Deliverer of Birthright

by romeoraiden

My First Story. Two Nations. One desperate enough to bring a terrible war, the other more concern for themselves, and at the center, a sheltered Princess is forced to make difficult choices for the good of all. In her quest to do what's right many will stand with her and many more will oppose, throwing her in a state of despair. And from the chaos a Fallen Hero will rise again.

9. Chapter 9: Calm before the Storm

Chapter 9: Calm before the Storm

"What a drag… people like you are such a pain. No matter where I go, humans like you are always popping around and causing trouble." Sloth said lazily as he prepares to engage Robin as six swords with shapes and lengths that could not be seen if not for purple flames like Envy's minions manifest from nowhere next to him, floating near his head and all pointing at Hoshido's newest Tactician and controls them with telekinesis and use them as projectiles, firing one of them first, faster than any arrow could ever go but Robin can still parry the blade with his Levin Sword rather easily by reacting faster, and he quickly noted that the force and speed from the veiled sword hat to be twice the speed of sound. The second his Levin Sword collided with the blade however, Sloth shoots another of his swords with increased speed that Robin is still able to parry the incoming danger.

Robin readies to block the next sword shot, Sloth, however, changes things up a notch and with a flick of his finger, the ground around the White Mage crumbles apart by a violent force with rocks bursting out from below him and blows him into the air, as if Sloth has the power to control earth. With Robin caught off and in the air, Sloth fires his four remaining swords at him, hoping that he can get him this time with his blades now fired five times the speed of sound.

Robin reacted first, way before Sloth even fired his swords, not baffled by what just happened to him at all and from the sky four bolts of lightning are shot that hit all the swords, destroying them, afterwards Robin fires another lightning bolt from his Levin Sword that directly hits the Sinner and sends him crashing into a tree that breaks apart from the impact with Sloth crashing into the ground.

Robin then proceeds to fly towards him and finish him but the Tactician is forced to stop as he quickly notices the ground below him act wild again with what looks like a pillar of earth bursting off, hitting him right in his belly and forcing him further into the air. He frees himself by stabbing the Levin Sword into the pillar, surging it with electricity enough to make it explode with Robin ending up floating a hundred feet in the air but soon lands back down.

"A human who can fly on his own, the Mana flowing through you is truly balanced." Sloth said unharmed by the electricity still surging through him, hitting his nerves and making it hard to move his body, not that he really wants to. "You really are a pain, and you just earned yourself a slow death."

Robin is forced to evade another attack, this time from what looks to be a veiled giant's hand that comes crashing down from nowhere and the slam it made creates large cracks on the ground. The giant hand then moves to float beside Sloth and another giant hand, and Sloth uses his telekinesis on himself to levitate up between the giant fists.

"I may be the embodiment of laziness but that doesn't mean my magic doesn't have a diligent kick to it." Sloth declared, and as if he didn't already proved his claim true, he sends one of his giant fist after Robin far faster than he could react this time, punching him not only in his face but the full front side of his body, blowing him far away from the Sinner, crashing through four trees but is caught by the other arm that comes from above and slams him into the ground, creating a small crater where Robin now lies and before he could have the chance to even try and get up he is assaulted by both veiled fist as they continue to pummel him one by one, making the crater deeper. Robin resists by catching the next punch after the ninth hit by summoning his pink flames that are capable of supercharging his strength and durability apart from granting immunity from certain effects. As he slowly manages to push the fist and allow himself a chance to get back up, he catches a glimpse of Sloth levitating closer to his side and notices him about to flick his wrist, signaling that he is about to pull another earthbending move, and it is likely that the next one is going to be fatal so he needs to act fast.

And so he does in an unorthodox manner as he uses his trusty Morgenstern that was separated from him earlier that flies back to him as quick as it can. Him being able to control the spellbook with his thoughts as it flies at him at top speed and makes it collide with his belly, ramming him hard enough to push him out of the arm's grip in time as large spiky stalagmites come off the ground and impale the giant arm.

"That is one trusty spellbook." Sloth said amazed by how resourceful Robin is. "Not even the magical conduits created by the Rainbow Sage are that reliable. Come to think of it, the only Tome I know that is like that belongs to the High… Deliverer…" Realization snaps at Sloth as he figures out who Robin really is. "Wait a minute, you're that…"

His distraction gives Robin the chance to strike fast and hard as he fires another lightning bolt from his sword, that he never dropped from his hand despite all that happened, striking at Sloth hard and blasts him away. Robin chases after him and without mercy decapitates the demon, achieving victory.

Or so he hoped, as Sloth's head never hit the ground as it instead floats back into his body that was dropping water from the wound Robin inflicted before reattaching itself to the body, much to Robin's horror.

"Gods! How can this be!" Robin gasped in shock upon seeing Sloth alright as he turns around to face the baffled human.

"So you're what all the fuzz is about, my oldest brother has been looking for you." Sloth continued with what he was previously saying, seemingly not bothered at all by what Robin had just done.

'Oldest Brother? There are seven of them in total so perhaps he is referring to the possible root of all sin; Pride.' Robin wondered. 'Does he also know about Morgan as well?'

"God of Victory or not, you got a lot of nerve. You're nothing but a rat sniffing your nose where you don't belong and my siblings and I won't have it." Sloth said looking upset over Robin's mere presence.

"What are you talking about and why should I care what you think?" Robin demanded.

"Never you mind, ''Divine Tactician''. I was initially forced into Horus to find my stupid siblings, Wrath and Envy for running off without permission, don't know why me instead of stupid Gluttony, Greed or Lust but if I bring you back instead, than it will be all the better and I can call this pointless search off all the sooner." Sloth said becoming enthusiastically all the sudden as he summons his staff to his hand and points it at Robin with a black aura beginning to gather around the tip. "I can finally return to my eternal sleep, so dead or alive you're coming with me."

"You'll find that I will not be such an easy kill." Robin said as he pulls out his second Levin Sword from Morgenstern.

"Judging by how rotten your soul is, you're already dead, you just haven't accepted it yet." Sloth replied coldly and from his staff he fires tendrils of darkness to send after him, with Robin swinging both lightning swords at once, releasing a large wave of lightning to counter the dark attack as both spells destroy each other. Sloth then summons more spikes of earth from the ground below Robin that rise up much faster but the Tactician is still able to fly away from the incoming spikes and destroy them with his swords. He then rushes towards Sloth and swings both blades at him, with the Sinner parrying by summoning veiled swords to defend himself and push Robin back, pitting him against multiple blades coming down at him rather fast that he is able to counter nearly all of them with speedy fast slashes while trying to get closer to Sloth to land more hits on him, hoping that he might be able to overexert his regenerative capabilities by delivering more fatal injuries, and the Tactician can only assume that he might be on to something since Sloth is keeping his distance and letting his weapons do all the work, however it could be that he is just extremely arrogant and feels intitled not to let his hands be sullied with any form of combat. Whatever the case it's clear that Robin won't be able to get closer again unless he steps things up and begins to fire rapid bolts from his Levin Swords to force the weapons away, only to be assaulted again by giant veiled hands that the White Mage is ready this time as he successfully evades one that was about to stump on him by backflipping impressively with his flight and then stabs both swords into the back of it, surging it with massive amounts of electricity until they are vaporized. The other hand comes in from behind, which Robin is completely ready for and with an X-shape slash from both swords, he cleaves the giant in four, before deciding to go with range attacks against Sloth.

"Arcfire!" Robin creates multiple red magic circles all around himself and Sloth and from them come out many fireballs that are fused with electricity due to him channeling the power of his Levin Swords into each circle and sends them after Sloth. The Living Sin defense himself by creating a barrier of the same veiled, translucent-like flames that easily blocks each fireball and even bounce off and back towards Robin. Instead of dodging, Robin thrust both his blades to take on all the fireballs that are all absorbed into them, once done, the Levin Swords transform into massive lightning flame blades with incredible length and Robin swings one of them down at Sloth, and to the Sinner's surprise, the force is strong enough to destroy the barrier and even cleaves him in two. Robin then fires a large stream of fire and lightning from his other sword, hoping that destroying the body entirely will finish him off this time, unfortunately, Sloth's cleaved body transform into bodies of water and divide to avoid the attack and then fly towards Robin, forcing him to cease his attack and defend himself against the two water strikes. He swings his blade at one of them, but it easily evades and then the second water hits him with a strong force from the back that felt like getting kicked by a Wyvern.

'He's nothing like the other one from yesterday.' Robin hissed as he blocks another incoming attack from below, only to be slammed in the head by the other, and again in the chest, getting blown away and about to crash down, only for the ground to split apart in two, becoming a small but still deep fissure, and once inside said fissure, the earth closes back up, burying Robin alive in the earth. The powerful tactician escapes by casting a Bolganone, that opens a fissure of his own to fly out off with only a minor amount of lava coming out. Once airborne again, he confronts the two watery forms of Sloth who merge back together and restore themselves into human form.

