Chapter 28: A Conversation

Castle Melgen, the Munster District, Jugdral

Grann. Year 776

The rain was heavy and relentless every step of the way to Castle Melgen. It soaked through their shoes, through their hoods, through every thread of fabric woven into their clothing. Ashe found himself constantly having to push wet bangs out of his face; the weight of the water kept dragging his hair down over his eyes and blocked what little he could see of the world through the rain.

"This way," Azelle said, ushering them into the cover of a nearby grove once the castle walls came into view. The thick tree leaves overhead caught most of the rain, giving them a moment of respite from the weeping sky, but the chill brought by the wet air still painted goosebumps over Ashe's skin.

Azelle crouched down behind a large thicket. He peered through the scraggly branches, squinting at the soldiers stationed by the castle gates, then motioned for Ashe and Felix to join him. Ashe complied, suppressing a shiver as his knees sunk into the cold, sludgy mud; Felix remained standing, arms folded over his chest.

"What are we doing?" Felix asked, his words undercut by the sharp edge of impatience. "We didn't walk all the way here to skulk around some forest."

"I know," Azelle sighed. "It's just…I think it's best if they don't see me walking up to the gates with you two." He glanced back through the thicket, frowning. "Or see me at all."

"Why not?"

Azelle didn't look away from the castle, but for just a brief moment, Ashe could see the man wince, a deep-seated guilt flashing across his face.

"…A long time ago," Azelle started, voice barely audible over the pouring rain, "my brother betrayed Lord Seliph's father for the empire. His actions, his ambitions…" His eyes hardened, lips drawing a thin, white line over his mouth. "A lot of good people died because of him. A lot of good people now are dying because of him."

"And you think this Lord Seliph will blame you for that?" Ashe asked.

"I don't know what he'll think." Azelle turned to face them but didn't rise from his crouch. "That's why it's safer for you to go on without me. You don't want to start off on the wrong foot with them by associating with someone who's connected to one of Seliph's enemies. It'll be easier for you to talk to him if they never know I was even here."

"…If you say so…"

"Even without you," Felix said, "are they really just going to let us walk in that easily? We look like wet rats." He dipped down to sniff his clothes and grimaced. "And we smell like it, too."

The frown Azelle had been wearing twitched into a short smile. "The Liberation Army is known to take in refugees fleeing from imperial troops and the dark priests of the Loptr Church. Just tell them you were forced to leave your village because of Bloom's invasion of Leonster, and they'll let you in."

"You sure about that?"

An unfamiliar voice and the metallic screech of a blade being drawn from its sheath made Ashe's heart jump into his throat. Reaching back for his bow, he sprung up from the ground and whirled around—

Only to freeze at the sight of a long, curved blade biting into Felix's neck. Scowling, Felix's hand shot to his hip to draw his own sword, but the weapon pressed to his throat dug deeper into his skin before his fingers could even graze the handle. Small beads of blood began to bubble out of the cut.

"Try that again and I'll cut all three of you down without a second thought," the man on the end of the sword growled. His wet, long black strands of hair were plastered wildly around his face, but they did nothing to hide the rage and murderous intent flaring behind the man's eyes. "Drop your weapons. All of you."

Azelle immediately complied, letting his satchel fall and sink into the mud. Ashe was more hesitant. He glanced between the swordsman and the friend he held hostage, fingers curled tightly around his bow, and decided to try de-escalating the situation.

"Please, sir. We don't mean any harm. We just want to talk to—"

"Drop your weapons," the swordsman repeated, voice dangerously low, "and keep your damn mouth shut."

Ashe gritted his teeth and tossed the bow. The swordsman's eyes narrowed on Azelle, his sword not wavering once in his steady hand.

"Lord Azelle," he spat, "have you come to finish what Arvis started? Is the emperor having his little brother do his dirty work now?" The blade pressed a little harder into Felix's neck; Felix's scowl deepened. "Sending spies like these two to infiltrate Seliph's army, to make yet another attempt on his life? Did you really think we would fall for such a cheap, tired trick?"

