Chapter 21 – Players and Pieces


Tears in reality lingered in the air. Each of them was a window of possibility. A man turns left in one world while turning right in the other. Millions of permutations existed in the branches of Yggdrasil, the World Tree. Each guided by the will of forces beyond the Divine Dragons. Even Gods were not exempt from these rules.

Many think there are infinite possible worlds but that's not the case. Each choice has to affect a world in a significant way for the world not to collapse into the main branch and become its own self. A mortal wouldn't be able to comprehend the images in front of him. The abstract nature of reality simply was beyond their grasp.

Such was the case with the world Old Hubba was currently watching. With each moment his annoyance increased. This new branch was born from the twist and turn of past, present, and future into something that should not be. It was a new thing for him and that angered the elder being. In all his eons a mess like this had yet to happen. Or at least hadn't dragged for as long as this one.

He needed to know more, but this form lacked strength. A necessary measure to hide from the most troublesome meddlers that walked through the realms. Now was not the time to worry about them, though. He needed access to his full strength. It was time to shed this form.

His spine pulled back, straightening. His eyes opened, revealing ice blue eyes that could pierce souls. Wrinkles and age spots disappeared from his skin as he took a more youthful appearance. His image flickering between that of a man, a woman, a child, and other beings before settling on one of an adult male. The guise of Old Hubba was discarded and only Janus, the Gatekeeper of the Outrealms, remained.

Having access to his full power, Janus watched as the branches of the new timeline grew only to disappear into the mists of uncertainty. He growled, unable to see where this world would go. Time might pass differently for him, twisting and turning as worlds are born and destroyed. Looking into the main branch he saw the new variables with careful detail.


Aversa ran, her cloak fluttering in the night to escape her pursuers. Forced to abandon her black pegasus, the sorceress made her way into the mountains on foot. She felt disgusting, forced into the mud while wearing peasant clothing. She hoped the false tracks she left behind would buy her the time she needed to get to the meeting spot.

To think she used to hold a place of honor in Plegia's Court and the Grimleal Church. Now she had to leave behind a life of luxury and power just to survive that damned hierophant. Just thinking about the brat made her grind her teeth. She had been loyal! She had followed her orders to the letter! It wasn't her fault the Ylisseans anticipated her trap and saved the Exalt. That failure was enough to outlive her usefulness.

The brat even had the gall to unlock her memories and spell the truth to her. Her blood family slaughtered. Kidnapped and brainwashed by that dastard she thought as a father. Her adoptive mother and brother disappearing into the night. She was nothing but a pawn that no longer had value.

She would show them!

An arrow embedded itself on the ground, stopping the fugitive on her tracks.

"Identify yourself!" a voice called from the trees.

A man. One with good aim. She couldn't risk making a move toward her tome without becoming a pincushion, but the fact that she was still breathing was a good sign.

Barely catching her breath, Aversa hissed her response. "I'm the Purple Raven! I want to talk to the Mountain Lion!"

"You're far away from Grimleal territory, witch," the scout said and she had to bite her tongue to stop herself. If she provoked him, she would be rewarded with an arrow in her throat.

"Back off, Musa." said a commanding voice. Aversa watched as a dark-skinned man with an impressive build just melted from the shadows into the clearing. He was the one she was looking for.

"But sir–!" the young scout tried to protest.

"I know," Mustafa said in a grave voice. "But I promised her the chance to talk. She seems unarmed, but I can handle myself. Keep the perimeter secure with the rest of the patrols."

"...Very well, sir," Musa said, before throwing Aversa a dirty look. "Make one wrong move and it will be your last."

"Charming," Aversa grumbled.

"Pardon my subordinate. As deserters, we have to be careful with who we trust," the general of the rebellion said as he guided her further into the clearing, illuminated by full moon.

"Oh, believe me. I understand."

"I supposed you do," Mustafa said diplomatically, motioning her to sit on a fallen log. There was no campfire as to not give away their position, but at least Aversa could rest her feet. "I have to admit, I'm still surprised that you requested this meeting. Had you not offered the information on those loyalist officers, we would've ignored the request."

"Understandable," Aversa conceded. She had a reputation after all. "I learned quite a few things in the past month. Amongst them was the fact that I'm quite disposable to the Grimleal and the Crown. Taking this gamble was worth the risk if I could get even with them."

"And why should we risk sheltering you? While your information is useful, we have our families and friends to worry about. I don't think you are a spy, as my sources are very clear about the price on your head," he said, making Aversa cringe internally, though it didn't show on her face. "But it's still risky. What guarantee do I have that you won't sell us out for a pardon?"

"I owe nothing to the Crown. Not anymore, now that I know the truth of my past," Aversa said with no small amount of venom. "And I think you will find me a highly valuable resource," she continued smoothly. The sorceress had already planned for such, after all. "I didn't come empty-handed, after all. I brought some gifts with me, as proof of my intentions," she said coyly. Reaching into her pack, she pulled a large set of documents. Everything from troop movements to the current plans of the Grimleal Church.

