Chapter 13: Beyond the Silence

Off the coast of Port Artemis, The Kingdom of Altea, Archanea

Arch. Year 609

A single raindrop landed on Alm's cheek. He wiped away the wet splatter and frowned at the sky. Dark clouds gathered overhead, consuming the sun and the gentle warmth it had once provided. In return, the clouds offered a smear of shadows that stretched out for miles, a chill breeze that stirred the sea, and a promise of a storm soon to come.

Anna's ship hit a round of choppy waves. The entire vessel rocked against the sea, sending its passengers stumbling around in search of something solid to grab hold of. Alm found the deck's handrail. His fingers tightened around the bar with a steel grip, stomach lurching from the sudden loss of stability. A quick sweep of the deck told him that most of his companions weren't faring much better.

"Just hang on for a little longer!" Anna yelled from the helm. The wind whipped her ponytail around her head, but she didn't seem at all bothered by the weather. "We'll beat the storm! Altea isn't far off now."

Alm squinted at the darkening horizon. Sure enough, landforms were beginning to take shape in the distance, but the impending storm still had him nervous. If there really was a malevolent force waiting for them inside the port, heavy rain and winds would only make the battle ahead more difficult.

Alm sighed, turning over his wrist. Mila's Turnwheel sat on top of his glove, cracked and devoid of color. During his travels with the Deliverance, it had proved to be an invaluable asset, allowing him to see visions of the past and future by drawing on Mila's divine powers. Now, however…

He tried twisting one of the cogs, but it barely budged. His finger tapped against the top of it. Nothing. No matter how much he fiddled with it, the device refused to show him anything. Disappointing, but not unexpected. The Turnwheel had ceased to function when Duma and Mila had been laid to rest, so he wasn't surprised that it wouldn't work now.

For this mission, they were on their own.

A thin arm wrapped around his waist. Celica leaned against him, eyes weary, her free arm clutching a golden book to her chest—an ancient text they had received from Nomah before leaving the castle, one detailing the history of every deity and dragon known to the world.

"Find anything yet?" he asked.

"Nothing," she mumbled into his shoulder. "I've read it from front to back. There's no reference to a 'silent dragon' or anything like the invisible soldiers. It's another dead end."

Alm huffed a frustrated sigh. "Can't be helped. Thanks for try—"

Another gust of wind pushed on them. Alm steadied his grip on the handrail as Celica tightened her hold around his torso, each helping the other stay upright until the wind died down.

"This isn't how I imagined our first trip to Archanea," she said with a hollow laugh. "Palla, Catria, and Est always spoke so highly of their homeland. Sunny skies, sparkling waters, friendly villagers who always have a plate of food ready for any travelers who happen to pass by…"

"Zeke said the same thing when his memories resurfaced." Alm's fingers tensed around the bar, watching the port in the distance grow ever closer. "I hope he made it back here all right…Tatiana has been worried sick."

"You haven't heard from him at all?"

"Not a word, not since he left."

Celica let go of him, situating herself by his side at the handrail. She stared out at the water with a stiff jaw. Alm placed his hand over hers.

"Don't worry. As soon as we've helped Anna, we'll talk to the people in charge. The Whitewings fight for the Altean army, right?"

"I believe they serve under the Queen of Macedon, but they are all allied with Altea, yes…"

"So they'll probably be close by. We'll see them soon." He gave her hand a light squeeze. "We might find Zeke as well. And who knows, maybe we'll get to meet this 'Hero-King' everyone's been talking about."

Celica laced her fingers into his, locking their hands together, a wan smile sitting on her lips.

"I hope so…"

—

The first thing Alm noticed as they sailed into the port was the silence. A harsh, oppressive silence hanging over an empty wharf and an even emptier boardwalk. No ships, no people, not even any monsters in sight. If it hadn't been for the waves slapping against Anna's ship and the sails flapping in the wind, there would have been no noise at all.

