Chapter 16, Courage

The Outrealm Gate.

A location I didn't think existed in this Fire Emblem world. In the game, the Outrealm Gate was described as a gateway to the Outrealms, small pocket realms or universes each with their own plots and plights. They functioned as mini-adventures for the protagonists, ranging from encountering Fire Emblem characters from other games, visiting beaches and/or hot springs, or witnessing alternate futures of the Awakening cast.

It was also a way for a player to technically "cheat" their way through the game, as some Outrealms were places specifically designed to aid in leveling up your characters, or attaining unlimited wealth to purchase better weapons with. I didn't think something so convenient could exist here, and automatically dismissed the possibility of its presence.

Now I wished I'd investigated it sooner. Outrealms held untold potential, and might very well be the Hail Mary I needed to save Robin. Chances were infinitesimally small I'd actually acquire anything of use, but I was already out of any other viable options. Even the tiniest chance was better than none.

Using [Reinforcement] on our fishing boat, our wooden vessel cut through the waves while lurching forward on the scantest amount of wind.

"What intelligence do we currently possess of the esoteric edifice?" Laurent asked, keeping a firm hold on his wizard hat so the winds wouldn't steal it away.

"Not much," Robin admitted. "The island it's on is abandoned, due to rumors about strange magic and curses, but it gets its fair share of visitors. The Outrealm Gate is said to resemble a giant stone doorway, though no one knows who made it or why. Some say its been around since Naga graced our world, and others claim it simply appeared out of the blue one day."

"Faster! Faster!" Nowi cried from the bow of our boat, laughing as it bobbed up and down.

"Why refer to it as a 'gate'?" Laurent asked.

"Because sometimes the people who walk through it go missing," Robin replied. "Not all the time, mind you. According to many, the Outrealm Gate is no more magical than one of Nowi's pretty rocks. A few fisherman I spoke to have spent days around it, with nothing out of the ordinary happening. But every once in a while, a curious traveler or gutsy adventurer will pass through it and simply disappear, never to be seen again."

"How curious. A variant of Warp magic, perchance?"

Warp magic was basically magical teleportation, though it was devilishly difficult to learn. Nearly all practitioners of it were said to be Plegian sorcerers, Grimleal cultist to be exact, so it was hard to find a teacher who wouldn't offer you as a sacrifice to their evil god.

"If so, nobody has any idea where these unlucky few are warping to, or why it only happens so rarely."

"A randomized activation sequence?" Laurent hypothesized, his inner-scholar burning to reveal the secrets of this new mystery. "Or does its victims fulfill an unknown prerequisite?"

"We'll find out when we get there, and if we can't come up with anything the Guardian's magic will make short work of its mystery."

"Indubitably."

When Laurent was first told about my [Structural Analysis], he was equal parts awed, envious, and terrified. Awed, because my magic continued to defy what he believed was possible. Envious, because as a scholar inspired by his mother to research and document the truths of the world knowing [Structural Analysis] would've aided him tremendously. Terrified, because he realized how difficult it truly was to keep a secret from me. It took a lot of convincing for him to stop instinctively hiding his personal tome from my line of sight.

The island came in sight quickly enough, with nothing out of the ordinary. I docked our fishing boat on one of its sandy shores, and we dismounted. I pulled our sea-fairing vessel farther aground so the high tide wouldn't wash it away.

We journeyed towards the highest point of the island, a grassy knoll near its center, where the Outrealm Gate was alleged to be. So far, nothing extraordinary stood out. Laurent studied the wildlife sprawling alongside the worn trail we took, but reported the fauna was all local to Ylisse. Robin asked if Nowi sensed anything amiss, as the Manakete often detected what our human senses couldn't, but our dragon was distracted by a smooth pebble resembling a buttcrack and lost herself to juvenile laughter. When she was done, the Manakete promised the only thing here that smelled weird was me.

Meaning nothing extraordinary stood out to her.

Our walk became a leisurely trek, as my friends freely nattered with one another. No one pointed out we could reach our destination much faster on the Master Cycle Zero, because nobody wanted to. This was our last adventure together, before Robin, Nowi, and Laurent left for Ylisstol to join the Shepards, and they were drawing out this moment for all it was worth. Once they left, what would I do?

… I didn't know.

I was the kind of guy who solved one problem at a time, and was still stuck on my biggest one yet. I dearly hoped something—anything—positive came from our Outrealm trip, and if nothing did … I could only suffer the consequences.

"Should the Outrealm Gate indeed be a means of transportation, one could speculate it connects to another in a distant, untraversed land yet to be mapped," Laurent theorized.

"But if there are two of these things, wouldn't we have received guests on our end?" Robin pointed out.

"An excellent line of reasoning. Such factors do render my initial hypothesis unsatisfactory, yet I continue to find myself hoping for it to be valid."

"How come?"

"Laying bare the mechanisms of such an artifact would unveil the secrets to instantaneous transportation!" Laurent said animatedly. "Imagine, producing our own Outrealm Gates and stationing them in locations of our own choosing! One could journey from one end of Ylisse to the other like that!" He snapped his fingers. "Travel time would be a notion of the past!"

"Boo! Sounds boring!" Nowi complained, stomping the path a bit. "The journey's part of the fun! If we jumped from here to there, we'd miss everything in between!"

"A necessary sacrifice for the sake of expedience."

"I don't know what that means!"

As Nowi and Laurent wound up bickering, as was the norm, I noticed Robin occasionally glancing my way, waiting for any sort of input from me.

I kept quiet. Too many thoughts in my head were clogging the filter between my brain and mouth. Most prominent of all was the kiss. Cheesy macaroni, where'd that come from? Was it a sweet peck between friends, or was there something more? Me and my old friends from Earth never kissed one another; granted, we were all guys. But if it'd been a romantic gesture … the idea made my heart do backflips, front flips, and belly flops into a sea of wild confusion.

Did she like me? If so, for how long? Years? Gods, I hoped not. I didn't want to believe I was so blind I failed to see her feelings for me. What did this mean for the storyline? And did I feel the same way?

…

It didn't matter what I felt, not when her memories were on the line.

Deal with the Outrealm Gate first, then worry about everything else.

We spotted the Gate long before we got anywhere near it; that's how big it was. At first, it resembled a block sticking out atop a hill on the horizon. Yet as we got closer, the details came into view as the Outrealm Gate towered above us.

It was like someone had ripped out the front gate of an extremely fancy castle, shipped it to the middle of nowhere, and left it here for its previous owners to never find. Its frames were made from two towering pillars of marble, exposed to the elements and faded over an indeterminate length of time. Between them was a set of oaken double doors, sealed shut and bearing the artistic image of a featureless woman whose arms were held wide in open acceptance; Naga, perhaps.

"Good heavens," Laurent murmured, his head constantly craning up and up to find the top of the Outrealm Gate. It was easily over hundreds of feet tall, and looked even bigger up close. "My sincerest admiration to those who assembled this."

