"I see. I'll report this to our troops. We won't let Fhirdid be taken by the enemy!"

"Good, good. You may leave now. Do as you please."

The female knight gave Cornelia a final bow. She departed from the throne room, leaving the Gremory all alone once again.

Cornelia ground her fingertips into the depths of her palms. Her veins bulged. This time, it happened all over her body.

"Those foolish humans…they shall pay for all they have done! Any resistance to our might will not be left unpunished!"

She then relaxed and fell into another grin.

"If they are to deny us our power, then we shall deny them of any advantage they wish to grasp. If it is Arianrhod they desire - so be it."

A ball of flames appeared in her hand.

"I will simply take away every last bit of hope they have."

Cornelia cackled. Her flames grew larger, seeming as if they were about to expand beyond her control. She then clenched her hand into a fist, eliminating every last trace of fire.

The Agarthan mage looked over to the window. She envisioned a former fortress, covered in flames and wrought with destruction. Rubble filled the streets. Countless streaks of red combined with the mesmerizing orange glow of the inferno. Cries of pain were silenced by the ever-growing crackles of the blaze.

Cornelia smiled, her blue eyes twinkling with desire.

The Resistance departed from Arianrhod. The Fortress City had been taken, successfully sieged, and now it was behind them. A stepping stone in their conquest of Faerghus Dukedom territory.

Their next step was to return to Galatea. To do so, they used the same route they used to get to Arianrhod, but in reverse. Traversing closely to Gaspard Way, crossing only a single bridge, and dangerously moving within arm's length of House Charon. No danger was to be had near the noble house.

Still, it was nerve-wracking for some.

The journey took just over an entire week, which was slower than before. With the addition of the civilians that chose to come along with them back at Arianrhod, the Resistance's overall speed was lowered. They had to accommodate the civilians - they were unprepared for such a long trek.

As such, the Resistance took a bit longer to return to Galatea. More so than they would've liked.

When they arrived at the town during the evening, the first order of business was to get the civilians a place to stay. Fortunately, according to Ingrid, there were some empty homes that some of the refugees could use. There was also space in the local inn and some spare rooms in the Count's manor. Tents could be set up somewhere within the town to provide additional living space for anyone else.

There were options. Ingrid ordered the town's knights to prepare such options, while she and the rest of the Resistance would head back to the manor. They did so. Everyone got their rest, relieved to no longer be in the middle of travel.

The very next day, operations at the manor returned to normal. Those that weren't involved in meetings and the like went back to training, reading, or whatever it was they liked to do.

Those that were involved in meetings had one to go to that morning. Claude, Ingrid, Edelgard, Jeralt, and Lucas sat around the long, dark wooden table in the war council room.

Ingrid cleared her throat.

"Well. We succeeded in taking Arianrhod. It wasn't an easy battle, but we succeeded nonetheless," she said. She stood up and bowed. "Thank you all for your help."

Claude waved it off. "Don't worry about it. We were happy to help."

"It was in our best interest to take that fortress, anyway. With Arianrhod no longer under her control, Cornelia shouldn't be getting any reinforcements from her allies," said Jeralt. "We're closing in."

"Indeed, we are. There won't be any place for her to run - if she's the type to do so. We have the west and south of Faerghus protected by our forces. To the north is the ocean, and to the east is Sreng. There's nowhere for her to hide." Edelgard grinned.

"House Gautier is on the border to Sreng, as well. She wouldn't be able to get there even if she wanted to." Ingrid nodded.

"Heh. How fortunate."

"I know. Things are looking up for us at the moment." Ingrid halted for a moment. Her expression darkened, and her voice took on a more serious tone. "But we shouldn't become overconfident. There's still a possibility it could all go very wrong."

Lucas hung his head down, facing the edge of the table.

"You're right, but I think there's at least an equal chance we're able to beat Cornelia. I mean, aren't we gonna be joining up with Rodrigue and his knights soon? I feel like we'll have a good advantage against her when we do that." Claude leaned back in his seat.

"Kid's got a point. There is safety in numbers, after all."

