Author's Note: This is an alternate-timeline's sequel to my Fire Emblem: Another Awakening story, starting a little after Chapter 17, [Regicide]. It's a branching path from there, so if you haven't read that, I recommend reading up Ch17 of FE:AA before starting this story. And with that, here's the first chapter of my second fan-fic, A Myriad of Worlds.

Yes, indeed. The Darksign brands the undead.
And in this land, the undead are corralled and led to the north,
where they are locked away, to await the end of the world…
This is your fate.

Robin awoke with a start. He found himself propped up against a wall made of stone. The room he was in was small, covered in dirt and dust, with a metal barred door on one side. On the opposite side of the door was a small window, displaying a grey sky.

Rubbing his eyes, he let out a sigh. How in the world did he end up in a cell? He thought back on his memories.

The first thing he thought of was being woken up in a field by Chrom, Frederick and Lissa. This was a good start. He didn't seem to be suffering from amnesia like the last time. Then there was the bandit attack in Southtown, the night of the first Risen attack, meeting the future-Lucina, the time spent in town, then meeting his otherworldly counterpart, Reina, the Shepherds, the -

"Kuh…"

A sound of pain escaped Robin's throat as a sharp pain spiked through his skull. His head throbbed as he searched his memories, but he continued his brief trip down memory lane.

After meeting the Shepherds, there was the duel at Regna Ferox, Lucina nearly killing Reina, the trip back to Ylisse, meeting Gangrel and Aversa in the grey-zone -

Gods, this headache is getting worse. But I'm almost there…not much left to remember. I hope…

He remembered the night of Emmeryn's assassination and how he and the Shepherds prevented it, the ambush at Breakneck Pass, receiving news of Emmeryn's capture, rescuing Phila and her pegasus knights from the Grimleal camp, and their attempt to rescue Emmeryn.

The pain in his head was almost unbearable, but Robin pressed on. There was Emmeryn's death, his desperate attempt to save her, nearly dying, punching Chrom in the face before the prince killed Mustafa, waking back up in Ferox, then the war with Plegia that was concluded with the Mad King Gangrel's death. After that, Chrom and Cordelia were engaged, and then they returned to Ylisstol where Robin fell asleep. And that was it. That was the extent of his memories before waking up here.

Groaning, he leaned his head back against the stone wall as he let his headache subside.

"Headache, I'm assuming?" a sudden voice asked.

"Uwah!" Robin let out a startled noise as he looked around the cell. He was sure that he was alone, but as his eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, he was able to see a silhouette underneath the small window. The figure was sitting just behind the beam of sunlight, making it difficult to see the person.

"Uh...hello there," Robin awkwardly greeted the stranger. "How do you do?"

Robin heard the person let out a short, dry laugh.

"I'm fine, thank you for asking," the stranger said. Judging from the voice, Robin assumed the person to be a female.

An awkward silence settled in the cell. Robin cleared his throat then asked, "Where is this place?"

"I'm afraid I know just as much as you do," the stranger answered, shaking her head. "I found you unconscious on the floor the instant I woke up."

"Ah," Robin smartly said.

Another awkward moment passed.

"My name is Robin," Robin introduced himself, desperate to clear the awkwardness in the air.

As the sun rose higher into the sky, the beam of sunlight shifted angles, casting its light on the stranger. Robin took a sharp intake of breath as he felt his cheeks heat up a little. The woman sitting down against the adjacent wall had fair skin. She was wearing a one-piece dress, the color of the sky, with two openings on either side to reveal her long, toned legs. Her hair was green, nearly identical to the color of the plains, and was tied up in a long ponytail. Her eyes were the color of emeralds as they held a sharp gaze on him.

"I am Lyn, of the Lorca tribe," she said. She raised an eyebrow slightly while staring at him. "You said your name is Robin?"

Robin nodded. He heard her name from somewhere, but from where exactly?

