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.

18. Chapter 18: All Clear Now

*Chapter 18: All Clear Now

Corrin takes a deep breath as she stands before the doors where the Rainbow Sage is waiting and behind her are most of her comrades and family, who will remain behind as the Old One would speak with her alone, any of them go with her than the Sage will not help them. His request leaves a lot of curiosity among them but due to his aid against the Sins of Envy and Greed, they owe it to him to comply without question.

"There's no need to feel nervous Corrin, the Rainbow Sage is not as intimidating as his magic powers, and he is quite hospitable." Robin assured her while standing on her left.

"Xander said as much, but that doesn't make it any easier, my whole body is having goosebumps." Corrin muttered, completely unprepared for this.

"Is this about the anxiety you were having before Envy attacked?" Hinoka asked while standing on her right.

"Ever since coming here I've been feeling the surge of power I get all those times I turn into a Dragon but even more than when I first transformed. Something about this place, likely the Sage himself is calling to me, the dragon inside specifically, and he's the original owner of this stone." Corrin explained as she places her left hand that is carrying her Dragonstone on her chest.

"Well, the man has been around for over two thousand years and participated in the Precursor War. Shot in the Dark, maybe he's a Dragon too." Robin suggested.

"That makes way too much sense." Ryoma agreed.

"The thought never crossed your mind?" Hinoka asked.

"I refuse to jump to conclusions without first learning all the facts, it's not fair to the ones in question nor does it benefit us in the end." He replied.

"Crapbaskets." Corrin mumbled, for some reason bothered about that.

"Oh, you say that too?" Mikoto said, intrigued.

"You say that too?" Corrin repeated, more surprised.

"Aw, I knew we had something in common." Mikoto smiled.

"Believe me, you two have a lot in common." Hinoka replied.

"I'm glad." The Queen grew delighted.

"Actually I picked it up from… never mind, I'm just going to get this over with now." Corrin mumbled. "Wish me luck." She steps forward and hesitantly opens the doors.

"If it's not too much trouble, can you maybe convince the Sage to return the Fujin Yumi back to Takumi. I know he'd hate to be separated from it." Mikoto requested.

"Sure… I'll see what I can do." Corrin complied generously, though she be lying if she said her feelings for Takumi have improved, not sure who really cut off her eyes; him or Envy. Hopefully, the Rainbow Sage can shed some light on who she should be angry towards.

Robin and the rest watch as Corrin close the doors in front of them, leaving her alone with the sage while they remain behind to wait and hope for the best.

"Anyone else getting a bad vibe from all this." Hana said nervously.

"I imagine most of us are feeling the same way, after all, it's not everyday anyone is allowed to speak with the Rainbow Sage without first going through his Trial. Granted, I counted on this occurring but that doesn't change the fact that coming here always makes me fear for my life, today was just the worst so far." Ryoma stated.

"Today was completely different." Kagero reminded.

"That's exactly my point, and compared to tonight, I know that we will be subjected to darker battles." Ryoma declared. "Which is why we need the Sage's power, one last time."

"I'm sure things will work well for Lady Corrin. I know it." Kaze said having high faith in his Mistress.

"All we can do is hope." Mikoto sighed, still having reluctance over this matter.

---

As Corrin closes the doors behind her, all noises outside become completely mute to her, as if she has been completely caught off from everyone outside and as concerning as this made her feel, it quickly subsided when she turned around and gazes upon a beautiful shrine mostly comprise of silver, the design doesn't match any of the Hoshidan and Nohrian culture but a completely different one that almost feels alien to her. Before her is also the Rainbow Sage, not looking at her as his attention is focused on another portrait located in the wall in front of them, a truly amazing portrait that shows twelve heavenly dragons who must be all the Precursors, Corrin recognizes one of them to be Qliphoth, standing on the left closest to the Divine Dragon at the center who is the holiest of the sixteen, Sephiroth. They all look so beautiful and happy together like that. A reminder of a Golden Age long gone and deprived of the world due to the madness of war.

"Sin and Virtue?" The Rainbow Sage finally spoke, earning Corrin's complete attention. "Can you guess which is the one humanity should fully embrace and yet do so with the opposite that's full of empty promises. Since the beginning of time, mortals and immortals alike have used the concepts of good and evil in many ways and propaganda to justify all manner of action. Those who claim to be on the side of good, justice tend to only have good intentions but it is the execution that brings them into questioning. Too many have justified theft, justified lying, justified betrayal, justified murder, justified starting wars all in the name of the Greater Good for a variety of reasons. Individuality is humanity's greatest gift but also their greatest downfall and the reason why evil is forever."

By his words, the Sage turns around to face Corrin but his face yet remains cloak from her eyes and continues with his speech.

"And so I will ask you, like with the original wielder of Yato before you, when in the face of annihilation, which side is the lesser evil? Who do you see to be your true allies? And most of all, how can I be of assistance." He asked walking towards her, with the Princess staying silent and still as he leans closer and stops once they are at close proximity, making Corrin very nervous over what he could be planning, and Corrin has been trying to get used to the unexpected, and by God as she been through a lot of unexpected things.

But this… this might make the top ten, and the next thing that happens is that The Rainbow Sage proceeds to wrap her in a heartwarming hug.

'What the heck…' Corrin mumbled. 'Not that I don't appreciate the hospitality but this is way too sudden after the somber words he just threw at me and is now infinitely more awkward than it already was, and twice a scary but there's no way I'll ever be honest about it since I'm already pretty scared.'

The Rainbow Sage releases Corrin from his embrace, offers her a smile as he apologizes. "Sorry for startling you, it's just that it's been so long since I've gotten to meet one such as yourself, I guess I got a little carried away." He said in a tone so laidback and innocent, mixed with a light chuckle that Corrin's mood instantly lights up and give her a clear sign that she doesn't have to bother with formalities. She can really get with that.

"Oh, don't worry about it, It's fine. No harm done." Corrin innocently shrugged, still initially surprised by what just happened and trying to collect her words as she still has to maintain a level of respect and think carefully as to what to say, this man is still deadly powerful if he was able to blow away two of the Sins so easily. "But what do you mean by so long since you've gotten to meet one such as me?"

"Oh, you know, because you're a Dragon, half of one at least. I was born during the Golden Age of Dragons and thrived in the Silver Age. Those were happier times for me. Life without them hasn't done the world any favors, nor me for that matter." The Rainbow Sage explained, despite the kindness never leaving his tone, Corrin can tell there's a hint of sadness and longing.

"You knew I'm one of these Manaketes even before we even met." Corrin stated.

"Oh, I've known about you ever since you were born." The Rainbow Sage admitted plainly.

"Sure, because that's not creepy or anything." She said a tiny bit disturbed by that fact. "What does that make you, my actual father?"

"I made it my business long ago to know all about anyone who could tip the scales of Horus, or Jehovah forbid, the world as a whole. You being one of the last known Dragons to live in human society was something I could not forgive myself if you were to slip from my knowledge. Your rampage in Kurosaki proved as much, but do not think that I deem you a threat, I know you were dealt a deathly blow to your very way of life." The Rainbow Sage said in a more stoic manner. "However, I must confess, I was surprised by your choice to embrace what Hoshido would call your Birthright, I had half expected you to remain faithful to the family you know despite Garon's choice to provide for his people the wrong way. On the other half, I had hoped you'd take the Third Path Robin presented you with."

"How did you…"

"As I said, I made it my business to know all." He interrupted her, ignoring the surprised expression on her face. "I don't know if running away then and there was a wise choice with only Robin to provide for you, even though he is a literal One Man Army, but striving to save two warring nations from a neutral position is not as impossible as it seems at first, especially if you know where to start. So I ask you to answer me, casting all guilt aside with no one else here but us, why did YOU choose this path?"

Every fiber of her being wants to be adamant on not giving an answer, but she can't be quiet about this anymore, she's been hurting ever since.

"I… didn't choose anything." She finally confessed, sadness out in the open, but no tears this time. "I didn't blackout when I transformed for the first time, I blacked out when both my big brothers extended their hands to me and begged me to choose. But by then I stopped listening and pretended I was still locked away in my Fortress."

"I see." The Rainbow Sage said solemnly. He expected that to be her answer. "And your Hoshidan Family? What does your heart think of them?"

"I feel… like I really do belong with them, and I… love them."

"But…" He expects something negative coming next.

"… But I wish I didn't." She again confessed.

"Belong with them, or love them?"

"Both…"

"It's alright, Corrin, this is a safe place and a home of secrets, whatever shame you feel will not leave this room and my lips shall be sealed until you say otherwise." He assured her as he places his hand on her shoulder.

"I want so badly to have remained Nohrian through and through, I wish to Qliphoth for a second chance but I can't go back. I… hate War, I hate the Grimm, I hate Famine. Nothing about that Kingdom feels like home and yet it's where I want it to be. Is there even a right choice to make? Did I make the right decision."

"You ask the wrong questions, my child, Black & White play no part in War. It's never about who's good and who's evil, but who's the lesser of two evils. Poverty and starvation can bring out the worst in mortals, Nohr is the largest kingdom and the most populated, too many have become sociopaths in the long run for survival with no finish line in sight. Nohr is weaker than they would ever dare admit. Their magic, steel and beasts are really just for show with only their anger and desperation keeping them strong but it's also tearing them apart. There is so much goodness there but their good deeds are constantly overshadowed by those who've sinned. Something which I view to be Mankind's greatest failure is that they always focus on the bad side of things, react better to negative conditions. They praise a hero for all his accomplishments and all the lives he's saved but the moment he does one bad thing, even when it was an obvious mistake everything that he had done up until then could potentially be tossed aside and they look at him with fear and scorn, wondering what's to stop him from doing it again or if he was ever just to begin with." The Sage gestured. "Nohr's faults are too serious and too many would wish them destroyed, even if their sympathy for their plight if there is any, is authentic."

"Then how can I save them? How can I stop this war as swift as possible and end the bloodshed all the better?" Corrin begged.

"Again you ask the wrong questions, Corrin. Nohr can't be saved, not the way you want to do it, at least not anymore. No matter what way you look at it, they brought this suffering upon themselves." The Sage said more sternly.

"No, they didn't! It was the Seven Deadly Sins! They did this to them! TO ME!" Corrin argued angrily.

