Chapter 2

Princess Tana of Frelia was flying towards Renais on her Pegasus, Achaeus. During the flight, however, she caught sight of the fog rapidly spreading.

"Whoa, Achaeus...whoa!"

Achaeus stopped in mid-flight, flapping his wings, hovering in place, neighing loudly.

"What is that!?" Tana cried out, alarmed. "Whatever it is, we don't want to get caught in it!"

Flying through a fog on a Pegasus was never a good idea. Who knows what they would crash into, or if some archers chose to shoot them down.

Tana pulled on the reigns, trying to turn the Pegasus away from the fog. "We have to get out of here! Fly away, Achaeus!"

With a loud neigh, Achaeus flapped his wings, flying higher and away from the fog. Tana spotted a high peak fairly close by, so she directed the Pegasus there.

"There! We can hide there until it's safe!" Tana said.

Achaeus gave her a neigh of acknowledgement, and began to fly towards that mountain.

Ephraim and Eirika returned to Renais Castle. Two soldiers stood guard at the front entrance, letting them pass quite easily. It was expected, as they were the royal heirs of the kingdom. As they walked through the corridor, it seemed strangely quiet. Stiff guards aside, it seemed to lack its usual livelihood.

"Brother..." Eirika whispered. "Do you have a strange feeling?"

"I do, actually," Ephraim replied, just as quiet. "Hello? Seth? Forde? Kyle?"

They walked a few steps farther, coming across a four-way in the corridor. Without warning, Forde and Kyle stepped out from the corners, pointing their spears at them. The twins looked visibly startled, as they jumped back in surprise.

"Kyle! Forde!" Ephraim demanded. "Put down your spears!"

Kyle and Forde only responded by stepping forward, still aiming their weapons. Their faces were blank, void of any recognition. It was as though they only recognized the pair as enemies rather than their leaders.

"Forde!" Eirika cried as the red-armored knight advanced on her. "What is the meaning of this!?"

Still without a word, Forde aimed a thrust at Eirika's torso, but luckily, she quickly sidestepped it.

"Forde!"

Forde only advanced on her again, slowly, but without hesitation. Eirika reluctantly drew her rapier.

"Forde..." she begged more softly, a pleading look in her eyes.

Meanwhile, Kyle was more relentless in pursuing the prince. He aimed one thrust after another at various points of Ephraim's body. Ephraim dodged them quickly, bringing out his own special spear, the Reginleif. He then began to parry Kyle's attacks as they came, but Kyle left very little room for a counter strike.

"Kyle, what has gotten into you!?" Ephraim demanded. "Speak to me!"

Kyle refused to speak. Instead, he tucked his lance away and drew his sword. He raised it in an overhead attack, but Ephraim raised his lance horizontally by the ends to block it.

Eirika's sword didn't fare so well against Forde's lance. While she was able to avoid his attacks, her parries still forced her back, and eventually into the wall. Forde attempted another stab, but Eirika grabbed the lace, holding on tightly.

"They're not listening, Ephraim!" she cried out. "Guards! Guards!"

Looking to her right, she noticed Seth walking casually down the hall towards them. Eirika didn't even notice that Seth didn't seem to be in any kind of hurry. Instead, she broke off from her struggle with Forde and ran over to him.

"Seth, you have to do something! Kyle and Forde are attacking us! Please help us!"

Seth instantly drew his sword, attacking in the same motion with an upward diagonal stroke. Eirika, already on edge, blocked the attack. Seth attempted an overhead stroke, which was also blocked, but he continued to apply pressure, keeping both blades locked.

"Seth!" Eirika cried, desperately trying to snap the Silver Knight to his senses. As the blades were locked, she studied his expression Seth's face didn't look angry or aggressive. Rather, his face had no expression at all.

Suddenly, Seth lifted his foot, pressing it into Eirika's torso, kicking her to the ground. He then raised his sword high.

"Seth, no!" Eirika screamed, bracing herself to be finished off by one of her own most trusted knights.

The scream grabbed Ephraim's attention, as he spared a quick glance from his own battle. "Eirika!"

He shoved back Kyle's blade, thrusting the dull end of his spear into his stomach, stunning him. Ephraim rushed to his sister's aid, stopping a few feet away and throwing his spear, which struck Seth's sword arm. The sword was effectively knocked out of his hand, hitting the ground with a loud, metallic clang. Ephraim went to Eirika's side, swiftly helping her to her feet.

And then they heard the simultaneous marching of many heavy, armored feet, growing closer and closer.

Ephraim and Eirika turned to see the Renais guards marching up behind Kyle and Forde, their spears raised and ready for battle. The twins immediately began to back up, intimidated.

"Brother..." Eirika stammered, unable to express the true horror she felt at the moment.

