When Mercer, Ophelia, and Soleil arrived at Veslil, they were greeted by the impaled corpses of several men and women. The pikes they were impaled on rose almost three meters into the air, and the bodies had been there awhile if the stench and decomposition were any indication. Each pike had a plaque attached to the base of it, and on the plaques were the names of the men and women and the Mark of Grima. Soleil walked up to one body and looked up. She could see the Mark of Grima tattooed on the body, even from a distance. "It looks like the people of this town overthrew the Grimleal agents in the area."

"Well we don't like the Grimleal but… this is horrible. Why would someone do this?" Mercer asked.

Soleil turned to Mercer. "Sometimes the Grimleal do stuff like this. Maybe this was payback."

"I don't like this."

"We still need to ask about Southtown." Ophelia added. "We should visit the town."

"Alright. How bad could it be?"

Mercer's wariness proved justified. The first thing that the three saw when they entered Veslil itself was a public execution. On a raised stage overlooking a crowd of townspeople stood several armed guards and a bound and gagged man and woman. In front of the guards was a lanky and gangly looking man wearing an exact replica of Lucina's outfit. He was even wearing a blue wig and a replica of Lucina's butterfly mask. An estoc customized to look like the Falchion was at his side. The sight made Mercer physically ill. "You have got to be kidding me."

The three were so focused on Keith that they didn't notice another familiar man in a wide brimmed hat and a duster watching them. The man smiled when he was sure he knew who he was looking at and disappeared into a nearby alley.

Keith walked to the edge of the stage and addressed the crowd. "People of Veslil! The man and woman you see before you are charged with pickpocketing and prostitution. As Justicar it is my duty to make sure that justice is done. Will anyone step forward to defend their honor? Will anyone testify to their innocence?" The townspeople spoke nervously to each other, but no one stepped forward. Keith gave them only a few seconds. "Then they are found guilty of their crimes. The sentence is death." The woman was shaking and crying with fear. The man was still, but his expression made his hatred of the Justicar clear. Keith walked over to the man first and drew his estoc. Mercer began to think that it wasn't just for show. "Crime is a terminal virus in the body of civilization. I do what I do in Naga's name so that order can be brought to our savage race. Not to me Naga, but to your name give glory!" With that Keith brought his estoc down and decapitated the man. The crowd hadn't finished gasping when he went over to the woman. Without any hesitation he brought the same sentence on her. He sheathed his sword and faced the crowd. "This court is no longer in session."

Most of the townspeople quickly dispersed and went about their daily business, but a few people stayed behind in a kind of morbid fascination. Mercer, Ophelia, and Soleil were among them. "T-that was the same guy from the homestead!" Ophelia stuttered. "D-did he really just do that?! Do you think he killed the Grimleal agents? Did he really take over the whole town?!"

Mercer was shaking with emotions ranging from horror at what he had seen to abject misery at the sight of his daughter's appearance. "I guess he's not so gods-damned harmless." Mercer stormed off.

"Where are you going?!" Ophelia asked as she tried to keep up with him.

"I'm going to find a bar."

"Because they're good sources of information?"

"Because I need a damn drink."

Mercer didn't get very far before he encountered yet another unwelcome sight from his town. Once again he came across a man with a wide brimmed hat and the Mark of Grima tattooed on his forehead. The man seemed to be staring at the ground, but it was clear that he was aware of everything Mercer was doing.

"Wait up!" Ophelia said as she and Soleil caught up to him. "You don't know… wait a minute. We've seen him before."

Theresa finally looked up at the three. "Well it looks like that prince came around."

Mercer stepped in front of Ophelia and Soleil and put his hand on his Falchion. "Look stranger, we don't know you. Why do you keep following us around-"

As Mercer spoke, Theresa pulled out a tubular device in each hand. The devices had two cylindrical barrels and handles that Theresa held on to. Mercer had never seen anything like them, so he didn't think much of it. He wasn't at all threatened when Theresa aimed the devices at him and pulled a trigger on the handle. Mercer wasn't scared until he heard a thundering crack and felt a very sharp pain in his chest. The sharp pain quickly became agonizing. It was like a stab from a sword, but so much worse. Mercer couldn't even finish fumbling around his chest to find the wound before he fell to his knees.