"Pitiful mortal, true demons aren't something that can be killed through physical wounds. You shouldn't let Nohr's cheap imitations spoil you." Sloth mocked before summoning more tendrils of darkness from his staff towards Robin, that Robin again fights off, except that the last two tendrils he tries to destroy hit first and cause him to drop both his swords, and Sloth attempts to get rid of them by creating another fissure but Robin fires magical tendrils of his own to catch both swords and pull them back into his hands.

"Nosferatu!" Sloth enchanted, trapping Robin in a dark sphere that will drain him of his life-force energy dry.

"Moonlight!" Robin countered as he fires four beams of light from above himself and the dark sphere, and the light attacks manage to cancel out the darkness.

"Ginnungagap!" Sloth summons a massive magic circle of black and white color above Robin and immediately, an equally large dark silver blast comes falling down on Robin with no time for him to escape, with his body at risk of disintegrating if not for his pink flames as he channels all of its power, roaring and spreads it wide, cancelling out Sloth's spell yet again. The landscape of Mokushu that has become their battlefield is now mostly a burned away wasteland due to all the immense magical power these two titans are unleashing.

"How do you function!" Sloth protested, nearing his limit of patience with this stubborn human. "Rexflame!" The Sinner cast another powerful spell, one that seemingly warps himself and Robin into the bowels of a volcano, where the amassment of igneous magma present closes in around the Sinner's opponent before combusting violently on Robin but not Sloth. Robin screams in pain over the magma consuming him, if not for the pink flames intensifying his magic resistance that he survives even this and makes another spell to counter again.

"FORSETI!" He creates a massively powerful tornado that combats against Sloth's magma and pushes it away, and even make some of it vanish somehow, leaving him standing on a now burned wasteland, a horror from the lushes field it once was, not that the whole forest has been exposed to this battle.

"Rexbolt." Sloth casted yet another spell while Robin is unable to do anything to counteract this time due to how exhausted he is, and above him a plethora of dark rainclouds quickly manifests and from it a voltage of lightning is fired that strikes down at Robin, worsening his injuries and leaving him on the ground.

"Still alive, I see; I swear you humans with affiliations to Dragon Gods cannot even begin to grasps the mere concept of death." Sloth lectured frustrated as he levitates closer to Robin as the Tactician forces himself back on his feet despite looking almost like a burned corpse.

"I told you I wouldn't be an easy kill." Robin reminded smugly.

"Evidently." Sloth scoffed. "I have to give you some praise, it's been centuries since I've faced a human with this level of magical prowess, those amplifying flames of yours, Ignis are something else. I see now why Pride wants you dead so badly."

"Flattery gets you nowhere with me." Robin chuckled. "If Pride wants me so badly then how come I've been chilling in Nohr so freely for three years straight since I've arrived in Horus by mistake? A better would be that how come you Sins are only now showing up and why did Wrath do such a horrible thing to Corrin?" Robin demanded angrily.

"The one obviously losing has no grounds to make demands and expect any sort of complies, and in case your brain stopped functioning, you're the one who's losing." Sloth declined Robin's questions. "Though I will admit that I have no idea why Wrath did what he did, his reckless actions led to you arriving in Hoshido and preventing the original plan to kill all the Hoshidan Royals that Nohr's King had planned out, which evidently led you to begin investigating our existence. That idiot."

"Really?" Robin said, intrigued.

"That's all I'll say on the matter, so do the winner, which is me, a favor and drop dead." Sloth requested.

"I rather not do that." Robin declined sheepishly.

"Well I've lost all patience with you." Sloth sighed before lazily groaning and spinning himself upside down and looking away from his foe. "Why are you so hard to kill, you're no longer a God."

"I can ask you the same thing, your sister went down rather easy back in Izumo." Robin replied.

"Oh, you fought Envy? That makes it clearer on how you were able to deduce my identity so easily." Sloth said intrigued. "And you claim to have killed my sister, have you? Defeating her I can accept giving your strength, her being the worthless black sheep of the family, but the former now…"

"Well, it wasn't really me but yeah, my new team bested one of you, and now you're next." Robin declared, adamant on defeating Sloth. The Sinner then chuckles at his declaration, clearly not taking the White Mage seriously at all.

"The Sins? Die? Wouldn't that be the day. I would very much like to experience what true death is like." He pondered out loud with sadness and longing in his voice, confusing Robin but also frightening him over the implication.

"Enough! I have just about enough of this ridiculous fight." Sloth declared as he floats up straight and points his staff once again at Robin. "This ends now." He declared as his whole body begins to surge with a dark aura, mix with purple ghostly faces all over him.

'Dammit… his magic reserve might actually be limitless while I'm nearly reaching my limits.' Robin cursed under his thoughts, as he's not sure how much longer he will last. "My next spell has to be my last. He's an unholy being, a monster, so blessed attacks are my best chance against him, which means I'm left with one option." Robin moves Morgenstern closer and begins to channel white energy from it while mixing it together with Ignis.

"Now, Sin Caliburn!" Sloth commanded as he cast a lethal spell that should kill Robin. He produces a dark paralytic mist around Robin that wastes no time in enveloping him, creating a massive beam of dark spirits that reaches towards the sky.

"All or nothing! NA…!" Robin cast his final spell but Sloth can no longer hear him once trapped in his death spell.

"Goodbye, High Deliverer Robin. You were… an interesting mortal but all you have left with any real interest is what's left of your corrupted soul." Sloth bid his farewells, satisfied with his victory. However, for a mere instinct, Sloth notices a faint spark of light within his dark attack, that shocks him. "What…"

He dispels his attack and notices that Robin is gone, granted, his spell was supposed to destroy his body with nothing left of him remaining but this feels different from all those other times he used Sin Caliburn.

"He escaped. That's impossible." Sloth muttered in disbelief. 'Someone must've rescued him through some kind of warp magic. No, even that cannot be the case, I would've sensed such a strong spell.'

"Dammit…" He cursed at his misfortune. "Guess it's back to finding Wrath and Envy again, and the latter is no longer even near the Mokushu-Izumo border anymore. I hate my life when I'm awake."

---

Robin is no longer trapped within Sloth's attack; Sin Caliburn is what he called it, due to an illuminating light that consumed him and brought him elsewhere, once the light fades, he is able to open his eyes and can see his surroundings and is surprised to see that he is no longer even in Mokushu, instead he is in a wide and flat field, with tall walls surrounding him, some trees with pink blossoms to. This all feels… divine somehow.

"This isn't anywhere near Horus." Robin took a quick guess.

"You're only half-right." Said a familiar voice behind him.

"It couldn't be, Li…" Robin turned around and gazes upon not what he expected but someTHING else entirely. Before him is a very odd fish-like creature with a body that's mainly white, with red and blue splotches covering it. It has four small legs, the front two clinging to a crystal orb that is making it float. It has a dorsal fin that jutted out wildly, and a beautiful tail that looks like it belongs to a goldfish. On top of its head it wears a very familiar maid's headdress. It also possesses giant yellow eyes that are a bit creepy when it stares at you, but at the same time kind of cute.

"Ah…" Robin remained speechless for the most part, not sure how to respond to whatever this thing is. "Hello… I thank you for your aid earlier, if that really was you."

"You're welcome, friend." The thing replied in a very cheerful and girly tone that is really familiar.

"Lilith?" Robin muttered, confused as to how this thing sounds like Corrin's stable girl from the Northern Fortress.

"That's right. It's good to see you again Robin. I'm so relief I was able to get you out of there, any longer and that Deadly Sin might've bested you." Lilith said most pleased with her achievement.

"Yeah… I'm really grateful but more importantly, What's happen to you Lilith? Why are you…"

"A Dragon?" Lilith finished for him and sounding proud of herself.

"Not what I was going to say, but okay." He muttered as he meant to say fish thing but that would've sounded offensive so it's a good thing he didn't say it.

"This is what I really look like, I know it might be hard to grasps, but I'm not really human. To be more accurate, I'm what ancient human society used to referred to as a Manakete, though not much of one." Lilith explained.

"A Dragon who assumed a human form and consciousness to save themselves from Degeneration." Robin stated.

"I had a feeling you knew more about us than most humans, you've always gave me this vibe of you being a source of wisdom." Lilith complimented.

"Thank you, I really needed that after the rough morning I've had." Robin said relief. "But where exactly are we?"

"I'll explain in my temple where the others are waiting." Lilith explained as she starts moving towards the tree-like temple located east of this place.

"The others are here." Robin wondered as he follows Lilith to the front of the temple where Corrin and their allies are there waiting for Lilith.

"Lady Corrin, I have brought him alive as I promised I would." Lilith called to Corrin, getting all their attention, making an overly concern princess immensely relief to see him alive.

