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.

23. Chapter 23: Inner Demon

Chapter 23: Inner Demon

"Alright, bottoms up everyone." Mozu said as she passes up a plate of food for Saizo as all of the Retainers, minus Jakob are in a dining hall that remains in good shape in Shirasagi despite the previous battle, having lunch together and enjoying more of their free time. Among them is Reina who has made a full recovery from her grievous injuries upon her admittedly shameful defeat against Charlotte, thanks to the massive boost in magic provided by the Light Scroll that it offers to the healers, otherwise she might've been out of action for a longer period. Many of the servants, such as the chef are either out for the day or were also tragic casualties of the Second Attack on Suzanoh so they had to cook for themselves with Mozu volunteering to be the chef with Kaze and Felicia helping, and thankfully the latter didn't make any clumsy mistakes this time.

"Finally, I'm so hungry I could eat a Grimm." Hinata cheered. "Don't know why I keep letting Hana talk me into skipping breakfast for more time training."

"No pain no game." Hana shrugged.

"You do realize if you eat a Grimm you end up receiving terminal cancer, right?" Subaki reminded Hinata.

"I know that, that's how hungry I am." Hinata said as he starts munching.

"Sorry for the wait but I'm not really used to making so much food for so many people." Mozu apologized.

"Ignore him, Mozu, you do what you gotta do with no pressure getting in the way." Orochi smiled.

"Ah, haven't had good farm-like meals in a while. Not bad at all." Reina said satisfied with her meal.

"Not bad at all? I think you mean perfection! This is my first time eating carrot stew and can now understand why Lady Sakura is so awestruck." Subaki declared.

"This tastes more like the kind of thing you want to have for breakfast every morning." Oboro smiled.

"It is one of the best ways to enjoy carrots." Robin added.

"Aw, you guys just can't stop flattering me, can you." Mozu blushed again by all the compliments. "Anyone in my village could've made something as simple as this."

"You're way too modest. This has a warm flavor to it that kinda reminds me of home." Saizo said kindly.

"Oh, right, the Igasato Clan live in the mountains close to the Canyon, so you two must be self-sufficient and know how to work on crops." Setsuna remembered.

"Yes, our mother was the one who taught us about how to work with the simpler things, in fact, this really does remind me of mother's cooking." Kaze said with a look of nostalgia. It has been some time since he and Saizo have been home and visit their mother and the rest of the family. "The food here in the Capital always has a heavier flavor so it's nice to enjoy the simplest things once and a while."

"Oh, most definitely, I'll never understand how the Nobility can go on every day and night feasting on such festive meals all the time." Azama added.

"You can say that again! I thought the same thing about all the heavy food around here." Mozu said.

"Aw, I'm so jealous, my cooking skills are so below average." Felicia said helping herself to the food but still feeling down about herself.

"At least you have skills to cook at all, I can barely make anything for myself unless I enchant myself to have said skills." Robin noted.

"There's a spell that can make one a great chef?" Hinata asked sounding in awe.

"Sure, there's magic for all sorts of things but they only last for a short period of time and no matter how hard I try I tend to make things that are poisonous rather than healthy." Robin said looking down at his food, his lack of cooking skills have always upset him. "I swear I'm cursed to always give myself a stomachache."

"Either that or it's a side effect of the enchantment, I hear the majority of the mundane class of spells originate from dark magic, hence why you only find Warlocks, or more accurately Witches using such spells more often." Orochi surmised.

"That could be it." Robin gives it some thought.

"Don't Niffs usually eat colder kinds of meals and sweets. I figured you excel at that." Setsuna asked.

"Well yeah, I know how to make the less warm meals, especially ice cream but… after last Halloween Lady Corrin was forbidden from eating sweets ever again and was forced to eat veggies pretty much forever, which is not my best trait." Felicia explained, getting most of the Retainers to burst out laughing at the mention of Halloween and making Robin slam his head on the table at the grim reminder. From what little they got about that event, they started seeing Corrin in a new light and by extension Nohr in general that really got a kick out of them.

"Oh, I would love to get more juicy intel on that night." Orochi grinned mischievously.

"You would, you bloody perv. Kids these days, honestly, you're all going to be dated long before you even come close to reaching my age." Reina half lectured and half teased while she stretches her arms up after finishing her meal.

"Careful there, don't go putting too much pressure into your arm, you just got out of recovery." Kagero advised.

"Relax, dear, I won't be dying anytime soon and these bones aren't old yet." Reina brushed off her former partner's concern.

"Just doing my part, someone's got to watch your back when Orochi is not looking." Kagero mused.

"Hey, I'm a good partner to have. I know I have yet to have the same level of dynamic you both had when you were the Queen's Retainer but I ain't no slacker." Orochi countered.

"You used to be Lady Mikoto's Retainer?" Robin asked Kagero.

"Aye, like Reina, I was born into a noble family that has bred warriors for the Royal Guard. I mean, most of us, minus for you and Azama were raised expected to join the Guard but my family were always meant to serve directly under the King or Queen of Hoshido, though her Majesty requested for me to serve under the High Prince after he recklessly marched to Notre Sagesse and Saizo here, wasn't enough to persuade him from going on such a dangerous journey." Kagero explained, getting Saizo to scuff at her.

"If I wanted to I could've stopped his Highness from doing so, however, I saw no issue with his pursuit for more power as it's his duty so instead I consented to his wishes." Saizo argued, especially since the first time in the Sevenfold Sanctuary wasn't nearly as bad as the second time. "Besides, who are you to scold when you accompanied us on our second endeavor."

"You guys tricked me!" Kagero argued rather menacingly that it got most of them to drop a sweat at the outburst. "You said we were taking Azura for a ride at seas for the first time on her birthday, and since it was the first time we ever celebrated it, even more so that it was the first time we even heard of it, I was feeling sentimental, which you all totally took advantage of!"

"Hey, when Lord Takumi wants a fancy new yumi you can sure as hell bet we're going to deliver." Hinata smirked with Oboro feeling the same way as they fist bump one another in triumph.

"Wait, you used Azura's birthday as an excuse to take a stroll at seas and reach the Rainbow Sage before anyone who would protest knew what you were really up to?" Robin questioned as he tries to get the pieces together and come to terms with the fact that the Hoshidan Siblings of Corrin would be so daring and humorous. "Why wasn't the Queen there at the time?"

"Oh, she went out to visit Yamamoto in the Shinigami Chasm at the time so we were long gone before anyone realized our true intentions and you can bet that she blew a tantrum when we came back, especially since we brought Sakura along." Azama snickered at the memory of all of them, minus Orochi and Reina receiving Mikoto's motherly wrath for visiting the Rainbow Sage, which was actually hilarious to witness but definitely not to experience.

"I almost got fired and brought dishonor to my family because of you guys!" Kagero protested.

"But you didn't, so get over it." Saizo shrugged.

"Brother, please, we were all going to be kicked out of the Guard if not for Lady Azura who calmed the Queen down a nod." Kaze sighed.

"How do you know about the Queen's visits to Yamamoto?" Orochi questioned as only she, Reina, Yukimura and six other members of the Royal Guard who are not present should know about that as Mikoto wanted to keep her visit as discreet as possible to not involved her stepchildren.

"Oh, I tend to figure out any deep dark secrets of anyone sooner or later and of course, I saw no issue in telling Setsuna, who told Hana, who told Hinata, who told Oboro, who told Subaki, who told Kaze, etc. etc. Really, I'm surprised the Royals don't know about it yet." Azama revealed, as in actuality practically everyone in the Guard knows by now so things did not go exactly like Mikoto wanted them to be, as usual.

"Douchebag." Orochi hissed.

"It's nice to know that you guys have this much chemistry with each other and your respective lords. The closest I got with Corrin is receiving death threats from her foster family and running away from professional assassins." Robin joked.

"Oh, we both know that's not true, Robin dear." Orochi chuckled mischievously again, making the newly appointed Top Tactician of Hoshido very nervous and awkward.

"Not closer than us my butt, in spite of our history, none of us imagine getting huge promotions as you have in such a short amount of time." Hana protested. "It's one thing for a foreigner to join our military, and maybe, probably become an officer but joining the Royal Guard, especially after only being around for a couple of days and now you're one of our Major Generals and also given a lord title, what the hell."

"Favoritism at its purest bull, I tell yah." Azama added. "You best watch yourself, my friend, I know a lot, and I mean a lot of petty men in the army who would easily kill anyone out of jealousy, which has never been such a truly complete travesty until recently."

"Oh, come on, you guys know me well enough to know that I don't care much for titles, nor did I ask for this. Heck, Mikoto even stated that my positions are only temporary until the war is over and if and when we triumph over this chaos I can go back to finding my way home." Robin said getting more uncomfortable even though his new friends don't mean to be prejudice in any way and are clearly only messing with him. "This whole thing is purely situational."

"I wonder about that." Azama mused.

"What are you on about now?" Robin muttered.

"It's just that I don't think you'll be given much of a chance to leave without Lady Corrin's consent, after all, she's way too overly attached with you to the point that her Majesty, Lady Hinoka and even Lord Ryoma have expressed jealous death glares your way."

"I've noticed." Robin sighed, not wanting to press this discussion further.

"And wherever you originated from has to be pretty far away so I can imagine the returned Princess won't sit well with your departure." Azama pointed out.

"I am aware that she is not one for goodbyes." Robin replied, now thinking on how will parting ways will work out, something he never really thought of until now. "I'm certain she'll be fine with just her family at her side in the off chance I don't come back."

"Hey, now, let's not go thinking of goodbyes already, our journey towards peace hasn't even begun yet." Subaki insisted, wanting to keep their spirits high.

"Yes, yes, you know I'm all for high morale and what not being a monk myself but we must not forget that though optimism must never be dismissed, we must make time for future plans and consider the impact our choices will have on others." Azama explained.

"Who the hell are you and where's the snake we've been working with for years?" Oboro demanded awestruck by Azama showing off any hint of wisdom and kindness, something which they are largely not used to.

"We all have our moments."

"I haven't put much thought on how Corrin would feel about me leaving but still, I'm sure she'll be fine and with luck, if Jakob has is way, better off. Friends are great but with a family like the one she has now she'll overcome any obstacle eventually." Robin said certain that Corrin won't be needing him for much longer and hopefully he'll leave without much regret.

"Ah, yes family always trumps friendship, unless those friends are said family, of course, such things have been occurring since the dawn of civilization. And then there are… the friends for benefit." Azama persisted with his true objective to get under Robin's skin over the time he and Corrin's relationship became intimate.

"C'MON!"

"And there's the narcissistic asshole we love to hate." Oboro groaned as some of them could not help themselves but throw food at the rude monk's face.

"Why did you have to go there?" Kaze groaned in irritation and discomfort.

"LALALALALALA!" Mozu cried covering her poor innocent ears as she is still too young for such thoughts to even come to mind.

