It was a beautiful place, filled with laughter and life and love.

There were problems, sure. Every place had those. Ours just so happened to be more monstrous than most.

Even then, I found comfort in the smaller things in life. With my wife in my arms and my children playing out in the field over yonder, how could I not find enjoyment? It was all I had ever wanted. All I ever needed. The last part to close my story out on.

Even before the Shadow showed up, a part of me knew it was a lie.

It wasn't long before everything was burned away. My wife turned to charcoal, and I was hugging a crude facsimile of her once beautiful form. My children turned to ash where they stood, their possible existence quenched like so many others that could have come after them. The bright blue sky turned into an ashen grey and then into a deep, chronic, pulsing red, as if the very world itself was having a migraine. I could feel the pounding in my skull, unceasing and unfeeling. A worm worked its way through my brain, digging and cutting and biting through the grey matter and into my core.

"DID YOU THINK YOU COULD ESCAPE ME, ALEXANDER?"

A tongue deeper than the bones of the earth called to me, taunting me. The world crumbled and my mind was in tatters but I could still hear it. Mocking me. Mocking my loss. Mocking my everything.

"I SEE YOU."

My body turned, but not of my own volition. Six eyes stared back at me from over the world, massive jaws snapping like a crocodile, the elongated snout filled with teeth meant for crushing bone. Its head was bigger than a city, but even then it noticed me. Its eyes focused on me, its face twisted into a long, contemptible smile.

"YOUR FATE IS BY MY SIDE, AS IT ALWAYS HAS BEEN."

My hands wouldn't move. Couldn't move. They couldn't dispel the ungodly voice from reverberating in my skull. They could not stop the darkness from grasping at my legs and holding me down. For all of my strength and values, I could not stand up. In the face of such monstrous strength, how could anyone?

"COME TO ME, MY KNIGHT. SERVE ME IN DEATH."

The gigantic creature opened its jaws and swallowed me whole.

I did not wake up screaming; I'd long passed that point. When you have the same nightmare over several weeks, the screaming usually stops anyway.

My eyes opened and traced the cracks in the ceiling as I attempted to still my over-beating heart. Breathing was erratic, and with Cordelia sleeping next to me that made things difficult to keep quiet. That time, however, I succeeded. For a moment. I just didn't want to wake her up. Sleep didn't come easily to either of us, and at that moment she looked so peaceful…

She could help you calm down.

Instead of heeding my inner voice, I ignored it. Like I usually did.

My bare feet padded against the wooden floor and towards the door outside. We'd taken one of the many temporary houses that surrounded Saber's Rest, which left us with precious little room to do much of anything inside the house proper. Not that Cordelia and I really did much inside in our free time. Except for… Well, you get the picture.

It wasn't until I reached the door that I realized how boneheaded of a move I was about to make. It was still freezing outside, even though it was the beginning of March at that point, and I only had my smallclothes on.

That must have dawned on the person who was coming up behind me as well, although she was nice enough not to say anything about it.

"Alex," She said softly, her voice soothing. "It's the nightmare again, isn't it?"

I still had my back to her like a child. "Yeah. Yeah, it was. The same goddamn one," I replied, my voice breaking up. "I don't get it. I'm no stranger to nightmares, Cordy. I've gotten used to them over these past few years, but these, these ones aren't normal. They aren't. I shouldn't be having the same goddamn one for two months in a row!"

"Alex!" Cordelia said, raising her voice and grasping my hand. "Come back to bed with me. Please?"

My lips pursed as I forced myself to turn around. "Alright."

We made our way back to our shared bed and sat down. Cordelia looked me in the eyes. "Tell me what happened. In your dream."

For a moment I was distracted by how her nightgown followed the curves of her body before I shook my head and got ahold of myself. "I told you, it's the same one. You, Severa, me, all turned to ash in front of this big head with six eyes," I paused. "The only difference this time is that it ate me at the end."

"You're not going to lose either of us, Alex, and we are not going to lose you either."

My brows furrowed. "I know. I know, I know. I don't think that's exactly what the dream means, but you guys are my only family, now. Everyone else I used to have is gone. I'm never going to see them again. If I lost either of you, I'd- I don't know what I'd do. The thought that I could become anything like the sorry excuse of a father I apparently was in the future just makes my chest hurt and-!"

"Alex, look at me."

I did so.

Her hands came up to cup my cheeks, as her gorgeous red eyes bored into mine. "I will say it as often as I need to: I love you, and there is absolutely nothing in this world that will take me away from you. I have faith that, someday, you will be a wonderful father. You will not become the man Severa speaks of. You are Alex, Knight-Captain of Ylisse, and my husband. I will fight with whatever strength I possess to keep this true."

I blinked, not comprehending the strength, the conviction in her words. She said it as if it was easy as breathing, or walking.

