The group wasted no time in making their way back to the small village outside of The Saltworks. To the surprise of Chrom and Ophelia, Algol had actually held on to the Parallel Falchion. Chrom thanked him, but Pheros ordered that he stay behind and assist Farber. Pheros then rented a carriage, and the group departed for Fort Morgan. The venture to The Saltworks was over, and Farber, Algol, Gaius, and Henry had been left behind.

By the following day, the group had finally reached the outskirts of Death Valley. This was the hottest and driest section of the Feroxi Badlands. There was virtually no vegetation of any kind, water was scarce, and the rocky outcroppings were so severe that many areas could not be traversed on foot. In the flatter areas of Death Valley, rock, clay, and shale had become sand and dust. Chrom found himself constantly sweating, and he'd been sitting the whole time. Looking around, no one else was doing any better. Cervantes seemed especially uncomfortable given his huge beard.

"Hot as hell down here."

"Yeah, but at least it's a dry heat." Pheros responded.

Chrom noticed that Pheros was directing the carriage towards a small outpost with a number of camels kept nearby. Ophelia had never seen camels before, and she stared incredulously as the group got closer. "Gods! What horrible affliction befell those horses?!"

Chrom chuckled, having thought the same thing when he first saw them. "Those are camels, Ophelia. They're good for arid environments."

"Trust me." Pheros added. "You'll be glad we have them."

Pheros stopped the carriage and paid the workers there to exchange the carriage horses for the dromedaries. The group also stopped to rest and have a quick meal. Chrom ate some of his food, but he couldn't bring himself to finish eating. The only thing the outpost offered to drink was beer, and Chrom recoiled at the very sight of it. Beyond that, he was far too worried about meeting Archangel to have much of an appetite. He got up and excused himself as the others ate, and he'd been staring off into the badlands for some time when Pheros eventually followed him outside. "Hey there."

"Is there a problem, Chrom?" Pheros looked him over, scanning for the slightest signs of something bothering him. Pheros had a way of probing Chrom, and it was hard to hide anything from her. He wasn't sure he was fond of it.

"I'm just not hungry."

"We're still a few hours away from the fort."

"I'm fine."

Pheros stepped forward and looked out over the badlands with Chrom. "Was it the beer? I noticed you became stressed when you saw there wasn't anything else to drink. I also noticed you didn't take a sip of it."

Chrom sighed. Nothing got past Pheros, but she always did have insights to share whenever he was honest with her. Perhaps there was nothing wrong with telling her the truth. "It was. Why don't they have anything else to drink?!"

"Supplies are hard to come by out here, and clean water isn't always available. There's something about alcohol that makes it less likely to be contaminated with sickness. That's probably why humans started making it in the first place. After all, a few beers will make you a little light headed, but a sip of contaminated water can give you stomach problems for the rest of the day. Why don't you want it?"

"Because… I just…"

"You don't trust yourself around alcohol?"

Chrom nodded. "I started drinking after… it happened… but for thirty years all I had were light beers and kumis. Since I've travelled to these larger settlements I've had drinks I can actually stomach, and I sometimes lose control around them. In Nowi Falls I lost myself in a bar. I even… I even struck Cordelia. Then it happened again yesterday. I'm sorry, Pheros. If I hadn't started drinking, then we wouldn't have had to leave the city like that."

"Chrom!" Pheros' voice sounded calm and compassionate, but it also sounded like she'd just caught herself from snapping at him. "Please. You really can't afford to get any worse. Don't criticize yourself. Just think about the future. If you don't think you can control yourself around alcohol, then it's good that you're trying to stay away from it." Pheros smiled. "I'm proud of you." Chrom didn't say anything in response, and Pheros' smile faded. "I'm sorry. I realize now that might have sounded patronizing."

"No, nothing like that." Chrom was nervous about seeing Archangel, but he wasn't afraid. At least, not for himself. Looking into Pheros' eyes, Chrom remembered Old Hubba's words, and he realized it was for her safety that he felt fear now. "Pheros…" Chrom thought about what Gaius said and how the knowledge that the Arch Surg fort was under Mustafa's control could be used to give him an edge over the officers, but he didn't like keeping this from Pheros. What if it lead to her being hurt? "Do you know what's waiting for us back at the fort?"

"No. Cervantes and I haven't been to Fort Morgan since we left to find you. I understand it's entirely possible the rebelling soldiers might have seized control of it. We'll approach very cautiously. If the fort is safe, then we'll wait there to regroup with Arch Surg forces that will take us to the capital of Belfire. If it isn't, then we'll simply make our way to a known Arch Surg supply line and go from there."

Chrom took a deep breath. Though it meant giving up a potential advantage, Chrom worried too much for Pheros to let her walk into what could have been a trap. He had to tell her what Old Hubba told him. "Pheros… when Gaius and I were talking in the city, we encountered Old Hubba. He'd been sent by Mustafa to find us."

Pheros' eyes widened, as if she immediately realized what it meant. "Mustafa sent him?!"

"Mustafa is in control of the fort. He has Keith and his loyalists under siege. If you go there… he'll capture you. Probably use you as a hostage."

"Chrom… you didn't have to tell me that."

"But I want to see Archangel, and I didn't want you to get hurt. Telling you was the honorable thing to do."

"Yes. That was a very noble thing to do, Chrom. Of course, Pheros and Cervantes are too valuable to go free, so we thought ahead."

Chrom and Pheros turned in a panic to see none other than Mustafa. Surrounding him were the "employees" of the outpost, and they all pointed weapons at Pheros. They were considerably less hostile to Chrom, and Mustafa approached him in a friendly manner. "Chrom! I see you're well!"

"Mustafa?!" Chrom recognized some of the soldiers by Mustafa from the fort. "You really did take control of the insane soldiers."

"They weren't insane, Chrom. They were just angry. Now, we are directing that righteous anger towards those that deserve it."

Chrom looked back to Pheros with guilt. "I-I didn't know. I'm sorry!"

"I'm not angry with you, Chrom." Pheros responded in a genuine tone as she raised her arms. "You tried to warn me, and I didn't see how you could have known. Actually, I'm not even angry with you, Mustafa. Setting a trap at the outpost carriages need to get through Death Valley? Clever. What happens now?"

"You're coming with us, Pheros. We will try to open up negotiations with Archangel, and you, Cervantes, and Keith will be our hostages until those negotiations are complete. We'll feed and care for you, and you won't be harmed so long as you cooperate."

"Wait!" Mustafa looked curiously at Chrom, who was almost trembling with worry. "What about Ophelia?"

"She's with you, Chrom. She's free. That being said, we would be honored if you would return to the fort with us. We've created a safe haven there."

Chrom nodded. "But, Mustafa, please just… don't hurt Pheros. Don't restrain her! Don't do anything like that!"