"You're right, the Seven desire this war more so than anyone because they want to burn the world and bring them to its knees simply because they like it and must be stopped and must be your top priority, but with or without them the Third Twilight was going to occur regardless, and the Sins didn't kill Mikoto's new love. They didn't give Garon the power to summon Grimm, and they certainly didn't take you away from your mother." His sternness only grew, and for some reason, Corrin can't help but feel odd in the way he brings up Mikoto.

"My top priority?! I didn't ask for any of this! I never wanted to be a hero, nor did I want to fight like this!" Corrin protested.

"And what exactly did you want to fight for, because last time I checked, you get a kick out of showing off your prowess as a warrior?" The Sage questioned.

"I wanted to fight for sports! For the thrill of combat and be a winner. Show off my strength to be loud and larger than life, and maybe safeguard those from bandit attacks whenever the opportunity presents itself. But not for this, I don't want to fight other nations with such ferocity and hate, I never wanted to end lives, good or bad, and rob people of their homes and hopes." Corrin cried.

"An honest, fun and perhaps honorable lifestyle more akin to a mercenary than a Princess? I can respect that." The Sage said intrigued.

"Why did you even give me the Sword of Salvation?" She questioned.

"Salvation?" The Sage scoffed bitterly at the mention of that alternative name for the Yato. "My dear, there is no such thing as a 'Sword of Salvation'. Any weapon can be used to save lives but those are the actions of the wielder, not the tools themselves for it is not their purpose. The Yato, like almost everything else I created residing in this sanctuary, is meant to destroy and end lives. I created the Sacred Treasures to give humanity the power to survive the horror of the Dragons Degenerating and forge a future where men can live as they wish without the meddling of so-called Gods. To end Wars the only way that it could be done at the time, with more violence. It is the one who I first entrusted the Yato to at the time who spread the forgery that my creation was solely meant to create a shining future. What a hypocritical fool he turned out to be to the bitter end, especially when he unintentionally took credit for founding the Kingdoms for a time. Raijinto, Fujin Yumi, Siegfried and Brynhildr are the real Death Dealers though, but it is those who wield them who are more the monsters than those they deem as the villains."

"Why my brothers too, then?" Corrin asked bitterly.

"You're not the only one who's noticed the similarities your Brothers of both Nohr and Hoshido have with one another. They each fight for their respective kingdoms with the belief that they can shoulder the burden of their people by spilling as much enemy blood as possible so that the day where their citizens will be called to arms, even the most inexperienced and cowardly will never happen, and with each life they take thousands can be saved. That is the true burden of a hero, not to go to war against villainy itself but to accept that the world favors selfishness over selflessness, and how they must shoulder so much so that the weak won't be forced to become stronger just to survive, for as long as possible before they reach their breaking point and pass their experience to a willing new generation. Humans, Monsters, Gods. They're all alike, victims of the make-believe cycle of the weak die and the strong survive. Of the true futility of life itself that is good vs. evil. They just don't realize it, or worse still they refuse to accept because of their Pride."

"This can't be happening. Why can't you do something about this? You have so much power and wisdom, isn't there a way to fix the world without bloodshed." Corrin begged.

"You don't really think I spent the past two thousand years lying and waiting in this Sanctuary just waiting for challengers to face my trials and earn one of my toys, do you? I tried to save the world, my child. I truly did." The Sage now grows with sadness, recalling darker moments in his life. "You remind me so much of myself, like you, I believed that I could save everyone, that deep down every living being desired truth, justice, peace and love over the contrary, that I could inspire all to work towards one better tomorrow after another and abandoned all wrongdoing with words, trust, respect and kindness, never with strength, force, deceit or discord. I saved so many but every time I failed to save someone and was betrayed by those I thought I could trust, I realized that good, like evil, are short-lived. Everything has a timer. Peace will inevitably end and make way for chaos to take its place, taking Heaven knows how long for peace to reign again. And on and on in an infinite cycle. Some people believe that the answer is to kill all who do evil, leave nothing behind of their corruption but as you can imagine, they end up being worse than those said evils and become someone that deserves death above all others. How I despise men like those. I'm not ashamed to admit that I reveled in watching those men fall so tragically. They always do."

"Then what's to be done, then?" Corrin asked.

"Follow the course of the cycle and bring peace." The Sage declared. "I didn't give you the sword because you are chosen, I gave you the sword because, as hard as it is to understand, I do care about you, Corrin, I've always held the Royalty of Nohr and Hoshido in the highest regard, Garon changes nothing, and I want you to keep them safe, Mikoto included."

"Do I want to know why the sudden interest in Mikoto, exactly?" Corrin asked, extremely curious.

'Though I'm pretty sure I already know why but for some reason… I don't want to hear it.' She thought, feeling something very odd inside her, it's neither content nor contempt, just… she has no words to describe it.

The Sage must've sensed her sudden pause as he gladly ignores her question and continues with what he really wants to say.

"I know it's a lot to ask and understand, but you must fight Nohr, beat Garon into submission and make them agreed to a treaty of Hoshido's benefit, influence Mikoto to agree to provide Nohr with the resources they need to carry on with their lives." He instructed. "Of course you are also thinking that you should warn everyone of the Sins and convince them that they are the true enemy and must band together to destroy them once and for all but as things stand now, it can't be done. Nohr is dead set on conquering Hoshido and the latter would never want to stand side by side. You've seen the hatred Hoshido feels through your new allies, what you want can no longer be done, or perhaps it can, it's all up to you really, and you can, if you still wish for it, follow your heart and do what you see as just."

"How can I defeat Nohr and the Seven when I can't protect those I have left, much less myself?" Corrin asked, seeing no other solution but the one instructed to her right now.

"The answer has been with you from the start." He said as he raises his right hand while it glows with an aquamarine aura, which makes the Yato hover off Corrin's hip and now floats between them horizontally, and from seemingly nowhere, the Fujin Yumi appears and also hovering but above the Yato. Corrin watching silently as the Rainbow Sage is about to perform something, no doubt unlocking the Yato's power.

"I, who forged the sacred blade… I, who committed the great sin… I, who wove the divine colors… I call on you now, Seal of Flames!" By his incantation, the Fujin Yumi radiates with an aquamarine aura with bits of particles coming out of it and raining down on the Yato, causing the blade to radiate with the same aura, and the second to the top slot of the blade is illuminating in sky-blue. The hilt also changes, the crossguard of the sword now has a feather shape, along with a knuckle guard as well.

"The Yato…" Corrin gasped in awe.

"I have unlocked a part of the powers of the Seal of Flames, you now wield the Noble Yato, or Empty Night as it is actually called, though personally out of all the names my masterpiece has been given over the years my favorite is Caelum, which means Heaven or Sky in one of the oldest human languages that works well with Empty Night and really wish they've stuck with that one instead of Yato. And to achieve the entirety of its power you'll have to pull through on your own with what you've got for now." The Rainbow Sage said as he presents the transformed sword and bow to Corrin. "Be sure to return that to your stepbrother."

"Thank you for the help you have provided me Rainbow Sage." Corrin bowed in gratitude.

"Don't thank me child, in truth I haven't provided nearly enough aid to be praised, not for a long time. I have long since discarded myself from the rest of the world." The Sage lamented.

"You've done more than enough for me, asking more would only show more of my weakness and uselessness." Corrin said lowly.

"You torment yourself too much, young one, though it is true that you will continue to suffer more along the journey, never forget you are never alone." He reminds her. "And despite what you might think and even though I choose to remain neutral in this war, should the need arrive and you are in desperate need for more help, know that my doors are open only for you, you need only speak the name… Hydra, and I will be there."

"Hydra." Corrin repeated. "Is that your true name?"

"Once, but not anymore, I've had too many in my lifetime I'm not even sure what my true name is sometimes. I'm just a shadow of who I once was before I allowed my own sorrows to make me throw away everything I loved." The Sage explained.

"Sage…" Corrin uttered with concern for him.

"Enough. Go now and be with your comrades, and if you would allow it, open your heart to them, and hopefully, you'll still have a place to call home in the end." The Sage offered her a bright smile before he places two of his fingers on her forehead. "Shame on me to forget, there are two things left to give."

By his words a circular mark of possible holy light is placed on her forehead that immediately fades away.

"And about your brother, give Takumi another chance, he's in a thousand kinds if pain that while he may have coming, he still doesn't deserve it." With that said, in the blink of an eye, the Sage vanishes from her sight and she finds herself surprisingly back in the Astral Plane.

"Corrin, you're back." Ryoma spoke from behind her and she sees all who came with her back to the sanctuary have also been warped back into the Astral Plane.

"How did we end up back here?!" Mikoto asked in astonishment, only now realizing that they're back in Lilith's domain.

"Old man is full of surprises." Robin noted.

"The Yato has changed shape." Ryoma said taking notice the changes done to the Yato blade.

"Yeah, the Rainbow Sage did what we wanted and unlocked a portion of my sword's power, and apparently the Fujin Yumi is also a key of sorts that he used to do so." Corrin explained as she focuses her gaze at her ''new'' blade, the Noble Yato.

"Truly? Then my Raijinto must also be capable of the same feat." Ryoma said astonished.

"Yeah but he neglected to tell me how to use the other Great Sacred Treasures for that. In fact, aside from offering me words of wisdom and a description of his past experience he didn't give me the chance to ask him any more questions about our other mysteries. Like, is the reason why he doesn't age is because he's a dragon too? Is he the reason why Lilith feels compel to stay away, and if that's the case, why is he keeping her away when he was so excited to finally meet me because I can turn into a dragon instead of being interested in the actual Dragon? Why is he interested in Mikoto? Why am I suddenly the center of attention in this War when all I want right now is to have an awesome life with my two families and finally have a boyfriend without people butting in at my business?!" She muttered with complete frustrations.

"What was that part about me?" Mikoto asked caught off guard.

"That's not really important right now." Corrin brushed her off.

"I disagree. I have had lots of secret admirers over the years and I would like to meet one of them at a personal level for once."

"MOTHER!" All of Mikoto's children, minus Corrin, and Takumi, who's absent, cried for a variety of reasons, either because they are embarrassed, unsettled, or the most obvious is not yet comfortable with the idea of Mikoto moving on with someone else.

"Oh, come on, I'm merely curious is all." She muttered.

"Ignoring that. What's our next move?" Corrin asked Ryoma.

