Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Main Theme: Sailor Moon Final OG Anime Opening Theme

Transformation Theme: Bright Sandstorm Fiery 

First Awakening: Persona 5's Awakening 

Final Theme: I'm with You 

Season 1: The Beginning of the Emblem Heroes: Souvenir - Spy x Family 

Episodes 1 - 12 

Season 2: The Reasons to Live and Love: Crazy Normal Bizarre Town - Jojo Bizarre Adventure

Episode 13 - 40 

Season 3: The Fallen Reality: Connect - Madoka Magica 

Episode 41 - ??

Season 4: The Emblem Hunter: Dark Sun 

Episode ?? - ??

Season 5: The Family of Dragons: Sailor Moon Crystal 3

Episode ?? - ??  

Season 6: The Final Engage: 1 Mob 

Episode ?? - ?? 

Emblem Heroes: 

Alear, red hair, blue eyes: Marth/Alfonse  = red = Prince - light 

Lueur, blue hair, red eyes: Byleth/Sharena  = blue = Princess - light 

Veyle: Tiki/Veronica = black = Dragon - darkness 

Alfred: Sigurd/Chrom + Robin = green = Avenir - grass 

Céline: Celica + Alm/Leif = white = Vidame - lightning

Diamant: Roy/Hector  = garnet =Successeur - fire 

Alcryst: Lyn/Eliwood = navy blue = Tireur d'élite - wind 

Timerra: Ike/Camilla = yellow = Picket - earth 

Fogado: Corrin/Soren = orange = Cupido - water 

Ivy: Lucina/Shez = purple = Lindwurm - ice 

Hortnesia: Micaiah/Edelgard + Dimitri + Claude + Yuri = pink = Sleipnir Rider - shadows 

Nel: Ephraim/Kris = silver = Empress - light 

Rafal/Nil: Eirika/Seliph = gold = Emperor - darkness 

Friends + Family 

Alear,  Lueur, + Velye: 

Vander, Mauvier, Clanne, Framme, Sommie, Lumera 

Alfred + Céline: 

Bucheron, Etie, Louis, Chloé, Jean, Ève, Sean

Diamant + Alcryst: 

Amber, Jade, Citrinne, Lapis, Yunaka, Saphir, Morion 

Ivy + Hortensia: 

Zelkov, Kagetsu, Rosado, Goldmary, Anna, Lindon 

Timerra + Fogado: 

Merrin, Panette, Bunet, Pandreo, Seadall, Seforia 

Nel + Rafal: 

Zelestia, Gregory, Madeline 

Fallen Order 

Marni - Ashnard - violet = General

Zephia - Hilda - hot pink = Melusine 

Griss - Jedah - dark green = Sage 

Hyacinth - Zephiel - dirty gold = Martial Master 

Sombron - Grima - blood red = Fell King

Lythos Academy

Senior 

Pandreo, Merrin, Yunaka, Goldmary, Alear, Nel, Nil 

Junior 

Lueur, Alfred, Alcryst, Citrinne, Timerra

Sophomore

Lapis, Panette, Rosado, Fogado 

Freshmen 

Céline, Etie, Marni, Hortensia 

Teachers

Vander, Saphir, Zelestia 

Work Places 

Brodia Banks: Morion, Diamant, Jade, Amber, Hyacinth, Saphir

Fierne Farms: Éve, Chloé, Burnet, Bucheron, Louis, Griss 

Solm Security: Seforia, Anisse, Durthon, Calney 

Elusia Enlightenment Libraries: Lindon, Zephia, Ivy, Zelkov, Kagetsu

Elyos Academy: Jean, Anna, Clanne, Framme, Madeline, Velye 

Amazing Arts and Pretty Performances: Seadall, Gregory, Pinet, Rosado, Merrin

Heavenly Hospitals: Sean, Anje 

Duchess of Lythos : Lumera, Mauvier 

Fell Party: Sombron, Hyacinth, Marni, Zephia, Griss 

Pairings: 

Alear/Ivy, Lueur/Alcryst, Alfred/Yunaka, Diamant/Jade 

Seadall/Amber, Pandreo/Fogado, Nel/Timerra 

Chapter Text

The ground was breaking apart, space was distorting in flashes of purple and deep blue, time was rewinding at a fast and slow pace, and a giant, towering, monstrous dragon. In this breaking and repairing realm didn’t hold a dragon. It held thirteen heroes who stood before the monstrous being where the darkness spilled from. Each hero held a unique color and never wavered at the dragon that stood before them. 

“Wait, what is this?” a lady’s voice spoke in a drowsy manner as she looked at the scene before herself, “Isn’t that me?!” 

In the center of the heroes stood a lady with mint green hair and a single, blue streak that was her hair color. She couldn’t even make out the outfit she was wearing! She was bright but also dark. It clashed with her appearance. She saw the silver armor covering her along with two scabbards at her sides to hold a sword and lance. 

“What is this?” she spoke in a bewildered manner as she tried to reach out to the hero version of herself standing against the dragon and with her friends and family. 

The tall male beside her was shouting something and reminded her of someone important to her. She couldn’t place it properly, but she knew he was equally important to her. 

“What am I seeing?” a male voice spoke as he found himself staring at the strange sight before himself. 

He found himself with blue hair and a single red streak that was his hair color. He was wearing golden armor and had two scabbards at his left side that held one of his swords. He only had royal blue colors decorating him. He shook his head, trying to wake up from this insane dream that made no sense. 

They saw themselves standing in the center while eleven people were standing around them. There a was a little girl standing behind them and seemed to be cowering in fear. For some strange reason, Alear and Lueur felt a wave of protectiveness over her. The monstrous dragon let out a roar before glaring at them. 

The lady turned to hear the voice and gasped as she pointed at him, “Alear?!” 

The man turned around to see his year younger sister staring at him, “Lueur?!”

Suddenly, they covered their ears to block out the loud, blaring noise of an alarm coming from their own phones respectively. Lueur let out a scream as she fell from her bed and landed on the carpet floor with a thud. She was laying on her back as she stared up at the ceiling with wide eyes. She slowly sat up and rubbed her blue hair with her tired red eyes open. 

“Just what was that? That dream was crazy!” Lueur commented as she rubbed her eyes of sleep, “But it was only a dream, so I don’t have to worry about it” 

Her room was simple. She had a bed with white sheets and a light blue blanket with white pillows. Her closet had her clothes. There was a brown desk and black wheelie chair. She has a lamp and a few posters of Idol Tsubasa and Eleanora. She has a Switch with blue controllers and a small TV with a stack of books and backpack on the floor with a yoga mat. 

“Lueur!” her older brother shouted in a panic as he pushed open the door while panting, “Are you ok? Did you have that weird dream too?” 

Her brother is a year older than her. He has red hair and a pair of blue eyes. He was very tall and a year ahead of her in Elyos Academy and has a part time job at Elusia Enlightenment Libraries while pursuing his degree in history and minor in arts. 

He was already dressed for the important ceremony for today. He wore a blue vest and white shirt with puffy cuffs that are wrapped around by a blue hair tie. He wore dark blue dress pants and a pair of fancy dark blue shoes. He has a golden pin and wears a ring on his hand. His hair was neatly comb as he stared at his younger sister. 

“I think so?” she answered unsure as she stood up and shook her head, “That was such a strange dream. Wait, did you have the same dream as me?!” 

She stared at him with wide eyes before he relaxed and nodded his head. He wondered if the dream had more meaning to it. As he was about to ask his sister about this, she let out a panicked scream as she looked at her phone to see the time. 

“I am going to be late! Get out, get out, get out!” she shouted as she rushed to push her older brother out of her room and closing her door with a loud thud. 

Alear blinked a couple of times before shaking his head and laughing. He could ponder on this later before turning his attention back to the white door and gently knocking it. 

“Do you want me to prepare breakfast for us?” he asked in a knowing tone. 

“Yes! Please!” Lueur shouted through the door. 

Today was the opening ceremony of Elyos Academy that welcomes new students into the academy. Lueur was a junior, and both siblings required to be there to help prepare for it. She took a lot of clothes out of her closet to find the perfect outfit for it. She quickly changed into a sundew dress with the colors changing from pink to blue with white sleeves. She has a beautiful, blue ribbon around her waist and tied her hair up in a ponytail. She has a ring on her finger too and grabbed her small, fancy blue purse. 

“Ok! I am ready!” she shouted as she knocked the door open and stood there with her hair wild, “Wait where are Vander, Clanne, and Framme?” 

Alear looked at his sister, shook his head, and answered with a laugh, “You almost have it. Sit here in front of the TV. Vander already left. He wanted to take Clanne and Framme to their school. They’ll be home late tonight, so they want us to get dinner”

Lueur nodded as she went to sit in front of the small, soft red couch and stare at the TV. She blinked at it to see the news. 

“In today’s news, the hero Picket has stopped another robbery and defeated the culprits behind the case” the newscaster informed the people as a yellow, blurry hero was running across the sky with a lance in her hand. 

“Wow, Picket is really going after those robbers” Lueur commented in awe, “I wonder why though. She’s been running around with taking down those who were causing trouble” 

Alear arrived with a plate of warm toast with peanut butter and a brush in another hand. He placed the plate before her and went to sit on the couch with the comb in hand. He gently combs her hair with a hair tie in his other hand and looked at the screen.

“I don’t know, but at least she’s keeping the peace” Alear commented as he then focused on helping his little sister and took out a mirror to give to her to look at her hair, “What do you think?” 

Lueur looked at the mirror and grinned at the high ponytail her big brother gave her. She finished eating her toast and thanked him. Both left their small house and entered the average red car. Alear took the driver’s seat while his sister was in the passenger’s seat. She linked her phone to the car to play “Beastie Game” as her brother drove them to their school. Lueur roll down the window to stick her head out and let the wind flow through her hair. Alear only grinned at her before slowing the car down to park in the student garage to then walking to their campus. 

Now, Elyos Academy is in the center of their city. It reaches out to everyone and reminds everyone that they are always there to support each other. The academy has a vast library, a giant scientific lab, a building for students to hang out and play games, another building for language majors, another for math and physics, a giant cafeteria, a performance hall, and a dormitory for students. 

“Ok, I have to drop off a few books to the library” Alear spoke as he gestured to his backpack, “Afterwards, I will meet with you in front of the performance hall before the ceremony begins” 

Lueur waved her hand to reply calmly, “Sure, sure. I’ll hang out in the gardens for a bit. I’ll be there!” 

With that, they waved goodbye to each other and went to their respective location. Alear knew he would have to sprint to the other side of the school to drop off the books before returning to the performance hall. He was relieved to see the library open and a little surprised to see students already there. He took out his glasses to find the drop off box. Once he found it, he slipped the books into the slot and turned to return to his little sister’s side. 

“Trust me, Ivy!” a loud yet childish voice spoke with pride, “I will be one of the best students of this academy before you know it! Once I am a great honor student, I will find the best job and make the greatest amount of money for us!” 

The little girl had pink with white strands hair in loops above her head with a pair of excited, pink eyes. She has a cute, tiny pink hear under her right eye. She has a purple heart earing hanging from her left ear. She is wearing a white, woolen dress with green edges around it. It has brown buttons and white flowing dresses. She has a couple of bracelets on both of her wrists. She was wearing brown boots and marching forward. 

“I understand, Hortensia” an older lady said with a laughter in her voice, “Do remember to take care of yourself and your appearance. Also, I am proud of your for skipping a few grade levels, do you have fun with your friends and cherish your friendships. It was thanks to this academy that I made friends with Kagetsu and Zelkov. I hope you will make friends of your own” 

“Oh, that will be no problem, Ivy!” she said with pride and hands on her hips, “I am sure I will make a lot of friends here! They will want to be my friends after they learn how smart and talented, I am!” 

Alear didn’t mean to overhear, but he glanced to the pair of siblings and smiled. His eyes fell on the older sister with a blushing creeping onto his face. She was beautiful. She has long, violet hair with matching eyes. She wore a dark hair accessory along with a brooch around her neck that held a pink rose. She has had a pendent with a ring holding a blue gemstone. She wore a beautiful, dark blue dress that would fit a queen. She has a black ribbon wrapped around her waist and pinned by a pink flower. She wore a pair of white gloves. 

“Wow” Alear whispered as he leaned against the counter before leaning too forward and falling! 

He let out a loud groan as he hit the wooden ground. His glasses were knocked off his face. He was now embarrassed as he didn’t bother to move. Hortensia laughed at him as Ivy calmly approached the fallen Alear. She kneeled before him to pick up his glasses and hold it before him.

“Please excuse my little sister” Ivy said with a shake of her head while holding a grin, “She tends to laugh too easily at times. Are you alright? That was quite a fall” 

She held the glasses out to him as he held his head up and stared at her with wide eyes. 

“T-thank you” Alear spoke with a grin and rubbing the back of his head nervously, “I didn’t mean to fall, but I shouldn’t keep you busy before the ceremony. Goodbye!” 

He picked himself up and quickly left with a blushing face holding a small smile. As for Ivy, she found his shyness adorable, but she stood up to turn to her little sister who was still laughing.

“Do mind your manners, Hortensia” Ivy teased her little sister before taking her hand, “Well, we shouldn’t delay. We should head to the performance hall” 

Hortensia nodded her head as they happily walked to the performance hall. 

As for Lueur, she decided to embrace the sun and sit in the garden to take a few moments of rest. Though, she didn’t expect to see a little girl running around the college garden. 

She has a mix between black and light purple hair. Her purple eyes were shining brightly as she observed the flowers. She was wearing a silver dress with long white sleeves. The dress had a golden pattern at the bottom and dark edges. She simple brown shoes and had a bracelet around her wrist. 

“Hello” Lueur greeted warmly, “Are you an incoming student?” 

The little girl turned to Lueur to hold a delighted expression before answering, “Oh, no. I am not going to be a student. I know a few others who are. I am here to support them with my father” 

Lueur found the little girl cute and innocent. Though, she was worried when she didn’t see a parent with her. As she was about to suggest that they find her dad, a chill run up her spine. She turned around to see a grown man standing behind her with an intimidating expression. 

“Father!” the little girl cried out in delight as she ran up to embrace him. 

His skin was deathly pale and had striking red eyes. He has short cut purple hair. He was wearing a very expensive purple suit with a black dress shirt underneath. He has a pair of black polished shoes as he simply stared at the little girl holding him. 

“Yes, it is good to see you. Now, come with me. I will drop you off with Zephia and Marni before the ceremony starts” he said as she let go and nodded her head. 

She turned around to wave goodbye to Lueur, “Thank you for speaking with me. I hope we will meet again!” 

She left with her father as Lueur waved goodbye, but she was silent. She stared at the father and wondered about his intimidating and chilly demeanor. She felt her phone buzz as she let out a gasp and noticed the time. She ran back to the performance hall as the father simply stared at her with a hard expression. He glanced and didn’t see his daughter with him anymore, so he knew it would be fine. 

“I call upon the dark servants who served to fight the heroes from long ago! I call upon you using the same powers that belonged to the Fell Dragon as I, Sombron, am reborn and will take the name the Fell King!” the father chanted strongly as he revealed the cuff of his sleeve a dark bracelet with a blood red gemstone. 

He extended his hand to have the deep, dark red liquid drip and mix with the ground. The liquid spread until it covered the garden, laying it to complete waste. Then, a dark hand shot up from the ground and pulled its entire being out. The dark creatures let out a horrifying scream before approaching him to take a bow. 

“Go forth, my Corrupted, and kill those who stand in your way. Spread chaos to ensure that enough fear is stoked throughout the land to cause despair!” he ordered as he waved his hand to cast the dark creatures away before turning away to leave the academy and glaring at the beautiful, decaying garden behind him, “Do you believe your precious children of light will save it? You are foolish to ever believe in such notation, and I will ensure you suffer for it” 

He left with a dark expression and without caring what would happen to those at the academy. 

“Ah! Alear!” Lueur shouted as she waved her hand to greet her older brother, “Was I late?” 

“Just in time, actually” Alear reassured his little sister with a laugh, “But where did you come from?” 

Lueur tilted her head to the side in confusion to ask as gestured to the garden behind her, “The school’s garden. Didn’t you see it?” 

Alear’s eyes were wide as she turned around and yelled in a surprised manner. They were horrified to see the lush, vibrant garden turned into a complete wasteland with the Corrupted rising from the grounds! 

“What are these things?!” Lueur shouted as she held up her fists, ready for a fight. 

Alear adjusted his glasses to examine the Corrupted before him as he answered nervously, “These are the monsters from the fairy tales we heard as kids! I believe they were called the Risen and the Faceless!” 

“I thought those were fairy tales!” Lueur shouted as she glared at him. 

“Well, tell that to them!” Alear replied as a few approached them with their swords and axes raised at them! 

They let out a scream and ran the other way to avoid being attacked! They took cover from them before realizing that those creatures were heading towards the performance hall! 

“We can’t let anything happen to their opening ceremony!” Lueur shouted as Alear was hesitant, “But uh, what can we do? I don’t think I can use my martial skills to defeat them” 

“Not unless you have one of the four relics from Abyss” Alear confessed in a knowing tone and nod with her elbowing him. 

They shared a laugh before hearing the yells of those creatures! They searched for anything they could use to stop these creatures. Alear looked around as his sister still held her fists up. He searched for anything and grabbed a burnt tree branch. 

“So, do we have at least 15% of a plan?” Lueur asked seriously. 

“For now, we need to drive these things away, so get their attention!” Alear shouted as his sister didn’t hesitate to run after them. 

She drew her fist back to punch one in the back! The creature fell, but the others turned to her. One even jumped, but Alear swung the branch with all his might to knock the creature away! The creature was knocked into a few others before turning to run towards the pair of siblings. They took a turn to run and successfully lead the creatures into the destroyed gardens. 

“Ok, what is the next step from here?” Lueur asked as she readied herself for another fight. 

Alear wasn’t sure, but he was relieved that he was able to protect the people inside the performance hall. Now, he has to find a way to save himself and his sister. What else could he use to knock these horrifying creatures back? His eyes searched and searched for anything before finding a fire extinguisher. 

“Cover me” he asked of his little sister before running towards the device. 

He runs to the case container and swings the stick to break the glass. He carefully pulls it out to hold the device and spray the creatures with it. The siblings were relieved to see the creatures cowering as they were covered in cold foam! They shared a fist bump until the other creatures climb over their freezing comrades to try and jump them! Alear and Lueur couldn’t see a way out as they tried to get away from the corrupted. They held each other and cringed as the creatures jumped at them with their weapons raised. 

“You will not fall here” a strong, elegant prince like voice reassured before stating strongly, “Because I will ensure that you will be safe. Call out my name!” 

Alear blinked as he felt the world slowing down. He wondered where that voice came from, but he didn’t see anyone else with them. 

“You didn’t hesitate before, and I know you will not hesitate again when I am with you” a knowing, understanding voice spoke before proclaiming, “And I am going to be there with you and ensure you do not die!” 

Lueur nearly fell as she whipped her head to see the speaker of the voice. She was even more surprised to not see anyone else there. 

Alear noticed his little sister was searching for something as he squeezed her hand to look at him. She gave him her full attention until they saw a red and blue light glowing from their rings! They were perplexed until the voice spoke to them. 

“Alear!/Lueur!” the voices shouted in unison urgently and confidence, “Call out our names! Marth!/Byleth!” 

Without hesitating, the siblings stood up and at each other’s sides before calling out with all their might, “Come to us! Marth!/Byleth!” 

Red and blue Lights burst from their rings and wrapped around them as if it was a protective blanket. They felt tremendous power flowing into them as their rings before Alear held a confident expression and Lueur a determined one. 

"Emblem Engage!" Alear shouted as he raised his hand upward with a confident grin as the ring flashed a red light. 

Lights covered from his body as he hugged himself. He still held his confident grin as he extended his arms out to have golden gloves with the red ring on his finger. White sleeves wrapped around his arms as he placed a hand over his chest to have a white shirt with golden embroidery along his chest. Light blue armor appeared on his upper chest as red and blue lights burst from him. He used his other hand to run through his hair to change it from red to blue with one red streak. He took the glasses from his face to spin in his hand to change into a gold crown to rest on top his head. 

"Believe in me!" Alear said with pride as he extended his hand to gather light to have it take the form of a blade. 

He took a princely step to have a pair of white pants appear with golden embroidery at the sides. He whipped his head to the side to have a flowing blue cape down to his waist. He kicked one foot to have one golden, armored boot burst from a red and golden light and another kick to have his second golden, armored boot appear. He tapped his side to create a strong, golden scabbard to hang from it. With a tap of his hand, a white and blue tie wrapped around his neck before he took a bow with red and white lights flowed behind him. As he waved the strong and beautiful blade, leaving a stream of golden sparkles that burst around him. With a reassuring grin, he swung the blade around to then waving it downward to have the lights burst and disappear to reveal him in his hero form. 

"I am the Prince!" he declared with a face filled with confidence as he put the silver sword in the golden scabbard, "I will ensure no one will be hurt under my watch and bring this fight to an end quickly!" 

"Emblem Engage!" Lueur shouted in delight as she spun on the tips of her with the ring unleashing a blue light over her. 

She let out a cheer as she waved her head down to up to have her hair change from blue to a deep green with a single blue streak. Waving her head from side to side allowed the length of the hair to be shorten as a simple silver tiara popped on top. She took an elegant step and twirl to have her right shoe change to into a silver, armored boot before twirling to have her left shoe change into the silver, armored boot. She waved her hands over her side to have a beautiful, silver scabbard at her side with long, black stockings to then having a pair of shorts with a blue skirt. She swayed her hips to have a black belt wrap around her waist to hold the silver scabbard along with a small dagger and a golden charm.

"Allow me to demonstrate!" she said in a serious manner as the blue and silver lights wrapped around her. 

Raising her arms upward, the lights washed over her to create a white sleeve with golden embroidery at her side. She extended her other hand to have another white sleeve wrap around her arm as the golden embroidery shined. Swaying her hands back, a black coat appeared on her shoulders with her tapping her shoulders to make silver armor appear to hold it in place. Blue and white lights dazzled from her shirt to change it to white and have golden embroidery at her sides. Throwing a few punches, her hands gained a pair of silver gauntlets along with the blue ring glowing. She held her hand out to have golden lights gather and create a powerful and elegant sword. She waved the sword to swing it, silver sparks flow from it to then wash away to reveal her hero form. 

"I will teach you a lesson and not show you any hesitation in the heat of battle!" she informed before placing the golden sword into the silver scabbard, "Because I am the Princess!" 

Once the red and blue lights vanished, there stood the Prince and Princess who were examining themselves in a confused and astonished manner. Alear thoroughly examined his outfit and noticed a striking resemblance it had to the historical figure, the Hero King! He wondered what this meant, but his sister stood in front of him with her golden sword. 

“Stay alert, Prince” the Princess spoke in a protective manner before pointing the blade to the creatures, “We have to hold them off until the ceremony is over!” 

She charged on ahead and swung the blade to cut down one creature. She turned around to gasp and see the creature dissolving into darkness. 

“I did that?” she asked before staring at the golden sword in her hands. 

“Princess!” her brother shouted as he pivoted and swung the blade upward to strike the creature in half. 

He stumbled before catching himself and looking at his boots before blinking and staring at his sister in utter confusion. Even the Princess was caught off guard before gesturing to him and his speed. 

“How did you move that fast on foot?!” she shouted in excitement, hoping to do the same thing as him.

“I do not know” he confessed as he stared at himself until the same voice from earlier shouted, “Keep alert! Another creature approaches!” 

As if on a reflex, the Prince spun the blade in his hand to then raise it to jab the creature’s chest! Prince was surprised at his own reflexes and impaling the creature before watching it melt into the darkness. 

“Uh, thank you” Prince spoke in relief as Princess gave him a confused expression, “I didn’t say anything?” 

Prince took a step back in a surprised manner until another creature jumped him! 

“Do not stand there when you can act! Act!” the knowing voice spoke urgently as Princess took a running start with the sword glowing a gold color. 

As she ran forward with the sword in her hands, it changed form to a pair of golden gauntlets! She charged up her power to have it gather around her hands. She let out a yell before delivering a powerful punch to break the creature into pieces of darkness! 

“I knew you took boxing classes, but I didn’t think your punches could do that” Prince confessed in awe as she looked at the golden gauntlets in a surprised manner. 

“This is amazing!” she replied as she showed him the golden gauntlets to him, “But I wonder why the sword transformed into it” 

The remaining creatures surrounded the siblings as they stood back-top-back. They shared a nod before charging towards the last group of creatures. Prince used his sword and speed to run around the creatures in a red and golden light. With flashes of his sword, he made sure they never left the area and didn’t escape. 

“I will not let you get away from me!” he declared as a few students and their families heard his yell along with the fighting, “I will use my strategy to ensure that no one will be hurt!” 

The students were the first to rush out excitedly with their phones ready to record the scene before them. Their panicked families were running after them to ensure they wouldn’t be recklessly going headfirst into danger. They were staring at the heroic sight as Princess gazed at the golden gauntlets and channeled her powers through it. She took a deep breath before running and jumping with her fists above her head! 

“This is your end! With you destroyed, no one will be harmed by the same creatures from the past!” Princess declared as the students gazed at her with hopeful intent, “With my strength, I will protect everyone!” 

She let out a powerful yell and slammed her hands to unleash a powerful wave of energy to strike the remaining creatures! The creatures exploded in colorful red, blue, gold, and silver sparks. The siblings landed behind each other with loud cheers and applauses! They stood straight before turning around to see the people cheering! They were soon crowded by them and bombarded with questions! 

“You have to get out of there!” the voices spoke to the siblings, “You cannot let the innocent people know who you are!” 

They shared a knowing expression before Princess jumped on Prince’s back who quickly ran away from them. With the students and families crowding and shouting with panicked and excited manners, the fighting was over. The siblings ran behind the garage and ensured no one was there to watch them. Princess jumped off her brother’s back before they turned to each other, took a deep breath, and let out a shout together in utter disbelief and amazement! 

“What happened to us?!” they shouted with their arms out and looking each other, “Why do we look like this?! What are these powers?! What is going on?!” 

“We can explain everything, but please calm down and turn your powers down” the voices spoke from their rings to the siblings calmly, “Once we are in a safe location, we will explain everything” 

“Is that a promise?” Princess asked with her arms across her chest seriously, “We were caught up in a fight that could’ve killed us and not to mention the extremely dangerous powers were given too” 

Prince raised a brow at his younger sister’s serious tone and concern over the powers since she was excited to use it earlier. 

“And we will explain everything” the voices reassured, “We do have a lot of explaining to do. Well, we can cut the powers off for now. Please get home safely” 

With that, the voices disappeared and did cancel their powers. The siblings transformed back to their normal selves. Alear sighed in relief with Lueur cheering. Together, they departed from Elyos Academy, grabbed dinner, and returned to their home. 

Standing on top of the performance hall were two figures who were overlooking everything that had happened. One was Sombron while the other was Ivy. Although they arrived towards the end of fight and failed to see their identities, they were ready to face the duo. 

“And so, the heroes have finally arrived” Sombron stated coldly, “No matter. I will ensure I will take their rings and grant my wish. Ensure that the Fallen Order are aware of this, Ivy. We must begin our plans of defeating them and summoning the rings to bring my wish to reality!” 

He turned away to create a dark corridor for himself to walk through and closed it once he walked through. As for Ivy, she simply stared at the scene of where the fight had recently occurred. She was staring in awe and admiration that the duo didn’t hesitate to protect people they didn’t know. A smile graced her features before creating a spell with a flash of her ring to teleport herself to meet with the Fallen Order.

The first battle of the Siblings Heroes reached the ears of everyone in their city. The stage was set with the pieces being placed to begin another story of light and darkness clashing to grant a life changing wish. 

In the next episode… 

(Alear’s POV)

My sister and I finally have a chance to speak with the two emblems from the rings. I do hope they can shed some light on our predicament along with what we should do to stop our enemies and find peace. What is that? A Corrupted?! Well, we shouldn’t stand on the side lines! Emblem Marth to me!

Chapter Text

With news of the heroes’ debut, the pair of siblings decided to speak with the rings the next day. Once Vander left to take Clanne and Framme away to their schools and work, both sat in the living room and staring at the pair of rings. Lueur was poking hers as Alear observed his from all sides carefully.

“So, who talks first? We or you?” Lueur asked as she stared hard at her ring. 

“Well, I believe we should start with introductions” her ring spoke in a stern voice, “This reminds me of introductions I would receive before I taught the classes”

In a flash of blue light from the ring, Lueur jumped and screamed when a tiny figured appeared before her and stood on the table. 

He looked over himself and sighed at the form, “Why must I be so small? Oh, my hair is no longer that lighter shade of green. That is surprising. I wonder if this is the result of me forming a bond with the ring. Please do not worry, Lueur. I mean you no harm. My name is Byleth Einser. I was known as the Ashen Demon, but I became a teacher at the Officers Academy in Garreg Mach Monastery. Now, I am in the ring and known as the Emblem of the Academy” 

She stared at him before poking him only to scream again when her finger went right through the tiny man! Byleth sighed at her reaction while Alear’s eyes were wide as his glasses nearly fell from his face. 

“You’re real?!” he exclaimed in excitement before adjusting his glasses to stare at the Emblem of the Academy. 

The Emblem of the Academy wore a black coat and armor with a red mark sewed on it. He has a pair of black gauntlets and matching black belt around his waist while holding a golden charm in the center of it. He has a dagger attached to it. There are black boots and pants on him. His hair is dark navy with matching eyes colors. 

“Of course, I am” he replied with a nod before holding a hand to his face, “Though, there have been accounts of me being female along with Shez. It appears that she believes that I am male. It is fine with me. Marth has a similar ally as well with this situation. Am I correct?” 

He turned to the other ring, expecting the Hero King to appear from the ring. In a flash of red and silver lights, the Hero King appeared before them! He carefully took a step forward before placing a hand over his chest and bowing. 

“Greetings to meet you” he spoke in a friendly, elegant voice, “My name is Marth. I am the Emblem of Beginnings. I saved my homeland and united the people to bring peace. I am glad to be at your side, Alear. Byleth is correct. I have a friend named Kris. Though, I have known Kris as male, I do know of accounts of Kris as female too”  

The Hero King carried himself in a high manner, but he has a friendly disposition about himself. His blue hair shined brightly with a golden crown holding a blue gemstone secured to it. His blue eyes shined in a friendly light. Blue armor adorned his chest and shoulders with blue tunic and golden outlines with it. He wore brown gloves and dark, blue boots. A flowing cap with blue on the outside and red on the inside was pinned by a red pin. 

“YOU’RE REAL?!’ the siblings shouted in unison as they stared at the king. 

“How is his appearance causing more of a reaction than mine?” Byleth spoke, a little miffed at this. 

Marth only laughed before waving his hand in reassurance to his ally to speak calmly, “Yes, I am real. Though, it has been some time since we were all summoned to fight again. I wonder what this could mean” 

The siblings stopped freaking out and stared at the emblems before them with curious and serious intent. Both emblems were grateful that the twins were ready to listen to their stories and figure out what led them to being summoned again as well as how their rings ended up in their possessions.

“I awakened when I sensed those dark creatures along with a malicious castor behind it” Byleth spoke first, “That dark castor reminded me of the enemies I fought before. They were called Those Who Slither in the Dark who caused chaos and destruction where I was from. Though, not all of them were bad since I knew of one who wasn’t. Why did you awaken, Marth?” 

“I sensed the dark powers being used as well, Byleth” Marth replied seriously while holding a hand to his face, “This reminded me of Medeus and his powers as well as how he used it on my sister and our allies. I do wonder how that spell activated, but regardless, we did sense the same darkness and wanted to act before any innocent people were caught in the danger. Alear, Lueur, thank you for hearing our call and wanting to save them” 

Both bowed to the siblings who were embarrassed with Alear’s face flushing and tilting his glasses downward while Lueur waved her hands in front of herself in a frantic manner. Byleth was perplexed by their behaviors while Marth only hummed at their responses. 

“It is nice to see the both of you are humble” Marth stated in a reassuring manner, “But regardless of why and how we needed up in your care, I am grateful that we did. You didn’t hesitate to help others and fight enemies who could’ve brought more destruction to your world” 

“I agree with Marth” Byleth agreed with a small grin, “We are grateful our powers were able to awaken and were held by you. Though, I do not know where the other Emblem Rings and Bracelets are. Those could be anywhere in this world” 

“The Emblem Rings and Bracelets? What are those?” Lueur asked curiously. 

“That is the accessory we are stored in that the user can hold. This allows the user to use our powers and fight against the enemies from this world” Byleth answered, “There is something bothering me. We should be awakened through the power of the Divine Dragon or the Fell Dragon. I am unsure about your blood. Are you descendants of either bloodline?” 

At this question, the siblings blinked and shared an expression before staring at them. 

“Ah, perhaps I was wrong” Byleth commented in dismay before Marth chiming in, “Perhaps if we find the Emblem of the Dragon Princess or even the Emblem of Fates. Even the Emblem of Bonds could help us with this”

The siblings stared at each other before Alear interrupted, “I understand why you’re speculating, but what should we do next? It sounds like something is bigger is happening” 

“That is true, but we are not sure of what is entirely happening. It wouldn’t be wise of us to leave the world in such a state” Marth agreed with a nod of his head, “But would you be fine with that? We do not know how long this fight may last. You will have to make sacrifices and be put in perilous dangers. Are you ready for this?” 

He held a serious, grave expression as if reflecting on the pain of the past. Byleth turned away while closing his eyes in reflection. The siblings held each other’s hands and nodded. 

“We will do it” Lueur answered with a grin, “We can do everything we can to help you!” 

“Although, we do not have a lot of friends, we do have people we cherish and do not want anything to happen to them” Alear added as he nodded his head, “So, we will do everything we can to help you”

Marth and Byleth held relieved expressions as they thanked the siblings. 

“Then, the next step we should take is to find the other emblems. We shouldn’t let the rest of the emblems fall into the hands of their enemies” Marth stated with Byleth agreeing, “And we should also be prepared to fight the Corrupted and true enemy behind this” 

The siblings understood as Byleth added, “And to discover the location of the Corrupted as well. The source of their powers should be destroyed before it leaks out to harm anyone innocent” 

They agreed before Marth held a reassuring grin to them. 

“For now, why not take a moment to introduce ourselves and get to know each other?” Marth offered in a friendly manner. 

“Sure thing!” Lueur exclaimed as she pushed her brother to the ground, but the push felt more like a punch.

He let out a groan as Marth was surprised by her strength while Byleth was genuinely impressed with her pure strength. He couldn’t wait to see how powerful she could get with his abilities as well. Alear only grinned before sitting up and staring at them, waiting to ask a question. 

As the siblings continued speaking with the emblems, Sombron had gathered his followers and members to his office to speak about their plans since they sightings of the two heroes. Sombron stared at the bracelet around his wrist with a dark expression before turning his attention two the pair of dark doors that are the entrance to his office. 

There was a knock as Sombron said darkly, “Come in” 

A pair of twin sisters entered the room, one with a pleasant expression while the other held a serious one. They are Zephia and Zelestia. They have long, silver hair and purple eyes that shined with power. 

Zephia is standing to the left of his twin sister and is wearing a fancy, black dress without sleeves that exposed her chest a bit. She wore black leggings and a pair of expensive, black high heels. A golden necklace hanged around her neck with bright pink feathery earrings hanged from her ears. There were many black and dark purple bracelets hanging from her wrists as she was holding a laptop in her arms. 

As for Zelesita, she wore a white lab coat with her badge hanging over her right chest while a golden pin was on her left one. She adorned a white button shirt with a long black skirt that hang below her knees as well as a pair of black, rubber gloves on her hands. Her hair was tied and held by a yellow ribbon with pearls sewed in. She was holding a clipboard and pen. 

Both took a bow before him as he waved his hand to let them rise. 

“How are the other members of the Fallen Order?” he simply asked as he didn’t bother to face them and only stare at the bracelet. 

“Well!” Zelesita happily reported, “Your twins are excelling at their students and your stepdaughter is being cared for by Mauvier and attending Elyos academy with Marni’s dear little sister Madeline” 

“Sigh, my dear sister, why do you waste our boss’s time with such petty words and pointless events he doesn’t need to know about?” Zephia expressed in a disappointed manner and wave of her hand and head. 

“Oh! My apologizes! I thought our boss would want to know the welfare of his children is all! I am deeply sorry” Zelestia apologized as she took a bow. 

Sombron sent them a glare as Zephia recovered and answered, “Using your bracelet’s powers along with the remains of the Corrupted, we will be able to replicate it with ease. In fact, we have a few stored in the lab and being cared for by our underlings. We are testing the experiments, but it will not be long before we perfected it” 

This finally made Sombron take an interest at the sisters before fully turning to them. 

“And will it be able to find the remaining emblems soon?” he asked and added, “As well as kill those who dare stand in our way?” 

“Very soon, and soon, you’ll have the power to summon the Fell Dragon into this world to control it in any image you desire! Isn’t that wonderful?” Zephia asked with a twisted smile, hoping for any sort of reaction he would give her.

Sombron finally rose from his leather seat and silenced her from speaking with a cold, serious expression. Zephia bite her tongue and scowled at her sister who held a sadden expression. 

“And where are the others?” he asked in a deathly dark voice. 

“Waiting for you in the basement” Zephia answered as Zelestia only bowed her head. 

Without wasting anymore time, Sombron used the bracelet’s power to teleport themselves to the basement of his building. His staff fled from the forming darkness while three others were standing or sitting without bothering to move. 

“Ah, it looks the fun has finally arrived” a rough and sadistic voice spoke as he rose from a laying position on a black leather couch. 

“Yeah, well, he better give us something to do now” a snippy voice of a lady echoed as she stood straight up instead of leaning against a wall, “It is so boring to do nothing all day if you ask me!” 

The final figure stepped between them with his fancy, black heeled shoes clicking against the black, marble floors. 

“Now, now everyone” he spoke in a soothing tone laced with dark intentions, “Our esteemed leader finally has the power to change our lives for the better along with the world! Isn’t that truly wonderful?” 

They shared a dark laugh before each took a bow before their leader Sombron. He stepped out of the ring of darkness as Zelestia was a little dizzy and receiving no help from Zephia. 

“How are things progressing with my campaign against Lady Lumera, Hyacinth?” he asked without breaking his momentum from his plans. 

Hyacinth is an older gentleman and a devoted ally to Sombron. He currently works for Brodia Banks as one of the high classified bankers who has many powerful, wealthy clients. He is a tall man with gray, sharp eyes. He is wearing a long, black suit with a matching black dress shirt with a long, red tie hanging around his neck. There was a red handkerchief on his right pocket with a black belt wrapped around his waist. There was a silver pin below the right pocket with his hands holding a device. 

“Of course, sir” he said as he held his tablet to display it before his boss, “So far, the voters are leaning towards Lady Lumera, so I suggest we take another approach” 

“Such as?” he asked simply as he took the tablet to see the results. 

The young girl only groaned as Zephia glared at the girl. 

“Marni! Hold your tongue in his presence and only speak when he wishes to speak to you” Zephia scolded with dark glare. 

She is the youngest member of his team. She has blond hair adorned with a faded pink ribbon with pale, blue eyes. This outfit is a plain pink shirt with a pair of torn up jeans. An old, faded pink bag is hanging from her left shoulder. There are a pair of brown, toughed up shoes. 

“What? There’s an obvious solution to this situation, but you are always making more complicated than it needs to be” she snapped, “He’s making this more complicated than it needs to be! He needs to show up Lady Lumera, but not like this!”

Hyacinth was ready to snap at the young lady, but their other member only laughed in a sadistic tone. 

“Are you going to shut out the one good idea you’ve finally got, old man?” he asked with a crazed expression, “Because she’s right if my pathetic cousin has anything to add to this. Oh, right, he doesn’t!” 

Zephia turned her attention to him with her twin sister even staring at him. 

“What do you mean, Griss? Speak your mind” Zephia asked with a firm expression, trusting that his word was worth something to their leader. 

Griss has a black, torn up shirt and ripped black jeans with roughed up sneakers. He had a chain wrapped around his pans to act like a belt. There was a silver piercing below his chin and has dark, purple tattoo on his face, matching his crazed, pair of purple eyes. He has a silver chain necklace hanging from his neck and has wild, dark green hair. There was a leather jacket wrapped around his waist as he ran a hand through his unruly hair. 

“Just as the little lady speak” Griss said with a wave of his hand and snark, “She’s got a brighter idea than the old clout ever came up” 

Hyacinth let out a hurt gasp before glaring at the young man who held himself high. 

“Finally!” Marni spoke in a relieved manner before holding her phone out to display results from the historic group known as the Black Fang, “A group of mercenaries who would help anyone regardless of their status and wealth. We need to be like them! A group who wants to help others while achieving our goal. Simple as that if you ask me!” 

Hyacinth looked down upon the teenager as Sombron thought about her idea. He would be able to hide under the cover of a forged identity. 

“Very well” Sombron agreed with a simple nod, “We will adopt the ways of the Black Fang. Inform Mauvier of this course of action along with my subjects. I recall the Black Fang had Four Fangs as well. I want Griss, Zephia, Marni, and Mauvier to each take a role under the alias of the Four Hounds. You will either report to me or Hyacinth” 

Marni grinned as Griss let out an estranged laugh. Zephia held herself high as Zelestia held a concerned expression herself. Hyacinth wasn’t pleased about this plan, but he was relieved that he would be higher than the Four Hounds. 

“Yes, well, I will ensure that Mauvier is aware of this” Hyacinth answered with a bow, “And then, we will work to create an image to rival Lady Lumera. I believe the best first step is to shower the local college my daughter is attending with a generous donation and then deliver goods to the orphanages” 

Sombron only nodded his head, but they knew there was something else on his mind. He gazed at the bracelet and also recalled the stories of the past based on the heroes and villains of old. If he was correct, he should be able to imbue his followers with strong powers from the Fell Dragon. 

“Is there something else you would like for us to do, Mister Sombron?” Zephia asked with concern. 

“I have obtained the powers of the Fell Dragon and wish to bring him into our world to change it” he spoke seriously, “I will need to find the rings and bracelets while avoiding the detection from these idiotic people as well. Therefore, I have come to a conclusion and would not like to be disappointed with this decision I will make” 

Everyone turned to him as he clutched his hand to have immense dark energy gathering to it! Zelestia stared at the tablets and monitors around herself to see the readings were dangerous! She took cover as Sombron raised his fist before delivering a powerful strike to the marble floor! The followers held their hands to protect themselves as they shouted, grunted, or screamed from the powerful darkness flowing into their respective accessory. They could barely handle it and soon collapsed from it! 

“Zephia!” Zelestia shouted in a worried manner as she rushed to help her twin sister. 

“She and the others will recover in due time” Sombron answered as he noticed they were not going to wake up any time soon, “And since they are unavailable, we will use your Corrupted to draw the heroes out and try to reclaim those rings. Do I make myself clear?” 

Zelestia knew she couldn’t argue with him, so she approached one of the test tubes holding a Corrupted. She typed in her password and slammed her fist on the red button to release the creature of darkness and send off an alarm to warn the others of the Corrupted was released.

The Corrupted has a dark helmet with a single, red eye glowing. The Corrupted has torn up clothing as armor and deathly pale skin. This Corrupted was wielding a lance. With a roar and swing of a lance, the Corrupted destroyed a wall before rampaging into the city! 

Zelestia observed the damages with a concerned expression with Sombron departing in a flash of black light. Zelestia could hear the employees whisper and wonder what they should do next. 

She quickly took control and reassured everyone with a smile, “Do not worry! Everything will be fine! I promise! Please help me take care of the others before carrying out your assignments please. Once your assignments are finished, you are free to carry on with your day” 

The employees simply nodded their heads and helped her with taking care of her injured twin sister and their leaders to rest. Zelestia let out a breath she was holding before turning her attention to the destroyed wall. She prayed to the Divine Dragon that no one would be hurt. 

“Do you have any other weapons?!” Lueur asked excitedly with her bright blue eyes shining eagerly. 

Byleth nodded his head while placing a hand to his chin to recall the weapons he could allow her to summon, but there was an alarm on their phones. 

“What is that?” Marth asked curiously as Alear took his phone to see the news. 

“Another one of those monsters, the Corrupted, is attacking the city” Alear answered seriously. 

The siblings turned to the Emblems who were prepared to charge into the fight. The each took their rings and shared a nod before raising their hands with the rings bursting with lights and energy. 

“When you need our powers all you must shout is this phrase with our names at the ends” both emblems spoke to the sibling, “Emblem Engage!” 

“Emblem Engage Marth/Byleth!” the siblings shouted with all their might before transforming and departing from their home. 

The Corrupted swung the lance to strike the side of an office building with the people screaming while others were taking photos and videos of it. The Corrupted growled at them before grabbing the lance to then jumping to strike the street! Some of the people were screaming and fleeing as others tried to take shelter in nearby stores and buildings. The Corrupted roar as a girl wearing a pink shirt and gray shorts was screaming and trying to run but tripped! 

“Ow, ow, ow!” she whimpered as she reached for her scrapped knee and let out a small scream when the Corrupted was towering over her with the lance in the air! 

She screamed and tried to protect herself by covering her face with her arms, but the Princess wrapped the Sword of the Creator around a black lamp post to swung herself forward, grab the girl’s waist, and carry her to safety! The girl stopped screaming before staring at the Princess with wide eyes of admiration. The Princess stared at her and internally held in her reaction. 

“Framme!” Lueur shouted internally as Byleth gazed at the young girl. 

“Who?” he inquired as Lueur replied quickly, “She’s one of Vander’s nieces! If she’s here, then her twin brother must also be present!” 

She landed in the courtyard and gently placed Framme on her feet to then quickly examining her for any injury. Framme whimpered at her injured knee, but it wasn’t anything too major. The plaid, brown beret with a pink ribbon wrapped around it. Her pink jacket was tied around her waist. She donned a plaid dress shirt and shorts with a white shirt underneath. There were a pair of black, long socks and brown boots. Her white hair was tied in a braid with a pink streak as her brown eyes only shined in admiration at the Princess. 

“W-wow” she said in a whisper before exclaiming, “You’re so cool! You’re amazing! You’re the Divine Dragon, aren’t you?!” 

Princess took a few steps from her while trying to hold a calm expression. 

“Odd. I don’t have a Divine Dragon where I am from” Byleth spoke in a surprised tone, “Marth does, but this is strange that she made this connection” 

“Byleth, we can speculate later! Please help me with protecting her!” Lueur pleaded with the Emblem of the Academy. 

“Ah, yes, of course. Well, the Corrupted followed you, so it would be ideal to change the Sword of the Creator into the Vajra-Mushti. On my mark, deliver a punch right at the lance!” Byleth commanded as Princess stood up and held the Sword of the Creator in front. 

The sword gave off a blue glow before bursting into a golden light to have it reform over the Princess’s brown gloves. She took a rough stance and drew her right fist back as the light grew stronger. The Corrupted raised his lance above his head as Framme stared at her. 

“NOW!” Byleth shouted as Princess let out a yell to unleash all the power she stored up. 

She delivered a powerful strike to shatter the lance into pieces before herself! Framme cheered as Princess smirked. She held her fists up and waited as Prince helped a few others flee from the scene. He looked over his shoulder to see his sister protecting Framme against the Corrupted! 

“What is Framme doing here?!” Alear panicked as he turned to see a dark green boy running towards the fight, “Clanne do not do this to me!” 

Using his new speed, Prince ran as fast as he could with his hand on the golden handle of the silver sword. He ran right passed Clanne and drew the sword to swung the blade upward to deliver a blue strike against the Corrupted’s back! With a strangled cry, Princess grabbed Framme and ran the other way to reunite the twins together. 

“Clanne!” Framme shouted in relief as she embraced her twin brother who happily held her close. 

“Framme! I was so worried! Are you ok?!” Clanne asked worriedly as she only smiled before excitedly gesturing to the Princess, “Yes! The Divine Dragon saved me!” 

Clanne wore a dark, green jacket with white ribbons tied around the chest. He has the same plaid shirt as his sister’s and has dark shorts. He has a pair of gray boots and long black socks. He has the same hair and eye colors as his twin sister. He even has a braid like his sister’s except with a jade color. 

He stared at the Prince and Princess before shouting and pointing, “But there are two of them! I thought only fell dragons had twins! This is amazing!” 

“That is true, but Marth, why do they believe my sister and I to be Divine Dragons? As far as I recall, you only received the powers of the Divine Dragon, but Byleth didn’t have any present” Prince asked of Marth who also puzzled by this.

“I am also unsure by this as well” Marth spoke before sensing the Corrupted standing up, “Keep your guard up! The Corrupted isn’t defeated!”

Prince and Princess turned around, drawing a sword while transforming another into the blade. Dazzling in blue and red lights, they charged forward and swung their blades to cut the Corrupted’s chest. Another painful cry echoed from the creature before it dissolved into darkness. They returned their blades to their scabbards as they noticed the people exiting the buildings and starring at them. 

“It appears they are turning to you as protectors” Byleth reasoned. 

“Well, we do plan to protect this town from the Corrupted and their enemies” Marth complied, “Aren’t we?” 

The Prince and Princess shared a look before drawing their swords to clash against each other. 

“We are the Emblem Heroes!” Princess declared, “And we will do everything in our power to ensure the Corrupted do not bring you harm!” 

“And as your protectors, we vow to bring an end to our enemies!” Prince stated, “We will restore peace to our home and not be left alone in the darkness!” 

With their vow stated, both departed from the scene in a flash of red and blue with the people cheering, celebrating their new guardians. Zelestia placed a hand on her chest in relief that no one was hurt as she watched from her lab. In a way, she hoped the Emblem Heroes would keep their vow, but she would do everything she could to help her twin sister. With that, she returned to her work as Sombron observed the duo heroes with an interested expression from his tablet. 

“I do wonder if they will keep that vow of theirs” Sombron stated before crushing the device in his hand, “Or crumble into piece by the might of their new enemy. I do hope they will be easy prey for us!” 

He had his hands behind his back before carrying on with his task of defeating Lady Lumera in the upcoming elections. 

In the next episode… 

(Lueur’s POV) 

It was thanks to our combined efforts that we were able to protect our home, fight against those in the darkness, and begin our search for the missing emblems! Of course, we still have to go back to classes. Speaking of class, I made a new friend! His name is Alfred, and he’s always there. I just hope he won’t be there when a Corrupted attacks…

Chapter Text

“Lueur! It is time to wake up!” Alear shouted as he slammed his fists against her bedroom’s door in hope to wake her. 

“Wah?! OW!” she replied with a shout and thud before falling off her bed and staring at the white ceiling, “Oh, what time is it?” 

