To Jack, it felt as if the world stood still.

It was a terrible, strange feeling. He felt like time no longer applied to him - that he could move forward and everyone would remain exactly as they were. Alear would still be beside him, Brianna would shed her crystal shell and return to what she was beforehand. Even if he didn't love her romantically, she was still one of his best friends. Those were hard to come by.

But it didn't go that way. None of it went that way, and Jack was too shocked for the blow that hit him. Chrom and Robin synchronized to keep the massive attack from killing him, but Jack was sent straight back through the air, courtesy of one of Brianna's massive limbs. It struck him like a truck, and he could feel blood leaking from his mouth as he slammed against the ground.

Jack coughed, sitting up after a few moments and looking around. One of the few crystal spiders left pounced upon Fogado, biting into his leg until Fogado batted it off with the end of his bow, limping as he continued to smash the arachnid. Céline used her Levin Sword to send new Husks back from whence they came. And Ivy-

Ivy was upon him, hoisting him to his feet as she looked around wildly before casting a fireball that struck a crystal spider directly in the face, smashing it to pieces.

"Are you hurt!?" Ivy asked quickly.

Jack merely coughed in response, blood flowing freely from his mouth.

"I-I see. Yes, that was a stupid question to ask. Give me a moment."

The battle began in earnest all around them, though thankfully, it seemed that defensive lines were being drawn, and Ivy and Jack were behind them. Though a crystal spider or Husk would occasionally make its way through, they did not reach them. After a few moments of feeling the healing light of a staff around him, Jack stood up fully, his hand on the sword at his side. His teeth were clenched so tightly it was a wonder that they didn't start shooting from his mouth.

"Brianna…" Jack snarled. "Brianna…! Brianna, you fucking idiot!"

"Brianna? Is that creature her?" Ivy asked, standing up alongside Jack. "And I had thought the battle was surely won… Where is the Divine One?"

"Last time I saw him? Near where she transformed into that thing," Jack reported, crossing his arms.

Jack could see her, clear as day, standing at the back of her new, emerging army. Her black, voided eyes almost seemed to stare right back at him. It was like staring into the abyss. Alear was nowhere to be seen.

Jack looked away, closing his eyes.

"We need to get this shit done, quickly," Jack said, his voice cracking. "Please, I know she's done terrible things, but something, anything has to be done. I hate seeing her like this. Whatever it is that's got her now, I…"

Ivy placed a hand on Jack's shoulder. He turned to her and she nodded her head.

"We need to devise a plan," Ivy said. "We need to find the Divine One - perhaps he can transform and destroy her, but that is only if… if the unthinkable hasn't happened."

"Alear's tough," Jack whispered. "If I survived an attack from that, then he certainly could, too."

Even though Jack said that, a part of him was nervous that Ivy was right. He couldn't see Alear through the sea of enemies and converted Risen. Jack didn't even know where more Husks and crystal spiders were coming from, until he saw one claw its way out of the dried pool that Brianna had thrown herself into.

Unfortunately, they didn't have time to formulate a plan, as the creature that had once been Brianna forced its way forward, smashing against Risen and Husk alike and destroying the defensive line that had been formed. A screech released from its maw, only to be interrupted mid-shout by a blast of thunder magic that Jack cursed the sight of.

Zephia.

The Mage Dragon didn't have her mount - which was a given, as flying within the ancient city was out of the question due to the close quarters. But still, there she was, near where Alear's army had advanced as well. Her face was the definition of emotionless as she sent another blast of Thoron straight at Brianna.

Brianna met it with a beam of pure black energy from her mouth, and even though it was bright, Jack could barely see even as the ground shook beneath them when they two powers collided. The explosion sent Jack off his feet, and he scrambled to get back up, unsheathing his blade as a Husk accosted him. He relaxed when Ivy blew it apart with a well-timed Elfire.

Wiping his brow, Jack said, "Helluva time for an enemy mine situation."

"Indeed," Ivy concurred, "There is no time for a plan. Help me find Alear."