"There is still much that needs to be done in Cheve but for now I say it's time we return to Hoshido and mobilize our army and activate the Throne's power to restore our barrier." The High Prince declared. "After that, I think we could all use the time we have to consort with our families and the rest of our comrades because when we are ready we will march in and attack Nohr head-on!"

"Finally." Hinoka tightened her grip as this assault was a long time coming.

"Guys? How did you get back here?" Lilith questioned as she comes in, baffled on how they enter the Deeprealm without her knowledge. "I didn't even hear you outside, much less feel anyone near my mark."

"The Rainbow Sage happened." Corrin replied, keeping the answer short.

"He can travel across time and space?" Lilith uttered. "But… no human should be able to-"

"Yeah, yeah, we already established that he may be a dragon." Corrin shrugged.

"You mean a… Precursor?" Lilith guessed with a hint of curiosity and nervousness.

"I don't want to address the subject right now; I just want something to brighten the mood." Corrin uttered depressed.

"I have some good news for both you and Lilith." Robin spoke up.

"Of course you do." Corrin smiles at him with bliss due to the mere promise of good news. "Anyhow, how's Takumi?"

"He's become unresponsive, which is to be expected given what he's endured. His will is broken but not beyond repair, he just needs time to rest and clear his head." Lilith informed. "Also, make sure he no longer feels inadequate, which is easier said than done at the moment."

"Why would you say that?" Ryoma asked, concern.

"Oh, hey guys." Mozu greeted them all back with a more cheerful tone than most of them are used to. Granted, the little villager is a kind spirit but she never spoke to any of them with such an energetic tone before.

"Ah, hello again Mo… zu…" Corrin's happy reply is cut mid-sentence upon seeing the small villager and left flabbergasted, along with everyone else as they see her with her arms upwards as she is lifting a giant golden statue of the Dawn Dragon, exactly identical to the one located in the center of Suzanoh in honor of Hoshido's founder and patron deity, down to the tiniest detail. Plus Takumi, Oboro and Hinata are sitting on top of it, the Prince looking very awkward, the Spear Fighter neutral and the Samurai looks entertained.

"What the hell have you been feeding her Lilith? And why haven't I had any yet?!" Corrin mumbled in shock.

"Nothing, I just spent the past couple of days helping Mozu unlock the dragonic potential of the Stone Dragon within her in a safe but accelerated rate. Granted I was reluctant to do it at first since the costs were risky but then I figured the Light Scroll's holy qualities could help decrease the risk rate, and Mozu was insistent upon it so we went along with it and now I have unlocked her Super Strength." Lilith explained cheerfully.

"Super Strength is an understatement. Don't dragon sculptures of the Dawn Dragon usually weight over a hundred or more tons?" Hayato questioned with total shock, same as Sakura and pretty much the least physically capable members.

"It feels more like a bag of carrots to me." Mozu smiled, not looking like she's putting any effort at all into lifting the statue.

"Oh dear." Azura uttered.

"Wow… this sure is something, makes you wonder how the Earth Tribe ever lost to Nohr in the first place." Rinkah mused very impress.

"This is quite the spectacle to be sure." Ryoma said while dropping a single sweat. "But what are those three doing up there?"

"Well, after Mozu started lifting weights at an inhuman scale I thought it might be fun to let Mozu carry us as well and it kind of is." Hinata explained.

"I sure feel like I can split a mountain in two." Mozu said, growing increasingly overconfident.

"Slow down there little Mozu, your powers are impressive but don't go getting ahead of yourself just yet, after all, we have yet to fully grasps the limit on how long you can use this strength. Super Strength depended on Mana is largely inconsistent." Robin advised.

"You would know, your muscles feel limitless at times." Corrin argued.

"Need I remind you that Xander bested me in the end." Robin countered.

"Only because you let your guard down because of my corruption."

"Hey, how about you Robin? We don't know how strong you really are when your magic powers have been restored." Mozu asked. "Why not try and lift this big o dragon as well."

"That's not really…" Robin goes silence once he notices everyone back far away from him at the same time that Takumi and his retainers jump off the dragon statue. "Guys…"

"Okay, catch!" Mozu cheered as she throws the statue upwards over eighty feet in the air as it falls directly at Robin, who doesn't bother to run away.

"This is ridiculous." Robin muttered as he quickly raises his hands and easily catches the golden dragon and is able to lift this much weight like Mozu, and of course, the impact of such a massive structure falling like that cause the ground to show cracks. "Was this really necessary?"

"Magic Strength, it's a beautiful thing." Orochi smirked.

"I agree." Corrin smiled with amusement to see Robin's strength in a much ''safer'' manner.

"Ah… Corrin. Y-You're tail is… b-back." Sakura said, noting that Corrin's tail manifested again and is flapping, earning her a few chuckles from the rest of her friends.

"Are you kidding me!" Corrin cried indignantly.

"My, my, Lady Corrin, for a Water Dragon you sure are… thirsty." Azama mocked, insinuating that her tail is more so a clear sign that she is turned on by Robin's strength for mature contents. This riles up the said hormone princess as she has had enough with this disrespectful monk and raises her 'new' sword with the aim to bisect him regardless of the abysmally questionable protests of the others.

Robin is the first to oppose her as he places the golden statue between Corrin and her prey to stop her but she does not relent as she swings the holy sword, making a clean and swift cut, combined with a powerful gust of wind remarkably similar to the Fujin Yumi that blows the upper portion of the dawn dragon up skyward until it is no longer in sight, leaving practically everyone baffled.

"Damn, even the Raijinto can't cut gold so easily." Saizo noted with him also impress.

"Is it… coming back down?" Hana asked.

"Doubt it, anything thrown far enough away from the extent of my domain, from any direction will be lost forever in the endless void of this dimension." Lilith explained while noting her master who's still volatile towards the Monk and is being restraint by Robin.

---

The Rainbow Sage or Hydra leaves himself alone on his Sevenfold Sanctuary once again, back to staring at the Dragon God portrait, though he is sure that Corrin will be coming back as her true trials are about to begin and she is going to need all the help she can get with what lies ahead.

"Finally able to talk to her was more fulfilling than I imagined." He smiled with a joy he never thought he could feel again. "There is still so much I have to tell you, Corrin, but not like this and not in this path. Maybe next time… my daughter."

"Love seeketh not itself to please, Nor itself hath any care, But for another gives its ease, And builds a Heaven in Hell's despair." The Sage is not alone as he thought as there is an intruder who manages to enter abruptly but the Sage is not worried as he was expecting his arrival and recognizes that quote all too well. He turns around and notices that it is the mysterious man that Corrin crossed paths with before, Quill. "A fool sees not the same tree…"

"… that a wise man sees." Hydra finished his next quote, familiar with all of them in that epic. "How long has it been this time?"

"Too long." Quill gestured as he looks at the Sage with a gentle smile. "I came as soon as I could once I felt the barrier around your home to keep unholy entities finally broke, from the inside no less."

"I need no one's aid to keep monsters away from my property." Hydra replied.

"As usual you misunderstand, I came here only to observe the show personally." Quill corrected. "It must've been quite the bliss, old friend, to finally hold your half-breed child in your arms like that but it wasn't the long-overdue conversation we wanted you to discuss, and quite incomplete since you purposely ignored your woman, as well as kept the other child away."

"It was not the right time. Too much has been thrown her way too soon and she is still recovering from the grip of Wrath. Knowing the truth about me would only further worsen her condition." Hydra said bitterly.

"Indeed, for it is not her heart that lies in ruins, but her soul, however, we both know that this was more to spare yourself the burden of answering the questions you're not ready to answer for her and her mother." Quill said, knowing there was another reason for him keeping quiet.

"And suddenly this side of me is considered in the wrong as well?" Hydra questioned, though not unkindly or accusatory.

"That day, when you and your family were forced out of your home, you made a very reckless decision to stay behind and hold off the Evil Within so that your wife, newborn daughter, sister in law and niece would have a higher chance of escaping without resistance but it turned out to be a foolish choice, followed by making a second foolish decision to make sure neither of them would come looking for you, and now both sisters are unknowingly aiming their arrows and tomes at each other's throats." Quill monologued in a lecturing tone. "Even after seeing and getting to know their nieces they can't tell the resemblance, there are gaps in their hearts and can't make sense of it, only act in accordance with their new duties. It's ironic that YOU would have a habit of making unwise decisions, you who were once renounced as the wisest of us all outside of Naga's dominion."

"I never planned on leaving that place, I got out due to sheer luck and by the time I got out she had already moved on and built a new family. There was no longer a place for me in their lives." Hydra said solemnly.

"So you say." Quill said as he takes a step next to him as they both return to look at the portrait, it's sight is so intoxicating to them. "Another topic then, why did you wait so long to force the two Sins out of Notre Sagesse? To see the Reborn Hero in action while he uses more of his power this time?"

"And if that was the case?" Hydra replied with another question.

"It was quite the risk, seeing what Envy had put Corrin through, you know."

"I knew the Warmaster would come to her aid, as he has done for all the other Lords he's served in the past, and if he hadn't, I would have." Hydra commented. "But the real reason was to get young Takumi to finally pull that stick off his arse. Envy may have been in control but she was acting under his own jealous hate."

Quill chuckles at this. "Without contraries is no progression. Attraction and Repulsion, reason and energy, love and hate, are necessary to human existence. It is easier to forgive an enemy than to forgive a friend." He makes two quotes that may best describe Hydra's meaning. "Is that how it is?"

"I never liked Sumeragi and both his sons have inherited his worse traits. His friendship with Garon would've never had changed anything because he was more a pawn than a king." Hydra admitted.

"How unlike you to give in to Envy." Quill continued to chuckle in amusement over this reaction. "A single human life is like a leaf blocking a small river and sometimes letting the river flow could end badly, like a thread of fate being cut. Kingdoms have always been Mankind's most bothersome miscreations, a bad trait that gods learned from them. Nohr and Hoshido have too much power, and thus both are meant to bring more harm than good. Wars are forever, so this battle was always meant to be. It matters not who is good but who is the lesser evil. The Seven Deadly Sins matter not."

"If you had done your part as we agreed then things could've ended for the better and we could've saved them all." Hydra lectured.

"I told you, this is all an experiment, let it walk its course." Quill insisted.

"And if the results are not to our liking?" Hydra asked.

"That will be my problem, you focus on what you do best, and wait." Quill instructed.

"I take offense to that." Hydra muttered.

