Author's Note: Hey, everybody! Here we are, after a long break, with the second entry to this series! Sorry for the delay, but the character of this entry was...pretty challenging to nail down. Nevertheless, I present you all with this latest entry and I hope you all enjoy! Have a great day!
Louie Yang: Thank you! Sorry, but since Jean and Anna technically aren't recruited in the main campaign of Engage and you can choose to ignore their Paralogues without any great impact to the overall story, I won't be including them in this series.
TheTrueOverlordBear: Thank you for the review! I really enjoyed Yunaka as a character in Engage and she's been a mainstay on my team during each playthrough, so I'm glad to hear I characterized her well!
"Princess Timerra! Look out!"
"Huh?!"
Timerra hardly had time to react before she was pushed aside by Seadall, just in time to avoid a bolt of lightning that scorched the ground where the princess of Solm was standing. Not wasting a moment, Timerra reared back and hurled her spear at the Corrupted mage responsible for the attack, impaling it through the chest. With a raspy cry, the Corrupted spasmed before vanishing into dust, causing Timerra's spear to clatter to the ground.
With a sigh, Timerra smiled as she said to Seadall, "Thanks, Seadall! I owe you one!" Quickly retrieving her weapon from off the ground, Timerra began making her way further into the ruined stronghold. "C'mon, let's go save the Divine Dragon!"
Seadall nodded in affirmation as he followed the Solmic princess, quietly ruminating on their current predicament. The Divine Dragon had been captured – along with the mysterious Emblem bracelets of this strange world – and was being held somewhere within this forsaken Solmic stronghold by Nil, one of the Fell Dragon twins the Divine One had been travelling with. The other twin, Nel, had already gone ahead to confront her sibling, leaving Seadall and his allies to follow close behind and deal with Nil's Corrupted soldiers.
"Hm?"
As Seadall followed after Timerra, movement out of the corner of his eye drew his attention away from the princess. Slowing his pace, Seadall noticed a dilapidated hallway some ways away from where his allies were heading, a faint trail of disturbed dust and sand being the only indicators that someone – or something – had passed by. Curiosity getting the better of him, Seadall began to creep quietly toward the hallway. As he did so, a bright flash of light illuminated behind him, followed quickly by a concerned voice.
"Seadall? What are you doing?" The voice of Emblem Corrin asked as the spectral princess floated behind Seadall. "Are you sure it's safe to be separated from your allies?"
"I…thought I saw someone enter this hallway." Seadall answered quietly. "It may be another Corrupted waiting to ambush us, or perhaps even the perpetrator that captured the Divine Dragon. Regardless, I should investigate." Emblem Corrin didn't respond, only silently frowning in concern as she gripped tightly onto Yato as Seadall crept further into the hallway.
As Seadall reached the corner, he could hear rustling and someone speaking softly. Peering ever so slightly, Seadall was greeted with the sight of an individual hunched over a chest at the end of the hallway. With their back turned, Seadall couldn't make out any identifiable characteristics, other than the individual had long, unkempt black hair and was dressed in equally disheveled clothing that was covered in dust and grime.
"Ah, there we go." Seadall heard the figure murmur triumphantly as the lock on the chest gave way, revealing its contents to the mysterious being. Eagerly reaching inside, the figure withdrew what looked like a stave. Chuckling in excitement, the individual cheered, "Ah, wonderful! This should fetch me a good price. Now, what meal shall I have to celebrate, I wonder? How long has it been since I've had something savory?"
Seadall frowned as he shook his head. "Just a common thief. No need to involve myself." With that, the Solmic dancer turned to reunite with his allies, only for his foot to disturb a cluster of stone debris, alerting the thief to his presence.
"Who's there?!" The thief shouted as they stood to their full height, turning toward a surprised Seadall. Now facing him, Seadall could clearly identify the thief as a human male, their face obscured by a dark cloth and hood. They appeared to be unarmed, but Seadall prepared himself for any sudden acts of aggression. However, none came, the thief instead seeming to recoil in shock upon perceiving Seadall.
"Wh-what is this?!" The man wondered aloud incredulously. Before Seadall could question what exactly he meant, the thief reached up and removed his headwear. Upon doing so, Seadall himself couldn't prevent the gasp that escaped his lips upon seeing the thief's face.
