Phila's office felt smaller than it was. The lamp lit room had a single dark wood desk covered in neat piles of parchment in its center and a hardwood floor adorned with a deep blue rug. Twin bookshelves adorned the east and west walls and a small rack of cloth covered spears rested near a moderately sized trunk at the far end of the room.
Cordelia and Aquila sat in a pair of chairs just past the room's entrance, the two of them looking up as Nicola entered the room. The violet clad Pegasus Knight with lilac eyes gave the spearman a nod as the red clad rider offered him a weak wave. Her expression was neutral, almost doll-like from the lack of emotion present.
"I'll wait outside," Aquila announced, glancing between the wild looking Nicola and the cold looking Cordelia. She quickly exited the room and was greeted by Anna, who offered a playful wave. "Ah, you decided to stay."
"I've a reason or two for doing so," the Guardian nodded. "Why don't we catch up while they have their moment, Aquila? It has been some time."
"I would rather not, lest your oddities rub off on me, Guardian..." The two trailed off as the room shut behind them, leaving Nicola and Cordelia in silence. What felt like minutes passed before the red haired woman spoke.
"It is nice to see you, Nicola," Cordelia said, far more stiff and formal than usual. "As you can see, I am rather fine, though I may be coming down with some manner of cold." She caught herself before she sneezed.
"You're certain you're fine, Cordelia?" He didn't believe her in the slightest, but forcing the issue would do neither of them any good.
"I am. I'll take a day to rest and recover, per Aquila's instructions," the red haired woman sniffled. She'd since changed to a cleaner uniform less personalized than her original one had been. She looked better than she had when she'd arrived at the training yard, though her eyes were red and she occasionally shivered from the cold. Nicola wasn't convinced she was being fully truthful, he'd been around enough people that hid their pain behind smiles and assurances to not immediately trust them. He did it as well, but he was rather good at it with the years of experience he had. Cordelia's poker face was about as good as his in that regard, its only flaw being the fact that she had cried in the first place. He didn't blame her for that in the slightest.
"I'll come by a little later to check in on you and bring you a meal if you haven't eaten already," Nicola offered.
"I'd like that," Cordelia nodded, offering a small smile before it was replaced by a thin frown. "I must apologize, I am in neither the best nor most talkative mood at the moment. If you could fetch me a light meal and a warm drink, that would be appreciated."
"Don't worry about it, I understand exactly where you're coming from. I'll see if there's any soup available and maybe hot ch- warm milk," the spearman said rather than pry further, covering his near slip up in the process. He didn't like it when people tried to pry things from him and he wasn't going to do that to another if he could help it.
Perhaps you should.
And perhaps he should ignore the voice in his head more often than he was at the present. That'd make him feel a lot better.
You'd be worse off for it. Right, and he'd feel more sane as well. Nicola still needed to figure out what the voice was and how to permanently get rid of it, on top of researching the 'kingsfang' and getting his story together for Lissa when she returned. He hadn't done much in regard to the latter other than think about it.
If she returns, she may not.
...He also needed to actually leave before Cordelia asked why he was glaring at a wall like it had wronged him and his family name. The former summoner offered his acquaintance a quick farewell, departing from the room in time to see Aquila and Anna returning. The former offered him a sharp nod as she entered the office and shut the door behind her. Anna gestured for Nicola to follow once they were alone, though she made no efforts to walk as an ordinary person would.
"Come along," she called, leaping high into the air then propelling herself forward by kicking off of something that wasn't there. She landed atop one of the bleachers in the arena then leapt again, becoming a near spec as she made her way to Ylissetol's palace and ascended to its highest point.
Nicola blinked in response. He could do that. Probably. He could fly if the spirits of the wind granted their favor, but they were currently spent and recovering. Instead, he'd need to run and make much smaller hops to reach the same point Anna was. That was going to be an endeavor.
Cease your whining. This is perfectly within your capabilities.
You be silent. Nicola huffed to himself as he stretched his legs and limbered up. He'd cooled down enough since his bout with the Guardian that he needed to ready himself or risk pulling something. Once that was said and done, he took a deep breath and took off.
He reached the wall of the palace within a minute, wind whipping around behind him as he leapt onto the white stone wall. He scrambled up several meters of smooth stone, nearly losing his footing in the process. Deep blue sparks of electricity arced around his boots as he forced himself upwards, running up the sheer surface a short distance before he needed to jump or risk losing his traction. Several more jumps were needed in quick succession before he neared the palace's sloped roof, where he needed to vault over the building's lip to reach the central tower's top.