Ingrid raised a hand to her chin, entering a state of contemplation.

She looked up.

"Maybe so. Still, we have to remain on guard. You never know what surprises the future may have."

Jeralt folded his arms. "Right, right. Of course." He sighed. "Now, when do we want to start moving over to Fraldarius? We should probably start the attack on Fhirdiad sooner rather than later."

"I was thinking…in about a week? I wanna make sure everyone gets their rest before we do anything else. Don't wanna overwork our troops, you know?"

"A week…" Edelgard pondered Claude's idea. "On the seventeenth, you mean?"

"Yeah. Gives our friends some time to rest, and it also lets us send out a messenger to Rodrigue. Just so our arrival doesn't take him by surprise. Does that sound good to everybody?"

Edelgard, Jeralt, and Ingrid nodded - almost in unison.

Lucas was the only one to not join in. He was still focused on something else, seemingly very interested in the side of the table.

His mouth twitched. Nothing came out. Edelgard noticed, yet brought no attention to it. She kept herself within the realms of the meeting at hand.

"Good," Claude said with a smile. "I'd say this is the part where we talk about our plan of attack for Fhirdiad, but we should probably save that until we meet with Rodrigue. No point in repeating it, righ-"

Right then, one of Galatea's knights came through the door. A mostly armored soldier with dark blue, Faerghus highlights.

"My apologies! I didn't mean to interrupt your meeting, Lady Ingrid." The female knight bowed. "Forgive me."

"It's fine. I assume there is some urgent news you wish to inform me of?"

"Yes, my Lady. Our scouts have returned. They have discovered something rather…disturbing. It's about Arianrhod, the place you just took."

Ingrid's expression became serious once again. "Has it been destroyed?"

"Y-yes." The knight stuttered slightly, her voice indicating moderate surprise. "If you don't mind me asking, my Lady, how did you know? Our scouts only just got back."

The blonde woman smiled.

"It's nothing to worry about. We have a good source of information on the Empire - let's leave it at that."

"Ah, I understand. Forgive my intrusion, then. I'll take my leave."

The knight whirled around and left the room, their business having concluded. Ingrid, Edelgard, Claude, and Jeralt all looked at each other and nodded.

"So it happened," said Jeralt. "They did exactly what we expected them to do."

"Yeah, they did. Guess they didn't want us having their fortress. Or, rather, the fortress that they stole from the Kingdom." Claude smirked. "Like they're a bunch of spoiled children that break everyone else's toys so they can't play with them."

"Quite apt, Claude. Arundel, Cornelia, all of them - they view lives as mere playthings. Like pawns on a game board. If they are spoiled children, then we are the adults that must correct them." Edelgard folded her arms and closed her eyes.

"I'm just glad we were able to save those people from Arianrhod's destruction. It's a shame about everyone that refused to come with us, though…" Ingrid's head turned towards the floor. "I hope they find peace with the goddess."

Jeralt and Claude nodded along, their brows raised and arched. Edelgard remained still as her eyes were closed.

Lucas, meanwhile, suddenly frowned. His eyes and mouth twitched, but only briefly. Small, barely audible mutterings came from his direction.

"No…no more."

Everyone focused their attention upon him. Lucas raised his head, allowing them to see the determined, yet hateful scowl he was displaying.

"I've had enough," he continued. "I'm giving up."

"Uh, what? What are you talking about, Teach? What do you mean you're giving up?"

Lucas didn't answer verbally. Instead, he rose from his seat and unsheathed both of his blades. He held them by their hilts in his right hand, hovering over the table. They pointed away from Edelgard, who had been sitting to Lucas' left.

"What are you doing, Professor?" Ingrid's mouth was left agape.

"Like I said, I'm giving up. I'm not fighting anymore." Lucas' stare wavered slightly but ultimately remained firm. "I don't want to be the cause of any more suffering."

Jeralt frowned. "Does that mean you're giving up on the war, kid?"

"No." Lucas shook his head. "I'd still like to act as an advisor. I very much want to see Arundel gone, but I don't want to have to kill innocent people to get there. People are meant to live - not die. I don't wanna be the person that makes that happen."

