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.

24. Chapter 24: Daughter of Hope

Chapter 24: Daughter of Hope

The Sin of Gluttony howls as he gets pushed back by his adversaries to the wall of Fort Dragonfall. His battle with Robin in Corrin's place has been a short but vicious one as Gluttony came close to overpowering the heroes as his sisters and brother accomplished before, however Robin's kept himself at full power after stubbornly and secretly using the Weisslogia Gem again and with the Holy Ragnell in hand, getting to actually defeat a Sinner may be within reach finally. The two stare at each other intently, Robin with a stoic yet predatory glare while Gluttony's is more base and animalistic with true malice, and considering that he is a being of hypermetabolism, meaning he is constantly hungry so he must be becoming increasingly frustrated the longer he goes without eating anything, which is the main intention of Robin to try and stall this fight to tire Gluttony out to increase their chances of "killing" him, and while there is still the issue of freeing Corrin from this Shadow Realm, Robin and the rest of Corrin's retainers understand that they can't rush things otherwise they've end up throwing their lives away for nothing and have chosen to follow Robin's lead and so far so good they have the abomination right where they want him. Fury overtaking him, Gluttony makes an animalistic roar with his bigger mouth before rushing in after the Tactician with Robin doing the same in response and the latter was the first to strike, cutting open Gluttony's neck with Ragnell, ceasing his assault and with a second swing, Robin aggressively knocks the Sinner to the ground, followed by a third swing that cuts off both Gluttony's jaw and right hand, though he makes no howling of pain this time.

The Demon does continue to fight back, grabbing Robin's head with his remaining hand and bashes him to the ground hard enough that Robin releases his hold on Ragnell. Gluttony begins running while dragging Robin with the intent of crushing him even harder but is stopped by Jakob who makes a surprising leap on top his head and stabs him in both his eyes with powerful knives that cause the Demon pain enough to make him drop Robin and Kaze also jumps on top of Gluttony to help Jakob escape before Gluttony could get his hands on him. Gluttony removes the knives from his eyes but soon learns that he is having difficulty regenerating the body parts he lost to Robin and Jakob.

'Damn, Holy Weapons! I can't heal quickly under these conditions.' Gluttony cursed in his thoughts as he falls to his knees, needing to catch his breath, which Robin doesn't give him much as he sucker punches him as soon as he gets up, knocking him pretty far and near the edge of the cliff. 'I'll have to conserve my energy with my vessel. It should hold me for a promising extent while I recover spiritually.'

"Can someone please explain why is it that instead of blood there is water coming out of this thing's wounds? It was the same thing with Wrath and he was constantly covered in fire." Jakob asked intrigued by the liquid coming out of the Sinner's body.

"I really don't know; this is just so baffling as a demon's blood is supposed to be a black ichor in contrast to a deity's golden blood." Lilith muttered.

Gluttony makes a new move as he begins to shrink and morph into a new form, one of a human male, way taller than the three males in the vicinity, messy, short brown hair, very bulky and wearing a uniform fit for his size that is of Nohrian nobility.

"What the… Lord Volker!" Felicia uttered recognizing Gluttony's human form.

"Isn't he one of the minor nobles that lives in Macarath?" Lilith asked.

"Yes, a real vulgar man, who's muscles are for show as he really thinks with his stomach." Jakob hissed with clear disdain for this man. "Has a very unsettling fetish for maids that made him quite unpopular with the masses when it got out and was banned from pretty much all the villas in Nohr."

"Think it's really him, a ''meatsuit'' of Gluttony?" Felicia asked.

"If so, then I can't think of a more fitting end for this pig." Jakob scoffed.

"This isn't over Robin. DAMN ALL OF YOU!" Gluttony howled enraged as he flies nearing the dark clouds just as they split apart and in their place an orb twice the size of Fort Dragonfall made of corrupted magic that resembles a sun of darkness is created.

"A Sin Caliburn… so fast." Lilith uttered in horror.

"Well that's one way to go out with a bang." Robin muttered as he prepares to enact another spell.

"Got anything in that book that can stop that thing?" Felicia pleaded.

"Maybe one but I don't think I can cast the spell in…" Robin mumbled as Gluttony throws his spell way quicker before Robin can do anything about it. "… time?" He cursed under his breath.

"Dad…" Whispered the soft voice of a girl that only Robin seemed to hear and before anyone knew it, a brilliant wave of light erupts from Corrin's body that wraps all of them in it and protects them from the Sin Caliburn and miraculously repels it all the way from the backside of Fort Dragonfall, to the Sinner's shock as the dark attack moves towards the rest of the terrain, destroying everything it comes in contact with, leaving a large U-shaped valley in its wake.

"What the… I haven't seen Light like that in a long time, but there's no way Robin can perform faith-based magics with his soul more tainted by darkness than ever." Gluttony mumbled more impressed than anything else by this sudden development. "A new volunteer has put themselves on my list, perhaps?"

"Where did this light come from?!" Azura asked while the five of them are covering their eyes as the light is too bright, she fears if they even try to open them they'll be burn to cinders.

"Light of this magnitude is so surreal, I could feel it deflect Gluttony's attack easily." Lilith said in shock.

"Can we tone it down, it's so damn bright?" Jakob asked.

"I don't think that's a good idea, given that we're now safe from Gluttony's fury." Robin countered.

"It's really you." That same voice spoke again with more enthusiasm and hope that Robin better recognizes now.

"That's… it can't…" Robin uttered, unable to believe what he's hearing.

Without warning, Robin gets hit by someone hard and fast who rams him with a monstrous hug and before he knew it he is already up above the dark clouds of Nohr with the person in question who brought him is really Corrin back in her human form, all better now and all the sudden able to fly herself finally without her wings. "DADDY! DAD! DAD! IT'S REALLY YOU! IT'S REALLY YOU!" She cried out hysterically, more so than usual, almost like she's become a different person.

"Corrin! What has gotten into you?" Robin asked horribly confused before realizing only now that the voice he heard before was coming from her that has completely changed and when she shows her face she's shedding tears of joy but something else is different as her red eyes are gone, replaced with his own… "It can't be… Morgan?"

"Dad… I knew you were alive… I just knew it." She mumbled with newfound hope.

"You…! But how? How are you here? In Corrin's body?!" Even though Robin is able to give out a proper sentence, he cannot stop his body from shaking from the overwhelming surge of emotions coursing through him.

"It's a complicated story based on dumb luck but a dragon in need let me know of trouble occurring in the Shadow Realm of all dark places to be stuck in and I marched in to see what the fuss was all really about and now I'm calling shotgun on this overly complicated body. You would not believe how odd this feels." Morgan explained as she releases her hold on her father and examines Corrin's body. "Then again, this is the first time I've ever possessed another person's body even though I've had the spell for years, so I can't really judge."

"You're possessing her? Why are you in the Shadow Realm too, how did you even get there?!" Robin demanded, absorbing this information poorly.

"Don't worry about it!" Morgan shrugged.

"What about Corrin? Is she okay?" He asked concern.

"Yeah, I put her in a trance while I work on my spell to set her free but since there's a risk of each of us having a peek on the other's mind I have to keep her unconscious so she wouldn't see all my memories. Can't afford her of all people to see, and man does she have a bucket of problems." Morgan whined as she saw all of Corrin's past. "BTW, you played the Amnesia Card, really?"

"What else was I supposed to say, I'm in a foreign world." Robin mumbled.

"I get it but it's kind of cliché."

"Not as cliché as Wars, Monsters, Gods, Good and Evil but you don't hear anyone complaining about it." Robin shrugged.

"A fair point."

"Wait… you saw all her memories." Robin uttered, now getting a cold shoulder over a terrible realization.

"Oh, I saw everything alright and she totally raped you."

"WHY WOULD YOU SEE THAT!" He cried agonizingly at her daughter.

"NOT EVERYTHING! But I wanted to see first-hand how your adventures in Horus really went but got more than I bargained for." Morgan said deeply disturbed. "Not what I call a good first date but at least she's a catch."

"What, you actually approve?" Robin questioned.

"What can I say, I really like dra-DODGE!" Morgan shouted as she tackles Robin out of the way with Gluttony coming in fast and nearly hits the two with a fist clad in green energy that resembles the Mire dark spell.

"Well this is truly interesting, I didn't think you could be full of more surprises, Corrin but here you are and… wait a second. You're not Corrin, where did this second soul come from?" Gluttony muttered as he can easily sense the presence of another person within Corrin's body ceasing control. "A Human possessing another Human? Ridiculous! Only Demons should be able to wield this power."

"Well, there are also dragons in the mix." Morgan pointed out.

"Dragons who degenerate or at the very least embrace the Dark Side of Aether qualify as demons." Robin corrected her.

"Oh yeah, totally forgot about that." Morgan smiled at the information before getting concern. "But anyway, this is one of the personified Seven Deadly Sins? His body is surging with magic fouler than Grima's? You just can't catch a break, can you?"

"Not ever." Robin sighed.

"Wait… this smell, so familiar." Gluttony said getting more serious as he realizes something else. "It's the same as Robin but also more unique. Your soul, I know I faced one such as you before but why does it elude me so?"

"You can smell souls? That's a neat trick. Wish I could do that." Morgan praised.

"Don't compliment the evil thing that wants to eat everyone?" Robin lectured

"Don't be so judgmental, now come on, our long overdue reunion has been stalled long enough." Morgan brushed him off with the legendary Alondite manifesting into her hand to fight the Sinner.

"Story of our lives." Robin hissed, readying Ragnell.

"Ah, yes, I faintly recall that you have a daughter born from one of the 666 alternative timelines where the Shepherds actually managed to defeat Grima unlike the other 14,980,100 other timelines where the results were the same as the original." Gluttony said now recalling Morgan. "So, you're Morgan, the one worthy of the title of Magic Queen, who is also the First Empress of the Unified Valm, renamed New Valentia. How delightful, to think I be able to feast on such powerful beings. Father and Daughter can die together in my belly."

"YOU'RE WHAT?!" Robin gasped in shock upon learning of what his daughter has become. Empress? Of Valm. Morgan actually reignited Walhart's dream of conquering the continent under the supposed banner of the Saint King Alm. Envy vaguely mentioned it but he brushed it off as her trying to get under his head.

"Not now dad. It can wait." Morgan insisted as Gluttony is bringing up a topic best left for another time.

"God damn, that's a huge leap, and here I thought you'd want to live your life in Titan or at the very least stay with Chrom and the Shepherds?" Robin uttered.

"FORGET ABOUT THE SHEPHERDS ALREADY!" Morgan howled with pure wrath in her face (well, Corrin's face) and voice. "I'm done with them and so should you! You may be willing to forgive the Exalt Bloodline and Chrom for what they've done but I won't! Least of all HER!"

"Morgan…"

The argument between father and daughter gives Gluttony the opening he craved as he flies in, grabbing the two by their faces and dives them both down on the valley at his top speed, using enough force to cause much of the land to tremble violently, even causing the weaker of towers of Fort Dragonfall to crumble apart.

---

Morgan in the Shadow Realm groans as Dark Corrin rams her through several trees, apparently fighting two battles at once somehow, both in a corporeal and incorporeal body and stand against two deadly foes. The Young Empress stands her ground against the Nohrian Princess and pushes her with an electric shockwave from her magic, followed by a blast from a swing from Alondite that blew the Dragon pretty away, though Dark Corrin holds her own as well, reverting back to her human form while still retaining her wings and tail and flies back after her with greater speed as the two clash again with Alondite against Shadow Yato, the ferocious power of both Holy Swords putting the shadowy lands in turmoil as their powers seem to be affecting it in some way, not that the two combatants seem to notice yet.