"She's a prisoner, Chrom."

"But… please treat her with respect."

Pheros wasn't sure what to think. Part of her seemed moved, but another part of her seemed insulted. "Chrom, I am a soldier. I don't need to be coddled."

To the surprise of both of them, Mustafa nodded. "Very well. If you and Cervantes cooperate, then we won't restrain you. Now come. I must return to my soldiers."

Chrom nodded. "Thank you."

Mustafa had respected Chrom's wishes, and Cervantes and Pheros were left unrestrained as Mustafa's forces made their way back to Fort Morgan. That being said, Mustafa had made sure to sit right next to them on the carriage. Even if there was nothing stopping the two from jumping out, they wouldn't manage to get very far. For their part, Pheros and Cervantes were calm and cooperative, but they weren't overly thrilled at the situation.

Chrom and Ophelia both sat together on the top of the carriage. Chrom hadn't been able to see outside when Keith had first brought him to the Arch Surg's fort. The landscape was foreign to him now, but even then he immediately recognized the long climb up the hill that the Arch Surg convoy had to make. Looking up, Chrom could see Fort Morgan and its extensive wooden palisade. The battle Chrom and his allies had escaped from hadn't been kind to the fort, and signs of extensive damage could be seen in the Arch Surg infrastructure as the carriages approached, but the fort's gate was still intact and sealed. It slowly swung open as Mustafa's forces approached, and the former Plegian general smiled in triumph. Chrom himself breathed a sigh of relief. Though he worried about Pheros and Cervantes, this would be the first safe place Chrom and Ophelia had to stay at since Isaiah's homestead. At least, that's what he thought.

Mustafa's soldiers stood at attention as the two carriages entered the fort itself, and Mustafa returned a heartfelt smile. Chrom looked uneasily at them as the carriage went by. After all, these were the very same soldiers that had tried to kill him and Ophelia after Henry lifted his curse. To his surprise, the soldiers looked perfectly normal now. Mustafa really had managed to rally them. They hadn't really gone insane. They were just angry, and Mustafa had convinced them to turn that anger on those truly responsible for what had happened to them.

The carriages stopped not long after entering the fort, and Mustafa urged Pheros and Cervantes to get off before himself setting his feet on the dusty surface of the badlands. Chrom and Ophelia exited the interior of the carriage. Some of the soldiers greeted Chrom, but he didn't feel comfortable talking to them. It wasn't that long ago they tried to kill him when he was forced to escape the fort. As the soldiers took up position by Pheros and Cervantes, Chrom looked over to see Mustafa speaking with a young woman. Though Chrom couldn't have known, this was the very same woman that Mustafa had once spoken to for being unable to complete combat training. She and the rest of his recruits had apparently been brought into the Arch Surg by Henry's curse, as they'd turned on Mustafa once it was lifted, but now she stood as loyally as the rest of the soldiers. Chrom couldn't help but have respect for him. Mustafa truly had appealed to them, and they followed him willingly now.

"Mustafa, sir!" The woman stood at attention. "You've returned."

"Yes, and now we have our prisoners." Mustafa gestured to Pheros and Cervantes. Pheros only returned a glare.

"You all will pay for this treason." Pheros looked to Cervantes for support, but he was too busy combing his beard to notice.

"Damned badlands air. My beard is getting all frizzy."

"Cervantes!"

"Hmm? Were we talking?"

"Ugh."

Mustafa just chuckled at the two. He wasn't intimidated in the least. "With these prisoners, we can force Archangel to negotiate with us. She wouldn't abandon her own son and two of her veteran generals after all. Now, take Pheros and Cervantes to the prison we set up."

The young woman rubbed the back of her neck. "Err… Mustafa. There have been some changes since you left."

"What do you mean?"

"Well… after you left… the Arch Surg sent reinforcements."

"Where are they now?"

The woman couldn't look Mustafa in the eye anymore, and the former Plegian general slowly reached for his axe. "Forgive us, Mustafa. We only wanted to survive. These weren't normal soldiers. These were Archangel's stormtroopers. We didn't stand a chance… so we let them in without a fight. You're not in charge anymore. I'm sorry."

"What?!" Sensing someone behind him, Mustafa drew his axe and turned to see none other than Keith. Keith had his personal pistol, identical to Chrom's Thundergrypp, pointed at Mustafa's face, and he was forced to drop his axe. Even then, the Plegian general showed no fear, and his voice was calm. "Keith."

"You're a traitor, Mustafa. You've turned against my mother and her revolution!"

"Keith… please. We treated you with respect when you surrendered to us. We never harmed you, and we let you keep that ridiculous outfit. Surely I deserve the same respect."

"You deserve a bullet in the face. You deserve to be a feast for vultures. You and the traitorous dark mage, Henry. While we're on that subject, I haven't heard from Vasto in awhile. The Archanean Liberation Front has started to receive the money from Tiki's bounty, but Vasto hasn't reported back. Maybe Archangel shouldn't have trusted Plegians."

"How dare you. Henry created that curse on Archangel's orders, and now you turn on him just because he wanted to be with his granddaughter. All of this is Archangel's fault, Keith. Vasto probably left because he realized the insanity of selling a god to the Grimleal! I served under Gangrel when he was king of Plegia, and I realized then I was on the wrong side. I swore I would never be a part of an army that would commit such atrocities again. Archangel is a monster, Keith."

"My mother is the future of humanity! I should kill you as a traitor to the revolution, but it's not my place. Archangel's officers will deal with you."

Chrom and Ophelia had been listening to the conversation as it went on, but they couldn't do anything to interrupt. Arch Surg troopers had stuck guns to the back of their heads as soon as Mustafa left the carriage. Turning to them, Chrom noticed that these weren't regular soldiers. Though most Arch Surg soldiers didn't have standardized equipment, these men all looked completely identical. They all wore light leather armor with a few pieces of metal plating protecting their chests, legs, and arms. Round metal shields were strapped to their arms, and they wielded bows, swords, axes, short spears, and fuse lit grenades alongside their pistols. Most notably, each man had his face covered by a metal mask depicting a grimace. These soldiers forced Chrom and Ophelia to move further away from Mustafa, and more of these soldiers moved to surround the man. Mustafa gave Chrom an apologetic look as they took him away. "Chrom, I'm sorry. I couldn't have seen this coming. These men almost never leave Belfire."

Keith turned and walked over to Chrom. It had been almost two weeks since Chrom had last seen the Justicar, but he could happily go the rest of his life without ever having to endure the haunting visage of his deceased daughter that Keith displayed. Sure enough, Keith was still in his Lucina outfit. He still had his customized estoc, and he still hid his eyes behind a replica of her butterfly mask. Chrom was filled with rage at the sight of him, and if the expression Keith made was any indication, he felt the same way. "You!"