She grabbed her phone to look at the time before screaming to sitting up to running. Emblem Byleth appeared from his ring with a sigh as he watched her running around in her room to dress and prepare for her classes. Soon enough, his expression changed to a sense of familiarity as he wondered if this is how his students felt when they were rushing to his class. 

“Almost done! Don’t leave without me please!” she shouted as she quickly changed her clothes and prepared her hair. 

There was another thud as Alear sighed with Math reflecting fondly on his relationship with his older sister. 

“Do you think she’ll be done soon?” Framme asked urgently, “I want to talk to her and you about something important!” 

Alear only laughed before placing a hand on her head to ruffle her hair. 

“She’ll be done soon enough” he reassured her, “Why don’t you prepare us a bowl of cereal until we are ready” 

She jumped up and down before running towards the kitchen as her twin brother shouted excitedly for them to hurry up. 

“It is nice to see you have good relationships with those you care for” Marth spoke with delight, “But what is your relationship to them? Are they your suitors?” 

“Suitors? Oh, no! They’re sort of like our younger siblings. Vander is our caretaker. Our parents didn’t want us to live with them for some reason, so Vander was assigned to take care of us. As for the twins, they’re Vander’s grandchildren. Their parents lost their lives, so Vander took them in. We are a family in a sense”

Marth wondered why their parents didn’t want them present, but he could sense a hidden sadness behind the twins’ situation and decided to remain silent. 

He then noticed Alear’s outfit and asked, “You’re not wearing anything formal today? Why is that? You are heading to the academy, correct?” 

“Hm? Oh, I suppose it has been a while since schools’ dress codes have changed. Since we don’t have any important event occurring, I don’t see a reason to wearing one. So, I want to wear something easy and casual to wear” Alear answered as he grinned at his outfit. 

He wore a simple white shirt and long, blue pants. His shirt has long, white sleeves that make it easy for him to roll up the sleeves. He is wearing a pair of nice, white sneakers. He has a black belt wrapped around his waist as he adjusted the shirt’s collar. 

“I imagine my sister will wear something casual like this as well. Though, more casual than what I wear” Alear confessed to Marth. 

The door burst open to reveal Lueur with a revealed expression as well as her blue backpack in the grip of her other hand. 

“How are you doing?” Alear asked in a teasing manner, “Oh? Sports wear today?” 

Her hair was tied in a high ponytail as she held a determined expression. She has a shirt with blue over the chest and short sleeves. She has an antimicrobial, black shirt underneath her short-sleeved shirt. She is wearing a gray, sweatpants and a pair of white sneakers. 

“I’ve got gym in the morning” she answered before approaching the kitchen to her bowl of cereal, “After that, I wanted to go for a walk around the school while you work” 

“You could get a part time job too, you know” Alear said as he went to take a seat and bowl of cereal for himself.

As they took a spoonful of cereal as they looked up to see the twins staring at them with wide eyes, waiting for them to talk. 

“Ok?” Lueur asked as she took another spoonful before speaking, “So, what’s up with you two?’ 

The twins slammed their hands together to then raise up a board with photos of the Prince and Princess! 

“We are starting a fan club of the Divine Dragons!” they shouted excitedly as Alear nearly choked while Lueur spat out her cereal. 

“What?!” they shouted as Marth and Byleth were surprised to hear this and even took a look at the board. 

“It has only been two days and they’ve already gotten photos of you. That is impressive” Byleth confessed. 

Marth only laughed as he recalled fondly, “This reminds me of my descendant who took my name and appearance to instill hope in the people. Though, I do not believe she had paintings of me” 

“NOT HELPING!” the siblings shouted internally to then trying to compose themselves to face the twins. 

“So, why are you staring a fan club?” Alear asked curiously as he calmed himself down to then having a glass of water. 

“Oh! Right! You stayed home!” Clanne said excitedly before holding his phone to show a news article about the duo heroes, “Yesterday when we were out, we were attacked by this horrifying creature, these two jumped in and saved us!” 

“They didn’t even think twice!” Framme added with a dreamy sigh, “I wish I could meet the Divine Dragons again” 

It occurred to the siblings that they never stated their names, but they were curious as to why the twins believed they were the Divine Dragons. 

“Where did you get the name “Divine Dragons” from anyway?” Lueur asked curiously as she went back to eating her cereal. 

“Do you not pay attention in history class?” Framme asked annoyed before composing herself, “But basically! When our world was created, a beautiful, blue dragon descended upon the people. Using their power, they were able to use the powers of Emblems to take form of humans to fight against the creatures of the Fell Dragon! They must be the Divine Dragon!” 

Lueur was a little embarrassed about not knowing much about history while Alear held his face and nodded. 

“That is correct, but I don’t think we are the Divine Dragon” Alear spoke with Marth, “The Divine Dragon never had offspring as far as we are aware. At least, I hope not. I don’t want to think about the implications of it” 

“The Divine Dragon was a great warrior who stood with us. She did discuss with some of us the idea of having a family, but I do not know if anything came from it” Marth replied as he recalled his time with her, “But the twins are correct. Only someone with her blood or that of the Fell Dragon’s could awaken us, but perhaps the world needs us and wanted to make an exception. Even if I don’t know the reason, we don’t hesitate to fight with you” 

“Thank you, Marth” Alear spoke as a smile appeared on his face until he noticed the time. 

He elbowed his sister who sent him a glare before gasping at the clock. She quickly devoured her cereal before drinking her water. The twins were surprised to see her eating and drinking quickly until they noticed the clock themselves! 

“Ah! We’re gonna be late for school!” all three shouted in unison as Alear calmly finished his breakfast before walking to his black car. 

He unlocked it and took a seat in the driver’s place before waiting for the others. Lueur jumped into the passenger’s seat as the twins ran to the seats in the back! They closed their respective doors and buckled up before Alear drove away from their house.

“So, did Vander say when he would be done with work?” Alear asked as he tapped a button his phone to lock the house. 

“He wasn’t sure” Clanne spoke thoughtfully, “He said he was going to be busy in the office, but he would give us a call to let us know for sure” 

Framme let out a hum as she was reading something on her phone. 

“Are you ok, Framme?” Lueur asked as Alear nodded a thank you to Clanne. 

“You know, the Divine Dragons remind of the Picket” Framme spoke as she was reading an article about them, “Do you think they could be related?” 

Alear and Lueur shared an expression and shrugged. They were unsure while Marth and Byleth were curious. 

“Who is the “Picket”?” Byleth asked Lueur. 

“She’s a heroine who’s been here for a while” she answered, “I don’t know anything else about her, but she goes around fighting thugs, thieves, and any crime that occurred. She’s still around, but we don’t know anything else about her. She never made an announcement as far as I know. I think she was just loud, so everyone heard her” 

“Hm” Marth wondered as Alear asked, “Is something wrong Marth?” 

“She’s loud and fights against thieves and stops any crime occurred” Marth spoke in a pondering manner, “I apologize, but she reminds me of another emblem that Byleth and I worked with. We don’t know if this is the same hero or not. I would have to see her and the emblem, assuming she has one of course” 

“I see” Alear spoke before pulling in front of the academy. 

He unlocked the car and turned to the twins, “Well, when you hear from Vander, please let me know. Now, have a good day, you two!” 

Clanne and Framme shouted their “thank you” and “goodbyes” and running towards the school. 

Their school was smaller than the college the siblings attended. It was brick and concrete building with the color of dusty red on the outside. There was a clock on the outside and covering the entire school was a black roof. 

Many students were running up the stony steps and walking through the black and window doors as fast as they could. Alear only grinned before focusing on the road and preparing to drive to their college next. Lueur looked out of the window. She let out a gasp as she clutched the side of the car to see the same little girl from the opening ceremony there! 

“She attends this school?!” she shouted, nearly causing Alear to hit another car in front of them! 

“Who?!” he said as he let out a strangled cry. 

Lueur blinked as she saw the little girl running pass the twins and heading to class. Lueur sighed before slouching in her seat with Alear rolling his eyes before driving away. They arrived at the garage and departed from the car to head to their respective classes. So far, everything was fine. It was a normal, boring day at school. And now, it was one of Lueur’s favorite classes, gym. 

The gym held a basketball court, a bunch of machines for running, dumbbells for weightlifting, a pool, and a message area for the students and faculty could use at any point. All they need is a keycard provided by the school. 

Lueur was stretching as Byleth was observing her closely. This did remind him of the training exercises that he would instruct on the students. 

“So, when is your physical exercise class start?” Byleth asked curiously. 

Lueur answered excitedly, “In about ten minutes! I always come in early to stretch and do some light lifting and punching!” 

“You would’ve loved to train with a few students I taught” Byleth spoke fondly, “I know you could’ve gotten along” 

“Really? Could you tell me about them? I would love to know more about them!” Lueur asked excitedly. 

As Byleth prepared to answer her question, a yellow and blue blur ran pass her at such a quick pace! Lueur spun a bit before refocusing her attention on the blur. Byleth was even surprised as he searched for the runner. 

“Do you know who that student is?” Byleth asked as Lueur composed herself. 

“Who?” she asked as she looked after the runner and found him running laps around the gym, “Oh, uh, I do not know. Not all of us attend the same classes, but whoever he is, he is fast!” 

She adjusted herself and observed him while Byleth took an interest in the runner as well. Byleth noticed an interesting ring on his fingers and wondered if he could take a closer look at it. Lueur waved to the runner warmly as he slowed down and stared at her. 

“Hey there! Are you going to have gym class with Miss Saphir soon? My name is Lueur!” she introduced warmly to him. 

He stared at her before happily introducing himself, “My name is Alfred! Yes! I will be in her class next, and I thought I could get in some extra practice before the class! I couldn’t wait! Hey! Do you want to have a race with me before class starts?!” 

Alfred has pale blond hair and a pair of olive-colored eyes. He was taller than her, but he seemed oddly thin and has pale skin. He wore a light green, antimicrobial shirt with black shorts up to his knees. Said shorts had the option for a belt to wrap around his waist to hold more items while the pockets were big to store larger items. He does have a towel looping through one of the rings. He has long, white socks and a pair of white sneakers. There was a blue band wrapped around his wrist with a peculiar ring on his finger. 

“He reminds of one student in the opposite manner. Fascinating” Byleth spoke before looking at the ring to feel an interesting power forming, “I suggest you take him up on his offer. You don’t seem to have a lot of allies besides your brother and those twins” 

“Hey! I’ve got friends! Ok, so there’s a reason for that, but that is beside the point! Also, I sense it too! There is something odd about the ring on his hand, and I want to find out what it is!” Lueur said determinedly before holding her hand out. 

“Sure thing! How many laps do you want to run before class starts?” she asked with a grin. 

Before she knew it, he took her hand and ran! She let out a surprised yell before running to even keep pace with him! 

“Uh! Alfred! You didn’t answer my question!” Lueur shouted as Byleth remained silent throughout their jog and gym class, much to Lueur’s annoyance. 

“Oh! Sorry!” Alfred said before letting her hand go to shout in reply, “I say we run 3 laps before class starts! It will be good on the knees!” 

Lueur held a dumbfound expression before running to keep up with him. After running 3 laps consecutively, Lueur was resting on the floor and drinking from her water bottle. She worked up a sweat and tried her best to wipe it off her head.

Alfred stood up and before her with bright eyes, “Wow! Lueur! You’re amazing! You could keep up with me! Not many could do that, but that’s amazing! You’re amazing! We should work out together!” 

Lueur was a little dizzy before answering as calmly as she could, “Uh, sure. Why not? It could be fun! Oh, it looks like the rest of the class is gathering. We should get ready and wait for the professor” 

He only nodded his head before chatting away about his exercise routine and what they should do. 

“Hey!” the professor shouted as she entered the gym with a determined expression and a hand on her hips, “I am Professor Saphir and I will ensure you grind and grit your way through this course! No holding back! Do not give up when the going gets tough! Now, find a partner because we are going to do partner exercises today!” 

The professor was an old woman with a powerful, strong physical appearance with muscle. Her white hair was tied in a high ponytail with her brown eyes glowing with fierceness. She wore a black shirt and a pair of black shorts. She’s got a pair of black socks and sneakers too with gloves matching as well. 

Lueur suddenly realized that she already found her partner for Alfred turned to her with bright eyes of eagerness and excitement. Although she was grateful for making a friend, she may have bargained for more than she thought. 

“Let’s try the hurdle course first, Lueuer!” Alfred shouted before grabbing her hand and running towards it witch such excitement. 

Lueur sighed, but she held a grin before working out with Alfred for the whole class. 

As for Alear, he finished his classes and returned to the library to start his part time job. The library does have entrance to the school, but it is also a giant library open to the public. This library is named Elusia Enlightenment Libraries. 

It is a three floored building including a giant basement. The first floor is the entrance and has a white coloring and even had a same café for people to eat at. Besides the café, the floor also has a few conference rooms, a room for computers and printers, and a giant room for important seasonal events. The second floor has all the books, historical documents, and information anyone could ask for. As for the third floor, this holds movies, vhs, dvds, and other electronic documentation as well as a few video games. The roof is empty, but sometimes people throw parties and other events for it. The basement is where the employees met to discuss the state of the library and other important upcoming events. There is a lounge and break room as well as a private kitchen and a few vending machines for food and drinks. 

Alear went to the basement first to change out of his regular clothes into his uniform. He wore a white collared shirt with buttons. He wore dark blue pants and has a photo ID on his left chest. There was a blue vest on top of his white shirt to complete the uniform. 

He opened his wooden locker to place his backpack and lock it before holding his phone to adjust his hair and glasses. Marth observed Alear with a curious expression as his holder made sure the ring was secure on his hand. 

“Such an interesting attire. This is what you wear when you arrive to do your manual labor for a certain period of time?” Marth asked curiously. 

Alear took a moment to reflect on Marth’s words before answering in a reassuring manner, “Yes. Since I work from 3:00 pm till about 6:30 pm on most days. I earn some income that I can use to buy stuff I enjoy or anything else. My job is to put books away, do some research, and help out anyone who are looking for books” 

Marth let out a delighted gasp before replying, “Ah! So, you’re a scribe in a sense! My friend Merric would’ve loved to meet you! He would throw himself into his magical research to the point where my older sister would come in and ensure he got his rest! I must confess, I am delighted to know that you will be stopped with your work!” 

Alear only laughed at Marth’s comments before closing his locker to jump and scream at one of the employees standing there and gazing at him. Before Alear could hit the floor, another person caught him with a friendly laugh. 

“Come now friend, we’ve worked together since my friend and I were in our second year of upper educational learning! You should not have fear when you see us gaze upon you!” the one holding Alear spoke in joy as he felt deadpanned when he recognized them. 

“Alear! Are you alright?!” Marth asked as he felt his holder’s heartrate increase, “Who are these fiends and how shall we defeat them?!” 

“Fiends is a strong word for them. They’re more of an annoyance really” Alear spoke as he recovered, “They mean well and also work here. The duo are two grades ahead of me and have already graduated. I’ll introduce them as both continue to ramble about something that I do not understand at all” 

The one currently holding Alear is Kagetsu. He is a foreign exchange student from Inazuma. He has a major in probability and a minor in history, but for some reason, he doesn’t want to go back to his country yet. He has dark, navy hair with dusty, brown eyes. His navy hair is tied by a cord with a red and white pattern. He was wearing the same uniform as Alear since he works at the theater and video area of the library. 

“Must *you* always be *surprised* when we arrive?” Zelkov asked annoyed with his thick accent. 

Zelkov is also a foreign exchange student from Fontaine and has a degree in chemistry and has many talents that no one knows. For some reason, he also hasn’t returned home either, but Alear doesn’t know the reason. He is a dark-skinned student with long, black hair and piercing golden eyes. He has a key hanging from his neck and is also wearing the same uniform. Though, he handles the rooms with computers and printers. 

“Yes, because no one hides behind a locker, and no one sneaks up on a person” Alear answered in a deadpanned tone to Zelkov who only scoffed in reply. 

“And yet *we* are the ones who have been here *longer* than you” Zelkov spoke as he looked down on Alear, “So, *beg* our pardon if we are not too *trusting* of you” 

Both sent each other a glare while Kagetsu stood between them with his arms out. 

“Must we fight? We can’t we get along” he asked in a pleading tone as Alear turned away and prepared to depart, “Come now, Alear! Zelkov is testing you! You should stand your grand against him!” 

To be entirely honest, Alear wanted nothing to do with either of them. Luckily, a friendly, old voice spoke at the door of the locker room. 

“Ah! There you three are!” he greeted, “I thought you played hooky! Come now, you must begin your work!” 

“And who is that?” Marth asked as they stared at the old man. 

“That would be our boss, Lindon” Alear said in utter relief before waving to him, “Just about to leave. Thank you, Sir Lindon” 

Lindon is an old man with white hair and brown eyes. After losing his wife, he decided to become a historian and priest to the Divine Dragon. He is wearing a simple white robe with a brown belt holding a bible, notebook, and a phone. He has a black cloth resting on his shoulders. He has a golden pen to hold the black cloth. He has a white pants and a pair of black shoes. 

“It was nothing at all, Alear” Lindon spoke before holding a grin to Kagetsu and Zelkov. 

Zelkov only sighed when Kagestu ran on ahead to excitedly start on his job with his friend only following him. Lindon laughed as he walked after the young employees. 

“Do you not enjoy your allies?” Marth asked curiously, “They are going to be with you throughout your life” 

Alear sighed as he arrived at the entrance’s counter to see a pile of books that need to be put away, “I wouldn’t call us allies. For some reason, Kagestu doesn’t leave me alone and Zelkov just doesn’t like me. I cannot understand either of them for the life of me. It isn’t that I haven’t tried to befriend either of them, but they do not listen to me nor want to make an effort to be a friend” 

Marth only nodded his head in understanding as Alear picked up a few of the books and went to return each to their respective shelf. As he mindlessly went about his job, his eyes caught the figure of the lady he encountered at the opening ceremony. 

“S-she’s here?” Alear whispered as a blush appeared on his features. 

Marth gazed at the direction Alear was staring to see Ivy. She was searching through the bookshelves for something. 

“Do you wish to court her?” Marth asked in a friendly tone, “I could offer you some advice. I was married to my wonderful wife, Caeda” 

“N-no!” Alear replied as he hid behind another bookshelf and held the books close to himself before sighing, “I don’t know. I already made a fool of myself to her. Also! She’s so fancy and a lady of high society! I cannot compete with that!” 

Marth found Alear’s reaction adorable until they heard her let out a frightened scream! Alear turned to Ivy and found her on the floor with a few books on top of her and others scattered on the floor. Alear ran to help her and moved some of the books off her. 

“Well, that was embarrassing” Ivy commented as she sat up with some of the books falling from her before realizing who helped her, “Oh! I didn’t expect to see you again” 

Alear held a gentle expression before confessing, “And I didn’t expect you to fall for me like that. Ah! Wait! No! I meant how you fell and how it was similar to how I fell!” 

The heat of embarrassment washed over him as he went to pick up another book while Ivy only laughed in relief. 

“At least you are honest” she spoke in relief as she went to help him with the books, “You don’t meet honest people often. I don’t not believe we’ve introduced ourselves. My name is Ivy. I am taking a sabbatical after receiving my major degrees in history and finances” 

“Oh, wow! I am also receiving my degree in history!” Alear spoke in relief, “Ah, right. My name is Alear” 

“Really? Do you have a favorite moment in history?” Ivy asked as they stood up and went to put the books back into the bookshelves. 

“I am fascinated with the history of Valentia and Archanea!” Alear answered with Marth feeling pride, “I am surprised that the Hero King didn’t interact with Saint – King and the Queen of Valentia. I believe there is a historical document out there! Oh, I apologize about this. I know history can be boring and listening to theories from one cannot be good” 

“That is not true at all” Ivy replied as she finished putting the books away, “I must agree as well with your theory. Especially considering that the legendary Merric met with Luthier and Delthea at least a few times. Those letters do exist. Would you like to read about it?”

“Could I?!” Alear asked excitedly with her grinning, “Oh! But I still have to work! We could hang out at the café? Is that fine?” 

“Oh, of course. I look forward to our lovely discussion on this” she spoke with a satisfied smile, “I can’t wait, Alear” 

She smiled before waving goodbye to him and turning to walk away. Alear sighed in a dreamy manner before shaking his head and going back to his job. Marth was grateful for his holder’s little rendezvous with Ivy, but he hoped he wouldn’t be too distracted. After he finished putting books away, helping people, and doing his daily research, he made a mad dash to the café and saw Ivy sitting near the glass walls and having a small piece of cake with tea. She was lost in reading a book. 

Marth noticed Alear was simply standing there to admire her features and spoke in a jesting tone, “Do you plan to only observe a work of art instead of speaking to one?” 

Alear jumped before composing himself to reply nervously, “Sorry about that. You are right! I should speak with her! Ok, here I go! This time none of us are going to fall!”

He made sure to be looking ahead while glancing at his feet. He didn’t want to trip over himself. 

“Hello Ivy” he greeted warmly and with an awkward wave. 

“And hello to you, Alear” she greeted with a smile as she raised her head from her book, “Oh, I see you have your belongings with you. Now, don’t tell me you plan to stand there? Come and take a seat. I believe we have much to discuss” 

He only nodded his head before taking a seat in front of her. He checked his phone for any text message from the twins and his sister, but he sighed in relief when he didn’t see any. Putting the phone away, he rested his face in his right hand to stare at Ivy. 

“Oh? Were you expecting someone else?” she asked in a teasing tone as Alear shook his head. 

“My little sister has to take a few more classes than I do” Alear explained, “So, she gets done later. She comes here to meet up once she’s done. Though, I haven’t received a text from her yet” 

“Is that troubling? I have a younger sister, well, half-sister, but we are sisters none the less” Ivy conversed curiously before sipping her tea, “I would worry if she didn’t answer my texts or calls” 

Alear leaned back in his chair to answer casually, “No, I am not worried about her. She can take care of herself in any situation. She’s tough and smart. A dangerous combination if you ask me. Much like the legendary hero Hilda Goneril” 

Ivy couldn’t help but laugh at the comparison with Marth gazing at her necklace and the ring hanging from it. In a strange way, Marth felt a stronger connection to it than with most emblems. He only felt this way with two of the emblems and wondered if this was one of the two. Alear didn’t notice this as they continued to share theories about the respective legendary heroes. 

“So, who is your favorite legendary hero?” Alear asked as he drank some water. 

Ivy finished her slice of cake before answering, “Well, it might surprise you, but that would be both Lief and Lucina” 

Alear raised an interested brow at her response before gesturing for her to continue. 

“Lief loved his parents and looked to them for when he was in any danger. He also fought against his own older sister to save her” Ivy answered with admiration in her voice, “And as for Lucina, she would’ve done anything to save her world and her father. She risked everything to prevent such a horrifying future from letting it happen. In a way, the way they love their family would be the reason I admired them so much. I hope to emulate their love for their family in my life” 

This surprised Alear. He knew people looked up to the legendary heroes, but he never heard a response like hers before. In a way, it made him happy to know that she looked to the heroes for guidance and even learning from them. That is what history was meant to do, and yet some people he’s conversed with disagree with this idea. 

“Ah….haaah…. aaahhh….” An exhausted voice spoke with loud, tired steps accompanying the person.

“Oh, my. Do you know her?” Ivy asked as she pointed to a very exhausted Lueur. 

“That would be my sister, but I’ve never seen her this exhausted” Alear spoke with worry as Ivy picked up her book and stood up. 

She took a bow before offering with a smile, “Then, please let her have my seat. I am sure we will able to continue our lovely discussion later, Alear” 

He turned to see her go as she placed a piece of paper in his hand before waving goodbye and leaving a warm feeling with him. Alear waved goodbye before running to help his little sister take the seat. She leaned her head back and panted heavily as Alear wondered what could’ve happened to her. She grabbed his glass of water with great relief before dumping the water over her completely. Alear ran a hand up and down his face before staring at her. 

“So, was coach Saphir that tough on you?” he asked as he went to get some napkins to clean up the water on the floor. 

“It wasn’t her…” Lueur spoke through pants and gasps, “It was a new friend… Alfred” 

“Oh? And who is he?” Alear asked as he finished cleaning up and sitting across from her with a curious expression. 

Lueur took a minute to collect herself before answering, “He’s a student in the same grade level as me. He is into working out and building muscles even though he looks kind of frail. Regardless, I was there at the gym before class started and so was he. We worked out together, but he’s routine is way more intense than mine! So, we exchanged numbers and now, we are planning to work out together…” 

“You don’t sound too excited about that” Alear pointed out as he checked his phone for any text messages from the twins. 

Lueur sighed before admitting, “Well, a little bit. I don’t mind the training, but I need a break too. I also don’t know how to say no either which will be a problem, I know” 

He gave her a comforting expression to answer, “Well, look at it this way. You made a friend. Since he’s your friend, I am sure you’ll be able to work something out soon enough” 

She gave him a weak smile before hearing his phone buzz. He showed her a text from the twins who need to be picked up from school and to get dinner. He helped her up and slowly walked to his car before laughing and sharing jokes. As they were walking, they failed to notice that Ivy was still there and listening to their conversation. She smiled as she found it sweet and comforting until she was joined by Kagestu and Zelkov. 

“It is unjust I say!” Kagestu spoke with hurt in his voice, “How is he a friend to Ivy while he treats us with such scorn! Unfair, I say! Unfair!” 

She didn’t pay attention to his ramblings with Zelkov implied, “Perhaps *he* only wishes to be *know* Ivy for certain reasons” 

Ivy huffed before walking away with a quick response, “And was it so wrong to finally have a wonderful conversation with someone who shares my intellect? I do not think so. Now, I believe my father will request my presence but you two should continue with work. I will report to you everything that happens afterwards” 

Ivy departed from the library and turned a corner with Zelkov holding a concerning expression before returning to his job. As for Ivy, she breathed out a sigh and ensured no one could see her. 

“I thought you were having a lovely conversation with him, Ivy” a kind, yet strong voice spoke from the ring hanging from the necklace, “It reminds me of the conversations I would have with my husband”

Ivy could hear the sadness in Lucina’s voice before reassuring, “I promise that we will find him, Lucina. Thank you for your kind words as well. Though, are you sure you wished to support me? I know my father’s plans will not be ideal to follow and execute for now” 

Lucina appeared to rest on her shoulder and grinned at her. Lucina has beautiful, long deep blue hair with matching eye colors. One of her eyes has the Mark of the Exalt, proving she is the descendant of the Hero King himself. She is wearing a blue tunic with armor on her shoulders and knees. She has deep blue shirt and pants with long, boots. She has a blue cape held by a red pin with a golden crown on her head. 

“I understand the idea of wanting to help your father and ensure your world is safe” Lucina replied with a strong conviction, “I do hope this path will not consume and cause misfortune upon you and those you love. I sense a familiar dark presence. A presence that I vowed to defeat in my world. I will ensure it doesn’t harm you and give you the strength you need” 

“Thank you, Lucina” Ivy said in relief as the ring flashed a deep, purple color to teleport her to the basement to meet with her father and returning Lucina to the ring. 

She exited from the deep purple’s magic to find herself in the basement’s labs. There were many large test tubes holding numerous, terrifying creatures of darkness. It made Ivy’s skin crawl, but she kept her expression in check before walking towards the center to find the twin sisters standing before a panel. Zephia was injecting a needle through the tube to cause the creature inside to roar and thrash about! 

“This is test 9” Zephia reported to her sister, “Results are anger and frustration” 

Zelestia held her tablet to tap notes on it before glancing to see Ivy. 

“Ah! Miss Ivy! How are you? Was your day well?” Zelestia asked warmly as she approached her with a genuine smile. 

The chill left Ivy as she replied, “I am well. It is a pleasure to see you as well. Are the experiments proceeding according to plan?” 

At this statement, Zelestia sighed and turned to it. She wasn’t pleased to use such darkness to create a horrifying being, but she couldn’t deny the results. The creature was stronger and more powerful than the previous one they released. 

“It will be ready” Zephia answered with a satisfied expression as she stood before the creature, “And then, it will hunt those Emblem Heroes to then take their emblems for Mister Sombron!”

She let out a wicked laugh as Ivy wished to use her powers to bring an end to such a being, but she kept herself still. She only prayed that the Prince and Princess will be prepared for it.

“Ah, Ivy, there you are” Hyacinth spoke as he approached her with a serious expression, “You will be the one to unleash such a creature in two days times. Observe it and report to us what it does” 

Ivy’s eyes were wide at the suggestion, but she knew better than to object to his demands. If she weren’t the one to do this, then that would fall onto her dear, little sister. She wouldn’t let her fall into their darkness. 

“I will, father” Ivy spoke with a bow, “And ensure to learn everything I can about it for us” 

“Very good” he said with a pride before holding her chin to have her gaze at him, “If only your mother could’ve followed my plans. Such a shame, but I know I can always count on you to never fail me” 

He let her go before conversing with the twin sisters. Ivy held her breath before leaving the cold cellar to reunite with her only light, her little sister. 

The following day, Lueur was sitting in class. She was wearing her workout apparel as she tapped her pencil on the table, waiting for the professor to arrive to begin teaching the lesson. 

“Oh! Wow! I didn’t know you had this class too, Lueur!” Alfred spoke in delight with his bright green eyes shining before sitting with her, “This is going to be great! We can exchange notes, study together, and work on assignments!” 

Lueur only held a smile with a hint of nervousness in her expression. Once this class was over, she walked to her next one only to find Alfred already there… 

“YOU HAVE THIS CLASS TOO?!” Alfred shouted excitedly before grabbing her hand to pull her to the desk he was sitting at, startling another classmate with dark hair and a pair of frightened ruby colored eyes. 

She gave him an apologetic smile before returning to Alfred who energetically explained this class to her and what they could do to handle it together. Soon enough, it was time for gym class, and Alfred paired up with her again! They even worked out after class again! When Alear picked her up, he was surprised to see her exhausted again! 

“How intense is that training?” he asked as he helped her to their home to rest. 

Lueur confessed in disbelief, “He doesn’t run out of energy. It is like he’s living battery that never goes out!” 

They entered the house and didn’t see the twins nor Vander back. They decided to sit in the living room and take a moment to talk with Marth and Byleth as Lueur collapsed onto the couch. The two Emblems appeared again as they gazed at the drained Lueur. Marth was also impressed to see her tired while Byleth was holding a hand to his chin and pondering his thoughts. 

“Does something trouble you, Byleth?” Marth spoke with a grin.

“Yes” he confessed, “It is about Alfred. Lueur, did you notice the ring on his hand?” 

She closed her eyes, but she reflected on Alfred’s appearance and recalled the ring to give her input, “Yes, but it looks like an ordinary ring. I don’t think Alfred has any power. He’s filled with energy” 

“Perhaps, but I am grateful that he hasn’t left your side. I’ve been able to see the ring” Byleth said in relief, “I don’t think that ring is simple, but it does appear rather dull. I cannot determine if it is one of the Emblems we are missing” 

Lueur rolled her head to open her eyes to stare at her partner with a curious expression. Alear handed his sister a drink before pondering on Alfred. 

“Do you want us to investigate further?” he asked the duo emblems before them. 

“For now, yes” Byleth spoke as he turned to Marth, “If that is alright with you. I do not wish to overstep, but I also don’t want to take any chances” 

Marth concurred, “No, I trust your hunch, Byleth. It would be best to ensure that his ring doesn’t have an emblem. Once we are sure, we can drop this completely. Are you up for that, Lueur?” 

She weakly gave a thumbs up before turning her head to stare the at ceiling before closing her eyes. Marth thanked her with Byleth nodding his head. They heard the doors open as both disappeared into the ring while Alear welcomed their family into their home. 

The next day, Lueur went to find Alfred in their first class. She wasn’t surprised to see him here, so she took her seat and waited. She didn’t wait long as Alfred practically burst through the doors to rush and sit next to her. She was relieved and happily greeted him to finally taking a full look at the ring on his hand. 

“Hey, so I’ve been meaning to ask” Lueur spoke politely, “But why do you have a ring?” 

Alfred was surprised she asked before looking at the ring on his finger to reply warmly as he leaned back, “Well, when I was a kid, my dad was the one who gave me this ring. He wanted me to always be there for someone who needs help without delay! Like the legendary heroes of old! I wanted to remember him and that lesson, so I wear this ring!” 

She didn’t expect such a sad tale and understood that his father wasn’t with him. As for Byleth, the lesson that Alfred’s father imparted on his son remind him of a fellow emblem he did fight with. He stared at the ring and was almost sure that was an emblem. 

“What about you, Lueur? Why do you have a ring?” Alfred asked curiously.

It was her turn to be surprised before gazing at it.

“Oh, well” she spoke in a hesitant tone, “I don’t really remember why. I know an important person in my life told me to hold this ring and never let it go. So, I’ve always done that I do hope to find that person again, one day” 

She smiled at the ring fondly with Alfred grinning in agreement. Soon, classes began, keeping the students busy and helping them with their careers. 

“It is time, Ivy” Zephia spoke as she led her to the test tube holding the creature, “Use your powers to control the creature and then unleash it to find the emblems!” 

Ivy took the ring off the necklace to wear it. She closed her eyes to use the ring’s power to take control of the creature. With her eyes slowly opening, the ring’s power broke the test tube to free it! The creature let out a powerful roar before thrashing around! 

“Ivy! Get rid of and use it to find the emblems!” Zephia ordered seriously as she glared at the destruction forming around the lab. 

“Lucina! I require your aid! Please help me!” Ivy spoke in a strained manner as the ring flashed a purple light to cover it! 

With the creature under her control, Ivy waved her hand to have the creature bow to her. 

“Now, obey me” she ordered the creature before waving her hand upward, “I command you to find the Emblem rings and bring it to me! Failure is not an option!” 

The creature only roared before being teleported by Ivy’s magic to the school. Ivy felt exhausted from using the spell and fell to her knees. Lucina was concerned as she used her powers to hopefully restore some energy to her. 

“That took you long enough” Zephia commented in a disapproving manner, “Do not waste our time again. Now, keep an eye on that Corrupted” 

She turned away from her without a second thought of helping her. Ivy struggled to even stand before using her magic to escape from the basement. She used the ring and her abilities to track the Corrupted, hoping it wasn’t going to harm anyone. 

“And class dismissed!” Saphir spoke with a grin before leaving the gym. 

Lueur was once again on the floor and panting heavily. She was utterly exhausted as she looked at the floor. Alfred only cheered as he prepared to take another sprint. 

“Are we sure he has an Emblem Ring?!” Lueur asked as she went to pick up her water bottle to drink from. 

“I cannot tell. Just a little more, Lueur. I am sure I will be close enough to determine the ring is an emblem” Byleth explained to her. 

She let out a ragged breath before standing up and taking a light jog after Alfred. Both were unaware of the Corrupted Ivy released was heading towards them, but Alear was aware when he exited one of the school’s buildings to see it running rampage throughout the campus! 

“Marth!” Alear shouted as a red light shined from the ring, “I understand, Alear! Go and use my powers!” 

After making sure no one was present, Alear transformed and charged after the Corrupted. Taking light and quick steps, he ran across the campus with his sword forming at his side. Once he was able to get around the Corrupted and looked over his shoulder to see the students and faculty escaping. 

A smirked form on his features as he gripped the handle of the blade to speak, “And now, you’ll deal with me!” 

With a strike from the blade, followed by a red streak, Prince delivered a cutting blow to the Corrupted who roared in pain. Prince waved the blade at his side with his expression still holding confidence. The Corrupted stared at him before turning away and charging towards the gym. Recalling that his little sister was there, Prince’s eyes were wide before he took off running. He wished for a way to warn her before the Corrupted destroys it. 

Lueur had to stop running as Alfred lapped her with her speaking, “How on earth can you keep going?!” 

Alfred only laughed at her reaction while Byleth’s eyes were wide with concern. 

“Lueur! Be alert! A Corrupted is approaching! Protect your friend!” Byleth warned as she looked around for her enemy to feel the ground shaking. 

Alfred nearly tripped as he wondered why everything was shaking. He searched for the source and gasped when he saw a Corrupted approaching them from the outside! 

“Get down!” Lueur shouted as she ran and tackled him and herself away from the Corrupted! 

The Corrupted raised his axe to then slam it to destroy the side of the building! Prince’s eyes were wide as he rushed to the back of the Corrupted with the blade glowing a deep, red color. 

“You’ll pay for that. She better be there when this is over!” he roared as he delivered another strike to the Corrupted. 

Ivy finally caught up with the Corrupted and gasped at the damaged it caused! She didn’t hesitate to enter the destroyed gym and looked for anyone still present. She covered her mouth when she saw Alear’s younger sister covering Alfred and barely able to avoid the attack! She was too consumed with worry to notice that the Corrupted took an interest in her! He raised his axe to take a swing at her! 

“Look out!” Alfred shouted as he recovered enough to see the attack coming! 

Ivy gasped at the sight of it and felt frozen in place. Alfred wanted to rush over there and save her before anything befell her. 

“Do not stand there when you have the ability to do something with your skills!” a fatherly yet stern voice spoke to him, “Pick yourself up and go!” 

The glowed a green light as Alfred picked himself up and ran as fast as he could! He lunged and tackled her away from the incoming attack before it could crush her! Alfred was surprised by his own speed while Ivy was still in a daze. Lueur raised her head up and stared at him in disbelief at the incredible fast pace he took while Byleth held a knowing expression. 

“It appears that my hunch was correct. That ring does hold the power of an emblem” Byleth said seriously, “Now, we have to awaken it somehow” 

She stood up and took a sprint towards them. She was relieved they were safe, but now she had to find a way to transform and ensure they are safe. The Corrupted took a swing at them as Lueur realized it would be now or never if she didn’t use her powers to protect them.

“You do not have to fully transform to use my powers” Byleth spoke to her, “Focus on what part of my power you need to use and use it” 

She held a serious expression before waiting and standing in front of Alfred. The Corrupted took a swing and threw a punch at them! She raised her arms as a blue light covered it to make the pair of gauntlets appear to block the attack! Although she was able to block it, the Corrupted had enough force to her and Alfred away from Ivy! Alfred let out a scream while Byleth had no choice to protect Lueur and use his powers to transform her! In a flash of blue light, Lueur transformed into the Princess in front of a surprised Alfred. 

As for Ivy, she stared at the Corrupted who was trying to attack her again! She couldn’t move away in time, so she held her arms up and hoped by some miracle of the Divine Dragon that she would be fine. Prince sped and jumped before putting his sword in the scabbard to run towards her. Without even hesitating, he carefully grabbed Ivy bridal style and ran away from the strike. Ivy would’ve screamed if it weren’t for the Prince who saved her life with such grace and ease. 

“Are you ok?” he asked as he turned to examine her for any injury. 

He flashed a concerned look as her expression heated up at the sight of him. 

“She’s not hurt” Marth reassured him, “I used my powers to ensure that she is healed and not harmed in any way but keep your guard up! The Corrupted is still at large and needs to be dealt with! Get her to safety and focus on the fight at hand!” 

“R-right! Thank you, Marth!” Prince responded before searching for a place for her to take cover. 

As he searched, he noticed Ivy was staring at the Corrupted in a panicked manner. He needed to reassure her as he ran, so he held a grin at her. 

“Don’t worry” he said in a gentle voice, “Everything will be ok, because I am here. I know it is just me, but it will be enough. I made a promise to our home that I would protect it with everything I have!” 

With his resolve and will, Ivy felt so secure with him. She couldn’t take her eyes off him as he ran through the destroyed gym and arrived at a restaurant. He gently placed her on her feet before taking a bow to her. 

“Now, please stay here, milady. I will be back once I have slayed this creature” he spoke formally before giving a warm, honest smile and turned to take care of the Corrupted. 

Ivy was surprised to see such kindness from him to her. She clasped her hands as the ring shined a comforting light over her in a form of reassurance. She prayed to the Divine Dragon that the Prince would be safe and ensure that the Corrupted was destroyed. 

“Ah! Lu- uh, Princess! Are you ok?!” Alfred shouted as he found himself still standing and being protected by her. 

She was standing strong with the golden gauntlets still glowing. She struggled to stand before falling to one knee and grunting in pain. 

“Why am I so weak?” she whispered in pain as Byleth understood the reason. 

“You’ve been working too hard with your exercising” he informed her, “You’re too tired” 

She sighed as she fell to her knees with the Corrupted approaching her with his axe. She looked up and saw the Corrupted holding the axe. Alfred gasped as he saw his friend struggling to stand and put up a fight. He wanted to help her somehow, but he wasn’t sure how to anymore. 

“You can do this” the fatherly voice spoke to Alfred, “You saved that young lady’s life. You can do something and change this fate with the power I will give you. All you need to do is accept this power and use it for good. Alfred, do you want to do this?” 

Alfred reflected on his swords while standing up. Everything seemed to move slow in his mind as he thought about his words and even his father’s words.

“I will not stand here and do nothing” he spoke strongly, “Not when I can do something. I want to do something to help others and be there for them! I will fight!” 

A burst of green light grew around him as the Corrupted turned its attention to him. Princess turned her attention to him with a surprised expression as her ring glowed. She gazed at the ring as Prince finally reunited with her and noticed his ring was glowing. 

“Byleth was correct. Alfred did have an emblem ring” Marth spoke with relief before determination in his voice, “Your powers are reacting to it, but since your little sister is exhausted, you need to use your powers! Give Alfred your powers!” 

Without even hesitating, Prince raised his ring hand upward before waving it to cast towards Alfred’s ring. The light burst from the ring and helped formed a green light to cover Alfred. 

"Emblem Engage!" Alfred stated with a determined grin as he clutched his fist holding the ring. 

Vines appeared on his arms and chest to bloom into flowers to make a white shirt appear with yellow outlines. The flowers withered at the edges of his sleeves to have it appear flowing and easy to move in. Two vines wrapped itself underneath his neck to create an orange gem to then producing a white cravat. He tapped his left shoulder to make a single, blue flowing cape hang from it to stop at his waist that held a symbol of a flower. 

"Not done yet!" Alfred said as he took off in a sprint with the vine wrapping around his legs to a pair blue pants. 

With each step he took, long black, boots appeared. A vine wrapped itself around his waist to transform into a belt to hold a few scabbards and pouches. A white horse with a beautiful, light purple mane appeared at his side who grabbed his cape to effortlessly toss him onto his back. He laughed as he landed on the horse's back while his hand ran through his blond hair to change to blue with a single blond streak remaining. The vines grew around his head to create a simple crown of vines with two orange flowers blooming at his sides. He clapped his hands to create a tree branch that blossomed into a beautiful, blue lance appear with a silver tip. 

The horse galloped with him waving the lance around to then pointing it at his foe once the horse ceased moving and he held a determined expression, "I am Avenir! I will not let you escape from my pursuit!"

Prince and Princess were astounded to see this as Marth and Byleth were relieved. 

“Is that who I think it is?” Byleth asked curiously in a knowing tone. 

“Yes, it is! That is the Emblem of the Holy War, Sigurd!” Marth said in utter relief as Avenir looked over himself.

“Wow! I look so cool! This is incredible! Hey! I look like you two!” he said as he pointed his lance at the siblings before casting a burst of leaves towards them! 

Prince quickly pushed himself and his sister to the ground to avoid it, but the spell struck the Corrupted! The siblings looked over their shoulders and saw the spell striking the Corrupted with sharp and powerful leaves! 

“That’ll work” Princess confessed as Avenir urged his horse to gallop pass them with his lance scrapping the ruined ground. 

“Don’t worry! I can handle this!” he replied with confidence as he charged at the Corrupted. 

He jumped from the horse and raised his lance above his head to strike the Corrupted’s head to then pinning it into the ruined floor! He took a quick step back before placing his hands on the floor to see flowers and grass growing under his touch. 

“Huh” he whispered as an idea formed in his head before turning to the Prince and Princess, “Hey! I know we just met, but I’ve got an idea! Please follow my lead!” 

Prince held his sword as Princess transformed her gauntlets into a sword. Avenir waved his hand forward to have the siblings run forward with their swords at their sides. They let out a yell as they swung the blades to strike the sides in a flash of red and blue lights. The Corrupted as it ripped its’ head out of the lance with dark, purple liquid dripped from the wound as Avenir ran forward to grab the lance with his horse running at his side. 

“Thanks buddy!” Avenir said in a grateful tone with his lance glowing a green color, “Now, charge!” 

He held his lance at his side with more green light gathering to the tip of the weapon. Prince and Princess pulled themselves away from the Corrupted as Avenir galloped forward with the lance in hand. He jumped up and threw the lance to pierce the creature in a beautiful, warm green light! The Corrupted let out a painful roar as it clutched the injury. More of the deep, purple liquid poured from the wound and spilled with the green light. Avenir grinned before holding his hand out to display the same green light mixing and forming inside of the Corrupted. The Corrupted stared at him before Avenir clutched his hand into a fist! The green light burst into vines and grew a tree erupted from its’ chest! The Prince and Princess were horrified and staring at the chest in disbelief. The Corrupted let out a painful cry before disappearing in a purple light. In the place of the defeated Corrupted was a beautiful cherry blossom tree! 

“Could Sigurd do that?” Prince asked Marth in utter disbelief as his sister was staring in horror. 

“Well, the horse is the ability, but I believe the part of life comes from his wife” Marth answered warmly, “It is nice to see that ability in the hands of his friend” 

Avenir cheered at the sight of the defeated Corrupted before rushing up to the siblings. 

“That was incredible! I can’t believe we did that! Lu-ah, I mean Princess! This is amazing!” he cheered as he raised his hands up in excitement. 

He couldn’t get over this newfound power and abilities he possessed as the Prince and Princess shared a worried expression. They would have to keep their new friend from telling everyone about their secret as well as inform him about their mission. 

“Well, let’s head to our place” Prince spoke as he held a hand out to Avenir, “We can explain everything there. How does that sound?” 

“Amazing! I’ve actually never been over to a friend’s house before! This is going to be so much fun!” he said excitedly before whistling to signal his horse to come towards them, “Hop on! This will be quicker!” 

Prince raised his hand to object, but Princess shrugged and hopped on behind Avenir. She held her hand out to him as he sighed and let them bring him up on the horse. Avenir encouraged the horse before galloping through the streets to rush to their home. 

As for Ivy, she was holding a pleasant expression to see the Emblem Heroes working together and stopped her father. Though, a part of her did feel some guilt, she was ultimately thankful that no one was hurt. As she turned to leave, a thought crossed her mind; where did that new hero come from? 

In the next episode…

(Alfred’s POV) 

I finally have friends and a new partner who is THE legendary hero Sigurd! To make this day even better, I have more friends too! I cannot wait to be a hero and help fight against the darkness that is coming our way! I do hope I can tell my little sister and our friends about this! What? I can’t?! Aw, why not?... Well, I’ll see you soon, everyone!

Chapter Text

Avenir transformed back to Alfred before the Prince and Princess with a grin still present on his features. He was bouncing up and down on his feet as he looked at them eagerly. In a flash of red and blue lights, the Prince and Princess transformed back to themselves and took a bow to reveal themselves as Alear and Lueur! 

“I can’t believe you two are the Prince and Princess!” Alfred cheered in delight before staring, “Oh, so should I call you the “Divine Dragons”?”

“Why?” Alear asked as he raised a brow, confused on the notion still. 

Alfred tapped the side of his cheek before answering in a thoughtful manner, “I don’t know why, but when the two of you are heroes, you give me this soothing and comforting aura. It reminds me of the feelings I get from the readings of the Divine Dragon. But it could be a coincidence!” 

Alear held a deadpanned expression as he held his hand out to have a tiny Marth appear before Alfred! 

“No way! You’re the Hero King! It is a pleasure to meet you!” Alfred expressed with a bow as he looked up at Alear, “So how did you do that?” 

“Simply hold out your hand and let your power flow to it” Alear spoke as Alfred nodded excitedly. 

He took a deep breath and raised his hand to hold it out. In a flash of green light, a small figure appeared from his hand who held his head down. He had a hand across his chest and raised his head to grin at the people before him. 

He has blue, shiny hair and a pair of pure blue eyes. He was as tall as Byleth. There was a white cravat around his neck with a beautiful blue cape flowing behind him. He adorns a white, royal outfit with a fancy, blue belt wrapped around his waist holding a golden scabbard. He has a pair of white pants and high black boots. 

“Hello. I am Sigurd, one of the descendants from the Twelve Crusades and the Prince of Chalphy. I am the Emblem of the Holy War and will be grateful to give my service to you” he introduced before turning to Alfred, “Thank you for awakening my powers, Alfred. I am grateful to finally meet you. I’ve heard so much about you” 

He was surprised and asked curiously, “But who did you hear about me from? You’ve always been with me. Who told you about me?”

Sigurd answered in a fatherly tone, “While we can be only summoned with the power of the Divine Dragon, we can listen to the thoughts of others. I was on your father’s hand for so long. He always thought about you, your little sister, and your mom. I am so pleased to finally meet you” 

This caused Alfred to slap his face with both hands and exclaim, “Oh, yeah! I can’t wait to tell Celine and mom about you! They’re going to be so excited to know that we’ve had an Emblem with us!” 

“I would advise against that” Sigurd spoke seriously, “You are facing a powerful enemy that will come after you. If the enemy were to find out that you are a hero, then they will go after them. This wouldn’t be a good idea in the end” 

Alfred’s expression dropped as he turned to Alear and Lueur who held agreeing expressions as well. 

“We haven’t told our respective guardians and younger siblings about us either” Alear said seriously, “There is no reason to put them in danger” 

Lueur added, “And we are trying to find the missing emblems as well as finding out the real enemy behind this” 

They explained everything to Alfred who was so surprised to hear that something like this was happening in their home. 

He placed a hand over his chest to answer strongly, “And I will help you with that mission as well! I am sure I can give us some locations to search!” 

“How?” Alear asked with Lueur tilting her head to the side curiously as Byleth appeared on her shoulder. 

“Huh? Oh! I don’t think I gave you my full name. It is Alfred Fierne. My family is the owner of Fierne Farms! We distribute the crops to many businesses in Elyos!” he answered brightly as Lueur’s jaw dropped with her brother’s eyes wide in a stunned manner, “I’ll get on it right away! I can’t wait to help you!” 

He took off in a sprint as the siblings were still standing there, unsure of what to exactly process. 

“I suggest you inform him of the rules and ensure he doesn’t let out secret slip” Byleth suggested to them, “It wouldn’t be a good idea if everyone knew everything” 

“That, and I believe it is a long walk back to the academy. I also know you left the car there as well” Marth added with a small grin when Alear face palmed. 

“Then, that means we have to take your bike” he groaned as Lueur was excited. 

She grabbed her big brother’s hand and pulled him after her to then jumping on her motorbike. She slammed their helmets on before pressing her foot on the gas pedal and taking off at high speeds to find Alfred and return to school. 

