FD: *groans loudly in discontent*

Tychon: You okay, Draco?

Lancer: You don't seem so good.

FD: 20 hours of coding and editing…. and TOO much anime.

*Calm Sightseeing plays as Lancer tips his hat* Lancer: Yare yare daze…

Tychon: A-as much as I'm concerned for your wellbeing-your Computer Science teacher isn't all that lenient with you-I'm surprised you've put off this chapter for so long.

FD: Well, that's a big part of why this took so long, as well as my own internal debate of whether or not I should continue this story. Lord knows I've been through the ins and outs of that confusion. Then again, I'm sure each writer has had that debate one time or another.

In any case, I can't drag this on too much longer. Summer is coming. So without further ado, let's get on with our heroes!

We own not a single thing!

"It's good to have you in attendance… Chrom."

The sands scattered as per the wind's will, billowing relentlessly with a deafening howl. Here I thought the prince would have just left us to our own devices, as most who knew him well enough knew that he was very adamant on where he stood in any given situation. This led me to believe that he would have stayed back in Ylisstol, yet here he was. Moreover, with additional backup. Behind Chrom emerged eight figures over the dune the aforementioned prince stood upon: the muscleheaded fighter Vaike, the acute Miriel, the ginger rogue Gaius, the leporine warrior Panne, the loyal knight Frederick, the hallowed spectre Libra, the arcane mistress Tharja, and lastly, the Grandmaster Robin. Each of which were sporting some difference that I couldn't quite place. It could just also be due to the fact that I hadn't seen any of the other seven close to the battle with Gangrel, so I took it with a grain of salt and simply shrugged it off.

"And not just you… Frederick, Miriel, Vaike, Panne, Type 2" Gaius huffed in response to his alias "Robin, Tharja, Libra." A snort of amusement left my body. "Looks like the entire vanguard is here."

"Well, I would have brought more," Chrom began with a sigh. "But half of us Shepherds are out of country, and the capital can't be left completely unguarded. So needless to say… help is short."

"No matter," I dismissed with a wave. "Fifteen should be more than enough for us to press on."

The blonde mercenary's mouth was left agape. "F-fifteen? I don't think you understand the magnitude of our situation!"

"Eh?" I turned my head in attention to Mikalus's protest. "What do you mean?"

"Well, think about it! Am I really to expect and believe that we're to infiltrate and fight against the entirety of Pandora's forces with just fifteen of us?!"

"You didn't seem to consider that fact when it was just the six of us," I scoffed with a light laugh. "And besides, there exists a handful of us who can handle ourselves against an squadron or two at once. So no need to worry."

As if to accent my statement, along with making his presence known, Vaike pointed forward with his battleaxe. "Especially when ya got Teach and his powerful axe on your side, ready to wipe out the competition!"

Ah, Vaike. Obnoxiously loud as ever. "I see you're here, Vaike. I'm sure of it, yes. You've definitely gotten stronger since I last saw you."

The fighter rubbed his nose with a finger in pride of my acknowledgement, grinning from ear to ear. "Well, I can't just let you stand ahead of me; we are rivals after all!"

The prince, upon hearing those words leave Vaike's mouth, placed a hand on his hip, a smile forming on his face. "Hey, I thought I was your rival. Or did you forget about that?"

"I can have more than one rival, ya know!" he barked. "There doesn't have to be a limit!"

"Enough," the maroon-headed mage interjected. "While I can't deny that this slight conclave of our peers is exceptionally emotive and heartwarming, we are at a particularly critical meridian, no?" She brushed the cover of her tome. "That is the justification for our presence at this location. I imagine that time is not in great affluence."

"Miriel," I drawled. "Eloquent as ever. Still, you have a good point, we mustn't linger for much longer."

"Right, Lord Pandora," Mikalus nodded before turning his attention to the glowing door.

"Mike, was it?" I asked. "I have a name, you know. Not that you'd pay much heed to it anyway, but for insurance sake, my name's Eric."

The tall blond bowed in response. "Understood, milord."

I raised a finger in retort, but opted to let it fall, my response dying in my throat. Some just won't be swayed as easily. "Just… proceed."

