Prologue: A Heart Within the Void
A young blue-haired woman of average height stood in a dark void, devoid of anything besides a throne of intricately carved stone. This was not her first time here, having had recurring dreams of a young green-haired girl sleeping upon this throne since childhood. Yet something was different this time. She looked up to see that a hook-nosed man in a formal suit with large piercing eyes sat upon the throne with his fingers crossed. This is different. I wonder what happened to that little girl? The man grinned, a wide smile that stretched across the entire width of his face. He then began to speak with a reedy voice that was decidedly less imposing than his presence. "Welcome to the Velvet Room, a place nestled between dream and reality. My name is Igor, and I am the master of this place." Velvet Room? What a strange name for such a bare place. "Now, before we begin…" Igor produced an ornate leather-bound guestbook and a golden quill, before holding them out to the woman. "Your name, please."
The woman took the guestbook from his hands and flipped it open, before signing her name in an untidy scrawl. Byleth Eisner. As soon as the tip of the quill left the page, both it and the guestbook disappeared, materializing in Igor's hands before he set them both down on the arm of his throne.
"Thank you. Now that that has been settled, please allow me to introduce my attendant, Sophia."
A small figure emerged from behind the throne. The young woman looked up at the figure standing beside the throne, and her eyes widened in recognition: it was the green-haired girl, but her attire had changed. In the place of the intricate dress that the woman was used to seeing the girl wear was a far simpler blue one, with the fabric cascading down to her ankles in a diagonal pleated pattern. The beads and various other ornaments that had once adorned the child's hair were gone, and her hair had been trimmed from its original length. Whereas it had reached down to her ankles before, it now stopped short of her shoulders, framing her face. A golden hairclip shaped like a star sat on the right side of her head, the letter V embossed on its face. "Well, what could have brought you here?", Sophia asked with an confused frown on her face. "I suppose this isn't the first time we've met, though."
The hook-nosed man spoke once again. "My, this is quite intriguing. Never before has a guest of mine been as well-acquainted with the residents of this Room. And yet that is not the most peculiar thing of note." What could be stranger than this? Though I suppose this is a dream, after all.
"This Velvet Room is meant to reflect the inner state of its guest's heart. And yet here we are surrounded by darkness, an inky void that devours all light. What could this mean for you, I wonder?"
The young woman spoke for the first time since she had entered the Room. "I was born without any heartbeat, if that means anything."
The old man's grin seemed to widen even further, impossibly so. "Interesting, yes, very interesting. But when I say heart, I do not mean the literal flesh that dwells within. It is the filter through which you observe the world around you, that colors how you interpret your surroundings. It seems that trying to reach a conclusion as to what this darkness must imply with regards to your heart will take a considerable amount of work on your part."
"Is that why you brought me here?"
"That is not the only reason, no. You see, the world in which you live will soon be enveloped by war. It will be a war unlike any in the history of your world, in which many will fight to the death for their own ideals. However, this will result in certain doom for not only these parties, but your world as a whole."
Impossible. The end of the world? What am I supposed to do about any of this?
"Your destiny is set in stone: you are to put an end to this conflict, or perish at the hands of the shadows that seek to rend your world in two."
"Sir, with all due respect, I'm only a mercenary. I don't have the means to perform such a duty."
Igor chuckled. "Not to worry, dear guest. In time, you will acquire the necessary skills that will allow you to carry out your destiny. Sophia will also be available to assist you in accomplishing this. However, I am afraid that this is all I can tell you for the time being. The time for you to awaken is fast approaching."
Igor began to fade, as did Sophia.
As a bright white light began to pierce through the darkness, Igor spoke, his voice fading. "Until we meet again, young guest." Sophia stepped in front of Igor and bowed. "See you soon," she said as she waved farewell. She felt herself floating up through the blinding light, faster and faster, until the movement stopped. Her eyes shot open, and she felt her body begin to fall.