Somehow, that silence made him more nervous than anything else he had faced in the past few days.

A light drizzle fell over their heads as the ship drifted along one of the port's many piers. Anna lowered the anchor, muttering something under her breath. Tobin and Gray hopped off with a tether to hitch the boat to the closest pole. The rest of the group followed soon after, everyone eager to be back on solid ground.

Anna was the last to get off. She glanced around the empty waters, running her teeth along her bottom lip. "My shop's in the northeast section of the port," she said quietly, forcing herself to turn away from the docking area. "My boyfriend has been taking care of it for me. He'll…he can tell us what's going on, where everybody went…"

"Then that's where we'll go," Alm said. "We should scout out the area first, figure out what we're up against. Byleth, are you able to see anything?"

The man gave him a blank stare. There were dark circles under his eyes, making his gaze more unsettling than usual. Byleth had claimed he was feeling better, but the weariness in his posture and expression told a different story.

"You, um, said something about having time powers, right? When we were in Fódlan." Alm gestured to the collection of buildings and stalls that stood behind them. "Can you check to see what's in the port?"

A hint of a grimace crossed Byleth's face. "…I can't."

Felix looked him over, eyebrows pinched. "What do you mean 'you can't'?"

"It means I can't," Byleth said, a bitter edge to his voice. "Or at least, I shouldn't. Using that ability yesterday is what…knocked me out."

The other warriors of Fódlan exchanged worried glances. "Are you sure you'll be okay on this mission?" Ashe asked, rubbing his arm. "I-I don't want to question your judgment, but…maybe…it would be better for you to stay on the ship? To keep watch for us, or—"

"I'm fine," Byleth insisted. He drew his sword, the blade glowing with a faint red light, and cut through the air a few times to demonstrate his point. "I learned how to swing a sword before I learned how to read. I don't need special powers to fight alongside you."

"That's not what I meant—"

"Petra, sweep over the port on wyvern-back," Byleth said. Ashe just sighed and shrunk back. "Keep a look out for any activity—civilians, monsters, invisible soldiers, or otherwise. The rest of us will search the area on foot."

"Go with her, Clair," Alm added, "and if the storm kicks up, both of you return to ground level. We don't need you taking any risks with the weather."

"As you command, Your Majesty." Clair swung up onto her pegasus's saddle, silver lance in hand. "Let us be off, Lady Petra!"

Petra frowned at the noblewoman before mounting her own beast. "I have said before that I like 'Petra' only, please…"

Once the pair had taken to the sky, Alm nodded to his allies and unsheathed Falchion. A harmony composed of clinking weapons and hissing magic filled the air as the others followed his lead, forming into a protective circle around Anna.

"Kana, hurry up!" Sophie said in a harsh whisper. The boy was leaning over the railing of the pier, squinting down at the choppy waters below as everyone else got into place. His pendant was gripped in a tight fist.

"Kana!" Sophie tried again, a little louder than before. Kana squeaked and snapped upright at her voice, turning to his sister with a dusting of pink on his cheeks.

"S-sorry!" He slipped the pendant into his pocket and jogged over to catch up. "I thought…I thought I saw someone…"

"In the water?" Alm asked, glancing out at the ocean. If there was someone floating around in the sea in this weather…

"Yeah, a lady with pretty hair in my reflection…but when I tried to look closer, she wasn't there anymore." Kana scrubbed at his eyes and blinked a few times. "I might've just been seeing things…the weather's making my head all fuzzy…"

"Just hold on a little longer," Sophie said. She helped him climb onto her horse before settling into the saddle herself. "We'll get you one of those stones soon, and then those weird feelings will go away, okay? No need to worry."

Kana bit his lip and twiddled his thumbs, mumbling, "…If you say so…"

"If you're all ready now…" Anna said, taking a few steps toward the port city, "we should get moving before the brunt of the storm hits."

