The stale air of the ruined sanctum Jack and the others found themselves in was so filled with tension, he wouldn't be surprised if his sword would visibly cut through it. Jack looked from the specter of Alm, to Céline, Yunaka, Veyle, and Ivy on one side, and then to Natalie on the other, looking around wildly like a cornered animal. Jack could've sworn her eyes even glowed like one with the little light put out by Alm.
"You're… Alm?" Jack asked, "Alm of Valentia? That Alm?"
Alm shrugged. A good-natured smile on his face. "As far as I'm aware. Although, I suppose I'm not the original. I believe I am called… Emblem Alm? Yes, that sounds right. Still, you haven't answered my question. Queen Seforia said there were others that would be coming for her. I take it either you all are they?"
"T-that would indeed be the case, yes," Ivy said, stepping forward. "We are allies of Queen Seforia's daughter and son, Alm. And we are-"
"Stop talking to the Emblem and look at me!" Nat demanded. "Don't just ignore me! I have a crossbow that'll turn you into a wet stain on the ground-!"
Nat snarled as the crossbow was torn from her grasp. Alm had moved forward as she was addressing the group, and simply took it from her hands while she wasn't paying attention. She lunged, trying to get the crossbow back, only for Alm to simply hold her back.
"Would you mind helping me with this? I don't like putting my hands on a lady but if she's an enemy-"
Jack shook his head. "Say no more. Hang on."
"You all are fucking crazy, you know that? Fucking crazy," Natalie growled, her hands bound on the floor as she looked around accusatorily.
"I'm not the one who's brainwashed, Nat," Jack replied.
"You're brainwashed, idiot!" Natalie exclaimed, lunging her head forward so far she nearly fell on her chest. "You-!"
"Nat," Jack interrupted as he knelt to her level. "Look at my face, Nat."
Natalie did so reluctantly, before recoiling slightly. "What happened to your lips? That's horrifying."
"If you ever make it back to Griss, you can ask him about it," Jack replied. "He's the one who did this to me."
"Griss? Creepy uncle Griss? I mean… I always thought he was…" Natalie shook her head. "No. No, that can't be right. They would never…"
"They did," Jack said.
"Bullshit. Y-you probably just got that in a battle or something. Now you'll never work at McDonald's again."
Jack let out a breath. "Fast food is the least of our worries now, Nat. They really programmed you well, huh?"
"I… I don't know what you're even talking about, Jack," Natalie said, hanging her head. "None of this makes any sense."
"Maybe we can find a way to undo what they did to you. But for now, just… shut up. Shut the fuck up, Nat."
Natalie looked up with narrowed eyes, about to say something before looking down and mumbling to herself.
Jack nodded. "We'll be moving out in a little while, I think. So, just sit tight. I'm not gonna let those fuckers take you again."
Standing up, Jack looked to see Alm talking with the others. A few moments later, though, another Emblem appeared right beside Céline. It had been a while since Jack had seen Celica - and by the looks of it, if Emblems could cry, Celica would be bawling her eyes out. Nonetheless, a sad smile spread across her face.
"Alm," Celica said, "it's… it's really you, isn't it?"
Alm jumped. "C-Celica? Is that you? I-"
Jack almost turned away as Celica floated forward with more force than he'd ever seen an Emblem perform, bowling over Alm as she wrapped her arms around him, laughing-crying to herself all the while. Running a hand down his face as he looked to the others, Jack shrugged.
"They're lovers, in case you couldn't tell," Jack said.
"Oh, spare me! I had thought them siblings," Céline replied, looking at Jack with half-lidded eyes. "Nonetheless, I… feel strange, watching this."
"I think it's very cute," Veyle said earnestly.
"Zappy! Even in a dark place like this, things can look up! Er- pretend you didn't hear that. I don't wax nostalgic. That would be dumb!" Yunaka said, laughing to herself.
Ivy looked on strangely, with an expression Jack couldn't quite place. She briefly stared at him, before turning away.
"I-I thought I'd never see you again!" Celica professed. "All of these long years as an Emblem, and I thought I had finally accepted it, but… here you are! I almost can't believe it!"
