This was supposed to be a quick trip into the castle, where we would meet up with Theresa and guide her back into the barracks. It sounded so simple on paper, and it should have been simple. Yet somehow, I found myself in a situation where the new tome I brought with me for an emergency case had only a single page left.

The rest had been used to burn the corridor in front of me into a charred mess filled to the brim with smoking bodies.

Ugh, why do I always find myself in these questionable happenstances? I thought while lying on the ground and staring at the ceiling above me. It would have taken so little to end my life right now, but from the lack of any screaming or clashing weapons, it was safe to assume we had dealt with all the assassins.

Six people against over two dozen assassins…

Honestly, these kinds of numbers were usually one-sided, but still small enough that quality triumphed over quantity. I couldn't help but scoff. Our formation was simple in nature, and yet, trained assassins couldn't do a thing.

One could question the quality of their craft, but I couldn't waste time pondering meaningless thoughts. We had a mess to clean, and I wanted to finish this as soon as possible. That hard bed in the barracks would soon become the softest place in the world.

However, I had celebrated too early.

A sudden commotion in the south hall caught my attention. I tried to get up, but my body felt extremely heavy. Still, I managed to get on my knees before a purple shockwave spread through all corridors. It felt as if a cold hand was touching my neck while a shiver ran down my spine, draining the last remains of my stamina.

I dropped to all fours, beads of sweat streamed down my face, and my heart began to race. All I could do was heave through my constricted lungs while my ears rang, numbing all sounds.

But nothing compared to the dread filling my mind. I had already witnessed this kind of magic before, and the mere memory of it scared me. I lifted my head to see if my fears were founded, but all I saw through my tunneled vision was Theresa standing still, flabbergasted by the sight down the south hall.

I had no idea how she was able to stand at all, but any questions I had suddenly disappeared when I saw her grit her teeth, the firm grip on her staff tightening while her free hand tightened into a fist.

"I will make this work! Even if it could kill me!" she declared resolutely through my deafness. The moment those words left her lips, her entire body emanated a familiar green glow. Her muscles flexed, showing veins clearly running across her skin while a few pebbles of marble beneath her feet shook erratically.

It quickly dawned on me what she was trying to accomplish. I reached out with my hand and opened my mouth to tell her to stop, but I couldn't speak or move. A groan was all I could manage, and that didn't even reach her.

Then, another voice reached my ears with surprising ease, but it only added to my dread. "I know you're trying to stop me, and I shouldn't let you, but when you bring me such a great opportunity to observe…"

A familiar chuckle escaped that man's lips. "How can I pass that down?"

"Good," Theresa exclaimed before stabbing the ground with the butt of her staff, somehow lodging it into the marble, a strained expression on her face. "Then don't move from that spot."

"I would not dream of it. Now, show me."

The aura around Theresa grew brighter before condensing around her clenched fist. Her hand struggled to maintain that aura, as if it could go haywire at any moment. She hissed under her breath while beads of sweat poured down her face.

But then, it disappeared completely.

Why… what? I thought, utterly confused.

"Hmm, interesting," the disappointment in the man's voice was palpable before he sighed. "So much energy wasted for utterly nothing."

All I could see of Theresa's lowered head was her lips forming a flat line, but her fist was still clenched. Deliberate steps echoed within the halls until the man came into view just a few paces away from Theresa, and my fears were realized.

"Is that all you can accomplish?" Validar asked pointedly, leaning forward, and Theresa gritted her teeth.

"I thought I told you not to move," she stated, raising her head defiantly and pointing at him with her closed fist. "Don't blame me for what happens next!"

She opened her palm and the power she had gathered and apparently lost erupted into a dense ball of lightning. Golden runes floated around her entire arm while sparks forked everywhere. I didn't know whether it was a trick of the light, but I thought I saw her tattoo glowing faintly too.

The display made Validar flinch, forcing him to take a step back, but Theresa wouldn't let him.

"Take this!" she shouted at the top of her lungs before shooting a thin beam of lightning.