"It's a big door," Now said simply, running up and knocking on the base. "Hello? Anyone home? We have candy!"

Robin walked around its edge, taking a peek at its other side. "There's nothing behind it."

I myself half-expected an Anna to be here, ready for our arrival with a list of possible destinations for us to peruse. No such luck.

"I cannot detect a hint of magic at work. For all intents and purposes, this structure is entirely mundane," Laurent said, popping open a spare journal he kept with him at all times to jot down a quick sketch of the gate before penning his observations.

Nowi transformed into a dragon, and was shoving herself against the doors to try and get them open; they didn't budge. "Hrrrrrrrng! So heavy! How's anyone supposed to get inside if they can't open these dumb doors?"

Robin rejoined us after circumnavigating the Gate. "Besides being a gigantic door in the middle of nowhere, there really isn't anything out of the ordinary."

Nowi shifted back so she could give the Gate a frustrated kick, though that didn't do her poor toes any favors. "The jerks living here are super rude!" she whined, hobbling on one foot.

"And how, pray tell, are you certain the Gate accommodates any residents?" Laurent asked, pushing up his glasses.

"It's a door! Doors go on houses, and houses have people! So somebody totally lives here!"

"Ah, impeccable logic," Laurent said with barely detectable sarcasm.

So small it flew over the Manakete's head. "I know, right?"

"Nowi, I didn't find a house attached to the Gate," Robin pointed out.

"Then it's an invisible house!"

"I would've bumped into it."

"An invisible magic house!"

Robin quit while she could. Looking to me, she said, "Looks like we're stumped. Want to give it a go?"

I nodded. I didn't want to leave here empty handed either. Approaching the Outrealm Gate, I felt like an ant crawling up to a front door belonging to giants. I placed a hand on its wooden surface, intrigued by how cool it felt, and used [Structural Analysis].

[A̵͖̋d̶͕́m̸̖̀i̸̘͠n̸̞̕ì̵̼s̴̢̔t̸͙̂r̸̡̈́a̶̕͜ṱ̸͊i̴̥̊v̷̮͒e̵̟̔ ̴͖̽A̶͙̔c̷̨͛c̵̼͠e̴̿͜s̶̻͠s̶̮̚ ̸͔͊D̷̻̚è̵͇t̸̲͐ė̵ͅc̸̤̐t̷̠̓e̸̳͆d̴̪̅]

Huh?

Scalding energy swelled within the Outrealm Gate, nearly burning my palm as I snapped back my hand with a hiss. The Gate was coming alive, and I'd no idea way. The entire island quaked as the massive doubled doors laboriously swung inward. Robin grabbed onto me for support, while Nowi clung to Laurent's leg like a baby koala.

As the Outrealm Gate cracked open, what was seen on the other side wasn't the rest of the knoll, but a swirling galaxy of cerulean colors: a portal to elsewhere, and it was dragging us in with the suction force of a black hole.

I locked an arm around Robin's waist and dug my heels into the ground, but I knew it was futile. Slowly but surely, we were being dragged in. My boots were digging trenches as I resisted, but Nowi and Laurent weren't so lucky. The two were ripped off their feet as they hurtled, screaming, towards the Gate's all-devouring maw.

Escape was impossible, so the priority changed to ensuring we weren't scattered. I no longer resisted the Outrealm Gate's pull, but fired up my [Reinforcement] and ran towards it. Robin held tight as our boosted acceleration let me catch up with Nowi and Laurent in an instant. I leapt, and grabbed Laurent with my other arm.

"DON'T LET GO!" I yelled, barely hearing myself over the veritable hurricane sucking us in. Even so, it was enough for Nowi and Laurent, both of whom clung to me with all their strength as we were drawn into the Outrealm Gate.

It was like being on the world's wildest roller coaster, except we weren't strapped down to anything. We spun, turned, and flipped uncontrollably through a portal rocketing us through space and time. It was impossible to tell up from down or left from right, and with my peerless sense of direction this screwed with my head hard. My stomach was constantly trying to escape out of my mouth, but I clenched my teeth and kept it where it belonged. Robin and I kept a death grip on one another, though her eyes were squeezed shut. Nowi was screaming in my ear, and I was sure I was going to get tinnitus if she didn't run out of air any time soon. Laurent was the only other person beside myself keeping his eyes open, committing the passing lights—like a Star Wars hyperdrive—to memory. But seeing the sickly pallor of his face, he was approaching his vomit-limit, fast.

Then we were spat out the other side. Without the portal making my internal compass dance, I instantly knew which way was down and flipped so I landed on my feet. We were shot out with such force that we skid for several yards, making the soles of my boots smoke, but I maintained my balance.

When we came to a stop, I let everyone go. Robin unlatched herself from my chest, while I tried to let Laurent down from my shoulder; difficult, when Nowi refused to release his leg and my head.

I took several much needed breaths, tasting something off about the air, all while fighting down the vertigo threatening to make me puke. Robin did the same while Laurent succumbed, emptying his breakfast on the oddly ancient floor. Nowi was wobbling to and fro, eyes spinning in their sockets.

While I recovered, I studied our new environment. I'd no idea where we were, yet our surroundings were eliciting an old memory. We were indoors, though the lack of windows made it hard to tell the time of day. The state of the place was decrepit yet sturdy, making me wonder if we were in a tomb. The torches lining the walls gave off an unsettling mauve flame, draping the spacious chamber in a perpetual atmosphere of intimidation.

Trying to focus on the walls or ceiling wasn't helping my stomach settle. Sometimes they felt near, yet upon blinking they were far. Either my head was more scrambled than I'd realized, or there was magic in the air screwing with my senses.

"Where … are we?" Robin mumbled, clutching her belly.

"Somewhere you ought not be."

That voice, its unwaveringly deep baritone didn't belong to any of us! We immediately got into combat positions, Nowi and I taking the front while Robin and Laurent readied themselves at our rear.

A figure approached, their armored footsteps leisurely yet striking with such weight it echoed throughout. With every step they neared, the pit in my stomach grew until my dizziness was swallowed whole.

That black armor, protecting him from head to toe and exposing not a single inch of skin, gave off a presence of immovable invincibility unlike any other. Their billowing red cape was so deep it could've been a curtain of blood. Their poise was undaunted, granting them composure to stand before Gods and Devils without blinking. In their right hand, a sword with a golden hilt and silver blade shone with a spark of divinity.

It was the sibling blade to Ragnell: Alondite.

Thus placing the knight's identity beyond question.

The Black Knight of Daein.

That was why this location felt so familiar: I'd see a model of it in the game Fire Emblem, Radiant Dawn. The Tower of Guidance, a immense tower standing tall in the capital of Begnion, where the final battles of Radiant Dawn took place.

The Outrealm Gate hadn't just sent us to an inconsequential pocket dimension. We were transported to an entirely different Fire Emblem world!

I was barely keeping up with the craziness, but didn't let it distract me. Protecting Robin, Nowi, and Laurent was my priority.

First, assessing the threat.

[Structural Analysis]!

