~ Chapter 3 ~
Starless Night
"How much longer?" Severa asked, tapping her foot impatiently. The somewhat limited light shining from the ring she wore only illuminated part of her face, making her look even sterner than usual.
"Soon," Morgan said, and her calm demeanor remained as infuriatingly unshakeable as ever. She wore an identical ring, as did Owain, and the odd shadows they cast in the underground tunnel flickered ominously around them.
Beside the two, Owain shifted uncomfortably in his new clothes. "Was this really necessary?" he whined, inspecting his new outfit.
"We want to be able to blend in wherever we're going," Morgan reminded. "Don't you like your new yukata? Chon'sin fabrics are so soft and light."
"Too soft and light," Owain grumbled. "It feels like I'm not wearing anything at all."
"You know your robes were far more revealing than this yukata, right?" Severa pointed out wryly.
"To the right set of eyes, my grim and sinister robes shined with limitless potential!" Owain boasted.
"If they were shining, how grim could they be?" Morgan questioned.
"They were shining very darkly, a reflection of the magic bound within them," Owain replied.
"That makes no sense whatsoever," Severa informed him. Then, turning back to Morgan, she repeated her earlier question. "How much longer, Morgan?"
"If you're really that impatient, I could poke my head through and see for myself," Morgan offered, smiling slyly.
"Don't you dare," Severa snapped.
A metallic fluttering noise brought an end to their debate, and Morgan, Severa, and Owain turned to find Ellie drifting beside them. "So… not only does my ring work, but the gateway seems to go both ways," Morgan said cheerily. "Coming home won't be any problem at all."
"I suppose," Severa agreed, hiding her disappointment. Any relief she might have felt was muted by her many remaining doubts.
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Morgan asked brightly. "Come on!" Her hand slipped subtly towards Alondite's hilt, but asides from that, she stepped through the gateway without any trace of hesitation.
Severa instinctively reached for her own weapon – a lance taken from the mercenaries they had slain earlier, for Owain was now carrying her sword – then turned around for one last look back, hoping desperately Morgan would be proven right in the end.
Owain noticed Severa's worried look, and offered her a wide, reassuring smile.
Severa looked away quickly, hiding her own smile, though she had a feeling Owain wasn't fooled. Suddenly, despite her earlier suggestion to send Owain back to Ylisse first, she was very glad to have her husband with her still.
The other side of the gateway looked very much like the side they had just left. They were still underground, with the only sources of light being Morgan's three lantern rings.
"Interesting place," Severa noted sarcastically.
"It is, isn't it?" Morgan agreed absently, stooping down and inspecting the uneven stone floor.
"Err… have we gone anywhere?" Owain asked, looking back at the gateway behind them. "This place doesn't look any different."
"It's different," Morgan assured him. "The stone here is darker. We're still in some sort of cave, but it's not the same one."
"Maybe we found the wrong gateway, and it just took us to somewhere else in the Vault," Severa suggested.
"Maybe," Morgan conceded. She pulled out a long coil of rope and dropped one end beside the gateway. "Let's find out. Come on. This tunnel slopes upward. Let's see if we can find the surface."
"What's the rope for?" Owain asked curiously.
"For tying up anyone we run into. You know, so we can question them properly," Morgan replied with a wink. She started off then, and her true intent quickly became apparent; by unravelling the rope as she went, she was leaving a clear trail back to the gateway. They forged on, and after reaching a couple of forks in the tunnel, they found themselves at a dead end.
"Now what?" Severa prompted impatiently.
Morgan shrugged indifferently. "Now we go back and try another tunnel," she said, sounding far from discouraged. "Look on the bright side, Sis. We haven't seen any other gateways, right? So at least we're not in the Vault anymore… probably."
"Probably?" Severa echoed doubtfully.
Morgan didn't answer and simply turned back, humming merrily as she began retracing their steps. They quickly returned to the most recent fork and ventured down the other path, and though they found more forks, and subsequently more dead ends, it seemed as if nothing was capable of dampening the younger girl's mood.
And then they came to another fork, and Morgan stopped so suddenly that Severa's immediate reaction was to reach for her pilfered lance.
"What is it?" Owain asked nervously, his hand closing over the hilt of his sword.
In answer, Morgan stuck one finger in her mouth, moistening her fingertip. Then she held up her hand, and her expression became one of triumph.
"Wind?" Severa guessed.
