Endless blankets of snow bequeathed the countryside with its freezing, glacial presence. The sky was covered with heavy, gray clouds, which were continually releasing droplets of snow onto the world below. Thick layers of white formed on the ground as a result of the never-ending snowfall, also enveloping the nearby trees. Not a single section of the earth was free from the cold grip of the climate.

Despite this, a pair of men with tanned skin waded through the snow with little issue. Their muscular chests were out in the open for all to see, as were the iron axes they wielded in their left hands. Both of them were holding a single considerable cluster of wooden logs each underneath their right arms. The men were covered in snow, as were their weapons and the logs they carried, yet this did not deter them - not in the slightest.

Like a pair of battle-hardened warriors, the men crushed the snow underneath their bare feet as they walked onward.

"The snow is very strong today," one of them said with a stoic tone of voice and facial expression. "Stronger than it has been before."

The other man grunted, kicking aimlessly at the frozen white. "Still very weak. It will never break us."

"No, it won't. If we died because of it, then we would never be considered true Feroxi."

"Of course." The second man nodded. "Let's return to Khan Basilio - quickly."

The two men, citizens of the kingdom of Regna Ferox, hurried along their straightforward path. Any sign of civilization was a far way out, which meant they had a long way to go before they could reach their destination. Such a journey failed to have any negative effect on the mental states of the two Feroxi.

Instead, they took it in stride. They took it as an opportunity to train their bodies, using every step to better the strength of their legs, while also using the weight of the logs to provide a decent workout for their arms. Sometimes, along their journey, they would stop so they could swap over the logs to their other arm, which allowed them to give both of their arms the same kind of workout. It helped that the walk itself was good for their bodies overall.

But as the two waded through the heavy snow en route to their home city, one of them suddenly stopped, turning his head toward the left, having caught something out of the corner of his eye.

"That…" He narrowed his eyes and leaned closer, attempting to get a better look at what he saw. "Is a person."

An unknown, black-clothed, white-skinned figure stood out amongst the blank whiteness of the snow.

"One of ours?" The first man asked.

"I cannot tell. It could be one of those brigands we've had to deal with lately. You know the ones."

"Ah, the ones that have been posing as Ylissean royalty? Hmph. You could be right. If you are-"

"Then it's our duty to stop them."

The two Feroxi nodded at each other before rushing toward the body that was facedown in the snow. After reaching it, which was only a short distance away from the snow-covered path they were following, they inspected the body while holding onto their axes and logs.

"He looks like a Ylissean," the first Feroxian commented. "But he isn't royalty, that much is clear. Has to be a brigand."

"Most likely. Though, for a brigand, he has some very…interesting armor." The second Feroxi pointed at the almost all-black armor the individual was wearing, as well as the weapon that was on the snow by his open hand. "And I've never seen an axe like that before."

"It's got a strange glow to it…is that magic? An enchanted axe? Where did this brigand get such a thing from?"

"Must've been lucky on a raid or something. There's no way he could've gotten it legitimately."

"Right. If that's the…wait."

The first Feroxian frowned.

"How did this guy get here? If he's from Ylisse, he must've snuck through the Longfort. But if he did that, how'd he end up here? Wouldn't he be closer to the south?"

"That's impossible." The other man scoffed. "Captain Raimi would never let someone sneak through the Longfort. She'd find them instantly and then kill them on the spot for daring to try."

"You're right, but I can't think of anything else that explains this whole thing. They might be from Valm instead, though I hear security is very tight over at the ports over there. I doubt this guy could've snuck on a ship there, hid through the whole journey, then snuck back out of the ship at West Port Ferox - all without being seen. It just doesn't make sense."

"Ugh…" The second Feroxian sighed. "Damn duties. We'd be home by now if it weren't for this."

"You know we have to do this. If we let this guy go, he could end up causing a lot of problems for Khan Basilio. And if the Khan found out that we were the ones that let him cause those problems, who knows what'd happen to us?"

"Tch. I know all that already. I'm not stupid. Let's just take him to the Khan. He can decide what to do."

The first Feroxian shrugged.

"Works for me."

