Gathering

Two days have passed since their voyage as Nanami rushed to and from the Mess Halls. Everyone was really busy with the war. They were going to meet the royalties to stop the battle, at least that's what they hoped. After finally sorting out the provision problems, Nanami was finally allowed to leave having finished her chores. As she made it to the clinic, she was stopped as a voice shouted, "I'm only asking you to leave me alone! Wah!"

"Hey, get back here!"

She quickly rushed in to find Takumi running about, while Senri struggling to hide under the bed as the girls watched on. Sakura noticed her and gestured her over with a timid wave. Nanami followed and asked, "What's going on?"

Sakura looked about nervously as she stammered, "W-Well…"

"Takumi wants to talk with him about the castle incident in Nohr because he wouldn't talk with our older siblings." Elise replied slightly troubled, "I'd help, but Sakura and I weren't allowed anywhere near him. I still think that I can help, though."

As Takumi grumbled and finally sat on the bed crossing his arms impatiently, Nanami looked to the two in confusion as she thought of how much easier it would be if Shukuri or Kakeru was here.

"Sakura? Elise?"

They looked up and saw Azura walking in.

"Azura!" Sakura smiled.

"Big Sis!" Elise jumped to her feet with a bright smile, "Good morning! Do you need something?"

"I'm just not feeling too well lately… I was hoping you'd check to see what might be the issue." She replied with a frown, "It won't be good for me if I get sick before getting to Bottomless Canyon."

"Sick?" Takumi raised a brow as his attention now shifted to his sister only in time for the young esper to make a dash for it, "Ah! Hey! … Oh, forget it…"

Now, Nanami was getting a little worried as she heard this. Azura nodded and explained to their sisters, "It started since yesterday morning. I haven't been feeling too well and I've been feeling a little feverish for the last few hours too. I thought I might be pushing myself a little, but it never really faded."

"Huh?" Elise tilted her head with uncertainty, "Is it…"

Sakura looked to her in confusion, "E-E-Elise… do you think…?"

"What is it?" Takumi raised a brow, "If it's a fever, she just needs medicine, right?"

Elise sighed before she quickly pushed him out the door.

"H-Hey! What are you trying to do?!" the archer snapped as he struggled.

"Just wait outside as we figure something out, okay?" Elise smiled before she pushed him out and slammed the door.

Sighing in relief, she turned to them with a strained smile, "Sorry about that…"

"It's all right." Sakura smiled, "We can explain it to him after. He'll understand. Azura, you should take a seat on the bed. Can you also answer a few questions for us too?"

"Okay?" Azura nodded and sat down on the bed sheet as instructed.

Nanami looked about in confusion before Elise saw her and smiled, "Can you wait by the door? This shouldn't take too long."

Nanami nodded in silence and sat in a chair by the locked door. As she wondered of the severity and the herbs she should probably use, Elise shouted, "Oh wow! Yay!"

"E-Elise…" Sakura said nervously.

Nanami raised a brow before seeing Sakura walk out timidly. Nanami tilted her head in confusion before Sakura quietly asked, "U-Um… Nanami? Do you know where Kamui is?"

Nanami frowned, "I don't. I'm sorry."

"I-It's fine!" Sakura shook her head nervously, "I-I'll try asking. Can you stay with Elise and our sister?"

Our? That's when she remembered that Azura was also Elise's stepsister. She nodded, "I understand."

"Thank you!" Sakura nodded before running out.

Nanami only watched in confusion as the white screen remains quiet. Elise's voice came through with uncertainty, "Um… Azura? Are you all right?"

She wasn't certain before a voice returned, "Y-Yeah…"

Mikoto was heading to the small workshop near the Mess Hall from the deck when she noticed hearing thumping sounds nearby. Mikoto looked to the cabins as she imagined the two archers now at practice. With his eye fixed, Ron has had little trouble recognizing people or doing his daily tasks. After some quick adjustments, Natsuhiko was certain that he'd last for a good month or so before some more detailed adjustments are to be made or fixed. Right now, very few people know about this problem of his as they watch him and his laid back attitude. Mikoto hoped that he would continue being this diligent when they return to the Norn. After walking down the deck, she noticed Mozu walking around nervously.

"Mozu?" Mikoto said in confusion, "What's the matter? Is it about the crops back in the astral realm?"

"Yeah, sort of." the village girl said timidly.

"But isn't Lilith helping us care for it?"

Mozu nodded, "She did say that, but… it just doesn't feel normal not tending to the crops."

She soon realized what the villager meant. Mikoto nodded, "I know that feeling sometimes."

"You do?"

Mikoto nodded, "Yeah. I've always been making barriers to protect others since I was young. Whenever, I dropped the barrier. It just feels weird without it. I've done it for so long, after all. Even now, I still have the barrier up back at the ship, I think. It's my duty and responsibility to protect others with my ability."

"That's amazing." Mozu noted in awe, "Back in my village, I was always helping my village and ma with hunting and cooking. I'd also help grow crops back home. It's not something as important as your work, but it is in mine."

Mikoto smiled, "I believe your role is just as important as mine, though. There was a period of time where I had to help a village with farming in exchange for shelter. Before then, I've hardly ever touched a shovel till then. I grew up in a wealthy household, so I usually had someone to provide for us. But, it's only when you take on the work yourself that you realize all the work that goes into a single meal. It's easy to take advantage of such a thing if you're not the one out there growing your own food. So, I admire that you drive yourself to be so motivated in your work under the sun."

The village girl smiled nervously, "Thank you, Kuga. It's kind of embarrassing to hear someone tell me that, but I'm glad you think so. Though I did have some times, where I messed up…"

"Oh." Mikoto smiled, "There's this one time where I was helping in that field, but, as I was helping, I fell spectacularly! Thinking back now, it's rather humorous, but it certainly was embarrassing that time."

"Really?" Mozu giggled, "One time, I was also out in the field and…"

As the girls walked away, Kamui stood there smiling from afar. Camilla walked up with a smile, "Well, now. It seems some of our friends are just as good at counseling too."

Kamui nodded, "Right. I'm glad that we got to meet them on this journey too. In a way, we learn from them as much as they've changed. Speaking of which, how's-"

"Doing rather well." Camilla chuckled, "She seemed to have gotten the hang of being around others, but she is still rather tight lipped."

Kamui nodded, "I see."

"Big Brother!"

They looked up to see Sakura rush up to them flustered, "A-A-Azura!"

As Camilla walked through the halls with a bright smile the next morning, she noticed a familiar figure of a esper with hair tied up leaning against the wall laughing with the black and white wolfskin. The human man saw her and smiled, "Good morning, Princess Camilla. I heard the news."

Camilla chuckled, "Yes. I can't wait to see the little child."

"Child?" Keaton raised a brow, "Huh?!"

Camilla chuckled, "So, you haven't heard? I'm going to be an aunt."

"O-Oh…" the wolfskin stepped back nervously, "But, then… It's Kamui and his wife, then?"

"They're the first couple here." Camilla giggled, "What's gotten you all flustered?"

Kagami sighed, "So, everyone's already starting to get to together? Now, that's just cold."

"Well, maybe if you reduce playing cards so often, you might get a chance with someone else." Camilla smiled, "But, not me."

Kagami sighed, "First, the lady, then her friends, and now everyone else here. I guess it's the loners group for me, then. Perhaps, I should immerse myself in a dream?"

"Uh… Isn't that a little dangerous?" Keaton raised a brow, "You said so yourself."

Kagami smiled, "It's was a joke, Keaton. I should know since I have been using my abilities for so long."

"Your ability?" Camilla raised a brow, "Is it alright for you to be speaking about it so freely?"

The esper shrugged, "It depends if I want to."

"Really?" Camilla said quietly.

"Camilla!"

They looked up as Kagami smiled, "Well, if it isn't the little princess. Hi!"

