A/N: *whispering* Okay. So right now, Deadpool is sleeping. He had one too many hits at the bar and he's kinda on the receiving end of a hangover.

Eternal Lancer: Wait, how the hell can he get drunk? Doesn't his healing factor nix that?

G: Have you ever really known Deadpool to follow logic? Doesn't matter anyway. The important thing is that means I have the perfect opportunity to mess with him after all the shit he's done to me! *Leaves to go plot ideas*

Eternal Lancer: Wait a minute! If you're gonna plot your scheme, can I do the disclaimer?

G: *in the background* Yeah, sure, knock yourself out.

Eternal Lancer: Well, for those of you who don't know me, I'm Eternal Lancer, but you can call me Lance.

Deadpool: *sleeping* ...ha ha, Lance… where's your illegal Dragonite…?

Eternal Lancer: Grr… how the hell does Goodralisk deal with you?

None of us owns anything shown or portrayed. Awakening belong to Nintendo and Intelligent Systems.

I put my mug of hot chocolate to my lips, taking a sip as I nonchalantly dodged a wooden piece launched by Chrom. I had to say, all things considered, he took the news a lot better than I thought.

"Absolutely not! I refuse!", was the protest that came from Chrom as he put a dent in the finely crafted wooden table we sat at, slamming his fist into the structure.

"Chrom, you're not thinking straight.", Flavia said, directly across from me. "They have gold in massive loads, and they have the ships and provisions we need."

"And?" Chrom threw a hand out on his side. "Their new king is Grimleal! Fell Dragon worshippers! I'd never trust him, not as far as I can throw him!"

"It would be a good time to mention that you can curl Lissa's body weight in ONE arm.", Robin interjected, raising his mug to his mouth. "But that's none of my business."

"Chrom, I don't like it any more than you do. Really I don't.", I said, placing my mug on the table. "But neither Ylisse nor Ferox has the sails or the resources needed to stand a fighting chance."

I stood up to look him in the eye. "We can be stubborn all day. And let them come to us. But that will be suicide. This continent will collapse if we don't take it to the sea like Robin suggested. And on top of that, none of the wood in Ferox is seaworthy."

"Leaving your trust to the Plegians? Honestly, Eric, I thought you had more sense than that!", Chrom retorted.

"Are you even listening at this point?"

"Okay, Chrom, that's enough."

The small clamor of the barracks died down completely once Sumia spoke up. She stood up from her seat and walked up to him, catching everyone's attention, Chrom's especially. She faced Chrom and placed her fists on her hips, giving him a stern look that bore into him. The seasoned pegasus rider may be clumsy and absent-minded at times, but when she really needed to, her solid and confident "Queen" side would show, telling us that she meant business, and even the blue haired exalt knew that. "Chrom…", she began, her usual soft voice, holding a very firm tone beneath it. She placed a gloved hand on her husband's shoulder and gave a small, warm smile. If there's one thing I know Sumia is good with, it's taming animals, and when Chrom gets like this, a stubborn ass and him can't get any closer in resemblance. "I know it's hard to deal with the idea of going to our not-so-peaceful neighbours for this kind of aid.", she began. "After losing so much because of them. But it has been over seven years. Plegia is a changed nation, I'm sure of it."

She took a breath to continue on what she had to say next. "Realistically, this is our only option. Otherwise, we'd be forfeiting everything. Our lives, the Emblem. Our children's freedom, Chrom." Chrom's eyes widened in shock, finally realizing how much his stubborn pride could have possibly cost them. "Emmeryn would want you to make the right choice, Chrom, history and pride be damned."

The blue haired exalt ran a hand through his mop of hair, breathing out a deep sigh. "You're right, Sumia. We'll seek an audience with their ruler. Hopefully he is more reasonable than their last."

I looked at Sumia and asked her a silent "how in the hell", which garnered a light giggle from the Ylissean queen. I leaned down towards Cordelia and Say'ri, their heads leaned and tilted to listen to me. "Is it like some sort of magic you women have where you can manipulate us?"

"To be very honest, it is something I fail to comprehend it myself.", Say'ri answered with a quiet laugh. "Nevertheless, it is very amusing, especially when we convinced you to let the girls train with their magic."

I crossed my arms and pouted. "I was concerned about them getting hurt in battle one day."