"Mercer!" Ophelia rushed to his side. Theresa pulled a second trigger on the device in his right hand and Ophelia herself was knocked to the ground. Soleil drew her sword and charged at Theresa, but he responded by simply lowering the first device and aiming the second one. Again the device made a sharp deafening crack. A spout of blood poured from a wound that seemed to instantly materialize on Soleil's shoulder. She fell to the ground and had to use her sword to brace herself.

"What… the… hell?!" Soleil willed herself to her feet and charged again. The man hesitated, but finally he pulled the second trigger on the device. Again Soleil was knocked back by an invisible blast. Soleil couldn't get back up, but she reached for her sword and tried as hard as she damn well could. Theresa walked up to her and crushed her hand with his foot.

"My contract's not for you, girl." Theresa calmly walked over to Mercer, who could barely manage to look up at him. "It's for you." Theresa began to reload his weapon. A skilled user could do it in less than twenty seconds. Theresa took his time on purpose. It took him almost a minute to reload one barrel. "I'll never get tired of the looks on people's faces when I use these things. They have no idea what's coming. It'll be a shame when these babies become widespread." Theresa finally finished reloading and pointed his strange weapon at Mercer's forehead. "Courtney sends his regards."

Mercer closed his eyes and heard an ear shattering noise. This time he didn't feel anything. He slowly and cautiously looked up to see that Theresa had a sword through his chest. Theresa's hand had pulled the trigger when he died, and the bullet had embedded itself in the ground just centimeters from Mercer's head. Theresa's body finally fell over as the attacker withdrew the sword. As the body fell, Mercer got a good look at his rescuer. In his increasingly blurry vision it looked like Lucina had saved him, but he knew who it really was. "You've got to be kidding me. You've… I can't… uh…"

Deep within the royal palace in Ylisstol, Gangrel stood in his official attire as emperor and watched as a young handmaiden carefully tucked his infant daughter into bed. She bowed when she finished and Gangrel gently kissed his daughter on the forehead. The two silently left the room.

"Is there anything else you need, your highness?"

"That will be all. Thank you." The handmaiden bowed and left the throne room. As Gangrel watched her go, he saw a blue figure out of the corner of his eye. He heard a feminine voice that he never wanted to hear again, a voice that resonated through his nightmares.

"Your daughter is adorable. I feel bad for her. She did nothing to deserve a monster like you as a father."

Gangrel turned to see Lucina standing across the room, leaning against the wall. She had her Parallel Falchion sheathed by her side and she also had her cape. She was crossing her arms, but they seemed to flicker in and out of existence. She shot an icy cold stare at Gangrel, a stare he could barely meet. "Lucina! How long has it been since we've seen each other?" Gangrel smiled uneasily, but Lucina's death glare overpowered him. He looked down at his feet. "This is about your father isn't it? You should be looking forward to his death! You'll get to see him again! You'll get to be with him! That's what you always wanted right?!"

"You're afraid of him."

Gangrel reached for his levin sword, and a look of twisted rage consumed his face. "Afraid of him?! I'm not afraid of him?! I defeated him! I won!"

"But you didn't kill him. Even after all these years you're afraid that he'll come for you. You're afraid to face him."

"I'm not afraid of anyone!"

Lucina started to slowly walk towards Gangrel. He nervously backed away from her as she did. "When you were just a boy, you were told stories about Ylissean conquerors. You were told all about the crusades against Plegia. You were told about how Exalts put entire towns to the sword in Naga's name. These stories were supposed to inspire you to fight for Plegia, but they just made you afraid. When you became king and met Emmeryn, you were stunned. She was wise, noble, and pacifistic. She was nothing like the Exalts you had heard about. You thought you could push her around." At this point Lucina had almost pinned Gangrel to the wall, and he awkwardly slid against the wall to give himself more space. "But then Chrom came. When you saw him, you saw within him all the Exalts you had heard about. You saw within him everything you were afraid of. You couldn't face him then, and you can't do it now."