The remaining thirteen of us stood behind the large blonde male as he reached out for the gate, grabbing a firm hold of the glowing doors' handles. The tension continued to build as Mikalus worked to separate the doors, but once he inched it closer to him, they swung open with the force of a raging hurricane on the other side of the frame. Everyone present braced themselves against the powerful surge, almost knocking over Mikalus in its wake. Onyx, on the other hand, was unable to keep what little footing he had, falling prey to the gale force winds that managed to carry him off and send him tumbling through the air. On reaction alone, I reached out and snatched him out of the air by the collar of his garb.

I threw Onyx back to his feet, staring directly into the bright, swirling blue and white void of the portal. "Everyone, brace yourselves. We'll be going into the heart of enemy territory. Some of the world's strongest and deadliest warriors will be at odds with us, so don't let down your guard. Not even for an instant."

"Milord?"

A number of heads turned to face the swordswoman. "Something you want to say, Raven?"

"I think there is something I must share with you all, so pay attention." She pulled her facial muscles into that of a stern and admonishing grimace. "What milord has mentioned is true: each and every battle will be some of the most difficult you will have ever come across, and such is bound to happen, especially when encroaching onto Pandorian soil. However, there exist a select few who you shall never cross, under any circumstance. These few are whom we call the God-Generals of Pandora. There are four of them in total, as well as my own and their lieutenants. Their lieutenants are very powerful and skilled, though I'm sure many of you can handle them all at your peak."

The words Raven gave set in a new sense of dread and panic in our ranks. "However, the God-Generals are unlike anything you have ever seen. Each of them possess incredible power. Power that almost matches Lord Pandora's."

Many pairs of eyes widened, jaws fell, and gasps escaped in processing this new information. Even Chrom grit his teeth in slight frustration, I could sense his apprehension. This wasn't good. Even though I recognize this as fact, and that Raven didn't want to sugar-coat things, this inflicted a substantial hit upon the group's morale. And yet, I couldn't say that it was an unreasonable reaction. Where it stood, as far as I knew considering our own motley crew, that would make only three of us even qualified to take on these veritable beasts of war. I just prayed that we kept as one group, or that we weren't attacked by more than three of the generals and/or their lieutenants. Or we'd be rightfully screwed.

"There exists a silver lining; these four Generals are still my subordinates," Raven began. "so there shouldn't be too much of a chance that we'd have to engage in combat with them, but in the case that we do… be prepared."

"That's right. Either way, this was never going to be a cakewalk. But now… just expect to die going in."

There was an ominous silence that followed my words, little more than the howls of the wind serving to fill the void. It was evident that the prospect of walking straight to death was taking their tolls on the resolve of each able-bodied man here. Eyes shifted and glances were exchanged between one another, confidence looking subpar at best by just a quick analysis. It also seemed like I wasn't the only one who noticed; Chrom could tell that this was going to shake up the unit if the dreaded thought continued to loom above us. Fortunately, I had an idea.

"On second thought, I'll go it alone."

A round of gasps sounded and many sets of surprised eyes fell upon me. However, my own eyes laid upon Chrom's blue ones. Then, as quickly as it met the prince's, my gaze darted to Raven, and finally, to Robin. Their gazes, unlike the rest, weren't of shock, but rather of realization and acknowledgement. As if to communicate to me that they understood what was going on.

"A-alone?" Cordelia questioned. "Listen, I know you're powerful and all, but making this a solo mission is suicide."

"I am well aware of that," I stated in response. "Naturally, Mikalus and Onyx have to pick up their pay, and Raven won't leave me alone no matter what I do, so there's that. The rest of you, however, you have no reason to risk your lives for someone else's cause. So there's no need for anyone other than the four of us to be here."

And yet again, another silence. This one much longer than the first. Five seconds. Ten. Twenty. It lasted for an eternity, it appeared. Each and every person looked like they wanted to say something, but they were all waiting for someone else to make the first move. I even could have sworn I heard an audible gulp carried across the winds.

Finally, a single voice gave a low growl. "Do you honestly think of us to be so weak willed?"

Now it was my turn to be surprised. Out of all that were present, the voice belonged to the last person I'd expect. It was Gaius.

The ginger scratched the back of his neck. "Now don't get me wrong, I'm not really down for sticking my neck out unnecessarily. And the sweet reward presented by Blue here is quite the nice incentive. However, even as a thief, I have my own code of honour. I don't turn my back on my friends. Even if my life is at stake. That risk comes with the gig anyway."

"Teach" then cracked a grin of his own. "Come on, don't give us that pegasus crap, Eric! We're part of the Shepherds, Ylisse's greatest fighting force! Kickin' ass is our specialty! If these so-called generals aren't just as powerful as you are like Raven said, then that means that the mighty Vaike can match 'em! No doubt about it!"

