One week turn to two weeks, nothing to think about, I was just being lazy. Anyhow, hope you enjoy this chapter and please send me more reviews.
Chapter 8: Broken Soul
Staring at the damage done to what has to be the most beautiful building Corrin has ever laid eyes on, second to the Castle of Hoshido, the Wayward Princess can only watch in amazement as the true Archduke of Izumo picks up a scroll that seemingly looks to be made of platinum and speaks the magecraft language that surprisingly not many are able to speak, even among the mages, and he casts a powerful spell with time seemingly moving in reverse. Everything that was destroyed during the battle against that crocodile looking woman and her ''invisible'' soldiers, if we can really call them that, is lifted from the ground to the point that the entire building gets reconstructed by Izana, even the parts that were vaporized entirely reassemble from nothing to return to their original state.
"There, good as new!" Izana cheered with great joy. "And since you all saved my home, this calls for a feast. No, better idea, an all-night party! We'll wear pajamas and eat bonbons. Let's get started! Izana in the house!"
"Is… is this still that scary lady?" Sakura wondered.
"No… but I think we underestimated that thing's Izana impression." Hinoka said somewhat annoyed by the colorful nature of the real Archduke and how the imposter was not faking.
"Ugh, so excitable. He's just as bad as his doppelganger." Takumi hissed with higher annoyance by Izana's attitude before calming down. "Still, I supposed a kind lord is better than one who has a more stern view on life so I can see why mother thinks so highly of him."
"That's the nicest thing I've ever heard you say thus far." Corrin gave a half compliment to her stepbrother.
"Screw off, Corrin." He hissed back at her.
"Such incredible magic power, Lord Izana, the tales of your mastery of the Mystic Arts don't do you justice enough." Azura complimented Izana and his magic.
"Why thank you kindly my pretty little songstress, I do my best for my people. And just a heads up, when this war is over, feel free to request my aid, I'll happily help in fixing the damages done to your homes." Izana offered.
"Your kindness truly holds no bounds." Azura smiled with a bow, pleased to see that such kindness from a lord is real. Granted, Mikoto is just as kind but she has her moments on not tolerating any sort of nonsense, understandable considering her position but Izana really is a refreshment from what she is used to.
"Yes, but unfortunately my Arc of Time has no effect on living beings I'm afraid." Izana said now growing sad because of the Izumite soldiers that were killed by the monster posing as him.
"We're so sorry, Archduke. We could do nothing to stop that thing's rampage but defend only ourselves." Corrin apologized to her inability to help those around her.
"Do not bear the burden of others' sins, my little snow white, especially when said sinner has paid for her transgressions with her life." Izana said gently and somewhat melancholic but the typical expression of joy remains. Both Rinkah and Saizo suggested they burned the body of the Faker, and Takumi and Hinoka seconded the choice so now there is nothing left of that thing.
"What was that thing exactly?" Hinoka asked. "It was definitely nothing like Kitsunes and Wolfskins, their magical capabilities extent only to using their Beaststones to shift between their humanoid and beastly forms."
"I cannot say for certain, except that the flow of mana around her is different from humans, the fact that she is able to use Water Magic alone would've been enough to make me question her existence. Long has the use of water magic vanished from Horus with the tragic extinction of the Water Tribe by Nohrian hands shortly before the first Twilight War, 1,300 years ago." Izana said most concern.
"What do you mean by the flow of mana is different?" Corrin asked.
"As you should know, Magic is power that allows living beings to manipulate not only the elements but the aspects of reality and all of that is done through the use of an energy source that is essentially an extension of all life which is Mana. Without Mana, the use of Magic is impossible and like humans Mana is ever changing. The Gods created magic to help them better manage the universe and presented it with various types of forms and rules to help distinguish it better from the magics performed for the White and Black Arts." Izana explained.
"Fascinating." Azura mused, though she has lived among many Diviners, she herself has never taken the time to properly understand the system itself from how Magic actually works, despite possessing an ancient artifact around her neck that holds great power.
"A great example of the differences is Nohr and Hoshido respectively, while both sides use magic for offensive, defensive and supplementary purposes, Nohr's use of Magic is more volatile and works better when it comes to performing violence. Granted, all magic is dangerous, horribly dangerous, just like anything else that can be used as a weapon, but Hoshido's use of Magic is more calm and defensive, the Dusk has always had an advantage but your Diviners are still quite powerful, and this is because the environment where the separate groups of mages are getting their mana from where one side is always volatile while the other is stable, even if all the Dark Mages in Nohr started living in Hoshido permanently, their bodies would quickly become accustom enough to their time in Nohr that Hoshido's mana would always ensure the magic they use remains the same for them, and it works both ways. However, the magic of that cruel woman is nothing like I've ever felt before, the Mana inside her is completely balanced in the sense that she is capable of using her magic with limitations so minor that her body's capacity to reserve mana is essentially limitless, hence why she had no scroll or tome beside her when using her powers." Izana continued. "Mages need Magic-Conduits to properly harness the mana inside them to perform the respective magical powers that said items can supply but we'll eventually succumb to exhaustion and fatigue since the mana is tied to the life-force, overusing magic can decrease one's stamina quickly."
"What about the Elemental Tribes, they don't need conduits to perform their respective magics, and you said that that thing might be of the Water Tribe?" Corrin added.
"Those people don't really qualify as mages of any kind since their powers are solely the result of their bloodlines being strengthen by divinity, one would argue that they aren't really human as a result, or at the very least not completely, I wager it wouldn't be farfetched to view them as Demigods. But like mages they have limits to how long they can use their magical abilities and unlike mages who will suffer severe exhaustion from using up all of their mana, subsequently falling into a coma that would last for years, but for Demigods who use up all their mana will die as a result as their mana is directly link to their life-force way more than other practitioners of magic."
"WHAT?! No one told me that!" Hayato cried in horror, also around to hear this. Rinkah is there as well and is just as surprise by this sudden revelation. Her parents always warned her not to overuse her firepower but they never explained why except that it wouldn't be good for her warrior prowess to be sullied by her stamina lowering so quickly.
"Oh, you poor boy, I always knew that those naughty tribalists were doing a poor job with the education of their younglings. Tsk, tsk." Izana shook his head in disapproval but he could be hardly taken seriously with the pouting face he is also showing as well.
"S-shut up you goofball! I am well educated." Hayato protested.
"Damn that old man, always keeping me in the dark about important details! When I get back, we'll see how he likes it when the fire in his belly is about to extinguish." Rinkah snapped in outraged.
"But you're certain that thing may not be of the Water Tribe? There's no way to prove that they are still out there?" Azura wondered.
"Of that I cannot confirm, I am not well-versed on everything in the world so if the demigod descendants of the Ocean Dragon are still out there, living in isolation on a remote island I cannot say. What I can say for certain is that none of the Elemental Tribes have ever had anyone among them with inhuman physical characteristics and unlike the Shapeshifter Tribes who are of human ancestry and who's souls are still human, nothing about that woman is human much less of our world, so I harbor little doubt when I say that she was a true demon." Izana confirmed with a truly serious tone and expression that troubled everyone in the group, Corrin especially, granted though not everyone is there with the Archduke, just Corrin, her stepsiblings, Azura, Takumi and Sakura's retainers, Rinkah and Hayato while the rest are elsewhere properly resting from the fight or doing something else.