"Don't worry, they'll be strong. Just like their mothers.", Cordelia whispered with a smile. She poked my chest playfully. "All the same, you can be so easy to convince once you figure out how."

"Siren magic, I swear it.", I joked, ended our side conversation with two giggling women and me clearing my throat. "So anyway, do we know anything about their new king?"

"Yes, in fact, we do.", Basilio said. "His name is King Validar Therebus of Plegia."

Validar? That name sounded all too familiar. I know I've heard it before, but I can't quite place it where. "Shortly after Gangrel's death, he took to the throne on the recommendation of the Plegian High Council, and has led Plegia into a new era for the last seven years. At least, that's what our sources tell us. Very little outside of that to go by."

"I see.", Chrom nodded, taking a piece of parchment paper and removing a nearby quill from the ink well. Writing quickly, yet neatly, he soon rolled up the paper with ease and handed it off to the stalwart great knight. "Frederick, send a messenger bird to Plegia. We make our move in two days based on their response."

"Yes milord.", Was all that was said before Frederick headed out to complete his task.

"Wow.", I gasped.

"What?"

"Lissa was right, Chrom.", I grinned. "Sumia does have you trained well."

"Don't act like your lovely companions haven't done the same to you.", he retorted with a chuckle.

"Touché."

The crunch of the white, icy blanket beneath me, I figured a nice midnight walk through the neighboring woods would suffice. I opted for a cloak of wool to shield from the cold, each breath that puffed from my mouth visible. Warm or cold, windy or with nary a breeze, there wasn't anything quite like late night walks in my opinion. The fresh air always felt so much better than being holed up indoors. Rustling of the bushes could be heard in conjunction to the wildlife that still roamed in the night, but soon enough, the rustling in the trees began to grow far too much, despite the absence of wind strong enough to cause it. In response, I kept my hand on my sword, in case this could be a bandit.

Continuing my walk, the sounds became increasingly irritating and hadn't stopped. Someone was following me for sure. "Come on out. I know you're there." The figure jumped out from a tree a few feet in front of me, landing of the soft snow. It was that same mysterious braided man I met a while back, he himself donning a cloak similar to mine. My hand was still on my sword, in case he tried to pull a fast one on me.

"You know, you really seem to be on me very intently, why, I will never know.", I stated. "Can I help you?"

"It's not what you can help me with. Rather, I am here to warn you.", the man replied.

"Warn me? About what?", I asked, perplexed.

"Watch out for an ambush when you meet with the Plegian king. At roughly 10 p.m. to midnight three weeks from now. Undead monsters will ambush your militia group, intent to kill you all."

"You must have come here with that Marth girl, huh? Or you know her at the very least.", I asked, which made him widen his eyes in shock. "Come now, it's not difficult to piece together. You tell me to be wary of an event that hasn't come to pass, like you can see the future. I met her years ago, she crossed the Shepherds' path years ago, aiding us however she could. She spoke a lot about future events and gave us warnings. Like how you're doing with me right now. That can't be a coincidence."

"Well deduced. And you are correct. I am involved with her. I know her very well, she and I are quite close."

"Interesting.", I puffed out, watching my breath dissipate into the nearby air. "Is there anything else you'd like?"

"Actually, now that you mention it, I'd like to test your skill, that is, if you're okay with that.", He requested, taking a knee as a sign of respect.

"Sure. I enjoy the prospect of a challenge.", I said. "However, and not to be rude, but do you really think you'd be enough to see what I am capable of?"

"I was thinking that same thing myself.", he replied. "And as arrogant as your question sounds, it is not unreasonable, given the amount of prestige and fear you've created and grown in your name." With a wave of two fingers, two more figures jumped down from the treetops. They both were the same size, roughly 5'6" or 5'7" and both had slender figures, though the tone of muscle on their body was recognizable to a point, reminding one that these two were trained. One wore a mask that took inspiration from a primate and her hair was short, the other wore a mask that took inspiration from a viper, and her crimson hair flowed in the wind.

"These are my squad members, Saru and Hebi. And I am Ryu.", the man of mystery, now named Ryu, explained.

"Monkey, Snake, and Dragon, huh?", I pondered. "Very well, three on one should suffice. I like those odds. We'll need a place to fight, however. These enclosed woods may not be the best."