"Oh, goody, more food for me." Azama brushed off they're complains, completely ignorant to the backlashes, as usual, his words cause.

"It's a good thing Jakob's not here otherwise this dining hall would be in more of a disaster." Felicia muttered.

"Forget the hall, the whole castle would break apart because of his rampage." Robin hissed. "Which is a good thing he's with Corrin at this very moment."

"Hey, what's all the commotion, I can hear you guys a yard away." Rinkah called as she enters the dining hall.

"Azama ruining the mood as usual." Hana growled.

"Ah, so you're typical Monday morning to noon." Rinkah replied.

"Today's Thursday." Subaki corrected.

"Every day is Monday in Muspelheim." Rinkah countered. "Oh, so you're all having lunch now? I guess I can help myself to something."

"In that case, here you go." Mozu said as she offers her a plate with veggie stew.

"Urgh… on second thought, I'll skip lunch. I'm not a vegetable person." Rinkah declined.

"But it's good for you." Mozu replied.

"Yeah, and so is meat, and I'm a full-blown carnivorous." Rinkah declared.

"Well, we're saving all our meat for dinner so you'll have to wait a little longer and it would be beneficial for everyone if we all can avoid going around on an empty stomach on the off chance we get ourselves locked in another death-defying battle." Kaze pointed out.

"I… cannot argue with that." Rinkah said as she reluctantly decides to eat Mozu's cooking after all. "Anyways, I'm sure you guys probably know this but Chieftain Fuga of the Wind Tribe is coming to Suzanoh shortly and discuss things with the Queen."

"What, did he found out that his delinquent son is with us and is coming to pick him up?" Orochi asked.

"I hope so because I'm sure as hell sick of keeping this punk around. Here that Hayato, you're going home." Rinkah said loudly as she kicks her feet below the table they are all sitting on where she hits someone by their stomach, causing said someone to groan in pain.

"You goddamn bitch!" Hayato cried as he was the one hiding.

"How long have you been hiding there?" Hinata asked surprised.

"Why are you down there?" Hana added.

"Hiding from my dad, obviously. This isn't the first time I snuck away from home and I ain't going through that punishment again." Hayato uttered in terror.

"Snuck out? You mean to tell us that he has no idea you left to 'watch out' for Grimm?" Subaki uttered.

"Duh, why else would I be hiding, he'd never allowed me to even so much as survey the village."

"Oh, you dumb little shit." Oboro hissed. "Do you have any idea the kind of trouble you just put us through. Hoshidans allowing the heir of Oldstrong to fight as another soldier in a war that doesn't involve his people. As if we don't have enough of a political disaster to deal with."

"What kind of ''man'' is too scared to face his own father?" Rinkah asked in a taunting manner.

"Hey, that only works if father and son talk man to man, my dad is the Sky Dragon reincarnated, as in a beast. I ain't fighting no dragon, let alone a god." Hayato muttered.

"You're a constant source of disappointment." Rinkah rolls her eyes as she starts to eat Mozu's food and upon the first taste, she catches everyone's attention by how widened her eyes become, along with a mortified expression.

"Rinkah?" Kagero called but got no response.

"Is she okay?" Setsuna asked concern. Things only get more confusing and shocking as the Fire Princess starts crying.

"Oh, c'mon! Vegetables are far from bad, and everyone but stupid kids know it." Hinata argued.

"I'm pretty sure those are tears of joy, guys." Felicia insisted.

"It's… just like how grandmama used to make them." Rinkah mumbled as she actually likes the food in contrast to what she originally thought she would.

"I'm so confused." Hayato said feeling like the world is about to be turned upside down.

"Fruits and vegetables are seldom eaten in Muspelheim and they only ever eat meat so this kind of reaction isn't as odd as you might think at first." Robin explained.

"The more you know." Saizo said himself intrigued a bit.

---

"Delicious!" Corrin squealed in delight, helping herself to some sweets Jakob offers her. Under Mikoto's requests, she travels with her family around Suzanoh, overseeing the people's wellbeing and just making sure that everything is alright. Word quickly spread to the Capital that the Queen has sent a request to be aided by Archduke Izana who has the power to rebuilt the entire city on his own to how it was before it fell to ruin, making the people very hopeful that things will further improve as the restoration of Mikoto's barrier was enough to ease their pain to an extent but this really got them to be more lively at the prospect that at the very least their Capital will be back to normal, which motivated some people with intentions to work and begin rebuilding to stop what they're doing and just relax some more but not necessarily laze about, and many among them would pass by and greet their Royal Family in appreciation for all they do. Corrin finally decided to try and communicate with the people and let them get to know her, and thankfully she has managed to build more confidence after a while and the people she's spoken too so far have been respectful and was obligated to do the same, she even got herself some sweets which she accepted graciously.

"Wow, you really enjoy those, d-don't you, Corrin." Sakura asked, walking alongside her.

"I love candy. It's just so scrumptious, and I have quite the sweet tooth so I can't help myself, or as stupid Leo would say, I have the ''metabolism of an insect'', whatever that means, and it's been over a year since I've tasted so much as a chocolate." Corrin smiled, staring longingly at a chocolate bar before eating it.

"Never heard of someone with a sweet tooth go so long without some chocolate." Hinoka said.

"It was part of my punishment in Hoshido after… that happened… and so Arete and the others forbade me from ever eating sweets again. By far the worst thing anyone's ever done to me, let me tell ya, from a mundane standpoint I mean. It's like telling someone never to eat bacon because it's not healthy, and even if that were true, who cares, you go your whole life without bacon, you might as well be in Hell. Just because something isn't healthy to eat all the time doesn't mean you shouldn't enjoy it at all." Corrin raised her complains to her Hoshidan family who for one reason or another listen to her intently. "Now you all know me by now and can say that I'm sort of a crybaby, I won't deny that but those first few months going without so much as a piece of candy was frustrating, even more so that I kept trying to keep everyone from wanting to kill Robin, but even without that part, I would still cry myself to sleep. I love candy. It's no Surf and Turf, but when there's something good, I want it."

"Say no more, Milady, I am no longer bound by Queen Arete's bidding so you can have as many sweets as you wish, provided you remember to eat healthy as well." Jakob, who accompanied them assured his mistress.

"You know I always do." Corrin rolled her eyes.

"Well, you can eat whatever you wish with us, Corrin, just remember to stay out of trouble, the last thing we need is another crazy person going on a frenzy because of sweets like that incident two years back." Ryoma smiled, recalling a minor but still very awkward incident regarding a very unbalanced person who was obsessed with chocolate that caused all sorts of ruckus in Suzanoh, even though no one got hurt but the whole thing was way too hard to grasps that Ryoma of all people was forced to defuse the situation. Needless to say, he'd stay away from chocolate and was rather strict with his men to keep it away from him for a while, something Saizo was eager to do since he abhors sweets.

"Yeah, I was not okay with that order, you know Sakura and I also have a sweet tooth." Mikoto whined while Sakura pouted a bit.

"I was entitled to my decision at the time and I never told Saizo to crush all the candy. That was all his doing."

"Really not helping your case since you effectively made the whole incident worse." Hinoka noted with an annoyed sigh.

"In what sense?" Ryoma questioned.

"You know exactly what you actually did wrong." Hinoka countered.

"When did this turn into a moral debate about candy?" Takumi muttered, not really sure what to say or think about this discussion, before turning to see Azura, who also came along, chuckling in response to the silly argument.

"Odd, I know but it beats the somber mood that we'll find all over the Capital." She noted.

"True, but I can do without all the awkward looks we're getting right this moment." Takumi said as they are getting some funny looks from the citizens, that while it makes Takumi uncomfortable, they aren't necessarily a cause for concern because if anything, seeing how the Royals are actually quite as casual as them puts them on a lighter note and eases the said somber mood a little bit. However, there are a very few individuals who do show a more negative expression, though they are the ones that the six of them don't notice which are pointed directly at Corrin since there are people who still don't trust her and seeing her interact with true Hoshidans, let alone the royals is sickening to them. Thankfully Corrin is too focus on her family to notice, but Jakob certainly does notice and he gives these individuals the most menacing glare he can muster with a subtle sign of his sharp dagger that intimidates them enough to look away and leave the Princess be.

'How irksome, it looks like I got my work cut out for me as usual. Oh well, what Milady doesn't know won't hurt her.' He mused to himself.

"Now, don't get all worked up over such things, Takumi, this is our home so you really shouldn't let it bother you." Mikoto suggested.

"You look to be in more of a good mood." Corrin said, noticing how while Azura maintains her stoic nature, she yet looks noticeably more upbeat in a sense, for one her smile isn't so faint that she's surprised no one has made a comment about it. Orochi once told her that they rarely ever see Azura smile and whenever she does, it's almost as surprising as seeing Saizo smile, and Corrin cannot for the life of her ever picture Saizo smiling without Kaze coming to mind instead. And yes, they're twins but Corrin sees it differently.

"Why wouldn't I be, the war may finally be turning in our favor and it's now only a matter of time before we can truly begin our counterattack." Azura replied with surprising enthusiasm.

"Hey, I like this other side of you, we rarely get to see it." Hinoka smiled.

"A little concerning, though." Takumi pointed out which earned him a gentle bump to the shoulder by Hinoka to watch his tone.

"Yes, I have been feeling less weight on myself recently but nothing worth any of your attention." Azura assured them.

"Really? Because we all t-thought that you be more… you k-know, after what you… experienced along with the rest of us." Sakura uttered nervously, going back to the Second Attack and the vicious actions of Azura's birth mother, Arete and how she nearly killed Mikoto and tossed Azura aside when she pleaded for her to stop. "I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to bring it up." Sakura said now remorseful.

"It's been… hard. All of it. But I'm getting by." Azura assured them.

"Are you certain? Because if you no longer wish to fight anymore, then we will not object, nor will we stand to let anyone raise their tones about it." Ryoma said concern for her wellbeing like everyone else for the Songstress's sake. "You've done more than enough for our Kingdom, and though I will never overlook it, the fact that the attack on the Opera House was your idea proves where your loyalty really lies, which is more than we could ask of you."

"He's right, dear, you don't have to throw your life, nor your heart for this fight any longer with how hurt you are already." Mikoto added in agreement.

"Thank you all for that but I'm fine now. Robin already helped me find a shred of closure from all this." Azura revealed partially.

"Oh, has he now?" Ryoma asked, looking a bit bothered by that somehow.

"And what grand wisdom did he give you? I got a mouthful from him the day before yesterday." Corrin asked and by her tone she asks in the best way.

"That's… something I rather keep between us." Azura insisted with a more serene smile.

"Fine, hoard said wisdom to yourself then." Corrin said sarcastically and fainting annoyance.

"Oh, don't be like that Cor, we all get our moments."

"What kind of moments are we talking about exactly?" Takumi questioned.