I felt my head lowering, tears threatening to spill out of me. "T-thank you for that. Thank you so much. I know I'm a bit much to handle at times, but-!"

I felt her lips press against mine, forcefully.

If I've ever felt a 'shut up' kiss…

I shivered slightly as a cold wind blew past me. Winter was on its way out, but even throughout March, I could still feel a nip in the air. It didn't matter; it was warm enough that we could safely leave Saber's Rest and continue our campaign. Our next destination was the Mila Tree, to the west. Where the gods Duma and Mila rest. Beyond that, though, all I remembered was that it was a very big tree. Apparently, we were going to meet reinforcements from the Resistance on our way there.

That was all I knew, though. It was all I needed to know, really.

However, we still had to pack up all our shit, so we wouldn't be leaving for another few days, at the least. It was during my break that Robin pulled me aside, a childish grin on his face.

He dragged me to one of the many training grounds we hadn't finished cleaning up. A single dummy made of sackcloth and hay sat on the opposite side of the clearing. An iron bucket sat atop its head.

That's where I was, cloak on and freezing my ass off.

Crossing my arms, I glared at the dummy as if it was the reason why I was out there, and not the tactician next to me. "Alright, Robin. We're here. Now, what's so important that you had to physically drag me out here?

"What's with that tone, Alex?" Robin questioned as I heard the sound of a sword being loosed from its scabbard. "I thought you liked swords."

"Well, I do," I trailed off as I turned to him, noticing the new blade in his hands. It was a dark thing, like a thorn. Intricately designed, with a gem inlaid in its cross-guard. "Robin… is that…?"

"Sable? Yes," Robin confirmed, giving the sword a practice swing. "It has been lying around for some time, and with all of the free time I've had on my hands, I suppose I got adventurous. I had Knightbane brought to me as well, and with what I could glean from the warhammer, and how enchanted weapons work in general, I came up with this."

The sword twinkled prettily in the sun. It looked a lot like a Levin Sword when I thought about it.

"Chrom knows about this, right?" I asked curiously, before my eyes widened and the color drained from my face. "Fuck, have we even told him that we have it? Sable, I mean?"

Robin looked at me like I'd lost my mind. "Of course he knows. Did you think I would let something like this escape his notice? He needs it to perform the Awakening when the time comes. I'm only using it because there's nothing else I know of that it can be used for in the meantime."

"A paperweight, maybe?" I suggested. "Hell, I think Gharnef back in the day used it to steal people's souls. Maybe you could do that and become more powerful or some shit."

"That sounds incredibly evil, Alex," Robin replied, pursing his lips. "Besides, even if Sable still has that capability, it should have stolen Gaius' soul when he grabbed it, or my soul after I've had it so close to me all this time."

"Fell shit?"

Robin sighed. "Probably 'Fell shit', yes."

I snorted, looking at the lonely dummy on the far side of the training ground. "Well, don't keep me in suspense. I wanna see you tear that thing to shreds with your noodle-y arms."

I noticed Robin's brow twitch, and I couldn't help but laugh. Then his lips settled into a disturbing smile, and I stopped laughing. "Oh, I won't be swinging it, Alex. No, swinging weapons around is what I have you for, after all. This? This is different. Observe."

I took a step back as Robin held the sword up. In a blinding purple flash, a thunderbolt unlike any I'd ever seen shot out of the tip of the blade. For that brief moment, I could see Sable within the cross-guard, glowing violently as the lightning shot forward and struck the dummy. A moment was all it took for the dust to settle, and when it did, there was barely a trace of the dummy left; only a portion of the wooden post stuck out of the ground, singed black at the tip.

I blinked and turned to face Robin. "Well, that's certainly hardcore."

Robin nodded, a satisfied grin on his face. "Agreed. I can say with absolute certainty that this was a success. Imagine if a Valmese soldier stood there. He would have been annihilated!"

"Remind me to never betray you, then," I mumbled. I quickly reconsidered my words when he gave me a concerned look. "Not that I would've in the first place! Just..." I looked at the sword in his hand. "What made you decide to make that? I know it hasn't exactly been a very entertaining couple months, but like I said, hardcore."

"Do you remember the Deadlord?" Robin asked succinctly, sheathing the Sable sword. "Verrat, I believe his name was. I was useless in that fight, Alex. I have neglected my swordplay and my magic is not up to par with our enemies anymore. Not the ones that matter, anyway. With this sword- No, it deserves a proper name. I've been thinking of one. Fulmen. What do you think?"

I shrugged. "It's a weapon, Robin. It'll kill people even if it doesn't have a name."

"Don't let Owain catch you saying so. You'll be in for an earful," Robin chuckled. "Hopefully, with this sword, I can begin the slow and steady road to reclaim my lost battlefield competence. I'm hoping to gather practical experience in the next battle."

