In a quiet stone cell, Chrom and Gaius did whatever they could to pass the time. Chrom was fine with sitting against the cold walls, pondering everything that had happened to him and his allies over the past few weeks. He couldn't stop thinking about his responsibility in it all. With the sole exception of going to look for Caeldori, nothing that had happened to Chrom since lashing out at Courtney and his power base was under his control. The townspeople had driven him from his home, and Courtney had him taken to the Rockpile. The girls took him to Cordelia's home, and his being there caused the Grimleal to attack. The group ended up in Nowi Falls because the Arch Surg had found them, and they had been herded by them from then on. Chrom wasn't leading his allies like he had lead the Shepherds. They were simply being driven from place to place, and he wasn't capable of stopping it.

None of his allies had even joined him because he persuaded them to. The girls joined because they trusted him to lead and guide them. All because of stories Tiki had told them. Tiki and Cordelia joined out of the belief that he could be the leader he once was. Gaius joined out of guilt from telling the Grimleal about Cordelia's homestead. None of them joined because Chrom truly inspired them himself. Gone were the days where people from all walks of society had joined his Shepherds to help him protect Ylisse, and gone were the days where criminals, Plegians, Valmese, and even political leaders would fight by his side because of the strength of his beliefs. He was a broken man now, notable only for what he had once been. Still people believed that he could help the world, and still they fought by his side for it, but they only suffered for his weakness. Cordelia's death, all the pain the girls had endured, even Gaius and Tiki being imprisoned here, it was all his fault.

More than that, Chrom thought about what the world had become. The Grimleal had brought untold suffering to the entire planet, ushering in imperialism on a global scale that had never been done before. Meanwhile the only alternative to the Grimleal's rule seemed to be the Archanean Liberation Front, a violent and bloody rebellion lead by career soldiers and madmen. Were it not for the fact that the Fell Dragon controlled the Grimleal, it would have been hard to tell if a world controlled by the Arch Surg would be any better. Finally, the world itself was dying. Vast deserts covered what had been farmland, and settlements seemed to be more and more scattered. The earth itself was becoming less hospitable. None of this would have happened if the Shepherds had won. Chrom would be Exalt of Ylisse as his elder sister once was, and he would try to lead the continent into a new age of peace. His wife and sisters would still be by his side. Soldiers like Frederick and Cordelia would have rebuilt the Ylissean military into a force of honor and justice, and the other Shepherds could go home to enjoy the prosperity they had achieved. Ylisse could have enjoyed peaceful relationships with Ferox and Chon'sin, and perhaps Chrom could have helped to rebuild Valm and Plegia. He could finally distance Ylisse from the imperialism of his father, and help to build a better, more connected world. Lastly, his children could have grown up safe and happy, with their older selves there to protect and watch over them. Lucina in particular could have been a fair and just Exalt one day, with a family of her own. She would never have to touch a sword in her life if she didn't want to. Now the old world was dead, the earth itself was dying, and Lucina was a living weapon. Everything Chrom's ancestors had built was gone, and it all died with him. All the suffering the world had endured for the past thirty years was all his fault.

Disturbingly, Chrom took some solace in his self loathing. Perhaps the human mind just needed to assign blame in a crisis, and even if the blame had to fall on the self, someone always had to be at fault. Maybe Gaius was right. Maybe Chrom thought that hating and blaming himself was somehow making up for what happened. Maybe it was just something to focus on, when everything in his life he cared about had long since disappeared. Whatever the reason, Chrom usually found some semblance of peace in these moments of reflection, but he couldn't now. While Chrom was fine with just sitting, Gaius was constantly pacing around. At first there had been awkward silence between the two, but as the hours went by Gaius started to make small talk occasionally. When he wasn't talking he was pacing back and forth, and Chrom was having a hard time focusing on his misery.

"Gaius?"

"Blue?"

"When are you going to just sit down?"

Gaius put his arms on the back of his head and leaned into them. "Mmm. You know what I could go for right now?"

"Let me guess. Something sweet?"

"Cake. Oh gods. I would do anything for a big slice of cake right now. Soft, moist, fluffy slice of cake, with creamy frosting? Oh gods."

"Gaius stop." Chrom groaned. "Now I'm hungry."

"When they give us our rations, just pick out the maggots and give them to me. I know you blue bloods have delicate stomachs, but I'll take the extra protein."

"Don't even joke about that." Chrom slowly rose to his feet. "Wait a minute. When you attacked me at Cordelia's homestead, you said you couldn't taste anything anymore?"