After skimming through them, Mustafa nodded. "...Maybe we can work something out."


Running like a rat from his former master. Oh, he had fun with other Aversas, letting them take some of his Einherjars to train the weaker Shepherds. It was one of the many hobbies he had developed in millennia. Watching over endless realities could be quite dull when everything worked as intended. This one had no such role, though. At least, she wasn't supposed to.

Maybe he was looking in the wrong place. He turned to the parallel branch from which the girl originated. This timeline was a mess too, but dependant on the other. Each change balanced on the other side. He extended his sight and focused on the Ylisstol of that world.


Standing on his solar, a blue-haired man oversaw his city. Ylisstol had finally been restored to its former glory. The Ylissean army stood ready to protect its people, never again to be caught unprepared. The civilians were happier now that the war was over and an heir to the crown was born. The hard times that started when Plegia first sent their troops across the border and culminated with the resurrection of the Fell Dragon were finally coming to an end.

But that was a lie. Not everything was well. People felt safe inside the walls of Ylissean cities, but outside was an entirely different story.

Exalt Chrom sighed, feeling older than he was. Ever since the final battle with Grima and his execution of Robin, things had turned much harder. Part of Plegia remained a wasteland. With a nearly a tenth of its population sacrificed to revive the damn dragon, they struggled to rebuild. This had lead to an increase in bandit raids, civil wars.

A large part of Feroxi troops died in the war with Valm. More so when many of the senior commanders started doubting Robin's strategies. When she finally was imprisoned and replaced, he realized how dependent they were on her. The number of losses had increased drastically under Frederick's guidance. He was a reliable man, but he lacked experience commanding such large forces. That had cost them the lives of many Shepherds.

Valm was a war zone. Walhart might have been a tyrant but he kept the many countries in check. With no heir, the Valmese Empire broke down and leaving a power vacuum. And so, many warlords and dynasts jumped at the chance to seize power.

Chon'sin and Rosanne remained barely functional thanks to their alliance, but that was it. They had to constantly put down with attacks from neighboring countries. Robin had suggested many ways to deal with them but was ignored in favor of opposing views from others.

If he had listened… if he had trusted her... No. He couldn't think like that. What's done is done. They could deal with the issues of mortal men, regardless of the price.

Hearing a knock on his door, he sat down, trying to hide his conflict behind a facade of professionalism.

"Come in."

Stahl entered the room, carrying a satchel with documents along with his somber expression. He hadn't been the same since Cordelia's death and he was clear on his reservations regarding Robin's execution. At least, he was not vocal about them. In the past few years, he had tried to breach the subject but only Olivia had any success. Then again, she was still hurting from losing Lon'qu. He hoped things worked out between them, regardless of what Inigo thought.

"What does the scouting party say, Stahl?" Exalt Chrom said as he took his seat to get the report.

The knight sighed as he dropped the stack of paper on the desk. "More Risen attacks. They just keep coming."

Chrom scowled, looking at the report and then to the map in the wall. The number of purple marks indicating the locations of Risen attacks grew by the day. "How is this possible? It's been years since Grima's death, so why are the Risen still coming?"

"I might know the answer to that," a female voice said, catching the attention of the two men. At the door stood a woman in red robes, with her blonde hair in a bun. She was holding a stack of notes and a concerned expression on her face.

"What do you have for me, Leora?" The new head of the Arcanum was good at her job, but she wasn't Miriel. He tried to not dwell on his lost friend, it was not fair to Leora. She lacked the experience Miriel got from being on the frontlines.

Leora pursed her lips, handing over some diagrams filled with notes to him. "I spoke with some of my colleagues. Our studies show that Grima's magic is still running rampant. We still have no way to control it. It's feeding on the ambient magic and spreading like a forest fire. The center is Grima's corpse. It's still producing that foul magic and we can't get close to the island to study it further."

"But Grima is defeated and Robi– it's Avatar is no longer alive! The monster shouldn't have any influence in the world," Chrom said, and he was thankful no one commented on his slip of the tongue.

"We believe it has to do with Grima's artificial nature. It was originally a way to utilize draconic magic to create undead soldiers. An endless, tireless army that would not risk the lives of their soldiers," she explained, pointing to an ancient text from the Age of King Alm and Queen Celica.

"Do we have any leads?"

"From what we gathered from the tomes in Valm, Grima was supposed to be the leading consciousness, obeying the orders of his master. But it grew beyond that. We don't know what happened or how he came to create the Fellblood lineage. Too much has been lost to time. But without Grima to control it, the magic is doing what's its meant to do."

"Create an endless army… If we placed a mind in control of it?" He hated the idea, but he didn't seem to have many options.

The mage sighed and it was clear she already thought of that. "We have no idea where to begin with that so far. And even if we did, what is to stop them from becoming the next Fell Dragon? Right now, we lack the tools to deal with it,."

He pushed away the dread he felt at her last words. "I see. Thank you, Leora. Leave the full report here, I will look at it more in-depth later."

"As you wish, Exalt," the scholar said, bowing and leaving the two men alone in the room.