"N-neither can I! I thought I'd-!" Alm shook his head, embracing Celica. "I've been down here for what feels like forever, that I'd almost forgotten what it was like to…"
The two lovebirds stayed like that for a few more moments, until Ivy coughed into her fist.
"As much as I am glad you two have found each other again," Ivy said, "we do have a mission to complete. We've been separated from the rest of our group, and we have no idea where we are in this city or where the others might be. Emblem Alm, do you know your way around this place?"
Celica disappeared from Alm's arms and reappeared by Céline's side, looking bashfully at the others as Alm got to his feet, rubbing his forehead and adjusting his iron crown.
"There is someone I can bring you to," Alm replied, rubbing the back of his neck. "But, and I really can't stress this enough - it's gonna be a little strange for you, I imagine. I don't know how many years have passed since the last battle, so I have no idea how much you even know about this city."
Jack shrugged. "Absolutely nothing."
"What my crass friend here means to say is that very little is known about this city; before we came here, all that was known was that a ruin laid beneath the Solmic capital," Céline said.
"Yes, that makes sense. The Architect apparently tried to keep as many people out of this place as possible," Alm said, rubbing his chin. "I don't think this city ever had a name, honestly. They never said anything, and-"
"Woah, woah, woah, rewind. Rewind," Jack said, stepping forward. "Who's 'the Architect'? I've- I've never heard that name before."
Alm tilted his head. "I wouldn't think that you had. I doubt anyone on the surface has. It has been… I don't even know how long. I can't remember."
"Who are they, then? This 'Architect'," Ivy asked.
Alm gestured to the doorway he had come from. "It'd probably just be easier if I introduced you to them. Queen Seforia is down there as well - she got here a little while ago."
Jack let out a breath. A deep pit of anticipation settled in his stomach as he exchanged glances with Ivy and Veyle. Ivy still eyed Alm warily, but motioned for the others to follow him. Veyle, on the other hand, looked sick.
Lightly tapping her shoulder, Jack asked, "You alright?"
Veyle looked up at him with thin lips. "I- do you remember what I said, when we were at the entrance? It's worse now. Much, much worse."
Jack, in turn, looked to Alm with shaded eyes. "Think he's not being truthful with us? This a trap?"
"I don't think so. It's not… evil. But something's wrong. Something terrible happened here," Veyle replied, looking forward with renewed determination. "Don't worry about me. I will manage. We should see what the Architect is."
If Jack thought the halls and buildings of the forgotten city above were strange, then the tunnel he and the others were traveling through blew it straight out of the water. Unlike the city, they were traveling through, presumably, a naturally-formed cave. However, the stone of the cave - it was all wrong. Jagged lines criss-crossed the walls, with different types of stone between each, all stitched together. A long run of limestone, it looked like, led to a sheer wall of marble, and then from marble to sandstone, somehow. It was like looking at a jigsaw puzzle that had been put together all wrong.
Other than that, there were plenty of other things that made Jack nervous. There was dried blood on the ground. Ancient blood, long since browned and staining the ground in massive pools, but no bodies. Not even bones. There were side passages that led into different sections of the system, but no light came from them except for the same red pin pricks that had stalked them when they first entered the forgotten city.
Jack was at the very back of the group, trying to keep his gaze forward. Natalie was in front of him, glowering at the others before them. Céline, Yunaka, and Veyle were there, with Ivy at the front, with Alm leading the way, the glow from him the only thing lighting up the dark. Jack noticed Ivy's hands were balled into tight fists, and that her white gloves were ripped with small drops of blood dripping to the floor.
She's really scared. Can't say I blame her.
Eventually, the group reached a large room. On the other side laid a doorway, down a long flight of carved stone steps. Jack looked around and realized the blue glow was no longer coming from Alm - veins of glowing blue essence lined the walls, interspersed with the bones of giant creatures.
They looked like the bones of dragons.
"What the hell…?" Jack murmured to himself.
"Ah, finally! I thought for a while that I'd be stuck here by myself."
The group's attention turned to a woman at the bottom of the steps, and Jack recognized her instantly as Queen Seforia. Jack let out a sigh of relief at that.
"Queen Seforia," Ivy said, "it is good to see you alive and well."