"Robin!" Corrin cried horrified to see him in such a beaten state but more relief that he is alive and strong enough to walk so surprisingly casual as she rushes towards her friend and holds him in a tight hug.

"Oh my Gods…" Azura uttered, mortified by the state Robin is in right now and still looks fine somehow.

"Oh, Sephiroth, look at you, you're a burning wreck." Sakura cried.

"Damn, man, that demon fucked you up big time." Hinata noted as they examine just how beat up Robin is.

"How are you still alive?" Hayato muttered.

"And why does your hair still look so clean and untouched while the rest of you looks like a corpse?" Hana added.

"It's like he threw you into a volcano after having you beaten to death by baby wyverns who have yet to develop teeth." Azama commented.

"That feels accurate but it wasn't so bad." Robin replied.

"Not so bad? Watching you two fight was like two raging titans clashing for dominion over the land, even though you wouldn't have never been able to defeat Sloth, the damage would've been city-wide if you two had continued." Lilith commented as she bore witness to the deadly fight. "That Light Magic you pulled off at a last dish effort to survive Sloth's final attack was the only opening I could use to pull you out of there, otherwise you would've died for sure. Speaking of which, how is it that you can use Light Magic? That type of power has been lost to humanity for a millennia, apart from the primitive Lightning Tomes the Nohrians have, which is weird when you think about how a country that's all about the Darkness would keep those around, and ironic how rarely anyone in Hoshido can wield them."

"We Wind Tribalists can use those tomes." Hayato declared.

"Congratulations." Rinkah praised sarcastically.

"Not sure, it's all in my trusty tome. And it wasn't like I had a choice, I needed to- I still need to…" Robin is silenced by an angry Corrin who sucker punches him in the face, baffling everyone by the Princess' action.

"YOU DAMNED IDIOT! MASTER TACTICIAN MY ASS!" Corrin snapped at him, her rage boiling up inside.

'Deja Vue. This is going to be one heck of a trend.' Robin thought more annoyed than surprise by her outburst somehow.

"How could you stay behind and take that thing on your own!" Corrin demanded.

"What choice did I have; I was the only one who could fight off his corruption and I couldn't let that thing remain in Mokushu to make people die in such a way so callously." Robin argued.

"Right, because leaving you to fight the last Sin was going to end so well!" Corrin scowled.

"My options were slim, yes, but I still had the advantage against both of them."

"Like Hell you did! Look at yourself, what he did to you and still you act all high and mighty!" Corrin is slowly becoming hysterical again. "You're just so… just so…"

"Please, please! No fighting. This is a holy land, if you're going to fight it has to be friendly sparring not a dispute that could shatter bonds." Lilith begged frantically, getting between the two whiteheads.

"Deep breaths Corrin, deep breaths. You mustn't express your fears violently, it's unethical." Azura said as she and Kaze gently place their hands on her forearms and shoulders and move her away from a torn Robin. "Deep breaths."

Corrin's wrath is something to fear but considering the situation they are in and the foes they are up against, a vice is DEFINITELY NOT the emotion you should be feeling when it could spell trouble, so she will try to control herself but this discussion is far from over and instead she just starts shedding tears again.

"Well, with that out of the way, what exactly is this place exactly?" Takumi asked, wanting to address the real elephant in the room, or rather two of them, focusing on the creature named Lilith.

"This is an astral plane of existence that exists parallel to your own." Lilith explained. "I brought you all to this world for your own safety as none of you would've been able to beat Sloth. He may be lazy but that doesn't mean you should brush him off as weak. Well, for Robin it was more a rescue but I had to take you all against your wills due to Lady Corrin's reckless charge."

"Wait, you mean we're in a completely different world?!" Hinoka gasped.

"Yes, there exists a multitude amount of worlds that each exist in one Multiverse, this Astral Realm in particular is known as a Deeprealm, a small world that's in many ways a mirror image to a bigger one. Our world has exactly thirty seven Deeprealms, and this one is mine to control to a degree and is the most unique but it can be quite lonely since it's been completely uninhabitable for millenniums until I took dominion." Lilith continued.

"To be able to move between worlds on a whim…" Hayato wondered.

"There's no mistaking it, this Lilith is one of the Astral Dragons." Kaze concluded, knowing the type of creature, and every one of them, even Saizo widen their eyes in shock by this.

"You bet'cha." Lilith smiled truthfully at the humans.

"Amazing." Sakura gasped.

"But wait… are you the same Lilith I know or someone else?" Corrin asked in curiosity.

"Give me a moment." Lilith replied as her entire body shines with the same white light as before, however it is not bright enough to make anyone cover their eyes, just remove the dragon from sight as she assumes a completely different form, one of a human of the Lilith Corrin and Robin know.

"It is you." Corrin becomes happy and the two friends embrace each other in a tight hug.

"You two know each other?" Hinoka asked more surprise.

"And why does she look like a Nohrian stable girl?" Takumi added.

"I am a stable girl. Or was." Lilith replied as she and Corrin separate.

"Lilith, what is all this? You're really a dragon? How? And why keep this from me until now?" Corrin asked.

"Let's all get comfortable first." Lilith insisted as she turns around to the mostly empty field until a large house is magically created before them, one fit for Hoshidan nobles.

"Did that just happened?!" Hana gasped.

"Now that's real magic." Setsuna commented.

"This Astral Plane is full of Dragon Veins that exist in every single spot around and unlike those in the real world, these can grant their users a mere fraction of the Power of Creation to make things out of the seemingly endless mana flowing here." Lilith explained. "However, those who lack experience using Dragon Veins may have a difficult time creating what they wish."

"Awesome!" Hinata shouted excitedly. "Hey, Lord Takumi, you should definitely try it out. Make a hot spring for us."

"Why a hot spring specifically?" Oboro questioned.

"We need a place to properly relax once and a while."

"I'll think about it." Takumi replied, his face indicates that he is really tempted to try such power out.

"Why is the ground around the house glowing green?" Setsuna asked, noticing a green glow below the house.

"Oh, I've also made a healing ground for Robin to recover while inside, his wounds are not as serious as they appear given his strength but best not keep him like this for long." Lilith said.

"Yeah, thanks for that." Robin replied.

They all enter the house Lilith created and take a seat on a table big enough for all of them to lie on and rest. The Astral Dragon offered tea to them but only few accepted.

"After word got out of what happened to you in the Bottomless Canyon, everyone in Krakenburg went into a panic, Lord Xander and Lady Camilla were angrier and scared than I've ever seen them ever, Lady Elise wouldn't stop crying until the army received the word to move out to Hoshido. Lord Leo? Well, neither of us thought that someone like him would ever feel dread and worry." Lilith explained the events that unfolded back in Nohr. "The King and Queen, hardly anyone's seen them up until they gave the order to march as they spend most of the time locked in their chamber. Guilt ridden? It's hard to tell with them but either way things have gotten out of hand after what was done to you."

"What about Hans, did he make it back safely?" Corrin asked with concern.

"Yes but not unscathed, Iago's men found him at the edge of the Canyon badly injured with second degree burns all over. He informed us of what happened with what he assured us was with vivid detail about what he had seen and endured with all of you. I knew then that he was referring to Wrath of the Seven Deadly Sins as the perpetrator of the incident." Lilith continued. "He assured us that you were still alive and captured by Hoshido and you two were the only survivors of the exploration."

"Hans…" Saizo said quietly as the name is painfully familiar to him, though none noticed his expression becoming stern, something he shares with Kaze.

"Wrath came after him as well?" Corrin gasped with anger over that not even Hans was spared from the monster even if he's still alive. "But I was told that he jumped into the canyon willingly."

"He's alive according to Sloth, during our fight he callously told me that the reason he's in Mokushu is to look for two of his siblings that have gone rogue, Wrath and Envy, who the latter I assume is the one we confronted in Izumo." Robin explained as his body is slowly but indefinitely recovering, with his skin hardly as crispy like it was earlier.

"I'm afraid to informed that the Seven Deadly Sins cannot be killed, you can destroy their physical bodies but their souls are not meant for the afterlife so they linger on in the mortal coil until they regain consciousness from the death experience and are able to create new bodies using their ungodly magical powers to manipulate matter and energy to an extent." Lilith sadly informed.

"That Demoness is still out there!" Corrin gasped in horror. The rest are also shock by this news but mostly frustrated, either way everyone is losing morale regarding their secondary war against Sin itself. Robin figured as much based on what he learned from Sloth when he mentioned his interest in dying.

"Lady Corrin, about… our friends… I am so sorry for what happened to them." Lilith now said with so much sadness as she too mourns for the loss of Jakob, Felicia and Gunter.

"I'm the one who should be apologizing. It's my fault that they're gone, and Wrath's." Corrin said, the anger in her voice refusing to subside but brushes it off still for another question. "What about Flora? How is she?"