“Do you see him?!” Lueur asked in delight as Alear wrapped his arms around his little sister and hesitantly gazed up to see Alfred in the distant. 

“Wow, he ran pretty far. Hey! Alfred!” Alear shouted as he waved his hand, “Let us give you a ride back to the school at least!” 

Alfred stopped in his tracks and turned to see them. He happily waved to them as Lueur pulled up next to him. They happily let him ride on the back with another helmet on before riding back to school quickly. It didn’t take long for them to arrive at the school, but they were greeted by two students. 

“Alfred!” the young lady’s voice shouted in utter panic, “Where have you been?!” 

“Oh! Hi Céline, and hello to you as well Etie!” Alfred greeted as he hopped off the bike and waved to them.

She has long, pale hair tied in two long, ponytails with orange ribbons holding it. She wore a simple white dress with green, orange, and white ruffles along the edges of it. There are two green ribbons at the sides of it with green ribbons wrapped around her wrists and a pair of orange ribbons in her hair. She has long, white stockings and a pair of black, fancy shoes. She has pale, green eyes as she gave the siblings a cold glare. 

“Who?” Alear asked curiously as Alfred gestured to her, “That would be my younger sister, Céline! Next to her is my good friend Etie. They attend the school! Well, this is their first year, but they’re here!” 

Eite has orange hair and matching eye colors. Her hair is long and held by a green bow. She is wearing a green dress with a black ribbon tied around her neck. There is an orange pattern along the edge of the skirt. She has a pair of black high heeled shoes with green ribbons on it. 

“And who are you?!” Céline demanded as she pointed at Lueur, “And why are you riding such a dangerous vehicle! My brother needs to be driven in a car!” 

The siblings were completely thrown off by her. They didn’t expect his little sister to be stricter and reserved compared to him. 

“Hey, don’t worry! I was safe! I wore a helmet and everything! We even drove below the speed limit!” Alfred reassured as Lueur turned away at the last sentence. 

Céline was ready to deliver another scolding, but Etie stepped in with a shake of her head. 

“Look, he’s fine and here. That is all that matters. Now, let’s get you two home to your mother. We’ve had enough excitement with that creature destroying the best building on campus” Etie spoke in a sadden tone. 

Alfred agreed with her sentiments with his little sister sighing. She followed Etie as Alfred waved goodbye to them and jogged back to them. The siblings were relieved that Alfred didn’t reveal their secret. Alear then hopped off the motorbike and ran to find the car, leaving his little sister laughing at him and his irrational fear of her driving. Both soon drove home to return to their family and enjoy the rest of the day. 

“How infuriating!” Zephia yelled as she punched the test tube in front of her, “How could they have another ally and defeat that Corrupted?!” 

The employees were tense and afraid of her while Ivy stood still. She was secretly pleased the Emblem Heroes were able to stop the Corrupted, but she knew they wouldn’t be pleased. Zelestia placed a hand on her twin sister’s shoulder to give her some reassurance. 

“Do not worry. I am sure everything will work out!” she reassured her as she noticed her sister’s expression wasn’t about to change, “Well, I have another idea if you want to see it” 

Zephia raised a brow at her as Zelestia gestured her to turn her attention. There was another test tube that was holding a circular egg of darkness. Zephia held an annoyed expression before her sister motioned her to be patient. She tapped the glass to have the egg contort and change forms to that of a human! 

“What did you create?” Zephia asked with interest in her voice at the new creation before her. 

Zelestia pulled up a screen that displayed an image of Marth, Sigurd, and Byleth. Ivy stared at the screen too with Lucina sharing a surprised gasp at seeing Sigurd a part of their group. She wondered if the other emblems were being drawn to each other again. 

“This is a sample from Sombron’s power with the Fell Dragon” Zelestia explained, “I was able to borrow some to create this egg. It holds the power of the past heroes and villains. If I send this egg out, I am sure it will be able to awaken either in a person. This will also keep the person who has bonded with the hero and villain under our control” 

Zephia was impressed by her twin sister’s abilities and snapped her fingers. 

“What is it?” Zelestia asked curiously. 

“Let’s test this” she replied eagerly, “If this can help us find their rings, then we should use it right away!” 

Ivy was alarmed as Zelestia hesitantly spoke, “I am not sure about that. This hasn’t been properly tested yet. We should wait until we’ve created a controlled environment and see the results” 

Her twin sister snapped at her before yelling, “And I say we test this now! We cannot waste any more time collecting those rings! Send it out this instant!” 

Zelestia whimpered, but she reluctantly agreed. She pressed her hands against the tablet and unlocked the test tube and stood in front of Ivy for her protection. The egg fell from the test tube and spun. They watched closely before it cracked to transform into an orb! The orb flew off and searched for anyone it could force a transformation upon. Zephia snatched the tablet from her twin’s hands to type away to activate the cameras. The cameras flew and followed the orb that searched for the perfect person to test it on. 

Etie sighed as she walked behind the pair of siblings in front of her. Céline was still arguing with her older brother about spending time with his new friends. As for Etie, she was a little sad that her training partner found someone else to train with. She would’ve been fine with it if she was told in advance, but he didn’t even bother to mention this. She looked up at the siblings before thinking of what to say. The orb that Zelestia created flew and struck her back, finding the perfect host and awakening the power of a hero! 

“Argh!” Etie screamed in pain as it plunged into her back and created a powerful veil of light caging her! 

Alfred reacted on Sigurd’s instincts and pulled his sister away from the light to take cover before it could grab either of them! Céline let out a panicked scream while Alfred remained calm at the sight. 

“Hey, Sir Sigurd, what is happening to my friend?” Alfred asked as calmly as he could. 

“Sigurd is fine, but I am unsure. I haven’t seen this kind of power before” Sigurd answered, “Do you think you can reach the holders of Marth and Byleth before anything else happens? We can use my powers discretely to keep your little sister safe and your friend at bay until help arrives” 

“Ok! I cand definitely do that!” Alfred answered as he took out his phone to send a quick text to Lueur about the situation before placing a hand on his little sister’s shoulder. 

Etie hugged herself in pain as a figure slowly appeared in front of her. She struggled to see it as he could clearly see her. 

“Ah, you’re a friend of Sigurd’s, aren’t you?” the voice spoke as it grew furious, “He left you behind and caused chaos in your world! All for some prophecy that killed everyone?!” 

“What? No, Alfred had a new training partner” Etie explained in a pained voice before coming to a realization, “But he didn’t even bother to tell me I would be replaced. How dare he! I want an explanation! I want to know why?!” 

“As do I!” he shouted before holding his hand out to her, “I am Jamke! I will help you as you help me find Sigurd and get our answers!” 

“I couldn’t agree more!” she shouted before grabbing his hand and accepting his rage at this moment! 

Her green bow changed to white with a silver chain wrapped around it. Her tang top changed into a brown color with armor with a pair of dark green sleeves and shirt underneath it. Her skirt is dark green with a few ribbons with a brown quiver hanging from it. There was an orange cloth hanging from her waist too. She has long, black pants underneath the skirt and a pair of brown boots with ribbons on it. Her hair changed from orange to completely brow as a bow appeared with arrows secured in the quiver. 

The light vanished as she picked herself up and saw that the pair of siblings weren’t in front of her anymore. 

“Hey! Alfred! Get out here! I want to talk with you!” she threatened as she drew an arrow, “Otherwise, I will use my arrows to find you!” 

Alfred knew a threat when he heard one and had to do something to protect his little sister before facing his friend. He grabbed Céline’s hand and turned to flee as Etie released an arrow! Alfred gasped as he saw it and ducked with his little sister in his arms. The arrow struck the sidewalk and broke it! He grunted as Céline gasped at her older brother with worry. 

“Are you ok?!” she exclaimed as he shook his head. 

“I’ll be fine. Right now, we need to get away from her and wait for the Emblem Heroes to handle this situation!” Alfred reassured her as bravely as he could. 

He took her hand and ran into the parking garage, waiting for help from his friends. Alear sighed in relief when he found his car and even checked his phone for the time. He couldn’t believe his luck that it wasn’t time for the garage to lock up. Though, he noticed a notification on it. He swiped his phone to see a text from Alfred asking for help from him and his twin. 

“Well, that didn’t last long” Alear spoke with a tired sigh, “Marth, are you ready?” 

“Yes, I am” Marth spoke determinedly. 

In a flash of red light, he transformed into the Prince before using the ring to track Alfred down. He noticed the light was pointing downwards and found a concrete, spiral staircase. He jumped through the spiral and landed on his feet before charging on ahead when he saw Alfred and Céline entering the garage. Etie drew another arrow and released it! Prince lunged and threw his sword to clash against the arrow. 

“I could use another sword, Marth! Do you have one?!” Prince shouted as he held his hand out while rushing towards Etie. 

“Take my Rapier! Charge forward with it!” Marth urged as he summoned his Rapier into Marth’s hand. 

When the sword appeared, Prince rushed with quick steps and pivots before striking the rapier against Etie’s bow! 

“Why are you doing this?” Prince spoke as he tried to reason with her. 

“I want answers! I want to know! I need to know!” she yelled as she drew an arrow from her quiver and swiped it! 

Prince raised the rapier to protect himself and blocked the rapid thrusts from her strikes. He was on defense as he glanced to not see Alfred and his little sister around. As he was distracted, Etie swung the bow to strike him across the face! He grunted as he hit the floor and felt his chin. There was bruise and some blood. 

“That will hurt in the morning” Prince spoke as he tried to forget the pain with her draw another arrow with her bow. 

He gasped as Marth urged him to move. Luckily, Princess arrived on her bike. She summoned the sword to swing it around Etie’s waist. Using her momentum and power, she swung with all her might to throw her out of the garage! She parked the bike before kneeling before her brother. 

“Are you ok?” she asked with concern. 

“I’ll be fine. That is definitely going to hurt in the morning. Do we have any idea of how to help her?” he asked with concern as he focused on Etie, “She was just fine a moment ago. Now, she wants to know something, but I don’t know what that is” 

“That power of hers is familiar, isn’t it?” Byleth spoke internally, “Though, her archery skills are not ones I am familiar with” 

“Neither with me. However, I know Sigurd has an archer who struggled with understanding the situation in his world. I wonder if they’re the same” Marth wondered, “Regardless, we need to find a way to defeat her before that power destroys her. We need to purify her somehow. I know that the Divine Dragon had the power to heal others, but we don’t know where that power could be” 

“But we do have a pair of siblings who have a power exactly like that” Byleth reasoned, “There’s no time to hesitate. We will need to use your powers to save her!” 

“And how do we do that?” Princess asked seriously as she stood in front of her sibling. 

“We need to defeat her and use your powers to purify her” Marth explained, “Think of the spell to heal. The ring will change to a warm emerald light and break the darkness hold on her!” 

Prince stood up and leaned against his sister. 

“I should be able to buy you enough time” Prince said as he picked up another sword. 

He took a stance before taking off in a sprint as she changed the sword into a pair of gauntlets. She ran after her brother as Alfred sighed in utter relief. He clutched his hand into a fist as the ring gave off a faint light. He was ready to fight. He looked over his shoulder and saw the exit. 

“Céline let’s get out of their way” Alfred said in a rare serious tone as she only nodded her head. 

She took off first with Alfred slowly trailing behind to then side of the garage with the ring glowing a bright green color. 

“That’s Jamke. I invaded his kingdom to bring peace, but I caused him so much grieve and unnecessary pain” Sigurd explained before facing his holder, “Alfred, I need your help to bring peace to my friend. Will you help me?” 

“Of course, Sigurd! Also, that’s not just your friend you’re fighting. It is also my friend. I guess I have been ignoring her, but it wasn’t on purpose. That isn’t a good excuse, but I need to save her!” Alfred said determinedly, “So, let’s do this together! Emblem Engage!” 

In a flash of green light, Alfred transformed and charged on his horse to help his friends. Etie was able to pick herself up and fire arrows at the Prince and Princess. Both could only avoid or block the incoming arrows with their powers. 

“Well, she really has good aim and arm!” Prince spoke as he rushed to hold his sword in front of himself and his sister for protection. 

“Doesn’t help us heal her if we cannot reach her!” Princess reminded as they noticed Etie was approaching them slowly, “Or if she reaches us” 

“And that’s where I come in!” Avenir shouted as his horse galloped towards his friend and swung his lance to knock any incoming arrows out of his way! 

Prince was relieved as Princess ran on ahead and made sure Etie wasn’t focusing on her. Avenir jumped from his horse and threw his lance to strike between Etie and her bow. The lance pinned her to the garage’s floor as she decided to let it go and grab an arrow. 

“Oh, man!” Avenir spoke as he landed and could only avoid her incoming thrusts and jabs from Etie’s arrows, “Etie! Please! Stop doing this!” 

Avenir grabbed her wrist as she failed to stab him. He could feel the potent darkness coming from her as well as her anger and frustration about something. As for Sigurd, he could feel Jamke’s rage over his kingdom being invaded and their eventual defeat against their foe. Together, their rage was enough to awaken. 

Sigurd spoke through Avenir’s mouth to reassure Jamke, “I am sorry, friend. I never meant for the fight to destroy our lives and fall onto our children. I didn’t know that this would break our world and your home. I should be the one who take this anguish out on. Not anyone else, Jamke” 

Etie was frozen as Jamke tried to regain control and not be consumed by his rage. As for Etie, she began to shake in place as Avenir wanted to apologize to her about what he did as Alfred and understand her. She roughly pulled her hand back before screaming out in pain! Darkness breaking from her as Avenir placed hands on her shoulders and stayed with her! 

“Avenir!” Princess shouted as she ran behind Etie’s back and clapped her hands to have the gauntlets change into the Sword of the Creator, “Don’t worry! We’ll save her! Get back! Now!” 

She swung the blade to wrap it around Etie! Avenir had no choice but to pull himself away from her. Prince rode on Avenir’s horse as he put the sword away and held his hand out. The ring shined the warm emerald light. He jumped off the horse and pivot to then placing his hand on top of Etie’s head. She let out a gasp as the emerald light washed over her in a calming manner. The light erased the darkness holding her gently as she transformed back to herself. 

“Oh, wow…” Etie whispered in a tired manner, “That was a tough workout… Sorry about that… Alfred” 

She collapsed forward and into the arms of the Prince as Jamke fully appeared before them and behind Etie. Avenir approached him as Sigurd appeared on his shoulder with a look of relief. 

“Jamke how do you fair?” Sigurd asked as he stared at his ally. 

“I’ve been better, old friend” Jamke spoke in a disappointed manner, “But I must apologize. I didn’t mean to cause you problems. I could sense her frustrations and understood. I wanted to help, but it appears that it backfired. I am deeply sorry” 

He took a bow as Avenir asked, “But she’s ok now, right? And do you know why she was so upset? I assume it has something to do with me, but please tell me” 

Jamke stared at Avenir and held a reassuring expression, “Well, yes. Thanks to the powers of the Divine Dragons, she’s freed from the hold of the Fell Dragon. Strange that you two don’t remind of a Divine Dragon when you have their powers. As for the reason behind her frustration, she was a little furious about you having a new training partner and not informing her. She does enjoy your training sessions” 

Avenir gasped as he realized that while Princess groaned. He had a gym partner this whole time. He didn’t need to workout with her after all. 

“My friend, do you know who cause your awakening?” Sigurd asked seriously, “It takes tremendous power as well as an accessory to store this power. It is concerning that someone was able to use the Fell Dragon’s power to force an awakening” 

“I must apologize again. I never got a look at the people behind this” Jamke confessed, “But whoever they are, I would be prepared. Their power is nothing to scoff at. You must work together and find the enemy before they bring more destruction” 

“I promise to you that we shall bring those enemies to an end” Sigurd vowed with Jamke holding an expression of relief. 

“Thank you, Sir Sigurd” Jamke said before looking at the unconscious Etie, “And I apologize to your friend. I didn’t mean to drive her frustrations out. I do hope we can meet again in a better situation. For now, I must depart. Farewell, Emblem Heroes” 

He vanished in a brown light with a trusting smile. Avenir transformed back to himself and checked on his friend. 

“Aw man, I am sorry about this Etie” he spoke in an apologetic manner, “I should’ve told you. I really hope you can forgive me” 

Princess placed a hand on his shoulder to give him a reassuring smile. He felt some relief until he realized something. 

“I should apologize to you too” he spoke with a bow, “I didn’t actually take your schedule into consideration either. I only assumed that you would want to do anything I said. I should’ve asked you too. And, to you as well. I understand why you wanted a schedule and to keep this a secret. This is dangerous, and I don’t want anything to happen to my little sister and my friends. I’ll do my best to keep this a secret”

Prince turned to him with a reassuring grin, “Don’t worry. At least you understand now, and this was before anything else had happened. Now, everything will work out smoothly and in our favor. Also, you did claim that you wanted to speak with your family about finding the emblem rings. I am sure you’ll be able to track some of it. We are counting on you, Avenir” 

Alfred’s expression brightened warmly before he nodded his head in determination and clutched his fists. 

“Yes! I will do my best, Prince and Princess!” he said with a grin. 

Prince then gently held his arms out to return the unconscious Etie to him. He only nodded his head before running to find his little sister. As for the Prince and Princess, they departed and transformed to their normal selves before finding their respective vehicles to return home. 

“There! The fight broke out there!” Céline spoke in a serious tone until she gasped when she found her older brother holding the unconscious Etie in his arms with his grin, “Brother! Are you ok?! How is Etie?!” 

“Oh, she’s fine. The Emblem Heroes arrived and saved us! You should’ve seen them, Céline! They were so cool!” Alfred boasted as Céline was only relieved to see her big brother and close friend safe. 

The campus police spoke with the siblings and even suggested that they have the ambulance come to care for Etie. Once they were properly taken care of, they were returned home to their mother. 

The sisters stared at the screen and observed the results. Zelestia could only imagine her twin’s reaction to this result. 

“I am so sorry” Zelestia said in a sadden tone, “I should’ve done more research on the matter. This is my fault” 

She lowered her head, but instead of hearing a frustrated yell, she was greeted with a delightful laugh. 

Her twin pointed at the screen at the moment of when the Prince was struck by Etie’s bow. 

“That did damage to him!” she stated with a grin, “That is the closest we’ve gotten to bringing the Emblem Heroes harm! I will need all the information you have on this experiment. I will make some adjustments and ensure of their defeat!” 

She took a tablet for herself and left with a malicious expression on her features. Zelestia sighed as she observed the results from the altercation. She knew her twin would want to run more tests on the situation while she was worried about the damages this could have on a person. If the person wasn’t in the best of mental health, then the results would be less than favorable in the end. She felt her tablet buzz as she looked at it to see an incoming call from the step twins of Sombron, Nel and Rafal. She only held a grin, a relief and genuine happiness from the pair of twins. She prepared to depart and care for them as she received a text from Mauvier about picking up and caring for Velyve. Although their work would be hard, she was grateful to care for the children and be a part of their lives. 

In the next episode… 

(Alear’s POV) 

Everything is going well so far. Alfred already found us an ideal situation for us to search for the other emblems. An open market to help calm the panicked people of the recent attacks on our home. We even get to meet some of the students who attend the school and also work for their family. Huh? Another person has been forced to awaken?! Just where do these awakenings come from?!

Chapter Text

“Alear! Lueur!” Alfred shouted as he ran towards the siblings with a flyer in his hands, “I did something!” 

“What did you do?” Alear asked as he looked up from his history textbook. 

Right now, it was a simple break between their classes. Both siblings decided to meet with each other before their next class. There was a small, local café where a student can grab a drink or a small snack. Lueur would want a snack and energy drink as well as some help with her studies. Alear wouldn’t mind helping her as well as going over math and economics since she was better at it than him. 

“I convinced my mother to host a wonderful farming festival for the markets!” Alfred shouted as he pushed the flyer in their faces, “What do you think?!” 

Alear took the flyer and read the information regarding it. It read that there would be a market selling fresh goods and flowers. There would be a few restaurants there that would sell fresh drinks and other fruits and fresh related meals. 

“Wow, you did this” Lueur said amazed, “How did you do that?” 

Sigurd appeared and held an annoyed expression as he glanced to his holder. 

“Yes, why don’t you inform them how you did this” Sigurd said with a shake of his head as Marth and Byleth to appear and stand with him. 

It was late last night as his mother rushed to embrace him and his little sister. She has the same long, blonde hair as her kids. She wore a white shirt with a green pendant around her neck. She has a pair of blue jeans. She has a brown bag hanging from her brown belt. She had a green bracelet around her wrists. 

“Are you ok? I can’t believe something like that happened to you” she said in relief as she hugged them, “Do you want to go back to school? You can stay here” 

“Don’t worry, I am going to be fine. Also, there wasn’t anything to worry about since the Prince, Princess, and Avenir were there to save and protect us! There is nothing to worry about!” Alfred reassured his mother with a bright grin. 

“I would disagree completely!” Céline spoke seriously, “We were in danger and the Emblem Heroes could’ve done a better job of protecting us! Then, Etie would’ve been hurt!” 

Alfred knew he couldn’t argue with her. Otherwise, he would give away their secret. 

“I actually believe they did the best they could” their mother spoke in relief, “After all, they were able to save Etie and bring my children back to me. If anything, I would want to thank them for their help. I don’t know how to” 

Alfred, right then and there, thought of something. 

“What if we give them food?!” he shouted as Céline held a confused expression. 

“Why would we give complete strangers with powers beyond our understanding our food? The very food that helps feeds everyone in Elyos?” Céline asked in a high manner with utter confusion on her expression. 

Alfred only laughed nervously before suggesting in a quick and pleading manner, “But they did save us, and I too want to thank them! They were so cool! Mother, please! Let’s do something for them!” 

Their mother only laughed at their reactions to the situation and simply nodded her head.

“I want to do something as well, so I believe we should. Oh! I know! Why not a market festival to thank them and help the people?” she suggested as she took her phone out and grinned at it, “And why not? We will have a market day for them! We can sell food from our farmers and hold stalls that can feed the guests! Yes, we will have a market day!” 

Alfred laughed nervously as Alear understood with Lueur holding an impressed expression. 

“Well, it is hard to say no to your kids” Marth suggested with a nervous smile as Sigurd disagreed. 

“While I understand the need for us to search for the other Emblem Rings, we shouldn’t do things like this” Sigurd said seriously, “And I hope you don’t do this again, Alfred” 

He let out a nervous laugh before agreeing with his emblem ring. He turned to Alear and Lueur with an excited expression. 

“So, are you going to come?” Alfred asked curiously, hoping they would naturally say yes. 

The siblings shared a nod before Alear agreeing, “Yes, we should be able to stop by for a bit. We will bring our family if you don’t mind”

“Oh! No! I definitely don’t mind! I can’t wait to meet them! Oh, and I’ll introduce you to my mother and the rest of our friends!” Alfred said with a grin until the bells rang loudly to announce the next class to begin. 

They departed from each other to go about their classes. Once the day was over, the siblings returned to their home and were greeted by Clanne and Framme. 

“And how was school today?” Alear asked as he ruffled Clanne’s hair as his sister hugged Framme. 

“Very well” their caretaker spoke with a grin, “And their studies, along with yours, are progressing nicely. How were your classes today?”

“It was good, Vander” Alear spoke as they faced him. 

Vander is an older man who wore a simple gray shirt and pants. He had already taken off his work attire and was in casual clothes. He has a white hair and matching beard with a pair blue, gray eyes. He was a little taller than them, but he was always caring for them. 

“It is going well!” Lueur answered in delight as she rushed to give him a hug with Alear adding, “And we’ve got an invitation to attend a market festival” 

Alear gave the flyer to him with a grin as Clanne and Framme looked at the flyer with excited expressions. Vander took the flyer and grinned at it. 

“Yes, this can work. I don’t know why you need my permission to ask. It seems like a fun time” Vander spoke with a grin before he looked at the date and sighed, “Though, I will be busy at work. I am very sorry. Will you four have a fun time together?” 

“Of course,” Alear spoke in a reassuring manner with Lueur nodding her head in agreement. 

“Then please, have fun” Vander spoke with a grin, “Though, please text me about how it is going and please be safe. I don’t know what to think when these attacks are happening” 

Alear and Lueur reassured them with a nod of their head that they would look after Clanne and Framme throughout the festival. 

“Ugh, what a pain” Griss groaned as he was laying on the couch and looking at the flyer, “I can’t believe I am going to this boring event” 

He was in the basement with Marni sitting in another couch as Zelestia was working on a new orb from the power of the Fell Dragon. 

“What event?” Marni asked curiously. 

“An event that my stupid job is making me do” Griss answered with a roll of his eyes, “And my dumb cousin isn’t going to be in town for this nonsense. Ugh, I would rather have him be there instead of me!” 

Marni laughed before closing her phone to look over the handle of the couch to sare at him. 

“Oh? How boring are we talking here? Can you really not do anything to make it fun?” she teased with a giggle with him glaring at her. 

He wanted to snap back, but Zelestia asked kindly, “Please be quiet, I am working on this experiment. I don’t want to make a mistake and hurt you”

At this sentence, Griss’s eyes were wide with mad delight. He picked himself up and ran up to the test tube to see the test tube. Zelestia let out a yelp before taking a step back from him.

“Oh, I believe I have found a way to make this so much more fun” Griss said with a grin before slamming his fist against the test tube, “And get this finished, because I know what to do to make this event so much more fun that it will be” 

Zelestia shook her head and reminded, “I don’t think that is a good idea. This will not be ready when the festival occurs. I don’t think it would be safe, because it would bring more harm than good” 

She didn’t want to bring harm to the people after the last experiment, but Griss leaned uncomfortable close to her.

“Oh? I don’t think you heard me clearly” he whispered in a tone filled with dread, “I need this to happen. Otherwise, I might cause more harm than good to you along the rest of the people. I don’t like being bored!” 

Zelestia took a step back as Griss snatched her tablet and unlocked the test tube! He snatched the orb and snarled at it with the bracelet around his wrist glowing. 

“Oh, yeah, this event is going to be interesting now” he said with a twisted laugh before throwing the tablet back to Zelestia in a careless manner. 

She barely caught the tablet and took a chance to make sure it was fine. She hoped Griss didn’t leave and sighed when she was right. Marni only laughed before standing up and stretching. 

She held her phone before saying in a cheeky expression, “Well, things will be interesting too! I do can’t wait to see the news!” 

She too departed from the lab, leaving a concerned Zelestia to muse with her thoughts about the coming situation. 

The next day, the farmers market was in full swing! There were many booths, decorated in wonderful colors, in the grand field holding many vegetables and fruits. Others held restaurants with fresh meals and snacks as well as drinks for others to enjoy as they walked around the market. Friends and family sat in the fields to enjoy their meals and catch up with each other. The fields were clear and cared for by Fierne farms with the farmers were also able to sell their goods to them. There were guards stationed around, but they weren’t on guard and found themselves enjoying the food and drinks at the marke, even chatting with others. 

Alear and Lueur were walking behind Clanne and Framme who ran around excitedly to search for anything to try and eat at the market. 

“Clanne! Framme! Do not wonder too far from us” Alear spoke to them as he looked at the stalls, “This place is amazing. I am surprised Alfred’s family was able to put this together so fast” 

Lueur gasped as she ran to a juice bar to have herself a drink with Alear shaking his head to then calling the twins to come with them to be with Lueur. Alear stood next to his sister who was struggling to even pick a drink. He shook his head as he turned to the twins who were also having a tough time picking a drink. 

“Hey there!” a friendly voice spoke, “Are you having a tough time picking a drink?” 

They looked at the owner of the bar and saw a tall, muscular, friendly man standing before them with a grin. He wore a roughed up, dark green shirt with orange pants. He has a pair of a brown boots on, and a couple of rubber bands wrapped around his wrist. He has brown hair with a pair of light, green eyes staring at them. 

“Oh, oh! Do you have a sweet drink?” Framme asked excitedly with Clanne asking excitedly, “Can I do something that gives me energy?!” 

“I’ll see what I can do” he answered the twins with a grin before turning to the sibling, “And what would you like to have?” 

“Just a water for me. I prefer something simple” Alear answered with a wave of his hand. 

Lueur excitedly said warmly, “I would like to have an energy juice please! Helps get my muscle’s loose and ready to go for anything!” 

“Heh, don’t I know that” he spoke with a laugh before turning to the silver juice marker and grabbing a few fruits. 

He worked on the drinks and blended a few fruits. He poured one drink before giving it to Lueur. He then grabbed another group of fruits. He blended the fruits and then created two more drinks before giving it to the twins. He then went to the cooler and took out a bottle of water. He handed the water to Alear who gave the man a few dollars. 

“Have a nice day!” he greeted until they heard a loud, excited yell, “Ah, he’s here” 

Lueur groaned a little, but she held a smile as she recognized the yell as well. 

“You’re here!” Alfred shouted as he ran right up to the siblings, “Oh hello! My name is Alfred. Oh, I see you’ve met Bucheron! He’s so cool! He has amazing muscles and knows his history and loves his books!” 

“Really?” Alear asked curiously and interest in his voice. 

“Y-yeah. I didn’t get a chance to go to college, so I decided to continue my history lessons through Alfred. He’s taken a few and I’ve read a few historical research documents from Miss Ivy” Bucheron answered with a nervous expression. 

Alear was surprised to hear Ivy’s name again with Lueur asking in a curious manner, “Oh! So, do you have a favorite hero?” 

“I feel like I have some relation to the legendary Atlas. He had a lot of younger siblings and looks after them by doing a lot of work. I may not be as strong as him, but I do take care of a lot of younger friends” Bucheron answered with a grin. 

Lueur thought it was sweet while Alear felt sad. He couldn’t believe that Bucheron couldn’t continue his education anymore. He was pleased that Alfred was able to help him continue his education in some form. 

“Oh! Oh! I smell something great!” Framme shouted as she ran to another stall. 

Her twin followed her as Alfred waved goodbye to Bucheron with the siblings. Bucheron waved goodbye to them as Etie rushed to the stall. 

“Hey! Sorry about being late!” Etie shouted with a grin, “Ready to go, partner?” 

“Are you sure you should be here, Etie?” Bucheron asked with concerned, “You should take it easy after that happened” 

She shook her head before stretching and adjusting her casual outfit. 

“I’ll be fine. It is kind of strange, but I kind of got a huge boost! I love it!” Etie answered as held her fist up and flashed a grinned, “So, let’s do this!” 

Bucheron sighed as she went to work. He hoped that she wouldn’t push herself too hard and promised to work harder for her. 

“Wow! That smells delicious!” Framme said with some drool dripping from her mouth, “What are you making?” 

“Grilled fruit salad” the chief answered with a grin as he leaned towards her, “And I know you will enjoy it despite it looking fresh and green” 

She pouted at being called out while Clanne only laughed at his twin’s reactions. 

“Oh! Hey Louis! How’s it going?” Alfred greeted with a grin and noticed the chief behind him, “Wait, you even got Bunet to help you?! That’s amazing! Oh, right introductions. Everyone, this is Louis. He works as a waiter at Burnet’s restaurant! But he’s been a good friend of Céline’s for years! Speaking of my little sister, do you know where she is?” 

“Last I saw, she was walking with Chloé and Griss” Louis answered warmly, “Chloé wanted to try some of her interesting dishes as Céline believed it would be best for her to keep an eye on. Griss wanted to ensure Céline was safe since the dreadful situation that happened yesterday” 

Louis is a tall man and is strong. He has brown hair and a pair of bright, green eyes, but his eyes are often closed. He is wearing his waiter outfit which is a collared shirt with a black ribbon around the collar. He has a dark, green vest with beautiful, white flowers along the right side of it. His sleeves were prim and proper. He is wearing black, dress pants, and even a pair of fancy shoes. 

“Tch, and yet it doesn’t stop those two idiots from throwing parties. Do not even get me started on her! She’s running off doing who knows what?!” Bunet grumbled as he cut up lettuce roughly with his knife. 

His blonde hair was silked back to ensure that it didn’t get into any of the dishes he was preparing. His orange eyes were concentrated on the dishes he was preparing as the orange sleeves on his shirt were rolled up to keep his attire clean. He has a dark, blue cravat around his neck, and has a white apron in front of his clothes. A black blet was wrapped around it to keep it from falling. He is wearing a pair of black pants and brown shoes. 

“Come now, Bunet” Louis said in a relaxed tone as he took the dishes and held it before his friends, “I am sure they’re fine. You shouldn’t have to worry about them so much. Do you see me making a fret over Etie and the Fierne siblings?” 

“No, but they are behaved” Bunet answered as he finished chopping up another vegetable, “You have no reason to worry, because you know they will not cause you any trouble. Those two can and will without even a moment’s hesitation” 

Alear and Lueur were curious to who Bunet was talking about, but Framme was struggling to even eat the salad presented before her. She hesitated, but Lueur helped her eat it. Alear saw Clanne was devouring his quickly and nearly choked. He laughed a little before patting his back and gesturing him to sit down before offering him a drink of water. 

“Wow! This is made from vegetables?! How?! This is delicious!” Framme exclaimed as she continued to eat it with such delight. 

“But of course!” Bunet shouted before spinning out of the stall to place a hand on his chest, “I am the one who made the delicious dish! It should taste good to anyone, and I mean anyone! After all, food is delicious and deserves to be created in such a wonderful manner! Everything has taste and will be shared!” 

Louis only laughed with Framme’s eyes wide while Clanne continued to eat his salad. 

“Oh? Do you think that is delicious? Then you should try this!” a friendly voice said with a grin, “You should try this deep-fried vegetable stew with cicadas that are freshly grilled!” 

Framme nearly threw up at the description as Bunet felt he was stabbed in the chest. They turned to see three more people approaching them, one holding the descriptive stew. 

“Chloé, no one is going to try that monstrosity you deem as food” Bunet answered firmly as he retreated behind the stall with Louis standing in front of him. 

Her long blue hair flowed behind her with a flower in her hair. She is wearing a deep, blue dress with white underneath it. There is a turquoise ribbon wrapped around her waist and has a blue necklace around her neck. She has a white cloak hanging from her shoulders. She is wearing a pair of red high heels. 

“Are you sure? It is far more delicious than most of your cooking” she teased before taking a sip from the stew. 

Bunet gasped in horror and prepared his defense to argue with her, much to Céline’s annoyance. Griss leaned away from them while keeping an eye on them. He internally groaned as he saw the group getting along too well for his taste. Though, he sighed when he reflected on his relationship with his cousin and coworkers. Could they be like this? He shook his head at the notion before glancing at them. 

“Ah, there you all are!” Éve said with a friendly wave, “It seems like you are enjoying yourselves at the festival!” 

“Oh, yeah, we are mom!” Alfred said with a grin as Céline only smiled in agreement. 

“That’s wonderful. I wanted everyone to take a break from everything that happened lately. It has been chaotic as of late” she spoke with worry before changing to relief, “And I am grateful that everyone was able to take this much needed break”

Everyone agreed with their words and gestures while Griss glared before rolling his eyes and shrugging. 

“Yeah, well, sometimes chaos helps more than you think!” he snapped roughly, “After all, that shows the true colors of a person, but what do I know?” 

He departed from them with a huff as Céline prepared to scold him for not agreeing with her mother. Alfred placed a hand on her shoulder to stop her. 

“He’s been through so much” Éve spoke with a shake of her head, “I am only grateful that this job was able to keep him busy” 

“What happened to him?” Lueur asked curiously. 

Louis answered, “None of us actually know. He keeps to himself and only comes to work. Whenever we tried to invite him, he would always decline. Though, that hasn’t stopped us. We want to help him, one day” 

“I am also sure he knows this as well” Éve reassured them, “Now please, don’t be so sad. Let’s have fun for the day before you return to your classes and must work harder” 

The rest only agreed as they chatted and shared their food and drinks with Griss grumbling about them. He glanced around and noticed that the people were actually enjoying themselves and having fun. It despised him. How could they have fun when there were hidden enemies who could cause harm at any moment?! It frustrated him to no end! 

“Come here and all!” Etie shouted in delight as she tried to gain attention to her booth. 

Bucheron worked hard to make the drinks and held a determined expression. He continued to work and prepare drinks for everyone. He was able to prepare a whole group of drinks as people approached them with delight and money. 

“Huh” Griss said as he noticed how exhausted and easy it would be to exploit Burcheron. 

“You want to use the dark powers and unleash the chaos upon others, don’t you? Peace is so boring after all” a dark voice asked in an interested manner. 

“And who are you?” Griss asked as he tried to keep himself composed while searching for the voice until he gazed at the bracelet around his wrist and smirked, “Oh, I get it. You’re one of the Fell Dragon’s followers, aren’t you?” 

“Ah, perceptive, aren’t you?” the voice spoke as Griss closed his eyes and found himself facing an old mage with dark powers, “I am Jedah. I am a devoted servant of Duma. He pursued a land of strength and power to rule over those who are weak. The strong rule the weak where I reside” 

Griss stared at the old mage in front of himself. Jedah’s skin was deathly purple with eyes black and only holding deep purple irises. His hair was bleached yellow with his hands like claws with sharp purple nails. He is wearing a red and black rob with a red slash hanging from his neck. Golden bracelets dangled from his wrists with a red crown on his head. 

“Aren’t you a beauty to look at?” Griss commented as Jedah only shrugged. 

“Do you know how long my life is? I have lived 147 years” Jedah spoke with a laugh as Griss was intrigued, “It was thanks to the power I have received from my Lord Duma. This is a power you could receive from your lord if you devout yourself to him” 

“Eternal life?” Griss asked as he thought about it, “I don’t know if I want that, but could I use the power to earn someone’s love and loyalty?” 

Jedah tilted his head to the side while holding his face. He was intrigued by Griss’s words and chuckled. 

“Want to rule over this person, or do you want to help rule with this person? He could grant this power to you without any trouble” Jedah spoke with a malicious intent. 

Griss shrugged before asking, “And I could use this power for my own ends as well? Huh, things aren’t going to be boring anymore! So, let’s get this party started!” 

He opened his eyes to see the orb in his hand, covered in magical darkness. He made sure to hide it in his jacket before he marched towards the stall. As Etie was trying to bring in the crowd, Bucheron took a drink from his own water and take a break. Griss only smirked as well before throwing the orb to break through Bucheron’s back! His scream ripped throughout the area as Etie turned around and gasped to see the same situation that happened to her, happening to him. 

“Bucheron!” Etie shouted as she rushed to help her friend while the people began to scream and run away! 

Griss followed the crowd and hide away from the crowd as the siblings noticed the people were running away. 

“What’s going on?” Alear asked as a lady fell and helped her stand up, “Something happened to a person! There’s a scream and darkness too!” 

Lueur tried to calm her down before her partner arrived, “And this girl! She’s so brave for trying to stay there, but I would leave as soon as I can” 

The couple departed while Alear and Lueur shared a knowing nod. 

“Who got hurt?” Alfred asked seriously as his mind was racing with the idea of trying to help the person. 

“It was the duo at the juice bar” the couple answered with concern as Alfred’s mind was racing widely.

“Etie! Bucheron!” Céline shouted as she didn’t hesitate to run towards them, but she was held back by her mother, “Let me go, mother! I want to help my friends! Please let me go!” 

“No, we have to get to safety” Éve spoke seriously, “I am going to trust those new heroes with this. I am sure they will save them. For now, I will ensure that you and your brother are safe. Everyone else! I want you to evacuate from the area! Please get away from this area” 

She ran with Céline in her arms with Bunet, Louis, and Chloé following her as the siblings and Alfred appeared to be following them. They took a turn and hide behind a broken stall before using their powers to transform. Avenir created a horse for them to ride on and rushed to the scene. 

Prince could sense the tense aura Avenir gave and placed a hand on his shoulder, “Do not worry. Everything is going to be ok. We are going to save them” 

“R-right. Thank you, Prince” Avenir spoke as they rushed to the scene. 

As Etie shouted for her friend, Bucheron was hugging himself and screaming. 

“Please leave me alone! I don’t want this power!” Bucheron shouted with pain in his voice. 

He tried to break free from this dark hold as he tried focus on anything else. He slowly raised his head and stared at Etie who refused to leave him. He slowly thought about her and then his friendship with Alfred. Bucheron slowly took calm breaths in and out as he tried to break himself free from this. 

“Hey!” a strong voice snapped his thoughts to turn towards a tall, buff man in front of him, “Get up already! You can’t be on your knees when you have others who depend on you!” 

“Wait, you’re Altas!? The Forest Muscle” Bucheron exclaimed in fear and pain. 

“Yes, it is me who protected Queen Anthiese and my little brothers! I ain’t about to let you sit there and do nothing when you already let one of your friends get hurt!” he shouted in a tough love manner, “So get up and get out there! Stand up for your friends and ensure they’re protected! This is what we need to do!” 

He was clearly buff and worked out due to how strong his muscles were. He only wore a silver armor shoulder pad and a yellow vest with some fluff on it. He has tough, brown pants wrapped around his waist by a yellow belt. This has a yellow cloak hanging off it from behind with yellow boots as well. There were also a pair of yellow gloves on his hands. He has dark skin, silver hair, and strong, brown eyes. 

“But I don’t want to hurt others with this power” Bucheron confessed, “Why can’t I use my love of history and books to help others? I don’t want to bring harm to others” 

“But that’s not the worlds we live in” Atlas answered firmly, “We fight and grit through the tough situations! You don’t want others to run you over because of that kind heart. That should be saved until the fighting is over and down with. For now, you should pick yourself up and get going! Or do you want her to suffer the same fate again? What about your friends?” 

Bucheron’s eyes were wide as he reflected on what happened to Etie. He was stunned and horrified to see Etie in a hospital bed and exhausted. He heard from Alfred that he and Céline were there and could’ve been in such danger. He couldn’t believe something like this could actually happen to them. He slowly came to realization as he faced one of his heroes. 

“But we can protect them, right?” Bucheron asked with some hope and pain in his voice, “We can go out there and use this power to protect them so nothing like that happens to them?” 

“Of course, we can!” Atlas said with a tough grin, “And no one can stop us either! Not with our combined strength!” 

He held his hand out to Bucheron who reached out and clasped his hand with his hero’s. Darkness and light clashed together to grant Bucheron’s wish and transform him. Etie quickly dove to hide behind a stall and cover her head. She looked up and over the stall to see Bucheron wearing an entirely new outfit with an axe at his side. 

Bucheron pants were brown and baggy with some fur along the edges of it. Silver armor with blue outlines appeared over the boots, on his chest, and then on his shoulders. He had a cloak hanging from his waist with a brown belt wrapped around it. He has a pair of brown gloves with golden markings on it. His hair grew a little with some silver strands. 

“Bucheron?” Etie spoke in a stunned manner as she stared at her friend, “Are you ok? You’re not mad, right?” 

“Huh? Oh, yeah!” Bucheron answered warmly as he approached his friend, “I am simply using this form to protect you and our friends. There’s no way I am going to hurt you and anyone else” 

Etie was surprised as she asked, “You’re in control of this power?” 

“Yeah! This is from the hero Atlas! He used his powers to protect others, including the princess! He’s amazing, so why would I cause harm to others when he’s with me?” Bucheron reassured her with a gentle grin. 

She was relieved as she then wondered how he was going to return to his normal self. 

“Etie!” Avenir shouted as he, Prince, and Princess arrived and stood in front of her, “Are you ok? And is this person in front of you ok?” 

She slowly nodded her head before answering, “Yes, we’re fine. In fact, he doesn’t want to hurt anyone” 

They turned to Bucheron who only nodded his head. They weren’t sure how to restore him to normal since he wasn’t going to hurt others for any reason. 

“Well, that is a letdown” Jedah commented as he and Griss were hiding behind a broken stall, “How frustrating that your first attempt isn’t working out. How about we try something else with our powers?” 

Griss glared and commented before looking at his wrist to the bracelet, “But we can do something about this, right?” 

“Ah, you’ve got an idea forming in your mind” Jedah spoke with a grin, “And if we use our powers, we can do something to change this into a fun, chaotic event for yourself. What do you think?” 

His holder only chuckled as he held the bracelet to have darkness gathered to it, “Oh, yeah. I can’t wait to create some chaos” 

Avenir was relieved as Prince was conversing with Marth about the hero with Bucheron. 

“Atlas is a down to earth warrior who worked with Anthiese and Albein” Marth spoke with a curious manner, “From what both have informed me, he is a good person who would help with protecting their world as well as creating an interesting trade route for everyone to travel on to exchange goods and services with others. I don’t see him ever being a harmful person” 

“That is a relief” Prince commented and nodded to his sister and Avenir. 

“Oh, but don’t worry” Griss spoke with darkness dripping from his entire body, covering his face, “I’ll make sure this is fun for us!” 

Avenir stood in front of Etie with his lance as Prince and Princess were in front of Bucheron. They were horrified to see a person being covered in utter, dripping darkness covering his entire body. 

He let out a wicked laugh as he heads banged to break the darkness and revealed his dark green hair with some strands of blonde hair. There was a purple tattoo of a dragon over the rleft side of his face. Some of the darkness took form to create a dark, green cloak that was pinned by a golden necklace with a symbol of the Duma Faithful along with silver piercings on his face. The same tattoo appeared on the left side of his exposed chest as claw marks of a dragon. He held his arms out as the darkness washed over him to then create puffy sleeves with some straps. Some of it even extended to have bracelets dangled from his wrist. His nails were longer too with a sharpness to it. The darkness washed his back to create a longer cape. Then, the darkness tied itself around his waist to create a pair of ripped up gray pants with belts tied around his waist and a torn-up cloak with another symbol of the Duma Faithful. Lastly, the darkness created a pair of spiky anklets and strong sandals before returning to the bracelet around his wrist. 

“Ah, that’s much better” he said as he licked his lips, “Oh, but four against one isn’t fair if ask me. No, we should even the odds!” 

He laughed madly before creating a spell in his hands and throwing it towards Avenir! He prepared to take the spell, but Bucheron rushed to push Avenir and Etie away and take the spell himself! 

“Argh!” Bucheron and Atlas yelled as Avenir caught Etie and stared at their friend with worry. 

Princess held the Sword of the Creator before charging ahead to fight with their new enemy. 

“What’s the matter? Did I strike a nerve?” he taunted as he jumped and effortlessly avoided her strikes. 

She was growing frustrated as she changed the sword into a pair of gauntlets before throwing punches at him. He only laughed in reply as he continued to avoid her strikes. Prince stood in front of Avenir and Etie with his sword in his hands as they watched Bucheron. 

“Marth, what’s happening to him?” Prince asked seriously as he charged up his ring to heal Bucheron. 

“Darkness is overriding his control and bond with the hero” Marth reasoned, “It is moments like this I wish I was as smart as Merric, but we will need to use your powers to heal him like you did with Etie before” 

Prince nodded his head as he charged forward with his ring glowing a light color. Avenir picked himself and prepared himself to fight his friend again. Etie quickly got away as Prince lunged forward to reach his hand out to Bucheron. Bucheron was hugging himself and opened his eyes to see the Prince coming. Knowing the pain this darkness was causing him, he gripped his axe and swung it to barely strike the Prince! 

“What?” Prince asked as he barely had time to raise his sword to protect himself from the continuous strikes from Bucheron swinging his axe. 

“You can’t come near me!” he shouted in a struggle, “This pain is only going to hurt you. You’ve saved my friends, so I don’t want to hurt you!” 

Avenir ran behind him to throw the lance to try and strike the axe out of his friend’s hand. Bucheron reacted by swinging his axe to knock the lance away. Avenir quickly raised his hands to have a vine grow and pull him away before Bucheron could grab him. 

“We will save you!” Avenir promised as he held a determined expression, “We are not going to leave you behind either!” 

The vine placed Avenir on his feet with Bucheron throwing the lance up and taking a mighty swing to shatter it! Bucheron let out a yell before charging towards Avenir who ducked from one swing, took another step to avoid the next one, and another step to avoid the other strike. Prince charged from behind and lunged to stab Bucheron’s axe hand only to be countered by a swing from behind! 

“How is he able to counter our attacks so easily?!” Prince wondered as he slowly felt Bucheron’s strength push him back. 

“Atlas has pure strength that could outrival others effortlessly. We will need another approach. Tragically, we don’t have anyone present who uses magic” Marth informed Prince. 

As Prince continued to hold his sword in front of himself to block each powerful strike and swing from Bucheron, Avenir tried to summon his lance again, but to no avail. 

“Why isn’t it working?” he shouted in a panicked stone. 

“It was shattered during your transformation” Sigurd informed Avenir who began to take off in a sprint to help Prince, “It will take a full day’s rest for it to recover, but that is not the only weapon you have”

Avenir continued to run as the grass followed his path. With his hands flowing at his sides, the plant life grew around himself and gave him support. He raised his hand to have vines burst from around and underneath Bucheron! 

“What is this?!” Prince and Bucheron asked in disbelief and wonder. 

Prince finally let the exhaustion hit and rested on his knees with his sword in front of himself. He stared at Bucheron who struggled and continued to swing his axe to cut down the vines. However, as one vine was cut down, another one would spring up in its’ place! 

“An elemental power” Avenir and Sigurd spoke in unison as Avenir was standing and holding his left hand on his right arm that was extended and holding a green light, “Each of us has this besides our weapons. It should allow us a chance to help him” 

Bucheron let out a struggling yell as he continued to swing his axe, but his strength was leaving him. He could almost barely pick up the axe and take mighty strikes. Avenir was weakly holding himself up before turning to the Prince. 

“Hurry!” Avenir urged, “I don’t know how long my powers will be able to last!” 

Prince nodded his head as he let his magic flow to the ring. He returned to the sword to his scabbard before running with all his might. He let out a yell as the light finished gathering to his ring. He waved his hand upward to cast the light towards Bucheron when he fell to his knees in exhaustion. He sighed in bliss and relief as the light warmed him and Atlas. He finally collapsed as the vines caught the exhausted man. He held an expression of relief before finally succumbing to his exhaustion. The vines gently placed him on the grassy fields and retreated into the ground. 

“Is he ok?!” Avenir asked in a worried tone as he ran to his friend’s side with Prince looking over him. 

Prince checked Bucheron’s pulse and nodded his head. Avenir finally collapsed to his knees in utter relief. Sigurd chuckled at his reaction until his expression was serious as he turned to the Princess avoiding spells being cast by their other opponent! 

“Princess!” Prince shouted with worry as he rushed to help her. 

She was jumping and ducking from the magic as Avenir was running to help her. He ran his hand along the ground to have vines grow again before casting it towards the attacker. The attacker noticed the Princess took a few steps away from him. 

“Oh?” the attacker spoke before glancing over his shoulder and let out a delighted chuckle, “That’s new! Can’t wait to see how I can destroy you!” 