As such, the two Feroxi decided to split up the load. One of them carried the unconscious person while the other got to carry the unusual, glowing axe. It turned out that the black-haired individual also had a shield as well as a sword with a jagged blade, both of which also possessed the same purple glow as the axe. As soon as one of the Feroxi held onto the three strange weapons, a feeling of rejuvenation came over them.

It was as if the weapons themselves were healing him somehow.

Regardless of it all, the Feroxi duo resumed their journey home, hardly hindered by the increased weight of the unconscious foreigner and his weird weapons. Before long, their destination was within view.

It was a massive city, surrounded by tall ramparts that kept out any would-be besiegers. Guards were posted around the outer walls, ready to defend the city at a moment's notice. All the buildings and structures were made with a dull, brown-beige stone that stood out tremendously against the pure white snow that covered the entire area. Toward the far end of the city was a gigantic, circular structure that appeared to be the main focal point of the place.

The two men had returned to Arena Ferox.

After returning to their home, the two Feroxi informed the guards protecting the gate of the situation at hand. The wooden logs were transferred over to the guards and the men were permitted to see the Khan, though with supervision from one of the guards. Once all the arrangements were made, three Feroxi people were wandering through the lengthy streets of the snowbound Arena Ferox.

They were stopped at the entrance of the circular structure, which was the titular arena. The guard that was with the other two Feroxi informed the guards that were posted at the arena's front gates about what was going on. Quickly complying, the arena guards allowed the three through.

Which is what led the three to enter the throne room on the very top floor of the arena. Inside, a man of high status sat atop the modest, silver throne, immediately jumping down to meet the three once they entered.

He smiled.

"So," Khan Basilio began, adjusting his eyepatch so it wouldn't fall off as he stretched, "what's going on here, eh?"

"My Khan." The guard bowed. "These men found a suspicious person somewhere outside Arena Ferox. He's unconscious, so we haven't been able to determine much about him if anything at all. We've brought him to you for your wisdom."

"Hmm…" Basilio put a hand to his chin. He pointed to the man that was slumped over the shoulder of one of the other Feroxi. "Is that him?"

"Yes, that's him. Again, we weren't able to find out anything about him, aside from the fact that he's very well armed and is clearly not one of us," the guard answered. "We think he may be one of those bandits that's been tormenting us for the past few months."

Basilio raised an eyebrow. "Got any evidence backing up that assumption?"

"Well, no, but-"

The Khan frowned, a hint of anger behind his visage. It single-handedly quietened the guard. Basilio beckoned the three to him.

"Lemme see him." He motioned to the floor. "I'd tell you to put him on a bed, but you don't find those in throne rooms, so the carpet will have to do. Put him down here."

The Feroxi warrior that was carrying the body nodded and proceeded to follow the Khan's instructions. Carefully, he lowered the foreigner to the floor in front of Basilio and quickly stepped back, giving his superior some space.

Silently, Basilio inspected the body.

"He's a warrior. I can see it in his eyes. He's seen his fair share of battles. And those weapons of his…" Basilio looked at the weapons one of the Feroxi was holding, then grinned. "Heh. I think we've got someone special on our hands."

"What are we going to do with him?" The guard asked.

Basilio crouched slightly and tapped the black and gray robes the unconscious one was wearing. A small metallic sound came from the contact.

"Looks like ordinary clothing, but it's actually some pretty heavy armor. Whoever this guy is, he certainly knows a thing or two about combat. Judging by how big his muscles are, he seems pretty strong. He could be useful…"

"My Khan! You're not suggesting-"

Basilio raised a hand, silencing the guard's concerns. "Of course, it'll depend on how strong he actually is. For all I know, he could be the weakest guy around and those muscles of his are just for show. Won't know for sure until he wakes up. When that happens, I'll-"

Murmurs came from below. Basilio and the other Feroxi people gazed at the body, watching the stranger stir around on the blue carpet.

"A-Agarthans…" The black-haired man spoke with a venomous, exhausted tone. He let out a gigantic yawn, stretching his arms out as far as they could go.

Lucas was slowly awakening. He blinked as some semblance of vision started to return to him.

"Where…?"

His eyes suddenly widened.

"The Agarthans!"

Quickly rising and standing upon his feet, surprising Basilio and the other Feroxi in the process, Lucas instinctively reached for Labraunda, yet all he felt was air.

"What? Labraunda…where is it?!"