Ephraim was in a very similar state of emotion. "Run... Run!"

The twins pivoted on their feet and scrambled back down the corridor in the direction from which they came. The Renais soldiers continued to march after them at the same speed, with Kyle and Forde in front. Recovering from his arm injury, Seth picked up his sword from the floor before joining the other two knights in the lead.

Ephraim and Eirika made it back to the entrance without much trouble. They did find that odd, even in the heat of the moment, but they didn't have time to wonder about that now. Once they ran outside, they quickly mounted their horses and galloped away. They stopped just when the castle was out of view, glancing at each other in shock and confusion, panting for breath.

"What...what's going on...?" Eirika asked.

"I don't know..." Ephraim said in a rasped whisper. "They were clearly trying to kill us...but they didn't seem to eager to pursue us when we fled. I managed to look at their faces. They didn't seem angry at all. They seemed...empty."

"I saw that...I saw Seth's face. He was really going to kill me...if it weren't for you..." Eirika stopped. She couldn't allow herself to think such thoughts, to show weakness. "I'm sorry, Brother..."

"Don't be sorry. I know you're a strong fighter in your own right, but I am still your brother. Brothers are supposed to protect their sisters. That will never change, no matter how strong you become on your own."

Eirika fell silent for a moment, absorbing the words. It was true; she had grown stronger during the War of the Stones, but she was not immune to fear or sadness. Rather, it was overcoming that fear and sadness that had made her stronger. That, and the comrades who fought with her throughout her journey.

"Thank you, Brother. It is comforting to hear you say that. So what should we do now?"

"Well..." Ephraim paused briefly. There was really no way of knowing what to do about the situation in Renais, and no way of knowing whether it would pass on its own. "For now, we should head to Frelia and explain to King Hayden what's going on. Hopefully we can find some answers from there."

Thankfully, one of Frelia's finest qualities was its ability to gain information, thanks to Prince Innes's spy network. Perhaps they had found some information about this already. At least, the twins could hope. With their plan in mind, they directed their horses to trot towards Frelia.

Normally, the Jehanna marketplace was blooming with life. Merchants set up the stands to sell their finest goods, from fruits to meats and fish. This was also where the mercenary guild was located, where clients can request mercenaries for their missions. Many of them would specifically request Gerik's troop, because they were considered the best of the best.

However, today was not so normal. As Gerik, Saleh, and Ewan entered the marketplace, it was completely empty. No life, no chatter, no rolling of barrels. The place was silent, save for the sound of the hard breeze.

"This is odd..." Gerik remarked.

"Where is everybody?" Ewan asked.

"Great Dragon..." Saleh mused. "I have an ill feeling about this..."

"Hello?" Gerik led the way forward, peeking into one of the buildings. "Huh...even the bar is empty."

"Look!" Ewan called, pointing a little farther ahead. "There's Marisa!"

Gerik approached the pink-haired swordfighter as she sat in a chair next to an apple cart. She had an apple in her hand, holding it close to her mouth as if to take a bite, but never actually took it. Her face was blank, emotionless, much like it always was.

"Hey Marisa, guess what," Gerik told her. "We've got a job."

Marisa still sat unmoving, as if unaware of Gerik's presence.

Gerik glanced over at Saleh and Ewan, who were hanging back.

"Okay, it's more of a mission," Gerik went on. "We haven't actually discussed any payment arrangements. I...don't even think we need any payment for a job like this. This is serious business."

Still no response. Concerned, Gerik crouched down in front of her, meeting her at eye-level.

"Are you even listening to me?"

"Maybe she's mad," Ewan suggested as he approached. "Maybe I can help."

Gerik stepped back as Ewan stepped in front of the Crimson Flash now.

"Hey, Marisa! Commander Gerik says we have a job now! It always makes you happy to swing your sword, right?"

This time, Marisa's eyes shifted, glancing at the young mage, her face still blank.

"Maybe she needs a good laugh," Ewan thought.

"Yoo-hoo!" He waved his hand in front of Marisa's face. Then he flopped his elbows at his sides, clucking like a chicken. Next, he tried pulling at the corners of his mouth with his index fingers and sticking his tongue out. "Bleeeeeh!"

Still nothing. Ewan put a finger to his chin, pondering. "Hmm..."

But then Marisa finally moved. She stood up with her arms at her sides, dropping the apple to the ground.

"Oh, Marisa, hi!" Ewan said. "You're alive after all! We were just...um..."

Something about Marisa's behavior still made him uneasy. Suddenly, Marisa threw her arm back, striking Ewan hard across the face, knocking him to the ground. Both Gerik and Saleh jumped with a start.

"Hey, what the hell was that for!?" Gerik demanded.

Ewan stood slowly, trembling. "Okay, okay, Marisa...I'm sorry I made faces at you..."

