Chapter 5: Wrath of the Oozaru
Robin's eyes snapped open, and he suddenly found himself in a rather crowded room back in the royal palace in Ylisstol. Everyone from the Z-Shepherds, to multiple royal guards, to Emmeryn herself, were all standing around a bed.
"This is different. Where's the little white-haired kid and the woman who's face I can't see?" Robin thought to himself as he pushed his way through the crowd. If this wasn't just a vision where he wasn't technically there, a lot of people would be yelling at him for pushing way too aggressively.
Eventually, Robin made his way to the front of the crowd, and he suddenly felt his heart skip a beat.
It was…Him. But not some younger version of him like he suspected the other visions were showing. It was the current, adolescent, version of himself.
Before he could process what was even going on, he suddenly heard Emmeryn begin to speak.
"Well…It seems that I have come to a decision."
The Exalt cleared her throat, before continuing.
"It is true that Robin's mysterious power poses an incredible threat to the peace of Ylisse…And as a result, I am afraid I must agree with Phila's suggestion. I hereby declare that Robin Daraen will be BANISHED from Ylisse. I will give him one day to pack any essentials that he may desire to bring with him...But after that, he will not be allowed to step foot in this country ever again!"
The room erupted into chaos, and the young boy on the bed could only stare at the Exalt in complete and utter shock. Robin shared his doppelganger's disbelief. Just what could have led to this?
He wasn't given a chance to ponder it for long, however, as everything around him began to distort, and then…
Robin woke up with a start, gasping for breath. He looked around at his surroundings, and found himself in what appeared to be a large prison cell, along with the rest of the Z-Shepherds. The place wasn't very well kept, and according to Maribelle's constant complaining, there were multiple bugs crawling around the place.
It was also incredibly dark, with the only light source being a couple of torches hanging on the walls of the hallway beyond the bars of their shared cell.
"I'd tell you that there are better places to take a nap then on the ground, but considering that we're locked up in a cell that hasn't been taken care of for almost a decade now, I'd be wrong," Chrom said with a half-hearted smile, offering a hand up to the white-haired boy.
Robin was quick to accept the prince's hand and then looked around at his surroundings once more. Everyone else had noticed that he was awake now.
"I…What happened?" he asked dumbfoundedly after a few moments.
"That's what we were hoping YOU could tell us, Mr. Kung-Fu master," Sully grumbled from the ground where she was sitting, raising an eyebrow at him. "From what I can remember, that hooded guy completely wiped us, and then it was just me, you, and Chrom…And after the both of us got beaten…"
Robin's eyes slowly widened as he quickly recalled his fight with that strange, cloaked man.
"Oh yeah... Now I remember! He ended beating me as well," the white-haired boy admitted with a sigh. "He pulled my tail and I somehow ended up losing all of my energy...I feel like that's a weakness of mine or something and-"
"And we're just supposed to believe that?" Frederick angrily asked as he began to walk towards Robin. "You were the last one to get knocked out! How are we supposed to know that you aren't secretly in cahoots with-"
"Frederick, Robin's been locked up here for as long as we have!" Lissa quickly cut in, waving her hands in front of the knight and gesturing for him to calm down. "Isn't that proof enough that he's on our side?"
Frederick huffed and looked the other way, while Chrom simply sighed.
"Come on everyone, let's just calm down," the prince called out. "It seems as though Robin knows as much as we do about our current situation, unfortunately."
Miriel, from the side, brought a hand up to her chin. "So, his tail is a weakness? Fascinating. This will warrant further study..."
"Hey, Robin, since you fight with your fists, could you maybe try breaking us out of here?" Vaike called out, gesturing to the bars of the prison. "I'd totally do it for us, but my trusty axe ain't with me right now…"
"All of our weapons were taken away," Stahl, who was sitting next to Miriel on the floor, sighed. "And they also took my snacks, too..."
"I'd suggest getting used to the idea of not having weapons, or snacks, anymore, for you are our prisoners now.""
The new voice was accompanied by footsteps, and everyone looked at the bars to see the mage that had totally wiped them out. He was accompanied by two burly bandits, who were both holding torches to give additional lighting to the dimly lit area.
"You! I demand you free us at once!" Frederick shouted as he grabbed the bars and shook them violently. "Milord and milady are the prince and princess of the Halidom of Ylisse, and I assure you, once it is discovered that you have captured them there will be-"
"Oh please, I could care less about you and your lieges," the dark mage huffed as he flicked Frederick on the forehead, causing him to stumble a few steps back. "I mean, I will admit that they were our original targets, but I have obtained a far greater prize now…"
The man raised his bony finger up and pointed directly at Robin.
"…After all, I have been blessed with the presence of the Chosen One!"
Robin blinked twice, before raising an eyebrow.
"Uh, are you talking about me?"
"Oh, there's no need to be so humble, Chosen One!" the man chuckled darkly as he twirled around in his spot, his robes flowing freely behind him. "To think we came to this country to incite a war on the king of Plegia's behalf…Bah! I'm definitely going to be rewarded greatly for returning you! We've been searching for you for so long!"
"I'm not being humble, I have no idea what you're talking about," Robin replied firmly as he took a few steps towards the dark mage. "Why do you keep on calling me the 'Chosen One'?"
The man remained silent for a few moments, before shrugging and turning around.
"Hmph. Fine. Be like that. It would seem as though spending so much time in this wretched country has given you memory issues," the man said as he began to walk away, the brigands following him. "But don't worry, you will remember your true destiny soon enough! I just wanted to let you fools know that we will be returning to Plegia tomorrow, hehehe…"
"Hey! Come back! Let us out of here!" Lissa shouted out to no avail, causing her to whimper and fall on the ground. "This stinks..."
Once the dark mage and his lackeys were gone, Maribelle decided to take a break from complaining about all the bugs and instead raised an eyebrow at the white-haired boy.
"That man has captured multiple nobles as well as the PRINCE and PRINCESS of Ylisse, and yet he only focused on YOU," the blonde-haired girl stated. "Just who ARE you?"
"No clue," Robin sighed as he looked down at the mark on his hand. He then looked up at the others and chuckled nervously. "But, uh, at least we know now that Frederick's original suspicions of the brigands' intentions was right? Hehehe…"
Kellam gasped as he finally approached the massive headquarters of the Pegasus Knights, sweat pouring down his face. It was bad enough that he had to run all the way back to the capital in his bulky armor, but halfway through Bulma ended up complaining about being tired and as a result he was forced to carry her on his back, making the whole ordeal even more hellish.