Anna gave him a disinterested look from beneath her hood as he huffed and puffed from exertion: running along the ground was easy, scaling walls by running was nearly as exhausting as a lightning fast duel.
"Why didn't you create a mirage of yourself and use that to help you up." the red haired traveler asked once he caught his breath. "That would have been easier, no?"
"Didn't think about it," Nicola replied honestly. It hadn't really crossed his mind. The afterimages he called when using Fjorm's style did have some substance, enough to take or deliver a blow before shattering, but he couldn't summon six or more like his instructor had been able to. He was limited to three at most and that was pushing it if they were all active at the same time. Theoretically they could support him as he traversed vertical surfaces, but that would take practice without a doubt. It would be worth it if he could get it to work, it'd give him more maneuverability and options in a fight aside from feints, misdirection and repositioning. "I'll give that a try at some point."
"If you plan on becoming a proper spear master, you'll need to think about things like that," Anna tutted. "At least you did figure out how to differentiate their actions from your own and manifest them from different positions."
"I put some amount of work in," Nicola offered.
"And it shows, but that's not gonna be nearly enough for what I imagine you plan on accomplishing," the cloaked woman remarked. The former summoner's expression darkened.
"Oh? And that would be?"
"If I had to take a stab at guessing, I'd say avenging the Order of Heroes."
It was like a cold knife was plunged into his chest. Anna was right, but he hadn't expected her to be so direct about it. He planned to... no, he was going to avenge them by killing Hel. If she somehow survived his first attempt, he'd do it again. And again. And again. He'd kill the Goddess of Death as many times as needed until the job was done.
"You'd be correct."
"Then you'll need more tricks than that up your sleeves to have even a sliver of a sliver of a chance." The words were blunt, but not untrue. If Hel could face off against the best of the Order of Heroes and give little to no effort against anyone other than the Commander, he had very little hope of taking her own on his lonesome. Perhaps the 'kingsfang' could help if he could find it or, failing that, find some way to replicate its power. He'd need more information on the weapon first, but more than that he would need to grow better with his spearmanship. How much better, he didn't know, but he'd need to surpass his instructors and the spearmasters he'd encountered at the very least.
You could always draw on your true strength. That is always an option.
It really wasn't. For one, Nicola wasn't sure he could even call out that power outside of great duress or remotely control it if he even managed to do so in the first place. He didn't want to risk losing his grasp on being normal, being a proper human rather than a weapon in the shape of a person. He could remember that rather vividly, more than the odd materials and weapons he'd worked with back in his original world. He knew for a fact that the ones that had forced him into a contract as a child had considered him a weapon among weapons. He'd been strong, but without direction for years and, until Zenith, that had worked rather well for him. That didn't mean he'd flailed around wildly, just that he'd never been given the most formal instruction of the fundamentals- he'd been forced to rely on wit, reflex, instinct and the advice from others who walked a similar path.
Even then, there was that power he could feel stirring within him even now. It wasn't his magic, that felt like a cool and calm part of himself. This was the same as that roiling feeling from before, that scrabbling of claws that bubbled up from his chest and threatened to burst forth as he fought Anna. Even after he'd pushed that down, he could still feel it trying to worm its way back to the surface. That was worrisome in its own right, but he had more pressing matters to attend to.
I do not believe that is wise, Kiran.
It wasn't but he could discuss that with Emmeryn as well. It was a lot better than hypothesizing about something he didn't understand or really want to understand.
"Ki- Nicola are you remotely paying attention or are you glaring at the horizon for some particular reason," Anna mused, drawing Nicola from his thoughts. He blinked owlishly and his face colored a moment later. He'd been doing it again.
"My apologies, I'm a little distracted." He was a lot distracted and it showed. "Could you repeat what you said?"
The red haired woman sighed. "I asked if you knew how you arrived here and why you came here in particular. You responded by making eye contact for a moment, glancing off to the horizon and gradually narrowing your eyes at it without responding. Should I assume you know how you arrived and chose, purposefully, to circumvent the gate in haste?"
The acidic undertone in Anna's voice told the former summoner that he'd need to answer quickly. The Guardian of the Gate was many things, but patient was not one of them more often than not.
"No, I don't," Nicola sighed. "In one moment I was in a mire of muck and tar and in the next I found myself waking up in the brush a few days from Ylisstol. If not for running into the Shepherds, quite literally, a short while later, I more than likely would have found myself elsewhere. If I had a choice in the matter, I wouldn't have appeared here, I'd have appeared somewhere far more familiar."
