With each pain filled stride, the hunter moved over the volcanic ashen wastes, passing the mounds of the devoured. Ten, twenty, thirty, and sometimes even forty bleached skeletons of animals he had no name for were in each pile that sank in the relenting dunes. Diseased rodents moved between the remains of the monster's former meals, but burrowed in when the warrior came into view. Even in his wounded state, he still cut quite the imposing figure. His armor was broken in various places, webbed with impact cracks and ruptured by the claws of the beast.

Ike, called the Hero of the Blue Flame, snarled as he looked for the creature who he owed a debt of blood and fury. He had come to this unnamed waste, far from the light of civilization on nothing more than the rumors of the furthest flung wolf laguz caravan traveler. Seeking a creature spoken only as a nightmare to scare little children. A nightmare that some said was all too real, a creature that would surely be the one to test Ike's skill as a fighter. There was no real name for the monster, for it had never been seen except in dreams.

Ike had encountered the beast previously and was caught off guard. He had only seen the shadow of the beast, as it attacked him. It tore open old wounds that had begun to heal, and gave many of the new lasting damages to his armor that he now sported. He was able to wound the beast, however, and had spent that last three days stalking the trail of blood and other tell-tale signs of the creature. And now it had led him here, and he searched for the creature.

He didn't have to look much longer. It was in the rough stone corner surrounded by piles of rotted meat and other filth, sitting there as if it had anticipated the arrival. Vile green scale covered what could only be described as slimy leather, three baleful red eyes glared at him. The thing stood on two squat and well muscled legs, while two sets of limbs sporting scythe like claw sat the end of almost borec like hands. Wounds and a collection of sickening scar tissue covered a bit of the creature, bearing injuries from previous warriors who thought they could slay this nightmare.

What was this creature, Ike wondered to himself as he drew Ragnell from it's sheath on his back. What horrors had it caused? Was it only part of a greater species or the last of it's kind that had passed long ago from recorded history? Did it have this malicious intent in the heart that beat in his chest or was the monster simply driven to do such things because of survival?

It didn't matter. It had caused the death of many wolf laguz and almost added Ike to the tally. Ike could see that the creature knew that there was only one way this would end. With one of them dying in the ash beneath their feet. It flexed those claws and Ike prepared himself for the fight. The two stood there, waiting to see which one would strike first. The winds kicked up the ash, tossing it around in the air as the sun made it seem as if a hundred thousand diamonds danced between each other under the vermilion sky. "For Crimea!" Ike bellowed as he charged to cover the distance between the two. Though he had not set foot on Crimean soil for almost four years, it still carried him into battle. As it probably would for a thousand more battlefields.

The beast reared above him, almost twice as tall as Ike. A forked tongue lapped out from the fanged orifice, and flexed the claws which could render his armor as if it was little more than thick parchment. It's jaw snapped open and shut, showing the terrifying tearing incisors that filled the mouth. Any sane and normal man would reconsider charging the great beast, but Ike was no normal man.

Ike slammed into the beasts flanks, cutting and slashing with Ragnell at the wounds that other hunters created before they were slain. He was stronger than the others, and faster too it would appear. He darted back to avoid the claws and drove back into the beast with such ferocity that it would look to the casual onlooker, it would have appeared as if Ike was nothing more than a cerulean blur.

The beast reeled as it saw chunks of its body torn away. Ike continued to cut through the flesh of the beast as he moved for the organs that were sustaining life, with all the strength and fury as a smith on the anvil would dedicate himself to. The beast rallied, drawing upon the evil with the heart that still beat. It lashed out with his claws, crumpling Ike's chest armor like it was made of foil. Ike could feel five ribs snap under the attack, and tried to duck the attack from the other claw. He couldn't avoid it, and felt the impact tear his left arm out of socket. Another clawed hand came to sever Ike's head from his body. Ike ducked the blow but was unprepared for the return, and felt the back of the well muscled hand strike him, shattering or dislodging several teeth.