"A lot of things do as of late but that is to be expected where our lives have led us." He gestured as he pats Hydra in the shoulder. "So, did the Strategician live up to your expectations while up against a true challenge."

"At his current state he is the only one who can stand up to the strength of the Sins but he cannot defeat a single one of them alone, not without his full powers." Hydra analyzed. "That gem can aid in his recovery but with his continued refusal to use Reficul, Corrin's chances of stopping the true enemy are slim. Fortunately, with the power of Caelum in its Empty Night form, the rejuvenation of his powers can be done much more smoothly and faster and it's only a matter of time before Corrin decides to return the blade to her true chosen wielder."

"No surprise, the Breath of Ruin left a real number on his soul before he finally broke free but his survival was a fluke, Hel will come to collect, she always does." Quill noted.

"If she does, I hope she can hold off until the end of this conflict." Hydra hoped.

"I wouldn't hold my breath; the Tactician has cheated Death more times than any other heroes tied to any of the Fire Emblems. Hel's furious, and so is Fate."

"Then let's make them angrier." Hydra insisted as he walks away from the shrine, causing Quill to show a smug.

---

"So, how does this work exactly?" Corrin asked, staring at the Throne of Hoshido as she and her allies have returned to Castle Shirasagi and must activate the Dragon Vein in the Throne in order to reactivate Mikoto's barrier, the problem is they have no idea how to do it, they have the Yato with some of its powers restored with the Rainbow Sage even stating that it will be enough but he neglected to mention how to do it.

"Well… I don't really know myself as I said, no one has ever been able to use it for centuries, so far all we know about it is stories of its power to cleanse any form of corruption." Mikoto explained.

"You sure the Rainbow Sage didn't say anything that could indicate how your sword can do the deed?" Hinoka asked.

"Yes, Hinoka, I thought I made myself clear, we spent most of the time discussing our world views and his take on the war before he did this to Yato and seem too keen on dodging all my other questions." Corrin mostly repeated herself. "Guess despite his kind words he really has lost his faith in humanity."

"Can't say I blame him, given the circumstances." Ryoma sighed. "Still, we may not need his guidance to get this done since we know where it is."

"Yeah, it's power is all over the chair, and it always feels intense when we sit in it." Hinoka said as all who can use Dragon Veins can easily sense it's power before them.

"Try sitting on the throne, Cor, the Noble Yato within inches of it may be enough to trigger a reaction." Robin suggested.

"Really, that's it? Just sit on the magic throne and it'll magically fix everything?" Corrin surmised. "Feels anticlimactic."

"Magic, in general, is anticlimactic, and last time I checked it's sort of our thing." Robin reminded.

"No, magic is your thing, Rob, I have an aptitude for it but nothing ever developed." Corrin corrected with a smile. "It's half my fault for being such a poor student and half Leo's for being a poor teacher."

"Maybe you should focus your efforts on the healing arts instead and learn magic with rods and staves." Robin suggested. "They're not easier to master but way more… 'stable' than tomes shall we say."

"I just might do that, if Sakura is willing to teach." Corrin joked, making the Priestess gasps at the implication.

"ME?! B-B-But… I'm not that g-great. I'll just s-slow you down." Sakura uttered.

"She's too modest for her own good." Mikoto chuckled as she gives Sakura a comforting hug. The joke lightens up the almost troubled mood because of the current predicament. "Though, if you need someone to teach you how to channel the magic of the rods I will be more than happy to do it." The mother offered.

"I was joking, I'm fine with just being a swordswoman." Corrin shrugged.

"Oh…" Mikoto whispered, disappointed. She enjoyed training Sakura how to be a healer, the chance to teach Corrin what she knows would be a dream come true, of course, that pales in comparison to wanting her to finally call her mother, which she has yet to do, to her chagrin and sorrow.

"Well, let's give it a shot." Corrin said as she steps forward and sits on the throne meant only for Kings and Queens of Hoshido and she must admit it feels pretty good. It feels very comfortable and remarkable to sit on, though at the same time it felt wrong for her, likely because she never saw herself as a Queen due to how accustomed she is of the status as the middle child of five, then again, every prince and princess must be prepared should they ever need to take the throne at a moment's notice, though deep down she prayed that she would never take on such responsibilities.

'Better me than letting Leo or Elise have to bear the burden of it all, or in this case Takumi or Sakura.' Corrin mused to herself. This odd sensation also feels different from what she had once expected as well, probably because of the Dragon Vein she is now sitting on top off, sure she was vaguely told before that the Throne of Nohr has magical powers of its own, though no one during her time in the fortress ever mentioned anything about a vein there is definitely a power in that particular throne that's also not of human origin.

All attention focuses on the Noble Yato as the blade's sky-blue glow brightens, indicating that it is resonating with something, no doubt with the Throne.

"The sword… it's working." Hinoka noted with a hopeful smile as the aura the sword is generating spreads to Corrin's body and later the entire throne and that's when the Princess begins to truly feel the Dragon Vein in a way that she never has before. No doubt about it now, this one is different from the rest the Dawn Dragon created all around the lands that make up Hoshido, this feels exactly like the one that creates the Great Wall in Cheve. The focal point that binds them all together, the first among them, the Alpha and it's power is amazing.

"Okay, now what? This isn't like before where I could just channel the power to one location, we're talking about purging an entire country of a magical blight." Corrin asked.

"You got me there, this is quite a pickle." Robin said trying to come up with something. "Just focus your thoughts on the desire to remove the corruption wrought to Hoshido by the Blight Dragon and hopefully the Yato will do the rest."

"That seems kind of basic." Corrin noted.

"I'm always open to the opinions of others." He replied and Corrin ultimately decides to go with the flow as she lifts the Noble Yato, and this triggered something as the sword fires a sort of beam into the ceiling but causes no sort of damage but spreads far and wide across probably the castle for several seconds before it faded and only the Sacred Treasure retains the glow.

"Well… that was something." Robin uttered.

"Did it work?" Ryoma asked hopeful and desperate.

"I have no idea, I just had the throne's power spread for what I wanted it to do, and that's usually all there is to it." Corrin said. "This is really something only the barrier's creator can confirm."

"It's too soon to say anything bared fruit, I definitely felt a great and blissful power run on a rampant around us but the Blight has imbedded itself so much into the Kingdom's environment that I'm sure we need more time before we can give the all clear to reforge my barrier." Mikoto affirmed. "But for now I can say for certain that you'd done your part spectacularly, Corrin."

"Great, so now what?" Corrin asked.

"Nothing except have all of you rest up while I and mother tend to the people and troops, as well as assemble the council to discuss our latest political crisis." Ryoma said with mild irritation on that last part for obvious reasons as he bids his family a short bye before departing.

"We're not going to hear the end of the Opera House, are we?" Azura muttered.

"What'd you children think." Mikoto said very sternly for a brief moment before returning to a softer tone and gives Azura a comforting hug to reassure her that everything will be alright. "You've all been pushing yourselves so hard ever since this madness started and even though you've all rested long enough, I suggest you enjoy yourselves some more, no doubt things will get considerably worse."

"Well if we must." Corrin sighed. "Hey, is there a bigger room for three that I can take for myself?"

"Of course, but why not rest up in your old room again, I even had it cleaned up finally for you to feel more comfortable?" Mikoto said.

"I appreciate that but Lilith and Mozu will be staying in the castle for now and I rather keep them close by, mainly when we sleep." Corrin explained.

"Ah, I see your reasoning." Mikoto surmised. "I have just the one, we can go check on it."

"Sure." Corrin nodded, and then turn to Robin. "So, what was this good news you were talking about, Rob?"

"It's better to show you, I'll be right back." Robin said as he takes his leave.

"Can't I just go with you?"

"Nah, you go and prepare a room for Lilith and Mozu, I would like some time to myself right now anyway." Robin shrugged.

"You've had plenty of time to yourself." Corrin reminded.

"No, I spent the last twelve hours struggling to survive while babysitting Azura and getting out of a city on the brink of collapse and marched back to you while stopping to make dealings with criminals, rescued your mom, again and fought off a Sinner all while having an almost unhealable wound that only a dragon could mend so I believe I'm entitled to some me time right now."

"Unhealable wound? You got injured by Siegfried!" Corrin gasped horrified as he and Azura neglected to mention that part to her.

"See you later Corrin." The Tactician waved her off and uses his new Warp Tome to vanish from the throne room, already long gone.

"Hey get back here! Son of… a bitch…" Corrin cursed while sighing exasperatedly.

"I feel like you two should go to couple's therapy." Hinoka suggested, half-jokingly and half-serious.

"I think an asylum is the better place for him to be in." Azura replied noticeably unkind.

"Well, at least there's someone who understands what I'm dealing with." Corrin muttered.

"I know more than even you, Corrin. I know more than even you." Azura sighed to herself as she too walks away from the Queen and three Princesses, still complying with Robin's request to keep quiet about his secret but in her own frustrations she said too much and must leave.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Corrin asked completely caught on by Azura's words about knowing more about Robin. "WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?!"

"This is the most awkward I've ever felt." Hinoka muttered.

"Eh, I've seen way more unstable couples." Mikoto shrugged, amusingly.

---

Using the Warp Tome, Robin teleports to the prison located in the far west side of Suzanoh, the many prisoners of war have been placed there along with the typical criminals Hoshido deals with. Robin will never say it to any Hoshidan's face but the prison in Krakenburg is smaller in comparison to the one in Suzanoh and less crowded, even before the war. Probably because Nohrian Wardens are rumored to kill off their prisoners after three strikes of insubordination but now that he thinks about it, King Garon figured that if he can't control the psychopaths that run amok in Nohr than he can at least control the criminal underworld and has had his most trusted ''scumbags'' gain a high position among the many crime lords in an attempt to gain the golden opportunity to snuff them out and has been pretty successful thus far, especially since Leo and his right-hand man Zero got in the darker business. Guess Hoshido has a more level of tolerance towards inmates. Not that it's a bad thing but during his time in Nohr, Robin has noticed how crime in their cities is considerably low, sure, you can chalk it up to Nohrian brutality plus Grimm but based on what he has heard, crimes have been under control during Garon's time as Crown Prince, even then he had brutal tactics when it came to handling those viewed by the public as villains when he was more calm and nicer, believe it or not.