A light smile formed on Lyn's face. "What an odd-sounding name…"

"Huh?" Robin was taken aback. Not hurt, but just slightly surprised at the sudden comment.

"Oh, my apologies!" Lyn quickly added. "I did not think I spoke outloud. It is a good name."

Robin chuckled at her reaction. "No offense taken," he smiled.

Returning the smile, Lyn inspected his clothes. "Your clothes...they're very similar to someone that I know," she commented. "May I ask where you're from?"

Robin looked down at his clothes. He was wearing his usual attire that was almost his trademark. A coat the color of the night sky with purple and gold markings on the sides and ends respectively. Gold colored embroideries were loosely holding the hem of his cloak together. Underneath he was wearing a beige shirt with pants the of the same color, brown leather boots, and a leather belt that was wrapped around his waist.

Robin frowned, not entirely sure on how to answer Lyn's question. He was born in Plegia, which made him a Plegian, but he was practically a Ylissean. He was even the prince's, rather, the Exalt's right-hand man, so his ties to Plegia was something he didn't really pay much attention to. But then again, in his time, Validar became the new king of Plegia, making him the crown prince, which further complicated things for him.

"Ah, I'm sorry," Lyn suddenly apologized. "I understand that everyone has topics that they do not wish to speak of. My apologies."

"No, it's nothing like that," Robin quickly said. "It's just that my situation is...well...a little complicated." After a second of thought, he decided that he'd call himself a Ylissean. "I'm from the Halidom of Ylisse, located on the continent of its namesake, Ylisse.

Lyn's brow furrowed. "Ylisse? I'm afraid I've never heard of it. Is it across the sea?"

It was Robin's turn to be confused. He remembered Lyn introduced herself as 'Lyn of the Lorca tribe", but he never heard of the Lorca.

"Before that, may I ask where you from?" Robin asked. "Knowing that may help out a little."

"Of course," Lyn sat up straight. "I hail from the Sacae Plains, located in Lycia."

A shock went through Robin's head. "Lycia?!"

"Y-yes," Lyn answered, startled by Robin's sudden outburst. "Is there something wrong?"

"B-but…that means…"

A wry smile formed on Robin's face. "Oh, this is fan-friggin-tastic? Really? This happened to me again? Unbelieveable!" he laughed at his Fate's twisted humor.

"I'm sorry, I do not think I follow," Lyn cautiously said.

"Sorry, I'm just laughing at my poor luck," Robin said. "You said you're from Lycia, correct?"

"That is correct."

Robin took in a deep breath. "Now, trust me when I say that this is going to sound like a drunk fool's ramble, but...I'm from a time long after yours - the future."

Lyn's eyes widened in shock. "Th-that's - "

" - not impossible," Robin quickly cut in. "It happened to me, this being the second time, actually, and in my world, someone came back in time herself to prevent a grim future."

Lyn shook her head in disbelief. "You're implying that people can travel through time?"

"I'm not implying it; I'm stating it," Robin corrected. "This is why I said that my words would sound like a drunk fool's ramble."

A moment of silence passed with Robin watching Lyn as she tried to wrap her head around Robin's words.

"The reason why I say I'm from a time long after yours is because Lycia is in the historic textbooks of my time," Robin continued. "And if memory serves, you are Lady Lyndis, heir to the throne of Caelin, correct? Legend says that you fought against an army with nothing more than a small band of fighters to rescue your grandfather."

Lyn gave Robin a small smile. "It was hardly an army. Most of the fights were against small bands of knights and bandits. Besides, I had the help of an amazing tactician to guide us through that peril without a single casualty. I owe it all to him."

Robin nodded. "The genius tactician Mark…"

Lyn looked at Robin. "You know of him?"

"I don't think there's a single tactician in my world who hasn't heard of him," Robin laughed. "He's the person who I strive to be like; to be able to keep my friends alive no matter how badly the odds are stacked against us."