"Like Elibe, no?"
"Elibe, Magvel or Archanea. I'd see more familiar faces in any of those places, even if they wouldn't necessarily recognize me." He trailed off. Would that have been better? Perhaps, perhaps not. He missed the red haired woman choosing not to tell him that Ylisse was part of Archanea, just after the world had been broken and pieced back together. He could find that out himself. Instead the red haired woman caught his attention with another question.
"I see. If that is the case, did you flee and leave your allies to die using Breidablik?" The acidic tone became frigid. The red haired woman was less asking if he'd abandoned the Order of Heroes to save his own skin and was more so asking if he'd left her sister to die. He had not. If anything, Nicola would have died in their stead if that allowed the order to defeat Hel. Being perfectly honest, he would have preferred that.
"I did not," Nicola sighed, breathing ragged. "While Breidablik was in hand, I wasn't in a position to attempt to open a gate. Plus, even if I had, I wouldn't have made it through."
"And why is that?"
"My legs were full of arrows by that point in time, leaving me immobile. Instead I used what energy I had to try and fire Breidablik one final time, hoping to end Hel with the shot. Then your sister fell, my fiance's life was reaped and what little strength I had left faded as I saw Alfonse and Veronica fall still near me. Then, as I already explained, I found myself here. I don't know why, I don't know how, I can't even fathom the reason I'm still alive in the first place. I'd assume some form of divine providence, but it's never that simple or cruel."
Anna hummed in response, giving Nicola a severe look. She took a deep breath and massaged her eyes before giving the dark haired youth a flat, tired look. "I hate the fact that you were fully honest with me. I wanted a reason to vent my frustrations on you, to have a reason to tear into you for abandoning my sister and your allies as a coward would." She sighed bitterly. "Instead I see a lost child nearly consumed in full by a thirst for vengeance, afraid to get close to people because you fear losing them."
"I'm not-" Nicola began, only to be cut off by the red haired woman.
"Nicola." Her tone was as flat as her expression, near devoid of emotion as light failed to reach her eyes. "I know that you wear a mask to keep your emotions in check and I imagine anyone who has spent a decent amount of time with you can tell the same. You may try to hide it, but the moment you began speaking about Zenith, about how you should have died, your eyes were bright with hatred. Perhaps that was aimed at yourself or perhaps that was aimed at the one who took your friends from you. I couldn't tell you that. Instead I can tell you that should you keep hiding away your pain, your emotional turmoil and whatever else you desperately try to keep deep down, you will break. I cannot tell you when, I cannot tell you where, but you will break and the longer it takes for that to happen, the uglier things will become."
She paused to observe the youth's expression and found it schooled to neutrality.
"You're doing it even now."
"My problems are mine to bear, Anna."
"Yes, and you could share that burden with others. It isn't my place to say who you should share with, but keeping your problems to yourself and not working through them will do you no good to say the least."
"Then I will cross that bridge when I reach it. Until then, I will do what I deem fit to keep myself intact" Nicola's tone was final, he was dropping the topic then and there. Anna only sighed.
"Practicing stagnant forms won't help with that," she huffed, drawing an indignant look from the youth. "You don't need to branch out and learn more techniques from more styles, but you do need to be much more flexible and introspective in regard to what you've already learned."
"I'll have you know I'm pretty flexible. I can adapt my techniques to fit the style I'm using at any given point."
"The fact that you haven't united your styles into one and trimmed the fat, so to speak, tells me you have a long way to go. You didn't think about using your mirages to assist you in non-traditional methods, let alone prove you control that wild power that surged within you while we fought. Skill, inhuman strength and perseverance you may have, but innovation appears to be your weakness. Should you wish to continue your endeavor to avenge your allies, you will need to rectify that or you'll hardly last a few seconds against anyone who could best my sister."
Nicola didn't have a response to that. Anna was right in that regard and he honestly hated it.
You should. Having some of your weaknesses laid bare should not be enjoyable.
Some?
Would you like a list?
He would rather not have a list. Anna was giving him a tongue lashing as is, he didn't need some unknown entity inhabiting his head tearing into him as well.
"So I need to improve as a warrior and train myself mentally?"
"More or less. The next time you go out to train, I believe I'll tag along to observe and advise you. I can't train you in the slightest, you've already developed your own forms, but I can give some instruction and insights. What you do with that is ultimately up to you."
"Would sparring be more helpful in that regard?"