Gaius shrugged. "Yeah. It's hard to explain, but I just lost my taste."

"Maybe all those sweets overwhelmed your tastebuds?"

"Maybe. Maybe I just broke in general. I don't sleep well. Women don't make me feel anything anymore. Living people are just puppets on strings to me, and corpses are just puppets with the strings cut. That's all we are. Maybe all that fighting just… ruined me."

Chrom looked down as a now very familiar twinge of guilt hit him. "Gaius…"

"Whatever. I'm no doctor. I do have some taste though. Bitter food tastes like a sack of dog butts to me, but good food just tastes like dirt. Sometimes if I eat a really sweet thing, I can just get a spike of flavor."

"So you keep eating sweet things because you're trying to capture that taste from when you were younger?"

"I suppose. I know it sounds like an addiction, but for everything I've done in my life… an addiction to sweets has got to be the most innocent problem."

Chrom took a deep breath. Though part of him feared that Gaius would lash out at him, he still felt a need to be closer to him somehow. He had wronged him, and he had to try and make him feel better. Chrom himself couldn't understand why he only wanted to push Cordelia's affections away. Maybe he felt too guilty over her forgiveness. Maybe he felt better about Gaius because he had so much anger over what happened. Deep down, he wanted the ones he hurt to be furious with him. He couldn't understand Cordelia's compassion, but he could understand how Gaius felt. It was how he felt. "Gaius? You… you really could just kill anyone you were hired to kill as an assassin? You really did abandon your moral code?"

"Yes I did. I used to be very strict about it. As a thief I never hurt someone if I didn't have to. I never took a life unless my own was threatened. I never took a job if I thought they were hiring me as a mercenary. You and Bubbles really did take that from me." For the first time in hours, Gaius turned to look Chrom right in the eye. "Think about it. When I joined the Shepherds, you treated me like I was any other soldier. You ordered me into battle as readily as you ordered Frederick, or Cordelia, or Sully into battle. I wasn't a soldier like them! I didn't think you'd treat me like one! Did you wonder for a moment if I would be okay with the killing?!"

"I… you're right. We didn't. So many people started to join the Shepherds at once, and I was so focused on the fight against Gangrel. I didn't think about that at all."

"I did it though. I followed all your orders, but I did it because I believed in your cause. I thought everything we did was worth it if we would save the world. When you betrayed us… I realized that everything I had done was for nothing. I threw away my code for nothing! I just… it ruined me. The world got so messed up in the years that followed that I took any work I could get to survive, and I feared that the Grimleal might try hunting me down. Being an assassin paid well, it kept my combat skills sharp, and I could do the work. I wasn't proud of it, but I could do it. All thanks to you and Bubbles."

"Oh Gaius. You have to believe me." Part of Chrom wanted to turn away. He managed to look Gaius in the eye, but his voice still came out squeaky. "I am so sorry."

"You know what? I believe you."

"R-really?"

"Yes. I hated you when we met again at the homestead. If Cordelia hadn't been there, then you wouldn't be here. Even after leaving I was still mad. I just felt that you had to suffer somehow. That was the only way to make things right. That's why I told the Grimleal where you were." Gaius was the one to look away this time. "I'm still angry with you. You will always be the man that killed my wife and daughter. But… you inspired me again."

"W-what?"

Gaius thought about his words. "It's just… it's the girls."

"Ophelia, Soleil, and Caeldori?"

"Yes. They make me feel old and useless."

"I uh, I don't know how to help you with that."

"No! It's not that I'm getting old, though I am. It's that they really believe the world can be saved. They've gone through a lot of crap in their lives, but they still have a positive look on the future. When I gave up, they were fighting for the future. Just like… just like Noire and her friends did. It makes me realize that being an assassin was just my way of hiding. Maybe I survived for a reason. Maybe that was my chance to help the world, to not give up… but I didn't take it. I tried to rot away, killing for a pile of gold like some monster from a fairy tale. If Lucina had lived, she wouldn't have given up. If Noire had lived, she wouldn't have given up. If Robin was still around, he wouldn't have given up. I gave up. I'm weaker than them."

"Oh Gaius." Chrom said softly.