"Hey, Itsuki! Hi Keaton!" Elise smiled and looked to Camilla, "Good morning, Sis!"

"Good morning, Elise." She smiled back, "I see that you still haven't grown out of running in the halls or shouting."

Elise pouted, "Well, yeah, but I need some help!"

"What is it?" Camilla questioned with curiosity.

Takumi sighed and watched Senri struggled to hide under his own bunk bed. He tapped the ground irritatingly as he muttered, "It's just some question you need to answer."

"No way." The espers responded bluntly.

There was a sudden knock on the door. Takumi cursed quietly under his breath before he grimaced and turned around to open it. It was Nanami. Takumi raised a brow. He's seen the girl a couple times in the archery building when Ron was practicing, but rarely spoke to her. The girl seemed a little uncertain as she questioned, "Is Senri still in there?"

Takumi sighed again and moved aside, "What else is he going to do?"

Suddenly, Nanami slipped by and approached the bed.

"Ah! Hey!"

However, she didn't flinch from the archer's shout. Instead she knelt down and said quietly, "It's not much, but Mikoto and I made some macaroons with Princess Elise and Princess Camilla. They said that you might like some, so I brought some over."

She pulled out a bag of colorful cookie sandwiches. Senri looked between the bag and her before he grimaced, "I-It's not tempered by you, right?"

Nanami shook her head, "No… Princess Elise made some for you."

Senri eyed her and the bag cautiously before she continued, "I know a place where there are very few people. You can eat there if you want."

After some seconds, Senri finally crawled out of the bed with a strange looking doll in his hands. Nanami tilted her head, "You still have the Voodoo doll?"

He took the bag in silence as Nanami just nodded, "I'll show you the place."

As they walked out of the room, Takumi watched in disbelief as he sees the simplicity of it all from a single offer of food. He shook his head and looked back, "Maybe, I should ask Mozu for help next time…"

It's been a while since they traveled as Koharu looked up from the horse she shared with Laslow. As the man was the crown prince's retainer, they stuck close by them in the front lines. With this, she got to see the sky change from dark to a faint hue of white. However, her hand tightened around her chest. She didn't know why, but she still continued to have this omnious feeling… that something was about to happen. Worried, she pondered over it for a good while.

"Koharu!"

She jumped and saw Leo and his brother looking to her as the mage asked, "Is something wrong?"

She hesitated with uncertainty before she answered, "I'm… just a bit nervous… Like something bad might happen…"

Leo looked to Xander, who nodded, "You're not the only one. You'll be fine, though. Just stay close with the army."

Koharu nodded in silence. However, it wasn't long before the spearman returned from his scouting as he reported hurriedly, "My lord! Sir Iago and Hans has been spotted heading along the path of Bottomless Canyon with a large army!"

"It's as I thought." Leo grimaced, "Hans really did followed you. Damn it!"

"Also," the man continued, "there's been sightings of the Hoshidan royals coming down from the borders!"

There was a slight murmurs as Xander frowned, "So, they've convinced the Hoshidan siblings as well…"

"Brother, should we intervene?" Leo said with a frown, "If we don't stop Iago, he'll do more than antagonize the enemy more than the way things are right now. Kamui and Corrin will be there too."

The Crown prince nodded, "We need to hurry."

He quickly snapped the reins as he rushed off. The others quickly followed. Koharu wasn't certain of the entire conversation as she looked to Laslow, "Um… Who's Iago?"

"That's the king's retainer." The mercenary smiled, "But, don't you worry about that. Now…"

He pulled over her hood till it hid her face, "Let's keep you a secret until, then. Okay?"

Koharu looked up to him before she slowly nodded in confusion.

"Are you all right, Akito?"

The red, short hair sky knight watched the blue hair esper struggle to crack open an egg over a large pot of boiling water. His hand shook as he held the egg just over the pot.

"Y-Yeah! I'm fine!" he lied as Hinoka watched him continue to struggle.

"Maybe, I should help, then-!"

"Stay right there!" the man warned with a sour look, "I'm in charge of the meals here!"

Hinoka sighed as she listened to his harsh words, "Look, I know I made a big mess yesterday… and the day before, but I can at least crack open an egg for you."

After some hesitation, Akito finally sighed, "Do what you want…"

Hinoka gave a small victorious smile before she reached over and cracked open each eggs until Akito gave the signal. She stepped back out the tent once more as Scarlett walked over with a chuckle, "You know. I've never taken you as the sort of person to be scared over an egg."

"Shut up!" Akito scowled, "It's not the egg, but what's in it-!"

He shut his mouth tight as he realized his error, but it was too late.

"What's in it…" Scarlett repeated in question before she nodded, "Could it be… Are you scared of birds?"

"No!" he snapped as he steadily mixed the pot with a large ladle.

"You know…" Hinoka started, "You had a strange look on your face when you saw my Pegasus yesterday. Maybe…"

"It's just your imagination!" Akito said curtly.

"Okay. Okay." Scarlett smiled as she raised her hands, "We're not going to bug you any further. But, seriously, if you need help with the eggs just let us know. There's a lot of soldiers to feed here you know."

Akito was quietly mumbling something as he glared at the soup.

As the days gone by in a flash, it was finally the day as they finally saw land. Up on the deck, Corrin smiled, "Finally, we're here."

"Look! Land!" Elise smiled as she dragged the Hoshidan princess over.

As they drew closer, Kamui frowned, "The land is rather bare and those flames…"

"They must be apart of when the sky changes…" Corrin said with a frown, "We read it in a book once, remember?"

Kamui nodded with a frown, "Our siblings… They'll all be there for sure."

Seeing the flames, Nanami looked to Mikoto, who asked, "But, fire? Will we be okay?"

Camilla nodded with a smile, "Sure, it's lava, but the area is well balanced. Unless, you're really clumsy, you'll be fine."

Uncertain, the others could only give a small nod.

"If we reach the Bottomless Canyon…" Senri said, "We can finally go home, right?"

"I don't know…" Kamui said with a frown, "But, we'll help any way we can."

With their things packed, everyone unboarded the boat. Kamui looked around before pulling Azura closer to him and whispered, "Are you certain you don't want to go to the astral realm?"

She nodded, "Yes. This is too important for me to leave be. Also, I want to stay with everyone in case something happens."

He nodded back, "All right. Just don't stress yourself, okay?"

"Of course." Azura smiled.

After walking some distances, they finally arrived on top of a large hill with many more cracks about the place. Kamui came to a stop as Elise rushed up to the open space scanning the area before she sighed with slump shoulders, "Aw… There's no one else here…"

Takumi nodded, "It looks like neither Ryoma nor Prince Xander were swayed to join us…"

"Let's not give up yet." Camilla said as she looked up, "The skies above Nohr and Hoshido haen't completely changed."

As they looked up, they could all see the ridges of the cliffs surrounding their surrounding and the skies above them with the white clouds soon becoming much like dawn. Heishi murmured, "Really? It just looks a lot like an early morning to me…"

"In time, the skies will change completely, you'll see." Azura said with a frown, "Still, there isn't a lot of time left. It's getting more difficult to see the difference between noon and night."

"I never knew what it looked like when the skies changed…" Sakura said nervously.

"Huh, really?" Kagami said with a smile, "I guess we're the same, Miss."

Azura looked up suddenly as she noted cautiously, "Hm? Someone's approaching."

Suddenly, numerous soldiers in Nohrian attire appeared before them on all sides. Seeing this, Nanami pulled out her kunai hidden under her sleeve, "Nohrian soldiers!"

Corrin peered through the partial darkness and grimaced, "That's… Hans and a Nohran Army!"

Takumi scowled, "Instead of getting Prince Xander's cooperation, we get an assault!"

"I knew we should've just stayed on the ship…" Senri muttered and partially hid behind a rock.

"I can't believe he would do this!" Camilla said in bewilderment.

"This… is your answer, Xander?" Kamui said with a frown in disbelief.