"You mean like the Grimm?" Takumi cursed, like everyone else putting the blame on Nohr for this incident.
"No, the Grimm are little more than specks of darkness and negative emotions given physical form by their creator, the Dusk Dragon to serve as his semi-conscious minions to do nothing but obey his every needs, same for his chosen. Unholy? Perhaps. Truly Demonic? I say nah. Because while Qliphoth spends most of his time in the Underworld, he is actually a heavenly being, and not one of the Precursors are affiliated with Demonkind and have declared themselves enemies of the true Underworld King." Izana assured. "If she originated from Nohr, I am certain that the Nohrian Royals no nothing of her, and she certainly didn't strike me as their kind of volatile."
"You and I have very different opinions on what is volatile." Hinoka said still holding Nohr accountable, although that demoness herself denied being Nohrian.
"Potato potahto." Izana shrugged.
"Who the heck says potahto!" Hinoka once again questioned in irritation of that word.
"So… how are you well-versed when it comes to Demonology?" Corrin asked nervously.
"Not much, thankfully, but enough to know what must never be in human hands." Izana said while holding the Souleater that they managed to confiscate from the Demoness, where he's putting this evil thing, people will never think to find it.
"Out of what you do know, do you know a demon… called…" Corrin hesitated to finish her words, fear of that traumatic day flashing back into her head but inevitably forces herself to speak her words. "A Fire Demon named Wrath?"
"Corrin…" Azura muttered with concern. She told her hoshidan family about the demon that attacked her in the Bottomless Canyon that killed her Nohrian Retainers but none of them could offer her any real help except as much comfort they could give to forget that trauma.
"Wrath you say. You mean of the Seven Deadly Sins?" Izana said growing concern.
"The first time I ever laid eyes on a demon was in the Bottomless Canyon as it slaughtered the Hoshidan Troops stationed there and later attacked me, and he could use Dragon Veins as well and he didn't even need to be directly close to use them. What it did to me…" Corrin stopped herself from talking about how she was violated and how severe it affected her mental health.
"I only know of one evil entity named Wrath and he is not a demon from the Underworld but from the very hearts of humanity." Izana said.
"Why, because he's named after a vice?"
"Yes, I'm afraid. Now, I don't know all of the details but a long, long time ago when humanity was completely overcome by war, famine, pestilence and death, a great corruption began to root out from the abyss hiding within all humanity that gave rise to great and terrible entities who know not what it means to be good."
"And these entities are seven in total?" Azura concluded.
"Correct. There are exactly seven vices that are depicted as the main concepts that make up evil and dictate human life much more than the Seven Heavenly Virtues; those being Pride, Lust, Greed, Envy, Gluttony, Sloth, and of course Wrath. It's unclear when the Seven Deadly Sins came to be but they have one single-minded purpose; to infect the world with evil and chaos. Basically they're one dimensional baddies with no redeeming qualities since they lack humanity, although we humans are known for being baddies ourselves, so I digress."
"You think that maybe your imposter might've been one of these Living Sins?" Hinoka asked.
"Who knows, she seemed pretty ambitious, even desperate to take Izumo for herself to the point that she held me with scorn for having something that's not hers so I imagine that she is the Sin of Envy, or perhaps Greed personified." Izana guessed. "When she showed up unannounced into my Palace she sought to kill me, I had no choice but to cast a Sealing Spell but it didn't work on her due to her magic being stronger than mine so the best I could do was use it on me to save myself. Not my proudest moment to be honest as I left my people at the mercy of that thing but to be honest I wasn't too worried because the day before she arrived I had a premonition from the Astral Dragon Moro himself that the Yato Blade's chosen would come to purge Izumo of evil."
"The Yato, huh." Corrin whispered staring at her trusty sword, not yet able to grasps it's importance.
"Mother and Orochi are also capable of seeing glimpses of the future." Sakura said intrigued.
"Indeed, very few have been blessed with the Gift of True Sight, though like those two, I can only see glimpses and only for a limited amount of time, a lot of complications happen when we sink in too deep, Fate's Omnipresent and she's always planning something that it's hard for even the Gods to put up with her bossy attitude."
"What does that mean for me, who has to bear the curse of this sword?" Corrin asked.
"Hard to say, the previous wielder was able to cut the chains that tied him to Destiny through sheer force of will and the sword's true power, of course, so I'm sure you can do it too, though when it comes to two superpowers at each other's throats, happy endings are often ignored." Izana said worried. "Well, at this rate, we might as well try our luck by reading a fortune."
"That's okay, we rather not temper with fate if she's that much of a hazard." Takumi declined. "Still though, I am curious if everything Envy, or Greed told us while posing as you was the truth or not."
"That the High Prince Ryoma and Wyvern Princess Camilla fought near my borders, she won, your brother is now missing and I can enter a conversation with the Dawn Dragon and see if he can spare some of his troops?" Izana repeated everything they told him regarding the Demoness posing as him during their meeting. "Yes, she was surprisingly honest with you lots, I guess since she was going to take your souls she didn't see the point in your final moments being an entirely deceitful end."
"So you can talk with the Dawn Dragon and request his aid." Azura asked sounding hopeful a little bit.
"Well I can, but she did lie about not needing to perform a ritual to call the Bright Lord. This is a tale I hoped I never had to explain to outsiders." Izana muttered. "You see, when the Nohrians started summoning the Grimm back into the world, I did not take the news well, I like many Izumites freaked out as expected of anyone who fear a 'demonic' attack, I responded by locking myself in my own jail, one cell that I had equipped with velvet sheets and scented candles. Best sleep I've ever had!"
Everyone just stares at him incredulously after hearing that.
"Anyway, after that embarrassment out of the way, I sought a solution to the Grimm threat because at the time I wasn't convince that Nohr wouldn't sent those things after us, mainly due to how furious and distraught Queen Arete had become when you people stole her daughter in retaliation of them stealing your Second Princess. Summoning those things was her idea, Garon was originally against it if my sources in Nohr spoke truth, and they always do." Izana continued, not noticing the distraught expression on Azura's face at the mention of her mother.
"Father… was against it?" Corrin whispered, surprise to hear that about Garon despite the fact that he lost his actual daughter for kidnapping her.
"I did what any sane Archduke would do in that situation, have a nice long chat with the Heavens in a room befitting of such a conversation that took a whole day of preparations to perfect, used the true Astral Orbuculum to call Sephiroth and begged for his guidance against this dark threat." Izana said before frowning. "Unfortunately the wrong god purposely interfered with my call and he was really, really, really, really, really rude."
"How rude are we talking about?" Corrin asked, and Izana responds by revealing his chest to them where an emblem none of them are familiar with that is not like the one of Nohr or Hoshido, has been carved into his flesh and it looks more than a decade old.
"What the hell…" Takumi muttered knowing that he must not have received that painlessly.