"I don't know…" Lilith admitted with more sadness in her tone. "I never saw her again after we left the Northern Fortress, I never even heard if she made it to Windmire, I spend most of my time in the stables but I suspect that she ran back to her home in the Ice Tribe on Niflheim."

"Flora…" Corrin muttered weakly, fearing what her friend/maid is going through and can only hope that she is alright.

"I wanted to go and find you and bring you back myself but by the time I got to Hoshido, you were already in Shirasagi and received the shocking news that you are of Hoshidan Royalty." Lilith said. "I didn't know what to do except wait for you to make that accursed choice."

"I did feel a strange sensation of something stalking us besides the twenty-four ninjas back in the castle." Robin noted.

"There were ninjas stalking us?!" Corrin snapped as she angrily glares at the Ninjas in the room, Kaze and Kagero looking away from her nervously while Saizo boldly faces the glare head on, not even remotely willing to apologize, and Sakura and Hinoka also felt intimidated by the glare, meaning that they too must've been aware of the ninjas watching over her and Robin 24/7 back in the castle but kept quiet. Of course Takumi isn't sorry either, it's obvious Robin noticed them but said nothing because for what she can only assume is because he didn't want her snapping at her family for their need to be cautious despite their desire to earn her trust. "Never mind. Lilith, why did you pick only now to show yourself?"

"Nervous mostly, I've always felt uncomfortable with the thought of people seeing my true self, much less what I can do." Lilith confessed with pink cheeks. "It's silly, I know, Dragons are so revered and missed on Horus but I'm not strong, much less what people hope to see in what they view to be divine when it comes to performing miracles or being powerful, not like you, Lady Corrin. I was alone for so long until I was found by Prince Xander in the slums and brought me to the fortress where I finally felt at home and not alone anymore, with you. I've never even met any other dragons either. Well, that's not exactly true but that's a different kind of complication."

"Oh, Lilith, you know you can always be yourself around me." Corrin said compassionately as she stands up and gives the Astral Dragon a sisterly hug, that Lilith accepts joyfully. "But then… did you always knew that I wasn't Nohrian by birth?"

"Well, you have dragon blood but are still human, I have dragon blood because I'm a dragon, and dragons can sense each other so it was easy to tell who I can consider my kin, or at the very least the lesser spawns of my kin and there was something about you that set you apart from Qliphoth's descendants, the main one being that there is no way that a single human with dragon blood should be able to enter Dragonification." Lilith said skeptically as she and Corrin release each other from the hug. "And despite what the old legends may indicate, not even the first Kings of Nohr and Hoshido have ever been able to turn into Dragons, the Precursors purposely only gave their chosen ones enough blood to use powerful magics, they never intended to give their followers enough power to become like them."

"Really but then how is Corrin able to become one if no human should have this power?" Hinoka asked confused by this revelation.

"Well… I can't say for certain but the fact that she also lacks the blood of the Dawn Dragon may indicate something." Lilith said.

"WHAT?!" Everyone minus for Robin, Lilith, Mozu, Hayato, Reina, Kaze, Rinkah and Corrin herself yelled in shock by this revelation.

"None of you knew?" Corrin gasped by their response.

"If you recall me and Kaze were baffled when the Queen and Ryoma revealed this information to you." Rinkah reminded as some of the stares focus now on her and Kaze.

"Something you like to share?" Saizo asked his brother, mildly agitated.

"When Lady Corrin returned to Hoshido and was reunited with her mother and Lord Ryoma finally, she was adamant in refusing the truth and as it escalated the Queen confessed that though she is Lady Corrin's parent by birth, King Sumeragi was not." Kaze explained. "I only confronted Lord Ryoma about it on the day the war began, something that he too was aware of and asked I remain silent as he wanted to be the one to break the news to his siblings, though the time was lost because all that has happened."

"Time that is also long overdue!" Takumi snapped, not sure himself why he is feeling a sense of betrayal.

"My head is bursting from so much information in one day!" Hinata and Hana cried out at once.

'The burden of being the outsider is more uncomfortable than I imagine.' Hayato thought, feeling sore for being so left out.

'Now I really feel like an outsider.' Mozu felt even worse.

"I don't know why you kids are so worked up about this, I was under the impression that Corrin not being the late Sumeragi's birth child was obvious." Reina said, sounding like she knows a lot about this.

"You knew about this too?" Orochi asked surprised. Though, it makes sense considering that the Kinshi Knight is the oldest one in the room and has known Sumeragi and Mikoto the longest.

"I knew the Queen long before she became our ruler and by the time she met Lord Sumeragi, the late Lady Ikona was still alive and Corrin was already a year old." Reina explained, recalling on better days. "I remember that day vividly, the King and I were still in our prime with twelve others hunting down a rabid Nine-Tailed Kitsune rampaging through one of our major cities and during the hunt we met a foreign woman with her baby girl in hand, activating a Dragon Vein to defend themselves against the monster we were hunting, granting us the perfect chance to finish it off. The notion that someone other than the royals could use Dragon Veins was too much for the King to ignore and out of gratitude for her aid, generosity because that's how he was and curiosity for her power, he invited her into Shirasagi to work as a Shrine Maiden because as she herself stated, she had nowhere else to go and everywhere she went was completely foreign and a fragile daughter to care for, she had no reason to decline."

"Well… that's something, I mean I always found it wonderfully curious how Lady Mikoto could use Dragon Veins as well when she was the one who married into the royal family but now it all makes sense." Subaki said finding clarity.

"Or the fact that Corrin has hair as white a snow, red eyes like blood, and elf-like ears when neither the queen or king have either of those things." Setsuna added.

"Seriously! None of you noticed until now." Corrin protested.

"Of course we've noticed, we just didn't give it much thought because your family seemed so sure it's really you, and we hardly ever have reason to doubt their judgement." Oboro stated.

"But we can all agree that I'm kind of weird, right." Corrin asked to verify.

"Well… if you want us to be honest." Azama began but Hinoka shuts him off by harshly covering his mouth with her hand to silence him from saying anything bashful.

"It doesn't matter if we're not bound by blood, Corrin's my sister through and through." The headstrong Princess declared adamantly.

"T-That's right. We're family!" Sakura added, mustering more willpower than usual.

'Idiots. Both of you.' Takumi thought lowly of his blood-related sisters.

'Those words are meant to do more harm than good.' Azura thought similarly to Takumi, understanding the true severity of the situation.

'Blood ties don't decide who's family. Both Lord Ryoma and Crown Prince Xander made that claim, but those words are only harmful to Lady Corrin.' Kaze mused worriedly.

'The mother is the only real link keeping her with Hoshido but even that is in actuality a weak link as things stand now.' Saizo added.

Few among them agreed with what Hinoka and Sakura said, the rest don't, and while Corrin seems to be calm about it, they've each known her long enough to know the storm raging inside her, and it is enough to make Robin attempt to change the subject as quickly as possible.

"As touching and important as this all is, we have other priorities to attend with, like Sloth, he's still in Mokushu, we can't let a single one of them do as they please." Robin declared.

"YOU are not getting out of my sight until I say so!" Corrin scoffed with her inner sadness turning wrathful at the mere thought of Robin going off to fight that Demon again, making the Tactician gulp and remain silent again.

'She recovered fast!' Practically everyone mused at once at the sudden change in demeanor concerning Robin.

"Jeez, why don't you two just fuck already and be done with all this tension." Takumi whispered with mild amusement.

"You be quiet, Takumi!" Corrin snapped, hearing him clearly, and increasing his amusement.

"But he d-didn't say anything." Sakura said.

"We may not need to worry too much about it, based on the cosmic knowledge I know of regarding Dragons and Demons, long have the Precursors sought the demise of the Seven Deadly Sins, but even for gods, destroying them is impossible so sealing them away somewhere where they can keep them in eternal suffering is the next best choice and the one more adamant about this task is the Dusk Dragon and it was he who imprisoned them the last time they walked the earth and if the Grimm spot them, Lord Qliphoth will immediately be notified, somehow, and… well… and I think we all know how badly each faithful wants to see their god up close and personal." Lilith explained, though there is skepticism in her face, showing that she has doubts that any of the Precursors would dirty their hands hunting any demons personally, something Robin has to agree with. Gods in the Afterlife lack a body just like any dead human after all and it takes a lot of power to make a human vessel strong enough to contain something considered 'divine'. "Whatever the case, I'm sure we've seen the last of Sloth for a while and the Mokushujins will be alright."

"If so, then we will leave this case close for now, not like we're going to let any of them walk freely for long." Hinoka said determine to face the Seven, something that the more headstrong among them can nod in agreement.

"Before we proceed, we should really try and make contact with Queen Mikoto and informed her of the Seven Deadly Sins, even if there's no way to know where and when they'll appear, I'm sure she'll be able to come up with something to prepare against them." Azura suggested.