"Listen to me, Kamui. Corrin. You must stay strong." Azura said as she looked to the two, "We can't lose here, or all we've done will have been for nothing."

The booming voice echoed as the bald-headed general berseker shouted, "Follow me, you scum! We'll hurl the Hoshidans and traitors into the canyon!"

Kamui grimaced as he saw a group of enemy soldiers coming their way. He pulled Azura closer to them before seeing Camilla rush out on Marzia and brought down an enemy ax-man. Takumi followed suit and shot out against two enemy mercenaries. However, that didn't stop the flow of enemy soldiers as the next wave appeared and pushed them back.

"Not good…" Takumi shouted, "Camilla, pull back! We can't take them on by ourselves!"

The Nohrian princess followed his words and pulled back. Nanami's eyes widen as she saw the number of soldiers coming at the group from the other side, "No!"

"Don't get any closer! I won't let you lay a finger on my brother!"

Suddenly, soldiers in red attires appeared and quickly trampled over the enemies followed by a sky knight and a familiar Malig knight that came down over the soldiers.

"What?!" Kamui's eyes widen.

"Ryoma!" Corrin shouted in relief, "You made it!"

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Kamui. Corrin." The man in red said with a grin.

"Don't worry." The red hair woman said with a big smile, "We've come to fight by your side!"

"Did you see the enemy army?" the blond hair woman said with a smile, "This has all the looks of a fantastic battle!"

"You all came!" Kamui smiled in relief.

"Amazing!" Sakura said with an overjoyed look, "Even Hinoka is here!"

"Victory is all but assured now." The archer nodded with relief.

"I'm so glad that you all decided to believe in us. In Kamui and Corrin." Azura grinned as she saw the group.

"I apologize for interrupting this happy family reunion, Lady Hinoka… But you have forgotten to introduce us, your loyal retainers."

"Huh?" Corrin saw that it was a monk with brown hair and with a staff in hand.

The man smiled, "I am called Azama. If you make foolish mistakes and injure yourselves, I can put you right."

A greyish-blue hair female archer spoke up, "Um… I'm Setsuna. I'm good with… a bow."

The archer turned to the monk with slight annoyance, "…Azama… You are standing on my foot."

The monk laughed as he moved his place slightly, "Ahaha… My apologies!"

Hinoka sighed before a smile appeared and looked to them, "As Azama said, these two are my retainers! Don't judge them by appearances; they come through when it counts. Kamui and Corrin… After all this time, I'm finally with you. I'm happy that the three of us can fight side by side again."

"Thank you, Hinoka!" Kamui smiled, "Thank you to everyone who came!"

"We don't have time for a tearful reunion!" Ryoma called out, "We need to get into position! Akito, I suggest you get to your friends quickly."

Nanami's heart skipped a beat at the sound of the name as she whispered, "Akito…?"

She turned and saw a blue hair man rush over to them. Her eyes widen as she saw the familiar coat and long blue ponytail. Rolled up sleeves and hazel eyes.

"Hey! Akito! What took you so long?" Heishi scowled as he glared at the man, "You left Nanami by herself for two months, you know!"

"Yeah, yeah." The man glared back, "You know that we were separated. How was I suppose to know where she was? I was stuck in Nohr the entire time!"

As the two was about to bicker, Mikoto grimaced before she shouted, "If you two have the time to argue, stay in a group right now, so we won't get hurt!"

Finally, the two looked away from their opponent and to the group as Itsuki sighed, "Let's not make the lady angry now. We're in the middle of a life threatening battle, you know. As much as we'd like to welcome you back, we seem to have bigger things to worry about…"

Akito looked between Heishi and Itsuki before he shook his head and walked over to the group in silence. As Nanami saw this, she felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up. It was Kaze. The ninja always seemed to be about whenever she was by herself. She was uncertain of the man's sudden appearance, but he said with a concerned look, "Will you be alright, Nanami?"

The girl nodded, "Yes…"

She then left him and hurried over to her full team with a slight feeling of relief till she noticed her long lost team mate glaring at something. Following his gaze, she saw that it was Kaze, who raised a brow before disappearing to battle.

"Akito?" she asked with confusion, "Did you see something?"

"Huh?" he looked to her and shook his head, "O-Oh! Nothing!"

After that, he then looked to her and sighed, "Did anything happen while I was away?"

He looked about with a frown, "That so-called-prince told me that this group will tell me everything."

Nanami nodded, "A lot… We'll explain everything after the battle. Right now, we're being attacked."

Irritated, Akito sighed, "So much for being the ones to maintain peace… There's nothing we can do once a war starts."

As Kamui noticed this, he tried to keep a mental reminder to thank his brother for helping their friend when he felt a hand on his arm. He looked and saw that it was Azura.

"Kamui, Corrin, there appears to be a large number of Dragon Veins in this area. It's possible that activating them will allow us to manipulate the flames…" she said.

Kamui looked about and nodded, "You're right. We should take advantage of this."

Corrin nodded, "I'll head over in that direction with Ryoma. Azura you should stay with Heishi and the other espers."

Kamui turned to her, "That's right. Even if you really are okay, we don't know what can happen in a battle."

Azura nodded, "All right. Be careful out there, Kamui. Corrin."

The two nodded as Corrin smiled, "We'll be back soon!"

In the distance, Xander brought his mount to a halt as he grimaced, "We were right. Hans and Iago has already began fighting our siblings."

Before them was a bare field full of cracks and fighting between two fronts. Koharu's eyes widen as she saw the flames from the cracks switch on and off as the groups jumped about. One of which caught her attention, "Mikoto? Nanami?"

Xander and Leo looked to her, "You recognize them?"

Koharu nodded, "They're… They're my friends."

Leo looked about before he nodded, "I only see Hans on the battle front, Xander. Those girls… they don't seem to be taking part in the battle. More like, they're just trying to avoid confronting more."

Xander frowned, "Iago… He must be planning something again."

As the flames lit back and forth, Koharu bit the bottom of her lips as her hands slightly trembled on the saddle. Unbeknownst to her, Laslow saw this and looked to his liege who nodded, "Laslow, keep Koharu with you and keep an eye out for Iago."

The retainer nodded, "Understood, Prince Xander."

Finally, Leo said, "He must be trying to come in with the second wave and ambush them… Using an illusion… or… Wait, he could be using Hans to weaken their army! That's it! He has to be hiding somewhere!"

Xander nodded, "That is the kind of tactic he would use. Hurry!"

As the two rode off the hill and across the ridge of the cliff down, Koharu's unsettling feeling grew as she watched her friends disappear behind the brush of the trees.

It wasn't till after an intense battle with flames going on and off that they had finally gotten to Hans. Or at least what had become of him after Kamui and his sister fought him off. Corrin sighed in relief as he saw everyone return and a safe songstress, "We did it… We won. The battle is over."

Kamui looked over to Azura nervously, "Are you all right, Azura?"

The songstress smiled, "Yes. Don't worry about me, Kamui. You've even had Gunter check up on me countless times already."

Then, she frowned as she continued, "But, don't relax just yet. It's not quite finished."

"What?" Kamui frowned.

"Look over there." Azura pointed.

They turned around and saw the number of enemy soldiers more than they had initially expected by the borders. However, Kamui could already see one familiar figure amongst them with a grimace, "Is that… Iago?! Nohr sent his army after us, too?!"

Hearing the name, Nanami noticed a man with long wavy dark hair and a strange looking mask with a sorcerer's robe on.

"Oh…" the man said with a sigh, "So, Hans failed? That's a shame. He made for a pretty good pawn. At least he softened up their army for me."

The man smirked as a shudder ran down Nanami's spine. She noticed Akito standing closer to her as the man continued, "Well, time to get started. I believe you took what belongs to me…"

Elise glared at him and shouted, "Senri isn't property! You leave him and his friends alone!"

"Elise…" Camilla looked to her sister with wide eyes and a soft smile.

