"Announcing the return of Ryoma, high prince of Hoshido."

"Announcing the return of Hinoka, first princess of Hoshido."

"Announcing the return of Sakura, second princess of Hoshido."

Second princess? Corrin considered. Odd. By the looks of it, I'd say she's close age wise to Elise. At the very least she has to be younger than Azura. But if that's the case, why is she higher up on the order of succession? Corrin stole a glance at the blue haired princess standing to his right. Though she was obviously trying to hide it, he could tell she was happy to see her siblings. Looking back at the newly returned royals, Corrin tried once again to get a handle on what was already the weirdest week of his life.

It had been four days since Mikoto dropped her bomb on the young prince and he still wasn't quite too sure what to think. If it was a ploy, it was either the stupidest one Corrin had ever heard of or it was completely brilliant. Of course there had been little in the line of concrete evidence to back up her claim, but considering how he had been brought up in Nohr that made sense. In fact, if it was true it would certainly explain a lot of the paranoia. And the house arrest. The only problem was his amnesia, which conveniently covered the period he would have lived with his mother and 'real' family. Try as he might, Corrin still couldn't remember anything more than a few shades of dusk and a couple of shadowy figures.

Since his release, Corrin had begun to explore the palace and the surrounding gardens. As far as he could tell, instead of the dark stone and gothic ornamentation that defined Nohrian architecture, the palace was constructed mostly from wood. It also seemed to have a much more open feel to it. He guessed that this was probably due to a surplus of wood that mirrored Nohr's own of stone but without actively surveying the countryside he had no way to prove it. It also differed in the general feel. In Nohr everything had been functional. Even the magnificent palaces and mansions he had seen in Windmire were all perfectly designed to assist in defending the city from attack. Everything was either to hurt or intimidate. Meanwhile Hoshido had seemed to embrace itself more culturally. Though the architecture was large and expansive, it was more ornate than military. From what he could see the palace itself lacked any noticeable defenses such as a moat or magic turret. Instead there were smaller deterrents such as ballistae and odd puppet like structures.

Following him at every turn on his tours had been his ever loyal servant. Lilith had seemed even more ecstatic at his release than he had been. After the queen had moved him into what she had told him was once his room, Lilith had demanded to sleep in any of the adjacent quarters. After half an hour of trying to convince her that Corrin would be safe, Mikoto finally gave in and arranged for Lilith to sleep in the room two doors down. Since then, the two had managed to sneak in a few uninterrupted conversations but in reality they hadn't managed to discuss as much as Corrin wished they could have. The curse was also ever present, stopping Corrin from asking any of the more important questions. And there were still far too many of those, chief among them the reasons for Lilith's steadfast loyalty. There had to be a reason beyond gratitude that drove her, and he suspected it might have something to do with her knowing Arete.

He had also grown used to the continued presence of the green haired ninja Kaze. During his expeditions around the castle grounds, Kaze had acted as the prince's guide. He had done his best to not only show him the most interesting and beautiful aspects of the castle but had also taken up the role of bodyguard to the prince. A huge blessing, as Corrin quickly discovered. Though Azura, the queen, and her immediate suburtinants had been kind and warm to him, the rest of the palace gave off a chill that at times even bordered on hostility. It was clear that he and Lilith were outsiders and the castle staff seemed to have no intention of making them feel otherwise. Heck, even the second prince had made his opinion on the matter abundantly clear during their initial meeting.

"Do not make the mistake of thinking that I like you, or even that I trust you." Takumi spat. "As far as I'm concerned, my brother died twelve years ago. You're nothing but a Nohrian puppet wearing his face."

"Takumi, you really oughtn't to be so hard on him." Azura supplied, trying to act as mediator. "He is your brother after all. If you'd just give him a chance-"

"Azura, will you shut up! I'm already at my breaking point and I don't need any more of your usual garbage."

"Garbage?! Stop being such a child. You wanted to execute him after he brought Kaze back alive. You're letting your personal prejudices impede your judgment."

"From his story, he's the reason why Kaze was ever in any danger. Besides, I wanted to execute him for punching you in the face! If anything you should be thanking me, not taking his side!"

Azura rolled her eyes. "And I told you brother that I didn't care about that."

"Don't EVER call me that! You know, maybe if you stopped acting so smug and started acting like a proper Hoshidan, you might actually have some friends!"