"I may be able to help with that." Lilith said as the Crystal Ball she was using to float while in her dragon form manifests in the center of the table. "This crystal ball is actually my Dragonstone, though it functions differently than the ones used by the majority of the Manakete Tribe and has many other unique qualities, such as creating long distance communication to places I've been to, like Castle Shirasagi through a special power known only to Astra Dragons and our chosen humans called Astral Projection."

"Well, that's a little too convenient." Takumi said with a satisfied smile.

"Though I recommend using it outside of the Astral Plane because the flow of time in the Deeprealm is ridiculously complex, one minute in the real world is an hour in here and most of the other Deeprealms are even more complicated that I can barely make sense of all of them." Lilith explained.

"That's a thousand times more convenient." Azura said vastly intrigued.

"This place could make the perfect place to hide from our enemies should the need to retreat arrive, especially to recover and reorganize ourselves while our preys remain exhausted and wasting their efforts recovering." Saizo said even more intrigued, seeing an infinite amount of possibilities.

"While I dislike the notion of my home being a tool for bloodshed, I be happy to help you all with any way I can for Lady Corrin's sake." Lilith said.

"Are you sure this is what you want Lilith? I hate for you to get involved in all this just for me." Corrin asked concern.

"I'm sure, you and Robin are the few friends I have left and besides, we dragons have to stick together, right?" Lilith declared.

"Thank you." Corrin smiled warmly as she holds her fellow dragon's hand. Seeing the two like this, Robin can't help but think that Lilith might be more Corrin's sister than Hinoka, Sakura, Camilla or Elise.

"Any chance you can open a portal to the ports of Mokushu or by chance directly to Cheve?" Corrin asked hopeful.

"That's where things continue to be complicated, you see, while I do have control over this world, entrance and exits included, I can't open an exit that will take me anywhere in the Real World as I please, from here I can only open two portals that can take me from Point A to Point B." Lilith said, knowing that her explanation would confuse a lot of them. "It's like this, while I can open a portal anywhere to take me back here, to exit it, I must first leave a mark on a location, one invisible to the eyes of those who aren't dragons, that mark signalizes where the exit portal will be when I need to leave here, and I can only use two marks at a time, if I mark anywhere else one of the previous marks will vanish."

"Oh…" That clarified a lot for them.

"But what if you enter this place without any of the marks placed?" Robin asked.

"Entering this place is impossible for me without first making an exit, and if by some off chance the exit marks are somehow removed, I can still escape by using other portals located here that will lead us to the other Deeprealms and use their exits to come back to our world."

"I see, that's a lot to memorize but I think I got the basics, either way, we'll be counting on you to keep this place ready for us when the need arrives." Corrin said.

"Of course, Lady Corrin." Lilith bowed in confirmation. "I marked one of the exits near the port town of Mokushu so you can leave now whenever you want to."

And sure enough, the Hoshidans exited the Astral Plane with Lilith now accompanying them and as she said, they are now within the Port town of Mokushu, where they can acquire a ship to sail to Cheve, however because they are Hoshidans, they'll have to be discreet when requesting a ride, and fortunately Robin is familiar with one neutral ship captain around these parts that will take them so long as they pay him well and he's available now.

In hindsight, things might've been easier if they used Hoshido's port towns however, the Nohrians has attacked all the port towns at the same time that the Nohrian Siblings launched their own assault with sea-creature types of Grimm that destroyed all the ships and took over the towns. The Hoshidans are putting a lot of effort into getting them back but it's easier said than done.

Just as they've hoped, the group managed to set sail discreetly without any more distractions, their journey drawing closer and their search for Ryoma can really begin.

"First time gazing at the ocean, Milady." Kaze asked Corrin, who's in the front of the ship, staring at the sea in awe.

"Yes, I've only seen sketches of the vast ocean, for the longest times the desire to see it up close was no more than a dream but to finally see it all up close." The Princess said in awe, not able to turn her eyes away from the ocean. "It helps me remember that despite everything I have endured and must endure I truly am free from that fortress."

"I am glad that you are able to find a certain level of clarity, Milady, and I wonder if the ocean will have an effect on your dragonic side, giving your affinity to water." The Green Ninja said most curiously.

"I imagine that without the Dragonstone I would have some sort of… ''negative'' reaction to see it for the first time." Corrin suspected but is not concern and is just happy to be here, and also chuckles a little.

"I wouldn't let it get to you Corrin." Her other Retainer, who is fully healed with his clothing fixed up as well, said as he walks to the two, alongside Azura, Lilith and the rest of the Royals.

"You've managed to stay human for so long, and despite all the horrors the ocean has of its sleeves, the wonders around will keep you sooth."

"Indeed, I myself like to think of the sea as the kind of perplexing friend you can never understand but still want to keep around because you love him so." Azura added in a way that made it sound like she enjoys being in the seas.

"I go with rooky, given how she treated you the first time we set sailed." Takumi said reminiscing an incident that happened to Azura the first time she traveled at sea with her adoptive siblings/captors the day they went to see the Rainbow Sage, their ship got hit by a sudden strong wave that knocked Azura off the ship and both Ryoma and Subaki had to jump off to save her and just in time because a White Shark was drawing near. Ironically, Azura didn't know how to swim at the time and only began taking lessons afterwards.

"Really!" Said Princess can only glare at him for bringing up that unwanted memory back.

"I'm just saying, the sea is a beast first and a mermaid last."

"Exactly why would you use mermaids of all things as an example for the sea's calmer state?" Hinoka questioned.

"Reasons." Takumi answered drily while looking away from his sister.

"Speaking of long chats…" Corrin began turning to Robin warily.

"Now…?" He muttered wearily, knowing that she is referring to their debate regarding his choice to fight Sloth alone.

"Soon!"

"I-I think we should be calling mother to let her know everything is okay." Sakura suggested, quickly noticing the argument between the two.

"Yes, I'm ready whenever you are." Lilith replied.

"Now would do greatly." Corrin declared.

---

"So, we finally regained control of our port towns?" Mikoto asked to verify from Yukimura as they are both standing before the Throne Room as the Chief Tactician came to her to inform her about the war effort.

"Yes, Milady, my plan succeeded well but not as smoothly as I hoped, as we lost seven good Diviners in the skirmish but miraculously all of the townspeople are unharmed and safe, at least those that were left when we finally retook them." Yukimura assured his Queen. "Though with all our ships destroyed we have no way to take back our seas but as long as we retake the advantage in the land we still have a chance to turn things around."

"Good, good. And what of the status in the cities?" Mikoto asked concern.

"Evacuations are slow with Dark Mages and Grimm attacking at once, and their Cavaliers are no pushovers either, it will take a lot of planning to snuff out the Loyalists who are granted control over the demons and put them in disarray but I'm sure we can pull it off." Yukimura declared.

"You've kept us alive this long so I am sure you'll keep up the fantastic job." Mikoto praised the Tactician.

"I merely live to serve, your Grace. However, I am more concern for your children and their current status." Yukimura said.

"None more than me. Finally reunited but still so far away, how badly do I want to at least hear their voices again." Mikoto said longingly, constantly worried for her children every time they are away, especially when regarding Corrin and Sakura for obvious reasons.

"Hello mother." Sakura greeted more upbeat than usual while she, her siblings, Robin and Kaze suddenly appear from nowhere right behind their mother.

Mikoto does not react as they would expect as the sudden arrival startles her so much that she makes a frighten yelp while subconsciously jumping into an equally startled Yukimura who catches her but ends up tripping with the two falling to the ground, with the seven staring in silence over what Sakura had done with her immediately bursting into tears.

"I'M SO SORRY!" She cried while in Azura's arms.

"Be… careful with what you wish for." Robin muttered

After that minor incident, and everyone settles down, the seven have a half reunion with their queen since they aren't really there with her since Lilith is using her power of Astral Projections to place images of them in Castle Shirasagi to speak with Mikoto so she and Yukimura can't really touch them and they explain to them everything they have experienced so far and the situation with Ryoma.

"The Seven Deadly Sins are real?" Mikoto gasped in horror upon this revelation and the intense battles they've went through. "Of all the dark legends Horus has had in its long history to become a reality, it had to be the worst of them all."

"Sephiroth help us all." Yukimura prayed dreadfully. "And we're certain that these monsters have nothing to do with Nohr?"

"Both Izana and Lilith seem to think that they aren't involved with the Seven, however there is still the mystery on how their army was conveniently at Hoshido's borders right before the Blight Dragon attacked so the best we can come up with is that one of them has infiltrated their ranks or the higher ups, most notably Garon and Arete are unknowingly affiliated with them, worse, were the ones who brought them back into our world." Robin speculated. "However there is the matter of Wrath, Sloth confessed to me that both he and Envy have gone rogue and what the former did to Corrin was not something that all the Sins had agreed on and claimed that Garon had a much different plan to kill Mikoto and start this war without getting Corrin involved but that still doesn't explain if both enemies are working together or not."

"For some reason the thought of them not working together scares me more than the contrary." Takumi professed.