The man glared at the princess, "Ah… so even the youngest of the children have been taken, hm? I was wondering what has been amiss. Well, no matter. We still have the princes. All traitors have to be killed for King Garon's goals."

Kamui grimaced as he saw the soldier began mobilizing, "Jeez, there are so many of them! Do we need to retreat and regroup?"

"I don't think we can afford to flee." Azura pointed out with a frown, "If we run away, we may not be able to fight our way back to the Bottomless Canyon…"

"Then our only choice is to stay and fight!" Corrin reminded them with a grimace, "But are we digging our own graves here?"

"This can't be how everything end." Kamui frowned, "We've come so far. And…"

As he paused with uncertainty, Ryoma spoke up, "Don't worry, Kamui. We'll be all right."

"Ryoma." The pointy-ear prince looked to his brother, "I'm not sure…"

"Listen, Kamui, Corrin." He said, "I didn't come all this way just to die or turn tail and run. Everyone here has come to fight with you because they believe in you. Including me. Cast off your worries. No matter how dire things look, you must fight on. The Yato chose you to carry it. I know you can do this."

Kamui thought carefully before he nodded, "Thank you, Ryoma. All right! We don't have a choice! Everyone, prepare for battle!"

"Right!" Corrin nodded.

As they began mobilizing as well, Hinoka noticed Azura making her way to the espers and said, "Azura?"

Sakura and Elise approached her as the sister answered, "S-She isn't in the best condition to be in battle."

"Is she sick?" Hinoka grimaced.

"Not really." The Hoshidan princess said nervously.

Elise grinned, "Come one! We can tell you after the battle is over! Besides, she has Kuga and Gunter with her!"

"You're right…" Sakura nodded and looked to her sister, "S-sorry, Hinoka."

"It's fine." She smiled, "But, Princess Elise is right. This battle is going to be the hardest we've come across. Let's go!"

As Nanami saw the siblings interact, she saw Azura making her way over. Akito saw this with a raised brow, "Huh, so, you're… of royalty too?"

Azura nodded with a small smile, "Yes. I'll be with you all again."

Akito shook his head with a sigh, "You should be in the wagon. By gods, you have a child with you. That doesn't mean you can go battle."

Azura nodded, "But, we're already in a tight situation."

Akito looked around to see the numerous armored soldiers and mages. He sighed, "You know what? Go to Mikoto. We won't be able to protect you if we can't even protect ourselves as well as she can."

Thought it was harsh, he was certainly right. All Nanami has in this cold bare land is her weapons and the clothes on her back. As side from water and some herbs, this was all she has to protect themselves. Mikoto has her ability to protect them and it would provide better protection than them. Nanami said, "I'll go get her. Please just wait here."

She rushed off before Akito's hand could reach her as she made her way to find her friend.

"Oh no… Nanami!" Azura called out to her.

However, the esper was already to far to hear. Akito clicked his tongue, "Seriously? You know what? Just stay close. We're going to find Nanami before something happens."

"All right." Azura nodded as they hurried off to find her.

As the battle continued, Corrin had just finished taking down a few soldiers when she saw numbers of enemy soldiers appearing on the other side of the battlefield. She shouted, "Kamui! Reinforcements are coming again! Be careful!"

"What's this?" Kamui looked from the slumped figure of the defeated enemy and grimaced, "More enemy reinforcements?! How many soldiers can there possibly be? Things are looking bad…"

"Don't worry, Kamui. Corrin. We'll get you through this."

"Jeez, you really can't get anything done without our help, can you?"

"What?" Kamui raised a brow, "These voices…"

"What a minute, I know those voices." Corrin's eye widen, "Could it really be…"

Two cavalries appeared from the nearby trees. To their surprise, it was none other than the two princes of Nohr! The Nohrian Crown prince smiled in relief, "It looks like we arrived just in time."

"You must have the devil's luck, Kamui, Corrin." Leo said with a smile.

"Devil's luck?"

They turned and saw a hooded girl behind Leo on the saddle. Though some were surprised to not have seen her sooner, Leo sighed, "It's a phrase."

The girl looked to have understood as she said, "Oh…"

"Xander! Leo!" Corrin smiled and nearly bulldozed them over had she not realized that she wasn't human yet.

Xander chuckled as he saw this and nodded, "We fight together, Kamui, Corrin. I'm sorry it took us this long to join you…"

"Iago's forces will prove no match for me. I'll crush them in the blink of an eye." Leo said with a smirk, "I've never liked his illusory magic… It will be a pleasure to remove him permanently from the Nohrian army."

"Wait…" Heishi frowned, "Then, that means…"

"So, his forces didn't come here on your orders…" Kamui concluded, "But I still don't get it. What made you change your mind?"

"We'll talk more later, Kamui." Xander said as he looked to the opponent, "We don't have much time left before the skies change. We have to combine our strength and clear the way to victory!"

"All right!" Kamui and Corrin nodded.

From afar, Iago could already see the situation from his tower as he grimaced in disbelief, "It can't be… Lord Xander and Lord Leo have turned traitor?!"

He grumbled incoherent words under his breath before he announced, "That's fine. They weren't the most easily manipulated of pawns… King Garon's grand plans must be accomplished no matter what. I'll strike down anyone in the way, be they royal blood or common peasants. The future hold no place for any of you!"

"Iago…" Leo growled with a glare.

"Um… So, who is she?" Corrin questioned as she looked to the girl on the back of Leo's horse.

Leo's attention then snapped to the figure and nodded, "This is one of the espers. Her name is Koharu. We found her just outside of your tower, sister."

As he said this, Koharu removed the hood revealing her pink hair with a pretty pattern hairpin and pink eyes. Xander explained, "We kept her hidden from father. We only brought her along after we found out that her friends were with you."

"It's a good thing we hid her too." Leo said with a frown, "Iago was ready to get to her before we left. Good thing he couldn't find her."

"That's good." Kamui smiled, "Kuga and Nanami would be glad to hear of this."

The girl looked to up him with wide eyes, "They're here?"

Kamui nodded, "Yes, but they're on the other side of the battle field with my siblings."

She clenched on to her hood, "Then-!"

"Wait!" Leo grimaced with a sigh, "For the last time, don't act without thinking. You'll be easy target if you leave like this."

"O-Oh…" she pulled back, "S-Sorry…"

Xander looked to his adoptive siblings, "What's the current situation here?"

"Reinforcements keep appearing by the towers." Kamui said with a grimace, "We have to stop them, so we can have a better chance at defeating Iago."

Leo nodded, "Then, Xander and I will get to the closest towers we can find. As I can see, the Hoshidan royal family will get to the other towers on their side in time. When they do, the two of you need to take this chance and stop Iago."

Corrin nodded and flapped her wings, "Okay. I'll have Rinkah and Silas back you up."

As the dragon flew up into the sky, Xander smiled, "I see she's finally mastered her transformation."

Kamui sighed, "We had a long way to get to this point, you see. Anyway, let's get moving."

The group, then, hurried through the trees as the quickly came upon more enemies. Leo said with a frown, "Stay down, Koharu."

The girl nodded and ducked as Leo brought out his tome and summoned out branches that entangled the soldiers. Suddenly, a blast of purple flames appeared and engulfed one of the soldiers as four figurers appeared from behind. The mage in outrageous yellow clothing tries to catch his breath as he muttered, "Phew… We finally… caught up… with you… Why… Why would you leave us behind?"

"Ha…" the eye-patch archer smirked, "Perhaps our liege is a fan of seeing us suffer? I can understand."

A woman with blue and pink hair swung her lance in the air as she groaned in frustration, "Bah! You all are so slow! If I'd left a river of blood in my wake- like I normally do- you'd be swallowed by it!"

"Thank you for not leaving a river of blood for us, Peri!" Laslow quickly said with a big smile, "You're the absolute best!"

"M-more reinforcement?" Kamui questioned in shock.