"Damn," Stahl said, look at Chrom with a frown. "Maybe we could ask Naga for help? She would h–"

"You know that's not gonna happen," the prince cut off, a hint of pain in his voice. "Not after that day..."


"Father! Is it done? Is it finally over?" Lucina asked, desperately wanting to hear confirmation of her source of suffering's demise.

"Yes, Lucina… It's over," Chrom said through a slightly strained smile as he was engulfed in a tearful embrace. Despite his inner turmoil, he was glad to give his daughter what she needed to finally rest easy. He hoped this was the beginning of an era of peace and prosperity.

The Shepherds went around gathering the rest of the army. They alone wouldn't have been able to stop the tide of Risen after all. The Ylissean League and the New Valmese Alliance were key in providing the troops to allow the Shepherds to fight Grima.

"Gather around everyone!" Chrom shouted, gaining the attention of the Shepherds and gathered representatives. "I'm pleased to announce that the threat of Grima has finally been defeated! The Avatar of Grima has been slain and the tainted bloodline has been extinguished!"

"I know we lost a lot. Many of our friends are no longer with us, but we must keep going forward. Now it's the time to heal and rebuild." He could see the troops gaining confidence and smiled. They had truly given their all.

"To the Shepherds, my closest friends. I know that there are those amongst you that did not approve of the actions taken against our former tactician, but it was a necessary sacrifice. The risk was too high. Its something I would've liked to avoid, but the needs of the many outweigh the wants of the few."

There certainly had been those that voiced some opposition on killing Robin. They were willing to remove her from command and imprison her. Sumia, Stahl, Olivia, and Virion had suggested that they simply exiled her. He considered it, but if she had children then Grima's bloodline could continue and a new vessel would eventually form.

Chrom raised Exalted Falchion in victory, earning shouts from the soldiers below.

"Take heart, my friends! The price we paid was high. Our will and mettle have been tested but we have prevailed!" he declared as the cheers rose, even from those that had defended Robin. "Together we will forge a new future! For those that have fallen–!"

Pain surged through him like a thunderbolt. Chrom fell to his knees as he felt his shoulder burn with searing pain. At his side, Lucina clawed at her eye, while she screamed. Not far behind, Owain also fell to the ground, holding his arm. The Exalt turning to how to shoulder and saw his Brand shining with light. It slowly eroded into specs of light and vanish into the wind leaving pink flesh on its place.

Both Falchions and the Fire Emblem glowed as they were consumed in blue fire, before vanishing in a flash of light.

The soldiers panicked, thinking they were being attacked. Many drew their weapons, looking for Risen or Grimleal.

"W-What's going on!?" Chrom hissed through the pain. "Are we under attack? Is Grima back!?"

"That is not the case, Exalt of Ylisse."

The gathered warriors froze as a figure made of light materialized behind the Exalt. The Divine Dragon Naga stood above them, her silhouette glowing with a green light. Her long gown dance on the wind, looking as if it had been made from a piece of the night sky. For those soldiers that were not Shepherds, this was the first time they saw the legendary goddess. She would've been a beautiful sight had it not been for the frown on her face.

Chrom stood and noticed that both Falchions rested on the dragon's hands. "Naga, what is the meaning of this?"

Naga just looked at him with a disappointed scowl. "There is no longer a need for your line to carry my blessing or for you to remain in possession of Falchion."

"But what about when Grima returns?! Even if we destroyed its vessel it c–!"

"When you slew Robin, her soul went and met Grima's," Naga said, interrupting his questions. "The Fell Dragon offered her the chance to fuse. To combine their power to stop them from fading into slumber and for her to take revenge against those that wronged her."

"She wouldn't!"

"What?!"

"That bitch!"

"So she took th–!"

"Enough!" the Divine Dragon silenced them with a stern glare. "Grima won't return. She rejected the offer, and stroke down Grima with the real final blow. For she was the vessel of its power, and the Fell Dragon can only be completely slain by its own power. Robin saved this world, despite your treatment of her."

This made many of the Shepherds recoil as if slapped, though many still hold on to their anger. Those that were the closest to her felt the worst. Even after turning their backs on her, she still was willing to die for them.

Naga then turned her gaze to the four children that survived the fallen future. "Children of the future. You were sent here to prevent a future of catastrophe from befalling this world. In a way you succeeded, but the path that lays ahead will be filled with harsh trials."

"What do you mean?!" Lucina pleaded. Chrom looked at her and saw her bleeding from her eye, though thankfully she wasn't blind. Still, he could understand her distress. They had done all she requested, so why were they being punished?

"This is no punishment, Exalt," Naga said as if reading his mind. "These are the consequences of your actions. Though fault also lies with me. My own hatred for Grima blinded me too. I feared her magic would influence my daughter and lead her to the same degeneration that has taken so many dragons, but I have seen that's not the case." Her voice took a more somber tone. "She was her own person. I should've have seen that and made sure you did too."

