"Dream well, Emblem of Dragons! Heed our summons, Emblem of Heroes! Embolden us, Emblem of Strength!"

Jack shielded his eyes as the Emblem Bracelets glowed with an ethereal blue light. Ordinarily it wouldn't be so blinding, but the fact he hadn't seen any real light except for torchlight and the lightning that gathered around Sombron's fleet, it might as well have been a flashbang going off. It didn't help being inside the gatehouse of the settlement, which was somehow even darker than outside. Still, when he turned to see them - there they were. Hector, Veronica, and Tiki, gathered around in a semi-circle around Alear.

"Brr! I didn't like being that way…" Tiki said, rubbing her eyes. "That was like a nightmare."

"Hmm. A nightmare. Yes, those are rather perplexing," Veronica said.

"It hasn't even been a few moments, and I already wanna smash some heads," Hector said, rubbing the back of his neck and he stretched out. "Guess being flooded with Fell Dragon magic will do that to someone."

"I hardly suspect you needed much convincing," Veronica noted. There wasn't even any sarcasm, Jack thought.

"What? Smashing heads or getting filled with Fell Dragon energy?"

"The first one?" Tiki suggested.

"The latter," Veronica stated.

"Hrmph. You didn't seem to resist at all when that three-eyed thing intoned-"

"Well, you're all a lively bunch," Alear remarked, chuckling to himself as he looked awkwardly between the three Emblems. "I don't think even the Emblem of Rivals bickered that much when we first summoned them."

Jack rolled his shoulders. "You get a bunch of strong personalities together, sparks are sure to fly."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't thank you!" Tiki said, bowing her head. "Please, I apologize for that. Hmm. Why do you seem so familiar? I feel like I've met someone like you before…"

"You may call me Alear, the… well, I suppose I am the Divine Dragon of this world," Alear said.

"Oh, you've gone and done it now," Jack said.

Alear furrowed his brow. "What? I-"

"Y-you're a Divine Dragon?" Tiki stammered out, before bobbing up and down excitedly. "I knew it! I knew I wasn't alone! But this isn't the temple, so that must mean I really am a… Oh, it's all coming back to me now. But still! I can't believe you're another Divine Dragon! I'm one too!"

"She's from the same world as Marth, Celica, and Alm," Jack said, looking up to the sky. "They had their own version of the Divine Dragons. She's one of the last ones from her world, too. Well… in a lot of them, at least."

Not in my last Awakening playthrough, though.

Alear nodded. "It's good to meet you too, Tiki. The only other Divine Dragon I know about is my mother, so I hope we can learn more from each other later on."

Tiki nodded enthusiastically. "You bet! But I think the others are getting a bit impatient-"

"No, not impatient! I can just feel the battle in the air. Ah, it's been too long," Hector said, placing his axe along his shoulder. "Normally I would've challenged you to a friendly spar to see what you're made of, but I can tell that the battle coming will give me all the info I need."

Alear smiled before quickly turning to Jack.

"Emblem Hector. His name is Emblem Hector," Jack said, pointing at the floating armored general.

Hector laughed. "I guess my name gets around, even in other worlds! Not that I mind that. But yeah, the name's Hector. Good to meet you, Alear."

Alear bowed his head. "And it's good to meet you too, Emblem Hector. And last…"

"Her name is Veronica," Jack said preemptively. "I don't know much about her, but considering the dull-eyed glare she's giving me, that's probably a good thing."

"For a moment, I was considering adding you two to my collection, but I do not think you would fit in anymore," Veronica stated dully. "However, the boor next to me is right. There is a battle, is there not? Very well. As recompense for freeing me of that… terrible feeling, I will lend you my aid."

"Thank you, Emblem Veronica. I am glad we could meet, whatever your opinion on me might be."

"Hmm," Veronica hummed.

"Jack, could you give these out to people in the army?" Alear asked, handing the bracelets over to Jack as the Emblems faded.

Jack tilted his head, looking down at the jewelry in his hands. "I mean, sure, but to whom?"

