Journey of the Exalt - Prologue
AN: Hey everyone. So you might have noticed that I've cleared the other chapters. NoNameAvailableBis from AO3 brought up several good points, and as I've looked further into the plot, I realized that I was no longer interested as to where that went. It was inconvenient, confusing, and full of plotholes/blunders. Hence, I'll be rewriting the beginning once more as an attempt to avoid all of that (though I'm fairly certain they will still exist), and focus solely on Lucina. So, sorry for the inconvenience. If you want to see my original chapters (they are really bad!) just DM me and I'll be able to get them for you. As always, constructive criticism, thoughts, praise, or whatever else must be heard is welcomed.
It's no use,
Lucina could only think numbly as yet another impossibly fast strike from one of Grima's appendages came her way. Wielding the Falchion carefully, blade met claw for an instant before the sacred sword gave way allowing the talon to whistle by without harm to the wielder.
Lucina followed up by slashing the limb as it tried to wrap around her in response to the failure to land a hit. Recoiling, the tentacle-like limb whipped back in place, knocking Lucina down to the ground in surprise. Her hand reflexively tightened around the Falchion's hilt. To drop the Falchion now would spell certain doom for her.
She had only just gotten up from the ground when a barrage of spikes imbued with Fell energy descended upon her. Jumping to the side, Lucina attempted to bat away those that she couldn't dodge when-
A piercing pain stabbed through Lucina's forearm, and she let out an inaudible cry. Gritting her teeth, Lucina jumped high to evade a cluster of orbs that were seemingly aimed at her feet, but it was to her dismay that she was now in the air with no way to avoid or dodge anything Grima might throw at her.
Grima's tail slammed her back into the ground, hard. And something broke.
I can't… I can't move. Horror dawned upon Lucina upon the implications of what that meant. Twitching in a pile of helpless limbs, she could only look into the purple sky, asundered by Grima's imposing form ambling its way towards her location.
The plan of seeking counsel from Naga had failed, when Mount Prism was guarded by an army of Risen, the attempt to sneak in failing and resulting in the death of Inigo.
After that, nearly everything that they had tried was cut down immediately, with Risen being where they shouldn't have been, safe houses gone, and allies destroyed before Lucina had even made contact with them. They had stopped seeking them out after the realization that nobody was left. It was as if Grima knew everything, even before anyone else did.
Grima was seemingly content with their quest to find the gemstones, usually never facing them directly unless they stumbled upon one of his strongholds by chance. The occasions that they did...
"Owain… Gerome… Cynthia," Lucina whispered softly. It was getting harder to breathe now, pain needling mercilessly from her ribs, the worst coming from her spine.
It was when they had finally found the fourth gem at the cost of Yarne, did Grima actively seek them out. Her friends were felled much more quickly then, the party run ragged until it was just Lucina and Laurent. And still, they had no idea as to where the fifth gem, Sable, could be.
Laurent then suggested that they split up. Lucina would hold the Fire Emblem along with the four gemstones, while Laurent alone would seek Sable.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"You can't Laurent, you're a Mage." Lucina begged him. "What if the Risen finds you, alone?"
Laurent gave a smirk that didn't quite reach his eyes, "I can handle a couple of Risen you know. I'm not that helpless." He adjusted his glasses. "Besides, you're the one that should worry. Since you're the one with the Fire Emblem and the gemstones, you'll be the one that'll be chased. They won't worry about me, because I won't even have anything."
"But-"
"It's logical. Practical. The best course of action that we can take, Lucina."
Lucina shot up to her feet. "Aren't you afraid at all Laurent?"
Something flickered in his visage then, and Lucina caught a bare glimpse of it. Uncertainty. Fear.
"We're friends, are we not?" he said cooly in response.
Laurent left at dawn.
Only but several days later, Grima's army managed to catch up to Lucina. It was different this time though. Where she had friends to protect before, now she had only herself. And so with desperate vigor, Lucina fought.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The gemstones were glowing once more, gathering and healing superficial injuries. The Falchion glowed brightly, as if it were ready to go into battle once more. Lucina blinked away tears of pain, but healing her fleshwounds was not enough. "Emblem," she called softly, and the energy surged to do her bidding knitting together her spine in a most painful matter.