"Hmph. You know this won't change anything."

"Maybe not. But after…" Lucas hesitated. "I c-can't. Not anymore. Every battle so far, I've had to kill those I care about. I may not have been particularly close with some of them, but I still cared about them anyway. I didn't want to see them die."

He tightened his grip on his two swords.

"Long ago, I told myself that I would protect everyone. I failed." Lucas closed his eyes. "I'm the bringer of death. Just some…m-monster that only knows how to kill. Not how to protect."

His eyelids lifted. Lucas stared right at his blades.

"I shouldn't have these things."

With a resolute expression, Lucas let go of his Killing Edge and Levin Sword. They fell uselessly onto the table, clanging as they collided with one another upon the dark wood. He then placed a hand on his Seiros Shield.

"You're not helping…" He said to it. "But I'll keep you. You're the only thing I have that doesn't hurt people."

Lucas glanced over at his allies, who were all giving him various looks of confusion. Claude was most certainly bewildered by what was happening before him, as evidenced by his widened eyes and raised brows. Ingrid seemed to share the same sentiment, although her reaction was much more muted than Claude's. Jeralt's expression was hard to read. However, his eyes were closed, and he wasn't looking in Lucas' direction.

What surprised him was Edelgard's reaction. She looked into his eyes, seemingly staring straight into his soul. The white-haired princess gave him a nod. He wasn't sure how to respond, so he decided to address everyone at once.

"I'm sorry. I'll be going now."

Lucas turned right around and walked out of the room. Edelgard, Claude, and Ingrid, watched him leave. Their brows were lowered, and their expressions gradually returned to their neutral states.

The three of them looked at each other. Not a single word escaped their mouths. Claude shrugged.

At that moment, Jeralt sighed.

"I've seen this before." The three focused on him. "Not from him, but someone else."

"Who was it?" Claude leaned forward.

"A guy in my old mercenary corps. He struggled with the same thing I imagine Lucas is dealing with right now."

Ingrid's brows remained furrowed. "What happened to him?"

"He gave up like Lucas did just now. Said he had enough of killing. Didn't care about getting rewarded or paid for it - he wanted out. I gave it to him." Jeralt frowned. "And then he left. Never saw him again."

Edelgard allowed her head to rest upon her raised hand.

"I fail to see the relevance of this story," she said.

"I was getting to it." Jeralt momentarily glared at her. "Two years later, in some tavern in the Empire, I heard some drunk bandits talk about someone they assassinated. Turns out, one of their wives was killed in a battle two years prior."

Jeralt paused.

"Guess who killed her."

"Your mercenary?" Ingrid guessed.

The old knight nodded. He sighed again, then stood up.

"I need a drink," he moaned. "Take the edge off these damn depressing stories. Before I leave, remember this, kids. Your past will come back to haunt you. Whether you want it to or not."

As Jeralt began to walk away in search of the elixir known as alcohol, Ingrid sprung out of her seat.

"Wait! I didn't-"

The door to the war council room slammed shut.

"-dismiss you." Ingrid angrily murmured to herself. She slumped back into her chair. "It's going to be one of those days, I see…"

"Guess we're all on edge. In our own ways, that is. I'm sure it'll be fine in the end. We all know what needs to be done, after all," said Claude.

"That may be so." Edelgard lowered her arm. "It seems we truly will need some rest before we leave for House Fraldarius."

"I guess so. I'll see if I can get a message sent to Rodrigue. Hopefully, this weird air of ours clears by the time we're there." Ingrid rose. "You don't need me to dismiss you two. Leave whenever you like. Do…whatever, I don't know."

The blonde knight departed from the meeting room in a huff. Edelgard and Claude stared at each other, the latter doing so with a grin.

"So…" he said. "How about that weather, huh?"

Edelgard rolled her eyes and said nothing. She immediately left the room, but not before retrieving her teacher's dropped blades.

Claude checked all around the empty war council meeting room, then shrugged to himself.

