Wow. I must say, this has been one helluva ride. In all honesty, I was hoping for a different end. Mostly due to liking "everyone lives happily ever after" endings, but I digress.

So, I'll start with the good points. The amount of characterization that went into each character made this get progressively difficult to read. Every character death made me want to quit reading, and yet I had to know how the tale ended. Elincia's development also was somewhat of a nice change: instead of being a peace loving princess like most princesses are, she delved into a darkness which I haven't seen a lot in fanfiction. It did ultimately make me despise Elincia though. Maybe it's just my love for Ike and the Greil Mercenaries, but I was rooting for them the whole time. It was nice that the "bad guy" won for once, but I'll get to that later. I also liked how many characters got screen time: while it focused on the main royalties and Ike for the most part, I got to see so many minor characters have chances to speak. There are so many other things that I cannot remember off the top of my head, and I'm afraid to re read it and end up crying again to remember it.

I only have a couple of critiques. For one, the occasional spelling error that were off putting to my slight OCD, but nothing too terrible. The other is more of a personal thing. STOP KILLING ALL THE CHARACTERS I LIKE :( all (partial) jokes aside, I mostly hated the ending, but again, I love good endings, and this one felt so bad that it almost hurt physically.

So Elinca likes alcohol okay then

Elincia: I'll use the Berserk Staff!
Ike: There are no Berserk Staffs in Tellius!
Elincia: I can improvise one!

Well, I've just read this Fanfiktion in almost one Take. I couldn't stop to read and that's good.

I see some Things wrong with Elincias Plan for eternal Peace. Some Day she'll day and have a Successor and that Successor will die some day and have another successor. And even if Elincia tries to educate her Successor to be like her and that Successor educates their successor to be like them, some day, Elincia won't have any control over how her successor will be. Their could be an insane Asshole, that uses the Blood Pacts for Fun or a naive Idealist, who destroys the Blood Pacts and invites the Rest of Tellius to seek Retribution.

I think the best solution for that, would be, to appoint Lehran as her Successor, if she ever learns the Truth about him. He seems to share her ideals now and he won't need a Successor, because he's immortal.

The other Problem for her would be Volke. If Naesala ever finds out about him, he could propably do the some to Elincia, that he did to Lekain.

I was really sad, when I learned, that Sanakis Corpse will be burned. Sanaki shouldn't burn, she should burn her enemies!

A Part of me really wants to have a Soren-POV during his last moments and another Part of me really doesn't wants to have one. A Part of me also thinks, that even though Elincia avoided the suffering of more People during the battle with her improvised Berserk-Staff, that the suffering she avoided with her action, can't possibly compare with the Suffering that Soren and Mist(and others) must've felt during Ikes last moments.

I am still on the fence about Elincia, so good job there, I guess. I still don't want that her actions result in other Wars and that was my Reason for the Suggestions, that could avoid that.

I am not sure, if you've taken a bit too much Freedom with how Blood Pacts work.

I also think, that Mia was a bit OoC during this Fic. She seemed to be the Voice of Reason at Times and I can't really imagine her as that.

i was reading midway but I gotta stop to write this review. I love what you did with Elincia. I always have a thing for tragic woman. only through pain they could grow and mature. It's cruel. it's sad. but also beautiful. at the end of this story, I will not curse you or angry if she met a sad end. because I know it will be a beautiful end. tragic maybe. but also beautiful.

I very much doubt you will read this review, and it has been so long, but I wanted to say I have, at long last, completed this story. Typically, I review things like this chapter by chapter, but time is not something that's on my side these days. And I have to say I am in awe at this piece. I've read this story in the span of only a few days, and I'm awed by what you have done.

It's gritty, it's bleak, and sadness abounds, but you have spun all of that into an amazing tale, and I'm only sorry that it took me so long to complete it. It's amazing to think that all of this could begin with Lucia's death (a very sad moment that sets the stage for the rest of this), but like an avalanche, all it takes is one thing to set off so much death and devastation. In truth, some of the scenes are almost too horrible to imagine, but that means you have done your job well.

As I said, I doubt you will read this, given that seven years have passed since it ended. But I just had to say I've finished it.

Well done. This is truly an incredible story, but one I doubt I would have the heart to re-read.

Bravo, I would love to see at least a one shot of 500 years later thou.
Best wishes
-Me

The next chapters are always the most bitter out of this fantastic story...

Time to re read a old time favorite. Just the Intro AN speaks volumes of the kind of person the author is, I salute thy

Overall I really liked the theme of moral ambivalence though I will not deny that I completely loathed many of the things Elincia did.

The road to hell is paved with good intentions after all.

Unless Elincia or her children manages to engender goodwill among the populace of Tellius bar Goldoa, Pax Elincia looks to have a short era in the history books.