Seforia scoffed, her hands on her hips. "Alive? Yeah, there's that, at least. I won't lie - I thought I'd see my son or daughter with you, but things must've gotten complicated topside, am I right?"
"You could say that, Your Majesty," Céline said. "We're only a small portion of the group that came down here to save you. We were separated from the others by a collapsing floor. It's only by Yunaka and Micaiah's grace that we're even here right now."
"Aw, shucks! You're gonna make me blush! It was nothing, really! Even if it hurt like getting stabbed repeatedly in the guts-"
"But did it hurt more than getting electrocuted repeatedly for hours?" Jack asked.
Yunaka stopped and put a finger to her chin, considering the question seriously. "Hm. Maybe if it was happening over several hours. It might be worse than that if it went that way. Didn't, though!"
Jack snorted. "Fair."
"I'm guessing you all have been through a lot before coming here," Alm surmised. "But, well, I hate to say it but it's about to get stranger."
"I doubt it can get any stranger than this," Ivy said, looking around with wide magenta eyes. Somehow, her already pale skin looked paper white. "This is… at the limit of my fortitude, I'm afraid."
"Oh, you're taking them to talk to the Architect?" Queen Seforia asked, rubbing her forehead. "That'll be a sight to see! Don't worry so much, Princess Ivy. They're really not that bad."
"Those are dragon bones embedded in the walls," Veyle whispered, her voice almost a hiss.
Jack swallowed the growing lump in his throat. "You know, I was wondering, right, since they were so big-"
"You've been almost silent since I met you, Lady Veyle," Alm said, letting an easy-going smile spread across his glowing face. "I know you and I have no reason to trust each other, but I'll ask that you put your faith in me, just this once, in this moment. There was a great battle fought here, but that is a time long gone, and nothing can hurt you here, now."
Veyle's fists relaxed as she closed her violet eyes and took a deep breath. "...Okay. Alright. We should meet them. Maybe they can help us."
"All I got out of them was a few cryptic phrases," Seforia said, running a hand through her hair. "But you… maybe all of you can get a bit more out of them. You're far more interesting than me! Especially since there're five of you. Plus that strange girl who's bound. Why's that?"
"She's my brainwashed sister," Jack said succinctly.
"Not brainwashed," Natalie retaliated.
"Ah, I see," Seforia nodded. "Sombron's one evil dastard, huh?"
"You should've seen what he would've done if I wasn't here," Jack snorted, turning his attention to the doorway before them. "Now, uh, should we go in? Not gonna lie, I'm kinda nervous."
"Queen Seforia and I shall make sure you are not interrupted," Alm said, nodding. "Take as long as you need."
Jack took one last look at the others who gathered at the threshold to the room beyond. Céline looked the most composed, though Jack could probably guess that she was nervous; she was staring straight ahead far too intently, it had to be on purpose. Ivy was in a similar camp, though her composure was cracking - Jack could see sweat on her brow and her eyes were as wide as dinner plates. Yunaka and Veyle, meanwhile, seemed to both be stealing themselves for what was ahead.
Natalie looked like she wanted to run, but Jack kept a hand on her arm to keep her from doing so. She looked up at him with a glare, but said nothing.
After a few more moments, the group went forward.
The first thing Jack noted about the room was that the glowing blue veins seemed to grow brighter, such that they could all see clearly. There were bones embedded in the walls like the room before, but they all belonged to one massive creature. Jack followed them, noticing that it formed the general shape of a wing, and it was covered in vein-like, pulsating structures. Finally, Jack laid his eyes on it.
Massive skull, planted sideways in the wall with its draconic mouth agape as if caught in a scream. Only the upper half of its rib cage was visible, but it was big enough to house all six of them comfortably if they had decided, against all reason, to nestle themselves within. Before it was a shattered altar, with a tar-like substance surrounding it. Jack felt himself shiver just looking at it - it reminded him of what they saw from a distance, on the temple that Brianna had walked down from. It wasn't glowing with un-light, thankfully, but the fact it was still there-
"Who comes? Who comes?" a voice rang out, loud and commanding as a blue point of light opened in the eye socket of the giant skull. "Who be you? Are you of the Retainers? Our glorious worshipers? Or be you of a different breed entirely? Nay, say no more - I see you, child of dragons. Though you are unknown to me. Tell me the names your forefathers granted you. I would know with whom I am speaking."