The emperor's brother? Ashe eyed Azelle through a sideways glance, lips twisted up tight to keep himself from speaking his thoughts aloud and endangering Felix further. A bit of an important piece of information he neglected to share. No wonder he didn't want to get close to the castle.

"I don't want to hurt Seliph," Azelle said, slowly shaking his head. "I would never want to hurt Seliph. And I haven't seen Arvis in over 15 years, not since…since…" His voice trailed off as he gave the swordsman another once over, eyebrows pinched together in a deep furrow, then…

A gasp, and a flash of recognition crossing his eyes.

"Wait—Prince Shannan? Is that you?"

The swordsman answered with a piercing glare, but Azelle didn't seem to notice it.

"It is, isn't it? You've gotten so big!" Azelle held a hand out in front of him, palm down, just below his chest. "You were only about this tall when I last saw you, but look at you now! And you've grown out your hair, just like—"

"Say her name and I'll gut you first."

Azelle dropped his arm and snapped his mouth shut.

Shannan lowered his blade away from Felix's neck, nicking his shoulder with the tip on the way down, then shoved him forward so that all three of them were standing in a single line. Felix clenched his teeth, face red with anger—and very likely shame; shame at being caught off guard by another swordsman before he could even draw his own blade—but, to his credit, refrained from lashing out at the rough treatment. If Professor Byleth had been there with them, he would have been proud of Felix's restraint.

Professor Byleth…who was all alone in that terrible place because Ashe and Felix couldn't save him…

Ashe bit the inside of his lip. No, now was not the time to think about that. Byleth was one of the strongest people he knew. If anyone could find a way to escape that place or withstand whatever plans that dragon had for his captives, it would be him.

He had to believe that.

"Start walking," Shannan ordered, sword held in a firm and steady grip, poised to strike as soon as any one of them stepped out of line. "Now."

Azelle glanced around the grove and asked, "…Walk where?"

"The castle." Shannan pointed to the stone gate in the distance with the tip of his blade. "You want to talk to Seliph, right? I'll take you to him, and he'll decide what's to be done with you. As is his right." Sharp gray eyes bore into each of them, daring them to try to resist. "And you will accept whatever judgment he passes."

"O-of course, sir—ah, Your Highness," Ashe said quickly. This probably wasn't the best way for them to get an audience with one of the leaders of this world, but it was at least a way. And right now, it seemed to be the only (peaceful) way. "We have no problem doing what you or Lord Seliph asks, but please, don't bring Azelle into this. He was only showing us the way here, and he has a daughter he needs to—"

"Start. Walking."

Shannan's tone made it clear he would not be asking them to move a third time.

Begrudgingly, all three of them were marched out of the grove and back into the downpour. Shannan kept himself a few paces behind them the whole way to the castle, far enough to be out of arm's reach—almost like he was giving them a chance to run, to prove that his suspicions about their intentions were right—but close enough that he could easily run them through should they try anything against him or the lord of the castle.

No one spared them a second glance as they stepped through the gates and into the halls of the castle. Even as their clothes leaked puddles of rainwater onto the stone floor, the only person to acknowledge their presence was a boy with long, lilac hair who cast a worried glance at Azelle as they passed him by. For a moment, the boy seemed like he might step forward to try to talk to him or Shannan, but Azelle shook his head before he could open his mouth. A silent warning to "stay out of this".

The boy reluctantly turned away, and the rest of the unfamiliar faces bustling around the castle continued to steer clear of their path.

Eventually they reached a pair of iron-bound doors. Shannan shoved them open with his shoulder, leading the three of them into what appeared to be a war council room. A dozen guardsmen armed with bows and shortswords were positioned around the room's borders, flinching when the doors were flung open but relaxing at the sight of Shannan walking through them.

Two people in the center of the room—a young man with a loose, blue ponytail hanging down to his shoulder blades, and an older man with a thin mustache resting over his upper lip—were leaning over a mahogany table, pushing little figurines around what looked to be a map of the lands outside Castle Melgen. To their side, a girl with silvery, pale purple hair was pouring a kettle of tea into three cups. She watched the newcomers enter the room with a quiet curiosity; the other two were too preoccupied with their wargaming to take notice of them.