"Whoever it was, it used magic to carved this emblem into my flesh before speaking to me in a very distorted, tormented and angry voice, saying "First and Final Warning". Izana explained, changing his voice to almost sound like or sounding exactly like the thing that did this to him, and it was a very well done evil voice that it was enough to make Sakura become fearful that she almost fainted and both Hana and Subaki have to hold on to her and frantically cried out for her to snap out of it. "To make matters worse, it blocked out some of my abilities and minimized my connections to the Heavens to an extent that I can only speak to the Lord of the Astral Dragons but he isn't saying much about what happened except that a terrible battle will soon befall us and Light and Shadow must merge into Twilight if Horus is to survive. But nothing more than that."
"Was he referring to this war or some other conflict?" Azura questioned.
"He said no more on the matter, though to be completely honest, I don't think he was referring to the Third Twilight War against Nohr."
"Shit! What does it all mean?" Takumi cursed.
"Is there some sort of third party involved in this war that Wrath is a part of." Azura wondered.
"Most likely, however this does not change the fact that your main concern is Nohr and stopping them from advancing further into your lands." Izana said. "Well enough about such ill things, you lots need to rest after such an awful event. We're all about love, peace, and chicken grease here in Izumo after all."
"Yes, I think we should remain here for a while longer to relax and I'm sure Kagero will have some good news to give regarding Ryoma." Corrin suggested.
"Acceptable news is more likely but that's just how it is with her." Hinoka said hoping against hope that Ryoma is alright. They go back to the main hall to rest and regroup with everyone else, however Corrin and Izana stay behind.
"You coming, Corrin?" Azura asked noticing her remaining behind and still.
"Yeah, I'll be there soon, I just have one last thing I like to talk to with Izana." She replied. Azura has an idea of what that may be but will not press it and simply nods to her before leaving with the others.
"Well then, how may I be of service to Izumo's heroine of the week?" Izana asked happily.
"I think you know." Corrin said with a furrowed brow.
"Yes, I know." The Archduke's mood drops to a furrowed brow as well.
"What's going on between you and Robin? Both of you turned sour upon seeing each other, and your people have referred to him as the Broken Soul. Even that monster Envy, Greed, or whatever she was called him that." The Princess asked, maintaining a composed yet demanding front.
"Please Milady, don't get the wrong impression, from what I can tell just by looking at him, Sir Robin is a benevolent man, loyal, protective, a bit of a blank slate when it comes to socializing but excellent nonetheless and isn't deceitful without good intentions. And It's also easy to tell that you have only good things to say about him." Izana said with much honesty. "It's just that he's not well."
"What are you talking about?"
"It be better if you see." Izana said as the real Astral Orbuculum floats his way to them and lands on Izana's hands and from the crystal ball shines a dim whitish blue light before showing images of a spherical object made entirely of the same light but only brighter with barely visible mist emanating out of it.
"As you must know all things that live and breathe, humans and animals alike each have an astral essence within us that plays a key factor in our lives, which is the Soul. It's duty is just as important as the mind and heart but with a bigger role to play which varies from being to being but what they all have in common is that it represents a person's capacity for good and evil, without it a person becomes a complete blank slate, devoid of all emotion and are apathetic to even their own self-preservation and disinterested in life itself." Izana explained. "But for those who dwell in the mystic arts, they are instrumental in warding off or embracing entities of malicious intent. Such things as demonic possessions can be unavoidable but a truly strong soul can expel all evil provided they are benevolent enough."
"What does this have to do with your behavior towards Robin?" Corrin grows confuse, not understanding the point of this explanation.
"Souls naturally look as you see before you, however when corrupted by intentions that are solely pure evil they become blacken by sin but when a pure soul is corrupted by and made to be evil against their will, craving freedom and fight back, the soul does not blacken, it remains mostly the same, the light it generates just grows dim, as if it's the host's time of dying draws near and it will soon enter the afterlife. But for Robin's soul, it is like nothing I have ever seen." Izana said grimly as the image in the Astral Orbuculum change to a completely different and abnormal soul, one that glows in a whiter light with what can be best described as an open wound on the left side of it that cuts deep with what looks like blood and black goo coming out of it and covering the left portion of it. It is an ugly sight.
"Is that… is that Robin's soul? Is that an open wound? How can a soul have an open wound?! It's incorporeal!" Corrin gasped in shock, gazing at the horrid sight.
"As I said, this is like nothing I have ever seen, the best I can summarize is that your friend, or boyfriend, was the victim of a possession by something truly evil that's beyond human understanding and power to overcome and has left its mark on his soul, or rather it tried to but Robin was able to fight it off. I have heard stories of souls receiving something akin to scars or wounds in the spiritual sense but those are performed by dark magics meant for instant kills like headshots but instead aim for the soul, anything the soul feels the body will feel tenfold or more, by all accounts he should not be alive but the right portion is glowing brighter than any soul should, indicating that it's still fighting back against this corruption and he is very much alive, and is not a Zombie, thankfully, but by all accounts he should be dead, and I wouldn't consider it a miracle that he still lives, though at the same time, I don't see it as a curse."
Corrin remains still, taking in a quick breath with a mix of emotions visible on her face, the most obvious is horror of immense concern for Robin.
"When he came to me nine months ago and told me of his plight I saw no issue in aiding a lost soul so I used my powers as best I could to pierce within him and the astral realms for answers, and apart from the shock fest upon seeing his soul for the first time, the Astral Dragon Moro, my main buddy from above and contact for premonitions showed me visions of a terrible monster that is not from the future but of the past. This monster that is akin to a dragon but something else was a personification of despair and hatred and the horrors it inflicted on lands that by all accounts shouldn't exist but at the same time should exist are beyond forgiveness." Izana grew more grim in his explanations. "Robin was among the many victims that this mysterious evil terrorized but what it did to him specifically, I saw nothing noteworthy on that subject. When the vision ended I completely overreacted with fear unlike anything I have ever felt and even had a stroke. I think. Either way, my servants overreacted as well and ran the poor man out of Izumo. I've been waiting for him to come back and apologize ever since and even instructed everyone to not be hostile when he does come back, hence why he was allowed back here by my guards."
"But… you can help him, can't you?" Corrin asked nervously and desperate.
"I fear I cannot, whatever he survived is beyond human capability to heal." Izana admitted regrettably, to Corrin's immense dismay.
"But… but… what's going to happen to him if he continues on as he is now?" She asked dreadfully.
"Nothing good, damage like this is too severe too ever be able to brush off so for him to behave so casually, as if his insides aren't constantly burning up means that his magic and willpower are beyond human capacity for him to exert himself even when in combat."
"Robin…"
Corrin parted with Izana after that, walking around one of the halls alone as she makes her way to meet the others but in her current state of mind, she takes several wrong turns and instead makes it to the exit of the palace, there he finds the man in her thoughts, leaning on a wall with his arms folded and waiting for her.
"After the first wrong turn you made, I had a feeling you end up in one of the exits, and I picked the right one." Robin said devoid of emotion.
"Robin…?" Corrin responded, emotion also absent in her voice.
"So, now you know of my… "condition". He said with a frown.
"Why didn't you tell me what was happening to you?" She asked now with sadness.
"Tell you what, that I have a terminal and incorporeal injury I received from I don't know what and I have I don't know how long to live before I burnout or some other form of discomfort occurs. This isn't something anyone can understand and no one likes it when all others can give them is pity." Robin confessed deeply hurt by what is happening to him.