Jack opened his mouth as if to speak, but found that his mouth had grown dry. He coughed into his hand.
"I'm Jack, and this is Natalie," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "And that's-"
"M-my name is Princess Ivy of Elusia," Ivy stammered out, shaking in place.
"And I am Princess Céline of Firene," Céline said, with only the barest hint more composure than Ivy.
"Yunaka," Yunaka squeaked out.
"And I'm Veyle. Y-You probably don't know me because I am a Fell Dragon," Veyle said.
"Fell Dragon? Hmph. Interesting. I can sense the question on your tongues. You think to yourselves, who is this creature? There is no good answer to that question. I stood beside the likes of Naga and Sothis when they found what made them whole. I and my brothers and sisters brought together the Earthbones and created our Paradise. I was the one who armed you, raised you, and saved you from the Enemy. I am the Fire of Invention, the Divine Dragon who would become whole again - I am the Architect."
"T-there is only one Divine Dragon, and he-!" Ivy began, before stopping and shaking her head. "You claim to be a Divine Dragon. Then how? How have we not heard of you?"
"Because I have been here since the Enemy was banished from our shores, and I have willed it such that no one should stumble upon me - as I willed it! I can sense the movement of humans above. A city, I suspected. They would never reach me, until the Enemy brought an Emissary…"
Jack waved a hand. "Slow down a bit. When you say 'the Enemy', do you mean Sombron?"
The Architect let out a rumble, and afterward said something that turned Jack's bones into ice.
"Who is this 'Sombron' you speak of? I have never heard of that name," they said.
Jack's lips thinned as he turned to the others, who looked just as shocked as he did.
"It has always been the Enemy who followed us through the dark ocean between worlds," the Architect continued, "and when the Divine and Mage Dragons hoisted together this world's parts, and brought them together to save ourselves from the degradation of our bodies and minds, it was there, waiting for us, like a predator stalking its prey."
"What…" Ivy gasped out, sounding as if she was being choked. "I don't… Jack, I realize that you have grown tired of being asked this, but does any of this make sense to you?"
"Not in the slightest," Jack replied. "None of this was revealed in the game. None of it. The origins of Elyos were never expanded on. I never even thought…"
"Naga wished for us to relinquish control of our bodies so that our minds would not follow," the Architect said, "Sothis wished to find another place among the stars. But I? I wished to create our own Paradise. And so, I did, with the help of those who would follow me. We took the shattered remnants of ruined worlds and built them into our cities and mountains and oceans."
"Shattered… remnants," Jack whispered, "The paralogues…"
"This city I am fused to was once the seat of our power, and it was glorious. But then the Enemy made its move, and I am sundered beneath the earth. Tell me, little ones - you had said that there remains only one Divine Dragon. Tell me this is not true."
"It's… not. I misspoke earlier," Ivy said, her hands clasped together in front of her chest. "There are two. Queen Lumera and the Divine One, Alear."
"Two? We once had hundreds…" the Architect said, their voice much lower than before.
"What about Alm?" Céline asked. "How is there another Emblem here? And with no ring or bracelet?"
"The Conqueror of Valentia is one of the first. I created him. I do not know where the term 'Emblem' came from, but I created him, and his former compatriots. Caeda of Talys, Seiros of Adrestia, Azura of Valla, the Scion of Light, Seliph - and Eliwood, of Pherae. Now, only he remains. You have no doubt come here for my help, have you not? I can sense the questions in your mouths."
Jack turned to the others, his skin feeling clammy as he wiped his brow.
"What can you do to help us?" Veyle asked.
The Architect hummed. "My power is limited. My ability to create, to construct - it has greatly diminished. But in my death throes, I will grant you an artifact that may turn the tide in your favor. The Enemy is here, I can sense it, and it will not leave until its Champion is destroyed. Take the artifact, when I have created it, and use it against her. My soul will fly like a ray of light through these dark tunnels. This is my city! And it responds to my decree!"