"No. I've an idea as to how strong you are at the moment and you're at the middle ground where I can't hold back against you for long, without risking injury to myself, but I also can't face you as I would a proper sparring partner for fear of maiming you," Anna explained. "You are not weak, but you aren't strong enough to face me being properly serious. The only who could would be Phila, due to skill rather than raw power, and perhaps the Exalt herself if she was inclined to fight."
That was news to him. Emmeryn had a presence about her, but it wasn't as intense as Phila's. Even then, Phila didn't feel particularly strong until she had addressed the entirety of the Pegasus Knights, at which point Nicola sensed that roaring blaze of heat and pressure from her that made him flinch and the power he kept at bay stirred in response. In contrast, Emmeryn had a soothing and calm presence with hints of steel within it. She was rather strong willed and was good at talking him in circles, though he wouldn't claim to be the most well spoken or best conversationalist period. His talents lay firmly in fighting, studying and some arts.
Unfortunately, he was still ultimately mediocre at the first.
You are not. If the Guardian acknowledges you, you are strong. While she did not offer you glowing praise, she did not disparage your skills either. Instead, you were told to improve. If you cannot do that or refuse to, you will be mediocre and surpassed due to your complacency.
Indeed. He did need to get stronger, strong enough to prevent history from repeating. Strong enough to prevent his tragedy from occurring ever again. He needed the strength to defeat Hel, both physically and mentally. The goddess would not play fair, she would conjure the faces of deceased loved ones and family to strike at her foes. She would force sacrifices upon those with little left to give. She would crush hope underfoot and snuff the life from all living things if she was allowed to continue. Nicola couldn't stand for that. He would not stand for it. He would defeat her, even if it cost him his life a thousand times over. Only then would he...
"Oi, you're doing it again," Anna called, drawing the former summoner from his thoughts. He shelved the train of thought he'd been going down. "Is something bothering you? Aside from... you know?"
"No."
Yes.
"Shut up."
"Excuse me?" Ah, he'd said that aloud. Stupid voice making him testy.
"Not you. I've just had some nagging thoughts come to mind and they've refused to go away."
"...You're a terrible Liar, Nicola, but I'll let it slide this time. Next time it happens you'll spill the beans on who or what you're conversing with."
She knew?
Of course she would know.
The voice sounded mildly surprised, a contrast to its normally cool and callous tone. Clearly, it hadn't been expecting that either. At least that meant it wasn't some omnipotent annoyance in his head.
Omniscient and whatever gave you that impression, Kiran?
Nicola was beginning to think it was calling him Kiran out of spite. He pushed the sarcastic response the voice gave in response out of mind.
"If I have an inkling as to who or what it is, I'll be sure to inform you."
"At the very least you have the answers to some questions," the red haired woman breathed. "Before I let you off the hook, answer me one final question. Try to, at least."
"I'll do my best?"
"Who killed my sister? Who was she fighting before she died? She never specified what the Order of Heroes was fighting when we got in touch with one another, only that she was willing to die to- Only that she wouldn't return to our home or allow me to get involved."
Nicola grew silent and shut his eyes. His mouth pinched into a thin line and he took a deep breath. When his eyes opened, the fire Anna had seen in them was at the fore, his once brown eyes flaring the same red Anna's were. "Her name was Hel and I plan on killing her."
When Nicola returned to Phila's office nearly an hour later, the Wing Commander was present poring over a set of reports. She inclined her head as the former summoner entered, bringing two large containers and a pitcher balanced in a single hand. Neither Cordelia nor Aquila were in the room, but the Wing Commander gestured for the youth to bring the containers over regardless.
"You just missed them," Phila explained. "Aquila grew tired of sitting around and convinced Cordelia to go for a walk with her. They should be back in a short period of time."
"Ah. Should I return in a short while?"
"No, you can wait here if you'd like. You've had a long day and likely need some rest."
"I'm fine."
"You are not." The Wing Commander looked up from her reports. "Perhaps you don't feel it yourself, but you look as if you are on your last legs. Do you not feel yourself shaking?"
He didn't. He'd felt exhausted when he had to scale the palace, but one he caught his breath he'd felt fine. After his conversation with Anna and even after scaling down from the tower, he'd still felt fine. That being said, he probably could have used a rest. He tended to run himself ragged without realizing it, especially when it came to helping others. He didn't mind that, but he also didn't want to just collapse.
"I may take you up on having a seat, then." He did so a moment later, leaning on his hands and sighing deeply into them. The exhaustion didn't hit him like a wave like he was expecting, instead it gradually draped his form like a cool blanket. He was going to sleep easily tonight, hopefully. Maybe he'd even dream again.