He jumped up to avoid the vine grabbing him and then grinding on it to grab Avenir! Avenir let out a scream as the hand was growing red with fire! Prince roughly pushed him away before holding his arm out in front of him. The attacker licked his lips before grabbing the arm and using his fire to burn it! 

“Argh!” Prince shouted in pain as Avenir’s eyes were wide with the Princess running towards them. 

“What’s wrong?” the attacker taunted Prince, whimpering and forced to his knees, “Can’t stand a little fire?!” 

Princess let out a yell as she drew her fist back and punched the attacker off her brother! The attacker let out a grunt and hit the ground with a thud. Prince felt his burned arm as his sister overlooked his injury with Avenir staring at them as concern ran throughout his entire body. 

Sigurd took a deep breath before speaking in a calm yet strong voice, “Fire that consumes all and brings death to all if not used properly. Avenir! Steel yourself! You have a chance to save them and ensure that your foe is defeated!” 

“R-right” Avenir spoke as he regained his composure before taking another stance and preparing his next move. 

As for the attacker, he was laughing! Everyone felt a chill as they stared at the attacker who picked himself up and had wide eyes of madness and delight. 

“What’s wrong with him?” Princess whispered in an unsettled manner before checking on her brother’s burnt arm, “How are you?” 

“Marth is doing everything he can to heal me, but I don’t have enough power to heal this foe” Prince informed her with a grimace as he stared at his burnt arm, “Be careful. I don’t know how to even how to stop him” 

The eerie laugh echoed around them as the attacker ran a hand through his hair. 

“Oh, that was delicious. I haven’t felt a rush like that in years! I don’t know how you did it, but I crave it!” he spoke with some drool dripping from his mouth, “Ah, but I want you to know the name that will give your fear! That’s right! Fear! I wished to drink it up as you tremble before me! I am the Sage!” 

He held his hands out with holding a blazing fire as the other had darkness dripping from it. He slowly approached them as Princess rushed to stand in front of her brother with a tremble. Prince’s eyes were wide as he prepared to urge his sister to flee. 

“Oh, you are not going anywhere!” he snarled as he prepared to slam his hands together cast a powerful spell. 

As he did, vines wrapped around his body and held him in place! The vines were tight and stronger than the magic Sage was creating! 

“What is this?!” he growled as he turned around and saw Avenir taking a stand against him, “Oh? Do you want to burn too?!” 

He grabbed the vines and unleashed his fire, but Avenir was quicker. He threw his hands downward to have the vines tear Sage to the ground and roughly drag him across the ground! The siblings were stunned to see their friend do something like this. 

“I understand!” Byleth spoke in an impressed manner, “His hands are no longer casting fire magic!” 

The siblings were impressed before Avenir raised his hand to have the vines hold Sage in the air. He separated his arms from each other and made sure he couldn’t cast his magic. He simply laughed in a mad manner at Avenir’s determined expression. 

“I am delighted! I love your expression! I love this!” Sage shouted with a manic of a grin, “But this won’t hold me back!” 

He closed his eyes and laughed as darkness covered his entire body to teleport himself free from the vines before collapsing to his knees. 

“Oh, I loved this. I loved this pain you’ve given me, and I have given you!” Sage said as he slowly stood up with his hands out with darkness latching onto him, “But I cannot wait to do this again! I hope this will continue again!” 

He clapped his hands to teleport away as Avenir sighed before falling to his behind. The siblings were relieved he was defeated as Etie ran out of her hiding place and ran to the unconscious Bucheron. She checked on him and let out a sigh of relief. 

“Thank you” she said with a smile, “You saved me and my friend. I can’t thank you enough” 

Avenir nodded his head before approaching them, “It was nothing. My friends and I promise to stop them from hurting you and anyone else. After all, no one deserves to feel pain like that. I think he needs help too, so I will help him with his pain too. Oh! But! Prince! Are you ok?!” 

He turned to his friend who was holding his arm out. His burn was slowly healing as Prince sighed in relief. 

“I’ll be fine, but I’ll cover my arm for a bit” Prince reassured them, “Marth is going to use his powers to heal me, so I will not worry” 

Princess helped him stand up, before Avenir summoned his horse. They departed from the area and powered down in a secluded area. They found their friends and family recovering away from the scene and making sure no one else was hurt. 

“Oh! Alear! Lueur!” Framme exclaimed as she rushed to hug Lueur, “I am so happy you’re ok!” 

Lueur ran a hand through her hair with a soft expression as Alear hid his hand behind his back before kneeling in front of Clanne to pat his head and checked on him. Alfred smiled until Céline rushed to hug him tightly! He grunted at her strength as she shut her eyes and pressed her ear at his chest to hear his heartbeat. 

“I am so happy you’re ok” she whispered in relief as Éve approached and held her kids close. 

They slowly sat down and held each other close as everyone took a chance to relish in each other’s company and safety. Soon, they started talking with each other as Etie helped carry Bucheron back to them. Bunet, Louis, and Chloé rushed to help them with him holding an apologetic expression. 

“I am so sorry about this” Bucheron said sadly, “I didn’t mean to do this. I only wanted to protect you. I am so sorry” 

They pulled him and Etie into a warm embrace. 

“You’re safe and sound” Etie reassured, “Not to mention tough and sturdy! We’re ok!” 

“And you didn’t hurt any of the people. You kept the damage to your area” Bunet pointed out in relief, “You cared enough to ensure that no one else was hurt” 

“You observed everyone and made sure the people weren’t present. That is commendable if anything” Louis spoke warmly, “And we will still have our annual teatime and literature meetings” 

“And we still have our meals we share! You also made sure to not anyone as well” Chloé added in delight with a hug from behind, “So, please don’t be so hard on yourself. We are still friends and will be there for each other, no matter what” 

Bucheron sniffled before bursting into tears and felt utter relief with his close friends. They sat on the grassy plains and supported each other until they decided to return home together. As Alfred stared at them, he made a vow to himself, his friends, and Sigurd, to ensure that their enemies will be defeated. Satisfied with his resolve, he hugged his mother and little sister close with Sigurd smiling in relief. 

Sage let out a crazed laugh as he appeared in their hideout. 

“Griss! Are you ok?” Zelestia asked in a panicked manner as she rushed up to him. 

He forcefully transformed back to himself and waved his hand to knock her away from him. 

“Oh, I am fine” he said with a malicious grin, “This is going to be so much fun! I can’t wait to take your experiment and try it on the next victim! Finally! Something fun!” 

He let out a laugh before leaving a stunned and horrified Zelestia. She wanted to speak with him, prevent him from causing harm to himself and others. She cursed herself for being so weak and silently prayed to the Divine Dragons to stop and save him from a worse fate. 

In the next episode… 

(Lueur’s POV) 

Well, we have internships to do in the summer. I don’t know where I am going to intern, but I hope it will be something fun! Huh? Who is that boy with navy hair and beautiful, ruby colored eyes? I hope I can be a friend! Wow! His family owns the bank?! That is so cool! I hope we will get see his family! This is going to be so much fun! Byleth, please stop nagging me about my studies! I can find an internship while talking to him!

Chapter Text

After the market festival was over, the next couple of days for Lueur were about the upcoming internships her college wanted the juniors to take. She and Alfred were sitting in class as they listened to a professor who was explaining the internships to some of the students. 

“Wow, this is a lot” she confessed before glancing to Alfred, “And where are you going to intern?” 

“I wanted to intern at my family’s company. I want to help my mother run the company. I know Cêline wants to help too, but I figured it is better to start now than later!” 

At least he was cheerful and ready to go. As for Lueur, she wasn’t sure where she wanted to intern. 

“Why not just do the job for the summer part instead?” Byleth suggested as he was reading the board. 

Besides an internship, students could take a job for the summer and record their experience. Byleth found this system fascinating and wondered if he could implement this when he returns to Fóldan. 

“I am thinking about that actually. My big brother is doing that as well, and it seems much more manageable than an internship" she replied in a thoughtful tone, “But! The year is still young, so I will not confirm anything just yet! After all, I want to keep my options open!” 

“That is fine with me, but please do not wait until the last second. Otherwise, you might remind me of three students who would shout and punch in a similar manner to you. I do not believe you would want that comparison” Byleth advised as she sighed at him. 

“Don’t worry, I am more responsible than you would think” she reassured him as she went to take a sip from her water bottle, only to find it empty, “Dang it, out again. I’m gonna get some. Don’t nag me too much, ok?” 

She waved to Alfred who nodded his head in understanding as she left the classroom. She turned to the right and down the hall to find the drinking fountain and a scene unfolding before her. 

“Ah!” a tall student with navy hair yelped out as his belongings were knocked out of his hands and fell all over the place on the floor. 

He whimpered before kneeling down to pick it up and sighed in defeat when he heard his classmates’ jeers. 

“Seriously, how are his little brother?” one mocked with another one inputting, “Yeah! Look at how weak and pathetic you are! You’re such a disgrace to his family!” 

He only whispered meekly, “I’m sorry… You’re right” 

They snickered and laughed as Lueur’s eyes narrowed sharply. 

“As a teacher, I do not encourage violence” Byleth spoke before a hint of joy was in his voice, “But I also do not agree with bullying. Have at them, Lueur” 

“As if you were going to stop me!” she snapped as she marched right up to them with her cracking her knuckles, “Hey! How about you rethink your lives before you dare inject your opinions onto others? Or, would you rather pick on someone your own size?!” 

They turned to her as the tall student stared at her with wide eyes. As for the rest of the students, they only laughed at her appearance. She was 5’5’, but the students were quite tall. They were mocking at her who only glared at them. 

“Sorry little lady, but I don’t think you can even hurt us” one of the taunted as he leaned his face near hers, “And I don’t think you can take us out, but we can take you out if you’d like” 

He wiggled his eyebrows at her as Byleth sighed at their behaviors. Lueur held her head back before slamming it against the student’s face! He cried out in pain as he went to hold his face. She then noticed his stomach was exposed and deliver a strong punch to his stomach! He completely crumbled as his friends were horrified at her. 

“So, unless you want to end up like your friend on the ground, leave. If not, step up so I can knock you down like the dominion stands you are!” she threatened with a glare. 

They scampered away as a pair picked up their friend before running. She scoffed at them before dusting her hands and turning to the tall student on the floor who was staring at her with a pair of ruby collared eyes. 

Now, she finally got a good look at him. He has a silver hair clip holding his navy bangs back. He was wearing a tan navy shirt with a red ribbon wrapped around his neck. He has a navy, blue vest on with a pair of brown pants. He is wearing simple shoes as his side bag was on the floor. 

She blushed at his staring before shaking her head, kneeling before him, and checking to make sure he wasn’t hurt anywhere. 

“Are you ok?” she asked with concern as his face turned as red as his eyes.

He quickly stuttered and grabbed some of his stuff to hide his face. Some of the pages in the book fell as she tilted her head to the side. 

“Ah, I understand” Byleth spoke in a knowing tone, “He reminds me of a student I had. She was quite like him, but at least he isn’t locked in his room. You will have to be a little firm with him if you want an answer and should try to relate to him” 

Lueur was surprised this advice and shrugged. She picked up his stuff and made sure it was secure before it could collapse again. She then forcefully held it in front of him with a big grin on her face. 

“I’m Lueur. Don’t worry, I’ll give them a good thrashing if they ever try that again. They won’t know what hit them! And you don’t have to stutter nor worried around me!” she said with confidence as Byleth conceded that was one to help him. 

The tall student slowly nodded his head before taking his belongings and putting it back in his bag. 

“T-thank you. I appreciate it. Oh! My name Alcryst, but I bet you already heard of my disappointing name” he spoke in a sweet and soft voice. 

“Actually, I haven’t. I think your name is so cool. It has a crystal feel to it! Oh, what grade are you in? I can escort you” she teased with a soft punch. 

He nervously laughed at her joke with a blush before shaking his head, “No, you don’t need to. I am a junior that is supposed to attend the internship and jobs meeting before we depart to the Brodia Banks” 

Her eyes were wide before replying, “Oh! We’re in the same grade! We can do together!” 

She helped him put his belongings away before grabbing his hand to pulling him after her. He let out a surprised squeak as he was being dragged to their classroom. She let go of his hand as he panted heavily, impressed and exhausted at her strength. 

“Oh, there you are!” Alfred greeted before looking at Alcryst who could collapse onto the floor at any moment, “Who’s that?” 

“This is Alcryst! I pounded a student into the floor and saved him! He’s in our grade!” she explained with a grin as Byleth only nodded in agreement with the statement. 

As for Sigurd, he was slightly concerned while Alfred found that amazing. Sigurd only hoped that Alfred wouldn’t use violence so soon. 

Alfred then recalled something familiar about Alcryst’s name and asked, “Hey, are you famous? I think I’ve heard your name somewhere before. I can’t put my finger on it” 

Alcryst stood straight as a candle and said quickly, “No! You didn’t! My name is boring!”

Lueur and Alfred stared at him with a curious expression until coach Saphir entered the room with a grin. 

“Hey everyone!” she greeted with a loud, happy voice, “Are you ready for your first place to shadow?!” 

She wasn’t wearing a normal gym uniform that Alfred and Lueur were used to seeing. Instead, she was wearing a security guard’s uniform and holding her hat. Her electric baton was at her side, a badge over her chest, and a phone in her pocket. 

She was oddly excited about this and even urging the students to hurry up. The classmates exited the building and entered a white bus. Lueur ended up sitting in between Alcyrst and Alfred. Alfred happily stared out the window while she did everything she could to reassure the nervous Alcryst. 

“So, where are we going?” she wondered aloud. 

At this, Alcryst looked away while Alfred shouted in excitement, “I heard it was a bank! One of the best banks in Elyos! I don’t remember the name, but I know my mother has dealings with them when it comes to handling the finances. She used to be an old friend of the owner’s wife who passed away”

With that comment, Alcryst sniffled with Lueur and Alfred staring at him. He shook his head at them before holding a small, nervous smile. She wondered about his secret while the bus came to stop. Alfred and Lueur stared through the window. 

The banks were large, much larger than a normal one. It was three office buildings with many clear and open windows. One was largest and behind the other two. The other two were much smaller and seemed homier. 

The students were excited and talking loudly over each other until coach Saphir let out a loud yell over them. The trio turned to her along with the other students and gave the coach their full attention. 

“Alright my young guppies!” she shouted with a grin, “This is the Brodia Banks! Mr. Brodia, the owner of the banks, and some of you who may know through his two sons. He allowed us a chance to come to the banks and learn about the different areas. After we are done with the banks, I want a 1200-word paper on this place based on your reflections!” 

They shared a few murmurs as Alfred was tapping the side of his cheek. He was sure he heard of the Brodia brothers, but he couldn’t remember why. The bus began to empty as Alfred walked on ahead, still thinking about the brothers. Alcryst was mumbling to himself as Lueur held her hand out to him. 

He stared at the hand, but she answered with a reassuring expression, “Come on, Alcryst. We shouldn’t be late. We have a whole day ahead of us, and I want to make sure you’re spending it with me and Alfred” 

“A-are you sure?” he asked in a blushing and stuttering voice. 

“Of course!” she said warmly as she pulled him along with him letting and trusting her. 

They left the bus and followed Alfred and the rest of the students who were walking behind coach Saphir. The students walked through the revolving doors as a few other businesspeople left along with common people too. 

“If you want a snack and a drink, take it now” Coach Saphir spoke as she gestured to the table filled with fruits and drinks, “We had the Fierne Farms deliver some before you arrived. Thank you, Mister Griss” 

At the mention of his name, Alfred happily ran forward to greet him with a bright expression. 

“Griss! It is so nice to see you!” he shouted as he moved through the crowd and slammed his hands on the white table. 

“Ah, hey, kid” Griss replied with a shake of his head and turning away, “Didn’t think you would be here, but whatever. Help yourself. I don’t care” 

He shrugged as the students pulled Alfred back to help themselves to the drinks and snacks. Lueur took one bottle of water as Alcryst took a bag of small gummies. They shared some together until a loud laugh echoed around them. 

“Ah! Alcryst! There you are!” a high voice of a lady who approached them, “Oh, and who are your friends? I do not believe I have the pleasure of meeting you” 

She has short blond hair that was neatly comb and taken care of. Lueur knew she was a girl from a wealthy family from just a glance at her. She is wearing a golden headband with a beautiful feather pinned to it. She has a golden chained necklace along with a red pendent. She is wearing a beautiful, brown dress with plaid outlines. There are black belts wrapped around her waist with golden chains hanging from it. Matching the belts are a pair of black tights as she wore a pair of red high heels. She has a fancy, white leather jacket with brown fluff on the edges of the sleeves. 

She pulled Alcryst’s arm and him towards her to then standing in front of him with her hands on her hips. 

Lueur was caught off guard by her before answering to the best of her abilities, “Oh, my name is Lueur. This is Alfred. We are classmates of his” 

“Only classmates? Nothing more?” she asked in quiet voice before snapping her head to Alcryst, “Did you finally make friends?!” 

His face flushed at her reaction as he stuttered and shook his head while trying to gesture the opposite. Alfred’s expression brightened up as he quickly interjected himself into their conversation. 

“Of course, he did! We are his new friends!” he said excitedly. 

“Oh, that is most wonderful news!” she exclaimed with a clap of her hands, “Ah, but where are my manners? I am Cirtinne. Alcyrst is my dear cousin, but we grew up together!” 

Alfred found it amazing as Lueur smiled. Alcryst felt relieved as he gave her a nervous grin and another scratch behind his head. 

“Ho, ho, ho! It is wonderful to see you here today! You are look ready for anything and everything!” he shouted with a grin and pounded a hand to his chest. 

Everyone turned to him with whispering to each other about this. They heard loud footsteps with Coach Saphir only laughing. 

“Everyone this is Mister Morion. He is the current CEO of the Brodia Banks!” Coach Saphir introduced with pride as he laughed in reply. 

“Please! I believe most of them do know of me because of my sons and dear niece!” he said in a boisterous voice, “But I do enjoy that introduction as well as this time to introduce the students to this wonderful place of business!” 

Alcryst shifted his feet nervously as Cirtinne held her head high at the introduction. 

Morion was giant man with red hair and a beard with matching eyes. He was very muscular and strong. He was wearing a fancy, dark gray suit with golden outline with a golden ribbon pinned over his heart. He has a ring on his hand that symbolized his engagement. 

“Father please hold yourself” another voice spoke with a sigh, “This is an important meeting for those who wished to intern here” 

When the voice spoke, Alcryst’s expression softened as he gazed to see another person standing next to Mister Morion. 

He has a strong resemblance to Mister Morion with his red hair. However, his hair was neat and slicked back. He wore a black suit with a golden pin over his chest too. He wore black gloves and a dark red shirt underneath. He has a black belt wrapped around his waist as well as a pair of dark red dress shoes. He alss had an engagement ring around his finger. His red eyes scanned the crowd as he held a smile. 

“Hello everyone. I believe some of you may know my name. I am Diamant Brodia. I will inherit the company from my father someday. I will be grateful to answer any questions and provide insight in our fine establishment” he spoke with pride and a bow. 

Two more people arrived at his side. One held a cheeky expression while another was a serious one. Diamant held a gentle expression to the lady before holding his hand out to her. She held a small smile before taking his hand. 

She has long blond hair tied in a high ponytail with a pair of yellow eyes. She is wearing a pair of jade pants with brown boots that held a red outline at the entrance of it. She has a fancy white-collar shirt with a red cravat neatly tied around her neck. She also has an engagement ring on her hand as she held a tablet with her other hand. 

“Hello to you. I am Jade” she said with a bow, “I am Diamant’s fiancé and secretary to the company” she introduced warmly. 

“And I am Amber! The one and only alpaca loving accountant!” he announced with pride as he slammed on his chest. 

He has amber colored hair and eyes with a white cravat wrapped around his neck as he wore a tan color collared shirt. He wore black dress pants with brown boots. He had his suit’s jacket open and reveal the buttons and patterns on the shirt. His whole outfit is made from the fur of the alpaca. 

“Wait? Diamant?!” one student whispered in awe. 

“Yes! He’s an alum from our college! He was an amazing student who did so well with sports and his studies! He even hosted events on campus!” another confirmed with a grin of admiration. 

There was a laugh as Diamant shook his head. 

“And we will divide you into groups. Group A will be with my father and I. Group B will accompany Amber. The last group will be with Jade and Saphir. Are we ready?” Diamant asked with a grin. 

The students nodded and agreed before breaking into the groups. 

“Aw man” Alfred groaned when he realized he was in group B, “I am not in the same group” 

“Neither am I” Lueur said with a little glum in her voice when she discovered she was in group C. 

“Don’t worry!” Cirtinne spoke with a delight as she wrapped her arm around her cousin’s shoulders, “At least we are together! Farewell!” 

With that, they broke off into their groups. Lueur waved and smiled to Alcyrst before focusing on her group. Alfred happily ran towards his group with Alcryst and Cirtinne walking behind their group. 

Diamant sighed as he glanced at Alcryst and Cirtinne before whispering to his father, “Did you have to put Alcryst in our group? You know how he feels about your doting nature” 

His father raised a brow before answering, “But of course! I wanted to make sure my favorite son is doing well! Is it wrong for a father to care about his son so much?” 

Diamant sighed as he began to lecute his father about this decision while the students in the front overheard this. 

“So, Alcryst is the other son in the Brodia family?” one student spoke in a surprised manner. 

“Really? No way!” another spoke as Alcryst sighed at their gossip. 

He decided to remain quiet as they chatted until one of his bullies let out a laugh. 

“So, he’s a daddy’s boy?! Pfft! It must be so embarrassing for his family! Imagine owning one of the best banks in the city and then having a pathetic son like him? Talk about weak!” the bully said in a mocking tone with a laugh as he pointed at Alcryst. 

Alcryst froze in place as he shook his head slowly. He tried to explain his situation, but his older brother and father heard the bullies’ words and approached him. 

“Excuse me, but what did you say about my younger brother?” Diamant asked in a calm tone with a hint of seriousness to his voice. 

“Uh, the truth?” the bully confessed with a shrug, “Come on! You’re Diamant! The joke and scholar everyone looked up to! How can you not be embarrassed to have a little brother like him?! He’s pathetic compared to you!” 

Alcryst began to shake in place as Cirtinne could feel her rage building. 

“Excuse me, but I would like to have your name and grade!” Mister Morion spoke in a serious tone, “I will not have you pick on my son like that. Do you hear me?” 

The bully just laughed before mocking, “See? If he’s in trouble, all he has to do is call his daddy! Lame!” 

At this, Alcryst finally let out a few tears before turning and running! 

“I am so sorry!” he wailed as Cirtinne quickly ran after her cousin. 

The bully laughed as Diamant dialed Coach Saphir’s number and explained the situation to her. Diamant suggested to his father to calm down before going after his little brother and cousin. 

“But you will remain with my father and wait for your punishment from Coach Saphir” Diamant said with a glare, “You will not get away this” 

The bully groaned as Morion agreed with Diamant’s plan and continued with the meeting. 

“Oh dear, really?” Coach Saphir groaned as she held her phone to read the message. 

She and Jade were able to take a break at the café with their group. Lueur was finishing her drink as she glanced to them to overhear their conversation. 

“It seems like your fiancé wasn’t aware the bullies were picking on his younger brother” Coach Saphir said with a shake of her head, “And needless to say, their father isn’t too happy either. I better deal with this before anything else happens” 

“Byleth, did you hear this?” Lueur spoke with worry and seriousness in her voice, “If Alcryst is in trouble, do you think they would send a Corrupted after him?” 

Byleth concurred, “It is possible. He seems to be an emotional person. There is nothing wrong with that, but the enemies could use it to their advantage” 

“I’ve got to find him! Byleth, are you going to be ok with this?” she asked before checking her surroundings. 

“Yes. I don’t have a problem with this. Let’s go before anyone notices you’re gone” Byleth reaffirmed with her. 

She thanked him before ducking away and running down the hallway. She reached for her phone to text Alfred about the situation. 

“And this is the outdoor patio! Here you can take your breaks and enjoy the nice, fresh air!” Amber expressed as he extended his arms to the sides and took a deep breath in. 

Some of the students laughed at his dramatic nonsense while others groaned. Alfred was excited until he felt his phone buzzing in his pocket. He took the device out with a shocked expression before checking to make sure Amber wouldn’t notice his departure. 

“Is the coast clear, Sigurd?” Alfred asked seriously. 

“Yes, go now! We have to help Byleth and his holder before anything happens” Sigurd encouraged as Alfred took off to help his friends. 

Griss was putting the remaining snacks and drinks away before seeing Cirtinne appear at the entrance with a furious expression. 

“What’s this?” he whispered in a curious manner before showing a hint of interest at her rage, “That anger is something, isn’t it, old man?” 

“Ah, pure rage. Tragically, I wished it would’ve been under better circumstances than her cousin. I suppose beggars cannot be choosers. Are you ready to work your magic?” Jedah asked with a hint of interest in his voice. 

“Oh, I am” Griss replied as he licked his lips in anticipation and raised his hand to summon the orb to it. 

As for Cirtinne, she let out a frustrated grunt as she couldn’t find her cousin. What added to her rage was the bullies, their words, and how they treated her dear cousin. She couldn’t fathom how a person could be so cruel. She shook her head to focus again. She must find her cousin before anything else happens to him. 

With a loud snap of a finger, Griss cast the orb to strike her back. She was about to let out a shrill scream until he teleported behind her to cover her scream with his hand. 

He leaned into her ear to whisper with a laugh, “Oh, no. We don’t want that, now do we? Nah, we shouldn’t let them know of us too soon. So, let’s have this in private!” 

With a release of his hand, he let her go and had her forcefully transform with another power from a hero! A royal, red and blue light burst from her as she found herself alone in the strength of the light. 

“Where am I?” she asked in a fearful tone. 

“In my life” a kind and young lady’s voice spoke before her, “Hello! I am Lilina. I heard your cries and appeared! What’s wrong?” 

Cirtinne was surprised to be facing a legendary heroine. Lilina is the daughter of Hector and was a fantastic mage of her time. Her magic in her world was unrivaled, but perhaps Pent could have. She has long, blue hair like her father, but her eyes were like that of her mother, Lyn. She wore a red dress with a shawl with an adorable hat too. She has a pair of blue pendants hanging from her neck. She has a blue belt holding her tomes and other supplies. She has a pair of dark, long stockings and long red boots. She has gloves and bracelets dangling from her wrists. 

“Oh, well, a group of bullies were picking on my cousin” Cirtinne answered as she sat down and sighed, “And I don’t understand why! Sure, he takes after his mother who was my aunt, but that doesn’t make him any different from everyone else! I also don’t understand why he didn’t tell us. We are family” 

She sighed in defeat as she hugged her legs close to her chest. Lilina let out a sadden gasp before sitting in front of her. 

“Bullies?! We can’t let them get away with this!” she said with a determined tone before reaching and holding Cirtinne’s hands, “We can do something about this! Together! Do you want my help?” 

Cirtinne stared at the heroine with admiration and surprise. 

“You want to help me?” she asked in a bewildered tone. 

“Of course!” Lilina answered determinedly, “My mother fought against those who tried to harm her land while my father always stood up for those who couldn’t! It would bring shame to them if I couldn’t even do that! We are going to do this together, Cirtinne! Are you ready?!” 

Cirtinne gripped Lilina’s hands tightly and answered firmly, “Yes! I want to do this! I want to help my cousin!” 

In a whip of yellow and red with dashes of blue, Lilina gave her powers to Cirtinne. Both were determined to deliver justice to the bullies who dared bring harm to her beloved cousin. 

Alcryst sniffled as he dried his tears when he turned a corner and sank to the floor. He pulled his knees close to himself and cried a little longer. 

“I am so sorry… I am so sorry that I am who I am” he cried out in a whisper and heard someone approaching him, “Please leave me alone… I want to be alone. Please leave me” 

Instead, the person sat next and pulled him into their embrace. 

“I am so sorry, Alcryst” she said with sadness in her voice, “I didn’t know it was this bad. I should’ve stayed with you. I’ll be here with you until you feel better. I hope you don’t mind that”

He opened his eyes and looked up to see Lueur! He let out a gasp and pulled himself away from her a bit. Lueur held a gentle expression to him and didn’t let go of him. 

“I really didn’t know this was happening” Lueur said in a sadden tone, “I should’ve done something to be with you. I shouldn’t have done that. Are you ok?” 

Alcryst stared at her with wide eyes as a few tears fell from his face. Lueur panicked before he shook his head to wipe his tears. 

“N-no! I am not crying because of them! I am just surprised!” Alcryst explained as he shook his head, “I never heard anyone speak to me like this outside of my family. It is so nice to hear it from someone else who also stayed with me as well. I can’t thank you enough” 

She smiled warmly at him before holding his hand. 

“It is fine, Alcryst” she said in a warm manner, “It is nice to hear that. Thank you, Alcryst. I hope you don’t mind that I am with you until you feel better. Is that fine with you?” 

He nodded his head and rested his head against her head. 

“Yeah, I would like that, Lueur” he said in a thankful tone. 

She hummed in agreement as they rested. She closed her eyes and smiled and waited with him. 

“Ah, where are they?” Alfred wondered in a panicked tone, “Where are they?” 

He groaned as he searched at the area around himself. 

“Sigurd, do you have any idea of where they could be?” Alfred asked with worry. 

“I am not sure” Sigurd confessed unsure until he felt a strong sense of familiar magic, “But be on guard. Something awaken. And I do not know what it is fully, but it is something powerful” 

“How powerful?” Alfred asked seriously as he held his guard and waited. 

He wiped some sweat from head and realized that it was getting hotter than normal. 

“When did it get hot?” he wondered as he quickly hid himself when he realized that it was getting hotter. 

As he hid himself, someone was walking through the hallway with the clip-clop of her heels. He made sure to hold his hand over his mouth to prevent himself from yelling or crying out in shock. 

“Now, where are they?” a female’s voice spoke that sounded so familiar to him, “I must make them pay for what they did to Alcryst” 

It was then that Alfred realized that it wasn’t Alcryst who transformed. It was Cirtinne! He quietly took his phone out and texted to Lueur about this as he tried to think of a plan to save himself. As he wiped another sweat from his head, he realized that it suddenly felt normal again. He wondered why as he looked out from his hiding place and saw no one there. 

“What?” he asked confused before taking a few steps forward to then feeling hot again. 

“I knew someone was hiding from me” Cirtinne spoke as she magically appeared behind with magic forming in her hand, “What are you going to do? Are you going to stand in my way and cause some problems? My, that will not do at all!” 

She waved her hand to cast a bolt of lightning towards him! He used Sigurd’s speed to run as fast as he could to avoid the lighting and tried to find another place to take cover. As for Sigurd, he recognized this heat. 

“It isn’t Arvis, but I am sure of it” Sigurd spoke, “That fire spell is not common. I know who it is. That hero with Cirtinne is the daughter of Hector and Lyn, Lilina” 

“So, how do we stop them?” Alfred asked as he then gasped, “Ah! That’s it! Lueur! She’s going to be the one who can heal them! Right?!” 

“That is correct. Now, run with all your might and find her before anyone else gets hurt!” Sigurd urged his holder. 

Alfred took off in a mad dash as he avoided the spells being cast towards him. He covered his head with his hands while keeping his head up and running. 

“Sigurd, I love running and training as much as the next person, but I don’t think we can keep doing this forever. Is there a way for us to find Lueur?” Alfred asked as he barely avoided a ball of fire. 

His emblem reacted as he used his powers to resonant with Byleth’s. 

“Go down the hall and then turn to the left. She should be there” Sigurd informed him, “But I do not suggest you transform. I don’t sense her using her powers” 

“What? Why?!” Alfred asked in a bewildered manner, “Ah! I hope she has a good reason for that!” 

“LUEUR!” Alfred shouted at the top of his lungs to warn her of the danger coming. 

She and Alcryst turned to the other end of the hallway to see a running Alfred. 

“Alfred? Are you ok?” she asked as they stood up together and turned to him. 

He skidded to a stop and placed his hands on his knees while panting. They motioned him to take a few deep breaths and to calm down.

Alfred gestured violently to the incoming Cirtinne and shouted with all his might, “BECAUSE SHE’S BEEN CHASING ME WITH THE INTENT TO KILL! STOP FLITERING AND HELP ME PLEASE!” 

They turned to his gestured with a gasp and scream when they found themselves facing Cirtinne! 

Her necklaces were longer and held together by a red and blue pendent. She has a pin in her hair that is completely red with a feather on the other side. Her dress is long and brown with blue belts wrapped around her waist to hold her tomes. She has a shawl hanging from her arms with some fluff and red and white feathers too. She has long, dark red tights She has a long pair of black boots with high heels. She has a glove on her right hand with a bunch of bracelets on her left wrist. Her blond hair was longer than normal. 

“Ah, there you are, Alcryst” she spoke in relief before extending her hand out to him “Now, please come with me. I will protect you from those fools who brought harm to you and return the favor, posthaste!” 

He blinked at her while shaking his head in disagreement, “I don’t want that either, Cirtinne! Hurting others is only going to continue this pointless fight!” 

“But they shouldn’t have hurt you to begin with!” she snapped furiously, “They should pay for this! And even if you disagree, I will not stand by any longer! They will be punished!” 

She raised her hand as lighting gathered to the tip of it! Alfred grabbed Lueur’s and Alcryst’s hands before taking off in a sprint using Sigurd’s power to avoid the incoming spell! Alcryst screamed in a panic as he tried to duck his head from the spell. 

“Alcryst?” Diamant said surprised and with fear before turning to the group. 

He knew he couldn’t leave them, but he didn’t want to hear his younger brother scream in fear. 

“Diamant!” Coach Saphir shouted with Amber and Jade running behind her, “We have another problem” 

He held his hand out to Jade for comfort who explained the situation, “It involves your cousin. She’s transformed and chasing after three students, one of them is your younger brother” 

His eyes were wide as he didn’t feel the need to hesitate anymore. He gave a kiss to his joined hand with his fiancé before running towards the danger!

“Diamant! What are you doing?!” Amber shouted in a panic as he grabbed his hair. 

“I have to help Alcryst! I can’t let anything happen to him!” Diamant shouted before whispering to himself, “I made my promise to mother, and I vow to keep it” 

As for his younger brother, they made a mad dash to the entrance. Luckily, Cirtinne hadn’t caught up with them just yet. Lueur and Alfred shared a nod before turning to the exhausted Alcryst. 

“What is it?” he asked nervously. 

“Hey, Sigurd” Alfred spoke as he took a few steps towards Alcryst, “But you do have your wife’s magic, right?” 

“Yes, why?” Sigurd asked curiously. 

“Good, because I need to heal him after what I am about to do” Alfred spoke before taking a deep breath. 

Alcryst was confused as Alfred held his head up, “I am so sorry about this” 

He drew his fist back before delivering a punch right at Alcryst’s face! He grunted in pain as he felt his hurt face with a cry as Lueur made sure to help him to a nearby restroom. She rushed out before facing Alfred with a serious expression. 

He raised his hands up and explained quickly, “I knew you weren’t going to fight if he was present, so I thought if we took him somewhere else it would be easier! Now, we have to stop her before she actually hurts someone” 

At this, he held a serious expression with her realizing that she could’ve but them in danger. She shook her head and slapped the sides of her cheeks before nodding to him. 

“You’re right, Alfred” she said as she held her fist up with the ring flashing, “Let’s do this, together!”

As they prepared to transform, Diamant arrived and stared at them with wide eyes. In flashes of blue and green, both transformed into their hero forms and took a stance to fight the incoming Citrinne who appeared in a bolt of lightning! 

“Do you two wished to be destroyed by my magic? You should punish those who have brought harm to my dear cousin!” she scolded them as Avenir disagreed with her. 

“But then you would become just like them! Do you want that?!” Avenir replied with a glare. 

“Hold your tongue!” she snapped with a snap of her fingers to make a fire spell burst between them! 

They were knocked away from each other, but Princess slammed a fist to the floor to stop herself from being knocked back as Avenir used his lance to do the same. However, she waved her hands to gather magic to the center of the room. Fire and lighting were creating a storm in the center as both held their weapons to protect themselves. 

“We need to find a weakness!” Avenir shouted as he could feel the same intense heat from before. 

“I know, I know!” Princess shouted as she tried to think of a way to save Citrinne, “I’ve got an idea! But I need to get close to her!” 

“Got it!” Avenir shouted as he took another sprint to join her side with his lance at his side. 

She ran and jumped to his side before grabbing the end of the lance. He quickly took a strong stance before letting a yell and mighty swing of his lance to throw her towards Citrinne! She raised her hand to have fire gather to it. She waved it to cast a powerful fire spell, but Avenir summoned a javelin to throw it at her spell. He was able to strike the spell before it could hurt his friend. As for Princess, she drew her fist back to deliver a powerful punch as Citrinne held a tome to block it! 

She was pushed back and noticed a huge dent in the book, “How strong are you?!” 

“Incredibly!” she shouted as she quickly threw punches and jabs at Citrinne who could only block it with her book and spells as best as she could. 

Princess didn’t let up as Avenir charged behind Citrinne with his lance in hand. He thrusted the lance at her side, but she quickly avoided it to then grabbing the lance. Electricity crackled throughout it and zapped Avenir! He let out a painful scream as he dropped to his knees with Sigurd using his powers to heal him as best as he could. 

“Ah, that is all you have?” Citrinne commented as she took a step and step towards him with lightning gathering to her hands, “How shall I defeat you then?” 

As she focused on him, she was perplexed to see him laughing at her! 

“I am so sorry!” he replied and held his stomach with the lance clattering to the floor, “But I totally meant to fool you!” 

She gasped as she slowly turned away to see Princess running towards with her fist drawn back! Citrinne’s eyes were wide with fear. In a blue and gold flash, Princess skipped to stand in front of Avenir before punching Citrinne away! She grunted and screamed as the Princess then threw an upper cut to launch Citrinne upward. Before she could even hit the ceiling, the Princess grabbed her to then throwing her to the floor in a rough manner. 

“Ah! Ah…” she cried out in pain before losing consciousness. 

Princess landed on her feet with grace until she looked at the ring on her hand. 

“Byleth are you ready to help me?” she asked seriously as she held her hand upward in a fist. 

“Understood. Let’s heal her!” Byleth spoke as the ring was covered in a green light before casting it over Citrinne. 

The light slowly healed her injuries and restored her to normal. Princess sighed in relief as she turned around to hold her hand out to Avenir. 

“Are you ok?” she asked with concern as he leaned on her. 

“Yeah, I’ll be fine. I guess Sigurd doesn’t handle magic all too well” Avenir spoke before realizing something, “Oh! I have to heal Alcryst! I’ll be right back!” 

At that moment, Diamant stepped towards them with a grin on his face. 

“I believe you have some explaining to do” he spoke in a threatening voice, “And what happened to my little brother?” 

Both shared an expression before sighing in defeat. There was no way they could lie about this to him. 

“Before we tell you everything, let me call my brother and let my friend heal your younger one” Princess informed him, “And we should get back to the others. We can’t have them know about this entirely” 

There was a strong pause before Diamant exhaled deeply. 

“I understand. Let finish our appropriate tasks before we do anything else. I can look after my family. But you will wait here and answer my questions” he acquiesced to them and knelt at his cousin’s side. 

Princess helped Avenir to the bathroom’s door. He placed his hands on it to then spread a warm, comfort light over the entire room. It slowly covered Alcryst who sighed in utter relief and felt his wounds heal completely. Once his spell was finished, Avenir transformed back to Alfred who collapsed on his knees. Princess returned to her normal self and cared for him as he held a smile of relief. 

Alcryst opened the door and gulped when he saw Lueur caring for Alfred, “Oh? Are you both alright?” 

She looked up first, smiled, and nodded in a reassuring manner, “Yes, we are fine. Are you ok? Sorry about that, but we were in a panic is all” 

“Oh! Right! Sorry about that, Alcryst! I tend to do that a lot when I panicked” Alfred said with a shaky voice and waving his hands. 

For some reason, Alcryst felt relieved and nodded until Coach Saphir called the group over. The trio walked to her before Alcryst went to Diamant and Citrinne in a worried manner. 

“Do not worry, she is fine” his big brother said in a reassuring tone as he rubbed her back. 

She placed a hand on her head in a stressed and disappointed manner, “I am dreadfully sorry about this. This display was unbecoming of me. I do hope you will accept my apology on the manner” 

“Of course, we would!” Alcryst shouted in relief before embracing his cousin warmly, “I was so worried that I would lose you” 

The cousins shared a warm embrace as Morion arrived with the bully in question and answered seriously, “And we will sort all of this out. I promise you, the people who bullied my son will be punished, but we will have to discuss your punishment as well, Citrinne. I am sorry about that” 

“No, I understand. I do deserve some punishment for that” she spoke with a nod of her head. 

Coach Saphir clapped her hands to bring everyone’s attention to her. 

“Well, with all that settled. That is enough of the serious talk! Now, we should return to school and to your dorms. Remember your assignments everyone!” she announced with a bright grin. 

The students agreed in a mumble before returning to the bus. However, she noticed that trio and Citrinne were staying where they were. 

“My mother is going to pick me up here” Alfred answered with a nervous expression. 

“My brother will pick me up here as well!” Lueur said quickly with a grin. 

“I’ll stay here with my cousin. My big brother can drive us back to campus” Alcryst reassured her. 

“Oh, well, since you have all that figured out, that is fine with me” she spoke with a grin before turning to leave with the other students. 

Diamant stepped forward and suggested, “Alcryst, why not take Citrinne back to father’s room to rest? Also, father, you should have a meeting coming up in a few minutes. Please make your way to it and not be late again” 

His father laughed before recovering, “Leave it to you to be so serious, Diamant! But sure thing. We are going to our respective places! I’ll escort Alcryst and Citrinne! Come along!” 

Morion pushed a nervous Alcryst and laughing Citrinne away from the group. Diamant then turned his attention to them with a serious expression. Lueur held her ground with Alfred holding a serious expression. They waited in silence until Alear arrived. 

He adjusted his shirt before running into the banks to shout, “I am here, Lueur! Are you ok?!” 

Alear stopped in his tracks when he saw Diamant staring a cold expression to his little sister and Alfred to him. 

“What happened?” Alear asked seriously as he tried to match Diamant’s intense expression. 

“He witnessed Alfred and I transform” Lueur spoke sadly, “And now, he wants to know everything” 

Her older brother gasped as he turned to Diamant who answered firmly, “Yes, I want to know what is happening in our town. You will answer this to me, or I will notify Solm Security of this” 

With his threat in effect, Alear sighed and nodded his head to answer, “Alright. We will start from the beginning. How will do you know your history regarding the Legendary Heroes?” 

In the next episode… 

(Diamant’s POV) 

Unbelievable! How could such event transpire underneath us?! What’s more, Legendary Heroes formed a bond with them? Can they even do this? Well, I want them to keep my younger brother out of it. We cannot experience another tragedy again. But I do wonder who is causing this much pain and trouble? Is that Amber? Why does he look like Citrinne?... Oh, no!

Chapter Text

Alear was sitting across from Diamant in a meeting room with his little sister sitting next to him to the right and Alfred to the left. Alear finished explaining everything and even displayed Marth before him to Diamant who was slowly processing everything. He lowered his joined hands and nodded his head. 

“I believe you” he said slowly, “And I will not reveal your secret to the Solm Security” 

Alfred visible leaned back and sighed in relief. Lueur placed a hand over her chest and sighed as well with Alear still staring at Diamant. 

“There is a catch, isn’t there?” Alear asked seriously. 

“Well, yes” Diamant spoke simply, “I have a request. Specific to Lueur and Alfred” 

Both stood up when he stated their names. He faced them with a serious expression. 

“I do not want Alcryst in any danger” Diamant spoke serious with a hard expression, “He is in most of your classes. He will be caught in these fights. My family has already gone through a tough loss. We cannot suffer another one. So, I request that neither of you to bring danger to him” 

Lueur seemed hurt, but she nodded with a serious expression before confirming, “Yes, we will not hurt Alcryst. We will make sure he is not in any danger when attacks happen” 

Alfred nodded his head as Alear still faced Diamant. 

“Then, we have nothing more to discuss” the older Brodia brother spoke, “All I request is to ensure of my little brother’s safety” 

He stood up and departed from them until he stopped at the door. 

“I do hope you will win this battle. Genuinely” Diamant spoke as he turned to stare at Alear who felt a strange connection to him. 

Diamant only spared a glance and left to continue his business.

“Man! That was scary!” Alfred exclaimed as he leaned back in his chair. 

Lueur turned to her brother who was holding a puzzling expression. 

“Are you ok?” she asked curiously. 

He shook his head to reassure her, “It should be fine. Come on, we should go home” 

They left the room with his sister and Alfred walking ahead of him. 

Marth noticed Alear’s expression was tense with his thoughts running to ask, “Are you sure? You clearly sensed something in Diamant, didn’t you?” 

“I am unsure myself” Alear confessed to Diamant, “But I am sure we will cross paths again. We should keep an eye out on him for now” 

The Hero King only agreed as Alear grinned after his sister and their friend. They got in his car and drove to drop off Alfred before returning home. 

Speaking of home, Amber was sitting in his apartment and sitting on his couch with his phone in his hands. He grinned excitedly when he saw an incoming call from his family. 

Amber put the phone to his ear to answer warmly, “Hello everyone! How is it going?!” 

“Oh, everything is going well” his mother spoke as he heard his father’s laughter. 

“And how is it going working with Diamant and Jade? Ah, their wedding is coming up, right? We gotta get them something” he spoke with pride. 

Amber only laughed with them as he felt their pride and grinned. 

“Don’t worry about paying to fly me home” Amber spoke with a reassuring tone, “Diamant already paid for the next couple of tickets since I’ve done such a good job with him. I also got the checks! I know this will help out our farm!” 

He was so delighted to finally pay back his family for everything they’ve done for him. Truth be told, Amber grew up in the distant farmlands that are very far away from the city. As a result, Amber’s parents worked very hard on their farms and making sure the alpacas were ready for trades of all kinds. They sent him to school in the main city and made sure he had everything for it. Amber couldn’t thank his parents enough for everything and was so happy he could finally give back to them. 

“Yeah, thank you son” his father spoke with pride, “But hang onto that money. Bring it here when you come back for your visit” 

Amber noticed a hesitation in his father’s voice and wondered if anything else was happening at home. 

“Well, we cannot wait for you to come home! Please be safe though!” his mother said with worry, “I heard a lot of things were happening lately! I don’t want to hear you in danger, ok?” 

“Sure thing, ma! I’ll be safe!” he reassured her with a grin before they said their goodbyes and hung up. 

He walked through the doors and leaned against it to stare at his phone. For some odd reason, he felt there was more to their conversation than he thought. He went to his bed where his mother mad alpaca’s blanket was neatly placed with the softest alpaca’s pillows. With a thud of his head against the pillow, he sighed and fell onto it. He groaned and tossed and turned to then finally settling in on something. He pressed the message icon and tapped the group chat with himself, Diamant, and Jade. Amber was lost in his thoughts as he thought about what to text. With a nod of his head, he decides what to text his friends. 

Amber: Hey guys! How is it going? 

He waited for his friends to respond and tapped the side of the phone with his index finger. With a delighted gasp when the phone buzzes, he stares at it. 

Jade: Is everything alright, Amber?

Amber: Yes, I am fine! Just thinking too hard again! 

Diamant: Hard about what? 

At this, Amber only stared at the screen before thinking of what to text his friends. He didn’t want to bother his friends since they already have a lot on their plates as is. From their wedding to Diamant becoming the new head of the company. Perhaps it would a simple bad feeling and would go away soon enough.

Amber: Nah! Everything is fine! Nothing to worry about! False alarm!

Staring at the screen, he sighed in relief when he saw Jade and Diamant text right away. 

Jade: Must you always do this. Everything is already busy as it is. 

Diamant: Jade, it is nice to have Amber being there. It helps us relax. He is being a good friend. Amber, thank you for helping us, but if you need anything please let us know. 

Amber audibled let out a happy gasp and sighed with the phone on his chest. He leaned against the pillows and sighed when he decided to finally sleep and not worry about it anymore. 

As for Diamant, he wondered why Amber to text them. He knew Amber was working just as hard as everyone as well as for his family. It meant a lot to him to work hard and earn money for his family. Diamant did try to make things easier for him by ensuring that he would have a sure way to get home without paying any money. 

“I do hope you’re not keeping themselves to yourself, Amber” Diamant whispered before putting his phone at his side and then looking at the ring on his hand, “And I don’t want to give any more work to Jade either. She is going to get the break and wedding she deserves” 

He was laying in his bed late at night without a shirt on, but with a pair of trunks. He was staring at the ceiling and wondering what he could do to help them. 

“Why not give them a break right now?!” a determined, young voice shouted.  

Diamant stood up from his bed and looked around for the source of the voice. He closed his eyes and waited for the voice to speak again. When he didn’t hear anything, he decided to go back to bed and ponder on the words of the voice. His fiancé and best friend were tired from everything that had happened lately. A break wouldn’t hurt them at all. Agreeing with this idea, he decided to rest and use this for later. 

The next day, Amber walked through the park with a cup of alpaca milk and towards the office. He rubbed his eyes and prepared for another shift at work. 

“Ah, Amber” Jade greeted with a friendly expression, “Do you know what Diamant is up to by chance?” 

This caught him off guard as he replied unsure, “No, why? I don’t think he told me anything important was happening today” 

He rubbed the back of his head while taking a big sip of his milk. Jade shook her head before turning towards the entrance to their workplace and noticed her fiancé was stepping out. She let out a gasp and noticed something strange about Diamant. Amber nearly choked on his milk when he saw his friend wearing just casual clothes! 

“What are you wearing?!” Amber exclaimed with milk dripping from his mouth, “And who are you?! It is a workday, right?!” 

His friend simply laughed with each step he took. Today, he was wearing a simple, dark red shirt and a pair of black shorts with simple dark red sneakers. 

“I assure you, Amber. It is me” Diamant explained with a grin, “It is also a workday. See, Jade? Amber does know how to think. Anyway, I already spoke with father about letting us have a break and enjoying ourselves. After all, we’ve been busy” 

Amber was delighted to hear this with Jade holding a thinking expression. Amber threw his crushed cup into the air before struggling to catch it. He rushed to grab his best friend’s shoulders and then giving him a hug. 

“That is just what I needed! You have no idea how stressed I’ve been lately! I’ve been so stress, but now, I am so looking forward to this!” Amber said before giving his best friend some space to then shouting, “Oh! I need to change! I’ve got spare clothes at my desk! I’ll be right back!” 

He bolted through the clear, window doors and rushed to change into a more relaxing outfit. Diamant only laughed with Jade approaching and stopping at his side. 

