Chapter Title: Interesting Times are Coming

Chapter Length: 4,409 words

First Published: 16 November 2015

Beta Reader: MinoAcid

Makoto didn't know what hit him, but he was going to sue whoever the idiot driver was into debt. He felt weak, hungry, thirsty, and just plain tired. Even breathing was hard. He was hurting in places he didn't even know existed. He hated feeling so weak.

What was he doing before this anyway? His mind was a jumbled mess. Whenever he tried to remember the last thing that happened, he would recall a totally random memory that, as far as he could tell, wasn't related to whatever got him this messed up.

Fuuka cooking something bad in the Cooking Club? Nope, it wasn't only his stomach hurting. Besides, she was actually getting better at cooking. She wouldn't beat him up senseless, would she? He'd been a really good boyfriend to her, right? Right?

Training with Akihiko-senpai? Nope, he was pretty sure a simple training session with the fighting obsessed albino wouldn't have led to his current terrible condition. Unless they were using their higher level equipment. But nah, Michiru-senpai specifically forbade battles to the death after that one time they almost, well, battled to the death.

Speaking of which, maybe he got in trouble with Michiru-senpai? Did she Ice Break him? Nah, he didn't feel cold. He felt hungry and tired and sore but not cold.

Eating with Yukari? Nope.

Playing video games with Junpei? Nah.

Walking in on Minako and Shinjiro-sen-okay, NO! Hadn't he already wiped that memory off of his mind? Seeing your twin sister like that was just...NO! That clearly didn't lead to his state right now.

Maybe he really did get hit by a truck or something. He meant it as a joke earlier, but if it really did happen, he was going to sue the hell out of the idiot who did this to him. Not that he really knew how to do that just yet, but he'd learn just to give the damn blind asshole his or her just desserts. Shit, his thoughts were just going in circles. His brain was messed up. He needed more rest. Yes, he'd think later.

Makoto never opened his eyes throughout his thinking session and easily slipped back into unconsciousness.

"AAGHHH!"

A shout of frustration coupled with the sound of stuff clattering on the floor woke Makoto up. He was getting his beauty rest, damn it! He tried ignoring the idiot. Maybe it was just his sister being as noisy as usual. If he ignored that girly scream, it would surely go away, right?

Shuffle shuffle. It was the sound of shuffling papers and moving items. Was his sister picking up whatever fell on the floor? But no, it sounded a little higher up. Was she rearranging the bedside table?

Skreee! It was the sound of a chair scraping against the floor. Makoto winced. That was rather high pitched and painful. His poor ears.

Plop! It was the sound of someone sitting down rather heavily. Did his sister gain weight? Shinjiro-senpai had been cooking stuff for her more often lately. Heh, maybe he could tease her about it? Well, Fuuka did the same to him so maybe it wouldn't be a good idea. Minako would just throw it right back at him. Sigh. He should stop thinking and go back to sleep. Yeah, sleep was good.

Rustle rustle. It was the sound of cloth rustling. Was his sister fidgeting? Man, he knew she was impatient but God damn woman can you quiet down a bit?

...

...

Aah, she quieted down. He could finally drift back off to sleep...

"Hmm hmm hmm hmm..."

Fuck it. She started mumbling. He let out a small growl of displeasure. The noise was too much. He couldn't go back to blissful unconsciousness. Grumbling, he slowly opened his eyes.

KAMI-SAMA IT BURNS!

He immediately squeezed his eyes shut, groaning in pain. The relatively gentle lighting was too much for his delicate eyes. How long was he out for, anyway?

The girl next to him started blabbing again. It was getting annoying. 'Sis, please shut up.' Sighing through his nose and more carefully than before, he slowly opened his eyes.

Everything was blurry as fuck. Blinking slowly in an attempt to focus his eyes, he eventually saw the stone ceiling. Wait, stone? Really? Where were the fluorescent lamps and the white ceiling that never seems to gather dust? He should have been in a hospital with how shitty he felt, right? Turning his head ever so slightly - Kami-sama that hurt like a mother fucker - he eventually spotted the...yellow blob. Not sister, then. Squinting a bit, he eventually gathered that it was a person. Maybe the screaming girl from earlier? Most likely. Deciding now would be the best time, he asked where the fuck he was.

Except that it didn't come out right.

His throat was dry and very painful, the simple "Where are we?" turning into a mangled mess. He hoped the girl understood.

"...Ha?"

'Well, shit. Don't make me say that again, girl. My throat's on fire!' Thought the very tired blue haired young man.

