Chapter 28: Cog of Destiny
"I can see it… That's the Shrine of Seals," Eliwood exclaimed as everyone entered the valley.
The book detailing the passage to the Shrine of Seals was accurate. Northwest of their position was the shrine where the staircase led to a throne.
They were not hindered by Bern's soldiers or remnants of Black Fang led by Sonia. Nils and Ninian sat in the newly combined convoy carriage with Merlinus as the coachman while Anna and Jake were present inside with them. The Greil Mercenaries were guarding the carriage and were mindful of the siblings during this vulnerable time to expect enemies.
"This is strange," Hector with a heavier-looking armor (from the Heaven's Seal) remarked as he looked at their surroundings. "We've made it so far without seeing a single soul."
"I have a bad feeling about this..." Ike added with a wary expression. Lyn nodded in agreement.
It was far too easy to get this far without any impediments. The Reed family were on alert, awaiting what they believed to be their biggest battle.
"Indeed, you should..."
A rune appeared before the group and what appeared was a familiar figure. The Reed family's "stepmother", Sonia. Her expression was of lividity.
"Sonia!" Linus shouted out as he prepared his weapon alongside Lloyd. Legault followed suit, eager to end the pretend human's life.
Everyone began to brandish their weapons at the morph. Vaida snarled at the sight of the woman who dared to assassinate Zephiel. There were still no other forces present. Sonia was alone, as if in control of the situation.
"Hello sons, still alive?" Sonia asked with a sarcastic tone. "Well, don't worry, you both will join your father soon enough."
Sonia's last statement made the Reed brothers and Legault furious. Ike knew not to interject at this moment and instead glanced at Priscilla and Renault who nodded. The pair quietly nodded and went inside the carriage tent to prepare. Nils and Ninian let themselves out for a moment to allow the magic users to obtain what they needed.
Nino was visibly shaken at the sight of her supposed mother. The woman just scoffed and smirked at the sight of the little girl she raised.
"What's that look?" Sonia glared at the girl as she spoke. "I should have known that you would be a thoroughly and utterly useless little girl. If only I'd known... I would've sent you off to your true parents!"
So it was true, her parents were murdered by this monster. Lloyd and Linus's glare intensified as Nino became more distraught. What Sonia revealed only solidified what their agents had found out.
Nino was adopted or kidnapped by Sonia after Nino's family was killed by her.
"Ha ha… That's right..." Sonia remarked as Nino remained silent. "What can the truth hurt now? Your true family for generations was the most famed house of magic wielders in all Lycia. They alone guarded the secret of the dragons. Thirteen years ago, Lord Nergal and I stole that secret."
'There were more secrets? Was it related to the Dragon's Gate?' Ike thought to himself.
It didn't matter given the situation. Ike was still wary of the morph before him.
"So... it's true... you were never my mother..." Nino voiced out with a pained expression.
"Nino..." Jaffar voiced out.
"That's right..." Sonia nodded. "No matter how wise they were, they were only human. I held a child before me as a shield, and they were powerless to act! The father, the mother, and then the child I carried… After they revealed all of their secrets… And I slaughtered them with these very hands! There were two children, a boy and a girl. One, the mother fought fiercely to save. She held her daughter tight as I killed her. That girl, Nino, was you!"
It was then Nino shook her head with a tearful expression. "No!"
"Hold your tongue, you witch!" Linus spat out as he threw a hand axe at Sonia, only for the woman to warp further away from the group, unbothered by the attempt at her life. Linus clicked his tongue as the hand axe went back to him.
Sonia still glared at the girl who held a downtrodden expression.
"You were still a mewling little whelp, but we took you with us. Lord Nergal thought you might be useful, so he let you live. I hated the very thought of it, but it was Lord Nergal's wish that I raise you as my daughter," Sonia's expression soon turned to repulsion. "We were so wrong about you! Stupid and useless beyond all reason! A worthless piece of offal! All you were was in the way!"
Just as Lloyd and Linus were ready to dash towards Sonia, Jaffar's voice was heard behind them.
"So that's why you wanted her dead..." Jaffar's voice called out with his daggers in hand. "You're inhuman. Your soul is black and devoid of warmth."