“Are you sure that is all?” she asked in a knowing tone, “The three of us have grown up together and I can tell when one of you are up to something. After all, I had to keep you out of trouble, or at least make sure it is funny enough for the books I write” 

Diamant just sighed before confessing, “I know I can’t hide anything from you, my writer. It will sound strange, but I heard a voice give me this suggestion. I noticed that we were exhausted from everything, so I wanted to do something to help. Then, this voice spoke to me and suggested that I take you and him out for a nice day instead of work. It won’t be much, but it will be great to take a moment for ourselves before we go back to work and need to plan the wedding” 

He turned away from her with an embarrassed expression clearly present on his features. She always loved that side of him and gently took his hand to be in hers. 

“I find it sweet” she confessed with a smile, “And you’re right. We’ve been working hard on everything lately. A break wouldn’t hurt anyone. I’ll wear this, so let’s enjoy a nice evening out together” 

She gave his hand a squeeze before turning to the building to change clothes. Diamant felt pride in himself for doing this, but he did wonder where that voice came from. It didn’t have the same voice as of his brother, deceased mother, and father. He hoped he could meet with the voice again. 

“DIAMANT!” Amber shouted with Jade following him, “I am ready to go! Let’s do this!” 

He ran on ahead with an orange and tan blur as Jade only laughed when he tripped and fell a few times before picking himself up and running again. Jade took Diamant’s hand and pulled him along while trying her best to compose herself. 

She wore a simple, dark green shirt with a pair of gray pants. Her hair was still held up in a high, blond ponytail and she had a few hair ties around her wrist. She has a pair of brown sneakers and walks beside her fiancé. Amber ran backwards to catch them walking together, hand-in-hand. He snickered before trying to prevent himself from falling. Though, he was smiling from ear-to-ear. 

“Ah, those two definitely deserve each other” he commented as he walked on the stony sidewalk and looked at the beautiful nature outside. 

Of course, nothing beats the farm he grew up on, that was for sure. He continued to walk along the path as Alfred was helping Griss with putting up a stand in the park with some extra help from Alear and Lueur. His mother wanted a stand in the park for customers to buy refreshments and fresh fruits and vegetables. 

“Seriously, does your mother want everyone to know she makes and sells the fresh foods?” Alear asked in a tired manner as his little sister placed another crate next to the stall. 

Alear was currently sitting on the ground with sweat dripping from his face as he looked up to see Griss already putting everything in place with Alfred holding a glass of lemonade to him. 

“Yep! And what better way to get the word out?! Also, I get to hang out with my friends!” Alfred exclaimed while waving his hands up and down. 

Griss scoffed before answering, “Yeah, as if I am a friend” 

This made Alfred stop before turning to give Griss a genuine smile, “Of course, you are! You do take a lot of the tougher shifts. You help others when they’re not looking and even take care of your cousin! Why wouldn’t I see you as a friend? 

At the mention of his cousin, Griss scoffed before turning away from them with a cup of lemonade in his hand. Alear glanced at Alfred who sighed sadly. Lueur placed the last box of lemons near the stand as she noticed their gaze was focused on the retreating Griss. 

“Did something happen?” she asked curiously. 

“Ah, sort of. Don’t worry. I am sure he will open up to us one day” Alfred reassured with a wave of his hand, “Until then, we will have to keep reaching out to him with our hands!” 

Nothing could Alfred down so easily as he went to prepare the stall. Lueur thought Alfred was being sweet as Alear could see a hint of sadness on his face. He hoped Alfred wasn’t purposely putting on a happy face for others. He should express how he feels. 

“Perhaps you should inform him of this revelation” Marth spoke to Alear, “Sigurd also had similar issues with us. He handled so much on his own and in the end, it did cost him everything. I don’t wish that same fate for Alfred” 

Alear stared after Alfred who went to work on the stand with his younger sister’s help. In a way, Alear understood Alfred’s worries and concerns for others. 

“Well, I will not let Alfred carry this burden alone” Alear answered Marth with a nod of his head. 

He stood up and joined them with fixing up the stand for others to enjoy. Griss stared at them with a shake of his head as he turned away from them, annoyed and equally bored of this part of the job. 

“Fascinating, does that mean those two are here” Jedah asked curiously with a chuckle from himself. 

“Who?” Griss asked, hoping for something to finally happen. 

Jedah only shrugged before answering, “Two meddlesome heroes who disposed of my Lord Duma. I sense something interesting about that blonde-haired boy. He’s protected by something familiar to me. Fate has a funny way of playing the pieces against each other again” 

This finally gave Griss some interest as he asked, “So, you mean to tell me that there is something fun finally going to happen?” 

“Perhaps sooner than you believe” Jedah answered with a grin. 

Before Griss could interrogate the dark follower for anything else, he turned to see Amber approaching the trio. Sensing the worry and concern from the alpaca farmer, Griss licked his lips in anticipation. 

“Ah, there is the interesting person right on cue” Griss commented, “I thought I was going to wait longer” 

After paying, Amber did receive a nice cool glass of lemonade before running on ahead. He wanted to give his two friends some privacy, so he sat on a brown bench and looked at the beautiful blue sky. He took a nice sip from his drink and sighed in relief at the taste. Suddenly, he felt his phone buzz, so he pulled it out and realized it was a phone call from his mother! 

Quickly answering, Amber shouted in delight, “Hi mom! How’s it going?!” 

“Ah, a lot actually” she answered in a tired and nervous tone, “Are you sitting down? I have some news to deliver” 

Amber was stunned before reassuring as he leaned forward, “Yes, of course, mom. Is everything ok?” 

She let out another sigh and answered, “Actually, no. I had to wait until your father left for me to tell you the truth. Things have been a little rough. We haven’t made as much money from the farm. It is lower than the previous years. We’ve even loaned out some alpacas and rented the farm to another family. I am unsure if we will have enough money this year” 

Amber’s mind was racing as he tried to think of something to do to help them. They never told him things were this bad. If he knew, he would’ve given his share of the paycheck. 

“Ok, but I am coming there, so I should be able to help” Amber said, “After all, I used to work on the farm. Heck, I can even give you some of the money I earned from my job. We can save the farm, so please don’t worry” 

There was silence as he hoped his mother was going to agree with him. There was a laugh and then a cry. 

“Mom?” Amber spoke softly to her. 

His mother answered, “I know you would do something like that. Father did too. Though, we cannot accept. That is the money you’ve worked hard to earn. We’ve made plans to make sure we will be ok, but I don’t think you should return home. It would be just too much. I am sorry Amber” 

He couldn’t hear nor see straight anymore. Everything and nothing were running through his mind. How could he help them? Wait, no, he couldn’t help them anymore. What can he do? What should he do?! How can he do this?! 

“Ah, wonderful!” Griss said as he licked his lips in anticipation before creating an orb in his hands, “Entertainment is here!” 

He jumped and threw the orb towards the unsuspecting Amber. As the orb struck his back, Amber let out a guttural painful cry as he dropped to his side with his phone falling with a clatter. He distantly heard his mother’s cries and asking how he is. 

“What’s happening?!” Amber shouted as he was writhing in pain on the floor. 

Everything was blurring as he closed his eyes to make the world stop spinning. 

“Whoa! Are you ok there?” a friendly voice filled with concern called out to him. 

Amber opened his eyes to see a knight clad in green standing before him with the concern expression over his features. Besides the obvious green armor, he had a pair of tan pants with a black shirt underneath. He has a black headband wrapped around his head to keep his olive hair out of his eyes. His green eyes were filled with concern. 

“My name is Sain. I heard your cries. It sounded familiar to me. I have a friend who is a lot like you” Sain introduced and explained. 

Amber noticed the pain was gone and decided to sit up. He hugged his stomach still and sighed before confessing everything that had happened over the phone with his mother. Sain was so surprised as he decided to sit next to Amber. 

“You know, you remind me of two people close to me” Sain spoke as he reflected on them, “One of them is a knight, just like me. His name is Kent. He always worried about everything. He wanted to be there for our lady, so he overworks himself and everything. Then, you have our lady. Her name is Lyndis. She worked hard to become a lady and fight for her friends and families. Both carried so much on their own. I wish they would’ve leaned on others more often at times. In the end, they did, but it still scared me at times” 

Amber looked at Sain in a surprised manner. 

“Ah, as for me, I am kind of boring” Sain admitted, “Sure, I did devout myself to my lady, but I always felt like it wasn’t anything compared to Kent. I wasn’t as ambitious as Lady Lyn. So, in the end, I was always up short. But you’re feeling so overwhelmed, aren’t you?” 

Amber nodded his head as he sighed, “Yeah, but I didn’t want to bother my friends with what was happening in my life. Diamant and Jade have so much going on right now that the last thing they need to worry about is me. I want to stand on equal ground as them, but I also want to help my family. Ah, why is being an adult so hard?!” 

Sain only laughed in understanding before confessing, “Trust me, it doesn’t get any easier. Though, when you have the right friends by your side, I am sure you can do anything. Come on, we should stop you from falling deeper into despair. I won’t let you be used for their ambitions” 

“Who are you talking about?” Amber asked as they stood up together.

“Some kind of darkness. It actually reminds me of Negal, but this isn’t the same” Sain answered as he thought about their situation to then explaining and reassuring, “Look, I don’t know if I can protect you from this forever, but I can help you keep this at bay and not hurt anyone. There’s a darkness trying to take your heart and use you for evil. Don’t worry! My Lady Lyn and her allies will come in and save you! Until then, I will stay by your side” 

Amber wasn’t sure how to react to this, but he knew he could trust Sain. 

“Ok, so what should I do?” Amber asked nervously. 

“Get away from this area the moment I give you my power. Don’t engage with anyone either! You must wait for one of Lady Lyn or one of her friends” Sain explained, “We don’t have much time, so are you ready?” 

“I think so” Amber said as Sain held his hand out to him, “But you’ll be with me until they come, right?” 

“Yeah! I am going to stay with you until they arrive!” Sain reassured as Amber didn’t hesitate to take his hand. 

As the light clashed with the darkness, Amber shouted in pain as Sain slowly disappeared into the light. His cries reached out to the Emblem Heroes as they turned to the bench to see a transformation taking place! 

“We have to help him!” Lueur shouted in a panic as her older brother held her back. 

“Not if we get hurt” Alear reminded her seriously, “Let’s get back and find a way to help that person” 

She only nodded her head as they retreated and shouted for others to avoid the area and keep themselves safe. 

As for Amber, he let out another gasp before falling to his knees with his transformation finished. 

“What happened to me?” he asked in a pain voiced as he looked at himself, “This outfit is kind of stuffy to me, but I guess this works?” 

He has a white cravat tied around his neck with a white, plaid shirt with fluffy cuffs around his wrists. There is a red and black armor over his chest and behind him in the form of a cape. He has white plants with the same red and black armor for boots. 

“I feel ok so far, but I don’t know for how long that’s going to last for” Amber commented as he picked himself up and saw the ring on his finger, “Oh, Sain! Are you there?! Can you hear me?!” 

He panicked momentarily as Sain spoke in relief to Amber’s head, “Yes! I am here! Are you ok? Wow, so that’s how you view a hero? Interesting outfit! You definitely remind me of Kent” 

“Wow! You can talk with me in my head! How is that possible?!” Amber asked in disbelief and wonderment. 

“I don’t know about the magic part, but I guess when Lord Pent or Erk show up, you can ask them. They would know why that happens. Are you feeling ok? You don’t feel the darkness trying to control you or anything?” 

“I think so” Amber answered, “But why don’t I feel like destroying anything?” 

Griss just stared at the confused alpaca farmer who was talking to thin air. Griss only blinked at him as he tried to make sense of this. 

“I thought he was supposed to be consumed by the darkness!” Griss snarled at Jedah who was even surprised by Amber’s lack of vengeance. 

“This is new for me as well” Jedah replied seriously before groaning, “Well, if he won’t get the job done, then perhaps we should do it for him. Do with him what you want” 

“Finally!” Griss shouted as he transformed and teleported right in front of Amber’s face! 

Amber let out a horrified scream as he scrambled to get away from the Sage who snarled. 

“So, you won’t hurt others by the pain you’re feeling” Sage commented annoyed as he ran a hand through his dark green hair, “I suppose I’ll have to fix that!” 

Magic was bursting from his hands as Amber let out a frightened yell. 

“Don’t stand there! Run! Summon a horse! Hurry!” Sain urged Amber, “I know I can fight others with a lance, but I don’t think we can take a magic hit!” 

“But how do I summon a horse?!” Amber shouted with worry. 

He grabbed the lance and ran the other end to avoid the magic being casted towards him. Amber let out a terrified scream as he realized that the Sage was going to catch up to him sooner than later! With a wave of his lance, Amber tried to create a horse, but he ended up summoning one to his side! Without hesitation, he jumped onto the horse and galloped away! 

“Whoa! Ok, so this isn’t different from riding an alpaca!” Amber shouted as he enjoyed the feeling of the wind in his hair. 

Sage growled in frustration as he softly landed on his feet. He raised his hand to cast a wind spell, but Princess swung the Sword of the Creator to have it wrap around his wrist and prevent him! 

“I don’t think so! You’re not going to force someone to do terrible things if they do not wish to do it!” she stated before running towards him. 

“Oh, this will be fun. I don’t mind playing with you, little lady!” Sage said before licking his lips and his hands glowing brightly. 

As she was approaching, he drew his fist back with magic gathering to it. Timing everything, Princess transformed the Sword of the Creator into the gauntlets and drew her fist back as well. She and him their punches to knock each other away! Though, Sage was able to hover and stop himself from falling as Princess skidded to a stop and held herself still. Both sent the other a glare as Avenir ran as quickly as he could with his lance behind his back. He took a swing, but Griss ducked and gathered wind magic to cast it! Avenir was tossed in the air and let out a yell as Princess shouted in worry for him. 

“Aw, don’t worry” Sage commented as he turned to give his full attention to her, “You’ll be joining him!” 

Avenir was struggling to keep the world from spinning as he was tossed up in the air. He searched for the ground and could see Princess holding her fists up and preparing for another. 

“Oh, I am not letting you fight alone!” Avenir shouted before turning himself over and falling forward with his lance at his side. 

As they were fighting Griss, Prince ran after Amber with his sword in his scabbard. 

“At least he’s not trying to hurt others” Prince said in relief, “He’s keeping himself together. A similar occurrence with Bucheron” 

“But we don’t know for how long” Marth cautioned, “Please be careful, Alear. This could end in another fight” 

Prince adhered to Marth’s word before running, pivoting to stand in front of Amber, and holding a calm expression to the startled alpaca farmer. 

“It is going to be ok. I am the Prince” he spoke softly to Amber, “Are you ok? I imagine a sudden transformation happening was quite a shock, right?” 

Amber remained quiet as Sain was relieved. 

“Ok, so it doesn’t look like my Lady Lyn is here, but that is one of her friends. That’s King Marth’s chosen partner!” Sain reassured Amber, “So, you have nothing to fear now! Speak with him!” 

Amber nodded his head as he finally could relax, “Yes, I was startled by this. This just doesn’t happen if you ask me. So, how do I change back? I have a lot of things going on, and I don’t want to use my powers to accidentally hurt someone with it” 

“Oh, don’t worry. I should be able to handle that” Prince spoke in a calm tone as the ring shined, “I should be able to heal you soon” 

With another, loud sigh of relief, Amber could feel himself relax. That was until they heard a couple of yells of frustration and pain. They turned around to see the Princess and Avenir being knocked back by Sage’s wind magic! 

“No!” Prince shouted in worry at his little sister’s state with Amber not hesitating to help. 

He hopped on the horse and held his hand out to Prince. 

“Come on! We have to help them!” Amber urged, “I don’t want a bully like him hurting others, and I can tell you’re worried about them too! Ok, so, if I help you stop him, you can help me turn back to normal right?!” 

Prince was surprised to hear that Amber was willing to help. He did remember Diamant’s warning, but he knew that the Sage was a much bigger threat at the moment. 

“I don’t mean to rush you, but I know we need to hurry and help them!” Amber urged as he held his hand out to him. 

“R-right, but stay behind me” Prince urged as he took Amber’s hand and jumped on the back of his horse with the sword out, “I don’t want anything to happen to you” 

“Eh? Oh! Right, because I am a normal person! Got it! Tell me what to do, Princey!” Amber shouted as he urged his horse to charge forward. 

With a strong gallop, the horse charged as Prince slowly formed an idea in his head and confirmed this with Marth. 

“Sage is good with magic, but I am sure his defenses aren’t that strong, correct? That’s why he is keeping his distance” Prince asked the Hero King. 

“That is correct, but what are you planning to do?” Marth asked as he felt a little unsure about his partner’s plan. 

“I wished you didn’t ask” Prince answered as he slowly stood up on the back of the horse! 

Marth was perplexed and worried as he saw his holder standing up. Prince held himself as steady as he could and hoped his little sister would be able to make Sage jump in the air. If not, then he could always strike him from above. 

Princess stood up and before Avenir with her hand out, “Ok, we need another approach. Got any ideas?” 

“Up close and personal?” Avenir suggested to her as he dusted himself off, “But his magic is deadly. I can’t even keep track of it” 

She grimaced until both heard galloping. They turned around and saw Prince riding on the horse with Amber controlling it! Princess’s jaw dropped with Avenir cheering before holding his lance. Without hesitating, he charged forward and towards Sage. Princess quickly turned to follow him with her gauntlets glowing a golden light. 

“Oh? Do you have a death wish? I can have that granted!” Sage snarled before gathering dark magic to his hands. 

He threw the sphere of darkness, but both jumped away. Avenir threw his lance as Princess blocked the sphere. They got away as Prince jumped and drew his sword to deliver a strike against Sage’s chest! Sage cried out in pain as he cast his final sphere towards the landing Avenir. 

“Oh, no! Look out!” Amber shouted as he lunged forward and took the hit for him! 

“Amber!” Prince shouted as he landed on his feet and turned to the alpaca farmer. 

Sage took this chance to recover and face them. He chuckled as he realized his spell was working and controlling Amber. 

“Well,” Sage grimaced as he held his injured chest, “This is going to be good. Too bad I’ll have to go. That is boring. Next time we meet, let me know how this end. Well, if you survive!” 

He disappeared in darkness as Amber was struggling on the ground. He let out a painful cry that reached the ears of his best friends. They turned towards the direction of it, wondering where that cry came from. 

“Why are you standing there?!” the youthful, energetic voice urged in frustration, “He needs help, and you are his friend! Why are you not going to help him?!” 

Diamant looked around for the source of the voice as Jade noticed his head turn the other way. 

“What is it?” she asked as he gazed at her. 

“Nothing” Diamant spoke as he tried to focus with a shake of his head, “I thought I heard the same voice from before. I can think about that later. That voice from before sounded familiar. We should check that out first” 

She kept her concerns to herself before agreeing. Hand-in-hand, they took off and found a horrifying sight before them. They found the Emblem Heroes standing around a writhing Amber cautiously. 

“Amber!” Diamant and Jade shouted as they didn’t hesitate to run towards their friend to help him. 

Luckily, the Princess stood in their path and prevented them from charging ahead in a reckless attempt to save him. 

“But that’s my friend!” Diamant shouted as he tried to urge her, “I need to help him!” 

“I understand that, but you cannot help him if you’re in that form. You do not have the power to save him” Princess reminded him curtly. 

Diamant lost the words in his throat as he could stare with Prince charging up his ring to save Amber. There must be something he could do to help them, right?! But what could that be?! 

“Avenir! Princess! Get those two away from here!” Prince shouted as he pivoted to stand between them and the writhing Amber. 

Avenir apologized to Jade before grabbing her and running away from the fight. Princess did grab Diamant’s wrist, but he refused to move. Prince glanced to him as he felt the same strange power from before with Avenir. Is it possible? 

“You and I are thinking the same thought” Marth spoke seriously, “Are you ready?” 

“Yes, I am” Prince spoke as he took a deep breath in and waited. 

He closed his eyes as Amber slowly picked up and hugged himself to keep this power from harming others. Amber trembled before staring at them. 

“Why?” his voice trembles, “Why couldn’t I help them like you helped your family? It isn’t fair!” 

He gripped his lance and without even thinking, he charged towards the Prince! Princess’s eyes were wide with worry as Diamant didn’t even hesitate to charge on ahead. In a flash of red, the Brodia brother stood between Prince and his best friend with a fiery barrier protecting him! 

“What is that?” Princess asked as she recovered and stared at the fire protecting them which blinded and knocked Amber away. 

“I knew it!” Marth and Prince confirmed with strong conviction. 

Prince opened his eyes and raised his hand upward to cast a powerful, red light to strike Diamant’s back to awaken his power of the heroes! The power flowed into his ring as Diamant closed his eyes and felt the power coursing throughout his body. As Diamant held his hand outward, he knew he was ready. 

"Emblem, Engage!" Diamant roared loudly as he held a fist in front of himself with the ring sparking before bursting into flames to cover his entire body! 

He pumped his fist into the air to then grabbing his red hair to change to orange with a single, red streak. The right hand grabbed his head to then shaking his head to make a golden crown appear on his head to hold his hair out of his vision. Fire burned his clothes to allow a blazing, red armor appear over his white shirt as he closed his eyes. He slammed his fists into each other to have a pair of black gauntlets appear. His pants changed to brown as he took a powerful step to have silver armor covering his boots. His blazing eyes opened as a single, golden hair pin was pinned to his hair. 

"Hiyah!" he roared loudly as he punched the ground to then create a sword of the earth. 

With a single punch, he broke the sword to have a curved edge. He gripped the stone handle as the rests of the fire burned to his back to create a strong, medium lengthen cape. The remaining burned his armor to give in a vibrant, red outline. 

A loud crash echoed as he slammed the blade into the ground and took a single step that scorched the earth underneath him to proclaim, "I am the Successeur. I will ensure my flames of justice will burn away the wickedness of this world!" 

“Another hero?” Princess exclaimed in disbelief as Prince only smirked. 

“I’ll save my friend. Stand back!” Successeur declared as he charged forward with the blazing sword in hand. 

Prince only nodded his head with Princess even taking a few steps back from the intense heat he gave off. With Successeur holding his blazing blade out, he was internally speaking with the voice who had been guiding him. 

“So, it was you this whole time” Diamant spoke in relief, “I must be honest, I am relieved that it is you. I thought I was going mad there for a second. I believe proper introductions will have to wait, but I should at least give you my name. I am Diamant Brodia. Who are you?” 

“Haha! I would love to get to know you more, Diamant. In a way, I have since you’ve been wearing the ring for so long” the voice spoke warmly, “My name is Roy. I am the Emblem of the Binding! I shall give you my powers and help save your friend!” 

“Thank you, Roy!” Diamant said as he prepared himself. 

Successeur stared at the pained Amber and was hesitant. That is his best friend in pain, after all. He waited to see if his best friend would strike first. Amber was struggling as he held his lance in front of himself. 

“I can’t hurt you” Amber murmured in frustration, “I need to stop this. I don’t want to bring pain! I’ve got to deal with it myself!” 

Without even realizing it, Amber lunged forward with the lance to strike at Successeur. He remained still and waited. Prince and Princess were worried about him, but they decided to remain on guard and ready to help if he needed it. Successeur waited until the last moment to grab the lance with his own hands! Amber was startled as he started into the blazing eyes of the Successeur. 

“I know you’re hurting” he spoke strongly, “And I am sorry. I should’ve done more. Mark my words, hear my vow, for I will own up to you!” 

He pulled the lance out of Amber’s hands and let it melt in his grip! He dropped the lance to let it smolder. He turned to Amber who was horrified and screamed at the sight of his lance melting before him. Successeur then threw a punch with fire bursting from his fist! Amber let out a scream as he avoided the strikes and tried his best to keep his distance from the hero! 

“Keep him from running away!” Prince shouted as he realized Amber was trying to flee. 

Princess nodded her head and ran to appear behind Amber. He was startled to see her from behind and tried to run away. Luckily, Prince rushed to his side to prevent Amber from fleeing. He screamed as he jumped and tried to flee again. 

“Please!” Amber urged them as he hugged himself in pain, “I am not myself. I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself for doing that! All you’ve done is helped others and put yourselves in danger! I can’t believe I am the one bringing you pain! I have so much! I can’t give it to you!” 

Prince and Princess were saddened by this as the Successeur rushed towards him! His sword returned to his hands! The pair of siblings were worried as they reached out to him to prevent him from doing anything reckless or regretful. However, Amber closed his eyes and prepared himself to face his end, but the sword slammed at his right side! 

“What?” Amber asked as he stared at the burning blade with sweat dripping from his face. 

He let out a yell when Successeur roughly grabbed him. The siblings held their breath as Successeur simply held his friend in front of him. 

“But you shouldn’t ever have felt the need to keep all of that to yourself” Successeur said as he only stared at Amber, “Because you have others who care about you and would want to help you. Sure, everyone is busy, but that is no reason for you to keep everything to yourself. You have friends and others who want to be there for you. So, please, don’t ever carry anything on your own” 

Amber felt the burning gaze of Successeur stare straight through him, but he did sense some familiarity to it as well. Suddenly, Amber felt exhausted as Prince took his chance to heal him. Casting a red light from his ring, the light struck Amber’s back as he finally closed his eyes and felt a warm embrace wash over him. He finally transformed back to himself and was caught in Successeur’s arms.

“He will be fine” Prince spoke in relief, “He is exhausted, but he will be fine” 

“Thank you for helping us!” Princess said in utter relief with a grin finally present on her features, “If you didn’t awaken to your powers, I am not sure what we would’ve done entirely” 

Successeur turned to them and gently placed Amber on the ground before turning his attention to the pair of siblings. 

“How could you be this reckless?” he asked seriously, “If you hesitated for any longer, what would’ve happened to him?” 

Princess felt disappointed in herself as Prince stood in front of her with a hardened expression. 

“How could you say that? We are still learning about our powers and understanding our enemies! Why would you have any right to say this? You only just unlocked your powers!” Prince defended seriously. 

“And could you use this power to protect your own family if you were in this situation again?” Successeur asked seriously, “What if you are not up to it and she gets hurt or worse?” 

Princess grew angry and snapped, “I can protect myself just fine! Also, I shouldn’t have to rely on my brother for everything! I should help him too! And I will help my brother too! Would you do the same for Alcryst?!” 

Successeur was surprised and narrowed his eyes at them, “Yes, I would” 

She clutched her fists at her sides with Prince stepping between them to speak, “Regardless of our personal beliefs, Successeur, do you even want to be a part of our team? Do you even want to join us to find the enemy and defeat them before they hurt everyone else, including your little brother and family?” 

Successeur only glared before answering firmly, “No, I wouldn’t want to join your group. I will only use this power to protect my family and friends. I have no intention of fighting your enemies when you’re this weak and cannot think through this situation” 

In a flash of fire, Successeur transformed back to himself and kneeled to pick up Amber to return to Jade. The siblings were disappointed in themselves and couldn’t ignore that Diamant was right as well. 

“Hey!” Avenir shouted as he ran to them in delight until he noticed they were disappointed, “Hey, are you both ok?” 

The pair only held crestfallen expression before explaining everything that had transpired to Avenir. As for Diamant, he sighed at his unconscious friend. 

“Diamant!” Jade shouted in relief and placed a hand over her heart, “Oh, thank Saint Elimine. I was so worried that my best friend wouldn’t be safe. Diamant, are you ok?” 

She reached out to her fiancé and placed a hand on his cheek to give it a soft caress with a concerned expression. Diamant leaned into her hand and looked over his shoulder to where the siblings stood. He shook his head before nodding his head to her. 

“No, it is nothing. Let’s take Amber to a hospital. I know everything is going to be ok” Diamant reassured her with some conviction in his voice. 

She knew something wasn’t right with him, but she promised to help him when he needed it most. For now, they walked to the hospital to take care of their friend. 

(Diamant’s POV) 

I am confident about my decision to not join their group, but Roy is unsure of it. Perhaps I should think it over some more. Even Jade is worried for me, but I cannot shake this feeling that they’re pushing me to join them. Oh? Alcryst, there’s a party! You should attend to it and make some friends! I am sure everything is going to be fine. As I spoke that sentence, I regret it immediately. I should go over to the school now to check on him. 

Chapter Text

After Diamant’s scolding, both siblings were down for the rest of the past few days. Alfred tried his best to help them to the best of his abilities. So far, it wasn’t working. He sighed in defeat as he trudged through the hallways and went to his next class.

“Maybe I need another approach to this” Alfred groaned.  

“Perhaps” Sigurd commented with a reflection in his voice, “Marth and Byleth must also be confused as well. Roy is normally agreeable, so this is Diamant’s reaction to the situation. I know Roy can find a solution to this. We will need to be patient, but seeing their moral this low is concerning. I can’t imagine Byleth is ok with this the most. We need will another approach and fast. Do you know of a way in your world that can cheer up your friends?” 

“Let me think about it” Alfred spoke in a thoughtful manner with his head tilting back and forth, “I don’t know anyone who could help us with finding a good time” 

He noticed a few people were running out of the building and decided to follow them. He blinked in surprise to see so many people cheering and shouting in excitement as they surrounded a giant bounce house that was in the form of a castle! 

“What is that?” Sigurd asked perplexed at the sight before him. 

“Oh, that’s a bouncy house. It is filled with air. Don’t worry! It is fun! It is normally used for kids. Hey! Your son might like this!” Alfred suggested, “But who did this? And how? I don’t even know how they got one here!” 

“AWOOOO! Gents and Ladies!” an excited voice shouted in delight and into a microphone, “Get ready for the party of the century!” 

Even though Sigurd was in the ring, he though his ears were ringing from the loudness of the voice and the unique cheer. 

“Because it is that time of year again!” another voice shouted in excitement but not in the same volume as his partner. 

Both spun and struck a pose before shouting together, “It is the Fogado and Pandreo Party Time!” 

The crowd of students exploded into cheers and shouts as confetti exploded from above to rain down on them. 

“Oh, I get it now” Alfred spoke in an understanding tone with a grin. 

“You understand this? Would you please explain it to me then?” Sigurd asked confused at the sight before him. 

“Huh? Oh! Sure thing! Let’s start with the one who was yelling earlier” Alfred explained as he stared at the yelling senior, “That’s Pandreo. He’s a senior and famous for his parties as well as his devotion to the Divine Dragons. You don’t often see a history major also become a priest. Oh! And he’s an older brother to Panette!” 

Pandreo was headbanging to the loud music being played around them with his orange locks flowing wildly. His orange eyes were bursting with excitement. His gray jacket was tied around his waist with his orange scarf with golden tails was loosely hanging from his neck. He has a simple orange shirt on along with a pair of simple black pants and humble sandals. 

“As for the person next to him, I believe that is Fogado. He’s a sophomore here” Alfred answered as he turned his expression to the other person, “He’s the life of the party! Actually, he has another sibling who goes here, but I don’t know who they are. I rarely spoke with them. Anyway, anyone who goes to Fogado’s parties is always sure to have a fun and relaxing time! Though, I don’t know how safe it is and all that. To be honest, I have never been to a party” 

Fogado is wearing a black shirt and pants. He has a golden bracelet hanging from his wrist with a silver ring on his other hand. He has a light, blue belt hanging from his waist. He also has a red headband tied around his head to keep his brown hair out of his face. He has a long, red scarf with gold coloring. He was wearing a dark purple shawl and a pair of sandals with golden anklets hanging around his ankles.

“So, how do you know of them then?” Sigurd asked perplexed, “If you don’t go to the parties, then how do you know so much about them?” 

“Oh! Burnet! He was a grade above them! He talked about them with us a lot. Those parties sound intense, but it did sound like a lot of fun” Alfred informed his partner as he slowly realized something, “Huh. Sigurd, have you ever had a terrible idea that could possibly work?” 

“You wouldn’t believe it if I told you, but yes, I did” Sigurd admitted as he reflected on his mistakes that cost him his life along with friends’, “But why do you ask?” 

“Because I have one!” Alfred said before turning to run to find Lueur to inform him of his idea!

Fogado smirked from the stage when he saw Alfred bolt. Perhaps this party would be the best one yet. After all, whenever the juniors were doing something, something interesting would always happen. His eyes wondered to catch the fleeing Alcryst who was trying to get away from their announcement. 

“Hey, Pandreo” Fogado asked with a growing smirk, “If I wanted to ensure everyone that this would be the best party ever, you would do everything, right?” 

“Yep! Why? You got an idea?” Pandreo asked as he turned off his microphone. 

“Yes, yes, I do” Fogado answered before jumping from the stage and making his way towards the anxiety driven Alcryst. 

Fogado expertly made his way through the crowd, followed Alcryst, and stood right beside him before leaning against the nervous junior. 

“Ah! Alcryst, right? Where are you going in such a hurry?” Fogoado asked curiously with a knowing expression on his face. 

Alcryst let out a panicked scream before answering, “F-fogado?! What are you doing here?! Why are near me of all people? You know I only bring the mood down” 

Fogado only shook his head to answer with a grin, “In disagree, my friend. I think you could use one of my parties to loosen up! Have some fun! Let loose! You cannot live your life in anxiety forever” 

“I disagree actually. Also, I am not a fan of the loud noises and too many people near me” Alcryst explained with a shake of his head, “So, excuse me if I do not wish to attend. It is not for me” 

Fogado tilted his head from side to side as he tried to think of a way to convince Alcryst to come to his party. 

“Hey! What are you doing?” a small sophomore asked seriously as she and Citrine approached them, “You’re making Alcryst nervous, so I suggest you stop making him even more nervous. Otherwise, you will have to answer to me” 

The small sophomore girl has short pink hair with bright, red eyes. She is wearing a red dress with a white shirt underneath. She has a red headband with white ribbons on the sides of her head. The dress has golden ribbons on the edges of it. She has black socks and red slippers on. Despite her appearance, she was definitely tougher than she looked. 

“Oh, please calm down, Lapis” Citirine spoke with a gentle tone, “Now, please tell us what you’re up too” 

“Only throwing the best party in the entire school!” Fogado answered with a flip of his head before wrapping an arm around Alcryst’s shoulders, “And I was only suggesting for dear Alcryst to come and take a few hours to relax! I am sure you would understand, right?” 

He hoped he could play on Citirine’s love of tea parties more than Lapis. Alcryst was trying to keep himself from panicking as Lapis only glared. 

“In a way, I actually understand” Citirine spoke with a nod of her head, “But before we say anything, we should talk to his older brother first. He’s been through a lot lately, and I cannot imagine him being ok with it entirely. He may what Alcryst back at his dorm at a certain time. So, until we receive word from Diamant, we will wait. How does that sound?” 

Fogado was a little sad that didn’t get a confirmation right away, but he was pleased he got something. He released Alcryst who rushed to stand in front of his childhood friend and cousin with an expression of relief. 

“Well, I shall await your response!” Fogado said with a bow, “See ya later!” 

Fogado turned on his feet to return to promoting his party as Alcryst groaned. He knew Citrine was going to make sure his older brother hears about the party, but he only hoped he could convince Diamant to not let him go. 

“Hey! Lueur!” Alfred shouted as he was even happier to see her with her older brother, “Alear! I’ve got an idea!” 

After Diamant’s cruel yet honest rejection, Alfred noticed their moral suffered greatly. He wanted to do something to either strengthen it or give them some relief. 

“What’s your idea?” Alear asked as Lueur didn’t bother to lift her face up from the textbook she was supposed to be reading. 

“Well, have you heard of Fogado and Pandreo?” Alfred asked as he tried his best to contain his excitement but failing to do so. 

Alear groaned a little as he reflected on his classmate, “Yes, I do know of Pandreo. He and I have taken a few history classes together. He’s very enthusiastic to say the least” 

“Oh! Good! This makes my explanation a lot easier!” Alfred spoke in relief, missing Alear’s annoyed tone, “He and Fogado are throwing the biggest, best party for the year! I thought it would be a good idea to attend and relax after everything we’ve been through!” 

Alear wasn’t too sure about this while Lueur asked curiously, “A party? I don’t think I’ve been to one in a few years. Sure, why not? I don’t have any assignments upcoming. I’ll go!” 

Her older brother was surprised to hear this as she shrugged. 

“I won’t get into any trouble, and I think Alfred is right. A party sounds like a lot of fun! But if you don’t think I should go, then I won’t” 

Well, he was grateful she thought about him. He shook his head and ruffled her hair. 

“No, you can go. You’re my little sister, but I know you can handle yourself. Also, you won’t be alone either. Just don’t do anything too reckless nor dangerous is all I ask of you” Alear spoke honestly and added, “And I’ll tell Vander myself. Can’t have him worry over you” 

She thanked him in delight as Alfred sighed in relief. He vowed to make sure this party was the best one yet!

“You believe I was too hard and honest with them, don’t you, Roy?” Diamant asked seriously as his eyes were closed and spoke with Roy. 

After saving Amber and returning home, Diamant finally got acquainted with Roy. 

Roy is a young boy who couldn’t be older than Lapis. He had short, red hair and pair bright, azure eyes. He has a blue headband wrapped around his head to keep his hair from covering his eyes. He wore an elegant blue cape with red on the inside. Blue armor covered his chest with a deep, blue shirt underneath. He wore white pants and blue boots with armor over it. He has a pair of blue gloves on with the sword at his side. 

“While I don’t disagree with what you said, I also don’t think you shouldn’t have left them” Roy spoke as he found Diamant similar to Lord Hector, “After all, we are supposed to work together and protect this world while finding the true enemy behind this” 

“I know, but they were reckless and could’ve put themselves in harm’s way. The way they handled Amber’s rescue is appalling to say the least” Diamant commented with annoyance in his voice, “How could I even begin to work with them if that is their best?” 

Roy shook his head to point out, “Well, you could help them? How does that sound? Instead of being so stubborn and not listening to others, you could extend the hand to help them” 

Roy didn’t want Diamant to suffer the same, stubborn fate as Lord Hector. Right now, Roy was trying to convince Diamant to find the Emblem Heroes and join with them. After all, the emblems are present and must be united to bring peace to their world. 

“Unless they improve, I will not give them my strength” Diamant countered, “Why would you give someone who cannot control the power they have more? That is a disaster waiting to happen” 

Roy was growing frustrated with him and spoke in a deathly serious tone, “But what if you’re too late? What if you joined after something terrible happens? Could you live with that? Can you live with that idea that you could’ve prevented it if you only joined sooner?” 

It frightened Diamant how serious and reflective Roy was with him. What happened to him to make Roy reflect on this? 

Diamant calmly replied as best as he could, “I understand, Roy. I will make this vow to you. I will not be late. I will join when the time is right. When that time comes, please give me all your strength to ensure such a tragedy does not happen here” 

Diamant hoped his resolve was strong enough to face Roy. 

The young lion breathed out and said with equal if not stronger conviction, “Very well. I will hold you to that, Diamant. I will give you my power to ensure a tragedy doesn’t befall you and your friends” 

Breathing out a sigh of relief, Diamant recovered and opened his eyes to return to his paperwork. However, he heard familiar anxious footsteps approaching and gazed up at the clear doors to see his little brother rushing to him with his father, Amber, and his cousin. 

“What happened now?” Diamant wondered as the doors burst open with them, “Do I even want to know what is going on?” 

“Yes!” Alcryst shouted, “Diamant, I know I am nothing like you, but please don’t make me go!” 

“Go where?” Diamant asked confused as their father pulled Alcryst to Citrine’s side. 

“There is a party going to happen at our school” Citrine explained with a laugh, “And Alcryst was invited to go if he wished to. Though, I did suggest he talk it over with you before making any promises” 

Diamant was relieved that she at least thought of that. A party? That doesn’t sound like a terrible idea, but he also knows his little brother is nervous and scared around anything. Could he handle it? 

“If you want my input” Roy spoke to Diamant, “I think you should let your younger brother go” 

“Really? And why do you think that?” he asked his emblem with a curious expression. 

“Well, I don’t think he’s going to last long if he’s always this nervous. He is going to collapse at this rate from the idea of one” Roy pointed out as Diamant groaned at Roy’s input. 

Roy wasn’t wrong about his little brother’s anxious state. Alcryst did need to learn how to socialize and interact with others at the very least. 

“It doesn’t have to be for long” Roy added in a fun tone, “He could go for a few hours and then come back home. It is easy really! How did you not think of this?” 

Diamant wasn’t sure if he was ever going to get used to Roy’s input, but Roy did have a point. With a sigh, Diamant made up his mind. 

“Alcryst” he spoke to gain everyone’s attention in the room and stood up from his seat as well, “I think you should go for some of it. Not all of it, but just some of it” 

Diamant knew his little brother was whimpering at the idea, but Diamant placed a hand on his hair to ruffle it in affection. 

“I know you don’t enjoy these activities, but I also know you need to learn how to socialize with others” Diamant spoke softly, “I only want you to speak with someone and have some time with others. After 2 hours, you can return to your dorm. Is that alright?” 

His little brother sighed, but he answered, “Alright, but only because you say so, Diamant. That, and I don’t have to stay for too long” 

Diamant was satisfied and proud of his little brother, but he wanted to make sure his little brother did complete his task. 

“I would like a photo of the person you spoke with. You also have to be in the photo” Diamant added with Alcryst groaning. 

Citrine only laughed before leaning against the little brother in an affectionate manner. 

She wrapped an arm around his to answer warmly, “I’ll take the photo for him! Oh, Alcryst, we are going to have so much fun! I cannot wait!” 

He groaned even more as she pulled him along to help him prepare for it. Diamant only smiled with his father laughing and Amber sighing in relief. 

“Not a bad idea, my son!” his father boomed with a slap on Diamant’s shoulder, “He’s going to have a great time and make some friends! I am sure this will be a party to remember!” 

Diamant hoped that was the case and internally wondered if Roy felt the same way. Roy remained quiet, but he did have an uneasy feeling about this party. Roy also chuckled at the brothers’ relationship, reminding him of Lilina’s relationship with her own father. Regardless, Roy prepared himself for anything and hoped Alcryst would keep himself safe. 

“You’re going to a party?!” Céline asked in utter disbelief as Alfred nodded his head excitedly. 

“Yes! It is going to be so much fun!” Alfred answered with a cheer, “And don’t worry! I won’t be going alone! Lueur is coming with me!” 

That didn’t reassure his little sister at all. If anything, that only made her worry even more. Lately, whenever Alfred was with either sibling, trouble always happened. Céline knows her brother is old enough to be by himself and be with friends, but she doesn’t want him to be hurt any more. 

“Well, I shall accompany you then!” she declared as Alfred simply shook his head. 

“Oh, uh, don’t take this the wrong way, Céline, but you should stay home” Alfred explained with a serious expression, “I am trying to cheer up my friends. They’ve been hurt pretty bad, so I am hoping this party will cheer them up, even a little. I can’t help them if I am supposed to spend time with you. Also, we should do an activity together. That way, it will be even more enjoyable and memorable!” 

He was happier as he finished his sentence, but Céline sighed in defeat. There was no changing her brother’s mind now. She relinquished him who turned to run straight to the party at a fast pace. She hoped he knew what he was doing. 

“So, you’re going to a school party with some friends? Vander asked with a brow raised and arms crossed as he face the siblings. 

“Just me!” Lueur said as she bounced on her feet, “I want to experience one! Don’t worry, I won’t do anything reckless nor stay up too late” 

Vander was happy that she was excited to go, but he didn’t want her outside so late. With all these attacks happening lately, he didn’t think it would be wise for her to be on her own at night. Sure, she did learn some boxing skills and she’s not dumb. If anything, she can be too serious at times. 

“And why are you not attending?” Vander asked Alear curiously. 

“Because I have some studying I need to do” Alear answered as he tapped his finger on the small stack of books, “My job and school requires me to do some research, so I need to do some reading” 

Well, Vander could understand that. He sighed and knew what he was going to do. 

“Alright, you can go, Lueur. However, I want you home between 10 and 11 PM. Do I make myself clear?” he asked in a rare serious voice. 

“Yes! Thank you, Vander!” she shouted in utter relief and joy before embracing her caretaker. 

He laughed and returned the hug as well. He rarely smiled, but he was delighted to help her. Alear found it sweet too before turning his attention to the books before him. 

“What are you reading?” Marth asked intrigued. 

“I wanted to find out more about the Sage and the Emblem he is using to fight” Alear informed Marth, “I also picked up a book on Roy. Something tells me that there is a deeper connection than we realized. Even if I am wrong, I would like to be prepared” 

“Then, please let me help you” Marth offered with a grin, “I can offer you some insight on both. Roy and I have teamed up on more than one occasion. As for the Sage, I believe he is from the same time as mine. The magic he casts is familiar to me. Merric would know about it, but I am sure I can help” 

“Thank you, Marth. I will need it” Alear spoke as he picked up the first book and began to read it. 

As for Fogado, he was preparing for his party with help from Pandreo and Burnet as well as his older sister, Timerra. The venue Fogado was the school’s business building’s patio and top floor. Right now, he let Burnet handled the food which would be indoors. Pandreo was selecting the music and fixing up the DJ stand. Fogado was preparing the patio. 

“Ok, so we can have a few tables there. A drinking table right here” Fogado said as he examined the area around him closely. 

“Hey! If it isn’t my favorite sibby!” his big sister’s voice shouted from behind with a wave, “So, how’s the party coming along? You better have some delicious meat! I don’t mind the fresh greens here and there, but I gotta have some meat!” 

“Almost there, Timerra!” Fogado answered as he turned around to greet her, “And last I checked, I was your only sibby. Still, thanks for taking time out of your schedule to come and help me out. Being known as the best party thrower in the school is a lot to live up to!” 

He only received a laugh as she rushed to embrace him in a warm hug. 

Timerra has her brown hair tied into a ponytail hanging from the left side of her head. She is wearing a blue shirt with yellow and pink flowers near the neckline as a black bra was underneath it. She has a golden necklace hanging from her neck. She has a white garb hanging from her waist with a colorful skirt with pink, blue, orange, and yellow flowers. She has a beat belt with blue, pink, orange, and yellow beads hanging from it. Underneath her skirt is a pair of blue shorts. She has a bright, golden ring on her finger with a blue gemstone on it. She has a pair of black, high heel slippers on. 

“Hey! I would do anything for my sibby! Sorry I’ve been busy lately, but you know how school and life can get” she spoke in a friendly manner. 

He waved her off and understood, “It’s ok. I know you’re just as busy, Timerra. Anyway, I need some help with the decorations. You know, streamers and balloons and all that. Think you can help with that?” 

She visibly vibrated with a delighted answer, “Of course! Leave everything to me!” 

With a pivot, she rushed to closet and held her phone. Fogado knew he could count her for anything. With that, he decided to check on Pandreo and Burnet. 

“Hey! Pandreo! Everything going ok?” Fogado asked as he turned to Pandreo who was still fixing up the DJ stand and speakers. 

“Yep! Soon enough, everyone will hear AWWWWWOOOO! Throughout the event! Who’s ready to party in the name of the Divine Dragon?!” he shouted with a raised fist as Fogado only laughed. 

Pandreo sat up from the DJ stand and noticed his best pal was a little shaken. 

“Is everything ok? Something on your mind?” Pandreo asked curiously. 

He knew his close friend better than anyone except for his sister. He sat up and gestured for Fogado to sit with him. 

Fogado only shook his head and confessed, “Everything has been kind of crazy lately. I know the students and people are restless and on edge because of it too. I was hoping I could use this party to relax them. I hope they won’t be too upset with me. And by they, I do mean the teachers and partners. I can’t imagine they would be fine with me doing this” 

He winked as Pandreo only laughed. Fogado was surprised to see him laughing before he shook his head at him. 

“You always worry about everyone else instead of yourself. You should worry about yourself too, you know. I am also sure that everyone will enjoy your party and make sure it is a fun time. Everyone needs a break and have some fun. So, I think it will do us some good” Pandreo reassured him with a grin.

Fogado instantly felt relief and thanked his close friend for his support. They heard the elevator ding as they turned their attention to see Griss pushing a cart of fresh vegetables and fruits. 

“Out of my way!” Burnet spoke as he pushed right pass Fogado, “Ah, Griss! There you are! Please bring the food with me! I have many dishes to prepare and little time to talk!” 

Griss groaned at them before pushing the cart after Burnet. 

“Are you sure you can handle this, Burnet?” Fogado called after him with a laugh. 

“Yes, yes!” Burnet spoke with a shake of his head, “I will have everything ready before the party! I need to simply concentrate and work my magic!” 

Fogado and Pandreo only laughed as he rolled his eyes at the duo. He motioned for Griss to follow him into the kitchen and directed him to place the ingredients before pulling out his own notebook filled with many recipes. 

“Honestly, preparing Solm dishes in this college filled with diverse tastes. This will not be an easy task, but I will take it!” Burnet stated with drive in his voice as Griss groaned. 

He glanced around to look at the party and wondered if he could add his own fun to it. 

“When shall we make our debut at a party?” Jedah asked excitedly with venom dripping in his voice.

“Yeah, I think we will. I have a wonderful idea of when” Griss answered with a grin as he decided to help with preparing for the party to be finished sooner than later. 

In about three hours, students poured into the room and were partying loudly! They were shouting, singing, on their phones, enjoying their food, and having a grand time! Pandreo was standing behind the DJ stand and was shouting and singing. Burnet was in the back and gave his delicious food and drinks to the students. Fogado and Timerra were walking around the party, sharing smiles, singing, and dancing with each other and the students. 

The lights were low, but they had spotlights of blue, orange, yellow, and pink shining brightly. The speakers were so loud that the room shook. Luckily, there was no trash on the floors and people were genuinely enjoying the night. Some were even outside and enjoying the stars and the night sky. 

“See? I told you that the parties you threw are the best and amazing! Everyone is having a fun time!” Timerra shouted in delight as she jumped to hug her younger brother from behind. 

“Thanks, Sibby” Fogado replied warmly, but he kept his eyes out for the guests of honor.

He was curiously about his hunch and wanted to know if it was correct. The elevator’s light shined as an annoyed Lapis, joyful Citrine, and nervous Alcryst stepped out of it to enter the loud party. Alcryst covered his ears to lessen the loudness of the music, but it wasn’t working. 

“Come now!” Citrine spoke in an excited manner, “We must find the perfect person for my cousin to speak with!” 

She eagerly rushed into the party with Lapis shaking her head. 

“We are doing this for Alcryst! Come back here!” she shouted in a frustrated manner before running after her. 

Both forgot him as he decided to shuffle towards the patio to hopefully enjoy the quieter atmosphere of the outside than the inside. 

Fogado only grinned and was ready to tease him until the elevator’s light shined again. This time, Lueur and Alfred stepped out. Alfred was practically vibrating in place while Lueur’s eyes were wide. Everything was so different to them! 