Marisa either didn't hear the apology or just didn't care. She raised her hand to strike again, but Ewan jumped back to dodge it.

"Yikes!"

Ewan fled into the bar as Marisa pursued him relentlessly. Then the sound of wooden furniture thrashing about could be heard.

"Marisa!" Saleh cried out, rushing to Gerik's side. "Gerik, you must stop her!"

"But there's no stopping her when she gets angry like this!" Gerik protested. "Although...she's never gotten this violent before..."

"Exactly!" Saleh looked at him, his expression speaking for him with the same command. Stop her!

"All right, I'll see if I can calm her down..."

As Gerik started walking towards the bar, Ewan suddenly crashed through the window glass, tumbling roughly on the ground.

"Marisa..." the boy stammered, bleeding and teary-eyed. "Why are you...doing this...?"

"All right, that's enough!" Gerik intervened.

But Marisa wasn't finished. She drew her Shamshir, a blade that was small, but deadly, and brought it down in a swift stroke towards Ewan...

"NO!" Gerik drew his own sword, stepping in to stop Marisa's blade, just inches above Ewan's body. Marisa turned her attention to him now, glaring at him.

"Have you gone crazy?" Gerik growled through his teeth. "What's gotten into you!?"

Marisa pulled back her sword and attempted another strike, which Gerik also successfully blocked. As their swords clashed, Saleh moved up to check on Ewan.

"This is bad..." he said softly.

"You're...you're telling me..." Ewan groaned, struggling to get up.

"Don't move," Saleh ordered, bringing up his staff to heal the boy.

"Thanks, Teacher." Ewan stood up once he was fully healed. "But what are we going to do about Marisa?"

Saleh stood as well, watching Gerik and Marisa locked in battle. "I don't know. Her battle lust isn't normal..."

Just then, he felt a presence behind him. Turning around, he saw a familiar red-haired dancer.

"Tethys!" Ewan cried, running over to her. "What's going on with Marisa? Why is she all violent!?"

Saleh followed him, but as he got closer, he studied Tethys's expression, which was very similar to Marisa's.

"Great Dragon..." he muttered. "Ewan, be careful!"

"What do you mean?" Ewan asked. "Tethys wouldn't hurt me! She's never hurt anyone in her life! Not physically, anyway..."

"Hmm." Saleh was familiar with both Tethys's flirting, and how many men liked to hit on her after her dances. "She's broken many hearts, I take it?"

"They deserved it!" Ewan pouted. "Right, Tethys?"

Without even acknowledging him, Tethys casually walked past him. Ewan's smile quickly melted into a frown of concern.

Saleh watched her carefully as she slowly approached him. Just when it seemed that she would simply walk by, she quickly slipped behind him, wrapping a pink scarf around his neck. She crossed the ends and pulled on them, tightening it. Saleh could barely gasp as his air flow was suddenly cut off.

"Teacher!" Ewan cried out, both confused and concerned at this sudden turn. "Tethys, what are you doing!? Stop!"

Tethys jerked the sage backwards, pulling the scarf even tighter around his neck. Saleh dropped his staff, trying to dig his fingers under the cloth on his neck, but wasn't having much luck.

"Sis, stop!" Ewan cried again, frozen with indecision. His sister and his teacher were both important to him. He'd have to hurt one loved one to save the other. His first instinct was to use his magic, but he really didn't want to hurt his sister that much.

Meanwhile, Saleh's face was turning pale, and his eyes were turning red. A moment longer and he would pass out or even die.

Realizing that he couldn't delay any longer, Ewan grabbed the staff from the ground, and swung it towards Tethys's back.

"I said stop!" The staff struck the dancer's back at the final word, breaking her hold on Saleh. The sage collapsed to his hands and knees, gasping to catch his breath.

Tethys glared at Ewan before lunging at him and tackling him to the ground. Her hands went to his neck, grabbing hold and attempting to choke him.

"S-sis..." Ewan gasped, realizing just how serious this was. Both Tethys and Marisa were seriously trying to kill them, and he didn't know why.

Whether Saleh had recovered from his own predicament or not, he didn't care. Once he saw Tethys on top of Ewan, Saleh knew he had to move right now. He pushed himself towards them, lifting Tethys to her feet and pushing her backwards. The dancer stumbled a few steps before tipping over into a wagon full of apples.

"Teacher, what's going on!?" Ewan cried in a full panic.

There was no time to answer, as Saleh turned his attention back to the battle between Gerik and Marisa.

"Gerik!"

Marisa lunged at Gerik with another attack, but Gerik sidestepped her, striking the back of her head with the broad part of the blade, knocking her out cold. Gerik didn't bother checking on her as he rejoined Saleh and Ewan.

"Come on!" he ordered, leading the way as the three fled from the marketplace.