Not many talk about the crime rates in Hoshido, the whole country looks so peaceful that crimes also feel nonexistent but no kingdom is perfect and no country thrives without corruption and moral compromises, if Hoshido was the exception, there wouldn't be any real need for an army with so much quantity and quality like the one Corrin's stepfamily controls, the ones Robin is especially wary of is the military branch that work in the shadows, such as the Ninjas, the ones who do all the dirty work that the public best not know about and if the antagonism Nohr gives is to be taken even a little bit seriously then Robin has enough reason to not be spotted by them when he sneaks in to the prison. He's not really supposed to be here since they want to make sure none of the captured Nohrians get in and out and are so strict about it that two prisoners were executed simply because they were caught seemingly trying to unlock their cells when it was visibly obvious that the depowered Warlock was just venting his frustrations on the lock and had no skills for lockpicking but he and his cellmate were used just to make an example to the rest regardless. Robin does not dare use his new status as a royal guard member to authorize coming here due to how new he is to all this and he is just as unpopular with the masses and army as Corrin for the same reason Saizo was so antagonistic towards him, simply being loyal to Corrin, who is viewed with the biggest mix baggage he has ever seen is enough to earn him too many frowns and scowls to receive cooperation with anyone and while he could just ask the higher-ups he is now affiliated with to waltz in here without bother there are regulations that must be followed before any prisoner can be released, especially with the current crisis and this is important so he'll have to sneak them out. Sure, this is a bad idea for so many reasons but he'll make do with the backlashes afterwards.

"Sorry I took so long you two, but a lot's happened and there wasn't enough time or chances to give you leeway given your nationalizations." Robin said apologetically as he warps into the cell where the two he's come for have been placed.

"You have a lot to apologize for, you gibbering oaf." One of them said with contempt.

"Always a pleasure to see you too." Robin sighed annoyed.

"Can we please just get out of here, I heard about prison and it's not nice." The Female pleaded scared.

---

"Here you go, nice and new for you and your little friends." Mikoto introduced Corrin to the new room she requested, it doesn't look too different from her own room, except that it's bigger, enough for five people actually but Corrin can't complain since she's way too used to the whole 'bigger is better' and 'better is bigger' as Camilla always liked to phase it. Though now that she thinks about it, Camilla was more likely talking about axes and wyverns, and Escanor is actually bigger than the average sub-dragon. Yeah, that makes much more sense, but the point still stands that she's too accustomed to sleeping in a room big enough for more than one person. She just hopes Mozu doesn't get too overwhelmed by being in such a big place, she already feels insignificant enough as it is. Or rather she did until she discovered her ancestral origin and now feels loud and larger than life, which is good for her. Maybe a little bit.

"Well, what do you think? Will your little friend and the honorific dragon find this to their liking?" Mikoto asked, showing her around.

"I can't speak for Mozu just yet but Lilith won't mind even if she prefers the typical household expected of a stable girl." Corrin said liking the room.

"I still cannot fathom it, a newborn of the ancient sacred race of dragons who govern over dimensions and souls, hiding in plain sight and pretending to be a simple little girl getting by." Mikoto said amazed once she saw Lilith for the first time, sure she lacks the magnificent appearance that is expected of a dragon but her power is the real deal, merely hearing about her from her children was awestruck enough, seeing her was something else entirely, yet at the same time so familiar. "You are blessed to be surrounded and protected by such powerful beings."

"Power is something I was expected to control practically my whole life, for one reason or another." Corrin shrugged, never really taking into consideration how protective the people around her are not just because of some royal status. "I'm more concern with just getting by and not get tangled up with so much of this chaos and get this side of the cycle over with."

"Cycle?" Mikoto repeated.

"The Rainbow Sage, he… he told me much of his world views and how he perceives the never-ending struggle between order and chaos. All of it tied together in a cycle with a timer to how long peace can last before chaos takes a turn and what must be done for peace to reign once again. And now it's my turn to keep the cycle going and follow the path to peace." Corrin explained while looking down at the sword passed down to her by some strange destiny.

"The Sage? How…?"

"No, I don't know and I don't care if he's interested in you." Corrin shrugged.

"That's not at all what I meant!" Mikoto cried while raising her hands up innocently and blushing. "What I meant to say is what was he like? Ryoma never wanted to talk about what he went through in the Sanctuary, heck at the time I didn't want to know, all I could think of was how to properly punish him since he left for the island without my permission as soon as he learned that Prince Xander passed the trial and felt an obvious sting of jealousy that he would never admit. He was immature too as well when he was exactly your age and younger."

"He seemed sad and lonely. Like he lost everything important to him and the will to live but for some reason he keeps clinging on to life waiting for something or someone." Corrin explained from her perspective what she believes Hydra is like. "I couldn't see his eyes because of whatever blackness is covering the top of his face aside from the hood but I could feel it when he hugged me. He was feeling what I felt that day, except for him it was as if hope was returning. Is Immortality really a blessing, or a curse."

"Despair is something I think we can all relate to, that kind of horror, no matter how small can consume even the brightest of stars." Mikoto said empathizing with whatever Hydra is going through. "The day I lost you and Sumeragi was not the first time I fell victim to so much pain."

"Huh." Corrin muttered turning his attention to Mikoto.

"You probably learned this from Reina but I did not originate from Hoshido, you and I are foreigners of Horus, we hail from a land I have no memory of." Mikoto revealed.

"No memory of. What happened?" Corrin asked.

"There are gaps in my memory, decades of my life gone. I remember my youth fondly, my parents, my friends and the beautiful place I called home. The joy I feel of recalling these events but also the pain of not knowing about them is almost palpable, the ignorance on why we're not there anymore is what hurts the most, combined with the fact that I cannot remember what my sister even looked like, those gaps are minor but still impossible to get a clear view."

"What about my father?" Corrin asked sounding very nervous and is disappointed by the shook Mikoto gives.

"Everything about him eludes me as well, all I remember is the warmth and happiness he made me feel when he held me close. You're all I have left of him and the life that was stolen from me. I know it was stolen, all of it." Mikoto said with more sadness visible in her face as she held her hands close. "Sumeragi was my one chance and hope to start all over. I admit that the circumstances that led to our relationship weren't… professional and embarrassing shall we say, but I did love him ever so much, and he I. His loss alone would've been more than I could take, the only reason why I remained as queen even though I was but a consort was that Ryoma was too young and scared to become king back then. Even still, I give anything to finally step down from this position, it's all too much. My failures don't outweigh my successes, I can assure you. But this isn't me." She said bitterly, turning away from her daughter looking at herself in the mirror, not appreciating her royal status at all.

Silence overtakes the room and mother and daughter remain still, not saying a word for what felt like years, even though they're only seconds, the tension between the two is as high as ever and the discussion before them is long overdue. Eventually, Corrin tries to muster the courage to speak next.

"Qu…" She meant to say Queen Mikoto but hesitates, getting second thoughts.

'I'm your mother! Call me Mother! Please!' Mikoto wanted to scream ever since Corrin came back and refused to acknowledge her as such but instead, she repeatedly forced herself to smile. Smile and smile and smile until the mask initially breaks and falls off.

The long-awaited family reunion was not at all what like she and her stepchildren wanted it to be, the long lost Princess of Hoshido had returned a completely different person, a far cry from who they wanted her to be. She had done all she could to help her remember her past, regardless of how small she was, she was old enough to remember enough to believe every word they told and showed her. Mikoto's smile felt like cracking from her face if she held it any longer when she showed Corrin to her old room and she examined the drawings she made like they were someone else's. How silent she was during the whole tour, lost in thought, and she found that while she could always tell what her stepchildren were thinking, she had no idea what was going on through Corrin's mind. It's so unnerving, not knowing her own daughter at all, she wanted to scream. She wanted to sob. She wanted to go back in time and never let her go. But she couldn't do any of those, and instead hid how her words had been bolts to her heart, how Corrin's subtle but still noticeable scoffs of disgust when she learned how there are always leftovers from the food Hoshido have. The same look of disgust Nohrians threw her way when they scream and complain of their famine. How she was so much like them. How it infuriated her as any Hoshidan would by how alike she was to them. For so long she thought her daughter had been reduced to a miserable prisoner in Nohr, deprived of her humanity but once she learned from Kaze that she was actually raised among their nobility as a princess, it was both an inconceivable shock and massive relief that at least she was treated as her daughter should. But why? Why would Garon take her as his own child? Out of some sick pleasure of raising her to kill her own family and countrymen? No, there's more to it than that.

With what Corrin's become, even if it really isn't bad, it still hurt her to see her look at her true family like they were the strangers and not the Nohrians, so much so that Mikoto would wait until she was alone in her room chamber to finally shed her tears and cry herself to sleep ever since Corrin came back.

Dinners were always awkward affairs now with all of them tiptoeing around each other. The simple truth was that Corrin just didn't fit into Hoshido. They even offered her Hoshidan outfits, lovely kimonos that Oboro made and armors meant for Princesses and Queens, and she had taken them, too polite to say no but never wore them except when her Nohrian armor needed cleaning. She seemed to care for it way too much and refused to be away from it for too long. It has sentimental value, no doubt but who gave it to her to be so protective? Hopefully not Garon, otherwise she would've been tempted to have it destroyed regardless of getting into a heartbreaking argument with Corrin. Queen Arete perhaps? Even though she has never seen her face, Mikoto has enough respect for her not to be so hostile regardless of who her husband is and would think twice about destroying something so stylish she might have made for the young woman they both call daughter.

Corrin tried to obey their laws and customs but there were so many things she forgot, so many obvious things a native would never forget, which proves how far gone she really is. At the very least she held no real hostility against Hoshido, as reluctant as she was to accept them, she tried to put some effort into getting to know them but there was just too much tension and uncertainty going on. She seemed most at east with Sakura, showing a smile whenever she got close and in general taking on the role of a big sister, that made Mikoto so happy, until she remembered that Nohr has the young Princess Elise, despite being shorter is actually a year or two older than Sakura who Mikoto must admit is the most adorable and cheerful child she'd ever laid eyes on as she caught a glance of her and Crown Prince Xander during a trip she took to Nestra for a meeting with King Alexander. Corrin no doubt treated her with the same loving embrace, which soured the mood for Mikoto. And she was especially nice to Azura, no doubt because of the same circumstances they both experience so they naturally see each other as kindred spirits but still she kept her distance from the Songstress for one reason or another, which made Mikoto sadder quite honestly.