"And since when did you decided to call me that?" Corrin added. "That's between me and Rob."

"Can I be at a nickname bases too?" Mikoto asked jokingly and pleadingly.

"What should I call you besides mom?" Corrin asked, not sounding rude but still coming off as such.

"Oh… you know, like… maybe you could go back to calling me… mama bear. Just between us." Mikoto suggested, earning her silence from everyone for a few seconds before Takumi burst out laughing.

"Okay, I definitely remember someone calling you that. But I could've sworn it was actually Ryoma who used that nickname." Takumi claimed.

"I-I… would never call anyone such a thing!" Ryoma argued indignantly.

"Yes, Lady Corrin did use to give everyone a nickname, like me for instincts, she used to call me her teddy bear butler." Jakob said reminiscing his youth with Corrin and how often she clung to him.

"What was it with me and bears?" Corrin uttered, feeling awkward. "Anyway… I think I'll not call either of you that. Like ever." She replied absentmindedly, not noticing how negatively that struck her mother and butler.

"Owie…" Mikoto mumbled.

"Well, I certainly hope I'm not interrupting any familial bonds." Said a familiar cheery voice of Izana as a bright light but not enough to make anyone avert their eyes and instead draws them to see it appear before the Royals and from it comes out the Archduke himself.

"Lord Izana!" Corrin gasped, surprised as everyone to see Izana so soon.

"Greetings my friends. I knew our paths would cross once again." Izana greeted with his usual high enthusiasm and as expected, his arrival causes a lot of murmurs.

"That's the Archduke of Izumo?"

"He's so hot."

"I thought he be more stoic."

"Who told you that? All the rumors say that he's a party man."

"That is the most beautiful hair I have ever seen."

"I'm so jealous."

"Lord Izana. You're here much sooner than I could've anticipated." Mikoto said surprised. They couldn't send a messenger via warp scroll since all of them are being used to gather all the soldiers across Hoshido to prepare so they had to send a Kinshi Knight to Izumo to request aid instead. "My messenger couldn't have reached Izumo so quickly."

"Nah, I was aware of your request before she had even come close to my borders. You're not the only one with the Gift of Sight if you recall, so sorry I couldn't come sooner." Izana reminded her. "Worry not your pretty little heads everyone, for I, Izana will restore your Crown City to its former glory. I must pay my debt to your Returned Princess, after all."

By his declaration, everyone cheers in delight by the quick and perfect restoration of Suzanoh, offering their thanks to the benevolent lord.

"Please, everyone, please, save your applauds right after the deed is done, you're embarrassing me." Izana insisted gleefully.

"How did he get here by teleporting; our Protection Stave is back to full capacity?" Takumi wondered.

"Oh, my silly pineapple boy, Izana almost always knows his way through everything." Izana smirked.

"Take that back right now!" Takumi demanded, heavily offended.

"He means that as a compliment, sweetie, everyone knows your hair is adorable." Mikoto assured him while giving him a loving hug for reassurance.

"Not really, no." One of the townspeople whispered with plenty among them nodding in agreement, while others wisely kept their mouths shut.

"He really does look like a pineapple." Another one said and that did not go unheard by the queen and the offended prince with the latter feeling more down while the former is irritated enough that she snaps her finger, causing the man's pants to suddenly ignite on fire, much to his fright and the panic of those near him.

"What just happened?" Sakura muttered.

"Oh, but before I get to work, Lady Corrin, there is something I must discuss with you and your most loyal comrades. it's urgent." Izana said, maintaining his smile in spite of his words saying otherwise.

"Of course, Shirasagi is the perfect place to chat. If you can ignore all the ninjas." Corrin replied.

---

Back in said castle, the Retainers remain together, along with Mozu, Rinkah and Hayato and find themselves back in the training room, just chilling, except for one person as Orochi is working on her fortune cards, trying to use her ability to see into the future but for the past several days they have been unresponsive, to her chagrin.

"Still nothing?" Kagero asked as she has been watching her for a while.

"Nothing." Orochi groaned as she tosses the cards away in frustration. "I just don't understand, the Gift just off and abandoned me and the Queen so abruptly, and at the worst time imaginable to boot."

"You mean when the War started?" Reina asked. "Psychics are about the only powered beings I'll never understand, seeing into the future must be like trying to navigate through a river with a storm with no proper way to control it to your heart's content, how exactly did you think that you can make it work whenever you want it. Heck, what possible outcome are you even trying to find?"

"Literally anything that isn't nothing. Everyone has the ability to choose the way they want to lead their lives and I'm usually able to see the exact paths their decisions will lead them towards, along with the consequences they bring but my Third Eye, figuratively speaking, has been completely shut and it wasn't when the Blight Dragon showed up but before that. Like three days prior." Orochi explained.

"You mean they stopped working when Lady Corrin came back to us?" Kaze asked in confusion. "You think it's because of her dragonic nature. The Third Eye is said to be a gift from the Prime Astral Dragon, Moro."

"That would make sense if not for the abundance of more questions it brings." Rinkah said.

"You're forgetting that Corrin wasn't the only one who arrived three days prior to the start of the war." Saizo reminded as all eyes turn to Robin, sitting down a few spaces away from everyone, reading a hoshidan book, who quickly gets uncomfortable with the stares.

"Is the whole prejudice on the outsider still going on? Do I have to pull rank for once." Robin muttered in annoyance towards all of them.

"Don't act like you've haven't been curious about it. This topic has been brought up before, both her Majesty and Orochi lost their third eyes when you showed up." Setsuna said.

"And in Mikoto's case, I say that's a blessing for all of us and spared her family the heartache." Robin noted as they all learned of Mikoto's secret vision of her imminent death from Azura that Robin prevented. They didn't take it very well, especially her children and if it wasn't for Yukimura wisely defusing the tensions, the argument would still be going on to this day otherwise but right now they're focusing on the part they've been ignoring thus far and that is that Robin never appeared in any of the visions Mikoto has had regarding Corrin's return, how she called Robin a nobody in the sense that he shouldn't belong in Horus but has somehow defiled Fate and partially averted so many more deaths by just being there. "But in all seriousness, I wouldn't even know where to begin with anything regarding the future, or time in general." He lied, actually having a pretty good idea what might be causing the block to Orochi and Mikoto.

"Well you got to give us something, we've done well so far without such intervention but things are getting out of hand and if I could still look into the future I might've been able to warn you all about the risks of going to Kyoto, no doubt." Orochi insisted.

"Like what? You want me to lend you some mana to see if it'll boost your capability? Now, I know I have a bunch of stuff in my book but I really don't see what could be in here that may help you with your problem, I never really encountered any soothsayers out there but I supposed I might've stumbled on to something beneficial." Robin said as he starts to randomly pick up whatever relics he placed inside Morgenstern over the months that he's been traveling, which is a lot but mostly it's more souvenirs that he got for himself. "We might be here a while, hold on." He starts dropping items on the floor.

"How much junk do you have in there?" Oboro asked in awe.

"Not sure, could probably house four or five vaults worth of treasure in here." Robin shrugged.

"Wish I had something like that, could really use the space in my room but I don't want to risk losing anything because things tend to get lost in the castle for some reason." Kagero said.

The next thing that drops from Morgenstern are two rings that are almost identical to each other, both being red, though one of them looks like it was redesign to look more like a wedding ring with added smaller clear jewelry place around it and on top of each of them is a round transparent stone and also inside them there looks to be what can be best described as miniaturize clouds inside them, giving them a mysterious vibe with an added beauty. The sight of these rings widens Robin's eyes with a look of nostalgia, picking them up and staring at them intently.

"I… I forgot I had these." Robin said with evident sadness.

"Well, duh, you have amnesia, you probably have thousands more junk in that pocket dimension that you forgot about." Hayato reminded.

"No, that's not… never mind." Robin sighed while holding on to the rings in his hand tightly, apparently reluctant to let them go.

"Hey, guys, we've been looking for you." Corrin called as she arrives with her family and Izana, and the sight of said lord surprises them all.

"Lord Izana. You're here early." Robin mused.

"Hello to you all my friends, are you having a yard sale?" Izana asked noting all of Robin's stuff on the floor.

"Not exactly, just forget you saw all this." Robin muttered as he hastily puts everything back into Morgenstern, minus for the rings.

"So, what is it that you wanted to tell us, Lord Izana?" Ryoma asked the Archduke.

"Izana is just fine, we are all allies against a common enemy after all. But on to the main event, there is another reason why I came here besides Suzanoh and that is that I regret to inform that I bring you Tidings of Doom." Izana said now with a more grim tone and look to him which makes most of them wary.

"Geez, as if we don't have enough of that." Takumi retorted sarcastically.

"Not like our chances of getting more good news was ever promising." Hinoka sighed.

"What doom awaits us this time?" Corrin asked concern.

"I have received a vision from the Prime Astral, telling me of a crisis occurring in Nestra caused by the Sin of Wrath." Izana explained, getting Corrin to almost react on her dark impulses upon the mentioning of the Demon but she did well to keep herself under control and Mikoto holds her hand to give her comfort.

"As you should know, the other nations have chosen to remain neutral in the Twilight War, but as all signs pointed that it was going to begin the Nestrian Nobles have been debating for weeks if rather or not they should partake in this war. Nobody is happy with how often the conflict between Hoshido and Nohr also drags the others in one way or another, though King Alexander would always put his foot down in his claim that Nestra would retain its neutrality, not even the attack on the Opera House by your hands would've been enough to change his mind. It is with a heavy heart that I tell you the grim news that the Demon that personifies anger, hatred and strife has corrupted the hearts of the Nestrians, making them volatile and irrational with their decision making. They cry for war against Hoshido, and others against Nohr. The more they bicker the more it turns into infighting between them with very few casualties already." Izana informed.

"Dammit!" Ryoma cursed in an uproar over this news as the others don't know what to make of this, least of all Corrin.

"And have they reached a decision on who to fight against?" Mikoto asked with dread.

"Let me guess, they'll be pointing their blades at us?" Robin surmised.

"I'm afraid so, and I believe it may only get worse but the Lord of the Astrals would not share with me any more information regarding Wrath's actions but I do bring good news as well. I believe that I may have a solution. A spell that can purify all forms of corruption, especially demonic corruption but I require assistance. The Divine kind, if you catch my drift." Izana said.

"Our Dragon Blood." Mikoto concluded.

"Yes."

"Then you may have some of mine, whatever it takes to purge our lands of these evils." Mikoto volunteered.

"Yes, though I don't need your literal blood, just the talent for using Dragon Veins." Izana corrected. "But on the off chance that we may need a drop, ready yourself for that."

"I don't like the way he phased that." Sakura mumbled.

"Anything else that's going to give me more heartache?" Corrin asked feeling like she's going to be sick from all the stress the mere mention of Wrath is bringing her, she swears she's going to throw up, and even the others are thinking much the same.