"Just who are you?" Dark Corrin demanded while she attempts to decapitate Morgan but that is easily parried by the young Empress, followed by her casting an Excalibur to push the demoness away though she resists the powerful spell and destroys the twister with a mightier swing from Shadow Yato that releases a wave of dark magic while also going towards Morgan, she easily slices the darkness in two with Alondite.

"You fight just like Robin and your touch, it's just like his, you even look like him a bit." Dark Corrin said noticing the uncanny resemblance between her new adversary and the man she lusts for. "None of this makes sense. Robin is mine!" She snapped viciously.

"I would love to knock some sense into you, more than you know but sadly we're pressed for time, I have bigger fish to fry and you're going back where you belong." Morgan said as she continues her clash with the Darker half of the Princess.

"If that is what you want then stop getting in my way!" Dark Corrin howled pushing forward and manages to finally get the drop on Morgan and pins her to the ground and stab her in the face but missed by an inch.

"Hey, ever heard of a really cool hammer named Mjölnir?" Morgan asked out of the blue.

"What the fuck are you on abo-AHH!" Dark Corrin howled in agony as she gets hit by the biggest thunderbolt ever and receives the full fury while Morgan is completely unharmed, then kicks the dark side off her once the spell is done. "Oh… you meant THAT Mjölnir… but where are the tomes to cast the spells?"

"Wow, your resistance is superb, at this age I figured you be more susceptible to that." Morgan said amazed by how Dark Corrin is still able to get herself back up after such a devastating lightning bolt.

"You make it sound like we've met before and I think I'd remembered wanting to murder someone as badly as I do to you!" Dark Corrin hissed.

"I rather not be in speaking terms with this side of you and your dominate half will soon wake up from this duller place, so goodbye and have fun with my little friends. Say hello Blárblades!" Morgan joked as multiple blue glowing swords manifest around Morgan and launch themselves after Dark Corrin who is forced to wage a counterattack with the full fury of her blade while Morgan makes a run for it to reach for the dominant Corrin still resting safely where she left her, untouched by all the other demons who remain watching them but have not made a move for reasons Morgan can only hypothesize.

"Crap, the miasma of this place is getting to me, I got to end this now." Morgan mumbled to herself with haste, entering the dome to sit beside the still unconscious Corrin and places both her hands on her temples with red aura surging through both women with Morgan performing the final stage of her spell to get Corrin out of the Shadow Realm before it's too late. Though like father like daughter, things don't really go her way as the protective dome is hit with something massive with Dark Corrin releasing a burst of dark magic in the form of a black tsunami.

"You die! NOW!" The Dark Side of the Princess cursed, pouring all her strength to finish them both off once and for all with the dome showing cracks and there doesn't seem to be a way out of this mess.

"War Father's Bane! And people call me tenacious!" Morgan mumbled, trying to keep her protection from breaking apart.

"I'll make you both suffer if it's the last thing I-AHHH!" Dark Corrin ultimately fails as a large creature arrives from nowhere up above and stumps on her with its large hand, causing the ground to shake violently and leaving a large crater as a result but this sudden impact was not enough to break Morgan's barrier, leaving her and Corrin's light side unharmed.

"What is it now?" Morgan uttered and turns to see the large creature as soon as the dust had settled to see, to her huge surprise that it's a large dragon that has the more traditional appearance but also covered in dark purple armor from his neck below to his sternum, as well as on his shoulders, forearms, knees, shins, claws and thighs. The head is almost square in shape and his lower jaw has the appearance of being hinged. His eyes are beady and circular with no pupils and black sclera; around his eyes are small black markings which continue around the back of the neck. The only thing that is not covered in armor are its massive six raven-like wings.

"Ah… hello." Morgan greeted the great dragon. "Are you the one who tipped me off into coming here? Qliphoth, right?" At her question, the Dark Dragon scoffs in response.

"That bloated maggot. You dare compare me to him and his disgusting kin of the silver age." He questioned sternly and very cruelly.

"Well then who are you then?" She asked again.

"That is none of your concern, now begone! Neither you nor this Half-Precursor belong here!" The Dragon demanded, holding on to the unconscious Dark Corrin and tosses her beside her Light counterpart. "Go home and never return to this sacred place. It is I who claims dominion over this world! I already have enough troubles with the Seven Deadly Sins stealing some of my territories, I will not have "Morgan the Supreme" start causing trouble as well. And if you see Qliphoth deliver him this message; he is not welcomed here anymore either and if he so much as sneaks a peek here again, he'll lose more than just his precious poems." He warned as the beast flies away and vanishes into the dark sky.

"Jeez, what a jerk." Morgan pouted in annoyance as she resumes her spell to get Corrin out of here. "Well, it's been fun but so long Cor. I wish you and father the best."

---

Gluttony howls as he delivers a darkness infused punch on Robin who blocks with Ragnell, the impact sends him crashing through a large bolder that breaks apart easily but the Tactician is otherwise fine. He then intercepts an attack from behind from Morgan who swings with Alondite, that Gluttony stops by grabbing with his bare hand and then lifts the legendary sword and its current wielder up in the air and throws towards her father, slamming into him and pinning them both on the ground. The Sinner then fires a large magenta-colored beam from his mouth on them that comes in fast but the duo still manage to evade, going left and right respectively and charge in on their mutual foe and kick him both at once with enough force for Gluttony to gasps from the blow that he stops his beam and coughs out water but still, the Demon does not relent and then proceeds to slam both his fists on the two foes who narrowly escape the two hits that cause the ground to shake violently again.

"Now!" Robin called as the two stab their blades into Gluttony from both sides of the abdomen at once, the Demon howls in pain from the sting of both holy swords inside him, though he is proving to be more resilient in this form than he was before as he places his hands on the blades and forces them off him, and as his eyes illuminate in a magenta glow, an explosive shockwave is triggered that blast the pair off the Demon, though the two do not relent either as both their bodies become empowered by Ignis and they charge in simultaneously cutting off both Gluttony's arms off from his body.

In response, the Sinner morphs again into another form, a demonic serpent-like beast many times the size of a human but the head does not resemble a snake's, instead, it's just a large mouth with no eyes and large decayed human teeth and tries to take a bite off Morgan but she parries him with her sword, only to get hit in the back by his tail, falling to the ground with Gluttony attempting to eat her next if not for Robin who gets between them and he instead swallows Ragnell again and like before it does not go well as he releases a shockwave that causes his insides to implode but not in his entirety with Gluttony falling back and hits the ground hard in pain.

"You're slower than I remembered." Robin commented, helping Morgan back on her feet.

"Cut me some slack. I'm new to this whole possession and I'm also fighting Corrin's inner demon in her place at the same time. I'm already exhausted." Morgan complained, sounding more like a whiny child rather than an empress.

"I see you still haven't let go of your bad multitasking habit." Robin joked.

"It's done wonders for me in recent years." She shrugged.

"You guys… this isn't over." Gluttony cursed still in his serpentine form, struggling to get back up. "I told you already; Hunger is infinite. The Sins are forever."

"Yeah, the concept you represent is eternal." Morgan mildly corrected.

"But your consciousness is another story and this fight is over." Robin added as the two bring their swords together as they channel their magic powers into them, lightning from Robin and fire from Morgan.

"Hey, Gluttony, if you're so hungry why not have a taste of the elements? Have you ever tasted a Valflame and Mjölnir at the same time?" Morgan mocked Gluttony as the two are going to fire a shockwave from the swords fused together with the two spells she just mentioned as they are not holding back this time.

"Heh… that actually sounds pretty tasty." Gluttony mused as he rises up and reverts back to his first demonic form. "In fact, give me your best shot!" He dared, enlarging his mouth again, as he really intends to literally eat his next problem away.

"You asked for… huh." Morgan uttered as she and Robin feel a new presence drawing near and before they knew it, a pillar of light burst out from where Gluttony was standing and consumes him.

"Pride…?" Gluttony uttered before fading away and neither of his adversaries could hear his last word with the light soon fading afterward.

"What in the blazes." Robin uttered as the two cease their attacks with the Sinner apparently gone.

"Well… that was a letdown, someone came to his rescue." Morgan stated.

"But that was Light Magic, it's supposed to be toxic to all unholy beings." Robin muttered wondering that if Gluttony really was rescued by one of his siblings, how is it that they can use something that is supposed to be lethal to their kind without side effects. Robin has little time to wonder more as he falls to his knees due to exhaustion, though he's not low on Mana again the wounds he received from the Sinner require treatment as Gluttony hit pretty hard.

"Dad?" Morgan uttered worried as she gets on her knees to check on him and quickly concludes the problem. "Your bones must be pretty cracked. Each of Gluttony's hits was infused with corrupted mana that made it easy for him to penetrate any magical defenses like the ones we place on our skins to bounce off most dangers."

"Yeah, the Sins are unique and they seem to be getting tougher to take down." Robin sighed.

"Try to relax. I'll heal you up quick." Morgan said as she summons a healing staff to her side to heal him.

"The Goddess Staff?" Robin said recognizing the item as it activates. "Shouldn't that be in Laurent's possession?"

"He became more focus on the research you left behind for him and Miriel, he won't be missing it." Morgan explained. "There, you should be all better now but for some reason something inside you feels off."

"That would be my soul? My… ''miraculous'' resurrection was not kind to it as it is visibly scarred from the aftershock." Robin explained.

"I can see it now. It's tainted by Dark Aether beyond your control. But this doesn't feel like Grima's darkness. I take it using Light Magic is difficult for you?" Morgan guessed.

"I can't use it period without overusing so much mana even for a minor Light Spell, heck, as I am now, it takes too long to rejuvenate my magic reserve." Robin explained. "I don't know how but I unintentionally absorb what remained of Grima's powers before it all faded away to nothingness with him and that was enough to pull me back from the brink. Though how I ended up in another world is still a mystery. Then again, Grima had the potential to open portals to other worlds anywhere, so I guess I inherited that magic."

"Oh, I think of this as a miracle, alright." Morgan stated with a serene smile. "The staff should be able to heal such a wound but it will take more time."

"Patience is my main virtue." Robin replied. "How is Corrin by the way? Is she safe?"

"Yeah, she'll be out of the Shadow Realm and back in her body in no time." Morgan explained.

"And what will happen to you?"

"I'll warp back to my body in our world, sitting peacefully in my Throne since I cast my Astral Projection spell." She explained.

"And what, you'll just fade away back there once Corrin is back. You don't seem bothered by it." Robin noted that she is maintaining her smile.

"Just knowing you're alive is enough for me, and besides, I got more important things to worry about than getting dragged into another war." Morgan said.

"Right, you're an Empress now. Of New Valentia, eh? I'm not surprised that all the countries in Valm were forced to unite under one banner since Grima decided to change our final battlefield to take place in the continent and his army did not hold back. All Valm fell into disarray both economically and financially worse than Walhart ever could so standing together as one nation was one of the better solutions to survive and thrive in the aftermath of such a bloodbath." Robin said running the scenarios through his head. "Resources must be scarce worldwide with Ylisse and Jugdral being in a similar state."

"Things have been hard but we're getting by with everyone sticking together, and say what you will about the Fell Dragon but he ultimately helped us by focusing his rampage on all the more corrupted members of society and putting the fear of hell into any of the nobles that might think of trying to grasp for power at a time like this so things are under control." Morgan explained.

"Good. Good. As long as you're doing okay, I can rest easier now. I'm proud of you Morgan, I wanted you to be better than me and it seems like you're getting closer to that." Robin smiled, feeling a lot of weight in his heart finally lifting off.