"Nicola, have you eaten at all today," Phila asked after the room settled back into peaceful silence. "We practiced flying throughout the part of the day where I normally would have gone for lunch, but I acquired food when I went into town for my investigation. Did you do the same?"
"Er..." he had to think about it. His very brief trip from the palace to the market square in the capital had been just that: brief. He acquired two portable containers for a thick and creamy 'potato soup' as it was called, but neither of those had been for him. One was for Cordelia and the other was for Aquila, assuming the latter had not eaten. He hadn't really thought to get himself more than water. The pitcher he carried had boiled milk with a dash of sugar and spices in it, though he hadn't tried the beverage himself. All of that pointed to him not having eaten. "I have not."
"Then by all means, have one of the containers of food you brought with you," the blue haired woman prompted. "Cordelia has told me that you don't eat enough when you focus on your research, often skipping meals if she does not remind you."
That wasn't untrue, but he certainly didn't like the idea of Cordelia reporting on him to the Wing commander. He understood why she would, but...
"Ah. Do not misconstrue that as me having her spy on you. She has mentioned it several times however. I do believe she cares about you, enough to have taken you under her wing so to speak."
"Under her wing? I'd think it would be the opposite."
Phila gave the former summoner an appraising look.
"No, it would be the opposite," she said smoothly, causing Nicola to frown. "Don't take that the wrong way. It means that she's invested in your wellbeing."
"I'd like to think I'm perfectly fine."
"You say, shaking and having still not eaten," Phila countered. "I may be out of place in saying this, but I believe you should take some time to relax and think rather than visit the royal archives for the next few days. It is rather easy to infer that you are looking for something in the old records, but not what. I will not pry into that subject, but I will offer some advice: focusing entirely on what is serious and important, without taking time for oneself, is how you dull yourself. In your particular case, this means your ability to retain information because you are studying to what should be an exhaustive degree."
The Wing Commander wasn't wrong there either. Today was supposed to be his day to take a break from his research, though it had rather quickly changed from a relaxing exercise day to a stressful, emotional day. He wasn't really a fan of that, not when that meant he was getting attached to people. Could he really help that though?
It's not in your nature.
He hated it when the voice was correct. He did grow attached to people easily, grew protective of them if they shared a form of camaraderie. He couldn't keep doing that though, not when he had a goal in mind.
Incorrect.
And what would you know? I certainly can't stay here and do nothing! His honor would not let him. Yes, honor. Not pain or rage or anything like that. He was honorbound to avenge the Order of Heroes, to remember those who had taken him in when he lost his home for a second time.
...For a second ti-
The former summoner clutched his head as images flashed before his eyes. He saw a dark silhouette he knew to be himself standing before a giant, then six other silhouettes. One charged him and they fought viciously until he came out victorious, standing over the broken form of his attacker. Then the other five descended, tearing apart their fallen like ravenous animals. He saw toothy smiles from the silhouettes before him, each one kneeling before him as he looked on in disgust. The images changed again and he was before the giant once more, dodging great blades of shadow that tore from spiralling voids in the overcast sky. He reached the being and stabbed it through the chest, feeling his heart constrict as a sorrowful cry rang out from behind him. Then he was surrounded again, now by ten silhouettes fighting against one another. One dove at him in a mad frenzy, matching him blow for blow and he fought defensively. Another silhouette broke from the fight to attack his assailant, but he beheaded them in a swift motion and continued to weather the strikes aimed at him. The scene changed again, now with him floating in a pitch black space near a fading white silhouette. He reached out to the figure and spoke to it, imparting a small part of himself as his heart constricted a second time. The scene flickered and the white figure stood before him, blocking the figure that had been fighting him in such a frenzy before the scene changed once more. He was surrounded by four beasts, each far larger than him. They roared and raged, striking at him with ferocity and malice that no mere beast could muster forth. Then he was before the giant again, with six figures behind him. He led a charge against it, hopping between the blades it summoned from the sky as he approached. They clashed, his weapon against a summoned weapon from the colossal being, then everything went white.
When Nicola blinked away the images, he found the Wing Commander helping him up from the ground. He didn't recall falling, but he must have as those images played back in his mind. Were those memories? They were vague, hazy and all too unhelpful if they were. Even then, they felt jumbled and out of order, like he was missing something aside from who everyone had been.
"I believe I will no longer ask you to eat, Nicola," Phila stated as she helped him back to his seat, her matter of fact tone telling him it was an order.