NAME: Zelgius, the Black Knight

AGE: 36

CLASS: Black Knight

LEVEL: 20

EXP: 0 / 100

HIT POINTS: 70 / 70

STRENGTH: 38

MAGIC: 18

SKILL: 40

SPEED: 30

LUCK: 20

DEFENSE: 40­ (+5)

RESISTANCE: 25

STATUS: Curious, Patient, Dutiful

A light tremble made the floor shudder.

Powerful! Zelgius, the Black Knight, was undoubtedly powerful. He was stronger than Priam, than Basilio and Flavia, and even Aversa's Deadlords. From what I remembered from his in-game lore, he was also a master swordsman. On top of that, his iconic black armor was blessed by Ashera, the Goddess of Order, making it nigh indestructible to anything save for a similarly blessed weapon. Simply put, ordinary iron, steel, and silver weapons couldn't so much as scratch its painting.

My hardened gaze fell to the sword in the Black Knight's hand.

[Alondite, Rank: S]

The legendary sword of the Black Knight. Blessed by the Goddess of Order, Ashera, this weapon—along with its sibling sword Ragnell—were used by the First Apostle, Altina, to vanquish and seal away the Goddess of Chaos, Yune. Its blessing of order and stability confers its user an aura of protection, boosting their natural DEFENSE.

Might: 18

Hit Rate: 80%

Critical: 5%

Durability: ∞

Magic Cost: 4

[<Alondite, Rank: S> has been added to the SYSTEM's Catalogue!]

Another quake shook the tower, stronger than the last.

Impressive, but my Ragnell (Enhanced) was superior. While the Black Knight's appearance startled me at first, I was rapidly calming down. His stats were the highest I've seen, but with [Reinforcement] mine could surpass them. If we were forced to fight, I was confident I would win.

"Explain yourselves," Zelgius asked—no, demanded. His tone was level, as if he were holding a simple conversation over tea and biscuits, yet there was no questioning the raw authority he commanded. "How have you secreted yourselves to this floor? No, before that: how have you escaped the Goddesses' Judgment?"

"Goddess?" Robin whispered. "Does he mean Naga?"

"No," I replied just as quietly. "He means Ashera."

Although the name meant nothing to Nowi and Laurent, Robin rapidly paled. "Ashera … the Goddess who blessed Ragnell, and tried to destroy the world?"

"The very same. The Outrealm Gate's done more than move us from one place to another. We've been displaced through time, exactly like Laurent. Right now, we're in the middle of Ashera's great purge, her Judgment on the world, and that"—I nodded towards the Black Knight—"is one of her servants."

Hearing this, Nowi and Laurent grasped how serious things were. Nowi was already ready for a fight, but was now baring her teeth into a snarl. As for Laurent, the poor kid had time traveled to prevent an apocalypse, only to wind up in the middle of an entirely different one.

"You do not answer," the Black Knight said, never betraying the slightest hint of emotion. "Very well, I shall allow you to take your secrets to your graves. All will matter naught when the Goddesses' Judgment is completed in its totality."

"General Zelgius." A scarlet garbed soldier with short mousy hair emerged from the darkened staircase behind the Black Knight, followed by a squad of sentinels, archers, and heavily armored knights. Each was a member of Begnion's military elite, radiating discipline, loyalty, and strength.

They numbered at least 50 in total.

"Report," Zelgius said.

"Sir." The mousy haired sentinel cast us a glance, but continued on. "Commander Ike and his army have engaged Senator Lekain and his Disciples of Order on the floor below. It's only a matter of time before the commander fights his way here."

"I see. Then we've little time for interruptions. We have intruders, eliminate them."

"By your command. Marksmen, take aim." The Begnion archers took their positions, notched their bows, and aimed them at us. The Black Knight's second-in-command eyed Nowi with obvious reluctance, and amended, "Spare the child, kill the rest."

"Not a chance!" Nowi shouted, transforming and incinerating their flying arrows with a plume of dragon fire, briefly lighting the interior with blue flames. "Nobody hurts Nowi's friends!"

To their credit, their unyielding discipline prevented any of the Begnion soldiers from showing a hint of surprise.

"Laguz! Of the Dragon Tribe!" the second-in-command shouted, reaching for his halberd.

"Intriguing. A green dragon," the Black Knight noted, making no move to intervene, which was fine by me.

"Marshalls! To the front line! Sentinels, support them! Marksmen, loosen every arrow you have upon the dragon! Surround and eliminate them!" the second-in-command ordered, his subordinates moving like a well-oiled machine.

It'd be bad if we were pinned. There was a flight of stairs behind us, leading to the floor above, but we'd only find more enemies there. Getting pinned between two hostile forces would be extremely bad, so we needed to keep the fight here.

The second-in-command was a competent leader. Eliminating him might buy us a bit of time.

"Trace, on!" The magic circuits in my left arm were alit as I brought forth a Projection: Ragnell (Enhanced). With a vertical swing, I fired a flying slash of azure energy at the second-in-command—

—which was intercepted by a different beam of divine fire, canceling one another out a mere yard away from the stunned mousy-haired sentinel.

It was a ranged attack launched from Alondite, as its owner was now scrutinizing me with renewed intensity.

"Are you well, General Levail?" the Black Knight inquired, earning a brief nod from his subordinate. Then he gave me his full attention. "How is that sword in your possession, thief?"

"General Zelgius! Commander Ike was wielding Ragnell against Senator Lekain and his disciples!" the sentinel, Levail, informed. "I confirmed as such with my own two eyes!"

"Indeed? Then we have a mystery. How can—?"

He was interrupted as a tremor, much more powerful than the last two, caused almost the entirety of the tower to tremble, nearly knocking everyone onto their knees. Everyone except the Black Knight, who remained as immovable as ever.

What the hell was going on with all the shaking? I didn't think it was anything that occurred in the game, but I learned a long time ago not to be overly reliant on such knowledge. Perhaps Ashera was expediting her extinction of—

A beam of light cut off my thoughts, descending from the upper floors and landing before the Black Knight. It was teleportation magic, for when it vanished a figure was left in its wake.

One who filled the entire floor with their deific authority.

The Goddess Ashera.

She was unnaturally tall, towering over even the Black Knight, while her imperial red hair was long enough to brush the floor. Her robes adorning her lithe body were of simple make, charcoal in color but with white feathers sprouting from its ends. Yet what stood out were her eyes, pulsating through every shade of red while excised of all emotion.

Her presence gave the air itself greater density, weighing down on my limbs and making it hard to breathe. Laurent collapsed to his knees, shaking uncontrollably, while Nowi couldn't keep the awe and fear off her dragonic face.

The Begnion soldiers all knelt in immediate supplication.

Save for the Black Knight, who asked, "Goddess Ashera, what brings you here?"

Ashera's inhuman gaze pinned me like a butterfly in a collector's display case. "I caught the scent of a divine." Her lips didn't move, yet all heard her impassive voice. "I believed it to be a child of Yune, but these sour notes are not hers. It is nothing but an anomaly. This will be rectified."