"Thank you, father." Morgan smiled with more warmth as his words mean more to her than anything.

"But still… Morgan, you know I can't let this stand. This rift you have with our friends, the Shepherds. I know how you feel but they don't deserve to be hated. You know that." Robin said changing the subject to an uncomfortable one that he knew would instantly sour Morgan's mood before she developed a scowl on her face that makes Jakob's look like a child's in comparison.

"You can't expect me to forgive them, father, not after what they've done. Chrom and Lucina especially." Morgan cursed with suppressing hatred.

"The sins of the father do not fall on the son, let alone the granddaughter. Chrom only ever wanted to do the right thing and Lucina, she was just scared and confused, they both bit off more than they could chew and fought the best they could and winning was never within reach so we had to force it into our arms and that took sacrifice." He protested. "You can't live your life holding all this wrath inside, it's not right, especially for people like us who embrace the Dark Arts. Elder Magic is corrosive to a person's psyche."

"You know the Darkness is no match for my will. I have the Shadowgift same as you and Aversa." Morgan countered.

"That's not the point Morgan! Regardless of what happened I know you still love them as I do. I know I'm asking a lot but…" Robin pleaded with her but she doesn't look like she'll relent. "You're in a lot of pain and it be hypocritical of me to tell you that you have to move on because even though I'll never hold Ylisse responsible, I'm not sure I can move on from the pain I've endured for so long either but if there's one thing I've learned in my life is that losing sight of the future leaves you to drown in a past that needs to be left behind. You saw what it did to your grandfather, what he became. I don't want that for you, and neither would he."

"Dad…"

The argument is pretty much left in silence after that with neither having more to say on the matter with the past five minutes being spent in recovering Robin's soul but even that is put on hold as the two gasps in unison upon sensing a terrible sensation in the air, and on the ground. A force that screams death all over.

"What is this?" Robin muttered better sensing the disturbance. "It's like all the mana in the atmosphere has just vanished or is going to. I've never felt anything like this before."

"I have and we need to leave, get out of this valley. Right now." Morgan said with a panic expression as she forces Robin back on his feet and they rush back to Fort Dragonfall. "This whole place is going to blow up on our faces."

"What?" Robin uttered.

"Someone is triggering a chain reaction to every single bit of mana in the immediate vicinity and forcing them to go berserk, instead of being absorb or use to channel a spell their being forced to crash into each other." Morgan explained.

"But the mana in Nohr is based largely on empowering Dark Mages more so than Anima Mages. The clash of so much negative energy could potentially destroy the whole valley." Robin muttered in horror at the devastation coming their way.

"What's more they'll be able to disrupt every magic conduit in the vicinity, rendering them unusable." Morgan added.

'Not all of them.' Robin mused as they reach the Fort with all his comrades and the rescued Black Bulls outside and well with the light from before gone, but there are no sign of the Nohrians Gluttony captured, making Robin reach a sad conclusion that they may have had no choice but to put them down, which he cannot fault them given what Gluttony turned them into.

"Lady Corrin! Robin, you're both alright." Kaze spoke up relief.

"There's no time to celebrate, we have to get out of here before you all end up dead." Morgan shouted at them over the coming danger and catching them off guard but not just over what she said.

"What happened to your voice?" Felicia asking what they all wanted to ask.

"What happened to your soul?" Lilith uttered, referring to the bigger question that only she notices.

"Forget those two, what has become of your beautiful eyes? They're now so painfully hideous." Jakob uttered, quickly and painfully noticing how alike they are to Robin's eyes.

"Fuck you, Joker."

"WHAT DID I SAY?!"

"What do you guys mean by we're going to die? You beat that Demon didn't you? It's why his minions have all but vanish out of the blue?" Shura asked.

"We did beat Gluttony into falling back in a way but something else is going on, of which I'm sure Orochi and Rinkah have noticed." Robin said.

"Yeah, all the Mana in this Valley is going berserk, almost as if someone is forcing them to crash into each other, and if that happens this whole place will erupt like a volcano." Rinkah said.

"Yes, and I don't think it was Gluttony, there's another Sinner here and he or she is taking an indirect approach to get rid of us. In a few moments Fort Dragonfall will be no more along with possibly a huge portion of this valley." Morgan explained, horrifying all of them of the coming danger.

"Well then warp us the hell out of here!" Black Bulls Anna cried.

"We can't. Magic Conduits are extremely dependent on the mana that flows through everywhere and everything in the world to work and because of this desecration against nature none of our magic tools will work." Orochi explained as she tries to get the Light Scroll to work but it's not responding and neither is Rinkah's natural fire magic. They're trapped!

"NO! There's a chance." Robin said as he reveals the two rings he had previously hidden away in Morgenstern until now and puts on the red one on his ring finger and gives the other to Azura. "Put this on, they are powerful magic items that can work independently with their own mana alone. They'll both get us out of here."

"Alright." Azura muttered as she puts it on her finger and at once both rings start to glow in a sky blue light and a fog starts to come out of both of them that spread to everyone's feet and before they knew it, they are all standing on a large, tangible cloud that lifts them up in the air.

"Whoa! This is awesome." Hinata mused.

"It's like the Legend of Sun Wukong!" Hinoka uttered in amazement.

"Time to move!" Robin declared with haste as the cloud takes flight to get them out of here, though it might be too late as Fort Dragonfall and the rest of the valley begins to illuminate with a brilliant white light.

"Look at that." Hinoka uttered as they look down below them. At first glance it looks actually beautiful, seeing such a sour-looking valley become brighten by such a light, sadly it doesn't take long before even those with zero talent for magic begin to realize just how dangerous it really is, especially when the ground starts to shake violently like an earthquake powerful enough to devastate and entire city as great as Suzanoh and Windmire with guarantee of very few survivors. As Fort Dragonfall crumbles away with not a single trace of its former glory left the earthbound light glows brighter, as if there's not much time left.

"We have to go faster!" Morgan shouted at her father.

"We'll be out in thirty seconds at best, these two just need more time to adjust to being used again after so long." Robin said, more impatient than anyone.

"We may not have thirty seconds!" Ryoma shouted as pillars of light erupt out of the ground, one nearly hits them as Robin manages to get the cloud to steer in time from danger. One need not experience it to know that those pillars could vaporize any it touches.

"Oh, shoot! We're really in for it now!" Hinata cried.

"Dying in a blaze a glory may suit all of us Annas but this is so not on our menu!" Black Bulls Anna yelled.

"We're not going to make it!" Azura cried.

"YES WE ARE!" Robin yelled back.

It could be seen for miles away, probably as far as Windmire as a gargantuan pillar of light consumes what was once known as the Valley of Ahsoka, named after the legendary Mist Dragon, the light is perceived as a thing of beauty at first glance and from afar but those nearest to it can feel it, like a punch to the stomach of the true terror that it represents and once it fades away, leaving not only a massive hole in the sky that disposed of much of the dark clouds that have long since been a common sight on the Kingdom of Darkness, it also left behind nothing left of the valley that there once was. A symbol of strength and wonder to Nohr, in spite of the blasphemous fort it housed, now gone. All gone.

Regardless, though, the Hoshidans and Black Bulls still managed to survive the ordeal, the survivors safe and sound as they lie down on the magical clouds that saved them as they gaze upon the devastation that they just survived from the sky.

"This… this can't be." Ryoma is lost for words as to what they just witnessed and are seeing right now. There's really nothing left of the Valley.

"What in the name of the Gods are we actually dealing with?" Hinoka mumbled in complete horror.

"All the Mana in the Valley, it's all gone, there's truly nothing left." Lilith uttered terrified. "The place has been completely desecrated; mana will never be able to flow through this place again. It's a No Mage's Zone."

"This is impossible. This kind of destruction should've vanished from the earth when the Precursors were forced to abandoned us." Rinkah cursed under her breath, not able to look away.

"Now what do we do? How are we supposed to fight them if this is the extent of their true power? Worst still if this is only a mere fraction." Subaki mumbled.

"Let's be logical for a moment here, if the Seven were capable of this level of destruction but haven't used it until now must mean that there are limitations they can't overused." Azura tried to think logically about the whole thing but her own fears over such destruction are showing and make it difficult to think more rationally.

"One thing is clear, our Shadow War against Sin itself will be our final battle." Robin said somberly.

"Lady Corrin?" Felicia called to her as Corrin fainted all the sudden again with everyone focusing all attention to her while Robin looks at her with a neutral expression.

'Farewell, Morgan. I'm… glad you're doing alright.' Robin mused. He also notes that Alondite also lies beside Corrin with the father quick to realize that his daughter left it behind for him to use and picks it up, smiling at it with a look of pure nostalgia.

"Hello, old friend." He whispered.

"Argh… my head." Corrin groaned. She has no idea how long she's been out but she finds herself being carried in Jakob's arms and she notes that they are back in Shirasagi with the Black Bulls at their side.

"Lady Corrin! Glory to us that you are unharmed." Jakob cheered.

"Did I missed the climax of the battle because we're all alive and Gluttony is nowhere in sight?" She muttered.

"A lot's happened that makes me question how we could all possibly still be alive but beggars can't be choosers as we both painfully learned in our youth." Jakob replied.

"Well, that's all I need to know and you can let me go now." She requested.

"Normally I be adamant on insisting you let me take you to rest some more but honestly you look as healthy as a newborn." Jakob noted as he puts the Princess back on her feet with her standing up straight with no issues.

"How odd, I don't feel like getting back up from being butchered by a demon and surviving a dark world full of people's inner demons but more like I just came out of a spa." Corrin said feeling really refreshed. "Is that weird?"

"Yes, because you've never been to a spa." Jakob corrected.

"Whatever the case, you're all better now just like the rest of us." Ryoma said as Corrin turns her attention to her friends who look rather banged up from their latest skirmish but nothing life-threatening. She then focuses on the Black Bulls with Lilith, Azama, Felicia and Orochi mending some of their wounds, such as the parts of their bodies that were strap to the meat hooks. That could not have been pleasant.

"Hey there, glad to see we made it in time." She said walking to Shura and the Annas.

"You don't know the half of it." Shura groaned but with relief to have survived that hell. "Guess this makes us even, you're Highness. I won't forget this."

"No need for thanks. We more or less became comrades over the course of this war and one should always look out for their own. Even if Hoshido and the Black Bulls have a bad history." Corrin stated.

"Well, you whiteheads sure know how to please your friends." Black Bulls Anna noted while holding her still traumatize sister in her arms for comfort.

"Always happy to help." Robin smiled back at the sisters before returning to Corrin.

"Hey, whatever happened to those poor people Gluttony infected? Were you… you know?" Corrin muttered dreading the answer.

"They were caught in the crossfire and would not relent because of their corruption and we were forced to cut them down, Corrin. I am sorry." Ryoma said with regret as that was a truly unpleasant experience for all of them.

"Don't be sorry, brother. I… know you did the right thing. Those people would've never had come back the same after what was done to them, even if there really was a way to reverse the corruption from their minds and souls." Corrin said sadden by this news.

"They'll pay for everything they've done, Corrin. I promise you that." Ryoma again swears vengeance for these sadistic crimes against humanity from the Sins.

"I know we will, regardless of how strong they are. Just one battle at a time." Corrin replied.

"Well spoken, Cor. Though, are you sure you're alright? If what Gluttony said was true, he locked up your soul self into a dark dimension of sorts." Robin said.

