When Swords Cross Chapter 4, a fire emblem fanfic

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Fire Emblem, nor do I own the characters in Fire Emblem. I do, however, own any characters I create for the purpose of this story.

When Swords Cross

CHAPTER FOUR

Celice stood at the entrance to Miletos Castle, waiting for his scouts. As he waited, he reflected on everything that had happened since the liberation of Conote and frowned. King Trabant of Thracia had decided to encroach on the treaty his kingdom had signed with the Empire. His goal ever since he became king was to unify the Thracian Peninsula under his rule, and as soon as Conote fell, he acted upon that goal by sending a squad of dragon knights after the remaining territory in Northern Thracia, Manster. However, around the same time that Celice's army captured Conote, the government in Manster fell at the hands of the citizens, led by Sety, the prince of Silesia. With word of Thracia's dragon knights coming toward the castle, the civilians fled, and Sety stayed behind to cover their retreat. Celice's army charged forward, aided Sety, and pressed forward into the Kingdom of Thracia proper, capturing Mease Castle along the way. Trabant refused to stand for this, so he launched a full-scale assault on Mease. Celice's army successfully repelled the assault, killing Trabant in the process. He then led his army through the rest of Thracia, making their way to the capital, which was guarded by Trabant's son, Arion. Arion was defeated, but was whisked away by Julius in the same manner that Ishtar had been. Celice then moved in to capture the capital.

Celice's army then moved into the mercantile Miletos District, seizing the castles along the way. The final castle, Miletos, was guarded by–much to Celice's surprise–Julius and Ishtar. His men were unable to stop Julius, but they did hurt Ishtar enough to force her to retreat, taking Julius with her. They then seized the castle.

Celice saw two figures in the sky, flying toward the castle. As they neared, he was able to discern between the two. The flier on the left was Fee, Sety's younger sister and the princess of Silesia. Fee had grown up with her older brother and her mother, Fury, in Silesia. After Fury's death, Sety left to find their absent father. As time passed, no word came from the Silesian prince, so Fee set out to look for him. Along the way, she came across Celice's army, and was accepted into their ranks.

The flier on the right was Altenna, Leaf's older sister and the princess of Lenster. Until recently, Altenna was believed to be dead, to have been killed in the Yied Massacre alongside her parents and the Lanzen Ritter. She had accompanied the battalion of dragon knights that attacked Manster, but unwilling to attack civilians, she simply perched her mount on a mountain and watched. Unbeknownst to her, she had caught Fin's eye, and Fin immediately recognized the lance she held as the Gae Bolg, a holy weapon once used by the crusader Noba. Since only descendants of Noba could wield the Gae Bolg, Fin deduced that its holder was Altenna. He then brought this to Leaf's attention, and in the first wave of dragon knights that attacked Mease, Leaf confronted his sister. His conviction led to doubt in his sister's mind, and she flew back to the capital to confront her stepfather. Trabant, seeing no point in keeping up his facade, told her the truth, which sent Altenna into a rage and forced Arion to knock her out. When she finally came to, Trabant was dead and Arion encouraged her to go meet with her cousin's army.

Fee landed first, then Altenna followed, with a passenger on her dragon's back. Celice resisted the urge to ask about Altenna's passenger. Instead, he asked, "So, what's the situation?"

"It isn't good," Altenna answered. "The Roten Ritter has formed at the other side of the bridge to Grandbell. We'll have to break through them if we want to reach Chalphy."

Celice frowned. The Roten Ritter were Velthomer's elite unit of fire mages. It had been the Roten Ritter that had rained meteors upon his father's army nearly twenty years ago. However, he could not see their being nearby unless their leader was. "I take it that it gets worse?"

Solemnly, Altenna nodded. "Reaching Chalphy will not end the battle. In fact, the most difficult fight will be at the castle. As I'm sure you suspect due to the presence of the Roten Ritter, defending the castle is none other than Emperor Alvis himself."

