Chapter 41
Nathan looked to Chrom, breathing a sigh of relief. Once Validar had died, the risen he had summoned had vanished along with the body of the man, leaving the shepherds alone to tend to their wounds. The Exalt and Tactician walked back across the room, going to retrieve the Fire emblem, which Validar had left on the altar.
"Sorry about not telling you about the whole plan thing that I made with Basilio back there, but it was imperative that I didn't speak a word about it." Nathan explained to Chrom. "Validar had scouts following us at all times, listening to every word, so I had to be as careful as possible, which included leaving everyone in the dark."
Chrom smirked. "Right now, I'm just happy to be alive…"
The tactician laughed at his friend. "Changing fate feels pretty nice, doesn't it?" He teased.
"Oh, I wouldn't say you've done that quite yet…" A voice echoed through the room. The shepherds looked on as Nathan's 'twin' teleported in front of them, standing in front of the altar where the Fire Emblem sat. "You may have altered the course of history, but not it's destination." The man sneered.
"You! What are you doing here? And what are you talking about? We changed our destinies, Validar is dead!" Nathan questioned.
"Well, allow me to explain things." The 'other' Nathan replied with a cruel smile. "It is still written that Chrom died here at your hands. Or, to be more precise, mine."
"Who are you, then?"
The twin rolled his eyes. "I told you, I'm Nathan. The Nathan who murdered Chrom to realize his true purpose, and became the fell dragon, Grima. When your children decided to come back in time, to 'save their future'…I figured I should tag along."
"So…you're another version of me?" Nathan asked, half out of confusion, half out of panic. "How is that even possible?"
"Oh gods…" The man responded with a chuckle. "I can be so daft sometimes…it's really quite simple. I am you. Our only difference is the decisions we've made…"
"T…that's insane…" The tactician muttered.
"You know that nightmare you kept having? That is one of my memories. We share them since we share the same heart…Grima's heart."
"This is madness! I refuse to believe that anything you say is real!" Chrom snarled. The 'evil Nathan' ignored the man, keeping his eyes focused on his other self.
"Your recollection begins the day I entered this world. The first moment I found you, I tried to unite us into one being…" He explained. "But your heart was too weak to contain Grima's power. The shock of my attempt wiped your memory clean."
"Leaving me unconscious in that field, without any memories…" Nathan realized, piecing things together.
"I knew if Lucina and the others somehow managed to rewrite history, Grima would never be resurrected." The alternate Nathan continued. "And of course, if that happened, I would cease to exist. So I had to step in, every now and again, like when Validar was killed in his attempt to assassinate Emmeryn…all the while, keeping a close eye on you, even paying visits every so often, just to see how you were coming along! …But that is all in the past now. We have a future past to think of. All that remains is for you to become Grima, just as I did. Then you and I will become one, and we can reclaim our power!"
"So we're not yet the same?" Nathan asked. His twin shook his head.
"You were supposed to choose godhood over your pathetic band of servants…" The man spat, "But if you'll not claim the sacrifice laid at the Dragon's table…I will do so in your place!"
Nathan and Chrom stumbled backwards as a purple aura enveloped the evil Nathan, consuming the man as he laughed maniacally.
"We have to get out of here!" Frederick yelled. "Everyone, RUN!"
The shepherds just managed to exit the temple as it burst apart and a hideous, massive dragon rose from it. It had four purple wings, with two horns jutting from its head. The dragon let out a deafening roar, shaking the ground below.
"Grima…it's all over…" Lucina mumbled, her hands shaking as she once again saw the beast from her nightmares.
Elsewhere, Chrom, Nathan, Frederick and Lissa stood together, staring up at the fell dragon.
"The sheer size of it! For once, the legends spoke true…" Frederick exclaimed. "We can't face that thing straight on in battle, it'll kill us all!"
"Urgh…if we still had the Fire Emblem, we would still have a chance…" Chrom surmised.
"But it was at the altar!" Lissa replied.
"And it was lost inside the Dragon's Table once we left, I know…"
"Hm," Nathan muttered, pulling out something he had stashed in his cloak, "You wouldn't happen to be talking about…this Fire Emblem, would you? Now complete with all five Gemstones, thanks to Basilio and I?"
"How did you…?"
"Oh please, Chrom." Nathan teased, "I stole it from you once, so the least I could do was steal it back…"
The Exalt laughed in amazement at his friend. "You always have a trick up your sleeve, don't you?"
"Well, I try." Nathan replied. "Now then, I believe you were saying something about the Emblem giving us a chance?"
Frederick spoke up. "We can use this to ask for Naga's power, and Milord Chrom can perform the Awakening with it. It's not much hope, but it's all we have."
"We have to move fast, and before Grima catches on, though…" Lissa warned, looking up at the massive beast.
"So then, where to now?" Nathan questioned, looking at Chrom and Frederick. The Exalt shot back a blank stare to Nathan, and all eyes turned to the Great knight, who scoffed at Chrom.
"If milord would have read the texts I provided for him with information on the Awakening…"
"Oh come on, Frederick, that stack you put on my desk was almost taller than you! I read half of one, that was more than enough!"
The great knight rolled his eyes as Nathan and Lissa shared a laugh at the two. "…As I was saying…" Frederick continued, "The first Exalt paid tribute to Naga at a site on Mount Prism, back in Ylisse. There is an altar at the peak of the mountain, and if Milord were to perform the Awakening, it must be done there."
"The top of Mount Prism, huh…is that far from here?" Chrom asked.
Nathan nodded. "Six days travel, if we went at a normal pace." The tactician explained.
"Well, we certainly won't be going a normal pace. Let's get there overnight." Chrom replied. "This is our only hope, but it's better than no hope at all! Hurry, everyone!"