I looked down at my own personal weapon, Sol, and back up to Robin. "Well, maybe we can start right now."

Once our supplies were sufficiently packed, and our temporary housing was torn down, we moved towards the Mila Tree.

I'd almost forgotten what traveling felt like. Being stuck inside a house while the world outside is trapped in snow and ice ought to do that to a person. Not like it was all bad; I got to spend as much time as I wanted with Cordelia and Severa. Training too. That was a big part of it. Wouldn't really consider myself a knight if I'd slacked off on that front. Robin might've disagreed, though. In my personal opinion, he was just sour that I put him through the wringer during our last few days at Saber's Rest.

Our march through Valm's wilderness lasted a week, at the least. We were making excellent time, all things considered. Then again, the area did seem to be all flat plains up until the tree, making it easier.

"Dad, you're staring off into space again," Severa pointed out next to me. When I turned to her with a bewildered expression, she scoffed. "Honestly, how did you survive without me? If we were in the middle of a battle a stray arrow could've- Ah, I'm… just gonna stop there."

I looked down at her as she walked beside me. Wondering why she was intent on following me on foot while I was on horseback, I let out a breath. "How do you know I'm spacing out, Sev? For all you know I could be more aware than I've ever been."

"If I used a metaphor to describe how airheaded you are, it'd just go right over your head." She claimed, crossing her arms.

"No, it wouldn't. I'm too quick; I'd catch it."

"Gawd, how did mom ever fall in love with a dork like you!?" Severa exclaimed.

I looked around at the army that surrounded us. We were towards the front, as almost everybody on the war council was. We all led our own little contingent. I in particular was leading our right flank, making sure no Valmese soldiers ambushed us from the side.

I turned back to Severa. "You think you could yell that a little louder? I'm not sure any of our men heard you."

"You're impossible. Absolutely impossible," Severa sighed. A moment later, however, she looked up, brows furrowed. "Wait, I hear something."

"Hear what?" I asked, following her gaze.

"I told you I heard something; I don't have a clue what it is- Oh," Her voice trailed off. "Oh, Gawd, nerd alert. They're finally here. Joy."

By that point, I was probably more confused than I'd ever been in my entire life. Once I saw the pegasus and wyvern heading towards us, however, I began to understand.

The men around us readied themselves for combat, but I ordered them to stop. A moment later, the pegasus and wyvern duo landed directly in front of us.

"Aha! I told you, Gerome! Cynthia the Pathfinder always finds her way through the skies!" A chipper voice said excitedly, causing Severa to groan next to me.

"I never once said that you wouldn't," Came the deep reply, "Minerva knows these lands well. If you had steered us off course, she would have corrected it."

"Gods, I-I think I'm gonna-!" A thin, orange-haired man fell off Cynthia's pegasus, slamming to the ground with a dull 'thump'. He wore a dark purple robe, which quickly became dirty as he rolled around on the ground in pain. "Gods' damn it all! My leg's broken! Why aren't any of ya helpin' me!?"

"Because watching you writhe in pain brings me unparalleled satisfaction," The wyvern rider stated dryly. He wore a mask, covering his eyes from view. His hair was a sky blue. "Now, Inigo, get off."

"E-eh?"

"Get off Minerva. Now. Your shivering is annoying her."

"A-ah! Of course! Give her my deepest apologies, would you?" A white-haired mercenary jumped off future Minerva, with precision and grace I'd only seen once before. "Now, where are we-?"

His eyes landed on me and promptly grew to the size of dinner plates.

"Oh, is that Sir Alexander!?" Cynthia asked, jumping off her Pegasus. "Ha, it is! And he's got-"

"I'm noticing a trend here," I mumbled. "So this is where you four were. I was starting to wonder if you were dead."

"Fate was in our favor. That will not last long," Gerome grumbled, patting Minerva's scaly head.

"D-don't listen to the sourpuss over there! He's really nice, it's just been a long few months, that's it!" Cynthia pleaded.

"One way of puttin' it," The priest who I assumed was Brady quietly said, successfully bringing himself to his feet using his staff, "We were tryna get to the front of the formation, make nice with Chrom and all that," His gaze trailed to Severa. "Had no idea the secret was already out. Damn, this is gonna be awkward."

"Haha, yeah! We were supposed to meet with Chrom, weren't we? That was the plan, and we shouldn't deviate from it!" Inigo said, as if he was frightened by something. "Anyway, er, it was nice seeing you, Sir Alexander! And you too, my darling Sev-!"

My gaze instantly hardened. "'My darling Severa', huh? Is that what you were about to say?"

I heard Severa gag. "That's fucking disgusting. I swear to gawd if you ever call me that again, Inigo-!"