Jack had to shut out all conscious thought as he helped search for Alear. Every time he let them take over, he felt like crawling into a corner and letting himself die, and he couldn't do that - not while the others were continuing to fight for their lives against the Husks and the spiders. The only reason they were able to find an opening was because of the Hounds joining in, although Jack was concerned about how long that would last.

Finally, after what felt like a small eternity trying to find Alear, Ivy found him amongst a pile of rubble. Jack couldn't help but groan at that - how many times would they find themselves under a pile of rocks? It felt like it happened every five seconds.

Of course, all annoyance melted away when Jack saw the state Alear was in. He had been swatted away like a fly, it seemed; the impact crater from where he hit the wall was clearly visible, and when Jack first attempted to get the rubble off of him, he could have sworn he heard the sound of bone crunching together, particularly around the chest.

"Hurry. Hurry!" Jack pleaded. "We can't lose him! Not like this!"

"I'm trying," Ivy said, and though her voice was quiet and composed, Jack knew her well enough to see that she was barely keeping it together.

There were the remnants of Husk armor and bones everywhere, and more than a few splintered fragments of clear crystal; it must've been the work of Marth, protecting the fallen Divine Dragon.

Jack pressed his fingers against the underside of Alear's chin - he wasn't medically trained, obviously, but he knew enough to look for a pulse. Despite it all, there was a heartbeat. A very slow heartbeat, but a heartbeat nonetheless, Jack let out a sigh of relief that became a quick intake of breath as the howl of someone in pain reached his ears. He turned to see Brianna manhandling Griss. The sight wouldn't have disturbed him so much if the bastard wasn't smiling about it.

It just cemented in his mind that something needed to be done quickly, and Alear was their only hope. It was wonderfully straightforward.

"He's alive," Jack said, "but you could probably already tell that. We need him up and about."

"Cover me, then," Ivy said. "I doubt the Husks will allow us to do this unimpeded."

Jack nodded, turning to face the oncoming horde. He took in a stuttering deep breath, keeping his heart under control as he held his sword with both hands, and his face turned into a nasty snarl.

The first Husk that charged him quickly fell to his blade, torn apart with careful precision he could never have dreamed of just a little over a year prior. The power of Emblems at work, a passive power at least. Chrom was not idle - both he and Robin covered Jack's back, either blocking or striking anything that came near or tried to get him while his guard was elsewhere. Occasionally, a spectral arrow from who he assumed was Lyn shot a Husk or spider into nothing but a pile of metal, bone, and crystal.

Even though Jack knew he was doing well, he would not be able to fight them off forever. He was only one man, and there were dozens of enemies coming after him.

"What…?" Jack heard Alear cough out. "I'm still alive…"

"Yes! You are!" Jack shouted. "Now help me take these bastards down! We need to take Brianna out, right now!"

"Brianna? She… she fell into that pool. And she…" Alear whispered. Ivy stood up and sent a burst of fire that scorched a Husk that was harassing Jack. Jack gave a mock salute in response.

"We need your dragon form now, Divine One," Ivy said. "Urgently. Before we lose this battle of attrition."

"I…" Alear began, only for Jack to see the healed Divine Dragon clench his hands into fists, and look forward. "Alright. Marth, are you with me?"

Marth appeared beside Alear, and Jack let out a sigh of relief. The Husks and spiders were slowly backing away, and Jack could see Brianna marching through their ranks, apparently done toying with the Hounds and the rest of Alear's army. It was hard for Jack to even see the creature before him as 'Brianna', it was so different. Its dark, void-like eyes and maw sent shivers down his spine, and the ground shaking with each step she took didn't help.

"I'm with you. Let's finish this," Marth said grimly.

Jack let out a breath as a flash of light surrounded him briefly, followed by the sound of a bestial roar echoing across the top of the temple. Brianna stopped in her tracks, her blackened eyes looking beyond Jack at Alear's newly transformed dragon form. Wind blew past Jack, and he saw Alear fly overhead briefly until he collided with Brianna.

It was out of all of their hands, then. It was up to Alear and Marth.