"You're a tactician?" Lyn asked, slightly surprised.

"Mhmm! Robin, tactician to the Shepherds of Ylisse, at your service," Robin proudly said.

"So that's why you felt so familiar…" she muttered under her breath, just low enough for Robin to not hear her words. "Tell me, do all tacticians end up unconscious in an unfamiliar land?"

"Uhh...I don't think so?" Robin answered. "Though, this would be my third time waking up unconscious in a random area. Twice was the same place in Ylisse, in the middle of a field. Why do you ask?"

Lyn shook her head. "No particular reason. It's just that I found Mark lying unconscious in the middle of the Sacaen Plains." Then she looked up at Robin with a confused look. "Wait...Shepherds? You tend sheep?" Lyn asked, causing laughter to erupt from Robin.

"That was my exact reaction when I was told of them," Robin laughed. "In a sense, yes, if you would consider the people to be the sheep and us the shepherds," he explained, further adding to Lyn's confusion. "The Shepherds are more along the lines of a group of handpicked fighters that are led by our prince and Exalt, Chrom. Though, to be honest, we're more of a band of ragtag misfits than anything."

Lyn smiled. "That sounds very much like my group of friends. One of them decided to name our group Lyndis Legion on what I think was a whim, which then became stuck as our name. Not that I mind, though it does make me sound a little conceited."

"What? No way!" Robin laughed. "Sometimes, the people would refer to us as Chrom's Vigilantes since he was the one the created the Shepherds."

"The Shepherds sound like an amazing group," Lyn sighed, wistfully staring up at the ceiling.

"They are," Robin agreed. "The Shepherds are my family, and I couldn't be prouder to have been able to stand by them."

The two sat in silence as they reminisced on their past adventures.

"Well then, shall we get moving?" Robin piped. "I'm not entirely too fond of wasting time away in this cell."

"I'm afraid we're stuck in here," Lyn said, motioning towards the door. "I tried opening the door earlier, but it's locked. I don't suppose you have a lockpick, would you?"

Robin gave Lyn a confident grin. "For a door such as this, I don't need a lockpick."

"What do you mean?" Lyn asked.

To answer her question, Robin got up and walked to the door of their cell. Gathering mana into his hand, he was soon holding a white hot flame the size of his fist. Placing the flame onto the lock, the metal melted in an instant. Extinguishing the flame with a flick of his hand, he looked back at Lyn.

"Easy," he grinned.

"I did not know you were a magic user," Lyn said as she walked up to Robin with newfound interest.

"Well, I had to find a way to defend myself as I was fighting," Robin shrugged, trying the door.

The door rattled, but stayed shut nonetheless.

"Easy, right?" Lyn teased.

If looks could kill, and if the door was a living being, Robin's glare would have drained the door's life. But alas, he had no such luck.

"You stupid door…" Robin muttered, raising his hand.

With a quick burst of magic, Robin blasted the dorm off to hinges, followed by another burst to prevent the door from clattering on to the floor.

"Shall we?" Robin tilted his head, gesturing to the long torch-lit hallway in front of them.

As the two jail escapees walked down the hall, Robin heard dull thuds from behind wall to their right. It sounded like footsteps, but was too heavy for man.

"I think that's one difference between you and Mark," Lyn suddenly said.

"Hm?"

Lyn gave Robin a curious look. "You said you learned how to use magic in order to defend yourself."

"Uh huh."

"So I take it that you were on the front lines as you fought with the Shepherds?"

"Yup."

Lyn nodded, looking down the hall.

"That's something that Mark did not do," Lyn quietly said. "Ah, but don't get me wrong! Mark didn't watch from afar; rather, he'd usually be amongst our group during our skirmishes, guiding us. He never actually fought, but he gave off a...certain feeling - like an aura of power."

Robin nodded. A tactician being on the front lines was almost unheard of. By purposefully placing themselves in the front lines, any smart commander would know to take out the tactician quickly. That was the danger that a tactician would pose and be in.