"There has to be a way to cure this, I know that the soul is ridiculously complex but there's magics of all kinds." Corrin insisted.
"If there is, I may find it in Mount Garou, the Rainbow Sage did say it was imperative that I make it there, though he did not say that I would fine salvation, just a way to return to where I was born." Robin said.
"Then why aren't you there already?!" Corrin demanded with a lot of anger now. "Why come back to me at all if you're drawing closer to death, or something worse when you should be saving yourself?"
"Because if I had I would have to begin another journey that would've taken too long to pull off and the Rainbow Sage also said that this war was going to happen no matter what with the chances of peace treaty next to impossible so I am needed here." Robin explained.
"That's a bullshit excuse to ignore a cancer and you know it!" Corrin argued.
"I believe it was you that expressed how conveniently I was needed during the darkest moment of your life." Robin reminded.
"That's beside the point!" Corrin raised her tone. "For more than three years you've been in a constant state of severe pain behind my back and said nothing! Even before you learned the true depth of this you had to have noticed something was wrong with you."
"I didn't say anything because I knew no one could help me!" Robin argued while also raising his tone against her. "I wasn't sure what was happening to me when I woke up in that grassy field and the first thing I ever laid eyes on was you, but I knew then that something inside was crying and breaking apart, something I felt could not be fixed but as painful as it is, I never felt like I was dying but more like something inside me is changing."
"Changing how?" Corrin demanded.
"I wish I had the answers to that. This pain is ever present but month by month it got duller, easier to ignore, either through force of will or magical power I've kept onward. The reason you may be wondering is quite simple really. It's because I want so badly to know who she is and see her again."
"Morgan?" Corrin guessed.
"That's the only thing that's made this torture bearable and I promise you this, my master; as both your shield and sword of adamantine strength, there's nothing your enemies can throw at me that can kill me!" Robin boasted. "They can bring me down as much as they want but I'll find my way back up."
"You don't know that Robin." Corrin countered in disbelief.
"Then the only way to prove it to you is for Nohr to hit me with their best shot." Robin shrugged.
"I've lost too much already Robin; I can't lose you too." Corrin pleaded with him as she starts shedding tears, causing the stubborn tactician to walk to his master's side and remove the tears with his fingers.
"I don't want to leave you either, hence why I had to come back." He said more heartwarmingly as the two embrace each other in a hug for a few moments before returning to the others.
Unbeknownst to the two, two others have been eavesdropping on them during their whole conversation, which are Takumi and Azura, who went looking for Corrin same as Robin when she took too long to come back.
"And they call me unbearably brash and stubborn." Takumi muttered with a heavy sigh, not sure what to make of Robin's predicament. The two were even present when Izana explained Robin's condition. "Too much information to take in one day has never been good for my brain."
"A soul surrenders and yet the heart and the mind persist." Azura muttered with sadness, digging deeper in the mystery of Robin and only finds more questions.
"We can't dwell on it now, we better not let the others wait for us either." Takumi said as they also made their way to the rest of their comrades.
"Finally, we were starting to get worried." Hinoka said seeing the white duo make their way to the group.
"Sorry, I just had some things to clear out is all." Corrin apologized for worrying everyone. Seconds later both Takumi and Azura arrive from the same direction as the white duo. "Weren't you both supposed to wait here as well?"
"We volunteered to go look for you same as Robin when you decided to keep us waiting." Takumi explained callously.
"You two found something, alright." Robin frown, knowing that the two were eavesdropping on their argument.
"Sip it, white boy." Takumi hissed.
"Seriously…" Robin muttered at the lackluster insult.
"Takumi, that was horrible." Hinoka groaned.
"That had no implication in the slightest and your hair color is closer to theirs." Azura pointed out.
"My hair is not silver or white, it's gray." The Prince argued.
"Dark silver is more likely." Corrin commented.
"IT'S! GRAY!" Takumi growled, losing all patience. "Kagero, now is the perfect time to explain what happened to Ryoma!"
"Yes…" The Female Ninja cleared her throat as she is about to explain herself. "Now that everyone's here. When we were ambushed by Princess Camilla of Nohr, our entire party was forced to scatter, I was the only one that remained close to Lord Ryoma as Camilla chased us down. Lord Ryoma figured that he could save the rest of us by diverting all attention to himself, which worked for the most part since she was more focused on him and were chased all the way to the Bottomless Canyon, that is now mostly under Nohrian control. By then it all went south fast as Lord Ryoma and Camilla's presence triggered all corrupted Dragon Veins, causing a disaster that affected both sides. He might've fallen into the canyon if not for a Wyvern Knight from Cheve who arrived at the scene and caught him. The same knight we were supposed to meet."
"Scarlet." Hinoka concluded.
"Yes, she was able to rescue Lord Ryoma but as things got worse and since I was far from them that if they came for me they would've gotten caught by the onslaught so I urged them to leave me behind as they retreated to Cheve while I was forced here, no way they could return to Hoshido after that."
"Big brother is in enemy territory." Sakura said dreadfully.
"You did better than I could've in that situation, Kagero." Saizo praised his partner.
"It wasn't enough, and you know our master, he's tormenting himself right now for leaving us behind." Kagero said with despair. "After I managed to escape the carnage, I heard rumors that all of you were looking for us and knew you head to Izumo so I followed."
"You're both alive, that's all that matters." Kaze smiled, relief that Ryoma and Kagero are alright.
"For how long is the bigger question." Kagero said as she reveals to all of them Ryoma's Sacred Treasure that she has been carrying with her.
"Raijinto." Hinoka muttered.
"When we got caught in the Canyon's madness, Lord Ryoma was separated from his Holy Sword but I was able to catch it but not in time to return it back. The High Prince may be Hoshido's Top Swordmaster but even I question how long he will fair in the West without his full strength."
"Well, he's headed to Cheve, which is good because we have allies there." Subaki stated.
"Why, though, isn't Cheve a part of Nohr?" Corrin asked.
"So to speak, the Dukedom is a booming economical capital that has always operated independently from the other nations until Nohr took it over to claim their resources but for the most part Cheve has had a happy existence despite Nohr's iron grip but recently rumors of a rebellion forming there have begun to spur." Kaze explained.
"Something I find really dumb. Cheve is not the only small nation that exist in Horus that has been conquered by Nohr and each and every one of them live under the threat of being destroyed by the Grimm, despite Cheve housing really skilled knights they've never been the brightest bunch in the west." Setsuna claimed.
"I've heard that Cheve has only ever had three official companies of knights but the rebellion is instead made up of rookies who went and made a fourth." Hana added.
"Yes, one founded by Scarlet and hers is made up of Nohrian haters." Orochi said.
"Any chance that the other companies will be joining up with the newly fourth?" Oboro asked.
"That's a big maybe, despite Nohr's hold on Cheve being a dictatorship, a great many Chevians will be extremely reluctant to pick a fight and not just because of fear but respect." Azura said.
"What'd you mean?" Hinata asked.