Sonia scoffed and responded with disdain: "I never expected to hear such things from you, Jaffar! Once, you killed without hesitation at Lord Nergal's command. What happened to the man all feared, my Angel of Death?"
Jaffar twirled his daggers as he gave his usual emotionless expression. But his eyes held a clear gaze within them.
"Nino has changed me. I am no longer Nergal's killing engine. For Nino's sake… Sonia, you must die. And I will kill you!" Jaffar declared.
"Jaffar!" Nino exclaimed with a grateful look to her friend.
"Oi, we got first dibs on this... thing," Linus called out as Sonia glared at Mad Dog for his remark.
"Indeed," Lloyd added. "For our little sister and our fallen father, this literal monster wearing the guise of a human can no longer exist in this world."
"Oh boy, I thought I was going to get a heart attack hearing Angel of Death speak..." Legault remarked as he readied his stance and narrowed his eyes at the morph in front of him. "I always wanted to do this... for the commander... for Uhai and Aesha. You ruined the Fang and took an innocent girl away from her family. As the cleaner of the Fang, I sentence you, a subhuman wretch, to death."
Nino's eyes filled with hope to see her family by her side. They would defend her even if they were not related by blood. Nothing this monster would say or do would ever tear her away from them.
Unbeknownst to the group, Ike twitched his eye for a moment at Legault's familiar insult towards Sonia. Then again, it was probably appropriate given the situation.
"Ha!" Sonia scoffed. "You still consider that wretch your family!? Very well, more quintessence for Lord Nergal! Only the chosen few will live to see the new world. Perfect people! People like me!"
Just as she was about to warp to the throne of the shrine, she found herself enveloped by a purple pyramid. Her golden eyes widened in realization and did not get to dodge the spell.
SILENCE
She could no longer invoke her spells or warp to safety. She looked around for reinforcements to arrive but none came. Soon, a bishop appeared right next to her and using his staff, swept Sonia off her feet in a sweep attack. Raising his staff and hitting her dead center as she was about to fall, she could not voice out a single cry of pain. Renault backed away as four figures advanced towards the downed morph. Sonia's expression filled with horror as the former Fang members were out for blood.
"Die! You literal flesh puppet!" Linus roared out as he jumped and held his silver blade downward at the miserable excuse for a stepmother he had. The others followed suit, with all their blades aimed at the sorceress on the ground.
With different motivations guiding their blades, whether it was their father, friends, leaders, or an innocent little girl, they chose to kill this monster. Nino turned away at the sight to avoid watching the demise of the woman she once called mother.
Their blades finally plunged into the morph, who was unable to cry out.
'Why did none of those flesh puppets come? Lord Nergal...' Sonia thought to herself as she raised out her hand while the rest of her body was pinned down by blades. Suddenly, dust was seen coming out from her hand as she trembled in fear of what was happening to her. 'No, no... I... I am human! I can't be...'
Those were the last thoughts before the morph that believed she was human faded away into dust.
The former Fang members wiped off the dust that was left on their blades. Picking up the tomes left behind as well as a Fell Contract, the old Fang left on a sour note. Their father and leader died to a pretend human. So easily she fell before them like nothing.
Nino looked disheartened at the sight but looked away. Her supposed mother really was a magical construct.
"Should it really be that easy?" Ike voiced out as he looked at his surroundings. The rest of the army followed suit as they took a bit of time to spread out to see if any more enemies lurked while the Greil Mercenaries stayed by the side of the dragon siblings.
He knew Sonia was expecting something. Reinforcements? Morphs? She was all alone in the end with no one to assist her. It was far too easy...
Could it be...? Ike immediately glanced towards Nils and Ninian who stepped out of the convoy when Priscilla and Renault used silence and warp staves within the carriage.
Suddenly, two figures came from behind them after a rune circle emerged. The pair couldn't perceive their father and his morphs... Ninian received a chop to the neck by Limstella and fell unconscious. Nils's eyes realized Ike's expression of horror before Ninian and immediately dashed forward to escape the grasp of his father. He looked back to become shocked at the sight of his sister captured by Nergal and his morph.