"But that's Aquila's share."
"Aquila, though she would likely appreciate the sentiment, is more than capable of providing food for herself and has likely already eaten. You have not. Take care of yourself before I'm forced to feed you myself." The way the blue haired woman narrowed her eyes told him she would do so if she had to. She would take no pleasure in doing so, but she would regardless. Why?
"Because you currently remind me of a very stubborn person I'm rather close with," the older woman answered when the former summoner asked, pushing a container of potato soup into his hands. "If they are not busy with paperwork or putting out figurative fires, they are neglecting their wellbeing to take care of others. The difference between them and yourself is that you appear to be less stubborn by a slim margin. Now eat before I make good on my promise."
The tanned youth did so begrudgingly for the first few spoonfuls. That changed rather quickly and soon the large container was empty of the creamy, cheesy soup. It had been surprisingly sour, but not to an unpalatable degree. The potato chunks were complemented by carrot chunks and a green herb Nicola was unfamiliar with. The sour cheese used in the soup was similarly unfamiliar to him, but the small pieces of bacon were not. He hadn't had bacon in years, back when he'd been together with his actual family.
He felt far better after the meal and made a note to return to that particular vendor on another day to try more of their food selection. It helped that they were one of the scant few that hadn't raised their prices for him due to rumors from the church. Probably. At least he felt like they hadn't. That in itself was a reason to return.
"You look better now," Phila commented. "Before I was concerned that you would try to return to your room only to fall unconscious as you made your way there. Now I imagine you could make it back there with some minor assistance."
"I'm really not that tired, Phila. The soup did help in that regard, but I could have made it there on my own had I not eaten." The look the Wing Commander gave him told him she did not believe him in the slightest.
At that moment, Aquila and Cordelia made their return. The duo gave Phila matching salutes before the older woman signaled for them to stand at ease.
"Welcome back Nicola," Cordelia greeted, face now perfectly schooled to neutrality.
"Sir Apollonia," Aquila nodded, gesturing for Cordelia to take a seat.
"Cordelia, Aquila." he returned the greeting before pointing over to the remaining container of soup. "That soup is yours, Cordelia. It might be somewhat heavy, but it's a rather filling meal. I initially grabbed another container for you Aquila, but I needed to put something on my stomach."
The violet haired woman waved him off. "I appreciate it, but there was no need to do that. If anything, it appears you needed the meal far more than I would have."
Gah, did he look that out of it? Judging by the mildly concerned looks from two of the taciturn women in the room, he likely did.
"I see..." Nicola omitted saying he'd try to do better in the future. It wasn't that he wouldn't, but that it was hard for him to recognize the ends of his stamina until he was far past them. If he was helping others, he could go even further beyond that but that wasn't a good thing. He knew distinctly that it wasn't a healthy thing to do, the issue was he never felt that until it was too late.
Nicola mulled over things for some time, giving Cordelia time to eat her share of the food and try the now cooling milk beverage. Once she was done, Nicola looked up and gave the red haired woman a curious glance. She looked a bit better and some color had returned to her face, which was good. He offered Cordelia a tired smile and she met it with a small, warm smile in turn. That was good, at least she seemed to be in a better place than earlier in the day.
"Feeling better on your end I take it," Nicola said after another moment, earning a hum of agreement from the red haired woman. "That's good to hear. Do you still want to go running tomorrow or would you prefer to wait another day or two?"
"I'd prefer to wait, honestly. You already know I'm less than fond of running, but I'm willing to give it an attempt once my head clears a little more. I think you should do what I plan on doing tomorrow, taking the day to rest and recuperate."
That would be smart. He probably wasn't going to do that. Resting, when he wasn't bedridden, never really appealed to him. He was much more likely to go around the capital and help people out as needed for no cost. Hopefully. So long as the church didn't impede him and civilians didn't attack him, he was fine with everything else they did. It was menial, petty and ultimately silly and lacking in consequences that he really cared about so far. He genuinely hoped they would keep their distance. He didn't want to hurt or destroy them.
Nicola chose to return to his room with no escort that evening. He didn't want to put any undue stress on Cordelia, especially on the off chance one of the knights who had gone after her indirectly wanted to try confronting her directly on her way back to her lodgings. Similarly, he didn't want to bring Aquila along, not when the older woman clearly had more important things to do. He did want to spar with her some day proper, the events at the end of the day had prevented that, but perhaps another time, once things were less tense in regard to her order. Phila was a flat no in the escort regard, no questions asked, and he really didn't need an escort in the first place. It was really more of a formality at this point, from his first few days in the halidom.
