Author's Note: Welcome, welcome, everyone!
So, some months back, I completed my first playthrough of the Fell Xenologue DLC for Fire Emblem Engage. While I enjoyed the premise it presented - traveling to an alternate Elyos and battling alternate versions of our allies - there were some aspects of the plot and its execution that I personally found...peculiar, to say the least. Despite those peculiarities, I still enjoyed the DLC and thinking about it afterward contributed to the conception of this new story involving all of the characters you recruit in the main story campaign that weren't mentioned in the Fell Xenologue whatsoever, starting with a certain, quirky thief!
So, without further ado, let's get to it! Hope you all enjoy!
(Warning: This entry contains mild spoiler for Yunaka/Citrinne B Support)
"Hmph, so they've made it this far."
Observing the rain-soaked battlefield before him, Alcryst sneered in contempt. "Leave it to my useless older brother to allow the enemy an opportunity for victory. Yet another failure of his that I have to clean up." Glancing to his side, the second prince of Brodia then addressed the silent figure beside him, their facial features obscured by a hood. "You understand your assignment I hope, assassin?"
The figure gave a slight nod before responding in a low voice, "Kill the Fell siblings and the interlopers, then retrieve their Emblem bracelets."
Alcryst smirked. "Good, glad I don't have to waste my time explaining things. While I would much rather see this job done myself, I refuse to jeopardize my life and deprive Brodia of the king it deserves." Returning his attention to the battlefield, Alcryst added casually, "Oh, and once you've finished your main objectives, kill Diamant while you're at it. We'll say he fell nobly in battle against enemy invaders; his death will be a far more useful boon to Brodia than his life."
The hooded figure gave another nod. "Understood."
Satisfied, Alcryst grunted with a dismissive wave of his hand, the hooded assassin practically vanishing at his command. With a twisted grin, Alcryst resumed his vigil of the battle ahead.
Alear grunted as she dispatched another Brodian soldier, taking a moment to wipe a few stray locks of wet hair from her brow as she turned to her allies. "Come on, everyone! We're almost to the other side of the bridge!"
The Divine Dragon and her allies had been making the gradual push up the bridge for what felt like hours as they waged a battle on multiple fronts. The might of Brodia's soldiers – even in this alternate Elyos – were certainly not to be trifled with, least of all their airborne units that made frequent hit and run attacks. Paired with the constant bombardments from strategically placed magic artillery and the falling rain, it took all Alear's willpower and more just to continue standing upright in the face of such a relentless onslaught. Taking a deep breath, Alear steeled herself for another push forward as a streak of lightning illuminated the sky above.
"Ah?!"
Noticing a peculiar flash out of the corner of her eye, Alear's body jerked to the side just in time to narrowly dodge a dagger aimed straight for her head. Readying her sword as she regained her footing, Alear prepared herself to face her surprise assailant.
"Tsk."
Studying the figure that approached her, Alear quirked an eyebrow in confusion. The assailant wasn't dressed in the attire of a Brodian soldier, instead wearing some manner of bodysuit complete with a short cape and a hood that obscured the individual's face. Due to the distance between Alear and her assailant, as well as the poor light conditions, it was difficult for the Divine Dragon to make out any other details about the mysterious individual except that they appeared female. Although, for some odd reason, Alear couldn't shake a growing feeling of déjà vu the longer she beheld the individual.
However, before she could so much as comment on the sensation, the hooded figure darted forward with startling speed, brandishing a stiletto which Alear just managed to block in time. This first strike was immediately followed by a flurry of slashes and stabs, some of which Alear couldn't parry in time, earning her a few cuts that were thankfully nonlethal. Of course, that could quickly change as the Divine Dragon struggled to find an opening in her opponent's quick attacks.
"Agh!"
Receiving a slash to her sword arm that was noticeably deeper than previous wounds, Alear cried out in pain as she dropped her weapon, her other hand instinctively flying to her fresh wound and leaving herself vulnerable. A fact the hooded assailant wasted no time in capitalizing on.
"You're dead," the figure stated in a deadpan voice as they thrust their weapon straight for Alear's heart…only to have it caught by Alear's gloved hands. A frustrated grunt emanated from the hooded figure as they found their killing blow stopped.