"As Hinoka said, your chances of having more good luck are pretty shady." Izana said, hating being the bearer of bad news. "You're comrades from the Black Bulls are in grave danger, in particular, the Anna that was Greed's vessel."

"What?" Robin uttered, stepping forward beside Corrin, along with Azura, both equally concern.

"The mysterious Veiled Warriors that Envy summoned to confront you in my castle arrived in the Black Bulls hideout and assaulted the thieves, killing many but kidnapped many more, including Shura and the two Annas?"

"What… why?" Corrin uttered. "Where are they now?"

"Fort Dragonfall. That's all I know."

"The infamous abandoned fort in Nohr? Why there of all places?" Azura wondered.

"Doesn't matter, we know where they are." Corrin said with a determined look on her face.

"Wait… you want to go and face the Seven again?" Takumi uttered in horror.

"You're damn right I'm going after them!" Corrin shouted, alarming most of them by her outburst. "If we know where they are then we shouldn't sit by and let them get away, not like we just did with Wrath!"

"You… you really intend to go after those fiends head-on?" Takumi uttered, the fear in his voice too noticeable to ignore over the thought of facing the Sins again, especially Envy. "We came close to dying in every encounter thus far."

"Dying is no longer a major problem when our other option is the war against Nohr!" Corrin argued.

"Corrin, we have to think this through some more. And Takumi is right, our combined strength is pathetic compared to just one of them, we go in, we'll be waltzing into a trap." Ryoma warned.

"So you would prefer that we leave the Black Bulls behind? I understand that you guys have a beef with them since they are bandits who stole from you but no grudge can possibly be worth leaving anyone to meet such an end." Corrin argued again.

"I respectably disagree." Saizo whispered to himself while scoffing.

"Shut up!" Corrin snapped back at him, being the only one who heard him. "The Seven are clearly out to destroy Hoshido first before Nohr and because the Black Bulls have helped us from the sidelines they'll obviously go after our allies. It's our fault that they were attacked in the first place."

"I know how you feel, Corrin, and believe me when I tell you that making decisions based on feelings alone, especially rage or guilt are bound to make the situation worse. You don't want to go out there feeling this way." Ryoma pleaded with her to be more rational.

"He's right, Corrin. I don't want to abandon Shura and the Annas either but we don't have a clue on what we'll be walking into. For all we know all Seven Deadly Sins are in the Fort waiting for us to come rescue them." Robin warned her. "I don't even know where to begin on finding a way through this. Though, there's no convincing you not to go."

"No, there isn't." Corrin replied, purely adamant about rescuing the Black Bulls.

"Well, at least we'll make sure to bring the scroll this time around." Orochi said, holding the Light Scroll.

Reluctant as they may be to go, with the exception of Takumi, Sakura, Mozu and Hayato, the rest prepare to go to Nohr and face another of the Sins yet again.

"Oh, I am very nervous about all this." Felicia said, getting goosebumps just thinking about facing those demons, that one time she went up against Wrath was more than she could handle for one lifetime.

"Quit your whining, the slightest amount of hesitation could potentially lead to Lady Corrin's untimely demise." Jakob lectured her, picking up one last shuriken to bring along to the fight.

"On that, we can all agree on." Kaze said, ready himself. "Anyone seen Lilith anywhere?"

"Right here…" Lilith said, only now joining up with all of them and at first glance, she looks okay but at a deeper glance, the little dragon looks sick, or at the very least kind of tired. "Sorry if I held you guys up a bit."

"Are you alright Lilith? You look, well… unwell." Felicia asked.

"Yeah, no need to worry about me, this is just a minor side effect of siphoning magic from someone at a rapid pace. There's a reason absorbing magic from fellow mages is essentially outlawed in a sense due to the issues it does to one's body. But I'm a dragon so it's easy to shrug it off much quicker." Lilith explained.

"So Robin is a poison on your life as well? Oh, how we truly are kindred spirits." Jakob mused with sympathy, as he misunderstood her meaning and just puts the blame solely on Robin, making Kaze role his eyes and Felicia giggle.

"Please come b-back safe… every-y one." Sakura pleaded.

"We will Sakura, even though the enemy is hella strong, we're nothing if not lucky when it comes to making it out alive so far." Hinoka said retaining her confidence.

"I certainly hope that's true." Mikoto prayed.

"Alright, is everyone ready?" Corrin asked everyone who gives no more objections. "Time to warp, Robin."

"Right." The Tactician nodded, ready to warp all of them to their new destination. "Oh, before we go in, Cor, I want you to have this. It'll be of good use and I'm glad I remembered this at least."

"What is it this time?" Corrin asked curious to see one of the rings he rediscovered in Morgenstern and gasps in disbelief upon seeing it, covering her mouth with both hands in complete bewilderment, her face blushing maddeningly, she looks like she's going to faint any moment now. "A… a-are… you… p-p-pro… proposing to me…? NOW?!"

"EEEHHH!" The majority shout at once by this sudden predicament that certainly confuses Robin.

"Oh my lord, this is so sudden. I don't know if I'm ready for this." Mikoto uttered, suddenly sweating, making it sound like she's the one who received the proposal but really it's about having grandchildren.

"Guys, keep it down, jeez. Also, sorry, my bad, wrong magic ring." Robin said as he switches the wedding ring with the other one. "Sorry for the misunderstanding."

"Oh, thank Sephiroth." Ryoma sighed with immense relief as he's certainly not ready to "walk" any of his sisters to the altar to be married. Jakob came close to killing Robin then and there but quickly restrained himself once he said wrong magic ring but he still is reluctant to lower his dagger down out of pure vindictiveness.

"See, this is actually a very useful magic tool with strong protection. I can't even begin to explain why I forgot these two when I used them months ago and trust me, you'll love them when… you… Corrin are you okay?" Robin uttered more confused upon seeing the lifeless and deadpan expression on her face. The kind of face you give to someone who's become dead to you but you can't even bring yourself to express your anger by just how done you are with said person, resulting in the Princess simply turning away from her Tactician and love interest. "Uh, Co…"

"Don't talk to me." Corrin quickly interrupted him with malice on her tone that gave even Saizo chills on his spine.

"O… kay." Robin mumbled not sure what to say about this, especially once he becomes more irritated by Jakob bursting with laughter like a madman at his expense.

"The suspense between you two is becoming lackluster." Mikoto pouted in disappointment.

"So… anyway… can someone please explain why am I being left out again?" Hayato demanded commonly indignantly.

"Oh, you have far more pressing concerns than facing some big fat demons, little boy." Izana said with a surprisingly sinister but still teasing grin.

"Like what, you goof?" Hayato hissed.

"HAYATO!" Screamed the startling voice of a big and angry man that made Hayato screech in terror and run away right in the opposite direction where the voice came from but he doesn't get very far as a giant hand made of wind goes straight after him, grabbing him and pulls him straight back and he lands down on the floor with his father, Fuga there and he is not happy.

"Where do you think you're going this time boy?" He demanded sternly.

"Well… it's a good thing we're leaving after all." Corrin muttered as Robin's spell only now just activated and it's too late to turn it off.

"Have fun, kiddo." Rinkah laughed at the kid's misfortune.

"No! You traitors! Come back and take me with you, I want to go to Hell too! NOOOOOO!" Hayato cried in horror with Mikoto, Takumi, Sakura and Mozu dropping a sweat over the boy's misfortune.

---

Corrin's group soon find themselves at the edge of a cliff located in one of the valleys of Nohr, even though it's already noon, daylight is barely noticeable because of the black clouds that are a frequent sight in the Kingdom, the mountain range itself from their angle feels largely intimidating but in spite of the darkness they can see their destination well enough. Right below them is Fort Dragonfall. It towered from the valley below them, might and imposing, seemingly carved out of solid rock. It was smooth, curved and strangely… alive.

"Jeez, this is my first time here in the Dark Night and it's every bit as nerve-wracking as I thought." Hana said, already bothered by being here.

"Eh, this is my second time and it definitely feels more like a blah than life-threatening." Hinata shrugged.

"Oh yeah, you two and Lord Takumi once snuck passed Nohr's borders when you volunteered to defend them last year." Subaki remembered.

"Yep, the three of us got too carried away exterminating Grimm and ended up in one of the three border towns from Nohr's side and with so many guards we had to hide there for at least two days until we at last found our chance to escape." Oboro explained. "I don't know what was worse, being in a Nohrian dominated town, being forced to wear their revolting clothing or going two days without food. There was barely enough to go around and we blended in so well that the folks there were nice enough to give us a place to stay when they mistook us for hobos."

"Definitely not being able to eat for two days. The scums we captured over the years were not kidding about their famine crisis, Sephiroth, there are only a handful of cities that actually have food to feast every day while the rest have to eat only twice a day just to get by." Hinata muttered as Takumi declined all the food the three were offered to pass along to whatever starving orphans needed to eat as well and the two Retainers never objected.

"Goes to show that forts like these and all the intimidating armor they were is all for show to hide how empty these people really are." Setsuna commented.

"That's a gross exaggeration but you're not far off. To make sure the soldiers are prep and ready for battle, 35% of the food that was able to be amass per year is distributed to them so they don't lose their fatigue." Corrin explained, based on everything she learned from her foster family.

"Only 35%? Nohr's human army is more than 100,000 men strong." Hinoka recalled in surprise by this.

"That hasn't stopped all the reports we've received over the years about the constant rebellions by the common folk demanding more food. This entire land is a massive combat zone." Kagero explained grimly.

"Almost being the keyword, nowadays with the amassing of so many Grimm a lot of soldiers have stepped down from their post in recent years so more can be given to the commoners, of course, a lot of said commoners used to be soldiers." Felicia added.

"I didn't know that." Hinoka muttered to herself, while Ryoma remains silent in contemplation.

"These blasted endless clouds aren't doing anyone any favors either." Corrin cursed at the sight of the endless clouds. "Robin, you mind."

"I'll do it when this is over, all the sunlight is gonna draw too much attention after all." He replied to her about getting rid of the clouds.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Hana questioned.

"I'll show you later." Robin shrugged.

"The fort looks more impressive too. It even looks almost like a giant sleeping dragon." Felicia noted staring at the fort again. "Does that sound strange."

"Not really, this fort was forged by the remains of a dragon that died here, hence the name Fort Dragonfall." Robin explained.

"Yeah but a lot of the members of the Dusk Faithful despise this place with unyielding rage, though." Jakob said.

"Why is that?" Corrin asked.

"Well… it may have something to do with the fact that the dead dragon just so happens to be one of the more minor known Precursors." Jakob said.

"Huh…?"

