Chapter 17

Another Fodlan

Falling through the dark rift, I felt time and space twist and warp before my very eyes. Which way was up? Which way was down? Which way was back? Which way was forward? All directions were meaningless as I gazed into darkness unending and eternal. All of a sudden, I heard Eggman's voice, the bad doctor saying, "He did it, he actually did it! He found a way to temporarily escape from Cyber Space. Even if it might be brief where he's going, the fact remains that he actually managed to overcome the digital realm's limits.". Ardyn's voice was the next one, saying, "Even still, it remains unclear if he knows how to get back without Cyber Space forcefully warping him back, but still, it is impressive that he managed to overcome a world's limits.". Maruki's voice was the third, saying, "Still, a shame we lost Sanctus, but he was a necessary sacrifice to restore Jack's powers to full functionality.". "I hear you.", Eggman said.

I do not know how long I spent falling through the rift, but eventually I found myself in a strange forest. As I surveyed the environment, I saw that the plant life was all rotten and decayed, the soil rotten and withered. Above me was a sinister crimson sky, the Sun permanently eclipsed by a red moon formed of pure evil and hatred. "Where am I?", I asked. "Your Majesty?", a voice said behind me. I turned around to see a man with short brown hair and brown eyes wearing a suit of blue armour with a white stripe down the middle. "Frederick, right? Do you know where I am?", I asked the knight. "This is your kingdom, my liege. The Kingdom of the Fell Dragon.", Frederick said. "But where is this kingdom located though?", I asked. "Why, in the former Kingdom of Fodlan, previously ruled over by King Byleth and Queen Rhea, before you took over, Your Majesty.", Frederick said. "You mean the same Byleth that's the Dominant of Odin, right?", I asked. "No, that would be Barnabas Tharmr, former ruler of the former Kingdom of Waloed.", Frederick said. "Just what happened here?", I asked. "Well, it started when you were born to King Alphen and Queen Shionne of the Sovereign Empire. Your birth was a holy one, born with the soul of the Fell Dragon Grima. Wars were fought in your name- when you came of age, you helped your parents conquer the Kingdom of Fodlan and all other kingdoms across Nintentopia, uniting it under one King- you. Follow me and I'll show you.", Frederick explained.

As we travelled through the decayed forest, I wondered what sort of environmental calamity was so severe as to completely throw normal nature out of whack and distort it so thoroughly. Then again, maybe I was better off not knowing. Soon, we came to see Garreg Mach Monastery, only to see a dark and oppressive castle in its place. "That is your mighty fortress- Garreg Mach Castle.", Frederick said. "Why is it so dark and oppressive?", I asked. "That is because when you took over as the Fell Dragon King, one of your first acts was to completely reconstruct and overhaul Garreg Mach Monastery, turning it into a mighty fortress and the perfect castle for the Fell Dragon. Well actually there are two Fell Dragons- you and your wife, the Fell Dragon Queen. But more on that when we get there.", Frederick said. Following him to the castle, I felt an ill wind come over me, as if something very wrong had happened. Entering the castle, I saw a veritable army of dark knights kneel before me. "Your Majesty.", Micaiah said, rushing up to me. "Micaiah, what happened here?", I asked. "The holiest of holy wars, my liege.", Micaiah said.

Noticing a giant painting in the distance, I walked up to it, noticing two people- a man standing up and a woman sitting on a chair. The man was obviously me, of course, but the woman had long red hair (reaching down to her calves, even) and red eyes and was wearing a black dress with a red opening exposing her cleavage. Not only that, but the picture of me had reddish-brown hair compared to my own natural light brown hair. "Who are they?", I asked. "They are you and your wife Queen Alear respectively. Both of you are the Fell Dragons that rule this kingdom.", Frederick said. Touching the painting, I found myself in Destinea Cathedral again, only to find myself wearing a handsome military uniform. In walked Alear wearing a beautiful white wedding dress. I then found myself in a dark bedroom not just with Alear but several other women too- Celine, Ivy, Timerra, Framme, Lapis, Goldmary, Celica, Eirika, Lyn, Cordelia, Sumia, Corrin, Bernadetta, Alkaid, Alisa, Hanabi, Kasane, Arashi, Estelle, Neptune, Noire, Blanc, Vert, a woman with long light blue hair and golden eyes, a woman with short blue hair and blue eyes, a girl with blonde hair in a ponytail and purple eyes and Rinwell. "It sure is a pleasure sleeping with you, Divine One.", Lapis said. "Indeed. It sure is.", the woman with light blue hair said. "Cousin Azura, it is clear that His Majesty is the only ruler that the Multiverse needs. Don't you think so too?", Corrin said the woman with light blue hair. "I sure do, cousin.", Azura said. "Even so, perfection is never once been incarnated until him. Don't you agree, Clarine?", Cordelia said to the girl with blonde hair in a ponytail. "I agree, Cordelia.", Clarine said. "He will rule us too and lead to us to glory as well. Make sure he does so, Merrin.", Lyn said to the woman with short blonde hair. "Will do.", Merrin replied.