Which happened to be his face.
"B-By the stars!" Seadall exclaimed. "You're…you're me!"
"Is this some mirage?" The other Seadall asked. "Or perhaps I'm hallucinating from starvation? It has been a while since my last meal…"
"What am I…what are you doing here?" Seadall asked his doppelganger, his mind still reeling from seeing an alternate version of himself.
"Me? I'm here for this stronghold's treasure, of course." The other Seadall responded, his previously shocked visage shifting into a hardened glare. "The artifacts here will fetch me a decent amount of coin, enough for a savory meal. If you have any treasure, hand it over!"
"H-How…can this be?" Seadall asked aloud, before an indignant scowl crossed his face as he shouted, "How could I…how could you stoop to such depravity? What could have possibly made you lose your pride as an artist, as a man?!"
The other Seadall flinched before growling, "My pride as an artist? What a worthless sentiment." As Seadall balked, the alternate Seadall continued in an embittered tone, "Look around, who is there to dance for? Everyone is gone…even the moon and stars have abandoned me." As he said this, the doppelganger got into a fighting stance as he declared, "All that matters now is survival, even if I must besmirch my hands and my pride to do so!"
"Ah!" Seadall braced himself as the other Seadall lunged at him, blocking a strike aimed at his throat before pirouetting out of his assailant's reach. However, the other Seadall was not easily deterred; while noticeably not as graceful as Seadall, this other Seadall was just as fast. Immediately, the doppelganger was on him once more and the two men traded blows with the other, locked in a deadly dance.
"Ghh!" Seadall grunted as the other Seadall managed to corner him, the decrepit walls of the fortress leaving the dancer little room to maneuver. As the other Seadall prepared to strike again, Seadall touched two fingers to his Emblem Ring. "Emblem Corrin!"
Immediately, the ethereal form of Emblem Corrin appeared at his side. Swinging her blade, a pillar of ice instantly formed between Seadall and his opponent, intercepting the other Seadall's attack. Seadall moved to circle around his opponent towards a more open area, casting a glance at the hallway he came from. Not wanting to be separated from his allies, Seadall considered disengaging and using Emblem Corrin's power to trap the other Seadall in this closed-off room with a wall of ice. Not only that, but if Seadall was honest with himself, he didn't want to truly kill this other version of himself.
However, Seadall's doppelganger wasn't finished yet, surprising the dancer by tackling him to the dusty stone floor, Seadall struggling as he was pinned beneath his opponent. "Hmm, that ring…" The alternate Seadall murmured as he eyed the Emblem Ring on Seadall's finger with a greedy expression. "Looks expensive. Once I'm finished with you, I'll have to take it off your cold, dead-"
"Hey! Get off him!"
"Wha-gahh!"
Seadall gasped in relief as his doppelganger was forced off him from a surprise attack. Sitting up, he looked over to see his savior stand protectively in front of him, silver lance in hand. "Princess Timerra…?"
The princess of Solm turned her head to wink at Seadall. "You betcha! Had me worried when I noticed you weren't behind me; looks like it's my turn to save you!"
A ragged gasp brought the pair's attention back to Seadall's opponent, who had managed to stagger to his feet and was staring at Timerra with a mixture of surprise…and hatred. "Q-Queen Timerra…"
"Huh? Whoa!" Timerra exclaimed in surprise, only now noticing who exactly it was she was facing. "Seadall? Is that you?"
"At long last…what I've longed for more than anything is here before me." With a vicious snarl, the other Seadall resumed a fighting stance as he glared daggers at Timerra. "The chance to kill the Queen of Solm with my own two hands!"
"Huh?! Whoa, wait a minute!" Timerra exclaimed in shock, taken back by the uncharacteristic hostility present on the face of the usually calm Seadall. "You got it all wrong, buddy! I didn't-"
"Didn't what?" The alternate Seadall cut in as he took a menacing step closer to the wary princess. "Were you going to say you didn't know the 'roaming bandits' you and your murderous brother slaughtered in the desert were just an innocent troupe of traveling performers? Or were you going to say you didn't care?!"
Timerra yelped as the bloodthirsty former dancer lunged at her, grappling with her for her lance. Surprised by the man's strength, Timerra growled as she pulled back with all her might, forcing the other Seadall to skid along the dusty floor…only for him to then start pushing instead of pulling.