"We're going to need to find the others after this," Jack mumbled to the others. "The hell are we supposed to tell them?"
"They can wait 'till after we're done here," Yunaka hissed back.
"I just- I have one more question. Please?" Veyle said.
"Speak, strange one."
"How are you still alive? How did you end up down here?"
The Architect let out a rumble, its blue eye glowing brighter.
"You are a dragon yourself - I can feel the energy swirling within you, but it is unlike that of a Divine Dragon. It is… similar to a Mage Dragon, and yet there is something different there. You of all those gathered before me should know that our kind is very, very difficult to kill for good. Degeneration was merely one way; it was nature's solution to the problem of our existence. And yet, we defy nature, and we will continue to do so until the last dragon breathes its last breath."
"Defy nature…" Veyle mumbled to herself.
"As to your second question - I doubt you wish to be regaled with the terms and suffering of a war long before any of you were born. Let it die with me, when the time comes, and I rejoin those who sacrificed themselves so that you may draw breath in the here and now."
"Does the name 'Lumera' mean anything to you?" Jack asked quickly.
"No. It does not. They were likely born long after I was entombed here," the Architect replied, before another rumble emanated from the living skeleton. "You are a strange one as well. Distinct from the other humans here - and the one beside you. You… no, I shall make no comment. You are free to do as you will. A word of caution! When I begin to create, the things that skulk in the dark of this city, they will come for this power."
"The creatures that have been shadowing our every movement, you mean?" Céline asked.
"Yes. They arrived alongside us. Remnants from the worlds we used to create our own. Show them no mercy until your prize is made."
"There anything you can tell us about… whatever it is you're making?" Jack asked.
"The Enemy is formidable, its armies infinite. Therefore, to defeat the Enemy, one must turn the infinite against it," the Architect replied. "Leave me now. I have work to do."
"Whatever happens," Jack began, his voice strained. "Don't let Pandreo hear anything that happened in there."
"I am pious as well, Jack," Ivy replied.
"But you seem to be… nevermind," Jack mumbled out, noticing just how disheveled Ivy looked.
"We can focus on what that- what the Architect told us after we have done what it has asked us to do," Céline said.
"And none of you are the least bit suspicious?" Natalie finally said, looking around with half-lidded eyes. "None of you? None of you at all? Not a single one of you guys is questioning the words of a half-buried skeleton."
"You took the words of a purple-skinned, three-eyed dragon man at face value," Jack replied, "I don't wanna hear a damn peep outta you."
Natalie grumbled but said nothing else.
"Seems like you all had an eventful conversation. Any word?" Seforia asked, hands on her hips as she looked behind the group to see an intense glow behind them. "That wasn't happening before."
"The Architect is working on something that will help us end this nightmare," Ivy reported. "But this area will likely be assaulted by… whatever it was that lurked in those dark caverns and halls before."
"So, it's going to be a fight," Alm said. "You can count on me. I'm not like Celica, I don't think, but I will fight alongside you until this is finished."
"Well, with the Saint-King of Valentia on our side, how could we possibly lose?" Jack asked.
"Oh, we absolutely could! I am not invincible. Far from it," Alm replied. "But I haven't run away from impossible odds before, and I won't start now."
"Are you even connected to anything?" Jack wondered, looking around. "The other Emblems have rings or bracelets, but you just walk around like you're… well, not 'alive', but you walk around independently."
Alm shrugged. "If I knew the answer to that question, I would have told you. I get the feeling Celica doesn't know how she got here, either. We just know that we're not the originals. More like… echoes, if that makes sense."
"That sounds rough," Yunaka noted. "Er, no offense, Miccy."
Jack's eyes lit up. "That reminds me. Queen Seforia, you don't have a weapon, right?"
Seforia crossed her arms. "I don't, no. Doesn't mean I'm defenseless."
"We're about to face God knows what in this cave," Jack pointed out, walking forward as he pulled the Bracelet of the Three Houses out of his pack. "So, even if this bracelet is corrupted, better to use it than let it stew in my pack, right? You can use the weapons the Emblems grant, too, without having to Engage. Not the best, but it's something."