"Chrom. It's been some time since we've seen each other. You may have slipped through my grasp before, but I see that you've been brought here anyways. Archangel always gets what she wants in the end."

"I chose to come here, Keith. All I ask is that I be treated with respect."

Keith just silently snarled in response, and his outfit only added to the look. With her hair tied back and her eyes hidden behind an emotionless metal mask, Lucina could give a surprisingly menacing appearance in her "Marth" disguise. Beyond that, Keith was like a dark, twisted mirror of Lucina. He wore the same trappings, but there was nothing noble about his appearance. He was only threatening. Keith was a very tall man. He had almost a head on Chrom, and he would have been a little taller than even the largest of the male Shepherds. However, he was also very skinny, to the point of being gangly. It was an unusual body type, and he barely fit into the replica of Lucina's outfit. Though he was too tall for it, and though the stitching was visibly stressed, he actually was about as thin as Lucina had been.

Chrom found himself staring down Keith, who didn't say anything further, but he felt relief as Pheros and Cervantes walked up. Chrom almost allowed himself to hope that Pheros would get Keith away from him, but he then remembered Keith outranked her. Looking at her, Chrom realized Pheros and Cervantes weren't in control of the situation at all. Though the strange soldiers were on their side, the two Valmese generals seemed to look at them with fear and suspicion. Chrom stared at Pheros until she finally responded, and there was fear in her eyes as she spoke. "Chrom. These men are Archangel's elite. They almost never leave Belfire. I don't… I don't know what's happening."

"These soldiers-" Keith looked around, speaking about the soldiers as if they weren't any friends of his either. "They're my mother's personal guard. They're called the Immortals. They and their Captain go where she goes, and she almost never leaves the capital."

Chrom's eyes widened. "You're saying she's coming here?!"

"I guess she doesn't want you to escape."

"I want to see her, Keith. There's no need to threaten me."

"You don't understand. I'm not in control of these men."

گهه زیادی نخور. پسر نمی خواهد در کار یک مرد موفق.

Pheros and Cervantes froze, and even Keith seemed frustrated. Chrom turned to Pheros. "Who was that?!"

"The Captain of Archangel's guard. Her inner circle is here."

"I thought you, Farber, and Cervantes were her inner circle?!"

"Yes… but we're not in the deepest ring."

Chrom and Ophelia turned to see three men approaching. The strange Arch Surg soldiers gave little mind to Keith, Pheros, and Cervantes, but they knelt before the three as they approached. "That was very good, Şeytankulu." One of the men said. "You almost have a mastery on the Parsa language, but your grammar is still a little flawed."

متاسفم. من هنوز هم یادگیری.

"Now, now, boys." The lead man responded. "None of your foreign tongue. Let's speak so our guests can understand us."

The three men that stood in front of Chrom now immediately commanded the attention of everyone nearby through their appearances alone. Like Keith, they were all very menacing. Unlike Keith, this wasn't because they were dressed as haunting reminders of Lucina. These men were just straight up scary looking.

Şeytankulu wore clothing of a design that was as alien to Chrom as the language he spoke. His chest was protected by strips of iron tied together with leather straps, and this was worn under an ornate gilded silver padded vest. The man's arms featured sleeves coming from the vest, and his forearms were protected by swirled metal vambraces. He wore a very light blue cloth wrap and a belt with a large silver buckle, and his legs were covered by metal greaves with puffed out thighs. He also wore brown boots and had a blood red cloth with three sky blue stripes going through it wrapped around his neck. Like the Immortals, Şeytankulu covered his face with a metal mask. This mask was largely featureless, with hollowed out cheekbones and small slots for his eyes and mouth. On the top of his head was a metal cap that swirled like an expensive chocolate, and below that was a tiara. To clarify, tiara in this context did not refer to the headwear that Lucina and Marth once favored, but to a cloth that could be pulled over the face to protect against wind and dust in arid environments. Şeytankulu had a carbine slung at his lower back, but other than that his only weapon seemed to be a large soliferrum spear. The soliferrum was a kind of javelin distinctive for being made entirely from iron. Şeytankulu's looked too large to throw. Rather, he seemed to wield it as a short spear, and it notably had a curved, barbed tip for both slashing and stabbing.

The man to Şeytankulu's side was an elderly man who looked to be in his mid sixties, with tanned skin and a thick, gunmetal gray beard. He only wore a vest with a number of pockets over a simple work shirt, and he also wore work trousers and boots, or rather, a work boot. The most distinctive thing about his clothing was a turban on his head. It was blood red and sky blue, like Şeytankulu's cloth wrapping, and a golden Mark of Naga with gears at the top and bottom surrounded by a laurel wreath of wheat was emblazoned on the left side of the turban. Though his clothing wasn't particularly notable, that wasn't to say there wasn't anything about the man's appearance that immediately caught the eye. The elderly man was missing his right leg at the knee, and a wooden prosthetic now supported his weight in its absence.

In front of the other two men, implying a kind of seniority, was a rather thuggish looking man in his mid thirties. He wore the standard leather armor of a mercenary, with metal plating on his arms and legs and a large shield on his arm. In that way, he was reminiscent of Severa, Inigo, and Soleil. The man had piercing brown eyes, so light in color that they were almost amber, and a rugged looking beard similar to Chrom's own, though it was more neatly trimmed. Notably, almost disturbingly, the man's hair was a very light pink. The same hair color that Soleil and Olivia had. Chrom supposed there was no reason why a male couldn't inherit that hair color, but it was dissonant with his otherwise intimidating appearance. Beyond that, the man had a big, stupid grin plastered on his face, and it never deviated. The man just stared right into Chrom's eyes and smiled. Chrom eventually tried to turn away, but the man stepped forward and began to speak to him. "Well, well. So you're finally here, Chrom. Archangel has been waiting a very long time for this." The man looked him up and down, and his smile became more reserved. "So have I."

"W-Who are you?"

Pheros tried to step forward and speak, but the man cut her off. "Chrom these are-"

"We can introduce ourselves, Pheros." He stepped forward and shoved Pheros backward. Like a playground bully might have. "Now why don't you let us talk to our guest."

"Hey!" Chrom snapped.

The man noticed the worry Chrom had for Pheros, and his smile faded. "I'd be more worried about yourself." The man held his feet apart and stuck his finger towards Chrom. "My name is Salzman. I'm the Chief of Security in Belfire. To my right is Şeytankulu, the Captain of Archangel's Guard. To my left is Khomeini, our enhanced interrogation specialist."

Khomeini cracked his knuckles. Despite his age, Chrom noticed he was rather muscular under his clothing. "It took far too long to find you, Chrom. Archangel had to leave Belfire, and she's not happy about that. We're here to punish the ones responsible."