And although her control over her limbs wasn't quite right, she could move. Grasping the partially awakened Falchion, she had only dragged herself into a kneeling position before she felt a shadow fall upon her. With a rattling breath, she forced herself to look up, right into the leering gaze of Grima.
There were notable injuries on multiple parts of its body, but the power of a partially awakened Falchion was not enough to strike down the Fell Dragon. But perhaps, even with only four gemstones…
Mustering a battlecry, Lucina haphazardly charged towards Grima only to be slammed aside by its claws.
"Foolish child," Grima hissed revealing the menacing fangs and foul miasma which came from its mouth. It cocked its head in amusement as Lucina silently writhed with pain on the ground below.
"You know…" they drawled, "You never really stood a chance. I made sure of it after all." Grima's vessel came into view then, with red eyes blazing with superiority and contempt. A much more human voice, but no less of a monster.
"Your Temple of Naga, blocked of any entrance. Tiki, slain by my own hands. And this vessel," they smirked, "completely void of any individuality. Your father, never able to know you or assist you in this world, or an alternative world. Though I suppose-" they chuckled, "you have no idea what I'm talking about, hmm?"
They're unhinged, Lucina shuddered. "Monster!" she spat, before coughing up blood. Lucina panted, before recovering. "One of us is still out there," Lucina said hoarsely. "They will find the Sable and when they do, you will be brought down!"
Grima grinned even wider. "Oh? Do you perhaps mean, this one?" With a flourish of their hand, akin to a magician performing to the masses, a decapitated head appeared on their other hand. A sinking feeling fell through Lucina's stomach.
"He didn't really make it far," Grima crooned in a mocking manner. "It was but a day when you separated your ways that he encountered a party of Risen far too many for one Mage to deal with. Mayhaps if you were with him, he could have survived such a fate if only for a little longer." Lucina looked at the head aghast as Grima too inspected it.
"Do you not recognize him?" Grima peered at the head. "It has been several days, so his face had decomposed somewhat. Maybe I should have taken better care of it," they laughed. "Oh, but perhaps this might help you recognize him!" Dread came to Lucina as a familiar pair of lenses came to view.
Grima gently placed the lenses on the head, albeit crookedly and then presented it once more to their audience. "Looky Lucina! It's your childhood friend, Laurent!" Lucina charged Grima wildly then, bearing her sword for a powerful diagonal cut. In response, Grima thrusted Laurent's head into the trajectory of her strike, and Lucina averted her blade just barely off to the side, exposing her back to a vicious kick.
Lucina clenched her teeth in response to the pain, and whirled around to face Grima again, who already had Laurent's head extended out towards her.
"Put that…" Lucina's voice cracked, "Put that away."
Grima paused for a moment. "If you insist," they shrugged and dropped Laurent's head. With an inhuman speed and power, they punted the head towards Lucina, shattering it and showering Lucina in bits of skull, blood, and brain matter.
"Ouch… That kind of hurt," Grima whined, examining his boot. Simultaneously, Lucina was slammed into the ground without resistance by Grima's tail. "But now to the main attraction."
Lucina dazed, could only barely react to Grima's boot pressing down heavily on her chest. The vessel and abomination moved as one, both intensifying their gaze on her. "Lucina, Lucina, Lucina", Grima chanted ominously. "Did you know that your name means light? Weren't you supposed to be the torch bearer, the figurehead casting away the darkness?" The vessel tsked in disapproval. "I do believe that you've failed to meet expectations."
"I…" Lucina croaked, "I tried. My friends know that I've tried! They would have known I did my best!" Grima gave a cheshire grin and wagged their finger at her.
"Nuh-uh. I believe that your friends believe otherwise…" Grima looked side to side, before leaning in with a conspiratorial whisper, "Would you like some proof?"
At the edge of her vision, spectral shades began to form. They glowed a translucent light blue, and although you could see through them partially, their figures were defined well enough for recognition.
"Lucina."
"Lucina!"
"Hey, Lucina."
Who…?
she could only think to herself. But even as she asked herself that, she already knew who they were. Her friends. Her comrades. And also, those who she failed.
"Lucina, weren't we going to win?"
Brady,
Lucina trembled.
"We just needed Sable!" Lucina said desperately.