This confused those present, who remained shocked at the events going on. Naga was admitting fault on the events that happened, but out of worry for her daughter. Tiki remained on the Mila Tree, having been forbidden from helping directly in battle. And yet Naga felt pity for Robin?

"Lady Naga, what is the meaning of all this? Are we being punished for… not siding with Grima's vessel?" Libra asked. As one of the most devout to the Dragon, he thought he was doing the right thing. They all did.

"Not as a punishment as you might think," she said, looking at the soldiers. "Performing the Awakening and using my power against Grima have taken their toll on me. I need to rest. For that, I will slumber for many years to recover."

"But the Brand! The Fire Emblem and the Falchions! What's the meaning of that?"

"I shall keep the Fire Emblem and the Falchions," she explained as said objects vanished once more. "As for the Brand… Loyalty and Trust are two of the key aspects to keep the blessing. Something you denied her to the very end. If it comes a time when the bond is needed again, then we shall see."

Chrom didn't know how to respond, standing there in silence as the weight of his actions came crashing down on him.

"Tiki will guard them during her slumber. From this point onwards, humanity needs to rely on its own strength. For too long have we dragons meddled in a world no longer our own." Naga's face then took a more compassionate expression. "I wish you luck in the battles to come."

"Naga, wait!" Chrom shouted.

She did no such thing, vanishing on a flash that left only specs of light and a shocked army behind.


"I still don't understand. We did the right thing," Chrom said, dropping his head in his hands. Things had become more complicated after that. Soldiers started whispering and rumors spread. It was known now that House Lowell had lost the favor of the Divine Dragon, putting them in a perilous position. There were whispers amongst the noble houses that by having lost the blessing of Naga that also took away their right to the throne. No matter that it was his bloodline that forged this kingdom. It was only the fact that he had won two wars and slain Grima that stopped a full revolution.

But Robin had a lot of goodwill amongst the soldiers that fought under her. It was not only the Shepherds that held reservation against killing her or even having her arrested. She had done a lot of good, keeping the soldiers alive with her strategies. Getting to know them, writing letters to the families of the fallen soldiers or just spending time with them. Many of their troops had their doubts silenced by the most devout followers of Naga, only for that stance to be turned against them with the actions of the Divine Dragon. Needless to say, there was quite a division among the ranks.

"Did we?"

The soft question broke through the Exalt's thoughts. "Stahl?"

His friend had a frown on his face, looking at the window were there Pegasus Knights' recruits were training. "I… I lost Cordelia and our daughter in the war. But I never blamed Robin."

"She was Grima's Vessel. You heard Lucina's story. You knew the risks," the Exalt said in a defeated tone.

"Yes, she was her Vessel, but she wasn't Grima. She was a victim of both Grima's plans and our own paranoia," the knight said, finally voicing the thought he had bottled up for years. "I let myself be convinced, but sometimes I ask myself what would've happened had we trusted her. Even at the end, she never did anything to us."

"Leaving her alive would have risked everything. We couldn't let Lucina's future come to pass," he tried to reason.

"And yet in that future, Cordelia and I lived together long enough to have a daughter," Stahl said with a forlorn tone. "I can't help but wonder if she would've survived had Robin being the one leading us. She sacrificed herself for us and yet there are still those that blame her for everything. She even apologized for Cordelia's death when it Frederick was the one tha–"

"Stahl, that's enough," Chrom said with a stern voice. "There is no point in torturing yourself thinking about the what-ifs," he said, almost choking on his hypocrisy.

The viridian knight sighed in resignation. "Not like it matters. Both are dead anyway and yet Risen keep coming. We still don't have a way to deal with them."

"Take a break," Chrom suggested, not wanting to strain his friendship with the knight. "Maybe visit Olivia?" The two had lost their loved ones but gotten closer during the last few years. Nothing serious yet, but hopefully both would heal from it.

Stahl understood the polite dismissal and nodded. "As you wish, sir."

After the knight left, Chrom followed a minute later. He made his way down the halls until he reached the Royal Family's wing. Entering a communal room, he found his future daughter reading a book. Once he entered, she only had to take a look to guess what happened.

"More Risen attacks, father?" she asked with a concerned tone, leaving her book behind as she walked towards her father.

"Yes, but these were manageable," he said, dropping on a chair. "For now."

"Father…" Lucina said with surprising optimism. "We bested Grima at her strongest. Everything will work out."

The Exalt had his doubts but he didn't voice them to his daughter. "You're right, Lucina. Thank you."

"Always, father," she said, leaning and placing a kiss on his cheek. "I need to go talk to talk to Kjelle. I will come back for dinner. Mother is in the nursery, she will be here in a moment."

Chrom smiled at his daughter. "Be safe."

Once Lucina left, he leaned on his chair feeling the weight of the day on his shoulders. Things were much simpler when bandits were his biggest problem. Ruling the Halidom was hard even after all these years. And he didn't have someone skilled enough to help him with the workload.

Not any longer at least.

"Another long day, dear?"

He smiled and stood as he turned to the door of the nursery. "Yeah. It seems like every day is like that lately."