Koharu tilted her head, "River of…"

Leo sighed, "It took the four of you long enough."

"Don't worry, Kamui." Xander said after cutting down the enemy mage, "these late arrivals are retainers to myself and to Leo. Also, Koharu, don't pay to much attention to what Peri says. You know what kind of person she really is."

As Koharu nodded, the archer retainer smiled, "That we are. Ready and eager to help, as ordered. I am Niles, a retainer to Lord Leo. The enemy looks to be quite angry. Don't worry- it will be my genuine pleasure to make them regret crossing you."

"And I…" the yellow mage struck a pose, "am Odin Dark! Loyal retainer of Lord Leo. I have cut through the darkness of space to serve my lord however he needs. My unmatched skill with magic will tear through the enemy's ranks! Nice to meet you!"

The silver hair mercenary smiled, "I'm Laslow. I'm one of Lord Xander's retainers. I know that our paths crossed once before, but I will fight by your side now."

As silence came over, the man blushed, "That's all. Please- it's a bt embarrassing to be stared at by everyone…"

The woman jumped with a bright smile, "I'm Peri! P as in Pierce, E as in Eviscreate, R as in rupture, and I as in injure! Like Laslow here, I'm Lord Xander's retainer! I learned a new way to go about butchering the enemy- I can't wait to show it off!"

"Wow…" Kamui smiled regardless, "Always good to get new allies."

Xander chuckled, "Make use of them as you see fit."

"Don't let us down now, Kamui. Not after we've brought so much help!" Leo said with a smirk.

"Thank you, Xander! Thank you, Leo!" Kamui smiled before he noticed Corrin rushing over to them as well with allies.

As they fought, Koharu watched the twins with wide eyes. She never recalled the siblings ever telling her that the twins could become dragons! Moreover, they were just as powerful as their other siblings. As the fight continued, Koharu saw the enemy soldiers on the ground stiff. A chill passed through her as Xander spoke, "They're not dead if that's what you're thinking. But this is war."

"War…" Koharu repeated nervously.

Once again, the mission they were suppose to take on. To stop wars. They're failing to fulfill that duty. As she gripped her brown hood tighter, Koharu looked up before them and saw the battle continue forward. People on beautiful flying horses. She could see Camilla's purple hair flowing in the wind as she rode the wyvern she spoke much of. Even amongst all the disaster, there would be something as beautiful as the creatures amongst all of this.

"Kamui! Corrin! Go!"

A shout brought her back as she looked up to see the two rush forward to a gloomy looking man, but, as they fought, Leo suddenly blocked her view. Uncertain of the situation, she heard a horrible scream as the light finally shined through the sky. Leo nodded, "Finally. With Iago gone, we'd have less to worry about for the time being."

Xander nodded, "We need to regroup quickly. It's almost time. Koharu, we'll be finding your friends very soon."

Hearing this, Koharu nodded, "Yes!"

After some time, everyone finally came back together.

"All right. It seems that's the last of them." Xander said after knocking out another enemy soldier.

"Is that…?"

Koharu looked up from Leo's horse and saw some very familiar looking figures. Her eyes widen, "Mikoto! Nanami!"

She jumped off the horse and rush over to them. The girls' eyes widen, "Koharu!"

As the group came together in a tearful reunion, Kamui and his siblings smiled before Elise hopped over to them with a bright smile, "Xander! Leo! I'm so glad you're here!"

As she struggled to hug the two, Camilla approached the group with a chuckle, "My goodness, Elise… Do you really need to bounce around like that? …Though I'm happy to see our wonderful brothers as well. Now all four of us are together, just like the Hoshidan brothers and sisters."

"What?" Leo's eyes widen, "You have the entire Hoshidan royal family with you… And those thugs were still giving you trouble? I have to admit, I find that a bit disappointing."

Unfortunately, his voice did not go unheard as the other family heard it. Hinoka grimaced, "What'd you just say? Are you mocking us?!"

"No, of course not. I'm merely speaking my mind." Leo answered bluntly.

Takumi grimaced, "I can already tell that there will be trouble between me and this guy…"

With a nervous Mozu, Natsuhiko shook his head as Mikoto said, "Just please talk that out later. We just finally got everyone together, Prince Takumi."

"Relax, Leo." Xander nodded, "We have to stop thinking in terms of Us and Them. We all made the choice to come here."

Leo looked from his siblings to the others and sighed, "You're right, Xander. I apologize. It's hard to get used to this, but after what happened to Father…"

There was a sudden pause as Corrin questioned anxiously, "What do you mean? Did something happen in Nohr?"

"When we last saw Father, he…" the Nohrian crown prince grimaced hesitantly, "He said that Hoshido and Nohr meant nothing to him. He commanded us to destroy both kingdoms."

"What?!" Sorata said with wide eyes, "Let me get this straight. Nohr is your kingdom and the king wants to destroy both of them?!"

"That's insane!" Kamui said with a grimace.

"Kamui, Corrin, in Izumo you said that you thought Father was being controlled." Leo said with a frown, "I didn't believe you then, but after seeing how Father has changed… I've decided that you might have been correct all along."

"It's true, Leo. We haven't lied to you." Kamui nodded, "Our real enemy is controlling King Garon."

Leo nodded, "I apologize for calling you traitor. If I had trusted you sooner, we would be in a better situation now."

"You don't need to apologize." Kamui smiled.

Corrin nodded, "Right. Just having your trust now means more to me than you know."

Xander nodded, "As for me, until now I have risked my life time and again in the defense of Nohr. I have no intention of turning my back on my kingdom. But, if Father is not himself, and is in fact a danger to our home… Then it is my duty to follow you and do what is best for Nohr. Kamui. Corrin. I trust you. I trust that you'll remain true to your goal for a lasting peace."

"Xander…" Corrin smiled and the twins nodded.

"Then I propose a truce between our kingdoms." Ryoma said after some thoughts.

"What do you mean, Prince Ryoma?" Xander questioned.

"You and I are similar, Xander, both in our goals and our motivation." The Hoshidan prince said, "If there is a way to bring peace to our two kingdoms, that is the cause I will support. For the sake of our brother and sister… For the sake of the world… Let us be allies in this."

Seeing the Hoshidan prince offer a hand in truce, the Nohrian king took it with a nod, "I accept your proposal, prince Ryoma. I hope that we can achieve peaceful world."

"Ryoma and Prince Xander- working together." Takumi said in surprise, "I never thought I'd see it."

"Just make sure you don't slow us down, Hoshidans." Leo said with a smirk.

"You don't seem to share your brother's open mind…" Hinoka grimaced anxiously over the words.

Camilla frowned, "I apologize for Leo- he bears you no ill will. Don't let it worry you. We can't have you sully your pretty face with a frown."

"Um… I… I'll do my best to help everyone as much as can!" Sakura said nervously.

"Yeah!" Elise grinned as she hopped about, "I'm going to do the exact same thing!"

Azura walked up to them with a smile and said to the twins, "Isn't this wonderful, Kamui? Corrin? You managed to win over your family, blood related and not! Because of the choice you made, all of this became possible."

As Corrin nodded, Kamui smiled, "Thanks, Azura… And thank you all. It means more than I can say for everyone to trust me."

Azura noticed the darkening sky above them as she nodded, "We'd better get going. Now that we've secured so many allies, we should do what we came here to do. Once we reach our destination, we can tell everyone what we know."

Ryoma looked up and nodded, "The skies above Hoshido and Nohr are changing…"

Xander looked to them, "It seems the time has come. Kamui, Corrin, what do we do now?"

Kamui nodded, "Follow me."

Together, they walked from the land to the bridge suspended over the abyss till the twins stopped. Kamui nodded again, "Well… Now we jump off this bridge. We have to reach the bottom of the canyon to continue."

"What?!" Mikoto's eyes widen, "But, that's-!"

