Apologies for the delay. Since my job is changing over to hybrid work (2 days a week in the office, 3 days working from home), I decided to change my releases to be on Mondays. Writing them up on the weekend should make things smoother for me.
Anyhow, here's our next chapter. Enjoy.
Chapter 88 – A Looming Threat (Great Tree Moon)
Cornelia watched the sun set on the horizon as she stood at the top of the keep of Fort Merceus. Within moments, the last of its light faded behind distant mountains, replaced by the light of the stars.
Though the stars paled in comparison to the sun, Cornelia still accepted the light they provided to the darkness of night. Underground, however, was a place she had lived in for centuries, deprived of both the light of the sun and the light of the stars. The time she spent on the surface paled in comparison to how much she spent in the cold depths of the earth.
The Duchess heard footsteps approaching her. Knowing it could only be one person, she turned to face Edelgard and said, "Come to watch the sunset, El?"
"Yes, I was," said Edelgard. "Though it seems I arrived a moment too late."
"I take it Hubert held you up telling you not to trust me?"
"He isn't without good cause to tell me that, Cornelia. You continue to keep things secret from me."
"Oh? Is there anything specific you wish to ask about, El?"
Deciding to get to the point, Edelgard said, "I want to know what Thales is capable of. My Black Eagles killed one of his lieutenants and yet he hasn't done anything. I want to know what he thinks he can do to threaten me and the Empire."
Cornelia withheld a smile. She knew Edelgard would ask this at some point.
"You wish to know how Thales will retaliate?"
"Exactly."
Cornelia walked up to Edelgard as she said, "I can show you the danger he poses to us. Though, you may find the experience… uncomfortable."
Edelgard saw Cornelia readying a spell. For a moment, Edelgard thought Cornelia intended to attack her, but she realized the spell wasn't a destructive one.
Cornelia raised her hands and touched her fingertips to Edelgard's head. As she did, she shut her eyes.
Edelgard's eyes shot wide open as Cornelia's spell took hold.
…
Disoriented, Edelgard slowly opened her eyes.
No, they weren't hers. And she had no control over her actions.
Just as Edelgard was about to try and speak, she heard Cornelia's voice.
"Remain calm, Edelgard. You are currently experiencing one of my memories. A memory that took place centuries ago."
"What are you showing me?" Edelgard's voice echoed in her mind.
The question was interrupted as she heard Thales's voice.
"Everything is prepared?" Thales demanded.
"Yes, Agastya," said a voice Edelgard thought she'd never hear again.
Cornelia's memory turned as Solon, the Dark Savior, bowed respectfully to Thales.
"We are prepared for our strike against the Fell Star's sanctum," said Solon.
"Excellent," said Thales. "Send five Pillars at the targets I have specified."
"Five, Agastya?" said another Agarthan who Edelgard did not recognize. "But should we not first–"
"Do as I have ordered, Judæus!"
"Y-Yes, Agastya."
Judæus readied his magic, though uncertainty was written across his face. Edelgard's view shifted as several rituals around Garreg Mach Monastery could be seen sending an eerie light toward the sky.
Minutes later, Edelgard saw several magical circles materialize in the sky, as though creating a path that went straight down toward Garreg Mach.
Then she saw them. Five massive javelin-like projectiles began to soar down toward the monastery. Each was being propelled by a white flame and moved to pass through the magic circles in the sky, which were guiding them to their target.
But as the javelins came down, Garreg Mach Monastery began emitting a strange light of its own. The magic circles in the sky began to distort, and the javelins began to move erratically.
The javelins veered away from Garreg Mach.
Seconds later, they impacted far to the northeast of the monastery.
The massive explosions could be heard for miles as a sea of fire and death erupted from their point of impact.
Edelgard's view turned back toward Thales.
The Agastya was utterly furious.
"YOU IMBECILE!" Thales shouted at Judæus.
"A-Agastya, I – AAAGGGHHH!"
Thales immediately blasted Judæus with dark magic that began to disintegrate him. Slowly. Edelgard wanted to turn away as Judæus's skin began crumbling away.
"YOU TOLD ME THE MONASTERY'S DEFENSES WERE INACTIVE!" shouted Thales.
Judæus could only scream as Thales intensified his spell, reducing the mage to a pile of ashes.