"Me to." Robin replied.

"Our priority is still finding Lord Ryoma and assess the situation in Cheve if rather or not they benefit us or not." Kaze said next. "But after confronting two of the Sins and freeing Izumo of their influence, it is likely that the rest will be coming after us, though prioritizing Hoshido's safety is most important."

"There must be a way to purge the blight from Hoshido to restore the Barrier of Concord." Corrin said.

"There is, as a matter of fact." Mikoto said as she turns to the golden Throne of Hoshido. "Within the Throne there lies an exceptionally powerful Dragon Vein with special qualities meant to purify all manner of corruption, or so Sumeragi once told me so hopefully it is what we need. However, neither I, Sumeragi or Ryoma have ever been able to activate it, as this one requires a completely different method, something called the Seal of Flames is the key to awakening its power but nothing in Hoshido's lore ever made mention of such an item."

"The Seal of Flames? That sounds familiar somehow." Azura said, feeling like she's heard that name before.

"Robin, that name ring any bells in that huge library in your head?" Corrin asked.

"As a matter of fact, it does, the Seal of Flames is the alternative name that people used to call the Yato in ancient times, among many others, ''Sword of Salvation'' and ''Godkiller'' basically overshadowed the other eleven because they weren't as ''flashy'' or ''presentable'' as those two." Robin revealed, surprising none more than Corrin.

"My sword." Corrin muttered as she focuses her gaze at the Yato. "How? This sword hasn't done anything to live up to its legend unlike Siegfried, Brynhildr, Raijinto or Fujin Yumi."

"Well, let's look at the facts, the Yato is supposed to be powerful enough to save the world as the Sword of Salvation should an apocalypse occur, or bring about an apocalypse of its own as the Sword of Demolition, really back and forth considering its power is comparable to dragons so it stands to reason that the Rainbow Sage didn't want that kind of power go around everywhere without any sort of restraints so it is most likely sealed tight." Kaze suggested. "Chief Fuga even stated that on your journey you'll learn to awaken it's power."

"Unfortunately the Sage neglected to tell me how to do that, so worst case scenario we have to go back to the Sevenfold Sanctuary with Corrin and have him unlock it." Robin claimed, which causes all who have been to the Sevenfold Sanctuary to groan in frustration.

"I am not going through that shit again." Takumi cursed.

"A man like the Sage doesn't acknowledge you the first time he'll never acknowledge you, so forget it." Hinoka declined.

"Wow, so the Devil really does live in that island." Yukimura surmised, surprise to see such stubborn warriors fearful and reluctant to face a challenge.

"Either way, there's no point going back without Ryoma or turning this thing on so we'll carry onward and try to come back with good news." Corrin said.

"We'll do what we can on our end until then and with what magic I can muster; I should be able to pinpoint the location of any magic that is inhuman to me anywhere in Hoshido if I push hard enough." Mikoto remarked. "You said that Envy could summon unusual soldiers to fight for her, how unusual are we talking here?"

"Well, for one they were invisible." Corrin began.

"Wait, if they were invisible how were you able to fight them off?" Yukimura questioned.

"Invisible is not an accurate way to describe those things." Hinoka objected.

"Well we couldn't exactly see their faces." Azura reminded.

"That still doesn't change the fact that we could still see them to a decent amount to counterattack them." Takumi argued.

"Yeah, only because of those purplish outlines and flames, their actual visage was still impossible for us to see." Corrin stated with Azura nodding in agreement.

"That just means that they're not truly invisible!" Hinoka protested.

"Calling them Veiled Soldiers is way more accurate." Kaze proclaimed.

"I like that one." Robin replied.

While this little debate was going on, none of them realized the horrified expression on Mikoto's face upon learning the description of Envy's soldiers.

"It… can't be. Anankos…" She whispered with immense dread but is able to suppress her fears before anyone could notice and ceases the silly argument by clearing her throat, now showing a stern expression. "Regardless, we'll keep on a look out for these monsters as well as for our true enemies. Safe journey as always my children."

"We will mother." Takumi assured as Lilith cancels out her power with the projections vanishing, leaving Mikoto to return to her highly concern expression that Yukimura notices but mistakes it for only the fear of the Sins but doesn't know what to say as he too loses morale upon learning all this.

---

"So how well verse are you with the legends of Horus?" Azura asked Robin.

"Oh, wow… I've been so wrapped up in my search that I acquired a lot of unnecessary information that barely left my mind but nothing I found indicated that the Yato's power was at one point sealed away." Robin explained.

"Too many god damn poets and democrats kept perverting the stories that it's hard to know what holds truth but our archives have been deem solid for at least nine centuries so I say we have a clearer understanding on the legends." Hinoka claimed.

"We can discuss more of this during dinner, most of us have started to get hungry." Azura suggested.

"I know I am." Corrin smiled at the notion of food.

"Before that we should put people on guard for any Nohrian ships or Sea-Type Grimm swimming around first." Kaze said.

"There is little need for us to do it as most of the ship's crew will be on that and I doubt Nohr will bother any Mokushu ships." Robin pointed out.

"Agreed but it's not the first time Nohrians halted ships to see if there are any Hoshidans that have snuck inside for a variety of reasons, mainly paranoia and in wartimes those kind of circumstances must be frequent."

"That's concerning but I'm sure we'll be ready." Robin remained assured.

The trip to Nestra is going rather smoothly with no sort of conflict occurring, much less any sort of Nohrian warships even from a distance, as the seas have been mostly quiet as Corrin would prefer, her first time at seas is a pleasant one, a nice change of pace from how the rest of the day turned out as.

The Hoshidans are currently in the ship's interior and thankfully have it to themselves as most of the ship's crew are elsewhere for now.

"Hey, Lilith, can I ask you a personal question?" Hinata asked the Astral Dragon while currently sitting beside her right while Takumi is at her left.

"Oh, no one has ever asked me a personal question before." Lilith said somewhat intrigued.

"I just want to verify, you're an authentic dragon, right and not just a human that can become one?"

"I am a true dragon, mainly because my father was also a dragon." Lilith clarified.

"What about your Ma?"

"I don't have one, you see, while Astral Dragons can bear children through procreation we are also able to create them by tearing off slivers of our souls and mold it into their own separate consciousness, eventually forming a new soul, which in turn can create its own physical body on their own, or in my case, on my own, cause that's how I was born when my father created me." Lilith explained, but also sounds a little embarrass for some reason. "Though, as you all have noticed, my true form is nothing like how a Dragon is supposed to look like because I made a mistake when I was constructing myself. It's actually rare for a newborn astral to make mistakes about themselves."

"Huh, the lore on your subspecies was spot on then." Takumi said, already aware of this detail.

"I don't know where my father is now or why we were separated but in my short time alive I have been mostly happy, though I supposed spending so much time in a fortress and not seeing the world openly is not an exciting way to live from the perspective of others." Lilith smiled.

"That won't do at all, when this hate fest is over, someone needs to take you on a real adventure." Hinata declared a little too serious but at the same time playfully.

"That's my idea." Corrin stated as she too wants the best for Lilith.

"You should come and properly visit Suzanoh, we can go and get you the most stylish kimonos, heck I can make one most fitting myself." Oboro offered.

"We can also introduce you to our most astonishing plays." Hana offered.

"Kagero makes the most stylish art galleries ever when she's not into the horror genre." Orochi contributed, ignoring the vicious glare from the female ninja.

"You want a place to really explore, you should come to my village and gaze a true culture at work." Hayato boasted.

"Sure, if you want to put her to sleep." Rinkah scoffed.

"Right, because scarring her for life with your brutish society is a better idea!"

"The grassy fields back home make the perfect spots to just sit down, relax and just watch the sky without a care in the world." Setsuna offered.

"You kids and your need to start off big." Reina chuckled at their attempts to impress the dragon girl.

"Oh my, you don't have to go through so much trouble for little old me." Lilith said feeling overwhelmed by the attention.

"That's just how they are, Hoshidans try to be as hospitable as possible for those who've earned their trust." Azura smiled warmly at her.

'Something that was done way too soon, given the little background and fact that she too has ties to Nohr.' Saizo thought, so far the only one weary of Lilith, granted those like Takumi harbors the same doubts but he feels tempted to be more subtle about it this time.

"Heck, I know a fancy sweet restaurant where I can take you to have the finest dinner in Suzanoh." Hinata added.

"A-Are you asking me out on a… date?" Lilith asked nervously with a blush.

"WHAT?!" Hinata gasped at the implication while also blushing madly that his face is now just as red as Hinoka's hair. "N-N-No, no! I'm sorry, you misunderstand! I was just offering to show you around like everybody else! I didn't mean to overstep my bounds! I just say things how I'm feeling at the moment; you know."

"His face is just as red as Hinoka's hair." Sakura smiled cheerfully.

"Why do I always feel like people are being offensive when they say that." Hinoka muttered.