At the end of the hall, the two walked into another room. A small walkway was wrapped around the very sides of the wall while the center of the room was pool of water that was just above ankle-height. In the center of the pool sat a single person. He was wearing nothing but rags, revealing his skeletal frame, and his skin was a sickly reddish-pink color. His head was hanging down as his rhythmic breathing caused his shoulders to rise and fall repeatedly.

"Do you think that man is okay?" Lyn asked, eyeing the person in the pool.

"I'm not sure…" Robin muttered.

Dropping into the pool with a small splash, Robin cautiously approached the man. Another splash from behind him told him that Lyn had also dropped down to follow him. Robin felt the freezing cold water through his boots as he waded towards the man. The water impeded his movement by just a fraction, but it wasn't anything that would bother him.

"Excuse me, sir?" Robin called out. "Are you alright?"

Reaching out, Robin lightly tapped the man on the shoulder. The man's head suddenly snapped up, and Robin quickly took a step back as Lyn let out a small gasp of horror.

The man's face was something that was out of a horror story. His eyes, or lack of, were just gaping sockets of flesh. In the center of each socket, where the pupil would be located, was nothing but a small orange-red light. As Robin looked further down the man's body, if it could even be called a man, a grotesque mass of veins could be seen spreading out from where his heart was located.

"Wha - what…"

The words Robin tried to say failed to come out as he was frozen in shock. He was reminded of the Risen from his world, but at least they were more pleasant to look at, even if by just a tiny margin.

The...thing just continued to stare at Robin. Its jaw dropped, revealing a set of terribly crooked teeth. A guttural sound came from the depths of its throat, then it dropped its head again, losing interest in Robin. Robin had half a mind to draw his sword and end the pitiful creature's life, but his arm refused to move.

"Robin?" Lyn placed her hand on his shoulder. "We should go."

"R-right," Robin said, tearing his eyes away from the Risen-like person. Shuddering, he walked away and followed Lyn towards the room's exit that was on the adjacent wall of the hall they came from.

Just through the doorway, Lyn and Robin found himself standing in a very small and circular room. Only, this wasn't a room. It was the bottom of what seemed to be a water-well, judging from the wet floor and moss growing on the corners. A multitude of metal bars were protruding from one side of the wall, leading straight up.

"Wait," Robin said as Lyn started to go up the makeshift ladder. "Let me go first."

Lyn arched an eyebrow. "It's fine. If there is danger at the top, I can defend myself even with one arm."

Robin scratched the back of his head as his cheeks turned pink. "That's not what I'm talking about though…"

"What do you - "

Lyn's cheeks flushed as she realized what Robin was talking about. Her one-piece flowed freely from the waist down, which would reveal nearly everything were she to climb up the ladder first. Hopping off of the ladder, she averted her gaze.

"Th-then...if you would." Lyn gestured to the ladder.

Knowing that saying anything else would make the situation even more awkward than it already was, Robin simply nodded before climbing up the ladder.

I'm getting an awful sense of deja vu. Aren't you?

Alternis? You're here too?

I'm in YOUR head, remember? I go wherever you go.

Riiiight…

In any case, starting off on the wrong foot when meeting a girl? Really, Robin? You managed to do this again?

At least it was a good start before.

Ah, yes. A casual talk in a jail cell. What a lovely setting for an introduction.

I...you...damn it…

Heh.

Grumbling, Robin reached the top of the ladder. There was nothing there aside from a narrow doorway leading into what looked like a courtyard.

Suddenly, a deafening roar split the air, followed by a crash. Robin heard what he assumed to be part of the structure collapse as dust fell from the ceiling above him.

Hiding behind the doorframe, Robin counted his heartbeats. On the seventh beat, Robin decided to move. Slowly peeking around the corner of the doorway, Robin saw nothing but a giant double door that was nearly three times his size and a coiled sword sticking out of a small pile of ash. Double checking the area for any signs of danger, Robin stepped to the edge of the well.