"The Precursors were more a family than just a pantheon of gods, the co-leaders of the Divine Dragons, Sephiroth and Qliphoth each had two children respectively, the Dawn Dragon is known to have two sons, the Blaze Dragon Iblis and the Stone Dragon Archaean, while the Dusk Dragon had two daughters, the more well-known of the two is the Frost Dragon Shiva and his second daughter was the Mist Dragon Ahsoka, who was one of the many casualties of the Great War. Her human disciples buried her here below the surface to rest in peace and would continue to offer her prayers in a sub-faction of the Dusk Faithful until six hundred years ago, blasphemers of unclear motives dug up her remains and desecrated her bones to make Dragonfall." Ryoma explained.

"I had no idea." Corrin uttered now staring at the fort with newfound revulsion over what it truly represents.

"If it's so blasphemous, why is it still intact?" Rinkah wondered.

"It's a powerful fortress, or used to, and it served a strategic purpose at one point so it was kept around out of convenience." Robin said. "Enough of that, we have to get to work now, for all we know, the Black Bulls are already dead. Orochi, make us a scout to examine the place first to make sure there's at least some semblance of hope."

"On it." Orochi replied, using the light scroll and creates a light construct in the form of a hummingbird and flies into Dragonfall, the light it emits has been dimmed enough that no one should be able to notice it too much. "Alright, I'm in and so far nothing, passing by a large corridor and the place is empty so far but definitely in a bad way empty." She said examining the area through the eyes of the construct.

"I wouldn't be surprised by the enemy being prepared for an attack and have traps ready but what are the odds that the Sins are really expecting us to go after them?" Setsuna asked.

"We're the only ones thus far who know of their existence and Robin and I warned Shura about them to be overly cautious and try to get some more information so I have little doubt that this mess is our fault that they were caught just to lure us and no one else." Azura said wearily. "Though, I somehow get the distinct hunch that we'll only be facing one of them again."

"Fingers cross." Hinoka said.

"Okay, I'm hearing something farther down a narrowed passage, can't make it out yet but it sounds like there are a lot of people gathered in one place. That's concerning." Orochi said reluctant to go forward but does so regardless until she begins to see blood in the roof, walls, floor and… flesh and bones. "Oh my gods…"

"What did you find?" Ryoma asked upon noticing how quickly Orochi's expression turns ill.

"Oh… my gods… oh my gods…" She mumbled two more times, looking like she's becoming sicker by the second until she can't take what she's seeing anymore and drops the scroll in a panic. "OH… MY… GOODNESS!"

"Orochi!" Reina uttered as the Diviner takes several steps back in a rapid pace that she trips and falls into her partner's arms. "What's gotten into you?"

"I'll… never look at meat the same. Sephiroth, I'm going to be a vegetarian from now on." Orochi muttered, now looking like she's about to throw up.

"Meat?" Corrin repeated, not liking the sound of it.

"Well, this keeps getting better and better." Rinkah hissed sarcastically as she picks up the Scroll and see what got Orochi spook with the hummingbird still active with her own eyes what sort of hell awaits them, and it is certainly a horrid one. "WHAT IN THE ETERNAL FLAME?!"

"WHAT?! What is it?!" Corrin cried, the suspense killing her as well as unnerving the rest. "Are Shura and the others dead? Are they alive?!"

"Yeah, I see them, they're all in what I think used to be a large dining hall, the Black Bulls are there, probably twenty or more, I can't count at the moment with long dark chains that look like meat hooks keeping them suspense in the air but are otherwise fine by looks alone but below them… man, oh man, this is what I like to call a Dish of Hell."

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean, Rinkah?" Corrin demanded.

"There are a bunch of Nohrian citizens there as well, commoners and street rats from the looks of it and they are eating like savage monsters." Rinkah explained.

"Eating what?"

"THEMSELVES! They're fighting each other while eating one another." Rinkah yelled back while also dropping the scroll to turn away from the sight. The others gasp in terror over this news.

"Cannibalism?!" Ryoma shouted.

"What… what kind of disaster are those abominations up to now?" Hinoka uttered.

"That's horrible…" Felicia uttered about to throw up herself.

"This must be the work of the Sin of Gluttony, and where better for him to spread his influence than a nation beset by famine." Lilith said terrified.

"We have to get in there. We have to get them out right now! Get the troops ready." Corrin demanded with desperate haste as Orochi snaps out of her horror trance as she and Rinkah both use the Light Scroll together and summon a battalion of Light Soldiers that charge into Dragonfall in a full siege with the Hoshidans being carried downward alongside them and march to save the Black Bulls as soon as possible and by the time they arrived, their Light Soldiers have already restraint the Nohrians and they can see why even Rinkah was horrified as the entire dining hall is bathed with blood, flesh, bones, organs and dismembered corpses from mostly bite marks. The restraint people are more like monsters, wrathfully and desperately trying to free themselves to continue feasting on each other. The entirety of their bodies and clothing is covered in blood, some of them have either lost a limb or have so much of them bitten off, others are missing eyes and flesh on their faces. It's like watching a real live version of those horror stories about the undead known as zombies and these Nohrians are such creatures. It's a miracle that Sakura, Mozu and Hayato weren't allowed to come like they wanted to after all.

"This… can't be real!" Felicia looks like she's about to go insane from this madness.

"How could such evil exist." Jakob too cannot bring himself to watch.

"Oh, shoot. We're really near the mouth of hell now." Hinata uttered as she and Hana throw up at once at the sight of it all. They certainly picked a bad time to have a big lunch.

"That's the understatement of the year!" Shura shouted from above, getting the attention of the Hoshidans.

"Shura! Are you alright?" Corrin shouted.

"NO! We're not okay! We were moments away from becoming the main course!" Black Bulls Anna shouted in terror, pretty much Shura is the only one among his comrades who maintains a semi-calm demeanor while the rest, especially the other Anna is in a state of total despair.

"We'll get you guys out of this, okay. You're going to live through this nightmare." Robin assured them as he will begin to free them.

"I think not!" Roared the voice of a malicious monster with the ground beginning to tremble.

"No… no, no… NO!" The tormented Anna wallowed in despair with the true terror returning. "He's here. He's coming for me!"

"How many Sinners are here, Shura?" Corrin asked as they ready themselves to fight.

"Just one, and he is one ugly son of a bitch!" Shura informed.

Large cracks form on the right of the dining hall as a large winged beast emerges out from it, blowing most of the Light Soldiers away, getting all attention to it.

"Gluttony!" Robin cursed as the Hoshidans face the newest Sin.

This one appears more like a demon than the rest they've encountered, roughly the same size or bigger than a Death Stalker. Four-legged, resembling a very twisted sphinx with red sharp claws, a humanoid upper torso in the front that gives it a centaur-like appearance, it's demonic face contains a sickening grin to it with curved, segmented horns that arc back over the back of the cranium and has two pairs of wings with purple feathers on its back riddled with eyes.

"Welcome, Minions of the Dawn. Daughters of the Silent. And welcome most of all to you, High Deliverer. I knew you would come to save your friends. As expected of those who live by the weakness of Virtue." The grotesque creature spoke in a sickening tone with green liquid spewing out of his mouth.

"What an atrocious bastard." Rinkah hissed in disgust.

"That's… a real d-d-demon?!" Felicia gasped with pure terror overtaking her.

"So… you must be the embodiment of the Sin of Gluttony." Robin address, staring at the monster down intently.

"I go by many names, same as you, I've long since stopped caring about what people call me. All that matters is what I desire." Gluttony shrugged disgustingly. "And what I desire is to satisfy my hunger."

"How utterly deplorable." Jakob scoffed.

"Explain yourself, you bastard! Why have you done this to these people, making them mad enough to actually cannibalize each other. Your brother and sisters are deplorable but this is just a new low?" Corrin demanded, enraged by the horrors.

"You speak as if I have done something evil. Foolish, little girl. I am no enemy of Nohr. I am their savior." Gluttony argued, catching the humans off by his claim.

"In what god damn sense?!" Corrin shouted back.

"Were you not once a Princess of this fallen from Blackgrace nation? Have you forgotten the conditions these people are going through? The duty you have sworn to uphold but forsook for a life of pleasure and eternal… gluttony!" Gluttony asked in a scolding manner, glaring at the proper Hoshidans while waving his hands at the Nohrians still restrained and still under his corruption. Whenever he speaks he would continuously growl and choke on his words, many of which are straddled with gutter belching or gurgling, as though he is suffering from perpetual indigestion.

"I haven't forgotten! And I may have forsaken the family that raised me but not the people!" Corrin argued.

"LIES! The Dawn always lies. Light is and always shall be the Father of Sin." Gluttony argued with more anger and malice. "Each of you must know by now, Nohr is the most populated kingdom on this planet, too many mouths to feed, too little to go around, a land cursed by the aftermath of the Old War to truly provide anything, these people are hungry. They were born hungry. If they lose this war, then they must resort to the true path of Hunger. Over the centuries, Nohrians have resorted to this before. "Crimes" like these, while rare have happened enough times for the authorities to be fully invested in making sure they stop and never happen again." He explained as he starts to sound sympathetic. "The thought always comes to mind when one is truly hungry, the growling of the stomach, the agony of emptiness, the longing of becoming filled, the hatred for those who have and will not give. The desperation, the rage, the feeling of powerlessness that turns good and virtuous men… cruel. I know their pain. I know it all too well for it was that pain that birthed me as the rest of my siblings who too were born from the pain of Humanity's infinite vices."

With each word, Gluttony takes a few more steps closer to his foes, the Hoshidans take few steps back with their Light Soldiers stepping between them to keep this evil away. "Nohr will lose this war, I know it. You all know it. And when they do, when they accept that even they were forsaken by the gods, they will come to me, and I will give them the courage to embrace the devils inside and feast on the flesh of their kin and it will be oh, so… EXQUISITE!"

"Nothing but empty words come out of your mouth, beast. Everything you've done you did for your own thirst for destruction." Ryoma countered, not falling for the demon's nonsense. "You and your kin have done enough damage to Hoshido and even we must accept that not even the Nohrians deserve to meet such an end, and you will pay for every life you've destroyed, especially your wretched brother, Wrath."

"Really, now?" Gluttony laughed like a madman upon his declaration though stops once he starts coughing violently for a few seconds. "I've seen all your battles thus far from the shadows against the Grimm and my family. As usual, you humans are weak and feeble when in the presence of true power. When in the presence of true GODS. Do I look like I will be different? An easy win?" He asked sarcastically "I am eternal. Hunger is INFINITE!"

"You're not the first beast to make that claim. At least I'm getting a sense of déjà vu from those words." Robin said being the most composed out of everyone from this crisis.

"And I'm sure you would know better than your new friends, Robin. I pity you, not being able to remember your past lives. A brain with a few memories is like drinking ocean water. It makes me thirstier when I taste them." Gluttony said, hinting that he knows about Robin's past, something that was already established with the Seven but not really confirmed to most of them, to Robin's chagrin and Corrin's uncertainty. "But your soul remains intact and what is left of Grima will be truly appetizing, along with Anna here. How disappointing that Takumi didn't come along as I'd hoped."