After the vision faded, I witnessed another vision, this time in the village near Garreg Mach. The village was on fire, with demons rampaging across it whilst the other me watched and laughed maniacally. Disturbed by this, I walked into the flames, only to find myself in a space station above the planet; here, I watched the other me effortlessly cut down Clive, a woman with long grey hair and a braided ponytail wielding a rapier formed from ice and an older man with short blonde hair wielding a sword and dagger with a katana formed from a crimson darkness. This vision was in turn replaced by another, this time of black aliens invading a city and causing wanton destruction. Soon as they appeared, I hyperventilated in fear. Rushing outside the monastery, I saw various eldritch monsters lined up and ready to fight. I was then warped to the tomb underneath the monastery; immediately I noticed that it was heavily ransacked and destroyed. "Who could have the heartlessness to do such a thing?", I asked. I walked further into the tomb, only to be confronted by a strange samurai with a long grey ponytail wearing white armour with red eyes on the shoulders, hands and feet that made him look vaguely like a fox. He also had a nodachi affixed to his back with a long rectangular blade. Turning to face me, the samurai said, "You have come at last, Jack Sebastian Arnold. Or should I say, Yuuki Terumi?". "Wait, why are you calling me Terumi? Isn't he a different person entirely?", I asked. "Don't play dumb with me, Terumi.", the samurai said. "I keep telling you, I'm not Terumi!", I said. Realising what I just said, I then said, "Wait, what? We've only just met and yet I apparently said I keep telling you my name's not Terumi. What's going on?". "So, your memories are apparently scrambled. No matter, it won't mean much when you die!", the samurai said. Promptly grabbing and drawing the nodachi affixed to his back, the samurai said, "I am the white void, I am the cold steel, I am the just sword. With blade in hand shall I reap the sins of this world and cleanse it in the fires of destruction. I am Hakumen. The end has come!", before rushing at me. "OK, if that's how you want to play, asshole, then come at me. I'll play.", I said, taking a stance before rushing at Hakumen in turn.

Being the first to attack, Hakumen unleashed a deadly slash from his nodachi. I dodged just in time, feeling time slow down to a crawl yet again. Capitalising on this opportunity, I rushed at him and unleashed an elemental onslaught of lightning fast punches, climaxing with a burst of electric light. I followed this up with a giant fireball followed in turn by several lances of ice. Hakumen deftly slashed through the fireball, creating a large-arse explosion that melted the ice lances, giving me the opening I needed. Forming clawed gauntlets over my hands, I then punched forward with a rapid burst of fisticuffs; Hakumen responded to this by unleashing a blue beam of energy from his nodachi which I blocked upon dismissing the gauntlets in favour of forming a giant scythe. I then threw the scythe, hoping to slice up the samurai six ways from Sunday. Hakumen dodged the scythe, but to no avail as I manipulated gravitational energy to have the scythe chase him for lack of a significantly better description. Hakumen then sliced through the scythe and rushed at me unleashing a brutal onslaught of slashes which I dodged, twisting, flipping and pirouetting all the while. Gathering Giganto's energy in my fists again, I then unleashed a series of brutal haymakers which Hakumen countered with a series of blue energy beams fired from his nodachi. Nonplussed, I carefully jumped on the nodachi when Hakumen slashed at me again. "What?", Hakumen asked, shocked. Grinning, I then dismissed the black and crimson energy and summoned a gust of razor sharp wind which I then fired at Hakumen in the shape of a sword; Hakumen countered it, forming a sphere of red and black energy that I easily destroyed with a good kick. Returning to the ground, I then rushed at Hakumen once more, defeating him with a powerful punch. "Well, it seems you're more powerful than I suspected. Mark my words though; when we next meet, I will show no mercy.", Hakumen said before cutting open a portal with his nodachi; I rushed after him, only to be transported to a destroyed town that had certainly seen better days.

Looking above me, I saw a blinding pale pink sky. "Looks like the Flood of Light got to this world too.", I said. Wandering about the town, I saw a young child crying. Rushing over to him, I asked him, "Hi. Do you know what happened here?". "The Sin Eaters- they killed Mummy and Daddy and turned them into those…things.", the child said, pointing to a pair of angelic monstrosities with white plastered faces and hollow black "eyes". I looked at their warped bodies, the two being changed beyond all human bodily proportions. I grimaced as the two turned to "look" at me, the Sin Eaters then rushing at me with a very unnatural speed. My disgust then morphed into a very unexpected anger as I fired up two Tao mandalas, ready to use them to protect me and the child. I angrily threw forward a flaming tornado at the Sin Eaters, instantly destroying them much to my own surprise. As I walked around the town again, I then found myself in front of the "normal" Garreg Mach again. Micaiah was waiting for me. "So, you found a way beyond Cyber Space it seems.", she said. "To be honest, I don't even know what happened myself.", I said. As we walked into the monastery, I found that the place was completely deserted aside from Micaiah and me. "Where's everyone gone? Bingo?", I asked. "Not exactly. See, when you fought Sanctus at Death Mountain, all the people in the monastery found themselves in the custody of the Sovereign Empire. I was the only one left.", Micaiah said. "I see.", I said. Looking at me longingly, Micaiah said, "You know, now the rest of them are gone from this place, we could, well, you know, maybe get to know each other a bit better. All we'd need to do is go to Byleth and Rhea's room.". "What are you getting at?", I asked. "Y-You don't need to accept it immediately. And we don't necessarily need to do it in their room. We could do it anywhere in this place- the sauna, the greenhouse, the dining room, the garden, even here.", Micaiah continued. "I'm getting mixed signals here.", I said. "You know, I just want to know you better. Or, you know, we could go even further than just that.", Micaiah said. Before I could respond with a proper answer, however, I heard a strange rumble behind me.

The story continues in the next chapter.