"Shut up!" Gangrel drew his levin sword and tossed it at Lucina. It simply passed through her. "I don't have to take anything from you! You're a failure! After everything you did, you failed! You devoted your entire life to stopping Grima, but you couldn't! You're nothing!"

"You're a monster."

"Why do you keep seeing me! We both fought for the same thing!"

"I fought to stop Grima!"

"Well, yes, but we both fought for humanity! You were misguided! You thought that we could defeat Grima, but that wasn't possible! By overthrowing Validar and convincing Grima to spare humanity, I saved the world! Me! Not you!"

"You think you're a hero?"

"We're the same! I did some ugly things yes, but so did you! You fought Chrom in Regna Ferox! You tried to kill Robin! You were going to kill him in cold blood! You did some ugly things, but it was all to save the world! You were willing to do what needed to be done! I'm no different! Yes I have a higher body count, but I actually succeeded in saving humanity! I didn't want to do it! I didn't want to kill anyone! I didn't have a choice! You would never understand! Aversa's plan was the only way to save humanity! You would've kept fighting! You would never have stopped fighting! You had to be killed!" Gangrel fell to his knees. "I didn't want to! Gods I didn't want to! I had no choice! I didn't want you to die!" Gangrel looked up at Lucina. She was still crossing her arms, and they still blinked in and out of existence. "I didn't want you to lose your arms! I didn't want any of that! You made me do it! You wouldn't have stopped fighting!" Gangrel rose to his feet and stepped towards Lucina. He poked her in the chest to emphasize his words, but his hand passed through her. "People remember you as a hero so, so by that logic I'm a hero! I'm the greatest hero that ever lived! Me! Not you! I did the right thing! I saved humanity!"

Lucina just shook her head and walked through a wall. Gangrel ran into his trophy room and looked at the trophies along the wall. "Leave me alone! All of you! STOP TALKING TO ME!" Gangrel grabbed his head and rocked himself back and forth. "They keep talking to me." He whimpered to himself. "All of them. Every one of them. They keep talking to me! They won't leave me alone." Gangrel glanced up and noticed his customized outfit hanging on the wall. "Except when I wear my outfit. When I'm wearing my emperor robes, they talk to me. They never leave me alone! When I'm wearing that outfit though, then they leave me alone." Gangrel quickly stripped himself of his robes and embraced his customized outfit. "When I wear you, they leave me alone. Why should I wear anything else?"

Mercer awoke screaming. He was tied to a chair, and in front of him was a familiar but unwelcome masked face. He furiously struggled to free himself, but his bindings wouldn't budge.

"Good to see you're awake. Do you remember me?"

"No. People who dress up as my daughter are so common. Nothing about you stands out."

Keith smiled. With his mask it was hard to tell how sincere it was. "They say that prince Chrom was so formal and regal. It's nice to see that you've developed a sense of sarcasm over all these years."

"What did you do to me?!"

"Why do you talk to me like I'm your worst enemy? We both fight against the Grimleal. We're on the same side."

"We are not on the same side." Mercer snarled.

"Is it because I remind you of her? I have nothing but respect for your daughter. She was a great warrior."

"Remind me? You remind me of her? No. You're a sick perversion. You've turned this city into a dictatorship. You're not just some kid. You're insane." Mercer struggled against his restraints again. "Now what did you do to me?!" Keith sighed and grabbed Mercer's shirt. Mercer struggled against his bindings in frustration as Keith unbuttoned his work shirt. He paid no mind to Mercer's anger or the disturbing nature of his actions. He just slowly undid the shirt button by button and then opened it up to expose Mercer's bare chest. Mercer looked down to see a surgical scar next to his heart. He struggled even more in a mixture of rage and panic. "What did you do to me?!"

"What did we do to you? We saved your life! That bullet in you had to come out."

"What is a bullet?"

"A bullet is what we call the projectile that is shot from a firearm. A firearm is a projectile weapon. To put it simply, it's like a bow but much, much more powerful. The technology is actually ancient, but firearms have only recently started to be used. You don't get out much do you?"

"Where are Ophelia and Soleil?! If you hurt them!"