Seforia took the bracelet and examined it, as if she was inspecting any other piece of jewelry. "Hmm. Not really my style, but I won't look a gift horse in the mouth. Thank you, Jack."
"Don't mention it. Now-"
Angry snarls came from the entrance to the cave system, and Jack took a deep breath.
"This could get ugly," he remarked.
"We have no choice," Ivy said. "We must defend this position at all costs. Everyone, prepare yourselves."
Jack unsheathed his blade for the first time, admiring how the blue light reflected off its silver surface before falling into his practiced stance. Chrom appeared beside him, squinting at the entrance to the cave.
"Those growls…" he murmured. "They sound familiar."
"They can't be whatever you're thinking of," Jack replied.
"We've seen Terrors from Valentia, and you were talking about the Titanus earlier," Chrom pointed out. "I'm not usually one for making connections, but if what the Architect said is true, then it's not impossible that we were being stalked by Risen."
"Fucking…" Jack growled. "Great. Don't think the Enemy the Architect was talking about is Grima? I don't think we can handle two Fell Dragons."
"On the plus side," Robin began, appearing on Jack's other side. "I don't think I can be used as a Vessel for him this time. Not in this form."
"Small mercies," Jack commented, as glowing red eyes appeared in the darkness, like stars in the night sky.
When the first creature entered the blue light of the cave, Jack knew Chrom was right. A Death Mask appeared, its snarling face forever locked into place as black smoke billowed out of its maw. The red eyes grew brighter as it let out a roar, so similar to the Corrupted that Jack wondered if they would show up soon as well. The Risen charged, only to be struck down by a fireball from Ivy. It fell to the ground in a heap of burnt purple flesh, before others of its kind lunged out from the shadows.
Jack had never faced the Risen before - he never expected to, honestly, since he'd never set foot in Awakening's world. He was glad for that; he doubted he'd be able to handle how time travel messed with that world. Nonetheless, they acted similar to Corrupted, using the same weapons as infantry, only without the restraints of infantry. Jack stabbed, cut, and smashed them but they had an uncanny ability to get back up unless they were effectively immobilized. Chrom and Robin helped with that.
Queen Seforia was using Areadbhar to great effect, using the glowing red weapon to destroy all in her path. Jack could see how she was able to fight against Brianna for so long - the woman was a monster. Yunaka and Veyle mostly acted as support, sending out throwing daggers to stagger the Risen before a killing blow.
Jack, Alm, and Seforia were on the front line, making sure the Risen couldn't get in further. Alm was using the Royal Sword, Jack could see - not the Valentian Falchion, although Jack wondered if the proto-Emblem even had that. Lastly, Ivy was towards the very back, sending out fire and lightning in equal measure and destroying any Risen she could get her hands on.
Natalie still didn't have her crossbow, and was still bound. She watched from the sidelines. Jack had half a mind to cut her loose and give her the crossbow, just so they had one more combatant on the field, but he decided against it.
That was a mistake, as a deep rumble rang out from the cavern entrance.
It started as a distant thing at first. The Risen ranks were steadily declining, falling to their blades and magic, until they stopped completely. Jack wondered if they had won, but he knew better - it would never be that easy. Something was coming, and before long, he could hear it, coming from deep within the cavern. It didn't stay distant for long.
The sound of feet and hooves on stone made Jack recoil before he was sent back by a massive blow. He fell against the ground in a heap, the air leaving his lungs as he used his sword to steady himself. Alm was doing the same thing but stood up far quicker. Jack looked-
There were two giant creatures standing there, at the threshold to the cave. One was a gold-skinned humanoid with rusted chains connected to wrist irons around its wrists. The other was a furry centaur-like creature, with a massive double axe in its hands.
Behind the two creatures, Jack could see more than just Risen. He could see skeletons wielding spears, a giant spider behind them, and more Fiends and goo-like zombies. They were illuminated by the blue light, which had only grown stronger. Even so, Jack knew what the two creatures in front of them were.
Faceless. Tarvos.
Alright, nevermind, I'm gonna finish this act before finally going on to finish Homebound. Might as well, right? It's so close to being completed already.
Anyway, here's a link to our Discord server: discord. gg/u89gs745fn
See you guys next time!