Validar flinched, barely managing to open his palm before the beam collided, exploding upon impact. The wind rushed through the corridors while the thunderclap that followed roared across the building.

Theresa heaved. Her hand fell limp and a barely noticeable smile spread across her features as she stared at the cloud of smoke that was left in place of Validar.

"I… did it?" Theresa uttered in disbelief before her eyes glided down to her palm. "But how am I—?"

"Wrong catalyst," Validar's voice echoed before he stepped out of the smoke. Sparks jumped across his fingertips while his left hand throbbed, but his frown didn't show any pain. "Just as you need flint and steel to create a spark, so too do you need the right catalyst to conjure lightning. The only reason you're still standing is because your catalyst didn't take the fuel you were offering. You should be glad for that. If it had, blood would be pouring out of your mouth right now, and death would claim you soon after."

He reached Theresa, who was too stunned to retort, her eyes filled with terror as Validar towered over her. "A disappointing display of ignorance, but not one that can't be fixed with time." He smirked. "That is… if you have enough of it."

As a last resort, Theresa dislodged her staff from the ground, screaming at the top of her lungs as she brought it down in an overhead swing. Validar effortlessly stepped to the side and grabbed Theresa by her neck.

"How utterly barbaric," he threw Theresa against the wall, knocking the air out of her lungs. "Sleep, just like the rest," he commanded, just as Theresa fell unconscious.

No!

I powered through my numb limbs and forcefully pushed myself to my knees before grabbing my tome from the ground. Burning the last paper, a ball of fire appeared in my palm and I shot it at Validar in desperation. He caught on and dodged the fireball before his head snapped towards me.

A familiar sneer greeted me once our eyes met. "You."

Throwing the empty cover away, I rose to my feet, barely keeping myself straight before matching his sneer. "Me."

"I thought I'd dealt with you some time ago," he said in a low tone. "It seems you are too stubborn to die, for better or worse."

I glanced further down the hallway. Lissa was in the same state as Theresa. Emmeryn was still holding on, but I didn't know for how long she could keep that up. Judging by their unresponsiveness, I had to assume Chrom and Phila were out.

I clicked my tongue. "What do you want here?"

He scoffed. "As if I'd tell you. Just grovel there, like everyone else."

"And let you do whatever you want?" Purple flames began engulfing my clenched fist. "If you're after me, then I'm right here, aren't I?"

A vein popped on Validar's forehead. "And where did you get the idea you were my target? An ambitionless welp that decided to abandon his duty?" A quick, mirthless chuckle escaped his lips. "I was through with you the moment you stepped on Ylissian soil, and I couldn't have cared less about your measly attempts at salvaging your pathetic life."

He opened his book again, the same miasma pouring out. "But if you're offering yourself on a silver platter, I will grant you the death you deserve!"

"That will never happen!" I shouted and the purple flames gathering in my hand quickly spread across my entire body. This wasn't like a regular fire spell where the user was free from its heat. It burned, but I had a much worse problem to deal with.

I extended my hands, ready to let loose. Unfortunately, I got assaulted by a piercing headache, too strong to power through, and the flames died out as soon as they appeared.

Damn it, why now of all times!?

Validar stared at me expectantly until a smirk spread across his features. "Still clinging to the power you were gifted with but refused? No wonder it betrays you."

The pain was unbearable, and I plopped on the ground, groaning and begging it to seize. Meanwhile, Validar's miasma turned into a much darker, almost black, familiar fire. "You were never worthy of Their flames and never will be."

I was barely able to lift my head to see my impending doom. Was all that hard work my mother and I put in for me to survive worthless? Is this how I die?

"Hells," I muttered with gritted teeth before a sob escaped my lips. My hands tightened into fists, but there was nothing left I could do…

I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, I couldn't save you—

Suddenly, a green light flashed across my eyes. A grunt escaped Validar's lips, as his spell was interrupted. He whipped around, his back facing me. "Who dares!?"