Takumi nodded, "Kamui, it's called the Bottomless Canyon. By definition, we can't reach the bottom. You're asking u to kill ourselves!"

Gunter walked over to his liege as he spoke, "Lord Kamui, you were prepare for them to doubt you, yes?"

"Yes, Gunter." Kamui nodded, "We were prepared for this."

They turned to their siblings as Kamui spoke, "I'm sorry I haven't been able to tell you the whole truth up until now."

"But, we're certain that you'll be willing to jump once you know why we've been fighting." Corrin said.

Azura's eyes widened as she rushed over to them, "Kamui! Corrin! What are you saying? You can't tell them everything here. If you do, the curse…"

"What curse?" Xander raised a brow, "What is she talking about?"

"If we speak the truth here, and not down below, a curse will trigger and we'll… vanish." Kamui answered.

"But, we've decided," Corrin said, "If that's the only way to convince everyone to jump, then I have to do it."

Kamui nodded, "Xander, Ryoma, I'm counting on you two to finish what I've started once I'm gone."

The two crown prince was quiet until Ryoma replied with a nod, "I understand why you ask, but I refuse."

"Likewise." Xander nodded as well, "How can you possibly expect us to agree to that?"

Corrin's eyes widen, "B-but why?"

"Ya big goofball." Scarlett snickered, "You really can't figure out what your big brothers are telling you? They want you to order them to jump off the bridge- not ask nicely."

"What?" Kamui looked to them in confusion.

"Listen, Kamui, Corrin. We've decided to trust you, no matter what." Ryoma said firmly, "Now you need to trust us- trust that we will follow your orders."

"Exactly." Xander nodded, "If we had any doubt about you, we would never have come here."

Ryoma smiled, "You're our little brother. We wouldn't turn our backs on you now."

Azura said, "Kamui, Corrin, we should hurry. I sense something… strange down below."

"Understood." Kamui nodded.

Corrin frowned, "That's not a good sign."

Kamui turned around and shouted, "It's time to go, everyone! Jump down into the canyon! This is the first step to peace!"

They cheered before rushing over the bridge.

"W-Wait!" Senri's voice echoed as Arthur grabbed him and the two jumped down.

"I can't believe I'm doing this!" Mikoto's voice could be heard as she plummeted down the abyss.

Nanami was quiet as Akito was rather panicked until Heishi pushed him into Nanami. The two glared at the esper who just shrugged and laughed as they all fell. Just as they said, Kamui and Corrin soon realized that the fault was really in their own trust as they watched their sibling jump from their words. All but one. Kamui turned and saw Scarlett putting something on her chest, "What's that, Scarlett?"

The Malig knight saw this and smiled, "Oh, it's a custom among the knights of Cheve. Whenever one faces some monumental evet, it's tradition to pin on a flower. You're pretty special, Kamui, Corrin. Getting everyone to follow you like this. But…"

She smirked as she said, "You're not quite as special as Ryoma!"

"Huh?" Kamui raised a brow, "What does that mean?"

Suddenly, the woman rushed over the bridge as the two ran after her.

"Wait!" Corrin shouted, "Does that mean-! Hold on!"

As the three jumped, only the ledge that jutted out nearly greeted them as they fell through the gaps. Kamui looked back to see that they were really the only ones before they heard a voice.

"I am the forgotten dragon. The betrayed king. The entombed god."

They spun around and saw a hand stick out from the gust of dust and wind to their shock as a ball of energy materialized in it.

"In the name of the king of Valla. I sentence you to death!"

The blast hit them directly as they tried to shield themselves from it. They were pushed down into the canyon a little off course as Kamui groaned, "Ahhh, that hurt! Who in the world it that?"

"Kamui!" Corrin shouted, "That didn't happen the first time we jumped down here…"

"I know." Kamui nodded with a grimace.

They looked back in time to see the transparent figure glow brighter as it drew closer.

"Kamui, Corrin, watch out!"

They were both suddenly pulled back as a blast hit her square in the chest.

When they came to they found themselves on the cobblestone floor with a motionless figure next to them.

"Scarlett!" Corrin called out in shock.

"Scarlett?!" Kamui quickly shook her shoulders.

However, the woman was silent.

"No…" Corrin gasped, "This can't be… Scarlett!"

Kamui grimaced, "Scarlett! Answer me, Scarlett!"

However, she was silent as if in a deep sleep. As Kamui's arms grew weak with grief and Corrin now of her knees frantically trying to find a pulse. He muttered, "You can't die now… Don't give up… Scarlett!"

After setting her back down, Corrin wiped away her tears, "Oh, Scarlett… How are we going to tell Ryoma, Kamui?"

Kamui grimaced, "I… I don't know…"

Suddenly, a bright light flashed and the two looked back.

"What the- Enemies?" Corrin's eyes widen.

"We've been spotted already?!" Kamui grimaced as the enemies closed in on them from both sides.

"Duck!"

Instinctively, the two fell to the ground as blades came above them and hit the enemies across the torsos. The soldiers then disappeared as Corrin shouted in relief, "Ryoma! Xander!"

"Don't let down your guard!" Ryoma shouted, "The area is crawling with enemies."

"More are coming!" Xander grimaced.

Suddenly, two more appeared, but Gunter and Azura rushed over and destroyed them before they could strike.

"You all made it!" Kamui smiled in relief, "Are you all right, Azura?"

" Yes. I'm fine, Kamui. I'm glad to see you're both safe!" Azura smiled with the same relief.

"Over there!" Xander pointed in the distance, "Who is that?!"

It was a mage. However, they were unable to discern her features as she quickly teleported away in silence. Doing so, more appeared around them.

"That mage must be the one summoning all of these enemies." Azura concluded.

"Then, we need to fight through them and take her out!" Kamui said with a frown.

Seeing the others soon follow, Corrin quickly hid the espers in the wagon as Azura began to tell them of their surroundings.

Nanami quickly followed everyone into the wagon when she noticed Akito looking around. She frowned and hurried over, "Shukuri…"

He looked to her with a frown, "I-It's nothin-"

"Ichinose is in the wagon already." She said.

"I-I see." He nodded, "Th-Thanks…"

She nodded back.

"Akito."

They looked up and saw the red samurai. Nanami's eyes widen in surprise as man narrowed his and muttered, "You… You're that child back in our garden."

He smiled in relief, "So you're unharmed. That's a relief…"

Nanami wasn't certain how to respond as she already knew that the man is now apart of the militia, but to find the words to reply was difficult. Akito raised a brow as Hinoka called out to him, "Ryoma! Orochi's having some trouble with a mage!"

Suddenly, the man was gone before Akito looked to her with a frown, "What does that mean?"

"I was found in their castle garden…" Nanami answered as bluntly as possible.

She knew that more details could lead to an inquiry that they don't have the time for at the moment.

With Koharu back with her friends, Kamui was a little more relieved as he sees that everything was on its road to a brighter time as more allies joined them. However, now something else bothered him. However, as they drew closer to the fort through each passing portal, he noticed something sticking out from a boulder. As he made his way over, he noticed an enemy soldier rushing up and a scream before he rushed over and cut its head off. As the figure blew away in a haze, Kamui looked back to see a man with short orange hair and in a familiar clothing. His eyes widened as he muttered, "An esper? Down here?"

The man narrowed his eyes as he stared at him. Kamui stretched out a hand, "Sorry. I'm Kamui. My friends and I have already met with people who wore similar clothing as you, so I assumed that you were an esper."

"You've met the others?" the man took the hand in surprise.

Kamui nodded, "Nanami, Koharu, Heishi, Itsuki, Ron…"

With each name, the man's eyes grew wider as a smile slowly formed on his face, "Yes! That's them! Thank you very much!"

As he shook his hand, Kamui strained a smile, "You're welcome, but you should stick with us for now. This is a battle, you know. Unless you're able to fend for yourself?"