"I see it, Kellam! Just a few more steps!" the blue-haired noble exclaimed, kicking the brown-haired boy as though he was a horse. "We've got to warn them about what's happening!"
"I…Know, Bulma…" Kellam gasped for air as he took a couple of steps forward, before stopping and dropping to one knee. A couple of bystanders raised some confused eyebrows at him. "But I can't go on anymore…"
"Ugh! You are so unbelievable Kellam," Bulma grumbled as she jumped off of Kellam's back and marched towards the building. "I'll take it from here. You go be lazy over there!"
"H-Hey! Bulma!..."
The heir to House Briefs swung the doors to the building wide open, and all of the Pegasus Knights present immediately looked up from what they were doing to stare in confusion at her.
"Bulma? What are YOU doing here?" Phila, who had coincidentally entered the room at the exact same time as Bulma did, asked. "Weren't you off on another one of those 'missions' of yours with Prince Chrom?"
"That's exactly what I'm here to talk to you about!" Bulma exclaimed frantically as she dashed towards the captain and grabbed her shoulders, staring deeply into her eyes. "Chrom didn't tell you, but this mission was super important! And now…Now Chrom and the rest of the Z-Shepherds are in really big trouble!"
"What? Why?!" Phila asked as she slightly pushed Bulma away and raised an eyebrow. "What's happened?!"
Kellam entered the room at that exact same moment, and together both he and Bulma began to explain the situation…
"And then I told him…I don't have a horse!"
Everyone, save for Robin who was lost in thought, erupted into laughter.
The Z-Shepherds had long since accepted that there was pretty much no way out, and since they knew Bulma was still out there, they were relying on her to get them some help. As usual, they forgot about Kellam.
To pass the time, they decided to tell stories.
"Alright, that was pretty funny," Lissa said as she wiped a tear from her eye, before rubbing her hands together and smirking. "But now it's my turn! Gather 'round, guys, because I've got a really scary story! It's called…'The Wrath of the Oozaru'!"
Robin's head snapped upwards. Oozaru? That was the name from that weird vision he had. Maybe Lissa's story would be worth a listen to after all...
"Alright, so it was a night just like this one. And there were these kids…"
The princess of Ylisse began to go on and on, and although Robin did best to pay attention near the beginning, halfway through he ended up losing focus. Lissa was a terrible storyteller! He ended up zoning out, though near the end he began to pay attention again...
"…And then, everyone was backed into a corner! The murderer was about to kill them all! But, right before he could, the clouds parted, revealing a full moon in the sky! One of the kids saw the moon...And he then began to transform!"
Lissa then stood up for effect.
"He turned super giant, and a bunch of fur covered his body! He had basically turned into a big brown monkey! A GIANT MONKEY! Looking at the moon turned him into a giant monkey!" she exclaimed. "Isn't that crazy? And he went completely out of control! He easily stomped on the killer, but he also ended up crushing his friends, too! Once the sun came up, he ended up transforming back into a human again, but upon realizing what he had done, he exiled himself to the mountains!"
She then mischievously smirked, causing Stahl to gulp in fear.
"They say, to this day, he's out there somewhere…The legendary Oozaru! And every full moon, he turns into a giant, brown-furred monkey and eats people!"
"Bravo! Bravo! Ten out of ten points!" Maribelle immediately exclaimed, rapidly clapping her hands. "I've never heard a greater story! Absolutely incredible!"
"I don't know, seems kind of unrealistic," Vaike snickered, catching Maribelle's attention. "I mean, a guy that can transform into a giant uncontrollable monkey when he looks at the full moon? That's crazy! And the way Lissa told it was honestly so-"
Maribelle proceeded to slap him before he could continue his sentence.
"There's no way this can be a coincidence," Robin thought to himself. "That woman said that every time she and the kid looked at the full moon, they turned into uncontrollable monsters called 'Oozaru'...And now Lissa just told a story about one? How does she know about it? And if that little white-haired kid is supposed to be a past version of me like I'm suspecting...Does that mean that I'll turn into a giant monster and eat people if I looked at the full moon?"
Before he could ruminate on the topic further, a loud crash followed by sounds of battle could be heard from upstairs, causing all of the Z-Shepherds to jump up to their feet.
"What in the world was that?" Sully asked in confusion.
Chrom smirked as he looked upwards, clenching his fists in anticipation. "It looks like Bulma's finally arrived with our backup!"
"Alright, ladies! The prince and princess need us! MOVE IT!" Phila shouted from atop her Pegasus which galloped gracefully through the sky. She then pointed a lance down at the fortress as it came into view, and at the top of her lungs, shouted "CHAAAAARGE!"
Both her flying steed, as well as the massive horde of fellow riders behind her, all immediately dove down at the same time, crashing through the windows of the fortress and entering inside in one swift movement.
Kellam and Bulma were both riding with some Pegasus Knights and due to their lack of training they ended up falling down onto the ground the moment they crashed through the windows. The windows were thankfully pretty big, and a good chunk of the roof was also made of glass as well, so they could crash in pretty easily.
"H-Hey! We've got intruders!"
All hell broke loose as the bandits and the Pegasus Knights came into conflict. The sound of metal clashing against metal filled the air as the swift and graceful Pegasus Knights came into conflict with the brutish bandits.
Phila jumped off of her Pegasus and proceeded to pierce the shoulder of an incoming bandit, before immediately spinning around and easily defending herself from an attempted sneak attack.
"Bulma, Kellam. Who is leading these fools?" the leader of the Pegasus Knights inquired as she casually sidestepped and tripped a charging foe. "If we can take out whoever that is we can end this conflict very quickly."
The two Z-Shepherds, who had finally managed to get up to their feet, looked at each other in confusion before looking back at the captain and shrugging.
"We, uh, were hiding outside the entire time so we have no clue."
Phila blinked twice before letting out an annoyed groan. She then turned her head and called out to two knights in particular. "Cordelia! Sumia! Get over here!"
Two girls about the same age as the rest of the Z-Shepherds immediately ran over and saluted, ready to accept their orders. They were an odd duo. The first one, Cordelia, was a bit taller than the rest of the Pegasus Knights and seemed to be a very put-together person. Sumia, meanwhile, was a fair bit shorter and from her facial expression alone you could tell that she was pretty self-conscious about being there.
"Cordelia, Sumia. You should know the layout of this fortress. We've gone over it in one of our classes earlier this year," Phila sternly told the two Pegasus Knights, before thumbing toward Bulma and Kellam. "Take these two with you and go to the dungeon. Prince Chrom and the rest of the Z-Shepherds should be there. Me and the rest of the knights will handle things up here. Is that understood?!"