"I started thinking about why I really joined the Shepherds in the first place. It… it was you. You just make people want to follow you. You raise that sword in the air and you promise to make things right and I just… all the voices telling me it's a bad idea to fight with you go away. You inspired me back then. That's why it hurt so much when you betrayed us… but now it's the same thing. The more I'm with you, the less I hate you for what happened. The more I want to fight by your side to save what's left of this world. I just feel like I could go through hell and back so long as you're there with us." Chrom stood in stunned silence. He didn't know what to say, and Gaius just smiled. "Not sure if that's exactly how the girls feel, but they're why I'm here. You can't be such a bad guy if they truly believe that you can help the world. Seeing them with you… it helped me realize that you can still be a leader. It helped me let go of my hatred, and I see now that you are sorry."

"I… I can't believe this."

"What do you mean?"

Chrom sat back down. "This is going to sound strange but… it was hard to be around Cordelia because she forgave me. She only gave me affection and trust, and that disturbed me. I… wanted her to hate me. You were right, Gaius. I remember what you said when you confronted me after my drinking binge. You said I want people to hate me because I think that makes up for my failures. If those I hurt hate me like I do, then it makes me feel better. It took me awhile to accept Cordelia's love because I only felt guilt around her, but… but it made me feel better that you hated me. As you should have. I know that sounds horrible, but it's the truth. Now you're telling me that you want to follow me again and I… I don't know what to think about that."

Gaius gave an expression that seemed a mixture of disgust and confusion. "Would you rather I had put a bullet in your head?!"

"There's a part of me that does want it to just… end."

"Chrom…" Gaius was visibly disturbed by what he was hearing, but he forced himself forwards and sat by his old friend and leader. "You just need to learn to forgive yourself."

"I don't know that I can."

"If I were you, I'd be angry! After everything the Grimleal has done, you should be angry! When Gangrel did what he did to Emmeryn, you vowed to stop him! You would never stop fighting until he was defeated! Look at what the Grimleal has done to the world! Remember what happened to Cordelia?! Remember what they did to the younger Lucina?! Why doesn't that make you want to fight back?!"

"I do want to fight back!"

"But where is the man that promised to stop at nothing to bring peace?! Where is he?! That man would never wish for things to just end. That man would never give up!"

"That man is gone, Gaius! I don't look favorably on who I used to be!"

"What?"

"When I vowed to stop Gangrel, I thought I had figured everything out. I thought everything was black and white. I was the hero, and my enemies were villains that deserved death. I would kill those who needed killing and then go home. When Walhart attacked, and when we had to stop Validar, it was the same. I stopped growing and developing as a man. I thought I had all the answers for how to make the world a better place. I became complacent, and that complacency is why Gangrel and Aversa were able to ruin everything right under our noses. I won't be like that again. I won't allow myself to become a man of violence and little else. I won't ever allow myself to think that life is as simple as killing your way to victory. Not again. A leader needs more nuance than that. Men who allow violence to dominate their lives so, they either turn into monsters or get killed. I may fight for a better world now, Gaius, but I won't ever be like I was."

Gaius thought about Chrom's words for some time. "Do you want me by your side or not?"

"Wait, no! I didn't mean to reject your help." Chrom turned to his longtime ally. "I'm not sure that I can just forgive myself, Gaius. I'm not sure I'll ever forget all the pain I put you through every time I see you. It was the same with Cordelia. It might be the same with Henry. I don't know how to feel about you wanting to follow me. But… don't go. I don't… have many other allies right now. I don't want to be alone again."

Gaius patted Chrom on the shoulder. "Something has to change, Blue. If you won't be the man you were, then you have to be someone better than this. Whatever you do though, I will stay by your side."

"Thank you." Chrom and Gaius tensed up at the sound of footsteps outside the cell, and they rose to their feet. Chrom looked out through the bars to see an ancient man hobbling over to him. This was easily the oldest man Chrom had ever seen. The man was bald on the top of his head, but had a thick white beard. He wore robes and had gray, shriveled skin. "Who are you?!" Chrom cried out as the man approached. "What do you want?"

"That's the welcome I get? We go so long without seeing each other and that's how you greet me?"

"What?!"

"You don't recognize me?" The old man reached the bars and smiled at the two. "Don't tell me you two have gone senile already. I've got decades on you and my memory is still working."

"We're supposed to remember you?" Gaius asked.

"Well it has been some time since you arrived in the outrealms to help me recover the Einherjar cards. I'm sure you all went on adventures all the time, so you may not remember me, but I am still thankful."

Chrom almost allowed himself to fall into the bars out of disbelief. "You must be jesting! You?! You're still alive?!"

"Who?" Gaius looked back to Chrom. "Who is this?"

"This is the old man that lived in the Outrealms. He kept the Einherjar cards?"

Gaius froze. "You can't be serious."