Ike laughed and continued his assault with Ragnell one handed. He laughed because even though he was in pain, he was dealing much more damage to his enemy. "For Crimea!" He lashed out, severing the hamstring on the beast on the right leg. The beast roared, and lashed out with all of the fury it could muster, just as Ike soon responded. There was no hope in this battle, only pure ferocity. As Ike cleaved the second left arm from the monster, he felt his legs give way, shattered by the onslaught. But yet he fought on, as the beast soon dangled over him, mouth open to devour him.

There it was. The weak spot he needed. Summoning what little of his strength remained, Ike drove Ragnell up, into the roof of his prey's mouth and into the brain cavity. He pulled the sword towards himself, cutting nodes and bundles of the gray matter. The beast was unsure of what was happening but Ike could tell he was cutting the parts of the brain that gave the monster live. With a roar and a tug, Ike drew the sword out of the face of the creature, bisecting the third middle eye.

The creature began to sway, and Ike rolled away before the monster gave one last defiant roar as it collapsed in the volcanic ashen dunes beneath them. Ike was liberally splattered in blood, both that of his prey and his own. For the first time he felt the true extent of his agony as the adrenaline finally wore off. He had destroyed the monster that many had failed trying to do, but the fight had destroyed him too. Finally, after almost a decade of battle, he had finally found a worthy foe that had the measure of him.

He could no longer feel any of his limbs, Ragnell tumbled uselessly into the dust next to him, and his vision swam with blood. With what meager strength he had left, he rolled onto his back and looked up into the crimson sky. He looked around at the devastation as his vision became a foggy mist. He had rushed into combat, just as he had done dozens of times before, and this time it had undone him. Ike cracked a dry smile at that.

But he had died as a warrior ought to die. To fight nightmares that plague the innocent, to stand up to them, and then send them back to whatever abyss claimed them. It would stack up well against everything else he had accomplished, even when all of Tellius was aflame and all allegiances torn asunder. In truth, even though he was a mercenary, he never asked for more then to find a worthy cause to fight and one day die for.

And so, as his pain slipped into numbness, as he felt the icy daggers of death come for him, and as his vision fade into nothingness, Ike gave a final smile through broken teeth. "For … Crimea…"

There was a bitter cold that gnawed at Ike as he opened his eyes. A cold that seemed to attack deeper than the cold of the Daein hellwinter that gnawed at the flesh. The cold seemed to be inside of him, in his very soul. His eyes were fully open and he looked around.

His surroundings were difficult to make out, as if they were not yet fully formed. Strands of a multitude of energies danced before him, simultaneously weaving in and out of existence. Every where he looked, there was another set of energy streams that seemed to move in complete harmony. Where was he? Was this the afterlife or some place where he would be judged for his life? If so, this was an… unusual start.

"Ike..." His name drifted in the plane he resided in, causing his head to crane in all directions in a vain attempt to see where or rather who spoke his name. He stood up, despite the fact there was infinite nothingness beneath him. He looked over his body, searching for any of the mortal injuries that had forced him here. He found none. There was no pain in his body besides the cold that gnawed away at him from the outside.

"Ike..." There it was again. Ike looked around again, walking forward as he continued in this massive expanse of seemingly nothing. Even when he moved forward there was no resistance or sounds to follow his footsteps. It was obvious that he was no longer amongst the land of the living, as every law of the natural world was seemingly bending or breaking right before his very eyes.

As if to further compound that, the area directly in front of him began to shiver and give way to a variety of colors. Various hues of blue, pale white, and traces of black in there as well. But strangely enough, these colors began to take shape. Not in the same way as a cloud of mystical energy but in the form of a person. Where a violet-blue strand of pure color once was, now resided long flowing hair. The white mixed with the lighter blues giving the outline of the person as the other colors mixed in and gave the person standing before Ike a whole form.

She stood slightly shorter than him, but in that instant, Ike felt tiny. Small. Looking into eyes he had not seen in almost eighteen years. He remembered her when he was much younger, though she still carried the same weight of mercy and compassion now. "Ike." He wanted to speak but couldn't find the words. He couldn't even utter her name, but who she was to him… that he could say.

"Mother." Elena smiled that warm smile of hers and wrapped both of her slender arms around Ike' neck, pulling him down a little more just as Ike remembered her doing to his father. Ike responded with a passion and enclosed Elena in his own hug, a laugh passing over his lips. His mother, long since passed into memory, was in front of him. He could feel the soft robe he remembered as an infant she wore when she played with him. He could smell the faint jasmine she washed her hair with. And the warmth from her skin melted away the cold that ate away at him. He could feel her smile as she responded.