The goddess placed her hands together, one on top of the other. As she steadily separated them with an executioner's leisure, a ball of light—no larger than a pinky nail—was birthed in the space between her palms.

The sight, while deceptively benign, replaced all my blood with concentrated dread. I instinctively knew exactly what Ashera was planning, but was too far away to stop her. All I could do was bring out my Hylian Shield from the Inventory and prepare for the worst.

"Accept your Judgment," the goddess decreed, as her conjured light became a ray of condemnation that shot forth and completely engulfed Robin, Nowi, Laurent, and myself.

I braced myself behind my Hylian Shield, eyes forced shut by the brightness that rivaled the sun's. Yet to my shock, I felt nothing. No pain, no heat, nothing. Not even as Ashera's laser swallowed me whole. When the light faded, I was stunned to discover I was perfectly fine. Whatever the goddess tried to do, it must've failed.

What about the others?

"Is everyone—?" I began to ask as I turned around, only to still in horror at what I saw.

Nowi and Laurent were petrified, transformed into statues of stone. Each of their faces were forever frozen in expressions of confusion and fear. Only Robin escaped the same fate, though I'd no idea how, as she was equally appalled by what'd become of our friends.

Were they alright? Were they even alive? I needed to know! So I used [Structural Analysis] on their statues to—

[Er̶̤̋͌ř̸̫̻͠ͅOR!]

… wait, what? [Structural Analysis]!

[ę̷͛͋RROŕ̷̻̯̬́͑!]

What the hell's going on?! Why isn't it working?! [Structural Analysis]!

[ERř̸͙͇̔̅ǫ̶̹̂́̽r̸͉̤̿!]

That dread from before? It was stirring into something worse.

"You have escaped my Judgment," Ashera noted, her emotionless tone somehow conveying a hint of displeasure.

Robin and I snapped towards the divine bitch responsible for this, our guards raised higher than ever before.

"What did you do to them?" Robin angrily demanded, her tome of Arcfire in her hands.

Ashera didn't reply, like she saw no need to indulge the questions of such an inconsequential being. But upon studying Robin for a few seconds, the impassive Goddess of Order expressed her surrogate of disgust.

"Abomination," Ashera proclaimed. "Every beat of your pulse is an insult."

Did Robin's Fell Blood, or her existence as Grima's Vessel, somehow protect her from Ashera's Judgment? It was the best explanation I had, so I was going with it. Still, I caught the subtle way Robin flinched at the goddesses' denunciation, and it pissed me off.

"Screw you too!" I howled, determined to fill the godly psychopath with enough swords to start an armory, no matter how ineffective it might be. "Projection, start!"

[e̸͎̠͐̊RRọ̴͊R!]

My [Projection, Trace Version] failed to active, and I could no longer ignore the nightmarish terror festering in my gut.

I tried to use [Reinforcement]!

[Er̵͈̿̈́ŗ̸̥̞̽̕o̶̺̭̓͛̀R!]

Open my Inventory!

[Er̶͍̺͓̋͊ROr̵̜̲͂!]

God fucking damn it! Give me something, SYSTEM!

[ê̴̲̗̋̐Rr̸̢̤̼̂̽̓o̶̥̬̍r̴̯̣͙͋͘!]

"Your patron's power has no bearing in the heart of my domain, anomaly," Ashera said, her words staking my heart. "I know not where your goddess originates from, but it was foolish of her to send her champion to another's domain."

The hell was she talking about? My goddess? I didn't worship any goddess! All I knew for sure was that Ashera was somehow screwing with the SYSTEM!

The SYSTEM … whose origins I knew nothing about.

I never knew where it came from, or why it was given to me.

"This diversion will be brought to a close," Ashera announced. "Lament your—"

RUMBLE!

The Tower of Guidance was nearly toppled over by an earthquake of unspeakable magnitude. I was thrown into Robin, and the two of us toppled over. Nowi's and Laurent's statues fell as well, but thankfully remained unbroken. The Black Knight thrust Alondite into the floor and used it to stabilized himself, while Ashera stumbled as she gripped her head in furious pain.

Then, directly above us, space fractured. A crack appeared in midair, no larger than the tiniest of breaks. Yet with every passing second, it spread and widened, giving us all a glimpse of the infinite galaxy beyond. I tore my gaze away before the sight drove me mad. As the spatial rupture grew, now more than six-feet in length, the tremor rattling the tower spiked in ferocity.

Something, or someone, was trying to come through from the other side.

Ashera threw her hands up, blasting the break in space with her divine power. It smothered the fracture, preventing it from growing any further while quelling the endless shaking. Yet no matter how hard she tried, the Goddess of Order was unable to completely seal the fissure.

"Dispose of him!" Ashera commanded, glaring directly at me. "The patron has come for her champion! Put an end to the anomaly, and it will return from whence it came!"

"By your will," the Black Knight swore, tearing Alondite from the floor. "General Levail, take your men and seal the exits. I will handle this personally."

The second-in-command stood at attention. "As you command!"

I didn't have time to watch the Begnion soldiers move, not when the Black Knight charged at me faster than I thought possible. His movements were inhumanly fluid, unrestricted despite the thick plates of Goddess-blessed armor he wore. He loomed before me in the blink of an eye, Alondite poised and ready to deal a swift killing blow.

I shoved Robin out of harm's way as fast as I could while raising my Hylian Shield to protect myself. The holy sword smashed against the Skyward Hero's shield, and nearly flattened me into paste beneath it. Sweet Jiminy Cricket, it felt like a giant tried to squash me beneath its heel, nearly rattling all my bones from their joints! It even shattered the floor beneath me, ramming me into a freshly made crater an inch deep!

Witnessing my survival, the Black Knight raised Alondite high once more, this time gripping its handle with both hands. I'd barely survived a hit from one!

Adrenaline gushed through my veins, countering the terror cloying them, and giving me enough emergency energy to roll out of the way. Alondite missed me by centimeters, striking the spot I previously occupied and nearly cleaving the entire floor in two with but a single blow.

I staggered to my feet, grateful to see my left hand was still tightly gripped around Ragnell's handle. Whatever bullshit Ashera had pulled hadn't undone the Projection. Still, that was all the good news I was getting. I couldn't Trace anything with the SYSTEM crashed, which also cut off all access to my Inventory. This wasn't a situation I could've ever foreseen myself in!

The Black Knight spun around, launching an arch of azure fire from Alondite's tip at me. I countered it with a flying slash from Ragnell, the two beams of divine energy exploding against one another in midair.

And the Black Knight stormed through the explosion, Alondite whistling through the air as it came biting for my neck. I barely avoided it by a hair's width with Bullet Time, and retaliated. I thrust Ragnell towards the eye-slits in the Black Knight's helmet, determined the skewer the bastard through the brain.