"Probably because of all the blood in their face, you do have a habit of putting blood on faces when you're flustered." Azama commented rudely, tempting Hinoka to put a naginata through his face but then she end up proving him half-right so she begrudgingly relents.

"Hey, where did Robin go, he was here a second ago?" Corrin asked noticing that the Tactician is no longer where he was last she saw him.

"He said he wanted to get some fresh air and some time to himself." Mozu explained.

"What did I say about not leaving my side?!" Corrin grew irritated. "And fresh air, we just got back from it."

"One can never get enough of it, in fact I feel like going for more fresh air myself, so I'll too be outside if I am needed." Azura excuses herself from the interior as well.

"Well, at least she has the decency to let me know where she's going." Corrin said feeling upset.

"Oh, come now, Milady, don't be so hard towards your boyfriend, sometimes a man needs space from a needy lady." Azama rudely comments again, making Corrin scowl, though she does not show it to him. "Well, at least she isn't denying it."

"Bad apples everywhere." Mozu muttered.

"Oh, did you say something, little girl?" Azama asked.

"Oh no! Stay away from me! Don't come any closer!" The Villager demanded surprisingly hostile towards the Monk.

"Oh my, why are you so scare all the sudden?" The Monk asked playfully.

"I've heard more stories and rumors about you than I can count. Everyone knows how the Mean Red Princess has a monk who likes to tease folks for his own amusement. You're the most notorious monk in Hoshido!" Mozu spatted.

"Hmm. I had no idea my reputation was so bad these days. I'm utterly shocked." Azama said more amused than actually shocked.

"It's the truth. So you leave me be. I know you'll end up calling me a bumpkin or something." Mozu hissed while hiding behind Kaze.

"Interesting. I've graduated to becoming notorious... How delightful. I'm pleased that you let me know. Thanks, Mozu." Azama smiled.

"What kind of weirdo is happy to hear about their terrible reputation?"

"Please, pay him no mind, young Mozume, he means well in his own way." Kaze said while patting her head. "The key is tolerance, which I wager you'll learn soon enough."

"Wait, can we go back to the part where she called me a Mean Red Princess?" Hinoka asked offended.

"What, you didn't hear, people all around have been addressing you as a fierce Demigoddess of War like Ryoma for years, though unlike Ryoma your title has a few backlashes since some folks are actually scared of how ferocious you can be." Takumi explained and that did not sit well with Hinoka.

"Are you sure those aren't just the Anti-Nohr Zones spreading false rumors about me?"

"No, they originated in the Capital back when you started to train to be a Knight and if you've forgotten you weren't exactly nice to your fellow peers." Orochi reminded, causing Hinoka to recall her youth training and only now remembers how she had zero friends growing up because of how isolated she made herself. In fact the only person that really spent time with her was Reina, who's like a second mother to her.

"Oh…"

"Here, I'll show you how kids these days view you." Setsuna began as she shows her Princess a puppet in her hand that came out of nowhere that resembles Hinoka almost perfectly that has a silly smile on the face as the Archer uses it to make a demonstration while also attempting to mimic Hinoka's voice as best she can. "I'm Hinoka! Fierce Sky Goddess of Hoshido! I pulverize all who stand in my way as if they are nothing! Fragile! Mhahahahaha! All are fragile before me! Submit and kneel or feel the sting of my Spear of Destiny!"

'This is how children aspiring to be Sky Knights view me as…?' Hinoka thought, unable to find flattery in this revelation that she has been oblivious to for so long but only horror. 'I… I need to lie down. This is just so depressing.'

"You mimicked her voice perfectly." Takumi noted.

"Thank you." Setsuna smiled.

"Oh, you were so adorable back then, so hotblooded and unladylike, trying to force any Pegasus like Rukia to let you mount them while always forgetting how sensitive they are about crude riders." Reina said, also reminiscing on those old days, though they are much happier for her. "You only ever wanted me to show you how to fight and I am proud to say that you're the finest Pegasus Knight this generation has to offer besides Subaki."

"Well, I was trained by the best." Hinoka blushed, feeling slightly better.

Corrin makes a silent chuckle as she hears everything going on and grows happy, the Hoshidans truly are good people, average even, with a few quirks here and there but are overall really great. Hell, even Takumi turned out to be a decent person when around people he trusted and casual considering the constant and silly arguments with his siblings. So these are who her family are supposed to be?

She feels at ease around them but not yet whole as there is still a part of her that remains unsure of herself but she can say for certain that she can trust these people, not entirely as she's sure that she will soon enough get into some serious arguments that will draw a line between them and her but at the very least she can say with confidence that she knows who they truly are.

"There's something I need to do, you mind looking out for Lilith for me for a while, Kaze?" Corrin requested to her retainer.

"Not at all, Milady." Kaze nodded in obedience as she also leaves the interior.

"I take it things between you and your new partner are bolding well." Kagero asked Kaze regarding Robin now that Corrin isn't around.

"Well, we hardly had the chance to properly communicate because of all that has happened but he has proven his worth in combat and Lady Corrin trusts him more than anyone, so I am patient for the chance to properly blossom our mutual trust." Kaze said regarding his new partner. "Though, like the rest of you I find his origins questionable, and while the Queen has quickly become bias of his aid, I know she too still feels wary."

"Naturally, despite his supposed lack of memories of his previous life his knowledge of magic and warfare are of a veteran and not unlike you youngsters who despite being trained to one day go to war are only really capable of enduring less intense battles for so long." Reina said, speaking from experience. "The young man most likely took part in another war, perhaps."

"If so, then where, in Canta? It's been a while since we've heard from Aytolis, Gristonne or even Dagda, the whole continent has been suspiciously quiet." Subaki wondered.

"True, perhaps everyone there is trying to stay away from Horus due to the growing tensions here, however if something as intense as war occurred our contacts there would've let us know just to give us a heads up." Hana pointed out.

"What about our more western neighbors in Almyra and Fódlan?" Takumi asked.

"Same. Dead quiet, as if the continent was never there to begin with." Oboro informed.

"So we're in the dark about what's going on in the rest of the world but Robin claimed that he's gone quite far and yet allegedly never found the place of his birth, much less someone that could help him find his way." Takumi said suspiciously.

"What's so special about the whitehead that has you want to dig in too deep into his soul?" Hayato questioned.

"You mean apart from the fact that we hardly know him, that he lived with the Nohrian Royals for three years and now we're trusting him to be our top lieutenant in managing our strategies and in turn keeping us alive?" Rinkah remarked. "Yes, Corrin and Lilith too lived with the Nohrians but compare to them, he raises the biggest question."

"Okay, I see your point, but in the short time that I've seen him, he seems supportive, I mean he did managed to get four of you out of harm's way from that lazy demon and went to confront him on his own." The Wind Tribalist pointed out.

"Yes but that mostly proves that he's either suicidal or overconfident in his abilities, either way, he has also yet to reveal the true scope of his power, which turns out to be beyond that of any Onmyoji or Sorcerer has ever achieved in Horus history. That alone is a cause for concern." Kagero said. "People aren't born with magical powers like that."

"I know, I know." Hayato shrugged. "What were even those odd things he used to pull you out of that battlefield, anyway?"

"Warp Crystals, special magic tools the Nohrians invented to help their none-magical allies flee from danger when there are no Dark Mages around to aid but can only go over three miles. Robin acquired a few of them back in Nohr for us to use." Kaze explained.

"Would've been nice if he had brought them up earlier." Orochi replied. "That unnatural tome of his is a cause for concern alone."

"None more than those odd flames of his." Saizo added.

"I'm not surprised that all of you would be suspicious of him. Robin has always seemed… off, like there was something that made him different from the rest of humanity, or at the very least those who study the mystic arts." Lilith said, revealing her own concerns.

"What do you mean, Milady?" Sakura asked.

"I can't say exactly; I know with certainty that he's a good man but there's something about him that… scares me." Lilith confessed.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Takumi questioned now growing anxious.

"Well, we Astral Dragons are all about the spirit, I can see a person's soul and it's usually easy for me to deduce who or what they really are by seeing it but when I look into Robin's soul I see… nothing."

"N-Nothing? As in, there's nothing there?" Sakura gets nervous.

"No light, no darkness, it's all blank and empty."

"You mean like his social skills?" Hinata suggested.

"Weak comparison but still not far off. It's more like he doesn't have a soul, which shouldn't be possible otherwise he be devoid of all emotions, or the ability to use magic as humans are extremely dependent on their souls for the slightest aptitude to perform them. Maybe it's being blocked from my sight due to his magic being so strong that I'm too weak to see it but even that is unthinkable for a human." Lilith continued. "I know he means well. Lady Corrin's faith in him is not misplace but whatever's going on with him it's nothing good."