Inigo held his hands up placatingly. "A-ah, slip of the tongue! I meant nothing by it! I'll just, uh, I'll be going! Got to make sure mother and father are alive and all that! Bye now!"

Inigo marched off into the heart of our formation. Judging by his hair color, I could think of only two people who could be the father, and since one of them batted for the other team, so to speak, that left only one option.

Them be some crazy genes.

"I'm going to break his kneecaps later," I said to nobody in particular, nodding to myself. "Yeah. With one of our maces, I think. Won't be permanent, but it ought to hurt like hell."

"Dad," Severa's strained voice implored, switching gazes between me and the increasingly uncomfortable group of future children.

"Hmm? Oh yeah." I shook my head, pulling myself together, "Nice to see you all. Yes, your secret is out; we all know you're our children from the future. I could probably name your parents off, just by looking at you."

"Oh, oh! Who are my parents then?" Cynthia asked excitedly.

"A hyperactive moron and a regular moron, clearly," Severa grumbled. She stopped once I pat her on the head several times. Then she just started sputtering. Kinda funny, actually.

"Don't mind her. She hasn't gotten her beauty sleep since we left Saber's Rest," I said, "Anyways, you're Chrom and Sumia's second daughter. Which, uh, means I'm technically in the presence of royalty, I guess."

"That you are, Sir Alexander of the Iron Hand!" Cynthia exclaimed, striking a pose eerily familiar to one Owain would make, "You stand before the great and mighty Blue Rose Cynthia, daughter of Exalted Blood and heir to Ylisse's throne! Look upon me, ye wicked, and bow before me!"

"I ain't gonna bow to nobody. Not even you," Brady replied dryly.

"I'm kinda on a horse, so that's not happening," I remarked.

"A-ah, then I'll just need to," Cynthia paused for a moment before her demeanor changed completely. She flipped a blue pigtail and crossed her arms, looking away, "I mean, it's not like I need your praise or anything. You all being alive is enough for me. A little gratitude can go long way, though, you know?"

I looked down at Severa, whose face became redder and redder. "You twerp."

Cynthia giggled. "Hehe! Just a little joke, Severa! You always acted like that, though. I just had to make an act of it!"

"As much as this is touching," Gerome trailed off, still on top of future Minerva. "Do we not have anywhere else we should be?"

I sighed. "Well, it was a nice moment while it lasted. Batman over there is right though."

I saw Gerome's lip twitch. "Did you just call me 'Batman'? Gods, fate truly knows no bounds if even now, you call me that."

"Future me had a sense of humor, at least!" I laughed. "But seriously, I'm sure Chrom and the others will want to meet you. Assuming you are the reinforcements Lady Say'ri spoke of. And maybe Robin too, now that I think about it."

"Severa, your father is an airhead," Brady brazenly stated.

"Tell me something I don't know."

"He can hear you both and he doesn't appreciate being talked about like he isn't there," I scathingly interrupted. "Anyway, since Inigo ran off, I guess I'll just take you guys to the front. I'm sure Chrom'll be happy to see you in."

How right I was.

I'd seen a lot of things in the three years since I left my old home. I'd seen a battlefield amidst ancient ruins. The ruins of a long-lost civilization glimmering in the cold sun, swallowed by time and earth and the cry of an angry dragon were all things I had experienced.

And yet, I was almost stunned silent by the sight of the Mila Tree.

A massive trunk sat in the middle of a small marsh, roots as thick as marble columns back in Ylisse and even bigger than that snaked through the ground, with branches that reached far into the sky, scraping against the ceiling of the world. Green leaves covered everything beneath it in a smothering layer of shadow.

"Goddamn," I whispered to myself, trying to find the top of the tree. It was like trying to look for the top of a skyscraper, I thought it was called, although I wasn't entirely sure anymore. "Look at that big son of a bitch."

"Sir Alexander, that is the Mila Tree!" Say'ri exclaimed, "To call it such a-a base term is an insult to the sacrifices made by the Deliverance and the Pilgrimage!"

"Do not take anything my knight says to heart, Lady Say'ri," Robin called out, "Gods know I stopped years ago."

We set up camp on a hill overlooking the Mila Tree's base. It was only a few hours after Cynthia, Gerome, Brady, and Inigo finally showed up. I didn't know the details of what transpired, although I knew Chrom came out of it a changed man. He had a vacant look in his eye at all times, like he was pondering something terrible.

The full war council convened; Chrom, Sumia, Robin, Phila, Khans Flavia and Basilio, Say'ri, and finally, me, were gathered. According to the reports given by Cynthia and Gerome when they met us, the Mila Tree was only lightly defended. A side effect of the brutal winter Northern Valm had just gone through. Nonetheless, we weren't taking any chances. Despite our overall positive attitude after escaping Saber's Rest finally, Stahl's death still weighed heavy in the air. Panne was still with us, but she had isolated herself, refusing contact with anyone.