Celice turned pale. He had suspected this, but had hoped he would not run into the emperor so soon. He knew all too well about Alvis's past. He had been the lord of Velthomer since his childhood, when his father, Lord Victor, had committed suicide. When the king of Grandbell fell ill, Alvis had traveled to Barhara to watch over him while the prince led the bulk of Grandbell's army to confront Isaac. While he was there, he found a young woman, in poor health and amnesiac. He took her in, nursed her back to health, and fell in love with her in the process. Because of the markings on her forehead, the king was able to identify her as a member of the royal family, meaning she was the prince's daughter. This woman was none other than Deirdre, Sigurd's wife and Celice's mother.

At some point, Alvis had begun communication with the Lopt archbishop, Manfloy. Unbeknownst to the general population, Alvis was, in addition to being a direct descendant of the crusader Fala, an indirect descendant of the archbishop Galle, who had formed the Lopt Empire centuries ago. Deirdre was also an indirect descendant of Galle, which explained why their son, Julius, was so prominent in dark magic. Manfloy was able to persuade Alvis to comply with his plans, and in the battle of Barhara, Alvis abandoned Langbart, betrayed Reptor, and killed Sigurd. After the king's death, Alvis pushed Grandbell's military into Silesia and Northern Thracia, thus forming the Grandbell Empire.

However, these days, Alvis was emperor in name only. Julius had grown beyond Alvis's control, and was beginning to handle the Empire himself. When Julius inherited the throne, it was feared that the Lopt Empire would be revived.

This presented a problem for Celice. While he had lost much of his political power over the years, Alvis's fighting prowess remained intact. In fact, most of the members of Celice's army would be unable to withstand even a single casting of Alvis's Falaflame spell. The only people who would stand much of a chance against Alvis were Shanan and Aless. Not even Sety, with his Holsety wind magic, could handle Alvis, due to fire magic's advantage over wind magic. Celice determined that the best course of action would be the same as the course he had taken against Ishtar in Northern Thracia. It pained him to do this, as Alvis was the reason that Celice was an orphan. He would have preferred to stop Alvis with his own blade, but without a holy weapon, he stood little chance.

Celice sighed. "All right. I think I know how to deal with Alvis. Now, Altenna, may I ask why you have a passenger?"

Altenna gestured to the old man behind her. "Celice, this man says he needs to speak with you. We saved him and a group of children from a group of dark mages on the cape east of Chalphy Castle."

"Very well," Celice said. "He may speak to me."

The old man descended from Altenna's dragon and walked up to Celice. As he looked upon the prince, tears filled his eyes. "Ah, Prince Celice. How much you've grown. I can see the resemblence between you and each of your parents now."

Celice was confused. As far as he could remember, he had never met this man before, but he seemed to know Celice's parents. "Who are you?"

"I beg your pardon," the man said. "My name is Palmark. I am a bishop who served your grandfather, Lord Byron."

"Which explains how you know my parents," Celice responded. "Why did you want to see me?"

"It seems to me that you wish to confront Emperor Alvis, the man who killed your father and stole away your mother," Palmark said. "Yet at the moment, you lack the ability to do so. However, I have something for you that will enable you to defeat the emperor." He reached inside his robe and pulled out a sword.

Celice studied the sword for a moment. It had a long blade, perfect for mounted combat. The blade, though it had been used before, looked as immaculate as it would have if it had just been forged. Its blade glistened in the sunlight, and the jewel in the hilt sparkled. Celice's eyes widened. He knew what sword this was. "It can't be . . . "

Palmark nodded. "This is the heirloom of House Chalphy, the blade used by the crusader Baldo. Your father used this blade to strike down Lord Langbart and Lord Reptor. This is Tyrfing."

Celice could hardly believe what he was seeing and hearing. He knew about the powers Tyrfing bestowed upon its user. It would amplify his natural skill and evasiveness, and would help to shield him from magic. With Tyrfing in his hands, Alvis's Falaflame would only be able to hurt Celice. Alvis would need to cast the spell multiple times if he hoped to kill him. It turned a one-on-one fight between the Emperor of Grandbell and the Prince of Light from a one-sided battle into a fair fight that could go either way. Celice reached out, took Tyrfing from Palmark's hands, and wrapped his right hand around the hilt. As he did so, he felt an unusual warmth flow from the sword into his body. He swung it around a few times, then hooked it into his belt. He then turned to Altenna and Fee. "Assemble everyone. We need to discuss our plans."

-4-

With everyone gathered around the table with a map of northern Miletos and the Chalphy dukedom, Celice began to speak.

