AUTHOR'S NOTES: I will be out of town this upcoming week, and so there will not be any new chapters until the following Monday. In the meantime though, we finally graduate to the 5th stage of the game as Mikoto's infamous ceremony comes into being. Some things that were more secretive in the game are brought to light much earlier on in this story, because there's a whole lot more at work here than just Anankos trying to wreak havoc. That part, of course, will remain secret until its proper time, but in the meantime, here's for the enemy throwing a wrench into the systems of both Hoshido and Nohr.
Happy Reading!
CHAPTER 33: Mother and Child
Sing with me a song of Sorrow and Loss…
Camilla followed Oboro out and towards the city, where they rendezvoused with Corrin, Kamui, Azura, Ryoma, and the rest of his siblings. Mikoto was obviously present as well, and it was clear that she had gathered a large crowd. Oboro distanced herself a little from Camilla as Kamui distanced herself from Corrin to be a little closer to Mikoto as she made the announcement. Camilla joined her, and Mikoto turned to them with an approving nod.
"Mother?" Kamui whispered before Mikoto went public.
"What can I do for you, sweetheart?" she offered.
"I just wanted to say I'm sorry," Kamui sighed, "I feel like I'm selfishly abandoning you…"
"I will miss you, dear," Mikoto frowned, "but I understand that this is your choice. I am not chastising you for it either. I understand that you love the Nohrians, and to me… that is perfectly okay. I think this announcement will also help ease tensions between Nohr and Hoshido, and who knows? Perhaps Xander, Camilla, Leo, Elise, you, and your Hoshidan kin can all be united as one big happy family. It would certainly make these old bones happy."
"I will do what I can in Nohr to fulfill that dream, mother." Kamui embraced Mikoto tightly. "I love you, just as I love Camilla, or Elise, or Xander and Leo, or even Corrin, Sakura, and the others. You don't realize how hard that decision was for me to make in Izumo."
"I'm sure that even Takumi and Hinoka will come to terms with your decision eventually," Mikoto reassured her, putting her arms around Kamui in return. "And as much as I might wish to oppose it, I trust your beliefs, and that you believe you are making the right decision."
"How?" Kamui tilted her head. "How do you think it's 'right' for me to leave you?"
"Because there comes a point in a mother's life where the choices her children make become theirs," Mikoto explained, "I understand that you are not parting from me or from Hoshido out of a dislike for us, Kamui. Rather, I see your desire to return to Nohr as an act of love."
"You one time mentioned that you wished to see my family from Nohr and Hoshido united," Kamui sighed, "Someday… someday I'll let you see your dream become realized."
Mikoto simply embraced Kamui with a smile.
"I love you, Kamui," she whispered, "and I always will."
They parted a few moments later as Mikoto appeared publicly and began addressing her people.
"Citizens of Hoshido," she started out, before going into speech about how her 2nd child was found. Kamui glanced across Mikoto towards Corrin, although Corrin simply frowned before looking forward again.
"The rumors regarding the spies from Nohr are completely unfounded," Mikoto continued, "She came to Hoshido as a visitor, and now departs from Hoshido as a friend. She, as well as visiting Nohrian Princess Camilla, have vowed to do their part in Nohr to facilitate peace between our two nations, once and for all!"
She continued, although there were cheers from the crowds, who seemed to be able to put Camilla's nationality aside for the promise of peace. However, something wasn't right, and Camilla could sense it.
"That man…" she whispered, pointing to a hooded figure emerging from the crowds, who seemed too fixated on Mikoto to notice, "that sword he carries looks like…"
"Is that… Ganglari?" Kamui opened her mouth before the hooded figure turned right to them.
"Come to me, Dusk Dragon…"
There were gasps from the crowd as the man raised the sword, but instead of attacking the crowds, he simply stabbed the ground, causing a terrifying explosion all around him. The once vibrant lights and colorfully dressed people and festivities were gone; in their place, a bleak, grey swathe of desolation as a scant few survivors collected themselves. Among these, the royal families and their retainers stood.
"Lady Mikoto…" the voice continued, "Heed your husband's call…" The shattered sword suddenly rose back up as a collection of shards, which instantly pierced Mikoto multiple times, mortally wounding her. She staggered, and Kamui jumped back and caught her.
"MOTHER!" she shrieked, watching the life drain out of Mikoto's eyes.
"...you… were not hurt?" she wheezed, gazing up into Kamui's frantic eyes, "please, darling… tell me you are okay."
"I'm… I'm fine…" Kamui was trembling, trying to keep her emotions in check.
"I'm… so glad…" Mikoto gave one last smile. "I know you… will unite… our family…"
With a final breath, she fell motionless into Kamui's arms.
"MOTHER!" Kamui sobbed, and Corrin wasted no time reaching her side.
"YOU THERE!" Ryoma bellowed, drawing his sword and charging at the figure. Immediately it drew a blade of its own and parried Ryoma's attack.
"Ahh, Ryoma, my eldest son…" the hooded figure threw off his cloak, revealing a man that no one ever thought they would see again: it was Sumeragi.
Corrin and Ryoma were so taken aback by this that neither one could react for a moment.
"Do not try to keep her, little one," Sumeragi warned, causing heads to turn towards Kamui and Sakura, who were trying to revitalize Mikoto's form to no avail. "Let her return to her husband."
"You come back… to take her from me…" Kamui rose to her feet, trembling. She opened her mouth as if to say more, but it seemed she was losing control over her own body. Her eyes flashed a violent shade of purple as she arched backwards and emitted an earth-trembling roar. Before everyone else, her form morphed, her limbs and neck lengthening, and her body turning black and grey as it was cloaked in shadow. After the magical effects dispersed, Camilla and the Hoshidans were gazing upon a dark dragon.