"Yes. The ones responsible." Salzman looked like he was about to attack Chrom as he stepped forward, but he suddenly darted to the side and jabbed Keith in the neck. The Justicar fell to his knees, barely able to speak.

"Agh?!" He choked. His surprise could be heard clearly, but Salzman was relentless. He tore Keith's butterfly mask from his face and held the sharp edge of the mask to his groin. Keith shook with fury, but he was also visibly afraid of Salzman pressing said mask into his unmentionables.

"Pathetic, Keith. Absolutely pathetic. How many times did Chrom get away from you!"

"How dare you?! I am the Justicar!"

"You're a momma's boy. Besides, Keith, I would have thought you'd learned by now not to talk to us like that when your mommy isn't around to protect you." Salzman rapidly punched Keith three times in the face, leaving him a bloodied mess, then cut him in the cheek with his much beloved mask for good measure. Chrom had always thought Keith to be the second in command of the Arch Surg. These officers really were important if they could treat him like this without fear of repercussion, and more notably, if Keith himself didn't dare to do anything about it. As Salzman started walking away from Keith, Şeytankulu darted behind Pheros and seized her in a headlock. To Chrom's horror, Khomeini and Salzman then proceed to encircle her. Pheros looked to Cervantes for help, but he just raised his arms and slowly backed away. "Of course, the failure isn't entirely Keith's.

"What is this meaning of this?!" Pheros spat. Even in the face of Şeytankulu's bullying she tried to maintain her dignity, but he tightened his grip around her neck with every word.

"Keith is insane, Pheros, but you don't have that excuse. Time and time again Chrom slipped through your fingers. You think yourself a leader of the Arch Surg, but you only bring Archangel failure."

Pheros was struggling to breathe now, but still she spoke. "I brought Chrom here!"

"He came here on his own! He's not restrained! He could leave whenever he wants! He wandered here on his own, and now you dare to take credit. All you ever bring Archangel is failure."

"I-" Şeytankulu pressed against Pheros' neck until she couldn't speak anymore. The sight infuriated Chrom, and it certainly told him more than enough about what these men were like. Pheros had always been dedicated to the Arch Surg, and she always carried herself with intelligence and dignity, and yet these men silenced her by the inequity of their youth, strength, and size. It was nothing short of barbaric.

"I'm so sick of you Valmese. You think that because you served Walhart you lead the Arch Surg. You're the archetypal old world regime military officer. You threaten. You command. You complain. But you don't actually do anything. Archangel deserves better."

Pheros' dignity gave way to her desire to breathe, and she began to instinctively kick at Şeytankulu while trying to squirm out of his grasp, but nothing she did moved the much heavier man. "I… brought… Chrom."

"Such arrogance. You still can't admit when you've failed. Maybe you need to be humbled." Salzman's smile morphed into a sinister grin as he raised his right hand. To Chrom's shock, his index finger began to glow until it was searing hot, like the end of a brand. He turned to Ophelia, wondering if she had any idea what was happening, but she was as stunned as he was. In fact, she almost looked amazed. Salzman slowly brought his finger to Pheros' cheek, and the fear that took her only made him more excited. "Remember this pain the next time you want to talk back to us."

Salzman brought his finger to Pheros' cheek very slowly, delighting in her growing panic. Chrom couldn't take it anymore. He didn't care how outmatched he was. "STOP!" Salzman paused. He turned to Chrom as if he were surprised, but his grin quickly returned. "Please! D-Don't hurt her! She hasn't done anything to you!"

Salzman extinguished his finger, which wasn't visibly injured at all. With a nod of his head, Şeytankulu tossed Pheros to the ground, and the three moved to harass Chrom instead. Cervantes walked over to help Pheros to her feet, but she angrily slapped his hand away as she got up, clutching her neck. The two Valmese officers then made sure to stay clear of Salzman and his officers. Chrom looked to Ophelia as the three approached, but she just nodded back, refusing to show any sign of fear. Chrom nodded to her, and the two stood their ground as the men encircled them. Şeytankulu prowled behind the two while Salzman got within a meter of Chrom. The Exalt tried to stare down the Chief of Security, but Salzman didn't look at him like he did Keith and Pheros. Salzman seemed to look longingly at him, as if he were seeing an old friend for the first time in years. "You care about her, don't you? You always did have that trusting nature. You always did need to help people."

"Don't speak like you know me."

"Oh but I do, sweetie." Salzman lovingly caressed Chrom's cheek, which caught him by surprise. "You don't know it yet, but we're going to be great friends."

Chrom angrily slapped Salzman's hand away, but that only made him smile wider. "Look, I'm here. I've been told Archangel knows me. I'm told she wants to see me."

"And do you know who she is?"

"No."

"So she managed to keep her secret! Ha! Oh she'll love this! But first…" Salzman stepped to the side, and Chrom looked behind where he'd been just in time for Khomeini to strike him in the stomach. Chrom fell to his knees, and Şeytankulu then grabbed his shoulders and forced him to his back. Ophelia tried to spring forward and help him, but Salzman quickly drew a sword and brought the blade to her neck. Salzman's weapon was unlike anything Chrom and Ophelia had ever seen. The crossguard depicted a skull with four horns coming out of it towards the blade. The blade had six barbs running along it, and it actually glowed an icy blue. "Ah! Stay back! I wouldn't want to have to cut that pretty face."

Khomeini stepped forward and placed his prosthetic to Chrom's crotch, causing him to cry out in pain. Khomeini seemed to revel in it. "Aw, am I not as gentle with it as Maribelle was? Or, did you prefer the palace concubines?"

"How dare you-AAARGH!" Khomeini pressed down harder.

"The right amount of stimulus, to the right place, for the right amount of time. Understand that, and you can break anyone."

"What do you want?!"

"Why did you come here? The Arch Surg has been trying to bring you in by force, but you just decide to mosey on over on your own?" Khomeini pressed down even harder, and Chrom let out a rather undignified noise. "Is this a trick? Are you trying to lure Archangel into a trap? Are you working for the Pegasus Raiders? The Coalition? The Ouroboros?"

"AAAARRGH!"

Salzman looked Chrom in the eye. "I don't think he's up to anything, Khomeini. Robin was the smart one. His job was to look pretty."

"I don't make a habit of underestimating people. Remember the report Keith filled out about what happened at Veslil? He had Ophelia use a body switching ritual so he could fight after his knee was broken. He might not be particularly bright in a cognitive sense, but he's still a tricky SOB. I'm not letting him get past me. If you're planning something, we'll know about it."

Chrom's body was shaking. He was crying involuntarily, and his voice was higher pitched than normal, but still he forced himself to speak. "I… just… want… to… see… her!"