"From what Princess Altenna and Princess Fee have reported, the Roten Ritter is amassed across the channel." Celice pointed at the northern end of the bridge connecting the Miletos District to Grandbell proper. "Lord Aless will lead the charge, followed by Prince Shanan and Lord Arthur." He knew that the three of them would fare best against the Roten Ritter. Aless could withstand a heavier magical onslaught than the average person due to the Mistoltin, and Shanan would be able to evade almost any attack directed at him due to Balmung. Arthur, while incapable of wielding a holy weapon, was a descendant of the crusader Tordo, and was more adept with thunder magic than the average person. He was armed with a tome of Thoron magic, thunder magic second only to Torhammer in potence. Due to thunder magic's advantage over fire magic, he would be the best person to back up Shanan and Aless.

"After the Roten Ritter is cleared away, we will have a clear shot at the castle. However, the emperor himself is guarding Chalphy. No one here is to engage him in combat. He is mine."

"Celice, I understand that you wish to exact revenge for your parents, but you'll only get yourself killed," Levin said. "Alvis is armed with a holy weapon."

"As am I," Celice replied. He pulled Tyrfing from its scabbard. "The sword of the crusader Baldo is back in the hands of a Chalphy."

"Your Highness, how did you get Tyrfing?" Oifaye asked, astonished. "I'm certain that Emperor Alvis would have taken it after the Battle of Barhara."

"He had," Celice responded. "However, a bishop named Palmark–a man who had served my grandfather, the previous lord of Chalphy–had recovered it and delivered it to me. With this, I am our best chance at defeating Emperor Alvis." He then looked around at the rest of his army. "Does everyone understand the plan?" He waited a few seconds for questions. "All right, then. Let's go! Grandbell awaits!"

As the rest of the army filtered out of the room, however, Celice lingered behind. He stared at the map that lay on the table, lost in thought. It was not until he heard someone call his name that he snapped out of his thoughts.

"Celice?"

"Oh, Nanna. What is it?"

"Aren't you going to leave?" Nanna asked.

"Yes, in a moment," Celice replied. "I was just thinking."

Nanna looked down at the map. "This will be the first time you set foot in Grandbell, will it not?"

Celice nodded. "This is the land that my father called home. In fact, the castle we'll be attacking is my family's castle. However, it just doesn't feel like much of a homecoming. This is the land of which I am a prince, yet I know little about it. I was born in Agustria, and raised in Silesia and Isaac. It just feels strange to be alienated from the land that bore my ancestors."

"I know exactly what you mean," Nanna replied. "My lineage traces back to Agustria. As you'll recall, my uncle was the last lord of Nodion. However, I've never set foot there. I was born and raised in Northern Thracia. We fled from town to town, eluding Imperial capture. I would someday like to see my homeland, but I don't know if I can necessarily call it home."

Celice nodded, but continued to stare at the map. Nanna looked at him, puzzled. "You're worried about facing Emperor Alvis, aren't you?"

Celice hung his head. "Yes. I have heard how lethal he is. His Falaflame is powerful enough to burn his enemies to ashes with a single cast. Tyrfing will help to protect me, but I'm afraid I might not be strong enough to face my father's murderer yet."

"You can, Celice." Nanna put her hand on Celice's right shoulder. "Just believe in yourself, and you'll prevail. You're already one of our best warriors, even without a holy weapon. Now that you have Tyrfing, I can't see how anything or anyone could stop you."

Celice looked Nanna in the eyes. "You're right, Nanna. I won't get anywhere second-guessing my abilities." He rested his hand on Tyrfing's hilt. "Let's go. We need to take the home of my father and grandfather back from the clutches of the Empire, and no one–not even the emperor himself–will stand in my way."

-4-

Shanan and Arthur forced an opening through the formation of the Roten Ritter, and Celice charged toward Chalphy. When he reached the gate, he brought his horse to a halt and dismounted. He looked upon the castle that had been home to his father, Sigurd, and wondered what it would have been like to see it when the Chalphys still resided in the castle. He then noticed something odd. The front gate to the castle was open. Despite his fear of a trap, Celice walked into the castle. There to greet him was Alvis, the emperor of Grandbell.