"Uh, hello there?" Basilio tried to speak to Lucas, but he didn't listen.

Instead, he was hurriedly searching the immediate area for his Sacred Weapons. He was undisturbed by his change of locale, focusing solely on finding what he thought he needed. He soon found his weapons in the grasp of one of the Feroxi trio. All of his weapons, including the Seiros Shield, were being held by someone that was a stranger to him.

He angrily frowned at the stranger.

"Give them back," he said, a hint of fury in his voice.

"Um…?" The Feroxi warrior glanced at Basilio, who scratched his bald head as he thought about the situation at hand.

Before Basilio could come up with something, Lucas took action. He grabbed the head of the axe, glaring at the Feroxi man that was holding it, and yanked with only a sliver of his overall strength.

It was enough to rip Labraunda out of his grasp and send the man falling to the ground, much to everyone's surprise. The sheer speed and lack of forewarning behind the maneuver were enough to cause the Feroxian to drop the remainder of Lucas' weapons, which he proceeded to pick up and fasten to his person.

The Seiros Shield returned to his leftmost arm while the Sword of Seiros went back to its sheath on the left side of his hip.

"That's some nice strength you have there," Basilio remarked. The unexpected voice prompted Lucas to turn around so he could listen properly. "Mind telling me your name, friend?"

Lucas remained quiet.

"Alright, fine. Be that way. Just so you know, friend, you're in the kingdom of Regna Ferox, and I'm its leader, Khan Regnant Basilio. I'm the one in control of everything around here, essentially. There's a council I need to pay attention to, but I'm still the one in charge. There's a reason I have this position."

"Regna…Ferox?" Lucas frowned, though his expression emanated an aura of confusion rather than anger. "I…I think I've heard that before."

"Heh, I should hope so. I'd be surprised if you'd never heard of our kingdom before. You'd have to be seriously sheltered or something if that were the case."

Lucas said nothing, anger returning to him.

"Look," Basilio continued. "I can tell you're not from around here, friend. You're not one of my people, and you're not a Plegian, either. Judging by your fancy looking armor there, you're either from Valm or Ylisse. I need to know where you're from and how you got here. Either way, somehow, it seems like my border security failed, so I'll probably need to make some changes…"

The wielder of Labrunda raised a brow, which prompted Basilio to do the same in return.

"I do not know what Valm and Ylisse are. Neither do I know what a Plegian is."

Basilio's eye widened. "Wha…? You're not serious, are you? How do you not know what they are? Where are you even from?"

"Fódlan."

Basilio froze out of sheer confusion, as did the other Feroxi people, after the one that fell because of Lucas got back on his feet.

"Fódlan? Where's that?" Basilio asked.

"It's…" Lucas frowned confusedly again.

"Don't know, huh? I'm guessing that means you don't know how you got here, either."

Lucas' silence was the confirmation Basilio needed. As he thought to himself, he closed his eyes in deep contemplation.

"Zanado, the Agarthans…that thing." His frown deepened. "That light blue void. I was chasing the Agarthans at Zanado, then I stepped into the void. Now I'm here."

His knuckles flared white.

"Sothis, Byleth…I think I understand what happened now."

Nobody responded to him, the black void of his mind remaining quiet. Lucas reopened his eyes and stared at Basilio.

"I…am from another world."

Basilio blinked. "What?"

"Another world. Those places you mentioned, Ylisse, Ferox, and Valm…they do not exist where I'm from. Fódlan doesn't exist here, either. The only explanation for this is that this place, and Fódlan, are separated from each other."

The Khan scratched the side of his head.

"I don't follow. This 'Fódlan' place…doesn't exist here? But clearly, it must exist somewhere, considering you're here. Unless you're trying to pull some prank on me. In which case, that won't work."

"It's not a prank. I stepped through a portal in chase of some…" Lucas bared his fangs, maintaining his anger. "Enemies of mine. Now I am here. I-"

He gasped, halting every other thought process he was going through. One person was on his mind.

"Dorothea." Lucas shivered. "Is she back in Zanado…?"

"That someone you know?" Basilio wondered, folding his arms. He was taken aback when Lucas turned around on the spot. "Wha-hey! What are you doing?"

Glaring at the two Feroxi behind him as if to silently demand them to move aside, Lucas stopped moving when Basilio asked his question.