"—but if we go for Ulster's capital first," the younger of them said, "we'll be leaving Leif and his army to fend for themselves against the bulk of Bloom's forces. We can't let him or Leonster fall, not after all the progress he's made in the Thracian peninsula."

The older man sighed, rapping his knuckles against the table. "Of course, sire, but the reports say Bloom himself is holed up in the capital city—vulnerable, especially since Julius's disappearance. If we cut off the head of one of the snakes, so to speak, then dealing with the rest of the body will be that much—"

The man glanced up from the map and went completely silent, mouth falling open as soon as his eyes landed on Azelle's rain-soaked form.

"What's wrong, Oifey?" the younger man asked. He looked over his shoulder but didn't share his companion's reaction. Instead, a wide smile stretched over his face. "Shannan, you've returned! And with more refugees in need of shelter, I presume?"

"Not exactly." Shannan grabbed Azelle's arm and yanked him forward. "I found him sneaking around the castle while I was scouting the roads to Ulster, along with two of his lackies."

Felix bristled at that. "We're not his—"

Ashe nudged him with his elbow, and Felix screwed his lips shut.

The younger man eyed the three of them, looking more amused than anything. "And we should be afraid of three unarmed men who were caught in the rain, because…?"

"Because this isn't just any man," Shannan said. "Seliph, meet Lord Azelle, the bastard son of House Velthomer." His grip on Azelle's arm visibly tightened, and Azelle winced. "Emperor Arvis's brother."

The air shifted into a thick, suffocating tension. Gasps sounded around the room from the soldiers and the girl pouring tea. The smile that the younger man, Lord Seliph, had been wearing disappeared, his expression quickly becoming guarded. All was quiet, unbearably quiet, waiting for Seliph's next move.

"…Leave us," Seliph ordered the soldiers. His voice had lost all traces of its earlier friendliness. "All of you, except Prince Shannan and Oifey. I wish to speak with our guestsalone."

The guardsmen saluted their lord and marched out of the council room in perfect formation and perfect time, shutting the door as the last of them departed. They seemed all-too-relieved to escape the awkwardness of the conversation that was soon to come. Ashe couldn't blame them.

"Must…must I leave, as well?" the girl asked, fiddling with the handle of her kettle. "If he is…Arvis's…brother, then he is…he is my…"

"You can do what you like, Julia," Seliph said, softer, but still very clearly on edge, "but know that you may not like what you hear."

Julia nodded and set the kettle down. She coughed before folding her hands over her dress, watching them, especially Azelle, with curious eyes. Eyes underset by dark circles, Ashe couldn't help but notice.

Coughing and baggy eyes…was the girl sick? Maybe that's what the tea was for.

"I must admit," Seliph said, stepping away from the table, "I'm rather surprised to be meeting you face-to-face like this, Lord Azelle. I was told you died at Belhalla more than 15 years ago, alongside my father and the great heroes of Jugdral. When they were promised pardons and a celebration of victory for bringing peace to Grannvale." He walked slowly, purposefully, toward Azelle, stopping only once they were separated by about two feet of air. "When your brother burned them alive."

"Half-brother," Azelle muttered.

"When your half-brother burned them alive." Seliph clasped his hands behind his back. "And yet somehow you survived the massacre, when almost everyone else perished. Why is that?"

"I wasn't helping him, and I'm not helping him now, if that's what you're thinking," Azelle said. "Arvis never told me about his plans—probably because I had been fighting under your father's command for so long—but he never intended for me to die, either. After Lord Sigurd's victory, he called me away from the rest of the army, asking me to help prepare for the…festivities."

"And that didn't strike you as suspicious?" Shannan asked harshly.

"I was too excited about the war's end to realize something was wrong before it was too late." Azelle drew a long, shuddering breath. "He had me locked away so I couldn't interfere. I did everything I could to escape, to warn Lord Sigurd about Arvis's treachery, but by the time I did…" He hung his head, as though he had lost the strength to keep it upright. "They were already gone."