"What's going on today…?"

Within the relative peace of Garreg Mach, a certain long, brown-haired woman was treading down the halls of the central building. Her arms were lowered by her sides. Her expression was one of sorrow, as her brows remained furrowed as she walked.

Dorothea stopped in front of Seteth's office. She raised a fist so she could knock on the door, but hesitated. Something stopped her from going through with it. Nobody else was around, save for the nearby groans of Manuela or the faint exclamations coming from Hanneman. Those two were evidently working - in their own way. Dorothea chuckled to herself, then refocused on her own problem.

Despite whatever self-inflicted doubts she was dealing with, Dorothea decided to knock on the door. It opened, revealing the dark green-haired Nabatean inside. His mouth fell agape for a moment before relaxing into a comforting smile.

"Oh, Dorothea. How may I be of assistance?"

She breathed in, then exhaled. "Can I come in? I need to ask you something."

"Certainly. Take a seat."

Seteth stepped aside, allowing Dorothea to enter. The door was closed behind her by the owner of the purple carpeted office. He sat down behind his desk and motioned to the seat opposite to his.

She braved the internal storm and seated herself in front of him.

"So," Seteth began. "What is it you would like to ask of me?"

"Um, well…"

The window behind him distracted her. She nervously laughed.

"Garreg Mach is certainly faring well, wouldn't you say?"

Seteth narrowed his eyes but soon relaxed them. "I suppose I could say that. We live in relative peace. Much unlike the rest of the continent, I would imagine."

"Yeah." Dorothea looked downcast for a short time. "I'm glad Claude sent over Judith. Without her and the supplies she brought along, we'd all be starving. That, and it's also nice to have someone strong like the Hero of Daphnel on our side. Strength like that always helps."

"Very true. Though, there is a rather unfortunate downside to the addition of her forces."

"What's that?"

Seteth folded his arms.

"Garreg Mach is starting to become somewhat overcrowded. We do not have much room left. The old student dormitories are gradually filling up, as are the faculty bedrooms, as well as the barracks belonging to the Knights of Seiros." He sighed. "We may have to resort to using what remains of the town."

"Hmm. Well, I guess that's not a bad problem to have. There's a lot worse we could be facing. You could say it's just a side effect of all our plans coming together."

"You are correct." Seteth nodded. "I can only hope that it does not worsen whenever Flayn, Jeralt, Edelgard, and Lucas' group returns. They will have the combined forces of both the Alliance and the Kingdom with them, which may prove to be troublesome."

"Right…"

Dorothea sighed. Her head hung downwards, her eyes facing the desk. Seteth cupped a hand to his chin.

"If I may ask Dorothea, what appears to be ailing you?"

"Huh?" She looked up, nervously waving it off. "Nothing's worrying me, Seteth. I'm just-"

"Dorothea."

His stare became stern and his arms folded. She shook under the immense pressure his gaze was releasing. Then, she gave in, relaxing while doing so.

"I'm just…I'm worried, Seteth," she said with a sorrowful voice. "I hope they're doing okay, wherever they are right now. They've been on the frontlines ever since they left you and everyone else at Myrddin. If any of them have been hurt, or even worse…"

"They are fine. I am sure of it."

Dorothea raised a brow. "What? How can you be so sure?"

"Claude would have mentioned something along those lines had they happened. I have been speaking with him through the use of letters, and he has said nothing of the sort."

"Yeah, but…what if he's hiding something? You know Claude. He likes to keep his cards close to his chest."

"That may very well be the case. However, knowing his strengths, as well as those of his allies, I feel confident that everyone is fine. You need not worry."

Dorothea frowned.

"I certainly hope so. Especially…" She blushed, but then shook her head. "Never mind."

The girl stood up from her seat and smiled at the Nabatean.

"Thank you, Seteth. You really helped me out there. I'll get back to practicing my dancing skills now. Maybe I'll try to learn some more Faith magic."

"You are welcome. May your training leave you with fruitful results. Goodbye, Dorothea."

Dorothea flashed one final smile before turning around. She made to go open the door as part of her intention to leave. As she swung it open, her eyes widened.

