Unfortunately, Corrin's hopes were for naught; the week following her visit of his private quarters, Corrin had barely seen any of Nyx. As if she were a vapor, she disappeared into thin air. During what little leisure time he had, he went around camp, asking if any knew of her whereabouts; his results were nothing short of what he expected from the less involved troops.
Charlotte, busy fiddling with her face in the reflection of a bucket of water, simply shrugged.
Xander didn't know who Nyx even was; after Corrin explained, he still bore no fruit.
Midori, even after touring the entire camp atop her puppet, could not recollect catching eye of her.
Kaze didn't move around much, such was why Corrin had second thoughts about asking.
Beruka said she never payed much attention towards her, thus explaining why she too had no answers.
Even Nina, whose eyes were supposed to be practically everywhere, had no idea.
Finally, though, Corrin struck a vein of luck when he approached Niles; he was standing around, harassing Keaton, when Corrin finally approached him. Niles' brows raised when his ears were introduced to the question, a sly grin spreading across his face afterwards.
"Whoa, you've been relentless looking for this girl; I've heard word around the camp that you've been going around asking every face you ran into."
"Please, Niles, answer my question." Corrin sighed.
"Oh, me? Like heck I know where she's hiding. Why don't you ask one-sniff-wonder over here." the man motioned to the irritated Keaton standing beside him. With a huff, Keaton crossed his arms, giving Niles a dirty look.
"Hey, Corrin, why don't you get this guy off my back? He keep pestering me like a flea." one of his ears raised. "Oh, and that magic girl? I saw her reading behind the shelf up front; she wasn't really in the talking mood, so heads up."
Relieved, Corrin sighed, closing his eyes at long last; his work wasn't done, though, so it was no time to relax. He nodded, gave Niles an order to go off and do something else (knowing him, he'd probably find something worse to do), then made his way to the head of the camp. There, after walking up a few stairs onto a platform, he carefully gazed around. Sure enough, he found the lost girl exactly where Keaton had said; she sat behind the shelf, eyes shut, a hand over a tome.
Carefully, he approached her, kneeling down before her. A couple of snaps of the finger in front of her face drew her out of her trance, her eyes narrowing.
"Ah. Corrin." she said, almost unenthusiastic. "You found me it seems; the wolfskin must have told you where I was."
As he nodded, Corrin cleared his throat.
"Yeah... So what are you doing back here?"
"Well, I was meditating before I was interrupted." she answered. "I know what you're asking on the inside, Corrin; don't avoid the question. Forgive me, I have decided not to associate myself with people anymore, not unless I must to assure victory over the war."
Since, Corrin had been in an ill mood, though failing to show it. Only those closest to him, such as his siblings, Azura, or his wife, were able to detect it; even so, they said nothing about it to him, knowing the impulsiveness which was an angered Corrin. Well, there were two brave souls, Leo and Xander, that dared to approach him later on that day.
The sun had started to set, hiding itself behind the distant mountains. Crickets had commenced their singing, Laslow preparing for his nightly practices, Shigure gushed over the beauty of the dusk as he rushed to grab a canvas. It was a typical, but ever lovely, evening, the troops in high spirits. Even Nyx, departing from her hiding place behind the shelf, took the time to gaze at the golden sky with a slight smile. Corrin was not out to enjoy the evening, however; he sat in his quarters, associating with Felicia, who sat next to him. Worry was in her eyes, almost begging to ask what would cause such distress in him... But ultimately, she couldn't find a bone in her body that was willing to inquire. That was why she was thankful to see two strangers appear, knocking on the doorframe to their room.
"Hello." Greeted the younger, Leo. "May we come inside?"
It was over a few cups of tea the four talked, Xander the most interested in what had Corrin down. He was more than happy to explain, but afterwards, perhaps as a result of lingering over the matter longer, his attitude went down again.
Unbeknownst to them, he had an idea in mind.
As they continued chatting, sipping away at their tea, Corrin set his empty cup on the saucer below; at last, he sighed, then rose.
"Xander... Leo..." he began, suddenly grim. Almost immediately, the two brothers noticed the seriousness in his tone, straightening to listen. "I'm very glad you came this evening... I've been thinking very hard lately. There... There's something I want to do. And I need your clear judgement as guidance. I don't want to be making an impulsive mistake... It's nothing we can afford."
"Oh?" asked Xander, raising a brow. "Judging by your tone, I would conjecture it is over the widow."
"Very closely, yes." Corrin replied. Slowly, with the three watching him, his feet took him to the other side of the room. When he kneeled down, setting his hands on an old chest in the corner, Felicia's eyes widened.