"Before King Garon raised his ax on Cheve, the Dukedom was originally ruled by a vicious duke with low morals thirty-five years ago. He was so cruel to his people that his own daughter sought to overthrow him but she like the rest of the Chevians lacked the strength to accomplish this so she went to Garon himself to stop his tyranny in exchange for her homeland's resources." Azama informed. "Legally, the Nohrians are Cheve's liberators and Garon has a right to do as he pleases there. And it's not just there, seven of the other twelve nations Nohr has ''conquered'' have also been liberated from crueler dictators. Old man has a hero status of sorts that it'll be challenging to get so much support."
"Not to mention that Cheve's only real reason for being hostile towards Nohrians is that they occasionally take more food than was agreed in their treaty every year, and only one skirmish has ever occurred because of it." Kagero added.
"How bad was this skirmish?" Corrin said nervously.
"If the reports and rumors are to be believed, an argument broke out six years ago that led to one Knight of Cheve picking a fight with three Knights of Nohr after a debate gone wrong over the amount of food that needs to be taken and the Chevian ended up killing all three Nohrians." Saizo explained. "He was then apprehended and publicly executed in front of all Cheve by one of Nohr's Great Knights and father of one of the slain men to make an example to the rest not to cross them."
"Dusk…" Corrin whispered, sadden by this story.
"And according to Ryoma, the Knight that was executed was Scarlet's father." Takumi added, getting a lot of mix reactions from the group, mostly negative. Robin sighs while robbing the tip of his nose.
"There's a fine line between justice and revenge, and I can say with certainty that helping Cheve is just as asinine as it is beneficial." The Tactician expressed while pinching the tip of his nose.
"Justice can be just as moronic as submitting to a devil, if everything we do will end up getting us hurt than why not go for it?" Takumi said overconfidently.
"Perhaps. If all the nations have seeds of anger against Nohr that have yet to sown than by showing that Cheve has even a slight chance of fighting back, the others will begin to develop a sense of valor." Robin calculated. "Still, Nohr has to know of this Rebellion and had their troops overrun the place by now."
"That may not be necessarily true, with Hoshido finally within their reach, I imagine that Nohr is focusing most of their efforts on claiming our lands that the number of Grimm are shorter within enemy soil, leaving only their human forces for the Chevians, which still doesn't give them an advantage but enough that they can be discreet about their activities, especially since they may not have to watch out for too many dark mages." Kaze contended.
"That's something at least but a sufficient amount of soldiers in the west has to know by now that our High Prince is in enemy territory and they'll have to think to look for him in areas where he'll feel safe, like Cheve because he was or still is riding with Scarlet all the way there." Rinkah pointed out.
"We're running short on decisions to make, either way we must go to Cheve and get Ryoma back." Robin concluded.
"Nothing's changed then, Cheve awaits." Corrin declared with everyone nodding in agreement.
"Please, Sephiroth, keep Ryoma safe until we get there." Sakura prayed.
"Well, that settles that, I'm coming with you." Hayato declared, getting in on the conversation.
"Like hell you are, kid." Rinkah objected.
"Don't call me a kid, you black molten sheep!" The Wind Demigod spatted.
"Call me that again you rat, see what happens!" The Fire Demigoddess snapped enraged with her shoulder and arms lighting on fire.
"She took that a bit way too sensitively." Corrin noted.
"The other tribes have been calling the Flame Tribalists black sheep for centuries, no one knows why, but it riles them up so much that it's basically their trigger word for going berserk." Robin explained.
"Admit it, the Hoshido's Royal Guard is too small of a unit to mount a rescue mission this big, even if all one hundred of you were present. It's all hands on deck if we want to end this war." Hayato persisted.
"Punk, you have no idea what you're getting yourself into, if the Nohrians find out you're from the Sky Faithful they'll attack the tribe just to make an example." Rinkah warned.
"Who are you to judge, you're not Hoshidan either and all you'll accomplish is paint a target on all the heads of your people." Hayato argued back.
"First of all, I'm the only one in my tribe who volunteered to fight for Hoshido, and I made that very clear to every Nohrian who's skulls I've bashed open and those who've seen me bash skulls. And Secondly, Nohr has tried and failed to take my homeland for themselves the last four times they've attacked us, even with the Grimm when we rained down hellfire on them." Rinkah spatted at the boy.
"Why the hell would the Nohrians ever bother with conquering Muspelheim? It's a burning wasteland with a volcano that can erupt with a literal rainstorm of fire and what we Hoshidans assume to be earth made meteors." Subaki questioned.
"Oh, you be surprised how limitless the tribe's food supply is just because of a huge, magical holy fire placed at the center by their Dragon." Robin replied, remembering the short time he spent in the Volcanic region was quite spectacular, something that Rinkah is proud of, and mockingly smirks at the Wind boy.
"Whatever, I don't like Nohrians in the slightest and I ain't afraid of no Underworld Monsters, so I say bring it on." Hayato continued to be stubborn. "And besides, participating in a war is a solid excuse to see the world for the first time."
"There are several things wrong with your logic!" Corrin argued. "Still… you got spirit and you obviously aren't one to shy away from a fight so I suppose you can be of help."
"I'm glad we reached an understanding." Hayato smiled.
"He can do as he pleases as long as he proves useful. Little Mozu already showed she has value." Takumi said, not minding Hayato.
"What…? I… ah… all I did was knock a few monsters to the ground." Mozu said nervously.
"And quite the arms you have for such a fragile body, little one." Reina complimented.
"Gush, you people are thinking too highly of me." Mozu muttered nervously while blushing.
"Well, that raises our numbers to twenty strong but we could use one more." Corrin said as she turns to speak with Shura but the Adventurer is nowhere in sight. "Where's Shura?"
"He took off shortly after Izana fixed the whole Palace himself and wished us safe travels." Robin explained, making Corrin scowl.
"Crap, I was hoping he would consider my offer." She muttered.
"You were seriously going to ask that guy to join us?" Takumi gave his own scowl.
"What's wrong with that?" Corrin asked, still holding her scowl.
"Corrin, he's the leader of the Black Bulls. He's been stealing our resources for more than four years." Hinoka pointed out.
"And yet he walked out of here without any shurikens on his back, I assume."
"Well, he did arrive in time to assist in the battle against the Sin and saved you during the conflict, so that gives him leeway from us." Kaze remarked.
"Next time, however, there will be shurikens on his back." Saizo avowed, Kaze's previous claim of him holding a grudge against the Black Bulls apparent.
"You're a bad apple." Mozu commented to the rude Ninja.
"Please excuse my brother, he's like that with everyone." Kaze sighed, earning a scowl from said brother.
"Okay, okay, let's not start something everyone. Have something to eat and rest some more, it's been a long day so far and I have a feeling tomorrow will be worse." Robin suggested.
"We should head out immediately, now that we know where Ryoma is, we can't risk him being caught, or worse." Takumi insisted.
"We can't afford to be caught or worse ourselves." Robin countered. "Our best way to Cheve is to use the harbors in Mokushu to ride into Nestra, however Mokushu have been long time allies of Nohr, we set foot there, we'll be in for another fight, and surely I don't need to remind you all that the Mokushujins have a bone to pick with your people after the Riots."
"Riots…?" Corrin repeated.
"No, I don't need to be reminded of that crap! But the Mokushujins haven't attacked our soil yet, which could mean anything." Takumi shrugged.