For the moment none of them moved, they stood there, frozen in the realm where time had no meaning. After a moment, Elena released herself from Ike and he responded in turn and stood back to his full height as she let her hand slide over his face, feeling his chiseled features. She smiled a sad smile, "You've grown up so fast." Ike returned the smile and held his mother's hand on his left cheek for a moment before she withdrew the hand.

It was time to ask the most obvious question. "So… am I dead?"

Elena shook her head after a moment. "No, but you are not truly alive either." She held out her arms wide, encompassing everything. "This is what can be viewed as the border between the mortal realm and a world beyond the senses."

She gestured curtly with one hand and a vision came before them. There Ike, or rather his body, laid sprawled out on the volcanic ash. Blood still trickled from his injuries and he yet breathed in the air. "Your body is fighting to stay alive and your spirit keeps it so. However, you have the final say in it. Many come here and surrender themselves to the other realm of life and pass away. Yet a select few are powerful or stubborn enough to pull themselves back into their bodies. However, the majority of those who parish do not make it here because their injuries are too grave. You have a chance, it is up for you to take it. But for now, walk with me."

She materialized a long wooden staff and Ike followed in step with her. "But the longer I remain here, would that weaken my body as well as my spirit?"

She chuckled at her son. "My child, we exist in a place beyond the river of time. What you would observe as hours here would be nothing but a blink in the realm of life. The only reason you can measure or believe such things exist here is because you consider them to apply to you here. Some rules are bent, but most of the others have been broken since time immemorial. But I do not want to spend my time with you talking about the rules and laws that make up different planes of existence."

Ike nodded, understanding what she said for the most part. "Then what do you wish to talk about?"

"You." Elena responded. "I have been watching over you your whole life, but I have not really had the chance to tell you how I feel about you." Ike was about to speak but she raised her spare hand to silence him. "And before you ask, I have watched with pride as you were created from the boy who would try to climb your mother's hair to a man."

She then made several curt movements with her hand and staff. The space directly in front of them began to fog over, clouds of color moving in. Blurred images began to form and were slowly given depth. "You are truly my son as well as your father's. But some self reflection will help me understand why you did the things you have done, especially in the previous seven years."

Ike nodded, unsure as to what his mother meant. However, he began to make out pieces of the background of the image forming before him. Thick trees, a wooden fort, bandits… he remembered where he was. His mother spoke as the full vision came into view. "Seven years ago, you began a method of dealing with problems that you would follow for the rest of your life. When you heard that Mist and Rolf were taken by bandits, you ignored orders from Titania to wait. Instead you took who would follow you and charged at the problem."

As she spoke, the image began to move, perfectly replaying the memory. Ike saw his younger self cut down a tall bandit with a very definite lack of finesse. "In retrospect, it was a bit reckless of me to do that, but then again, they may have killed them if I didn't take action."

As he saw his younger self get grazed by an arrow, Elena continued. "Yes. You were and very much still remain reckless. You charge in to everything you do. Battle, debates, handling other situations. Many would see that as a very defined weakness, one that they could exploit. However, you have taken the heed of your subordinates and have built plans. You are reckless, though not to a fault. It is that very passion to defend those who you see as your charge regardless of the consequences that have crafted you into the person you are."

The vision began to fade out and she continued to walk forward, with Ike not to far behind her. "Not long after that battle and a very stern tongue lashing from your father, you found Elincia. A princess in exile, there are many who would have taken advantage of the situation regardless of what she offered to them in payment. Even though you were a mercenary by trade, you defended her through the Mad King's war. You fought and protected her as if she was of your blood."

"She was a client, and I saw that her goals were noble. We only did it for the coin and to see Crimea restored." Ike responded by the clearly saw his mother shake her head.