"Let him go, Khomeini, before you rupture something and leak his exalted fluids everywhere."

The Arch Surg officer let go of Chrom's groin. Chrom easily could have lied there and moaned for the next ten minutes, but he forced himself to stand up straight for Ophelia's sake. He shot Salzman a death glare as he lowered his sword from her neck, but still he just smiled in response. "I… I just want to meet your leader."

"Haven't you figured it out, Chrom? You're dealing with the important people now. We virtually never leave Belfire, but some things are just that important. This is important to her too."

"So she's coming here?!"

A black shadow flew over Chrom. "See for yourself." Chrom craned his neck to see what flew overhead, and he could hear the Arch Surg soldiers by him panic. The Immortals showed no response, but Mustafa's forces all turned their eyes skyward.

"She's here!" A man yelled.

"Impossible. S-She never leaves the capital!" A second man cried.

"No, no! What have we done?!" A woman screamed as she threw her arquebus to the ground. Mustafa, still surrounded by Immortals, forced his way forward and tried to calm his soldiers, but even he was worried. All of this made Chrom look around more furiously, but he still couldn't see whatever had been flying through the air. He could, however, hear the almost deafening cry of an eagle. As he heard something crash down behind him, Chrom expected to find a wyvern rider, but the noise actually came from the largest bird he'd ever seen in his life.

The bird responsible for the screech was a massive eagle with golden brown feathers, though striped black and white feathers adorned the wings. The raptor weighed fifteen kilograms, and its wingspan was almost three meters. The eagle screeched again as it unfurled its wings, and Chrom reflexively took a step back. Salzman just laughed at him. "Chrom, this is Sumia. She goes where Archangel goes."

"The eagle is named Sumia?! Why, WHY is she named that?!"

"Why don't you ask Archangel."

As massive as Sumia was, the eagle wasn't large enough to have created the shadow. Looking up, Chrom could see a massive winged thing coming towards him. It was only after the figure landed on the ground that Chrom could see it was a woman with the severed wings of a Pegasus somehow attached to her back. The woman's body was covered entirely by heavy clothing that kept her warm at high altitudes, and her shoulders, arms, and legs additionally had steel plating covering them. The woman had landed in such a way that she was kneeling when she hit the ground, her wings positioned in front of her. As she stood, she violently brought her wings back, throwing forward a maelstrom of dust and sand. Though this debris briefly blocked Chrom's view of the woman, glowing purple beady eyes could still be seen, staring at him. As it cleared, Chrom could see that the woman wore a helmet with solid black goggles; the woman's glowing eyes shining through them. Notably, the woman's left arm was missing, having been severed at the elbow.

"What an entrance!" Ophelia exclaimed, both wonder and fear in her voice. "Are those wings?! Who is this woman?!"

The woman detached herself from the harness that kept the wings attached to her body, but her massive pinions didn't fall to the ground. Instead they actually hovered in place, and two of the Immortals immediately moved to push them away. She slowly walked forward to meet Chrom, but she didn't immediately acknowledge him. Her attention was instead drawn to Keith, who hung his head and nervously rubbed the back of his neck.

"Mother."

Archangel gently rubbed her adopted son's face. Her voice was high pitched, yet reserved and threatening. "Oh, sweetie. Your face is bloodied. Did Chrom do this to you?"

"No. It was Salzman!" Keith pointed to the officer, but he just smiled back. Archangel immediately seemed to lose interest.

"Well you shouldn't have made him mad." Archangel slapped her son. It wasn't hard enough to hurt him, but it did force his head to the side. "Incompetent. Keith, when I give you a task, I expect it to get done. How many times did Chrom get away from you? You may be big and tall, but you're still just a boy. Maybe I give you too much responsibility."

"Mom! Not in front of the other officers!"

Archangel ruffled her son's hair in a manner that suggested both affection and frustration, then turned to face Mustafa. The Immortals had kept him him pacified by pointing their firearms at him, but they didn't relieve him of his axe. As Archangel began to walk towards him, the Immortals backed away, and Mustafa began to realize what was coming. "Mustafa, I know what happened here. You've turned against our righteous cause and lead these soldiers astray, but I admit the circumstances were extreme. I see now that the experiment with Henry's curse has failed. Come back to us, brother, and we can ensure these atrocities never happen again."

"How dare you?!" He drew his axe and pointed it towards Archangel. "Henry has done something horrible with that curse, but I know him. He just didn't know better. It wouldn't have happened without your order! Thirty two years ago, I was on the wrong side. I knew Gangrel was insane, but I insisted on serving my country. I thought it was the honorable thing to do." Mustafa looked to Chrom and nodded. "I see now how mad that reasoning was. Patriotism is a method of control used by those in power. It asks people to use their individuality to mindlessly serve the interests of the authority. It places value on arbitrary land and inanimate symbols over human life. I will never delude myself into being part of any army like that again. Perhaps your cause is just, Archangel, but that does not mean you should head it."

Şeytankulu drew his weapon, but Archangel simply raised her arm to halt him. "Very well. If that's how you want it to be."

Having made his choice, Mustafa sprang forward with his axe drawn, but he didn't make it more than a meter before Archangel unleashed a blast of dark magic. The attack cracked and arced through the air like a bolt of lighting, and it caused violent spasms and convulsions in Mustafa when it hit him. The Plegian general fell to his knees screaming and vomiting, and he barely managed to brace himself on his axe for a few seconds before collapsing entirely. A few moments of dead silence passed. Many of Mustafa's soldiers looked on in horror, but nobody moved to help him.

"Gods!" Ophelia cried as she brought her hands to her mouth. Archangel seemed to hear her, and she turned and brought her creepy, glowing purple eyes to Chrom. The moment he'd been waiting for. Chrom straightened himself as Archangel approached.

"Chrom. It's really you. Do you… know who I am?"

"You're the leader of the Archanean Liberation Front, but no. I don't know who you really are, but I've been told you know me."

"Yes. I've been hearing about you since I was a girl. I was so excited to finally meet you. Now you're meeting me. Seeing what I've done. It's like a twisted inversion of when you and Robin found me thirty years ago. Now you're the misguided one, and I'm the leader of an army. I remember fighting with you and my father. Enjoying with you. Suffering with you. Much had we seen and known. Cities of men and manners, climates, councils, governments. I am a part of all that I have met, thanks to you. I was happy, but then you took everything from me." Archangel began to struggle with her helmet. "I may not seem like the teenaged girl you knew back then, but I am."

Archangel removed her helmet, letting it fall to the ground, and Chrom became unable to do anything but whisper a single word. "Cynthia."