"Sir Robin is right, Lord Takumi, Mokushu is also enemy territory and we have a truce to never set foot there, especially as things stand now." Orochi pointed out.
"Well, we can't force our way through the Bottomless Canyon, that already doomed landscape will be more heavily guarded since under the assumption that our forces will bombard their way into Nohr now that the High Prince is in the West." Subaki informed.
"Which leaves us with no choice but to use the tunnels." Saizo suggested.
"You cannot be serious!" Kaze objected while raising his tone in a way that surprise everyone minus for Saizo since the green ninja usually keeps a calm composure and is the more balanced of the brothers, especially when said brother is around to be the voice of reason.
"Kaze has a point, Saizo, using the tunnels is risky and the Mokushujins aren't naïve enough to never think to check for anyone unwanted in their soil to use those, even though they are hardly known to outsiders." Kagero agreed with Kaze.
"No, I agree, it could work for us." Hinoka interjected.
"What tunnels are we talking about?" Corrin butts in.
"Underground of Mokushu there is a system of tunnels that expands all over the southeastern of Horus with a long history of skeletons in a closet, so to speak and back when tensions between us and them were high we would sent our units to face them in a series of conflicts in a Proxy War almost thirty years ago." Hinoka explained. "The Mokushujins had the obvious advantage since it was their territory but their ninjas were never as bright as ours so our father won against them either way and force them to knock it off with their barbarism or else."
"And is using them wise?" Corrin wondered.
"Strategically speaking, maybe, with a knowing guide, which I am assuming our present Ninjas know enough about it to do so but in all honesty, I too must advised against it, from what I've heard the current Daimyo of Mokushu may not be as bad as its previous ruler who started the previous war, Kotaro, so he may allow us passage once we convince him we mean no harm because while I imagine the Mokushujins would offer their allegiance to Nohr to get back at us, I am sure that plenty more would want to stay out of it, after all from what I've learned the primary reason why King Sumeragi's victory was so successful was because Mokushu was also going through a civil war that was happening at the same time so they were short on numbers." Robin counseled.
"Okay, this story has me on a leash of curiosity." Corrin muttered. "Still, wouldn't fighting against them just encourage them to be more open about their hostility to the rest of Hoshido?"
"That's the most likely outcome, but it's not like we can use the ships of our own port towns because of the damage the Sea-Grimm have caused so we'll have to smuggle our way from Mokushu to Nestra." Azura said. "Let's just make it as far as the entrance to the tunnels and decide what to do once we make it that far."
"Let the journey decide on what to do next? I might actually look forward to that." Corrin agreed.
"Don't." Her two Retainers advised at once.
Sadly, even in Izumo, danger lies everywhere and nowhere at once, for hiding cautiously, even from the three ninjas and Robin's keen perception, is a Seer, one that lacks any tentacles and remains in complete silence and through its eyelike crystal ball, one man is watching and hearing everything from another Seer from his Throne of Shadows, King Garon himself with his usual frown expression, watching as his former adoptive daughter is embracing her Birthright and marching for Cheve, and subsequently coming back to her prison.
"The Seven Deadly Sins? Wounds that inflict even the soul? Just how deep have you fallen into your own insecurities, Corrin?" Garon muttered to himself sternly and is in contemplation regarding all he has learned as he bore witness to the entire battle in Izumo.
Just then he is presented with both Iago and Hans as they enter the throne room.
"Your Majesty." Iago spoke up as the duo bow before their King.
"The fools in Cheve have begun to be a thorn at my side now that Prince Ryoma stands with them." Garon said as he waves at the Seer to move aside from his view as he has seen enough for now and turns to the duo. "A show of strength is needed once more to remind those beneath our boots to remain in their place."
"A simple tasks, my liege, the moment the public spots a few Grimm in their borders and blocking all their exits fear will consume them and urge them to surrender the rebels but considering how stubborn and stupid they've always been we may need to burn some of their homes to the ground." Iago counseled.
"Yes, the smallest act of defiance will encourage the rest of the rats to take up arms against us, therefore we will not sent a warning, we will set an example with carnage. Flush the rebels out and slaughter them." Garon plotted cruelly. "Hans, you are to assist my daughter Camilla as she is to lead the skirmish in Cheve and ensure that our chains remain tight around each and every one of their necks, spare no one who raises arms against you but as usual keep civilian casualties to a minimum."
"Of course, Milord." Hans bowed in obedience.
"Iago, focus your efforts on the other conquered nations, snuff out even the slightest hint of defiance against us and make doubly sure that resistance remains futile." Garon continued with his orders.
"It shall be as you say, your Majesty. Though what of the treacherous Princess and her merry band of hindrances?" Iago asked, regarding Corrin.
"Let her come, she'll face judgement all the sooner. And besides." Garon began as he hand gestures the Seer to return to his side and starts showing him images of the Hoshidans, in particular Azura with the Seer zooming in on her for her stepfather to see her more clearly. "She'll be bringing home the true prodigal daughter."
Though there was much debate, Corrin's group chose to remain in Izumo for the rest of the day to rest and set out in the morning with Izana seeing them off.
"Well, this is it my friends, I wish you safe travels and have wondrous days ahead of you!" Izana cheered for all of them.
"Thank you Archduke, you'd been a bigger help than any of us realized and we hope that our next meeting is a more peaceful one." Corrin said warmly to the Archduke.
"Likewise, my snow white, like wise." Izana waved at them goodbye as they finally leave the beautiful kingdom.
"I'm going to miss this heavenly place." Hinata mused.
"We could always pay a visit when this is all over." Oboro suggested.
"One day, sure." Takumi replied.
"Not sure how I feel about seeing that goofy again, though." Hayato said.
"Don't say that, h-he's really sweet and considerate." Sakura objected.
"That he is." Robin added.
"Oh, you got his apology while I wasn't looking." Corrin wondered.
"Yeah, really glad we got that out of the way and though it was unnecessary, he even gave me a parting gift." Robin said showing off two unique swords in both his hands that possess jagged blades that resemble lightning bolts and are even generating electricity.
"Are those Magic Swords from Nohr?" Corrin asked intrigued.
"Yep, Levin Swords, blades design to perform lightning magic that anyone can basically use and it's more potent than Bolt Axes and Bolt Naginatas." Robin explained. "The Izumites keep lots of weapons they've confiscated over the decades from wayward nomads, and Izana figured these two would suit me well."
"Well you do seem to prefer Lightning-based Magic over any other type." Corrin remarked.
"Pretty much, the rest of the equipment he's lend us will also be most helpful on our quest." He commented as he summons Morgenstern and does something unique by stabbing his swords one at a time into the golden pages and they are absorbed into the book.
"Wait, what just happened?" Corrin muttered confused by what she just saw.
"Does that book also function as a super deep pocket?" Takumi muttered.
"Pretty much, really makes up for the fact that I don't have any actual pockets with me." Robin smiled with a hint of smugness over how useful his tome is.
"Okay… now I'm officially jealous." Orochi muttered.
"Really wish you had told me you could use magic much sooner if you had something this useful this whole time." Corrin said.
"Morgenstern has been plenty useful to you before in the past, I just never brought it up." Robin replied.