Morgan nodded. "We're almost at the surface," she said. Then, after a moment's thought, she pointed down one of the tunnels. "This way," she guessed.
If it wasn't for the sudden rush of fresh air, Morgan might not have even realized that they were near a cave opening. The change in atmosphere was unmistakable, however, and Morgan let out a gleeful cheer and she held her ring up high, illuminating the cavern entrance. "We're here!" she sang triumphantly, darting out to stand beneath the presumably open sky.
It was as if they had stepped out into the darkest night imaginable. The skies were entirely black, as if obscured by a thick and perfectly even layer of pitch black clouds. Only the faintest trace of light could be seen glowing from amidst the clouds, possibly a mere reflection of light from below.
Morgan held her hand up high, casting the light from her ring far and wide, illuminating the grassy downhill slope. They had indeed emerged from a cave of some sort, set in a small hill, but the world around them seemed little more than a featureless plain.
"This place is amazing," Owain marveled quietly, as he and Severa moved to Morgan's side.
"It is, isn't it?" Morgan agreed.
Severa wrinkled her nose, unimpressed. It reminded her of another land she and Owain had visited, only it was even more dour and oppressive. The barren landscape didn't do much to improve her opinion of the place. "What's so special about it?" she asked.
"The darkness beckons to me," Owain whispered. "I can feel its power beckoning from the murky shadows, resonating with…"
"Not helpful," Severa interrupted.
"Well, it is pretty dark out here," Morgan said innocently.
Severa sighed, and her face sank behind her palms. "I can see that," she groaned, her voice muffled. "So, we got here on a cloudy night. What's the big deal?"
"No," Morgan corrected softly, bending down to touch the uneven ground. "This plant stuff isn't ordinary grass. It's more like… cave moss. Cave moss and mushrooms. These are plants that can grow with very little light. It's not just nighttime. This darkness must be the curse that the Fireman spoke of."
"Darkness?" Severa frowned. She looked up into the sky, and felt as if she was staring into nothing at all. "You mean this world doesn't have a sun? No moon or stars, either?"
"This world is a cursed land, robbed of its celestials, doomed to be cloaked forever in… emptiness," Owain whispered.
"Or maybe it never had them to begin with. Who knows?" Morgan said. "Look over there, though," she added, pointing off into the distance. Severa and Owain obeyed, and saw a faint prick of light off in the distance. "Doesn't that look like it could be a fire of some sort?"
"Hmm… maybe," Severa said thoughtfully. "But it looks a bit white to be a fire." She then looked down at the lantern ring upon her hand, the magical light source Morgan had given her. "Could it be a magical light, like your rings?"
Morgan shrugged. "Let's go find out," she decided, and without warning, she raced off into the darkness, her own ring marking her path for her companions.
Severa groaned. "She is such a…" she began, though she seemed to have a hard time finding the right word.
"A child?" Owain offered.
"We should've just knocked her out and dragged her home for Mom and Dad to deal with," Severa grumbled. She had to admit to herself that it was only bluster, though; she knew she would never willingly raise a finger against her youngest sister, no matter how exasperatingly childish Morgan proved to be.
Owain chuckled, seeing through his wife easily enough, and the two of them hurried to catch up to Morgan, afraid to let the younger girl too far out of their sight.
The trio's journey remained uneventful for some time. The rolling, mossy hills seemed to go on forever, blending into a seamless, unchanging scene. The ambient noises spoke of small birds and critters moving about, but any nearby wildlife steered clear of the limited light from the enchanted rings.
Every now and then, Morgan – who remained in the lead – would glance back towards her companions. At first, Morgan's endlessly cheerful demeanor worried her sister, but after a couple hours, Severa realized that her younger sister was checking back at fairly regular intervals. Despite Morgan's carefree expression, she remained firmly on her guard and was constantly on the lookout for danger.
"You're still a tactician at heart, aren't you?" Severa quietly mused. Something didn't quite add up, though. If Morgan had spoken truthfully to them about the peaceful state of Ylisse, she shouldn't have seen any sort of fighting before leaving home on her own. She must have studied field tactics from their father, or, more likely, her older twin, who the younger girl had always been close to. It seemed even more bizarre now that she had chosen to strike out on her own.
Severa was still pondering the paradox that was her youngest sister when Morgan looked back again, and the young tactician's expression suddenly contorted with fear.
"Sis, look out!" Morgan cried.