"Lyn, it's safe," Robin called out, peering down the well.

The green haired woman nodded before she started climbing up the ladder. Making space for Lyn, Robin stepped out into the courtyard. Grey clouds blanketed the sky overhead and a chilly wind blew through the area. Robin found himself walking towards the coiled sword in the pile of ash - almost as if he was drawn towards the sword.

"Robin?" Lyn called out from behind him. "What is it?"

Robin wordlessly stared down at the coiled sword. The entirety of the sword was a rusty orange-brown color with the hilt pointing up. The handguard was in the shape of an X, and the blade was twisted beyond use as it was embedded in the ground. Where the sword met the pile of ash, feeble embers could be seen.

"I-I don't know…" Robin admitted.

Taking a closer look, Robin saw that the pile of ash wasn't just ash alone. The majority of the small pile consisted of bones...bones that could be found on a human. He should've been startled by this, yet Robin slowly extended his hand over the pile of ash. He focused his attention on the embers at the base of the sword.

Suddenly, as if reacting to Robin's gaze, the ashen pile caught flame.

"Woah."

Robin took a step back. He hadn't channeled any mana to ignite the fire, and yet here it was, blazing all on its own. Strangely enough, as he stared at it, he felt a sense of comfort from the fire. Surely it wouldn't hurt to just sit down for a moment, to rest, to just sit down in front of the fire.

"Robin?"

Lyn's voice brought him back to reality.

"S-sorry," Robin blinked. "I uhh…I spaced out for a while."

"It's because of the fire, isn't it?" Lyn guessed. "I felt it too. It just seems really...alluring."

Robin nodded. The two of the lost track of time of how long they stared into the fire.

"We should go," Lyn quietly said.

"Yeah…"

Tearing his eyes away from the fire, Robin walked towards the giant set of doors. It was made of wood, but looked to rotting. Metal bars were bolted onto the wood to keep it from falling apart. Placing his hands on the doors, Robin pushed. It didn't budge an inch.

"Damn, that's heavy…" Robin muttered.

Mustering a little more strength, he pushed again, and the doors slowly started to move. Dust fell off the door as it loudly creaked open. With one last push, Robin threw the doors open into...another courtyard. Only this time, there was a tiled flooring in a large rectangular form in the center. Pillars ringed the central flooring and large clay vases were scattered around the courtyard. Straight ahead on the opposite wall was another set of doors made of metal.

Looking up, Robin saw a jutting high above the wall on the other side of the courtyard, almost like a platform where a leader of sorts would stand and speak. Maybe that's what this place was? Ruins of a temple for a lost religion? Moving his eyes even higher, Robin noticed that the room he wasn't in a courtyard at all. Courtyards don't have ceilings, and the ceiling for the large room he was currently in was caved in, revealing the gloomy sky above.

"Is something the matter?" Lyn asked, stepping next to Robin.

"No, just trying to figure out where we are and what this place is," Robin replied, walking forward towards and onto the central flooring of the room.

"ROBIN!"

Lyn suddenly yanked him back by his collar just as a monstrosity landed where Robin was a second ago.

"What - what is that thing!"

Standing in front of Lyn and Robin was what could only be called monster. Towering over them, Robin couldn't help but feel like an infant in the face of a powerful knight. Its wrinkly skin was a leathery green with the area around the stomach being a paler color. Stone-like protrusions could be seen throughout its body, and on its back was a pair of tiny bat wings.

Its legs seemed a little too short for its size, but Robin could see its powerful muscles behind the leathery skin. Like its legs, the monster's arms were too short. The terrifying part about it was that it was holding a weapon that seemed to be a cross between a mace and a hammer, with the head being half the monster's size.