"Y-Yes, ma'am," Sumia quickly replied, before bringing a hand up to her chin and gulping. "Alright, fortress layout…Fortress layout…I know we studied this before…Where's the dungeon again?..."
The other knight, Cordelia, meanwhile had a huge blush on her cheeks the moment the word 'Chrom' left Phila's lips.
It seems that she wasn't as put-together as Bulma and Kellam initially thought.
"W-We will be rescuing the prince himself, then..." the Pegasus Knight mumbled to herself, trying and failing to keep her cool persona together. "This isn't a romantic situation…Not at all!..."
Bulma and Kellam stared at Phila in disbelief.
"Th-These two hardly seem to know what they're doing! Why don't you just go and rescue Chrom yourself?!" Bulma immediately asked Phila. "And why do I have to go with them? I'd much rather watch the action from somewhere safe…"
"This is good training experience for them. Cordelia and Sumia are the newest recruits to the Pegasus Knights, and they haven't really had a chance to practice any rescue drills in a while," Phila responded with a nonchalant shrug. Her gaze proceeded to harden immediately afterwards, however. "And, even though you have no combat training, you were still involved in getting the prince and princess into this mess in the first place. The least you can do is make sure they are alright!"
Bulma opened her mouth to respond, but Sumia grabbed her arm and yanked her away before she could say something she might regret. They began to run towards the corner of the massive room, and they were soon joined by Cordelia and Kellam.
"Trust me, you do not want to make Captain Phila angry," the brunette said with a nervous giggle, before quickly shaking her head. "Uh, anyways, I'm Sumia, and…Wait, you already knew that…"
"The dungeon should be right around here," Cordelia interjected, keeping her gaze locked ahead as she tried to remain focused. "We most likely will face resistance, so I'd suggest you remain slightly behind us, Bulma. Me and Sumia will fight them off."
"Uh, guys? I'm here too," Kellam chimed in, though he was as usual ignored.
The group faced little resistance as they approached a small room that led downstairs, and they quickly found where the weapons of the Z-Shepherds were being held. Bulma ended up holding onto all of them, thinking that they would make her look more dangerous to any bandits that tried to attack her.
They ended up having to traverse a set of stairs, and Sumia and Cordelia both led the group by standing in the front. Bulma stood directly behind them, just to keep herself safe, and Kellam stood behind her to protect the group from any sneak attacks from behind.
It wasn't long before, eventually, they found the dungeon where the Z-Shepherds were being held.
"Hey guys!" Bulma excitedly waved as she skipped over to the prison cell and dumped all of the weapons onto the floor. "As usual, I'm here to rescue you!"
"She had a 'tiny' bit of help," Kellam mumbled, rolling his eyes slightly.
"Bulma, Kellam! You two sure are a sight for sore eyes!" Chrom said with a huge grin on his face as he grabbed the bars of the cell and grinned at his friends. He then glanced behind them and waved slightly at the two Pegasus Knights. "And it seems you had some help as well. Thank you for your assistance."
Sumia simply smiled at the prince, while Cordelia was immediately reduced to a stammering mess. Everyone but Chrom himself could tell that she had a massive crush on the prince.
"I...Um...Your welcome, your majesty! My lord! Um..."
Before Cordelia could successfully finish what she was trying to say, Chrom reached his hand through the bars and grabbed his sword. He then proceeded to swing the blade once and, immediately, the bars that once kept him and his friends locked away were now scattered across the floor like trash.
"Alright, everyone! Pick up your weapons and let's go!"
As everyone recovered their gear, Robin raised an eyebrow at Chrom. "I thought you were going to get Miriel to use a fire spell on the bars or something. I didn't think that you were strong enough to slice through the bars using your sword…"
"Under normal circumstances, I probably wouldn't. But Falchion here is a mystical sword, blessed by Naga herself! In my hands and my hands alone, it can probably cut through anything!" Chrom responded with a smirk, looking down at his blade. He then noticed Robin's confused expression and sighed. "Right. Your amnesia. I'll explain what that actually means later. Right now, though..."
The prince then turned to the group's saviors.
"What's the situation up there? Things sound pretty hectic."
Cordelia quickly cleared her throat, and tried to hide the fact that her face was currently as red as her hair. "W-Well, sir…C-Captain Phila and the rest of the Pegasus Knights are fighting against the bandits as we speak. I feel like they should have the situation under control."
"What about that Dark Mage guy that totally kicked our asses?" Sully asked, swinging her lance around. "I want to personally have another go at him!"
"Yeah! This time I'll make sure to actually avoid those purple balls!" Vaike chimed in, raising his axe over his head.
Cordelia and Sumia both raised an eyebrow at Kellam and Bulma, who shrugged.
"Dark Mage? What Dark Mage?"
Their answer was responded to not by the Z-Shepherds, but by the huge explosion upstairs that was followed by multiple screams from both sides.
Nobody had to say anything. They all immediately rushed upstairs to lend their aid.
The scene was absolute chaos. The Dark Mage from before had a dark purple aura around his body as he casually tossed massive balls of black and purple energy around, not even batting an eye when a couple of them ended up disintegrating his own men. All of the Pegasus Knights were able to avoid these attacks thank to their training, though they had a little more trouble with the giant wolf that their foe had summoned using the Fenrir spell.
"Milord!" Phila called out as she spotted the Z-Shepherds, running over to them and quickly bowing towards the prince. "It's good to see that you are unharmed. If anything had happened-"
"Enough about that, Phila! We have to deal with that Dark Mage!" Chrom quickly interjected, gritting his teeth. "He's far too dangerous to be kept alive!"
"Yes, you are certainly right about that," Phila grumbled, turning her attention to the merciless attacker. He either didn't notice them, or was just having too much fun toying with the hordes of randoms. "Judging by his appearance, and his apt for Dark Magic, I'd say that we're dealing with a high-ranking member of the Grimleal. They're a satanic cult residing in Plegia. I dealt with quite a few of them during the war…"
"Why in the world is a cultist working for the Plegian government?" Robin thought to himself in disbelief, before quickly shaking his head and speaking up. "We've got the numbers advantage right now! Let's rush him while we've got the chance!"
Chrom simply smirked, before raising his sword 'Falchion' in the air.
"EVERYONE, CHAAAAAARGE!"
The Z-Shepherds rushed into battle, and their war-cry caught the attention of the Dark Mage, who smirked underneath his hood as he spotted them.