Corrin was warily curious and friendly towards Ryoma and Hinoka. Those two have been waiting years for the chance to apologize to her but as strong a front as they put, they couldn't take it either as it didn't feel right when they confessed while she didn't remember them. They wanted her to actually forgive them, not pretend to or think she was obligated, and she completely felt as such solely out of pity for their sorrows but she certainly wasn't genuine about it. So instead they tried to bond with her in one of the few ways that was easy for them. Through sparring. It seemed to work; Mikoto would drop by their matches and she'd see them enjoying themselves so at least they knew how to pass the time so long as it was together, though Hinoka struggled not to complain how Nohrian Corrin's fighting style was but on that Mikoto nor Ryoma have a problem with because all they cared about was that Corrin knew how to defend herself and no matter what Hoshido thinks, there's no denying that Nohr's warriors are formidable and trained well.

Takumi didn't like Corrin at all, and Corrin could tell instantly and Mikoto knew right away why. The young Prince is largely upset that the sister he barely remembered, the sister whose return had been a dream for them wasn't just a stranger but a complete foreigner, just like they both were once before. So he became prickly, harsh, suspicious, glaring and made it clear that in his mind, his real sister had died with Sumeragi at Cyrkensia. And Corrin definitely didn't care at all for Takumi either, though she didn't reciprocate the hostility she certainly felt sorely tempted to do so out of distaste for him and made it just as blatant that she wanted nothing to do with Takumi and avoided him like a plague.

For her part, Mikoto wasn't really sure how to really interact with Corrin, and while she did engage in conversation with her, they were laughably shorter than she would've wanted and instead slipped into the shadows watching her from afar. She knows it was no way to rebuild their relationship but she had been so caught up by the new person she was and needed just as much time as everyone else.

But while Nohr was her biggest obstacle from Corrin, the only issue she had at the moment was Robin. The actual foreigner, he was nice and did nothing to earn their hostility but Mikoto couldn't help but resent him by how close Corrin was to him, when she's not avoiding everyone she hides behind the curious Mage who knows his way with words and a blade and has him do the talking and come up with excuses to drive people away when she returns to thinking about her Nohrian Family. Ryoma and Hinoka felt the same way but were more subtle about it than Mikoto, and Takumi seemed to resent him the most, a clear sign that deep down he DOES want to trust Corrin and views Robin as a sort of threat as well for them to rebuilt and the young man definitely noticed as his eyes are keener than most Ninja Masters and certainly felt uncomfortable but did nothing nor said anything due to empathizing with their sadness, and even when Kaze informed her that Robin was more convinced than Corrin about her place in Hoshido and the two started talking about perhaps trying harder to adjust here Mikoto still couldn't let go of her envy at how Corrin was using him as an emotional clutch. It was only after Robin sided with them that Mikoto truly began to open up to him and accept his aid in the Twilight War.

The Queen doesn't even want to think of what would've happened if Robin had returned her to Nohr and what this would've done to her family. He would've been hunted down and executed, that part is obvious enough and Corrin returned and most likely dragged back in chains this time. Robin only brought her back at Corrin's request because she chose to side with Hoshido but when Ryoma explained to her in better detail how it all went down in Kurosaki, Mikoto was devastated because she had finally come to accept how much Corrin loves the Nohrian Royals and how standing against them is destroying her and wasn't in the right state of mind when she sided with them. The family she knew all her life or the family she barely knows but can never be with both? How can anyone make such a choice and not feel remorse regardless of who the real bad guy is? What would Mikoto have done if Corrin had willingly chosen to remain in Nohr, apart from being more heartbroken? She prays the answers will never come as her hatred for Nohr has mostly been replaced with pity on how she feels now.

The question now is, with how far they have come and how much farther they have to go, will Corrin follow through with them to the end no matter how much it hurts?

"I… I'm sorry." Corrin finally spoke up with more courage this time.

"You're… sorry?" Mikoto asked confused by this new scenario and turns around to get a clearer view of her daughter.

"I know I'm not what you wanted me to be once I was forced back here and that I've done nothing but hurt you. And… I don't know what I can say to make up for that except that I'm sorry. And it isn't just you who I've hurt but so many others." Corrin said remorsefully.

"Oh, Corrin, what right do I have to receive apologies when I too hurt you as well and first." Mikoto said bitterly and remorseful herself. "Neither you nor I are free from blame and no matter how much we want to nothing can erase the things we did for the paths we took were no different. My dreams made me blind and mute, I longed to return to those times and kept onwards to a dream that benefited me more than anyone. If only it were easy to forgive and forget when what's gone is forever lost but now all we can do is live and hope that the future will be a brighter one."

"I don't see a bright future for me on the other side of the tunnel rather or not we win this war." Corrin said while she turns to the window in the room and looks at the whole city of Suzanoh. "I haven't been here for long but I just can't shake the feeling that I'll never fit in with those in this kingdom or get it into my head that these are my people."

"I felt the same way when I first set foot in Hoshido but that thing about finding a new home, or in your case ending up in a new place to be your home is that it's like taking a Leap of Faith." Mikoto advised. "I made peace with my past or lack thereof with a new life in Hoshido but it wasn't easy, Hoshidans are at their core people, and people can be monsters when you don't have their trust."

"Something I am going through right now." Corrin muttered with the issue regarding the people's distrust of her having yet to be addressed. "What exactly are they saying about me."

"Some are willing and already do trust you either because of your dragonic nature or out of trust for the rest of the family since all still believe you are Sumeragi's daughter." Mikoto said more openly since she knows keeping her in the dark about this would do her no good. "Many more are afraid of you for reasons not even I can fault them for and are questioning your choice to side with us, as well if you really are my daughter and demand far too much, your incarceration or execution being the most common."

"Guess I shouldn't be surprised, after all, I still see myself as Nohrian, no matter what anyone says to contradict me." Corrin said somberly as she returns to face Mikoto. "I will always have remorse for abandoning Nohr; however, I will strive to get them out of their famine crisis, and first I must walk the destiny the Rainbow Sage presented me with. I will protect Hoshido by fighting against the true country that I love. I wish I could say that I will endure the burden my actions will bring but I was never strong where it counted to begin with."

"Then don't bear the burden of it all alone." Mikoto said warmly as she wraps her arms around her into a hug. "Even if the world turns against you, even if you don't fully accept it, know that I won't ever turn my back on you, not ever."

"Thank you… mother." Corrin, now feeling more at ease says the words that Mikoto has longed to hear, shedding tears of joy that she can only believe it to be as being finally accepted by her daughter. It's like her heart is being warmed up after being frozen for so long, even though Corrin isn't hugging her back having her this close is enough to make all the pain from those stolen years completely worth it, the family isn't as whole as she would prefer but it's enough. It has to be. They stay silent and still like that for how long neither can tell, already losing track of time but they know it hasn't been hours at least. Soon enough, though, the two separate, both with smiles on their faces though Corrin's is faint and understandably so.

"Well… I believe I kept you long enough and your boyfriend has been patiently waiting outside ever since I brought you here." Mikoto said sweetly.

"R-" Corrin stops herself from finishing that sentence and turns to the door, not noticing Robin at first until he walks into view.

"I didn't mean to eavesdrop or anything." Robin said apologetically.

"No, it's fine." Corrin uttered. "So, not to be… you know, greedy or anything but what is it you wanted to show me?"

"Not what, who. Or rather two of them." Robin smiled warmly as two individuals walk pass the Tactician to approach Corrin, once again leaving the Princess in an utter state of shock, like she has seen two ghosts, of Jakob and Felicia.

"Lady Corrin!" Felicia cried out in joy to see her mistress again.

"F-Felicia… Jak… Jakob…" Corrin muttered while shaking.

"Milady! I have returned at last. A thousand apologies for the delay." Jakob greeted his mistress in a nicer tone that shows a lot of concern for her.

"Oh, your armor is all dirty. I better get that clean it up pronto." Felicia said, noticing the dry blood on Corrin's wonderous armor.

"Nonsense, I'll do it. Lady Corrin requires the most delicate of hands, you will just make her look worse." Jakob objected.

"That's not true and you know it!" Felicia cried.

"Seriously, even now you two would continue with your pointless bickering." Robin sighed over the argument. The bickering ends as Corrin rushes to give the two a tight hug and again sheds tears of joy.

"You're both alive!" She sniffs, not able to find the words to express her joy.

"There, there, Milady, there's no need to feel sad anymore. For I am here now." Jakob assured his mistress with more compassion while patting her head.

"Please don't cry Milady. Because if you start to cry… then I'll… I'll…" Felicia started to sniff herself and cries as loudly as well alongside Corrin. Robin and Mikoto remain still in silence while smiling over Corrin's joy to have two more of her friends back until the former departs and leaves the four in the room.

Once she calms down, Corrin fills the duo in on almost everything that has transpired and her new life among the Hoshidans. Robin informs Lilith of this who then rushes to the room to see her lost friends who she too mourned for and is overjoyed to have them back. Though there is one key person missing. Where's Gunter?

"Oh, Milady, I'm so sorry for everything that's happened." Felicia offered her condolences over what Corrin has been through.

"Absolutely abhorrent! To think that such a fate would befall my liege. I have failed as a butler for not being there in your time of need." Jakob cursed himself for his absence, ludicrously viewing his own struggle for survival as a poor excuse for not being there for Corrin.

"Please don't do that to yourself, Jakob, what happened in the Canyon was beyond our control." Corrin insisted, not in the mood for her faithful Butler's sudden moments of self-loathing. "All I care about is that you'd both come back to me."

"Are you surprised? I have sworn an oath that I would remain at your side till the end. No task is too great and no journey will be too insurmountable." Jakob reminded proudly. "If Hoshido is where you choose to stand with, then I shall follow. Though it will pain me to raise arms against Lady Camilla, I will shoulder the burden."

"I-I'll stand with you too! I mean, I'm scared to death at the notion of fighting against Nohr, especially the Grimm but I believe that whatever path you take will be the right one, Milady." Felicia rehabilitated her loyalty towards Corrin alone, as naïve as she may sound.

"Thank you both." Corrin thanked with so much gratitude but also feels a lot of regrets as she knows that they too will endure so much if they go through with this as well. "Still, how are you guys still alive? I saw you fall into the canyon, which is supposed to be bottomless."