Two beady red eyes peered right into Robin, sending a shiver down his spine. Its face was quite an ugly sight. Large stone horns similar to those found on elk protruded from its head. Where the nose would be was nothing more than upturned skin, and its mouth was lined with large yellow teeth. Two enormous fangs could be seen hanging from its mouth.

As he took in all these little details about the monster, Robin couldn't help but think of a single thing.

"That thing is freaking FAT!"

Lyn let out a laugh despite her current situation. Here she was, facing a monster that was over five times her height, and she was laughing from a single line from Robin, a man she met not even an hour ago.

"Robin, this is not the time!" Lyn tried to make her voice stern as possible.

"What?! It's true!" Robin grinned. "Just look at the thing!"

Lyn didn't want to, but she looked anyways. What Robin said rang true as she watched the monster's belly jiggle with the slightest of movements. Due to that, she was too late in noticing the monster swing its weapon down on the two. Its size was large enough that it was more than sufficient to easily crush them both with room to spare. Then she felt Robin shove her away to prevent her from getting crushed.

Rolling to her feet, she saw Robin jump on the monster's hammer with his sword in hand and run up the length of the weapon. Grabbing onto one of the monster's many stone protrusions, Robin quickly climbed onto the monster's back, and plunged his sword into the back of its neck.

The monster roared in pain and threw Robin off its back. Using the monster's pain to her advantage, Lyn kicked off the ground and her beloved sword, Mani Katti, in a flash across the monster's belly. Thick red blood splattered onto the ground from the wound, but it could hardly be considered a deep cut.

The moment her feet touched the ground, she jumped backwards just as the monster's hammer slammed down in front of her. As the monster started to bring its hammer back up, Lyn ran forward, sliding between its legs while spinning on her toes, slicing apart the monster's ankles. She quickly rolled left and then right, dodging the monster's stomping feet as she made her way clear of the monster. Rising to her feet, Lyn quickly jumped back to put some distance between her and the monster when it suddenly reeled in pain. Its roar shook the entire area, sending a wave of pain through her ears and head.

The monster then ignored Lyn as it turned to its left, swinging its hammer down on Robin, who frantically rolled out of the way. Dodging the next couple of swings by a hair's breadth, Robin made his way over to Lyn, laughing.

"What did you to piss it off so much?" Lyn asked him.

Robin sheepishly grinned at her. "I uhh…may have accidentally by chance cut off its tail…" he meekly said, holding up a long, leathery green colored stub of a tail in his hand. "This might just be me, I don't think it liked me cutting off its tail."

As if to answer Robin, the monster let out a low growl as it glared at the tactician.

"I don't think it's just you that thinks that," Lyn said.

With a roar, the monster started to swing its weapon in a large sweeping motion from its left. With the intent to dodge, Lyn jumped diagonally backwards and to her right when the monster suddenly brought its weapon around the other way.

A feint?!

Lyn could only watch hopelessly as she was still in mid-jump as the oversized hammer drew closer and closer to her. Time seemed to slow down to a snail's pace as she watched Robin step in front of her. She watched as Robin stab his sword into the ground and a transparent wall honeycombed out in front of him to create barrier.

The barrier was succeeded in halting the monster's swing. For a mere moment. Robin's face twisted in pain as the monster's hammer shattered the barrier like glass and slammed into Robin's chest, sending him backwards colliding with Lyn.

The collision threw the two of them back and towards the corner of the room. Lyn braced herself to slam into the wall, but the impact never came. Instead, she continued to fly backwards and into a narrow hallway. A set of stairs appeared beneath her. Clutching Robin tightly, she closed her eyes as her back hit the stairs, sending the two tumbling across the floor. Lyn felt Robin tumble out of her grasp, a sharp pain followed by a cracking sound from her ribs, and then her vision went black.

"Ugh…"

Lyn groaned in pain. Her body ached all over as she slowly opened her eyes. She was lying down on the ground with a soft cloth wrapped around her shoulders. A small fire, identical to the one she saw earlier, sword, ash, and all, was flickering in front of her, filling her body with a sense of warmth.