The mage adjusted her glasses, the ever-present glare reflecting off of her lens. "My word, it seems that our comrades-in-arms have been galvanized to rush headlong into combat. A foolish notion. And yet, somehow I am familiar with this resolve the other two have implicitly conveyed. The desire to grant support to those one calls "friends"."

"Haven't you ever been told not to make assumptions, Eric?" Robin chastised with a grin. "This isn't anything we haven't experienced before. We've been in tight spots and come out on top. This'll be no different. We're the Shepherds. We work as a team. You can count on us."

Those who hadn't said anything gave something in the way of agreement, whether it be a grunt or sound of committal, or a nod in affirmation. I gave my own affirmative hum, pleased with the integrity of the people I came to realize as my comrades. At least now we're going in hot with a will as strong as steel. "Well, then, what are you waiting for?" Chrom began. "It's your operation, so you call the shots."

"Aye." I gave him a nod before I turned back around, facing the light of the portal door. "Alright, everyone! To make sure we are all aware of our task, our mission: to rescue the kidnapped princess… And to liberate Pandora of its corruption! Say'ri Retrieval Squad, move out!"

A unanimous chant echoed in response. "Right!"

Narrator PoV

"Ah… it's good to be back." The stout and shaven man strolled along with the large main hall of his domain, taking a long inhale of relief he had done in a long while. And honestly, he felt as though he deserved such. Everything was going in accordance to his design with minimal hitch, and who didn't enjoy it when a good plan went well? Any tyrant would swell with pride after essentially cementing themselves in the highest seat of power of arguably the strongest nation in the world. Without the true blood prince to stand in his way and his only potential heir in his possession to do as he wished, he stood virtually unopposed. Now his only concern was this civil war. Granted, Shuyo knew that he wasn't in the best of positions; his opponents were the majority of Pandora's most powerful forces, most concerning were the four Generals. Of course, he wasn't without his own muscle, he was sure that Luar was able to go toe-to-toe with at least one of the Generals when at his fullest.

However, he could deal with that at his leisure. For now, he would settle with a seat at the throne.

"Luar," the shiny-headed tyrant called as he held out a glass. "Pour me some chardonnay. I feel the need for some form of personal relaxant."

"Right away, sir." Not before long, Shuyo had his glass filled to the brim with wine, much to his contentment. After thanking his ebony-haired and slightly clumsy adjutant, he took a sip of the olive-tinted liquid, relishing in the feel of the substance running down his throat. He certainly hummed in enjoyment. Life is good.

"So Luar," Shuyo began, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. "How's the lady doing?"

The braided man scratched at his cheek. "O-oh, sir… I'm humbled that you've asked… however, despite the occasional attention I garner from the opposite sex, I haven't actually court-"

"Not that, you fool," Shuyo interrupted with a roll of the eyes. "I meant the prisoner. The woman we procured."

Luar's shoulders slumped down in shame and disappointment. "R-right. Well, she had been extremely cranky as of late; she knocked out one of the prison guards when they brought her lunch."

Shuyo's eyes widened slightly. "But, she's behind bars…"

"Yeah…. It seems that she's developed a sort of bear-like ferocity; all it took was a single hit to put him down."

The two-and if one focused their hearing enough-could hear a feral, almost primitive snarling coming the dungeons, both men feeling a shiver run down their spinal columns. A sentiment that the two both shared as they gave their own inner thought at that moment, they had inadvertently agreed on one thing: women are a terrifying species.

Breaking the two out of their stupor, a rather hefty male with auburn hair stormed into the castle, his breaths laden with fatigue. He had a large blood red cape draped across his shoulders, falling all the way to his ankles. Underneath, he wore tar black plated armour, and in his hand, held a piece of paper bound by a ribbon. Shuyo laid eyes upon it, and the moment he did so, he felt a surge of anger rush through him. The reason: he identified this scroll as an instrument of surrender.

"Captain Radcliff…" Shuyo began, his voice trying to repress a strained growl. "What is the meaning of this? You'd better have a good reason for not only barging into the main hall, but for leaving your post as well."

"My liege, pardon me on both counts," the larger man responded. "However, I come with a message from our forces in Katal. I am sorry to say it… but given the contents of the scroll, it would seem that our front meant to lay siege to Katal… well, it would be best for you to read it for yourself."