"Ah, it seems that our little prisoners have escaped! I'll bring you all back to your cages...After I'm done making you feel a world of pain!"
Balls of Flux were hurled straight at the group at an alarming speed, and everyone did their best to dodge them. Robin in particular was trying to get up close and personal as fast as he could.
"Why can't you understand? It is your destiny to return back with me to Plegia!" the Dark Mage shouted as Robin rapidly approached him. "Don't make me pull your tail again!"
The white-haired boy felt his tail instinctively curl itself around his waist, and he quickly shot a punch at the Dark Mage's face, causing the aura around him to disappear and for him to slam back into a nearby wall.
"I don't get it! I'm not your 'Chosen One', alright?!" Robin angrily shouted at the man as he zoomed in to continue. "And you can't use the same tricks on me twice!"
The Dark Mage grumbled as he got up to his feet and wiped some blood from his mouth. "Damn you, boy…I am a head priest of the Grimleal…I won't be disrespected like this! You may be the Chosen One, but that doesn't mean I can't rough you up a little!"
His purple book suddenly fluttered open, and bright white runes lifted themselves off of the page and into the air. They seductively danced through the air for a few seconds, before abruptly stopping and violently rushing towards one another. Upon converging, all of the letters disappeared, and instead a large purple portal could be seen floating in their place.
Said portal began to grow larger and larger by the second, violently pulling Robin towards itself.
"Wh-What the hell is this?!..."
"Apocalypse, a legendary spell once used by great heroes in ancient times! Now, it is a secret kept only to high-ranking members of the Grimleal!" the Dark Mage cackled. "You'll live…But you'll probably be in a coma for the next few years of your life! And we don't really need you to be conscious for what we want to do with you, Chosen One!"
Robin's eyes widened. He tried desperately to dig his heels into the ground and stop himself, but the portal's strength was far too strong.
He could do nothing as he was pulled and sucked into it, and he could do nothing as he was spat back out. The portal closed, but something about Robin had…Changed.
A purple haze had settled over his body, and it burnt unlike anything Robin had ever experienced before. He clawed at his face, trying and failing desperately to make the pain go away. The pain was so bad that he fell to his knees and looked up at the glass roof above his head.
"Is this how I'm going to die?" Robin thought to himself as the worst pain he had ever felt in his life ravaged his body. "Ugh, he said I'd live…But with the way I feel, I really doubt that!..."
Angered by their friend's condition, the Z-Shepherds all roared as they charged straight at the Dark Mage. But their path was obscured by legions of bandits, and they could do nothing as Robin screamed out in agony.
All Robin could hear was the sounds of battle behind him, and the cackling of the priest before him. He slowly looked up at the roof, and despite the purple color obscuring his vision, he could still see the starry sky through the glass roof. It was night now, and he could make out all of the beautiful stars in the sky…
He could also see that tonight…Was a full moon.
"…You know how dangerous it is for us to be out and about when there's a full moon…When we look at the full moon, we transform into-"
"…A GIANT MONKEY! Looking at the moon turned him into a giant monkey!"
"Remember, you must never look at the full moon! Promise me, boy, until we find a way to control the destructive power of the Oozaru, never look at the full moon!..."
The haze covering Robin's eyes suddenly left his vision, and all of the pain surging through his body disappeared in a matter of seconds. His screaming abruptly stopped, and his eyes began to flash red.
"Huh? What's happening?" the Dark Mage asked out loud, raising an eyebrow. The spell he had cast had abruptly ended, and his book suddenly slammed shut and dropped to the ground with smoke emanating from it. "Agh! Using the Apocalypse spell drained all of the Mana my Tome had left! But why'd the spell suddenly stop? And why did the Chosen One-"
Robin's breathing suddenly quickened, and veins began to erupt all over his body as he began to strain. The white-haired boy let out an animalistic cry that silenced everyone as they turned to look at him, wondering what was going on.
His tail straightened itself out, and the boy froze. He remained like that for a few seconds…And then twitched once.
His transformation then began.
White fur that was the same color as his hair and tail suddenly began to sprout all over Robin's body, and the front of his face elongated into a snout. He began to rapidly grow in size, first doubling in height and then tripling soon after. As he grew Robin's clothes ripped apart and flew away in a matter of seconds, though his black cloak mysteriously grew in size with him.
Robin's body smashed through the ceiling, destroying it as though it was made of paper. He also swung his arms around as he transformed. Both of these actions caused the fortress to literally collapse, and large chunks of stone and glass began to fly all over the place. Everyone screamed and ran for cover, but where was cover when the danger was literally falling on top of you?
Eventually, Robin stopped growing, but he was now far larger than the fortress he was currently holed up in.
The eyes of the beast that was once Robin flashed red once more, and he then looked up towards the moon in the sky and let out a monstrous roar that was heard all over Ylisse.
Robin was no more. They were now dealing with...The wrath of the Oozaru!
"WHAT THE HECK?! Robin just turned into a giant monkey!" Lissa screamed out in disbelief. "Just like in the story! Does that mean he's the Oozaru guy? I thought he'd be way older! And, wait, didn't the guy in the story have brown fur instead of white fur? Weird..."
Frederick quickly pushed Lissa to the side, just barely saving her from being crushed by a massive piece of falling debris. "We can worry about that later, milady. Right now, let's worry more about surviving!"
All over the place bandits were being crushed alive by the crumbling castle. The Pegasus Knights, meanwhile, were far more skilful and had trained for situations like this. They quickly jumped onto their flying beasts and zipped into the air, escaping from an untimely fate.
The Z-Shepherds, on the other hand, didn't have access to such magnificent creatures, and were as such forced to run around like headless chickens as they tried to stay alive…
As the chaos unfurled all around him, the Dark Mage who was leading the bandits could only look upwards in disbelief at the massive monstrosity that he called the 'Chosen One'.
"I-Incredible!..." he gasped in complete and utter disbelief, taking a few steps back as he looked up at the giant out-of-control beast. "You really ARE the Chosen One! To think I'd be able to witness your transformation with my own eyes…HAHAHAHAHA! THIS IS AMAZING!"
His maniacal cackling caught Robin's attention, and the angry ape slowly looked down at the man who was now nothing more then a fly to him. A low grumbling noise began to emanate from Robin's stomach, and he then suddenly opened his mouth wide.
A ball of white-hot energy suddenly built itself up in a matter of seconds within Robin's mouth, and with a mighty roar the ball transformed into an enormous beam of energy that came into direct contact with the Dark Mage's body.