"What do you want with my brother and Anna?" Hinoka demanded angrily.

"To eat them of course." Gluttony affirmed as he stares at the Anna that used to be Greed's vessel and licks his lips to clarify his aim, and the tongue just so happens to actually be a cobra that spills venom all over his lips, adding further intimidation to his horrid appearance.

"Why go to the trouble of capturing them?" Robin asked.

"Because she, like Takumi both served as demonic vessels and those touched by the demonic are marked for life. Their souls forever tainted with the aura of those who stole their bodies for a time. Even though we can create bodies for ourselves to move about we once and a while desire Meatsuits for various purposes. As for I, human flesh is even more delicious when they are marked by true darkness." Gluttony explained, further horrifying Anna over the realization that there is still pieces of Greed still inside her.

"Takumi…" Oboro whispered mortified with the thought that there is still apart of Envy in him.

"Going after the former vessels of your kin sounds no different than cannibalism." Robin pointed out in disgust.

"And what's your point? It's not like anyone can go through their whole lives without wishing for their kin to suffer once and a while, and while I have nothing against my brothers, there is nothing I hunger more than to see my sisters, and Lust suffer." Gluttony confessed with contempt for his sisters and then returns his sights on Anna. "And do you know what is just as scrumptious as human souls tainted by devilry? Fear. Tasty, tasty, beautiful fear. Best way to salt the meat." He began to giggle maniacally as his body starts changing with his mouth enlarging, from as an opening that slits from one side, reaches his neck and part of his face, then ends to the other side of his body, revealing a bigger mouth lined with rows of sharp teeth with a bigger, extendable tongue-like cobra.

"Holy shit!" Subaki actually cried out in terror, not even he can keep a calm head, not unlike Robin in the face of this madness, and Gluttony moves her Cobra to take a bite out of Anna finally.

"NO! NNOOOOO!" The Fallen Merchant cried with her end nearing inch by inch.

"ANNA!" Her sister cried, being forced to watch the horror, that thankfully never came as Robin saves her as he pulls out Ragnell and decapitates the cobra, forcing Gluttony to retract what remains of the tongue and restore his mouth to its original size.

"It's sinful to ruin someone's breakfast." The Demon hissed insulted.

"You've eaten enough for a thousand lifetimes and will not have anymore." Robin warned, pointing his new blade at the monster.

"Ah… Ragnell, the Sword of the Radiant King. How fascinating but ultimately futile." Gluttony smirked not intimidated by the legendary sword like his brothers were. "Not even a hundred Fire Emblems can destroy me, what makes you think that old antique will be able to make a difference."

"I don't. I don't even know how deadly this blade I stole really is." Robin lied. "But it's powerful, I know it and so do you apparently and I get the feeling that once I sink it into your stomach you won't be eating anything or anyone for a very long time"

"BUT WE'RE NOT YET FULL!" Gluttony cried with anguish over being denied more meals and his tantrum causes the corrupted Nohrians to become more feral with their hunger. "You know we've tried. We've been feasting but we're still not… satisfied." He mused as he begins to cough a bit loudly before accidentally spilling out ahead from his mouth that lands far enough near Corrin's and the sight of it further mortifies the former Princess of Nohr as it is the head of a little boy, the left portion completely mutilated while the remaining right is completely devoid of flesh, the skull completely visible. There are no signs of children being here until now, leaving them to conclude that whatever younglings were here must've already been devoured, either all by Gluttony or the other infested humans who are likely their relatives.

And this is what really causes Corrin to snap as she gives the demon one last intense glare of pure hatred before screaming her lungs out, no longer able to restrain herself and instinctively transforms into a dragon again and rushes after Gluttony, ramming herself into the beast as they bash through several walls, all the while Gluttony laughs with pure delight.

"Corrin, wait!" Robin cried out for her with her allies attempting to aid her, only to reach certain problems of their own as a geyser of water erupts from the hole Gluttony came out of and from that water come out the Veiled Soldiers who block their path and another battle commences.

---

The two Titans are now outside on the east side of Fort Dragonfall, Gluttony grabs on to Corrin's shoulders tightly and lifts her up, spreading his wings to fly them both as he slams her to the wall of the fort and starts ramming her upwards, dragging her towards the nearest tower. Corrin fights back and frees herself by headbutting the Demon to then ram him into the wall, bursting a hole open for them to crash into a room within the fort where the two continue to fight in a brief scuffle before Gluttony gains the upper hand, taking her outside and resume to reach the tower for no real reason other than continuing to bash Corrin as the Dragon Princess continues to struggle and once they reach the top of the tower, Corrin regains the upper hand, bashing Gluttony on the floor so hard that the impact causes the entire tower to break apart and they both fall back down and get buried under all the debris for a few moments.

Corrin is kicked out of the debris by Gluttony using his two back feet, crash landing near the edge of the cliff on Fort Dragonfall's east side. She forces herself back up to continue fighting as Gluttony charges as well and is the first to make the next move as he stops Corrin's assault by punching her in the face, delivering three more punches that nearly throw her off balance as she attempts to punch him back but her hits do less damage than he does. After receiving two more vicious punches and a literal slap to the face from him that make her go dizzy for a brief moment and might actually faint, she recklessly attempts to bash him by his chin with her horns, but that also proved futile as Gluttony grabs her head in time to stop her and then begins to pull her to his right in an attempt to knock her to the ground but she manages to stand her ground until he hits her on the back of her long neck with his right elbow, causing her to howl in pain as she finally falls to her knees.

"PATHETIC! And you call yourself a DRAGON?! Something so weak as you could barely ever hope to count as an appetizer." Gluttony roared as he raises his front legs up in an attempt to stump on her head but Corrin manages to roll out of the way in time and launches another attack by swinging her tail at him, which proves to be a fatal mistake as he catches it with his bare teeth and with enough force pulls and bites it off out of her body, causing her to cry out in agony, lying helplessly on the floor with blood coming out of where her tail once was.

"DAMMIT! YOU… YOU…!" Corrin growled, her anger intensifying as she watches Gluttony swallow her tail whole.

"You can't fight on an empty stomach, you know." Gluttony laughed at her agony. "Though, I suspect you would provide me a bit more entertainment, if not way more and certainly be a more exquisite meal if you allowed your true self-control. Now that sounds like a fight Wrath would be looking forward to."

"I just met you… and already I have you figured out, and see right through your strings, Gluttony. All you are is empty, like the rest of your family. You're just an empty void that can never be filled, there is nothing you won't destroy so you might as well spare us your nonsense." Corrin cursed, forcing herself back on her feet.

"You're in no position to judge, little dragon. After all, out of the gluttonous scum in Hoshido, none are more hungry than you." Gluttony retorted, mockingly to the already bested Dragon. "Oh yes, you especially are hungry out of everyone in Nohr and Hoshido, Corrin. Hungry… for… DDDDAAAAARRRRKKKKNNNNNEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS…"

Suddenly, everything turns dark for a few seconds before Corrin opens her eyes again and finds herself back in human form, her pain and injuries gone, not that her tail is ever really present when she's like this but she is no longer anywhere near Fort Dragonfall but instead the last place she would ever want to be in.

"The… throne room in Krakenburg. I'm back home." Corrin uttered in confusion. What is Gluttony plotting? It really stings to be here again after leaving Nohr. Growing up, being here was but a dream, the place where a Royal Family would stand together primarily to converse about the welfare and duty to the Kingdom, the first time she finally got to see it with her own eyes was everything she expected it to be, a place of strength, intimidation and absolute authority but now it brings her discomfort and fear. If this is Gluttony's way of breaking her spirit more so than Wrath already did than it's working perfectly.

"Need to get out. I'm not ready to be here." Corrin said with haste and desperation in her voice, marching straight for the doors, only to find her path blocked by the one person she'd ever expected to face off against. Herself.

Yes, standing before Corrin is another woman that looks exactly like her, almost down to the most minor detail, barefooted and all, with the only exception is that the uniform she's wearing is not of a Hoshido Noble but a black one of Nohr's nobility, and it is the exact same one that Camilla had designed for her six months ago that she was meant to wear once she takes on her position as a Nohrian Commander. She even has a replica of the Yato in the sword's base form.

"What… what's going on. Who are you?" Corrin gasped flabbergasted by this latest crisis. The other Corrin remains silent, instead, she glares at her with intense ferocity. She raises her Yato a bit and like with the real one, the blade transforms, and before she knew it the second Yato now radiates a crimson aura that reminds her of a sword bathed in blood with the slot on the bottom of the blade now illuminated crimson. The crossguard slightly widens and takes a more ornate look. The Fake Corrin begins walking forward, looking like she's itching for a fight and eager to go for the kill.

"Answer me! What kind of new devilry is all this?! What are you?!" Corrin demanded more agitated, raising the true Yato against the imposter with its wind magic activated, releasing a harmless gust at the moment.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm everything you wanted to be. What is, what isn't what was supposed to be but can never be." The Imposter responded with the very same voice but with a darker tone fueled by malice.

"I don't understand." Corrin mumbled.

"Come on, Corrin. we're not that gullible, just slow but slow learners have their benefits. Don't tell me that we lack even that." The Other Corrin said, sounding like they are one and the same.

"We?"

"Yes, we. I am Corrin. Second Princess of Nohr and second daughter of King Garon and Queen Arete, the ones who will rule all and bring absolute order to a depraved world deceived by the Light." The Imposter declared with conviction and passion so familiar it hurts inside.

"No… You're not me. I threw that title away." Corrin shouted in denial.

"And look where that got us in!" Dark Corrin snapped back enraged as she raises her Grim Yato as it clads with red lightning and swings it down at her with Corrin countering with her Noble Yato. Both Sacred Treasures release huge amounts of magical force that the impact causes the throne room to shake violently. Both Corrins begin their fight, each clash causing more shakes on the throne room but Dark Corrin's strikes are much more ferocious, the wave of red lightning running wild with the true Corrin desperately releasing stronger gusts of magical wind to repel the electricity from touching her as the mere sight of this darker Yato, that must be the Ultimate Sacred Treasure's alternative form of the deeply feared Sword of Demolition that is said to bring total destruction upon the world instead of safeguarding it. It's living up to the legends so far as this Nohrian Corrin seems to have more of an understanding of the sword than she has about the ''Sword of Salvation'', every blow she counters is more intense than Gluttony's punches.

Corrin narrowly escapes being decapitated by her obvious nohrian side's blade and finds an opening to thrust her sword at Dark Corrin's next and does not hesitate to go for the kill for once, seeing the imposter only as another demon that has to be stopped. Sadly, Dark Corrin has fewer inhibitions than her, as she stops Corrin's attack by transforming her left hand into its monster form, grabbing her by her head and begins to squeeze her, getting a loud cry of pain from the Scourge of Nohr. Dark Corrin then throws her straight up as she crashes into the ceiling violently that she leaves a large crack upwards and as she falls back down, Dark Corrin begins channeling power from her sword to deliver one last swing to finish her, however, Corrin recovered quick and using Noble Yato she forms a powerful twister that not only stops Dark Corrin's attack but also blows her away from the demoness and she lands closer to the throne room's doors.