Rising from his seat, the bald man snatched the parchment out of Radcliff's hands. His eyes, darting over the paper at record speeds, seemed to hide any and all emotion as he read the document. This was a problem, as the further Shuyo continued, the more and more terrified Luar and Radcliff became, the atmosphere and suspense growing heavier and heavier with every gruesome second passed. Eventually, after what seemed like an eternity, the short man let the page fall to his side before instantly rending the document to a crisp. Not even a single legible piece remained as the ashes scattered at his feet.

"You know," Shuyo sighed. "I'm starting to think that my people don't understand what it is I pay them for."

"My liege, you don't pay us." Radcliff cursed himself internally. If he was going to die at some point, he'd rather it not be due to his inability to keep a leash on his tongue.

"Allow them to live for," the bald man corrected himself, much to the astonishment of Radcliff. "First we lose El Sol to that ruffian Lugiel, then we barely put up a fight at Barceis Pass enough to reach a stalemate, and now we've lost the battle for Katal as well? I'm sorry, but if this nonsense goes any further south, I'll be looking up at the bottom before long."

"My liege, we are doing all we can," Radcliff replied with a slight tremor in his voice. "I'd like to remind you that the battle for the northern border of Katal was headed by the Black Wolf, Regulus Naga."

"Is that so?" Shuyo's face changed into an impassive, blank glare, hiding his inner intentions once again. It would seem that Radcliff was none the wiser, but Luar knew. Luar knew that when the boss had that particular look in his eyes, something was going to happen. And it was never a good thing.

"Doorkeeper, would you come here quickly?" His voice then dropped to a sinister octave. "I need an example."

Almost immediately, a lance-wielding soldier rushed to kneel to Shuyo next to Radcliff. "Officer Landis, reporting, sir! An example of what, Your Hi-AHHHHHHH!"

The doorkeeper couldn't even finish his question before his body erupted into flames; despite his writhing and rolling on the ground, the fire would continue to erode his frame until he was little more than a charred, lifeless husk. Luar turned away from the cruel act of violence while Radcliff stared at the blackened carcass with eyes widened in fear, his heart beating a million times a minute. He slowly turned his gaze back to the short, bald-headed man, yet all that continued to run through his mind was that it could have been him, screaming in agony as the flames consumed him.

"I do not care who stands in your way, even if it should be Releos himself, that damned glorified lizard of a god. Hell, I do not care if Naga herself stood in your way," he barked. "You are of the Pandorian Imperial Guard I enacted, understood? And as such, I expect that no one beneath my rule is to fall to anyone: no exception. If you are Pandorian as you claim, you must behave as such on the battlefield."

Radcliff could do nothing except bow his head. "U-understood. I'll see to it that this does not happen again. In fact, would you approve of my squadron to lead another assault on the Black Wolf's forces?"

Just as Shuyo opened his mouth to speak, he suddenly felt a ripple reverberate through his entire being, nearly freezing him in spot as it ran from his head to his feet. However, it wasn't necessarily the fact that someone had been able to enter the hidden space that Pandora sat upon. No, it was rather WHO entered. Shuyo recognized the number of signatures that entered the space. Eight, nine, ten… fifteen. Fifteen in total. But the biggest concern were, again, who they belonged to. Out of the fifteen, there were four that stood above the rest. One of the four were powerful, but was the weakest of the top four. Another one was extremely strong, but wasn't one that he recognized. But the remaining two… Shuyo knew who they belonged to, which made him grind his teeth in frustration. There's no way he could had survived, he thought. He tightened his fist. "The barrier has been breached."

"My… my liege?"

"Radcliff, on second thought, hold back on that thought. Fortify your troops and wait until further orders." Without intention nor warning, the bald man crushed the glass he had been drinking from in his hand, alerting Luar and Radcliff. "Relay this message to all forces, we are not to engage the rebellion for now."

Once the large caped man was dismissed, Luar gave the wine to a servant to put away. "Sir, is something the matter?"

"We have some uninvited guests, it would seem." The bald headed man tilted his head upwards. "And, surprisingly, these guests are of bigger concern."

In his own private quarters in which he had established to hold the border, Regulus had spent his time doing what he did best outside of warfare: Research and Development. Anyone who knew the Black Wolf was aware that he was always developing new technology or magic, which was a big reason why the Pandorian armies had such fearsome muscle behind them. It was always a humorous sight-though he himself may be oblivious-to see him wearing safety goggles for some reason, an action that would otherwise be considered mundane. Currently, the masked man held a vial of transparent blue liquid, eyeing the contents as he swirled it around, perhaps intending to activate the contents of the substance or to prompt it to do something.