"Urgh, you are such a child!" Azura replied stamping her foot in frustration and storming off in the opposite direction. As she left, Corrin thought he saw the faint glistening of tears on her cheeks.

"Takumi," Corrin began warily, "I get that you don't like me. Hell, I'd probably be the same way if our positions were reversed, but please try to be nice to Azura. There's more to her than you know."

"Look right here." Takumi began threateningly. "I have had enough of Nohrians, adopted or not. Every time, I see you, I see a reminder of my father's murder. The only reason you are still breathing is because mother said so. If I were you I would know my place."

At that the Hoshidan prince turned and left abruptly, leaving Corrin and Lilith alone. Turning to talk to Lilith, Corrin noted something rather interesting.

"Umm, Lilith, why is your hand glowing?"

Looking embarrassed for a moment, Lilith quickly tried to hide her hand behind her back.

"Lilith…"

"Sorry milord. It's just he was being so disrespectful… and I thought that maybe if he took a bit of a nap he might wake up in a better mood."

"You were going to blast him?! Lilith, we already assaulted one member of the royal family, I don't think we could survive attacking another."

You're probably right milord. I'm sorry; I was out of line." Lilith looked down sullenly before adding under her breath. "But if he tries anything I make no promises…"

Corrin shook his head, trying not to smile. "I swear you can be half as bad as Camilla sometimes. Still, it's oddly reassuring to know you've got my back. Come on, let's go find Azura. It's almost time for dinner and I'll be damned if she has to eat alone after THAT display."

And now there are three more siblings for me to meet. Hopefully these three are little more understanding than Takumi. They'll probably hate me just like him. Heck, what am I even supposed to say? "Hi I'm your long lost brother. I was raised by your worst enemy and have no idea who you are. The only reason I'm here is that I punched your adopted sister. Nice to meet you!" Damn, on second thought maybe I should have had Lilith knock ME out before the ceremony started.

Corrin's thoughts were interrupted by a flurry of movement in front of him followed swiftly by a red headed woman resting a trembling hand onto each of his shoulders. Looking up he found two teary brown eyes staring into his own.

"Is- Is it really you, Corrin? After all of these years… have you finally come back home?"

"B-big sister. Who is that? I-I've never seen him before…"

The first woman continued, ignoring her sister while tears started flowing from her eyes. "I always knew you would. I've been training! Ever since that day. I wanted to bring you home safely so we could be a family again. And, and know, here you are. You're finally here, and I- I…"

The first princess continued to stare into Corrin's eyes. Sighing and breaking her gaze Corrin replied. "I don't know. If you're asking if I'm the brother you once had all I can say is that I have no memory of it."

He might well have punched her. Seeing the look of heartbreak quickly spreading across her face as she recoiled Corrin hastily continued. "That's not to say it's impossible. I have no memory of my childhood. Particularly I don't have any recollection of anything before I turned six, and even that year is mostly hazy. I suppose it's possible that I am your brother, but if I'm being completely honest I'm still trying to figure what's going on myself." Corrin forced a smile. "Besides, it's been twelve years right? Even if I did remember we'd still be very different people now. For the present, would you like to start from square one?"

"I- I guess that for now that will have to be enough." Hinoka replied with disappointment before smiling at the prince through her tears and holding out her hand. "But if we're going to start over let's do it right. It's nice to meet you, Corrin. I am Hinoka, first princess of Hoshido."

"Hello Princess Hinoka. I am Corrin. And as far as I know I am the second prince of Nohr." Corrin replied, grasping her hand and shaking.

"Second prince of Nohr?" A voice from beyond Hinoka inquired. Turning, Corrin found himself face to face with the high prince Ryoma himself. "So not only did he kidnap you, but he lied to you? Adopted you?! How abhorant."

Ryoma continued. "You know, I recently came back from retaking a fortress on our border. It was supposedly taken over by a prince of Nohr and his subordinates. He only held it for half an hour or so, but it still necessitated my involvement. He was gone by the time I arrived though. You wouldn't happen to know about that would you?"

The high prince gave nothing away; Corrin couldn't read anything from his features. If this was a test, then it was one that he would have to figure out on his own. In the end he decided it would be best to just go with the truth. Even if it was paramount to confessing treason directly to the Hoshidan crown, there was little chance Corrin would be able to keep up such a charade, especially when he had already told Mikoto, Azura, and Kaze that he and Lilith had disappeared at the Bottomless Canyon.