"Yeah, a creepy mirror world of some kind called the Shadow Realm that supposedly contains the dark sides of every living person in our world and beyond and I was forced to fight my own inner demon who went berserk on me." Corrin said, getting surprised looks and even shock gasps from her allies.

"Well, you seem like yourself so I take it your light triumph?" Robin said, already knowing the answer to that due to Morgan.

"No, actually I lost that fight because apparently I can't even kick my own ass." Corrin confessed with bitter reluctance, terrified of the notion of being victimized by what dwells inside herself. "But I wasn't alone over there. There was someone else, an actual person who fought off my darker half and got me out of there. A girl named… Morgan." She made sure to pay close attention to Robin to see what kind of reaction he would make and he definitely looked surprise but still tamed, to her disappointment.

"Morgan?" He uttered, fainting ignorance. "So that was her name…"

"She reminded me of you, so much so that she could easily be considered your twin sister but she seemed like around my age, and you're what, five years older than me." Corrin noted.

"Well, I'm definitely in my mid-twenties." Robin said.

"Ah, so the Shadow Realm truly does exist. How fascinating." Azama said with bemusement.

"You've heard of this evil place?" Hinoka asked.

"Oh, the monks who raised me tell all sorts of tales they claim are based on truth rather than fiction and the tales of the Shadow Realm are very popular. It has long since been believed that the consequences of humans partaking in the dark arts would result in the creation of worlds birthed from fear, hatred, lust and chaos and that a person's soul is divided between light and darkness, one side harboring an angel while the other a demon to represent one's morality scale and so on with the inner demons being the more popular topic." Azama explained. "With the discovery that the Seven Deadly Sins existing, the existence of such worlds no longer became farfetched in my mind and if our Lady Corrin really was imprisoned there opens up a door for more probabilities of us getting killed in our Shadow War. How lovely."

"Well, Gluttony only put Lady Corrin there to keep her from struggling while trying to eat her in dragon form so I wouldn't be too worried about any of us getting trapped there as well too much." Kaze advised.

"That remains to be seen." Saizo objected. "If that demon was capable of such feats why didn't he trap us all in that dimension, much less infect us with his corruption as his brethren did before?"

"Very good questions that are not easily explained so we better just consider ourselves lucky. What I'm more concerned about was how this Morgan took control of your body." Lilith said. "Human beings shouldn't be capable of possessing another's. And Mind Control isn't exactly the same thing."

"Yeah, the person who helped me fight off Gluttony and forced him to escape was definitely not Corrin. She was far stronger and shockingly enough had the same abilities as me." Robin explained, careful not to reveal too much.

"You mean this body snatcher is as strong as you?" Hinata asked in shock.

"No, she's much stronger." Robin didn't bother keeping that bit a secret, and that really got a surprise from the others.

"She possessed me?" Corrin muttered.

"What's more, Gluttony seems to know her as well but while he was amused by her presence he also seemed threatened by her." Robin continued, disguising the dread he feels over this with a confused and curious expression.

"Well, holy crap, guys. We better find this lass and list her support in fighting the Seven then. Two Robins? Forget defeating Nohr finally, we might as well conquer Horus ourselves." Azama declared, obviously joking but his tone sounded serious enough to be mistaken.

"Appealing but definitely not. One Robin is enough to make me scared for my life ending from a heart attack any day now." Joker muttered, looking like he might have a stroke any minute now.

"Bah! Demons, other dimensions, fighting two wars, one out in the open and another in the shadows. You guys sure have your hands full." Shura hissed at this whole mess.

"Sorry we dragged you into it." Corrin apologized.

"Princess, I sincerely doubt this whole mess is entirely on you. Like I told Robin and Azura, something twisted has been harassing Horus for more than a decade now and was aiming for us all. While my group has never been attacked until now, it was never a question if we would be next but when would we be next." Shura shrugged.

"Still, it be a real shame if we don't have any more super soldiers like Rob over here, maybe then we can be sure to teach those abominations a new one." Anna boasted, hitching for some payback.

"Morgan is an intriguing one. While she wasn't rude or anything, she seemed too eager to get me out, I felt like she was desperate for something and either I became an inconvenienced to her or I was needed for something, I can't say but I am sad that I didn't get the chance to really know her, there was something more about her that I felt compelled to know more." Corrin said with great curiosity.

"Considering how crazy things have been, I get the feeling that we may get the chance to see her again if our world-hopping adventures are only just beginning." Hinoka noted.

"I hope so but still…" Corrin said as she stares into her hands, getting a strange new vibe. "I definitely feel different, not in the morality spectrum but I mean more of a physical change like Morgan did more than just rescue me."

"How so?" Ryoma asked intrigued.

"It's too soon to tell but…" Corrin began as she returns her gaze to Yato being held by Robin and extends her hand to it and the Tactician took it as an obvious sign to give it back to her but hesitates upon feeling the sword vibrate with meek wind being generated from it and before anyone knew it the Noble Yato levitates, moving itself back into Corrin's hand. "It's certainly a good change."

"Whoa, that's actually pretty neat. Wish my spears could do that." Hinoka replied.

"Well, I supposed something came out of this disaster, even if it is minuscule." Ryoma smirked, liking the bright smile on his sister's face.

'I don't think it was minuscule.' Corrin thought.

'Not minuscule at all.' Robin mused, still feeling the warmth and happiness from getting to speak with his daughter again, no matter how bizarre and unorthodox it was.

"Everyone, you're back!" Sakura cheered as she and Takumi walk pass were they are and reach for them.

"You actually made it back from whatever hell you were walking into." Takumi said sounding extremely relief.

"Naturally, was there ever any doubt." Hinata smirked in triumph over their latest survival. "But holy Dawn was this one a real nightmare. We fought the living Sin of Gluttony this time but he had the opposite effect on me that instead of making us hungrier, he just robbed us of our appetite."

"Gluttony? So, I take it none of you feel like eating all the chicken we'll be having for din…" Takumi began but soon gulp nervously upon getting a lot of disturbed and menacing glares from everyone as soon as he mentioned there was chicken for them. "Really should've seen this coming?"

"Are y-you all oka-y?" Sakura said becoming very nervous by the frightening glares that she can't help but feel scared even though they are clearly pointed at Takumi. Ryoma then walks over to his siblings and places a hand on one of their shoulders, making them extra nervous.

"Listen to me well, my brother and sister. You are to collect the food that is in our dining hall, take it, keep it as far away from us and distribute it to the citizens. A lot of food was stolen by the Nohrians during the second attack after all." Ryoma ordered very sternly.

"Well… sure, our soldiers have reported Nohrians storming into a lot of houses and stores all over Suzanoh and taking whatever food and supplies they can get while the fight was going on to be swallowed by Void Travelers, as mother called those worms, that clearly warped it all to Nohr." Takumi replied.

"B-But we've al-already distributed s-so much food from the castle to th-e… capital. We barely… have enough for our-selves now." Sakura mumbled, growing increasingly scared.

"We'll make do with what we have until we get more from the other cities who will offer us supplies tomorrow but from now on everyone in this castle are vegetarians. Understood." Ryoma instructed much more sternly.

"CRYSTAL!" Takumi and Sakura cried out at once.

"I-I… ll go g-get… m-mother." Sakura volunteered as she runs away shouting like a little girl escaping a monster's clutches.

"That was a little extreme." Subaki muttered.

"It needed to be said, Subaki. It needed to be said." Hana deemed.

After that shock fest, they all head outside with extreme relief to see that Izana did his part and restored the Capital to its former glory. Everything looks as if it was never attacked by Nohr with the people looking more lively than ever. It definitely feels like a joyous day but enough of them know better than to celebrate too soon when the Twilight War is still fresh.

"Oh, I'm so glad you all made it back safely." Mikoto smiled with joy, seeing her children and the retainers come back to meet them and Izana.

"Ah, truly a day of celebration, to think anyone would claim to face off against more than one great evil and come back alive to tell the tale." Izana cheered. "You lads and lasses are the stuff of legends."

"It means a lot coming from you, Lord Izana. What's more you have our eternal gratitude for what you did on this day, bringing Suzanoh back to life." Ryoma said.

"Oh, think nothing of it, my friends, we all must do our part to restore peace to the continent after all." Izana shrugged.

"Indeed and regarding our war effort the people of Oldstrong have chosen to join our cause in the war." Mikoto informed.

"Truly?" Ryoma asked with intrigued and confusion in the mix. "But why, the Wind Tribe have long since held their neutrality in all conflicts that occur in Horus. Has Nohr attacked them?"

"No, following the incident with the High Princess, the Grimm have maintained their distance, High Prince." Fuga said as he walks into the scene with a sad looking Hayato beside him with both his cheeks looking red, probably from being hit too hard. "However, circumstances have occurred that has compelled me and my people to make our stand against tyranny, of which we can discuss on a later point so consider Oldstrong official comrades of Hoshido in the War against the Dusk."

"You honor us, Chieftain of the Wind. My father would've been proud to see you standing with us." Ryoma said barely able to contain his joy upon hearing this as he has long since held great respect and admiration for Fuga based on the stories his father told him.

"I've always felt great pride in fighting alongside Sumeragi, I wonder just how strong the son truly is." Fuga said with a hint of curiosity.

"Hey, Hayato, you doing okay, buddy?" Corrin asked looking at the boy and the sad expression he has.

"No…" The Kid muttered, clearly not happy but not angry either and is clearly depress over getting a scolding by his father over his actions.

"Serves you right, you little twerp." Rinkah scoffed in amusement at the boy's misery.

"I would also like to apologize for my son's insolence and whatever inconvenience he might have caused and knowing him it must've been a whole lot." Fuga now harbors a scowl on his face.

"His very existence was an inconvenience." Rinkah mocked.

"SHUT UP!" Hayato cried.

"BOY!" Fuga spoke up louder, that made Hayato squeal and stay silent, causing his friends, minus Rinkah to harbor pity for his plight.

"O… kay." Corrin muttered, wanting to change the subject. "Anyone seen Mozume?"

"Oh, she should still be in the castle. I think she's taken an interest in archery too but she keeps breaking all the strings, guess she doesn't know her own strength." Mikoto said.

"Well, this is a fine opportunity. Maybe you can pull your mastery to the test by taking on a student, Takumi." Ryoma suggested.

"You're kidding, right? Me? Taking on an apprentice? Girl is better off being a Master of Arms, her punches hurt so damn much. At least, that's how everyone who've seen her fight the Nohrians claimed." Takumi declined. "She knocked a Nevermore from the sky using an oak tree like a bat and a Manticore was the ball. An OAK TREE for a bat! Reina can have her."

"It has been a while since I've taken up a youngling with true promise." Reina mused with delight.

"Now I fear for her future." Orochi mumbled.

The Hoshidans later return to Shirasagi and start to properly rest and also make time to discuss what comes next.

"So until further notice Shura and his group will be staying with us until we begin our march to Nohr and they can be on their way back to the Black Bulls or remain with us if they decide to join us?" Corrin suggested.

"I won't object after all, one of the Annas is in the same kind of danger as Takumi if Gluttony shows up again so we can't in good conscious leave them to fend for themselves." Ryoma agreed. "Besides, we could use their spy network to our benefit. Hoshido has always produced excellent spies but the extra help is always appreciated."

"I'll see if we can still count on his support seeing how the rest of his crew that survived the attack are still shaken up." Robin offered.

"Lord Ryoma, the team I have assembled to hunt down the traitors in Cheve are finally ready to begin the investigation." Saizo informed.

"Good. I doubt Scarlet has been successful in tracking them down herself given the state of the dukedom, we better not delay this any longer." Ryoma said. "Lilith, do you still have your mark on Cheve for our use?"

