Robin and Chrom were the last to disembark the boat that had taken them to Origin Peak, a volcanic island with few foliage and plenty of smaller mountains and hills.

"I'm not surprised Grima would come here." Robin gave the area a cursory look. "It feels so…empty." And sad.

Chrom nodded. "I'll be glad never to see this place again." He turned to Naga. "I fail to see him, though."

"The fell dragon is indeed here." She assured him.

"The only place he could hide." Robin snorted at his husband's word choice. "Is the volcano."

"Great, another battle in an active volcano." Lissa said sarcastically as she walked by. "Better tell everyone to practice jumping from semi-safe spot to semi-safe spot as they try not to get killed. Again."

"It worked, didn't it?" Robin called after her.

Chrom laughed at Naga's puzzled expression. He slid an arm around the other man's waist. "Robin is a master tactician that has a flare for the dramatics."

"I do not!"

"And the nasty, but brilliant, ability to take daring risks that might kill us all."

"I didn't hear any one complaining."

"Oh, there was plenty complaining."

Robin childishly stuck his tongue out at him.

Naga furrowed her brow. How could they joke at a time like this? "Remember, Awakener, the power I gave you cannot destroy Grima."

Robin slipped from Chrom's grasp. "It can only put him back to sleep for another thousand years."

"Correct, Fellblood."

Chrom opened his mouth to defend his husband, he wouldn't let anyone call him 'Fellblood', but remembered who he was with and closed his mouth. It was doubtful Naga would do anything to negatively impact the army, yet picking a fight with a goddess sounded like it'd be at the top of the 'Stupidest Things to Do' list.

"So you know of my lineage?"

"You possess power not so different from my own."

"It's too bad I can't use it."

Chrom looked down at Falchion running his fingers over the hilt. It felt so different now with Naga's blessing. "We must find some way to break this unholy cycle! We can't just keep putting Grima back to sleep every few centuries. Otherwise we merely will his vengeance on our descendants. If the sword, the emblem, or one of the gems were lost." He left the rest unsaid.

Hope would be as well.

The tactician chewed his bottom lip. "I may know a way."

"Of course you have some strategy. I can always count on you."

"The other me claimed the dragon and I were the same, yes? If I strike the final blow, he'd be killed by his own hand."

"Ingenious!" Chrom clapped his hands triumphantly turning to Naga. "Will it work?"

She hesitated. There was so much hope in his gaze. "Perhaps." She spoke slowly. "But there would be consequences. Grima's heart and Robin's are inexorably linked. Dragon and man can no longer be separated. Therefore, slaying Grima would also cause the end of Robin's life." She held up a finger to stop the interruptions. "There is, however, a chance he could survive, but it is small." Naga focused solely on Robin. "You have bound your heart to those of many others in this world. If those ties prove strong enough, they may yet keep you in this reality. But I would not give you false hope. The chance you would live is insignificant. In truth, you will almost certainly cease to exist."

Before he could speak, Chrom cut in. "Robin would cease to be?!" He shook his head. "No. We'll find another way."

"Chrom, wait." Robin placed a hand on his husband's bare bicep. "You're not thinking clearly. Think about what your sister would have wanted."

"Emmeryn would never have asked you to do this!"

"What is one life, when weighed against millions? She."

"Stop it!" Chrom's voice rose causing Robin to jerk back in surprise. "You're one of us. You'll ALWAYS be one of us. There has to be another way. We just have to find it." He grabbed Robin's shoulders in a firm grip. His voice softening. "Promise me, Robin. Promise me you won't do this. Please."

They stared at one other. He could see so much pain in Chrom's eyes. It hurt. Could he make that promise? Could he keep it? He wanted to yet there was no guarantee this cycle would continue to work. Chrom and Lucina were strong in mind and body, but the next Awakener might not be. When would an opportunity like this present itself again?

"You have been so very kind to me, Chrom, always." Robin gently, yet firmly, pushed Chrom's arms down. "But this is my decision."

"You can't say that. We swore to stand by each other, remember? We're two halves of a whole."

"Would you not do the same?"

Chrom opened and closed his mouth several times, unable to come up with a reply. They both knew he would, without hesitation, it was who he was, just as it was who Robin was. Neither of them would ask others to do something they would not.

"The time for deliberation is over, Awakener." Naga broke in "The Grimleal have found us."