I never got through to her in all those months in Saber's Rest. I felt a pang in my chest from that. At least Yarne sought comfort in others, even if none of those people were me.

Robin, Say'ri, and I entered the tent. I realized how much of my life revolved around tents and tables since we began our counter-invasion.

"Chrom?" Sumia said upon our entering, "Everyone's here. We can begin now."

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Sorry, I uh…" Chrom shook his head, "Dueling with my future self's naming conventions. Sumia, remind me to never refer to Cynthia as 'my pega pony princess'. Please."

Sumia giggled. "Come now, it's a cute name!"

I nodded. "It's a pretty cute name, Chrom."

"Gods, Alex, you too!?"

"Much as I find the teasing cute and hilarious, I think we got bigger issues to worry about," Flavia pointed out, "We got a giant tree with a light regiment of Valmese soldiers. My guess is that they haven't been able to reinforce the garrison due to the cold. The 'Voice' you've been talking about, Say'ri, who is she?"

"A survivor of past eras," Say'ri explained calmly, "A manakete of the Divine Dragon's own flesh and blood. Her true name is unknown to me; all of Valm and Chon'sin know her only as the 'Voice of Naga'. You all well know that I am a leader in the Resistance, but that means little with so few to support my claims. With the help of the Voice of Naga herself, however, we could begin the process of uniting the dynasts in Chon'sin and perhaps procuring the aid of the independent kingdoms under the Valmese's heel."

"I still don't understand what 'dynasts' are, but I will take your word for it, Say'ri," Chrom said, "Our army is formidable, but if what you say of the Empire's own might is true then we can use all the help we can get. The Voice of Naga herself in our ranks would make things much easier."

"Indeed, Chrom," Robin said suddenly, "I believe we should attack as soon as possible. We need not hold the fortifications here. Merely release the Voice from her gilded cage, so to speak."

"Now we're talking!" Basilio exclaimed excitedly, "Been waiting for someone to bring that up! Heh, you should've seen those new kids when they told us all this. You may not've noticed, but they had that look about them, you know? That same look Old Iron Hand over here's got."

I felt my brow twitch. "'Old Iron Hand'? How many more nicknames will I get?"

"As many as I damn well wanna give you!" Basilio guffawed, "Anyway, that's beside the point. What's important is that, yeah, the fortifications are lightly manned compared to Saber's Rest, but that doesn't mean we can take this crap lightly ourselves. There could be reinforcements on their way as we speak, and we don't got the time to begin a proper siege. We don't got time to wait but we can't just charge on in there, either."

"Yes, you bring up a good point, Khan Basilio," Robin conceded before his eyes widened and a smile stretched from ear to ear, "Oh, yes, that could certainly work…"

"Oh Gods, that smile is a bit creepy," Sumia whispered.

"I know that smile well, actually," Chrom smirked, "You have a plan, don't you, Robin?"

"Either that or he's just found the love of his life again," I commented dryly.

Chrom raised a brow. "'Again'?"

I waved my iron hand as Robin began scribbling something on the map he had of the area. "Don't worry about it, man."

The Mila Tree sat right in the middle of a marsh. Many of the roots snaked through both ground and water, making travel towards the base difficult. In fact, the roads that led to the tree stopped almost two miles away from the tree itself. That fact made our plan easier.

The roads were far enough away that we could effectively block them, and even if they were broken through by potential reinforcements, it would take them time to even reach the fortifications surrounding the tree. That was the first part of the plan: block the entrances to the tree. The second was to create a diversion. Sully led that little bit. If there was anyone who could create enough noise to distract an entire regiment of Valmese, it was her.

The last part of the plan involved our fliers ferrying troops behind their lines and taking them down from the inside. That part got me, because I was one of the people who was going to be ferried.

"Alex, you're squeezing me so hard I almost can't breathe…!" Cordelia wheezed.

Air and wind whipped past me, cutting into my bones. Even then, I could hear her, letting my grip around her chest loosen. Cordelia let out a gasp and a sigh, looking behind at me for a second.

"Sorry," I mumbled, trying to not look down.

"It's fine, love. Just keep your grip loose, alright? I promise I won't let you fall," Cordelia giggled. "Although it is nice to have you close like this."

"Is now really the time to be thinking about that!?" I nearly exclaimed, breaking my own vow about looking down and almost screaming. "S-shit! That's so fucking high up!"

"Were it any other time I would probably be laughing," Cordelia sighed, "We're almost there. Get ready!"

There were over a dozen other fliers in the sky, at least. Mostly pegasi, unsurprisingly, with the two Minerva's being the odd ones out. I pushed past my fear of heights and scanned the fortifications below us. The people below looked like ants from how high up we were, and all their attention was focused on the attack going on nearby.