With reflexes honed throughout years of battle, Severa instinctively charged forward before spinning around and bracing her newly acquired lance defensively. Beside her, Owain reacted similarly, diving into a quick roll and drawing his sword.
Behind them loomed a shadowy creature, barely visible by the light of their rings. The hulking form looked roughly humanoid, but stood over ten feet tall. One of its arms – a disproportionately thick, fingerless appendage resembling a club – slammed down at Severa.
As soon as she saw the size of her opponent, Severa began withdrawing her weapon. The creature's arm slammed forcefully into her lance anyways, and had she been standing firm, the blow would have easily snapped the weapon's wooden shaft in half. Instead, she was lifted entirely into the air and thrown back several steps, only barely managing to catch herself as she landed.
Owain darted between Severa and their mysterious attacker, but he hesitated slightly as he struck, for his shadowy target seemed insubstantial. His swing connected, and he felt great resistance, as if he were cutting into ordinary, living flesh.
The creature emitted an unearthly, bloodcurdling wail, and Owain drew back in surprise. Then a wave of energy soared over Owain, slamming into the creature's neck. Recovering quickly, Owain darted forward, capitalizing upon the opening Morgan had bought him and cutting deep into the creature's torso.
The shadow seemed to shrink and grow denser. Then it burst noiselessly, spraying Owain with a gritty black powder that felt like course sand. The blond cried out in agony, dropping his sword and rubbing furiously to purge the stinging grains from his eyes.
"Owain, get back!" Morgan ordered, quickly spotting more movements in the darkness.
Owain, blinded and distracted as he was, could not react in time. Thankfully, Severa reached him first, seizing him by the arm and forcefully throwing him to the ground a split second before a second of the hulking creatures could crush his skull. Then a third beast, identical to the first two, emerged from the darkness, and Severa found herself dangerously flanked.
Undaunted, the veteran lancer twirled a full circle, gracefully spinning her lance around her to drive both opponents back. One of the two creatures wisely backed away, but the other pressed on, and Severa felt her lance slicing through her shadowy foe's torso. Sensing a quick kill, Severa drove her leading heel into the soft soil, breaking her momentum with her lance still embedded in her victim's chest. Then, with a wicked grin, she jabbed her lance in deeper.
The wounded creature shuddered and began to shrink, even as its companion advanced upon Severa once more. Severa, remembering how the first of the creatures had blinded Owain, shut her eyes tightly and skittered away. As she retreated, she felt a shower of grit against her face, as if she had been caught in a sudden sandstorm.
"I'm on your left!" Morgan said. Upon hearing the call, Severa instinctively weaved right, and she felt a rush of air as her younger sister surged by her. The remaining shadow creature screeched in pain, and Severa redoubled her efforts to wipe her face clean.
By the time Severa dared to open her eyes once more, the battle was almost over. Owain had rejoined the battle, and had flanked their remaining foe with Morgan. The lumbering creature spun to strike at its larger foe, its heavy arms flailing wildly, but Owain easily sidestepped the poorly aimed strike. At the same time, Morgan nimbly weaved beneath her opponent's outstretched arms, launching a quick forward thrust. The clever tactician retracted her blade almost as soon as it connected, then leapt up into the air, twirling to throw her weight behind a powerful, diagonal slash.
"Close your eyes!" Morgan warned Owain, but she needn't have spoken, for Owain was already diving away frantically. Morgan herself was less fortunate; she had closed her eyes while sweeping her coat protectively in front of her face, but she was a split second too slow, earning a mouthful of the ashen powder for her troubles.
"Are you alright?" Severa asked, crouching down at Morgan's side and fighting hard not to laugh.
"What were those ghastly fiends?" Owain wondered, looking around tentatively as if he were afraid there were more of the creatures lurking just out of sight.
"I'm not sure," Morgan admitted, spitting out the last of the sand. "That powdery stuff tastes disgusting, though."
"They died easily enough," Severa commented uncaringly. Though she, too, kept an eye out for any further danger, her mind dwelled on something odd she had noticed during the battle. Morgan's swordplay had seemed intimately familiar, but it was not the defensive and reactive style favored by their father and the older Morgan. "Who taught you to wield a sword, Morgan?" she asked.
"Me?" Morgan asked, surprised by the question. Then, understanding why Severa had asked, she smiled impishly. "You already know, don't you?"
"Lucina," Severa guessed, and her sister's smile widened, confirming her guess. "But why? I thought you would've trained with the older Morgan. You're using her sword, after all."