"How weak, I was right not to waste my morphs on you, Sonia," Nergal muttered as he shook his head in exasperation. A sense of frustration ran through the sorcerer as he failed to capture his son who evaded his grasp.
"Ninian!" Eliwood called out as Ninian remained unconscious within Limstella's arms.
"Let go of my sister!" Nils demanded but Nergal only smirked.
Ike and Greil Mercenaries were alerted by the warping enemies as they readied their weapons. But this time, Ninian was kept as leverage, as Limstella held the unconscious girl in place. Linus growled at the sight of the man who made Sonia. Lloyd calmly narrowed his eyes alongside Linus and Legault. There was no doubt he was the monster who made Uhai and their father into flesh puppets.
"Dammit, they slipped past us while we were distracted!" Raven remarked as Priscilla was by his side with a tome in her hand.
The rest of the Greil Mercenaries and army followed suit. Renault narrowed his eyes at the familiar man and clicked his tongue. Unfortunately, a second attempt at warping and silencing would not work.
Jaffar glared at the man who raised him, regarding him as nothing more than a danger to the one he cherished most in the world. However, Nergal paid him no mind and focused only on the dragon siblings.
"Come Nils..." Nergal gestured to his son. "Open the Dragon's Gate for me..."
Nils was visibly distraught at the sight of his father and Ninian being unconscious. At this rate, they had no idea whether more morphs would emerge during this time.
"No, you can't go!" Ike called out.
Nergal glanced towards Ike and held a greedy expression. "Of course, why would I forget about the Hero of Blue Flame? It was a lot of trouble to summon you to this land from beyond. You may have escaped my grasp once, but no more..."
So he was the one to summon Ike. Lyn readied her Mani Katti against the man who was once considered a father to the siblings. And the word "beyond" caused everyone who knew about Ike's secret to flinch slightly.
"I think not."
The solemn declaration echoed amongst the people present. Athos appeared before the group with runes underneath his feet. Nergal clicked his tongue at the sight of his former "friend".
"Tch... one should prove sufficient... The Gate will open and I will gain unlimited power," Underneath Nergal and Limstella's feet was a rune circle as Nergal spoke. "I will be expecting you... in Dread Isles..."
"No!" Ike and the others hurried to attack Nergal, but they vanished, along with Ninian in tow.
""Ninian!"" Eliwood and Nils called out at the same time.
"Halt! Do not go any further!" Athos warned as he spotted an orb that was left behind and quickly erected a barrier to shield everyone.
With that, a flash erupted from the orb and the ground quaked. Ike, who was the closest to the blast zone, lost consciousness the next moment while hearing Lyn's voice calling out to him.
Ike woke up and found himself at the shrine's altar. Only Athos was present as he watched the young mercenary commander's state while stroking his beard.
"If he'd truly wished to kill you, even my power could not have saved you," Athos remarked as he sighed. "He held back and expected me to use a barrier regardless..."
"The others... where did they go?" Ike queried Athos as he stood up with some difficulty.
"They are currently inside the shrine underground. I was just waiting for you to awaken, and be alone while I teleported them to where Bramimond resides," Athos answered promptly. "My friend is also a living legend, they still live to this day..."
It was likely everyone else was tending to their duties while their lords were meeting with one of the other legendary heroes. Nils was tightly guarded by the mercenaries and army in the meantime. To think Bramimond of the Eight Legends was still alive like Athos...
The Greil Mercenaries were apprehensive about leaving their commander alone but Athos reassured them that he was needed once he regained consciousness.
It was then Ike frowned and realized something as Athos was present. "How did you know we were here? Now that I think about it, you are one of the legendary heroes who fought alongside Hartmut. So you should know about the shrine's location already. So if you teleported here, why couldn't you warp us to the shrine's location in the first place?"
"With my scrying crystal," Athos answered the first question. "And before you ask a similar question with frustration like Hector, I refrained from warping everyone to the Shrine of Seals. This journey to Bern was mainly to test the power of the children of Roland and Hanon if they were worthy of wielding the legendary weapons that are sealed across this continent. That, and to avoid causing mishaps like before..."
Mishaps? Ike frowned at the supposed reason. And the legendary weapons of Elibe... Ike remembered Mulagir was wielded by Hanon, and many other weapons/tomes used by various heroes.