"They're fine. They were shot too, but they're young. They'll heal. Ophelia's wound was very minor. Soleil took two bullets. She required extensive surgery to remove them, but I'm sure she'll pull through."

"You're sure? You don't know!"

"Well you can never know these things."

"What do you even want from us? What do you want from me?!"

"I want the same thing I wanted when I visited you at your home! I want you to help me! We're both fighting against the Grimleal! You can join my organization! Together we can save the world!" Keith grew more unhinged with each word, and he was almost spitting as he talked. "Look at all those men and women out there with their robes and their uuuniforms. Think of all the HARM they've DONE to US! To humanity! We can fix it though! We can make their empire disappear! We can make the world as it was before the pale hide of their pathetic civilization infected it so!"

"And what is this world you're trying to make?! What are you trying to do?!"

"We can make the world as it used to be! A world of heroes! That's what it was like under Anri! Under Marth! Under Alm and Celica! Under the First Exalt! Under you, and Robin, and Lucina thirty years ago! We can wipe away the decadent filth that has corrupted this planet! We can make it so that strong men and women change the world through the sheer force of their will! That's how it should be! The strong should lead! The corrupt should be killed! This is the point of feudalism! This is the purpose of humanity! We can make this world as it should be! Join me, Chrom, and together we can save this world!"

Mercer shook his head. Keith's deranged ranting was getting to him, but he wouldn't back down. "I will never join you. You rule through intimidation and fear! You're no better than the Grimleal!"

"Really?! Really?! I'm no better than them? I don't worship a god of death! I didn't ruin the planet! I'm what this world needs!"

"You're just another terrorist!"

Keith didn't say anything else. He just stood in silence and stared at Mercer for several seconds. It was impossible to tell his expression through his mask. He could have been looking at Mercer with a look of burning hatred, or he could have just been disappointed. Finally Keith turned and sat back down in his chair. He flailed his arms and legs around in a childish tantrum before sitting still. An awkward minute passed until he finally moved again. He slowly got up and dragged himself back to Mercer. He seemed to be genuinely defeated. "Well my boss always did say I wasn't good with people. I'm still going to take you to her. She can convince you to help us."

Mercer shot Keith a death glare. "I'm not going anywhere with you."

"I don't care if I have to break every bone in your body and drag you there. You're going to see my boss. She's very interested in seeing you again, Chrom."

"Do I know her?"

"Yes. She knows you very well. She'll be happy to finally see you again after all these years."

"Well I'm not going with you."

"We'll see." Keith motioned for his men to come over. They untied Mercer from the chair, but they didn't free his hands. Even then, as soon as they untied him, Mercer turned and head butted one of the guards. The other guard punched him in the stomach. Keith shook his head. "I can't have you attacking my guards now. Break his knee." The two guards forced Mercer to his feet and held his leg in place. Mercer desperately tried to squirm free, but one of the guards landed a solid kick to his knee and bent it sickeningly out of place. Mercer cried out in pain and crumpled to the ground when the men let go of his arms. Keith stood over him as he writhed in abject misery. "You're welcome for saving your life, by the way."

Keith's men set Mercer's knee back into place and bandaged it so that it would heal properly, but he was still in no condition to move. Mercer was dragged to a cell in a prison built into Keith's headquarters. There he found Ophelia and Soleil waiting for him. The guards tossed him in with the two and then left.

Soleil had been stripped of her top and upper armor. She was only wearing a bra, and most of the bare skin on her chest was covered with bandages. Where she had been shot, the bandages were very bloody. Ophelia's injuries weren't as severe as Soleil's and she was still wearing her normal attire, but from the see-through fabric in her clothing it was clear that she also had a surgical scar. Soleil looked up at Mercer and gave him a very weak smile. "Mercer! You're back! How was your trip?"

"My trip?"

"Your trip to the fair? Did you win any prizes?"

"What?"

Soleil looked over at Ophelia. "Did I not get it right?" Ophelia shook her head and Soleil shrugged. "Oh I'm, I'm sorry Mercer. I'm feeling kind of out of it."