The girl started saying things but… he couldn't make out what she was saying. Was his hearing shot to hell too? Eventually, his eyes cleared enough for him to make out some the yellow girl's features. Well, fuck, she didn't look Japanese at all. Maybe that's why they couldn't understand each other? He did default to Japanese. He decided to try speaking in English. Most people knew English, right?

"Where...are...we...?" ...going? (His brain was seriously jumbled if he heard Dora's annoying voice continuing his sentence.) Am I not in Japan anymore? What am I doing here? Where do you come from? His throat was screaming at him, begging him for some water, or maybe to stop talking. 'Damn, is that blood I taste?'

The girl just tilted her head and started babbling in that language of hers. What the fuck. She didn't speak English? Or Japanese? Well, there goes that. He was screwed. How the hell did he end up here and in this state, anyway? What the fuck was going on?

He sighed once more through his nose, defeated, before deciding that sleeping would be the perfect solution to his problem. He wouldn't get anywhere trying to communicate with the girl in his state, anyway, so he ignored her and closed his eyes. Man… he was so tired...

"Oh Naga!"

The blue haired stranger had just woken up and started talking when he suddenly went back into unconsciousness. Was he okay?! Lissa didn't know what to do. She was panicking, her frazzled movements and thoughts not helping anyone. She waved her hands uselessly, trying to think of what to do.

"Oh, yeah! I'll call in more experienced healers. Right, right!"

She hastily stood up, knocking over the chair she was sitting on. She cringed at the loud noise, though even that failed to wake the young man on the bed. She was getting even more worried at the man's state. Quickly, she left the healing chambers to look for someone.

In her haste to exit the room, she didn't notice the person who was about to enter. She opened the door, bowling over the person on the other side.

"Oh my gods! Are you alright?" She quickly went to the downed person's side, trying to help them stand up.

"I am fine, Lady Lissa," an effeminate voice replied. The downed blonde easily stood up with the princess' aid, dusting off their clothing once they were on their feet. "What seems to be the problem?"

"Oh, it's you, Libra! Perfect timing! The stranger woke up but then he's unconscious again and I don't know what to do!" The young princess pulled the older healer into the room, practically dragging him inside.

Libra was one of the royal family's most trusted healers. He was nice, very meticulous, and surprisingly quite good in combat. Normally, his job would require him to spend more time training trainee priests and clerics for battle, but none of that was necessary at the moment. Recently, he spent most of his time helping around the castle. He was one for the first healers on the scene when the royal siblings brought in the stranger.

"Did you check his vitals, milady? What is his condition?"

She stopped with her pulling, caught off guard by the older blonde's question. "Oh. No, I didn't. I forgot." She blushed in embarrassment. She bit her lip, annoyed with herself. She still had a lot to learn. "I panicked when he started speaking in this weird language and it slipped my mind. I'm sorry." She looked down, crestfallen. It was such a stupid mistake, and it hurt even more considering that she was studying these things right before it happened.

"No harm done, milady." Libra's serene voice calmed down the young girl. The man greatly admired their Exalt, and he tried to emulate her serenity and grace. While he thought he still had a long way to go, others would disagree, thinking that he was well on his way. "I am currently checking him over and he is still as healthy as could be in his condition. He was just tired. That short talk took a lot out of him, I think. We might need to prepare something for his throat."

"That's great!" She sighed in relief. The young princess was really worried about that mysterious young man. He could be long lost family! Plus, a little part of her found the situation to be fantastical, like a novel.

"We do need to inform the Exalt and Lord Chrom soon." It had been weeks since the man was brought in and the royal family had a lot of questions. They would surely want to know any changes to his condition immediately.

"I'll go! You watch over him, since you know more stuff. Maybe you know the language he spoke? Anyway, I'll be off!" The spirited young girl quickly dashed out of the room, leaving an amused War Priest and unconscious potential Lord in the room.

"Princess Lissa is always so energetic." he smiled. He then turned to the man on the bed. "We are very curious about you. You get more interesting by the day. It's rare for a royal family member to not know a language, as they are taught all that could be taught to better facilitate international relations."

He smiled, amused. "If Lady Lissa doesn't know it, the chances of me knowing are rather slim. I wonder where you come from, young man."

"What is the status at the Western Woods currently, Head Mage Miriel?" asked Emmeryn kindly. She always sounded kind, even if she was asking for official reports.