"M-Milord?" she whispered as he fondled with the locks, allowing the to chest creak open. Seeing the concern in the woman's tone, Xander and Leo rose, making their way to Corrin; standing over him, they gazed down on what lay inside the chest. Like Felicia, their eyes widened as well.
Inside lay nothing but a staff, one which looked older than time itself. Its wood had become petrified and smooth, lines carved inside, symbols of unknown origin etched deep into its skin. Fraying ribbons were tied around its top, laying sprawled out over the bottom of the trunk. At the very crown was a cloudy jewel, once sapphire, but now turning green. With a sigh, Leo straightened his back.
"Biföst." he observed. "One of the most powerful staves in all the world."
"I've kept it here in case we ever needed it..." Corrin muttered. "I've never known when would be the best time, but..."
"I see where you're heading with this." Xander spoke up, beckoning him to rise. Standing before him, gazing down with a frown, he sighed. "You're considering to use this to bring back your fallen friend."
Corrin winced.
"If it's he we're going to use it on, it won't be for me." he whispered. "It's very true that Silas was a great friend of mine... But thats not my reason. No. I want this to be for Nyx. She's... She's been through so much... And Silas meant so much to her."
"Do keep in mind it is a one time use stave, brother." Leo reminded grimly. "It is vital to be wise in using it."
"Well it's not supposed to just sit there and look pretty either." Felicia muttered in addition. "Surely there's a logical or tactical way it's use will benefit us... Right?"
Leo, after setting a finger on his chin, looked up to the ceiling, allowing the gears in his tactically-minded head to turn. He closed his eyes, breathing a sigh before beginning to hum. During this time, Xander turned to Corrin, his frown stiffening.
"Silas was a talented cavalier. He had quite a work ethic as well. Our loss of him was great wound to our army, meaning that having him back would definitely benefit us."
"That is true..." muttered Leo, revived form his thoughts. "But that Mage of ours... She holds much more value in terms of usefulness in battle. Would you think her capabilities would be hindered by the death of her husband?"
Corrin gazed to the side.
"I would imagine surely so. We haven't gone to battle in a while, so I cannot say for sure..."
"Then perhaps it would be wise to use this stave on him; if we cannot use the mage to her full potential, we may be in for a troublesome war. We all saw her capabilities; the proficiency she houses in fell magic is not something to laugh at. I know we cannot have her use that spell all the time, but it is always wise to have a reliable plan we can fall back on should things not go our way."
Corirn frowned.
"That's the thing, Leo..." he whispered. "She plans on dying when the war's over... Meaning she'll fight as though she has nothing to lose."
"My, that's a game changer." muttered Leo in return, furrowing his brows. "If she fights with nothing to lose, then she'll most likely wreck the battlefield with fell magic... Our victory will be sealed with such a force behind us. If that is truly so, it would be the most unwise to resurrect our man in question. Of course, that's what's what in terms of battle tactics..."
Xander grimaced.
"The choice is ultimately yours, brother. We've given you our input, now it is time you made the decisions. After all, this is your army in the end. Do be wise with your choices, I feel I should advise. Here's an idea if you still cannot make your mind: gather together all your troops and present the plan. Listen to their response. Many have lost loved ones to this needless war, it is important that you keep them in mind so that you will not appear favoring in some and negligent to the rest."
Corrin took well to Xander's proposal; the next day, over breakfast, he made his announcement at the front of the mess hall, getting the room to quiet with the help of a spoon and a glass. After clearing his throat, he gazed out at them, noticing every set of eyes was now on him. Though he had second thoughts, he went on with his plan, raising his voice high enough to carry to the majority; after a moment of scouting for the face of Nyx, he proceeded further.
The army took the proposal with mixed feelings, some in favor, others leery of a positive response. When the uproar broke out, a flash of red spread itself on his face, his grip on the glass in his hand tightening. Again, he beat the spoon against it, giving way to a subtle clink; it didn't do much against the shouts which came from the several mouths. Noticing the struggle, Benny rose, a shout rumbling his throat.
"Attention!" he roared.
The room quieted, staring at the front once again. Relieved, Corrin sighed, then pat Benny's shoulder.
"Thank you..." he murmured. "I know... I know this is news to all of you. I first want you all to know that I didn't want to make a decision this important without first hearing your opinions... I want to do this in an orderly fashion, so please, remain calm. We're taking a vote... And for those that have lost loved ones just as Nyx... I completely understand why you would be against this decision, so I will not condemn your choice, nor ridicule you... Now, please, a show of hands of those in favor..."