Celice looked upon his enemy. Alvis showed no sign of the dashing young man he had been twenty years ago. His face was worn with stress and wrought with anxiety. He wrapped himself in a large, red cloak, so Celice had no idea what the emperor was wearing.

"So you decided to come, Celice," Alvis said. "I commend your courage, though it won't be enough to get you out of here alive."

"We shall see about that, Emperor Alvis." Celice met Alvis's gaze with a sharp glare that would make a lesser man turn and run in fear for his life.

Alvis waved his hand. "Drop the formalities, Celice. After all, our weapons don't use them, so why should we?"

"I'd be more than happy to drop the formalities," Celice replied curtly. "I also no longer see the need for words. We should let our weapons do the talking from here on out."

Alvis chuckled. "Ah, the impatience of the young. I'd rather not fight in this corridor–I find it far too restrictive. After all, in the off-chance that you do kill me, I'm sure you'd rather not have to clean the bloodstains off of your family's castle."

"One of my family's castles," Celice corrected.

Alvis narrowed his eyes. "You still cling to the claim that Deirdre is your mother?"

"I stick to that claim because it is the truth, Alvis," Celice responded.

"That is simply not possible," Alvis said. "Records show that your mother disappeared just outside Agusty nearly twenty years ago. It was around that time that I found Deirdre near Barhara. It is impossible to travel from Agusty to Barhara in such a short period of time."

"Your son certainly seems capable of such a feat," Celice said. "I've seen him three times over the past year, and each time he appeared and departed through means of warping. I saw him once in Conote, once in Thracia, and once a few days ago, in Miletos. Who's to say my mother isn't capable of warping . . . or being warped by someone else?"

"You're right about one thing–the need of words has expired." Alvis frowned. "Now, if you would follow me, I will lead you to the area of the castle in which we will fight."

-4-

Celice followed Alvis through the corridors of the castle. They eventually came to a halt atop the highest tower. Celice narrowed his eyes. "Are you sure you want to fight here?"

"I can think of no better place," Alvis replied. "There is plenty of room here to maneuver, unlike the corridor, where we would essentially be forced to fence."

"What need have you of fencing?" Celice asked. "Your specialty has always lied with fire magic. You are, after all, descended from the crusader Fala. Not only that, but you are also a descendant of Bishop Myra."

"So are you, if your claim really is true," Alvis replied.

"But unlike you, I don't have a drop of Loptous blood in my veins," Celice responded.

"Anyway, what you say is true," Alvis said. "I am a member of Velthomer's main family, and as such, have at my disposal the full power of the crusader Fala. However, I find this will be unnecessary to defeat you." He threw back his cloak, revealing a thick set of armor and a shield strapped to his back. Alvis strapped the shield to his left forearm and drew a silver blade from the scabbard on his left hip. "While your claim about your mother's identity is dubious at best, your claim of your father's identity is genuine. As such, you are remarkably proficient with swords. However, I will show you that I don't need the holy blood of a sword-wielding crusader to defeat you, a person with the full power of the crusader Baldo, with a sword."

Celice drew his own sword, though he opted for his father's silver sword. "If you insist." With that, both warriors charged.

Both warriors opted for the same swing, which led to their swords crossing. Each warrior held his sword with both hands, in an attempt to land a vertical strike. After this initial exchange, Celice leaped backward and assumed a stance. Alvis charged at the prince and swung his sword horizontally at a height that would allow him to catch Celice in the neck. However, Celice raised his sword to block the strike and used the opportunity opened by Alvis's recoil to lunge forward. However, Alvis brought up his shield and blocked the thrust. Celice jumped back, ducking under Alvis's next cut in the process. Celice then dashed forward and swung downward with his blade, though Alvis was able to block with his sword. Alvis pushed up against Celice's sword, pushing Celice himself back in the process. He then swung his sword around and thrust it at his opponent. However, Celice quickly turned sideways and let the sword pass by him. He then went in for a thrust of his own, but Alvis quickly sidestepped it. He was unable to avoid it completely, but the result was nothing more than a minor cut.

Both warriors stepped back. "Impressive," Alvis growled. "You landed the first strike."

"Who lands the first strike is irrelevant," Celice replied. "It's who lands the last strike that's important."