Cynthia gave a rather unsettling smile. As much as Chrom couldn't believe it, there was no doubt that this was the Cynthia he had known in the Shepherds. Cynthia was in her late forties now, and she showed some telltale signs of aging, but time had been far less forceful with her than it had been with Chrom. She had her mother's faded brown hair, which she still kept in two pigtails. Some gray hairs could be seen, but they blended in well with her natural hair color. A few wrinkles now lined her face, but they didn't detract from her soft features. Cynthia still looked girlish. Innocent.

However, Chrom was also reminded of just how much things had changed. Disturbingly, Cynthia's glowing eyes hadn't been caused by her strange mask. They actually glowed with a bright purple light, but within a few seconds this light faded to reveal her normal brown eyes. There was a determination in her stare that had never been there before. Her gaze carried a power and weight that seemed unnatural on such a traditionally feminine figure. There was a burning intensity to Cynthia's stare, and Chrom felt a sense of dread growing until he finally averted his gaze. As his eyes fell to Şeytankulu, Chrom realized just how strange it was that he'd rather look at Cynthia's large, armored, intimidating male subordinates than her, but that was genuinely how he felt. He couldn't meet the ferocity of Cynthia's gaze. He just couldn't. Cynthia herself seemed to revel in having stared him down, and her smile twisted into a kind of silent snarl before she spoke. To Chrom's dismay, Cynthia's helmet wasn't making her voice more powerful. Like her eyes, it really had changed on its own. Though still high pitched and girlish, Cynthia's voice now carried very easily, and it seemed to command respect from anyone that heard it. It was hard to explain, but Chrom felt like Cynthia could drown him out even if he yelled.

"Yes. It's been a long time hasn't it, Chrom? I haven't seen you since, well-" Cynthia held up her left arm. "Since you did this to me." Cynthia laughed, though it was a low, threatening laugh. It certainly didn't improve the mood of the situation. "The look on your face! I see my secret was kept."

Chrom took a few steps forward, willing himself to look at Cynthia again. "I… I can't believe it. Y-You. You… of all people. You did this." Chrom's voice was almost monotone as he struggled to process his shock. Even looking right at Cynthia, it still didn't feel real to him. "You did this?! All of this?! This entire army was created by you?!" Chrom gestured to Keith, Pheros, Cervantes, and Cynthia's subordinates in disbelief. "Y-You adopted Keith?! You're the one Walhart's officers follow?! You lead all these men?! This entire army?! This entire war with the Grimleal?! You of all people are behind it?! Cynthia… how is that possible?!"

"I understand your disbelief. After all, how could the scatterbrained, ditzy Pegasus Knight accomplish all of this? I was just a joke back then, Chrom. I wanted so badly to be a hero, but I didn't inspire anyone. I just amused them. I was comedic relief!" Cynthia looked over the fort. She looked to her soldiers and the officers that now followed her, and she seemed to take pride in all of it. "But I am responsible for all of this, Chrom. I was able to forge this army because I grew up. When I was a child, I was girlish. I hated violence, but I was forced to fight to survive in my timeline. Beyond that, I wanted to fight. I wanted to be a hero, like my mother and father. I thought I'd grown up then, but I see now I was still just a child. Even when I was with you. My girlhood was lost with my left arm." Cynthia looked back to Chrom. "I loved my mother. She gave me her courage and compassion… but I didn't benefit from her mind. Now, my father on the other hand…"

"Robin." Chrom said solemnly as he remembered his old friend.

"Yes. As a teenager I followed my mother, but now I've dedicated myself to being like him. He passed down his talent for magic to me. Though it was difficult, I taught myself to harness it. And it wasn't just magic he gave me. I have his strategic mind too. I just had to learn. I just had to focus. I had to stop wasting time on poses, and names, and entrances, and other childish things. I had to focus on what it really means to be a hero. I had to focus on saving the world from the Grimleal. What my parents dedicated their lives to. What Lucina dedicated her life to. That is how I was able to create this army." Cynthia stepped forward, and she and Chrom were just a meter apart now. "I may not be like the girl you knew, but I still want the same thing."

"But… Cynthia…" Chrom looked around. There was nothing inspiring about the Arch Surg forces he saw here. There was nothing inspiring about Keith. About Şeytankulu, or Khomeini, or Salzman. About the soldiers Henry had brainwashed into serving. Chrom looked to Mustafa and remembered how Cynthia had attacked him. He looked to the fort itself and remembered what the Arch Surg had done to Tiki. How he had to fight his way out. None of this was inspiring. It was threatening. Horrifying. "The Arch Surg is responsible for so much violence. So much death! How could, how could you be responsible for this! This isn't what Sumia and Robin would have wanted! I mean, you had the severed wings of a Pegasus on your back through some horrible application of dark magic. How could Sumia be okay with that?! Why have you… I don't… why did you… WHY?! Was it power?!"

Cynthia just laughed again. Her voice was calm and collected, and she grinned from ear to ear as she spoke. She wanted Chrom to ask her that. "It's not power I want, Chrom. Not for its own sake. Want I want is to save the world! To free the human race from the Grimleal! To be a hero! If you look at history, you'll find that whenever humanity was threatened by a terrible evil, a great hero rose to stop it! These heroes didn't just fight, they built something. They changed the world for the better. Nobody lives forever, Chrom. No matter who you are, or how important you think your life is, death comes for everybody. It is the great equalizer. Life's not about you. It's not about making a name for yourself. It's about leaving a mark on history. It's about inspiring other people. It's about giving something to the future. Life is but a grace period to change the world. To do something that will be remembered! You're only a hero if other people look up to you! You're only a hero if you've saved something! If you've changed something!" Cynthia paced back and forth as she continued. "The purpose of life is to pass on the best of your bloodline to the next generation. Life is selfish. We spend our whole lives taking and taking. The only time we ever give something is when we have children. All living things die, but they leave their mark on history when they have children. Countless living things that have long since gone still live on through their bloodlines! When you have a child, you give something to the future, and you ensure that your existence mattered. The Shepherds had children, even as they fought, and Lucina, and I, and our companions couldn't have gone back in time to fight Grima if they hadn't. The purpose of life is to give new life the chance to exist, and to ensure a better world for future generations. Of course, this isn't just having kids. After all, almost all living things will reproduce. Having children isn't anything special. Heroes go above and beyond. Chrom, the Falchion has an inscription on it. Do you know what it says? Do you know what your own sword says?"

Chrom did know. He didn't understand the strange writing on the Falchion, but his family had told him what it meant. "When all else is lost the future still remains."

"Lucina understood what I'm saying. She devoted her life to fighting, just fighting, so that she could give her other self the chance for a better life. So she could give the rest of humanity a chance! Back then we thought you were a hero, Chrom. That you could save the world!" Cynthia stuck her finger at him. "But you were a false idol! You lead us astray! Heroes build something. Tell me, what have you built? You've killed, and destroyed, but what have you built?"