"Yeah, we can still bypass the Great Wall but the previous fights have worn me out so I need at least another day to refuel myself." Lilith explained.

"Very well. Let us hope we are not too late."

"So, this needs to be said but what do you think is going on in Nohr, I mean an entire valley that was essentially a landmark is all but gone, I can't imagine how the Nohrians are taking that." Hinoka said.

"Definitely not well. I mean, they must be terrified and judging by how intense that light was, I believe everyone from the core land of Nohr saw it, all the way to Windmire, there will be panic and disarray with everyone trying to figure out what's going on and how will this affect the war effort." Robin surmised. "It's crazy, but maybe we can work this to our advantage, no matter what Garon informs the public there will be mass panic, people worrying over what's to stop that level of destruction from happening again, accuse us of being the cause, which will benefit us if we can control the people's fears and once we begin marching our counterattack would be all the successful."

"You really think so?" Corrin muttered with great concern.

"I'm just speaking my thoughts out loud. I detest fearmongering with a passion but if things go the way I am predicting, Nohr will pour all their strength into using the Grimm to defend them now that they can no longer wage direct assaults on us. Using an army as unnatural as the one they have surely has the unfortunate side effect of making the human combatants feel inadequate, many have already been discharged either by their own accord or the nobles feeling more confident in the monsters to defend them, it saves money when the ones on guard duty have no need for currency to get by, much less food and while there are many who still feel nervous around them, the majority of Nohrians have become increasingly comfortable having the Grimm around, they feel safer than ever and the more we overpower the more people may feel compelled to surrender and submit to our demands." Robin continued. "But there lies the real problem, for them. They can't really afford to surrender, Nohr has long since depended on other nations to sustain itself and they've committed too much to the war economy, they lose the nation is pretty much doom and extinct. Garon took a big risk preparing for this war, he like the rest of them knew that this whole thing was an all or nothing operation."

"Wasn't bringing their extinction kind of the point of us fighting back?" Takumi questioned.

"Not necessarily, if we can reach King Garon and dethroned him than there is no need for more bloodshed. What we do afterwards we can talk about when the fighting is over." Ryoma declared. "Kagero, any word on the people of Niflheim? It's no secret that the Ice Tribe like Nohr about as much as us so I imagine their hostility has been more out in the open."

"Quite the contrary, they've been completely silent and Nohr has made no attempts to drag them into the war effort but according to our spies, multiple Grimm have been spotted guarding their borders, being extremely thorough that no one gets in or out so the distrust remains unchanged with our enemies not wanting to take any chances but there hasn't been any fighting between them yet, or at least none that a single word about it has managed to spread." Kagero informed.

"Thank Shiva." Felicia sighed in relief.

"Speaking of what happened in the Valley of Ahsoka, are we really sure that it was another Sinner who caused such untold destruction?" Kaze asked.

"It had to have been and based on all the lore I have on demonology there should only ever be five demons in existence capable of using light magic because as I mentioned before, light is toxic to their race and one of them happens to be the de facto leader of the Seven Deadly Sins; the Embodiment of Pride." Lilith explained.

"Well, that's the sixth Sinner who's displayed their tyranny and power. All that's left is what… Lust?" Corrin asked.

"Yep, and something tells me that one will be the most unpleasant of all but if the Leader was there and bailed Gluttony out, why didn't he try to finish the job with us?" Hinoka wondered.

"Hopefully because performing destruction like he did exhaust him, or her." Azura suggested.

"Pride's a male, while Lust is supposedly genderless but can shapeshift to pass off as both." Lilith added.

"Disgusting." Hinoka hissed.

"Regardless of his motives, I can't help but shake the feeling that we've seen the last of them for a long while and we can focus the next several days on just Nohr." Robin said not sounding convinced himself but still cannot shake the feeling that he may be right.

"Well, you haven't led us astray yet so I'll take your word for it." Corrin said feeling at ease.

"Hana a-are you okay?" Sakura asked as she has noticed that her retainer has been watching intently at both Ragnell and Alondite that Robin left lying on a railing together ever since he put them there.

"I'm sorry, what?" Hana yelped as she snaps back to reality. "Oh, Lady Sakura, do you need anything?"

"Do yo-u need me to check on you?" Sakura said now getting worried because this is the first time Hana ever ignored or not listen to her the first time around.

"Huh?" Hana uttered, confused.

"For shame, Hana, for shame. Making our mistress get all worried, it's bad enough you would ignore her just for a second." Subaki shook his head in disappointment to his partner.

"WHAT?! How dare you. I would never dismiss Lady Sakura for anything ever." Hana argued defensively to her position.

"You totally did. You've been staring at Robin's swords intently like your eyes got glue to them or something ever since you got a better look at them." Oboro corrected.

"Really girl, I know those are sweet, sweet looking swords but it's not like you to go all zombie-like for a blade. Heck, you weren't this starstruck when you saw Raijinto for the first time and your Ancestor who fought in the Precursor War was the first person to ever wield the holy katana." Hinata added.

"Wait, really?" Corrin said surprised.

"Yes, I'm honestly surprised that we never mentioned it with all the stories we've shared with one another." Kaze smiled. "Hana is the descendant of one of the ancient Hoshidan Heroes who fought in the Great War of the Gods two thousand years ago who also bared the name Kazahana and was also the first human ever chosen by the Rainbow Sage to wield Raijinto upon its creation. Setsuna, funny enough is also the descendant of the first to wield the Fujin Yumi."

"I am?" Setsuna asked almost sounding surprised.

"You seriously didn't know that? That legend is the biggest reason why your family has been of the nobility for centuries, heck even I know that." Hinata whined.

"Oh… that's neat. Now it all makes sense why my father won't stop whining on and on how we should be claiming ownership of the shining bow." Setsuna replied.

"Well, he can keep complaining because this girl is all mine." Takumi hissed, holding on to his bow like it was really his child.

"Does that mean that you two can also wield the Sacred Treasures?" Corrin asked.

"Of course I can wield Raijinto, the blood of its first master courses through me. The Rainbow Sage himself even said the sword calls to me, seeing my ancestor in me but Lord Ryoma refuses to at least let me hold it even once." Hana glared at the High Prince.

"She's mine and mine alone, Hana. Speak no more of this." Ryoma ordered, scoffing very bluntly that made mostly everyone drops a sweat at the silly tension.

"Well, why the sudden interest in these new swords?" Takumi asked.

"I'm glad you ask. It all has to do with one of the two main heroes who led humanity to victory against the corrupted gods, the Man of Miracles." Hana pointed out.

"Oh yeah, it is said that during the seven yearlong Great War a mysterious man who claimed to be from another world entered the battlefield during its third year and over the next four years his prowess gave mankind the strength to fight back and since it took the Rainbow Sage six and a half years to create all the Sacred Treasures it was a miracle that one man could amass such hope, hence his title but he was also known by another." Felicia said familiar with the legend.

"Yep and during his time defending Horus from the rampages of the Dragons he took on two apprentices, one was Kazahana and a Nohrian man named Lancelot who was the first to wield Siegfried." Hana continued. "And it was said that he fought the gods wielding twin majestic broadswords, one of gold called Ragnell and the other silver, Alondite."

'Impossible!' Robin gasped in his thoughts by this revelation. 'That war was two thousand years ago and Ike hasn't been dead that long. I mean, he did went through the Outrealm Gates more than once after discovering that the other lands of his world actually survived the Great Flood and that time travel is more than likely to happened when one goes through the doors even without intervention from the Divine but if Morgan was able to travel across worlds with Astral Projection from this Shadow Realm to here than that must mean that the flow of time between the two worlds shouldn't be any different. And I thought my life was out of control. Just how many troubles did that old man really put himself through?'

"And Gluttony said so himself that that sword right there is Ragnell!" Hana claimed, pointing accusingly at the golden sword, which definitely got a surprise from the others. "Which makes the twin Alondite."

"Robin has both swords of the legendary Radiant Hero Ike." Corrin uttered flabbergasted as she turns to him who looked briefly nervous before looking more confused.

"Hey, don't look at me, Ragnell previously belonged to Leo's retainer, Odin before I stole it on impulse while escaping with Azura and Alondite belonged to Morgan who left it behind when she was done possessing you." He replied with the full truth.

"Yes, you did in fact steal one of those swords from that strange Warlock but it sounds farfetched how you ended up with Alondite." Azura said.

"Come on, give me more credit than that, at least I got us the swords, that is if they truly are these ancient god slaying weapons." He did not tell her that he has a daughter from the future, much less was she ever brought up when he was explaining himself.

"They're real, dammit! They're right here and within our reach!" Hana declared strongly, picking up both swords and lifting them upwards. "We have with us the power of the Man of Miracles now! And if the legends are completely accurate, after defeating the mad Precursors, Ike battled against the Seven Deadly Sins alone and defeated them, allowing the Dusk Dragon, who was the only god that managed to be cured of the Degeneration to seal them away. Once the fighting was over, both heroes vanished, never to be seen again. This is it! We finally have the means to really fight back against the Seven when we face them again."

"I've n-never seen Hana be… behave like this." Sakura widens her eyes in astonishment.

"Now she's even more annoying." Saizo sighed.

"Really, because this upbeat attitude is old news to me." Hinata noted.

"Well, you would know given that you two train together all the time." Oboro added.

"Goodness, Hana, calm down, you're making us nervous." Subaki pleaded, awestruck himself by his partner's new optimism.

"No I will not calm down; this is the best news ever!" Hana declared.

"Well feel free to use Alondite but I'll be keeping Ragnell." Robin offered.

"Hell Yeah!" Hana cheered as she places Ragnell down and claims ownership of the Silver Twin.

"Okay, so things are turning into our benefit after all but until we manage to actually gain Cheve's support and ready our march we better not get too enthusiastic otherwise we might slip up." Kagero advised.

"Right, but while we're still on the subject of special relics that Robin neglected to mention he had or conveniently forgot about until the exact moment we needed them, want to explain with more detail on how these rings work." Azura said as she shows off the ring Robin gave her that she's still wearing, to Corrin's immediate chagrin as she comes close to exploding upon seeing her with the one that looks like a wedding ring and considering that Robin is still wearing the other one that match each other well enough, the two can be easily mistaken for newlyweds and given Ryoma's own chagrin and chuckles from the others, she's not the only one who thinks so. She really should've taken the ring when she had the chance.

"Oh, right, we were in for quite the rush when I basically forced it on you." Robin bemused, not knowing the implications of his own words which caused the others like Orochi and Azama to burst out laughing as a result while making Corrin's suppress jealous rage and Ryoma's overprotective rage be more noticeable, not that Robin has. Honestly, it's a true miracle from the gods that these people haven't been slaughtered already by the Seven as they have been repeatedly warned of their ungodly powers, such as their low-tier omnipresence and superiority over magic and have suffered nasty defeats by them that trumps their victories against Nohr and there's still the matter of Takumi suffering post-traumatic stress because his jealousy for his siblings made him the perfect vessel to possess and in spite of this, pretty much all of them, especially Corrin cannot keep their emotions in check and avoid being easy prey. Hydra's blessing must be the true cause with it in effect, otherwise they be dead already.

"These rings are both called Icarus and their magical powers are unique among magic tools and tomes as you've all have noticed." Robin began explaining as he summons a cloud from his ring. "The clouds that each of them can summon are tangible and can enable the users to fly at high speeds and can be controlled by the thoughts of the ring bearers, like moving an extra limb and are sturdy enough to block off incoming attacks, though how durable are they, shockingly enough to allow us to escape from that explosion as the shockwaves didn't deter us when hit by them."