He screamed out in agony as his body was burnt alive, though his screams slowly turned into a maniacal laughter.
"Hahahaha! To think this is how I die! I wanted to return you to Plegia…But it seems it was, ugh, not meant to be!" the man screamed as his cloak was disintegrated and his skin began to burn off. "But just know this! The other Grimleal will find you, it is only a matter of time! The second war between Ylisse and Plegia will surely come…And when it arrives you will be discovered once more! MARK MY WOOOOOOORDS!..."
And with those parting words, the man's body completely exploded, leaving no trace that he was ever there to begin wtih.
Robin promptly closed his mouth and stared up at the sky for a few moments. The Z-Shepherds, who were hiding in a small secluded corner, thought that perhaps things were finally over…
"Alright! Way to go, Robin!" Lissa excitedly cheered, jumping out of her hiding spot and pumping her fist into the air. "You killed the leader of the bandits, and pretty much all of the bandits are as good as dead too! Now you can transform back and we can-"
Before she could finish her sentence, the beast known as Robin let out an angry roar and stomped his foot on the ground, causing the earth itself to shake.
"I've got you, Lissa!" Chrom exclaimed as he dashed over to his sister and caught her before she could fall. He then angrily looked up at Robin. "It looks like…Robin's out of control!"
Like a crazed beast, Robin began beating his chest and stomping on the ground, causing the towers of the former fortress to bounce up and down like they were toys.
Sensing the great danger, Phila ordered her Pegasus Knights to drop down and collect the Z-Shepherds, just to make sure that they were all okay. They all quickly leapt onto the flying horses, sitting behind the riders.
She wasn't sure if it was a blessing or a curse, but Chrom ended up hopping onto Cordelia's Pegasus, and as a result she could barely concentrate as the two of them floated back up into the air to be with the rest of the group.
"Man, Robin's gone completely bananas!" Vaike shouted out with a laugh, before pausing and frowning. "Uh, how exactly are we supposed to make him calm down, though?..."
"I always knew that boy was trouble!" Frederick huffed as he crossed him arms. "What a nuisance…"
He was coincidentally sitting behind Phila, and the captain of the Pegasus Knights shrugged her shoulders at his words. "To be fair, it's thanks to him that the Dark Mage is dead. We thought we were only dealing with bandits here, and as such we weren't properly prepared to deal with one. Especially one strong enough to use spells like Apocalypse…"
"Enough about that! If we don't do something, Robin will cause more damage than the bandits or their creepy leader ever could!" Bulma squealed out as she pointed a finger forwards. "Look!"
Sure enough, the giant beast with white fur slowly but steadily began to stomp away, shaking the ground with his every step.
"Gods…She's right! He's probably going to crush a town or something if he continues to move like that!" Sully shouted out in alarm.
"But in the story the monster only turned back into a human when the sun rose back up...We don't have that kind of time!" Lissa gasped.
"Indeed...We don't. If we don't stop him now, he could even end up approaching the capital! Thousands of lives are currently in danger!" Phila growled out, before raising a hand upwards. "Pegasus Knights! All of you that aren't holding a secondary passenger, I want you to go forward and distract him! We can't let Robin leave the area! The rest of you can't maneuver as well because of the extra weight, so hang back for now."
There was a yelp of agreement, and in a matter of seconds the might of the Pegasus Knight Corps. was all over Robin. There were absolutely no deaths among the Pegasus Knights whatsoever thanks to a combination of their training as well as the overall low quality of the foes that they were facing. The Dark Mage, however, ensured that there were a large number of wounded, and as they all began to poke and prod Robin with their steel lances, more and more Pegasus Knights began to join the injured camp as the monster swatted them away like flies, hurling them across the skyline.
He had stopped in his tracks, but it was mostly just to get rid of the little pests that were annoying him.
"Gods…He's absolutely unstoppable!" Phila shouted in disbelief. "Somebody come and pick up Frederick off my Pegasus. I need to join them at once!"
"B-But what could you do, Captain?!" Sumia, who was currently riding with Stahl, asked. "You'd just get hurt too…Or worse!"
The captain bit her lip as he tried to figure out a way to deal with the situation. The Pegasus Knights were smart, and if they were truly in any mortal danger they would flee from the beast. However, with the rate they were running away at, it was only a matter of time until Robin continued his march away from the abandoned forest and towards civilization.
And who knew what kind of havoc he'd wreak there?...
"Why can't you understand? It is your destiny to return back with me to Plegia!...Don't make me pull your tail again!"
"Hold! During Robin's fight with that Dark Mage, his foe threatened to pull his tail!" Phila realized, turning her head towards the Z-Shepherds. "When you were locked up together, did Robin allude to the fact that maybe his tail is a weakness?"
Chrom brought a hand up to his chin, and after a few seconds of thinking his eyes widened in realization. "Gods…He did mention something like that! The rest of us were unconscious, so we didn't quite get to see it, but apparently his tail got pulled and all of the energy in his body just disappeared! Perhaps if we pull it now we can achieve the same effect?..."
"I highly doubt it is even possible for us to pull his tail, when taking into account the size difference between us and him," Miriel pointed out. "Add the fact that his tail is currently swinging around in random directions…And it puts our chances of successfully pulling off something like that without casualties at -54 percent."
"Well…What if you cut it off?" Bulma asked, raising an eyebrow as she brought a hand up to her chin. "I mean, think about it. If tugging on it makes him all tired, then that must mean it acts as a storage point for his energy or something...Right?"
"Your theory does make sense," Miriel pointed out, pushing her glasses upwards. "If Robin's tail really is a source of energy as you theorize, cutting it off should separate him from a major energy source and as such make him far more tired."
"Yeah? But will it turn Robin back to normal again?" Stahl asked Miriel hopefully.
The Fire Mage blinked twice before shrugging. "The data is inconclusive to say so at this time."
"Oh…"
"I can't believe I'm trusting a bunch of teenagers who got us into this mess in the first place," Phila grumbled, pinching the bridge of her nose. She then proceeded to call out to her troops. "Pegasus Knights! If you are hurt, fall back! Everyone who still is in fighting condition, aim for his tail! Try to cut it off using your lances!"
The Pegasus Knights did as they were told, and began to deftly manuever towards Robin's back. It seemed that on some subconscious level he realized what they were to do however, and he began to flick anyone who got too close to him away with the very tail they were trying to cut off in the first place.
One brave knight managed to evade all of Robin's attempted attacks and struck true with her lance, though much to the shared horror of everyone present it barely left a mark in Robin's skin.