Ophelia had been silent, not understanding the relationship Chrom and Cynthia had, but she couldn't take Cynthia's criticisms of her great uncle anymore. "The Shepherds! He built the Shepherds!"

"And tell me, daughter of my old friend, what fate befell the Shepherds?"

"They… they-"

"He broke us."

Chrom slowly turned to Ophelia and shook his head. "Ophelia. Please. I want to hear what she has to say."

"I see now that you weren't the hero, Chrom! We were! That is why I survived! Good always triumphs after all. I survived everything that happened so that I could build this! You see, heroes don't just fight! Heroes don't preserve a status quo! They make a mark on history, and the world is changed for their fight against evil! Anyone can fight. Anyone can kill. Heroes save society, and they change society! Anri created the Kingdom of Altea! Marth and Caeda created the United Kingdom of Archanea! Alm and Celica created the One Kingdom of Valentia! The First Exalt created the Halidom of Ylisse! Now I too have built something! I too have given something to the future! A revolution that will save humanity from this rotting cancer that now calls itself our government. I have created this!" As Cynthia spoke, Sumia swooped down and landed on her shoulders. The force of the landing caused Cynthia to stumble forward, but her armor protected her from the eagle's talons, and she quickly straightened herself. As if on cue, the eagle extended her wings as Cynthia struck a dramatic pose. "THE ARCHANEAN LIBERATION FRONT!" As Cynthia finished speaking, Sumia accentuated her speech with a screech. It was nothing short of surreal. Chrom could see that deep down, Cynthia hadn't lost her love for theatrics, but there was nothing funny about it this time.

The soldiers Cynthia had come with cheered, but Chrom still continued to step forward. "Cynthia… the Arch Surg has committed atrocities, and they were done in your name! In the name of who you call yourself now! Cities oppressed! Gods sold into slavery! Violence! Death! How can you call this heroism?! If Robin and Sumia could see you now-"

Cynthia's face twisted with anger at the mention of them, and Sumia jumped off of her shoulders as she stepped even closer to Chrom. "And why can't they see me now?! Huh?! Why can't they see me?! How dare you even speak their names! Tell me, Chrom, where is Henry? He's supposed to be stationed at this fort."

Pheros stepped forward. "Henry was-"

Cynthia raised her arm, and Pheros almost immediately silenced herself. "I want to hear it from him!"

"He…" Chrom had to look at his own feet. "He's gone."

"And Aunt Cordelia? My mother's best friend? My scouts tell me she was with you at Nowi Falls. Tell me. What happened to her?"

Chrom's voice began to crack. "She's gone too."

"Just two more you've failed. They survived for thirty years, but they die as soon as they see you again."

"I… I-"

"How dare you criticize me! Lucina, and I, and all the others trusted you! We believed in you! We really thought you could save the world, but you took everything from us! I lost my parents twice because of you! I lost my companions, who had fought by my side since childhood, because of you! You ruined everything, and then what did you do?! Huh?! What did you do?! You turned and hid from the world for thirty years, and now that I'm trying to fix what you did, YOU HAVE THE AUDACITY TO LECTURE ME ABOUT DEATH?!"

"Cynthia, I… I-" Chrom was breaking down completely at this point, and he fell to his knees as tears fell down his cheeks. A now very familiar feeling of guilt enveloped him, but this was far worse than anything he'd felt before. None of the Shepherds he'd reunited with had been this harsh. Cynthia was relentless, and Chrom knew she wasn't really wrong about anything she said.

"Pathetic excuse for a man! Lucina, Naga rest her soul, was blinded to your weakness. What do you have to say for yourself?!"

"I-"

"You're sorry?! Is that what you were going to say?!"

Chrom finally broke, and he could do nothing but cry for about a minute. A bitter silence filled the fort. Cynthia just stared down at Chrom. Ophelia looked on in horror. She desperately wanted to stand up to Cynthia, to make her great uncle feel better, but she knew there was nothing she could say to cheer him up. This was far too personal for him. The Arch Surg officers had varying expressions. Şeytankulu and Khomeini were entirely apathetic, and Cervantes just stared. Salzman actually seemed to worry about Chrom, but he didn't do anything. The only one to truly feel anything for him was Pheros, and she eventually mustered the nerve to approach Cynthia. "Archangel… is this really necessary? He's in a very fragile place right now. We… should be helping him."

Cynthia took very deep breaths to calm herself, and she stepped forward and placed her hand on Chrom's shoulder. She kept it there as his sobbing slowly died down, and she knelt down so that the two were at eye level. When Chrom finally brought his gaze back to hers, she did her best to show that her anger had left her. "Come on, Chrom. Get up. I don't want to see you like this."

"Cynthia. Oh gods. I know this means nothing to you, but I am so sorry. You're right about me."

Ophelia became alarmed. "Chrom!"

"No. She is right. I… I have no right to criticize you for fighting. For trying to help the world. Not after what I did."

"But that wasn't your fault!"

Chrom ignored Ophelia, and Cynthia paid her no mind. She brought her head closer to Chrom's, almost to the point of whispering into his ear. Her voice became very calm and gentle, and her again eyes began to glow a faint purple. "I don't hate you."

"It's alright. I deserve it."

"But I don't. We're not so different now. We are both shaped by those we have lost. In that way, so we are the same. We're both getting old. Our youth ended long ago. We are not the young warriors trying to find a light in the darkness anymore. This is when we dedicate our lives to leaving something for future generations, and you're far too old to be conflicted like this. You need to find what you stand for."

Chrom found that Cynthia's words were oddly soothing, and he felt closer to her as she spoke. As he finally allowed her to reach him, his eyes began to glow a faint purple too. Cynthia smiled, as if she knew something had happened. "And you can help me?"

"Yes. We can fight together, Chrom. We can fight the Grimleal together!"

Ophelia looked nervously between the two. "What are you doing to him?!" Again Chrom ignored her, and Cynthia continued.

"Old age has weakened us, but this is not the end of our lives. Tis not too late to seek a newer world. We can go beyond the bounds of human thought. We can still do something heroic and honorable before death takes us. Though we are not as strong as we were in youth, we are strong in will. We are sustained by our resolve to give something to the future. You can still fight for Ophelia, Chrom. For Soleil. For Caeldori."

Ophelia's eyes widened. "How do you even know about them?!" Still Chrom ignored her, lost in a trance, and still Cynthia continued.

"We still have our heroic hearts. Though we are made weak through time and fate, we are made strong through our desire to change the world for those yet to be born. For a better future, we are sustained by our desire to push onwards relentlessly: to strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield." Cynthia's eyes now glowed as intensely as before, but it didn't seem to bother Chrom. In fact, he didn't seem to notice at all. Cynthia slowly moved her hand from Chrom's shoulder until she was gently caressing his cheek. When her lips curled into a warm smile, Chrom felt compelled to do the same. "Will you stand by my side now as we fight to free humanity from the Grimleal? Will you atone for for your sins?"