Blocking her way, unintentionally, was a small village maiden. One with light-gray hair, blue-green eyes, and brown, ragged robes.

"O-oh, I'm sorry, Miss…" The young girl said. "I d-didn't mean to almost walk into you."

"It's fine, don't worry. I'll admit, I nearly didn't even realize you were there! My apologies." Dorothea eyed the girl, then the office. "Did you wanna talk to Seteth?"

"Y-yes."

The black and red dress-wearing woman smiled. She stepped aside, giving a suitable space with which the younger girl could use to enter.

"Here you go. I'm sure Seteth won't mind speaking to you." Dorothea looked over to the man in question. "Isn't that right?"

"Absolutely. I will entertain any visitor I receive." Seteth pulled his focus away from the desk. His eyes widened slightly when he saw who was at the door. "Oh. Fleche, was it? Please, do come in. I would love to speak with you."

Fleche seemed nervous, but a comforting glance from Dorothea was all she needed to steel herself.

"O-okay. Thanks…the both of you."

The girl headed inside the office. After doing so, Dorothea made her departure, slowly and carefully closing the door behind her.

Seteth, as before, motioned to the plain wooden seat in front of him. Fleche denied the offer with a shake of her head. He retracted his hand, deciding to place both of his arms upon his desk.

"Well. What is it you would like to speak of?" A flash of realization came over him. "Ah. You are working in the kitchen, are you not? Is there something unfavorable about your working conditions? If so, I shall rectify them."

"N-no. The kitchen is fine. I wanted to talk about the war."

"Oh. In that case, what would you like to discuss?"

Fleche hesitated. Though, as if a surge of determination coursed through her, her hesitation faded. She reached for something within her robes.

"I need to show you something," she said without a trace of her earlier nervousness. "Something very important."

"Hmm? What might that be?"

"I…I need you to come close. You won't be able to see it if you're far away like that. It's very small."

Seteth arched an eyebrow. "I see. Allow me just a moment."

He moved around some papers on his desk before standing. Once he was out of his seat, he slowly walked over and stopped right by the chair he motioned to earlier.

"I am close. Now, are you able to show me?"

"Um…"

Fleche smirked.

"Yes."

In an instant, she pulled out a dagger from within her robes. Fleche rushed forward and thrust.

The blade pierced the lower right portion of Seteth's chest. Its wielder shoved it even further in, digging it deep into his body.

"This is what I wanted to show you!" Fleche yelled, her face contorting into a snarl. "This is for my brother, you monster!"

Seteth gasped. Blood began to drip down his torso.

"You'll never be forgiven for what you've done! You're just a killer - a heartless monster! It's time for you to DIE!"

The dagger halted. It was halfway through his body and wouldn't go in any further. Despite this, Fleche smirked and cackled, attempting to push the blade even further in.

Seteth closed his eyes.

"What is your brother's name? Please, tell me."

"Randolph! He led the attack on the monastery last month! And he was the best big brother anyone could ever have. You killed him, so now, you will die!"

"I see."

"W-what?!" Fleche scowled up at him. "What kind of a reaction is that?! I'm killing you! You should be trembling in fear! A-and…"

She blinked, staring at her dagger.

"Why aren't you dead?!"

Seteth slowly raised his head to meet the ceiling. He smiled.

"Because I am more resilient than most."

Fleche was speechless. She tried and tried to shove the blade in, to attempt to maximize the pain she believed he should be feeling.

Nothing worked. Seteth barely even elicited a grunt. He was sweating, but that was largely the only thing she was achieving. Upon realizing this, Fleche let go of her dagger and stumbled backwards. Her snarl relaxed, and her expression changed.

Her eyes and mouth widened. She shook in place, shivering as if winter's embrace engulfed her very being.

"N-no…I-I failed?" Fleche tried to look at Seteth but quickly jolted her gaze away at the last second. "Y-you're gonna kill me now…"

Fleche fell to the ground on her backside, trembling with fear.