"As a matter of fact that was me. I had received orders from King Garon to retake the fortress you mentioned." Corrin sighed and held up his hands in exasperation. "Though as you said we were only able to hold the fortress for a short time. When your reinforcements began to arrive we took our leave. On our way back there was some… unexpected complications." Corrin grimaced at the memory of Hans. "And here we are. I would love to go into further detail about just how I got here, but I'm afraid you'll just have to take my word when I say that that's impossible."

The samurai refrained from breaking eye contact. The white haired prince's pulse began to rise as the exchange refused to end, that was until a certain princess came to his rescue.

"Ryoma, is this really the first impression you want to make on your baby brother? You do know he doesn't remember a thing? After all, unlike the rest of us, he's not familiar with how you say hello." Azura added teasingly.

"Sister, I didn't meant to- I mean I was just trying to-" Ryoma stuttered, his stern façade falling apart. "As happy as I am that he's returned, we can't afford to just throw away all reason. And what is this about him losing his memory?"

"It's as she said, I have absolutely no memory farther back than twelve years. Ever since I can remember I've been brought up as a Nohrian Prince."

"That's- That's terrible." Hinoka choked out, clearly horrified.

Corrin shrugged. "Not particularly. I mean sure I was basically under house arrest, but I had a roof over my head and food on my plate. Heck my servants were basically my best friends and my siblings were always sure to visit often."

"And they were… kind?" Azura asked, a trace of unease in her voice.

"Of course. My fondest memories are from when they visited. Heck, even when Leo was lecturing me or Camilla was chasing after me I was still having fun."

"You miss them, don't you?"

"I'd be lying if I said that I didn't." Corrin replied, glancing back at Hinoka. "But right now, I'm sure that they'd want me to keep moving forward. Besides, it's been a week. They're probably worried, but I like to think they have at least enough faith in me to know that I'm still alive and kicking."

"Not a bad answer." Ryoma replied, a smile finally beginning to take shape on his face. "We only ask because we've heard some pretty horrific tales about the Nohrian courts. Anyways, as long as you're alright I guess it doesn't matter. So you were the one who took that border fortress. Why did you even attack that old wreck, you must have known you couldn't hold it."

"If it was up to me we wouldn't have. One of my solders disobeyed orders and attacked. Turns out he was real scum through and through; when we tried to retreat later on he went full traitor and killed an old friend of mine."

"I'm sorry to hear that. If I'd been a couple minutes faster perhaps I could have captured you and saved your friend."

"You're that confident in your abilities samurai?"

Ryoma chuckled. "Why is it that all of my younger brothers have an attitude problem? Maybe tomorrow we'll fix that on the practice field. But where are our manners? There's still someone here we have to introduce yourself to."

The last member of the Hoshidan royal family timidly approached the group. She had pink hair and was wearing a white priestess's uniform, complete with what Corrin assumed was Hoshido's variety of a staff that looked oddly familiar for some reason. You know, I swear I've seen that staff somewhere before. Actually, I'm getting a lot of déjà vu right now. Was it while we were in Valla? No, that's not it. Wait… That dream I had back at the Northern Fortress. The people that were in it, they were-

"He-Hello. M-my name is Sakura. It- It's a pleasure to meet you."

Corrin nodded as the princess bowed in greeting, still stunned from the realization he had just made. "Umm, It's, uh nice to meet you. My name is Corrin." What does this even mean? Was the dream some sort of premonition? That's ridiculous! But then how did that dream even manage to get their clothing right? Damn, what the heck is going on here?!

"Iago, you are late. Must I remind you that I do not like being kept waiting?"

"My apologies, my king I was absorbed in my work." The chief advisor replied, bowing his head so that king would not see his smirk. Today had been more fortuitous than would be best to let on. After all, someday soon the king would outlive his usefulness. And when that day came, the element of surprise would be preferable.

"Now, how may I be of service? Has Hans fallen into trouble on his return trip?"

"He checked back in this morning. No, this is in regards to the previous intersession of fate into one of my plans. I have reports that Corrin has resurfaced. In the Hoshidan capitol, no less."

"He- he has? Well that is fantastic, is it not? The plan is back on schedule!"

The King's eyes narrowed. "Iago, is something troubling you?"

"Troubling me, sire? No of course not. I live to serve."