"Did they hurt you?!"

"Huh, oh no, no! They really cut into me to get those bullets out. They almost tore me in half. Good thing they had healing staffs around. After surgery they just took us here. They didn't hurt us or anything."

"Are you feeling alright?"

"I'm still a little loopy from all the drugs they put into me." Soleil turned back to Ophelia and gave her a silly grin. "Ophelia, did I ever tell you that you're my best friend? You're my best friend! Not like Caeldori. She's always upstaging me and making me look bad, that bat rastard." Soleil suddenly started crying and she grabbed her face. "Oh gods I miss her!"

Ophelia put her hand on Soleil's shoulder. "There, there." She said half-heartedly. She looked up at Mercer. "They didn't hurt us. They took us into surgery to get those projectiles out, but then they just took us here. What did they want with you?"

"It was Keith. He's the one who came to the house. He still wants my help. He said he's going to drag us before his boss."

"What's going to happen to us then?" Mercer didn't answer Ophelia. He just looked down at the ground. Ophelia walked over to him and sat down. "Mercer?"

"He's right about her."

"What?"

"Keith. He's right about her."

"He's right about who?"

"Who do you think?!"

Ophelia gave Mercer a confused look. She realized who he was talking about, but she didn't understand why he was saying this. "Lucina?"

"Yes."

"That doesn't make sense! Lucina wasn't insane! This man is a nutcase!"

"Yes she wasn't insane, but he's right about her otherwise. Her life was consumed by violence. She devoted everything to fighting against Grima. She was as single minded as Keith is, even if she wasn't insane like he is. She was a living weapon and nothing more. She didn't know how to live a normal life. If we actually defeated Grima, she probably would have just walked away into the sunset. She didn't know anything else."

Ophelia was unnerved by what Mercer was saying. "What?! She was nothing like what that man thinks she was like! How can you say these things?!"

"I loved her. She was my daughter and I loved her. Nothing could ever change that. Nothing will ever change that." Mercer looked down. "But when I looked at her, when I really looked into who she was as a person… I saw my father. Lucina was kind and brave. She was the strongest woman I've ever met. She was also a soldier to the bone. She let war dominate her entire life, all in the belief that her actions were for the greater good. My father did what he did for the greater good." Mercer shook his head. "Lucina was capable of horrible things. I can't imagine the horrors she saw in her timeline, and I can't imagine the things she had to do. When she came to this timeline, she was willing to do whatever it took to protect the world. She went on her own for so long. She didn't join us, or meet up with the other children. She thought she could do everything herself." Mercer paused for some time. "She tried to kill Robin, you know. She tried to butcher him in cold blood. I'm sure she didn't want to, but she would have gone through with it. All in the name of the greater good." Mercer looked back to Ophelia. "My father did what he did for the greater good. He had good intentions, but the road to hell is paved with good intentions. My father was willing to do whatever it took to protect the world. He was willing to do horrible things. If Lucina had power and several decades of ruling… would she have turned out like him?"

"How could you even say that? Lucina was a good person!"

"I know, but what I'm trying to say is that maybe… maybe my father was a good person once. Maybe violence ruined him. Maybe it would have ruined her. If Lucina had no empathy or restraints then maybe she would have been exactly like Keith."

"I… I can't believe you're saying that. Why are you talking like this?

Mercer didn't look at Ophelia. He stared off into nothing. "Emmeryn was right. Emmeryn was always right."

"What?"