"She moved away from Ylisstol years ago," Morgan reminded. "Mom, Dad, and I visited her a lot, but then she and I would spend most of our time reading together. She hasn't used a sword much lately, anyways. Neither has Dad, for that matter, so I ended up training with Lucina and her Shepherds in the castle instead."
"What about the younger Severa? Or me?" Owain asked curiously.
Morgan made a face. "Neither of them really care much for weapons anymore," she explained, sounding disappointed. "Well, Owain never did. Severa and I used to play together with toy weapons when we were little, but then she just kind of lost interest in it."
"Really?" Severa asked, surprised. She had expected the opposite, imagining that her younger self would be the restless one, playing with weapons and eager to see the world, while the younger Morgan could be more content living a peaceful life in Ylisstol.
"I think it has to do with something that Uncle Chrom said," Morgan continued. "Lucina and Severa were always talking about how they'd join the Shepherds together when they grew up. Then, when we were celebrating Lucina's tenth birthday, she asked her dad about Falchion. Uncle Chrom promised it would be hers one day… but he also said that he hoped she would never need to use it. After that day, it was like Lucina and Severa forgot all about the Shepherds."
Severa understood, of course; in every war she had ever fought in, she and everyone she had fought beside had been hoping to spare the following generation from the same fate. What bothered her was that Morgan was surely clever enough to understand, too, and yet, by all appearances, she simply didn't care.
"Ah, well," Morgan said cheerfully, interrupting Severa's train of thought. "We should hurry and see what that light is. It's getting late… I think. It's hard to tell for sure, really." She looked up at the dark, featureless sky thoughtfully, then shook her head and resumed her march towards the distant light.
After a couple uneventful hours, the source of the light finally became clear. Mighty walls of chiseled stone bricks formed a large enclosure, ringing what must have been a fairly sizable city. Only one of the buildings within the city was tall enough to be seen from beyond the wall: a solitary tower crested with a sphere of pure light, resembling a small sun.
"A lighthouse! So that's what that light was!" Morgan crowed delightedly.
"In the middle of an open grassland, no less," Severa remarked. "Or moss land, maybe, since grass apparently doesn't grow in this world."
"It may," Owain interrupted, gesturing towards the even farmland surrounding the city walls. Rows of crops appeared to be flourishing, and several farmers seemed to be hard at work, gathering various brightly colored fruits and vegetables and loading them into small wheelbarrows.
"That's weird," Morgan remarked, turning to look beyond the city.
"What's weird?" Severa asked.
"You've never seen vegetables growing indoors by torchlight, have you?" Morgan asked.
Severa gave her an odd look. "Of course not," she said.
"That's because vegetables don't really grow properly that way," Morgan said. "Most plants need sunlight to grow. No one's really sure why, either. Some say the sun has magic of its own that we don't understand. Others claim that plants need natural light for some reason."
"But this world doesn't have a sun," Owain reminded, looking up into the sky once again. The area around them seemed thoroughly lit, though not as brightly as the world they had come from, but the sky itself remained a smooth blanket of darkness.
"But it has those instead," Morgan said, pointing past the city. Off in the distance, several other spheres of light floated along the horizon. It was hard to tell for sure, but most looked to be lighthouses like the one standing within the nearby city. One of the lights was distinguishably larger than the rest, casting a far greater light that almost reached where Morgan, Severa, and Owain were standing.
"More lighthouses?" Owain guessed.
"Likely," Morgan agreed. "But the light coming from them doesn't look like light from a fire. A mystery for tomorrow, I guess."
"Tomorrow?" Severa echoed.
"Sure. I bet it's already dark out back in Water's Edge," Morgan said. "Come on. Let's go get some sleep. The city will still be here tomorrow, I hope."
Only then did Severa realize how tired she was. "Good idea," she agreed, stifling a yawn. Beside her, Owain nodded his agreement. Morgan triggered her ring, and this time, the few minutes it took for the rift to appear felt excruciatingly long.
To Morgan's chagrin, her estimate had been slightly off; the sun was already high in the late morning sky, peering brightly at them as if to greet their return. With a sheepish shrug, Morgan led the way down to the village. It looked as if the villagers had awoken hours ago.
"You two should head over to that big house over there," Morgan said, indicating a nearby building. "That's where Granny Marian lives. Most newcomers to the village stay with her, at least until we find them a permanent place to stay. Say hi to Ophelia for me, okay? And Li'rei and her brother, too, if you see them." Severa and Owain nodded, and the younger girl set off towards her own cabin with a lazy wave farewell.