His wife stepping out of the nursery, having laid down baby Lucina in her crib. Queen Arianne looked lovely in her simple flower pattern dress. Her blonde hair was styled on a simple braid, framing her freckles.

She walked to him, taking his face on her hand and frowning with concern."You need to rest. Running yourself to the ground will do no one any good."

He sighed, not willing to hide the pressure he felt at the moment. "I can't stop worrying. We have no way to stop the Risen from keep coming back. Naga won't help us, so we need to figure things out ourselves."

"Just like Lucina said, everything will work out," she said with surprising optimism.

"Maybe you're right Arianne," the Exalt said, kissing and hugging his queen. "We found each other after all. Not even Grima or her Avatar's interference prevented that."

"That we did," his wife said with a smile, leaning into the hug. It was a warm moment until her tone changed to a softer, resigned tone. "But you still love her," Arianne said and he was glad he was not seeing her face.

"I do not," Chrom said, though he was sure his wife didn't believe him. 'I can't allow myself to, or I would be forced to admit my mistake.'

"We both know she would've been a better queen than me. I'm just a flower girl, not a leader. Maybe then the Risen wouldn't c–"

"I don't regret my actions. I happy that you're my wife, not Robin."

Maybe if he kept repeating that he would believe it himself.


Foolish man. Then again, he is but a victim of this Lucina's meddling. Had she kept her mouth shut, the ripples could've been contained. But no. She had to be blind to her situation. Ugh, teenagers. Janus wondered is the new boy, Jon, would've to come back to "fix" the new timeline as the Lucinas did. There was no sign of that yet, but that didn't mean anything at this point. Anything could happen on this timeline.

It was interesting to see Naga's reaction. Normally, she held contempt for Grima and their bloodline. That and her deteriorating relationship with her daughter always caused problems for the Avatars that fell in love with Tiki. On the new timeline, though, she was much more accepting. Then again, these two Nagas had the knowledge shared by their fallen future counterpart.

Focusing back on the timeline, the elder focused on the continent of Valm.


"Ahg! P-Please Lord and Lady, have mercy!" an ugly, fat man pleaded as he fell bloodied on the floor. His troops laid slaughtered at his feet as a platoon of swordsmen finished them off.

"Fie! What a sniveling bag of puss you are," Say'ri sneered at the Valmese tactician.

"Calm yourself, sister," a man with long, silvery hairs said, placing a hand on her shoulder to calm her down.

"How can I do that Yen'fay!? He tried to kill mother and father! You read what he planned for us!" She, like the entire royal family, had read the letter from the Voice of Naga detailing the vision she had received about the plot against their country. It made Say'ri's blood boil thinking about being used as blackmail to control her brother.

"Make no mistake. He will not live more than a few more moments, but a good swordmaster must always remain calm…" Yen'fay said, "or they can be taken by surprise," he finished, pointing at the lightning-enchanted dagger Excellus tried to use to attack his sister.

"You mise–" Say'ri stopped herself, taking a calming breath. "No. You're right, brother. This worm is not worth the temper."

"Excellus. For the attempt on the king and queen of Chon'sin there is only one sentence."

The worm pissed himself in fear, dissolving himself into a blubbering mess.

"Death," he stated as his sword moved in a flash, severing flesh and bone. Excellus's head rolled on the floor, his face frozen in terror.

"Good riddance," said the princess, spitting on the decapitated body.

"Milord! Milady!" a man shouted, dropping to one knee before the two royals.

"Han'zo, report," Yen'fay ordered to his retainer, flicking the blood from his katana and sheathing his blade.

The ninja archer bowed his head, placing his weapon on the ground in respect to his lord before elaborating. "All of Excellus's troops have been eliminated."

"And Pheros?" the prince asked. Ever since the sage had been contacted by Lady Tiki to join Chon'sin cause. She had been a devout follower of Naga and a loyal retainer of the swordsman since she joined them. She had been suffering a crisis of fate, but the Voice had managed to sway her to their side. Good thing too. She was a powerful asset and was one of the reasons they kept Walhart at bay.

"She's rounding up those that surrendered and treating their wounds as your ordered," the archer answered.

"Gen'ji and Kas'mi should return soon," Say'ri mused, thinking about her own retainers. "Catching up to those runners should be a simple task for those two," her brother said, setting his lips on a thin line. "The longer Walhart takes to realize this thing is dead, the more time we have to prepare our defenses," she said while glaring at the corpse.

"Indeed," Yen'fay said, looking toward Chon'sin. "So let's not waste this time."


So the cowardly toad met his fate earlier. Interesting. That should cause quite the ripple. Which reminded him…

A thin thread connecting the world of Anankos to this one made his blood boil. With his full power, he saw well past the cloaking spells of the Fell Dragon. The failed experiment stood over a map and his anger improved Janus's mood.


"Excellus has fallen," Grima said out loud, catching the attention of his daughter. The girl was progressing at a rapid pace with her spells, tapping more into her blood's potential. The new experiments she had performed on the Einherjar while he created more Abominations and tinkered with the Faceless creatures the Nohrians created. He hated how they used his grimoire and sword, but at least he got something out of it.