I could barely see through my weary eyes, but still, I spotted Emmeryn, clutching her tome tightly, her legs barely keeping her steady. Her extended hand poured with remnants of the slicing winds she'd cast.

"Oh, right," Validar exclaimed. "I almost got caught up in the moment." He strode towards her, as if I had become nothing more than an afterthought. "The main task will take precedence."

A cough escaped Emmeryn's lips as she fully stood upright. "Whatever it may be, I will stop you. No matter the cost."

A chuckle escaped Validar's lips. "I'd like to see you try, little lady Exalt."

I tried reaching out with my hand, but all it amounted to was dragging my limb across the ground. All of my stamina and strength finally left me, and my eyes closed on their own, my ever-present headache the only thing keeping me company in the darkness.

{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}

The moment my back hit against the wall, everything around me crawled down to a sudden halt. The pain numbed all of my senses, and all I could hear were either mumbled words, or the sounds of slicing winds in the hall.

All of it became irrelevant as I processed what had happened in the past few moments and my thoughts made me want to cry. I thought I could get in a sneaky strike against that creepy man, but all it amounted to was probably more broken bones than I could feel.

I knew I couldn't do much, but… I wasn't even able to whack someone over the head while they were just standing there? Not to mention the failure of a spell I tried to cast that did nothing but tickle?

And I gave it my all, too. Or at least, what I was capable of doing at that moment, which again, only proved my uselessness.

"I told you already, we have no other choice!" The familiar old voice of a man echoed in my mind, opening old wounds and emotions. "You will take up that mantle, even if it's the last thing you'll do!"

Tears started to well up, blurring my vision further.

"I'm securing you a future and you'd throw everything away instead!"

"I hate you," I muttered weakly before taking a sharp breath. "Why… didn't you give me a choice?"

"Because you have a duty!"

As if those awful words had galvanized me, my senses kicked back in, and I rasped for air before opening my eyes to the familiar scenery of the hallways. The pungent smell of both blood and burned meat assaulted my nose once more, and I instinctively gagged. While I had already experienced them, bearing such awful stench was never easy.

Then, a terrible thought pierced my mind. I quickly raised to my feet and my head snapped side to side. Lifeless bodies of assassins littered the ground everywhere, and in the center of the hallway laid Lissa, completely still.

"Lissa!" I shouted, bolting towards her before shaking her vigorously. "Please, wake up!"

She didn't stir, and a lump formed in my throat. My grip on her shoulders slowly got weaker before a stream of tears poured down my cheeks. "No, please! Don't leave me like this! You can't!"

A wet sob escaped my lips before I defeatedly hugged Lissa. "I beg of you. I don't want to be left alone…"

Just when I thought I had finally found some kind of stability in my life, or at least a shoulder to lean on, why did it have to be taken away from me like this? It was like a serrated arrow piercing my body, and pulling it out would only lead to more pain, but I wasn't even strong enough to do that.

Then, I heard a quiet beat.

I blinked, thinking it was nothing more than a figment of my imagination. I leaned my ear against Lissa's chest, and my breath hitched. A heartbeat, although weak, reverberated across my eardrums, and I lifted my head to see Lissa steadily breathing, in and out. I couldn't break my sight from her. All kinds of emotions swirled in my mind, but one of them reared their head the most.

Gratitude.

"Thank god," I exclaimed, still a sobbing mess before I snapped to the east hallway in realization. "The others!"

I gently laid Lissa on the floor before sprinting towards Robin, who was facedown on the ground. The hope of everyone being alive made me immediately check for pulses instead of wasting time crying. Each time I felt a light push against my fingers tapping their necks made me want to thank whichever being in this world counted as a god.

Once I checked Chrom's pulse and felt it, relief washed over me like a gentle river, finally allowing my shoulders to relax.

However, it was short-lived. Once I turned around to find Emmeryn down the west hallway, the doors leading into her chambers were busted open.