"I have you now!" Alear stated triumphantly as she wrenched the knife's blade away from her body before lashing out at her opponent with a kick to their midsection, eliciting a grunt of pain. Pressing her newfound advantage, Alear thrust her left arm forward with a yell, striking the hooded figure and causing their head to snap backward from the impact of the Divine Dragon's palm. Alear quickly retreated a step to retrieve her fallen weapon before facing her disoriented opponent again, only to find her last attack had the secondary effect of removing the figure's hood, revealing…
"Wait…Yunaka?!"
"Ugh…"
Regaining their faculties, the previously hooded figure raised their head to reveal the familiar face of Alear's companion, only said face currently sported a severe scowl rather than the cheery smile Alear was more familiar with.
"Who are you?" Yunaka questioned, her cold tone further catching Alear off-guard. "You're not the Divine Dragon. The Divine Dragon is dead ."
Overcoming her initial shock, Alear answered, "That's right, I'm not the Divine Dragon of this world. I came here from another world."
With a scoff, the alternate Yunaka brandished her stiletto anew, killing intent clear in her eyes. "You expect me to believe that fairy-tale garbage? Well, doesn't matter. You'll be dead soon anyway."
Shocked once more by the blatant hostility coming from the face of someone who Alear knew to be usually cheery and peppy, Alear held up a placating hand. "W-wait! Yunaka, let me-"
"Yunaka is dead." The scarlet-haired girl spat as she suddenly used her opposite hand to throw another dagger directly at Alear's heart. "My name is Larimar."
"Ah!"
"Divine One! Look out!"
Alear blinked in surprise as the incoming projectile was intercepted by another dagger, both weapons clattering harmlessly to the ground. Before Alear could question it, a figure darted in front of her, another dagger ready in their hand. "Y-Yunaka…?"
Turning her head briefly and flashing a bright smile, the maroon-haired thief replied, "You betcha! That was a close call, Divine One!"
"Tch, what a nuisance."
Turning their heads to the still-present threat before them, Yunaka's eyes widened in shock as she beheld the other Yunaka glaring at her. "H-Holy brocc-oly! Is that…me?"
Alear nodded, her eyes never leaving the alternate Yunaka. "Yes, it would appear so. We need to be careful, Yunaka. She's very-agh!" Wincing, Alear's hand flew to her still-injured arm, which Yunaka quickly noticed out of the corner of her eye.
"Divine One! You should go and get yourself healed." Her eyes locked onto her other self, Yunaka declared, "I'll handle this."
"Yunaka, no!" Alear protested. "You can't fight her alone; she's dangerous!"
"Oh, believe me, Divine One," Yunaka responded grimly as she got into her fight stance. "I'm aware of what she's capable of. That's why you need to get to safety, now. I'll catch up."
With a grimace, Alear looked from one Yunaka to another before sighing in frustration. "Very well. Be safe, Yunaka!" With that, Alear rushed off to seek a healer, leaving the two Yunakas to face each other.
With a grin, Yunaka called out to her doppelganger in a cheery voice, "Hiya papaya, other me! Not everyday you get to greet yourself, am I right?"
The other Yunaka's face contorted in disdain as she responded venomously, "Why are you talking like that?"
"H-Huh…?" Yunaka said, her grin quickly fading away.
"Why don't you drop the act and get serious?" The alternate Yunaka continued. "There's no one here for you to fool, least of all yourself."
"…" A despondent expression crossed Yunaka's features as she replied solemnly, "I guess you're right. But, c'mon, we don't have to do this." With a pleading tone, Yunaka added, "YOU don't have to do this. Didn't we want to leave this life behind us? To start fresh?"
The other Yunaka paused before responding bitterly, "Yeah, I used to think I could do that; leave my old life behind, live as someone else. For a time, I even thought I'd finally found my place in the world." Her expression darkened suddenly. "But that dream is dead. It died when the Divine Dragon left this world."
"Ah…" Yunaka gasped softly, her heart breaking at the sight of her alternate self. She couldn't help but wonder if she would have felt the same if she had lost Alear and everyone in their army, after everything they had been through together.
"That's enough talking." The other Yunaka declared, her harsh tone cutting through the dismal atmosphere. "Time to finish the job I was given. That's all that matters anymore."