Morrigan stopped writing her notes and looked at him with a furrowed brow. "That horrible excuse for a tactician Validar planted in Valm?"

Grima had to chuckle at his daughter's words. She had gotten bolder since she started working on the Einherjar project, but she still knew when to be respectful. Good. He didn't want his child to be a mere pawn.

"Yes, though I didn't expect him to fall so soon. It seems things are changing more than anticipated," the Fell Dragon mused, tracing the map that had his notes on the various nations. More importantly, the changes that had happened in the timeline since his arrival. "After Plegia and Emmeryn's survival, things have gotten more interesting..." And annoying.

Morrigan furrowed her brow as she studied the map. "Do you require me to do something about this situation, Master?"

"Yes," he said, motioning for Morrigan to come closer and pointed towards the map. "You will go to Valm and take over as their tactician. Use the control spell on Walhart. He is dangerous but useful." Making some calculations, he wrote down some notes "Make sure the invasion of Regna Ferox happens in this timeframe, even if you have to split your forces into two fronts. Let the Shepherds go to Valm and win the war, but make sure to weaken both sides. Take your Einherjars, as well as the new reeking boxes. Test the new Abominations and Faceless. Keep the Einherjars and some of the boxes as a trump card. Anything else you can think of, you have free reign."

Something seemed to light up in her eyes. Clearly, she had an idea. "I will depart immediately."

"Good," he said, waving her to leave. But something inside him stirred. "And Morrigan?"

The girl stopped, tilting her head in curiosity.

"Be careful."

Morrigan's eyes widened in surprise. But she was well trained. In a moment, she recovered before bowing once more. "I will… Father," she whispered and left.

The Fell Dragon stood there alone, pushing these feelings to the back of his mind. The mortal weakness of his heart was not something he needed at the moment.

"Better get back to my experiments. I can still improve my Risen. Who knows what surprises Naga has in store for me." Grima mused out loud and smirked. He walked to the next room where his most precious soldiers stood awaiting instructions. "And we can't forget about my Deathlords," he said as he looked at the undead shapes of his former comrades. That will certainly be a fun thing to use when he finally faces the Shepherds.

But he needed to recover his full strength first, and for that, he needed the active gemstones. Enough power would be enough to activate the Fire Emblem's power, but if Naga performed the Awakening on it, he would get more power than the sacrifices would produce. A risk to let Falchion awaken, but he had contingencies for that.

"I might have lost Sable, but doesn't matter. Complete the Fire Emblem and perform the Awakening. I only need Naga to set the right conditions," he said while looking at the completed Shield of Seals on the wall. "It's a good thing I brought a spare with me."


Two Fire Emblems in the same world… That was something he didn't see often. Then again, it seemed this world was bound to have spares for legendary weapons.

The interactions between the Dragon and the child intrigued him. Janus scoffed at the notion of that fool having feelings for others. Then again, the two Fell Dragons that were giving him a headache were not like the ones on the other timelines. This one was particularly troubled and far more creative with his monsters. The situation in Valm worried him, though. It looks like the girl's interference had sent ripples all the way out there and were far more serious than expected.

Descending on the battlements of the outer walls of Rosanne, Cherche dismounted Minerva with a sense of unease. The Valmese had been quiet for quite some time since the death of their tactician but lately, they had started moving again.

"The Valmese are about a week away," she said to the captain of the guard, Enzo. "I dare say at least eight to ten thousand strong."

He frowned and she could understand. They might have the home advantage, but this was a mere fraction of the Valmese war machine. Rosanne had a moderate population, but in terms of soldiers, they were barely five thousand. They could wither the advancing forces with traps and reduce their numbers at the gates, but they would just keep coming. "We will need to send troops to sabotage the bridges. That should buy us a couple of days at least. Every second we delay them allows us to prepare better."


Cherche mused at the idea. It had merit, but would also leave them trapped. Not like they had anywhere to run, however. "We are pretty self-sufficient inside the valley, but at the same time the troops we have here is all we have."

Times like this made her wonder if it wouldn't have been better to surrender but kept those thoughts to herself. She, like all the soldiers present, were loyal to Rosanne. Morale had dropped when Lord Virion left, only to raise when they got a message that he had gained the assistance of the Feroxi as well as a mercenary company. Ten thousand troops. Not enough to outright defeat the Empire, but more than enough to take advantage of Rosanne's natural defenses.

At least it had restored faith in the leader they thought had abandoned them. The dukedom would have collapsed without that. It had taken her a lot to convince the troops he hadn't run away. She knew why he had done so. They would've died for their Lord, so running away was a way to spare them. At least he actually got help, so her lies were not unfounded.

"Any word from Chon'sin or the other dynasts?" she asked. Chon'sin had stopped the assassination attempt on their rulers, rallying many the southern dynasts to their banner. This had given Valm pause, allowing Rosanne and other free territories room to breathe.