"Damn, that's amazing." Hinata said.

"I know. Wish I remembered I had these things a lot sooner but better late than never." Robin shrugged.

"It's just like the tale of Sun Wukong, the Monkey King." Takumi mused.

"Yeah, the Journey to the West. A very inspirational tale your grandfather wrote." Robin smiled.

"Well, isn't that just convenient. Now our precious Songstress can better look after herself and not get kidnapped again." Azama cheered with an insult but before anyone could react to his rude comment, the monk gets yet again hit in the face and this time by an agitated Azura who hits him with her ring's cloud, instinctively showing off its offensive capability.

"Holy shit! That's even more amazing." Hinata and Hana cheered.

"Today is truly a good day." Orochi snickered.

"Yeah, he definitely had this one coming." Hinoka muttered.

"When does he not have it coming?" Kagero pointed out.

"True."

"There's one left and I don't really have any real need of it." Robin offered.

"With that kind of protection, Sakura should have it. The safer she is, the easier it is for us to focus on the battlefield." Corrin suggested. "Of course, there's Mozu but at this point she be too overpowered."

"I'd liked that very much." Ryoma agreed.

"Actually, I was thinking of giving it to you." Robin offered and this for some reason catches her off guard even though he offered it to her before. "Personally I would prefer it if you and Azura would keep them since you two are the most stubborn about staying in the frontlines and quite frankly the most vulnerable at times, these rings can make up for your shortcomings. Plus, with Icarus at your side, there is less reason for you to assume your Dragon Form unless someone like Leo tries to suffocate you again but until then we could use Azura's singing since your stone can act as a substitute for her pendant."

"Oh yeah, Azura's magic singing, forgot that was a thing." Corrin said, better getting his idea.

"Yes, Azura's magic is powerful with holy properties, it served us well before, and can do it again." Ryoma added.

"Should I really be entrusted with two valuable relics like that?" Azura replied.

"Well, I do despise being away from this stone but once we get to Nohr we'll be facing the full power of the Grimm so reluctantly I concede that you take it." Corrin said.

"I don't know, maybe Sakura should take it." Azura said.

"That's ok… I do-don't like flying all that much." Sakura insisted. "No offense to Hinoka and our sky knight friends, I mean."

"Don't worry about it." Subaki shrugged.

"Well, then it's decided then." Corrin said as she gives Azura the Dragonstone, albeit a little forcefully and then gets closer to her to whisper something in her ear. "Trade rings with me."

"What?" Azura asked.

"Now!" Corrin whispered again but a little harsh enough to make the Songstress startle but thankfully no one notice and with haste Azura complied and switches rings with now Corrin having the wedding ring, to her delight and Azura's annoyance.

'You little nuisance.'

---

"It's only been two days since the Barrier of Concord was reactivated and already we're facing major issues on both fronts. Our inability to keep Cheve contained because of the interference of the Hoshidans inspired the other continents to be more up and arms about their stupidity and riots are being more noticeable. My men have silenced them for the time being but since word also got out that we can no longer attack Hoshidan lands it won't be long before the rebels become even more motivated." Iago gave his report as he is in a war council meeting with the Royal Family, excluding Elise and other generals of the Nohrian Army discussing the current situation. "Things are not looking good on our end and it's only a matter of time before Hoshido launch their counterattack and because of the complications of the Bottomless Canyon and our fortified defenses, I deduce that they'll march will take place in Cheve."

"Why Cheve? Isn't the Great Wall blocking off all warp magic from going through?" A General asked. "I doubt the Chevians would risk turning it off just to begin mobilizing."

"The Hoshidans have with them a powerful mage that can bypass the Wall and make it easy for them to better communicate with their western allies for their preparations." Leo explained, referring to Lilith.

"Oh, of course, where would the Hoshidans be without that backstabber and sister thief." Camilla scoffed mistaking what Leo said for referring to Robin.

"He's referring to Lilith, Camilla." Xander corrected her.

"What…?" Camilla uttered.

"Oh, Qliphoth's Bane, Camilla, were you not paying attention when I last mentioned her?" Leo hissed.

"If Cheve is where they plan to make their first real stand than we must strengthen our border walls there to tighten our grasps and strike first." Arete suggested.

"Naturally, however, they'll obviously be expecting it so preparations must be made in order to ensure we will maintain the advantage on our territory." Leo said.

"Indeed, and we still have the advantage and time to perfect everything to keep the Hoshidan dogs away and make preparations for another assassination attempt on Queen Mikoto, my liege." Iago declared. "Even though she will be more guarded than ever it won't matter in the long run."

"You speak of perfecting our defenses and achieving victory, Iago, however, what you fail to realize is that there is a difference between what is perfect and what is absolute, and what you are assuring me is inadequate. I expect more from you, as with everyone in this room." Garon said sternly and clear disappointment over all the constant failures even his own family has presented him with. As usual, Arete and Iago remain neutral to his cold words while his sons and daughter do little to hide their shame for not being able to follow through with their orders. "I will not suffer any more failures. Stand your ground, do not lose focus, no hesitation and when the moment comes, you will kill every last one of them!"

"Of course, you're Majesty." Iago bowed in respect, as does the rest of the generals. "And bear in mind that we have also gained the support of Nestra's army, who's might combined with ours will undoubtedly force the Hoshidans to rethink their methods."

"An alliance we have gain at too high a cost." Xander scoffed, tightening both his arms in frustration over the tragic news. "I still cannot believe it. King Alexander has been slain and the Hoshidans committed the deed. It doesn't make any sense, how could they?"

"Doesn't add up, I know but the method in which he was assassinated originates from Hoshido known as Haritsuke that is usually used to frighten those who attempt to further threaten the Throne of Dawn into submission." Another General named Cesare said. "Nasty thing. Of course many are claiming that we actually did it and frame the Hoshidans but those who support us, such as the only survivor of the Nestrian council and Crown Prince Donatello are vouching for us. One way or the other, Nestra is on our side."

"Most beneficial, indeed but that just leaves us with unanswered questions as to who would do this. At this point it wouldn't be hard to believe that one of our own has gone rogue and committed the deed out of some sick notion on helping us as a whole. If we don't secure our innocence we'll have more enemies in the future." Arete concluded.

"If the worse occurs we will have to fight the Nestrians as well but until then we will take advantage of the turmoil and despair that is happening." Garon declared.

"Yes, father. However, I must stress that we should still post our own investigation on this murder, at the very least to ensure it wasn't one of our own and we owe it to the late King that we should help in delivering justice to him." Xander insisted.

"Granted, however, do not forget that your place is in the battlefield, Crown Prince. Your Sacred Treasure will be the instrument that will satisfy our men and beasts with the music of the screams of our enemies." Garon ordered.

"Yes, your Majesty."

The meeting is soon interrupted by a Warlock who barges into the doors with a terrified expression.

"You're Majesties! Forgive my-" He is caught off as Bölverk is thrown at him, only missing him by an inch, and on purpose since Garon never misses, causing the Warlock to fall to his knees from the shock, granted, he was going to do it anyway.

"Incomprehensible fool! All should know better than to dare disturb us!" Garon growled, not in the mood for interruptions.

"Please, forgive me, sire but this is an emergency!" The Warlock pleaded. "Something terrible has just happened."

"What is it this time?!" Xander demanded.

"Our Seer scouts spotted a battlefield going on in Fort Dragonfall, between the Hoshidan Royals and… some terrible beast. And Princess Corrin was there and… it's all gone." The Warlock tried to explain but is too taken in by fear to make sense.

"What's gone? What happened to Corrin?!" Camilla spoke up next.

"The Valley of Ahsoka is gone, everything has been completely destroyed."

"What nonsense are you getting at? Speak sense, man." Leo demanded next not really able to process what he's saying. Though it gets even more complicated when Elise comes in, looking awestruck.

"Father! Mother! Something just happened in the Valley of Ahsoka. A huge, pretty pillar of light just burst out from there, I could see from the skies in Windmire but for some reason the mages and even the Grimm are all frightened up about it." Elise revealed, making much more sense, though the part about the Grimm looking afraid makes even less sense since they don't have the capacity to feel anything.

"Show me!" Garon demanded.

"I… can't really do that since it already faded away." Elise muttered.

"He was addressing me." Iago sighed in complete frustration as he rubs his face.

'This just keeps getting better and better. No doubt the Seven are involved too. Damn, I didn't want to expose them at all but I can't afford not to now, otherwise I'll run the risk of being exposed myself to some capacity.'

The meeting is suspended now that they have other matters to attend to and using the Seers to see the situation, Iago shows the Royal Family through other Seers that are now exploring the sighting where there was once the Valley of Ahsoka and how there is nothing left.

"I… I don't believe it. It's really all gone." Leo mumbled, left nearly speechless over the aftermath of the devastation they are witnessing.

"Who could've done this and… did Corrin survive?" Xander wondered also left almost without words, and while Garon remains the most composed of them all, there's no denying how he really feels over the situation before them.

"Is there no way to know what really happened?" Arete asked Iago.

"There is a solution. Through my own experimentation with the Grimm's unique energy have provided us I have created a spell that allows us to physically see the memories of others, I call it Recording, and while the Grimm seem mindless and obedient, there is actually a brain under their thick skulls, the Seers are no exception and if the reports are true, over seventy-five Seers were in the Valley when this phenomenon occurred and the Seers in the Castle captured everything they saw." Iago explained.

"Seventy-five scouts? We've never sent that many to keep surveillance anywhere else before?" Garon asked.

"Apparently, and even I was not made aware of this until now, over the past two weeks, people from the villages and towns nearest to the Valley of Ahsoka have been acting strangely and walking to Fort Dragonfall, never to be seen again." Iago informed.

"That fort is off-limits, no one without clearance should be allowed to set foot in there." Leo stated.

"Even infants should be aware of that law at this point, especially with our guards but they too have vanished and abandoned their post and even the Grimm that were sent to investigate the Fort were all destroyed for getting close until recently, for reasons that don't add up, Hoshidan Elites and three Royals, Corrin included arrived there and their presence finally gave the Grimm the opportunity to get close and arrived in time to see the Hoshidans storm into Fort Dragonfall with a battalion of their new army of light and once inside a devastating battle occurred as Corrin was spotted in her Dragon Form fighting a hideous creature who I believe must be responsible for these disappearances." Iago informed.

"Show us." Garon ordered with Iago nodding and he and Leo cast the spell known as Recording on the Seer that is with them and once they activate the spell, the Grimm grows in size until it is big enough for all seven of them to see the Seer's projection from it as it shows from a far distance and the Grimm's point of view the events that took place before the Valley's destruction, such as the Hoshidans battling against Gluttony's minions, protecting the captured Black Bulls, the terrifying state that the missing Nohrians have been reduced to that Arete had to block Elise's eyes from the frightening sight and then came Corrin as a dragon engaging the Sinner in combat.

"What is that thing?" Camilla asked in horror and disgust upon seeing the Sin of Gluttony personified.

"What has it done to our people?" Xander uttered, unable to look away from the horrid state those taken by Gluttony have been reduced to, even when the Hoshidans were forced to cut them down. They reach the part where Gluttony brings down Corrin by biting off his tail and her lying on the ground bleeding and beaten.

"Corrin…" Elise whispered.

"Can't we hear anything they're saying?" Leo asked as no noises are coming from the memories.

"The spell is still imperfect, nothing we can do about the volumes just yet." Iago explained; however, he is actually lying as that is the only part about this advance spell that he can safely manipulate without Leo taking notice. Can't risk them hearing something they shouldn't.