"You're not real! Nothing about you is true!" Corrin shouted out loud, determine to get out of this mess.

"I AM REAL!" Dark Corrin yelled back louder. "I'm as real as the pain you've felt day and night ever since you set foot in that accursed Suzanoh. As real as the Pride you felt when you got to call Xander brother and Garon father! The Wrathful vengeance you hold towards those who wronged you, Nohr and Hoshido alike! The Slothful reluctance to truly fight for justice! The Envy you feel for not being as competent as your siblings! The Greed you have for wanting to come back to them and for them to accept you back with open arms! The Lust that keeps you up at night for Robin's embrace! The Gluttony that starves you for the perfect life, the perfect family, the perfect parents, the perfect siblings, the perfect husband and children! Everything that could've been yours and more and you threw away! And for WHAT?! Complete strangers! Months ago they were our enemies! And they've lied to us and are keeping secrets all the same. Hoshido is just as bad, if not worse!"

"What country isn't full of bullshit?!" Corrin argued. "I know what I have to do now for all of Horus's sake, just as how I know there is no turning back from what I've done. Xander made that clear when he was prepared to strike me down."

"And what a bigger wreck we've become because of it. We're getting weaker and weaker with each passing day; our very existence is on the brink of collapse as we sink further down back into the Darkness that was once ours to rule as a goddess that now only welcomes us with fire and hate." Dark Corrin scuffed. "There is no future for us left in Solheim because of you! And that will not stand anymore. I'm taking control and putting us back on the right track."

"Over my dead body!" Corrin declined.

"That's already begun!" Dark Corrin roared with Grim Yato emitting a more violent surge of electricity that spreads wildly all over the Throne Room, threatening to fry everything it touches, with Corrin stabbing Noble Yato on the ground and creates a twister around herself to serve as a barrier that successfully repels all the red lightning with no form of breach, which irritated Dark Corrin as she concentrates all the lightning back into the sword and to herself and moves at the same lightning speed as Ryoma, howling like an inhuman beast and aims at the twister, destroying it, along with the massive doors that fall down and crash on the corridors but thankfully Corrin survived that blow without a scratch. Dark Corrin continues her assault with more violence and without rhythm to her moves but her speed is enough to catch up to Corrin's more precise and careful swings, after all, if they really are one and the same they both must know how the other fights and Corrin has fought with the same lack of pace before when her blood was made to boil on a few occasions so she instantly understands how Dark Corrin fights. Regardless, in this fight, it's about who is stronger and the light side of the Hoshidan Princess is definitely not the strongest.

---

"That's a good little dragon. Just stay quiet and sleep soundly in the Shadows while I have my fill." Gluttony smirked malevolently, staring down at the unconscious Corrin still in Dragon form as the fight against her Nohrian self must really be all in her head. "I haven't had a good dragon to eat in ages. Let alone a Precursor's spawn. I hope she is tastier than the one of the Mist." The Demon said as all the eyes on his wings begin to glow in maroon light that fire bolts of electricity that hit Corrin but do not harm her but instead lifts her up in the air while he opens up his mouth into its bigger state, pulling her closer to swallow her whole, but again he is denied his meal as he instead ends up eating Robin who forces himself inside and thrust Ragnell through, causing Gluttony great pain as he releases Corrin and tries to get the Tactician out of him and he relentlessly cuts away at his insides until Robin gets out all on his own with Gluttony falling on the ground, his insides shred to ribbons with gore spewing out but no blood again, instead having water coming out of his insides instead, like Robin who's all wet now but still smells like he is covered in organs.

"Lady Corrin!" Felicia cried out as she, Jakob, Kaze and Lilith rushed to the unconscious Corrin. "Is she alright?"

"Of course she is, you fool." Jakob shouted at her not to suggest anything he would deem absurd.

"Y-You… miserable wretch!" Gluttony howled, regenerating all his wounds rapidly fast and getting back on his feet and glaring at Robin. "Do you have any idea how long it's been since I've eaten a proper dragon? They're a rarity in this day and age, you know "

"I missed the part where that's in any way my problem." Robin replied coldly, causing Gluttony to howl again and fires a magenta-colored beam at the Tactician from his mouth that he easily slashes in two with Ragnell.

"Well, if the feeling is this mutual, then perhaps I should disembowel you and let not just your latest army watch your guts spill out but also in front of you as well to make your final moments more amusing." Gluttony threatened. "Wouldn't that be lovely, Jakob?"

"This is the only time I'm ever going to say this but no, that does not sound lovely." The Butler responded sternly.

"You have my permission to at least try, you bloated thing." Robin dared. "Now what have you done to Corrin? Her body is fine as far as the eye can tell but there's more to it than that, is there?"

"As expected of one such as yourself to be very perceptive. She's alright for the moment. I've merely imprisoned her mind and soul into another dimension of mine and siblings' dominion. A place where nightmares and dark sides come to life. the Shadow Realm." Gluttony revealed. "You want her out, you have to kill me, and we both know it can't be done."

"Not permanently, yet." Kaze hissed as he and Jakob go to fight alongside Robin. They may not be anywhere near as strong but they can hold up long enough to give their partner an opening.

"Foolishness, Hoshidans. Utter foolishness, but I can't say I'm surprised by your ego and vanity. Pride is the tastiest sin of all." Gluttony chuckled.

"We'll see how long you can keep the smirk up for much longer." Jakob growled.

---

"These things are tougher than they were last time." Hinata noted as he engages one of the Veiled Soldiers in combat as he is once again pinned to a wall and unable to fight it off without help as Hana swoops in and jabs her katana through its left temple, however, he has noticed from previous engagements today that these creatures are much more potent than the ones that fought under Envy's control.

"Probably has something to do with the fact that Gluttony must be stronger than Envy. Speaking of, all the commotion outside must have something to do with Corrin getting pummeled and bashed by a lot of stone." Azama noted while assisting Setsuna to shoot down more of the invaders.

"Don't even joke about something like that!" Hinoka shouted just before pushing a Veiled Soldier to the ground and stabbing her spear through the neck. "And how can you hear anything going on outside, the entire fort at this point is crowded with all sorts of commo-" The High Princess is left unable to finish as she gets knocked to the ground by one of the feral Nohrians who got loose in the surprise attack of the Seven's army, pins her to the ground and begins to try and take a bite out of her face but she manages to keep herself safe by using the polearm of her naginata to have him sink his teeth on instead but pushing him off her is easier said than done because despite appearing like a simple villager he is really strong and really difficult to push off on her own until one of the Light Soldiers comes in and not only pulls him away from the Princess but kills him by stabbing him in the back.

"Damn, even with our forces this big, keeping those we must guard safe is too difficult." Ryoma cursed while taking down four Veiled Soldiers with one swing and was going to intercept another of the feral Nohrians going for him next but she gets kicked in the face by Kagero and knocked out.

"It's pointless to try and help these people, Milord. Unlike the Black Bulls, they've lost their humanity and even if we do snap them to their senses, they won't come back to how they were." Saizo said advising the High Prince not to focus on them as even with the Light Soldiers, fighting off Gluttony's soldiers is quite the challenge as well as guarding the Black Bulls who were set free but are in no condition to defend themselves.

"I know." Ryoma sighed in contemplation as the merciful thing to do for these people is to kill them and spare them the agony of what that Demon made them do to one another. "Mercy? In a way that is exactly what Nohr has been asking of us for years, to show them mercy by sharing our lands with them and now these malevolent entities are causing chaos in the shadows and bringing untold misery upon gods know how many people. In a way, this may be interpreted as some kind of true test of Kings to overcome. What sort of mercy is there to really offer to those who are suffering?"

---

Back with Corrin, where Gluttony confirmed to be trapped in a place called the Shadow Realm, she continues to do battle against her Nohrian counterpart which took them far from where they first started and now find themselves in a narrow corridor, both Yatos clashing with one another and both pierced the wall. Dark Corrin puts more pressure, slowing pushing her Hoshidan Half back as this fight is overexerting her too much and while this is happening their blades leave further gashes on the wall that look to be made of solid stone. Though this must all be a hallucination of sorts if the Shadow Realm works in any way similar to Lilith's Astral Plane than perhaps this replica of Krakenburg must be real enough.

"Your efforts are futile as they have been since your betrayal, Corrin." Dark Corrin hissed, continuing to torment the real Corrin during this entire fight both physically and mentally.

"I said shut up!" Corrin howled more ferociously herself as she pushes the Grim Yato away, allowing her to get behind Dark Corrin to slice at her back, only to be instantly parried by the quick reflexes both Corrins share, as the darker one narrowly managed to stab her in the face but again Corrin dodges, following up by attempting to decapitate her and later cleave her in two from the right abdomen, both of which Dark Corrin easily parries, counterattacking by grabbing Corrin by her right shoulder and drags her back to the direction she previously was before headbutting the Hoshidan Princess with enough force to make her lose her balanced, followed by getting punch in the face by Dark Corrin. Corrin struggles to keep herself on her feet and pouring more strength into her next swing, which again is futile with her Nohrian half easily parrying.

Dark Corrin then transforms her left hand into its monstrous appearance to deliver one powerful punch to Corrin that sends her flying pass the whole corridor and crashes hard into a stone wall at the end, making a large crack that makes Corrin gasps for breath as she lies down but is unable to as Dark Corrin throws the Grim Yato like a boomerang that nearly hits her neck by an inch. Dark Corrin doesn't stop there as Corrin can see a small and weak stream of electricity coming out of the Grim Yato's pommel that goes all the way back to her dark side's right hand and once she tightens it into a fist the sword starts coming again and Corrin nearly loses her head by the blade who telekinetically moves by itself through the lightning connecting it to its wielder that then gets pulled back into Dark Corrin's hands and she again clashes with the real Corrin who find themselves again in a stalemate so to speak.

"You still can't begin to grasps the power you've been blessed with, and still you persist on following this path!" Dark Corrin cursed.

"But you seem to know Yato best, seeing how you were created by Gluttony." Corrin countered, now being the one to push Dark Corrin back, followed by an uppercut to the chin that knocks her to the ground, she even drops her Yato, leaving her wide open to being struck down once an for all by Corrin, who sadly cannot proceed with her assault as something catches her by her right leg that pulls and throws her off her feet. As Dark Corrin gets back up, Corrin sees that what caught her leg was Dark Corrin's own dragon tail that she manifested at will to stop her lethal attack.