“Ah, are parties always this loud in this time?” Byleth asked curiously. 

“I suppose so! This is exciting! What were parties like for you?” Lueur asked as she and Alfred walked through the crowd and listened to the loud music being played. 

“It was more of a ball with some less form of traditions” Byleth answered as he happily reflected on it, “We would dance and enjoy food as well as hold conversations amongst ourselves. This is similar, but much louder than I am used to” 

“I figured as much” Lueur spoke with a knowing tone. 

Alfred began to dance with everyone as he turned to see the food being served was from his farm! He rushed to grab himself a plate to enjoy and even greeted Burnet. 

“How are you doing? It must be so nice to be with your close friends again” Alfred spoke with delight as he had a plate of his veggie salad with sliced pieces of meat. 

“I must confess, it is rather nice to be with them again” Burnet answered with a grin, “It isn’t every day that we are together. I am thankful for these moments. I know you and the others will experience this too, so I trust that everything will be fine” 

Alfred noticed how happy Burnet was and knew he could learn that lesson too. He happily ate his salad until he noticed Griss. 

“Oh! Griss! I didn’t know you were here!” Alfred greeted as he ran to speak with him, “How are you? Are you enjoying the party too?! We should throw a party!” 

Griss grimaced at Alfred before replying in a snarky tone, “Nah, this is kind of boring. Also, no, we should not throw one. It will be dull and get in the way of work. I need to make money and all that” 

He turned away from Alfred, but his eye did catch the ring on Alfred’s finger. 

Jedah was interested in that ring as he spoke, “Ask about the ring” 

“Why? His rich mother probably got him that or something” Griss commented unamused at the sight of it. 

“If that is one of the Emblems, then you’ll be thinking overwise” Jedah said as he let his magic leak from Griss’ hands to examine the ring in question. 

Although Griss was reluctant to even speak with the boy, he asked, “So, besides the party, what else are you doing?” 

“Oh! I want to help my friends” Alfred spoke excitedly, “They’ve been through a lot lately, so I hope that this will make up for it too. Also, it is important to have fun and enjoy life too! I wanted to do that is all” 

Griss rolled his eyes before commenting, “Is that all? Don’t you have ambitions or wanting to do something else? Is it all just for your friends and family? Honestly, that’s a little sad. Sure, you should care about them, but come on. You can do more than that, right?” 

Alfred was surprised to hear this and let Griss’ words sink in. It is true that he is being there for his friends and family. He already knows that he is set to inherit the company too. He was already training very hard and ensuring his health is safe. Besides that, Alfred didn’t think about doing anything else. Should he have done more? What else could he do?

Griss only smirked when he realized he caught him. Jedah was even surprised with how easy it was to shut down the young man. Regardless, both continued to use their magic and reach out to the ring. Unaware of their attempts, Alfred began to worry. As for Sigurd, he sensed this darkness and reached out to Alfred urgently. 

“It is not the time for you to be in a panic! Alfred! Wake up!” Sigurd urged as the darkness was reaching them. 

Sigurd was worried as he couldn’t reach out to the panicked Alfred. He hoped his light would be strong enough to at least protect his holder. As the darkness closed in on the duo, Alfred felt a strong and warm hand on his shoulder. 

“Aw, I wouldn’t worry about him so much! He’s still young! He’s got a lot of time to think about that!” Timerra’s joyful voice rang out as she gave Alfred a side hug, “And hey, if he’s fine with helping others and doing his own thing, then he has nothing to worry about if you ask me!” 

The darkness that surrounded the duo seemed to have disappeared in a strong, warm grip. Sigurd recognized this and stared at Timerra. He knew no one without an emblem could achieve such a thing and searched her to see a familiar strong ring on her finger. His blue eyes were wide with realization as he wanted to speak with his holder urgently. 

“Come on!” Timerra spoke in delight as she safely and strongly pulled Alfred away from Griss, “We are at a party! Let’s live it up!” 

Alfred slowly nodded his head as he let Timerra take him away and give him some comfort and relief. As for Griss, he wanted to use his magic to strike her for ruining his plans, but Jedah was against it. 

“Huh? Why now?” Griss asked in a snarky tone. 

“Because that confirmed my theory” Jedah answered with a malicious grin, “And now, I have one more theory to test. Oh, this party will definitely be one to remember! Come! We must prepare ourselves for our grand debut!” 

Griss decided to trust him and left to find a place to transform in peace. As for Timerra, she could still feel the anxiousness in Alfred and went to get him some pop and fruit. She had him sit down and joined him with the drink and fruit in hand. 

“Drink and eat up!” she reassured him with a grin, “After all, you should enjoy life and everything it has to offer! So, have it! Also, I wouldn’t worry so much about that. I am in the same situation as you really. Right, I never gave you my name. I’m Timerra!” 

Alfred took a sip of the drink and bite some of the fruit. He was surprised to hear that she leaned back with a pat on his shoulder. 

“So, don’t you worry! We’re going to figure this out together! For now, enjoy the party!” she said without a care in the world which gave Alfred more relief than he thought. 

As for Alcryst, he was grateful the patio was vacant. He went to the edge and sighed as he gazed at the night sky and the stars. He held a depressing expression as he wondered why he couldn’t be more like his older brother and father. 

“Did you have to leave me alone, mother?” he whispered in defeat, “I know it wasn’t your fault, but I am nothing like them. I am more like you. I wished you were here to help me. I don’t know what to do anymore” 

He slumped against the metal railing with his eyes closed. Lueur wandered around the party and noticed Alcryst was standing outside by himself. She wondered why he was alone and decided to go outside and check on him. 

She opened the doors and shouted in delight, “Hey Alcryst! I didn’t know you would be here!” 

He nearly tripped and fell over the railing before turning to her in a flustered manner. 

“L-lueur?! What are you doing here?!” he exclaimed as he tried to hide his blushing face from her. 

She only giggled at him before holding a small smile. Alcryst slowly relaxed before smiling and relaxing with her. 

“Well, I’ve actually never been to a party before” she confessed before gazing at the night sky, “But I don’t know how to behave in one either, so I decided to step outside and saw you! What about you? What are you doing here?” 

“W-well, I didn’t want to go, but my big brother insisted that I do go and try to talk to someone” Alcryst answered, “I am not good with speaking with others, so this was supposed to help me with that. I haven’t found anyone to talk with though” 

He heard her laugh as he gazed at her. 

“Silly, you’re talking to me” she pointed out as he blinked and face flushed, “So, that counts if you ask me!” 

He stared at her with wide eyes and sighed in admiration. How did he even befriend a wonderful lady like her? She was right and enjoyed her company as they chatted and gazed at the stars. 

“Are we still waiting? When can we finally do something?!” Griss asked annoyed as he leaned against the bathroom walls. 

“Yes, we should make our entrance. I recommend standing on that music stand of theirs” Jedah informed him with his magic flowing into his body, “Now!” 

With a snap of his fingers, Griss teleported in a flash of a dark green light while transforming to strike the lights and focus on himself! The crowd of students shouted and screamed at the sight of the Sage standing before them and on top of the DJ stand. Pandreo let out a yelp as he scurried away with a terrified expression. 

“The Sage?!” one student exclaimed in fear. 

Another shouted, “What is he doing here? What does he want with us?” 

They were panicked as Sage searched the crowd for Alfred and Timerra. When he didn’t see them, he simply shrugged and clapped his hands to have darkness spread from him to the floor. The students screamed before jumping away from it. 

“What is he going to do with us?” another spoke in fear. 

“Oh? You want to know what I am going to do?” Sage laughed with his head thrown back in utter insanity before swinging his head forward to shout, “I plan to take the Emblems and dispose of anyone in my way!” 

With that, he flicked his arms to have the darkness shoot straight up and destroy the ceiling! The students screamed in fear and began to flee as Alfred heard their yells. 

“I have to do something!” he shouted until he realized Timerra was still with him, but she was readying herself to join in on the fighting. 

“Hm?” she asked as she raised a brow at him, “Oh, don’t mind me! You should totally get out there! Something tells me everything is going to be just fine!” 

He was perplexed while Sigurd decided to keep an eye on her for now. Alfred was more worried about her, but she only shook her head at him. 

“Nah, don’t worry about me” she said with another wave of her head, “I’ve got everything under control here. Everything is going to be ok! That’s a promise from me to you!” 

Alfred didn’t understand it, but he felt utter joy and relief from her. 

“Thank you, Timerra” Alfred spoke in relief before running towards the fight. 

“Sigurd! Are you ready? I will need your strength and support for this!” Alfred shouted determinedly with ring glowing a green light. 

“My lance, sword, and powers are at your command! I shall give you my support, Alfred!” Sigurd vowed as they transformed with the lance in Avenir’s hands. 

Timerra only had her hands behind her head before bouncing on her feet with the students trying to flee from the fight. 

“Are you ready?” a strong, rough voice spoke from her ring. 

“Yeah, I can’t really hide from them now. I hope they’ll welcome me with open arms and all that!” she replied with a knowing tone, “As for you, I can definitely feel your fire burning. How long have you been waiting for this, Ike?” 

There was silence between them as she only laughed at his answer. 

“Alright, alright” she spoke with a grin, “I get it. Oh, and thanks for picking up on that darkness. I wouldn’t have seen it, that’s for sure. How did you see it?” 

“My partner was good with magic like that” Ike answered simply “I kept an eye on his skills and used it to analyze mages whenever I fight. I can’t hold myself well against them, but if I can do something to combat them, that’ll be enough. Now, enough chatting. Let’s get to work” 

“Right, right. Oh! I’ve got the perfect entrance!” she said excitedly before running up the stairs and to the roof. 

Avenir ran through the crowd at such high speed and lunged his lance right at Sage’s chest. Sage only snarled with his tongue out to have a barrier appear between him and the Emblem Hero. 

“Oh? And do you think you can handle me all by yourself?” Sage mocked with licking his lips and leaning uncomfortable close to him, “You don’t have those siblings to back you up! This is not going to end well!” 

Avenir waivered as he replied as strongly as he could, “It doesn’t matter if they are not with me physically! I know they’re with me! We are friends! And my friends are going to be with me until the end!” 

His lance grew a brighter green light as Sage, Jedah, and Sigurd were surprised by it. That light was not normal and growing stronger! 

“Break the lance! Strike him back! Do anything you must to ensure that power doesn’t build!” Jedah urged Sage. 

“You don’t think I don’t know that, old man!” Sage exclaimed before gathering fire in his hands and gripping the lance with it. 

The fire in his hands spread throughout the lance. Avenir let it go to prevent himself from being burnt. He had vines grow between him and Sage before running back to recover and regain his lance. He searched for anyone who could help him, but he only heard Sage growling in frustration. 

“Run, run, and run! I’ll find you and burn you to a crisp!” Sage roared before waving his hands downward to unleash a powerful wave of fire that threaten to consume the vines and everyone who dared to come near it! 

He gasped as he continued to run only to hear someone shouting for help. He turned his head to see Citirine panicking and trying to flee, so Avenir ran faster before jumping to swiftly land behind her to grab her and run away from the fire and to the emergency staircase. He gently put her down and sighed in relief that she wasn’t hurt. 

“Thank you, thank you, but I don’t know if my cousin and best friend made it out” she spoke as she tried to calm herself down. 

Avenir nodded his head in understanding and asked gently, “Ok, what are their names? I’ll go back and find them! Promise!” 

She was even more relieved to hear this and informed him that she was missing Lapis and Alcryst. Avenir took a bow and departed with the resolve to find her friends. As for Citirine, she believed it would be best if she called for Diamant to come and pick them up. After a night like this, she knew Alcryst would want to have a nice, relaxing evening at home. She placed the phone to her ear and waited for Diamant to speak. 

While the party was happening, Diamant was going over the recent business items and other important bills before giving himself a chance to rest. Roy was reading the items in question while asking questions about it since this was new to him. It wasn’t so bad for a night alone. He was sitting in his family’s mansion and enjoying tea and some snacks as he read the items. With a buzz of his phone, the heir turned to it and was surprised to see his cousin calling him. 

Unlocking the phone and placing it on speaker, he asked calmly, “Hello Citrine, how are you? How goes the party?” 

He expected her cheerful reply, but he was met with one of fear and worry, “Pretty bad. Someone is attacking, and I’ve lost Alcryst and Lapis. Luckily, an Emblem Hero is here, but there is only one. I don’t know how long he’s going to hold out for!” 

Diamant’s blood ran cold as Roy tried to not snap at him for waiting so long. 

The heir stood up and said as calmly as he could, “Hang in there, Citirine. I know they will find him and Lapis. Everything is going to be fine! I’ll be there soon!” 

He turned his phone off, grabbed his keys, got in his car, and drove as fast as he could to the school. Roy was quiet throughout the drive, but Diamant could feel his protective fire burning strongly. Ignoring the speed limit, Diamant drove as fast as he could to the party, but he wasn’t the only one who would be driving to the school. 

Lueur and Alcryst heard screaming and clamoring as they turned to the patio’s entrance and found the students charging towards them! Lueur tried to grab Alcryst’s arm, but she was pushed away from him by Lapis and a few other panicked students! 

“L-lueur!?” Alcryst shouted as he tried to find her only to have Lapis grab his arm and pull him away from the panicked crowd. 

Lueur groaned before turning her attention to see Avenir avoiding Sage’s magic. She had to help her friend! 

“Byleth!” Lueur shouted as he replied with the same intensity, “Understood!” 

She transformed into her heroine form before crashing through the doors with her fists glowing a golden light. She drew her fist back before delivering a powerful punch to Sage’s face! He was knocked away from a tired Avenir who was exhausted. 

“Hey, are you ok?” she asked before standing between him and the recovering Sage. 

“I’ve been better. I’m sorry about this” Avenir spoke in a tired manner. 

She held her hand out to him, but Sage threw his dark sphere towards them! Avenir pulled himself back as Princess jumped back. Sage focused his attention to her with darkness swirling in his hands. 

“Avenir! We need help!” she shouted urgently before blocking the magical strikes from them. 

He let out a wicked laugh delivering strike after strike against her arms. Avenir weakly stood up and nodded before reaching his phone to text her brother. She was momentarily distracted as Sage grabbed her wrists and threw her towards Avenir! She crashed on top of him as he sent the message with Sage towering them. 

“I was so hoping for a longer fight” Sage spoke with disappointment before grinning madly, “But that doesn’t matter! I’ll take your Emblems and gain the power of it for myself to do whatever I want!” 

As both were recovering, a lance fell between them! They were surprised to see it as Princess only looked at Avenir. 

“That was not me” Avenir spoke in a spooked manner. 

“Of course, it wasn’t you silly!” a happy voice spoke in delight before jumping from the lights and landing right behind the lance to effortlessly pick it up before pointing it at Sage, “Sorry about taking my time to show myself, but I am sure you heard of me at least!” 

Princess spoke in disbelief, “You’re the Picket!” 

She has her brown hair tied in a ponytail that is held in a ponytail with many colorful spheres such as blue, yellow, pink, and orange. Dark green stars were pinned into her hair to keep it out of her face. She has a pink and white top with golden necklaces hanging from her neck and arms. She has black shorts with a beautiful, color skirt with white, pink, white, and blue colors washing over it. There are similar spheres on her wrists with dark blue gauntlets on her hands. There is another dark, blue armor pad on her left shoulder. She has the same spheres around her ankles and with strong, black high heels. 

“So, you’re the one who decided to ruin a fun party” she spoke before tossing the lance in her hands effortlessly, “Well, I’ll just have to teach you a lesson!” 

With that, she lunged forward and swung her lance at him with an easy swing! Sage raised his hands upward to create a barrier only to have her effortlessly shatter it! He gasped before she swung the lance over and over to strike his barriers over and over.

“Wow, she’s powerful” Avenir spoke in admiration as Princess picked herself up. 

She held him stand and watched over Picket who continued to fight Sage without resistant! She let out a laugh before hopping with the lance raised above her head before delivering a powerful strike that Sage barely avoided. Her attack struck the floor with all her might and began to break it! 

“Uh, oh. I kind of forget how strong I am times. Whoops” she spoke as Avenir and Princess realized the students were in danger! 

“Get the students out of here!” Avenir shouted as he ran to grab a few hanging out at the staircase to carry them out of the building. 

Picket pointed her lance at Sage and nodded her head to Princess. She turned to help the others as Picket decided to keep Sage from fleeing. 

“Oh?” Sage asked with interest and raised brow, “Do you plan to perish here with me?” 

“Nah!” Picket answered with confidence, “I don’t plan to die here, because I have so much to live for!”

She charged at him again with her lance spinning her hands to deliver strike after strike. 

“How much trouble can your sister get into?” Marth asked in an incredulous tone.

“I don’t know!” Alear answered urgently as he was running as fast as he could to the building, “I would point out that before we met you, we didn’t get into trouble like this!”

Marth let Alear have this until he sensed Roy’s presence nearby along with Sigurd and Byleth, but there was another presence Marth felt. A good presence that belonged to his friend. He decided it would be best if he didn’t speak on it until after this. 

“ALEAR!” Diamant’s strong voice shouted as both older brothers met up with each other, “What is happening?!” 

“I don’t know” Alear confessed before reaching his phone out to hand to the heir, “I was doing some research when I received a text from Alfred. I have no idea what happened, but I will get in there and ensure they’re safe!” 

His ring flashed a red light to transform him. Without hesitating, Prince ran towards the building as Diamant only ran after him. He only prayed that his little brother was safe in there, somewhere. 

Go to a college party, they said. It will be fun, they said! Never again! Alcryst will never be talked into this again! He was pushed around on the balcony of the building and let out a scream when the balcony began to crumble! It crumbled under his feet as he fell. He whimpered as he shut his eyes and wondered if this was the end for him. He felt the balcony give away and couldn't scream anymore. 

Diamant rushed to the outskirts of the breaking building and helped any of the students that were in a panic and trying to flee. Princess landed before him as she placed Lapis on the ground gently who was soon being tended to by Diamant. He gazed up as Princess stared at him to seeing his little brother trapped!

"ALCRYST!" Diamant shouted as Princess quickly taking action by transforming her gauntlets into a sword, threw herself upward, and grabbed Alcryst’s waist! 

Alcryst gasped as he opened his eyes to see his savior. She has beautiful, mint green hair and bright, red eyes. She was wielding a sword that was able to latch onto the roof and swing themselves to the ground. She tossed him in the air and then caught him bridal style as he shut his eyes again. 

She was relieved she caught the quiet, sweet boy in her class before he fell to his death. She could feel him shaking in her arms, so she tried to be steady and give him some comfort. She noticed his eyes closed and red expression and worried about his well-being. 

"Are you ok?" her angelic voice asked with concern as she gazed at him. 

He slowly opened his eyes and stared at her soft yet concerned expression. If he was correct, this was one of the Emblem Heroes! And if he was also right, this one was the Princess! His face obviously warmed up at her as he began to stutter. She tilted her head to the side as he wasn't responding. She checked for any wounds and did her best to reassure him and his safety. 

He knew he had to respond, so he responded with the only constant phrase he heard throughout the whole party, "AWWROOO!" 

She blinked as he quickly covered his mouth with embarrassment flushing throughout his body. She recognized the familiar phrase and laughed! She found it cute and carefully set him down as he nervously gazed at her. Alcryst wished to disappear from the world and didn't even bother to look at her. She knew he was embarrassed and scared, so she let it go. 

"Don't worry anymore" she reassured him with a calming grin, "I'll handle this with my friends. Please stay safe!" 

She pivoted back to the fight with the sword at her side. Alcryst only stared in awe as he felt his cheeks rise in heat. He was enchanted that he didn't realize his big brother drove from their home to check up on him. 

"ALYCRST!" Diamant shouted in relief before embracing his little brother, "Are you ok? 

"Pretty" Alcryst whispered, confusing his older brother, "She, the Princess, she's so pretty. AND SHE SAVE MY DISAPPOINTING LIFE!" 

Diamant let his brother hug his chest as he awkwardly patted his back while Alcryst let out a whimper of disappointment and fluster. Diamant would have to help his little brother through that, but he had to leave him with Lapis. 

“Look after each other” Diamant ordered seriously as he did well to hide the burning, building rage inside of him, “I’ll be back and ensure everyone else is safe” 

Alcryst stared at his big brother in awe with Lapis wrapping her arms around Alcryst with a firm nod of promising to keep him safe. Diamant only took a nod and then ran into the building with flames consuming him to transform. 

Roy spoke in a determined and friendly tone, “And I knew you would return to help them!” 

“I suppose that was inevitable” Successeur replied with a serious nod of his head, “Now, let’s pick up their slack and ensure the rest are safe and bring our foe to defeat!” 

Prince ran and carried a few students away from the breaking part of the building as he noticed Successeur was running towards the top floor with flames burning away the darkness. Prince sighed in relief as he saw him rushing to help others and defeat their foe. 

“I knew Roy would do something about him!” Marth said with a grin as Prince was feeling the relief throughout his body. 

“Yes, but I do hope they’ll be able to handle whatever foe is causing this. This power is unbelievable! If this is the Sage, then how did he get stronger?” Prince wondered with concern before he caught Fogado trying to help Pandreo with escaping from the building. 

Prince took a running start, jumping, pivoting, and gliding across the floor to reach both. He grabbed their arms and twirled to run with them barely above the ground! Prince then threw Fogado on his back while carrying Pandreo in his arms when he noticed the side of the building was giving away! Prince turned to see the staircase give away except for the railing. Well, this is not the worst idea he has ever had, and he also knew Fogado would enjoy it. 

“That is a terrible idea” Marth spoke up as the building began to shake violently. 

“And we have no choice! Let’s do this!” Prince shouted before jumping on the rail and grinding on it! 

“AWWROOO!” Pandreo shouted in delight and fright at the wind flowing through his hair. 

Fogado enjoyed the rush it gave him as he stared at the fast-moving world around him. He enjoyed it as he closed his eyes and let out a hearty cheer of his own. Prince was relieved that they weren’t afraid, but once they were close to the first floor, he jumped and landed on his feet before sighing. He gently placed Pandreo on the ground as Fogado hopped off him. 

“Thank you so much, Divine One!” Pandreo spoke as he grabbed Prince’s hands and held bright eyes of admiration, “You’re just as amazing as the scriptures claimed to be! I promise to spread your word to the good people of Elyos!” 

Prince let out a nervous laugh and simply smiled while Fogado said with relief, “Thank you for the save. I don’t know what we would’ve done without you, Divine One. Appreciate it” 

Before Prince could speak, Burnet rushed over to them and pulled Pandreo away from Prince while checking over Fogado. 

“I am relieved that the both of you are unharmed! Thank you again, Prince! Though, I must say, I didn’t expect the great Picket to be working for you as well, but that does explain a lot. Anyway, thank you again! As for you two, you are coming with me!” Burnet scolded as a crying Pandreo and delighted Fogado left with him. 

Prince only nodded his head before double checking to make sure no other students were present before turning his attention up. He also had to process the new bit of information that he was given. He didn’t expect Picket to be here! 

“But then how did their emblem awaken?” Prince wondered and asked Marth. 

“I am unsure, but it is does appear that this Picket is here to aid us” Marth answered firmly, “We need to get up there and ensure of their safety” 

Prince couldn’t agree more before finding his way up to the top of the building. Princess and Avenir caught up with him as they found Successeur and Picket clashing their respective weapons against the barrier Sage barely had time to conjure. 

“Do you need help?!” Avenir shouted as Prince held his shoulder to prevent him charging into a fight. 

“I think they’ve got this” Princess answered as Successeur blocked one magic while Picket jumped from behind to spin and strike her lance at Sage’s arm. 

Sage let out a screech of pain as she recovered, spun the lance, and thrusted it to deliver strike after strike towards him. He backed away, but failed to notice that Successeur was approaching him from behind with his sword blazing a fiery red. With a strong strike, he slammed the blade to pin Sage’s cape to the ground and hold him! 

“Nice one, Successeur!” Picket cheered before making her lance disappear, “Now, time to reveal who you are!” 

She approached him as he began to laugh and ripped his cape apart! Successeur stood away with Avenir behind him with the building giving away! 

“We have to get out of here!” Prince shouted as he grabbed Princess’s arm, “Pair up and get out of here! Regroup away from the school!” 

Successeur grabbed Avenir’s wrist before searching for a way out. 

“If you can’t see it, make it!” Picket shouted as she spun her lance and threw it towards the breaking window. 

Successeur and Avenir jumped through it with Picket right behind them. Prince and Princess looked down at the breaking floors before grabbing each other’s hands. Taking a running start, they jumped down! Princess drew her sword and had it latched onto a breaking pole to swing herself and older brother out of the building! They let out a scream as they were flying and outside of the building! Prince wrapped his arms around Princess and took the rough landing. They quickly checked on each other to ensure they were unharmed or safe as Avenir, Successeur, and Picket joined them. They sat together and waited as they observed the scene before them. Luckily, no one was hurt, but the building was beyond repair. 

Knowing the news, everyone transformed back to themselves and collapsed on the grass. They were so relieved that the exhaustion finally hit them. They finally had a catch their breath and relax as well as process an important detail. 

Lueur and Alfred turned to Timerra before shouting, “WAIT, YOU’RE THE PICKET?!” 

Timerra blinked at them before holding her stomach in laughter. 

She did recover and introduced with a grand bow, “Yep! That is correct! I am the heroine, Picket! With the emblem Ike! Nice to meet ya, Emblem Heroes! Room for one more?!” 

(Timerra’s POV) 

Yep! That’s right! I am the herone Picket! I can’t wait to join them! Oh! You wanna know how long I’ve been doing the hero thing for? Huh, has it really been a full two years?! Wow! Time flies if you ask me! Weird that they’re not getting along. Well, I’ll just have to change that with my skills and a song!

Chapter Text

“So, you’re Picket?” Alear asked as they met at the Elusia Enlightenment Libraries. 

Alear had to work, but he could take a little break in between his works. Everyone agreed that it would be best if they met up and discuss this before anything else happened. So, they were at the café of the libraries and enjoying a snack with each other. 

“And you go to our school too?!” Alfred asked excitedly, happy to have another friend and schoolmate in their group. 

She finished eating a donut and taking a giant gulp of her milk before wiping her face clean of crumbs and drips of milk. 

“Yep! And Yep!” Timerra said with a grin as she showed her hand holding Ike’s ring, “And here’s Ike! He really wants to see his friends again! Though, it wasn’t too terrible with me, was it, Ike?” 

In a flash of blue fire, Ike appeared and gave a nod to them. Ike was tall man with muscles, but he wasn’t of noble birth. He was common man who rose up the ranks and went to defend his land with his friends at his side. He has a blue armor pad on his left shoulder with dark green bandana across his head to keep his blue hair out of his blue eyes. He wore brown armor over his chest and with a red cape behind his back. He has brown gloves and boots with a tough expression on his features. 

“No, it wasn’t, Timerra” Ike spoke seriously, “But it is nice to be reunited with familiar friends and allies again” 

He grinned when he first saw Marth and Roy appear first followed by Sigurd and Byleth. He was grateful to see them as the rest turned to Timerra. 

“So, how long have you been the Picket for?” Alfred asked in an obvious tone as he took another bite of his muffin. 

“Oh, a while! Hm, I guess you want to know how Ike awakened to me, right?” Timerra asked with a knowing expression and wink. 

Alfred nodded his head excitedly as the rest stared at her curiously. 

“Figured as much” Timerra spoke with her hands on her hips, “Well, it was about two years ago! You see, back when Duchess of Lythos was going against the Fell party, everyone was on edge! Well, Solm Security was going through it too. You see, my mother owns it, and was so stressed with the elections. She was pretty busy, so that left me to take care of my sweet little sibby!”

Solm Securities handles the security across Lythos. Whenever elections happen, things tend to be chaotic Senior Officer Seforia, Timerra and Fogado’s mother, was so caught up with work that Timerra often went to pick up Fogado at Elyos Academy. 

“Seriously? Mother is busy again?” Fogado asked as he saw Timerra standing there with her silver motorbike right behind her. 

“Yeah, but that’s how it is” Timerra spoke as she sat on her bike and handed her little brother a helmet, “Now, be good and hang on tight!” 

Fogado only laughed as he wrapped his arms around her waist. She sped through the busy streets with her little brother behind her. She laughed as she heard him scream in delight at the wind through his hair and wiping at his face. It didn’t take long for them to return to their home. 

Their home is a grand, dusty brown with a large pool in the backyard. It had palm trees and other exotic plants in the garden. They each had a balcony. Anyway, Fogado decided to head to his room while Timerra was waiting outside with her phone out and leaning against her bike. She was waiting for a message from her best friend or anything from her mother. She didn’t want to show it, but she was very worried for her mother and the company. She had never seen her mother stressed out like this. She wished she could take off some of her mother’s workload and help, but her training wouldn’t begin until she was junior. 

“Hey! Sis!” Fogado shouted as she turned her head to the entrance to the kitchen. 

She ran in and saw him at the kitchen table to find a pair of rings and piece of paper. It appeared that their mother did return home for a bit, but she didn’t stay for long. Fogado took the paper to read it as Timerra looked at the rings with a curious expression. She picked up the one with the silver band and single blue gem. She eyed it curiously and noticed another band that was gold with three gemstones: a red, purple, and gray. 

“Well, looks like mother is going to be busy again” Fogado spoke sadly, “She wants us to order in again. Ah, I wish she could just take a break! Seriously, do they not know how hard she works?!” 

Timerra shared an understanding expression before slipping the silver ring on her finger and giving the other to her little brother. 

“Well, you know how mother can be with work” Timerra spoke as her gaze never left the ring, “For now, just order a pizza or something. Also, I think you should keep this on you” 

She waved the golden right in front of her brother’s face who was staring at it with curiosity too. He turned it over a few times and shrugged before placing it on his index finger. Fogado left her to order dinner and pick it up while he decided to rest at their pool. Once she placed the order over a phone call she decided to pick it up herself. It didn’t take her a long time to get the pizza and return home, but the sight that greeted her was something else. 

“Fogado?” she called out as she saw the front gate destroyed and a fight that had appeared to have taken place, “Where are you? What happened? Did you throw a party here?” 

She parked her bike and ran into the house, searching for her brother. She was more worried when she didn’t see her brother and only found the mess in a huge mess! Her heart was pounding in her chest as she continued to search for her little brother and stopped in her tracks when she finally found him in the clutches of the Corrupted! 

“I don’t know who you are, but you are letting my sibby out of your disgusting hands!” Timerra shouted before grabbing a broom and charging towards them. 

Of course, she didn’t stand a chance and was easily defeated. She took a swing to hit one, but the other grabbed her by her waist to suspend her above the ground! Timerra wasn’t going down without a fight, but she stopped struggling when she saw her unconscious little brother in their arms. 

“Let him go” she spoke slowly as she felt her anger rising along with her power rising, “Let him go! LET HIM GO!” 

She let out a powerful roar of frustration as the power that was building up from inside her burst! 

“You want the strength to protect your friends, right?” a strong voice spoke to her before a bright yellow and blue light engulf her. 

“Yeah, more than anything” Timerra spoke as she didn’t know where to look, “That’s my younger brother. It is my job to protect him from harm. I won’t let anything happen to him! So please, give me power! Give the ability to protect and fight for my friends!” 

“That’s exactly what I wanted to hear, Timerra” the strong voice spoke before relinquishing his powers to her, “I am Ike. I will gladly give it to you!” 

In the flash of yellow and blue, Timeera burst from the light in her heroine form! She summoned her lance and swung it with all her might to defeat the Corrupted holding her little brother. He was a little beat up, but nothing a trip to the hospital will not fix! She easily carried him over her shoulder before running to the nearest one. She dropped her little brother off in the front of it before retreating somewhere for safety. 

“Well, I certainly didn’t expect to meet you, Ike” Timerra spoke as she transformed back to herself, “But the pleasure is all mine! I’ve heard about your awesome power and the way you want your meat prepared! Sounds awesome, but do you know why you are here?”

Ike was impressed with how fast she was picking up on everything. 

“I believe a threat is approaching” Ike answered her firmly, “Right now, those enemies you fought were enemies I used to fight before. It appears the enemy is moving faster than we thought” 

And after that, Timerra and Ike began their work on researching their enemies and stopping them from trying to hurt others. However, whenever crime was occurring, the duo would handle it together. 

“It doesn’t change” Ike commented to Picket who was running across roof to roof to catch a thief, “Thieves and bandits are still lurking here, always believing stealing is the option they have in their lives” 

“Did you deal with this a lot, Ike?” Picket asked curiously. 

“Yeah, but I had my friends. We were able to help them find better lives to the best of our abilities” Ike informed her as another idea appeared in her head. 

They were able to catch their thief, but Picket approached the officer with a request in mind. 

“We have food banks and shelters that support those who need a little extra help” she informed the officer “This person wasn’t truly bad and needs some help to get back on their feet. Would you mind making sure they get the help they need?” 

The officer nodded her head in understanding and did as she was instructed. A few weeks passed as Picket was saving a cat stuck in a tree and was approached by the former thief who was now working part time at a local food market and even picked up playing the drums! She was delighted to hear this! 

Despite that, she knew she had to find the people behind this. So, she did use her families’ security system to find out anything she could on Corrupted. So far, she found rouge defects that seemed to prey on emotions of fear, angry, distress, and anxiety. She also discovered that it was a project before Lady Lumera effectively shut it down. So, whenever a Corrupted appeared, she would handle it with Ike’s strength. 

“And that’s about the gist of it!” Timerra explained before sitting in her seat and leaning back, “The experiments were contained somewhere, but unfortunately, I don’t have that kind of clearance to go research for. My mother would definitely get suspicious, and I don’t want to add to her stress if I can help it” 

The group took their time to process this as Diamant had an idea. 

“You are correct. People would find it suspicious if you went looking” he spoke as everyone turned to him, “In fact, everyone else here would also have trouble accessing this news” 

“But that doesn’t mean we should give up!” Alfred shouted defensively. 

Diamant raised his hand before holding a grin, “And we won’t. You need to let me finish. It would be hard for you and our friends to find out this information, but not for someone like me”

Alfred gasped as everyone stared at the heir with a curious expression of disbelief. 

“It wouldn’t be suspicious if the heir to the Brodia Banks were to ask for the location and financial reports. I suggest leaving this task up to me, my fellow Emblem Heroes” Diamant spoke with pride as he vowed to find out everything he could. 

Lueur and Alfred embraced Diamant in relief and shouted their triumphant cries with Alear leaning back in his chair in relief that they were finally going to work together as a team. Timerra only held a smile as then tapped the sides of the table to gain their attention. 

“I think it would be better if you do it on your own and not mentioning me at all” Timerra added, “Can’t have a link to us and all that” 

Diamant agreed as he stood up and checked his phone for anything that happened at his company. As he prepared to leave, Timerra effortlessly grabbed his wrist and pulled him to the ground! He let out a surprised yell as she only laughed. 

“Why did you do that?” Alear asked in a bewildered manner while trying his best to cover his laugh. 

She easily stretched before answering with her hands on her hips, “Simple! You need some training! You were a bit sloppy when we were fighting Sage, so I believe you need a crash course!” 

Diamant sat up with an equally bewildered expression as Alfred’s eyes were wide. Lueur sensed where this was going and knew better than to stop her. She grabbed her big brother’s hand and pulled him along. 

“Well, if we are going to train, let’s train together” Lueur said simply with Alfred cheering and running on ahead. 

Timerra picked up Diamant easily before going after Alfred. Lueur pulled her big brother along, but he felt someone watching them. He stopped and turned as he searched for this familiar aura with his little sister turning to look at him. 

“Are you ok?” she asked with concern as she looked around too. 

Alear spoke to Marth first, “I thought I sensed someone here. Did you?” 

“I did as well. This aura reminded me of someone close to me as well” Marth spoke as he tried to concentrate on it before realizing that the aura was gone, “Well, whoever that was, they have left. I don’t believe they were an enemy, but I also believe they were trying to reach out to us as well” 

“What should I do?” Alear asked as he then turned to his little sister to give her a reassuring grin and let her pull him along. 

“Remember the aura” Marth answered with a shrug, “This aura is sure to come up again. It would be best if we do remember it for the future. I believe we will cross paths with it again” 

Alear agreed with his partner before he and his little sister were running out of the library and after their friends. As for the person with the aura, Ivy was seen leaning against a wall with her hands clasped tightly as her ring glowed a blue light. She wasn’t jealous of him for spending time with others, but she did feel some loneliness and envy for it. 

“Will be ok?” Lucina spoke as she tried her best to reassure her holder. 

“I shall be fine” Ivy confessed as she tried her best to appear calm, “I know he isn’t my only dear friend. In the end, I shall wait. That is all I can do for him and myself” 

With that, she took a shaky breath in, steadied herself, and left the library, but not before being noticed by Kagetsus and Zelkov. 

“How dare he fail to notice our dear friend’s worries! It vexes me so, Zelkov! Why is he such a blinded foe?!” Kagetsus expressed in frustration and continued to do so while his other dear friend only watched from a far with angry spurring inside of him. 

In truth, he was also beyond furious for Alear’s lack of attention to Ivy lately. It was none of his business, but he knew Ivy secretly enjoyed spending time with him or her precious half-little sister. Did he not realize this? 

“Let’s focus on our task first, Kagetsus” Zelkov spoke calmly, “So, let’s finish our task ahead of us before planning our next grand event” 

Kagetsus could only nod his head in agreement before carrying another stack of books to be placed in their proper section. He failed to notice that his best friend was already planning to bring a punishment to Alear. 

Though, they would come to play their parts, Griss was still the main threat and was currently in the Fell Party’s base, thrashing about and struggling to contain the darkness in him. Zelestia wanted to help him, but Zephia prevented her by approaching the consumed Griss. 

The moment he returned; he unleashed a powerful wave of magical darkness that destroyed their living room. That did not quell his rage for he began to cast magic that destroyed anything in his path and melt it into the darkness. 

He was panting heavily as Zephia grabbed his chin to have him look right at her who snarled, “What do you want?” 

She sighed in a worried tone before speaking with false concern, “I wish to understand your anguish, my dear Griss. After all, when you suffer, it harms our dear family and our lovely Sombron. Surely, you must’ve realized this too”

Zelestia pressed her hands close to her chest and wondered if her twin sister truly saw them as such a loving family. She didn’t dare get her hopes when they grew up together, but she wondered if the words were finally true this time. 

Griss’s breath was ragged as he exhaled deeply, “I want to fight. I need to fight! I must fight! Those Emblem Heroes will suffer my wrath and understand my pain! The pain that I’ve held for my life! I will make them understand my loneliness! I want them to know what it feels like!” 

Zelestia’s eyes were wide as she rushed to embrace only for her sister to push her away! Zelestia was startled as Zephia held a sharp expression to her before focusing on Griss with a calm and distressed one. She gently stroked his face to give him some comfort, but both knew for certain that Griss had lost his mind to the Emblem’s tainted power of darkness. Zelestia would make note of this with her studies and use it to the best of her abilities, but she had other matters to attend to. 

“Oh, my poor, tired Griss. I had no idea” she faked with passion, “I should’ve done more to help you through your trying times. If I had known, I could’ve done more for you and our family! Ah, but you’re correct, those Emblem Heroes are the ones to blame for this” 

He only leaned into her hold to feel anything else but the rage, isolation, and darkness that clawed at him. Why couldn’t he feel that same, distant warm he shared with his colleges and cousin? Why was it fading away? Wait, he had a cousin? When did he forget about him? Was he even real to begin with? 

“I know it is so painful to bear on your own” she spoke as she tried to play off her abilities and skills, “Do you wish for me to bear some of it with you? I may not be as strong as you, but I am sure I can do something. Oh, it might break me since I don’t have an emblem to call my own, but I am sure I could be of us to you and our precious family” 

Griss’s eyes were wide with disbelief. She was willing to help him? Be with someone as despicable and corrupt as he? Why? She would surely know that the darkness could effortlessly snap her and bring her into this isolating pain. No. He couldn’t let her fall to this pain! He should deal with it! For their family! For their goals! For their ambitions! For her! 

“No” he snarled before licking his lips with delight, “I wouldn’t want anything to happen to our family. I should be the one to deliver this satisfying yet deliciously dangerous blow of darkness to them. After all, they should be the ones to feel this pain!” 

He ran his hands through his face and hair while laughing madly with some drool falling from his face. Zephia took a few steps back with a satisfied smirk and arms crossed over her chest as Griss threw his head back and laughed! 

“Oh! Yes!” he spoke madly, “They will know of this pain! Now, I shall find the perfect victim to spread it! Ah, right! Those farms! The Fierne Farms! Always known for being so green and lush! It makes me sick! Why don’t I turn it into a wonderful, garden into a barren wasteland of drought!” 

Why did his mind think of the farms out of everything else? The farms were always a bright and green location that always provided to others. It always made him sick! Everyone would only take the food and drinks, but they would never give! Never say a thank you! Never understand the labor and pain a person goes through to procure this! Yes, this will certainly do! He will be able to bring despair upon those foolish, bright Emblem Heroes! They will finally understand the pain and loneliness that he has always felt in his entire life! Even if it is a fraction, he will be satisfied with it! 

“Oh, yes! I will bring them pain! You will have nothing to fear!” Griss roared before disappearing in a melting darkness to the Fierne Farms. 

Zephia could finally breath and hold herself high at his declarations while Zelestia was horrified. 

“Griss needs help!” Zelestia argued defensively, “If he keeps this up, he will surely destroy himself!” 

Zelestia gasped as she felt a cold, lifeless hand grabbing her throat to silence her! Her eyes were wide as she stared at her twin who was using the emblem’s powers! 

“Now, I wouldn’t say anything else against our plans, dear twin sister of mine” Zephia spoke with a dismissive manner, “After all, everything is for our dear family and Sombron’s plans. We cannot let anything interfere with this. So, I suggest you follow our plans and keep out of it!” 

She threw her twin sister to the floor and grunted in pain. As she picked herself up, she stared at her twin in horror. There must be something she could, but she wasn’t sure. For now, she gathered herself, took a bow, apologized, and departed, thinking of any possible way she could save her twin and their friends before it is truly too late. 

(Alfred’s POV)

With everything finally slowing down, it seems like we might finally catch a break of sorts! I was worried about that, but I am still unsure of what I even want to do in the future. Other than take over the company! Speaking of the company, how are the farms dying?! We’re not close to winter just yet! This can’t be good! I have to find out what is happening! With everyone’s help, I am sure I can find the solution before it gets out of hand! Huh? Is that Celine? What is she doing here?!

Chapter Text

“Sigh, another day of classes” Lueur spoke as she rested her head on the wooden table with her bag on the floor. 

She didn’t even bother with taking out her notebook for the class. Alcryst patted her shoulder in an attempt at comfort while Alfred leaned against her in an affectionate manner to give her some comfort. 

“Thanks guys, but I really can’t wait for the break. I want to sleep in and not do anything else” she commented as she raised her head and gave them a grin. 

“That makes one of us at least” Alcryst commented with a sigh, “After what happened, father is going to take Diamant, Citrine, and me out of town. We are going to the United State of Aytolis for the break. I can only imagine the plans he has for us” 

He ran his other hand through his navy hair as Lueur was curious about the place before turning to Alfred to inquire about his plans for the break. 

“Oh! Mom wants to start training Celine and I to take over the business. Now that the two of us are in college, she wants us to get our training started!” Alfred said determinedly, “I am excited to learn as much as I can and take over, so mom won’t have so much to do! But what are you and your brother going to do Lueur?” 

She hummed. To be honest, as these attacks were happening along with handling school, she didn’t even ask Vander what their plans were for the break at all. She should probably ask before agreeing to meet with anyone for the break. For now, she answered with a shrug as students quieted down for their next lesson to begin. 

As for Alear, turns out that he and Timerra took a few classes together and were currently chatting after being let out early. 

“Well, I know I am going to busy for the break” she said with a shake of her head before holding a grin, “And no, this isn’t another party. Fogado is going to hang out with Pandreo, Panette, and Burnet for the break. As for me, it is time to start my training to take over mother’s company. Don’t expect to hear from me too often. I do hope villains take a break too! Even they need rest!” 

Alear only nodded his head as they were walking together to the library. 

“What are you and your sibby going to do? Head out? Or just stay here for the break?” Timerra asked curiously. 

He stopped and realized that he didn’t ask Vander about that. He should do that when he gets back from work later today. That, and checking in on Diamant for his plans for the break. Although they had a plan to find their enemies, it is important that they take a break and keep in touch with each other before anything else happens. 

“Judging by that thinking expression of yours, I can tell that you don’t have any plans, or you forgot to ask about it” Timerra spoke in a teasing manner, “Which is fine. As long as you and your sibby get a chance to take a break, I would take it!” 

She wasn’t wrong. They needed a break after everything that had happened. From being in danger to risking their lives to save everyone else, a break was deserved. How long had it been since they even hanged out with Clanne and Framme? No, when the break comes, they would spend time with each other and their family. 

“I agree” Marth added with a warm tone, “Elice and I would take breaks to spend time with each other. We needed to recover as well as enjoy our time together. You and Lueur should enjoy the coming break together. We will do everything in our power to ensure that nothing disturbs it” 

“Thank you, Marth” Alear spoke in a genuine tone until Timerra noticed someone approaching them. 

“Oh! And who is this pretty lady?” Timerra asked as Alear snapped out of his thoughts to see Ivy! 

“Really? Pretty? I hardly believe I am one of beauty when you’re here” Ivy replied to Timerra before smiling at Alear, “Hello to you. It has been some time” 

“Y-yeah!” he replied, trying his best to compose himself, “I apologize for that. I didn’t mean to be so busy. Life happens” 

He held a small smile and blush as Marth found it sweet and Timerra held a mischievous expression at the sight before herself. She patted Alear’s back to push him forward, nearly crashing into Ivy but caught himself to then sending a sharp glare at her. 

“Huh? What happened?” Timerra asked in a teasing tone as Ike only sighed, “Anyway, I gotta head out! See ya later, buddy!” 

She stressed the word buddy strongly before she left with a skip in her step. Alear vowed to get back at her as Marth suggested against the idea until Ivy playfully tapped Alear’s noise to get his attention to her. 

“It is quite alright” she spoke softly, “I’ve been preoccupied as well. Things have been rather hectic lately. The rare silence from Lady Lumera is also concerning with the elections drawing ever closer as well” 

Alear could only nod in agreement as both decided to grab a seat and catch up with each other. As they chatted, they felt at ease with each other and continued to enjoy their company, unaware of terrifying events about to unfold. 

“And we should take stock of everything” Éve spoke seriously as she was being driven to one of the plantations to check on the growth of the crops, “I want to make sure everything is harvest before the last two weeks of the autumn season. After that, everyone will receive a much deserve break” 

Her attendants only agreed as they drove and soon gasped at the horrifying sight before them, startling her. 

“Whatever is the matter?” she asked before the car stopped and she exited it to gasp in horror as well. 

Before them, the lush, grand farmlands were turned into an utter wasteland! Everything was destroyed and nothing could grow. It frightened her at how fast her crops died as she turned to her attendants. 

“How are the other plantations?” she demanded, worried for the well-being of the others. 

“Ma’am, it doesn’t look good” one of them spoke as he held his phone to show a current video call with Chloé and Louis who had arrived to start their work on one farm only to find it in the same state as the others. 

“And it is not the land either” a female attendant explained as she held a phone to show Burnet and Bucheron at one of the food storages to see all the food decayed and rotten, “The food is ruined as well. What are we to do?” 

Éve covered her hand with her mouth in horror as she tried to find a reason behind this. She soon shook her head and took control of the situation. 

“We need an emergency meeting. I want Lady Lumera to be notified as well. Bucheron please pick up my kids from college and ensure they’re safe” Éve spoke seriously, “I do not know what is happening entirely, but I will not do nothing. We will find a solution for this situation before the day ends!” 

She swiftly turned around to then giving orders on what needs to be done to help the farms. 

As for her kids, they were going about their days at school without realizing what had transpired at the farm. It was towards the end of the day as Bucheron burst through the doors of the mess hall with a panicked expression before running right up to Alfred, Lueur, and Alcryst. 

“Bucheron? What are you doing here?” Alfred asked surprised. 

He wouldn’t say anything as he held a worried expression. He gestured him to leave the mess hall with his two friends behind him. Once they were aware from anyone who could hear them, Bucheron explained everything that happened at the farms. 

“What?! Is mom ok?!” Alfred shouted in a panicked tone with Alcryst covering his mouth with his hands and Lueur was stunned in place. 

“She’s fine, but she wants to meet with Lady Lumera to discuss the situation. She does want you and your little sister home right away. Do you know where she is?” Bucheron asked with concern still in his voice. 

Alfred only nodded his head as he went to pull out his phone to call his little sister while Lueur was speaking with Byleth about this. 

“There is no way a famine could’ve hit, right?” she asked Byleth seriously. 

He reflected on her response and the situation before answering, “When I took my students to a village, there was a dark mage who used his magic to destroy it. He reduced it to ruins, destroyed the crops, experimented and killed the people. I believe you’re correct. Something isn’t right about this at all. We should inform the others. I want to look at the farms myself to determine if it is magic or something else” 

“Will do! Thank you Byleth!” she spoke with relief at a plan being formed. 

She turned her attention to Alfred who finished talking to his little sister and faced her and Alcryst. 

“I need to head home. I’ll text you later if I find out anything. Bye guys” Alfred spoke as he left with Bucheron to find his little sister. 

Lueur held a smile of reassurance as Alcryst waved goodbye to him, but he was lost in his thoughts. 

“Is something on your mind, Alcryst?” Lueur asked curiously. 

He waved his hand before answering, “Well, it could be wrong since it is coming from me, but I find it very strange that his mother felt the need to contact Lady Lumera of all people. She’s rarely seen from the public and doesn’t get herself involved with almost anything. I will say that her ways are a little weird, but it did help with protecting our home. Not to mention the crops dying. That’s another thing that bothers me. Plants don’t die easily. That was instant death. That’s what troubles me” 

Lueur nodded her head slowly with understanding as Byleth agreed with Alcryst’s deduction. She was impressed with how smart he was and gave him a smile. 

“Thanks for that, Alcryst!” Lueur spoke before giving him a side hug, “That helps a lot! Ok, I’ve got to go, but I’ll text you later too! Bye!” 

She ran to find her big brother at the library as she sent him a text, leaving behind a blushing Alcryst who could only nod his head in understanding before leaving for his dorm for the rest of the day. 

Alear felt his phone buzz, but he ignored it favor of speaking with Ivy. It had been a while since either could chat about history and their lives with everything that was happening in their lives. 

“I believe that your sister requires your attention” Marth spoke seriously. 

“I can talk for a few more minutes” Alear reassured his partner with a shrug. 