The man sighed and shook his head, "No. My ability is useless in that field. My name is Toya Masamune. You can say that I lead the espers on their journey."

Kamui's smile grew wider, "So you know their situation better? That's great! It's difficult trying to piece together something and Natsuhiko doesn't speak about their world as often."

"World?" Toya raised a brow, "Your last name?"

"Oh! I don't have one. It's not really a custom here." Kamui replied, "My name is just Kamui. Anyway, I'll explain everything in a bit. We have to move if we want to get away from here."

"Oh! Uh, right!" the man nodded and quickly followed after him.

Corrin and the other finally arrived at the fort after sometime before she noticed the newcomer, "Kamui? Who is he? Wait, that attire…"

The swordsman smiled as they saw him, "This is Toya Masamune. He's an esper too."

The man nodded, "Kamui saved me from those soldiers I was hiding from. Thank you for helping my comrades."

As he said this, Xander raised a brow, "Well, there'll be some questions we'd like to ask, but we'll put that off till after this is over."

"Kamui!" Azura called out to them, "She's in the fort!"

He nodded, "We have to stop the general quickly!"

As he rushed in, the others soon followed. Before them was the woman, who smirked and conjured a spell before shooting it right to them. Corrin became a dragon and flew up into the sky before blowing fire at her. The woman dodged before noticing Ryoma running to her. She pulled back her horse only to see that Kamui was already below her and struck at there hand. However, she swung back as it hits her side. She smirked, "So… you are capable of more than I thought…"

Suddenly, a bright light flashed once more before the woman was now nowhere to be seen.

"She just… Vanished?!" Kamui's eyes widen.

Leo grimaced, "Disappearing into thin air. How unnerving… At least it looks like we have a break from fighting. So, where are we? Is this the bottom of the Bottomless Canyon?"

"Yes, it is." Azura answered as they pulled back together, "We've finally reached the home of our true enemy. The Kingdom of Valla."

"Valla?" Xander looked to her.

Azura nodded, "First, we need to bring everyone back together. Then, I'll explain everything about this place."

"That would be a good idea." Corrin nodded after turning into her human form, "Let's meet back at the place where we were."

As she led everyone out, Ryoma paused and looked about outside of the fort, "Hold a moment. Where's Scarlett?"

"Scarlett!" He shouted, "Where are you?!"

"Ryoma…" Corrin said nervously.

The man looked to them in confusion as Kamui answered, "Scarlett is… over this way."

There was confusion as they was soon brought back to where they found the twins. Toya's eyes widen as he saw the body. He grimaced, "What… What happened…?"

Ryoma rushed over and grimaced, "This… I can't believe this… How could this happen?"

"The flower she'd pinned on…" Corrin noted quietly, "It's been burned away."

"What are you talking about?" Xander questioned curiously.

"We were the last ones to jump, so no one saw…" Corrin frowned.

Kamui said, "Ryoma… Scarlett died protecting us and-"

"Stop, Kamui." Ryoma interrupted, "Don't say another word. Just… promise me. Promise me you wil not let her sacrifice be in vain."

Corrin and Kamui nodded as he responded, "I promise. I vow on the Yato."

"As I vow on my stone." Corrin said with a nod as like Yato her dragon stone was also made specifically for her.

Without much to say, orders was given to give the warrioress a proper burial. It was only after it was over that Toya dared to speak, "Um… Excuse me, but can you tell me what's going on? I can see that there's obviously been a war going on, but…"

Leo raised a brow, "A battle, sure. But how do you know we're at war?"

Toya frowned as he noted, "My ability helped give me some information, so I can assume that there's a war going on, but I don't know the full situation."

Kamui nodded, "All right. I guess we should start from the beginning."

As they told him of the situation, Toya's frown only grew deeper with narrow eyes.

"This is bad…" Toya finally said, "So, we were pulled in for help without even letting the World know."

"So, you believe us?" Takumi said with a frown, "How-"

Toya sighed, "I've been hiding from place to place for nearly two months now just trying to survive on whatever fruits are around. I understand what it's like to get hit by a gust of wind and chased by fire. Tell me what else I missed. Seriously, if Kamui had not been there, that'd be as far as my survival could go…"

"Makes sense." Corrin strained a smile.

"I have something to ask about, then." Xander folded his arms, "What is The World? Koharu told us that it was made to ensure peace or so."

"That's right." Hinoka frowned, "Akito talked about that once."

"It's an organization that was created for peacekeeping and management of our world." Toya clarified much to their interest, "Its origin and science easily exceeds the civilization of our world."

"Seriously…" Takumi frowned, "That sounds like something from a fiction tale. Well, what about the ship?"

Toya nodded, "Our ship was provided to us by the World, and we're responsible for its operations. We were given the task to use our powers to maintain peace. In addition, the ship has the function to seek out those with abilities."

"Seriously?!" Elise gasped, "That's so cool!"

Toya continued, "Is everyone here with you right now?"

Kamui frowned and tried to reaccount the numbers before he frowned, "There's one more…"

Toya nodded, "Then, it's just him."

"Hold on." Hinoka said with a grimace, "We've only told you there's one more and it sounds like you already know who it is."

"Because I saw him." Toya replied with a frown, "However… the enemy has him in their hands."

"What?" Corrin's eyes widen, "Someone already got to him?"

Toya nodded, "The last esper should be Kakeru Yuiga."

"Yuiga?" Kamui raised a brow, "That sounds really familiar."

"Perhaps Natuhiko already told you." Toya said, "His father is Shiro Yuiga."

"What?!" Corrin gasped, "I remember now, but he's a weapon dealer, who had tried to take Nanami!"

"Seriously?" Toya grimaced, "Damn it. He's already started moving…"

Leo frowned, "You do realize that one of your esper has that heritage and you still took him in?"

"We did." Toya nodded, "And more. Shiro Yuiga is not his biological father. When he was younger and had his ability, Kakeru was kidnapped from his real parents by him and was brainwashed into being Shiro's pawn since young. When we finally found him again, Shiro had escaped from us leaving Kakeru behind. We've monitored his growth from there since his parents was also gone and he grew up in a village. I bet even now he still thinks that Shiro is his father."

"You're kidding…" Takumi grimaced, "So, if we don't clear it up, he is gonna stay by the enemy's side willingly."

Toya nodded, "I don't know how he got a hold of Kakeru after all these years, but we were certain that we destroyed his last communication device he tried to plant on him."

"This doesn't sound good…" Sakura said as she tried to grab a hold of the situation.

Toya sighed, "Right now, it's even possible for him to launch a surprise attack. The only way to counter his ability is if we have a pyrokinesis with us."

"A pyrokinesis?" Xander frowned, "The ability of fire?"

Toya nodded, "We all have a different ability. Kakeru's ability draws out the growth of nature and what can destroy it all is fire. But, since none of us have had good experience with them, I decided not to ask them for it and made it a condition or our atmosphere would be too tense for any social interactions. Therefore, I don't know who that is."

"That makes sense now." Leo nodded, "Even Koharu was hesitant in telling us everything. Now, I see what you did there."

"Then, do you know about who this person that's being used is?" Kamui questioned, "The Rainbow Sage told us that you're suppose to find someone who's been take from your world."

Toya shook his head, "I don't know who that would be. If what brought us here was magic, then I don't know what else brought them here or who it would be. Sorry."

Kamui smiled, "It's fine. But, atleast, it cleared up what we're going to have to do now and what to watch out for. But, if it's Pyrokinesis…"

"I don't think anyone would be willing to reveal it to us…" Camilla grimaced, "We've already had one girl refuse to tell us hers and also forgot her name. Asking them to showing themselves would be even harder on them."

"Something like that happened?" Hinoka's eye widened.

"They'll be more willing to hide it than reveal it." Corrin agreed.

Xander frowned, "Is there any way for us to find out who it is?"

Toya shook his head, "Unless they reveal themselves or if the world was here, we won't know who it is."