"I will trust that you know who best to give it to. We're running out of time either way. You can feel it just as well as they did, can't you? The tension in the air-"

"-can be cut with a knife. Yeah, I can feel it," Jack finished, looking up. "Alright, Alear. I have a few ideas…"

The first person Jack sought out was Queen Lumera, who arrived through the gates of the village - whose name Jack kept forgetting, but he reminded himself that it was Gradaegis. Gradaegis, a name that didn't show up in the game, he was sure, but nonetheless, it would be where the Second Battle of Lythos would be held. Sombron hadn't shown any signs that he was pulling any tactical thought into his attack; there were no surprise attacks, no attempts to flank, at least, none that the scouts could find. It was to be a blitzkrieg on his part. Or an attempted one.

Nonetheless, he shoved those thoughts to the side as he moved in front of Queen Lumera's procession - a dozen or so armored knights, dressed in Lythos colors, who immediately blocked his way before Lumera waved a hand.

"At ease, my friends," she said, "I know this man. I sense you have something for me, Jack."

"Yeah, consider it a present from your son," Jack said, handing over Veronica's Emblem Bracelet. "The Bracelet of the Lonely Heir, I think its name is. You used Sigurd before giving him over to us, but since you'll be fighting alongside us, guess it's better you have one, eh?"

Lumera marveled at the craftsmanship for a few moments. "These are made of the same materials as the Emblem Rings… this other world must've been not too dissimilar from our own. Thank you, Jack. I will be sure to take proper care of her."

Jack nodded. "I don't have any doubts about that, Queen Lumera. Let's hope we survive long enough to get to know these new Emblems better."

Up next was Lionel.

Lionel was an odd case - and Jack realized how that sounded the moment he thought it, and he felt his eyes narrow at his own lack of tact. He didn't have an Emblem, despite probably being one of the most deserving of one. Then again, what defined 'deserving' of one varied depending on a multitude of factors, none of which Jack particularly understood.

Nonetheless, Jack was going to give him one. Whether he wanted it or not. Seadall's words from earlier echoed in his mind; perhaps if they let him in, talked to him more often, made him feel wanted and accepted…

It was the only other thing that might work other than medicine. And unless one of the ash zombies came with a full bottle of schizophrenia medication, it wasn't likely going to be any time soon.

Jack found him in some deserted alleyway, away from everyone else. He barely moved, like a statue, and he only looked up when Jack knocked on the stone wall next to him.

"Anyone home?" Jack said.

"Jack," Lionel said, "I'm not fighting. I'm not."

"I know you aren't, but you can still use magic and you're still valuable. And you always will be," Jack said, pointing to the spot next to Lionel. "Mind if I sit here?"

"No," Lionel replied succinctly.

Nodding, Jack sat next to Lionel, looking up at the blackened sky. "It's going to be a vicious battle, Lionel, there's no doubt about that."

"Yes."

"Those things, they came from Earth. From the good ol' USA," Jack continued, rubbing his forehead. "It's… it's hard to believe, huh?"

"Sombron brought them here, but how, how?" Lionel asked.

Jack shrugged. "Mystery of the ages, there. What matters is that they're here, and Elyos only has magic to really even the odds, depending on how much weaponry came through."

"Jack."

"Yes, Lio?"

"We're fucked."

Jack shook his head. "Not yet. We might not be able to find any medication, or anything that can help you-"

"I know. I hate it. I have come up with seven different ways all of this could be a conspiracy to… the Divine Dragon," Lionel said, losing his place before finding it again. "I don't trust him, but I trust you, Jack."

"Then trust me when I say that he has our best interests at heart," Jack said, placing a hand against his chest. "You and I, we have things worth fighting for here now."

"You're like them now, though," Lionel pointed out, his lips curling back. "You have Natalie's crossbow. I can see it on your back."

"And?" Jack said, subconsciously looking back to see the weapon slung across his back. "I… I want to use it, Lio."

"We have guns now. You know how to use them, but you left them to the others," Lionel whispered. "I don't want to use them. They're too loud. We're like them now, Jack, aren't we? We're Elyosian now."

Jack rubbed his forehead. "Yeah, I guess we are. On that note…"

Jack held up the gold and jade colored Bracelet of the Ancestor, allowing what little light was available to reflect off of it.

"I wanted to give this to you," Jack said, "I know you won't be on the battlements or the front lines, but I think having an Emblem can do you some good."

"Enough voices in my head already, don't need another," Lionel grumbled.