Seliph's eyes drifted to the floor, face tight.

"Any love I once had for my brother died the day he murdered my friends," Azelle said. "I would sooner light a fire beneath my feet and slowly burn to death than ever think about serving him again. I swear it on my wife's grave."

"Then why are you here?" Oifey asked, finally having recovered from his shock. "Why come back after all this time?"

Azelle nodded to Ashe and Felix. "I found them unconscious outside of a village near Leonster. They said they needed to speak with you about 'something terrible' they saw, so I helped them find their way here." He threw a quick, irritated side glare at Shannan, who was still gripping his arm. "That's all. I was getting ready to leave when Prince Shannan found us. I never intended to bother any of you with my presence."

"I see…" Seliph shifted his gaze to Ashe and Felix, studying them. "And you are?"

Ashe felt the need to bow at the waist; Felix (poorly) suppressed a scoff at the gesture. "Ashe and Felix, milord. It's an honor to have this opportunity to speak with you."

"Ashe and Felix of…?"

"Of?" It took Ashe a few moments to figure out what the young lord was asking. "Oh, we're from…uh…you wouldn't know it, milord."

The answer didn't seem to satisfy Seliph, but he didn't press the issue. "And what is this 'something terrible' you saw? Did the empire attack your home? Abduct your people?" His lips pinched together, expression turning grim. "Or perhaps, the Loptr cultists have renewed the child hunts? I was hoping we'd have a little more time…"

Abductions? Child hunts? Ashe thought, outwardly paling. What in the Goddess's name is going on in this world?

"N-no, that's not it," Ashe said. Seliph let out a short sigh, his shoulders relaxing with the movement, but Ashe knew his relief wouldn't last for long. "It's…something much worse than that, I'm afraid."

Ashe explained as much as he could about the situation at hand without delving into too many, potentially curse-triggering specifics. Felix jumped in when Ashe struggled to find a way to safely share information about the invisible soldiers and their master in the world-that-shall-not-be-named.

A heavy silence fell over the entire room after they finished. Seliph shared a bewildered look with Oifey and Shannan, eyes wide and unblinking. Azelle was scratching the back of his neck, head turned away from Ashe and Felix like he was embarrassed to be associated with them, and Julia…

A chill slithered up his spine. Gone was the timid but kind expression she had worn while pouring tea; now, her eyes were glazed over, distant, as though she were staring through them. Staring at something no one else could see.

He shivered again. Because of the frigid weight of his wet clothes, of course, and not because of the unsettling gaze she had trained on him and Felix. Definitely not.

"…So," Seliph finally broke the silence, "you're saying that an army of dead people has been sent by a mad dragon you can't name to invade other worlds so they can…kill other dragons?"

"And capture them," Ashe added, tearing his eyes away from Julia's stare. "Or capture people with strong connections to them and other god-like beings, probably so the mad dragon can absorb their powers. We don't know exactly what their end goal is, but whatever it is, it can't be good."

"…Right…"

"So that's why we need to find a way to stop the fighting here, milord. If the invisible soldiers come to your world, and they catch you and the empire struggling against each other, both sides weakened from battle…you'll all be overrun." Ashe glanced out the window, swallowing hard at the sight of the endless downpour. "Forced to join the ranks of the dead."

"…Mhm."

Seliph cleared his throat and waved Oifey over to his side. They whispered to each other, exchanging frowns and short nods, before Seliph turned back to them with a strained smile.

"I think your travels have made you weary," he said. "We'll have some warm baths drawn for you, and have someone prepare a few spare rooms for you to stay the night with us so you can recover from your journey in the storm. A few hours of rest and a hot meal might help you restore your…er…mental faculties."

Disgruntled, Felix leaned over and whispered into Ashe's ear, "Is that the polite way of calling us crazy?"

"I think so," Ashe sighed. It wasn't an unexpected reaction—their story was crazy; Ashe couldn't deny that—but it was still frustrating nonetheless. What could they do to convince them of the severity of the encroaching threat?

"Are you sure it's safe to let all of them stay here?" Shannan asked, not-so-subtly glaring at Azelle through the corner of his eyes.