The amount of social unrest that would be simmering under the threat of the blood pact while nations vie for resources to rebuild and grow would probably eventually erupt in some assassinations attempt followed by war.

And so, the Pax Elincia started.

One can wonder if Sephiran being supportive of Elincia's order came about after he realized that Elincia stopped him from awakening the goddess. Sephiran's quest to wake the goddess sinks further and further down the drain as this fanfic goes on. Zelgius is captured, Lekain is killed and the Blood Pacts are taken from Begnion, Elincia orders a massacre of Begnion's army, Zelgius ends up dead after assassinating Gallia's king. Ike, most of the other army commanders in the Anti-Elincia Alliance, and who knows how many rank and file soldiers end up dead after Ike touches Lehran's Medallion. The battle between Elincia's forces and Ike's forces might have been Sephiran's last chance to awaken the goddess before he had to start over. But Elincia instead did what she did with Lehran's Medallion. Her forces surrounded the AEA forces and were apparently capable of keeping the AEA forces in check, preventing any more attacks from the AEA on that battlefield as well as making the successors negotiate with Elincia on her terms unless they wanted another massacre from Crimea. With so many countries either in danger of being wiped out using the Blood Pact or not being in a state to go through another war, what could Sephiran do? Round up another army in Begnion and send it against Elincia's forces? Convince Dheginsea that Elincia is trying to awaken Yune? Even if he did both, I doubt his forces against Elincia's would be enough to awaken Ashera.

Kilvas and Daein being under the threats of their respective blood pacts is fitting. Micaiah and Naesala led invasions of Crimea. It's fitting that these invaders of Crimea ended up with their countries both being under the threat being wiped out. So, I'll say that what Elincia did serves them right.

You me again, no matter how many times I reread your story, it's still a pretty well written tory (few flaws there, but not enough to warrant pointing out), also ignore the asshole dissing your story (The one who keeps dissing it ON ALMOST EACH CHAPTER) they come off as an EXTREME fanboy who doesn't get what a "What If' story is and raging for no reason because it didn't have the idealistic ending the original games had, even though this IS A WHAT IF STORY THE DUMBASS

Elinca was more of a "COMPETENT" version of Dheginsea (At least she did something to make the "IDEAL" peace come to be through action, rather then being a doomsayer and not go into detail Oh yeah and condemn Laguz/Beroc relationships and the branded and proclaiming it was the "Goddesses' decree" without going into action causing who knows HOW MUCH damage and deaths through that DUMBASS action, the Dragon King is not my favorite character even though his other companion Lehran, Leaving that suicidal idiot alone (ESPECIALLY AFTER HE HAS SHOWN HE WOULD LIKELY DO IT AGAIN OR WORSE MOVE UP TO MASS MURDER with his own Suicide) , especially after what Lekain did to his people and Descendants was out right incompetent, and the game treats him like a hero, eve though I agree with Tibarn he WAS a Coward, instead of telling people that conflict and all that would cause the end of the world and reveal himself as one of the legendary four heroes, he instead chose to allow his fellow Laguz t be enslaved then had the nerve NOT to help them instead return back to slavery so there's no conflict and not give aid, his lie ended up condemning the Branded (and many Laguz who were now stuck in human form and thinking themselves cursed for a sin that DOES NOT EXIST, then tried to stop the heroes from saving EVERYONE cause he's loyal to the goddess of order till the end and think's everyone deserves it dismissing what Yune said which made a lot more sense which made me hate him more ad think he sacrificed his people out of selfish pride that he was wrong and prideful at that(at least he ordered that his son and Ena were not to be harmed at least) and Nashir lost the points he got from me for originally condemning the idiot lizard in the past by AGREEING WITH HIM AND PROCLAIMING HIM A HERO FOR HIS ACTIONS AND LIES. Oh I had The Wolf queen land the killing blow on him each time since Hatari pretty much proved his stupid lie that set back relationships between the two races and made life suck for those who go through it and the branded was that STUPID, too bad it still doesn't matter anyway, I'm happy his children (AKA his son's, No his dumb ass daughter who's only good grace was being the Reason Soren exists), If you feel like discussing more feel free to reply

Wow, this "happily ever after" really was earned, holy shit.

HOG DAMN THIS STORY IS GOOD

"I never once wondered where the food came from. What did I think? That it was growing on trees?"
Er...about that...er...it kinda is.

Read this ages ago. Because of the serious decline of good fics in this past years couple with the ravenous speed in which I read I had no other option but revisit dear old stories.

I am very sad to see this amazing fic under 200 review. In my opinion this one on par with the best of the best this site has to offer and don't even let me get started on this fanon

If you come cross this darkish fic
Read
It
You won't be disappointed