"But now we have no time to test the strength of others, we must meet Bramimond," Athos declared as a rune circle appeared beneath their feet. "Bramimond is also a seer, I wonder what reflection emerges when they face you? Will they consider you worthy?"
"Aghhh..." Hector groaned out in frustration. "What do you mean we're not worthy!?"
Within the dark and musty shrine, were four figures. Athos and Ike halted right before meeting the group as they were conversing. But it seems as though negotiations broke down.
"Bah! Because you didn't prove anything!" Hector's voice roared out through the hooded figure. "You've barely demonstrated much strength to prove that you're not weak enough to handle the legendary weapons that I've sealed away, they're not your plaything to begin with!"
Ike wondered why Hector was talking to himself, only to be reminded that Bramimond has no identity. Perhaps that was the reason why Bramimond's voice and personality were like Hector's.
But they had a job to accomplish...
"But…we can't stop Nergal like this! We need your power to help us save the world! Nergal could bring back the dragons to this land," Eliwood pleaded. "Although there is no guarantee, we simply ask that you believe in us. We require the power of the legendary weapons of Elibe. To save the woman I love, and to protect the land where we live, I beseech you, Bramimond the Enigma."
Lyn also looked at Bramimond with pleading eyes. The one in question only shook their head in refusal.
"There was a man much like you. His gaze never wandered. It was ever fixed straight ahead…" Bramimond responded in Eliwood's voice. "But the answer is no. You've proven nothing throughout your journey in Bern to our shrine. I do not blame you, since much of the events I observed is that much of the conflict was avoided in your path. It was diverted and as a consequence, you couldn't prove your worth to hold the weapons we all once wielded..."
That's right... Ike found himself along with his group in battle the majority of the time in Bern. So any battles that were meant to take place, like Vaida ambushing Eliwood's group, were averted. In other words... all the major battles were fought on the Greil Mercenaries initiative. Even Raven, another descendant of Roland, would have had a better case to prove himself to one of the legends.
That was the crux of this issue in failing to convince Bramimond. Just as everyone was about to plead once more, footsteps were heard approaching Bramimond, the Enigma, along with the rest of the Lycian lords.
Lyn was the first to notice and her expression turned to relief as she saw Ike safe and sound. "Ike! You're safe!" She called out.
The rest of the people's attention went towards Ike and Athos entering the shrine, with Bramimond suddenly taking a step back as they saw Ike. As Ike gained a closer look, his eyes widened in surprise. Athos also followed suit, while stroking his beard at the appearance of his old friend shifting to a new one.
"Yune...?"
The hooded figure of Bramimond changed to a young girl in a yellow dress and red wavy hair. Everyone's attention went back to the Enigma, only to be utterly confused at the sight of a little girl that came from nowhere, or rather from Ike.
"Forgive me for using your body, but please let me speak!" Yune spoke to Bramimond and turned to the confused audience. "Finally, I can talk to you all!"
"What in the... what happened to Bramimond?" Hector asked with wide eyes.
Lyn covered her mouth realizing this was the girl within Ike's mind, Yune. Eliwood was somewhat privy to the details about Yune through Hector. To think the supposed "evil spirit" Hector described was a young child...
"Hmph!" Yune turned away from Hector and crossed her arms. "I'm not talking to you!"
Her refusal to speak with Hector left the man flabbergasted. What was puzzling to others was that Bramimond's voice and personality did not mirror whoever spoke to the Enigma. It was still Yune, whose identity took over Bramimond for this moment.
"Yune. Why are you here? How did you replace Bramimond?" Ike asked the girl whose attention went to him.
Athos spoke nothing but was intrigued by the set of events. He didn't expect this spirit to possess his friend. She had to have great power or presence to do so.
"What the... wait... Yune? So you're the evil spirit that inhabits Ike's mind!" Hector pointed to Yune as if she were some strange spectacle. Yune scowled at Hector for his remark.
"I'm not an evil spirit! Why do you keep calling me that!? How would you feel if I called you an evil bag of organs? I am neither cursed nor evil! I'm not talking to you!" Yune responded furiously. Hector, in return, was baffled by Yune's childish rebuttal.