"As far as I can tell, Lord Azelle hasn't done anything to warrant our distrust. The only thing he seems to be guilty of is sharing blood with the emperor." Seliph undid the clasps of his cape, tugging it off his shoulders and offering it to Azelle as a makeshift towel. "And I won't judge him on the basis of blood alone. He's no more guilty of his brother's crimes than I am of Julius's."

Hesitantly, Azelle dabbed the lingering rainwater off his face with the light fabric and mumbled a soft, but sincere, "Thank you."

"In the meantime…" Seliph cast a quick glance over his shoulder. "Julia, could you bring over some of that tea? You all must be freezing."

Julia did not move. Instead, she stood by the table as though she had been paralyzed, spine completely straight and shoulders sitting rigid around her neck. Staring at nothing and everything all at once.

"…Julia?" The girl still did not respond. Seliph stepped toward her, panic shooting across his face. "Julia? What's wro—"

"Eight are the keys," Julia said. Her voice carried an ethereal reverb, echoing across every corner of the council room. "Four children to connect their paths."

"What are you—"

"A lion born of fire and ice." Her eyes began to glow with a radiant, golden light. The teacups rattled violently against their porcelain plates; the wood beneath them cracked and splintered. "The scion who bears my soul for a price."

"Julia! Hey!" Seliph moved to grab her shoulders, to try to snap her back to reality. As soon as his palms met her body, he gasped and snapped them back like he had just tried touching a raging fire. The air grew unbearably hot around them, crackling with a raw, spiritual energy Ashe couldn't name.

"A singer whose voice soars through the skies."

"Julia!"

"The puppet restrung by the dragon of lies."

"Seliph, get away from her!" Oifey hooked his arm around Seliph's and yanked him back, pulling his lord safely behind his body. Shannan leaped to their side with his sword drawn, but both he and Oifey seemed to be at a complete loss for what to do next. Not that Ashe had any ideas himself.

"Together we must—must—huh?"

Julia blinked, the golden glow quickly fading from her eyes. The teacups stilled. The scorching, oppressive air dissipated, as if blown away by a gentle breeze. Her cheeks blossomed a deep crimson.

"U-um, I—I don't—" Julia stammered, picking at the hem of her sleeve. "I'm sorry, I don't know why…um…a-are you hurt?"

Seliph shook his head and took a cautious step toward her, much to Oifey's and Shannan's chagrin. "We're fine, Julia, but…are you okay? That was…" He frowned at the black streaks scorched across his gloves, "…certainly something."

The girl curled into herself and dug her teeth into her bottom lip, looking incredibly small and incredibly frightened.

"Maybe we should take you to see Lewyn?" Seliph suggested. "He's usually—"

"Y-Yes! Lewyn!" With a sudden burst of energy, Julia took several hurried steps toward the doors, not meeting anyone's eyes on the way out. "I will go see Lewyn. Thank you, brother—you always know what to do."

Seliph reached a hand out to try to stop her. "Wait, you shouldn't go alo—"

Julia practically barreled out the doors and disappeared around the corner before he could finish. Seliph let his arm drop.

"…So…" Ashe fidgeted in place. Why was this world so weird? "Does she…uh…does she normally do that?"

Seliph pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "I don't know what's normal anymore."

Well, at least Ashe wasn't the only one.

"You should all get some rest," Oifey said, patting Seliph's shoulder. A comforting gesture more fatherly than one might expect from a vassal. "Prince Shannan, could you show them the way to the guest wing, then check on Julia for us? Seliph and I will finish the preparations for our march to Ulster and Leonster."

"Wait, you're still going out to battle?" Ashe asked, trying not to sound too dejected.

"We have to," Seliph said. "My cousin is counting on us arriving with reinforcements to help him fend off King Bloom's invasion of his homeland. And with the empire and the Loptr Church in disarray because of Prince Julius's disappearance, this is our chance to strike back against their reign of terror—and strike hard."

Ashe tilted his head. A prince disappearing in the middle of a war? That was unusual. "Prince Julius is…who again?"