"I know where.", Saru said. "Follow me." With a blur, she was off, the three of us remaining following her. We moved through the trees until we came into contact with a clearing, the snow very thin and light on the ground. Standing in front of me were the three fighters, gazing upon me with such intensity and focus. The cold, biting air soon began to warm up with the growing fire of combat burning inside of me. I threw off my cloak and clenched my fists, flexing the muscles in my body. Wind generated from me began to push the snow away from the general spot I was in until my hair stood up glowing blond and my irises became red. Taking a deep breath, I take my stance, ready for them to come at me. Without missing a beat, each one of them drew their weapons and took their own respective stances. Saru had her right arm out, holding her sword out pointing upwards a little and her leg on the same side leading, taking something of a fencer's stance. Ryu drew both swords from his sash and held them in an X formation before doing the same as Saru, except he held his other arm up for his second sword to point out in front of him. Hebi took her weapon in both hands and held it out in front of her, bending her knees only slightly.

"Aren't you going to draw your sword?", Hebi asked me.

"No, I'm pretty sure I'll be fine without it.", I replied. "Besides, there's something I'm trying to test out."

Intended or not, this served to anger her. "Don't mock us!", Hebi growled.

I grinned a little bit. "This is going to be fun." With a boom, I speed over to Ryu and send a magic-powered kick his way, he barely had enough time to react to it and block it with the broad side of his blades. Still, the force knocked him back several feet and his heels dug into the snow and dirt beneath him. I spun and immediately targeted Hebi, aiming a kick at her midsection that she narrowly dodged, retaliating with a thrust aimed at my body. I lowered my level by standing on my right hand, grabbing Hebi's sword hand with my left. Once Saru recognized what was going on, I loaded Hebi on my hips and threw her at Saru, both of them colliding with the ground. Before Ryu could recover, I dashed at him and assaulted him with a flurry of punches and kicks that he couldn't block entirely, taking a few hits. It still didn't stop him from trying to counter.

Ryu growled with a smirk on his face before he tried to swipe for my head with his right hand sword but I ducked under it, spinning slightly to dodge his follow up thrust with his left hand sword. With a powerful elbow into his forearm, I sent his left hand sword into the air, and while Ryu was distracted by being disarmed for a split second, I took his other arm and threw him over my shoulder, stepping on his shoulder and taking his second sword. Underneath the moonlight, the airborne sword twinkled and shone as it twirled back down to the ground. Before it hit, I caught the blade, just inches away from Ryu's neck. A battle cry alerted me to draw my attention towards Saru and Hebi, both were charging at me. This gave Ryu enough opening to launch a kick at me that I narrowly dodged, jumping over it. I threw the two swords in the two women's direction, hitting their own blades and knocking them out of their hands. Wasting no time at all, I flash over to the two women and hit them with an elbow to the gut, sending them to the ground keeling over.

"Okay, okay, enough.", Ryu called. We concede."

"Really, already? Well, in any case, you guys really do have some skill. You three lasted longer than most people do despite your surrender, especially in this form.", I admitted, reverting back to normal, the golden glow dying down. "But I can't help but feel there was something missing."

"There wasn't anything missing.", Ryu said with a slight cough, reaching a knee. "You must have noticed by now that reverting back to normal, you don't feel so out of energy. Correct?"

I clenched my fist, doing some punches in the air. "Now that you think about it, you're right, I don't feel the usual recoil that comes with this power."

"Your body is getting used to it.", Ryu continued. "And that's the first step. Getting accustomed to your growing power. You'll need it in the time to come."

"What do you mean by that? Don't leave me in the dark now.", I complained.

Ryu, finally reaching to his feet, walked towards my direction, most likely to retrieve his blades. "I am not leaving you in the dark." A few more steps, now he was right in front of me, standing as tall and proud as he did before. "You will realize it in time. And you will be ready." Gathering his and his comrades' weapons, he put them away in their respective sheaths, picked up Hebi and Saru in each arm and turned his back to me. I could see that he whispered something, but with the distance between us, I couldn't read his lips properly, nor hear him. And with that, he disappeared. "Well, he certainly loves his cliffhangers."