"How bad are they?" Jack asked, worry etched in his tone.

"They come and go," Lionel replied, "and why do you want to give me one? I don't deserve it."

"You think wrong," Jack said, "and Alear gave me permission to let anyone I choose have one of these bracelets, and I'm choosing to give you one. It has the soul of Tiki, a Divine Dragon from Archanea."

"Is that supposed to mean something to me, Jack? Didn't play those games like you did," Lionel said.

Jack nodded. "I know, but the point is, she's a pretty peppy person who I think would do you some good. Plus, she can help you turn into a dragon. Is that kickass or what?"

Lionel grumbled. "Does sound pretty kickass, I guess."

"So, take the bracelet, Lio," Jack said, holding it in front of him. "If not for me, then for Seadall's peace of mind, and for your better health."

Lionel let out a sigh, rubbing his forehead before quickly snatching the bracelet out of Jack's hands. "Fine. But only for you two."

Jack nodded. "Thank you, Lio. Thank you. This battle will be over before you know it, and then you two can have a nice long chat. For now, though, I'd prepare."

"Sombron could have anything," Lionel said, "Maybe I can… no, maybe not. Thank you, Jack. Hopefully we'll both see the end of this."

Jack felt his heart sink at those words for some reason. "We will. We definitely will."

There was one more person Jack had in mind for the last Emblem Bracelet he had, and luckily, he was up on the battlements, where Jack himself had been preparing to go before Alear took him aside.

Jack didn't know much about Gradaegis, truth be told. For however long they had been preparing the place for a fight, he hadn't so much as spoken to any of the soldiers or any of the natives since they had arrived. That was on him, he supposed. Still, he could intuit some things from the 'village' structures. It must've been an old fortress of some kind - for what, Jack couldn't really get, but the fact it had 'Grad' as a part of its name made him think it had something to do with Sombron's land of Gradlon, beneath the waves of the Inner Sea.

Whatever the case, it would be the battleground. Everything had confirmed that.

The walls were covered with soldiers, eyeing the fleet that Sombron had brought. There were perhaps a dozen ships - Jack didn't know the distinction between different types of ships, but they weren't small. Each could probably hold hundreds of Corrupted and ash zombies, considering they didn't need food or water to survive. That, and whatever other horrid monsters Sombron had brought with him.

Jack felt the crossbow along his back jostle slightly as he went along the wall to where a soldier had told him his target had been, and before long, he found him. Fogado was with a squad of archers, waiting for Sombron to make his move, until he noticed Jack approach.

"Oh, Jack? What's the occasion? Wait, don't tell me - you just wanted to see my handsome smile again," Fogado said, flashing said smile, only for it to fall away as Jack handed him the Bracelet of the Brash General. "Oh, so that's what this is about."

Jack nodded. "Far as I know, you're one of the few royals who doesn't have an Emblem of their own. Might as well, right?"

Fogado quickly put the bracelet on, and Hector appeared right alongside him.

"Another prince, huh? Lots of royalty around here," Hector noted. "Good to meet you, Fogado - right?"

"Uh huh, that'd be me," Fogado nodded. "Nice to meet you too, Emblem…?"

"Hector! Name's Hector," Hector stated, bashing his large hand against his barrel chest. "Oh, but this weight, this atmosphere. It brings me back to the good old days. Why, this one time there were these assassins-"

"How long until the battle begins, do you think?" Jack asked, looking out over the bay. Gardaegis encircled a small, natural bay, with walls around most of it except for a few sandy beaches along the far perimeter.

Fogado rubbed the back of his neck. "Hard to say, really. All the soldiers have been on edge ever since those ships appeared on the horizon. But they haven't made any moves to attack. No cannons, no troops rushing in, no nothing."

Jack looked down into the murky depths below. "Do you think the Corrupted could walk underwater?"

Fogado's eyes widened before he relaxed his posture. "Even if they did, it'd only be a small surprise. They'd still need to get past the walls. That's a steep drop with no beach. Not on this side, at least."

Hector hummed. "This is a tricky situation, I see. The tension is so thick, all it'd take is a single sound and there'd be swords raised. I'm more worried that one of your soldiers will start the battle prematurely."