"Yes, I can see Prince Shanan teaching you something like that." Alvis then assumed a stance. "Enough talk! Let us continue!"

-4-

The Roten Ritter had been completely wiped out by Celice's forces, which were now gathered at the entrance to the castle. They all had their orders to not interfere, but they could not quell their anxiety or wish to help.

Nanna looked down at the head of her horse. "I feel so helpless. I just wish there was some way I could help Celice."

Leaf, who now had a horse of his own, rode up to Nanna's side. "Don't bother worrying yourself over things like that."

Nanna turned toward Leaf. "You know, ever since Alster you've been cold toward Celice. He's your cousin, isn't he?"

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I have to approve of everything he does or spend half my time worrying about his well-being," Leaf shot back. "Though he apparently has you to do that for him."

"I–oh, my God!" Nanna exclaimed. "You're hung up on that? Celice is my friend. Understand?"

"Seemed more than friends at the fountain," Leaf replied.

Nanna's eyes flared up with anger. "You mean to tell me you were spying on us?"

"Oops." Leaf turned white.

"'Oops' doesn't cut it!" Nanna shouted. "Like I just told you, there is nothing more between Celice and myself! And you have no right whatsoever to be spying on me! Besides, you're not my father, so why does it matter to you who I show interest in?"

"Wait, so you do have some interest?"

"I said Celice is a friend, Leaf!" Nanna exclaimed. However, as she spoke, a blush crept into her cheeks. "And I think you owe Celice an apology for the way you've been treating him! I'm certain that Prince Cuan would have been quite upset with you were he here! And until you do apologize, I don't want to talk to you or even see you! Do I make myself clear?" With that, she stormed off.

-4-

Celice and Alvis broke apart again, both sweating. However, along with sweat for Alvis came a few trickles of blood. Celice had managed to cut Alvis a few more times, while he himself was unscathed. "I don't know about you, Alvis, but I'm tired of holding back." With that, Celice sheathed his silver sword and pulled out the other sword attached to his belt.

Alvis smiled. "So I see you have finally found your family's sacred blade. Excellent." Alvis then sheathed his own sword, walked over to his cloak, and pulled out a red tome of magic. "If you had not had Tyrfing in your possession, I would have refused to even show you the cover of this Falaflame tome. Now, we can have a battle truly worthy of the legacy of the crusaders."

"Only for the fact that one of us is betraying his ancestors," Celice replied. "I don't know about you, but I want to end this fight as soon as we can."

"I see," Alvis said. "Nervous, are we?"

"Of course not," Celice replied. Though this seemed like a mere bluff, it was true. Celice was surprised to find himself perfectly calm and unafraid. This only worked to increase Celice's chances of victory–if he was too nervous, he would be bound to make a mistake, and against the emperor, mistakes were fatal.

"What are you waiting for? Come." Alvis beckoned him forward. "I'll even give you the first attack." Celice dashed forward at full speed and let loose with a horizontal slash aimed at Alvis's waist. Alvis, however, moved to the side, and while the sword still cut into his waist, it was a minor wound. It would probably require a strong healer, but Alvis could still fight capably.

Alvis grinned, and Celice could see a predatory look in the emperor's eyes. "Too bad, Celice, but that just wasn't enough." He then raised his right hand. "FALAFLAME!"

Celice leaped backward as far as his leg muscles would propel him, but it was not enough to evade the attack. A stream of flame arced through the air from the floor at Alvis's feet, through Celice, and into the ground behind him. At the same time, heat flowed into Celice's body from all directions, and burned away at his nervous system.

Celice screamed in agony. It felt as if his entire body were on fire, but at the same time, he was not burning. However, as quickly as it had started, the heat left his body. While Celice's body returned to its normal temperature, though, the pain lingered. Celice clenched his teeth and held Tyrfing before him. He knew that the blade was the sole reason he had not been burned beyond recognition, though he also knew that he could not take another hit, with or without the sword of Baldo in his hands.

"That didn't feel good, did it?" Alvis asked. "Don't worry, though. The next attack will kill you before you experience that much pain."

Celice remained expressionless, but deep down, he knew Alvis was right. There's no way I can survive one more attack, and I don't think I can evade it, either. Sorry, everyone. I've failed you all. However, immediately after he had this thought, a flashback floated into his memory.