"I will search this world for her…until the very end of my life."

A mix of confusion, astonishment, and mild anger taking control of him, Basilio made a choice. As Lucas was about to start heading out of the throne room to begin his search, the Khan quickly power-walked over and put a hand on his shoulder. Lucas stopped as soon as Basilio's hand latched onto him.

He scowled.

"Why are you getting in my way…?!" Lucas questioned, fiercely gripping Labraunda's hilt.

"Because I'm not about to let you make the worst decision of your life, friend."

Lucas grunted. "Grrr…! How dare you!"

Using an arm, he smacked Basilio's hand away from his shoulder while turning around to glare furiously at him.

"You don't understand! I need to find her…I need her by my side! She is my wife!"

"That may be so, but do you honestly think you'll be able to find her on your own? I may not understand this whole business about other worlds or whatever, but it's clear to me that you don't know a damn thing about this place. Heck, you didn't even know Regna Ferox existed! If you don't know what any of the neighboring kingdoms are or who their leaders might be, then how the hell do you expect to find your wife?"

Basilio countered Lucas' scowl with an assured look that radiated authority and strength.

"Not to mention, you're still going to need food and water. Were you really planning on heading out there without the supplies you need to survive? How damn stupid can you be?!"

"I-" Lucas tried to respond but was cut off.

"Just shut up for a moment, alright? Let me finish," Basilio interrupted him. "Listen, I can tell this 'Dorothea' person is important to you. Believe me, friend, when I say that I understand that feeling completely. I may not know your wife, but I get the idea you two are pretty close. And if that's the case, why the hell would you allow yourself to die before ever finding her again?! Wouldn't that just make her sad?! Do you want that to happen?!"

Lucas paused, lightly gasping in surprise as Basilio calmed down. Sensing it to be the right thing to do at that moment, Basilio let go of Lucas' shoulder, allowing him some time to think everything over.

He used his time wisely.

"I…don't want to make her upset," he said, weakly. "I want to live…so we can see each other again."

"That means you won't just head out there without a plan?" Basilio asked.

Lucas turned away. "I don't know what else to do. I know little about this world."

"Well," the Khan grinned, pointing a thumb at himself, "I can always help you out. But it won't be for free."

Arching a brow, Lucas refocused his gaze onto Basilio.

"What do you mean?"

Basilio quickly morphed his self-pointing thumbs up into a finger pointed solely at Lucas. "Tell me, friend. How strong are you? Would you say you're particularly skilled in combat?"

"I have…" Lucas glanced at his rightmost arm, covered by the sleeve of his black robes. His gaze briefly became melancholic. "Some power."

"Better than nothing, I suppose," Basilio commented under his breath. He raised his voice back to a normal speaking level. "That'll work." He walked past Lucas, as well as the three Feroxi that were still in the throne room - the Khan promptly dismissed them. "Come with me, friend. I want to see just how strong you are."

"Very well."

Without any further complaints from Lucas, Basilio led him out of the now-empty throne room. Though, since Lucas' anger was no longer being verbalized, it was all being contained within him. It wasn't so easily subsided.

Yet, Lucas did his best to ignore the conflict being waged within his heart - for the sake of Dorothea.

Basilio ended up leading Lucas to a distant corner of the building they were in, what the Khan described as 'the royal castle', even though it was merely an arena. They had to walk through several elongated, curved hallways and down a couple of staircases, but eventually, they reached the place Basilio was looking for.

It was a rather spacious side room made completely out of the same dark beige stone used for the rest of the arena building. The room itself was filled to the figurative brim with training dummies, weapon racks, archery targets, everything a warrior would need for their training. A few people were already inside the training area, making use of the facilities available within.

They all turned toward Basilio and Lucas when they entered, astonished.

"Well, here's our training quarters. We've got the finest equipment in all the land here. The best training grounds you'll ever see in the entirety of the kingdom," Basilio remarked. "The Feroxi people are considered to be a kingdom of fierce warriors. Places like this are what help us maintain that image."

"What is it you want me to do here?" Lucas wondered as he gazed around at the vast training area.

"The best way to get to know someone around here is to cross weapons with them. Since we know very little about one another, and I want to see your strength…" Basilio unsheathed an axe he had behind himself. "Fight me."