Severa and Owain reached Marian's home soon after, and after briefly checking in on Ophelia – who was just coming awake and seemed perfectly happy with her caretaker – the weary couple retired to another of the rustic home's guestrooms. They did not wake until much later in the day, when hunger finally roused them from their slumber and they found Marian waiting for them in the dining room with a large pan laden with various roasted fruits and vegetables.
"Good evening," Marian greeted warmly. Ophelia – who was seated beside the kindly old woman – began moving towards her mother and father immediately. Marian proved to be far faster than she looked, catching the little girl before she could fall out of her chair.
"Thank you," Severa said, taking her daughter into her arms. Ophelia stopped fussing soon almost immediately, and adopted a contented, sleepy look. "Silly girl," Severa chided quietly.
"Sit down and eat," Marian urged, laying out two more table settings. She smiled knowingly as Owain began hungrily tearing into the offered food. "Long day, was it?"
"Very," Severa replied, and though she seemed to be in less of a hurry than her husband, her own plate was piled just as high.
Marian sighed. "Your sister is just a fiery little ball of energy, isn't she?" she said wistfully. "I do wish she'd take better care of herself, but she's the stubborn sort. She must have driven you and your parents crazy when she was little."
Suddenly, Severa found it hard to swallow her food. "Not… not really," Severa admitted, setting her fork down. "When I left, she was just about the most easygoing person I knew, but I've been gone for several years now."
"Ah. Wanderlust runs in the family then, doesn't it?" Marian asked, smiling warmly. "Be sure to pace yourself. You too, Owain. Lady Morgan never seems to rest as she goes from one of her schemes to the next. Don't burn yourselves out trying to keep up with her, you hear?"
"Our own drive for justice and adventure is every bit as tireless," Owain assured Marian. He leaned closer to Severa and Ophelia as he spoke, reaching over to gently stroke his daughter's face, who giggled happily.
"Why do I even try to reason with you kids?" Marian said with a chuckle. "Just take care of her, and of yourselves, alright? Your little girl is happy enough here, but she needs you."
"We will," Severa promised. "This world has seen far too many kids left without parents already. Owain and I won't be making that mistake."
After their meal, Severa and Owain made their way across the village to Morgan's cabin. Ellie was outside alone, drifting idly by the front door, but when Severa approached, the little butterfly began flapping her wings enthusiastically, as if in greeting.
"Is Morgan awake yet?" Severa asked, not really expecting an answer. She reached for the door, but her hand had just closed around the handle when she noticed Morgan's voice drifting through the open window.
"Sorry, I've got to go," Morgan said quickly. "Ellie's calling me. I'll talk to you later, alright?"
Severa shot Ellie a dirty look, understanding now that little silver butterfly's sudden flurry of motion must have been intended as a warning of some sort. She then flung the door open, wondering who Morgan was speaking with and why she would set Ellie outside to keep watch.
But Morgan was alone, and appeared to be making her bed. "Hey, Sis," the younger girl greeted casually, as if nothing were wrong. Then she seemed to notice her older sister's expression. "What's wrong?" she asked, concerned.
"I thought I heard you talking to someone," Severa said. She peered around the uncluttered cabin, but short of the storage trunks, there was really nowhere for anyone to hide. The building's only window was right beside its single entrance, too, leaving no other exit.
"Oh, I was just talking to myself," Morgan explained nonchalantly.
Nevertheless, Severa stormed across the room and flipped both of Morgan's storage trunks open. There were piles of books, various mechanical instruments, a few spare weapons, and some small pouches here and there, but no sign of anyone.
"What are you looking for?" Morgan asked curiously as she scooped up her traveling pouch from where it was lying on her bed and tied it to her sash.
"Nothing," Severa said sheepishly. "You ready to go? Marian asked Owain and I to bring you over to her house so you can have dinner before we leave. Or breakfast, or whatever you want to call it."
"Oh, I already ate," Morgan said, gesturing towards some tangerine peels lying on her otherwise empty desk.
Severa sighed, though in truth, she wasn't surprised. "A single fruit isn't a meal. Come along, Morgan. We'll wait for you to finish eating before setting out."
"You sound just like Mom. Or Granny," Morgan said, rolling her eyes. Still, she conceded the point, and after discarding her tangerine peels, she began reluctantly following her sister back across the village towards Marian's home.