Chapter 4: Heirs Of Fate 1: In Endless Dreams 2

After suddenly being transported to a fortress and fending off an army of the soldiers, the enemy commander, a mounted redhead that was semi-invisible and glowing purple like the rest of the soldiers, ran away from the battlefield.

"Huh?" Abigail asked.

"That one just turned tail and ran! We gotta go after it so we can ask what's going on!" Dil said.

"Yeah! Let's go!" Abigail said.

"Wait." a voice said.

There was a flash of blue and white before a man appeared, looking transparent.

"It would be better not to give chase. For now, at least." the man said.

"Who are you?" Abigail asked.

"I'm... no. That's not the question you should be asking right now. What I can assure you of is that I'm not your enemy. There's little that I can tell you, but I ask again that you not pursue them." the man replied.

"Hmm... okay. I can tell your nice. It feels almost like I've met you before, but I don't remember anything about you. That seems weird." Abigail said.

"Wow, your right! I feel like I've seen this man somewhere before too." Prudence added.

"Hm... not me. But I've got a terrible memory for faces, so it could just be that I forgot." Dil said.

"So young, and your mind is failing you already? Tsk, tsk." Francine said.

"Not necessarily. If you don't remember forgetting about something... can you really be said to have forgotten it at all?" Harold asked.

Francine was silent for a few moments.

"I'm not sure that's how that works." Francine replied.

"Don't worry. When the time comes... at the end of your strife... that hazy feeling will become clear. Everything will return to normal." the man said. He then turned to Abigail and asked "Listen carefully, Abigail... do you have a Dragonstone?".

"No. I can't turn into a dragon, so..." Abigail started to reply.

"That's what you believe, but the truth is, you can. It's hard to control the impulse to become a dragon, though... so I'll grant you a stone to help channel those feelings through." the man said.

There was a flash of white, and when it faded, he was holding a violet colored stone.

"There. This is your Dragonstone. You must take very good care of it. Never let it our of your sight." the man said.

Abigail took the Dragonstone.

"Thank you! I can use this to turn into a dragon?" Abigail asked.

"Yes. Your Dragonstone and Sky Erebus will make you fearsome in battle." the man replied.

"Sky Erebus?" Abigail asked in confusion.

"Your sword's new name. Erebus's name and shape changes whenever it resonates with another sacred weapon. Its next form after Sky Erebus is Flaming Erebus. Eventually, it will become Shadow Erebus, also known as the Fire Emblem." the man replied.

"The Fire Emblem..." Abigail muttered.

"It is a very beautiful, very powerful blade. With the Fire Emblem, your certain to be able to rescue those important to you." the man replied.

"You mean our papas? Do you know what happened to them? Please tell us! Where are they? Their not... dead, are they?" Abigail asked.

"I don't know. They are beyond my sight. But they promised me once that they would live life to the fullest for me. That way, they won't disappear as I did." the man replied.

"Disappear?" Abigail asked.

"I'm sorry. There's nothing else I can tell you. This is something that you must discover for yourselves. But I'll leave you with this. The soldiers you fight here... didn't you think there was something strange about them?" the man asked.

Abigail remained silent.

Meanwhile, in a ruined land far away, a boy named Zack was singing softly to himself.

"In the white light, a hand reaches through... a double-edged blade cuts your heart in two... waking dreams fade away... embrace the brand-new day." Zack muttered. He was silent for a few moments before he said "A song for one who chooses the cherry blossom over the rose. It has such power that it can seize control of one's soul. Only it, combined with the dragon's stone, can grant the miracle we need. But once you take hold of it, your soul will sink below the waves... it's power will no longer reach your body. Even if someone else takes it up, their song can never reach your sunken soul. I know this full well... yet I can't stop myself from doing what must be done.".