Alm tightened his grip on Falchion and motioned for the others to follow.

"On your guard, everyone."

They moved together as one unit, navigating slowly through the silent, empty streets. At every turn they were greeted with abandoned market stalls, homes and businesses with their doors left carelessly open, and perhaps most chilling, reddish-brown stains in the road that began to run over the stone pavement as the rain picked up. Alm couldn't tell if it was mud or…something more worrying.

But still, no signs of life.

By the time they reached Anna's shop, the soft drizzle had turned into a downpour of needles pelting their faces and soaking them to the bone. A flash of lightning illuminated the sky, followed by a clap of thunder that shook the ground beneath their feet. Alm's teeth clacked together, involuntary shivers writhing over his skin, but he kept the hold on his sword steady.

"Here we are," Anna breathed out, running up to the storefront's entrance. A wooden sign reading "Anna's Secret Shop" hung crooked off the roof's eave, barely holding on to its fastening as it creaked against the storm's wind. A thick iron door sat underneath it. Unlike the other buildings they had passed, this door was closed shut.

Anna swiped away at the water running down her face and knocked. "Jake, it's Anna! Open up!"

A whole minute passed. No one came to answer.

"Jake!" Anna banged on the door this time. "Open the door!"

Still no response. Another blast of thunder rattled the air.

"Jake, come on!" She slammed her fist against the door with all her might. "Jake!"

"Anna…" Alm started. "I don't think he's—"

"Don't!" Anna grabbed the doorknob, fishing around her pocket for, presumably, her keys. "He's here, I know he is. He would never leave the shop…unattended…" Her voice trailed off as the doorknob turned without resistance, opening to a large room obscured by darkness. A mixture of panic and horror filled Anna's face.

The door had been left unlocked.

Muttering curses under her breath, Anna rushed into the store. It only took her a few seconds of fumbling around in the dark to light the oil lamps scattered around the room, chasing away the shadows of the dreary outdoors. To Alm, everything seemed to be in place. The shelves were full, nothing looked broken…there were even a few gold coins laying out on the counter, as if someone had been in the middle of a purchase.

But just as he had suspected and feared, there was no one else inside.

"I-I don't understand," Anna stammered, frantically checking every inch of the shop as though she expected to find her boyfriend tucked away in a corner somewhere. "Why would he…what…what happened?"

"The same thing that happened to the rest of the port, probably," Byleth said.

"And what happened to them?!"

No one was willing to answer that question. They didn't need to—they were all thinking the same thing. Anna leaned on the counter against her elbows, burying her head in her hands.

More thunder rolled through the air. Strange, though, Alm hadn't noticed the flash of lightning that should have preceded it…

He swallowed back the pressure building in his throat. "We'll keep searching the area. It might be safer for you to stay here, Anna, while we—"

"Ngh!"

Kana doubled over in the saddle and groaned, clutching at his head. Sophie wrapped her arm around his body to keep him from sliding off the horse. The color slowly drained from her face.

"Kana, is it…?"

The boy gave a meek nod and itched at his arm. "Th-they're coming…I feel them…"

Another reverberating boom like thunder echoed through the empty streets, sending tremors through the ground. Alm steadied himself on the wall of Anna's shop. A second boom came soon after, shaking the ground once more, then a third, and a fourth, a fifth…

That wasn't from the storm.

"Get inside," Byleth ordered. "You and Sophie stay here together with Anna until we come get you. Try to stay as calm as you can." As the siblings hurried into the shop, Byleth's sunken eyes went to the merchant. "If your dragonstones are still here, now would be the time to give him one."

Anna nodded, face tight, and dashed to the store's back room with her keys in hand.

Alm and the others ran back outside. He scoured the sky and the streets for the cause of the tremors, but it was difficult to see much of anything through the thick sheets of rain. The booming grew louder, the earth's quaking intensified with every second that passed.

