Black.

Silence.

Nothingness.

No matter how much Robin strained himself, that's all he could feel around him. He felt as if he was being tugged into a million different directions at once as the vision of his fallen friends evaporated into nothing.

He floated aimlessly like this for several moments, the tugging sensation in his chest lingering as he stayed suspended in the sea of black in front of him. He tried to speak, but no noise escaped his mouth.

Oh, Gods, he thought. Am I really dead now?

That was when he started to panic.

No matter how much he struggled, and no matter how hard he thrashed and shook, the invisible hands holding him in place refused to give way.

Realizing the futility of his efforts, he relaxed his limbs and neck and gave in. It was over.

I'm sorry, Chrom.

In a sudden jolt, his chest was released from the ethereal tug as an immense flash of light filled his eyes, blinding him. He found himself gasping for breath, air finally filling his shrunken lungs as he clawed at the ground beneath him, half out of comfort and half to distract from the fire that was now building in his stomach as the familiar burn of a puncture wound returned to him.

Wait- No, not ground.

Scales.

"Robin! Gods, stay with us!", he heard Chrom plead from his right.

"You've beat him once before. You are strong, Robin- Fight him this last time!", he heard Lucina call from his left.

After a few moments of desperate gasps for air, he found his eyes adjusting to the blue sky above him.

Robin reached his hand out towards the blue-haired figure to his right. "Chrom."

It took Chrom a few moments to realize the almost unrecognizable sound had come from Robin.

Taking his hand in his own and squeezing it tightly, he eyed his white haired friend with a confused look on his face. "What? Robin, I couldn't understand."

Taking another deep breath of air, he coughed up a mixture of saliva and blood, spitting it onto the ground next to his head.

"Chrom. I saw her. And... I saw the others."

Chrom's eyes widened. "Robin. Who did you see?"

Robin's pained expression softened as he closed his eyes and recalled the odd realm he had just came from.

"Sully. Sully, and... and Lon'qu," he said in a soft, breathy voice. "Emmeryn was there. Wait... waiting for me."

Moisture started building in the corners of Chrom's eyes as he took in the information. He couldn't help but smile.

"How was she?"

"Beautiful, Chrom. Just as she was before. She-" Robin's eyes widened when he realized what he had said. Scanning his face, and realizing he wasn't rearing a fist back to punch him, he let his expression soften as he felt safe to continue. He chuckled slightly at the absurdity of it all. "Gods, why do I even care, I'm on the brink of death, anyways. She looked beautiful, Chrom. Above all, she looked happy. Nothing about her has changed... over the years."

Chrom simply let the tears fall as he listened to Robin speak.

"She's proud of you, Chrom. Proud of the man you've grown to be. Proud of everything you have done for Ylisse. She can't wait to see you, when your time comes. But... but I'm afraid my time is coming much sooner than yours."

Robin could feel his energy fading the longer he stayed conscious. Certain details became blurred in his vision, which as a whole had been slowly fading into darker and darker shades, as if time had been passing by an hour every few seconds.

He grimaced, the fire in his stomach spreading to his chest and legs. His breathing became short and labored as he fought for control over his. body.

"Robin..."

Robin looked back up at Chrom, who had a sad understanding in his eyes as he nodded.

"Thank you, Robin. For everything. This wouldn't have been possible without your guidance. You'll always be with us."

Robin smiled. "My last thoughts being of you all... the fact that all of you are safe from harm... that's more than enough."

Robin squeezed his friend's hand, the irony of his first and final memories being of their hands meeting not escaping his head. "May we meet again, Chrom. In a better life."

Robin let out one final, shaky breath as his hand went limp in Chrom's.