Our descent was swift.

Cordelia's pegasus, Aurora, never really liked me. Or at least, that's the impression I got, considering whenever I was around it, it would just stand there and stare at me like I'd committed some sort of heinous crime. It wasn't like it'd bat me off if I got on it, but it certainly exuded a kind of hateful energy.

It didn't make any sense, but I liked to believe that it had a hand in why I stumbled when we made landfall.

I barely had enough time to unsheathe Sol before Aurora's hooves struck the roots. I stumbled off, trying my best to not stab myself with my own sword. Luckily for me, I was able to turn my stumble into a combat roll, and when I was on my feet again, a Valmese soldier stood directly in front of me, gawking.

"Uh," I got out before going silent again. With the sound of battle all around us, both of us just stood there staring at each other. "Hello there."

His arming hand went straight for the sword at his hip. Noticing the sheer drop into a puddle behind him, I went with my instincts and kicked him in the chest. He staggered and screamed as he fell into the water below with a mighty splash.

I nodded. "Good talk."

The battle had begun. Troops ferried by the pegasus knights fought against the surprised Valmese, steadily pushing them up the roots of the Mila Tree. Bodies fell into the water below, red running through the once-pure pools. Cordelia flew above me, dueling with Valm's own pegasus knights which had taken to the air. I knew they were no match for her, a notion confirmed when I saw several of them fall from the sky in heaps of feathers and broken bones.

Never have I been more happy to be engaged to a badass warrior goddess like her.

I pushed forward along with the small number of troops that followed me. Sol was performing better than I'd hoped; the blade was just as easy to handle as I thought it was, and it found its way into more than a few weak spots, cutting and tearing through the Valmese as if they were hot butter. The men of Valm fell to my blade like wheat to a scythe, and the soldiers with me had no less issue.

It wasn't just that, though; I felt less winded than I thought I should've. I had good stamina, but eventually I'd get tired. I noticed it during a sparring session with Robin, actually. Long after I'd usually give out, I kept going. Same with Chrom, which was probably why he was exhausted by the end of our little bout back in Saber's Rest.

I felt powerful. Like I could take on the entire world by myself. I kept myself in check, though. Couldn't risk losing my cool on the battlefield. I knew all too well what could happen if that were to pass.

So, I simply pushed forward, soldier after soldier falling to me. My gaze was drawn by the glow of purple light to my right. Robin was there, his usual coat drawn over simple plated armor.

He did mention that he wanted to get back on the front lines.

The glow of Fulmen as it cleaved a swath through Valmese was almost enchanting. Chrom stood in front of him, striking down soldiers who got too close. Another light, a bright red one, flared up just in front of me.

A mage stood there, blood dripping from a cut on his face but still very dangerous. Several charred bodies surrounded him, the bodies of my men. Unfortunately, it looked as if I'd be joining them in but a moment. I wasn't fast enough to get the hell out of the way. I was like a deer caught in a bright light.

The mage never had the chance to send me flaming and screaming to hell. A red blur with a sword in hand made sure of that.

"What the hell are you just standing around for!?" Severa shouted viciously, her blade embedded in the mage's neck. The mage gurgled before falling. "I knew you were airheaded, dad, but Gawd, this is too much! Get a grip, for fuck's sake!"

"Right!" I shook my head, doing as she said and forging our path forward. With the three of us – me, Cordelia, and Severa – the Valmese didn't stand a chance. Cordelia and I already complimented each other on the battlefield. She eliminated airborne threats while I took down archers, mages, and other ranged bastards on the ground. Adding Severa into the mix, who was like a tornado of blades when she was fighting, and the Valmese were as good as gone.

Two main roots led to the trunk. The center of the Valmese fortifications were, unsurprisingly, right where the two roots met. Even from our distance, I could see him. A squad of what looked to be elite soldiers, judging by the armor, surrounded an absolute mountain of a man. I wondered why the enemy general - because there was no way in hell he wasn't - even needed bodyguards when he looked like a fortress himself.

I didn't have time to ponder, though. Not unless I wanted to make Severa mad and Cordelia panic. So I continued leading our way towards the center of the fortification, with Chrom, Robin, and - if the pegasus knight who flew alongside them was who I think she was - Sumia, on our right.

Before long, we had the general cornered. If any of his men remained behind us, they would be taken out before long. The man had his arms crossed as his bodyguards fell into defensive stances and surrounded him.

Cordelia and Sumia hovered in place as the four of us – me, Severa, Chrom, and Robin – approached the general.

"Are you the leader of this regiment?" Chrom asked, Falchion at the ready.