"Commander Raven… it's approximately that time," Regulus commented. "I'm sure that the amount I gave her has just about run its course… it's been what, a year and a half, perhaps two?" He pondered the specifics of the compound he had allocated to his superior before dismissing his thoughts and returning back to work. "Hmm, no matter. I suppose she'll want more when she gets back."

He held the vial as delicately as he could between his forefinger and thumb, ready to pour the contents into a beaker he had prepared with a murky green substance in. However, he came to a grinding halt once he came to realize something was off. A strong ripple flowed through his body, upsetting the otherwise still and stagnant liquid in the beaker he had set up. What's more, he detected many unfamiliar life forces far away, coming from the westward direction.

Regulus furrowed his brow as he removed his goggles. "What is that I'm sensing? Could it be…? No, that can't be the Commander… She said she'd be returning with the true king. There wouldn't be this many signatures if it were her."

The scientist closed his eyes in concentration, discarding all other remaining thoughts as he zeroed in on the flickering signs of life. Upon further inspection, he came to realize there were fifteen of them, none of whom he was familiar with… except one. "No, I wasn't mistaken, there's no chance that I'd misidentify her flame. That's definitely the Commander. But then… who do the rest belong to? What could this mean..." This brought up a number of different questions that he wanted answers to, but he would have to find those answers another time. "Whatever the outcome, I'll have to let the other three know." Quickly, he scribbled on a piece of parchment paper before loading it up on his pet eagle, ready for take off. Regulus had no idea what was going to go down, but he knew he didn't like it. Call him a coward or whatever you wish, but he was a man of absolutes; he didn't like to leave questions unanswered. "I know she is among them, and as unlikely as it may be… it is still possible she could have been abducted or captured. Just for precautionary measures… I'll send out a capture on sight notice for the rest of them. We've already a mess with that Napoleonic menace, this is the last thing we need."

Eric PoV

Once we entered the portal, though I could not place a finger on what it was, I could feel a wave wash over my body. Perhaps that was the sign that we had breached the barrier, ready to cross over. One of the main differences, however, was that the air above us was slightly darker and distorted in such a way that almost made a sort of tunnel-like structure hanging above our heads. Another remarkable point of the surrounding area, which was not present on the outside, was a long walkway made of, oddly enough, stone. Eh, not important. What was important, however, was the vessel that awaited us at the end. This must have been the exact method Mikalus used to get to the Ylissean continent.

"Interesting," I remarked. "Now how do we get everyone and everything on? What, do you have some sort of sturdy plank or something?"

Mikalus sported a light-hearted grin. "Nope, just watch." The blonde walked up to the edge of the walkway, with Onyx standing right next to him. The two stood relatively still, waiting patiently as the wind picked up around them. As the small gust swirled around each of their forms, the wind carried with it golden runes that most familiarized with the use of magic. I was blown away-figuratively-as the two were surrounded by magical runes before they clapped their hands together and placed them on the ground in front of them. "Earth Element: Mobile Terrain!" they called in unison.

Suddenly, the ground beneath us began to tremor slightly, catching some of us off guard as we fought to keep our balance. By the time most of us found our footing again, we looked forward to see a staircase made of stone, along with a grinning Mikalus and somewhat fatigued Onyx.

"Wow," I exclaimed with raised brows. "Never knew that you knew earth magic. 'Tis not a common medium I often see."

The tall dirty blonde scratched the back of his head bashfully. "Well, it is kinda rare around these parts… and often used for utility purposes more than anything… it helps from time to time though."

I nodded it off with a shrug, my attention focused more on getting everything on board. Which, if we were being truthful, wasn't all that much of a challenge. My four-man squad brought only what we could carry and all our gold. Mikalus and Onyx didn't look like they had any more than what was on their person or in their packs. The only outlier to this fact was Chrom, which was understandable when one considers that the prince brought eight Shepherds with him. It was still enough of a group that a cart was necessary to hold all of their camp belongings. Speaking of which, the fact that Mikalus made stone stairs was convenient for everything… except for the cart that Chrom came with. That had to be lifted into the vessel, but in the presence of men like Frederick, Chrom, Mikalus, and I… we simply watched in the slightest bit of awe and shock as we watched Raven heft the carriage above her head and carefully chuck it onto the deck.