The cracked walls around the doors were still oozing with remnants of dark miasma, and I subconsciously knew who was to blame. Just the thought of that man made my legs shake, and I didn't want to know what had happened behind that massive hole.

But I had to nonetheless.

Carefully treading inside, I found the chamber in disarray. Cabinets and closets were turned inside out, leaving cloths on the ground. The massive table in the middle had papers littered everywhere while ink dripped from its edge, and the bed had its sheets and pillows torn apart.

However, what made my heart jump to my throat was Emmeryn. She sat under an empty display panel hanging on the wall with a gaping hole in her side, blood pouring out and coating her robes.

"Emmeryn!" I shouted at the top of my lungs, quickly approaching her. A strained cough escaped her lips, with more blood dripping from her mouth. She struggled to lift her head, her face already extremely pale.

"The… Theresa?"

I knelt down and helped her stay straight. "What happened to you!?"

"It's—," she groaned in pain. "The Fire Emblem, that man stole it."

"The Fire…" I shook my head. "No, I'm not asking about a goddamn item, I'm asking about you!"

She blinked before a strained smile adorned her features. "That's very considerate of you, but I don't know how long I can hold on. You need to—"

"Are you seriously prioritizing a stupid antique over yourself right now!?" I shot back before looking down at the horrendous wound. There was no way to stop it from bleeding other than healing it with a staff, but I left that behind in the hallway.

I clicked my tongue. "Damn it, wait here! I'll be right back!"

"W-wait," despite the situation Emmeryn was in, she still found enough strength to reach out with her hand and grab my wrist. "There's nothing we have on hand that could treat me, so hear me out."

I reluctantly stopped before a pensive look adorned my features. In truth, I didn't know whether I could treat such a terrible wound. Listening to what Emmeryn had to say and let her bite the dust was maybe the wiser choice.

But that was a reality I refused to live in. If I was able to do at least one thing right, despite all my failed attempts, then I would make it count. Even if it could kill me, just like I said before.

"You'll tell everyone once you're treated," I said in a low voice, yanking my arm away from her grip. "I won't let anyone die tonight. Not when I'm here and able."

"No… there's no way—"

I didn't let Emmeryn finish and bolted back to the hallway, desperately looking for my staff. My head snapped in all directions, and my eyes eventually spotted it lying on the ground next to the cracked wall where I woke up.

Not wasting any time, I quickly picked it up and returned to Emmeryn, who was growing less responsive with each moment. Her breathing was forced, her half-lidded eyes barely kept themselves open, and she struggled to move her limbs in any fashion.

Please, tell me I'm not too late.

Familiar green light enveloped my arms, accompanied by the usual headache, but when my hand hovered over the gaping wound, it did very little. "What? Why isn't it working!?"

"I told you it wouldn't be enough," Emmeryn said. "It's… far too great of an injury to be healed so simply."

"Then I'll just—!"

"Theresa, listen to me," Emmeryn commanded, her voice momentarily picking up strength. "Whatever comes next, please, make sure Chrom does not wage war with Plegia. With the Fire Emblem stolen, he will blame them without a second thought."

My breath hitched. "W-what are you talking about!? Don't speak like you're about to die!"

She mirthlessly chuckled. "I didn't know you were the one to jest."

"This isn't a laughing matter!" I rebuked, my voice cracking, before my face scrunched up. "How do you think I'd be able to face Chrom or Lissa knowing I'd let you die like this?"

"You know that's not true." Her hand reached out and caressed my cheek, brushing off tears with her thumb. Her palm was so cold. "And while there are still many things I'd like to say to you, we can't waste this precious time like this."

Despite being in pain, her resolute expression mesmerized me. "Be Chrom's voice of reason, be Lissa's shoulder to cry on, and help Robin in whatever way you can, because all three need you."

A groan escaped her lips, and her body twitched. "I know I might speak nonsense right now, but I believe there's a reason you came here. What that reason is is beyond me, but there's one thing I'm sure of."

Her hand lost strength and fell limp, coating my cheek with a streak of red. "Their future will be safe… with you."