Weeks later after our response from Plegia, we head south for the sand-heavy nation. Our rendezvous point with the king was at a small outpost on an island known as Carrion Isle, and for good reason. A very dark, very grey, and very barren land, even for Plegia. The air was pungent, thick with the smell of blood and decay, and the occasional skull or bones littered the land, both human and animal alike. Terrific. Any person who hadn't been used to the life of combat would have keeled over, forcing all of the contents of their stomach onto the floor in front of them violently. Even the clouds looming over the gloomy island were dark and thick, leaving very chance for sunlight to peer through.

Not deterred, the Shepherds kept moving through until upon entrance, the guards stationed requested that the king wished that only Robin, Chrom and I enter. This did not stay well with some of the Shepherds, especially Frederick, but with a firm command and some reassurance from Chrom, all others did as they were ordered. The three of us entered, and the inside looked just as dull and dark as the rest of the land, if not, perhaps even worse. The outpost interior was of a drab mix of solemn grays and blues, the only variety in colour in the form of oranges that came from the torches on the wall, yet the torches were far from warming. In fact, it only served to accentuate the ominous feel to the setting. Every step on the blood red carpet beneath me made me more wary of what was to come, so much that I had my hand on the hilt of my blade on instinct alone.

"That's odd. No ambush, no traps, nothing?", Robin whispered. Maybe there was an ambush in wait. Was this what Ryu was talking about? Perhaps we'd get ambushed while we're separated from the group?

A rather sensual voice broke me out of my thoughts.

"Greetings. Welcome to Carrion Isle, milords." And who else could have been other than Aversa? "Feel free to make yourselves comfortable as King Validar makes his entrance soon." Validar. I KNOW I've had some sort of familiarity with that name, but for the life of me, I cannot remember why.

"Aversa.", Chrom growled, venom evident in his words. "I thought you were killed years ago."

"Oh, no, not in the slightest. I simply laid low to help my lord carry Plegia out of the hole it once was in years ago.", she said with a light giggle. "Did you miss me?"

"Considering the last time we saw you, my sister was killed… no, not one bit."

Aversa placed a solitary finger to her chin. "Oh, it seems I may have touched a nerve.", she said with sweet innocence. "Those days are behind me now. I now serve my liege for everyone's benefit."

This was all too… just too convenient. But before I could say anything, a voice cut me off. "Oh dear! Aversa must have started the negotiations without me! I pray I didn't miss anything."

I heard footsteps come from my left, and when I saw him, I couldn't place it. He looked so DAMNED familiar. Those dark robes, gold accents, his uniquely shaped hair. And those eyes, the eyes of evil itself. It hit me like a sack of bricks.

He was the assassin leader who tried to kill Emmeryn that night. But it couldn't have been! I killed him myself! There wasn't any way, yet he stood right in front of me, as if fate were laughing at me with a big stupid grin.

"May I present Lord Validar, king regnant of Plegia." Aversa curtsied as she announced her lord's presence.

"It is quite the honor to meet you, Exalt Chrom. As well as Lord Pandora, and Sir Robin.", Validar said, extending a hand out, which the blunette took warily, but firmly. Chrom raised a brow. "Not to be rude or off-topic, but you look almost… painfully familiar."

An eerie chuckle came from the Plegian. "Oh? I'm certain I would remember an encounter with the Crown Exalt of Ylisse."

"Right.", Chrom shook his head. "Must be a hint of déjà vu is all."

Moving on from there, the Plegian king gave the same gesture with Robin, and finally, with me. As soon as his hand touched mine, I felt a throbbing pulse, followed by a searing migraine tearing through my head, making me clutch my head with my free hand.

"Is something the matter, sire? Perhaps I could offer you tea or something of the sort?", Validar questioned, gesturing Aversa to fetch us some tea, but I waved it off.

"Thank you for the offer, but it's fine." No later than when I said that, I felt a drop fall from my upper lip, dripping on the carpet below my feet. The taste of iron making its way across my tongue, the smell of it overtaking my senses. My nose was bleeding.

"Are you sure you're alright, Lord Pandora?", Validar asked with concern.

"Yes, thank you. Let us continue, shall we?", I said, wiping the blood from my face.

"Very well, then.", the sorcerer said, clearing his throat. "Despite our nations not having the best relationship with one another, what with both Ylisse-Plegian Wars and all, I'd be more than willing to help in any way possible."