"That's right! I'm Old Hubba, just a simple fortune teller living in the Outrealms, or I was."

"How the hell are you still alive?! You were old back then! Look at us! Now we're old, so how can you possibly still be around?!"

Old Hubba shrugged. "Time works differently in the Outrealms… and also carrots."

"Carrots?!"

"Yep. Carrots. Steam them. Chop them up. Find places other than your mouth for them. As long as you get them into your body somehow."

"Eww." Gaius said as he turned away. Chrom stood up straight.

"Wait, you don't live in the Outrealms anymore?"

"I'm afraid not. The Grimleal drove me out. They sent entire armies into the Outrealms after they took over this world. I was able to survive at first by pretending to be just another old man."

Chrom sighed in relief. "So they didn't get the Einherjar cards?"

"No. I kept those safe. Unfortunately I couldn't maintain my cover, or maybe they just got tired of me."

"Tired of you?"

"Well the commander was a surprisingly young woman. The other versions of the Grimleal I've seen never had such fine young maidens in their service. I may have made a few suggestive comments… or maybe a lot."

"Really?" Chrom groaned.

"But before they kicked me out, I learned that they're very ambitious. They're interested in mapping the Outrealms, and they might try to subjugate some of the worlds. It would take a long time of course, but time is something the Fell Dragon has a lot of."

"That's very disturbing. I don't want to think about what the Grimleal would want with the Outrealms."

"Yeah that's real interesting." Gaius said as he turned back. "I have another question. The hell are you here?!"

"Oh yeah. See I've been living in the Outrealms a long time. I didn't really have anywhere else to go. The Archanean Liberation Front offered me a job. That officer dressed like that fine blue haired lass-"

"You mean my daughter?" Chrom growled.

"Err, right. Heh. Anyways that cross-dressing kid recognized me. He offered me the chance to serve, and in turn I get free food and a place to stay. It's not like a man my age can work much! This job is easy."

"Wait, he recognized you?"

"Not sure how, but yes. He knew who I was, and he knew that I watched over the Outrealms."

"Does that mean Keith knew about the Einherjar?!"

Old Hubba seemed very nervous. "Heh well uh, err… kind of."

"Did you give it to him?!"

"No! No, no. Of course not."

"So the Arch Surg don't have access to them?"

"Err… now why did you have to phrase it that way?"

Chrom and Gaius both glared at him. "So they do have them!"

"Heh well uh, I did resist at first."

"But?!"

"Well then they sent Pheros to talk to me. She has such lovely eyes, and her shirt was rather thin, and it was cold that day. She may be an older woman but her goods haven't spoiled, if you know what I mean."

Chrom shook his head. "You haven't changed a bit, have you?"

"Does it look like I'm still maturing? Anyways I did give them some of the cards, but I still have most of them!"

"You told me yourself that the Einherjar could conquer entire nations! The Arch Surg doesn't deserve that kind of power!"

"I just gave them the weak ones! Eirika, Micaiah, and Celica. Those were the weakest ones in my possession. Wait… I was thinking of Sakura. Celica was really powerful. Err… watch out if an angry Celica is coming at you."

"This is very serious!"

"I'm sorry! I still have most of them in my possession. I promise! I keep them somewhere safe, and I don't think that confusingly dressed Arch Surg officer knows I have more."

Gaius looked at Old Hubba. "Enough of those zombie things! What are you doing here right now?!"

"Oh! Of course. See Lucina's male emulator, Luciano?"

"His name is Keith."

"I like my name for him. So Luciano has me as a kind of chaplain. I talk about Naga and the importance of humanity controlling its own destiny and whatnot, and I pay visits to some of the prisoners. That's what I'm doing now. Thing is… they only send me to prisoners that are about to be executed. So… awkward."

"WHAT?!"

Gaius violently grabbed the bars. "Well we're not going down without a fight!"

"Wait, wait! Hold on! I know they're not going to kill you, but they do have something planned. I am worried about you. Another thing is that I'm only supposed to see you, Chrom. Not your younger companions."

"So now what?"

Old Hubba's expression became very serious. "I know you will not be executed here because I have foreseen what will soon happen to you. I have been shown a vision of your future. Now is when I would normally give my sermon, but I have an edification far more important than that for you. I almost never do this, but I want to show you the vision I have seen."

Chrom wasn't sure what to think. "Wait you actually get visions? You weren't just making that up?"

"No! My visions are very real. I really did foresee your fight against Grima when we first met, and I have seen a vision of your future now. This timeline is very wrong, Chrom."

"Tell me about it."