"That is a tale most strange, truth be told." Jakob said reminiscing on his experience before explaining himself. "After we were thrown into our deaths by that despicable abomination of fire, everything went dark as we passed out and after I don't know how many moments we woke up in some place that we had initially assume to be the afterlife. The place was so strange, the feeling alone gave us a sense that we were no longer in our world anymore, and the geography was unnatural."

"The land and sky itself seemed to be rend in pieces, and float about seemingly at random." Felicia spoke up next. "Old buildings that look decades old, remnants of a civilization all but gone and forgotten. Everything felt so surreal. Beautiful and yet so terrifying at the same time."

"You two look very much alive to us. Could you have fallen into a Deeprealm?" Corrin asked before turning to Lilith. "Lilith, you know about the Deeprealms, is there a portal to one below the Canyon? Is that why it's considered Bottomless because those who fall end up in another world."

"I have no idea. I don't know the locations of every Deeprealm in the world and I have never heard of one within the Canyon but the description Felicia gave does seem to match up to one or two I am aware of that are similar." Lilith explained. "If I had known of its existence I would've gone looking for you three all the sooner."

"But what about Gunter, he fell with the both of you, didn't he?" Corrin asked not sure why she made that question when she already knows the answer especially once she notices the sad expression on both the faces of Felicia and Jakob.

"Oh, poor Gunter." Felicia mumbled in distress.

"After almost an hour of exploring that strange land and concluding that we were somehow still alive, we were ambushed by these mysterious, semi-invisible creatures native to that land." Jakob resumes his explanation but now with a somber look.

"Semi-invisible? Envy's henchmen." Corrin gasped.

"The same soldiers that she used against you back in Izumo." Lilith uttered. "Could you two have stumbled upon the hideout of the Seven Deadly Sins?"

"It's highly plausible, during his battle with Sloth, Robin said that he summoned weapons that were hardly visible if not for the purple flames surrounding them." Corrin noted.

"It was because of those strange, soothing and cold flames why we were able to notice them and they attacked us without hesitation and would remain silent when we tried to communicate with them. They had only one thing in mind and that was our demise. We were quickly outnumbered and forced to run away, succeeding in shaking them off and hide in a cave and it was like a maze inside and we got easily lost and spent days trying to get out, we were lucky that our contacts with those monsters were short and far between." Jakob continued.

"How did you survived for so long? Felicia can barely last two days without food."

"Hey…"

"I told you once before that I am not a man of faith but after what we endured; I confess that I have acquired a second opinion because we found nourishment in the form of Qliphoth's Trees." Jakob said.

"Trees… named after the Dusk Dragon?" Corrin said wanting confirmation.

"As in, THE Trees of Darkness that used to exist in Nohr that can produce food when in a place where there is barely any light." Felicia clarified. "Those were the most delicious fruits we have ever tasted."

"Those Trees really exist? I thought they were just fairytales." Corrin said in awe.

"Oh, they very much existed, Lady Corrin. When Lord Qliphoth walked among Men, he created the Trees of Darkness to produced food for his followers who chose to live with him in a land completely barren and infested with shadows. During the night, or at least when there is little sunlight, the trees would begin to generate wondrous food and provide magic to the land for farmers to raise their crops." Lilith explained. "It's how ancient Nohrians were able to last so long in their lands despite the lack of ordinary food and why they didn't bother to take over other nations when they first acquired the Grimm, because their Dark God provided them with all that they needed to survive and was filled to the brim with resources, arguably even more than Hoshido."

"Then why aren't there any now?" Mikoto asked.

"Because of the Water and Earth Tribes. Back when they were still around, they each suffered a similar crisis, a Dark Mage tortured their people with wicked sorcery for the sake of some twisted experiments, and he claimed that he came from Nohr and was under their orders." Lilith explained.

"Was he?" Corrin asked, nervous to have the answer.

"According to the stories I remember my father telling me when I was a child, no, he actually originated from Canta, a Gristonne Dark Mage who lost everything when their invasion on Nohr ended in failure and craved vengeance. The two tribes believed the accusation and in retaliation, they destroyed all the Trees of Darkness, robbing the Nohrians of their food supply. That's why Nohr wiped them out because they're both responsible for the state the Kingdom is in right now, and they have no idea how to make more of the trees, they were made using God Magic, after all." Lilith finished.

"Gods…" Corrin mumbled, devastated, the moral gray line that Nohr has been stuck in becoming more and more visible to her. Most of Hoshido thought that Nohr destroyed the Earth and Water Tribes because they were being their usual conquering selves but in truth, the extinct tribes brought their demises upon themselves, meaning Cheve's millennia-long feud with Nohr is more based on a long-forgotten truth, not that it would ever change how they each feel about each other.

"Anyway, the Cave we were trapped in held many trees that provided us with all the food we needed to get by, as well as lots of Nohrian and Hoshidan weapons strangely lying around everywhere for us to use. Eventually, we found what we could best describe as a portal of sorts. We had no idea if it was our ticket back home but we knew anywhere had to be better than there so we went for it. Unfortunately, we soon found ourselves surrounded once again by those monsters, though we were mostly ready for them this time, we could only hold them off for so long and as things got worse…" Jakob hesitated for a moment, this next part being rather hard for him. "As things got harder for us, the old fool made the brash conclusion that if the three of us ran to the portal together they would block our path and decided to stay behind and hold them off long enough for the two of us to escape. And his logic proved sound as he made enough of a ruckus that they didn't notice our escape, and before we knew it we were back in the Bottomless Canyon. Afterward, we went looking for you and were shocked that the long-awaited war had begun and got ourselves dragged by one of Nohr's units to help with the invasion, that's how we met up with Robin's lousy face."

"We didn't want to leave him, Lady Corrin but everything happened so fast, we didn't know what to do." Felicia sniffed, remorseful of their actions in leaving Gunter behind. Corrin and Lilith become sad over the news of Gunter's sacrifice and remain silent and mourning, and while this is happening, none in the room notices the scared look on Mikoto's face upon learning the description of where Felicia and Jakob were trapped in and her struggles to keep her tears in check.

'Valla…' She mused with sadness and longing in her thoughts. 'My home…'

---

"What?! Most of the Council has been attacked?" Ryoma repeated in shock upon receiving this dire news. He and his two retainers left to try and assemble the most influential nobles who form the Council of Hoshido to discuss their course of action and first went looking for Yukimura who plays a key role in the council due to his position as the top tactician.

"I'm afraid to be the bearer of bad news, Milord but after you were more or less M.I.A the nobles became routed so to speak, retreating to their respective cities to fortify them into strong bastions to guard themselves from the Grimm attacks and due to all the chaos we have been unable to get into contact with them, mostly because Nohrian assassins have carefully breached their defenses and executed them, we've already lost contact with Abarai and Saitama. And as for the nobles who remain, doubtless to say they still draw breath for ignoble reasons."

"You mean cowardice." Ryoma concluded. "Securing their own safety first and only while leaving the common folk to fend for themselves."

"I'm afraid so and the Grimm like the Nuckelavee have that effect on people and the Nohrians have wasted no chance in seizing the opportunities to capture as many of our citizens and use them to ransom more of our lands and none of them sunk as low as Lord Yamamoto." Yukimura informed.

"Yamamoto? That sniveling rat. I thought he was still in prison after he tried to dethrone my mother?" Ryoma asked with disgust in his tone while Saizo scoffs at the mention of that wretched lord.

"He was set free along with all the inmates from the Shinigami Chasm after it was attacked by three Fafnirs who cause too much confusion and has taken over the city and have the people there at their mercy. No one knows where his wife, Kikyō and three sons are since they've suspiciously been missing since the war started, and it's hard to dismiss the possibility that they've gone into hiding, though like before I think she's not really involved with her husband's schemes." Yukimura explained. "Yamamoto controls Kyoto with his own private militia and as we initially suspected he has contacts with the Blackhounds assisting him and it's likely that they will try to align themselves with Nohr to save his own skin once this is said and done."

"Dammit!" Ryoma shouted enraged as he slams his fist at a table near him. "This war is still fresh and already Nohr have us divided into splinter groups and left us with traitors and cowards. Our nation's pride and unity reduced to petty jokes."

"The sinister methods of Nohr's own top tactician Iago, no doubt, and I fear that maybe these events may not be so sudden as we initially thought as it is way more likely that Nohr has been planting the seeds of betrayal among our ranks during our stalemate with the capture of the two princesses. Yamamoto is just the only one so far who's been open about his treachery." Yukimura concluded.

"That makes much more sense but it also irks me even more." Ryoma sighed. "We cannot let this go on for much longer and we cannot wait for my mother to reactivate the barrier either, we must strike now and ensure that no more lives are lost."

"With the War Council temporarily decommissioned the decision to act falls solely on you and the Queen, our men are ready when able, though I should warn you that our scouts have reported that Nohr is amassing a large brigade at our borders, no doubt to march towards Suzanoh and according to rumors, the one leading the charge is estimated to be Crown Prince Xander." Yukimura continued.

"Than that is where I will be going next then." Ryoma declared far too quickly and eager that he almost startled the three beside him.

"Not so fast, your Highness, these are just rumors, our spies have been able to carefully watch the Nohrians in the borders from a close enough distance to discern the number of soldiers and commanders among them and they have been gathering in the canyon to march since dawn and still no sign of the great Paladin who is well known for being overinvolved with overseeing the preparations as early as possible. And I have reason to believe that this march is a diversion from the real unit meant to topple us where Xander will really be a part of." Yukimura surmised.

"I see, then until we can be sure we must remain on standby." Ryoma concluded, disappointed.

"Not to step out of line or anything Milord but this feels like the right course of action, after all rushing in to face Lord Xander head-on is too risky, especially with the state the cities are in." Kagero objected. "Our economy alone is in shambles and we have to gather as many resources we can muster just to ensure our people don't run out of food and keep the lesser nobles from whoring any of the scrambled power."

"And what makes you think I'm the right person to deal with diplomacy?" Ryoma asked a little sarcastic. "As hard as I tried and studied, being a diplomat is just something I'll never be proficient at. The nobles have made that pretty clear many times before."

"Don't be so hard on yourself my Prince, your father was a joke himself when it came to managing the economy when he first started and yet he pulled through just fine during his reign so I'm sure you'll find a way as well." Yukimura assured him.