"We hav–"

"Lady Lacroix! A fleet is coming from the southeastern sea!" another wyvern rider announced as he dropped into the battlements.

"Valmese?" she asked with a hint of worry. The small dukedom had the advantage that it only had two easy entries into their territory. Laying in a fertile valley, the only openings were a path through the mountains at the northwest and an opening on the southeastern gulf. Both entries were heavily guarded, with many heavy weapons lining the walls, but they would not stand an extended siege.

The scout shook his head. "I'm not sure, ma'am. The designs are crude and carry no flags."

Frowning, Cherche mounted Minerva and flew towards the gulf. After a few minutes of hard flying, Minerva stopped and hovered in the air. Her rider took a looking glass and focused on the large armada. The size made her grimace. The warships and supply ships were large enough to contain thousands of soldiers. If they broke through the blockade they would have an easy time overwhelming Rosanne.

Focusing on the lead ship, she saw something that made all her worries melt away. The familiar mop of long cerulean hair dancing in the wind was unmistakable. Standing next to him was a blonde woman on heavy armor and another man with long, messy blue hair.

"That man loves his theatrics, doesn't he, Minerva?" Cherche said, shaking her head with a wry smile. "At least he didn't arrive in the middle of battle."


First Chon'sin and now Rosanne. This war was going to be bloodier than in any other world, now that both sides are more evenly matched. Things certainly were heating up in Valm, and would only get more complicated once the Ylisseans arrive.

And then there were those kids...


"Are you sure you can do this?" a boy asked, as he looked over to his companion.

"Of course I can! Don't you trust me?" the girl asked indignantly. She looked over the fort where the bandits they were assigned to take out resided and nodded. It was a small fort in the borders of a small country that laid in ruins thanks to the Valmese War. Those vultures wasted no time settling in as both sides were too busy to redirect troops here.

"Well–"

"Don't answer that, I need to concentrate!" the girl said, walking out of their hiding spot and into a hill to get a clearer view to cast her spell.

"...Right," the boy said in defeat, running a hand over his face. "Just... don't kill us."

Ignoring his words, the girl cleared her throat and began the chant for her spell. Winds twisted as magical energy gathered above her.

"Darkness blacker than black and darker than dark,

I beseech thee, combine with my deep crimson.

The time of awakening cometh.

Justice, fallen upon the infallible boundary,

appear now a–!"

"I should've never let you buy that tome," the boy grumbled as he warily looked at the unstable spell.

"–s an intangible distortion!

I desire for my torrent of power a destructive force!

A destructive force without equal!"

"Are you sure that's a real spell? The chant sounds redun–"

"Return all creation to cinders,

and come from the abyss!

Explosion!"

A massive ball of fire smashed into the captured fort with a terrifying force. The walls exploded from the shock wave while the sheer heat melted the stone and incinerated those within.

The girl looked smugly at her brother, clearly proud of herself. "See? Told you I didn't need any he–" She stopped her bragging once the tome in her hands turned to dust. "My tome!"

The boy closed his eyes and counted to ten. "...You destroyed the fort. We were supposed to bring the gates down!"

An awkward moment of silence passed between the two as the girl processed the words. "Whoops. Heh heh..." she laughed off awkwardly, rubbing the back of her head.

"Dammit Morgan! This is why we haven't been able to afford passage back to Ylisse!" the boy shouted.

Morgan flinched at the reproach. "Chill, Marc! It's not that bad," she said waving his concerns off and wiping the ashes from her blue hair. "Just some paint and elbow grease and it will be just like new!"

Marc glared at his sister's lack of concern. He's the most level-headed of the siblings but she really pushed his buttons sometimes. "One. We spend most of our gold in that tome that you just incinerated! Two! We are not getting paid for this job now! Three! We are not any closer to getting back to Ylisse! Four! It's literally a pile of ash! We can't keep getting these 'accidents'!"

"To be fair, half of those accidents were your fault."

"What? No, they weren't!" Marc shouted in denial.

"We are twins, we share everything in halfies," she said, nodding to herself.

Marc wanted to throttle his sister but managed to not commit fratricide. The pair were good tacticians, always completing their tasks, but sometimes they tended to use unorthodox tactics that more often than not ended with collateral damage that their clients used to cut their pay down.

"Let's just go back to town… Maybe we can spin this up into something useful. Like they blew it up before letting us capture it… I will think of something..." the young man grumbled as his sister trailed behind him.

The twins started walking back to town, trying to think of an excuse. Their little accidents had forced them to walk as they couldn't afford horses. They had to travel light since they had not much on them. It was problematic, but they were used to much worse in their timeline.

"Oh! I heard there is a warehouse of some shady smuggler around here. Sa… Sam-Something. Maybe we can raid it and get something to sell?" Morgan suggested with a grin.

Marc sighed. He didn't want to stoop so low but they were running out of options. "I guess we can try… No different than when we raided Grimleal's warehouses I guess..."

Thinking back to those times was not something Marc liked to do. It only brought bitter memories. Morgan had no such qualms, however.