"When Emmeryn was just a girl, and I was a very young boy, we were walking through town by ourselves. An older boy came up to us. He started to get aggressive. Looking back on it, he couldn't have been more than eleven years old, but in my eyes he was massive. I was scared, but more than that I was terrified that he would hurt Emmeryn. She was calm and collected the entire time. If I had just let her talk to the boy, I'm sure she could have convinced him to leave. I couldn't just stand there and do nothing though." A tear fell down Mercer's cheek and his voice began to quake. "I took a rock from the ground and I struck the boy in the face with it. He didn't see it coming, and after I hit him he just stood there. He couldn't believe such a small child had attacked him. I didn't stop though. I hit him again, and again, and again. He fell over and I kept hitting him. I hit him until his face was a bloody mess. I hit him until he couldn't do anything but grab his face and cry, and then I turned to Emmeryn and smiled at her. I expected her to be so proud of me. I thought I had just saved her." Mercer put his hands to his ears and shook his head. "I will never forget how she looked at me. She was horrified. I was her baby brother. She never imagined that I could be capable of something like that. From that point on she realized that I had something within me that she didn't have. Something that I got from my father. Violence." Mercer couldn't hold back his tears anymore. "She loved me. She always loved me, but from then on she never looked at me the same way again. I was no longer her adorable baby brother. She realized that I had a desire to fight within me. She realized that I had taken after our father more than she had." Mercer finally buried his face in his hands and sobbed uncontrollably. "Ever since I was a boy I thought she was wrong! I thought that pacifism wasn't enough. I thought that you had to be able to defend yourself from threats. I thought I could take up a life of fighting to protect Ylisse. I should have been more like Emmeryn. For all the fighting I did, what good did it do?! I didn't protect anything! My friends and family are dead because of me! If I had been more like Emmeryn, then I could've taken up the throne after she was injured. I could have helped fix things. Instead I thought I could change things by leading a few dozen people and swinging my sword around! What good did I do?! I'm so sorry, Emmeryn. What have I become?!"

Ophelia and Soleil were completely at a loss for how to respond. Ophelia slowly put her hand on Mercer's shoulder. She desperately wanted to help him, but she was also very put off by the sight of such an old and rugged man bawling into his hands. She also knew that nothing she could say would erase the decades of pain that Mercer was struggling back, but she had to try. She couldn't just sit there and watch. "It's okay, Mercer." Ophelia tried rocking him back and forth, though he was too heavy to be moved much. "It's okay. I know you're upset-"

"I'm upset?! Is that the word? I'm upset?! I used to get upset when I got a rock in my shoe. I used to get upset when I injured myself training. I used to get upset when insects got into the food. Is that the word for what I'm feeling now?! If there's a better word than please tell me because I don't know!"

Mercer went back to burying his face in his hands. Ophelia took her hand away, but she refused to give up. "I know you've given up on yourself, Mercer. I know you hate everything about what you've become. No matter what happens though, we won't give up on you. We still believe in you… Chrom." Mercer looked up at Ophelia at the mention of his old name. There wasn't any anger or frustration in his expression. He looked completely and utterly broken, but Ophelia just smiled at him. "We still need your help."

"Y-you're right. You're right. My life is a failure, but I can't give up on you two. I can't let anything happen to you. We're going to get out of here." Mercer rose to his feet. In an instant all of his pain fell away. His eyes were still bloodshot from crying, but he otherwise looked determined and valiant. Ophelia couldn't help but let a stupid grin take her face. She thought back to the stories of Chrom that Tiki had told her. For the first time she could see the man that she thought Mercer to be. "I am not going to let that monster hurt anyone else. We are escaping, and we will stop that man. His cruelty will come to an end!" Mercer nodded at Ophelia and Soleil. "You two honor me with your service. I don't deserve your trust… but thank you."

Ophelia put her hands together and shook with excitement. "Really?! How can we escape though?"

Mercer thought for a moment, but he came to a decision quickly. He seemed to already have an idea, rather he was working up the courage to tell Ophelia. "Ophelia, remember that body switching ritual you performed on Soleil? Could you do it again?"

"W-what? I-I think so. Why?!"

"Ophelia this is going to sound strange… but I want your body."

For a second Ophelia just sat in silence, carefully and desperately inspecting Mercer to find any signs of joking. "Yeah that does sound weird."

Soleil snickered. "Aren't you two related?"

"I am in no mood!" Mercer snapped back. He turned to Ophelia again. "I know this sounds strange, but this could be our only way out. I can't fight like this! My knee is badly injured. I'd be able to move in your body, and you're related to me so I can use the Falchion in your body."

"You… you can't be serious?!"

"Ophelia, we don't have any other options! Keith is planning on taking us somewhere. We have to escape right now!"