The scene proceeds to the part where Gluttony is about to eat Corrin whole until Robin saves her by throwing himself on to the demon and cuts him up from the inside.

"Wait a second, that's Odin's sword. He never mentioned it was stolen." Leo mused.

"J-Jakob!" Camilla gasped upon seeing her old friend alive as he, Felicia, Lilith, Azura and Kaze enter the fray, and even more so by the hoshidan clothing he and Felicia now wear, meaning they too have betrayed Nohr. Fast forward, it reaches the point where Gluttony is forced into its human form.

"Volker!" Xander gasped.

"Just when I thought he couldn't be anymore revolting." Arete hissed as the recording soon reaches the scene where Robin and a recovered "Corrin" fight off and defeat Gluttony.

"Something's even more off. That looks like Corrin but the way she moves is different, now she fights like Robin and that new sword." Xander said, examining the fighting thoroughly. Eventually the fight ends with Gluttony being pulled out and after the baffling display of Corrin using magic and a staff to heal Robin and a curious argument the two had, finally arrive at the scene where the Valley becomes consume by colossal amounts of light energy and the Hoshidans trying to escape on a… cloud… and taking the Black Bulls with them until the footage fades to black.

"That was the last bits of memory left before all the Grimm scouts in the Valley were destroyed." Iago informed.

"What about Azura and Corrin? Did they make it out?" Arete asked the big question.

"See for yourselves." Iago said as he shows off another memory of the Seers that were nearby the Valley when it was destroyed but weren't caught in it and one of them reveals that the Hoshidans did make it out of that destruction, they themselves lost in fear by what they just survived and Corrin again unconscious before they teleport away from the scene.

"Good." Arete sighed in relief.

"By the Gods, just what was all that?" Leo uttered, filled with the same questions as the others, minus for Iago and Garon.

"Exactly how it looks like. It seems that while Corrin and her concubine have been spearheading Hoshido's counterattack, they've also been engaging in a Shadow War against malevolent forces that seem to be an anomaly in this day and age." Garon said as he turns away from his family and stands on a balcony.

"What do you mean, father?" Xander asked.

"First a creature of fire appears in the Bottomless Canyon at the same time Corrin was to be there, then another monstrosity terrorizes Izumo as she passes by and again in Mokushu when trying to head towards seas an unnatural pandemic occurs that kills over three hundred Mokushujins and when Corrin assaults us in Cyrkensia, almost all who partook in that battle felt it, a rage that did not feel like our own began to overtake us." Garon deduced. "It seems there is a third party involved in this war that only the Hoshidans know about and have taken it upon themselves to fight with Corrin as their target."

"That's an interesting claim, sire, but there is a lot to be desired from this, like what exactly is out there that would make the Hoshidans waste their time in facing while fighting us at the same time." Iago said.

"It's too soon to draw any conclusions, what we do know is that that foolish girl will most likely draw the attention of these evils to strike at our soil even more." Garon concluded but strangely chooses not to reveal what he really knows that these monsters are the Seven Deadly Sins.

"But what does this mean for us, and for Corrin and Azura? Should we help them?" Elise asked.

"Don't be ridiculous, Elise. Regardless of whatever alternative threat we may end up facing, we are in no position to be forming any kind of temporary truce." Leo scoffed.

"Yes, putting aside the great destruction that just occurred." Garon began.

"That's a HUGE thing to put aside." Arete countered.

"… It is still Hoshido's problem and if it can slow them down enough to give us a greater advantage than let's use it." Garon deemed.

"Father, you can't be serious? You saw what that atrocity did to those people. OUR people! And who knows how many more are suffering similar fates right under our noses." Xander argued against this. "We must do something about this and confront this new threat."

"So you're suggesting that we split our forces, searching for abominations that we don't even know where to even begin to look or how many there actually are while Hoshido readies to march on us, exhausting twice as many resources and risk us having more vulnerabilities for our enemies to exploit." Garon countered against Xander. "I will not allow it. The White Night is more powerful than ever now that those two nuisances have joined up with them. Even when prepared enough they still managed to overwhelm us and nearly took us if not for that dark rage causing Corrin to lose control and urging Robin for them to escape. We shall not be reduced to such a pathetic state again."

"But father… we still have to get Azura and Cor…" Camilla began, wanting to use Xander's idea as a means to recover their lost sisters but Garon will not hear any of it.

"ONE WEAK LINK CAN BREAK THE CHAIN OF A MIGHTY DYNASTY! AND NOT ONE OF YOU WILL BE MY WEAK LINKS!" Garon raised his tone that now roars with thunder as he turns around to his family and right-hand man, even raising his axe upon them for emphasis. While Arete and Iago remain calm, expecting this outburst, as well as know that he would never really threaten them but still affects his children as even Xander has lost all his nerves and a frightened Elise hides behind Arete. "Corrin is now our enemy, execute her, or arrest her, I don't care! She has made her choice and will be dealt with accordingly. Speak no more of her, Camilla. She was never your sister, nor was she ever worth the effort in the end."

Camilla makes no response to protest as she really wants to put her foot down against his commands but cannot find the words to defy her father and simply nods in response.

"Of course… father." Xander bows in obedience.

"Iago, Leo, begin preparations for our next battle. Xander, Camilla, assist in making sure the stability of our soldiers doesn't demoralize any further. Our recent failure has made our men and women more annoying than usual." Garon gave his orders with those spoken to bowing with respect as they depart with Elise following until it's just him and Arete.

"You certainly have a way with words. And how to speak with half-truths." His Queen said with weak sarcasm and more distaste.

"Nothing gets passed you, does it." Garon replied.

"You really intend to keep what you know about these strange monsters from them?" Arete questioned, knowing that he is withholding information.

"Those four could never begin to understand the real depth of the situation really happening in Horus, and while Xander seems willing enough, I doubt he can stomach going against Corrin again, and it's not like he necessarily disagrees with Elise's idea. Camilla and Leo especially, so the less they know the better. I will confide in Iago with this in due time." Garon said.

"So going in blindly, not knowing what else to expect is the better solution?" She questioned.

"Don't fight me on this, Arete, now is not the time for diversity among us." Garon insisted.

"I'm not trying to start something, I just want your assurance that whatever comes next won't fall down on us because as things stand, the Twilight is not in our favor." Arete warned.

"I know but be patient, I'm doing the right thing, for all of us. And we will get Azura back, however, you know what needs to be done about Corrin if she persists any longer." Garon warned.

"Only if you get to her first." Arete replied, having the same idea in mind as Camilla. "I'm not doubting your intentions, I know you have good reason for hiding whatever you know."

"I know you don't, which is why I trust you most of all to stand with me through this whole mess. One way or another, Nohr will triumph over the filth that have wronged us for so long." Garon swore with absolute conviction to win this war.

---

"ARGH!" Cried out Gluttony as he gets knocked into a stone floor in his human vessel with a hole on his body, bleeding out water and lies there for a few moments until the wound heals and he can get back on his knees to see himself in what looks like the ruins of a dining hall of what must've been a great castle once, at the center is a table, there lies four of the Seven Deadly Sins, Wrath, Sloth, Greed and Envy. The twin sisters looking depress and livid while the brothers look more disinterested, with Sloth having his head on the table, sleeping and drooling and Wrath lying down on his chair chilling, both hands placed on his head and his feet on the table.

"Pitiful, just utterly pitiful the lot of you are. I tell you to do one simple thing and you end up doing the complete opposite. I would think that after all these centuries you would learn to bow at my radiance and lend me your ears whenever I speak my divine voice but it seems you mongrels can't even accomplish that." Cursed the voice of Pride personified unto his siblings in his more humanoid form which can be best described as angelic. Everything about him screams perfection, which is befitting of his nature, a tall, muscular man, probably in his late twenties to early thirties, a face so majestic and pure that he could be mistaken for a woman if not for his exposed chest and abs due to wearing no more than a white ancient Greek based toga, magnificent, shoulder-length snow-white hair that is leagues above Robin and Corrin's. Unlike his Siblings with demonic eyes, his look human enough, if not for the silver color of his irises that mixes well with his divine appearance. He is barefooted but is floating, via levitation, not touching the dirt of the ground, refusing to let anything unworthy touch his soothing skin. On his left arm he also wears a golden side guard. And Finally, on his back he has large, majestic white angel wings spread out for all to see that glow with a silver aura that easily spells out his perfection.

"I warned you not to interfere with the mortal world. There is no longer a point in dwelling with those degenerates that dare to call themselves living beings when the seeds of discord have already been sown for our benefit and you fools have drawn too much attention. Sloth, ironically enough caused the second biggest offense with his inability to avoid killing so many humans just by his mere presence." Pride lectured the five of them with a voice fitting of an emperor of the highest authority, meant to rule the world, in his mind at least.

"It's not my fault human lifespans are in actuality no different than flies." Sloth protested weakly in his defense, woken up by the loud lecture.

"True, brother, but that doesn't excuse that you still decided to slack off and I gave you a very specific and easy mission to accomplish." Pride persisted.

"You call looking for these knuckleheads easy?!" Sloth protested, raising his head up, clearly upset.

"Who are you trying to fool, asshole. The real irony here is that you're the most competent out of all of us and can get any job done." Envy whined.

"Excuse me!" Pride snapped indignantly at her comment but she ignores him.

"You're just too you. And I hate you above all others for your adequacy." She growled.

"You guys… are always… ALWAYS forcing me to do so much crap. What am I to you?! Diligence? Just let me rest already. Let someone else end the world." He pleaded.

"Oh, chin up man, you know there's no fun in that and besides, with the way things are going right now you may not have to worry much about anything for a while." Wrath shrugged, being lazy himself, until Pride snaps at him by evaporating both his legs, causing him to groan and fall to the floor.

"Oh, my apologies, dear brothers and sisters, apparently I had too much precious time I didn't want to waste explaining myself but it seems I'm gonna have to waste those precious moments meant only for me on you." Pride taunted viciously. "There is no slacking off. You don't have my permission to slack off because you all have your assignment. An assignment that is long overdue. And there is no getting out of it this time and stop eating the table, Gluttony!" He shouted to the Sin in question who is taking a bite off the table.

"But I'm hungry!" He cried.

"You're always hungry and you are not ruining the only table in this world that I find to be suited to be of any use to m… well isn't that just dandy, now there are bitemarks on this holy table!" Pride yelled noticing Gluttony's bitemarks on said table. "Good job, idiot, now I don't want it anymore."

"Can I keep it then?" Greed asked.

"NO!" Pride roared as he consumes the table in light, disintegrating it until not even dust remains.

"I wanted this table." Greed muttered.

"Hey, if we're getting another holier than Heaven lectures, shouldn't all of us be present for it? Where's that freak we sometimes call brother and sometimes sister?" Wrath asked as he regrows his legs to stand back up.

"Who cares, if they're out of the picture, it's a win for us." Gluttony hissed while trying to take a bite at one of the chairs instead.

"I CARE!" Pride snapped at Gluttony, startling him enough to trip back on to the floor. "I will not allow any of you to do as you please and screw up what I want WITHOUT MY CONSENT!"

"You never let us do anything, Pride!" Envy cried like a teenage girl would to their strict father, or in this case, strict older brother. "Nor do you let us have what we want!"

"I don't care how you feel on how I do things. I am the only one who decides how things go around here, or anywhere really, right now it's just a pain to deal with all the humans, especially when their war craze. But then again, they're always war craze but still, things were going just fine but of course, things would've gone even smoother and more satisfying if that Demigoddess had chosen the Blackest Night over the Brightest Day. More chaotic, more dramatic, more fulfilling. Anything to say to that, Brother?" Pride turns to Wrath.