"Everyone!" came Clair's panicked yell from above. Her pegasus snorted and reared its head back at something in the distance. "Look out!"

A giant metal chain swept across the street, pulling up loose stones and wet dirt as it skidded toward them in a wide arc. Everyone managed to jump out of its path thanks to Clair's warning, but barely had time to react as the chain whipped around and struck the building across from them. The foundation collapsed, and the structure came crashing down on top of their heads.

Alm dove away from the crumbling building. Chunks of stone and mortar slammed into the middle of the street behind him, spraying up mud-water and splitting the road in two with a bulky wall of debris.

Alm scrambled to his feet. His eyes darted around the parts of the street he could still see, searching for the source of the attack and checking on the condition of his allies. Annette was helping Byleth off the ground, their faces splattered with mud, while Conrad and Tobin were trying to calm their bucking horses. Clair swooped down to join them, and…

…that was it. His heart dropped into his stomach. No one else was in sight.

"Celica?!" Alm called out. It probably wasn't a good idea to be shouting with an unseen threat lurking around in the shadows, but right now he didn't care. "Celica, where are—"

"Here, Alm!" Celica's voice answered. The tips of her fingers barely peeked over the fallen building, waving to catch his attention. "We're over here! Are you all okay over there?!"

Alm nearly choked on his relieved sigh. "We're fine! Just hold on, I'll find a way over—"

"Goddess, what is that?!" Annette gasped.

A creature—a giant—emerged from the shadows. Its enormous body was shrouded in a familiar purple energy, flickering in and out of a transparent silhouette. Thick veins bulged along the curves of its muscles, threatening to burst through the monster's gray, decaying skin. If it hadn't been for the leather straps and the shoddy stitches holding the giant's flesh together, they probably would have succeeded.

Alm had faced many monsters and Terrors leading the Deliverance. He had never seen anything like this before in his life.

The creature unleashed a roar from behind a metal mask. Pink and purple mist vented through a series of holes drilled deep into the iron face, hitting the air in short, rapid puffs.

"Alm, what's the plan?!" Tobin held his bow in a tight grip, staring up at the giant with wide, frightened eyes. The monster raised its fists. Two silver chains swung dangerously from its bloated wrists.

"Move!" was all Alm could shout before the creature's hands came down on them like a hammer.

Alm and Tobin just barely dodged out of the way before the monster punched craters into the street. It screeched at them, flinging its chains around in wild sweeps. Alm ducked under a swing aimed for his head with his shield raised high. The chain scratched against the shield's tough exterior, metal screaming against metal.

Alm thrusted his sword up to catch the monster's arm as it flew over his head, but Falchion hit nothing but air. The blade didn't have a long enough reach.

He was only allowed a few moments on his feet before the giant was swinging another meaty fist at him. Alm held out his shield, preparing to roll out of its range—

A segmented blade wrapped around the monster's forearm and yanked back hard. The giant stumbled around on its heels, clawing at the glowing fragments tearing through its flesh.

Byleth was on the other end of the sword, one leg pushing against a fallen stone slab as his arms pulled on the ensnared creature with all his strength.

"Now!" he yelled through gritted teeth.

Annette drew a circle of white light with her finger. Shimmering arrows sprouted around its circumference and, when Annette shoved her palm through the circle, the spell Sagittae soared at the monster with blinding speed, riddling its gut with the magic projectiles. At the same time, Tobin fired a shot of his own at the creature's head. The arrow struck its face through the center hole of its mask, causing more purple energy to leak out into the pouring rain.

But the combined attack had only served to make it more angry.

The monster roared again and rushed Byleth, the blade still biting into its skin. The sudden lack of resistance made Byleth slip on the wet stone and fall hard on his back. The man slid quickly to the side, rolling through a puddle of mud-water as a fist slammed into the ground right next to his head.