"You wanna get r-revenge for what I tried to do to you, don't you? I-I understand." She bowed, tears welling up in her eyes. "P-please make it quick…I wanna see my brother again."

Seteth looked down at the poor girl, frowning. He unflinchingly pulled the dagger out of his chest and threw it onto his desk. Grabbing an Elixir that the dagger landed next to, the Nabatean immediately poured some of it onto his wound and drank the rest. His injury dried up, closing together in a matter of seconds.

He returned to facing down Fleche.

"I will not kill you," he said with a soft voice. "There will be no need to."

"What?! Why?" Fleche gazed up at him, tears clouding her vision. "Just k-kill me and be done with it!"

"I refuse. I will not take a life without a purpose to do so."

"Huh? Then w-why did you kill my brother? Was there a reason for that?!"

Seteth closed his eyes. "There was. I needed to protect my home and my allies. Your brother was a threat to their lives. I had to kill him so that they could live."

"Wha, b-but…!"

"Do not talk. Let your tears out, Fleche. Cry until they run dry."

Seteth crouched down and carefully placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Revenge is never the answer. It may provide you with momentary satisfaction, but what after that? Where do you go next? It is a short-sighted goal, one that forces you to sacrifice yourself to achieve what it is you desire," he said to her. "I am sure that is not what Randolph would have wanted for you."

"I…"

Fleche sniffled. She kept quiet, allowing her tears to flow.

"I may not have known him," continued Seteth. "But I am certain he was a good man. He must have loved you very dearly. He would not have wanted you to follow a path of self-destruction for his sake."

He smiled.

"Live, for your own sake. Live a full life of peace, and happiness. Weep for those that have fallen, then carve a path to a peaceful future. Is that not what he would have wanted for you, Fleche?"

Sniffling and crying, Fleche slowly came to a pause. A lull in her sorrowful state.

"He…he-" The girl shivered. "He wouldn't want me to die…he would want me to l-live. But without h-him, what am I meant to do? What purpose is there to living without my brother?!"

Seteth shook his head. "I cannot answer that for you. That is a question you must answer for yourself. However, I shall advise you on this. You cannot find anything while dead. Do you understand?"

Fleche nodded, reluctantly. Her tears started up again, but they were slower than before.

"Y-yeah…I think. So, I have to live. But where do I go from here?"

"You may remain here. Garreg Mach is a well-fortified location, one that is not likely to be successfully attacked. You will be safe here, and you may retain your role in the kitchen. As well as your bedroom, of course. Will you be fine with that arrangement?"

"I…"

Fleche cried some more. She allowed a final rush of sadness to escape, one that was soon quietened by a flurry of sniffles. The girl wiped at her eyes, her vision finally becoming clear.

Seteth's smiling face stared back at her. She couldn't help but return it with one of her own.

"That doesn't sound so bad. I…I accept." Fleche bowed. "I'm s-sorry for what I did. I h-hope you can forgive me."

"I have forgiven far worse."

The two smiled at one another. Seteth ascended back to a standing position and offered his hand to Fleche.

She looked up, soon noticing the hand. Fleche stared at one of her own for a moment. Once she was ready, she accepted his offer. Seteth pulled her up.

He helped her stand on her own two feet.

Author Notes: Yeeep. Lucas gives up on fighting, and Fleche locks in on her target. Seems like death has affected these two in different ways...

So, I'm stupid. Something got announced recently (I'm sure you know what it is) and I forgot to talk about it last time. Now here we are, talking about it.

Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes. I'm really fucking hyped for this game, yo. I never played the original Warriors (though I do plan to at some point), but more 3H is always a good thing in my eyes. For the purposes of this fic, I'll be ignoring whatever Three Hopes introduces. I've already got the rest of the fic planned out at this point anyway. Not gonna change things up this late. No way. I reckon this fic'll end shortly after the game's release anyway, so it ain't gonna matter much.

If it ends up using some of the concepts I have in mind for this fic, though, then I'll have a word with Koei Tecmo/Intelligent Systems (not really).

Anyway, thanks for reading, folks. See ya next time!

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