"Fight you?" Lucas hesitated slightly, evidently disturbed by something. "If that's what you wish."

"It is what I wish. Come on, let's go over here…"

Continuing to take the lead, Basilio brought Lucas over to a secluded corner of the room, one that was spacious enough for a sparring session and wasn't already occupied. The other people in the training grounds stopped paying attention to the two at this point, though some of them glanced over at random intervals of time, curious to see how the situation was developing.

Lucas, who still had Labraunda firmly in his right-handed grip and the Seiros Shield on his left arm, watched as Basilio got into an intimidating battle-ready stance. He certainly seemed prepared for a fight, but its intended intimidation tactic did not affect Lucas.

"Ready when you are, friend."

The British man let out a deep sigh, the image of his wife's pleasant visage appearing in his mind.

"Dorothea, guide me…" Lucas returned Basilio's gaze. "I'm ready."

"Alright. Time to show me what you've got, pal!"

Without much of a warning, Basilio charged straight ahead at a speed Lucas hadn't anticipated. However, he was able to focus before his opponent could get anywhere near him, thus he had plenty of time to react. Seeing the sight of a very powerful-seeming warrior shoot toward him was enough to trigger some kind of reaction within Lucas. It caused him to shake and hesitate in fear, time slowing down for him as this happened.

He envisioned himself somewhere far away. On the Great Bridge of Myrddin, which hung over the Airmid River, as he stared down at the purple-haired, noble student he was forced to kill. Lucas then found himself among the streets of the Aquatic Capital, Derdriu, crouching over the body of one of his former students who was but a mere victim to the cruelty of the second Flame Emperor.

He then saw another body in a different environment, a certain gray-haired commoner who was fighting for the legacy of the man who once took care of him. He was also forced to witness the lifeless, bloody corpses of the wolves whose lives were ended in shackles, their freedom stolen from them. Later, he saw the body of the Blade Breaker, the man that helped him out in his earlier days in Fódlan.

Finally, he saw the body of countless, alternate versions of the woman he loved. The terrifying sight caused him to panic, sweat breaking out all over his face, and his breathing became wildly irregular.

"Grrrraaagh!" He screamed, performing a wide, sweeping slash with Labraunda.

"Huh?"

Basilio hadn't expected what happened next. Lucas' slash was amazingly fast - faster than he could ever hope to react to. Its power was immense, too. His Sacred Weapon cut clean through the belly of Basilio's meager axe, separating it in two. The force behind Lucas' attack was enough to send the Khan flying across the room, causing him to careen into the other wall.

Upon impact, the entire arena building shook. It was not destroyed, but every person inside it could feel a rumbling sensation in the walls.

Inside the training grounds, Lucas was panting heavily as Basilio pulled himself up from the floor, which he fell to after crashing into the wall. Several Feroxi warriors that had been making use of the grounds watched on, stunned as to what happened. Sluggishly, Basilio limped over to Lucas, in spite of the pain that was surging through his entire body.

"Do you see now…" Lucas continued panting, not bothering to turn to Basilio, his head cast to the floor. "Why I need Dorothea…?"

Basilio massaged his wounded neck, which was bruised thanks to his collision with the wall. "Does this happen every time you fight?"

"Not when she's around."

The Khan frowned, grunting in both a mix of pain, disapproval, and irritation.

"Well, one thing's for sure. You're probably the strongest person I've ever met. Far stronger than me, at least. I know I could never send someone into a wall like that. Maybe on a good day, but anyway…" Basilio remarked in a light-hearted tone. His face then became serious, and his tone matched. "With that kind of power, you could easily kill someone."

Lucas solemnly nodded.

"I need to know, friend. Do you think you could keep that strength of yours in check? Kind of a weird thing for me to ask, considering I'm the Khan Regnant of Regna Ferox, but I can't have you suddenly killing my people. You're not some monster that goes around killing people, are you?"

"I…" Lucas focused on a glassless window, where light was pouring through the seams. "I might as well be."

Basilio frowned, stopping to gather his thoughts on the situation, while Lucas remained quiet, transfixed by the light of the world outside.

The man with an eyepatch grinned.

"We'll work on that," he said in a more calming tone. "I've helped quite a few people in my time. I'll help you in the best and only way we Feroxi know how."