With that, the other Yunaka lunged forward. Gritting her teeth, Yunaka tightened her grip on her own dagger as she rushed forward to meet her doppelganger, the two clashing together just as another streak of lightning split the sky. The two assassins proceeded to traded blow after blow, each aiming for the other's vital areas to score a quick kill, though neither were able to gain the upper hand over the other.
As the fight dragged on, Yunaka's eyes desperately scanned her surroundings for anything that could give her an advantage. Noticing a nearby wooden bulwark, an idea came to her mind. Dodging another stab from her opponent, Yunaka dashed toward the bulwark, calculating her trajectory so as not to impale herself on the wooden points as she leaped toward the bulwark feet first. Using the slant side of the bulwark as a springboard, Yunaka rebounded off the bulwark, catching the other Yunaka off-guard and driving her extended foot into the other girl's midsection.
Knocked back from the impact, the other Yunaka stumbled backward dazed, her glaring visage quickly shifting into one of pain as one of Yunaka's daggers lodged itself into her shoulder, her momentary disorientation costing her.
Wasting no time, Yunaka swiftly withdrew another dagger she kept in the inside of one of her boots before dashing forward and burying said dagger into the other Yunaka's left lung. With a gasp, the wounded assassin looked down at the blade buried in her before slowly lifting her head and locking eyes with Yunaka. With ragged breaths fueled by adrenaline, Yunaka yanked out the dagger and stepped back, preparing herself for a potential counterattack.
However, no such attack came as the other Yunaka slowly collapsed onto the floor, one hand pressed tightly against her fatal wound. Closing her eyes with an eerily calm expression, the dying young woman rasped, "So…this is it, huh? It…was only a matter…of time…" With that, the other Yunaka fell limply to the floor, unmoving.
After a few more tense seconds of silence, Yunaka cautiously approached her alternate self's body, initially giving it a wide berth before slowly stooping down to confirm her kill, a pair of fingers gently pressing against the fallen Yunaka's neck.
"Yunaka!"
Glancing up from the body, Yunaka spotted Alear running toward her with an urgent expression on her face. Upon taking in the scene, the Divine Dragon came to an abrupt halt, a choked gasp escaping her lips as she beheld Yunaka's body. With noticeable trepidation, Alear glanced at Yunaka herself with a fearful gaze as she hesitantly asked, "Y-Yunaka? Are you…?"
Realizing why the dual-colored haired girl was so anxious, Yunaka stood up and managed a weary but reassuring smile. "It's ok, Divine One. It's me, your favorite, mysterious wanderer: Yunaka!"
Exhaling audibly, Alear's expression broke into a relieved smile before swiftly turning into one of concern. "Are you injured, Yunaka? Are you…" Glancing once more at the corpse of the second Yunaka, a pained expression flashing briefly on her face, Alear asked, "Are you…ok?"
Blinking, Yunaka also turned her gaze to her fallen doppelganger before stooping down and retrieving her dagger from the body's shoulder. "I'm fine, Divine One. Not the first time I've seen a body."
"B-But…"
Approaching Alear with as much pep in her step as she could muster, Yunaka cut in saying, "Let's go, Divine One! The others still need our help. After all, this battle isn't gonna win itself!"
While initially reluctant, Alear nodded in understanding. "Alright, Yunaka. Let's move; the others are up ahead preparing to engage Diamant and Alcryst."
With a nod, Yunaka trailed after Alear before suddenly slowing her steps, coming to a stop. As Alear's steps began to fade, Yunaka couldn't help but look back one more time at the lifeless body of her other self, a melancholic expression on her face. "Goodbye…. Larimar," she whispered. "I'm sorry you weren't able to live the life that you- that WE wanted." With a look of resolve, Yunaka added, "So I'll be sure to live that life for the both of us. Promise."
With that, Yunaka sprinted after Alear and her other allies, intent on ensuring that she and her friends would win this battle and live to see another day.
Yunaka
Mysterious wanderer from another world. Grim and cynical, she conducts her "business" with a severe countenance.
Assassin - Deadly knife wielder who has forsaken all sense of virtue and morality.
Vs. Yunaka (Fell Xenologue, Chapter 6)
"Fight, or die. That's all there is...that's all there ever is."
Defeat
"Finally...its over. No more killing...no more pretending...I can just...be..."