"You oversimplify yourself. You are not some mere mercenary, Ike. Even when you took payment, there was more than a simple exchange of coin. A true mercenary would have killed anyone and everyone who was a thorn in their side." She stopped again and made a different set of gestures. The same colored fog began to form. Ike could tell that he was in a tent. It was in the evening and there was someone sitting in the shadows. The figure had his/her head hung in shame. Ike couldn't immediately recognize this one as he had done previously with the other one. As the picture began to come in to focus, he remembered where he was.

It was during he Mad King's war, and the figure in the shadows was none other than Nasir. Ike remembered that when he heard that Nasir had stolen the Fire Emblem, he never felt his rage boil so. He wanted nothing more than to beat the dragon laguz to a bloody pulp, have Rhys heal him and then proceed to repeat the process. However, he surprised even himself in forgiving the thief after hearing his apology.

"He betrayed not only you and Mist, but the whole Crimean rebellion as a whole. Many lesser individuals would have not held back from striking him down where he stood."Elena glanced over to Ike with a small smile on her lips. "You held back instead of striking out in rage. You listened when others would have screamed and shouted. This convinced me without a shadow of a doubt that you inherited both your father's strength and my mercy."

Ike nodded as he watched the vision play out. He watched as his younger self clasped hands with the laguz, sealing everything with forgiveness. "He did it for a reason I was forced to agree with that could be seen as justifiable. If I was in the same position with Mist on the line… I would have stole the medallion as well."

Elena nodded and dismissed the vision and began to summon another one. "Which soon brought about the end of the war in the favor of Crimea. Yet you still remained a mercenary despite the positions offered to you. Elincia even strongly considered asking if you wished to rule as king by her side. When you refused even lordship of the lands your encampment was built, she saw something in you that she knew would never allow you to accept her offer."

"Mother, I am nothing more than a simple mercenary then as I am now. I do not want to be tied down by politics or red twine of the lords." Ike defended himself. However, he felt his mother looking right through him, knowing that there was more to it than simply that. But to his surprise, she did not move her lips.

The final vision came, and Ike instantly knew where this was. He was running, through a crowd to the center. This was three years after the last vision. He had grown considerably in respects to both his body and will. The arrow that was flying over head struck the rope, and the maiden who was tied around it fell from the gallows. He pushed past a silver clad separatist, causing him to crash into a few of his fellow co-conspirators. He reached out with one hand, his other drawing Ragnell free from it's scabbard on his back.

Effortlessly, he caught Lucia as she fell, at the right time the rest of his mercenaries came in, scattering the rebels in all directions. Those brave or foolish enough to stand and fight were effortlessly cut down by him or the mounted warriors of Oscar and Titania. "A grand spectacle. Arriving just in the nick of time and single handed saving the Minister of Interior Security. You have always been very courageous but on that day you showed what you were willing to do. You bared your courage for all to see, and anyone in Crimea who doubted your courage never did once again."

Ike nodded, though it seemed hollow. "We only did it because Bastian had paid us. We were mercenaries and our employer wished for it to be carried out. We just decided that it would be done in a show of force and finesse. No more, no less."

With a bit of anger, Elena flicked the image away and turned to face Ike. "Indeed. What happened next is very well known, but when all was said and done, you abandoned Tellius. You walked away from everything without so much of a goodbye. You turned away from responsibilities you had standing or made, the people who cared about you… and for what? Vain glory?"

Ike was taken aback by his mother's words. "But there was nothing left for me there. I needed to find something beyond the confines of the continent."

"No Ike. You were running away." Her face softened and sighed. "Ike, you are my precious son. I have, do, and will love you no matter what you do. Nothing will ever change that fact. But I cannot truly respect you for what you did."

She paused and looked down, as if gathering her thoughts for what she would say. "You left Tellius behind. I am not disappointed in you for doing that. It is only natural that the soul in your body craves the adventure in the untamed lands yet explored. But you did so while many were depending on you. You left Tellius in the wake of a war against a deity, and while they reformed, it took longer because their hero left them to their own devices. You had achieved the same glory you seek out in these ashen wastes there. Everyone, even the Silver Haired Maiden, respected you. Tales of your strength and prowess were told to all to hear. You left out of vanity."

"Yes, but I also did not wish to have those close to me be harmed by those who would seek to harm me." Ike defended.