"His…His skin's too thick!" the Pegasus Knight cried out to Phila as she rejoined the group. "There's no way we'll be able to cut it off with our lances…We'll need something far sharper!"
"And this is why I told Lady Emmeryn that defunding the military to try and make Ylisse more 'peaceful' was a terrible idea," Phila grumbled, her eye twitching slightly. "If we still had access to Brave Lances instead of being forced to settle for Steel Lances, this wouldn't be happening right now!"
The silver-haired captain motioned for the troops to fall back, and everyone soon rejoined the group once more. There were unfortunately many Pegasus Knights who were laying down in the forest below, hurt and in need of medical help.
And to make matters worse, without the pesky distractions in the way, Robin continued to march away. The fact that he was marching in the direction of the capital was the cherry on the cake that was the misfortune of our heroes.
"What'll we do now?!" Lissa squealed out. "If we can't cut off Robin's tail…Ugh, I don't even want to think what might happen!"
Everyone was freaking out, with the exception of Chrom. The prince looked down at his waist, narrowing his eyes at the legendary sword in his possession.
"…Falchion here is a mystical sword, blessed by Naga herself! In my hands and my hands alone, it can probably cut through anything!"
Chrom then proceeded to look back up at Robin's slowly retreating figure, and narrowed his eyes.
"Everyone! I have Falchion with me! It's possible that I can cut off Robin's tail!" the prince shouted out as he unsheathed his blade and raised it high above his head. The unique blade shone and glistened in the moonlight. "I'll go and do the deed!"
"O-Of course not, milord! We embarked on this mission to save you!" Phila immediately responded, vehemently shaking her head. "To put you in more danger after all you've been through…It's absolutely unthinkable!"
"If we don't do anything soon, innocent lives will be put at risk," Chrom growled out in response. "Right now he's just crushing the forest underneath his feet…But very soon it's going to be a village, then a town, and after that Ylisstol itself! We must hurry!"
The blue-haired lord then pointed straight ahead and shouted for Cordelia to move.
"Come on! Let's go finish this!"
"R-Right away, my lord!" Cordelia squealed out, immediately pulling on the reigns of her Pegasi and causing the winged beast to immediately dash away. "Me and the prince against a giant beast! It's not ideal...But it's still romantic enough for me, I suppose!"
Phila called for the scarlet-haired knight to stop, but she was far too gone to hear her.
"That girl met the prince ONCE when she was younger, and yet she's so madly in love with him! It's incredibly frustrating!" Phila groaned, slapping her forehead. "I don't think he actually even remembers her..."
"Don't worry, Phila! I have a feeling that everything's going to work out just fine!" Lissa laughed, though not everyone shared her enthusiasm…
"M-Milord, how should I position us?" Cordelia stammered as her Pegasus approached Robin's giant form, circling near the back of his head so that he didn't see them. "Oh, that sounded wrong…I meant position my Pegasus, not us, because that would imply we're in a position together and-"
"Right here's fine. Thank you, Caeldori," Chrom responded with a smile as he slowly pulled himself up to his feet so that he was now standing on the back of Cordelia's Pegasus.
"Um, my name's Cordelia, Lord Chrom," the lovestruck knight mumbled in response, before immediately pausing and looking back at the prince. "A-And what do you mean right here?! We're near it's head, and it's tail is all the way down there!..."
"Well then I suppose I'll just have to jump to get closer!" Chrom grinned, causing the knight's eyes to widen. "Now be quiet! Robin might be slow, but he's still moving nonetheless! I've got to time this just right, and I need full concentration to do it!"
"W-WHAT?! MILORD! THAT'S ABSOLUTELY-"
Before she could finish her sentence, Chrom threw his sword into the air, causing it to spin around and around and descend rapidly towards the ground below. Cordelia screamed out in surprise as Chrom then proceeded to front flip over her head and began to descend after his blade.
Weapon and warrior were now in freefall and rapidly approaching both Robin's tail, as well as the cold hard ground below. If he failed this, Chrom would be a stain on the ground and Robin would be free to do as he pleased…He couldn't mess this up!
"The people of Ylisse are counting on me!" Chrom angrily thought to himself as he slowly reached out his hand towards the hilt of his blade. "I'm the prince…I have to protect my people!"
Chrom's hand finally gripped his sword, and unbeknownst to him a yellow aura began to briefly flicker in and out around his body. This same yellow aura enveloped his sword for a few seconds, and finally his dark blue eyes flashed a similar yellow colour as well.
He wasn't sure why, but at that moment, he shouted out one word…
"AETHER!"
Chrom's sword dragged himself downward, slashing straight through Robin's tail and causing the huge appendage to crash down onto the ground, kicking up lots of dirt, dust, and multiple trees in the process. As his tail hit the ground, Robin froze in his place, and let out a pained scream that was heard for miles.
Chrom smirked at a job well done, before pausing and grimacing as he realized that he unfortunately didn't account for the fact that he was now in free fall, and was about to end up a red stain on the ground.
Thankfully, at the last second, a certain red-haired Pegasus Knight swooped in, catching Chrom successfully on the back of her Pegasus.
"M-My Lord Chrom! That was so incredibly brave of you! And stupid…But so incredibly brave!" Cordelia gushed, looking back at Chrom before glancing up at the beast above them. "D-Do you think he's been beaten?..."
Cordelia's question was answered when, all of a sudden, both the massive tail lying down on the ground as well as Robin's humongous body itself were enveloped by a blinding blue light. Robin's ear-piercing scream grew quieter and quieter until it was replaced with absolute silence, and then before Chrom and Cordelia's very eyes they both began to shrink back down to their normal size.
The duo descended down towards the ground, and they were soon joined by everyone else who had rushed in after seeing the mighty beast freeze and shrink.
Maribelle and Lissa had helped everyone who had gotten hurt to the best of their abilities, and now there were only a few things left to do…
"That! Was! Awesome!" Lissa screamed out excitedly as everyone got off of their Pegasi and down onto the ground. The moment her brother's feet touched the floor, she tackled him and gave him a huge hug. "I didn't know you could do that! I thought you were going to die! And that yellow glow around you…Ugh, that was so cool! How'd you do that?!"
"Hmph! I could do better!" Vaike huffed as he crossed his arms and looked the other way, before smirking slightly. "But, since you're my eternal rival, I've got to admit you were kind of cool out there!"
Everyone else began to throw their praise towards the prince, who bashfully accepted it with a grin on his face.