"Are you sure? There was a time when you would have discovered this information before even I had heard it. And now here you are, days behind. I must say, I'm disappointed."

Horror was beginning to spread through Iago's body. This was very bad. If the King decided he was no longer useful he would be discarded and it was far too early in the plan for that to happen. Of course he couldn't explain why he had grown lax in his duties. Even if the king did believe him, he would be executed for heresy of the highest degree, or worse, be sent to face Ananko's judgment in Valla. He needed to somehow turn this around and regain the king's trust. "Sire, please, I beg you. Give me another chance."

"Another chance? But of course Iago, that is why you are here after all. To help repair that which has broken."

"Broken sire? But is the prince not where you require him to be?"

The king's fingers began to drum the arm of his throne in impatience. "Fool. Yes he is where we want him, but he is without the Ganglari. By falling into the chasm without it we have been deprived of the most vital piece of the puzzle. Without the Ganglari, our nameless allies cannot penetrate that Hoshidan witch's accursed barrier. And that brings me to you, Iago."

"My king?"

"You ask for a second chance? Well I grant you that. You are Nohr's most powerful mage. You have ascended your magic past the point where a tome is even required. If there is any that can break through that barrier, then it would be you."

Relief began to seep back into Iago's figure, slowly at first but then far more rapidly as he realized just what the king was asking. This wasn't a chance. This was a lifeline. And not only that, it was also the perfect opportunity to finally make the first move.

Smiling, he raised his head to look back up at the king. It was about time to finally observe what his work had been leading to. It was time for the game to begin.

"My king, I cannot remove the barrier. It is of a type of magic that is as old and as mysterious as the first dragons themselves. Only one of their direct bloodline can pierce it, and only then with the exact knowledge of how to do so, knowledge that I unfortunately lack."

Iago held up a hand as the king began to rise. "But that is an unnecessary complication as I do not need to break the barrier." The smile grew on the advisor's face until it was all encompassing. "After all, I have a soldier who can circumvent it and travel directly to the Hoshidan capitol. And it is a soldier the likes of which you have never seen."

Corrin sighed. Things were not going as planned. Under normal circumstances he supposed he would probably be enjoying himself. Talking to three foreign princesses at once was probably a common fantasy for an eighteen year old young man. The problem was that dream. He just couldn't shake the feeling that there was an importance to it. Not to mention that if the dream was any indication, war between Nohr and Hoshido was not only inevitable but also fast approaching. Though, if the white haired prince could get a handle on just what that dream meant, or why he had had it, he might just be able to prevent it.

The best idea that he could come up with was that the dream was a memory from some other world. He knew they existed, after all he had been to one. Maybe it was possible then that there were other versions of himself as well and he had received the memory from one of them. Since Lilith was the resident expert on other worlds, what with her ability to travel in between them, Corrin had originally planned on talking to her about it.

That was the plan anyway. Instead it would appear that I'm entertaining guests. Corrin sighed. Not that that's a bad thing! I just-

"B-big brother?" Sakura asked, interrupting his thoughts. "Are you alright, you've had this far off look in your eyes all night."

"Hmm, now that you mention it Sakura, you're right." Hinoka added. "Corrin are you alright? Do you want to talk about it?"

"It's, well, I'm not really sure I can talk about it to be honest. I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it Corrin. We will always be here if you need to talk about anything. Just promise me that come the right time and place you'll tell us everything so we can help you."

"Thank you Azura, I promise I will." Corrin replied. I appreciate the save, but I'm afraid I wasn't thinking about Valla this time, Azura. Still, you have my thanks for the deflection and if Lilith doesn't have the answers I need then you're next up on the question list.

"I know! Corrin, Sakura was only a baby when you were taken and Azura was still in Nohr. Why don't you tell us about your life while you were away?"

"Alright Hinoka, I'd be happy to- wait. Azura, why were you in Nohr?"

Hinoka looked at Azura, confusion etched onto her face. "You didn't tell him? But you said that you two had hung out this past week?"

"Well… yes we have, I just haven't gotten around to it yet..."

"Azura is something wrong? You look really uncomfortable right now."

"Corrin, it's nothing really. I just didn't really have a chance to tell you yet, though I suppose now is as good a time as any. Similarly to how you were a Hoshidan prince raised as Nohrian royalty I am a Nohrian princess raised by Hoshidan royalty."