'Nothing good indeed.' Takumi mused, remembering what he overheard from Izana's explanation of Robin's 'condition'. 'Odd how the Astral Dragon of all things can't see it but Izana could. He could be dying or something else that's unnatural; he remains with us he may not survive to regain his memories or reunite with this Morgan. Not really our problem but Corrin might have another mental breakdown for his loss so we better keep him around, at least until the war is over. If he truly is plotting something nefarious I'll finish him myself but if he truly is an ally of Hoshido, we'll find a way to get him out of this mess. No matter how fruitless our efforts may be.'

By now the group are having mix reactions regarding the ordeal with their new Tactician, distrust being the main one but they all inevitably agree not to behave on it else they'll raise tensions with Corrin as the Princess trusts him more than any of them. Either way the future battles may become harder because of it.

---

Corrin now outside, goes looking for Robin but first stops to notice the ocean once again, not able to help herself, however she becomes troubled upon noticing something within the water that disturbs her and she gets closer to the edge of the ship to have a better look and notices what has to be something huge that she can hardly see due to being underwater but it is black, most likely a Grimm, one that resembles a gigantic whale-like sea creature with four humanoid limbs, that she can best make out and three glowing eyes that supposedly are staring right at her.

"That's a Leviathan." Azura arrives at the scene, snapping Corrin out of her shock to look at her who remains completely calm despite the monster nearby. "It is one of the few known types of Grimm that operate at seas, and one of the most powerful, but fear not, the crew members here assured me before that these Grimm pass by frequently but never attack ships that have the brand of Mokushu or anyone that isn't Hoshidan. Garon's orders so they should pay us no mind."

"That's comforting, we better let the others know, else one of them will make a scene and start a pointless battle." Corrin suggested.

"Apart from perhaps Hayato, Mozu and Rinkah, I'm sure they are already aware of this so I wouldn't worry too much." Azura assured.

"You're awfully calm about this." Corrin replied.

"Trust me, I am terrified from the sight of it but I learned to suppress my negative emotions when they are mostly unwanted, something I did frequently when I was first brought into Hoshido." Azura said.

"Was it that bad at first?"

"Not really but I was a kidnapped victim, I didn't know what to feel except fear, Lady Mikoto tried to make me feel better since she was not happy by what was done to me, she didn't want to stoop to Nohr's level but there was no point in bringing me back since taking me wasn't enough to convince Garon to return you and returning me would've been seen as a sign of weakness."

"Sounds about right." Corrin sighed with the horrible predicament they are, or were in.

"Never mind that for now, what brings you out and about, away from the others?" Azura changes the subject, but quickly comes up with an answer. "Wait, I already know the answer; Robin?"

"Yep, where is he?" Corrin said now feeling sore.

"Last I saw him he was heading for the cabin he is to share with Kaze and Hayato." Azura explained.

"Thank you very much." Corrin replied while wasting no time in making it to Robin, with Azura following.

"I wish you wouldn't be so hard on him; he was only defending his comrades and a foreign country from a very ancient evil." Azura partially pleaded.

"I know that but…" Corrin basically snapped at Azura before the two stop as she tries to rethink her words. "I just… want us all to make it through this and while I accept that we will encounter obstacles that will force us to make difficult choices that will be fatal I just want to make it clear to him that he needs to be more careful, we need him alive most of all out of our soldiers, since his tactics can help save all of us."

'I think what you mean to say is that ''you'' need him alive.' Azura corrected but not out loud.

"Men like him always listen to their hearts more than reason so I doubt you can convince him to stop being reckless." Azura said so sure. "Every bit as stubborn as…"

"Ryoma." "Xander."

The two said at the same time, comparing Robin to the two oldest brothers.

"What?"

"What?"

The two Princesses look at each other surprise by what just happened before brushing it off by chuckling over it as they both have to admit that both crown princes are so much alike, well Corrin anyway since Azura doesn't know what Xander is like these days.

They make it to the door of Robin's cabin with Corrin dismissing to knock and just goes to open the door.

"Corrin, it's rude to come in unannounced." Azura scolded.

"I am his master; I'll command him to put up with me coming in unannounced whenever I want." Corrin hissed with Azura only able to shook in disapproval.

"Oh, Big sisters." Sakura called to the two as she, Hinoka and Hana enter the corridor they are in.

"We were about to enter our cabin to leave some stuff in, what are you two doing?" Hinoka asked.

"I'm about to lecture Robin about his last stunt." Corrin said as she is about to open the door.

"Aren't you going to knock?" Hana asked.

"No."

Corrin opens the door to enter the quarters and for some reason the four other girls could not help themselves but want to see how this lecture will lead to and move in to peek and the first thing they see are… abs.

"What the hell!" Robin shouted as he was sitting down on his bed half naked, his unique uniform removed with only his underwear on, it is a little hot in hear and what he's wearing could make him sweaty, even though he didn't sweat at all in the Eternal Stairway, leaving his muscular body exposed for the girls to see.

Sakura cries in embarrassment, covering her red face with her hands and looking away.

"Abs…" Corrin whispered lustfully, her face extremely red.

"Damn… and I thought Lord Ryoma and the Saizo brothers were the only ones with real muscles." Hana smiled also blushing.

"Well… I supposed a Mage with a warrior's spirit has to stay in shape to not be bothered with any sort of pesky fatigue." Hinoka looked away, hiding her own blush.

"Abs…"

"Goodness Robin, you're sharing this room with two others." Azura tried in vain to hide her own blush while keeping herself composed. This is the first time she has ever seen a man this exposed, nor has she ever felt this sudden… rush.

"Don't judge me on how I like to be in private, my choice of attire can be very uncomfortable after so long on, and I just got back from being burned alive, I have a right to want to make myself as fresh as I want to be at the moment." Robin protested as he covers himself with a bed sheet.

"Kinky." Hana smirked playfully.

"No, no, no, no, no! It's not what you think! I just like to sleep as comfortable as possible, especially after today. Plenty of men do this."

"Abs…"

"Y-You… you can grind cheese on him." Sakura barely whispered with her face getting redder.

"GET OUT!" Robin snapped angrily and embarrassment as he shuts the door on their faces, snapping Corrin out of her trance.

"Whoa! I dosed off there for a moment, what happened?" Corrin muttered.

"Your boyfriend made my day, that's what." Hana laughed loudly as she gently drags a still flustered Sakura away.

"I think you should hold off the lecture for another day." Hinoka suggested as she too leaves awkwardly.

"Yes, let's go Corrin." Azura said as she drags Corrin away.

"Aw, typical Robin, if he ever riles me up, it's in a good way rather than a bad one." Corrin joked.

"So you're just going to brush that incident off as his punishment?" Azura questioned..

"Why not? He's actually pretty sensitive about how people view him despite his tough exterior and a woman's got to enjoy the finer things." Corrin chuckled in amusement while Azura can only give her a questioning glance. She couldn't have guessed Corrin can be so sassy and give off hints of being a bad girl despite her constant state of anguish and anger. It makes her happy for her, actually. But… there is another reason for her to smile.

"It should be a crime to treat someone like that but… I'm not going to complain."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

---

I love reading about world building and making backstories for others, with each chapter I make I'll try to make time to explain more of Horus's history and lore, as well as the characters to make them all feel more alive but keep in mind that I am just one man and my knowledge regarding certain key topics tend to slip my mind once and a while but I'll give it my all but don't be surprise if I give very little in the end.

On to a more important topic, I've added my very own Seven Deadly Sins into the story, a very popular band in recent years, especially with a certain anime, even though those particular sins are actually heroes but the concept is still there, and my sins are more on an inspiration of my current favorite video game of 2018, Darksiders III, it's one of my favorite long running franchises and to me, it was worth the wait to play this game and the joy of using another of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, yet another hellish figures portrayed as heroes/anti-heroes instead of traditional villains.

Lilith finally joins the group and I have much in mind for her. Because in Fire Emblem Dragons are revered as gods in many cultures, even though there have been wars against them and humans, I wish to focus on that a little bit, the fact that in spite of how everyone feels about Corrin's dragon self, there is still the matter that the people of Horus take their religion seriously enough to keep a dragon, any dragon on their side, hence why the majority of the group is so quick to embrace Lilith even though there is a lot of clear mystery surrounding her that should make them question her instead, like her knowledge and understanding of the Seven Deadly Sins. Robin's self-sacrifice nature should be nothing new to us since that's one of the things he's better known for and of course, his friends will never take kindly to that, Corrin most of all so the drama will be unavoidable at this point, and one of the things I abhor about most series is that there are always plot holes, and I'm going to do my best to avoid having plot holes, like the drama.

The subject of the Deeprealm is as infuriating as the majority of Fates but it doesn't change the fact that it's a unique subplot if used correctly and not frequently. I've always loved the concept of time being different in other dimensions even if it can be hard to understand so I'm going to keep it simple. I apologize if some of you dislike fanservice but I couldn't help myself with that last part, I just had to put it in here.