"Okay, fine, I confess that maybe, I went partially close to overboard when I drove Corrin to make that choice but in my defense, I had nothing to do with her choosing to stick with the Family she barely knows and still loves less than the family she's known all her life. That was all her." Wrath said.

"Really, because I'm pretty sure stealing one of Sloth's monsters and putting it inside that half-dragon might've had something to do with it, we're just lucky that the events in Kurosaki stayed close enough to the original timeline to stay in control." Greed questioned. "So ultimately the way you did it was unnecessary and succeeded only in making her more unbalanced emotionally than she already was. Is that really your idea of a little overboard?"

"Yes."

"Geez, I do not envy the tormented soul who witnesses you going completely overboard because you being partially overboard is too much for us." Envy whined.

"HA! Sin jokes because we are two sins personified. How original." Wrath hissed.

"Don't you dare try to be funny around me, Wrath. You and Gluttony are the biggest screw-ups of all. And now because of Gluttony, we have Alondite to deal with now, not just Ragnell." Pride protested.

"The Tellius Legends is here?" Greed and Envy gasped at once, squealing with excitement.

"Oh, for Satan's sake, you two. Why do you get so many kicks making me miserable." Sloth hissed.

"Worst of all, Gluttony had a chance to eliminate Morgan and failed." Pride cursed, getting the whole room to be silent with confusion.

"Robin's spawn was here? How?" Wrath asked surprised.

"Hey, you screwed up too, you tried to kill the Hoshidans by turning every mana in the Valley of Ahsoka into Pseudo-Antimatter and yet that was still not enough to kill the High Deliverer." Gluttony whined. "Not that I'm surprised, after all you tried that same move on Ike and he kept on kicking despite having a clean shot."

"At least I came closer than you did at killing them. You're the only one among us who was actually defeated by those mongrels." Pride insulted.

"Wait, really? HA! You suck so hard." Wrath, Greed and Envy laugh at Gluttony's expense.

The demonic familial drama is interrupted when a monstrous roar is heard from practically everywhere with the castle they're in shaking a bit.

"And that's your cue. Get to work on keeping that maniac in check. I'll find Lust." Pride ordered and reluctantly, the five sins comply and get to work on whatever it is they are supposed to take care of while muttering and whining at being bossed around and throwing insults at their elder brother. Pride begins his own reluctant search. "What are you up to now, Lust? More importantly, what pure, unspoiled soul has earned your predatory gaze this time?"

---

Waking up from what feels like a long deep slumber, Morgan awakens after leaving the Shadow Realm, sitting right at her throne where she left her body all night, in New Valentia as she now lives in the castle that once belonged to the vicious Conqueror, Emperor Walhart who wanted to unite all of the continent to rule it the same way his ancestor, the Saint King Alm once did as an empire that had no need of gods and while the Shepherds did stop his rampage with Robin slaying him, Morgan ironically ended up fulfilling his grand ambitions by recreating Valentia since all the former countries have banded together after surviving the horrors of the Fell Dragon and all the surviving dynasts have submitted their leadership unto her for various reasons with her now the empress of it all as the daughter of the one who saved the world. What's also ironic is that unlike her father who never liked living in a castle, she most certainly loves it. Though granted she couldn't really appreciate it all because of her depression but she's doing a lot better now. And she's certainly aged well, she's twenty-one now and while looking more like her father, she's also prettier.

Though, when she cast her spell she was alone but now she finds that there are others beside her, such as one worried looking boy who looks to be around eight years of age with white hair like hers and dressed in the standard mage uniform fit for his size.

"Lady Morgan?" The child asked with worry eminent in his face while having his hands on her lap.

"Noctis…" Morgan yawn while she stretches her arms and rises up from her throne.

"Finally, I thought… you weren't waking up so…" The boy named Noctis mumbled, trying to find the correct words to say.

"Hey, now, why all the muttering? Did I worry you, or something?" Morgan mused as she rubs him in the head.

"Fie, Milady, you had us all worry for a while." Said one of the other two who is in her throne room with her, a black-haired samurai and former Princess of Chon'sin, Say'ri and the green-haired Divine Dragon Oracle, Tiki.

"Goodness, dear, I thought you lost your soul for a moment there, you haven't left the throne since we last saw you yesterday." Tiki mused.

"Oh, I was doing something important that can be discussed at a later point." Morgan replied casually.

"Need we remind you that you have to be more careful. After all, danger continues to hunt us." Say'ri warned.

"What, have our new friends finally made their grand entrance? I'm still alive so no assassinations on my life have been attempted." Morgan asked sarcastically.

"No, as far as we know they haven't set foot on our soils yet but they made their intentions clear so it won't be long before we can no longer hide the dangers from the public that we face a great risk with the possible return of both the long-forgotten Loptria and Dolhr." Say'ri revealed the dire news.

"Well ain't that a kick in the can." Morgan sighed as she lie to her father about everything being fine here. "Say what you will about the Grimleal but they actually did some good trying to wipe out the competition with their top-secret Shadow War against the followers of Medeus and Loptous respectively, who unsurprisingly have stood the test of time waiting this long for their chance to bring back their respective Dark Gods and each start their version of the Apocalypse. I'm just surprised it took the Church of Naga this long to figure out that they were still kicking."

"None more than me." Tiki muttered, dreading the notion of facing the Shadow Dragon Medeus again. Anri, the first hero to wield the Divine Falchion slew Medeus, followed by his great-great-nephew Marth, the Hero King of legend who bested him himself twice and still that evil tries to find a way to come back. "I just hope for all our sakes, including my own that Gharnef hasn't stood the test of time as well."

"Well, we can't say we didn't see it coming. There was always going to be consequences to ending the Grimleal War in our favor. My grandpa said so himself that stopping Grima was never going to bring the world peace but leave behind a void that won't stop trying to fill itself." Morgan said, assessing the situation carefully. "The question is, who's worse, Grima, Medeus, or Loptous?"

"I can't speak on behalf of our western neighbors in Jugdral but Medeus is definitely inferior to Grima. Or at least he was if memory serves, I can't imagine his strength remains the same if a fraction of his soul has lasted this long but either way we must engage this situation lightly, we never know what to expect." Tiki warned.

"One thing is clear though, both cults are numbered in the thousands and already the people of Ylisse and Jugdral have begun to engage them. Not a single country is ready to go through another war, especially not us, Empress." Say'ri warned.

"I'm aware but alas diplomacy is lost on fanatics and both sides have waited far too long for this moment to cease power in the criminal underworld so there's no way they're going to back down just because everyone wants to live in peace. Even still, there's a chance to keep the fighting from reaching the people and maintain all the pain to be felt by the scourge." Morgan said, already a mountain of strategies building up inside.

"What's going to happen to us?" Noctis asked with fear over the talking of more fighting on the horizon.

"We are going to be just fine, Noct. It's just some more bad guys that need to learn a lesson but everything will be okay." Morgan assured the boy.

"You already have an idea in mind?" Tiki asked, though she quickly realized how futile the question was by how obvious it is.

"You know me." Morgan smirked. "Have Lyon and General Mustafa ready the Council in the afternoon to discuss the next course of action. Right now, I'm off to get some breakfast and later have a stroll around New Plegia for a bit. You want to come along." She asked Noctis.

"Okay." He replied with more enthusiasm and grabs her hand.

Noctis is among the hundreds of children who were left as orphans by both wars against Walhart and Grima and when Morgan became empress she had as many of the orphans that had nowhere else to go be moved to her Crown City as possible to be better cared for and she befriended Noctis due to him being born exceptionally gifted with magic but because of the constant nightmares he kept having about the Risen, he's abruptly caused everything around him to be set ablaze from his fears, and this drove her to help him have better control and in no time they developed a teacher-student to brother-sister bond, though many mistook Noctis for Morgan's son, hence the rumors Quill spoke up, so Robin is not a grandfather yet.

"You certainly have your hands full with all those children you brought in." Tiki chuckled amused.

"Well, what can I say, I love multitasking and you two are no slouches yourselves on the matter." Morgan mused.

"Children are wondrous but also complicated, I can only work out the energy for just one with all the work I have." Say'ri replied.

"Oh, and how are things with your new family, Say'ri? We really haven't had much of a chance to converse with all that is happening and my long slumber?" Tiki asked curiously.

"It's about the only thing in my life so far that isn't out of control." Say'ri said with pure content. "Life has improved for the better and I don't speak on behalf of just myself."

"Well, we all did our part for the sake of a better world, even if it does feel short-lived at times but work is work." Morgan shrugged as she and Noctis take their leave. "She certainly has come a long way." Tiki said.

"Yes, lately she seems to be reverting back to her old self, though her anger remains, bitterness is subsiding year by year." Say'ri noted with a hint of sadness.

"I know, I could sense her wrath all the way back from the Mila Tree. No one was happy with her taking it upon herself to rebuild Valm to this extent, even if it made some shred of sense for her to take the throne and she did always strike me as more ambitious than any of the children from the Future Past." Tiki said.

"Fie, Robin never was one for a big fancy home, even for Chrom's sake, he could only live in Ylisstol for so long, if only he had lived on he would've returned to Titan with Priam." Say'ri replied.

"Really, because from what I heard he was very open to Khan Flavia's offer to be her Tactician in Regna Ferox."

"She is a very stubborn and persuasive woman." Say'ri chuckled a bit before silence envelops the two women for a few moments. "We're gonna be able to win this new battle and keep the peace we've sacrificed so much for, won't we?"

"Have faith, my friend, our enemies may be many but our allies are even stronger. I have no doubt Chrom and the Shepherds stand together again in their next fight and so we must do the same." Tiki assured her. "I will soon depart to gather our own Shepherds. Lucina is never far behind from Morgan but she's still a challenge to find."

---

And here's Chapter 24, which makes my first year anniversary of my story, I honestly didn't think it take me this long to finish this, granted I was always aiming for long chapters so I have only myself to blame. I had a really fun time writing this one, especially the father-daughter team-up. Much of Morgan's new life has been revealed and the reasons why she became Empress in the first place and how her hatred for mainly Lucina has not subsided is a tale for another time. I've also added my own lore to Ike's tale after leaving Tellius. His life after Radiant Dawn was left ambiguous, leaving us to our imagination so I decided to take the initiative and make him involved in Fates to some degree and since he was given ownership of Ragnell, why not let him keep Alondite instead since despite still being sore about it, he reconcile with Zelgius to some extent not to hate the blade that killed his father, plus having both swords adds to his credit as the strongest hero in the franchise. My main reason for including him is that I've never bothered to learn anything about the Tellius Series until last July, being more focus on the Elibe Series, Sacred Stones, Awakening, Fates and Echoes despite all the attention Ike has and boy did I instantly get hook into it once I saw Path of Radiance and while the events of Radiant Dawn has been contemplating, I loved it regardless but still disappointed by how lackluster the endings were. I am so tempted to make my own novelization of the two. But I won't… Also, no, when I said Future Past, I wasn't referring to that alternative reality DLC I detest, while I enjoy the Multiverse factor let's keep the 2nd Gen Shepherds traveling to the past as a linear time travel instead of them actually entering another world and Future Past is just what they call their own past that could still be the 1st Gen Shepherds' future. And no, I didn't exactly rip the flying clouds from Dragon Ball, I got it from Sun Wukong and to be fair Akira Toriyama was inspired too and DB was not the only manga he made that used flying clouds.