"Oh for the love of..." Hector groaned out as Eliwood stepped forward.
"Please, Hector. We need to focus," Eliwood bowed before Yune. "I know not if you're Bramimond, but we need to speak to the one who holds control over the seal for the legendary weapons."
Everyone was worried that they would get nowhere at this rate. They didn't have time for the pair to argue or Yune to take over Bramimond's body. But it seemed like Yune wasn't going to relinquish her control of the Enigma.
"Well then," Athos took the initiative to ask a question. "Then who exactly are you, Yune? And why have you taken my friend, Bramimond, as your vessel?"
Yune turned to Athos and responded: "I was able to come here because Bramimond had no sense of self. Forgive me for possessing your friend but time is of the essence. I am neither holy nor base, neither angel nor devil. I am Freedom. Chaos. Transformation. Future. Mystery. I am Yune."
Her introduction was like when Ike first met her within the vestiges of his mind. She put her hands on her hips the next moment facing Athos.
"You also didn't tell Ike about what happened. I know you're trying to have him focus, but I already have enough headaches with having my consciousness split between Fae and giving that other child her soul back that I want him to hurry!" She exclaimed as she rubbed her head.
Ike and Lycian lords frowned at the mention of the little girl back in Nabata. What happened to Fae? What was that about another child? It was then that Ike was suddenly reminded when he spoke to Anna.
Athos's eyes flickered at the mention of a soul given back to a girl. That meant the Divine Dragon that was converted into a Demon Dragon regained her soul...
"Don't tell me... Fae's in Tellius!?" Ike exclaimed surprising everyone present. He turned to Athos who remained neutral in his expression and nodded.
"Wait, that girl back in Nabata," Eliwood voiced out as he turned to Ike. "Why is she in your homeland?"
Hector turned his head back and forth between Ike and Athos wondering what had happened during the time they left Nabata Desert. The little one kept circling and asking their army various questions.
Lyn only met Fae for a short time, but to think she might have been transported to another world... She became worried wondering what happened to the dragon child.
"I would like to remind you, that you are not to blame. Whatever spell Nergal used to summon you here resonated with the Warp spell I used to teleport everyone to Pherae, and transported her to Tellius," Athos answered promptly which made Ike all the more worried. "The girl is safe, safe within the country of Goldoa, home of the dragon laguz you've mentioned. She's a welcomed guest. She's even met the Beast King, Caineghis on one of his visits."
Ike let out a breath of relief. However, he felt responsible for what happened to the dragon child and his next set of plans would likely be to find a way to take her back to Elibe. If Caineghis came into contact with Fae, he might have also informed his father, Greil, of his whereabouts. Then again, he hoped they would not go on a wild goose chase going to somewhere like the Desert of Death to find him.
"Wait, all that stuff about animal people is true? So Ike's head didn't take a hit back in a Valor?" Hector asked to which it only garnered a glare from Lyn.
Hector looked at Ike as if he had grown another head. He thought he was crazy when mentioning his homeland but to think it was true... Ike didn't mind Hector didn't believe him, Elibe was a very different land compared to Tellius.
Eliwood pondered about an entire country of dragons and animal-like people that Hector relayed information about Ike's continent rather crudely. But he shook his head as he needed to focus on releasing the seal on the legendary weapons.
"So... Fae's in another world?" Lyn prodded to Athos, causing Hector and Eliwood to raise an eyebrow at the Sacaen woman. What caused them to be stupefied was that Athos affirmed by nodding.
They thought Tellius was an unknown continent. That meant Ike was an otherworldly person, literally.
"Yes, Fae is within another world. Also... we will discuss the matter in another private meeting, but for now, allow me to ask Yune to relinquish control back to Bramimond," Athos answered and turned to Yune. "If I may be presumptuous, can you speak your fill and let me convince my old friend?"
Yune took a moment to contemplate and nodded. She turned to Ike and announced: "I may not be able to assist you with your upcoming battle. I gave up much of my power to restore another child's soul the moment you took that Fire Emblem within your hand. The rest is up to you... Also, the moment you get back, don't ever touch the medallion where I reside. You might go berserk."