Corrin stared at the blue haired princess. Noticing his look she started to get flustered, traces of pink seeping onto her cheeks while also refusing to meet his gaze. Well that explains the confusion regarding the Hoshidan line of succession. Azura is a princess in name only. In actuality she is more akin to a hostage.

Seeming to sense what he was thinking, Azura quickly added. "I'm actually quite grateful, really. My time in Nohr was terrible, more like a nightmare than actual life. I much prefer my life here." The princess smiled. "Though I'm not a princess of Hoshido by birth, I've always felt like a real member of their family! Surely you must feel something similar in regards to your Nohrian siblings?"

"Of course I do. I'd give my life for them." Corrin replied. Azura still looks quite uncomfortable. It might be best to table this for now. Though, I'm curious as to why Hoshido took her. Was it just in retaliation? That seems awfully petty. Perhaps Hoshido's not quite as honorable as I've been led to believe. "Anyways, you were asking about my time in Nohr, right? I have just the story. This one is about my younger brother Leo."

Lilith, who until now had been content to watch, suddenly began to blush. "Milord, you can't seriously be about to tell THAT story. You told Jacob and me never to talk about it!"

"While that may be true. I think we can trust the present company. Right?"

The three princess nodded while Lilith continued to stare incredulously at Corrin. "Oh come on Lilith! It wasn't even that bad!"

"Umm, maybe it would be best if you didn't tell. I mean if it's going to bother Miss Lilith…"

"Sakura, trust me. There's nothing to worry about. All we did was cast a simple little charm on my brother's collar. See, my brother was always perfect in every way, and as a result sometimes he came off as a little pompous. So, a couple of my servants and I found a spell that would switch the direction of his collar five minutes after he put it on to get back at him. It was a joke!"

"It was… until Corrin started teasing him about it at every available opportunity." Lilith mumbled.

"Hey, that was half the fun. He also wouldn't have noticed otherwise... Besides, Jacob and I made sure to burn all the evidence; even if he did suspect something, he would never be able to prove it."

"I hate to interrupt, but do you mind if I steal Corrin for a second?"

The group looked up to find the warm face of the Hoshidan queen smiling at them from the doorway. "By the way dear: If your brother is the genius I hear he is, then he's probably learned by now how to follow a spell's residue to the caster. If he ever checks that collar of his for traces he'll be hot on your trail."

Corrin shrugged. "That's fine, Jacob was the one to cast the spell anyway. If he follows it he'll go straight to him and Jacob would die before giving us up."

"Oh? That's a little heartless, don't you think?" Azura asked with a raised eye.

"No, you don't understand. Jacob isn't really a people person, but he is damn good at his job. If Leo tried to get back at him, more likely than not Jacob would, well… Lilith?"

"Coffee burns and poisoned cakes."

"Coffee burns and poisoned cakes." Corrin repeated nodding.

Mikoto chuckled. "Sounds like you have a capable butler. I hope he isn't on his way here right now. Anyways there was something I wanted to talk to you about. Would you mind?"

"Not at all." Corrin replied, getting up. "Sorry everyone, I'll be back soon. If you have any more questions, I'm sure Lilith would absolutely LOVE to tell you the whole story. Especially the part about how she ran interference on Leo's retainers…"

Leaving a very flustered Lilith to entertain the three Hoshidan princesses, Corrin and Queen Mikoto made their way to Hoshidan throne room in silence. It wasn't that Corrin disliked the queen, quite the opposite; he thought she was very kind. The problem was that he still didn't really know what to make of the claim she had made. He'd never had a mother before, only a father that lived in a separate city. He didn't know how to cope or even how to act.

"Corrin…"

"Um, yes? I mean, yes your grace?"

The queen chuckled. "You could just call me mom."

"I, I don't really I-" A flustered Corrin replied before managing to collect himself. "What I'm trying to say is that I'm not really sure I'm comfortable with that yet. I'm sorry, but until we find a way to get my memories back I don't think I going to be able to call you that." Corrin looked away in shame. "I know that must hurt more than I can possibly imagine. But to me, you're just a stranger."

"I- I know, Corrin. That's why I brought you here after all." Mikoto gestured towards the end of the room. Standing on an elevated area of flooring stood a magnificent white thrown, resplendent in both its simplicity and its purity. "It is said that the first Hoshidan Ruler received this throne as a gift from the Dawn Dragon himself. And as the dawn banishes away the terrors of the night, so does this throne banish and any and all enchantments. Lies perish before its light."