"But what is Sombron waiting for?" Jack said, "It can't get any worse than this. Everything's in place - the only thing he could be waiting for is a flanking maneuver, but all the scouts reported back and said there wasn't any."

Fogado shrugged. "Could be anything, really. Maybe he's waiting for us to make a move first. Or maybe- hey, what's that noise?"

Several of the men took a step back from the edge of the battlements as a dull roar echoed in the air. It was a sound Jack had heard before, always so distant yet in that moment, it sounded as if it was heading directly toward them. He struggled to think of a word, a name, for it, even though it was on the tip of his tongue. When he saw a glint of metal in the knight, reflecting a lightning strike, Jack's eyes widened and all the color drained from his face.

"We need to get off this wall," Jack said, as the roaring got louder.

Fogado tilted his head. "What is it? Is it something from-"

"Move! All of you, move-!"

Jack shoved Fogado to the side as Hector disappeared, his expression mortified as something fell from the bottom of the encroaching jet, and it struck the sea wall, easily penetrating the stone and nearly collapsing that section of it within an instant as soldiers moved to try and get away from the crumbling structure.

"It's a jet!" Jack shouted, his ears ringing as he drew Natalie's crossbow, taking aim, and firing a bolt into the night. He cursed as it missed its intended target, falling into the sea instead. "A fucking jet! Are you kidding me!?"

There was panic in the ranks even as Corrupted began to emerge from the ocean, wielding polearms and swords in equal measure, though no ash zombies made themselves known. They climbed over the broken section of wall caused by the missile, and the battle broke out.

On one hand, Jack was glad to finally be rid of the wretched waiting and tension. On the other hand, he could hear more than one roaring machine in the air - he couldn't tell exactly how many jets were in the sky, but there were three he could count visually, while the sounds in the air told him there were more beyond his vision.

Jack turned to Fogado as he drew his sword, seeing him pull out his bow. It was light-colored, and Jack got the sense that it was magical somehow. Fogado pulled out an arrow, nocked it, and let it fly.

There was another jet - if it was the same one that had launched a missile a minute or two prior, Jack couldn't tell. Bullets spread out from its nose, lighting up the battlements with gunfire and killing a dozen or so men before they could even tell what was going on. Fogado's sparking arrow struck it directly in the cockpit, and it went out of control, banking to the left and crash-landing in Gradaegis itself. It turned into a fireball before it became nothing more than a pillar of smoke floating into the sky.

"They're being piloted by those things from your world, too," Fogado stated. "We need to aim for those glass-covered parts-"

"The cockpit!" Jack corrected.

"The cockpit it is, then!" Fogado stated. "Archers, with me! Take these things out of the sky!"

It took a second for Jack to realize that call technically included himself, as well. And so, out came Natalie's crossbow again, pointing at the sky, waiting for its bolt to be released. And it didn't take long to find a suitable target.

Another jet rained hellfire down upon Gradaegis, killing who knew how many people as it started to adjust itself to keep from slamming into the ground. Jack let the bolt in the crossbow charge for a few seconds before letting it fly. He hadn't much experience with the crossbow, but thankfully, it was fairly intuitive, and not too different from the guns his dad taught him how to shoot.

The bolt struck true, and that was a problem. The jet kept moving forward, even as its fuselage and engines began coming apart from the blue explosion that nearly destroyed it then and there. If anything, it began to speed up. It was heading directly toward the seawall.

Directly toward Jack.

Jack swore to himself as he turned to move, only to be blocked by a Corrupted with a spear, snarling at him from its one-eyed helmet. Jack tried shoving it out of the way before hitting it with the stock of his crossbow, but by then, it was too late to move out of the way.

The jet crashed into the seawall, and all Jack could feel was heat all around him as he was sent flying from the explosion. A few moments later, he slammed into the water. His limbs refusing to heed his commands. He looked up from his predicament and saw the dark sky above, along with flashes of light and thunder rumbling across the sea.

Gouts of flame, bullets, and lightning coalesced with each other to produce a collage of colors that seemed almost dream-like in Jack's breathless agony. He felt tired, all of sudden, as if the weight of the entire ocean was upon him. There were two figures, sparkling in the water surrounding him, demanding and pleading with him to fight, to swim to the surface.

He felt like, if he closed his eyes, he'd go into the most restful sleep of his life.