Marth wanted to scold Alear for this, but their phones gave out an alert. They were surprised to hear such an alert as they turned to each other and the others in the library. They were receiving alerts too. 

“What’s happening?” someone spoke as they looked at their phones. 

Alear took out his phone first to hold it to Ivy as they were horrified to see the news of the destroyed farmlands along with the decaying food! 

“What happened?” she asked in utter horror as Alear gripped the phone tightly as his thoughts were that of Alfred, his little sister, and the others. 

“I have to go” Alear spoke as he took his phone back to check the messages from his little sister. 

He picked up his bag and prepared to leave as she grabbed his arm to stop him from leaving. She held a begging expression with worry in her eyes. 

“Where are you going? You can’t possibly do something about this, right?” Ivy asked in a pleading tone as Alear shook his head. 

He put his hands on her shoulders to calm her down and spoke in that calm tone, “Everything will be alright. I promise nothing is going to happen, but I need to go out there and do something to help. I know I can do something, and I have friends who need me right now. Once that is over, I will come back” 

She didn’t want to let him go as Marth felt his powers flowing into Ivy for a strange reason until his eyes fell on the ring hanging by a chain around her neck! He was sure of it now! The ring was an emblem! He needed to inform his holder of this. 

“Who is there? Who are you?” Marth spoke as he tried to reach out to the emblem in question. 

“Please do not worry about me, Hero King Marth” Lucina’s friendly voice spoke with the same conviction, “Everything will be fine. I am watching over her and will guide her along the right path. She will be there soon enough, I promise. But please, leave this to me” 

Marth was surprised to hear this from his great granddaughter. He knew if he were to find Chrom, he would not hear the end of it for obvious reasons. However, Marth had learned of her history along of that of her husband to know that she could keep her word and find Ivy and herself back to them. Trusting her completely, Marth would keep quiet and trust her before returning his attention to his holder. 

Alear let go of Ivy before running out of the library with the phone at his ear to call his friends. They had to meet up and figure out what was about to transpire for the farmlands. Alear rushed home and found his little sister waiting for him with an impatient expression. 

“I am sorry. I got held up with work” Alear spoke as he felt guilty and Marth’s piercing gaze on him, “How is he and his little sister? Is his mother ok?” 

Lueur sighed before explaining everything that happened at their school. She had already reached out to Diamant to speak about this and sent a text to Timerra too. They were just waiting to hear back and figure out what they need to do next about this.

“Byleth believes this to be the work of dark magic” Lueur spoke as she tried to keep her thoughts calm, “He’s seen this kind of magic before, but he’s not sure who would do such a thing. Even Alcryst pointed out that plants don’t just die like this. He said it is possible, but the plants wouldn’t all die off overnight so easily” 

Alear listened to her explanation as Marth agreed with Byleth’s deduction. Their phones went off again, but this time it was a phone call from Diamant and Timerra! Both turned their phones on to hear from them as both expressed their worries for the farms, Alfred’s family, and Alfred. 

“Has anyone actually heard from him or his little sister?” Timerra asked with a serious tone. 

“I know my family is trying to rush a meeting with Alfred’s mother” Diamant informed them, “I’ll be attending as well. I will find him and his little sister. They should be fine, but this is concerning. Do we have any leads on the matter?” 

“Byleth claims this to be the work of a dark mage!” Lueur informed with worry in her voice, “But he also mentioned that there are many dark mages. It would be hard to figure out which one did this” 

They were quiet until Alear noticed an incoming call with Alfred! He made sure to link his call with Diamant and Alfred before putting Alfred on speaker. 

“Alfred! Are you ok?” Alear spoke urgently as everyone remained silent.

There was a shaky breath until Alfred replied, “Yeah, I’m ok. Celine is too. Our mother is leaving to figure this out. I’m in my room. Mother didn’t want Celine or me to leave. She doesn’t like this at all. Are you ok? Do you think you know what is happening here?” 

He seemed panicked as he was sitting on his bed and holding a pillow to his chest. His room was filled with training equipment and some posters of athletes. He has a desk for him to work on his work and a closet for his clothes. He has a balcony to relax on and take in some sun too. 

“We have a few ideas” Lueur spoke first as she tried to keep everyone calm with her voice and mannerism.

She explained to him everything they found out with him and Sigurd listening in. Alfred turned to Sigurd and wondered if one of his enemies was behind this, but Sigurd didn’t believe so. He didn’t encounter anyone from his world, but he did confirm dark magic was present at the fields. 

“But then, who could it be?” Timerra asked on her phone as she was standing outside of her room on the balcony. 

“I believe the best course of action is for us to investigate the farmland ourselves” Diamant spoke as he gained everyone’s attention, “None of us are knowledgeable about magic, so we should go to one of the locations and try to figure this out together” 

There was silence again as Lueur turned to her brother who nodded his head. 

“I agree with Diamant. That would be the best” Alear spoke in agreement, “Alfred, which farm is closest to you? We will meet you there” 

Alfred was oddly quiet, but they assumed it was because of the state of the farms. No, in truth, Alfred began to tear up with relief at the support his friends were giving him! He did have his friends who worked on the farms, but this was different! Sigurd held a warm expression to his holder and gave him some support. 

“Ah, right! Well, there’s one not far from my house. I’ll send you the address to my house. All you have to do is then run by my house and there will be a farm there!” Alfred informed them before shaking off the tears in his eyes and preparing to leave. 

He was so happy to have their support and felt like he could do anything! He was sure they were going to find the cause of this and save the farms! He opened the doors and jumped when he found Celine staring at him! 

“Ah! Celine! What are you doing here?!” Alfred shouted in a panic before holding a nervous smile. 

She was holding a serious expression and had her hands on her hips as she stared at him. 

“Who were you speaking with? And where do you plan to go? Mother specifically requested for us to stay here and make sure we don’t get into trouble until everything is back to normal!” Celine lectured with worry and seriousness in her voice, “So, please tell me the truth. I know you’ve been running around and getting involved in something lately. I respect your privacy but stop lying to me!” 

She was so upset. It broke Alfred’s heart to see her like this, but he didn’t want to involve her anything dangerous. He didn’t want her to suffer anymore by worrying over him again. 

Sigurd understood his concerns since he had a sister himself. 

He took a deep beath before speaking to his holder, “Alfred, please repeat everything after me. We will make sure she doesn’t worry and will believe in us”

“Are you sure? I don’t want to lie to her anymore” his holder replied unsure and went to place a hand on her shoulder. 

“Yes” Sigurd reassured with a steadfast tone, “She’s worried about you. She will always worry, but that doesn’t mean you can’t do anything to help her” 

Alfred trusted Sigurd and spoke softly, “Celine, I know I’ve had to do a lot of stuff on my own. I know it scared you, but please know that I will always come back to you, mother, and everyone else! This is very stressful for you since last time, but I have to go out there and do something. You won’t have to worry about me since I will have others who are looking after me too. Please stay home and try not to worry! Thanks! Love you, Celine!” 

With that, Alfred ran! He ran out of the house and towards the farmland in the distance. He didn’t look back, because he was sure if he did, he wouldn’t leave. He didn’t want to leave Celine, but if he was going to be of any help to her and their mother, he must leave now. 

“Alfred, you will return to her” Sigurd vowed, “I won’t let you and your sister suffer the same fates as my sister and I did. Everything will be alright, because I vow to you that you will be safe” 

“Thank you, Sigurd” Alfred spoke before he sped up, “I will count on you and your abilities to help me get through this. I only hope Celine will listen to me” 

For some reason, he didn’t expect Sigurd to laugh! 

“What is so funny?!” Alfred shouted surprised as Sigurd shook his head. 

“It isn’t anything important” he replied in a warm tone, “But you and your sister do remind me of my sister and me when we were children. I would often depart, and she would constantly worry and follow me on occasion. I do not blame her” 

“Oh! Then I know everything will be ok!” Alfred said with a grin, “Because if you done it, then I will not have anything to fear! We can do this!”

As the duo ran to the farmland to meet with their friends, Alfred’s statements about his little sister was correct. She watched her older brother leave and shook her head. She was not going to stay at the house and wait when her mother and brother were doing something! 

“I will not wait here” she whispered strongly as she clutched her fist with a golden ring shining a scarlet light, “I must do something to help them!” 

She thought she saw the ring on her finger glowing and stared at it with a curious expression. 

A gentle voice spoke to her, “I know the pain of wanting to help those who are important to me. I will do everything to help them, so I will support you, Celine” 

“And you have the drive and ambition to reach for the goal that you and your friends want” a strong, brave voice encouraged, “We will be there to guide and protect you along the way!”

Celine was surprised to hear voices speaking to her, so she asked, “Who are you? Where are you?” 

They laughed in a warm manner before introducing themselves, “My name is Celica, and this is Alm. We are the Emblem Echoes! We were given to you by your father. Now, we made a promise to him to help and protect you. So, where do you wish to go, Celine?” 

This was a lot to take in, but she knew she couldn’t back down now! She must find out what is happening! 

“Well, you know already, but please help me follow my brother. I want to help him with this” she spoke in a pleading tone. 

“Helping family is always important” Alm spoke with regret and happiness, “Of course, we will help you. Celica can use her magic to teleport you to them as well as hide you. Are you ready?” 

“Yes, I am!” Celine answered as the ring flashed a scarlet light to teleport her to the same farmland where Alfred planned to meet with his friends. 

She made sure to hide herself and used Celica’s magic to aid in this, but she did listen in on her brother who greeted his coming friends. 

“Thank you so much for coming!” he shouted in relief as Celine covered her mouth to prevent a gasp, because she recognized them! 

She couldn’t believe her brother was friends with two heirs of companies, but she didn’t know who the pair of siblings were other than that they’re hanging out with his brother lately.

“Of course, we would be here” Lueur reassured him with a hug, “Are you and your little sister ok? Are you sure your mother is ok too?” 

“Well, they’re doing their best. Celine is at home, so I don’t have nothing to worry about there. She will be safe there!” Alfred said in a full reassuring tone. 

His little sister felt a little guilty for leaving, but she shook her head and held herself to keep listening in. She watched in a surprised manner as small humans appeared on their shoulders or hands to speak with them! She recognized them from the history books and fables! Why are they here? She suddenly realized who she was speaking with! It was Queen Anthise and King Albein! 

“Ah, so you know who we are?” Alm asked nervously with a grin, “And it is good to see that most of us have awakened! This will make this easier!” 

“Wait, so your stories are real?! Your adventures happened?! Why are you here?!” Celine spoke in a surprised tone. 

“Something disturbs our slumber” Celica spoke nervously as Alm’s voice became stern, “It is a familiar dark magic that both of us have encountered before. It forced us to awaken and search for it. Our stories are real, but we hoped that your people would simply learn from it and not repeat our mistakes nor cause a pointless fighting. We sensed this darkness and wanted to find it” 

Alm spoke next, “And your big brother has encountered this darkness as well. He’s clashed with it so much that we felt familiar with it. Whoever this darkness is, I know it someone we’ve faced before” 

This revelation was startling Celine as she felt her head spin. She did her best to keep herself compose and collected. Celica used her magic to soothe her as Alm paid attention to the conversation the others were having in the distance. 

“So, we know this darkness is something of a mage” Lueur pointed out before releasing Alfred from her hug, “But do any of us recognize it?” 

There was silence, meaning none of them had an idea of the origin of the darkness. Well, except for Marth. 

“Although there are very few records of this” Marth spoke as he gained everyone’s attention, “I believe I know who this mage is only through passing of words from a few friends of mine” 

“Who?” Ike asked surprised to hear that Marth kept certain secrets from their group. 

“I do not mean to keep secrets” Marth spoke as he knew Ike was discourage this the most, “But I am good friends with the royal family from Valentia; King Alm and Queen Celica. Both informed me of their travels and foes they’ve encountered. I believe this mage must be the reason behind this disease considering his magic caused a widespread famine” 

“So, how do we drag him out?” Alfred asked as he gained everyone’s attention, “I mean, he doesn’t like us, but why would he go for the farms? Those have nothing to do with us, right?” 

He wasn’t wrong. The Emblem Heroes have always worked together and not with anyone else. What connection could the Sage make between them and the farms? 

 “I believe it to be coincidence” Byleth spoke, hoping to ease Alfred, “I had a similar experience as well. When I was helping Remire village with a similar disaster, it was by choice the village was chosen. There’s sometimes no reason. Bad things happen” 

Although he was true, his words still stung. Celine disagreed as she took her phone out to recall all the attacks that had transpired. She believed there was a pattern to this, and she was correct. The attacks did have something in common besides the Emblem Heroes appearing and fighting. It was Fierne Farms! Most of the attacks occurred whenever someone representing their business was present! 

“But who would do that?” Celica asked with concern and hurt. 

Celine quietly ran from the group and went to back to her home. She was sure someone in the farms was working with the Sage. She arrived at her mother’s study and found her laptop. She easily accessed it and began to search the records of the dates as well as the people who were assigned on the days. She tremebled as she discovered who the culprit was. 

“No, I don’t want to believe it” she whispered in horror as the image of Griss, “But there is no denying it. It is him. He’s behind this” 

She was in shock, but she had to snap herself out of this and warn her brother and his friends about him before Griss does something he would regret. She took her mother’s laptop and left to find her brother and his friends approaching their house! She needed to speak with him privately about this, but then he would know that she was eavesdropping and left the house. She didn’t want to break her trust with her brother, so what could she do? 

“Oh!” she exclaimed in realization as an idea formed in her mind. 

If she could give it to him as Alfred, she should be able to inform him as Avenir! She returned to the house and quickly ran to her room to make sure it appeared that she never left. She did wait by the door as Alfred loudly welcomed his friends in. She peeked through her door and saw them conversing in the living room. She couldn’t help but feel a little envious at the sight of them together, but she didn’t have time to waste! 

“Oh?! You’re back so soon?!” she asked in relief as she approached them, “And you’ve brought guests! If I’d known, I would’ve prepared some snacks and drinks for you to enjoy. Greetings to you all, I am Celine” 

Everyone introduced themselves to her while the siblings simply greeted her. She kept their eyes on them, but Alm and Celica were delighted to see them which did annoy her. 

“No, it is alright, Celina” Diamant spoke in a calm tone, “We were stopping by to see how you and your brother were fairing. After this, we were going to return home” 

Celine stared at the heir of the Brodia Banks with a flushed expression at how handsome he is, but she decided to shake her head as Timerra skipped along to poke at her cheek. 

“Aw, does someone have a crush?” she teased as Celine pushed Timerra away. 

“No! I do not!” Celine spoke seriously as Alfred laughed at his little sister’s expression, “I have an important piece of information to give to the Avenir!” 

Everyone was suddenly quiet as Alfred nearly tripped over himself and stared at his little sister with a surprised expression. 

“What? Why?” Alfred asked as she huffed and slammed her mother’s laptop into his chest. 

“Because! I have to tell him something! He’s the only one I trust among those heroes. Though, I suppose the Successeur is a close second” she stated with pride and tried to act calm. 

Diamant was surprised to hear that, and Timerra didn’t know when to stop her teasing as she reached for his hand to see the wedding band. 

“Aw come on! You didn’t mention that you were engaged?! Who is the lucky person? I want to meet them?!” Timerra exclaimed as she showed off his ring, much to his embarrassment with Celine glaring at them.

Alfred was confused as he caught the laptop before it fell. He held a confused expression as Alear understood what Timerra was trying to do and ushered Alfred out to look at the laptop to see who is behind this. Alear had to cover Alfred’s mouth with his hand to prevent him from screaming in alarm. They couldn’t believe that she discovered that Griss was the person behind the attacks! 

“It lines up” Alear spoke in a whisper as he adjusted his glasses to read the contents of the laptop, “He’s always been there. He’s present whenever we are about to fight. This does mean that he could be the Sage. I don’t know his motives, but Celine is correct. He is the one behind this. Are you going to be ok, Alfred?” 

He was too stunned, trying to process everything. How could Griss do this to them? They who took him in and did everything they can to help him and his cousin. Why is he doing this? Alfred wanted answers, and he was determined to get it! 

“How are we going to lure him?” Alfred spoke strongly as he felt the ring’s power flowing in him.

Alear, Marth, and Sigurd could sense the intense anger building in Alfred. Under no circumstances did they believe it would be right for Alfred to fight Griss alone. They need to capture and cure Griss if anything. They cannot let him get away since he could tell them what their enemies are up to. 

“I suggest using the farms” Marth spoke as he appeared on Alear’s shoulder, “He is after the farms. It would make sense to use it to our advantage and capture him. Once we do, we can use your powers to heal him” 

“Let’s do that” Alear spoke before Alfred could say anything on the matter, “If we can get him to speak about his group, then we will be able to put this fight to an end sooner” 

Alfred only nodded his head. He wasn’t thinking rationally since he knew of Griss’s identity. He was determined to find the answers he needed! 

Alear was worried that Alfred’s anger would cause more trouble than good. He knew Marth felt the same way as he was thinking of ways to combat Alfred in case of an emergency. Right now, they needed to consult with the others about this plan of theirs before acting on it. They returned to the group and found Timerra still teasing Celine as Diamant’s face was red. Lueur was the only one who was laughing at the jokes and teasing before noticing her brother and Alfred. She knew something was amiss with him as he was clutching the laptop close to himself, and Alfred was even more tense than before. 

“We know who is behind this, but I will tell you everything later” Alear whispered to his curious little sister before speaking to everyone else, “Well, thank you for everything, but we should get back home. We need to return to our families and help them since we are not sure how long this issue will last. We will come back to check on you if you need anything. For now, goodbye” 

Diamant and Timerra seemed to catch his meaning as they only nodded their heads in understanding. 

“Yeah, I better check on my little sibby too! I can’t image what he and his friends are up to without me there to make sure they’re not in trouble” Timerra spoke before skipping out of the house to her own beat. 

Celine huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. She couldn’t understand how Timerra could conduct herself in such a manner before her eyes fell on the embarrassed Diamant. 

“I will never understand how she can be so carefree about anything” he mumbled before shaking his head to turn to the others, “But I do agree. I need to check on my dad and Alcryst. I don’t want one to jump into action with the other thinks about it too much. I will call you, but do not hesitate to reach out to me if you need anything at all. Farewell” 

Diamant left the house with a wave as Alear and Lueur turned to depart as well. Once they left the house, they encountered a waiting Timerra and Diamant near the sidewalk. They walked together as Alear informed them what Celine had discovered as well as Alfred’s breaking point. 

“Ok, so what’s the plan?” Timerra asked as she shrugged, “He’s gotta calm down, but something tells me that won’t be the case. Also, this plan of ours is going to involve knocking some sense into him and Griss. How are we going to do that?” 

“I already have an idea forming, but we will need to use the farmland. We need to make it appear that one field isn’t completely destroyed and lure Griss to it. From there, we need to capture and restore Griss to normal. Once that is accomplished, we should be able to find the people who are behind this” Alear explained to them, “How does that sound?” 

“A good start” Diamant answered first, “But let me stay with Alfred. That way, in case he does anything reckless, I will be able to stop him. Lueur should stay with Timerra and I am sure you will be fine on your own, Alear” 

This was the plan and group Alear could work with. He was grateful that his friends were ready and prepared to spring the trap on Griss. They returned to the wasted farmland and held their emblems out to use their powers to create a fake illusion of a fresh farmland! 

“Ok, that should do it” Alear spoke as he went to text Alfred to come, “Now, all we need to do is get the word out” 

Timerra waved her hand while holding her phone, “You can leave that to me! You don’t host the best parties and not have a bunch of people follow you for nothing!” 

She stood in front of the farmland and took a selfie of herself posing and grinning. She then posted the image and recorded her voice. 

“Wow! The farmland is back to normal! How amazing! I can’t wait to have some fresh food!” she recorded before posting it with the image to turn to her friends, “Done! Now, how long are we going to wait?”

“Hopefully not long” Diamant spoke as he noticed Roy was staring at Alfred and Celine’s house, “Is there something wrong?” 

Roy couldn’t place it, but he was sure there was another emblem power in that house. He wondered if Marth noticed, but for now, he wouldn’t comment on it. 

“It is nothing. I thought it was something, but it was nothing” Roy spoke before turning his attention on the illusion they created, “But I do hope this works. I know our magic isn’t strong as others, but I want to make sure we can do something to restore the farms back to normal” 

“Especially before it gets cold” Ike commented as he was standing on Timerra’s shoulder, “Everyone tends to get anxious and hysterical when there is no food” 

He seemed to be speaking from experience as Alear decided it would be best for them to wait near the farm’s entrance and hid near the shacks that hold all the gardening supplies. Alear decided to wait outside for Alfred, but the rest went inside to rest. 

“Ah! That was fast!” Alfred commented as he checked Timerra’s social page and found a video of one of their farms restored to normal, “How is that possible?!” 

“It isn’t!” Celine commented in disbelief herself. 

“I can sense the emblems’ powers at work here” Sigurd spoke to Alfred, “It appears the others found a way to create this illusion. Let’s go. We don’t have time to waste! We need to capture him before he does anything else!” 

“Got it, Sigurd!” Alfred commented before turning to Celine who was still staring at the phone in disbelief. 

“Do you know how this is possible?” Celine asked Alm and Celica seriously. 

Celica answered in a knowing tone, “That is the work of the emblems. Only we could have this power to create powerful illusions and such. They created this field to gain Griss’s attention” 

“It looks like they want to capture him before anything else happens” Alm reasoned, “If they can catch him, then he can undo all the trouble he caused to the fields, but what do you want to do, Celine? I know you don’t want to wait on the sidelines. My wife and I will do everything we can to protect you, no matter what you chose” 

It gave Celine relief to know that she would have their support. Especially when her mind was already made up. She knew exactly what to do, regardless of what everyone else would say to her. 

“Celine!” Alfred spoke as he shook his head to snap himself out of his thoughts, “I am going to get us some food! Stay here! I’ll be back! Promise!” 

Despite easily telling a half-truth, Celine knew that her brother was lying, but she also knew that he was telling her a promise to return. He ruffled her hair and rested his head against hers for a moment before turning to leave through the green doors. 

Celine’s eyes were wide as she reflected on this situation. She saw another memory flash before her eyes. It was that same memory of her parents leaving her in the house with a sickly Alfred. They promised to return to her, but later that week, only her mother and Alfred returned. She had no idea that her father was sick. She was only told this a few years later when her mother had to take Alfred back to the hospital with the same vow of promising to return home. 

Alm and Celica were stunned to see the memories and were deeply worried about Celine. Regardless, her mind was made up. She waited for a few minutes before running after her big brother without hesitation. 

Alfred ran with all his might to the fields and was surprised to see the illusion still standing! He was standing there as Alear approached and pulled him back to their shack. He was greeted by his friends who were chatting together and trying to keep their spirits up before anything else happens. 

“Are you ready?” Alear asked as he faced Alfred with his blue eyes glowing with concern. 

For some reason, Alfred was surprised by the eyes, but he answered firmly, “Yes, I am” 

They waited together as Griss was staggering towards the illusioned fields. 

“How did we miss one?” he grumbled with a drooling mouth and darkness starting to drip from his regular form, “Oh well. I can suck the life from here too and use it to my own advantage! The more the merrier!” 

He was wobbling as he approached the illusioned fields with a stench of darkness following him. That darkness attracted the Emblem Heroes who stared outside of the windows to see Griss in his state. Timerra shivered, Lueur was tense, Diamant was calm, Alear was pondering to himself, and Alfred only held a rare cold expression. 

“Ok, Timerra and Lueur, you head out first. Diamant and Alfred stay together and go” Alear spoke as he took control of the plan, “I will follow you next”  

They left together as Alear waited. He was sure of it. Alfred was angry and needed to be watched while he dealt with Griss.

“Are you ready, Alear?” Marth spoke calmly, “This will be a fight you cannot lose” 

“Yes, and please stay at my side” Alear spoke with fear in his voice, “I will need your guidance and support”  

“I will always be at your side” Marth reassured as they transformed and walked towards Griss to first try their plan. 

Prince hoped to talk things through and reach a negotiating point to avoid a fight and prevent any more harm to be done. 

“Are you Griss?” Prince spoke in a gentle voice as he made sure his sword was concealed and at his side, “I am the Prince. I was sent here to help you. Now, why don’t we sit down and talk about this?” 

The rest of the Emblem Heroes transformed into their hero forms as well and waited. Unbeknownst to them, Celine did catch up to them and hide in the nearby bushes to observe the scene before herself. She stared at the scene and waited to see if she could do anything to help. 

“Eh? Who wants to know?” Griss asked as he swung his head back with some saliva dripping from his mouth, “Oh! You’re the Emblem Heroes! One of them at least. I can’t believe I am meeting you. I thought it would be the police first, but this is the next best thing if you ask me!” 

“And why is that?” Prince asked calmly as he tried to understand Griss to the best of his abilities. 

“Because now I can finally get rid of you and your little group of friends too! I am so sick! Sick I tell you!” Griss complained as he snarled at the Prince, “You are the reason our family is going to perish, and yet you don’t mind that we are suffering! Yet, when others are about to suffer, you don’t hesitate to be a part of this! How despicable! The lot of you are the worst! It annoys the hell out of me!” 

A wave of darkness burst from him and whipped at the Prince! A red barrier protected him as he didn’t bother to move. Prince took all of Griss’s emotions and did his best to withstand it. Prince took a single step forward and tried to reach out to him. 

“Do you hate me?” Prince spoke as he took steps to reach Griss who was surprised by that question, “I understand if you hate me. I don’t know your situation at all nor what you are going through either.  Regardless, if your anger is for me, then direct it to me. Do not let others suffer for it” 

Griss ceased casting his magic and held a terrified expression before the Prince. Despite the magic being tossed at him, he was still taking steps to each out to him. 

“I’ve heard about you from others who care about you” Prince spoke softly, “They don’t understand your situation, but that does not mean they do not want anything good to happen to you. Griss, what is it you truly desire? Is it my end, or something more than that?” 

Griss faltered in his steps as Prince remained on guard. From everything he had heard about Griss, he knew Griss wasn’t truly a vile person. In Prince’s understanding, Griss was closed off and dealing with the pain of being alone and trying to find a family of his own. Prince truly didn’t believe Griss’s plans to harm others without a reason. 

“I don’t understand” Griss spoke as he took a shaky step back with one hand holding his throbbing head, “Why are you trying to reach out to me? What do you hope to gain from doing that?” 

“You believe I don’t want to help others who are hurt. That is not true” Prince spoke as he reflected on his time with his friends, “The people who are in my life have touched mine. We have become a part of each other and have looked out for one another. I’ve also done my share of helping as well. It does appear one sided to you, doesn’t it? I would imagine so. I didn’t realize it until now, but you believe that I only help others when the danger strikes, but not what the danger has already happened. Griss, I am sorry for not realizing your pain, but I will do everything I can to help you” 

Griss’s mind was breaking. He didn’t understand this. Why? Why now of all times? Why was he now receiving help? Should he accept it? He did want this long. Was now his final chance at being free and cared for? 

“Do not listen to him!” Jedah spoke strongly as a crashing wave of darkness poured on Griss, “Think about this carefully. He only asks to help you since you’ve fallen. He hasn’t come to you before and would most likely never have come to you if you didn’t push him over. That’s why he is only here! That is the only purpose he even bothered to help you now!” 

“Is that, right?” Griss asked Jedah in a hesitant voice. 

“Yes, it is! It reminds me of those foolish followers of Mila” Jedah spoke as he let his darkness slowly grab Griss, “They only came to her for their needs when it was most dire. She barely did anything to help them too. This is the same thing here! Just with a different being!” 

Griss grabbed his head as he was shaking in place. The darkness was dripping from his form and was sensed by Alm and Celica. Celica was trembling in the bracelet as Alm was furious. Celine could feel their anger towards the emblem controlling Griss. Prince remained on guard as he slowly reached his hand out to him. Math cautioned Alear with doing this, but the Prince was determined to reach out and use his powers to help Griss. 

“Alear! Wait!” Marth shouted as he urged his holder to be cautious. 

“No! He’s suffering!” Alear replied strongly as his hand glowed the soft light, “We have to save him!” 

As he reached out to Griss with the light glowing around his hand, Griss stared back with wide, blood-shot eyes as the darkness lunged to strike Prince! Prince couldn’t up his barrier in time for protection nor flee! 

“Go!” Successeur roared as he transformed with his blade burning and Avenir standing on it. 

Using his might and covering Avenir in protective flames, Successeur took a strong stance and threw Avenir towards them! Avenir used the vines to pull him forward to grab Prince and knock him and himself away from the darkness before it could deliver a terrifying blow to them! They rolled away before landing on their sides to stare at Griss who let out a gut-wrenching yell! They stared at him in horror and fear as the darkness burst from him to then stab him to force a transformation! 

“What is happening?” Avenir spoke in fear as Prince drew his sword and held his arm out in front of Avenir. 

“He’s turning Griss into a witch” Marth and Celica spoke to Alear and Celine in horror. 

“A witch?” Alear asked as Celine was trembling at the figure before her. 

“Yes, a witch is a person who gives up their soul to the being. Some beings may grant their blessings while others will pour their powers into it a person. That will destroy a person’s soul and forcefully turn them in a vessel. In this case, he is a witch” Marth and Celica explained. 

“Is there any way we can still save him?” Celine pleaded with the two heroes in her emblem. 

“As far as I know, no” Celica replied sadly, “I do have a friend who did research the witches, but I do not believe she ever found a cure. The only way to stop Griss now is to end his life” 

Prince and Celine were against the idea of taking his life, but Griss’s yells were ripping through the air as he became the Sage.  

“Griss, can you hear me?” Prince called out as he stood up and before Avenir. 

Prince wasn’t going to give up on him just yet while Avenir was hesitating. He couldn’t believe Griss had fallen this far into the darkness. How could he not have seen this? 

“Darkness does not reveal itself to others” Sigurd recalled as he reflected on what had transpired with him and Arvis, “This darkness is building up and has controlled him. There may be no way to save him. We must do everything we can to stop him. Are you ready, Alfred?” 

Avenir grabbed his lane and held it tightly before answering, “Ok, but please help me. I know I will wavier against him. I don’t want to hurt others, so if I have to hurt him, please help me” 

“Yes, I will” Sigured reassured as Avenir stood at Prince’s side with Successeur standing in front of them for their protection. 

They were ready for another fight as Lueur prepared to transform with Timerra standing in front of her. 

“Hang on” she spoke calmly before standing up with a grin, “Your older sibby told me to keep an eye on you. I promise to do that. Now, Emblem Engage!” 

Her ring burst into a blue and yellow, blazing light to transform her! With each hop she took, the ground crumbled underneath her as her sandals changed to black high heels. She stomped her feet together as beautiful spheres of blue, yellow, pink, and orange were wrapped around her ankles! She twirled with yellow and blue flames covering her body as she swayed her hips to have black shorts appear. The fire burned her clothes and took form of a long, flowing skirt colored with white, pink, and blue patterns along it. Each clap she took with her hands, the ground to break as spheres wrapped around her wrists with a giggle. With another strong step, cracks would appear with her throwing punches to have her blue gauntlets appear over the fists. 

“You ain’t seeing anything yet!” she said with confidence as she slammed her feet on the ground to have blue and yellow flames appearing behind her to cover her head. 

As she took a strong stance with her hair burning, she took some of the strong flames to burn her left shoulder to have a dark blue armor pad appear. She winked as dark green stars sparkled from the flames to appear as a hairpin to keep her hair out of her face. With another clap of her hands and wave, her flames washed away to reveal a white and pink top over her chest with a golden necklace hanging from her neck and arms. She ran a hand through her flaming hair to then waving her head to have the flames to simmer to reveal her hair to be dark blue with a single brown streak. The hair was tied into a wonderful, high ponytail with many colorful spheres woven into it. She grinned before slamming her hands into the ground to break a piece off to create a lance from it. A loud crack was heard as she snapped the lance in half to make break the debris off to transform it into a lance. 

“I am the Picket!” she spoke with confidence in her voice never wavering as she spun around with the lance turning in her hands, “So, why are you just standing around there for? Let’s get this party started already!” 

Lueur transformed into the Princess as she stood by Picket’s side. Both were observing their teammates from afar, debating on what their next move should be to help them. 

“Oh, do you think you can reach him now?” a dark voice spoke as they felt dread in them, “You’ve failed! As of now, Griss does not exist. Now, it is only I, Jedah!” 

Darkness spread throughout the land and shattered the illusion of a lush and wonderful field around them. The Emblem Heroes were horrified to see this and slowly stared the Sage. 

“What happened to him?” Princess asked in horror as Math, Alm, and Celica explained the situation to everyone. 

“Griss is no longer in control. The Emblem has consumed him completely” Marth explained first, “This happens when a person uses their emblems’ powers too much. Their soul is slowly consumed and turned into a vessel. This means the emblem holding either hero or villain will break free and take the human body as a new vessel” 

There was silence. No one spoke a single word and kept their breaths low to the point where it almost sounded like no one could hear anything. They were horrified with the prospect of being unable to save Griss and facing a grand villain who almost brought about the destruction of Valentina. 

“There is a lesson to be learned from this. Now that you have learned it, I know you will not make the same mistake again. Let’s go forth and believe in each other!” Byleth informed everyone with insight. 

“That is no longer Griss” Sigurd’s voice spoke strongly as he steeled himself for a fight. 

“Do not hold anything back! You must use your powers and defeat him!” Roy spoke strongly with a blazing desire in his voice. 

“Sometimes this happens. It doesn’t make anyone feel good, but that’s how life is. Now, don’t make this mistake again and do everything you must to stop him!” Ike declared strongly with a burning ambition in his voice. 

“At your command, Alear!” Marth finished strongly, “Lead us to victory, together!” 

They were ready and ran around the Sage who was no longer in control. In his stead was Jedah. 

“Ah, it feels so long since I’ve had a young vessel in my control” Jedah commented as he stretched and felt his hands throughout Griss’s body, “Ah, and what do we have here? Heroes of the Emblems present before me of all times. I do hope you will be able to keep me entertained until it is your end! Ah, is that you, Hero King? I’ve heard of your exploits, but will you live up to them?” 

Jedah pointed at Prince who held his blade before his chest to stand strong against the dark mage. He chuckled at Prince’s stance before sensing two familiar heroes near him that did ruin his plans from before. He chuckled to himself as he made a mental note of it. 

“Do you believe you can hold a feeble flame to my burning embers?” Jedah commented as darkness gathered to his hands, “For I am the one who was using the great Lord Duma’s powers to bring life to the dead and take it away from those who do not deserve it!” 

He simply flicked his hands to cast the darkness onto the fields to bring to life the dead that were long buried and forgotten over the fields. They slowly rose from the ground and weakly approached the Emblem Heroes. 

“Successeur! Ring of fire!” Prince shouted as Successeur’s blade burned brightly to wave the blade in front of themselves and give them some space from the enemies, “We need to create some distance and learn about our enemies” 

“Do we have time for that?” Picket asked with a roll of her eyes before swinging her lance to strike the incoming enemy and threw it towards the flames. 

She felt proud of herself for doing something at least until the enemy rose from the flames! She was surprised before holding her lance in her hands and charging at it again. 

“If these enemies can’t be killed through weapons, then we need another way” Successeur whispered to Prince as Princess ran forward with her gauntlets burning brightly. 

“Then, perhaps the elements” Prince reasoned as Marth agreed with his holder who held his blade in front of himself with light gathering to it, “I can test this” 

He lunged forward at fast steps to swing the blade downward to cut the enemy in half to disappear into darkness! Prince stared through the cutting darkness and held a resolved expression towards Jedah who was impressed with him. 

“Ah, so you’ve figured it out” Jedah commented before snapping his darkness covered fingers to have more creatures rise from the ground, “Very well. I have no qualms of rising even more Risen to deal with you!” 

They circled each other as the Risen grew around them. Prince held his sword in front of himself before taking charge of the group. Princess transformed her gauntlets back to a sword before glancing to her brother who thinking through this. Once an idea formed in his head, he made sure Princess and Avenir were standing together and put Successeur and Picket in front of them. 

As the Risen surrounded them as Prince raised his blade to blind the Risen and commanded, “Successeur! Picket! Together! Break the ground underneath us and unleash a wave of fire!” 

Successeur was first as he swung the blade downward with Picket raising her lance! Prince stood between Princess and Avenir. 

“Extend your sword and summon the vines upward. Pull us up!” Prince ordered as Princess swung her sword to grab a broken branch on a tree to throw herself and her brother upward with Avenir creating vines from the tree to pull himself, Successeur, and Picket upward. 

As they were in the air, Prince held his bright blade upward. Successeur mimicked him as a red, roaring fire with Picket’s lance sparkling a delightful, blue fire. In a white and red light, Prince fell first with his blade clashing against the land to cast a blinding light! Jedah effortlessly created a barrier for his protection before Prince jumped when Successeur crashed in front of him in a roaring fire while Picket crushed the ground underneath her! 

The earth broke into pieces as fire erupted from it! Blue and red flames scorched the earth and burned the land and the Risen! As the sea of fire and crumbling earth spread before them as the Risen tried to flee. Avenir spun the lance in his hands to crash into a crack to have vines grow and hold the remaining Risen in place. Prince and Princess ran through the flames and used their swords to cut down the remaining few Risen using their light element from their blades. 

“Will this be enough?” Princess whispered as Prince charged straight for Jedah! 

“It has to be!” he yelled before thrusting the blade forward to only have it be held by a barrier of darkness! 

“Fascinating” Jedah commented as he stared at Prince with an interested expression, “That expression and this blade. You’re the person who defeated me before, but I know you. Yes, that power is one of hers, or rather, someone related to her. I shall not make the same mistake twice! 

He grabbed the blade and spread his darkness through it! Prince prepared to release the blade, but the darkness grabbed him! 

“Alear! Move! Hurry!” Marth urged strongly as he used his light to protect themselves as much as he can. 

“I can’t!” Prince shouted as he struggled with the darkness grabbing his arms and holding him in place! 

“Get out of there!” Princess yelled as she lunged to help her brother only to be stopped by Picket who wrapped her arms around her waist to stop her. 

Princess didn’t stop struggling as she wanted to help him. Successeur was standing in front of them as Avenir lunged forward with his lance in hand. He was covered in a green light and threw the lance between Prince and Jedah! Green vines rose from the ground and healed the Prince while keeping Jedah away. Prince kneeled and felt his arms. He was relieved to not see any permeant damages and gazed to see Avenir standing before him. 

“Are you ok?” Avenir asked as he looked over his shoulder to see Prince only nodding his head at them, “Good, because I won’t let him get away with this!” 

“Avenir wait!” Prince shouted as Avenir spun his lance in his hands before lunging and thrusting it repeatedly to deliver a strike to Jedah! 

Prince picked himself up only to fall back to his knees in frustration when he realized how exhausted he was. Successeur rushed to his aid to help him as both stared at the fight before them. Princess and Picket only watched too, unsure if they should step in at all. 

“Ah, what is this? Anger? Are you that frustrated with everything I’ve done? Jedah taunted as Avenir continued to throw thrust after thrust to him. 

He wouldn’t speak as he was focused on fighting Jedah. Avenir would spin the lance and unleash a strike that would only be countered by Jedah who would use the darkness to create a barrier for protection. Avenir then tried another approach where he would let his lance scrap the ground and have vines grow. Then, he would have the tip point forward to have the vines lunged and attempt to grab Jedah. The dark mage would only counter by creating fire burn away the vines easily before snapping his fingers to have a ring of fire slowly trap them! 

“Avenir!” Prince and Princess called out to him in worry and fear as Avenir held his lance in front of himself for protection while staring right at Jedah.

Jedah laughed and taunted in a dark tone, “Do you hate me? Do you hate what I have done to you, your friends, family, and this poor fool who was tossed around so easily? I fail to see why you would not even have the slightest bit of a burning anger towards someone as dark as me” 

Avenir’s grip on his lance tightened to the point where his hands were white. His glare remained present as he didn’t move at all. His anger did bloom from all the hurtful words and actions of the Villain Emblem, but he was doing everything in his power to not strike him out of it. 

“That is very good, Avenir” Sigurd spoke as he made sure his voice was loud and clear to his holder, “Do not let your rage grow and hold you in place. You need to think through the foggy forest of your emotions and strike when the moment is right” 

“I understand, Sigurd” Avenir replied as he used his abilities to keep himself from charging forward, “It is becoming harder and harder to do. I don’t know if I can hold out for much longer. What should I do?” 

Sigurd pondering on this before slowly stating his idea, “A mage has immense powers of magic, but their defenses are terrible. If we can find a single crack in his barrier, we should be able to deliver a fatal blow. Of course, waiting for one could take time” 

Avenir spun his lance before taking a stand and observing Jedah to answer, “Then, we should make our own!” 

The nature user ran forward with his lance behind him. He let nature gathered to the tip of the lance and threw jabs at Jedah’s barrier. He continued to strike the barrier as Jedah tried to reinforce the barrier. With each strike, the barrier took longer and longer to repair! Jedah couldn’t keep up as Avenir continued to throw strikes and then created a large crack! With a final spin and thrust, he shattered the barrier! 

“Nice one, Avenir!” Princess encouraged with a loud cheer with Picket staring at Jedah closely. 

He thrusted the lance to strike at Jedah’s side and missed! Jedah was relieved, but he soon realized that he wasn’t Avenir’s target! No, his target was the ground! He unleashed the nature he stored in the lance and created a lush field underneath them! The vines grew and wrapped around Jedah to stretch out his arms and legs to suspend him! Avenir sighed in relief and stepped away with a relaxed expression with his hands shaking. 

“That should do it” Avenir spoke as Prince and Successeur stood beside him to see Jedah. 

“Are you ok?” Prince asked as he placed a hand on Avenir’s shoulder to give him some comfort. 

Avenir nearly collapsed as Prince cared for him with Successeur approached Jedah. Picket ran with him as Princess also tended to Avenir. 

“I’ll be ok” Avenir spoke softly in an exhausted manner, “I didn’t use too much of Sigurd’s power. He made sure I regulated it. He also told me how to use it carefully. The vines will hold if I maintain this form and calm myself down. What should we do with him?” 

Prince and Princess focused on him while Successeur and Picket decided to handle Jedah. Celine watched in admiration that her older brother exhausted himself and was worried for his health. She quietly ran towards them, hoping to see how he was fairing. 

“Celine! Don’t!” Alm warned her as Celica created a protective barrier to ensure none of the dark magic would dare harm her holder. 

She didn’t listen to her emblems and rushed to them. 

“Big brother! Are you ok?!” she yelled as she ran with the others turning to her in a surprised manner. 

Avenir sharply turned around as Sigurd shouted for him to stop! Abruptly, Avenir lost control over his transformation and powers when he turned to face his little sister! He gasped in pain as his weak health forced him to collapse as well! He was coughing heavily as Celine was horrified. The vines holding Jedah disappeared, releasing Jedah! 

“Well, well” Jedah spoke as a chill ran up Celine’s spine to make her stop and stare at him, “I knew you would be here soon enough, Albine and Anthiese! This time, I will not let you escape from my dark clutches and ensure you suffer the same fate as I did!” 

He raised his hand as dark thrones grew from the ground and surrounded Celine! She let out a horrified scream as she held herself away with Alfred struggling to even stand. Jedah teleported behind the throne cage and extended his hand to the cage. 

“We will duel again. Next time, do make things interesting and do not keep me waiting. Adieu” Jedah said with a chuckle as he gathered his magic to teleport themselves away! 

“No, no! Alfred! Please help me!” Celine cried out as she extended her hand to him. 

Alfred struggled to stand up and even extend his hand to grab his little sister’s only for her to disappear into the darkness right before his eyes! Alfred let out a pained yell before succumbing to his illness and fainting! His friends panicked before Successeur took control of the situation and decided to take him to the nearest hospital. 

Meanwhile, Éve was working hard with restoring the fields back to their proper condition as quickly as she could. She was in distress and waiting for Lady Lumera to respond to her plea for help. However, she received a video message from the Sage. 

“Who is that?” Éve asked in a tired manner before realizing that the person had a striking resemblance to Griss, “Griss?! What is he doing?! We are facing a crisis!” 

“Oh, I am not Griss! I am the Emblem of Villains, Jedah” he spoke in a dark tone before snapping his fingers to reveal the captured and frightened Celine, “And I have demands. Either you let your precious fields suffer and die in the coming cold season to let the people succumb to starvation, or you work with us! The choice is yours of course! Though, I wonder if your daughter will be able to survive without you! You only have a day to make your decision!” 

The video message ended as Éve’s eyes were wide as she soon began making demands to her employees to help her get her daughter back by any means necessary. They rushed to many areas of the building, trying to aid their boss in some way. 

“Uh, Miss Éve” another employee spoke worriedly, “It is about your son. He is in the hospital. His illness came back as well” 

It was if the world suddenly stopped when Éve heard her other child was in danger. She felt her legs give way as her employees rushed to aid her now. She let out a scream of frustration and worry for her children. What is a mother supposed to do for them in great peril? 

In the Next Episode… 

Alear’s POV)

Things have certainly gotten downhill for us. Alfred’s too weak to move since his illness has appeared. Using the emblem too much rendered him weaker. To top it off, his friends and little sister are aware of who they are. I don’t even know how we are going to explain this. Marth is even worried, but what can we do? Well, the only thing we can do is resolve this without their mother in danger. If we can only save Celine from her situation and help Alfred somehow. I hope we are ready for the fight coming our way!

Chapter Text

Alfred was rushed to the hospital as the rest of the Emblem Heroes were waiting outside in the waiting room. They had transformed back before arriving and keeping to themselves. Timerra called her mother to reassure her where she was as Diamant spoke with Alcryst and Amber to calm their distressing father. This left the siblings to speak with Vander about their whereabouts. Once that was done, a nurse stepped out and approached them. 

“How is he?” Diamant spoke as he stood up with everyone starring at her. 

“Just fine! Thank goodness he has such reliable friends to be there for him!” the nurse answered with a smile, “His illness is from the pandemic that happened a few years ago. It is sad that his father never recovered from it like him, but it is still present. I have no idea what caused it to trigger though. We’ve alerted his mother, so she should be coming. Would you like to see him until she arrives?” 

“Yes, if we can” Alear spoke softly and in utter relief to hear this. 

The nurse led the group through the doors to let them see Alfred on the bed with a heart monitor hooked up to him and even an IV blood bag. It broke their hearts to see their lively friend in such a state. Timerra rushed to check on him with Lueur at his other side. Diamant and Alear were stunned and couldn’t move to see their friend in such a state. 

“He’ll recover, right?” Alear asked as he spoke the thought running through their minds again with their eyes never leaving their sickly friend. 

The nurse was surprised as she answered with a grin, understanding that they were in shock, “Yes, he’ll recover just fine. Please don’t make too much noise nor upset him. I’ll return in a few minutes for the phone call and check up!” 

She happily left them alone for some privacy as Alear noticed the ring on a small table. He picked up the ring and awakened Sigurd who was gazing at the sickly Alfred. Marth, Byleth, Ike, and Roy appeared as well as they were staring at the patient and wondering what to even do. They were silent, unsure of what to even say. 

“Will he recover?” Alear spoke as he looked at Sigurd. 

The Holy Knight took a deep breath in before confirming, “Yes, he will. He did push himself, but when I cancelled our bond, he was forced to transform back to himself for his protection. This is my fault. I knew of his condition and should’ve done something to stop him from using the emblem’s power to the max” 

“You knew and let him do this?!” Lueur shouted in a defensive manner as Byleth turned to his holder, “He’s in this state! Why did he never mention he had this condition?!” 

“Because I didn’t want you to worry nor stop being a friend to me” Alfred’s weak voice spoke as they turned to him worry and relief to see him awake, “I was worried that none of you would want to be with me or treat me differently because of it” 

He sat up before coughing as Timerra rubbed his back in comforting manner. Once he stopped, he slumped against the bed. He held such a defeated expression as he looked at himself in his situation. 

“I am sorry” he spoke sadly as he felt some warm tears falling from his face, ready to have them leave him. 

Instead, Lueur and Timerra hugged his sides with Alear and Diamant each taking a hand of his to give him comfort. Alfred stared at them in a stunned manner as everyone held warm expressions to him. 

“If you think this illness is going to prevent us from being the best of friends, you’re wrong!” Timerra spoke strongly as she was crying and hugging his side close to her. 

“Yeah! We would’ve been your friend! Why didn’t you say anything, you idiot?” Lueur spoke through her tears as Alfred continued to cry. 

“There is no reason to be so strong when you have us to lean on” Diamant reassured as he ruffled Alfred’s hair in an affectionate manner. 

Alear faced his friend before finishing with a grin, “And there is no way we would’ve left you. We are your friends until the end. You will have no reason to worry about this” 

At this, Alfred cried. He was so relieved that his friends were not going to leave him nor see him in a different light because of his illness. They didn’t let their friend go as they held each other in comfort and cried while holding on. Once he finished crying, he dried his tears and stared at them. 

“I want to save Celine. Where is she?” Alfred asked as he tried to steady his voice. 

Diamant straightened up before answering, “We don’t know where she is, but we do know that she’s still alive and in his clutches. He is holding her hostage” 

Alfred sighed in defeat as Timerra rubbed his back in a soothing manner as there was a loud clamoring outside of the room. The Emblems returned to their rings as everyone looked at each other before staring at the doors. The nurse opened the doors to reveal a crying Bucheron, furious Etie, distressing Chloé, and concerned Louis. Alfred’s friends stood away to let them worry over him next. Then, a few people were clamoring and then silence as Éve walked up to them! Diamant and Timerra bowed to her as everyone else gave her some space. 

Éve rushed to embrace her son and asked in a whisper, “Are you ok?” 

Alfred hugged her tightly as he replied, “Yes, I am fine. Are you ok?” 

She was shaking in place before resting her head against his. 

“I am going to be fine” she reassured him in a gentle tone, “But I want you to stay here. I need to help your sister and the farms. Please stay here and be with everyone. It would help me so much, so stay here and be with them. I will be back with your sister. I promise” 

She was in so much distressed that it brought Alfred so much pain. Unbeknownst to him, he even felt the same pain as his younger sister did whenever he went to the hospital with or without his father. He could not even imagine how his little sister felt when only he and his mother returned without their father. She let him go before pressing a kiss to his forehead. Once she left, she reached for her phone to see the video of Jedah holding her daughter in a throne cage. It frustrated her that she would have to give into his demands. 

“Miss Éve” Diamant spoke as he bowed to her, “Do you want my family’s help at all? We would be glad to give it if it can offer you any comfort or relief of any kind” 

Éve smiled softly at him before shaking her head in disagreement, “Thank you, Diamant. That won’t be necessary. I must be the one to do this. If I have to ask anything from you, it will bring me great relief to know that you are there to look after my son for me” 

In an understanding manner, Diamant could briefly see his mother standing there with the same worries he had with Alcryst. Knowing this, he vowed to keep her promise and watch over her son for her in the same manner as he would watch over Alfred for her. She was relieved before turning away with another phone call to make. 