He passed by the palace's walled garden and paused as he saw the familiar form of the Exalt gazing at the stars from within. The normally serene looking woman watched the sky with a worried expression on her face, firmly clutching her hands together. Was it his place to check on her? Probably not, considering he wasn't one of her guards or a member of the castle staff. If anything, he was courting some form of disaster if he chose to approach her. Perhaps it was best to not...
Nicola's eyes narrowed. Why was the Exalt on her lonesome in the first place? Even without Phila, she should have still had guards nearby. The fact that she didn't was concerning, but perhaps they were hidden nearby?
No. It was just the Exalt. Why?
"Lady Emmeryn?"
The blonde haired woman started, looking Nicola's way. "Oh! I wasn't aware that you were there Nicola. Did you arrive recently?"
"I was passing by on my way to my chambers," he replied, frowning. The Exalt seemed off. "Are you alright, Lady Emmeryn?"
"I am somewhat worn out from the day, but not enough to have not noticed you calling me 'lady'." She looked over at him. "Or the fact that you appear to be wearing a modified uniform for one of the halidom's Pegasus Knights. Did Phila recruit you? She has always had an eye for talent."
"Recruit to her order? No. I simply helped out today and requested to borrow a uniform. I'll be washing this and returning it tomorrow."
"I see. Then again that makes sense, pegasi are not fond of men." She tilted her head, as if trying to recall something. "Hm, then why would I think that Phila recruited you in the first place? I know for a fact that she would not. Train you, perhaps, but not recruit."
The Exalt appeared to be in deep thought, but the odd feeling Nicola had did not lessen. Emmeryn seemed not quite there, which he found strange. The Exalt didn't seem like the type of person to be airheaded when not busy. This felt more like she was addled or-
"Emmeryn." The Exalt hummed to herself in response to Nicola's call, seeming to not hear him. "Emmeryn."
"Hm? Is something the matter Phi-" The Exalt blinked several times as she looked at him. "Oh, my apologies, Nicola. I appear to have... lost myself?"
Her expression turned to a frown, matching the grim look that spread across the former summoner's face. He focused on the ruler, eyes closing as he exhaled deeply. When they opened, they were a deep blue and they told him a single thing: The Exalt was poisoned. Not by something meant to kill, but by something meant to confuse and make one more receptive to others Whatever the effect was, she appeared to be fighting it off, harder now that she realized something was off with herself.
"Emmeryn, where are your guards? I can understand that Phila is busy at the moment, but what of the others?"
"I sent them away in my stupor," she replied with a furrowed brow. Sea green light rose from her form and a cool, soothing aura spread from her as she gradually cleansed herself of the poison. That was when the glint of steel flashed towards her.
Nicola reached Emmeryn before the blade did, eyes flashing as he intercepted the weapon with his bare hand on reflex. Sharp pain lanced through his palm as a keen blade pierced through it, but he deadened the sensation immediately as he spun the Exalt behind him with his free hand. He wasn't expecting the blade to burn and ignite with white and blue flame moments later, forcing him to tear the blade from himself and hurl it back at the unknown assailant. He struck a marble pillar instead of a person, the attacker having vanished into the dar-
To your left!
Nicola whirled around and lashed out with his injured hand. There was a short cry of surprise followed by a wet crunch as his hand pierced through a thin layer of metal and partway through the chest of the assailant before he could stop himself. He retracted the limb hastily as the attacker, clad in a black garb with a dull grey chestplate, fell back, clutching their chest. Damn, he hadn't meant to do that.
"Move Nicola," Emmeryn commanded, brushing past him to reach the darkly clad figure. She assessed their injury in moments and placed a hand over their chest. Without a sound, the claw-like marks across their chest knit themselves back together and the dull chest plate sealed itself shut, starling the assailant. They moved to get away from the Exalt, but she gave them no chance to do so.
"Sleep," she barked, emerald orbs flaring as the attacker's eyes rolled back and their body went limp. She sighed. "It appears I must apologize to you, Nicola."
"Why? You didn't do anything wrong there. Why would you apologize for someone trying to assassinate you?"
"Because they were not here for me," she answered. "They were here for you."
What? That made no sense, unless...
"I imagine dragging out the head of the church here and slugging them across the face would be considered sacrilege," Nicola growled. That was a rather bold move on the church's part and not one he'd forgive them for. Did one of their agents also poison the Exalt? No, that seemed entirely outside of what they would do unless they were trying to depose her. But even then, they would still need to get through Chrom and Lissa as well, so their timing was off to say the very least.