"That I am, boy," The general rumbled, a gust of wind causing his admittedly impressive facial hair to rustle, "General Cervantes of the Valmese Military in service to Walhart, Our Emperor. And you must be Prince Chrom, ruler of Ylisse. Along with his tactician, no doubt! I should have known that this spider's web was too weak to hold such large prey. An impressive diversionary tactic, to be sure! I was so certain that it was real, why, I could feel my mustache tingling, and it's never led me astray before! I had thought, with your impressive capture of Saber's Rest, that you would try much the same here!"

"A good strategist varies his tactics," Robin intoned.

"This battle is over, General Cervantes," Chrom said, watching the general's bodyguards warily, "The Mila Tree is ours. Surrender now and I promise that you and your men will be treated with respect and care."

Cervantes scoffed. "Pah! Surrender!? You insult my honor, boy! I have never lost a battle, nor do I intend to! Admittedly, this one has not gone as expected, but I see my own enemy's general before me, and all it would take would be a spear through your gut and your army will fold, just as all others have done before the glorious Walhart!" Cervantes raised his fist. "Do you see this mustache, boy? These glorious whiskers that adorn my face? I began growing it after I won my first battle and have not shaved it since! You ask me for surrender? There is no surrender here. Men, with me! Purge these Ylisseans from our land!"

The final battle began in earnest, then. It wasn't until his bodyguards got close that I realized that they were actually wearing lacquered, segmented armor.

Chon'sinian Swordmasters.

Suddenly, I wasn't so confident. Still, it didn't stop me. In a pure numbers game, we were evenly matched, one for one. Chrom went straight for Cervantes while the rest of us dealt with his dregs. Sol clashed violently with the blade of a swordmaster. A quick strike to my midsection on his end proved that he couldn't get through my plate armor, but that didn't mean he couldn't try and get to my joints or neck. The bastard was certainly slippery enough to get to one.

For that entire bout, I was on the defensive, just hoping the swordmaster didn't skewer me through the neck. The scraping of metal against metal filled my ears as our blades danced in front of us, Sol almost seemed to glow golden in anticipation.

A testament to the dexterity of the swordmaster in front of me, I nearly fell over when the back of my knee was cut. He was so fast about it that I barely saw him do it. One moment he was in front of me, and the next he was on my side, cutting into my leg. I gasped in pain but didn't falter.

In fact, when the swordmaster did that, I decided to just throw caution out the window.

Dropping my stance, I lunged forward and tackled him. He wasn't expecting that, judging by his scrambled reaction as we both tumbled to the root below us. I raised my upper body and looked down at him, his curved blade still in hand.

My right hand shot forward and struck him across the face. The sharp crack of bone echoed in my eardrums. The blow stunned him for long enough that I brought Sol up and plunged it into his neck.

I didn't allow him to just drown in his own blood; I ended it quickly. I wrested Sol from his throat as I stood up-

Huh?

I could still feel the wetness of blood on my leg, but I couldn't feel the biting pain of a wound. Taking just a moment to look down, I saw where the swordmaster got me. Unmarred skin greeted me.

I opened my mouth as if to say something before shaking my head. There were more important things to worry about.

The battle was won. The enemy swordmasters lay dead on the roots of the Mila Tree. As Chrom stood over a fallen Cervantes, I looked for Severa. She stood above another corpse, her own blade bloodied.

"Sev, are you okay?" I asked, approaching her.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, of course. Did you think someone who wears armor like that unironically could hurt me?" She asked rhetorically, that familiar edge in her voice. She winced when she took a step, though.

Hooves hit the wood, and Cordelia was upon us both in seconds. "Thank the Gods we all made it out!" She exclaimed happily, "For a moment there I felt as if- Nevermind. I'm just glad you're both alright."

"Maybe not so alright, actually. Look how Sev's limping!" I pointed out worriedly, exchanging glances with Cordelia.

"Wha-!? I told you, I'm fine!" Severa insisted, before stumbling. "Alright, I may have sprained my ankle. Stop fussing, though; you're embarrassing me!"

"Hmm, perhaps you're right, love," Cordelia murmured. "Severa, dear, there's nothing wrong with admitting that you have an injury. I can take you back and have that healed in no time."

Severa raised a hand as if to argue, but her protest died in her throat. She sighed. "Fine, but, er, I wanna talk to you later. About something important."

"Of course, dear. I'm always willing to hear what you have to say," Cordelia smiled before looking to me. "When will you be joining us?"

I turned to see Cervantes slowly get to his feet. The Valmese general wasn't dead yet, it seemed. "They're probably gonna want me to go with them to meet the Voice, so maybe by nightfall. Hey, at least you and Sev finally get some time to talk without me being there, eh? Mother-Daughter bonding and all that good stuff!"

Cordelia sighed. "Perhaps you're right. I wonder what she would want to talk to me specifically about, though. This… We don't exactly have the most…"

"Cordy?"