Corrin stared at the throne. If what she was saying was true, sitting on it might break any sort of enchantments placed on him, which might in turn return his lost memories. But what if she was lying? Was this some sort of attempt to brainwash him or implant false memories? No. If she was going to do that, she would have done it while I was trapped in a cell. But still, is this what I want? If it really is true that father, no, that King Garon placed a spell on me to make me forget who I was, then sitting on that throne will destroy any chances I have of going back to my family in Nohr.

Corrin looked at Mikoto. He could see the desperation in her eyes. They were pleading with him. Could he really reject her? And if so, what if she was telling the truth? Could he live a lie?

"If I sit on that throne, there's no going back, is there?"

"No."

"And I will keep any memories I've made during my time in Nohr?"

"Yes. Any true memories will remain. You will not lose who you are."

Corrin smirked. "Then there's nothing for me to worry about." And with one last look at the hopeful face of a woman who might very well be his mother, Corrin sat down on the throne.

At first it seemed that nothing was happening. Corrin was trying to hide his disappointment when the world around him began to shift. It was almost like a fog had filled the room, obscuring the prince's view and hiding the queen completely.

Eventually the fog began to clear, and when it did Corrin was no longer in the Hoshidan throne room. Instead he found himself low to the ground on a cobblestone street. A figure who appeared similar to Ryoma stood in front of him. He had the high prince's long brown hair, but wore a different, more regal outfit. He also seemed slightly taller and broader shouldered. His arms were extended, almost as if he were attempting to shield him from something.

"Fire at will." A familiar voice ordered from beyond Corrin's view.

The Nohrian prince tried to get up but found that he couldn't move. Even his eyes were beyond his control. All he could do was watch as a flurry of arrows riddled the figure standing in front of him. Falling to his knees, the man in front of Corrin continued to try and defend the prince even as the blood left his body. Corrin felt his body begin to cry on its own and could even feel the terror that his body, his younger body that is, felt. His modern mind was transfixed though, he didn't recognize the danger; he was too spellbound by the scene unfolding in front of him to notice. And then, out of the shadows, a smirk across his face, came the King of Nohr.

"I'm disappointed Sumeragi. This wasn't even my best trap." Garon taunted before bringing down his ax on the dying figure.

As the Nohrian archers proceeded to carry off the corpse of the fallen samurai, Garon walked toward the baby prince. "You poor thing."

Please father, please don't. Don't prove them right. I'm begging you.

"Orphaned at such... A tender young age." The king reached out towards Corrin, his hand a claw closing in on him. "You are my child now."

"Father!" Corrin screamed to no avail. Before the fog once again obscured the world and a new image began to take shape.

This time Corrin was on someone's shoulder, and by the feel of it, the person now carrying him was running. Looking behind him, Corrin was shocked to see the floating islands and waterfalls of Valla, as well as pursuing Vallite solders.

"Don't worry Corrin, we're almost there. Only a little more, just like Daddy said." A familiar voice whispered as they ran.

The pursuing enemies were getting closer and closer to the pair. But right when it appeared that they were going to be taken, he felt the splash of water and the two of them were sucked through the portal to their world. The final thing he felt was Mikoto removing her hand from his mouth and nose as they emerged at Azura's lake before the fog came once more.

As he returned to his own body he could feel tears running down his face. Looking at his mother, Corrin forced a sad smile before attempting to leave the chair. But he found that he could not. His muscles refused to obey him. Instead there was a sound like breaking glass, a flash of light, a scream that Corrin realized was his own, and the fog came once more.

The Demifiend sank to his knees. The surrounding air still reeked of ozone, a remnant of the beam of light that had torn through Kagatsuchi moments ago. It was finally over. The god responsible for the rebirth of the Vortex world was dead at his feet. But the young fiend's mission was not yet complete, as the golden angle hovering behind him was quick to point out.

"Son of Man, you must rise once more. You're task is far from over."

Nodding, the Demifiend climbed to his feet, stumbling as he did, causing Pixie to squeak in concern from on top his shoulder. Patting her affectionately on the head and steadying himself, the Demifiend looked to where the shattered remnants of his enemy lay battered and broken. Even now, the tower was collapsing, and tendrils of energy were leaking out from the corpse as the god prepared for resurrection.