"But… it's just so… but-"

"Please, Ophelia. I won't let anything happen to you. I just need you to trust me."

Ophelia looked to Soleil, but she just shrugged. Ophelia furiously wanted Mercer to just drop the subject, but she realized that he was right. They had no other option. Ophelia was always trying to inspire Mercer by telling him that she believed in him and trusted him, even when he had given up on himself. Maybe it was time to prove that he had her complete trust. "Alright." She said nervously. "Alright. Let's just make it quick."

For several minutes the guard stationed outside of the cells had heard constant screaming. He had been told not to interact with the prisoners, but he couldn't take it anymore. The screaming had to stop, even if it meant beating the prisoners into unconsciousness. The guard unlocked the door leading into the cells and then went to Mercer, Ophelia, and Soleil's cell. The guard found the older man screaming in agony as he clutched his knee. A young pink haired woman knelt beside him. She looked up at the guard. "Help him! Something is wrong with his knee! It's bleeding again! You have to do something!" Reluctantly the guard unlocked the cell door and stepped inside. He realized that he couldn't see the third prisoner and turned to see a blonde woman hiding in the corner. He drew his sword and pointed it at her.

"Hey! Get back here where I can see you!"

The blonde woman stepped forwards, but she didn't move to the other end of the cell. "I don't want to be near that man! He scares me!"

"Get over here!"

"Come on. I'm just a young woman. I don't have any weapons or armor."

"He needs your help!" Soleil shouted at the guard. "Please!"

The guard finally ignored Ophelia and knelt beside Mercer. As he inspected Mercer, "Ophelia" kicked out his knee and then tore the metal helmet off his head. Ophelia used it as a weapon, repeatedly striking the guard in the head with it. When he managed to roll over she struck him in the neck, hard enough to stun him but not hard enough to prevent him from talking.

"Hey! Stop!"

Ophelia turned to see a second guard approaching the cell. She quickly took the sword from the guard's hip and brought it up just in time to block a slash from the second guard. Ophelia was immediately forced back by the man's superior strength, but she recovered quickly. She recovered so quickly that Ophelia herself seemed surprised. "Woah. To be young again!" The man slashed again but Ophelia easily sidestepped it and struck the man in the face with her hilt. She then quickly cut the man in the chest twice in an x like fashion, and then stabbed him through the abdomen. With a roar that sounded horrifying even through Ophelia's very dainty voice, she withdrew her sword and then spun around to strike the man in the back of his head. The man fell over unmoving, and the first guard covered his head in terror. Ophelia brought the man's own sword to him. "Where is the lock up?!" She roared in the most guttural voice she could manage. "Where are you keeping our equipment?! Tell me and you can live through this!"

"We have a problem, Justicar." A heavily armored woman reported to Keith as he sat in his desk, overlooking Veslil from his third story window. Keith didn't turn to her.

"Don't tell me it's the prisoners."

"Well… it's really just one prisoner."

"Chrom."

"Actually no. It's the blonde woman. What was her name? Orochi? Oboro?"

"Ophelia. She's the one attacking us?"

"She's already killed most of our guards. She's coming towards you."

"Hmm. Let her try."

The woman turned at the sounds of screaming coming from outside the door. She drew a small axe and crept towards it. Outside the screaming stopped and she could hear two bodies hit the floor. She prepared to open the door, but right before she did the door came flying out and struck her in the face. The woman recovered in time to see a sword coming at her. The woman hit the floor before she could even scream. Her head followed a second later. Only then did Keith turn around.

"Ophelia. I underestimated you. I didn't know you had it in-" Keith paused as he got a good look at "Ophelia". She was barefoot. Sandals like the ones she wore weren't practical in combat, but Ophelia hadn't stopped wearing them before. Why now? Ophelia had also supplemented her skimpy mage attire with scavenged armor. She had taken metal and leather armor pieces from Keith's soldiers. Ophelia was wielding the Falchion, and there was a look of rage and determination on her face. Keith hadn't seen that expression on Ophelia, but there was a man he had seen it on. "You're… you're not Ophelia at all are you? You're… you're Chrom! You're in her body!" Keith gave an uneasy laugh. "How did you do that? No wonder Robin was the tactician! Your plans are insane!"