"True, but without you there they could have been exposed even worse than you. They are by no means helpless, but some of them were, and you know of the one I am speaking." Ike felt a twang of shame at the last words. "You were very self centered, thinking that you were best off leaving everyone behind. No one else, rejecting even the company of Soren and the laguz Ranulf. Just you."

Ike was going to speak, but realized it would be best to let his mother finish her thought. She was not truly angry with him, but she was giving voice to the thoughts he had considered in his head over the past four years. "And very arrogant as well. You thought that there was only one solution to alleviate these problems. And you ignored many obvious solutions to your problems. But you were so adamant that this was the only way."

She shook her head. Finally Ike spoke up. "I can't be there to save everyone, mother. One day I will not be there at all, and I needed to leave Tellius to have that land find its own way. They would forget about me and move along."

She summoned another image, one that Ike could not picture in his memory. It took him a moment to realize that this was Melior in the present. "If that is the way you truly think, then allow me to show you how big of an impact you have had." They were in the center of the city, in a gardens of sorts. Dogwood trees were in full bloom, the flowers flowing in the breeze. Loose peddles adorn the cobblestone as the picture worked it's way through the winding paths.

Ike couldn't believe the sight he witnessed there.

It stood twelve feet tall, carved from the pearly marble of the Tower of Guidance, and the sword it carried was constructed from gleaming brass. It was a mighty statue, carved with artisan hands, it would be shone fiery in the sun and coldly in the light of the moon.

It was as statue of him.

Ike could barely believe his eyes. He couldn't believe it. It was almost a petrified giant of him. He was looking down, not as if he was judging those who would gaze upon it. Rather as if he would raise the person who was looking upon him up. The plaque was carved in the same brass as his sword. Ike, son of Gawain Greil and Elena Greil. Brother of Mist. Leader of the Greil Mercenaries. Liberator of Crimea, and Hero of the Radiant Blue Flame. May his memory live forever.

"Not leaving that big of an impact, eh? Soon to be forgotten." Elena spoke behind Ike as he looked up at himself. This couldn't be real. Nobody would want to see him as a statue. Elena continued. "In the past four years, many people have arrived here to seek your blessing in their endeavors, or to present to you their sons who will bear Ike as one of their names. They look up to you still. Even though you have been believed to have died off. You have been a beacon of hope to many."

Ike felt his spine tingle at the rest of that meaning. "And to others?"

She stepped forward and placed her hand on her son's shoulder. "You are believed dead or that you will never return. There are many who are politically cunning that would use your legacy in small ways to further their agenda. A change of the word here, an exaggeration there. Some lords and land barons use you and your loyalty as an example for others to follow their will or to show that they are in the right. So far they do not pose a serious threat besides a minor abuse of power, but given time it could become a very dangerous thing."

Ike nodded. It had happened to other figures of legend, even had to face it during the battle against the Goddess of Order. The picture before him changed. He was still in Melior, though he was in the castle grounds. In one of the many yards Elincia had.

As he formed the thought of her, she was there. She looked just as beaming, and beautiful as he remembered. What good friends they were. She looked relaxed, and Ike looked to where her amber eyes were. She was watching two children, two Laguz children actually. One girl and the other a boy, twins from the looks of it. They sported hawk wings flecked with white and had deep emerald hair. They were playing with each other, tumbling around in the grass doing some version of tag. "Lotz! Selena!" Elincia called and the two children came running towards her, jumping into her lap. Ike then saw another figure enter the picture. Tibarn the hawk king. She picked up the children and then moved over to the king of the unified bird clans and gave him a passionate kiss.

"In the aftermath of the battle against the goddess, the laguz and beorc union stigma and birth curse has for the most part vanished. Elincia harbored feelings for Tibarn during the events and three years after you left, they were wed. Unifying Crimea and the clans into a mighty empire. A child of their union bears the outwards characteristics of a laguz, but is unable to truly change like the pure bloods." Elena explained.

Ike nodded. The king and queen looked happy with each other. Tibarn took to wing with Lotz in his arms while Elincia tickled the stomach of Selena. "It is… amazing. I couldn't have imagined it."

Elena let loose a small chuckle. "It wasn't all fun and games. Elincia was one really cranky pregnant lady. But then again if I had to lay two eggs that large..."