"How much time do we have?"

"It is difficult to say. I will hold back Kagatsuchi's decay for as long as I can, but it is inevitable. You must reach it before that happens. At most you have a minute."

"All the time in the world. Dante, keep Pixie safe for me."

"Gotcha boss."

Putting a hand next to his shoulder, the Demifiend waited as his best friend took a few tired steps onto it. After handing her off to the red coat wearing demon slayer she turned back to him and winked. "Make sure you come back in one piece, okay? It'd really suck for you to win the final battle and then trip at the finish line."

"Come on, you know me better than that. Just tell Ongyo-Ki not to start the party until I get back." The Demifiend replied with a smirk before sprinting towards the fallen god.

The tower was getting more and more unstable by the second and the closer he got to his target the more he realized that Kagatsuchi's power was going haywire. It was a hurricane with bits of stone and metal flying through the air while lightning and fire spewed forth from the ether. Two car sized boulders flew towards him, prompting the Demifiend to summon forth the purple blade of a deadly fury attack and disintegrate them as he kept moving forward. Still racing against the clock, he unleashed a xeros beat to intercept fifty bolts of lightning out of the air before they reached him, followed by two more deadly furies to clear the larger debris out of his way. Eventually coming to the epicenter of the storm, the fiend found a shell of tiny pieces of metal swirling around his target, barring his entrance.

Phys Repel- Equip. The Demifiend thought, still unused to one of his most recent abilities. As his body reconfigured itself to incorporate the desired quality, the Demifiend took a deep breath and pushed through the barrier as though it wasn't even there, his skin reflecting any and all objects that came into contact with it.

Standing less than a meter away was the viscous mass of light that had once been Kagatsuchi. More and more energy was surging forth and the young fiend could tell that without Metatron's power, the world would have already been remade and their plan failed. Gritting his teeth as he was bombarded with a wave of almighty energy that passed through his immunities as though they weren't there, the Demifiend braced himself before thrusting his hand into the mass. An explosion of pain greeted him and the fiend screamed as it threatened to consume him. Steeling himself once again, he closed his hand and grabbing onto a portion of Kagatsuchi's form. With all of the might his demonic form provided him, he pulled.

It felt like trying to remove the titanic by hand from a pit of quicksand, but somehow he managed it. Fierce determination laced with desperation allowed him to rip a portion of the fallen god's essence free from the corpse. Turning on his heels the Demifiend struggled to hold on as the fiery substance threatened to burn through his hand. Raising his arm skyward, he gave one last thought and indulged in one last moment of hesitation. This action would change everything, there would be no turning back. Making up his mind, the young fiend opened his hand, and with the last of the strength he possessed, launched it faster than should have been possible. Like a shooting star, it streaked across the sky and eventually left the confines of the Amala multiverse before exploding in a supernova like fireball. When the light died down it left hundreds of points of lights in the sky.

With no reason left to keep its resurrection at bay, the golden titan released his power as the Demifiend fell to the ground. Moments later the corpse of Kagatsuchi floated rapidly into the air, matter and energy surging forth from it. With a deafening cry, life returned to the fallen god and it begrudgingly began to fulfill the reason that had triumphed over it. In the distance countless demons retreated into the labyrinth of Amala as the newly reincarnated Kagatsuchi resurrected the world destroyed by the conception, collecting the forlorn bits of the Vortex world and reassembling it. With a final, colossal flash of light, the world was brought back into being and took its place in the sky with its countless brothers and sisters in the endless flow of magatsuhi, leaving two figures left in the space between worlds as the thunder of creation descended into an eerie stillness. Approaching the battered fiend, Metatron finally broke the silence.

"You have succeeded."

"Pixie and Dante, are they?"

"They have taken refuge with the fairy tribe. They are safely awaiting your return."

The Demifiend nodded and looked back up at the sky. Pointing to the newly formed pinpricks of light, he asked. "How many?"

"Nine hundred and seventy three worlds have been ripped from Kagatsuchi's dominion by your hand."

"Only that?"

"You are disappointed? You have performed a miracle that was never supposed to be possible."

"It's just so few, less than a thousand even. Compared to the infinite worlds trapped in an endless cycle of death and rebirth what we saved isn't even a single atom."

"Yet it is enough."

"I suppose it is." Smiling sadly the young fiend took another long look at the sky above as silence fell again between them. Finally breaking it, he continued. "So this where we part ways I assume?"