"I… I will."

Cynthia stood up, and her eyes returned to normal. She extended her hand, and Chrom took it. "Then welcome to our revolution, brother." Chrom suddenly found that his sense of calm had disappeared, but he still felt closer to Cynthia. Felt that she'd somehow helped him with internal conflict he couldn't overcome on his own. What he experienced now didn't feel natural, and yet it did. Chrom couldn't wrap his head around it, but he certainly felt better than he did a few minutes prior. He slowly brought himself back to his feet, and he watched as Cynthia turned to face her soldiers. "Brothers and sisters of the Archanean Liberation Front! There has been too much bloodshed here today. I know some of you have many grievances. I know some of you were wronged by the dark mage Henry. I know some of you took up arms against us."

Ophelia scowled and turned to Chrom. She elbowed him before speaking, making sure he couldn't ignore her. "She's trying to blame everything on Henry! He was probably doing it on her orders!"

Chrom didn't share Ophelia's anger. He just continued to stare aimlessly at Cynthia. "Her voice. Something about her voice."

"What?! Chrom, listen to me! You can't agree with her! I don't know what it's like for you to see a Shepherd again, but remember what they did to Tiki!"

Chrom jerked in place, as if he'd been snapped back to reality. "I...do. But… Cynthia wouldn't… would she?" He looked back to her as she continued to speak to her soldiers. "Don't you see, Ophelia. I have to go with her. I have to know why she's like this now, and maybe I can help her. Maybe… she can help me."

"Chrom… just… don't let her manipulate you."

"The Cynthia I knew wouldn't do that. She couldn't do that."

"I don't think you know her anymore."

Cynthia continued to speak, and the soldiers seemed to become more entranced with every word. "Free will is the heart of what makes us human. Liberty, opportunity, civil rights, these are the things that the Grimleal would try to take from us. We can stand together to stop that, but I cannot make you see things my way. Those of you who wish to remain enemies of our revolution, stay where you are. However, for those of you who wish to help us liberate all humanity from the tyranny of this god of death, know that all is forgiven. We are all humans, and so we are all united in humanity's struggle. For those of you who have fought with me, and wrought with me, and thought with me, some work of noble note may yet be done." One by one, the soldiers began to step forward. Though some hesitated, and some only moved when the soldiers by them did, every single soldier ultimately chose to rejoin the Arch Surg. Cynthia reached out her arms and nodded, then turned and walked over to Mustafa. The veteran soldier was still on the ground, badly injured by Cynthia's attack, and he could only bring his head up to look as Cynthia stood over him. She struck a valiant pose, and as she did, Şeytankulu and Khomeini stepped by her side. She offered her hand to Mustafa, and her officers readied their weapons to show what would happen if he refused it. "And what of you, Mustafa? I know you disagree with out methods, but surely you see that the fight against the Grimleal is more important than any one person's protests. Your men have sided with me. Now, will you be an honorable general and stand with them? Will you live for something? Will you continue to try and atone for serving the mad king all those years ago?"

Mustafa sighed and relented. Cynthia helped him to his feet, and Khomeini handed him an elixir. The former Pegasus Knight watched with a devious smile as he drank it, showing Mustafa full well that he only lived because she allowed it. When he finished, and as his injuries healed, Mustafa slowly knelt in front of Cynthia and hung his head. "I… pledge my fealty to you once more, Archangel. I apologize for my betrayal."

Cynthia chuckled, and she placed her hand on the much older man's shoulder as she had done to Chrom and shook him in an almost loving manner. The warmth Cynthia displayed to her followers was horribly dissonant from how threatening her officers were. Even as she offered her hand in reconciliation, her subordinates made it abundantly clear what would happen if you refused it. As Chrom looked over to Keith, and as he saw the normally very menacing yet well spoken man hang his head in submission around his mother, he started to realize why he'd become the man he was. Keith eventually noticed Chrom staring at him, and his youthful face twisted into that all too familiar look of fury as Cynthia walked over to him. "We're leaving, Keith. Now do something useful for once. Take Chrom and Ophelia to our carriages, and do not lay so much as a finger on them. Got it?"

"Yes, mother."

"Good. Mom loves you." Cynthia gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before leaving to talk privately with her men. Keith looked embarrassed for a second, but his default look of barely contained rage had graced him once more by the time he reached Chrom and Ophelia. With Cynthia gone, he was free to put on his butterfly mask, and he and Chrom stared each other down.

"Chrom."

The emotions Chrom felt around Cynthia were very complex now, but the hatred that consumed him whenever he spoke to Keith was simple enough. "Keith. You got what you wanted. I'm meeting Archangel."

"I was supposed to bring you to her. You made me look bad in front of my mom!" Keith caught himself. His fury faded, but that made him no less threatening. No less unhinged. "But it matters not. The Arch Surg is as a deluge that will wash away the filth of this world, and I will mete and dole punishment unto a cruel and savage race."

Keith drew his estoc, customized to look like the Falchion, and motioned towards the line of carriages Archangel's forces had used to come to the fort before walking away. As Chrom watched him leave, he saw two people staring at him from the corner of his eye, and he turned to find Robin and Sumia. The two stood together, looks of horror on their faces. Sumia buried her head in her husband's shoulder, as if she couldn't look at Cynthia anymore. "Oh, Robin. What's become of our little girl?!"

"I don't know." Robin turned to Chrom. "What did you do to her?!"

"Wait! No! I-I'm sorry!" Chrom reached towards the two, but they simply faded away. "I'm sorry!"

Chrom looked back to Cynthia. She was flanked by Şeytankulu, Khomeini, and Keith, and all of her men glared at Chrom. Cynthia herself just smiled. "Come, Chrom. We've much to discuss."

Ophelia turned to see Chrom walking towards her. She was about to urge him to be careful, but she felt someone staring at her, and she glanced back to see Salzman. He didn't say anything to Ophelia. He just stared. Disturbed, Ophelia hurried after Chrom.

(Well there we go. Though the Grimleal regime is still at the zenith of its power, and though Chrom's a ways away from facing Gangrel and Aversa, with this chapter, the big 5-0, Chrom has finally faced the leadership of the Archanean Liberation Front directly. I'll be taking a break from this story for awhile, partially because of school, and partially because my laptop and iPad are damaged and it's very frustrating to type this on a phone.

Please feel to let me know how you think of the story so far. Questions? Comments? Concerns? I greatly appreciate feedback :)

When this story picks up again, we'll see what Soleil and Caeldori have been up to before returning to Chrom and Ophelia's story.)