"Okay, everybody ready?" she chirped, ignoring all the mouth she left agape as she hopped up on board. "All gear is on deck. Sound off!" she called, prompting us to alert her that we are present.

"Eric. Ready."

"Cordelia, at the ready."

"Chrom. Ready."

"Olivia, r-ready."

"Frederick. I am prepared."

"The Vaike is ready and raring to go!"

"Gaius the Nimble, ready when you are."

"Robin. I'm ready."

"Tharja. Whatever."

"Miriel. I am primed."

"Libra. Let us make haste."

"Panne. On your mark."

"Mike. I'm on board."

"Onyx. Not rea-wait, no, I change my answer."

Raven smiled sagely. "And with me, that makes all fourteen accounted for. Mikalus, if you would please…"

With a nod, Mikalus walked over to the bow on starboard side and took hold of the chain that hung over the railing all the way down into the waters below. Once he began pulling, one could see the effort it took him to move such a piece of metal. Veins began to bulge on the surface of his skin as Mikalus tightened his grip and pulled with strained growls of effort. Eventually, he started making progress; with each pull, Mikalus dragged the heavy piece of solid metal up from the waters, each chain link slamming against the deck. Finally, Mikalus pulled up the actual anchor itself on deck, making sure not to smash the wooden surface as he placed it down.

"Looks like someone's been hitting the weights, eh?" Onyx commented, alluding to his accomplices strength.

Mikalus clapped the specks of rusty iron residue off of his hands. "Yeah, and if you exercised your muscles more often than your mouth, you would be able to do things of the same make as I just did."

"Oh, shut up." Onyx shook his head and said nothing more as he launched himself up the mast like a monkey, climbing the vertical structure with extreme agility. The sleek mercenary ascended until he reached the sails, a single tug of the ropes was all it took for the sails to unravel. The cloth swayed ever so gently in the eastward direction, bringing a smirk to Mikalus's face as he took the helm. "Ah, looks like we're working with a tailwind. If this persists, I suspect we'll make it to the western Pandorian seas in two days' time."

The boat began to rock slightly in the waves away from the walkway. Once given enough distance, Mikalus spun the wheel to the right hard, turning the boat and directing it out to sea. "Hold," Miriel began. "From what I have been able to discover, our colleague's nation is several thousands of kilometres away from our own easternmost coast. Such an endeavor of maritime transport couldn't be embarked upon within two weeks of straight sailing, much less two days."

Raven dragged a delicate hand across the polished wooden railing of the boat. "For a normal trip, that would be the case. However, keep in mind that in all technicality, we are in a separate space. One that is not inherently different than the rest of the world, but has enough key differences that keep it from being one in the same with neighbouring continents such as Ylisse for example."

The swordswoman lifted a single finger. "One such example is the relative space itself."

"Ah. You speak of travel distance."

"Right," Raven answered. "Mainly in place for convenience sake, the simplest way to put it to words… it's akin to the sense of taking something and compressing it. Realistically, it's the same thing, just much shorter. In this space, what would normally take weeks can be accomplished in days."

The scholar adjusted her glasses. "A complete manipulation of time and space. Fascinating. Perhaps with the exalt's permission, I would be granted to journey abroad to study such a magnificent phenomenon."

"Duly noted."

It had only been a handful of the full gang, but with the fifteen of us spending our time socializing and spending time with one another, it still garnered some level of nostalgia that was not lost on me. Except, of course with new friends. Onyx, being the talkative person he is, tried his hand at making small talk with the Shepherds, who were fairly wary of the ebony-clad mercenary once they came to realize that he was part of the reason we were to go save Say'ri. Yet, as how it often it tended to go, the comradery and candidity of the Shepherds soon brought Onyx into the group with open arms. It also helped that many of them also came to the conclusion that he was only doing his job, figuring that a guy has to make a living somehow.

As minutes turned to hours, chatter and laughter ran rampant abroad the deck while everyone still kept to their other unofficial duties. Mikalus, having spent a couple of hours at the helm, simply looked on with a smile seeing the gang interact with one another. Each of different status, ethnicity, and upbringing. None of that mattered, however. And for that, Mikalus felt a certain blossom of happiness.

"I'll take over for now."

The blonde's attention was snapped back to Earth, namely towards a raven-haired swordswoman. "I beg your pardon?"