Mercer raised the Falchion. "Your tyranny ends now, Keith. I'm not going to let you hurt anyone else."

"I saved this city from the Grimleal! I walk the path of the righteous!"

"You're just a thug."

"I'm doing what needs to be done!"

"They all say that."

Keith drew his customized estoc. "Come on then, old man!"

Mercer rushed at Keith and the two engaged in a bitter and furious bout. Mercer was much faster and more agile in Ophelia's body than he was in his older body. Ophelia was much weaker and shorter than Mercer, but Mercer was able to move in ways he hadn't been able to for decades. Unfortunately for Mercer, Keith was fairly skilled himself. He couldn't be mentioned in the same breath as the woman he so desperately wanted to emulate, but he was skilled enough to be a match for Mercer in his unfamiliar body. Ophelia's youth gave Mercer speed and agility, but Keith himself was stronger and even younger than Ophelia. Mercer's only advantage was his superior skill, but Keith was good enough to resist his attempts to end the fight quickly.

After several vicious minutes of fighting, Keith managed to strike Mercer in the face. Mercer kept his pain tolerance however, and he willed himself through the pain enough to exploit an opening in Keith's form and slash him across his arm. Keith responded with a solid kick to Mercer's chest. Both stumbled backwards and lost their swords. Mercer forced himself to his feet as quickly as possible and tried to tackle Keith. Keith shoved him off and the two raised their fists.

"Are you sure about that, old man? I'm stronger than you in that body. You're only partially a man now!"

"And you're pure scum!"

Mercer and Keith grappled with each other, but Keith was right. He easily shrugged off Mercer's strikes and protected his vitals and weak points. Keith went on the offensive and forced Mercer back against the wall. He managed to grab both of Mercer's arms and pinned him, overpowering his attempts to break free.

"You didn't think this through, Chrom! I'm stronger than you in that body, and I'm even younger than she is. I have every advantage over you!"

"No! I still have one!"

"And what is that?"

"I'm not insane!"

Mercer kneed Keith in the chest and swiped the butterfly mask off his face when he stumbled backwards. Keith prepared to counterattack, but just like before he paused when he realized that his mask was gone. He desperately grabbed at his face and started hyperventilating. "My faaace!" Keith swiped at Mercer in an attempt to get his mask back, but he had no form. He flailed around as if he were trying to chase away flies. Mercer dodged his attacks and brutally assaulted him. Mercer landed multiple light hits to Keith's face, neck, and abdomen to stun him, and in his unhinged state Keith wasn't able to effectively resist them. When Mercer was sure that Keith was almost beaten, he started landing power blows. He savagely struck Keith until his face was bloodied, and then he grabbed Keith by the collar.

"You say you want to be my daughter! You want to follow in her legacy?! Well you can't! Not LIKE THIS!" Mercer threw Keith into the window with such force that the window cracked. With his last bit of strength Keith grabbed his chair and threw it through the window to shatter it completely. He took a large piece of broken glass and tried using it as a makeshift knife to attack Mercer. Mercer disarmed him, stabbed him in the shoulder with it, and then landed a solid blow to the head that sent Keith to the ground. Mercer retrieved his Falchion and prepared to execute Keith with it.

"G-go ahead! Do it! What makes you any better than me then?!"

"I didn't start this!"

Keith chucked, blood running from his mouth. "Oh my boss is really going to like you. It's been so long since she's seen you. She'll love what you've become."

Mercer's curiosity was too great. He lowered his sword. "Who is your boss?! Why do you keep saying that she knows me!"

"You, you don't know anything about the world do you?! Why didn't you come with me?!"

"You're trying to kidnap me and my friends!"

"I'm trying to help!"

Before Mercer could press any further, the entire building suddenly began to shake and rattle. Before any structural damage could happen, the building fell into a massive sinkhole. All of Veslil soon followed. The streets and everyone on them disappeared into the earth, and the buildings fell downwards as if the ground had ceased to exist entirely. Within seconds everything but the rooftops had disappeared.