"Do tell."
Two hours into the journey and the Hoshidans make it to the borders of Mokushu, nothing but a forest in sight for a mile at least from their perspective. Hinoka, Subaki and Reina were sent ahead of them to explore Mokushu and watch out for danger when entering this nation. They are mostly known for Ninjas being their main unit and bulk of their army so ambushes are to be expected. Robin concluded that because war between Nohr and Hoshido has begun all the nations neutral to the conflict will need to guard their borders well otherwise they risk their lands being used as battlegrounds and get involve in the war in a way and since they are in good terms with Nohr they may not think twice about attacking nearby Hoshidans just to please their powerful friends. Luckily Mokushu lacks any flying units like Pegasus or Kinshi so they have an advantage regarding scouts, and hopefully none of their snipers are good enough to shoot from the altitude the trio are at currently.
"How far to the nearest town from here?" Corrin asked her retainers.
"Nearest one only less than half a mile to the northwest named Kenshin and another in the northeast slightly farther away named Shinta." Kaze informed. "Both would actually make good places to hide if we are to encounter enemy Mokushujins as mostly outlaws and peasants live there and they'll help anyone hide from the eyes of the law provided we pay handsomely."
"That is assuming said law doesn't pay them even higher." Azura countered.
"Yes, there's that but I like our chances if it comes to that." Kaze said confident.
"Hinoka, Subaki and Reina should be here by now to bring up any news about nearby Mokushujins." Takumi said watching out for the sky for their small flying unit.
"You think we've run into trouble already with how troublesome the people in these lands are." Hinata wondered surprised by how easy this all feels so far.
"Indeed, these people are nothing if not glutton for punishment." Azama added. "Kind of like our dear High Princess. Sure hope something doesn't happen that will cause her to fall off her mount, healing her up from such a fall was troublesome the first time."
"Gods, do you always have to be such a casual ass when you talk!" Hana snapped at the monk for saying such things regarding the Princess he's supposed to safeguard, especially in front of an emotionally fragile Sakura, who Hana has to hug tight to calm her down due to her current sadness and fear.
"Oh, relax, I'm just reminiscing on the day when I first met Lady Hinoka is all." Azama shrugged.
"How does someone so proficient as Hinoka fall off her Pegasus?" Corrin wondered.
"That's mostly because her desperation to get you back, and you're back so she'll likely stop being the dumb one in the family from now on." Takumi sighed.
"Wow, Takumi. Just wow." Corrin hissed.
"Kaze, Kagero, have you both noticed as well?" Saizo asked noticing something that the others didn't.
"Yes. Not even crickets." Kagero said, becoming more cautious of her surroundings, same as Saizo.
"What, you mean the total silence in our surroundings?" Oboro asked.
"The forests in Mokushu are quite lovely and teeming with activity, you can almost always hear the sounds of nature, it's extremely rare for there to be this level of silence. It's great for ninjas but for the land itself, it just feels wrong." Kagero explained. "In fact, this level of silence usually occurs when Grimm are around, even lions feel fear by their mere presence."
"Oh, goody, more fighting, I'm sure Reina will be most happy about this." Setsuna said casually readying her bow, and everyone else too ready themselves.
"Already, but we just got here!" Sakura cried.
Hinoka, Subaki and Reina soon return and hopefully they'll have much to say on this matter.
"Tell us you found something helpful, Hinoka." Takumi asked.
"We found something alright, a lot of Mokushujins lying on the ground and doing nothing with Grimm dragging as many of them away." Hinoka informed, most confused and troubled.
"Nohr is attacking Mokushu. That doesn't make sense at all." Azura said troubled.
"It didn't look like they were attacking from our perspective. It looked more like they were helping the Mokushujins run away from something." Subaki informed.
"What?" Corrin asked.
"Something very strange. Lots of Mokushujin Ninjas, Spear Fighters, Maidens and Monks doing nothing but standing still, leaning down on trees or even lying on the ground as if they're sleeping in the middle of day, doing completely nothing, and it seemed as though they've been there for more than a while. We flew down a little to get a closer look and noted that their lack of behavior seemed too apathetic, heck we were close enough to be spotted and none batted an eye, and we allowed ourselves to get caught just to get a reaction." Hinoka replied.
"It got even stranger when a pack of Grimm showed up and started dragging them west of here, likely to Kenshin and not one of them even flinched at being taken but they didn't take all of them as some Mokushujins were left behind." Reina continued. "And some of the Grimm spotted us, again this was intentional, and yet they just up an ignored us just to take the Mokushujins away and it didn't seem like they mean to do them harm."
"Everywhere we go, we end up dealing with the craziest shit." Takumi cursed.
"Is not a single place in Horus safe from disaster." Corrin muttered to herself given the current situation.
"Well we can't sit tight and remain in the dark, we have to see what's going on but I would not recommend all of us going." Rinkah suggested
"Alright, only a few of us will go and investigate what's going on, the rest of us step away from the borders and do not approach unless I give a sign." Robin instructed.
"What sign?" Hayato questioned and Robin responds by pulling out one of his new Levin Swords from Morgenstern and begins channeling lightning magic from it but doesn't do anything with it, except changing the color of the electricity briefly from yellow to blue.
"If I deduce that the situation is dire but not impossible to handle if all of us work together I will fire the biggest lightning bolt I can muster that you will all no doubt see and let you know that assistance is required. However if I deduce that the situation is too dire and even together we stand no chance I will fire a lightning bolt of a blue color instead of yellow, because yes, I can do that, signaling you all to fall back and not come for us." Robin instructed.
"N… N-No! We can't do that! No one should be left behind." Sakura argued against the idea.
"It's for the best Milady, any sort of unknown we come across must be handled delicately and all options must be considered." Kaze interjected. "Which is why all the Royals should stay behind until we can assess the situation."
"Wait, wait, wait. I think we're blowing things out of proportion; don't you think." Corrin objected.
"Not at all, we can't have any of you wonder off anywhere that may be too risky unless it's been properly inspected and right now we know nothing of what is happening in this nation." Oboro pointed out.
"Totally, there's no reason for you five to get involved in every situation blocking our path. You can just leave this to your retainers." Hinata added.
"Aren't you two usually the ones to point out that it's the enemy who you should worry about instead of us?" Takumi questioned, though not ungratefully, he appreciates the support and aid of his retainers very much, probably more than his siblings due to their own retainers.
"I'm just being realistic, Milord, we just got back from fighting a real lived demoness if the Archduke's information is completely valid and she would've overpowered us if she wasn't so gullible." Hinata remarked.
"Not to mention that she could've killed all five of you because we weren't present in the first place. We ain't taking any chances with whatever comes next." Hana added adamantly.
"What happened back there wasn't any of your faults." Sakura opposed.
"Doesn't matter, what does matter is ensuring each and every one of your survivals. Hoshido cannot lose a single one of you." Saizo declared solemnly.
"You guys can sure be a pain when you get like this." Hinoka sighed in defeat.
Grudgingly, Corrin allows Robin to explore the phenomenon going on with only Saizo, Kagero, Rinkah and Orochi assisting while the rest of the retainers stayed with the Royals and they are quick to make it to the area that the Fliers mentioned where they find several Mokushujins, some lying on the ground still while others leaning down next to trees.