The Black Knight contemptuously knocked it aside with his gauntlet, nearly tearing Ragnell from my grip. I held onto Ike's sword for dear life, nearly popping my left arm from my shoulder, because if I lost it I wouldn't be able to Trace a replacement. With my sword arm hanging so far from my body, the Black Knight thrust Alondite at the center of my chest. I was off balance; dodging was out of the question. All I could do was bring my Hylian Shield up and brace for the worst.

The holy sword rammed against my shield like a runaway train, slamming the underside against my chest and sending me flying backwards. I bounced across the floor twice, rattling my head with each hit, before I grit my teeth and got my feet underneath me, skidding to an eventual stop.

Damn it! We'd barely exchanged a couple of blows, yet I was already getting pummeled! Everything hurt, while breathing felt like I was inhaling needles. Did I crack any ribs? It sure felt like I did! When I tried to lift my Hylian Shield … I was horrified to discover my right arm wasn't responding. It was still there, attached to my shoulder, yet I couldn't feel it. It was entirely numb, making it and my shield dangle uselessly.

The Black Knight wouldn't give me a moment to rest. He had his orders, and was committed to carrying them out. Alondite was an unending whirl of motion, constantly slashing through the air in a bid to rend my flesh and bone. I desperately dodged what I could, but my legs were refusing to cooperate. Every attack I tried to block or parry with Ragnell sent vicious tremors down my arm, killing it one strike at a time.

What the hell was I supposed to do?! His stats were greater than mine, and Ashera had fucked up the SYSTEM, the mysterious power that kept me alive to this very point. My Personal Skills were gone, as were my regular ones. I couldn't see through the Black Knight's swordsmanship by reading Alondite's history, because that required [Structural Analysis]. I couldn't even utilize Ragnell's history to aid me.

I didn't know how I was going to win, and that terrified me.

The Black Knight's gauntleted fist slipped past Ragnell and caught me in the mask, striking with the force of a battering ram and nearly knocking my head clean off. I blindly staggered away, eyes spinning and mouth rapidly filling with blood. I think my teeth tore up my tongue, but didn't know how badly.

My executioner didn't pursue. Instead, he held Alondite with both hands and used it to draw a wide circle. White flames poured from the holy blade's tip, hanging in the air around him. That colorless circle, with the black armor in the center, it was like looking directly at …

… an Eclipse.

The Black Knight struck, his strength and speed magnified by a factor of five. I barely saw him move, even with Bullet Time, only managing to catch a glimpse. That's what saved me, as my danger sense went haywire, screaming of imminent death. My barely recovered right arm lifted the Hylian Shield high enough to intercept the Black Knight's blazing sword, and then—

PAIN.

~

Robin beheld in horror as Ashera's knight unleashed a skill that propelled his already monstrous strength to unheard of heights. When his legendary sword connected with the Guardian's shield, there was an explosive CLANG (reminiscent of a bell being rung) as the Guardian was hurtled away faster than an arrow being released from a bow. He was propelled across the chamber, without ever touching the floor, before colliding into one of the many statues lining the ancient walls, reducing it to rumble.

As the debris settled, she wanted to scream as she saw the Guardian crumpled at the base of the ruins.

But she held in her tears. Aversa already taught her the expensive lesson that rampant emotions skewed a tactician's judgment. So instead, she clamped down her worries and studied the battlefield. Both exits, stairways leading elsewhere in the tower, were blocked off by the enemy's soldiers. None so much as budged during the duel, entirely confident in their superior's victory. Nowi and Laurent were still statues, and Robin didn't know if they were alive or not. The cruel Goddess was contending with the spatial fracture hanging above them, locked in a stalemate.

It was too soon to give up.

["Commander Ike and his army have engaged Senator Lekain and his Disciples of Order on the floor below. It's only a matter of time before the commander reaches his way here."]

Ike, the Radiant Hero from the Guardian's stories, and the original wielder of Ragnell. An ally would be making their way to them shortly, and even if they weren't technically their friends, Ike and his army were still the enemy of Robin's enemies.

All they needed to do was stall.

She didn't know what Ashera had done to the Guardian, but it had crippled his abilities, as he wasn't using either his Projection or Reinforcement against his terrifying foe. He needed backup, and with Nowi and Laurent petrified the only one who could help him was her.

A shudder of trepidation shook her hands, but she quashed them with her fists. Even without his fantastical abilities the Guardian was still stronger than Robin, meaning the Black Knight exceeded her by an even greater degree.

Yet that wouldn't stop her from doing what needed to be done.

~

I don't remember what happened. When I came to, I was propped against the far wall, covered in gravel and rubble. I tried to stand, only for my entire body to be wracked in pain. I couldn't move a single muscle without excruciating agony. Glancing down at my right arm, with the Hylian Shield still miraculously strapped to it, I saw the whole limb was one massive discolored black-and-purple bruise.

Eclipse, the exclusive combat skill of the Black Knight, neutralizing its target's defense while temporarily multiplying Zelgius' titanic strength by five. It was a damn near sure-fire killing technique. The only reason I apparently survived was due to the Hylian Shield's indestructibility.

But I'd only delayed the inevitable.

Even now, I heard the Black Knight's armored feet marching closer to finish the job.

How many hit points did I have left?

[Er̸̡̞̰͌̀r̸̢͈͎͆ò̷̢͠R!]

Was I dying? I tried to get angry, tossing whatever I had onto the embers to activate [Too Angry To Die!].

[ERr̶̝͖͊o̸͍̙͘r̴̩̅͗ͅ!]

… it really was useless, wasn't it?

The Black Knight stopped before me; him, the victor, towering above the loser.

"You are unworthy of that sword," the Black Knight proclaimed, raising Alondite for the finishing blow. "May your hands never stain it again, in this life and the next."

"MJÖLNIR!"

Lightning descended from above, slamming into Alondite and coursing through the Black Knight. It was strong enough to make him stagger, giving Robin enough time to dart between myself and the Black Knight. Slamming her free hand on Zelgius' chest plate, the tome in her right crackled with power as she channeled her next spell.

"BACK OFF!" Robin shouted, blasting the Black Knight with a lightning bolt thicker than an ancient tree's trunk and deafening everyone with the howl of thunder as he was shoved back several yards.

Her tome was none other than the fully restored Mjölnir, its black cover glimmering with gilded runes while the yellow Dragonstone embedded in its center hummed with power. Since Robin preferred magic over melee I gave her the Holy Weapon as a trump card years ago, using [Alteration] so it obeyed no one but her. She'd spent the last few years trying to master its might, making astonishing progress especially with Laurent's expertise aiding her.

The dragon responsible for forging Mjölnir could be considered pseudo-divinity, thus its damage was able to penetrate the Black Knight's Ashera-blessed armor to strike the man within. Despite this, Zelgius' considerable resistance let him grit his teeth and endure the Holy spell. In a stronger mage's hands it might've caused him some serious trouble, but Robin hadn't reached that level yet.

"Interesting," the Black Knight said, his armor and cape smoking as he stood at full height. "I did not think there was magic that could bypass my armor to such an extent."

"It's a big world. Anything can happen," Robin growled.