-4-

Celice nodded, but continued to stare at the map. Nanna looked at him, puzzled. "You're worried about facing Emperor Alvis, aren't you?"

-4-

Yes, that's right. I've got everyone depending on me. I can do this. I will do this. I will go back and see Oifaye, Shanan, Lana, my other childhood friends, and Nanna again. Celice felt something begin to flow through him. Celice chalked it up to confidence.

"Well, if you won't attack, then I'll just finish you off," Alvis said.

"I'd like to see you try," Celice replied. "You won't even be able to hit me."

"Tough words coming from someone whose entire nervous system is in ruins right now," Alvis remarked. "But nevertheless, I'll indulge you. After all, it'll bring this fight to its conclusion." He then raised his hand. "FALAFLAME!"

Celice instantly dashed to the left, but he had apparently overexerted his legs, as he found himself farther left than he had intended to run. However, it had its desired effect. The arc of fire that comprised Alvis's attack was off to his right. However, what Celice saw caught him off-guard.

Alvis was also surprised. "What? How did the attack go through him? That's . . . an afterimage! But how?" His shocked expression eased into a chuckle. "Of course. When Tyrfing's wielder is in mortal danger, it increases the wielder's natural speed and agility severalfold." He turned to face the true Celice. "Then I will simply have to aim better!" He raised his hand, but before he could cast the spell, Celice rushed in with his sword and thrust it at the emperor's chest. Alvis managed to get his shield up in time, but upon the strike, the shield shattered as if it were made of glass and the blade passed through Alvis's forearm.

Alvis screamed in pain as Celice pulled Tyrfing out of Alvis's arm and jumped back. Celice was in control, and he knew it. He had adjusted to the boost in speed that Tyrfing had granted him, and all Alvis could do was aim haphazardly and hope he hit.

This became Alvis's next strategy. He began casting Falaflame as rapidly as he could, making a maze of arcs that Celice would have to navigate if he wanted any chance at striking down the emperor. Celice moved to the left of one arc, dashed forward, then juked to the right to avoid another arc. He then saw three arcs headed at him, so he dived to the left, rolled along the ground, and leaped back up to his feet. Within moments, he was within striking distance. Alvis tried to get off one more cast, but he was too slow. Celice thrust his sword forward, though Alvis shifted at the last moment. What was a blow aimed at Alvis's heart penetrated through his right lung instead. Nevertheless, it was a fatal wound, and Alvis fell to all fours as Celice pulled Tyrfing from his body.

Alvis clenched his teeth and said through the pain, "Well done, Celice . . . I commend you . . . "

Celice walked over to Alvis. "Damn . . . I had hoped to avoid making you suffer in your final moments."

Alvis tried to laugh, but began coughing. "Merciful even to the man who killed your father?"

"I'm fairly certain I know the truth, Alvis," Celice replied. "You were never the mastermind behind the formation of the Grandbell Empire. That was all Manfloy's doing."

"You would be correct, Celice," Alvis said, his voice shaking. "Manfloy is the mastermind even now. He's the reason I have no control any more and was forced to fight you. Also, I should tell you . . . As you might suspect, I collected Tyrfing after the Battle of Barhara. However, Palmark did not steal it. I gave it to him."

"What?" Celice exclaimed. "Why?"

"I knew that even if I stopped you, I would be killed by the Lopt Sect so that my son could take the throne and revive the Lopt Empire," Alvis replied. "If I have to die, I prefer to die in battle."

"Are you saying you let me win?" Celice asked.

"Let you win? Ha! Celice, I gave this fight my all . . . " Alvis then coughed some more, and blood came up. "Also, about Deirdre . . . now that I think about it, there is a way you can prove your heritage. You see, Deirdre knew a lullaby–a very specific one, that no one else had ever heard. She used to sing that to the twins every night. If you truly are a son of Deirdre, you would know that lullaby . . . "

Celice closed his eyes and began to sing. The calm, serene melody reached Alvis's ears, and as it did, tears formed in his eyes. "There is no doubt about it . . . That is the melody that Deirdre used to sing . . . " Alvis paused for a moment, then spoke again. "Celice, I must tell you something about how I met Deirdre . . . She was unconscious on royal territory, but Manfloy guided me to her . . . "

Celice's blood ran cold. "It was Manfloy. Manfloy is responsible for my mother's disappearance and amnesia! Damn him!"