"Want to know what our real problem is, Corrin?" Dark Corrin asked while she maintains her hold on Corrin with her tail and with all her strength she pulls her out from the air and swings her hard on the wall, hitting her back, followed by another to their right as she hits her face. This was the last blow for Corrin as she drops the Noble Yato from fatigue as Dark Corrin leaves her lying there in defeat. "You're the side of us that can't accept not being in control. It's natural for people, especially those of the upper echelon of societies to explode with resentment towards anything and anyone who disrupts their way of living and how they want to run things but Robin and Xander taught us to show enough humility to not throw a tantrum every time something comes along and tarnishes our hopes and plans. You stand tall when danger arrives but in truth, you just want to run away and let the big strong man take care of everything like your typical pathetic noble lady. Your dreams of the life similar to mercenaries is just that, a silly pitiful act of escapism."

"I don't have to answer anything to you!" Corrin snapped, attempting to continue fighting but Dark Corrin keeps her pin to the ground by placing herself on top of her and the Grim Yato around her neck.

"Who better to talk about your past sins, present sins and future sins than with yourself!" Dark Corrin talked back, practically barking at that point. "You've tarnished our hopes of our most heartfelt desires, destroy Nohr's respect and now they're coming for us and we'll spend the rest of our lives in chains unless father does the merciful thing and executes us right on the spot. But Robin? Robin will never be so fortunate and you know it most of all. They'll make him suffer, putting him through the worst conditions humans should never go through and keep him alive for as long as he can resist until he begs for death but instead they'll just keep tearing him apart without end. Because of you!"

"No… they can't… I won't let them take him from me." Corrin swore.

"I won't let them take him from ME!" Dark Corrin replied more stern and bitter just as the Yato begins to change yet again, now having a jet-black aura, same with the two bottom slots on the blade now and finally, there are small protrusions all over the blade except for the tip.

"Another form…" Corrin uttered.

"Once I destroyed your consciousness I'll cease control of our body in the outside and finally set things right in the real world by tearing Hoshido apart from the inside!" Dark Corrin swore as she raises her blade, about to finish Corrin, only to have her be stabbed in the back, literally as someone arrives at the scene and a silver blade comes out of her chest. Dark Corrin makes a demonic howling mix with pain as the assailant and savior lifts her off Corrin and throws her aside.

Corrin recovers and sees her savior be a young girl close to her age with white hair like Robin's and hers, wearing a uniform that gives her the impression of what Pegasus Knights wear in another country that was only recently annexed into Nohr but the design has a remarkable resemblance to the coat Robin used to wear and the sword she wields holds a striking resemblance to Ragnell, the obvious difference is that the blade is silver, while the handle is instead gold.

"Jeez, the demons in this place have always been loud but that one has some serious issues." The girl whined in annoyance before turning to Corrin with a concerned smile and offers her a hand to get back up. "You alright?"

"Yes, thank you." Corrin smiled as she accepts her new savior's hand to get back on her feet. "But, who are you, and what is this place? Definitely not Nohr. Sorry, I should introduce myself first."

"What matters is getting you out since you clearly need help." She replied back. "Oh, the name's Morgan by the way."

"Morgan…" Corrin repeated and lost for words over this news as she had been saved from her Dark Side by the woman who upon closer inspection does resemble Robin to some degree, or rather a lot as Corrin is having a difficult time looking at her without the face of the man she loves coming to mind and that smile of hers holds the same amount of warmth and compassion he would always give her that is just so adorable coming from her. She even has the same light brown eyes like his. This must be the same Morgan that Robin is struggling to remember and reunite with, who Corrin has been doubting for some time is really his sister. Hell, if anything, she's really his daughter. Wait a minute…

"Hey, are you okay? I hope you're not too hurt, wounds received in this place are more severe than in the mortal planes of existence but your soul shouldn't be this banged up." Morgan asked concern by Corrin's lack of response. "Don't worry, I know my way around White Magic so I'll have you healed in…"

"HOW DARE YOU!" Dark Corrin roared getting back up with a pained expression due to the wound she still has that Morgan inflicted but is holding up strongly more so than any human should, likely due to her being a demon. "I'm going to get my hands on you, and I'm going to kill you by tearing your guts out through your throat!"

"Sounds like someone's never been to a spa." Morgan joked, not taking the demon's threat seriously in the slightest while sparing Corrin a glance. "I'm referring to you, by the way."

Dark Corrin howls more monstrously, thrusting the now Shadow Yato as it surges with insane amounts of dark magic that Corrin swears it surpasses the power of Siegfried, which she didn't think it was possible as even Leo believed that Siegfried was stronger than any dark tome in Horus. The impact from the swing was so strong that it destroys a large portion of Castle Krakenburg with Corrin and Morgan being blown out of the castle, though Corrin was able to minimize the damage to herself using her Yato and Morgan in her own way survive the attack with no damage at all and grabs hold of Corrin and very much like Robin, she also starts flying them to safety, to the Princess's ever-growing surprise. Dark Corrin is in hot pursuit as she manifests her dragon wings and is able to use them properly to fly on her own without Lilith's assistance or giving in to her dragonic instincts.

"There is no escape!" Dark Corrin howled, swinging her sword towards Morgan but this time the younger Tactician counters using her silver blade that parries the Sword of Demolition effortlessly but also releases a magical force that cancels out the Shadow Yato's power and pushes Dark Corrin away by a few feet, to the shock of both Corrins. "What…"

"A holy blade can only live up to its legend if its wielder is even remotely competent both mentally and physically to harness and be a proper conduit to its power, and you, lady, are only half of the master." Morgan mocked as she cast a spell that is of Light Magic. "Seraphim!" By her command, a meteor of silver light falls on Dark Corrin that consumes her and blows her downwards to the bottom of the walled pit that makes up the castle, her scream ever more demonic as she fades away.

"Is she… dead?" Corrin asked hoping for a big fat yes.

"If she were dead than you be dead too." Morgan explained, to her confusion. "She was created from the darkness in your heart by this dimension if either of you is struck down by anyone that is not each other than no invitation to Smash for you."

"What?!" Corrin gasped in horror.

"In order to stop her you have to either escape the Shadow Realm, which will force her to return to your subconscious or for you to beat her, not through brute strength like you've been doing but with your heart, and I get the feeling that you're an emotional wreck at the moment so I'll go with the former." Morgan added.

"Yeah, I would like that very much." Corrin muttered as Morgan flies them out at top speed and once they exit the pit, Corrin sees that they really aren't in Nohr, much less the Capital of Windmire as she sees a dark city unlike any she's seen before that is more insidious in appearance but not necessarily hellish and the dark sky is being illuminated by a red moon, like a lunar eclipse but Corrin gets the feeling that it's really just a red moon. This whole place feels like Lilith's dimension but she can't feel any Dragon Veins but there is magic in the air that feels foul but at the same time empty, almost like her entire being will start to decay any moment now.

"Just what is this place? I've been to a Deeprealm before but this feels all so wrong." Corrin uttered.

"Oh, this ain't nothing like the Deeprealms, what you're looking at is actually the Shadow Realm, a dimension that exists outside but is still intertwined with all worlds at the same time born out of elder magic mix with all manner of negative emotions accumulated over the eons that humans have gone to war, all those evil thoughts turn to energy that merged together across the Multiverse to create a realm both corporeal and incorporeal to contain all malice. All the inhabitants here are demons that serve as a reflection of the people in the real worlds, like your own shadow who we are running away from." Morgan explained.

"Well then… how do I know you're not one of these demons?" Corrin questioned, regretful to even ask that but she can't bring herself not to.

"The cynicism is forgivable, I mean, who in their right mind would travel to this place willingly but sadly my reasons for coming here aren't for you to know." Morgan said.

"I kind of feel that it does." Corrin argued.

"Well, let's agree to disagree." Morgan shrugged while she clads her left hand with aura mixed with both light and darkness. "Now try to relax, this might sting a little and get uncomfortable because I'm gonna have to explore your mind to re-establish a connection with your body."

"Huh…" Corrin uttered as Morgan begins to work on getting her out of the Shadow Realm. "Hold on, why are you even helping me, not that I don't appreciate it but why risk yourself for me?"

"Don't worry about it!" Morgan brushes her off as she places two fingers on Corrin's forehead, putting her in some kind of trance as she becomes unresponsive. "That should shut her up for a while. Now to find a safe spot." She said as she lands on a grassy field that looks safe enough in appearance that is surrounded by a very menacing forest, followed by her casting a spell that puts both of them in a protective dome to keep them safe from the dangers that will soon come their way.

"This have better work." Morgan muttered in desperation wanting for this to work but she only gets three minutes of peace as the vicious sound of demons can be heard coming from the forests with multiple glowing red eyes popping out everywhere. "Well, this should be good." She said sarcastically.

Dark Corrin catches up to them and crash lands on her feet like a meteor from the sky as a Dragon with no physical differences to the form.

"You… how dare you get in my way!" The Inner Demon howled, her rage pouring up.

"Well, this is not how I wanted this to go down. I'll be back soon." Morgan sighed as she gently places Corrin on the ground and exits the protection dome to face Dark Corrin, summoning Alondite to arms again. "You want to assert your dominance on your very being, you'll have to go through me, Darkling."

"You have no idea who you're dealing with!" Dark Corrin warned.

"Hate to break it to you, but I know you more than you know." Morgan countered.

---

Hello to 2020, I'm back and ready to see this story through and Morgan has finally arrived and she has the sword of the god damned Black Knight and Ragnell's twin; Alondite. Long overdue, I know but I honestly didn't think it take me this long to write this many chapters, I started making them weekly at first but I kept getting unexpected delays, and no I don't get writer's block, if anything I'm the complete opposite. My take on Awakening and Robin's past will come soon enough and note that I will be making massive changes to Awakening, and believe me, I am largely familiar with the full tale of the thirteenth game. The Sixth Sin has revealed himself and he is my most atrocious in appearance and ferocity and Corrin confronts the side she's been trying to let go but is sorely implausible.

I got the idea of Yato's Nohrian versions being red and black instead of purple and magenta from a review I once read from another Fates story of male Corrin joining Nohr called Fates Rebirth: Conquest, it was Temporal King if memory serves, I stop watching that story after the last two chapters (it's still ongoing) got too depressing for my liking, that the two nohrian forms of Yato should represent Corrin embracing the darker traits of her choice, blood-red from all the lives she has ended from her role in Nohr's Conquest and pitch black from just how blackened her heart should have become. Granted Corrin does end a lot of lives in Birthright, both Noble and Blazing Yato should represent something as well other than light and righteousness but I really don't know what should "Salvation" really represent in Corrin's soul other than the Kingdom she has chosen to fight for. Sacrifice? Acceptance? I really don't know. I've always been in favor of dark powers that it's easy to discern and write about it without it feeling completely cliché, though perhaps any of you can help me give the two a better meaning, I really want bring up the true meaning of the different forms before I finish. Till next time, on my story's first year anniversary.