"The number of Shades have been steadily rising over the weeks since we have first discovered them. Most remain weak to Fire magic, but we recently have discovered more breeds of these Shades that are immune to such magics. Experimentation yielded these results." Miriel, the head mage in charge of the operation at the Western Woods, handed the Exalt a sheaf of parchment paper full of research notes.

Emmeryn graciously accepted it with a warm "Thank you." before she motioned for the magician to continue her report. The blonde woman browsed through the notes before passing them on to her brother at her side. Even if she was the Exalt, Yllistol and Yllise's protection and safety was Chrom's speciality. He knew more in the defensive arts then she did.

"Summarizing the data, some Shades are weak to either Wind or Lightning magic. Some of which are strong against at least one type of magic and weak against another type. However, there are some Shades who are neither strong nor weak to our current magics and some that have immunity without the weakness." Here, the red haired mage removed her large cap and ran a hand through her hair in a rare sign of frustration.

"As of now, we have not yet discovered a pattern to their strengths and weaknesses, as there are also those who are strong and weak against different types of physical attacks. We encountered Shades who are strong against attacks from a sword but are weak to those from a spear. These creatures seem to not follow a system but I refuse to believe such. Not a thing on this world does not follow logic!"

Miriel ended her summary in a rather frustrated huff, replacing her mage's cap on her head. The other occupants in the room were rather unused to the normally calm and collected redhead displaying such uncontrolled emotions and were frankly uncomfortable with the scenario.

"…Is there a threat of the Shades escaping the Western Woods and entering Yllistol? You have mentioned their rising numbers." Chrom's face was set in a worried frown as he read Miriel's research notes that Emmeryn handed to him and cross-referencing it with the Yllisean Army Roster. At the rate these Shades were expanding, he would need to strengthen the army presence at the Western Gate. He may need to send more soldiers to start actively exterminating the growing problem.

"At the rate these creatures are currently reproducing, I suspect that our Wind barriers would only hold for another week more. Even strengthening the barriers would not help much with the recent discovery of Wind-immune Shades. I suggest increasing the army presence in the Woods to start exterminating the menace and perhaps bring some live specimens for further research. We have enough gathered data, at the very least, to start a forward advance without endangering any members of the army."

"Each assault team needs to be specialized, however, to include at least one of each weapon type and one of each magic type to cover any weaknesses in formation, based on my understanding of your research." Chrom turned to Miriel for confirmation and the scholarly woman nodded. "Frederick, do you think we can get at least two fully functioning assault team ready before the barrier breaks?" Chrom turned to his second in command.

"We have no problems with the weapon users, as we do have a surplus of them, milord. However, we have two problems with that formation. For one, we may have an abundant weapon force, but our magic force is lacking in comparison. We have many able bodied Wind and Fire mages, but we currently lack expert Lightning mages. The ones currently in our roster are just trainees who can barely control the most destructive magic in existence, bar Dark magic." Here, Frederick grimaced, remembering the many training incidents and broken property he had to replace because of said training incidents. It was always difficult being the Head Knight.

"Another concern is this. As you know, milord, we do not normally have such a large group working together in one unit. We normally have units of at most four in a group, usually composed of three weapon users and one magic user. It should not be that difficult to introduce two more magic users to an already functioning unit, but I am concerned that they may not function as well as they normally would with the introduction of two outsiders into their unit. With this still strange and mostly unknown enemy, teamwork is highly necessary to prevent accidents and needless deaths."

A contemplative silence befell the room, the four occupants lost in thought trying to think of solutions to their problem. A few moments later, Chrom sighed.

"What choice do we have? We need to contain this threat before it harm the citizens." The young Lord leaned heavily on his chair, highly inappropriate for a lord of his standing, but at the moment he could hardly care. He was tired.

"If that is what you think is best, Chrom, then I believe we should pursue this course of action. I have faith in our militia." Emmeryn smiled reassuringly at her little brother. He always worried too much for a young man of seventeen summers.

"Very well then, Your Grace. If you will allow it, I shall immediately set out to prepare the assault team." Frederick bowed deeply in his Exalt's direction.

"Of course, Frederick. As one of our Head Knights, I am certain any team you bring forth is truly capable of handling their duty. Please work with Miriel in scouting for mages, however, as I believe she is more knowledgeable in this field. That is, if you are willing, Miriel?" Emmeryn turned to the Fire mage and smiled, asking for the redhead's assent. Emmeryn always smiled so gently and asked so nicely that everyone felt that they had to say yes to the heavenly being even if, with the way she asked, they could easily say no. She didn't even need to ask for their confirmation, as she was the Exalt and could easily order them around. But the kind woman did so anyway and that endeared her to her subjects. Emmeryn was a saint and such a kind woman would not be denied. It would be like sinning against Naga!