Despite himself, Ike laughed. The image of Elincia sitting in a nest with a frown on her face was something he couldn't hold back.

Then two new faces joined the lawn. Mist, his younger sister, was carrying her own infant child. Given the shade of green the babe had for hair, he could only assume Boyd was the father. "Yes, Mist and Boyd got married. You can stop acting surprised."

"I am more curious as to why Mist is inside the castle." Ike admitted as he watched his sister and Elincia engage in a discussion.

"She is the chief royal physician. After saving innumerable lives, Elincia thought it would be best to have a hero," Elena smiled at that fact with pride, "be in her royal court. Mist's duties are also included as giving real advice, being the voice of reason in political debates, and looking after the young ones."

"Fits her demeanor." Ike said with nod.

"She has named her daughter after me. While she is away on business or helping others, she is left in the care of aunt Titania. I cannot imagine a better figure for the child than her." Elena nodded sadly. Ike knew that his mother wished she could be there with the children. But he also detected a twang of jealousy in his mother's eyes. Could Elena know that Titania harbored feelings for his father but refused to broach it to him for fear of replacing Elena? Maybe she did and now Titania was an honorary grandmother. Ike could understand why that would sit unpleasant with his mother

Then the final person entered the picture. It was the striking maiden of Lucia. She had let her grow out and it was back to the waist long length Ike remembered when he first saw her. She was smiling and joined the conversation between Elincia and Mist. Ike's eyes trailed down to Lucia's leg, where a shy boy clung to his mother's leg. He had his mother's hair and eyes, but he was shy, always clinging and never wanting to let go. "Lucia continues to be the right hand maiden of Elincia's court. Her affair with Bastian continues to this day. Though many accept the child as a result of that same affair even with the harlequin of a count accepting the child as the fruit of his loins, few dare to whisper that the child isn't his. Only she knows the child's true father."

Ike looked at the child. "What is his name?"

Elena smiled sadly, pitying the three, now almost four, year old. "Paris."

The image disappeared. Elena turned Ike around and rested her head on her son's chest. "Ike, you must realize that this quest of yours is nothing compared to what you have left behind. There is no reason to continue searching for glory to top that which you had. You slew a goddess! That can never be topped. The only reason you lost this fight was because you went in to kill the creature while wounded. But there is another reason you must return. Something stirs within the earth. They are many, they are angry, and they want what those you care about have. Not even the multitudes of heroes left behind will stop them. They need you to defend them Ike. They need you."

Ike brushed his mother's hair with his fingers. "I know they will need me. But I am dead to them. I cannot become the hero all the time. You must see that."

Elena looked up to Ike. "My child, I will be with you. Your father will be with you. You do not need to lead an army or wield the swords of legends to be the hero. You only need to protect the ones you love. Look out for them, be there for them. If you are afraid of them being hurt because of you, choose a new name and protect them under that veil."

She began to fly away into the nothingness that surrounded them, like colored smoke in the summer winds. "Or don't and keep searching for vain glory. After all, it is your choice."

Ike opened his eyes again. He could smell the burning smoke of the volcanoes off in the distance. He could feel the warm and inviting ash touching his skin. He tasted nothing in his mouth. All of his teeth were back where they once were.

He sat up, surprised that he felt little aching pain. The great devourer lay near by, the body was completely exsanguinated. The green was now a chalk white husk, all of the foul crimson life-fluid lay around the creature. Ike looked himself over, seeing if there were any wounds that would hinder him. No injuries adorned his body, save a few new scars.

He rose to his feet, grabbing Ragnell out of the ground and turned east, ready to continue on his adventures.

He stopped. He looked back west, towards the setting sun. From whence he came. Back to Tellius. Go back. There is something coming and if you are not there when it happens, how will you live with yourself?

Ike then looked forward. Ignore that crazy dream. There are wonders untold out there. You must find them.

Ike slammed Ragnell into the ground and placed one of his hands under his chin. What would he do? Would he continue the parting of the ways or would he go back to save Tellius once again. There was great glory to be had in the former, but there was greater responsibility in the latter. To forge a new dawn or stop the setting sun? What was he to do?

He knew his decision, always had known it. He just needed someone to tell him that.