"Th-Thanks, everyone! Let's just calm down now though, alright?" Chrom laughed out loud, before pausing and raising an eyebrow at Lissa. "But hey, Lissa, what do you mean yellow glow? I didn't notice anything like that…"
"Huh? What are you talking about?!" the little princess asked in disbelief as she pulled away from her brother and looked up into his eyes in shock. "Sure, it was only there for a few seconds, but it was super bright! And you shouted 'Aether' or something like that out as well!"
"Did I?" Chrom asked, furrowing his brow. "I…Didn't notice…"
"Milord, I believe that was the legendary Aether technique," Maribelle spoke up, uncharacteristically shy for some reason. "I…Read about it in a book once. Apparently the First Exalt learnt it from a powerful warrior in ancient times, and it was passed down through the royal bloodline. However, it was seemingly lost to history…Until now, it seems."
"I didn't know you were a history buff, Maribelle," Bulma said with a grin, slapping her fellow noble on the back.
"Please do not touch me like that again. It is unbecoming of a noblewoman of your position," Maribelle huffed as she pushed the bluenette's hand away. "And…Yes. When it comes to the royal family I must admit that I know quite a bit…"
"This night just gets crazier and crazier," Stahl sighed as he jumped up, grabbed an apple from a nearby tree, and then without caring whether it was washed or not began to chow down on it. "I mean, first Robin is some crazy beast from a story that Lissa was telling us earlier and now Prince Chrom has unlocked some long-forgotten technique accidentally? Absolutely wild stuff…"
"I'll…Have to do more research on it. If it can help me protect Ylisse better, then I'll master this new power," Chrom stated firmly, before looking around. "But enough about me! Where's Robin? Is he safe? Me and Cordelia saw him begin to shrink down…"
"He's safe, milord. And we will be safe from him, as well," Phila's voice cut in, causing everyone to immediately shut up.
As one they all turned around, and they spotted Robin strapped to the back of Phila's horse with multiple ropes. A couple of Pegasus Knights were making sure that he was securely fastened, and that he had no hope of breaking out of his bonds. He was currently unconscious, however, so there was no hope of escape for him even if he wasn't tied up.
Robin was also completely naked, save for his mysterious black cloak which had somehow once again changed in size alongside him.
Of course, it wasn't enough to fully hide himself, and as such many of the Pegasus Knights, including both Cordelia and Sumia, were incredibly flustered…
"Hold on, Phila. Is it truly necessary to hold him with such bonds? Robin didn't know he would transform into that…Beast," Chrom spoke up, taking a few steps towards the Pegasus. "And besides, he's unconscious now! He's completely harmless and-"
"Respectfully, milord, we don't know that," Phila quickly interjected, shutting down any hopes Chrom had of helping his new friend. "This child appeared out of nowhere, claimed he had amnesia and yet was capable of remembering things like your name and his own name, and then he transformed into a vicious beast that could have destroyed all of Ylisse if he wasn't stopped!"
"But Phila-"
"No, milord. I'm going to keep him in custody until we figure the situation out. We weren't even one hundred percent certain that cutting off his tail would stop him, it was just a lucky theory!" the captain continued with her rant. "And, respectfully, we wouldn't even be in this situation right now if you and your Z-Shepherds hadn't barged into the fortress without proper planning and warning us beforehand! This entire night could have been avoided!"
Chrom wanted to say something, anything, but he knew that Phila was completely right. Her anger was justified, and her mistrust of Robin was as well.
But Chrom knew that Robin could be trusted, because of something that only he and Emmeryn knew. He couldn't exactly tell that to the Pegasus Knight Captain though, because it was a secret…
"I…Understand, Captain Phila. Thank you."
The veteran Pegasus Knight nodded, before turning around and gesturing for everyone to get on their Pegasi. "Come on, everyone! Let us return to Ylisstol at once! I am NOT looking forward to putting this mission in the record books…"
Robin groaned as he slowly began to wake up, blinking a couple times to push the grogginess away. The sun shone onto his face through a nearby window, speeding up the process.
The white-haired boy slowly sat up, though the moment he did he immediately found a multitude of lances pointing directly at his face.
"Um…Hi?" Robin nervously said, slowly raising a hand and waving at all of the guards who were pointing their weapons at him.
Robin quickly looked around and found that he was currently laying in a bed which was presumably back at the palace because of all the guards surrounding him. None of them seemed too happy to see that he was awake, however.
"Come on, everyone! There's no need for that," a familiar voice spoke up as the owner began to push through the crowd of guards, causing them to tentatively lower their weapons. "Can't you see he's perfectly harmless right now?"
The owner of the voice eventually managed to make his way into Robin's view, and it turned out to be Chrom. The rest of the Z-Shepherds were close behind him as usual.
"Robin, how are you feeling?" the prince asked with a smile. "It's good to see you're finally awake."
"Thanks, Chrom. My head kind of hurts, but apart from that I feel pretty fine," Robin grumbled as he held onto his head, before looking up at the blue-haired lord with a raised eyebrow. "…How long was I out for? And what even happened? The last thing I remember is fighting that weird Dark Mage guy…"
Chrom glanced worriedly at the rest of the Z-Shepherds, who simply shrugged at him. Before he could open his mouth to start explaining, however, another familiar voice butted in.
"You've been out of commission for a day now," Phila said simply as she walked up next to Chrom, narrowing her eyes at the white-haired boy. "And as for what happened…We were hoping YOU could explain it to us. How did you transform into that 'Oozaru' creature back there?"
Robin blinked twice. "Oozaru...Like the thing from Lissa's story?!"
"Yeah! Exactly like that!" Lissa excitedly spoke up. "Except you had white fur instead of brown fur like in the story and your cloak somehow grew in size with you and-"
"Princess, please," Phila cut Lissa off before she could really get going. "Let's let Robin explain this to us."
The white-haired boy looked down at his body. He was currently wearing a new set of clothes, and on top of them he was wearing his black cloak. It looked a little dirty, and was covered in all sorts of grime.
"I…Wait, I think I'm starting to remember," Robin whispered as he looked up at everyone else. "I looked up at the full moon, and after that I began to transform…I can't quite remember anything after that, though…"
"I suppose I will have to jog your memory a little bit then," Phila grumbled, narrowing her eyes at Robin. "You transformed into a destructive, out-of-control beast and went on a rampage! You killed all of the bandits as well as their leader, and now we have nobody to question! Furthermore, you harmed many Pegasus Knights in the process! Thankfully nobody was killed on the mission, but people are still in the infirmary right now having their wounds treated because of you!"