"I see you're awake now."

Lyn looked towards the source of the voice. Robin was sitting across the fire, resting his arm on his knee. She tried to sit up but winced as a sharp pain shot up her sides.

"Careful," Robin said. "I wouldn't be surprised if you have a couple of broken bones from taking the brunt of the landing."

Lyn slowly lowered herself back onto the ground. From where she was, she surveyed the room. It was similar to the room that they were in earlier with the creepy husk of a man, and light was shining in from a doorway across the walkway they were on

"I'm sorry," Robin suddenly apologized.

"For what?" Lyn asked, not sure why he was apologizing.

"Barrier magic wasn't never my forte, but even so, had I been just a little faster, you wouldn't have gotten hurt," Robin said as he cast his eyes over to the fire.

"Don't apologize," Lyn said. "You did nothing wrong. In fact, it's my fault for not having read that feint from the monster."

She shot up, instantly regretting her decision as she let out a cry of pain.

"What the - why?" Robin was taken aback at her not-so-smart decision.

Ignoring both her pain and Robin's question, Lyn asked her own. "What about that monster? What about you?"

Robin blinked. "What about me?"

She stared at his chest. "You got hit directly by the monster's hammer, yet you seem to be perfectly fine."

"Oh, that?" Robin shrugged. "You know my cloak that you're currently wearing?"

Lyn just noticed that Robin was missing his cloak. She looked down to see the very cloak that he was missing wrapped around her shoulders.

"Yeah, that one," Robin grinned. "Contrary to its looks, my cloak has surprisingly good defenses. It's virtually indestructible."

Feeling the fabric, she raised an eyebrow in mild surprise. It seemed like any ordinary fabric that one could find anywhere, but there was a mysterious feeling to it that she couldn't place.

"Hm? I'm impressed you noticed it," Robin praised.

Lyn gave Robin a puzzled look.

"I take it that you feel a strangeness to the fabric, right?" Robin asked. "That would be the effect of reinforcement magic," Robin explained. "I laced the fabric with my own mana while coating it at the same time, strengthening it. The result is a piece of clothing that's pretty much indestructible and more resilient than the strongest of armors. Though, I still suffered from a few broken bones."

Lyn looked back down at Robin's cloak in amazement. "That's quite an impressive magic."

"In a sense, yes," Robin said. He didn't sound the least bit presumptuous. "The major downside to it is that I can't apply it to any other piece of armor or clothing."

"Why's that?"

"In order to cast such a powerful reinforcement magic, I need to have a very high affinity with said item," Robin explained. "The only reason why I was able to apply the magic to my coat is because I've had it for as long as I can remember. If I tried it on anything else, it would only last a short while before breaking, such as this sword here." Robin reached down to his side and pulled out his sword, or at least what was left of it.

There was almost nothing left of the blade. All Robin was holding was the hilt and a blade that was shorter than a fruit knife. The ends of the blade was jagged and dull, and what was once a regal longsword etched with silver was now nothing more than a broken straight sword. After having been with her sword, Mani Katti, for so long, seeing a sword in such a state pained Lyn.

"This is the result of two things," Robin said, casually tossing the sword hilt into the air and catching it again. "One, having used reinforcement magic on it with the improper influx of mana, and two, having used it as a catalyst for a barrier spell."

Lyn shook her head in awe. "The extend of your knowledge on magic far exceeds anything that I've seen in my time."

"Isn't that to be expected? The magic used many ages ago would lay a foundation as to what magic becomes in the future," Robin reasoned. "Unless, of course, the use of magic greatly dwindles to a point where it becomes non-existent. Fortunately, that didn't happen in my world."

Lyn nodded at his words. The two sat in silence as they stared into the fire.

"How's your side?" Robin asked.