Metatron nodded. "Even if our goals are quite different, you have still done heaven a great service. However, though you retain your human heart, in the eyes of the lord you are an abomination."

"Thanks?You aren't going to kill me now, are you?"

"No, son of man. I will remain by your side until you recover. To consort with you further might be a sin, but I owe you a debt for your actions in the fifth kalpa. After that we will separate."

"Fine by me. I have some things I'd like to do that you probably won't approve of anyway. Don't worry, nothing world shattering, just a human friend I'd like to see again." His smile changed to a smirk. "I guess it really is finally over. Well Lucifer… I'm afraid this is checkmate after all, isn't it?"

The voice of god nodded in approval once more before the fog began to encroach once again, blanketing everything and signaling the end of the memory.

More and more images and sounds flashed through the fog. Coming faster and faster until they were unrecognizable. Only brief snippets of them could be deciphered.

"I challenge you to a duel."

"…Our friendship dies here. We are adversaries, each upholding our own Reason and contending for creation. As fate would have it, we are both beyond shedding tears."

"You're back! We did it! Huh, one other thing?"

"Hijiri? No, please call me Aleph."

"Our will makes our ideals take shape… I call that power equal to the demons."

"I'll have you executed!

"The arcana is the means by which all is revealed."

"I look forward to the successful completion of your mission."

"Then it is decided. I pity your fate, son of man, but I commend you for your decision. I am proud to help you once again, as I did all those years ago."

"SHIN GET OFF THE THRONE!"

Corrin threw himself off the Hoshidan throne, falling down the stairs before landing face first on the floor. In the last moments before the darkness completely consumed his vision, he saw the crying and concerned face of Mikoto. "Mo-ther…" Corrin choked out before letting oblivion take him.

Author's Note-

Thank you very much for reading! As usual, if you have and questions, critiques, or predictions, please leave a review and I'll try my best to respond. Barring spoilers of course.

Alright, as is pretty obvious Iago is the next character I'm going to be making some noticeable changes to. In the game, I always felt that he served his role as a villain a little too well. He was evil, but you never really got his motivation or why he was loyal. I have something in mind for this that hopefully you guys will enjoy.

Also there were a couple reviews last time concerning what the pairing would be and I just want to have my two cents now. There will eventually be a pairing. That being said, it will be specifically for the purpose of the narrative. (I'm not going to move heaven or hell to make it happen, if it's going to happen, it happens realistically.) One last thing on the pairing- this is a Nocturne crossover... Make of that what you will.

Also, to anyone who can get all of the SMT references (Five different games total) in the totally boring not at all important white chair scene- You get a cookie!

Mzr90- Thank you, that means a lot. I've been trying to make sure that any steps outside the canon feel like natural extensions of the lore. I'm glad that you are enjoying it! More of that to come.

Ikarus Solotov- I hope you enjoyed the sibling reunion! A little more of that next time along with a touch of Kaze and Azura.

vampireharry the 2-Thank you very much, I'm glad you're still enjoying it! If you liked this one, you'll probably like what's in store next time too...

Disclaimer- This is a nonprofit, fan-based work. All characters and settings belong to their respective owners.

PS. I've been playing Tokyo Mirage Sessions recently, and I've got to say I'm pleasantly surprised. True it's not exactly what I was expecting, but it is certainly a unique experience. I definitely recommend it! ALSO, I was playing it, and no spoilers but one of the characters who disappears in the first cut-scene is a singer named Ayaha. I didn't notice it until another character called her Aya, but this could be a huge reference to the first devil survivor game, where if you'll remember there is a singer named Aya who goes missing before the events of that game. Could just be a callback, but upon thinking about it, those two games being connected actually makes a little sense. If this is the same Aya and the games are connected, it explains why Fortuna takes the whole mirage invasion into their own hands instead of calling the military. After the Tokyo quarantine of the first DeSu, there would be a huge disillusionment in government. It would also explain the over abundance of entertainment. I mean after a demon invasion, I'd want something distracting too. Still, I'd love to see even a one shot with this kind of premise. Maybe something like Aya, Haru, and Kiria reconnecting over a cup of coffee. Sorry for droning on, just a neat little easter egg.

Next Time- Corrin's memories are back! Also Mikoto introduces Corrin to the Hoshidan public!