"You've been at the helm for hours, you deserve a break," she said as she gave a closed-eye smile. "I know the way just as you do."

In a moment of uncertainty, Mikalus cocked an eyebrow and showed some resistance, however brief. No matter what, though, Raven's relentless insistence of kindness ultimately prompted Mikalus to step down from the helm, the swordswoman taking his place. However, as fun as it was watching the lightweight ginger scarecrow I called my friend evicting his own guts of any food and/or sugar he had previously downed, I felt kind of lazy, and with nothing but the serene and wide expanse of blue ahead of me, I decided there would be nothing better to do than to take position in the crow's nest, and nap. After I closed my eyes, darkness embraced me before long.

After I had woken up from my nap, the sun had already began to set. Again I had seen Mikalus take back the helm once more as we pushed forward. Evening slowly transformed into night on the seas, with each of the crew making their way to their quarters as the night fell. I, however, was one exception. While everyone, except for whoever was at the helm at the time, laid themselves to rest in the lower decks, I stayed out, admiring the reflection of moonlight shimmering on the ocean's surface. The pitch black void of the sky as it hung above me, was illuminated by a breathtaking cluster of stars, as if performing a lightshow as far as the eye could see.

How long had I been out here for? Hours, that would have been my guess. I couldn't remember how long it had been since I leaned up against the bow railing just to stare out into the endless expanse before me.

"Can't sleep, hmm?" I turned around to see the voice belonged to Cordelia.

I leaned my back against the rail. "Yeah… been out here for hours. Stars are pretty, aren't they?"

The pegasus knight tilted her gaze upward. "They are." The redhead inched closer and closer towards me until she was right next to me. "Copper for your thoughts?"

I gave her a cryptic sigh in response. "It's been a long time."

"How long has it been since you've been home?"

"Believe me, I've made visits in secret before," I answered. "Just to see how things have been changing and evolving. Last visit was in six years or so."

Her hair was picked up by the wind, and by the moonlight glistening off of her ruby strands, I knew she took great care of it all. A mesmerizing sight. "It won't be just a visit this time. You'll be going home for good."

I closed my eyes, the corners of my mouth tugging themselves into a grin. "At least I hope so."

Cordelia frowned at the grin I had on my face; no doubt she could tell the expression I had was less so amusement and more so one of self-deprecation. "What, you think you won't be accepted? Come on, now, it's been years. No one is going to hold such a petty grudge for so long."

""Oh, welcome, wandering vagabond! We remember you, Eric: you were the one responsible for the deaths of our previous king and queen!"" I said, sarcasm dripping off of my words, much to Cordelia's displeasure. ""What's more, underneath unforeseen circumstances, you abandoned us and left a tyrant with a Napoleon complex to take the throne and have him grind us beneath our bootheel! What's that? Of course you can take the throne and rule, especially with your lack of experience and teaching! I'm sure it'll be okay!""

The pegasus knight scoffed. "Okay, okay, I get your concern. No need for the sarcasm."

"Hell, I'd be lucky if they'd let me even come back."

I felt a hand grab the back of my head, after following the limb, I trailed it back to my redheaded companion, who pulled me in close and pressed her forehead to mine. "Look. I understand your concern, I get your fear. However, blunt as I may sound, you are scared of something that does not yet or may not ever exist. And even if it did; whether you live in a castle or underneath a bridge after the fact, I'll tell you the same thing I told you before: I'd be there with you, no matter what. Every step of the way."

Gods damn her charm. I don't know what it was about her, but she just always knew what to say to make everything better. Such is love, I guess. "Thanks Cherry. I needed that."

"Yes you did," she giggled. "Now then, will you please come to bed?"

I blinked. "Cherry, there are nothing but hammocks in the lower decks."

She shook her head with a derisive snort of amusement. "Okay, then will you please come to 'hammock'?"

"Ha, ha. Okay."

"Urrrrrgh!"

I closed my eyes with a gut wrenching feeling as I heard Gaius throw up yet again. I don't know what it was about the sea, but it just rubbed the thief the wrong kind of way. "Gaius, come on, it's been two days. Can you please keep your food INSIDE your stomach long enough to keep yourself alive?"

The thief washed his mouth with the canteen of water he had on hand. "I haven't had anything to eat… all morning. S'just nothing but bile now."

I sighed. "Well, maybe if you ate food of actual sustenance rather than candy and sweets all the time, your body wouldn't be so frail on the sea."