Old Hubba placed his hands on his head and focused. "Okay. It's coming to me, but your mind won't be able to process it. Not without the ritual."

"What ritual?"

"You must help me perform a ritual to see my vision. First I need the female members of your party."

Gaius scowled. "I know where this is going."

"They must come to see me, just the four of us. They must be wearing the special ceremonial robes. Don't worry. They're not hard to make. They're made from very little fabric. They must rub the ceremonial oils on me. Oh yes. I need to be covered in the oils. Slowly. Gently. Only then will my mind be able to show you the visions. Oh yes."

Chrom slammed against the bars again. "One more word, old man! One more word!"

"Gah! Alright, alright? Can't an old man have some fun? I really can show you the vision though. Just try to relax. Hold out your hand."

"Umm, alright." Chrom slowly reached out through the bars, and Old Hubba touched his hand. He was immediately consumed by a vision, and a number of events flashed before his eyes. Chrom could first see himself and his companions locked in battle with several enemies. At first they looked like Risen, but then he could recognize them as Deadlords. There were tears in everyone's eyes as Henry and Ophelia fought a Valkyrie, Gaius fought a Sniper, Soleil fought a Bow Knight, and Chrom himself fought a General. Chrom could then see Caeldori engaged in combat against Inquisitor Altman. After a furious exchange of blows, Altman manages to disarm her and stabs her in the thigh with his glaive. Caeldori goes down screaming. Ophelia could then be seen fighting against a white haired man, wearing a light robe and sunglasses. At first he is driven back, but then creates a lightning bolt of some kind and rams it into Ophelia's chest. Chrom could then see Soleil. Her arms are bound, and young women forcibly strip her of her clothing. It is replaced by a strange red armor. She is then in a coliseum. She is wearing red plate armor, though her arms and legs are exposed. Yellow paint runs down her side, even down her exposed leg and across her bare face. She raises her arm in the air, and the crowd cheers. They call her the Goddess of the Sun. A woman wearing black armor, with two katanas by her side, watches over her. Next, several young men and women can be seen. They are wearing only undergarments, and they are kept in cages. A massive ship appears, and it is torn in half as explosions rock its hull. Tiki can then be seen. She is trapped in some kind of machine, and she cries as lightning strikes her. Chrom goes to help her, but a black shadow falls over the area. He looks up and sees the Fell Dragon itself heading towards him. It opens its jaws, and a blast of energy strikes the ground. In seconds, everything is enveloped by a purple light.

"GAAAH!" Chrom yelled as he stepped back. Gaius ran over to him.

"Are you okay?!"

"Yeah I just… woah."

Old Hubba shook his head. "Well that was violent. That part about Soleil though? Ooh. I'll have to remember that image."

"What was that?!" Chrom ran back to the bars. "Is that going to happen?!"

"It is a vision of the future."

"Is there nothing we can do to stop it?!"

Old Hubba gave a kind smile. "Did your daughter teach you nothing? Anything can change."

"But… but how?!"

"You have to understand that things happen for a reason. These events do not have to come to pass, but you can't just try to keep them from happening. Everything happens for a reason. There is free will in life, but there is no significance to any action taken."

"What?"

"You have free will, but no action you take has truly meaningful consequences. For every action you take, there are timelines where you took different actions, and there are timelines where you were never given the choice in the first place. Millions of people making billions of choices over thousands of years. That's what makes all the timelines unique. Things that happen in one timeline won't affect all the others. In the grand scheme of things nothing you could do has any significance. You can change this timeline though. You can change the future. Lucina and her companions changed this timeline just by coming back. Already this timeline became different from her own. Your actions can change the world. Never think that anything has to happen."

"I'm not sure that I understand."

"Things happen for a reason. You can prevent what you saw in the vision from coming to pass, but you have to understand why these things happen. Only by understanding why each event happens can you truly stop it. There is a road in the hearts of all of us, hidden and seldom traveled, which leads to an unknown, secret place. You must understand the world itself, and you will think more deeply and feel more keenly. You will see more clearly into the mysteries of life and come closer in kinship to the lives of others. When you understand who you are, and what you are in this world, you will be able to keep these terrible futures from happening."

Chrom was even more confused than before, but he felt strangely comforted by the words. "Umm, thanks, I guess."