Chrom's eyes shifted to Robin quickly, to which he just shrugged. And honestly, it was surprising to me as well. To think they would be so cooperative with their resources was phenomenal, even if they were in danger as well. "That is wonderful to hear, milord. If it's not out of line to ask, what would you be able to provide for this campaign?"

The sorcerer groomed his beard with two fingers. "We would be more than willing to provide the ships and transports needed to sail across to reach Valm. Additionally, we will fully fund the campaign, so there's no need for Ylisse to loosen their purse strings. Unfortunately, we are unable to provide reinforcements or troops of any kind." Eliciting looks of question, he raised a hand. "Plegia hasn't recovered fully, and is only at half the strength it used to be. Even then, much of our manpower goes to menial tasks like patrol and whatnot. Apologies, Lord Chrom, but it is all we can provide."

"No matter.", Chrom waved off the apology. "We are grateful for your generosity anyways. You have my thanks."

"All that is provided will be sent to Port Styx within the week. Godspeed to you all. If your note is true to its word, then you shall need the luck. Farewell, and may this realm see many prosperous years after this conflict ends.", Validar said, though it almost sounded like a hiss. Nonetheless, we all bowed our farewells and made our way out, but not before we had our own conversation in hushed tones.

"Chrom, that man… he was the assassin that came to murder Emmeryn that night…!", Robin called.

"I know, and we killed him!", Chrom whispered back. "How is he alive?"

Robin ran a hand through his hair. "Well, alive or dead, he provided us with everything we need to defend ourselves."

"Chrom."

Both heads turned to me. "Yes, Eric?"

"Make sure every able-bodied Shepherd is on their guard by ten tonight. They're planning an ambush on us."

"What?!", Chrom snarled. "Who is they?"

"The Risen.", I replied. "They will attack us later tonight, make sure everyone is armed and ready."

"How do you know this?", Robin questioned me.

"I met three people who may or may not have ties to Marth, and they told me this would happen. Either they are in close relation to her to know this, or they themselves can see the future. Either way, this shouldn't be overlooked."

"Very well, then.", Chrom nodded. "I'll have Frederick rise anyone who may be sleeping at that time."

Damn it, this doesn't make any gods damned sense. That Validar man… I know I killed him, back when he tried to murder Emmeryn. He died trying to kill her, too. Yet he stood right in front of me, right then and there, speaking to me as if it never happened. And when I shook his hand, it was as if my brain was set aflame. The headache was extremely strong, had I not been standing in front of the Plegian king, I would have doubled over in pain. I don't understand what it was, but… those red, evil eyes… I couldn't shake them from my memory. Say'ri was out training, and when she asked me if I wanted to join her, I turned her down, telling her I had to figure something out. Cordelia, on the other hand, was busy tending to our inventory, so she was going to be there the entire night until the Risen attacked. So I was left to ponder over this mystery.

As I thought about mystery, my mind wandered to that Ryu person. He seemed to know about me and what my capabilities were, as well as the event that was going to take place later tonight. So he could see the future. The question of what wasn't the concern. It was the question of how. Figuring that lying about on my cot wouldn't do me any good, I left my tent and headed to where Say'ri said she would be, on a small flat riverside plain, only to find that she wasn't there. Looking around, the trickling sound of the flowing water began to gradually dull until I could hear nothing.

Suddenly, a sharp pain ripped through my head, throbbing and pulsing, each more painful than the last. Growling at the pain, I drop to my knees, clutching my head in agony with one hand and balling a grounded fist with the other. I could feel my knuckles becoming white as blood began seeping from the palm of my hand, dripping onto the grass beneath me.

"H… d… my ...ll…"

I heard a voice, but part of it was muffled.

"Heed my call, Eric…" The voice, more clear now, made the skull splitting migraine even worse.

"What… is the meaning… of this…", I said with gritted teeth.

"I don't understand." The voice was louder this time, runes appearing out of thin air, and within them was the Plegian king.

"V-Validar…"

"You've closed your heart to him so many times, Eric… even when he's saved your life… Such ignorance."

"Closed… what to whom…?", I asked, confused.

"He saved you when you were defeated by Gangrel. Kept you going where others would have died. And you repay him with neglect?"

"Who… is him?"

"I think it's best if I explain it in a more… private setting."