The four men native to this world once again stared at him like he had lost his mind, but Seliph answered, regardless. "Julius is Arvis's son and heir. He's been one of the main orchestrators of the child hunts, and he's responsible for many of the miseries the empire has wrought on the people of Jugdral." He paused, contemplative, then added, "He's also my half-brother."

"Relatable," Azelle muttered under his breath.

"The rumors say he bears the major Holy Blood of Loptous, and has been harboring the soul of the dark god himself—"

"Wait, what?"

Ashe's throat tightened, panic and desperation scratching at his voice. Another person connected to a god, going missing. That couldn't be a coincidence. The invisible soldiers had already been here, or were here now collecting—or killing—their targets, which meant…

They didn't have much time.

"You can't go, milord!" Ashe pleaded. "I know it's hard to believe, but the army of the dead is coming! Only the living, united together to fight for the greater good, can stand against them, but if the living are caught squabbling with each other when they—"

"Then what would you have me do?" Seliph asked, hands balled into tight fists at his sides. "Am I supposed to just lay down my sword and surrender to the empire? You understand that doing so would mean condemning myself and my friends to death? Condemning my cousin and his people to death? Condemning the thousands of children who have been ripped from their homes by the Loptr Church to death?"

"But—"

"The empire doesn't deal in mercy. They don't care about the 'greater good'." Seliph's voice strained to hide the anger simmering beneath the image of the strong, calm, collected lord he had been trying to project. "They would sooner slaughter us than fight alongside us. Arvis proved that when he murdered my father after promising him amnesty for a crime he knew he didn't commit—all so he could steal my mother away and take Grannvale and all of Jugdral for himself!"

Oifey squeezed Seliph's shoulder. The young lord closed his eyes and forced himself to take in a long, steadying breath to recover his temper.

That had gotten very personal, very fast. At that moment, Ashe realized that helping the people of this world prepare for the invisible soldiers was going to be very, very difficult.

More calmly, Seliph said, "My apologies. It's been…a stressful day, to say the least. Worrying about my cousin's well-being, now Julia and talk of the undead…"

"You have nothing to apologize for, Lord Seliph," Azelle said, bowing his head and waving to Ashe and Felix. "Come on, we've bothered him enough for today."

Ashe sighed and, reluctantly, dragged his feet away from the young lord, but Felix did not move. He eyed Seliph a little longer, uncrossed his arms, and said, "You don't want your friends, your cousin, those children to die?"

Seliph's only answer was a stiffening jaw.

"Then you better find a way to end this war fast, peacefully or otherwise. Because when the dead arrive, and you're not ready for them, no one will be safe. Not your friends, not your cousin, not those children, the imperial soldiers, or even the emperor himself."

Felix turned sharply on his heel and made for the doors.

"By doing nothing to stop the fighting, you're condemning everyone to death."

Without waiting for Seliph to respond or react to his words, Felix shoved the doors open and left the council room. Ashe hurried to follow, running a nervous hand through his wet hair, wondering to himself…

What the hell are we supposed to do now?

—

Julia did not go to see Lewyn. At least, not right away.

She ran down the halls of Castle Melgen as fast as her legs could carry her, flying past the concerned faces of friends and strangers alike. She nearly crashed into Larcei rounding a corner wall, but before the swordswoman could ask her what was wrong Julia was already on the move again.

She couldn't stop. The images she had seen, the names she had heard, they were all quickly slipping from her mind. Already, the faces of the other children that had flashed before her eyes were already long gone.

She didn't know how or why, but she knew they were all important. Why else would her mother have appeared in her mind, trying to speak to her? Why else would that beautiful, green-haired woman Julia always saw in her dreams have appeared in her mind, trying to speak through her?

Julia tore the door to her bedroom open. She flung herself to the desk, banging her hip on its corner. Her hands scrambled for a spare piece of parchment and a stick of charcoal and, without thinking, she began to draw. Feverishly. Drawing until charcoal dust coated her palms black, drawing until the tips of her fingers stung with a sharp pain. She couldn't even see what she was drawing, her mind and hands were racing too fast for her to comprehend like she was still possessed drawing drawing drawing drawing drawing then—

She stopped.