"Lucina, are you blaming Laurent?"
"Inigo, you know that I didn't mean it like that-"
"Lucina, why did I have to die?"
"Nah…"
"You were supposed to protect us! You had the Falchion!"
"It didn't mean anything!" Lucina shouted, "Just because I'm an Exalt doesn't mean-"
"Lucina." A deeper voice cut in, and Lucina froze.
"Father?"
"You were the Exalted. You have the blessing of Naga and yet…" Chrom crossed his arms, "I am disappointed in you. You failed."
Lucina's heart stopped. And if on cue, the shades gathered around her.
"Failed."
"You've failed.""Lucina, you failed us.""Lucina, you broke our promise!""Oathbreaker…""Liar!""How could you deceive us!"The voices cascaded and grew louder, with more and more familiar faces crowding in around her. Overhead, Grima laughter could be heard behind everything, ever malignant and cruel. I… I… failed, Lucina choked back a sob. I failed my duties, I failed Ylisse, I failed my friends, I failed my family… and I've failed myself."Leave," Chrom glared derisively. "And don't come back. Because you are not one of us." The shades began to dissipate into the air, and Lucina became glassy eyed as they all left together, without her.
The vessel clapped slowly, smiling beautifically at her. "Well," Grima said airily. "That was fun."
They sauntered towards Lucina, bringing her attention to the world once more. "Normally, I would leave you to wallow in despair," Grima sighed, and gently grasped Lucina pulling her up to her feet. Lucina looked into Grima's eyes, confused. "But I know better than that," and then plunged a shortsword into Lucina thrice in quick succession, giving a final vicious twist upon the third stab.
Grima grinned into Lucina's face as it tightened from the pain. "You should listen to what your friends had to say. Don't come back." Slowly, Lucina became limp in their arms, and then she was dropped unceremoniously.
They plucked the Emblem, shrunken in size, from her hip. "Only one more," Grima said mockingly. They pushed the Emblem onto her chest. "Hold onto it for now, while I retrieve Sabel." With a snap of their fingers, a regiment of Risen gathered around Lucina as Grima walked off, humming with pleasure. The Risen stared at Lucina, many former denizens of Ylisse. Lucina stared at them back.
It's getting colder, Lucina thought to herself absentmindedly. Hazidly, she took note of her wounds. I guess... this is it.
The gemstones in the Emblem shone bright once more, a mountain of energy to grasp, to utilize, to heal. But Lucina ignored it. The Emblem sparkled, dazzled, and did everything to entice Lucina to make use of it.
"No…" Lucina whispered. "Can't you see? I'm done. I've failed."
Frustrated at not being used, the energy fluctuated even more.
"Let me die."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Another World, Ylisse
Chrom frowned. Just now… Lucina?
"Hey Lucina?"
"Father?" a voice called from the hallway. Lucina's head poked from the doorframe, curious to see as to what Chrom wanted. He sighed, she was fine.
"Could you come here?" Lucina hearing the concern in his voice, walked over quickly only to squawk indignantly as Chrom pulled her to his chest.
"Wha-what?" she stammered out only for Chrom to draw her back to look at her in the eyes.
"I'm just glad you're alright."
"Oh…"
They stayed together like that for awhile, before Lucina gave a wicked smirk.
"I bet I can beat you now."
Chrome cocked an eyebrow, "Oh, ho?"
Lucina grabbed her Falchion before running out of the door. "Meet me outside!" she called, before giggling.
The nerve, Chrom rolled his eyes, and then followed her out.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The energy swarmed around Lucina furiously. She had tried and had done her best campaigning the cause. The gemstones, touched, had witnessed her and deemed her worthy of a reward. Lucina, however, had refused their gift of life and passed away world-weary instead. And that was no great reward.
But there was more to life than the carnage that she had to bear. Where they were sending her was out of their reach. Lucina would be on her own. Hopefully, she will find something better. Even if it means that she had to live again, in different circumstances, and in a different world.
AN: And that concludes Prologue Revised. Did you know, Reviews/Comments, Follows/Subscriptions, Favs and Kudos all serve as a boost for all Fanfiction writers? If you enjoy a story (any story!) please consider doing any of those! The authors will appreciate the fact that someone enjoys what they do with their time.