"Affirmative, Your Grace." Miriel bowed.

"Very well, then! Thank you for your continued service to the country. I wish you good luck and may Naga guide you. You are dismissed." Emmeryn yet again smiled so radiantly that the hearts of the people in the room swelled with warmth. She really had a way with people.

The duo bowed yet again and turned to leave. Chrom sunk even further down his seat in exhaustion. That meeting, coupled with the meeting with the nobles earlier that day, truly tired out the young prince. He always wondered how his elder sister could always be so serene and composed. He was slightly jealous. Unknowingly, he was pouting at Emmeryn's direction. The queen had seen, however, and she stifled a small laugh. Her little brother always looked so cute.

"Um, sorry, is this a bad time?"

Before Frederick and Miriel could leave the private meeting room to complete their task, Lissa had poked her head into the room.

"What is it, Lissa?" asked Exalt. Her little sister looked rather worried and excited at the same time. It led to the young princess looking rather silly. Ah, her little siblings were always so cute.

"Well...remember that stranger we found in the Woods? Well, he woke up earlier, talked in a weird language, maybe two I'm not sure, and passed out again before I could make out anything he said." The younger blonde rambled before she bit her lip and looked to the side in worry.

Ah, things were getting really interesting indeed. As if they didn't have enough to work with already. Chrom just sighed and slumped in his chair some more. He looked like he would fall out of his chair any moment now. Frederick looked scandalized at his charge's behaviour. Miriel had a curious glint in her eyes. Emmeryn just continued to smile, as if she was privy to a joke that no one understood.

"My, my. Such an interesting young man."

The marketplace was as busy as always, with stall owners hawking their wares and customers entering and exiting shops. A great mass of people moved like a living being, colors and shapes blending together in barely controlled chaos. Amidst this, Sumia nimbly maneuvered through the crowd in her casual attire of a simple cream dress with lavender accents.

Although she was of noble blood, she preferred to do things by herself without the aid of maids and butlers. It gave her a sense of freedom that she loved. Nestled in the crook of her left arm was a basket half filled with baking goods. She was still trying to master her baking skills. She wanted to impress Lord Chrom!

The thought of the man she loved brought a blush to the young maiden's cheeks. She knew she didn't have much of a chance in snatching the young prince's heart, what with almost every maiden in the country vying for his attention, but a girl can dream, can she not? She let out a soft giggle that was drowned in the midmorning chaos of the marketplace. She wouldn't dare show this abhorrent behaviour while in training, but she could let loose during her off days, right?

Checking her list, she only needed eggs. She tended to get those last after so many times that the eggs would get crushed by other goods in her basket. She learned the hard way, after wasting almost 50 G on eggs. She was really clumsy.

While walking to her destination, she happened to overhear a group of women's conversation. She did not mean to overhear, but they were talking so loudly that she could hear them even with the loud background noise.

"Did you hear? A war with Plegia could happen sometime soon. I overheard a group of Yllisean guards talking about it. Some towns in the border have been harassed, and brigands are roaming the routes. It's not safe anymore!" said Woman A, a rather portly middle aged woman with a bush of curly brown hair. Cries of shock and fear were the group's response.

"That's absolutely dreadful! No one is safe anymore!" A rather tall woman with short black hair exclaimed. Sumia labelled her Woman B. "My merchant friend's cousin's daughter-in-law encountered difficulties getting to Yllistol last week. I don't know if it's those brigands, but I bet it could also be those creatures in the Western Woods. Haven't you heard? They say there are these dark creatures made by dark magic that go around eating souls! It's especially bad if it's late at night and the moon is full!"

"Right! My husband heard from his friend who heard it from that guy who lives near the city outskirts. He says that he can hear strange noises at night! Didn't Lord Chrom get injured a few weeks back from a scouting trip there? I bet it was them!" Woman C's loud exclamation left her red faced. Her dark hair was escaping from her tight bun.

The conversation's track was getting Sumia worried. She knew Frederick did his best to arrange for those rumours to be quelled but it seems that those rumours are still circulating strong. She feared that it would lead to more unrest than there already was. Tensions between Yllise and Plegia were getting into an all-time high. The government didn't need more things piled onto their plate.