In a cell like the one Chrom and Gaius were in, Ophelia, Soleil, and Caeldori found different ways to entertain themselves. Ophelia and Caeldori were fine with sitting quietly, but Soleil angrily paced around. Much to the chagrin of her friends, as well as a guard standing within earshot, she took the opportunity to practice her screechy, tone deaf singing. "Your faith in me brings me to tears. Even after all these years. And it pains me so much to tell. That you don't know me that well. And though my love is raaaaare! Though my love is truuuuueee!"

"Shut up back there!" The guard roared. "Brain dead wench!"

Soleil only sang louder. She sang partially to entertain herself, but also out of spite. She wanted the guard to suffer, as she knew he was forced to hear it. "I'm like a biiird! I'll only fly awaaaay!"

"Soleil!" Caeldori shouted.

"I DON'T KNOW WHERE MY SOUL IS!"

Ophelia covered her ears. "Soleil, please-"

"I DON'T KNOW WHERE MY HOME IS!"

The guard banged his weapon against the wall. "Damn it, prisoner! How would you like a back of the head punch?!"

"I'm not afraid of you! My stats are well rounded! I'm a strong, independent unit who don't need no pair up partner!"

Ophelia looked at Soleil with pleading eyes. "Soleil! Please! It's not that we don't… love your singing, but you're going to get hurt!"

Soleil finally calmed down and sat on the ground. She was quiet for a few minutes, but eventually her urge to fill the silence became unbearable. "Ophelia? What are you thinking about?"

"I'm thinking we're all in a lot of trouble." She responded bleakly. Soleil nodded and turned to Caeldori.

"What are you thinking about?"

Caeldori was sitting in the corner, reading a small book the guards had neglected to take from her. "Honestly?"

"Yeah."

"My nose is clogged, and I'm thinking that I took all the time it wasn't clogged for granted."

"Really?! That's what you're thinking about?! I thought you'd be thinking about military strategy, or a way out of here!"

"I am human, Soleil."

Soleil squinted at Caeldori and crawled closer to her. "What are you reading?"

"None of your business." Caeldori glanced up to see that Soleil was approaching her, and she tried hiding the book. "I said none of your business!"

Soleil wrestled Caeldori for the book, ignoring her protests, and finally freed it from her hands. She ran around the cell reading it, Caeldori stumbling after her. "Falling for Her in a Fortnight: The Pocket Edition." Soleil read aloud. "Wait a minute… this is dirty!' Soleil eagerly flipped through it and held Caeldori back as she tried to retrieve it. "Ha! BWAHAHAHA! This is porn! You're reading smut!"

"It's not smut! It's, it's an adventure!"

"Is that what we're calling it now? Could you two give me some privacy? I want to have an adventure with myself."

"Rupturing bunions, Soleil! Why are you such a bully?!"

"Why do you read this stuff anyways? You wouldn't know what to do with a boy if you had one."

"I-I held a boy's hand once!"

"Ooh." Soleil responded in a mocking tone. "Don't stop now, I'm getting all steamy over here." Caeldori's face was bright red at this point, and she grappled with Soleil. She used actual combat moves Cordelia had taught her to overpower Soleil and force her to the ground. The two women looked into each other's eyes. Caeldori was gripped with frustration, but Soleil blushed. "Heh. Reenacting a scene from the book?"

"Give me that back you dunderhead!"

Ophelia finally rose to her feet. "Stop it! Both of you! I'm trying to mediate on my chosenness by absorbing ambient duskness in the air, but you two are making it impossible to concentrate!"

"What?!" Soleil asked. Ophelia ran her hand down her face in annoyance.

"You two are like little children. Always fighting!"

"She started it!" Caeldori responded in a squeakier tone than she intended. Ophelia started shaking.

"I'll finish it!" She waved her hand, and purple energy materialized in between Caeldori and Soleil. It exploded outwards. Both women were propelled away from each other, but they weren't seriously hurt. Ophelia's eyes widened. "Wait! I didn't think that would be so hard! I'm sorry!"

"Wow! That was impressive!" The girls turned to see Henry standing outside of the bars. "You threw them apart like they were nothing! How'd you do that? Telekinesis? Concussive blast? Was that a curse?"

"Uh, I don't know." Ophelia slowly walked towards him. Caeldori tried to raise her arm in front of her as she recovered, but Ophelia gently brushed past her. "Are you supposed to be here?"

"Well I am an officer here. The guard wasn't very helpful at first, but he got a lot more friendly after his armor started to superheat!"

Soleil tried to look through the bars. "That explains that shout I heard while reading your porn."

"It's not porn!" Caeldori shouted back. Ophelia stepped closer to the cell door.

"So you… really are my grandfather?"

"Well Owain was my son. I'm guessing he's your father? Is that where you got that mark?"