Breathing hard, Julia dropped the charcoal stick. It clattered and cracked against the cold stone floor, breaking into two. The fog of her mind began to lift, her heart slowed to a normal pace, and the image she had drawn on the parchment became clear.

In the forefront was the woman from her dreams, hands clasped over her near-naked chest, staring up at Julia with piercing, thin-slit eyes. The eyes of a dragon (the eyes of a goddess). On the woman's right, Julia had drawn a swirl of white feathers forming the vague outline of a person; on the left, a dark orb covered with sharp, frenzied eyes Julia could still see twitching in her mind. And at the top of the page, hanging over the beautiful woman's head…

Six red eyes, stacked in pairs of two. A line split through their middles, dripping in blood.

Wait, blood? Julia turned over her hands. There was blood smeared across her fingertips, bubbling out of a series of thin cuts in the pale skin. Had she…had she done that to herself? All to color a part of the picture red?

She glanced back to the drawing. She had no idea what any of it meant, or why she had felt so compelled to draw it at all.

But when she looked at the picture, an unsettling weight built in her stomach. A small but powerful feeling that something terrible was coming…

And it was up to her to stop it.

Character Bios:

Arvis: Emperor

—Emperor of the Grannvale Empire. A cunning and ambitious man who served many years as the Duke of Velthomer and close attendant to King Azmur of Grannvale. Arvis's dreams of creating a world of eternal peace, free of persecution against those connected to Loptous, led him to scheme behind the backs of Jugdral's other prominent lords so he could take power for himself. After getting rid of all competition—including Lord Sigurd and his allies—he succeeded in becoming emperor and achieved peace, for a time…but ever since the Loptr Church has become more involved in his son's life, his hold on the empire has weakened.

—Wielder of Valflame

—Relations: Son of Victor and Cigyun (both deceased). Father of Julius, Julia, and Saias. Half-brother of Azelle. Husband (and half-brother) of Deirdre (deceased).

Julia: Light Priestess

—Princess of the Grannvale Empire. A kind and timid girl who was rescued by Lewyn of Silesse after suffering a trauma she cannot quite remember, and is now living under Seliph's care for her protection as she works to regain her memories. Every so often, she dreams of a beautiful woman with green hair, a woman she feels an odd but special connection to…

—Relations: Daughter of Arvis and Deirdre (deceased). Twin sister of Julius and half-sister of Seliph and Saias. Niece of Azelle.

Oifey: Paladin

—Tactician of the Liberation Army. As a young man he served as an advisor to Lord Sigurd, and was tasked with protecting and raising his lord's son in Tirnanog after the tragedy in Belhalla. He hopes to lead Seliph to victory against the empire…to make up for his failure to save the boy's father.

—Relations: Distant relative and guardian of Seliph.

Seliph: Junior Lord

—Rightful lord of Chalphy. A caring and thoughtful young man who is currently leading a revolution to free Jugdral from the tyranny of the Grannvale Empire and avenge the death of his father. Because he is Empress Deirdre's first-born son, many consider him to also be the rightful heir to not only Chalphy, but to all of Grannvale.

—Relations: Son of Sigurd and Deirdre (both deceased). Half-brother of Julia and Julius. Cousin of Leif and Altena.

Shannan: Swordmaster

—Prince of Isaach and general of the Liberation Army. A fierce swordsman that takes after his Aunt Ayra, who traveled with Sigurd and his army as a young boy. After failing to protect Sigurd's wife, Deirdre, from being abducted by Loptr cultists, he vowed to never let the same happen to their son. Along with Oifey, he helped raise Seliph in Tirnanog, and now protects the boy as he would his own son.

—Relations: Nephew of Ayra (deceased). Cousin of Larcei and Scáthach. Guardian of Seliph.

If you haven't heard the conversation music from the FE4 soundtrack (specifically "conversation 1"), do yourself a favor and listen. FE4 music is some of the best music in the series.

Next chapter: Decisions and sword lessons.