But of course, he couldn't let himself do that. Not while people relied on him.

And so, a few seconds later, Jack fought his way to the surface, even as a dark, flaming object plummeted toward the water. It splashed almost right beside him, and Jack got a good look of a destroyed jet, ash zombies pilot still within, slowly sinking into the depths below. He shook his head and forced himself up.

When his head breached the surface, he took in the biggest gasp of air in his entire life. It didn't last nearly long enough before he was pulled back down by his ankle. His eyes nearly bulged out of his sockets as he looked down to see the ash zombie he had seen go down with the jet from earlier clawing at his leg, looking back up at him with the same empty eye sockets the ones at the downed airplane had.

It was at that moment that Jack realized he still had Natalie's crossbow in hand, and with as much force as he could muster, he slammed the butt of it against the ashen thing's face. He heard a dull 'crunch' in the water as a plume of ash spilled forward from the wound, and another one made the thing release its iron-clad grip.

Jack swam sideways, not knowing if there was a current he was fighting against or anything like that, and him holding on to Natalie's crossbow wasn't making it easy, but he refused to let go of it. When he finally surfaced, he was definitely closer to the nearby shore than when he first landed in the water. The awful cacophony of sound of explosions rained down upon him, though it seemed like such a distant thing, as if it was happening to someone else far away.

When Jack finally found himself on the beach, away from the rolling waves, he collapsed on his back. He heard sloshing footsteps all around him, and noticed the Corrupted passing him by, but they strangely didn't pay him any mind. Jack let out a growl, instinct taking over as he forced himself up, aiming his crossbow and firing before he even truly knew what he was doing.

The bolt struck its target - an entire group of Corrupted was turned into dust and broken limbs as their ruined bodies struck the ground, disintegrating moments later. Jack got to his feet, letting out a deep breath before he heard bat-like wings in the air.

"Oh my, how fortuitous!" said a woman, Jack looked up and he grit his teeth and aimed his crossbow again.

A rain of fire fell upon him, however, and he had to roll to the side, and Zephia landed not too far away, her wyvern roaring once before rearing its head back. Jack aimed again-"

"Which do you think will land first, your shot, or my magic? Thoron is near instantaneous, you know," Zephia said, almost conversationally as blue lightning danced between her manicured fingers. "But, by all means, take your chance."

"After everything you've done, I should just take the chance. What do you think? Will that lightning magic stop this bolt? It blew the doors off of a fucking castle, do you really think it can't tear a dragon apart too?"

"My, but someone's feeling rather fiery this evening," Zephia noted. "How do you like the Ashborn, by the way? Lord Sombron was so very proud that they arrived mostly intact, barring a few… complications."

"You're really trying to piss me off, aren't you? What're you going to do next, tell me that you reveled in the feeling of my sister dying? Celebrating it? I know who you are, Zephia. I know what makes you tick. I saw you die. And I saw your fucking Hounds die, too."

Zephia became eerily silent at that, and the sounds of battle continued to rage around them before, finally, she spoke again.

"Is it your intention to make your death as painful as possible? Then by all means, keep speaking."

Jack snorted. "I know you placed a curse on my sister, but that's okay, because before she died, she splattered Griss' brains all over the ground, and got Marni to switch sides. Two Hounds abandoned you, and one died before he could savor the agony of it all. Then we took the Emblems, and then we came up with a plan to kill Sombron and you. But you… I think I'll be content with killing you, at least."

Zephia scoffed. "Kill Lord Sombron? A thousand years ago, many tried the same thing, and yet they're almost all dead, and Sombron lives."

"I watched him die. I'll do it again."

"It would seem that you have been irreparably damaged. Killing you ought to be a mercy-"

"He will never give you a child," Jack continued, "You've only ever been a tool for him. Nothing more. Nothing less."

Zephia became deathly quiet, but Jack could see the lightning gathering around her, and the death glare she shot him nearly made him pause. He gathered himself just in time, however.

"Emblem-" Jack shouted.

A Thoron shot out from Zephia's fingertips-

"Engage!"

Boom, cliffhanger. It was either this or have this chapter be uncomfortably long, so here we go lol

Anyway, hopefully the people on Ao3 see this chapter. That DDOS attack was nasty

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