Seeing her confronting the Black Knight of Daein nearly made my heart leap out of my chest. What was she thinking?! Even with Mjölnir, the gap between them was still considerable! I tried to tell her to get out of the way, but only managed a pained groan.

My grunt reminded Robin of my condition, so she fetched an elixir—a stronger variant of the vulnerary—from her belt to hurriedly pour it over me. She kept a few on her person in the event she was ever separated from me. Medicine such as these worked best when ingested, but applying them to wounds directly still worked. Relief coursed through my battered body like a calm wave of cool water, providing meager first aid to my wounds.

It was enough for me to cough, "Robin … don't …"

"What? You're allowed to risk your life for mine, but I can't do the same for you?" Robin asked cheekily, dropping another elixir on my lap; her last one. "Never knew you were that selfish, Guardian."

"Robin … this isn't …!"

"Your resistance is meaningless," the Black Knight declared, brushing off the last of the static clinging to his frame. "You will both meet your ends here. Lay down your arms, and I promise your passing will be painless."

"Not a chance," Robin declared, unafraid.

"Do you truly believe you can escape from here with your lives?"

"Yeah, I do, and I'd be an idiot to blather my plans to an enemy."

"Indeed."

"Besides"—sparks of wild lightning crackled from her casting hand as Mjölnir began to hum with energy—"I can't let you kill the idiot I'm in love with."

Her words knocked every errant thought clean out of my head.

"I see," the Black Knight said, utterly unfazed. "I have made light of your resolve. I apologize, and will grant you death through combat."

There was nothing more that needed to be said. Robin hardened her determination in the face of death and bombarded the Black Knight with a barrage of lightning bolts, which he blocked with the flat of Alondite's blade. It was like a thunderstorm was brewing indoors, yet the Black Knight was weathering it without flinching.

Robin's confession was ringing in my head along with the outcry of thunder. There was no misinterpreting her words: she loved me; she was willing to die for me. How was I supposed to respond to those feelings?

For the first time in years, my mind fell quiet.

In the face of Robin's earnest emotions, I couldn't help but confront my own. Why had I spent the last few years running myself ragged for her sake? Because I cared about her. After learning who she was, experiencing everything she endured, I wanted her to be happy.

I wanted to be the one to make her happy.

But my fears blinded me to such an obvious truth.

I was afraid of losing people I cared about. I'd lost my family, my friends, my whole life when I was brought to this world. I'd lost Chelsea, my first friend in Ylisse, to a nameless bandit soon after. I'd never noticed it until now, but these scars traumatized me in a way I never truly noticed until now.

Perhaps that's why I only ever felt comfortable while wearing my Keaton Mask: it helped me hide away from the pain and fear, yet also prevented anyone from ever truly knowing me.

All these years, I thought I'd been living, only to realize I'd actually been running.

My body moved without my input, tilting back my mask and chugging Robin's elixir in one go.

The Black Knight took a heavy step towards Robin, muscling through the raw power she wielded against him. She was wracked with harsh shivers the more lightning she cast, exceeding her limits as her own magic began scalding her fingers. The Black Knight closed the distance between himself and my closest friend, towering over her as she tried to conjure another storm with her singed hand. She couldn't, only able to stand numbly as Zelgius swung Alondite downward, seeking to split her straight down the middle.

I rushed in from behind, my arms shooting past Robin as I raised both Ragnell and my Hylian Shield, using both to stop Alondite cold. My arms were still in considerable pain, the muscles torn and the bones likely fractured, but saving Robin made it all worth it.

Robin, although as surprised as the Black Knight by my timely intervention, made the most of it by ramming another lightning bolt into Zelgius' chest, blasting him several steps backwards.

Gasping harshly as she struggled to exploit this moment of reprieve, Robin collapsed against me, leaning into my embrace.

"Hey," she whispered, her brow drenched in perspiration.

"Hey yourself," I said softly, checking her for injuries. She trembling uncontrollably from fatigue, having taxed her magic greatly. Mjölnir was incredibly powerful, too powerful in this case. She hadn't fully mastered its might yet, and was suffering the consequences. Her right hand was nearly charred black, all the way up to her elbow, the dead skin flaking off to expose the raw muscles underneath. "The plan?"

Her eyes hardened. "Stall."

I nodded, my skewed Keaton Mask letting her see my determined grimace.

"How many more times can you use Mjölnir?" I asked.

Robin grit her teeth, biting down the substantial pain she was undoubtedly in. "If I space my shots … I think I've got three hits left in me."

"Do what you think is best. I trust you."

I stepped around Robin, ready to face down the Black Knight for the final time. Zelgius cleanly handed my ass to me in a handful of seconds, and I'd no idea how long I needed to keep his attention before Robin's plan came to fruition.

I wasn't the smartest, this I readily admitted. If I'd an ounce of intelligence bouncing between my ears, I would've come clean to Robin about future Grima years ago. Her cleverness easily outstripped my own, and I was a fool not to rely on her.

I wasn't the strongest, not without the SYSTEM. It was spilt milk at this point. It might've made up for the vast majority of my combat capabilities, but losing it didn't turn me into an invalid. If the SYSTEM's disappearance automatically meant my defeat, then it was nothing more than a crutch. I could still swing a sword. I could still move my shield. I could still fight!

So in this moment, I would simply be the bravest.

I was still afraid, of course I was. I was afraid Zelgius would crush me in a single blow. I was afraid Robin would lose her memories of our time together in the end. Deep seated fears like these didn't disappear because of some single moment of realization. Perhaps I'd always be afraid, but that was okay.

Because now, for Robin's sake and my own, I was willing to face them without backing down.

I inhaled until my lungs refused to expand anymore, then let loose a deafening battle cry as I charged at the Black Knight with my Hylian Shield raised and Ragnell held at the ready.

~

Never once noticing the golden triangle shining brilliantly on the back of my left hand.

~

The Black Knight met my newfound determination with silence. He was never a man of many words, especially in combat. That was fine by me, I'd no plans on exchanging quips anyways. He attacked with Alondite, his swordsmanship as awe-inspiring and domineering as always, each strike carrying the weight of a hundred arms.

Blocking was a fool's errand, especially with the gap in strength. So I watched; I observed. I stretched out the seconds with Bullet Time, committing my foe's movements to memory in the heat of battle. So what if I could no longer read Alondite's history with [Structural Analysis]? I still had a set of functioning eyes, and could learn the Black Knight's fighting style the old fashioned way.

I dodged everything the Black Knight threw my way, judiciously using Bullet Time to study his every move. I didn't just analyze his sword, but the way he stepped, the slight rotation of his hips, the manner in which he swung his arms; I watched it all. Overuse of Bullet Time made it feel like my heart was on the verge of exploding, but I was already in a considerable amount of pain. What's a little more?

I watched, and I learned; engraving his swordplay into the marrow of my bones, so my ragged muscles could react faster than my mind ever could.