Edelgard felt herself back away from Thales as he began raving at the incompetence of his minions. Fear gripped her unlike anything she had ever felt before. Even Solon was terrified of Thales and backed away from the Agarthan ruler.
Thales began storming toward her, and Edelgard could do nothing as Thales backhanded her in his rage.
…
Edelgard yelped loudly as she emerged from Cornelia's memory. She staggered back and had to put her hand against one of the battlements to stop herself from falling over.
"Calm yourself, Edelgard," Cornelia said softly.
Edelgard gasped loudly for several seconds as she tried to process everything she'd seen.
"W-What was that?" Edelgard gasped after catching her breath.
"That was one of the most powerful weapons our people have ever created," answered Cornelia. "We call them the Pillars of Light. They are ancient Magitek weapons forged before the Silence, each one capable of destroying everything within a 300-meter radius. They were used against the Fell Star as she was destroying the Agarthan Empire, but they weren't enough to stop her."
Edelgard's heart sank as she heard Cornelia say this. If such a powerful weapon could not stop Sothis, she shuddered to think of what had actually killed the Progenitor God.
"What you saw was a memory of mine from the year 723. Thales attempted to destroy Garreg Mach Monastery with the Pillars of Light."
"But what happened? Why did they miss?"
"Garreg Mach Monastery is protected by Sothis's divine power. It scrambles the targeting systems in the Pillars. Thales thought the monastery was no longer protected, but… well, you saw the result of his impatience. Those Pillars crashed down in the area you know as Ailell. One of them hit a volcanic fault line, and now Ailell is known today as the Valley of Torment, when it was once a lush forest."
Edelgard could not hide how unnerved she was to hear all of this. Learning that Thales had such powerful weapons at his disposal reignited the fear of him she once thought she had overcome.
Yet as she thought on it, reason began to curb her fear.
Standing upright, Edelgard asked, "If Thales has these Pillars, why does he not use them to destroy us all?"
"That's simple: he doesn't have nearly enough to do the job. The means to create the Pillars was lost thousands of years ago. He only has 22 left at his disposal. Using them also requires complex and time-consuming rituals in order to provide the Pillars with accurate targeting data. Without those spells, the Pillars are woefully inaccurate. But make no mistake – with what he has left, he could still reduce Enbarr to a ruin in mere seconds if given the chance."
Edelgard could immediately tell Cornelia was serious. The image of Enbarr reduced to ashes and dust horrified the Emperor.
"Then we need to destroy these Pillars before he can use them," said Edelgard.
"That is not possible at this time," said Cornelia. "The Pillars are kept in an underground facility outside of Fódlan's borders. In any event, if you gave him the slightest notion that you knew where they were, he would use them to obliterate you. And the Pillars are far from his only means of harming you and your empire."
Edelgard was silent for almost a minute as she mulled everything over. The realization of how volatile her arrangement with Thales was left her scrambling to think of a solution. She couldn't attack him, not directly. And from what she had learned, she saw no way to stop the Pillars if they were directed toward Enbarr.
At least, she thought, she had no way to stop them on her own.
"Cornelia…" said Edelgard, prompting the Duchess to turn to her. "Can you help me defeat him? Can you help me stop Thales?"
Cornelia had to stop herself from smiling. It was just what she wanted to hear.
Edelgard was hers now.
"Of course, I can, Edelgard," said Cornelia. "I will need your help in turn to make it possible. At present, however, we must deal with the more immediate threat from Dimitri and Claude. Fighting the Loyalists and Alliance will keep Thales thinking that everything is going according to his plans. Once we have dealt with them, we will turn our attention to Thales."
"What is he planning to do, Cornelia?"
"Thales's plan is to take Enbarr behind your back. He intends to release the nobles you have interned in Enbarr's prison and stage a coup. When that happens, he expects you will try to take the city back. That will give us a small window in which we can neutralize the Pillars of Light."
"Why would he not simply use the Pillars to destroy what remains of my army after I defeat Dimitri and Claude?"
"It's like I said: he knows he doesn't have enough to spare. And he would prefer to make you slaughter your own people by taking Enbarr. He'll be waiting to use the Pillars against you if you get the upper hand."