She shook her head. "It's nothing. I'll meet you when you get back," She gave me a quick peck on the lips before turning. "I love you."

A smiled faintly. "Love you too."

For all of Cervantes' talk, once he was the last man of his entire regiment who wasn't dead or routed, he had no problem surrendering. Well, he grumbled a lot, but he certainly didn't put up any more resistance.

That marked the first Valmese general we captured. If we could get him to talk over the next few months, we'd have the advantage. Not like the war wasn't going well so far or anything, but Robin was adamant in that there could never be such a thing as too much of an advantage.

Nonetheless, once everything was said and done, that left us with one more thing to do.

"Hah… Hah…!" I panted, taking step after step up the winding wooden staircase, "God, why couldn't we just use pegasi or wyverns or some shit? They'd get us up there, wouldn't they?"

"The Voice's chamber is protected by the branches of the Mila Tree itself, Sir Alexander," Say'ri explained. She was looking a little winded herself, but nothing compared to me. "Even were you to fly to the top, the sanctum would be impenetrable."

"I don't understand what you're talking about either way. It feels like we're just going for a nice stroll!" Chrom commented, easily continuing on. "Isn't that right, Robin?"

"Chrom, I think I'm dying."

I turned around to see Robin stumble on a step and nearly bash his face in on the corner of a different one. I hooked my arms underneath his own and hoisted him back up.

"Am I gonna have to carry you?" I asked dryly.

"U-unhand me," Robin slurred out, "I can- I can make it. Surely the end is not far!"

Say'ri paused. "There are perhaps several dozen or so more steps, tactician."

The groan Robin let out could probably be heard for miles.

"Merciful Gods, Divine Dragon Naga, take pity on me," Robin moaned, nearly falling over once we reached the end of the staircase. I couldn't tell exactly how far up we were, although it probably took us an hour at the most to get to where we were. Robin stayed on his feet, though, credit to him.

"So this is where the Voice is," I murmured to myself, looking around.

The sanctum, as Say'ri called it, resembled a noblewoman's bedroom oddly enough. The wood of the Mila Tree was intricately carved with the visages of dragons and men, either fighting side by side or against one another.

"Say'ri, do you know where the-?" Chrom began, before a harsh 'shush' from the Chon'sinian princess silenced him.

"Fie, silence," Say'ri pleaded, "Were the Voice to be disturbed rudely, ruin would surely befall us. Please, follow me farther."

We did as we were told, following the swordmistress farther into the sanctum. It wasn't until we did that I realized the whole room was carved out in such a way that it focused on one specific point. A pair of carved wood outcroppings hid what looked to be an incredibly soft bed, with layers of silk covering the occupant. I could just make out the form of a person within, accompanied by the sound of light breathing.

"Voice of Naga," Say'ri whispered, "Fie, I beg of you, awaken."

Apparently, Tiki was a light sleeper, because the breathing was interrupted, and light rustling followed.

If I wasn't a married man, I would not be ashamed to say that the woman who parted the silk curtains and approached us was the most beautiful I'd ever seen. Unfortunately for me, I was a married man, and thus I was ashamed.

Long-ish green hair tied in a ponytail flowed like silk behind her. She wore a red, fancy tunic that hugged her body closely, much to my dismay. A golden tiara adorned her head, framing her unnaturally beautiful face. She yawned and stretched in front of us, rubbing at her eyes.

"Who… Who goes there…?" She finally said, yawning once more, "Ban-Ban? No, Ban-Ban hasn't been here for a couple centuries, I suppose-" Her eyes focused on Chrom. "Mar-Mar?"

"Er, who, milady?" Chrom's brows furrowed, "Ah, wait, do you mean Marth? I am sorry to say that I'm not him. He's my ancestor, though, which might explain why you might mistake me for him."

"Ah, indeed?" Tiki asked, studying Chrom's features, "Yes, you are right. My apologies. I tend to be incomprehensible when I'm awakened. But- Hmm…"

Her vibrant green eyes landed on Robin. I turned to my lord only to see him staring straight back at her, his red eyes wide as dinner plates. His mouth being slightly ajar only served to highlight his pink face. They both stood there, eyes unflinchingly locked. Robin's expression looked or felt similar somehow. As if I'd done the same at some point.

Now that. That, I should have seen coming. Robin, you…

"Interesting," Tiki murmured.

And it only took 44 Chapters to get to Tiki. Don't worry, though, this fic will be finished. By God, Aberration will be one of the few SIs to ever be successfully finished. There will be a satisfying conclusion, I promise.

Ahem.

Anyway, hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I'd say we're over halfway through the fic now. Let's keep chugging along, yeah?

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Hope to see you guys next time!

Edited on 3/24/21. Fun chapter.