"I expected fewer numbers after hearing that Grimm were ''rescuing'' these people." Kagero said as they begin to inspect those who remain, firstly by checking their pulses.
"They're dead, all of them." Rinkah said as she examined two or three while searching for any sort of wounds.
"No sign of punctured wounds, nor any sort of a struggle." Saizo informed.
"It looks as if these people let themselves die." Robin concluded. "Starvation, dehydration?"
"Suffocation even. I've heard of dark sorcery that infects a person's mental state by making them apathetic to everything around them, including self-preservation." Orochi suggested.
"True but dark magic usually leaves a faint trace of it that other mages can sense within the victim even after death, and I feel nothing, and neither do you. If this is the work of magic than it's not dark, at least not the darkness of Nohrians, their monsters were pulling out all that were probably still alive, or could be saved, hence why they left these people behind." Robin stated.
"Magic is definitely the caused, the mana here feels thick, violated even, almost as if they have become unusable." Orochi stated.
"Really, because it all feels pretty casual to me." Rinkah said as she summons a fireball into her right hand, however the fire soon starts to dim without her doing, almost as if she is dropping the power she is putting into it. "Never mind, there is definitely something going on."
"External Mana can affect internal Mana when there's a disruption of sorts, though it's unclear how such occurrences even happen. They are usually no more than theories." Orochi said.
"Whatever the case, these people were murdered through foul magic, and I imagine that the one responsible is still somewhere nearby." Saizo said.
"But there are hardly any mages at all in these lands that would practice such horrid arts." Kagero pointed out.
"What makes you think that a Mokushujin would attack their own people?" Robin questioned.
"Well, I was thinking more like someone from Kohga." She corrected.
"Okay, that makes a little bit of sense."
"Would you people keep it down already; I'm trying to sleep!" The Five become alarmed by the voice of one of the men lying on the ground, one that wasn't there a second ago and what he's wearing isn't anything like the clothing of Mokushujins who resemble those of Hoshidans, his is a uniform befitting of butlers from Nohr that's completely gray with matching gray hair that's shoulder-length. He gets up from the ground while in a grumpy and lazy mood, befitting considering what happen to these men and women and is carrying a staff used by the healers of Nohr, though of a darker variation. The man himself is young, likely the same age as Kaze and Saizo. But what really catches their attention is that his eyes are the same as Envy/Greed.
"Who are you?!" Saizo demanded, ready and eager to throw his shurikens at the stranger, mostly because he might be Nohrian.
"His attire is that of Nohrians but those eyes are the same as that Demoness." Orochi muttered nervously regarding this possible new foe.
'Does that mean that the Seven Deadly Sins are real?' Robin wondered in his thoughts. 'Why are they only now showing up after probably thousands of years?'
"I'm someone who loves sleeping and you guys, who I'm just going to assume are Hoshidans, except for the whiteheaded guy who kind of looks like he's another dumbass Nohrian turncoat, are ruining my happy moment, which will not stand." The Man, possible Sinner protested sorely depress and slothfully and forcing Robin out of his thoughts. "Either for righteous or wicked reasons, betrayal is the ultimate sin, you know, white boy."
"Again with that weak insult." Robin muttered.
"What kind of freak has a nap while surrounded by the corpses of the dishonored deceased?!" Rinkah hissed disgustedly, lighting her club on fire, eager to bash his skull open.
"I'll have you know that I had no idea that people were nearby when I decided to take a nap here, if they decided to remain in my vicinity despite feeling the effects of my vice than they have no one to blame but themselves." The Sinner defended himself rather weakly and selfishly, unconcern for the deaths he has caused, while also revealing his sinister power. "Though, I supposed it's a good thing that I woke up, I can't afford to be spotted by the Grimm otherwise I really will be in trouble, their repulsive scent is all over the environment so I better get a move on before I am caught."
"You caused these deaths by making these people so lazy that they lacked the strength and desire to live anymore. You really are one of them, of the Seven Deadly Sins, the Bearer of Sloth!" Robin concluded as he points his new blade at the Demon before them.
"That's my name but people who know about me are such a pain so you five have better do me a solid and sleep. Permanently." The now confirmed Sloth replied as his body begins to glow with a deep green aura that spreads a small wave of magic that hits all five of his adversaries, and instantly they each fall to their knees, suddenly losing the will to fight or do anything.
"S… S-Loth…! A lazy bastard who's only purpose is to put others in the same low level as him." Rinkah cursed with fury, desperately trying to muster all the diligence within her fire to fight off this corruption.
"You… are the perfect example of a coward, Demon!" Saizo muttered with intense scorn.
'I can't breathe… or rather I don't want to anymore. If this guy is able to manipulate people like this than Wrath and the others are the same.' Robin thought, no longer having the will to even speak, a virtue since he would just waste his breath. 'I have to get everyone out of here.'
"Just a little bit of suffocation to put you all to sleep so you can all go to the afterlife and be some other god's problem." Sloth said about to leave but stops as he watches the Tactician's body begin to surge with the pinkish flames like before. "What now?"
Robin gains the strength to fight back against Sloth's corruption and summons his tome, Morgenstern and from its golden pages comes out a pearl made of ruby and immediately throws it on the ground, causing it to crack and shine with a red light that consumes Saizo, Kagero, Rinkah and Orochi and makes them disappear from the scene.
"A Magical Item from Nohr, a huge waste for four puny minions of Dawn. The Seven Heavenly Virtues finally managed to get themselves a proper vessel, perhaps." Sloth scoffed at Robin's efforts as the Tactician points his Levin Sword in the air as it surges with blue lightning. "Fine… we'll fight. Gawds! Why do you humans always have to be the worse people ever?"
Robin's comrades are instantly warped back to the rest of their comrades' side.
"You four! How did you…" Corrin began but is caught off as they all see a massive blue lightning bolt be fired from Robin's direction. "Robin…"
"What the hell are we dealing with?!" Hinoka demanded alarmed.
"The Seven Deadly Sins are real and the one who personifies Sloth is now infesting Mokushu, anyone who gets near him will lose all their willpower and willingly die of suffocation, starvation or dehydration." Orochi explained, regaining her will and gets back up. "There's no telling how far that devil's corruption can spread, we must retreat before he gets us."
"NO! We can't leave him behind!" Corrin yelled furiously as she rushes to help Robin but is stopped by Saizo who grabs her arm and holds it tightly.
"Don't be a fool! Mokushu is lost! We must return to Hoshido and warned everyone about this new threat before all is lost!" He protested sternly.
"Let go of me!" The Enraged Princess demanded but the Ninja's grip is tight.
"Corrin, please, don't let Robin's sacrifice be in vain, we can't confront something if we lack the will to fight." Azura pleaded with her, regret present in her voice.
"NO! NO! NOOO! I can't lose him! I WON'T!" Corrin becomes hysterical, freeing herself from Saizo, and pulling out her Dragonstone, immediately assuming her dragon form and preparing to rush to the battle but is stopped as a brilliant white light comes out of nowhere that not only halts her but engulfs her along with all of the Hoshidans in it with none of them unable to react in time to avoid it.