Clair and Conrad charged the creature from behind before it could wind up another punch, aiming their lances for the nape of its neck and the back of its knees. The giant whirled around on them as they cut into its flesh, swiping the chains at both horse and pegasus. Clair's mount pushed itself back into the sky to avoid the attack.

Conrad was not so lucky. The chain caught him in the side, launching the knight off his steed and straight at Alm. The breath was knocked out of Alm's lungs as Conrad crashed into him, pain shot up his spine as they tumbled across the wet pavement together.

Wincing, Alm forced himself to his knees. He hooked his arm under Conrad's elbow and tugged him over onto his back. Conrad groaned, grabbing his side and sucking in a sharp breath.

"Gods, this thing is strong," Conrad muttered. There was a large crack in his mask, revealing one eye scrunched up tight in pain. Alm opened his mouth, but the monster's screeching interrupted his reply.

He watched as the giant thundered toward Byleth again. Byleth slid out of its reach and lashed at its back, ripping off chunks of loose flesh with the aid of Annette's wind magic. The creature did not slow down.

Alm rose from the ground, eyeing the open skin on the back of the monster's neck. It was the only part of its head that was unprotected by the metal mask. Clair's lance had just barely cut into the gray flesh, but if Alm could get high enough, perhaps his blessed blade could finish the job.

Easier said than done, but he had to try.

Alm secured his hold on Falchion, spit out the mud and rainwater running into his mouth, and—

A pair of bare feet pattered past him.

"Kid, wait!" Anna called out from the shop's entrance. "We don't know if it'll work yet!"

Kana ignored her and ran through the downpour, carrying a large stone that shimmered with a swirl of white and blue light. Alm's chest seized when he realized the boy was headed straight for the flickering monster.

"Kana, stop!" he shouted. "Get back inside, it's too dangerous!"

But Alm's command went unheard. The boy reached into his pocket, pulled out a handful of small, multicolored objects—were those seashells?—then chucked them at the giant. The shells bounced harmlessly off its back. What was he doing?!

"Hey, over here!" Kana yelled at it. His voice cracked on the last word, making the boy seem about as intimidating as a mouse. "Leave them alone!"

The monster snorted and stomped toward Kana's tiny form, hovering a veiny hand over the boy's head.

Kana lifted his stone into the air as the hand lowered, eyes squeezed shut…

Blinding light erupted beneath his feet and the monster reeled back. The light grew brighter and brighter still; Alm had to cover his face to keep his vision from burning. A blast of frigid mist scraped against his ears and coated his armor in a dusting of frost.

When the light died down and Alm lowered his arm, he found a silver-and-blue dragon biting the giant's outstretched arm.

The monster tried to pull away but Kana clamped his jaw tighter, severing its hand from the rest of its body. It emitted a piercing screech that Kana matched with his own deafening roar. The power behind it seemed to shake the entire city.

Enraged, the creature slammed its only remaining fist into Kana's maw, sending the dragon flying across the street. Splinters and stones flew in all directions as Kana crashed through long rows of buildings and market stalls.

"Ow!" A distorted version of Kana's voice came from the dragon's throat, the sound reverberating through the air like a harsh echo. "That hurt!"

The dragon shook the debris from his wings and crouched down on all fours, unhinging his jaw like a snake preparing to feed. A tempest of water and ice particles shot out of his maw and struck the monster square in the chest, forcing it down to one knee.

And Alm saw the opening he needed.

"Byleth!" The man's eyes snapped over to him. Alm pointed up at the structure standing over the monster's kneeling body. "I need to get up there now!"

Without hesitation, Byleth nodded and swung his sword at the building, the tip of the blade stabbing deep into the stone just below the roof. He grabbed Alm around the waist and, in less than a second, the two of them were flying up to the top as the sword shortened in length.

And once Alm was looking down on the monster's neck…

"Now!"

Byleth let him go and Alm fell on top of the creature's shoulders, gripping the leather straps of its mask to keep himself from sliding off. The monster swatted at him with its uninjured arm, but it was already too late.