Ike wondered what Yune referred to when restoring a child's soul. He knew it wasn't Fae, thankfully. And what did the imperial seal of Bern have to do with it? Also, he wondered why she added the last warning. Berserk? Was Mist the only one who could touch the medallion? Was that the real reason why his father forbade him from coming into contact with the medallion?
Yune turned to Lyn and smiled at her. "You're a much better singer than Ike here. I wonder why I ever gave the real melody to him..." Yune's remark caused Ike to be dumbfounded. So that's why his mother's original lullaby was in lyrical form? "Please, sing to me the melody. You remember, right?"
Lyn nodded and smiled at Yune. She could recite everything even though she didn't understand a single word of it. It was something that was ingrained within her heart.
"Well, I'm off. Until we meet again..." With a final farewell, Bramimond returned to their original hooded form. Athos took a step forward to greet his friend.
"Bramimond, do you remember me?" Athos called out. "You were possessed just a while ago..."
"…Athos," Bramimond responded in Athos's voice. "Hmm, it's been many ages. I cannot fathom why you brought these people here, let alone the one who holds that child spirit who possessed me. Why I sealed everything away… Do you forget why? The legendary items are not meant for human hands."
The Ending Winter caused ruin for the world as the divine weapons clashing with dragons caused the world to become imbalanced. From winter happening in the middle of summer, and the stars showing during the day. While it hindered dragons from maintaining their dragon forms, much of the magic within the universe was deprived.
Athos nodded in understanding. "I remember, but times have changed. We must pave the way for the future. We, too, are human. These people will not be seduced by power."
Bramimond scoffed and shook his head.
"Do you not realize what has happened throughout the past few days? The Seal of the Demon Dragon has broken! I felt it from within this shrine!" Hector, Eliwood, and Lyn became visibly alarmed by the revelation.
Ike remembered the legend of the Scouring. Hartmut and the other heroes fought the leader of the dragons, the Demon Dragon. But what caused such a seal to be released? Nergal? No... by that logic, Nergal wouldn't have needed Nils or Ninian. It was then that Ike's eyes widened in horror after reflecting on the past set of events.
"If dragons are returning because of her or this Nergal, I'd rather I take the Apocalypse and you take your Forblaze to deal with those individuals ourselves. In that case, we can stop both of them instead of leaving the other weapons in the hands of the descendants of our comrades..." Bramimond spoke his suggestion to Athos, who stroked his beard.
The combined strength of himself and Bramimond may be enough to stop Nergal, but he shook his head.
"Our stories have ended a millennia ago. Theirs begin anew," Athos replied as he looked at Bramimond with a nostalgic gaze. "That poor girl who was nothing more than a tool in the hands of her brethren will no longer be used. I have faith, my friend."
Although he did not know the exact reason the Demon Dragon's soul was regained, it was likely through this Yune's efforts to help a lost individual. One of their former enemies was still present with her, but with Goldoan dragons and Fae to protect her, she could regain a semblance of a normal life.
The conversation between Athos and Bramimond confused the rest of the group. Who on earth did they refer to? Ike remained in thought as he was stunned by the conclusion he came to.
Bramimond scrutinized Athos before sighing. He acquiesced to Athos's conviction. Soon, a flash of light that could not be perceived by most people on the surface went across Elibe. The weapons could now be taken when individuals have gone past the perilous trials and traps that await them.
"… The seals have been released. You may now do as you please. I'm tired. You will let me rest." Bramimond declared.
A rune came underneath the rest of the group upon his proclamation. The group would be taken to the surface shortly.
"Ah!" Hector breathed in while feeling refreshed. "It's good to breathe the outside air again!"
While Hector was taking in the fresh air, Ike was visibly distraught. He had remained in this state since near the end of the conversation between Bramimond and Athos.
"Ike..." Lyn called out softly but to no avail. Ike was still not responding.
"Now then, you must go to Ostia and take possession of Roland's blade," Athos declared as he also offered a Heaven's Seal to Eliwood. "Use it when you feel when you are ready."
Eliwood took the seal and nodded at Athos. Although he felt he could use it, he needed to prove his strength to Bramimond that he was worthy of both the Heaven's Seal and Durandal, the Blazing Blade.