"Well I… never knew him. I never even saw him."

"Oh. Right. I don't recall him bringing a girl to the camp after all." Henry gave a warm smile, which was strange given the subject matter. "Ah well. You don't need parents. I never really knew my parents and I turned out alright!"

Ophelia looked him up and down. "I can't believe I still have family left. I knew I had Chrom, but I can't believe I'm actually talking to my grandfather. You're some kind of mage?"

"A dark mage! Same as you."

"M-me?"

"Surely you've wondered where your talent for dark magic came from. I guess I passed it down, nya ha ha! Given who your grandparents are, it makes a lot of sense that you'd be such a strong mage!"

Ophelia smiled. "You think I'm a strong mage, and you think I have a talent for dark magic?"

"Don't you?"

"Not that I knew of."

Henry studied her carefully. "I can feel it. You do have a natural affinity for dark magic. That's rare you know. You're sure it hasn't manifested in any way? Have you ever tried using a dark magic tome? Have you ever used telekinesis?"

"Yes! I have done that. I'm not very good at it though. It's dark magic?"

"Sure is. It's an old Plegian trick. I've never seen someone who can't use dark magic do it." Henry raised his hand, and various small objects in the room started to float towards him. Dust, small rocks, things the girls had in their pockets, and a hapless beetle started to levitate around him. Soleil and Caeldori looked on in annoyance, but Ophelia was amazed. "Neat huh?"

"Wow!"

Soleil felt through her pockets. "Oh yeah sure. I wasn't using any of that. Just take it from me. That's fine. I'm fine with that." She muttered bitterly.

Henry flung the objects around the room, and a small rock was sent hurtling towards Ophelia. She raised her hand and telekinetically caught it before it hit her face. "Gah! Grandfather! You almost hit me!"

"Oh sorry, but see! You can do it to!"

"That's so cool! I knew I was a chosen hero! I just knew it! Oh my shoulders ache from the weight of my chosenness, bearing down on me! The stars themselves align to give me power beyond imagining!"

Henry smiled even wider. "Just like your father. You know, I could teach you some spells and curses if you wanted."

"Really?!" Ophelia was jumping up and down at this point. "That sounds amazing!"

"Umm, Ophelia?" Caeldori said nervously. "I don't know if we should trust this man."

"But he's my grandfather!" Ophelia turned back to him. "So what's your favorite spell?" She asked eagerly. Henry thought about it.

"Hmm, oh! I know! I once came up with a curse I call the Admirer's Revenge."

"That sounds exciting! What did it do?"

"See before I joined the Archanean Liberation Front, I made a living by performing spells and curses for people who hired me. This one young man said he had a real longing for a young village maiden, but she never paid him any mind. He asked if I could help." Soleil and Caeldori looked at each other nervously, but Ophelia looked on in wide eyed wonder. "I eventually came up with just the solution! A curse that made the maiden fall in love with him! See the curse caused agonizing pain whenever the woman thought about anything, anything, besides the man. For days on end she was gripped with crippling pain, until her mind associated the man with the relief of pain. Before long she was his. My curse worked perfectly! I think they're still together!"

Ophelia's smile faded very slowly, and a look of confused horror started to take her. "W-what? What?!"

"And they say money doesn't buy love. Nya ha ha!"

"You tortured her into loving him?!"

"Sure did. Clever huh? You just can't teach some people how to pick up dates, but any dark mage can learn my curse! Why I've revolutionized marriage!"

Ophelia slowly backed away. "Gods!"

"Wait, it gets better! After I made my curse, I was approached by a man from the Arch Surg. He asked me if my curse could be modified to force people to think other things. He asked me if it could force people to be loyal to an army. I modified my curse a little and presto! I created a curse that made people mindlessly loyal to the Arch Surg. To this day they use it to recruit people. That's why I'm an officer here."

"You brainwashed people into serving the Arch Surg?! Some of the soldiers here were forced to join?!"

"Yep! About a third of them. It's not just that I made them join. I also made them loyal! They truly believe in Archangel's cause now. Neat huh?! If only I came up with that curse thirty years ago. We could have made anyone into a Shepherd! Maybe even Grima! Nya ha ha!"

Ophelia was now more afraid than anything, and Soleil and Caeldori moved to stand in front of her. "You… you're a monster! That's why people are so afraid of dark mages! People like you use magic to do horrible things!"

"What?" Henry looked to the girls innocently. "What?!"

"Stay away from me!"