"B-but didn't the Royal Crier announce that it was just a training a-acci-ccident and that there are no m-m-monsters in the W-we-western Woods?" The last woman of the group was rather different compared to the rest of the group. She had a softer voice and demeanour. Woman D was practically hunched over, a hand to her chest. She looked really shy, her long auburn hair covering most of her face. Sumia found it hard to hear her so she went slightly closer.

Woman A replied, "Oh shush, hun. You can't really trust everything that they release. Those noble types like to keep information to themselves and we commoners get such a highly edited version of the truth, you can't even call it the truth."

"Yeah! The government likes to think they can fool us citizens by saying such fancy words but I won't be fooled! If the people are telling me than they experience these things, then I'd rather believe the people rather than that cock and bull statement that the royals let out." Woman C's even louder exclamation left her face in an even more alarming shade of red. Sumia wasn't so sure with how far she was, but she thought she could see spittle escaping her lips.

Woman B sighed, her short hair waving with her shaking head. "The Exalt is too nice. I love her as a person but she's being bullied by those corrupt nobles. I wonder how much power she truly holds…"

The meek woman looked lost in the stream of political opinions the other women were exchanging. Their talk continued on to cover the various nobles and who was the most trustworthy of all of them. Sumia decided she had listened in enough. She hastily walked away without a destination in mind. She really needed to get away from here.

A few blocks away, the young Pegasus Knight trainee leaned on a shop's wall, contemplating the status of her country. Not only was Yllise being bullied by Plegia, but the people had lost faith in the capabilities of their leader to lead them in these difficult times.

She knew that Exalt Emmeryn's rise to power was difficult. After taking on her ruthless father's mantle, people wanted justice. The old king was truly terrible and poor Exalt Emmeryn had to handle the backlash. Over time, she had won over the people with her kindness and her belief in peace.

"But now the situation has changed, right?" Sumia mumbled to herself. No one can pinpoint when it started, but over the past few years of her training, the people had started to lose faith in their Exalt. Maybe it was the build-up of issues that the people felt were handled unsuccessfully because of her peaceful ways? Sumia didn't know the reason, but she wanted to support Exalt Emmeryn. Getting to occasionally interact with her in the castle, Sumia knew that the woman was a good leader worth fighting for.

Sumia kicked off from leaning on the wall. It was decided! She would support Exalt Emmeryn to the best of her abilities. She didn't know how much help she would be, but she would do just that. She would need to train hard to be a good soldier. Maybe after baking, she would do some spear drills. Maybe she would bake something for the Exalt.

Making up her mind, the young woman made her way to the castle. The determined glint in her eyes would be known worldwide in the coming years as a sign of an unstoppable force of nature or a world of pain for those who slighted her. Her enemies would cower at the sight of those eyes, framed by soft, angelic hair belonging to a devil holding on to a wicked spear. She would be known as a legend and today, at this very moment, was the start of something truly dreadful.

However ground-breaking this day may be, the young Pegasus knight in training still completely forgot she still needed to buy eggs.

AN:

My goodness! I greatly apologize for taking so long in uploading this chapter. Aah, college life is truly so stressful. It honestly took me so long because the middle part, where Emmeryn was holding a council with the others, took so long to write, with so many repetitions. MinoAcid is also pretty busy too, so this thing has just been collecting dust, so to speak, every time we edit and re-edit the damn thing.

Well, at least it's done now. I'm not overly happy with it but I really need to upload it already else I can't move on with the story.

Guest Review Replies:

1.) Airhead Fortis

Well, I believe the language barrier is a really important struggle that most crossovers must face, mostly when the worlds are so vastly different. I really want to make this as plausible as possible. Well, the translation did come up in this chapter. "ここ...は...?" (pronounced Koko... wa...?) is actually Makoto mangling ここはどこ (Koko wa doko) an informal statement meaning "Where are we?". Well, if you want to be technical, "koko wa doko" literally translates to "Where is here?" but Japanese grammar understands it as "Where are we?" as well.

2.) Mewmew

I'm glad you loved the chapter! Hmm, Shadows (or as the FE cast calls it, Shades) kinda do function like the Risen in Awakening to an extent in that, if this were the game, you can grind Shadows to level up or what. But story-wise, the Shadows are what the Shadows are in Persona, the embodiment of negative human emotions.

3.) Demenos

I'm happy you found it interesting~ Personae will appear in this story, I can tell you that. How he'll summon them and how they work here will be like how the P4 cast summons them, through crushing cards. What Personae they will be, however, is something you'll just have to find out later on. :3