With a snap of the sorcerer's fingers, everything went dark and the headaches stopped. Within what seemed to be a complete void of nothingness, there stood Validar, the king regnant of Plegia.

"Such potential… Oh, if only it weren't for your damned parents hiding you from your fate… you would have taken the power without hesitation."

"What the hell are you talking about?!", I shouted, demanding answers. "Hiding me?"

"Ah… I see this is uncharted territory for you.", the sorcerer sneered. "Haven't you known a time where you were in a completely different setting?"

"Completely different setting?" I tilted my head, thinking about what he could have meant. "You mean… like a different world?"

"Exactly that. A different world.", Validar hissed.

I narrowed my eyes, looking at the older man accusingly. "Well, yes, but what does that have to do with anything?"

"You lived there for some time, had you not? Growing with another family, creating bonds with others, and then suddenly… You end up within a castle, younger than you once were…"

My eyes widened at the realization. Now I understood. "You… you mean that…?"

"This world is where you truly belong, child.", Validar cackled, his rather menacing laughter echoing throughout the void. "Your parents, in a desperate attempt to hide you away from me, sent you to a completely different world separate from this one, in the hopes that I would never find you. If I hadn't searched every possible world for a trace of you, you never would have been here."

I dropped to my knees, unable to take this in. My entire life on Earth, my family, my friends, my way of life… all of that was a lie, just part of a fabricated scheme.

"You've also forgotten a number of things since your battle with Gangrel, haven't you?"

I knew the unfortunate answer was yes, but I would never give him the satisfaction. "You died that day." Validar opened a deep purple leather-bound book, though it didn't appear that he was actually reading it. "After Gangrel killed you, you cried out because of your weakness. You were spare that day, risen from the dead, and ever since then, your memories of that world have been deteriorating until they are all gone."

The book in his hand closed with a clap, disappearing. "Just like it was your destiny to reappear amongst us once more, it is your destiny to take part in my revolution."

I looked up to the nonexistent sky, futilely praying that he was lying. But I could not say otherwise. He had been right on all counts. My memories of the old life, my death against Gangrel. He had been telling the truth and it was mentally tearing me down. I slammed my fist onto the area beneath me, spitting out a curse. I glared daggers at Validar and growled angrily, his only response was an arrogant smirk.

"Rrrrrgh… How dare you mock me…!" I pushed off of my knee and ran straight at him to deliver a punch, but my fist connected with only wisps of his form before it retook it shape behind me. I turned around to look at him in his eyes, only to see hell itself behind his figure. A grotesque setting to say the least. Darkness plagued the land, the only light that shined was from the luminescent flames burning down the city. Blood splattered across the walls of buildings and cobblestone paths, limbs and body parts decorating every couple dozen square metres. I looked at my right and saw Cordelia-or at least what was left of her. She was mounted on a cross made of wooden stakes, her bloodied head on the top of the pike while her arms were shoved onto both ends of the stake. "E… ric…"

A weak call begged me to turn around. It was Say'ri, hung by a rope, her thin, malnourished body beaten, bloody and almost completely charred. My legs began to feel increasingly weak and as I took a few steps back, I doubled over and vomited everything until there was nothing but bile coming out.

"Damn!", Validar grumbled. "It's that meddlesome exalt! I'll finish my business here some other time. But just remember… you will be mine…" As I try to halt my violent coughing, my mind went blank before falling into unconsciousness.

Lance: Whoa, man. That chapter near the end… kinda dark.

Goodralisk: Well, you'll be in a different mood when you figure out what I did to his only spandex outfit, heheh…

Lance: What did you do?

Deadpool: AHHHHHH!

Goodralisk: Just a little bit of a… washing mishap.

Deadpool: Why has my spandex shrunk?! AND WHY IS IT PINK?! *comes out walking very stiffly, wearing his spandex suit that is tight around the openings*

Lance: OH my GODS, that's hilarious! How did you accomplish turning it from red to pink?

Goodralisk: That will be for another time. Because now, we have to end this chapter.

Deadpool: How could you? And after all that time I spent getting your birthday present!

Goodralisk: My birthday was two weeks ago.

Deadpool: Yeah, it was late, but I still got you something. Which you'll now have to wait for. Hmph!

Goodralisk: Great...just what I need. Lance, just finish this chapter off, will you?

Lance: Sure thing! Goodralisk and Lance out!