"Oh come on. How about I help you." Henry turned to Caeldori, who still had some bruises on her face. "I can heal her! Normal healing staffs can't completely heal her injuries, but I can use dark healing! It's much more effective. I just need someone to draw life force from." Henry raised his arm towards Soleil. "You look lively!"

"Wait, what?!" Soleil exclaimed. Henry began to draw a green energy from her, and she spasmed and convulsed. Henry then shot the green energy into Caeldori. The cuts and bruises on her face began to disappear, but Soleil was sent into a state of shock. Ophelia and Caeldori rushed to her side as she collapsed to the ground.

"What did you do?!" Ophelia yelled.

"I healed your friend. Dark healing requires a sacrifice. She's young. She'll recover."

"You're a monster!"

"But I helped you?" Henry said. His tone was calm and friendly, and this only made Ophelia angrier.

"Get away from us!"

"But-"

"Just leave us alone!" Ophelia turned her back to him, and Henry slowly backed away.

"Where did I go wrong? She was so interested in what I was saying. Being a grandfather is going to be harder than I thought. Hmm. I could always cast Admirer's Revenge on her! Then she'd love me… though I better change the kind of love expressed."

Within the Arch Surg capital of Belfire, two soldiers stood awkwardly as a teenaged girl read to them from a stack of papers. The young woman had long hair, a brown color so faded that it almost looked gray. She had fair skin and light brown eyes. She wore a short dress and long boots that went past her knees, and she had a huge smiled plastered on her face as she read her story. "And so the First Exalt turned to the young maid, and he looked longingly at her. This was no ordinary maid. This woman was magnificent. She had the strength of Marth, the Hero King. She had the bravery of Lucina, the Foreseer. She had the intelligence of Forneus, the Alchemist of Thabes. Finally she had the charisma of Eldruud, the Bard Who Became Tolerable. He walked over to her, placed a hand on her shoulder, and says 'That's enough cleaning for this room. My wife is always the one that cares so much about this room… but she is away. She won't be back until tomorrow.' 'Oh!' The maid says. 'Whatever shall I do until then?' 'Why not polish my spear?' He responds with a devilish look in his eye."

The first soldier leaned over and whispered into the other guard's ear. "Does this seem dirty to you?"

"Oh yeah. This is straight up porn."

The young woman continued to read. "'Oh but your spear is so long and hard! It could take all night!' 'Plenty of time, my sweet. Plenty of time.'" The woman put down the papers and smiled even wider at the two soldiers. "Well how was it?!"

"Uhh… it was… it had good sentence structure." The first soldier responded. The second shook his head.

"I feel dirty."

A third soldier entered the room and approached the young woman. "Miranda. Archangel would like to see you now."

"What for?"

"She wishes to say goodbye."

The young woman nodded and turned back to the two soldiers. "Well we'll have to continue this another time. Make sure to think about your criticisms!" Miranda and the soldier left the room, and the other two soldiers both sighed.

"Ah! What is wrong with that woman! Writing smutty stories about the First Exalt?! Who would do that? Who would write stories about the heroes of legend for the sole purpose of putting them in sexual situations?"

"Well I don't know. I could see some people being into that."

Miranda followed the soldier into a large room with a hole built into the wall. Archangel stood staring at her massive pair of wings mounted on the ceiling. She was wearing her full flight gear. She had a thick coat, reinforced boots, and a helmet complete with goggles to protect her eyes at high altitudes. She turned to Miranda as she walked towards her. "Mother. You're leaving?"

"Yes, sweetheart."

Miranda seemed slightly worried. "But you never leave Belfire."

"Some things are just that important. Your brother Keith is stationed at Fort Morgan, and he has priority targets with him. I'm going to meet them in person."

Miranda crossed her arms. "He's not my real brother!"

"I adopted him, so that makes him your brother. Now get over here and give your mother a hug."

Miranda hugged her armored mother, but then eagerly retrieved her papers. "Wait! Before you go… can you read my story?"

"I was kind of just about to leave."

"Please!"

"Ugh. Is it dirty?"

"No!"

"Are you lying to your mother?"

Miranda looked down. "Yes."

Archangel sighed. "Alright give it here. I'll read it quickly."

Miranda happily handed Archangel the papers. She also gave her a pen. "Thank you! Make sure to annotate parts you like, and I left space on the bottom of each page so you can leave feedback!" Miranda walked away with a spring in her step, and Archangel looked over the papers.

"What's this thing called anyways?" She read over the title. "The Lusty Plegian Maid?! Oh gods. This had better not be gross."