In lieu of a verbal response, Gaius simply settled with flipping me the bird, trying his hardest to keep his stomach stable. He walked over-walking being a very generous term, it was more accurate to say that he hobbled over-to Mikalus at the helm ad grabbed him by the sleeve and collar with desperation in his eyes. "I swear on my life, I'm going crazy. Ahead of us, I'm starting to see the waves twisting and bending. For the love of all things holy, WHEN WILL WE GET OFF THIS THING?!"

"You're not hallucinating, Type 2," I commented. "In fact, I think I see the waves bending and twisting too."

Mikalus growled in irritation as he shrugged off the ginger. "We're almost there. Give it a rest. And everyone… please hold onto something."

I gave order for everyone to grab their gear, as we needed to be prepared as we crossed into Pandorian territory. Surely enough, we continued onward towards the distorting waters, and once we crossed a certain event horizon, the boat gradually began to pick up speed. Just as Mikalus ordered, everyone grabbed onto part of the structure to stabilize. Even still, however, Gaius was unable to keep himself sane with the vertigo he was experiencing. "Oh gods, everything is moving faster…!"

Soon enough, we accelerated so quickly that eventually, we no longer heard the splashing and sloshing of water beneath us, which was soon followed by the surrounding area transforming into a bright white expanse of light. Most of us were surprised, but for those like Mikalus and Raven, this was familiar and had happened before. "We're crossing over, everyone! We need to-"

Suddenly, an explosion from the stern rocked the vessel forward, nearly causing everyone to lose balance. Mere surprise soon turned to fear and shock as now it registered in our heads that something wasn't right. "Damn it!"

"What's going on?!" I called. "I'm pretty sure that this isn't part of the process!"

"It's not," Mikalus huffed. "I don't know what the hell is happening, but I know for a fact we're in a dangerous spot."

Another explosion reverberated through the ship, ripping apart and splintering the wooden hull of the vessel. Something needed to be done and quickly, or else we'd all die before we even get to the shores. To make matters worse, the moment we got visual, the chances of us surviving dropped exponentially. The light cleared, showing us that we were no longer on the seas risking drowning. We were in the sky, looking down on the vast, mountainous country of Pandora, meaning that we now risked death by falling as well as drowning. Just great.

I grit my teeth. "Raven, Tharja, Miriel, Libra! I need barriers!"

"The ship is full of holes!" Robin argued. "Landing this ship is pointless!"

"Forget the ship! Grab who you can and erect a barrier as strong as you can hold it!" Raven rushed quickly to my side, halting immediately once I held up my hand. "I'll be able to handle myself, Raven, thanks. Get the others some help."

In the short amount of time we had, Libra was able to erect a barrier for Panne, Chrom, Frederick and himself; Tharja got one up for Miriel, Mikalus, Onyx, and herself; Raven protected herself, Olivia, Cordelia, and Gaius, and I managed to get one up for myself, Vaike, and Robin.

"This part take more concentration so be very careful: expand the barriers so they overlap." Without question or argument, each of the four tasked with the protection of the rest of us carefully enlarged our forcefields, soon encompassing Mei Ling as well as Cordelia's mount. While we weren't out of the woods by any means, at least the mental strain from maintaining the barriers was diminished. "Hold position!" I called. "We have to keep it up no matter what, wait for my next in-"

A third and final explosion shook the deck as the vessel exploded, launching all of us off into the air. And now with our plan gone to shit, we had to leave nearly all of this up to chance. Our forcefield, which was once one solid shield, now tore apart, separating us into smaller groups within barriers; exactly what I was afraid of when we were going in. The world continued to tumble around in my vision as I was in freefall, unable to process my surrounding to a coherent degree as we all plummeted to the earth below. All I could process were the screams and shouts of terror of my comrades during the fall.

Tychon: Oh no! Cordelia, please no!

Lancer: Oh no, indeed. Our heroes are now in danger as they are falling straight to their potential deaths. I am surprised you have such a concern for our redheaded knight, I didn't know you cared for her so much.

Tychon: Of course I do! If C-Cordelia dies, then Severa will never be born, a-and-

FD: That explains a lot.

Tychon: W-what? S-she's just a good… a good friend. Unfortunately, she doesn't exist yet…

FD: Well, as we see it right now, the confirmation of our protagonists' deaths do not exist either, so do not fret. We shall get our answers, however, next time. Fell Dragonite and the Dragons out!