"...Hey, do you think Lucina will be happy to see us? We didn't part in the best of terms with her," she asked in a somber tone.

Marc was not surprised by the question, but by the fact that it had taken his sister so long to touch the subject. It was not a pretty set of memories. "Honestly, I don't know. Remember how she was before we separated? Always snappish and angry at everyone?"

"Yeah, but we suffered losses before! And that was months ago! Or will be? Agh, time travel. Anyways, she should've calmed down… I mean, there were so few of us left… Owain, Kjelle and Inigo were the only ones left when she made us leave."

"True, but the losses we suffered in those last months were our fault. We made mistakes on the strategies and it costs us our comrades' lives. Including..."

"I know..." Morgan said softly. "But we have a chance to make it right!" she said with determination. "And maybe she will feel better. You heard the news that Aunt Emmeryn is still alive, so Lucina must have succeeded!"

"Possibly. I just wish Naga had sent us closer to her," Marc grumbled, hoping the Divine Dragon hadn't been listening. Sighing, he recalled how their last talk had gone. "And well… the things we said to each other are not things that are easy to take back..."

Morgan grimaced and for good reason. After the three siblings had pieced together how their parents died, Lucina's emotions had become even more volatile. She had this idea that their mother had something to with Grima's resurrection, which the twins didn't want to accept. They kept the idea to themselves, not wanting to cause discord amongst their ranks. But after another discussion and one more comrade lost, Lucina reached her limit.

They shouted at each other in a fight unlike any they had before, ending only she told them she didn't want to see them again. They responded with equal harshness and separated from the remnants of their group.

"Hey don't worry," Marc said, placing a hand on his twin's shoulder. "Come on. We need to report back and then find more work if we want to ever get back to Ylisse."

Shaking her head, Morgan put a forced smile on her face and nodded. "Gotcha bro! I can't wait to see mother and father again!"

"You will have to because we have no money..." he grumbled.


Janus frowned as he watched the visions of the twin dragon children. They didn't belong in this world. Looking at the tear displaying the female Fell Dragon he scoffed. None of them belonged here. There shouldn't be so many new pieces on the board.

Too many changes.

Normally, he wouldn't care as long as they stayed limited to a single branch of a timeline. That was normal for him. But these damned lizards... The boy dared intrude in another universe entirely when only those three future children were supposed to interfere there. Not only that, but he also changed the playing field entirely. The original three branches are not invalid. He would've to trim those branches and guide the new single one with care.

And what the girl did… He could accept her helping one timeline, as she was balancing out the new one, but had she not done that this entire mess could've been avoided.

His temper had simmered down, though, and he was not without sympathy.

Still, the girl had to pay for her actions, intentional or not.

After all, she is the catalyst for this entire mess.

As he turned his gaze to another window in reality, one that showed a messenger from Regna Ferox galloping towards Ylisstol much earlier than she was supposed to, Janus knew things were coming to ahead.

He saw the diverging branches forming on the base of the fused mess. Some taking a similar form to the ones these worlds should've taken, with the main branch standing like a tumor. And yet he couldn't do anything in this world… In this world…

A smile spread on his lips as an idea came to him. He looked at the messed-up world and found Naga during the arrival of the Valmese. He might not be able to interfere in the world, but with a nudge, he could gain a foothold and start fixing this mess.


Naga stood on the edge of her reality, trying to glimpse into the future or other worlds similar to her own. She saw worlds in which she never mended her relationship with her daughter. Where her own hatred for Grima transferred to his Avatar. Worlds such as her in which the two fell in love. She feared the degeneration could take her daughter. Or that Tiki would suffer through the pain of losing her mortal lover to time.

The Divine Dragon sighed. At least in this world, she had mended the relationship with Tiki. Grima's Avatar was a good man. His sister, broken as she was, had a good heart, too. She would wield that dark power for good. If they all played their parts, they could end Grima's threat once and for all.

Still, she hadn't found what she needed. The Outrealms were hard to navigate at the best of times. Even one such as herself had to struggle to get a glimpse of things to come.

That's why it came as a shock when a vision of a parallel world slammed into her mind. Knowledge of what could be and could've been. Her eyes widened as the clues connected into a pattern. Gathering her magic she vanished, making haste back to Ylisse.

She needed to return and talk to Rose and Tiki.


Janus smirked. This would be entertaining.


AN: So, Marc and Morgan are in this world. They traveled separately from Lucina and the others. Their departure was not a happy one. But they knew of the plan thanks to Naga. But they ended up on this Valm. Who knows how things would've changed had they arrived with the other children to their future to the correct timeline? (I do) Won't meeting Rose and this Lucina be a fun thing?

I think my guilt on taking too long posting a chapter is getting to me, since I had a weird dream about a Lucina being corrupted by an Evil Santa Claus that was actually an evil dragon in a weird international sports event.

I used the name Janus because in mythology he is a gatekeeper and Hubba is a silly name.

How is a person from Chon'Sin called? Chon'sinian?

Thanks to Xbro Kong for checking this up.