"This…"

"Azura!"

Kamui's shout brought their attention as they saw the swordsman already by the songstress's side.

"Azura!" Ryoma rushed over as Hinoka was already there.

Sakura's eyes widen, "It must've been too much for her."

Corrin frowned, "We said that she can tell us if something was wrong too…"

"I should've seen this coming…" Kamui grimaced.

"I'll call Lilith." Corrin noted quickly, "Let's take a brief rest back at the castle."

There was many more questions, but neither asked about it till they got back to camp. Given only a brief explanation, the siblings all was at the clinic as everyone else decided to tend to their own tasks for the rest of the day. Toya was brought to a room and back to his friends while Kamui was inside with Azura and the younger siblings. Hinoka frowned, "What happened to Azura? And why is Kamui the only one allowed in there?"

Takumi groaned with uncertainty as he muttered, "That's because Azura is with a child…"

"Huh?" Hinoka frowned in confusion before her eyes widened, "Wait, what?!"

"Oh!" Camilla frowned, "Well, while we were on our way to find the Rainbow Sage, Kamui and Azura had gotten together. We've only found out a few days ago, that she's pregnant."

Ryoma frowned, "This was after I told them about the Rainbow Sage, I'm guessing. That makes sense now. Were we really that busy to not have even realized this before? I knew they were close, but I didn't think…"

Xander nodded, "No wonder I rarely saw her on the battlefield today…"

"If we'd been there sooner, we probably would've gone to the wedding." Hinoka grimaced, "I can't believe I missed something so important!"

Takumi sighed, "I wasn't sure what was going on when I heard that they gotten engaged at some point in time. But, I was already at the ceremony."

"Seriously?" Leo grimaced, "You'd think they'd be telling us about this sooner. I had no idea she was in that situation. More importantly, why was she on the battlefield? She even jumped off a bridge with us!"

"Um… Because she wanted to be there when we get to the Canyon."

They looked up and saw Elise walk out with a bright smile, "She's fine. Just fatigued. But, Azura really wanted to be there when we reach the bottom of the bottomless canyon. Also, she wanted to remind you not to speak about it or someone will vanish."

They nodded. Ryoma frowned, "I had no idea that the place would be so important to her… But why?"

They Hoshidan sibling looked to Xander, who shook his head, "I'm afraid I know every little of her background. We were raised strictly to keep away from each one of us. It wasn't until a few years ago that we finally got to openly speak with one another. However, Azura's mother was well-like by the nobles. Even now, I don't know anything about them. Not even why my father refused to attempt in bringing her back."

Camilla shook her head, "I doubt she'd be welcomed by Father or anyone else during then. We had a lot of internal conflicts going on, after all. So, it's safe to say that Azura was the only one who escaped from all of it."

"And Corrin and Kamui?" Hinoka asked nervously.

"They were kept in a tower with their servants our Father appointed them." Xander answered.

Corrin nodded, "We were never told why we were there too. Just that we were weak health wise and had to stay inside. So, I don't think I've been in any conflicts."

Camilla nodded, "But, you two were so lonely back in the tower. Even if Father brought you in to be our siblings, he put you into a tower. Due to our situation and schedule, we could hardly visit you as often as we wished so."

Xander nodded, "The only reason why Father let them out was because they became stronger. Perhaps during then, I should've known something was wrong. The day they were able to join us at the castle, they were sent out to the battlefield in the front lines."

Ryoma frowned, "So, that was it. That's how they were at the Bottomless Canyon."

Leo nodded, "And that's where we could no longer find them."

"Hans attacked us." Corrin explained, "King Garon told him to kill us and he sent us down the canyon. However, Lilith showed up and saved us. When we came back from the astral realm, Kaze and Rinkah found us there."

"I knew it." Leo grimaced, "I knew you should be able to return after that battle. Hans told us you died in battle. But, we went looking for you anyway. It wasn't till my retainers told me that they found that you were in Hoshido that we knew Hans lied."

Takumi sighed, "Right… Well, it'd be better for Azura to stay in the astral realm, but…"

Corrin nodded, "This place is really important to her. She's not going to standby. Also, there's so much she needs to tell you too."

"I can see that…" Leo grumbled.

As afternoon became night, everyone went minding their own business. Nanami showed up in the clinic with a box bento that Akito made. As disheartening as it sounds, she was unable to make any food for her friend aside from helping out in the kitchen. Kamui had left for the day leaving Azura in the clinic with the healers. Apparently, there had been an increase in Valla soldier activities leaving Kamui and his siblings on the move teleporting to certain places rather than where they first left off. Azura and the espers were left at the castle with a few other soldiers. It was strange seeing two fronts in one place without fighting, but Nanami kept her space from the newcomers and spent most of her time helping Akito with the meals. That afternoon, they all had a meeting discussing the current situation.

"Is something the matter, Nanami?"

She looked up and saw Azura with her pendant in hand. She shook her head, "No…"

Azura smiled, "Well, I heard that our new cook is fitting in quite well, though rather blunt. It's a good thing that your friend is back, right?"

Nanami nodded, "Now, my full team is here. But…"

Azura nodded, "I heard. Your other friend is still missing. But, a friend of your friends can't be a bad person, right? We'll do our best to bring him back. Though, Senri here didn't seem that fond of the idea."

Nanami explained, "Senri and Kakeru never got along."

"Oh?" Azura tilted her head.

"He always tries to get Senri to leave his room because he always stays inside, even during chores." She said.

Azura smiled, "But, that's because he cares, right?"

Nanami frowned, "Senri doesn't like to leave his room and Yuiga would use his ability a lot."

"He uses plants right?" Azura said as she recalled Toya's words.

Nanami nodded, "He and Koharu is in charge of our vegetables and fruits. But, he would use his abilities to get Senri even when he's hiding underwater."

"Oh my…" Azura's eyes widen in surprise , "That's some determination. But, it makes sense that he would be in charge of it."

"Unlike mine, his abilities is more useful." She noted.

"Even if you say that," Azura said, "you are you. We're all different after all."

Elise smiled, "Yeah! I can't really fight like my siblings, but I still got my part in the fight! Without us, they'd be unable to keep going with all those injuries!"

Sakura nodded, "That's what healers are suppose to do. We help heal."

Elise giggled, "Still, I can't imagine someone being able to pull Senri out of the waters."

"There's always kelp and plants under water." Nanami said.

Azura smiled, "Haha… I see now. Still, I wonder why Leo isn't getting along with Senri, though."

Elise sighed, "He tried to pull him out a few times in the past, I think, but he was unable to because he kept hiding in the lake."

Azura's eyes widen, "The lake with a bench and rock platform?"

"That's it!" Elise gasped, "How did you know?"

The princess smiled, "My mother always spent her time by the lake when I was younger. So, it's still there."

"Wow…" Elise said in awe, "So, that's why! The place is really pretty. I never knew we had a lake if I hadn't seen Senri!"

"So, what's your ability?"

Toya looked up to see Hayato looking at him suspiciously. The man raised a brow, "Why do you want to know?"

"For safety reasons? Listen. Just to make this clear. I don't trust you." he answered, "The others are all right, but you…"

Toya sighed, "My powers is similar to Sakuya's abilities. I can see things, but I can't see the future."

Hayato raised a brow, "Really? Huh, I guess that wasn't much to worry over."

"That's what I said before." Toya shrugged, "Huh? Hayato, right?"

"What?"

Toya looked back, "Is there a spell that does this?"

He showed him his hand as Hayato nearly fell off the fence around Mozu's field.

"H-Hold on!" the boy grimaced, "What-?!"

YueTian: Yay! Finally another chapter, I was stuck with Blossoms before I decided to take a break and watch some Norn9 episodes! Let's say I got more inspiration after that and continued this chapter going up to three chapters of the game! I had a really hard time with the chapter though. But, I'm eager to show you all the new chapter! I hope you all like it!