"The Dusk Dragon Incarnate…" Azura gasped. "I had suspicions when I learned of your identity, Corrin, but this… this means so much more…"
"We're not alone!" Oboro yelled, "I see Nohrians!"
Ryoma and Corrin did double takes, but they noticed the enemies as well, shimmering in and out of view. Roku and Zenzi looked particularly alarmed.
"Invisible soldiers…" Roku muttered. "I do not think this is Nohr…"
"What can we say?" Zenzi whispered, "I'd rather not try and get them believing in an invisible enemy unless we want them to get suspicious."
"It will have to wait." Roku sighed, drawing his blades. "For now, let us deal with these demons."
Oboro had wasted no time in engaging these opponents, screaming a slew of hateful things about Nohr and what they had just done to Hoshido and its queen. In her blind fury, she got in over her head, and soon found herself surrounded. She fought viciously, but not even Sakura and her magic could break the lines that were swarming her.
"Corrin!" she bellowed, "Now'd be a good time to become a dragon!"
Corrin was already a dragon, however, and was preventing a rampaging Kamui from destroying everything in sight. Unlike hers, Corrin's dragon form was lighter: white and grey, fitting of the Dawn Dragon. Instead, it was Camilla who came to Oboro's rescue. She did not seem too happy about it despite Camilla slicing away most of the enemies with ease. With Ryoma occupied against Sumeragi, Corrin occupied against Kamui, and Hinoka leading the others against the bulk of the invisible forces that were storming the plaza, Camilla was one of the only options remaining to help Oboro out.
"This was your fault, I know it!" she growled, though she kept her weapon pointed at the enemies instead of turning it on Camilla.
"Darling, you saw me standing next to Queen Mikoto, not across from her," Camilla clarified, "I assure you that if I find out whoever did this to Hoshido or to my darling Kamui, I will see to it personally that I draw out their death as long as possible."
She wondered about it herself though. Seeing Takumi and Sakura in two places at once verified her suspicions of Hoshidan duplicity and trickery: their illusionistic tricks meant that this could very well just be one of their cleverly crafted puppets in an attempt to frame Nohr. It seemed self-destructive, but she knew that animosity between the kingdoms was not limited to Nohr issuing its hatred against Hoshido. No; that was a two-way street, and this did not seem like a Nohrian plot—it was not straightforward enough. She would worry about the fine-tuned truths of this ordeal later though. For now, she had to keep the area around her safe.
She remained at Oboro's side until they were safe though, and then she tore through the ranks to try and help Ryoma out, disregarding most of her injuries. Sumeragi was too fast and too strong for both of them though, and he kept them both on edge.
"A Princess of Nohr, fighting alongside my son…" Sumeragi mused with a smirk, "I never thought I'd see that day. COME! Show me what you're made of, Nohrian!"
"DON'T. YOU. EVER. MAKE. MY. KAMUI. CRY. EVER. AGAIN!" Camilla bellowed, emphasizing each word with each powerful swing from Alondite she delivered to Sumeragi who was forced into the defensive. Even as Sumeragi tried to flee, he was bombarded with blasts from Alondite, which prompted him to meet back up with the princess for an actual fight. However, she was forced out of the way as Kamui bowled over Corrin and charged right at Sumeragi. He was knocked aside like a leaf in the wind, and chuckled.
"Heh… strong children," he mused aloud, "Fight; fight another day!"
Ryoma sprang at him, but before he could strike, Sumeragi vanished as if warping away. Corrin was still occupied with Kamui, but it was clear that even in his controlled dragon form, Kamui's might as a feral dragon either was either giving her extra strength in return for the loss of her mind and stability, or it was her formidable fighting skills that made her Corrin's superior in terms of combat prowess. He was still able to keep her at bay and prevent her from attacking his siblings (or Camilla), however. This allowed Ryoma to join the others in fighting off the remaining invaders and cleaning house.
As Hinoka, Roku, and Zenzi helped polish off the remaining adversaries, Azura began to sing a soothing melody; a song woven into a spell to help free Kamui's mind from her feral dragon form.
"Sing with me a song… of silence and blood…"
The powerful melody grabbed Kamui's attention straightaway and she lunged at Azura, roaring threateningly, although there was something about the dragon's stance and even what there was of an expression on the mysterious creature that showed a lot more fear than threat.
"The rain falls, but can't wash away the mud…"
Kamui interrupted her by pinning her down straight away. Corrin was too injured to defend her after his altercation with the feral Kamui, and the others were blocked off by a powerful wall of water that Kamui had summoned during her rampage.
"Kill me if you'd like…" Azura warned, "But do it as yourself…"
Whether it was the song finally getting to her or if Azura's words had somehow struck a chord, Kamui stopped, and suddenly her form glowed with that dark colored haze, before she returned to her humanoid form and collapsed on the pavement. The water subsided, the flickering soldiers were dead or had disappeared, Sumeragi's illusion was long gone, and Corrin had transformed back into a humanoid as well. Azura slipped a pale blue pendant around Kamui's neck before taking a step back to give her some space. Roku, Zenzi, Oboro, Camilla, and the rest of the royals and retainers gathered around again as Kamui slowly came to, realizing what had happened around her: Mikoto was dead, and the plaza was in ruins. Something great and terrible had just gone down, and Kamui had a gut feeling that whatever it was might have run even deeper than just Hoshido and Nohr...
AFTERTHOUGHTS: Corrin and Kamui being the Dawn and Dusk Dragons plays a part later in the story, so don't think too much about it right now. Normally they would also be on more even levels against one another, but Kamui was in a feral form, hence the reason she overpowered Corrin. Lastly, the bit about Takumi and Sakura being in two places at once is more a reference to the "Replicate" skill from the game, and I'll explain more about how that works in this story when it becomes necessary.