"What?!" Robin exclaimed in disbelief, his eyes widening to the size of dinnerplates. "I don't remember that at all! How…How did I turn back to normal?"
Chrom sighed as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I…Had to cut off your tail. We didn't even know if it would actually do anything in the first place, but the moment it was chopped off you reverted back to normal…"
Robin's eyes somehow grew even wider then they already were, and he quickly brought his hand down to the lower end of his back. Sure enough, the furry white appendage was no longer present.
"Agh! I thought that something was off! Damn, man, this is weird…" Robin grumbled. "My sense of balance is going to be totally off now…"
Chrom apologetically smiled at the boy, while Phila simply clicked her tongue.
"Enough. Your tail was chopped off and is currently being studied by our greatest researchers. But that's besides the point…How did you transform in the first place?!"
"Wh-What?"
"You pose a significant risk to the peace of the halidom, young man," Phila angrily said as she crossed her arms under her chest. "How did you do that? Was it a spell? Are you some sort of never-before-seen Laguz? Answer me!"
"Considering he didn't have a Tome with him it was definitely not a spell…And after our hours of research, we can safely say that Robin is NOT a Laguz."
Everyone turned to the doorway, and much to their shock they spotted Emmeryn and the Hierarch. The Exalt simply waved her hand, and everyone in the room and immediately fell down to one knee to pay their respect to her, while the Hierarch simply cleared his throat and gestured to a huge book in his hands.
"Yes, yes, it is good to pay your respect, but listen here," the old man said as he cracked the book wide open and flipped to a particular page. "The Laguz are a race of powerful warriors that are able to transform into great beasts…But they are only capable of doing so when they touch an object called a 'Beast Stone'. In ancient times they could transform without it, but in the modern day it is scientifically impossible for them to do so. Furthermore, Laguz have multiple animalistic features, while Robin only had a tail, which is now gone! Unless he is some strange new species...He is definitely not a Laguz."
Miriel and Bulma quickly dashed next to the Hierarch's side and, after quickly reading through his research, found themselves agreeing with his findings.
"Everyone please calm down," Emmeryn sighed as she gracefully made her way forward towards Robin's bed. The crowd immediately parted so that she could have space to move. "How are you feeling, Robin? I know this whole situation has been…Peculiar."
"You could say that again…" Robin grumbled, looking down at his hands. "My tail's been cut off! I mean, it was weird having it in the first place, but-"
"My Lady, please listen to me," Phila spoke up, catching the Exalt's attention. "Robin is far too dangerous. Respectfully, you weren't there when he transformed. I still have knights in the recovery ward. No one died thankfully, but their conditions are…Not good. He is far too dangerous to be kept alive, let alone to be left in Ylisse! You must exile him...Or execute him!"
"We're not going to kill him, Phila. That is not how we do things in Ylisse…At least ever since I started ruling it," Emmeryn stated firmly. "However, you do raise valid points. Robin is very dangerous, and banishment could be something that we have to do to ensure the peace of our country..."
Robin gulped. This situation…It was just like that vision he had before waking up in the dungeon! Could it have been a vision of the future? He was under the assumption that they were visions of the past…
Emmeryn glanced at Chrom, who nodded a single time at her, and then she proceeded to look directly at Robin.
"Well…It seems that I have come to a decision."
Robin grit his teeth, expecting to hear the news that he was going to be banished from Ylisse.
"It is true that Robin's mysterious power poses an incredible threat to the peace of Ylisse…But we cannot simply push him away. So far he has acted only with the halidom's safety in mind, and has fought for us multiple times. Especially with the restructuring of the military that I have done, he could be a very valuable asset in the continued protection of our country. That is why I shall allow him to stay in Ylisse…But only if he is constantly monitored by the Z-Shepherds."
Robin blinked twice. That wasn't how this was supposed to play out…
The room immediately erupted into chaos. Phila was trying to get the Exalt to change her mind, the Z-Shepherds were all glad that their friend could stay with them, and the guards were all surprised that the Exalt would allow the kid who had apparently transformed into a monster to stay in the country…
"But wait, Emm. Does this mean…You're going to allow us to continue being Z-Shepherds?" Chrom asked hopefully, clenching his fists slightly. "We DID manage to defeat the bandits, after all…"
"Yes, I was going to come to that," the Exalt sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Chrom, you and your friends proved that you are capable of dealing with threats to the peace of the Halidom of Ylisse…But at the same time you also proved that you can be very impulsive and immature. Then again, I suppose I already knew that as your older sister…"
Chrom's cheeks turned red, and he looked down at the ground. If he messed up his chances of letting the Z-Shepherds to continue operating because of his stupid emotions, he would never forgive himself!
"That is why…I have come to a decision. You will be allowed to continue going on your patrols, and you will be allowed to continue operating from your headquarters. However, you will ALL have to undergo very strict training in both tactics and battle. That includes you, Bulma."
"Wait…WHAT?! OH NO! I DON'T WANT TO LEARN HOW TO FIGHT! I JUST WANTED TO GO ON-"
"It's for your own safety, Bulma," Emmeryn softly cut off the unruly teenager. "Furthermore, Captain Phila will organize certain…Missions, for you to go on to help further your training. Is that agreeable to you all?"
Chrom blinked twice, before glancing at the rest of the Z-Shepherds. Bulma was pouting and looking the other way, but everyone else seemed to find Emmeryn's conditions to be acceptable. They already trained very hard, and Phila was infamous for making the Pegasus Knights undergo grueling training…But at the same time, they all felt that they were up for it.
"Alright, fine. Deal," Chrom responded, smirking at his older sister. "But after you see how safe Ylisse is going to become thanks to our patrols, you're going to realize we don't even need any more training!"
Emmeryn smiled warmly at her younger brother, and giggled slightly at his enthusiasm. "This isn't a game, Chrom…But we shall see, I suppose."
While the rest of the Z-Shepherds started celebrating, and Phila once again found something to complain about, Robin could only look down at the strange mark on the back of hand.
What happened exactly? He had assumed his visions were images of the past that he did not remember, but this one ended up showing a future that was…Averted? But how did he even avoid it in the first place? What made Emmeryn change her mind?
Robin looked up at the mysterious Exalt, and found that she was staring at him in the corner of her eye.
He felt that, somehow, he was going to get his answer sooner or later…
A/N: This is the end of the 'first arc'. The next arc will take a lot of inspiration from the 21st World Martial Arts Tournament arc, though obviously there'll be a couple of changes so that it fits in the context of the world.