"I see…"
Cornelia then sighed and said, "We'll have time to discuss this in detail later. I'm sure it's a lot for you to take in all at once." Edelgard nodded in reply, so Cornelia looked skyward and, after a moment's pause, said, "Aren't they beautiful up there? The stars. I've spent a good part of my life unable to see them or the sun from within the cold depths of the earth. The only light we have down there is artificial, and it cannot compare to the sky."
Edelgard said nothing, but she empathized with the Duchess, thinking back to her imprisonment years ago when Solon burned the Crest of Flames into her blood. She couldn't see the night sky during her confinement.
As the two of them continued to watch the night sky, Hubert silently crept away from the two.
…
Edelgard made her way to her quarters after finishing her discussion with Cornelia. She knew she was going to have trouble sleeping with everything that raced around in her head. Between her enemies in Gronder and her enemies in Enbarr, she knew she was going to have her hands full.
As she reached her room, she saw Hubert standing next to the door.
"Is there something you need, Hubert?" asked Edelgard. "No doubt it concerns what I was discussing with Cornelia."
Knowing Edelgard was aware of his eavesdropping, Hubert answered, "It does, Your Majesty."
"Then speak your mind to me, Hubert."
"As you wish." Taking a short breath, Hubert said, "I urge you not to trust that witch. There is no doubt in my mind that she is trying to use you to her advantage."
"Hubert, you didn't see what she showed me. I saw through her own memories the weapon that Thales could use against us."
"The so-called 'Pillars of Light'?"
"Yes. Five of them were enough to lay waste to Ailell and turn it into a volcanic wasteland."
"How can you be certain that Cornelia did not simply show you a fabrication? Do not forget that she is a master of deceit."
"I know what I saw, Hubert. If we are ever to achieve victory, Thales must be stopped. And Cornelia may be the only one who can help us accomplish that. I know you don't think I should trust her, but what other choice do I have? Without her, we'll never be able to deal with the Pillars, and even if we kill Thales, his followers will continue to tear Fódlan apart from the shadows."
"Do you believe Cornelia will not do the same if she takes Thales's throne from him? She only wants your help to seize power for herself, Lady Edelgard. I implore you not to–"
"Hubert, that's enough." Edelgard waited for several seconds of silence from Hubert before she said, "Whether or not you trust Cornelia, I have made my decision to help her. She and I share more in common than you would believe. And with her help, we can finally rid ourselves of Thales."
Hubert paused for several seconds before reluctantly saying, "As you wish, Your Majesty. I will arrange for our Crestology expert to be brought here, and for the city guard in Enbarr to be placed on high alert. If Thales does plan to take Enbarr, I do not intend to make it easy for him."
"Good. Now, if you don't mind, I need some sleep."
Hubert nodded and allowed Edelgard to enter her chambers before slinking away into the shadows.
Enough tension for you?
The whole Magitek ICBMs that Three Houses had always felt a bit out of place in a Fire Emblem game, but I didn't want to leave them unaddressed since they were kept around in Three Hopes. Yet it begs the question: If the Agarthans have such nasty weapons at their disposal, what would stop them from using them to nuke all of Fódlan? I chose to justify it as Thales only having a small number available to him and being unable to make new ones, along with the missiles not being nearly powerful enough. A 300-meter blast radius doesn't sound that impressive when you compare it to the nukes that hit Hiroshima and Nagasaki in World War II, but we saw in that Fort Merceus cutscene the damage they could deal. And no, they were not comparable to a RL tactical nuke.
EDIT: To address the guest review, yes, I forgot about how launching the javelins allowed Hubert to locate Shambhala, hence why Thales was reluctant to use them in-game until Fort Merceus. In this story, the same thing could happen, but Cornelia deliberately did not tell Edelgard that launching the Pillars could leave a magical trace to follow. It'd be just like her to leave out that detail.
Yet between Thales and Cornelia, who do you think is the bigger threat by this point? I'm sure answers will vary.
I also know there's that one NPC in Abyss who claims he saw the javelins coming toward Garreg Mach and how they veered off course, but that wouldn't really work with my narrative. The Church would find it almost impossible to cover up if it had only happened within the past century. As such, I had the destruction of Ailell occur considerably earlier in Fódlan's timeline.