"I appreciate the words of encouragement as always, however, expecting me to pull it off simply because I am the heir to a King has a higher probability of ending in disaster than triumph." Ryoma said expressing doubts about becoming a good king when he takes the throne. Thinking back, Ryoma remembers vividly the dread he felt when he learned that he was next in line for the throne after his father died, he was only thirteen and a half and already expectations to be king were high and he quickly fell under the pressure of it all, if not for his stepmother maintaining her status as the queen consort he might've been forced to sit on the throne then and there, largely due to the massive influence and demands of the Dawn Faithful because of their beliefs that his family must remain in control of Hoshido in order for the Dawn Dragon to continue blessing the kingdom. He owes so much to Mikoto and at first, he did not acknowledge her as his new mother due to still clinging on to Ikona in his heart, though he was not open about his rejection like Hinoka was initially. Takumi and Sakura were too young to remember their actual birth mother so it was easy for them to imprint themselves on to Mikoto. It took years for him to realize how much he loves her as his actual mother but he never once expressed it as a son should but only as a prince loyal to whoever sits on the throne. And yet he was so quick to accept Corrin as his sister despite not being blood-related either.

'What a disgraceful boy I used to be, huh father?' Ryoma mused in his thoughts. 'How I could use your guidance right about now.'

"We'll see your true worth as a King when the time is right, for now, Hoshido needs a warrior prince and great general than a lowly diplomat. Something you fit into quite well." Yukimura advised while lightening up the mood for Ryoma as he makes a light chuckle.

"Quite true, though if you are still insistent on being proactive than we might as well go and stop Yamamoto ourselves before his actions could encourage more to desert us." Saizo suggested.

"Right you are, however, we can't go after him with a large unit since we can't spare that many soldiers so we'll have to risk sending a smaller unit." Ryoma surmised.

"To liberate an entire city, Milord?" Saizo questioned.

"Have I ever let any of you down?" Ryoma asked rhetorically with the trio making no such reply since he technically hasn't yet. "As all things must be, things will end up south for us but we have a huge leverage this time to compensate for our many faults."

"You mean Robin?" Saizo concluded. "He's finally resting after overusing his magical powers for days and restoring his body's natural flow, though based on my quick analysis of him, he won't object to further assisting us."

"I figured as much, given how cooperative he's been, and given your diligence, what can you tell me of his prowess as a tactician?" Ryoma asked.

"I admit he is no less than impressive, the way he speaks and plans regarding the course of a battle is that of a war veteran based on my own studies and through his methods overpowering the Nohrian Royal Family felt almost child's play, though that was mainly because we were able to amass the number of troops needed in such short notice as you've seen yourself in Cheve."

"The point still stands that he truly is an invaluable asset in our conflict against Nohr's onslaught and his survival was arguably a blessing for us." Kagero added.

"You mean besides the fact that he and Azura arrived at the nick of time to save us from Envy and Greed?" Ryoma half joked.

"Speaking of the Sins, they seem to know Robin, or at the very least know of him based on how Greed reacted when she saw him, and they even called him an Angel of Death as well as a Warmaster." Saizo reminded.

"Yes, bit by bit his past is becoming more open to us, though the fact that they tried to kill him along with us shows that he is their enemy as well, that's enough reason to remain in good terms with him." Ryoma said being lighthearted towards Robin.

---

Robin takes refuge in the room that was assigned to him in Shirasagi in the section of the castle where the Royal Guard members live as the Hoshidan nobility likes to keep their most trusted closed by. He takes off his combat uniform off to take a bath but first, he opens his Morgenstern and from it comes out a clear emerald cut gem that glows in a silvery light once he grabs a hold of it and places it on his chest, releasing its power on to his body. He takes a heavy breath as he can feel his magic power recharging at a faster rate than he is normally capable on his own and he maintains this process for a while, losing track after thirteen minutes due to how refreshing this feels, until it didn't.

Robin falls to his knees feeling what he could best describe as being electrocuted, dropping the gem, coughing for two seconds and then having difficulty breathing, making the process more unbearable. What's more, his entire skin begins to change color and become extremely pale and all the veins in his body become visible and black, which seem to make the pain even worse, and what's more his eyes turn completely black but in spite of all this agony, Robin only manages to make very low growls that none outside could hear what he is going through. This nightmarish pain lasted for seven minutes before it finally subsides and his body returns to normal, leaving him lying on the ground, unable to feel anything and becoming so numb.

"So much for second time's a charm." Robin sighed bitterly as he stubbornly forces himself on his feet to take that bath, having a much-needed rest after all he went through, afterward he dries up to lie down on his bed, wearing no more than his pants and sighs exaggeratedly.

"I can already hear Chrom and the rest of the old gang seething and bickering at me for how I've been handling things here so far, but at least I'm far enough away to not get bash over and over again in the head by Lissa's staff." Robin muttered to himself as he rubs the back of his head, reminiscing on very fond but still annoying and physically painful memories.

"I wonder how everyone is doing right now? Living life the best of their abilities, that part is obvious but… are you all still mad at me for leaving like that? Are you all still mourning or have you all hopefully moved on and not letting the shortcomings of my life weigh you down with guilt, Chrom. I sure hope you're doing alright too, Lucina. I'm sorry we had to part ways without really clearing both our consciousness. And Morgan… I…"

He stops himself from finishing his words, unable to finish and just remains lying down there in complete silence and solitude without uttering a word before seemingly falling into slumber.

"I miss you the most, little girl."

Robin is interrupted from his inner thoughts as he hears footsteps walking near him. There's someone else here, odd how he didn't hear his sliding door opening but he can shrug it off to being tired. He looks up and sees that it is Azura.

"I take it you're done with your little episode right about now?" She asked, referring to what he was doing with the Weisslogia Gem and what he went through in the aftermath.

"All better now, and almost all my strength has returned as well." Robin said with assurance as he gets back on his feet.

"Not sure if that's a good thing seeing what you went through twice already." Azura countered. "I've heard stories on how the Gems of Weisslogia can grand mages of all kinds access to more mana than humanly possible to use their magical powers indefinitely, however the side effects of using them for long periods of time can lead to a ghastly metamorphosis to the body with death being the merciful way out of it, but by what I've seen happen to you when Anna gave you the gem, we were all terrified by your brief inhumane appearance."

"All the Mana in the world is having a tough time entering my body due to what I can best describe as a wall blocking the path for much of it." Robin explained.

"You mean your soul?" Azura surmised.

"It's the best probable cause of my problem, and using the gem, while helpful in making a bigger hole in the wall to recharge myself, it's not healthy for my soul in its current condition to have so much mana transferred into my body so rapidly, then again once the metamorphosis starts it can't be undone so the fact that it only lasts for a few minutes with me means that I'm a different case with even that as well." Robin added.

"All the more reason for you not to use it as much then." Azura said sounding adamant.

"Right, which is why I will try to minimize my use of magic during combat and rely more so on my swordsmanship and tactics to aid our allies in the foreseeable future and only resort to my more potent abilities only when the situation calls for it." Robin agreed.

"Are you going to tell the others about this?" She asked.

"I have to, with the risk of not giving it my all as I used to I must make sure nothing causes everyone to lower their guard." Robin replied.

"Good, though I imagine Corrin will be hard to convince not to worry about you in the frontline."

"She'll have to tolerate me being in the frontlines indefinitely then, I know I've reached total tolerance with her physical abused." Robin sighed.

"Goodness, did she always resort to violence when upset with someone?" Azura asked curious.

"Only when Leo pushed her over the edge with his bad habit of bad talking others just so he can feel good about himself, and then there's Inigo who's way of flirting with women riles them all up for some strange reason, and even though I've never done anything as reckless back then we had plenty of disagreements that wouldn't always end well for me whenever I win the argument." He revealed which made the Songstress chuckle.

"Quite the interesting bunch from this infamous fortress."

"We were a unique cut above the rest of Nohr." Robin smiled. "Though I must ask for the real reason for why you've come as I can tell that checking up on me is only half of it."

"Barely anything gets pass you, it seems." Azura said as her demeanor changed back to her usually stoic face.

"Comes with the territory of being a Tactician. But this is more out of concern for your wellbeing, after all, you have not been given the chance to even talk about your… dilemma." Robin tried to say nicely referring to her feelings regarding her decision to confront her 'real' family in such a way. "Though, to be honest, I'm surprised you came to me about this instead of the rest of our other friends since you have more chemistry with them."

"You would think that but the truth is I'm just as lost as Corrin was when she was brought to Hoshido even after all these years. I know them well but not enough to feel comfortable confiding with any of them." Azura confessed. "For so long I blocked myself off from everyone behind walls to my heart, never expressing how lonely and afraid I really felt, even when I was alone and before I knew about the Ninjas I always felt surrounded by so many eyes and ears. It didn't matter how much compassion Mikoto, Ryoma and the rest showered me with, I knew I didn't belong. I've tried to find my place in the world and sought solace with the teachings of the God of Light and the belief that as long as I kept a strong front when near others I would be okay."

"Why do you think it's alright to open up to me then?" Robin asked with concern.

"Because I realized why Corrin clings to you so much, and while the others may not acknowledge it yet or accept it, you make everyone around you feel safe, it's like there's something inside you that strongly reminds everyone that hope is not gone and there's no need to hide under any kind of façade." Azura said with much certainty.

"I say you're terribly overestimating me but people have said that to me before you." Robin sighed both with flattery and annoyance before he offers Azura a hand. "Regardless, if you need a shoulder to cry on you need not ask with me."

By his offer alone, Azura no longer hides behind her walls as tears finally begin to shed from her eyes as she also starts to tremble, and while there's no way to prove it, Robin feels like she hasn't cried in years, which felt more apparent when he holds her into a comforting hug as she truly begins to cry, not so loud but the bitterness was largely apparent.

"Mommy… brother Xander…" She sniffed in anguish, the sting of fighting against Nohr finally beginning to sink in on how much it is destroying her. Her legs are becoming numb that she falls to her knees and Robin following suit as he holds her tight, refusing to let go until there are no more tears left to shed.

---

So the hurricane didn't hit my home, hooray for PR but there was still my personal life to focus on so this took long anyway and will probably be the last one I make for a long while so I hope you like it, especially with the changes I made with the Rainbow Sage, though I'm a little surprised that no one even gave the slightest review on guessing who the new sage is but no matter. See you all next time and as usual, reviews are appreciated.