Alvis nodded. "Celice, I had no idea that Sigurd and Deirdre were married . . . If I had known, I would not have married her myself . . .

"Finally, Celice, there is one more thing I must ask of you . . . " Alvis was on his stomach on the floor now, with blood oozing from the corner of his mouth. "Julia . . . Protect Julia . . . "

Celice's eyes widened. "How do you know Julia?"

Alvis laughed weakly. "Of course I know her . . . She's my daughter . . . Please give Levin my thanks for protecting her all these years . . . "

"What?!" Celice exclaimed. "Then that makes her my half-sister . . . " He then shook his head. "Where is Julia? She disappeared before our charge against Chronos!"

"Manfloy . . . " Alvis answered. "Manfloy took her . . . Please . . . Keep my daughter safe . . . !"

Celice nodded. "I will, but it will not be for your sake. I would have watched over Julia even if you had not asked."

Alvis chuckled. "Yes, I can see that you're not one to do favors for a man who killed your family . . . "

"At the same time, Alvis, I bear no hatred for you," Celice said. "You were a victim in this whole affair, as well."

"Good . . . " Alvis said. "Save that anger for Manfloy . . . You'll need it against him . . . " He paused again. "Celice . . . You must win the upcoming battle . . . If you don't . . . well, I don't want to think about what will happen if you don't . . . Just win . . . for . . . the sake . . . of . . . the . . . peo . . . ple . . . " Alvis's eyelids drooped, and his torso sagged one last time.

Celice turned away from Alvis's body and looked off to the south. From his vantage point, he could see the shoreline. He could see the sun, now but a red orb in the sky, setting below the horizon and reflecting off the water. "It's beautiful . . . " Celice said to himself. As he watched, he thought he saw something that should have been impossible. He could see two figures on the beach. Both wore white clothing, though of different styles. One wore the white garments of a Grandbell Holy Knight, with black chest armor and a blue cape. The other wore long, flowing robes of white and silver, which accentuated the long, silver hair of the wearer. Celice squinted. "Father? ...Mother?" The next thing he knew, he found himself leaving the castle and running down toward the beach. Looking around, however, he saw nothing. After a moment, he began to wonder why he came down here, when he heard a voice.

"Celice . . . Celice . . ."

Celice looked around, wildly. "Who's there? Who's calling me?"

"Oh, how you've grown, Celice . . ."

"Mother?!" Celice blurted out. "Mother, is that you?"

As if on cue, a form materialized before him. Standing before him, albeit translucent, was Deirdre. She gave her son a warm smile, and Celice's eyes widened. "I see Levin and the others have done a fine job with you. You're so strong, healthy, and handsome. Remember to be thankful for all the people in your life, my dear son."

Celice, in a stupor, nodded. "I–I will, Mother. Also, I have good news. Emperor Alvis is dead, by my hands. I have avenged Father's death."

The smile faded from Deirdre's face. ". . . I see. And what of Julius and Julia?"

"I . . . I don't know," Celice replied. "Do you know where they are?" Deirdre, however, remained silent. ". . . Mother?"

"Celice . . ." came another voice, and a second form began to materialize. Deirdre was joined by the spirit of Sir Sigurd.

"Wha . . . Father? Is that you, Father?" Celice said.

"Celice," Sigurd began, "do not let Alvis's death go to your head. It was not your hand alone that defeated him."

This confused Celice. "Father, what is that supposed to mean?"

"Get to know the people's sorrow, Celice," Sigurd continued. "Your reality and theirs are still worlds apart. If you can't accomplish this, then this whole war will have been for naught." Then, the forms of Celice's parents began to fade.

Celice held out a hand, hoping to stop them. "Wait, Father! Please wait!"

It was no use. Celice's parents completely faded from sight. However, he heard from his mother one more time:

"Take care of yourself, my son . . ."

Celice, hand still outstretched, slumped to his knees. He then put his hands on the sand and hunched over as the tears began to flow. He understood perfectly well that the war was not over, but tonight that would not matter. For now, all that mattered was letting his emotions free.