Wow, that's so freaky...I said in the latest review reply that the next chapter would take a while. And it ended up getting loaded TWO DAYS AFTER I SAID THAT! But it has been a while since my last actual update...

Okay, you remember last chapter, when I said that this fic was going to deviate from the plot of FE in a MAJOR way? That would be what's happening during this chapter. And, probably, during the rest of the fic. Oh, and just to let you know, the last chapter's going to have part of a song posted in it – the song that gave me the idea for this fic. Which song? It's a mystery for now. Hee hee hee…

Eclipsedragon owns nothing mentioned here.

And now, three nights later…

Matthew curses his ill luck as he kills yet another morph, watching golden eyes dull and black blood seep into the soil. At first, as he crept further and further away from the camp, he found it useful to travel by night, with human eyes growing weary and clouded then, but now, with non-humans being a completely different kettle of fish… Damn those morphs and their night vision! It would be so very useful if he could have the ability to see the enemy even in the dark. Wait…maybe…

Matthew stares at the corpse of his latest victim, something that was never truly alive, contemplating, and feeling an odd sort of kinship. At last, he reaches a decision. Bending down, he dips his hand into the last of the quintessence-enriched blood before it can return to the earth, standing again a minute later, his hand newly bloodied. He hesitates for a moment, sensing the energy of life in its purest form even through his stained hand, then seizes a leather gourd, full of clean water. Untying the neck of the gourd, he holds his hand over the sparkling aqua…

…and watches the quintessence drip into his only source of drinking water, remembering what he had heard whilst he had been eavesdropping on Canas. Before, he'd labelled it as useless, but now…

"Quintessence has the power to strengthen all creatures…to enhance all abilities, and to enable them to wreak destruction far beyond their natural capability…

…at the cost of their humanity…"

Wings in the forest, soft voices discussing missions, and enemies, and tactics. Unnoticed in the darkness, lantern light glints off eyes, the one they belong to hidden in the undergrowth. A smirk passes across the unseen one's face. Those who are strong together will not always be so when they are alone. He – it? thinks, and smirks again. So separate them…and then kill those…MURDERERS!

Early morning now, in the camp, when sleepy minds and wary eyes see two sets of wings beating overhead. The alarm sounds, and the army assemble, waiting to see if these two are friend or foe. At last they land: two wyverns, one bearing a man with a shock of green hair, and the other with what appears to be a bundle of cloth and armour. Rebecca and Wil prepare to shoot: the man holds up his hand, and shouts desperately "Ally! Ally!". Lyn gives the signal for him to dismount and approach slowly: he does so. As he steps closer, they can see that his face is tearstained, anxious.

"Please, you have to get a healer! Co-Commander Vaida is injured – she -"

"Commander…Vaida? Where is she?" Lyn can see no-one other than the man himself.

"Here!" The bundle of cloth on the second wyvern stirs, and a woman, dressed in the livery of Bern's wyvern riders, and bleeding heavily from a stomach wound, eerily similar to that on Merlinus' corpse. Lyn gasps, shouting for Priscilla and Serra: the two scuttle to the front of the crowd of people. When Vaida sees them, she scowls irritably and coughs, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. With Marcus' help, she is carried away to the healers' tent, with Serra rushing ahead for a mend staff.

Once satisfied that Vaida will be taken care of, Heath allows himself to be led to the tactician's tent, where every important conference is held. As he sits in the tent, ready to answer their questions, his forehead wrinkles in worry. Commander…

Don't worry - Vaida's not going to die. And I'm not going to suddenly bring every single FE character into this fic - I just decided to bring those two in. Don't worry - Heath'll say why they were there in the next chapter.

Bye for now, and please review!