Alear soared through the air, Brianna clutched between his talons before he let go of her and sent her skidding across the ground, taking out several Husks and crystal spiders in the process. Brianna let out a shrill screech as she stopped herself, before letting out a beam of darkness from her mouth. It struck Alear, but aside from the scream of pain, Alear did not fall. Instead, he fell upon her.

It was difficult to see after that - their forms clashed several times, each and every time crystals and scales went sailing through the air, until Brianna was sent backward, nearly losing her balance and plummeting off the top of the temple. Alear gathered Divine energy in his mouth, and Brianna readied herself from another beam of darkness from her gaping maw.

And then, the two pillars of magic collided. Out of all the things Jack had seen, it was probably the most teeth-chattering moment of his entire life. Even when Alear faced off against Sombron, he didn't feel the ache in his joints or the ice flowing through his veins like he did watching Alear and Brianna fight. The two beams met in the middle, fighting for control.

It was like watching a game of tug of war, but instead of everyone getting up and laughing it off, Jack knew that if Alear lost, there'd be little hope for Elyos.

Thankfully, Alear was not alone. A small, barely perceptible blue spark ignited in Alear's eyes, overpowering the red in his other eye briefly as his power finally won out. It struck Brianna, and Jack saw broken shards of crystal fall against the ground, before screeching to a halt nearby, completely motionless.

Jack wiped his forehead. Despite the outcome in their favor, he couldn't feel happy. In fact, he didn't feel much at all. Alear allowed himself to fall to the ground, and before long, he was in his human form again, limping, but still very much alive.

"This…" Ivy whispered. "That was beautiful…"

"It was something," Jack agreed quietly.

Ivy looked at Jack, bemusement clouding her face before realization struck her. "Jack… I'm sorry."

Jack shook his head. "You don't need to be sorry. You don't need to worry about me. She was a monster; figuratively and literally, at this point. She needed to be destroyed. After all she'd done… she didn't even look like the person I knew when we first got down here. Everything was off about her."

"I believe you have spoken about this before," Ivy said.

"I probably have," Jack said, nodding. "Probably have, yeah. I… let's go see how Alear is doing."

Whatever remained of the Husk and spider horde was quickly dispatched as Jack and Ivy helped Alear along.

"So, how'd it feel actually beating someone in your dragon form?" Jack asked.

"It was…" Alear looked down shamefully. "Exhilarating."

"It was marvelous to look at, Divine One," Ivy said.

"I still do not think I will use it very often, but now that I have gotten the hang of it, perhaps…" Alear stopped. "Wait."

Jack tilted his head before he heard what Alear was hearing. It was a sharp scraping noise, coming from behind them. When Jack turned around, he felt his stomach sink.

She's still alive.

The creature's jaw was gone, and only muffled grunts came from its broken maw. One of its arms and both of its legs had been completely destroyed, so it crawled on the floor using its only good arm. Its eyes had not changed, and Jack had to look away as the thing that was once Brianna crawled pathetically over, its crystalline body causing the scraping sound he had heard.

"You've gotta be…" Jack murmured. "You gotta be kidding me. C'mon, why couldn't you, just…? Why couldn't you just-?"

"Jack," Alear said, forcing himself to stand up. "I can end this."

"I can't… I can't even look at her, Alear," Jack whispered. "Please, do it. Fucking end this nightmare."

Alear nodded, and held his sword up.

Jack turned his back, unable to look at the scene behind him. He wiped at his eyes, hoping above all else that he wouldn't break down completely then and there.

A single swing was all it took, and Jack heard the sound of the creature splitting apart at the touch of Libération's edge, and then a heavier 'thunk' that seemed to ring out across the whole ancient city. Jack rubbed at his eyes one more time before turning around just in time to see Alear sheathing his blade.

And there Brianna was - what was left of her, anyway. Jack could barely look at the shattered crystal thing she had become. She looked like a shattered statue. Jack, Ivy, Alear, none of them said a word as Jack himself stood before the shattered remains of one of his only ties to where he had come from.

That was when something strange began to occur. Light gathered in the crystalline remains, from deep within the shattered chest cavity. Jack's eyes widened, and he barely had time to look away before it exploded. A beam of pure white light shot upward, and struck the ceiling. And judging by the dirt and debris that rained down upon them, it was drilling a hole straight through the earth itself.