Her eyes rolled up, and she drew one last breath before slumping on the ground with a dull thud. My mouth quivered at the sight of Emmeryn's now lifeless body, and the glow in my hands slowly waned, disappearing altogether as if its job was finished.

I couldn't comprehend it. "Emmeryn, please tell me you're just playing with me."

I grabbed her shoulder and gently shook. "This isn't funny, Emmeryn. Please, wake up."

A part of me still believed this was nothing but a fever dream that lasted for an extremely long time. These fantastical lands sprawling everywhere the eye could see, spells and magic being flung at a moment's notice, and medieval battles with bandits and knights, fighting for a righteous cause—all of it was a form of my escapism.

But… Emmeryn was just laying there, motionless.

She wasn't getting up, or breathing, she wasn't doing anything, just like a corpse would. She spent her last moments with me, someone who barged in just barely over a month ago before dumping such a huge responsibility on me that I couldn't fathom accomplishing.

"Why me?" I muttered, clutching my staff tightly. "Why me, of all people? There's a 'reason' I came here? You couldn't think of a better excuse?"

Tears that I thought had already dried up began pouring down like a waterfall. While we had a subpar relationship, I couldn't believe I wouldn't be able to talk to her anymore. We weren't even that close, and yet, she asked me to take care of her siblings?

"No," I declared before standing up. "I refuse to believe that. I refuse to think that my job is to ensure those three have a happy future. I'm just a loose cog in this giant machine, better thrown away rather than be compared to you, Emmeryn."

My muscles flexed, my heart began pounding like mad, and the green glow that usually surrounded my arms encased me entirely. "And I refuse the idea that I could be your replacement for them!"

I grabbed my staff with both hands and stabbed the ground as hard as I could. "Because I'm not!"

An outburst of energy shot throughout the entire room, and I focused on gathering as much power as I possibly could, just like when I fired that lightning bolt. Shivers ran across my skin, yet my body burned. My teeth were clenched, yet my mouth trembled. The feeling was familiar, and my staff drank the power I offered, but unlike the lightning, it wanted more.

Much more, and I kept on giving with only a single thought in mind. I didn't know its cost, but whatever it could be, I demanded it to be fulfilled no matter what.

My vision was tainted red, I could taste the iron in my mouth, my legs grew weak, the tips of my fingers became stone cold, and yet the staff told me it still wasn't enough.

But I didn't care. It could take whatever it wanted as long as it did its job.

A pang in my chest reverberated across my body, paralyzing me for a split second. Then, a sudden chime rang in my ears. My eyes glided to my staff, and it glowed a brilliant rainbow colour. It was warm and extremely comforting, but I had a self-appointed duty.

A duty to give Emmeryn that 'reason' she was blabbing about.

With a single thought, I extended my hand and shot a gentle beam of energy that gracefully flew towards Emmeryn before enveloping her body. The muscles and bones she was missing grew anew, with all kinds of bruises and open wounds disappearing instantly. Emmeryn looked peaceful instead of mortally wounded, but she made no sound, and her chest didn't raise or fall.

She was still dead.

A sore cough escaped my lips, and blood shot out of my mouth. My tattooed arm shriveled, revealing bones under the thin layer of skin, and I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore. The spell abruptly ended like shattered glass, and Emmeryn didn't flex a finger after all that effort.

My heartbeat thundered in my ears, steadily slowing down. The world around me became wobbly, and I couldn't comprehend that my legs had betrayed me. I fell, and when the back of my head hit the ground with a dull thud, everything turned pitch black.

I'm… sorry, everyone. I couldn't do anything right.

AN: Hello, again!

It's been a while, hasn't it? I'm just glad I was able to crap together a chapter in a month, to be honest. But! My god, was this really fun. I like how things turned out.

Again, I'd like to thank Cavik for proofreading this chapter and keeping it nice and clean to read. Thank him as well, because... the chapter would like something out of a woodchipper.

Anyway, thank you for reading today's chapter.

God's speed.