Roy spoke to Diamant to ask worriedly, “Do you think we can protect him? Do you think Alfred will recover?” 

“I am not sure how he will recover, but we can worry about this later. For now, we will need to find Celine next and stop Jedah before anything else happens” Diamant informed him, “I will have to ask Timerra for the footage about it. We need to make a plan and save Celine” 

Roy agreed with a nod of his head before they returned to the room to see everyone talking with each other, trying to lighten the mood. This helped a bit as they were trying to lift Alfred’s spirit up. Diamant motioned for Timerra and Alear to speak with him while Lueur staying with their sick friend to keep him company and watch Sigurd’s ring. Once Diamant made sure no one would hear them, he informed them what had transpired between him and Miss Éve. 

“I figured she would be stressed out of her mind” Timerra reasoned with a sigh, “So, how do we want to handle this? I doubt any of us are going to just stand here and do absolutely nothing about this, especially since we know too” 

“That is where you and Alear come in” Diamant spoke as he recalled the image of where Celine was being kept, “Does that place sound familiar at all to you, Timerra? I imagine growing up in a security business, you would recall some locations or find out where this place is. I believe Alear and I will come up with a possible solution to this situation with everyone’s help” 

“I can handle that no problem!” Timerra announced as she took her phone out to do something on it that neither boys could see, “So, how are we going to get Alfred out of here? Don’t even think about telling me that we are not taking him with us. I know he is coming, because if we don’t take him, he will follow us. I am pretty sure we don’t want that to happen, right?” 

She knew Alfred wouldn’t sit back and wait. To be honest, neither couldn’t either. If anything happened to their younger siblings, they would be out there trying to do something. Alear pondered that as he glanced at the room. An idea soon formed in his mind as he noticed Alfred’s friends were not leaving his side. 

“I think I have an idea, but we might be in trouble later. The consequences will be grand even if we save Celine” Alear spoke as he turned to them, “I know my little sister wouldn’t hesitate, but you two are in different positions. Are you sure about this?” 

Without even hesitating, Diamant answered in a strong tone, “Of course. I will not stand here and not be of aid when I know I can be”

“Oh, and don’t you dare count me out! I’m going to be there to fight and help!” Timerra said with a knowing expression, “That, and I’ve been in trouble before. This will not matter in the slightest if you ask me!” 

Both males were a little concerned about that sentence of hers, but they knew better than to question it. Instead, they focused on the task at hand. 

“I’ll get my car ready” Diamant informed them before turning to leave, “Timerra, you should come with me and get ready to lead us to wherever Jedah has taken Celine. We will meet you out back. Be quick” 

Alear nodded his head as his two friends ran on ahead. He turned to the doors and wondered how he would explain this to Alfred’s friends as well as inform Lueur about this. 

“I can inform Byleth who should be able to tell your sister about the plan” Marth informed Alear, “And I don’t believe you should worry. This plan will work. Alfred and Celine have friends and family who deeply care about them. They wouldn’t want anything to happen to them. Explain everything” 

“Thank you, Marth” Alear spoke calmly before pushing the door open to see everyone chatting with Alfred and trying to keep his spirits up. 

Alear approached the bed and let Marth explain everything to Byleth and his little sister. As for Alear, he leaned to whisper everything to Alfred. 

“And I know you have no intention of staying here” Alear continued to explain, “But if we are going to leave, we will need your friends’ help. Are you ready?” 

“Yeah” Alfred replied with a nervous voice before answering, “I will do everything for her, because I am her older brother. I will not let her be alone anymore. Thanks for everything. You and our friends. Ok, I am ready. HEY! Everyone! I have something to tell you!” 

Everyone stared at the sickly boy who sat up and went to grab the ring on the stand. He took a deep breath before nodding his head at them. 

“I have something to confess to you” he spoke bravely as he revealed Sigurd before them with a gentle expression, “I am Avenir. My two friends behind me are the Prince and Princess. We have to leave this place and find Celine since we are the only ones who can do this” 

There was silence in the room as everyone stared at the trio. 

“Ah, what?” Louis asked in a confused manner as he struggled to understand this, “Are you sure? I’ve always looked after you and your little sister since you were kids. Are you sure this isn’t a result of the medication?” 

“But we do see the adorable, tiny knight before him that is the Holy Knight from the legends and romantic tales” Chloé commented as she swooned at the many stories she could ask the knight about his life and his love. 

“But I’ve read those stories! Those are a work of fiction! How is this real?” Bucheron asked in disbelief before shaking his head, “I know that those stories happened a long time ago! This can’t be real!” 

They were struggling to comprehend this as Etie spoke strongly, “I believe him” 

Everyone jumped and stared at her in utter disbelief and surprise. They didn’t expect this from her. 

“What did you say?” Chloé asked surprised, “You believe in his story?” 

“Yeah, I believe in their story, because they saved my life and even risked their own countless times to save others. I don’t think this would be something they wouldn’t have informed us so easily either. I bet they were planning to keep this a secret for as long as they could” Etie spoke with a worried expression throughout it. 

She only needed to gaze at them to confirm her suspicions to be true. 

“And I know you want to do everything to save Celine and bring her back to us, right?” Etie asked as she felt tears building up with frustration in her voice and faced them, “So! You better bring her back! You have to bring her back to us! Otherwise, I and Jamke will never forgive you! Do you hear me?!” 

She failed to realize her voice was rising until she was panting heavily. She quickly shook her head to get rid of any tears on her face with Chloé being the one to comfort her and Bucheron hugging her close to him. 

“So, what shall we do to ensure that you do escape from this place?” Louis asked curiously as the trio stared at him in a surprised manner, “What? Now that we know the truth as well, we are not going to let you stay here. Oh, no! We are going to let you go and ensure that no one finds out about Alfred’s absence. We are not sure how long we are going to hold out for, but we will give you all the time you need” 

“Any time you can give us will be enough” Alear spoke up as he went to find clothes for Alfred to change out of the hospital gown.

“I don’t suppose any of you have an idea for us to escape from a hospital?” Lueur asked curiously as the group shared a knowing expression. 

“Oh, we’ve got this. Just get ready to leave when we say so” Chloé reassured them with a grin. 

Alear and Louis helped Alfred out of the bed and changed his clothes. Alfred put the ring on his finger with a slight grunt of pain at the amount of energy Sigurd gave him. Alear supported his friend as he turned to the four of them in front. 

“Don’t worry” Chloé reassured them with a smile, “We’ve got this. Bucheron, are you ready?” 

“No for obvious reasons, but yes for Celine. Ok, hit me!” Bucheron said as he prepared himself to take the strike. 

Taking a deep breath, Chloé drew her fist back and then deliver a strong punch to his face! Alear and Lueur were horrified at the sight while Alfred was relatively calm. Bucheron began to cry heavily with his tears mixing with the bloodied nose that Chloé just gave him. 

“Louis! You’re up! Take him to the front of the hospital and make a big scene!” Chloé spoke as he laughed. 

“Well, I certainly didn’t expect this approach, but I suppose that will do!” Louis spoke as he led the injured and crying Bucheron out of the room. 

This left Chloé and Etie. Etie took the hospital gown and changed into it before jumping onto the bed with the covers over her head. Chloé sat on the bed and rubbed her back to then turn to the trio in front of her. 

“What are you waiting for?” she asked with a grin, “You need to get going! Your story needs the protagonists to continue! Bring this story to an end that rivals a fairy tale and save our dear Celine!” 

“Thank you, everyone” Alfred spoke in relief, “And I promise to bring Celine back to us!” 

“Then get going already!” Etie spoke strongly. 

Alfred nodded as he leaned against Alear. Lueur ran out of the room first to make sure the coast was clear. She waved her hand to motion them to follow her through the white hallways as they heard Louis complaining in great detail to the nurses with a crying, anxious Bucheron in the distance. Looking over his shoulder, Alear made sure they were not being followed and ran after his sister with Alfred leaning on him. It didn’t take them long to find the exit and see Diamant’s fancy red car parked outside. Lueur opened the doors to have Alfred and Alear enter first before joining them. Dimanat locked the doors and drove away as quickly as he could. 

“Do we have a location?” Alear asked as he made sure Alfred was leaning on him. 

“Yeah, I was able to figure that out thanks to the descriptions Diamant gave me! Are we ready?!” Timerra asked as she turned around to see them from the passenger’s seat. 

Alear and Lueur nodded their heads as they turned to Alfred. He couldn’t forget the fearful expression his little sister held. He was determined to find and bring her home. 

“Yes, I am ready. Let’s bring Celine home” Alfred spoke determinedly as the ring shined a yellow light using its power to heal him. 

As for Jedah, he was standing in the first ruined farmland that had turned into a wasteland by his powers. Behind him was Celine, locked in her black, thorny cage that held her. She wasn’t alone as Alm and Celica were still with her and using their respective powers to protect the young lady from Jedah’s dark magic. 

“We will not leave you, Celine” Alm spoke bravely, “We will not let him turn you into a witch” 

“Thank you, Alm” she replied as she tried to appear brave and strong, “I know you and Celica won’t leave me, but I do feel fear at the being before me. That is no longer Griss” 

“Unfortunately, no” Celica spoke seriously, “That is Jedah. He is an enemy from our world. He was the one who brought darkness to it and turned me into a witch as well. Have no fear, Celine. We will not let you become a witch” 

Celine trusted the two Emblems in her ring, but her eyes never left Jedah. 

“I do hope they will not keep us waiting, Celica” Jedah spoke as he stared at Celine with an interested expression, “I would hate for you to suffer the same fate without her precious Alm to even save you” 

He leaned uncomfortably close to the cage with the darkness whispering against Celine’s body. She quickly scurried away to the other side of it for her safety. 

“Oh? Are you afraid of me? How jovial for me” he spoke in a mocking tone, “I suppose I shall let those fears run. It has been so long since anyone has properly feared me” 

He ghostly turned away from her as Celine held herself and let the ring’s power protect herself. She hoped her brother would come and save her, but she knew his illness appeared when he used the ring’s power. She feared for his health more than her safety. She curled against the edge of the cage and waited, praying her older brother and his friends would come and save her soon. 

“Here we are!” Timerra shouted as Diamant parked the car. 

The Emblem Heroes finally arrived at their destination which was the first farmland that Griss decimated with dark magic. They stepped out of the car and stood behind it as the heroes appeared on their shoulders as Alfred was on his knees, exhausted from the power and his illness. Alear helped him sit up with the others joining him. 

“Do you sense him?” Alear whispered as everyone kept his voice low and quiet to Marth. 

“Yes, he is around along with two other emblems” Marth spoke slowly as he closed his eyes to sense their presences before smiling in relief, “Yes, I am sure of it. There are two more emblems here!”

The other emblems turned to Marth to figure out who it was except for Byleth who already had an idea of who it could be. 

“Do you think they will be able to help us?” Lueur asked hopefully. 

“Yes, they should” Byleth answered simply, “I believe you should leave them to us, Marth” 

The professor turned to the Hero King and his holder while Marth turned to Alear and Alfred. 

“It is not my choice” Marth spoke as he gazed to them, “It will be your choice. How do you wish to proceed?” 

Alfred weakly picked himself up and looked over the red car to see Jedah standing in front of the cage with his little sister still in that cage and holding herself. Thinking about their situation, Alfred raised his hand to gain the attention of his teammates. 

“I have an idea and please trust me on this. This is all to save my little sister” Alfred spoke in a tired manner, “And I know my powers are not as strong as yours right now, so please trust me with this idea” 

The others nodded their head at him as he whispered his idea to them and nodded to Lueur. She transformed first as the rest looked over the care to see Jedah and Celine. The rest transformed in their own hero forms before turning their attention to the dark sage. 

“Everyone knows what the plan is, right?” Avenir spoke as he weakly stood up with help from Prince. 

“Yes, but please watch over yourself too” Successeur spoke with concern and placed a hand on Avenir’s shoulder, “She wouldn’t want anything to happen to you” 

“I know, and I plan to come back to her. I will keep my promise” Avenir reassured them as Successeur and Picket took off in different directions. 

This left Avenir with the Prince who was holding a worried expression to him. Avenir only held a warm expression to his friend before slowly shaking him off to stand by himself. Once he gained his footing, Avenir was ready to approach Jedah. Prince walked at his side with his sword ready to go. 

“Ah, they are finally here” the dark mage spoke as Celine raised her head and felt utter relief to see her older brother present with his friend. 

However, she could tell he was exhausted from using this power too much and worried over his health more than anything. 

“For the ones using the power of those deemed heroic, you do lack manners for making us wait” Jedah commented with a chuckle, “No matter. I shall accept this. Now, are you ready to surrender yourselves to me and become proper vessels for my Master Duma?” 

Prince prepared himself as Avenir answered strongly, “No, I don’t have any intention of becoming a vessel for someone as dark and cold as you. I will do everything in my power to resist you and save my little sister!” 

He spun his lance to strike the ground and create vines to whip at Jedah with Prince preparing himself. Jedah prepared his dark spells, but he heard a yell from Picket who grinded alone the vines with her lance blazing blue flames behind her! 

“Oh, you’re so going down!” she yelled with a twist and jump from the vine as the blue flames followed her.

Jedah turned his attention to her first and failed to notice Successeur was behind him with a burning, red blade in his hand! Successeur was running through the loud, growing vines and keeping himself quiet. Once he lunged to stand right behind Jedah, Successeur drew his blade back and took a big swing to then deliver a burning strike to Jedah! The dark mage barely had time to create a barrier to protect himself from the strike and could even see the cracks form! 

“Dirty tactics to catch me off guard?” Jedah said in an impressed tone before taking a glance to see Picket approaching him, “Yet, I am much craftier and can see an underhanded trick so easily!” 

He waved his hand to cover Successeur in a dark purple light to then throwing him towards the incoming Picket! Successeur let out a panicked yell as he was sent flying while Picket threw her lance to the vines to burn around Jedah. She dropped to the ground to avoid the incoming Successeur who hit the ground with a thud. Picket grabbed the lance to rush Jedah with a flurry of blue flames! 

“Ah, such burning power!” Jedah commented as he countered her strikes with darkness that protected or moved him away from each strike, “Such a power would benefit my army and cause incalculable damages! Perhaps I should’ve made you my first vessel instead!” 

Picket kept her cool and continued to throw strike after strike to give Successeur a chance to recover and keep Jedah busy. She didn’t even reply as she raised her lance upward to deliver a strike only for Jedah to cast a wave of darkness. She quickly spun in the other direction to avoid it before jumping over it. 

She landed on her feet as Ike shouted, “Duck and roll!”

Picket quickly rolled from the wave of darkness before grabbing onto a growing vine to avoid another strike of darkness. She sighed in relief before glancing at her lance to see it dissolve in the darkness. She sighed at it before hoping Successeur could pick up her slack until she could recreate her lance again. 

“Picket’s weapon si gone! We need to act!” Roy urged as the darkness surrounded them. 

The darkness did strike, but the blazing fire burn it to a crisp as Successeur stood over it with a eased expression. His blade was burning strongly and not even scorching the vines that grew around him. Successeur simply walked through the vines and fires. When the darkness tried to strike him, it would only be countered by his flames with ease. 

Jedah turned to focus on Successeur who didn’t flinch as he approached Jedah. Roy cautioned Successeur with each strong step he took with fire burning the darkness and covering to protect him. He didn’t spare a glance to Princess who was running towards the cage with light steps. The sword transformed into a beautiful, golden javelin that allowed her to quickly run from one place to another swiftly. She jumped and grabbed the thorny bars. She bites her tongue to stop herself from screaming in pain, but she did shake the cage to startle Celine enough! 

She whipped her head around and gasped before whispering, “Are you the Princess?” 

“Yes!” Princess spoke as she gritted her teeth, “Are you ok, Celine? Don’t worry, your brother sent us to find and bring you to safety” 

She let go of the bars and then landed on her feet before examining the cage. She ran a few thoughts through her mind with Byleth staring cautiously at it too. He knew his holder didn’t have the power to use his sword just yet and three other weapons were sealed in another item all together. 

“I have an idea” Byleth proposed before nodding his head, “The lance, Lúin, you have is swiftly and strong enough to cut through the bars. However, you must be quick. The quicker the strike, the more damage you will do” 

Princess took a stance before she heard another voice speak, “Ah! She’s going to use your Hero Relics! We understand, Professor Byleth! Celine! Step away from the bars!” 

“Who are you?” Princess asked curiously until she realized her answer, “Are you Alm and Celica?! You must be! Marth mentioned you! Are you ok too?! I am sorry for not asking sooner!” 

“Aw! You’re so polite! Do not worry, we are fine! Thank you for checking in on us!” Celica answered in relief, “But if you can break this, do it now! I do not know for how long Jedah will be distracted or won’t hesitate to have Celine become a witch” 

“I will free her! Please stand back!” Princess urged as she held her lance in front of herself and took calm, deep breaths in and out. 

The tip and head of the lance glowed a bright, green light that reminded Byleth of those green ribbons of a former student. She felt a powerful breeze blow through her hair as her eyes glowed a faint green light. She didn’t let out a yell as she swung the lance in a horizontal manner to deliver a swift strike that could barely be seen! Celine held her breath as she waited to see the vines shatter into pieces! She was breathless as Princess turned the lance back into a sword and held her hand out for Celine.

“Well, let’s go! I promised your brother I would keep you safe! Are you ready?” she asked warmly and in relief as sweat dripped from her. 

Celine noticed how exhausted Princess was from trying to save her alone. She wondered how her she could help her friends and brother with this exhaustion of theirs. She looked at the ring before taking Princess’s hand and stepping out of the cage. Princess made sure her grip on Celine’s hand was tight before running in the opposite direction of both the cage and the fight. 

“Can’t I do anything to help?” Celine asked internally to Alm and Celica. 

Celica could feel Princess’s powers flowing from her to Celine. Although it was little power, it should be enough for her to use properly. 

“I have an idea” Celica spoke as she felt Alm giving his power to her, “I believe I know how to help everyone. Though, since you haven’t awakened to the power of the Emblems, it will not be easy and will tire you out as well. Celine, are you ready for this?” 

“Yes, I am! Tell me what I need to do!” Celine said determinedly as she squeezed Princess’s hand to gain some of her power. 

As the girls got away from the fight, Successeur effortlessly withstood the darkness and attacks coming from Jedah. He was determined to ensure that Jedah’s focus was solely on him. He didn’t even want to think about how exhausted Avenir was going to be from this. 

“Hold yourself steady!” Roy cautioned as a wave of darkness flew to strike Successeur’s face only for him to grab the wave of darkness to burn it to a crisp. 

“Thank you, Roy” Successeur replied as he kept his guard up and continued to approach Jedah, “But I am storing all these attacks and powers for myself. I must wait for the fight moment to deliver the promising strike!” 

Jedah was impressed with Successeur for taking his spells and strikes with ease. He wondered what his true power is as he prepared his magic for another spell to protect himself. Picket noticed Successeur was slowly walking towards the dark mage. 

“Hey! Ike! Are we ready yet? I don’t want to miss out on the fun!” Picket complained as she extended her hand out to try and summon her lance to her hands again. 

“It should be ready in a few minutes, but I know you won’t wait for that long” Ike commented as Picket grinded against the vine and was tossed in the air, “Which is why you’re going to act without waiting anymore. I will tell you when to raise your hands and summon the lance again!” 

“Finally! I am so looking forward to this!” Picket exclaimed with a smirk as she prepared to jump and summon the lance to her hands, “Hey! Successeur! Are you ready for this?!” 

“Of course, I am! On my signal!” he shouted with a determined manner. 

“You got it, big guy!” Picket answered with a giggle before smirking at the sight below her. 

“Roy! Be sure to time this right with me!” Successeur asked for Roy as he took a stance and stared right at Jedah. 

“I understand!” Roy agreed as he gathered fire to the blade. 

Together, Roy gave Successeur more of his fiery power to protect him from the whips of darkness Jedah cast. 

“Picket! NOW!” Successeur spoke with urgency in his voice. 

“Finally, time for some fun!” Picket roared as she fell forward with her hands above her head to have her lance appear above her head. 

Blue flames were bursting from her lance with Successeur’s blade burning a red roaring fire! Jedah only focused on Successeur who charged forward with fire burning his body! He let out a roar before swinging the blade forward! Jedah was startled as he raised his hands to create his barrier only to see Successeur shattering the barrier before his very eyes! He let out a panicked scream as the fire burned his clothes and hair! 

“Take that!” Picket yelled as she spun her lance in the air above herself with the blue fires burning away. 

Jedah gasped as he slammed his hands together to switch places with Successeur! He was caught off guard by the mage’s powerful magic as Picket gasped in a surprised manner. She didn’t want to strike her friend, so she threw the lance with all might to try and strike Jedah! She crashed on top of Successeur who threw his blade back to Jedah and then went to catch her! 

Jedah used his powers to teleport away from the incoming lance and blade to then appear before them with a dark laugh, “Fascinating approach, but brute force will not win the day for you!” 

Gathering the darkness to his hand, he threw the sphere at the two of them! Realizing that their holders wouldn’t be able to escape, Roy and Ike used the last of their powers to protect them! 

“Roy!/Ike!” they shouted in worry before vines quickly wrapped around their waists to pull them away!

Both transformed back before collapsing onto their knees in utter exhaustion and into the safety of Prince and Avenir! Avenir continued to use his vines to whip at Jedah and keep them away from them. 

“How are you two?” Prince asked as he checked on them with concern. 

“I’m more frustrated that I am out so soon” Timerra confessed as Prince understood her meaning and charged towards Jedah! 

“What is he doing? Argh!” Diamant complained in pain as he held his side in exhaustion. 

Avenir looked at his two friends who were trying to support each other. Avenir took a simple step forward, but he still felt some pain in his body. He couldn’t keep this up for long and knew his time would be up if he wasn’t careful. He didn’t want to leave Prince to fight alone either! 

“Avenir, keep calm” Sigurd’s calm voice spoke throughout his mind, “We can do this, together. All we need to do is time this right” 

“I know, I know!” Avenir replied in urgency as he tried to calm himself down, “I can’t rush into the fight with the current situation I am in, but I don’t want Prince to be in danger either!” 

“Trust your friends” Sigurd reminded as he remained steadfast to calm Avenir, “Prince wouldn’t charge into the fight without a good reason nor plan in mind. We do not have to worry so much. Trust the bonds you have with your friends and go forward when it is right!” 

Avenir remained calm and nodded his head as he took a few more steps to stand in front of Diamant and Timerra for their protection. He made sure that the wall of vines would be strong enough to protect them as well as keep their identity safe. 

“Can you hear them?” Avenir asked cautiously as he glanced to them. 

“Yes, but they’re faint” Diamant spoke with Timerra only nodding in agreement, “I fear that this is it for us for now. They will need their rest. I am sorry, Avenir, but it looks like we are finished at the moment” 

Avenir sighed at them as he wondered what he could do next to help Prince while trusting Princess with keeping his little sister safe. Princess took Celine away as both were observing the growing vines that whipped at Jedah. Princess did see her brother walking through the vines and charging towards Jedah. She wanted to charge in there and give him support, but she wouldn’t dare leave Celine by herself. 

Celine noticed Princess’s hesitance as she clutched her hands and faced the Princess to propose an idea, “I have an idea, but I will require your powers to do this” 

Princess turned to Celine to see her powerful and determined expression. She wasn’t going to back down now, not when her big brother was there and fighting with everything they had. She wanted to do something right here and now. 

“Ok” Princess spoke as she trusted Celine by holding her hand out to her, “What is the plan and what do you need from me?” 

“You have a power that gives so much strength!” Celine explained as she held her hand with the ring out, “I am positive that if I use that power, I could bring to life the power and use it to help us! Please, lend me your power to do this!” 

Princess took her hand and nodded her head. She transferred her powers to Celine and unlocked the emblem’s powers. Celine could feel Alm’s and Celica’s powers flowing through her. They shared a nod before Celine stared into the Princess’s eyes. They continued to build up this power and waited for the right moment to unleash it. 

“Keep your guard up, Prince!” Marth advised Prince as he was running through the vines with his blade in hand. 

“I know, but we need to get Jedah’s attention on us until Princess has Celine and Avenir is ready to defeat him” Prince informed Marth before he turned to barely avoid a strike of darkness from Jedah! 

Jedah held his hand out with darkness dripping from it with a smirk on his features. Prince held the blade right in front of himself for his own person for protection. 

“Fascinating to see you here, Marth” Jedah spoke with interest dripping in his voice, “I found the pair of rulers who ruined my first plans. I have even heard of your exploits in the other continent. I would’ve enjoyed to inflict misery and pain to your people and subject them to Lord Duma’s domain!” 

Prince could feel Marth’s anger rising slowly, but the Hero King was keeping himself calm as best as he can. Prince knew he had to be careful now as Jedah continued to ridicule Marth and threaten his home. Prince continued to make his way to the mage, preparing for a strike. 

“But I see that faint light from the blade will not be enough to even pierce the darkness of those who have fallen to it” Jedah commented, “The blade that could seal the darkness and even destroy it if you wielded it to be” 

Prince only looked at the blade in question and recalled the stories about the blade itself. Could he gather this power and use it for his own to stop Jedah? 

“That power will be awakened until the time is right, and your friends are ready to give their powers to it” Marth informed Prince, “The time for that kind of power is not now, and not for him. We only need to keep him busy. Do not try to use the blade’s power when there is no time for it” 

“Understood, so we shall strike!” Prince declared as he lunged at Jedah and swung the blade to strike against the shattered barrier Jedah put up. 

Prince was still grateful that Successeur and Picket were able to shatter the barrier. Jedah grunted as the barrier’s shards were breaking around him to pierce his skin and cut him! Jedah grunted before redirecting his magic to throw Prince back before creating a dark beam in his hands. With a grunt, he threw the beam at Prince! Prince threw his sword in front of himself for protection and was knocked back into the sea of vines! Marth used his powers to protect the Prince as Avenir watched in horror. Without hesitating, Avenir ran through the vines to help him, leaving Diamant and Timerra together. 

“Get away from us!” Avenir shouted as he thrusted the lance forward to strike at Jedah’s side! 

Avenir rolled forward to get away from an incoming spell that Jedah could cast. The dark mage let out a painful cry as he reacted to his side and held it. He looked at it to see blood dripping from his side. He gasped at the sight before starring with wide eyes at Avenir. 

With a spin of his lance, Avenir pointed the lance at Jedah before speaking calmly, “Please release my friend and cease this. If not, the next strike I release will render you unconscious” 

Standing bravely and strongly as he could, Avenir’s gaze never faltered as he faced Jedah. The dark mage gasped in horror at the gaze that he stared at. That expression would make others believe it was because of Alm and Celica, but that was not the case. It reminded him of Sonya who stood against him with that same expression!

“How do you have the same gaze as hers?” Jedah wailed, “How do you have that same glare as she did?! She should’ve been an obedient child like her sisters! When they didn’t return, why did she not choose us?!” 

The words the dark mage spoke made Avenir’s grip on his lance falter. Who was he referring to and why didn’t the daughter in question leave? For some reason, Avenir felt an odd connection to this with regards to his family and little sister. He shook his head and gripped his lance tightly.

“Perhaps it is because she and I have a promise to keep” Avenir reasoned as he never hesitated to speak at him, “I do not plan to break that promise, because I want to make sure she will have her older brother to come back to. There is no reason for me to not keep that vow when I know I can and will. That is because family is important to her and me. That is something that I will not trade nor fail to keep with her” 

It frustrated Jedah beyond means. How dare he speak those words to him?! Darkness rose from the ground and surrounded him! Avenir held his lance in front of himself as Sigurd prepared to use the emblem’s powers to protect his holder. 

“Be on your guard!” Sigurd cautioned strongly as Avenir held the lance in front of himself, “That darkness is not normal!” 

Jedah let out a powerful yell as the darkness was unleashed to strike Avenir! Dark whips lashed out against Avenir who cried out in pain! His lance shattered effortlessly against the darkness before striking him repeatedly! Sigurd’s powers were only enough to protect Avenir from fatal damages. One whip struck and knocked Avenir into the ground with a powerful strike! Avenir cried out in pain as he struggled to even sit up. Blood and fresh wounds covered him as he even struggled to stand up. He let out a pained cough and grimaced at the sight of blood dripping from his mouth. 

“Ow” Avenir whispered in pain before gazing weakly at Jedah. 

“How are you still standing?!” Jedah roared in frustration, “You have no reason to stand against me at all! You have no reason to speak and defy me at all! Listen to my words and obey it as if it were the decried by Lord Duma himself!” 

Avenir groaned at the speech and held himself. He could feel the blood everywhere, but he was surprised he was still in his hero form. He silently thanked Sigurd for his help, but he noticed that even he was getting exhausted with keeping the form in place and protecting him. 

“No matter” Jedah spoke as he calmed himself before raising his hand to gather darkness to it, “It shall reach a fitting conclusion the same as your hero you’ve formed a bond with!” 

It wasn’t just darkness that Jedah gathered to his hand. It was fire! It blazed and burned violently as Avenir stared at it with wide eyes. He could feel Sigurd’s panic rising at the sight of such flames burning in his hand. Avenir couldn’t escape as he watched the darkness and fires burning! 

Prince picked himself up and found himself near his little sister and Celine. He stared at them as he tried to understand what they were doing. 

“Your sister is trying to awaken the Emblem of Echoes!” Marth realized, “And using their powers to bring to heal everything in the area! However, I don’t know how long it will take! Avenir is in danger!” 

At the mention of his friends in danger, Prince turned to see Avenir sitting in some of his blood against the forming darkness and fire. Prince picked himself and ran without hesitation. Marth used his powers to help Prince with anything he needed. Avenir stared at the forming fire and darkness before cringing and preparing to take the hit. 

“DIE IN THE FLAMES AND TURN TO ASH!” Jedah snarled before casting the spell at him. 

“NO!” Prince retorted as he stood in front of Avenir with the blade in front of him! 

Avenir was startled and stared at his friend who was still struggling to block the hit. Prince glanced to him with a weak grin until his footing slipped! He gasped and yelled out in pain as the spell struck him! He gasped before collapsing and falling unconscious with Marth only conscious enough to keep up his hero form. Avenir gasped as he crawled to his friend to help him sit up and was relieved to see him breathing. 

“Fascinating. The Hero King can make foolish decisions as well” Jedah spoke with a shake of his head, “No matter, you will meet the same fate as him soon enough!” 

Avenir only glared at him while Celine and Princess finished powering her up their joined attacks. 

“Are you ready?!” Princess shouted determinedly as she sent her powers to Celine. 

“But of course!” Celine declared as Alm and Celica gave her everything, “Mila’s Divine Blessing!” 

Princess let go of her hands before forcing herself to transform back. Celine didn’t transform, but she used her powers to slam it on the ground. Her healing magic was sent throughout the land to heal everyone! A warm, white light rose from the ground and healed everyone of their injuries! 

“Avenir! Go!” Celine shouted before falling to her knees in an exhausted manner as she glanced to Princess and nearly fell when she saw Lueur present. 

Her older brother was looking over himself and sighed to feel such a warm following through him. He stared at Jedah who was gathering his magic to his hands. Avenir only stood up, took a deep breath, and looked right at the mage with his eyes closed. 

(Alfred’s POV)

In the season finale… 

Thanks to the combine efforts of our friends, we were able to make a final stand against Jedah. It will all come down to this! I cannot let them down! Not when we are finally at the end of this! Now, let’s bring this fight to a close!

Chapter Text

Jedah only smirked when he saw Avenir not bothering to even move to defend the partner to the Hero King. Jedah ceased his spell to approach them with the intent of taking the ring off his finger. 

“I will not mind, since this will bring everything to a close” Jedah spoke before reaching out his hand to use his magic to take the unconscious Prince. 

Avenir slowly extended his hand, intending to summon a lance. Instead, he summoned a strong blade that could defeat the darkest of foes, Tyrfing. Avenir exhaled as he opened his eyes to see the blade and held a calm expression. As swift as a blade of grass flowing through the wind, he charged to swing the blade to keep Jedah away! Stunned by the light and power the young man gave off, Jedah barely had time to react. He pulled himself away with the shattered barrier barely protecting him! 

“No, that light cannot be possible!” Jedah exclaimed, “That’s Tyrfing! How could you have possibly awakened such a blade?!” 

Avenir waved the legendary blade downward and held himself still. The power the blade gave him was nothing like the lance he wielded before. He slowly gazed at the blade in question before breathing slowly to stare at the dark sage. 

“It wasn’t me who called the power of the blade in question” Avenir spoke as he even slowly realized why the blade appeared to him, “No, this is the power that came from everyone. It was thanks to them that I could even summon the blade at all. I should mention, unlike Prince, I never wanted to summon this blade at all. If anything, the blade chose me!” 

Finished with words, Avenir took his stance with the blade in front of him in a protective stance. Jedah let out a frustrated cry as he gathered his magic and cast it towards Avenir. Instead of the burning fear that would scorch his heart and run rampant, a beautiful, blooming power grew inside of him. He swung the blade in a circle motion to have a lush, green light flow and heal the area around himself and protect him. 

“Die in the flames of agony!” Jedah snarled as he threw a sphere of fire at Avenir who took a deep breath. 

He let the sphere of fire come to him before swiftly raising the blade to cut it in half! The sphere crashed into the fields, expecting to burn it only for vines and flowers to bloom! Avenir glanced over his shoulder to see the blade’s power! 

“Oh, so that’s what you can do” Avenir whispered in an understanding tone, “You know, I always had a feeling that this wasn’t only your power, Sigurd” 

“Oh? And what gave that away?” he asked with a chuckle as he felt three others briefly with him, encouraging him to go forward. 

“Being a knight, prince, and direct descendant of one of the Twelve Crusaders does have a lot of power, but that is not what this healing magic is, is it?” 

Jedah let out a frustrated yell as he created another magical sphere and prepared to cast it again. Avenir’s eyes were not on the sphere. Instead, the eyes of the knight where on the bracelet around Griss’s wrist. 

“You would be correct” Sigurd confessed in a knowing tone, “The lance you wield isn’t even mine either. It is from a dear friend who I swore an oath to along with another. As for the magic, that would be hers, my wife’s, Deirdre” 

“Ah, that makes sense” Avenir spoke in relief as he only took simple steps forward with the blade glowing brightly, “You always loved her, right? You would’ve done everything for her and your family. That’s why we are together, Sigurd. We are doing this for our family in the end!” 

With a single of strike, he cut the incoming sphere in half before taking another step towards Jedah! Avenir opened his eyes and there was no trace of fear and worry! Instead, Avenir was holding a confident expression with relief. Jedah couldn’t believe he was bringing out the fear from the young boy anymore! 

“Why?! Where is your fear?!” Jedah snarled before slamming his hands into the fields to turn it into a waste land again and create spikes to strike Avenir. 

Avenir countered by swinging the blade in a circular motion before slamming the blade against the ground to counter the wasteland and turn the spikes into vines that gently covered everything in a beautiful garden! 

“Oh, no” Avenir spoke softly as he took another step towards Jedah who created another sphere, “I am scared. However, I don’t want it to control me completely. If anything, I would rather let my confidence and determination take over! I can’t be afraid because everyone helped me get here! So, I’ll see it through to the end and stop you!” 

Seeing Jedah panic and take a misstep, Avenir took his chance! Pouring everything into the blade, he lunged forward and delivered a strike to the bracelet and cracked it! Jedah let out a scream as the darkness burst from him! Avenir quickly pulled himself back before using the last of his power to strike the ground and heal the fields and his friends! 

“Sigurd! Wait a little longer!” Avenir urged as he felt his powers weakening greatly, “We need Prince or Princess to recover and heal Griss! Then, we can rest!” 

“Understood! I’ll hold out as long as I can!” Sigurd said in a strained voice until they heard a familiar cry coming from Jedah. 

They stared and saw Griss’s form melting from the darkness and starring right at Avenir! 

“Griss!” Avenir shouted as he picked himself up and grabbed his hand, “Are you ok?! Hang in there! You’re almost freed!” 

“Avenir!” Prince, Princess, Successeur, and Picket shouted as they ran to help him with Celine behind them. 

Avenir was relieved to see them alive and well, but Griss smacked his hand away and hugged himself! 

“What are you doing?!” Avenir shouted as he tried to reach out to Griss again only for the melting darkness to strike him! 

He tripped backwards and into Princess’s and Successeur’s arms for comfort as Prince and Picket were in front of him. They cautiously stared at Griss who was shaking with the darkness dripping from his form. Avenir didn’t understand this as Griss only sighed as he felt the wave and wave of darkness wash over him. 

“You’ve got a lot going for you, kid” Griss answered as he strongly kept his voice even, “I don’t. Not anymore at least. Not after this and what I failed to do” 

“What are you saying?” Prince asked as he looked at Griss with concern and seriousness.

Griss only shrugged before answering, “I’ve made peace with it. I let everything go to my head and almost dragged others down with me. Nah, I’m done. This is it for me, but I won’t let it be the end for you. I’ve got a feeling that you’re gonna do something I wished I could’ve done for others. Well, I should go. Can’t keep them waiting any longer. Gotta face it sooner than later. Definitely before these breaks. Thanks for everything, I guess” 

He began to fade into the darkness that was surely going to make him meet his end, but it was Avenir who ran towards and grabbed Griss’s shoulders! 

“What are you doing!? Kid, let me go!” Griss shouted as he used his strength to not hurt him and try to pull himself away. 

“No! Griss! You don’t deserve a fate like this! What about everyone who cares about you?! What are they supposed to do?! They love and care about you!” Avenir shouted in a pleading tone as Prince and Picket held onto Avenir’s shoulders to pull him back if it got dangerous. 

Seeing this, Griss was ultimately satisfied with his decision as he held Avenir’s hands to pull him off. 

“Kid, that’s why I am doing this. You’re going to be the one to handle this for me. Also, you’ve got others who love and care about you too. I can’t let anything happen to you because of them as well” Griss spoke with honesty in his voice that stunned Avenir, “Now, stay with them and be there. They’ll need someone like you for their lives. I know you’ll be a great friend and brother to them, so don’t screw it up” 

With a final push, Griss used the last of his strength to push Avenir to his friends before melting into the darkness and blowing away in a breeze. Avenir fell into his friends’ awaiting arms as they watched Griss disappear with the bracelet on the ground. The bracelet then melted into the darkness and vanished before their eyes, signifying the end of Jedah. 

“We did it” Picket spoke in a stunned manner as their eyes never left the area of where the bracelet was. 

There was silence among the groups until everyone fell in exhaustion and finally transformed back. Their heroes appeared before them in relief to check on them. 

“Indeed, you did” Ike answered Timerra, “And now, you should rest and have a hearty meal, but something tells me that is not the case anymore” 

They focused on Alfred who barely had the energy to sit up with Sigurd standing before him. Sigurd stared at the young boy and held his hand out to him. 

“Are you ok?” he asked calmly, believing it would be best if he spoke to him first before anyone else did. 

Alfred didn’t speak for a moment which worried everyone until Celine sat behind him and wrapped her arms around his stomach in relief. 

“I’m so happy you’re back” she whispered in relief as she hugged him, “I was so worried that you were not coming back like dad. Thank you for keeping your promise, but please don’t do that again without me there to help at least” 

He placed his hands over his sister’s and nodded his head slowly before crying. He was so relieved he came back and was with the people he loved and cared for. He cried out everything he was holding in as everyone slowly came together in a group hug to hold each other. 

“I’m alive” he whispered in utter relief, “I am alive and with you. I cannot be grateful for that. I know we did it, but I’m just happy to be with you. Thank you so much, everyone!” 

After everything, Alfred understood what Griss meant along with everything that happened to him. He was alive and with people who loved him. He was loved and needed to be with them. Griss made sure of this and now, it was over. He felt exhausted as everyone held him and wouldn’t let him go. He finally had friends with him for as long as he lived. 

“Thank you so much” he whispered with relief and thankfulness before collapsing against them while holding his little sister’s hands. 

Celine was panicked, but Diamant placed a hand on her shoulder to give her comfort. Timerra already had a phone out and called for someone to pick them up and take them back to the hospital to receive proper care. As Alear and Lueur picked up Alfred, they noticed a green light slowly growing larger and underneath them. 

“What is this?” Lueur asked in a stunned manner until the light spread and covered the field in a warm blanket! 

Everyone stood up and watched the power that Alfred, Celine, Sigurd, Alm, and Celica released into the field! It restored it back to normal with so many lush crops growing and becoming ripe enough to be harvested! 

“What is this?” Celine asked as Diamant was staring at the wonderful life being restored around them. 

“This is your power” Timerra answered simply as she was bouncing at the balls of her feet, “It is your powers that are restoring the lands back to normal!” 

She picked a banana off a tree to take a bite from it! Everyone starred at her in bewilderment as she melted at the taste of the banana. 

“Yep! It is delicious! I think this is going to be a wonderful harvest!” she announced with delight before finishing her banana. 

Luckily, they didn’t have to wait long. Apparently, their stunt to get Alfred out of the hospital was figured out rather quickly. Bucheron was already treated for his broken nose while the Emblem Heroes were sent to rooms to recover. Their friends and family came to check up on them. Needless to say, it was a loud reunion. 

“YOU TWO ARE IN SO MUCH TROUBLE!” Vander’s loud, concerned voice boomed throughout the hospital as he lectured both siblings with Clanne and Framme were each sitting on the bed to give them comfort, “Do not even start with me on the long list of chores I have for you when you are fully recovered! You will serve out your punishment!” 

While Marth and Byelth felt a sense of familiarity with this scene in reference to both Jagen and Jeralt, they were only quiet as their holders understood they would be punished for the stunt they pulled. 

“So, tell us what happened!” Framme asked excitedly as she tugged at Lueur’s arm, “Did you see the Divine Dragons at all?!” 

“Oh! And what happened to the fields?! Who did that?!” Clanne asked eagerly and with bright eyes. 

Vander only sighed at them, but he was relieved they were safe. However, he knew their mother would want to hear about this. He was not looking forward to that report at all, but for now, he would stay with them for a little bit longer before then. 

“You know, a part of me wants to ground you. However, I know you would find a loophole and get out of it” Seforia spoke in a knowing tone as she looked at her daughter who happily sat in the hospital bed, “But I am also proud of you too. You helped your friends and stood up for what you believed in” 

“Thanks mother!” Timerra answered with pride. 

Ike chuckled at the sight before him. It reminded him of his father scolding him after doing something reckless with Mist crying in worry. Luckily, no tears were shed, but Fogado was groaning. 

“Do you seriously have to worry us like that?” he complained with a shake of his head, “We care about you too, you know?” 

Timerra responded by ruffling his hair in an affectionate tone, “Nah, I was going to be fine. I made a promise to come back to you and mom. I wasn’t going to break that so easily! Nothing is impossible for you big sibby!” 

She flashed a dazzling smile as Fogado laughed and learned into her hands. He relaxed under her touch as Seforia only sighed in relief at them. She couldn’t believe that she was blessed with two wonderful kids, but she hoped that they wouldn’t get themselves into too trouble in life. 

“DIAMANT! HOW COULD YOU GET YOURSELF INTO SO MUCH DANGER AND TROUBLE! I WAS SO WORRIED!” Morion cried as he grabbed Diamant to hold him close and rubbed his cheek against his son’s. 

Diamant only sighed as Alcryst was profusely crying with Citrine only patting his shoulder to calm him down. Roy could only laugh as he understood Diamant’s worry and family. This reminded him of how Lord Hector would react whenever Lilina was sick. As for his dad, Eliwood, he would care for him and always be by his side whenever he was sick. It warmed his heart and made him happy. 

“Dad, I am fine. I was with my friends” Diamant reassured with an annoyed expression until his eyes fell on Alcryst’s crying form, “Alcryst come here” 

His little brother approached the side of the bed and took his hand while trying to not cry. 

“Alright, I am sorry” Diamant spoke softly as he held both their hands, “I know I worried you. I didn’t mean to. However, I couldn’t do nothing. I knew I could do something and did it. Please forgive me for this, but if I am ever doing something like this again, I will let you know. I promise” 

Morion answered with pride and joy, “I know you did everything you could to help your friends. You were doing your best as well. That is amazing and all I could ever ask for you, my son. I do agree that you should tell us before you do something that reckless again” 

As for Alcryst, he said as he wiped his face of tears and snot, “Y-yeah! You must tell us about this again! Don’t scare us again! You’re my big brother, Diamant! I need you!” 

Diamant smiled warmly as he held them close before Citrine sat on the edge of the bed with a grin. 

“Yes, that is important, and I know you won’t do that again” she said in a knowing tone, “We are family after all!” 

Diamant smiled softly before answering and hugging each other warmly, “Yes, we are family. I love you” 

Lastly, Alfred and Celine were resting in a hospital room together as their friends were sitting around them. 

“I can’t believe you did something so reckless! Oh, I missed you too, Celine! It is such a wonderful ending like that of a fairy tale! Almost like the true ending of the book of Revelations!”  Bucheron cried with his nose bandaged up and tears falling from his face. 

Chloé patted his shoulder as she happily agreed, “Yes, it is! This is a happy ending like that of the stories we’ve always read! I shall prepare us a wonderful meal! How does fried cockroach salad sound to everyone?!” 

Louis only laughed before speaking his input, “Oh, I would love to observe everyone’s reaction to your dish, Chloé. For now, we should give them a chance to relax before holding any kind of feast” 

Etie shook her head and smiled in relief, “I am grateful they’re ok. I was worried there for a second, but I knew they could do this. Although don’t you dare do that again! If you do, Jamke and I will come back and bring you home by force!” 

“Oh, we don’t doubt that Etie” Celine spoke with a fond roll of her eyes. 

Alfred was only smiling before answering, “Same here! I know if we are ever in trouble, we will be saved by you. You are our friends and always there for each other” 

They shared a warm expression with each other until the doors opened to reveal Éve standing there with heavy pants and worried beyond belief expression. Everyone else moved away to make some space for the family. She ran and embraced her children as she felt relief and cried. She held them close and sighed. 

“I am so relieved” she spoke before pulling back to rest her head against theirs, “But that was beyond dangerous for the both of you. Celine, please be careful and not charge into danger so recklessly. Alfred, I know you were worried for your little sister. I am beyond grateful that you had your friends and the Emblem Heroes, but do not do that again! I could not bear to go through something like that again. Do you both understand me? It is us and only us. We are family. I know you have wonderful friends to be there for you, but it is us. Please don’t forget that. I love you both” 

She embraced her children again with tears flowing from her face and wetting their cheeks. Her kids were crying too as their friends were staring at the sight softly. Bucheron was the only crying at the sight really. Everyone else was holding pleasant expressions. 

“I am so sorry, mother” Celine cried, “But I had to do something! I should’ve been careful! I’m so sorry!” 

Éve hugged her tightly as Alfred shook some tears off his face. He only nodded his head before pulling them close together. 

“I am sorry too. I didn’t mean to charge in so recklessly. I am grateful that I have you, our family, and friends in my life. I am so happy to be alive and with you. I love you so much, and I promise to always come back alive to be with you!” Alfred answered with no fear and doubt in his voice as he held them close. 

Although Alfred learned so much from his adventure, his mother felt that there was more to his words. She hoped that whatever lesson he learned was enough for him and his little sister. Regardless, the small family was pleased to be together again. They held each other and felt the love and warmth of being together again as a family. 

“Argh!” Griss cried out in pain as he fell from the darkness and found himself in the Fallen Order’s base.

He stared to see Zephia, Hyacinth, and Sombron gazing down at him with cold expressions. Griss reached out his hand as the bracelet fell from his wrist with a clatter and rolled to Sombrom’s boot. He picked up the emblem and could see the strike that Avenir, Sigurd, and Tyrfing created. 

“How disappointing” Sombron spoke as he examined the emblem, not even bothering to stare Griss, “We gave you a simple task and this was the result. We had such high hopes for you and our family” 

Griss weakly picked himself from the dripping darkness and stared at them. He spat at the floor with darkness pouring from his mouth. 

“As if I wanted a family like that. That’s not one worth living for” he concluded with a grunt of pain. 

Before Griss could react, Sombron waved his hand upward to forcefully pull Griss up! Griss let out a pained gasp of pain as darkness sputtered from him. Fear and worry were clearly etched in Griss’s eyes as Sombron used his other hand to place on Griss’s head. 

“Then, you will never be a member of our family” Sombrom finished as he used his dark powers from Grim to turn Griss into a stone statue with the bracelet placed firmly on his wrist! 

As he was being turned to stone, Griss let out a horrified scream as everything felt cold and dark. His eyes were wide as he was finally turned to stone with the bracelet secured to his wrist. Satisfied with Griss’s state, Sombrom turned to Zephia and Hyacinth who both bowed before him. 

“If anyone were to dare fail me again, this shall be the same fate they shall suffer. Do I make myself clear?” Sombron declared as he stared at them. 

“But of course, Sombron” Zephia said with a cold smile, “And do not worry! Your children are safe! They’re in the care of my pathetic twin sister and Mauvier. You will not have to even waste a single thought on them” 

Sombron only nodded as Hyacinth rose his head to offer his support. 

“And the next phase our plan will be in motion soon enough. My daughters and I are willing to give our lives to this wonderful cause” he answered with pride and pleasure as Sombron only nodded his head at them. 

With that, Sombron departed from the base with loud, stomps as Zephia and Hyacinth each departed with their own goals to carry out. They were unaware that Hyacinth’s two daughters overheard their conversation and threats as well as witnessing Griss’s petrification. 

“Did you hear that, Ivy?” Hortensia spoke with pride, “Father is counting on us! This is our chance to finally prove ourselves! We have nothing to worry about anymore! I cannot wait to show father how powerful and amazing I am!” 

As her little sister spoke about her delights on the situation, Ivy remained quiet, but she was anything but calm. Her mind was racing as she tried to figure out her next step with Lucina’s input. 

“I believe it is time for us to join my many great grandfather’s army” Lucina spoke in an knowing tone, “Are you ready, Ivy?” 

With a heavy sigh, Ivy concluded, “I agree as well, Lucina. It is time for my little sister and I to cut ties with them. First, we will ensure Hortensia is safe and then, we will join with them. Lucina, this will not be easy, but I will ask for your help and guidance” 

“I will gladly give it” Lucina vowed as Ivy offered her hand to Hortensia to take. 

With Hortensia’s bright expression blossoming and Ivy’s calm smile, both departed from the base and walked into the sunny outside world filled with life and the reasons to fall in love with it and live on.