The Black Knight increased his tempo, attacking in earnest. To him, I was nothing but a distraction, not even an appetizer to his main course. He was here to fight the Radiant Hero, and I was nothing but the speed bump in his way. The swiftness of his swings increased, cleaving through the air with such ferocity it almost sent chills down my spine.

But I didn't balk; I didn't retreat. I faced him head on, unwavering in my course. If he was moving faster, then so would I!

Faster, faster, faster, faster, FASTER!

My lungs screamed for reprieve. My leaden legs begged for mercy. I gave them neither, pushing myself beyond the limits shackled upon me. I maneuvered around Alondite like a leaf on the wind, its blessed edge nicking my clothes, scratching my skin, yet never tasting blood.

I saw a glimmer of opportunity: the Black Knight's telegraphed horizontal slash, aiming to bisect me at the waist. I raised my Hylian Shield, but not to block; deflect. I caught Alondite with the edge of my shield, crouched, and redirected the slash to harmlessly pass above me. Trying to stop the Black Knight's attacks with brute force was folly, so I didn't.

A thrust from Alondite, and another deflection with my Hylian Shield.

A decapitating swipe, redirected.

I could see it! I could read his sword's trajectory! I ignored the blood pouring from between my lips, and tugged them into a satisfied grin.

More! More!

Keep fighting!

Keep pushing forward!

Never stop!

Never rest!

Alondite's following slash met my Hylian Shield, deflected while I simultaneously launched a counterattack, Ragnell scraping across the Black Knight's left pauldron, placing a shallow cut on the goddess-blessed metal.

I parried his follow-up strike as well, Ragnell biting into his tasset the instant Alondite touched my shield. Every attack the Black Knight committed to, I deflected and countered. Each successful hit was small, nearly inconsequential, but they were rapidly adding up.

Until the Black Knight shifted tactics, faking me out with Alondite before smashing his enormous shoulder pauldron into my chest. I was staggered, nearly knocked off my feet as that one hit shattered my focus and allowed my mounting exhaustion to swallow me all at once. My limbs felt like they were wrapped in barbed wire, tearing me apart with every move I made. My lungs were filled with molasses, unable to take in air.

Yet my mind was startlingly clear, able to watch the Black Knight descend upon me with Alondite raised for the finishing strike.

Divine intervention; Robin's Mjölnir hit the Black Knight head on, stray whips of lightning finding their way into the many cracks dotting his armor to electrocute the man within, locking up his muscles and buying me precious few seconds.

The Black Knight threw a flying slash at Robin with Alondite, but I knocked it out of midair with a burst of azure fire from Ragnell. Seeing him trying to attack Robin was all the motivation I needed to clench my teeth and throw myself at the Black Knight once more. My arms felt like they were falling off, but so what? Something like that wasn't going to stop me!

I side-stepped his attempt to impale me and sliced Ragnell across the center of his chest plate with all my strength, barely cutting into the outer layer. That's it? Was that the limit of my current strength?

Then I just needed to hit him harder!

I whaled on the Black Knight, Ragnell smashing into every inch of armor it could reach, all while I dodged and deflected Alondite's edge. I refused to cower, no matter how close to death my foe's sword brought me. I could only press onward!

But it wasn't enough! The Black Knight's armor continued to protect its wearer, no matter how badly mangled it was now. With a frustrated howl I cleaved into Zelgius' left gauntlet. Ragnell's blade shattered the battered plating and finally reached the flesh within, drawing blood from the Begnion general.

The Black Knight used the same hand to shove Ragnell aside and clock me across the face, sending me reeling. Robin covered for me, channeling Mjölnir once more to shock Zelgius with the magic of Crusader Fjalar. This time, he was forced to retreat a step.

We'd drawn blood! We'd wounded the greatest of Daein's Four Riders! But it wasn't enough! The injury we dealt barely counted as a scratch! We needed more!

Magic. I still had my magic. Even though [Projection], [Reinforcement], and [Alteration] were unusable without the SYSTEM, that didn't mean the arcane energy itself was cut off from me as well. I still felt it, thrumming inside my chest alongside my frenziedly hammering heart like a secondary wellspring of power.

So I guided it in the way that came most naturally to me. I poured my magic through my left arm, flowing through my veins as liquid lightning, and guided it into Ragnell. Infused with my magic, it expelled heatless sky-blue flames that clung to the blade.

With a roar I couldn't hear over the pounding deafening my ears, I held Ragnell as far out from my body as I could before spinning on the spot. The built-up energy exploded from the legendary sword as a cerulean ring of destruction, blasting outward with myself in the epicenter.

The Spin Attack. It crashed into the Black Knight, Ragnell's blessing permeating my raw magical energy as it slammed into and flattened the front of the Black Knight's armor. He was knocked three steps back, and nearly knelt over as several of his ribs were doubtlessly fractured.

But the Spin Attack lashed out at everything around me, pulverizing anything and everything within its 10-feet radius regardless if they were friend or foe. Robin was just barely outside its range, avoiding it through nothing but sheer luck. That wasn't a risk I was willing to take again. My Spin Attack needed to be more direct; more focused.

I filled Ragnell with another injection of my magic, thrice as much as before. Its sky-blue flames were enriched into an auspicious orange. I didn't recklessly spin. Instead, I kept my feet anchored while executing a horizontal slash. I utilized Ragnell's innate ability to project flames forward, except now my golden-orange magic clung to the ranged attack, transforming it into a giant disk of devastation hurtling directly towards the Black Knight.

He attempted to counter it with Alondite's own flying slash, as he'd done numerous times before, but this time my disk of destruction shredded through Alondite's basic flames before crashing into the Black Knight himself.

I'd call that one the Disk Attack.

The Black Knight barely blocked the Disk Attack with Alondite, but I saw his hands trembling from the effort. The power behind it was more than he'd anticipated.

So I launched another, and another. I shot five more Disk Attacks at the Black Knight, each accompanied by a hollow bang as they were fired from Ragnell. They flew across the distance between us like a fleet of massive discuses, tearing through the air to obliterate their target. The Black Knight expertly cut down the first two, barely blocked the third, narrowly avoided the fourth, only to wind up taking the fifth directly to his head. The iconic helmet protecting it was blown open, fragments clattering across the floor as Zelgius' face was revealed.

His expression was carved from unbreakable concentration, and his dark blue hair was matted with blood gushing from the wound on his forehead, pouring down his face and cheeks. His sapphire eyes were judging me as a foe deserving of all his focus.

I poured my magic into Ragnell yet again, wreathing it in golden-orange energy. If Zelgius could knock aside the Disk Attack, let's see him handle this! Instead of slashing, I thrust. Magic power shot from Ragnell's tip as a spear of energy, twisting through the air before Zelgius caught it with Alondite. All of the Disk Attack's destructive potential, focused into a single point.

The Spear Attack.

Zelgius scowled as he gripped his holy sword with both hands, battling against the Spear Attack's momentum as it drove him backwards, the soles of his sabatons scraping across the floor. With a forceful howl, Zelgius shattered my Spear Attack, reducing it to a handful of embers.