"It would be and I could not allow you to do that," Emmeryn nodded, eyes sharp as a blade now. "Instead, I will need to have a talk with them in regard to having their agents assault my guests. If Phila was here, I do believe heads would be rolling now."
"I'd be inclined to aid the Wing Commander in that regard," the young man grumbled, earning a more cross look from the Exalt.
"That is precisely why I cannot allow you to do that. Instead, let me treat your injury and handle this issue. You need not get involved." There was a sharp note in Emmeryn's clipped words. It wasn't that she was going to do nothing and try to smooth things over with the church, No, she was angry and Nicola could feel the cool and serene aura about her becoming far more glacial and bladed. In the distance he felt the temperature rise to an impressive degree, then fall back to normal. That would have been Phila. She'd picked up on something and was-
"Lady Emmeryn, I am here," the Wing Commander said, appearing from a hallway not far from the walled garden. Her eyes glowed like a sea of flames in contrast to Emmeryn's cool blue eyes. How in the actual hell did she get here from across the palace in seconds? She couldn't have flown and everyone would have felt it if she'd ran here in that span of time, most of the glass in the area would have shattered and everyone would have been deafened or blown off their feet. Then... did she teleport? Nicola only knew two people capable of doing that and one was dead. The other, he hadn't seen in a very long time and they scared him to say the least.
"Phila, I'm fine,"Ememryn began. "I was not before. It appears that my tea supply was tampered with and will need to be thrown out. Nicola helped me realize it had been tainted with Whispermere."
The blue haired woman nodded, then looked to the unconscious figure on the ground. "And the assassin?"
"They were after Nicola. I found out as much when I healed them." Emmeryn looked back to Nicola. "Speaking of, allow me to mend your hand before that injury of yours becomes serious."
"Right." He presented his hand to the Exalt and looked away, hand throbbing with pain despite him having deadened his senses in the limb. When he didn't feel the telltale sensation of soothing warmth washing over the injury, he realized something was wrong.
"Nicola, answer me this," Emmeryn began, drawing his attention. He did not like her tone of voice in the slightest as he turned his head to meet her gaze. "Are you human in your entirety?"
Her eyes trailed down and he looked down to where she was looking. It was his right hand, or what had once been. In its place was a thick jet black limb. From his shoulder to his elbow were small and fine black scales overlapping like those of a snake or fish. From his elbow and below were thicker larger scales flaring out like some sort of pinecone, some marred with a familiar haunting blue glow in the form of veins or cracked. His five fingers were replaced by five clawed digits, with each claw the size of a small dagger. All five claws glowed with the same ethereal blue, pulsing on occasion.
"...Ah." he managed as revulsion welled up at the sight of the limb. His arm was gone. He wasn't normal. His arm was gone. It was happening again. His arm was gone. He hadn't lost himse- His arm was gone!
Nicola met Emmeryn's gaze once again, blinking slowly. He was suddenly very tired, the day's fatigue finally slamming into him like an iron wall. Perhaps it would be best for him to sleep...
The Exalt and the Wing Commander weren't ready for him to faint while standing. Neither of them envied the task of dragging him back to his borrowed chambers, but it was either them or risk sending all of the castle's servants into a panic. That would be a far larger hassle.
"Should I call Aquila. Milady?"
"If she is unoccupied, that would be lovely, Phila."
The more levelheaded and steady hands they could get, the better.
A/N: Format Change ahoy! I'll be moving future Author's Notes to the bottom of chapters so that you all can read the chapter first then see my ramblings, then vice versa.
Not much happens in this chapter, at least on the surface. This more of a prelude to the next small arc for the first part of the story as things start to explore more and more of the world's impact on Nicola and the things he tries to keep hidden before thy ultimately come to a head. The next chapter will feature the return of a large chunk of the main cast and will move things along until the second and third major events occur.
With that said, if you do like this story and want to find more stories by other authors for Fire Emblem and other fandoms alike(many more talented than myself by a decent margin), swing by the Fanfiction Treehouse Discord Server (Code: 9XG3U7a). There are plenty of brilliant writers there in the process of telling their own stories or having already told their stories. It's a pretty nice place and there are plenty of chill people willing to talk about writing, gaming and a tonne of other things. They also have a Podcast on Spotify called the Fanfiction Treehouse Podcast and a YouTube channel by the same name (Fanfiction Treehouse) if either interests you.