"All of the citizens are accounted for in this camp, Hortensia," Rosado reported. "Still no sign of Princess Ivy and the others, though."

Hortensia held the corners of her dress so tightly, it was a wonder she hadn't ripped the poor fabric in half from nerves alone. It had been two days since Ivy and the Divine Dragon - and she supposed Jack, too, when she thought about it - descended into the weird crevices in the ground, and since then, not a peep. There was a strange group that headed into the city not long after them, but Hortensia and the others were far away from the city when that happened, such that none of the scouts could get a good look at them.

It was on the evening of the second day, when Rosado reported that there was still no sign of anyone coming up from the fractured earth, that they finally received something of a response. Hortensia just wished it wasn't so terrifying.

"Alright, Rosado. Thank you," Hortensia said, more mumbled, really. "Looks like it's gonna be another cold night out in the desert, huh?"

"You're telling me! This sand gets everywhere. I've actually had to work to stay as cute as I am!" Rosado said. "Why, just this morning I-!"

The ground beneath them shook, and Hortensia had to stifle a tired moan as it continued for a few moments. Rosado held onto his axe, ready to see where the Husks would be coming out.

There were no Husks, though. A few moments after the rumbling began, a pure white beam of light shot out from the ground near Serenissima, shooting into the sky. The night sky almost seemed to pop and crack as the beam shot through it - definitely cracks, Hortensia saw, as if it was glass. The sound it made as well, it was the sound of pure energy, screeching through the air. Like a thousand distant lightning strikes, it nearly deafened them both.

And then, almost as quickly as it had appeared, it was gone. Hortensia and Rosado exchanged glances. Rosado looked pale and wide-eyed, as if he had just seen Sombron himself tumble in from a dune somewhere.

"Get everyone ready," Hortensia said, barely able to hear her own voice. "We need to get down there. Now. Now!"

When the bright flash of light had completely disappeared, Jack looked back to see that Brianna's remains had completely disappeared, leaving nothing behind. It was like she had never existed at all. He wiped at his brow, sweeping the sweat pooling there before he let out a shuddering breath.

"What…" Jack whispered, half to himself and half to Alear and Ivy. "What was that? What was that?"

"Divine One!"

Jack recognized that voice as Diamant's, and he was proven right when he turned to see the elder Brodian prince run forward, followed by the others. Out of them, Veyle and Alfred were right beside Diamant, with Timerra, Fogado, Yunaka, and Céline behind them.

"What happened? Are you alright?" Veyle asked.

"There was that huge flash of light, and then-" Alfred began, only for Jack to interrupt them.

"Brianna's finally gone. That's the only thing I can think of for why that giant pillar of light erupted out of her body," Jack said, sitting down on a rock nearby and rubbing his forehead again. "That's it. All there is to it."

"That… certainly it couldn't have been just that," Veyle said, looking up before her violet eyes widened. "It bore a hole straight to the surface!"

Jack looked up, and sure enough, there was a deep, scoured hole in the ceiling. He looked back down as Alear began to speak.

"Jack is right," he said, "but, where are the Hounds? Where is Brianna?"

"They fled, Alear," Alfred reported. "We saw them turn tail and run the instant you destroyed that creature. They took Natalie with them. We, uh, probably shouldn't have let her roam free. Jack…"

"She'll find a way back to us," Jack grumbled. "One way or the other. I-"

Jack heard it again. A distant crying sound that was like a baby bawling its eyes out. For some reason, it intrigued him, and there was still a little alcove nearby that they hadn't even gone close to. That was where the crying was coming from, he was certain. He remembered how he heard it when they had first confronted Brianna.

"Jack?" Ivy asked, as he moved away from the group.

"I need," Jack replied briefly before shaking his head. "I need to check it. That crying. I'll be right back, okay?"

The others were thankfully too engrossed in their conversation to pay him any mind - as well as looking for Brianna's Emblem Ring where she had fallen, but he didn't see the expression that crossed Ivy's face, either.