"Yes, I will prove myself to wield the blade. However," Eliwood turned to where Ike was still standing. "I believe you must address all of his concerns, Lord Athos."
"Yeah..." Hector added as he finished his stretch and breathing routine. His tone suddenly filled with suspicion. "Now spill everything, Graybeard..."
Everyone's eyes were trained on Athos, including Ike who was originally distracted by his own thoughts. It was time to reveal the entire matter.
"Very well, let us discuss this matter in Ostia. But without any sudden intruders or strong desires when the spell takes place..."
"If you'd like, please come with us to the plains. The flowers bloom wonderfully," Kurthnaga offered to Idunn. Fae also followed suit, nodding fervently to the woman who stared at the pair.
"Yup yup! Ranulf carried Fae on his back there. There were lots of flowers blooming there!" Fae exclaimed excitedly.
Idunn sat silent before opening her mouth.
"Is that an order...?"
It was then that Kurthnaga blinked his eyes repeatedly before shaking his head. He wondered what she experienced by asking such a question.
Fae also became concerned with Idunn. This was the first time Idunn responded. Why would she consider wandering the flower fields an order? It was meant to be fun for Fae.
"By Goddess, no!" Kurthnaga denied. "If you are not feeling well, by all means, please feel comfortable at your bedside. Whatever you wish for, my attendants shall bring to you. Please, tell us what you desire."
Kurthnaga earnestly wanted Idunn to do as she wished. He disregarded the words of Jahn, not believing the woman to be any form of demon.
Idunn struggled to understand the kindness displayed by the Prince and Fae. She did not know how to respond as they did not technically demand anything from her.
"I... I..." Idunn voiced out, unable to say anything. But one thing came to her mind. She turned to the pair slowly while struggling to utter her words. "I... I wish to go where a warm breeze will come to pass..."
Kurthnaga and Fae looked at one another before nodding and facing Idunn once again with a kind smile. A smile that Idunn deep down would hope to not ever fade.
"Then the plains will be just the right place for you to experience it..." Kurthnaga replied. He then turned to Fae as she nodded with the Prince. "Fae, can you guide us to the best flower field to feel this breeze?"
"Yup, leave it to Fae!" Fae nodded with Gareth being heard outside the door preparing for the excursion.
Soft words... They were being spoken to her. She yearned to hear it once more...
That day, she felt the warm breeze and saw the vibrant colors of the flower fields. A heaven compared to the white and colorless dream. This was a dream she would hope to never end...
AN: Nergal is now more cautious to avoid expending resources or morphs compared to canon. Because Ike had cremated the bodies of his enemies to avoid Nergal or his morphs from taking quintessence, he is left with far fewer morphs to create compared to the original story. It's pretty much assumed that they left the bodies of the enemies in-game or buried them after each battle. Because of that, quintessence was harvested from every fallen enemy which was mostly the Black Fang. Nergal actually had morphs on standby but held off on supplying troops to Sonia if she wasn't at the altar. But he took the opportunity after she had fallen to capture Nils and Ninian while some of the troops looked for more enemies.
Also, comment section:
To Really:
I don't know why you keep mixing up Idunn and Jahn. Idunn is the Demon Dragon whose soul was taken away by Jahn and his fellow brethren during the time of the Scouring. I can tell you never played or even bothered to watch a playthrough of Binding Blade. Plus, Jahn isn't self-righteous or believes he is doing anything for the greater good, he just wants the survival of his species. What are you even saying or bringing up out of nowhere? Do you even have any awareness of what goes on in the Elibe series gba games?
To Guests:
Naesala ponders on how chickens are related to reptiles. And Fae is a big chicken.
Also, if Binding Blade cast were to appear, it will be a future that has to happen in some capacity. For that to happen during this timeline, it would be difficult under current circumstances. Keep in mind, this story acknowledges the flow of history or rather, legends/canon storylines of Elibe and Tellius. As Anna explained, Ike nor any of the dragons were meant to interact or meet with one another's worlds.
Also, Ike would likely be more than Roy's idol, since he took the place of Mark, who was going to be the godparent of Lilina and would likely be the one to name Roy.