And found me charging headlong at him, shield raised. I'd broken into a sprint the instant after I unleashed my Spear Attack, concealed behind the energy javelin. Without the SYSTEM to modulate my use of magic, I was burning through my reserves at an excessive rate. I didn't have nearly enough to finish Zelgius off at range, forcing me to reengage in close quarters. Best guess, I only had enough magic for two more attacks, and I was going to make them count.

Instead of pumping my magic into Ragnell, I poured it into my Hylian Shield. It burst into heat-less flames, leaving a trail of arcane energy in my wake as I closed in on Zelgius as an orange comet. Should Alondite strike my empowered shield it would release an explosive shockwave, either knocking the holy sword aside or disarming Zelgius entirely.

Shield Attack.

But the Begnion general needed only a glance to grasp what I was plotting, and reacted accordingly. A line of white fire danced from the tip of Alondite as he drew it in a perfect circle to prepare his greatest technique: the Eclipse.

I didn't care. I'd come this far, and wouldn't back down now! If this was to be our final showdown, then I'd meet it head-on! My vision turned crimson as I braced against my Hylian Shield and fully committed to my charge.

Wait, the red I was seeing was the blood streaming from my eyes. Not only that, I felt it pouring from my nose and mouth. I'd recklessly pushed myself so far beyond my limits that my body was beginning to self-destruct. I couldn't smell or taste anything besides my own blood, nor hear past the thundering of my dying heart. I couldn't even feel pain anymore, only total numbness encompassing me from head to toe.

So be it!

I blazed straight at Zelgius with my Shield Attack, and he prepared to meet my charge with the greatest deathblow in his repertoire.

Until Mjölnir's lightning lanced past me and smote Zelgius between the eyes. Not even his natural resistance was enough to fully protect him from a direct hit from a Holy Weapon of Jugdral. Yet Zelgius did not flinch or scream, even when the skin on the top half of his face was burnt away, or when the liquid in his eyeballs boiled until they burned. His attention was wholly fixated on me. He was effectively rendered blind, but a swordsman of his caliber would never be daunted by such a handicap. He measured my speed, timed the execution of his attack, and unleashed his Eclipse to intercept me perfectly.

Which was why I accelerated, calling upon a fount of strength I didn't actually have. My increased speed threw off his estimations, and my raging Hylian Shield collided into his mangled breastplate.

BANG!!!

Zelgius went airborne, punted by the shockwave of force upon collision. Because the Hylian Shield wasn't blessed by either Ashera or her sister Yune, it didn't so much as dent his armor. However, it failed to stop the concussive force from passing through its enchanted plating and pulverizing his sternum. Zelgius slammed against the floor, knocked onto his back as he spewed blood.

Not yet! It wasn't over yet! As long as Zelgius found the will to stand back up, this fight was far from over!

A wave of static made my hair stand on end. Above us, dark thunderclouds amassed and blotted out the ceiling.

It was Robin, committing the last of her magic to this final attack! I thought she said she only had enough left in her for three spells! That crafty girl! She lied! She knew Zelgius could hear her and downplayed her remaining strength to squeeze out one final advantage!

Robin screamed out the holy tome's name, and a hammer of lightning descended upon Zelgius with the rage of Thor.

I don't know what possessed me to do what I did next: I leapt, arching through the air with Ragnell poised high above me. Squeezing out the last of my dwindling magic into the legendary sword, I caught Robin's lightning with its golden blade. By all rights, I should've been electrocuted to Hell and back, but wasn't. Robin's magic and mine mingled, entwined, then embraced one another. Her might was added to mine, our separate parts interweaving together to become a greater whole!

Mjölnir's magic coiled around Ragnell, transforming it into a blade of pure lightning.

"HYYYAAAAAH!!!"

And I plunged it into Zelgius' heart, the Mjölnir-empowered sword shearing through the remnants of his black armor like paper while delivering a blow that struck with the ferocity of the God of Thunder.

So perished Zelgius, the Black Knight.

Too many things happened next for my exhaustion-addled brain to keep up with. I thought I heard Levail and the rest of his soldiers roar in grief as they witnessed the death of their beloved general, and were unprepared as a separate force plowed through their ranks to step onto this floor.

New faces arrived, and I recognized so many of them. The Radiant Hero, Ike, who was dumbfounded when he saw me leaning over his archenemy with a copy of his sword, his Ragnell, sticking out of Zelgius' breast. Micaiah, the Silver-Haired Maiden, (or Yune, judging from the scarlet color of her eyes) baffled by my appearance. There were others, select members of the Greil Army, Silver Army, and Hawk Army.

But I didn't do anything; couldn't

I was so tired.

The fight was over. Robin was safe.

I thought I fell to my knees, but I couldn't be sure. I felt nothing, heard nothing, experienced nothing. At last, my reckless actions caught up with me, my body exacting its toll for my craziness. I think I collapsed as well, because the world flipped sideways.

I didn't know.

I was … just so tired …

That's why I hallucinated seeing the spatial tear Ashera was struggling to seal burst open as a gargantuan fist plowed its way through and flattened the Goddess of Order beneath its knuckles.

Yup, definitely a hallucination.

I'd … think about it … later …

… I was … so …

~

I awoke.

Startled, I kipped up to my feet. I was … fine. Hell, I was better than fine! I'd never felt so healthy in my life! I didn't have a scratch on me anywhere, and felt like I had enough energy to play a 100 rounds of Duck Duck Dragon with Nowi.

Nowi! Laurent!

My two friends had been turned into statues by that bitch Ashera! Where were they now?

Wait, where was I?

Because when I looked around, I saw … nothing. I mean, nothing! There was only white, white, and more white. There was no sky, no horizon, or even a floor. I knew I was standing on something, as I felt the resistance beneath my feet, though it looked like there wasn't anything there at all.

Where was this place?

"Crap, did I actually die this time?" I mumbled to myself.

"Nay, thou hast not."

I reflexively tried to Trace a weapon, only for the [Er̸̟͎̅͊̓ṙ̵̛̜̕ơ̶̠̈R] message to pop up again. Someone materialized into existence in front of me, and she was beautiful; almost inhumanly so. Nobody could look so flawless. Her vivid jade hair was the definition of perfect, and flowed despite the lack of wind. Her eyes, the same color, were shining pearls of experience I was afraid of getting lost in. Her smile was calming, understanding, as if she knew everything there was to know about me, and her ears were pointed like a Manakete's.

I recognized her instantly.

"Naga?" I whispered, unable to mistake the feeling of divinity she naturally exuded. It was a lot like Ashera's, except while the Goddess of Order's was stifling, Naga's was more akin to a welcoming embrace from a loving parent. Still, what was Ylisse's Divine Dragon doing in front of me?

"Tis indeed one of my many names, oh Champion of mine," Naga said, her voice melodic.

"Champion?"

"Verily. I am Naga, the Eternal Dragon, and tis I who ferried thy soul to this world."

~Current Stats~

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~Current Skills~

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