Falchion sliced through its thick neck.

The monster froze, unable to do anything as its masked head slowly slipped off its shoulders. The rest of its body soon followed, collapsing into the road with a great splash.

Panting, Alm hopped off its back. The giant form flickered one last time before it faded into a purple mist, intermingling with the rain.

"A spectacular move, you two!" Clair touched down on her pegasus, clapping her hands together as Byleth lowered himself back down to street level. "Your battle prowess is truly a marvel to behold."

"Fight's not over yet," Alm said, pushing wet bangs out of his face. "The others—"

"Have their side handled," Clair finished. As if on cue, Celica's voice rang out from the other side of the road with a commanding "Seraphim!", followed by an explosion of white light that rivaled the brightness of Kana's transformation. He heard Mae whoop as that familiar purple mist rose into the air above the road's barrier—the enemy on their side had been defeated as well.

Alm let his sword arm go slack and sighed into the rain. They had won the day.

"Does anyone need healing over there?" Annette called out. Her hands hovered over Conrad's side, magic mending whatever hidden wounds lay beneath his armor plate.

"I think we're…fine…"

Alm trailed off as Kana, still in his dragon form, approached the group as gently and as quietly as his sharp claws would allow, with Sophie and Anna walking by his side.

"Are you okay?" Kana asked. He lowered his long neck to match Alm's height.

"Thanks to you, yes," Alm said, stepping closer to the dragon on hesitant feet. He sensed only a gentle aura around Kana, but his memories of past encounters with more malicious beasts wouldn't allow him to fully relax in Kana's presence, at least not in this state. "Are you okay? You seem…like yourself."

The dragon nodded. "The stone helps my head feel less fuzzy and makes me less angry, but it feels kind of weird to use." His tail swished back and forth. "Like I'm walking around in someone else's shoes."

Alm offered a tired smile. "Well, I'm glad it's—"

"Alm!" Tobin yelled, his face paling. "Look!"

Alm spun around to see what had drawn such a reaction from his friend. His breath caught.

The purple mist left by the monster had not disappeared as it had in battles past. Instead, it had attached itself to the rain, molding the falling water into transparent, humanoid shapes resembling sailors, merchants, patrol guards, farmers, children…

Hundreds of more soldiers for the army of the dead.

"We need to get out of the city!" Alm shouted. He sprinted over to the rubble splitting the street in two, pushing against the stones. He needed to create an opening for everyone trapped on the other side.

"Kana!" He turned to the dragon. "Help!"

Alm didn't need to say anything more. With two quick swipes, the dragon knocked the rubble out of the road. Celica and the others ran through the clearing to join them, breathing hard but otherwise unharmed—for now.

The shapes in the rain began to solidify. Above them thick cracks spread across the sky, crawling over the storm clouds and reaching for the edge of the horizon.

They needed a plan, and they needed one now.

"Anna!" Alm snapped into his commanding-officer mode. "Take us to the fastest road out of the port!"

"And go where?!"

"The closest town or fortification you can think of!"

Anna bit her nails, eyes zigzagging in all directions as her mind struggled to think of something, anything.

Then her face lit up.

"The castle! Castle Altea!" she said quickly. "The army should be there—Jake probably fled there too. They'll help us!" She jutted a finger out toward a street to the north. "This way!"

"You heard her!" Alm ordered over the rain, boots pounding through the mud. "Let's go!"

Character Bios:

Jake: Ballistician

-A flirtatious ballistician from Grust who enlisted in the Altean army in order to win over Anna's heart. Current whereabouts unknown.

-Relations: Boyfriend of Anna.

Buckle up, kids, the battle has just begun…

I have another busy weekend of traveling coming up so there likely won't be an update this coming Sunday/Monday. I might be able to finish it for posting during the week, but it'll likely be the next weekend that I get to update. Thanks for your patience!

Next chapter: The team flees to Castle Altea.