What looked like a small alcove from afar turned out to be a small building, with light clearly visible coming from inside. Like many of the buildings within the ancient city, it looked out of place and cobbled together from existing parts, but there was something different about the one Jack stood in front of.

It was made from modern architecture.

There was no way Elyos had developed the kind of wood paneling Jack was looking at, and even the door had a distinct modern vibe about it, with a bronze styling along the window of it. Jack's hands clenched into fists looking at it. The crying continued.

Quietly, Jack opened the door, and what he saw made it feel as if he had been transported to another world all over again.

It was a modern nursery, complete with painted walls depicting blue flowers and a grassland. A crib was at the very end of the small room, and there was power - electricity, and lightbulbs hanging from the ceiling, and even a working fan. The only thing wrong was that everything appeared to be covered in a thin layer of dust, but that wouldn't be out of place in a location deep underground, though Jack was hard pressed to feel as if he was underground within that room.

The crying had calmed down, but Jack could still hear the occasional sniffle and whine, definitely from a baby. Couldn't be any more than a couple months old, if he had to guess. He moved forward slowly, avoiding any other furniture until he was at the crib itself.

There, swaddled in the middle of the crib with a baby giraffe and lion beside it, was a baby. It looked up at him with big, green eyes. Green eyes that looked like Jack's own.

"I…" Jack whispered out, only to notice an envelope. It had been so long since he'd seen one, a modern one, that he almost thought he was dreaming. He took one last look at the baby before moving forward and picking up the envelope. It had only two words written on it, in shaky handwriting.

To Jack.

Jack swallowed the growing lump in his throat, alongside the panic welling up from deep in his chest, and ripped the envelope open. One a single piece of line paper was inside, and he read it, his eyes bulging out of their sockets as he continued.

Jack.

Something's wrong with me. I know there is. I woke up here, and the rest is history.

If you're reading this, I'm probably dead. Good. God knows I've probably done enough by that point to deserve it. But this kid - yeah, I probably did it for this little lump. Or at least, I thought I did. I felt I did, but it kinda got away from me, didn't it?

He's yours, Jack. I wanted to tell you, but I just couldn't. I didn't want you to blame yourself; we both did it. We both fucked up, but it's not his fault. It's not his fault. He's innocent, Jack, and everytime I look at his little green eyes and his face I can see you in there and I know that he's both you and me and-

And I'm sorry, Jack. I'm sorry for everything. Please, I know it's a lot to ask. I know there's so much he won't get to see if you end up staying here, but please, take care of him? If not for me, then for you. He might be the only part of us left once this is all over.

His name is Connor. I named him that, but if you want, you can name him whatever you want. I wouldn't blame you.

I know we didn't work out, Jack, but we were still friends and-

And I know we could've-

And-

I'm sorry, Jack.

Brianna.

By the time Jack was done reading the letter, he'd almost tore it apart unconsciously, and tears stained the paper. He turned again to the crib with newfound purpose. The baby - Connor, had been quiet since they had first looked at each other, and somehow, everything clicked into place. Jack reached out his hands, carefully, gently, and picked him up and cradled him in his arms, looking down at him as tears streamed from his eyes.

It was like a dam had broken, and he fell to his knees, muttering promises to both his new son and to himself - how he would live for both of them, how he would make sure that he would grow up safe and happy, how he would always remember his mother for the woman she had once been rather than the monster she had become - and Jack had no idea how many of those promises would end up being true, but he said them regardless.

"Jack? Jack, are you okay?"

A quick intake of breath was the answer, and Jack turned around briefly to see Ivy at the doorway. With her elegant dress, stained by the ancient city but still vibrant nonetheless, she looked out of place in the modern room. She looked around, confused at the decor before her magenta eyes settled on Jack again.

Jack got back up to his feet and turned around, looking down at the small bundle in his arms.

"T-this…" Jack said, his tongue feeling wrong in his own mouth. "This is Connor. He's… he's my son."

Not gonna lie, writing that end bit kinda got me fucked up lol.

Anyway, one more chapter then I'll be having a quick break. Although it's not entirely a break 'cause I'll be working on Homebound. Gotta finish that shit or it'll haunt me forever.

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See you guys next time!