"Wh-ghh!"
Timerra grunted as she was slammed into the nearby wall of the fortress. This was immediately followed by a swift, brutal headbutt from the alternate Seadall, snapping her head backward and lightly hitting the wall as well, disorienting her. She felt her opponent rip her lance from her hands…and then toss it aside, as one hand then closed tightly around her neck while another arm pressed against her abdomen, pinning her to the wall. Timerra's vision began to flicker as oxygen was cut off, her hazy view being only the other Seadall's vengeful gaze.
"You don't deserve a quick death, 'Your Highness'," the alternate Seadall sneered as he pressed harder. "I'll make you suffer like my master suffered, like my companions suffered, like I-!"
The man's rant was abruptly cut off by a choked gasp, both Timerra and Seadall looking down to see the bloodied tip of a lancehead protruding from the other Seadall's abdomen. Timerra gasped greedily as her opponent's grip slackened and released from her throat, her blurry vision refocusing gradually to see the alternate Seadall stagger backwards as the silver lance's head was withdrawn from his abdomen by a solemn Seadall.
"Is this…how it all ends…?" The alternate Seadall rasped as he collapsed to the floor, a hand clutching futilely to the mortal wound on his abdomen. "I suppose…it didn't matter whether or not I chose to believe. Fate…has come to…collect its due…" With a sigh that seemed to be of both regret and relief, the disgraced dancer fell limp and moved no more.
On shaky legs, Timerra walked to Seadall's side, the dancer's gaze fixated on his counterpart's corpse, his knuckles turning white as he continued to grip Timerra's lance. Carefully, Timerra reached out a hand and laid it gently atop Seadall's, attempting to ease the dancer's grip on the lance. "H-Hey, Seadall?" Timerra gently called out.
After a pause, Seadall nodded, his grip slackening. "I…I am fine, Princess Timerra." He responded in a measured tone. As he allowed Timerra to take the lance from his grasp, Seadall continued, "This…other me, I cannot fathom the torment he has endured alone, losing everything dear to him, including himself." Closing his eyes as he took a calming breath, Seadall stated solemnly, "I…can only hope that his soul is at rest now, along with his master and companions of this world."
The pair stood in silence for a moment before Timerra gently nudged Seadall with her elbow. "C'mon, let's go. Everyone should be engaging the enemy up ahead in the courtyard." Flashing her usual grin to lift his spirits, Timerra added, "Stay close to me this time, 'kay? After all, it looks like I owe you again for saving me a second time!"
Seadall stared in surprise as Timerra began to head toward the direction of their allies before smiling lightly and following her. However, after just a few steps, Seadall paused, his attention turning to the open chest, its contents still inside. Rushing over, he reached inside and retrieved the stave that his counterpart was willing to kill for, gripping it tightly as he cast another glance at the still body on the floor. "It won't be in vain," Seadall declared resolutely as he began to trail after Timerra, leaving the evidence of a hard-fought battle behind him.
"Your performance is at an end. Rest now, amongst the moon and stars above."
Seadall
A former dancer of Solm from another world. Forsaking the arts and the divine, he focuses only on survival.
Nomad – Wanderer of the desert who uses their fists and wits to survive.
Vs. Seadall (Fell Xenologue, Chapter 6, Alear)
Seadall: "Wait…you…Is that you, Divine One?"
Alear: "I'm sorry, but I'm not who you think I am. I am not the Divine Dragon of this world."
Seadall: "Ah, I see. How foolish of me to believe the divine would grant me one last wish, a final reprieve."
Alear: "A…wish? What…do you wish for?"
Seadall: "My wish…is to be set free from this torment. In all my existence, I have…never experienced such dissonance within my soul. Do…do I even have a soul? Is that why I can no longer hear them, why they can no longer hear me? Please…please just let me be at peace!"
Vs. Seadall (Fell Xenologue, Chapter 6, Generic)
"Why…why am I here? There is nothing…no audience to dance for, no fate to appeal to, no reason to fight or survive. So…why…?"
Defeat
"Ah, the moon...is shining brightly. I…had nearly forgotten its beauty. Master…my friends…I go now to join you all…amidst that sea of endless stars…"