"What's that?" Lucas turned away from the window and faced Basilio.

"Fighting." Basilio raised a clenched fist, withstanding the pain that appeared while doing so. "Combat tends to be the best medicine around here, anyway. Don't worry, friend. I'll get you the help you need."

Lucas' expression softened - though only for a second. He frowned, somewhat angrily. "But you need me to help you. Is that not why you brought me here?"

"Heh, you're right about that. Guess I should probably explain what I meant."

He shook some of the debris off his armor.

"You see, every year in Regna Ferox, the East-Khan - a lovely woman who goes by the name of Flavia - and the West-Khan - that's me - hold a special tournament here, in the capital of the kingdom. The winner gets to become the Khan Regnant for that next year, which as you can imagine, is a pretty big deal for us." He chuckled to himself. "However, we don't fight the tournament ourselves. Instead, we select a team of six warriors that'll represent us in the battle. Each team has one commander, a champion that stands out amongst the rest of them. You, my friend…"

Basilio pointed at Lucas.

"Are damn near perfect for that role." He grinned. "How about it? Lead my team to victory, and I'll give you anything you want. Money, supplies, and/or a horse…anything you could ever need in your search for your wife."

Lucas' eyes flew open in surprise. Basilio smirked as soon as that happened.

"Sounds like a good deal, huh? Of course, I won't force it on you. But then, I think you'll wanna accept. You said it yourself - you need your wife. If you accept my deal, you'll actually have a decent chance of finding her. What do you say, friend?"

The Khan offered his hand, much to Lucas' shock. He almost yelped at the sudden appearance of the friendly gesture. Lacking much of a further reaction, Lucas stared blankly at the hand for quite some time.

Again, the image of Dorothea's radiant smile appeared in his mind. But instead of filling him with fear, it gave him something else.

Vigor. Renewed hope. Determination. It empowered him, which was reflected in his confident expression.

He nodded at Basilio, sheathed Labraunda, and then reciprocated the gesture.

"Deal. I will fight for you as your champion," said Lucas as he shook Basilio's hand. "So long as you give me what I need."

"No problem. If I'm still the Khan Regnant after this next tournament, you'll get anything you ask for."

As the two stood there, shaking hands despite the incident that occurred moments earlier, an alliance formed between the two.

But then Basilio blinked and ceased the handshake.

"I just realized something. I never actually got your name, friend."

"Oh." Lucas had little reaction to the realization. "My name is Lucas."

"Lucas, eh? Interesting name. Sure beats calling you 'friend' every five seconds, heh." Their hands parted from each other. "So, Lucas, how about I show you around the place? It'd be good for my champion to know at least something about what he's fighting for. Oh, and we should probably let my now-former champion know about our arrangement. Can't imagine he'll be mad about it, but we should let him know either way."

"Whatever you wish."

"Alright then." Basilio stretched his arms and legs, the pain of his injuries no longer bothering him all that much. "Let's move."

Having finished what they entered the training grounds to do, Basilio and Lucas departed from the area, though not before Basilio picked up the two halves of his shattered axe. The damage to the wall caused by Lucas' attack was left alone, as it was only a large dent - it did not affect the structural integrity of the building.

Though, the people that remained in the training grounds stared at the hole Basilio briefly resided in, as well as the debris on the floor beneath it. It was certainly something to look at; a decoration that reminded everyone of the strength of the Khan's new champion.

The Khan Tournament was on the horizon.

Author Notes: The Awakening crossover finally comes into play. Instead of appearing in Southtown, like most Awakening isekais, Lucas shows up in Regna Ferox, just in time for the Khan Tournament. How will Awakening canon play out with Lucas around...? You'll just have to wait to find out!

Shoutouts to Frost for beta-ing!

Now it's time for everyone's favourite segment: reader review responses! Yay!

SpeedytheMemeLord - I too have been waiting for this moment! Hopefully you enjoy this fic!

Socialism - Yeah, hopefully Shez gets the gold she deserves. We'll see if she does...

SkullWolfSteam - Yep, a three-way crossover. I sure hope this idea's unique, or else I'm a freakin' fraud.

Thanks again for reading, everyone! Be sure to leave a review and/or a follow, if you so wish! I'll see ya next week!

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