Gently placing her hand on her ribs, she widened her eyes in surprise as she felt none of the pain from earlier. It didn't make any sense; fractured bones would take a lengthy amount of time to heal, and yet hers were mended in only a few minutes.

"Judging from your reaction, I guess they're healed," Robin chuckled. "It's something to do with this fire." He gestured at the little bonfire in between the two. "There's something about it that has healing properties from just being near it. Don't ask me how. It just does."

Lyn gave a curious look at the fire. After a moment, she slammed her fist into the ground, shredding the skin off her knuckles.

"What the - what're you doing?" Robin asked, alarmed.

Staying silent, Lyn moved her hand next to the fire. As she watched, the blood quickly stopped leaking out as her skin mended itself before her very eyes. Within moments, there was no sign of any injury.

"Jeez," Robin groaned. "At least warn me before you do something so reckless." Standing up, Robin dusted himself off before extending his hand to her. "If you're feeling better, shall we get going?"

"Sorry, but I just needed to test it out," Lyn apologized, taking Robin's hand. "Your coat." She added, holding Robin's cloak in her hand.

"Thank you," Robin said, taking back his trademark cloak and throwing it on a well-practiced motion.

The two walked towards the doorway on the other side of the room. They stepped into a long hallway that was at a slight upwards incline. Robin guessed that there was once a roof to the hallway based off the curved stones at the top of the walls and a mess of rubble scattered throughout the hall. The gloomy sky above was seen above, and at the end of the hall was another figure dressed in rags.

"Hey…isn't that the person we saw back at - WOAH!"

Robin quickly brought his hand up and caught a wooden stick that sliced through the air an instant. Upon a closer look, Lyn realized that the wooden stick was an arrow, not even an inch away from piercing Robin's chest. Glaring at the hollowed figure at the end of the hall, Lyn's eyes flared with anger. She sprinted down the hall at an alarming speed. The hollowed man quickly turned and tried to run away but was nowhere fast enough. The green-haired swordswoman was on him in an instant, and in a single motion, drew her sword and sliced the man in two.

Letting out a breath, she flicked the blood off her blade before returning it into its sheath. She watched as the man's upper body feel to the floor, shortly followed by its lower half.

"Damn, you run fast!" Robin laughed as he jogged over to where Lyn was standing.

"I'm sorry," Lyn looked downcast. "I did not mean to rush ahead, but when I saw you in danger, my body acted on its own."

"Ahaha, no worries," Robin laughed. "It makes me happy that you care so much about me in such a short time."

"It's just…you remind me so much of Mark that I couldn't help but feel a little protective of you," Lyn wistfully said. "I would do that all the time in our journey."

The two started walking again. They turned left as it was the only way to go since the hallway turned left, walked up a short flight of stairs, and came across…

"Is that…fog?" Robin wondered.

He stood in front of the small wall of grey fog that was in front of the doorframe. Raising his hand, he reached his hand out to touch the mysterious grey wall.

"Robin, be careful," Lyn voiced her concern.

The fog felt cool to the touch. It felt solid, yet gaseous at the same time. He applied a little pressure into his hand, and his hand easily slipped through. His curiosity getting the better of him, Robin stepped into the fog wall in full.

For a moment, he saw nothing but grey as wisps of smoke curled around his body. Then the fog quickly dissipated, vanishing into thin air.

"Huh," Robin frowned, disappointed at the fog wall's disappearance.

"Robin, look!" Lyn pointed past Robin.

In front of Robin was a barred doorway. A large part of it was collapsed, its debris blocking nearly half of the space. But that wasn't what Lyn was pointing at. Past the debris, past the bars, was a man in a full suit of armor collapsed on another pile of debris. Light poured in from a hole in the ceiling, illuminating the knight.

Hearing Lyn's voice, the knight slowly turned his head to look at Robin and Lyn. He weakly raised his arm to reach out to them only to have it limply fall back down.

"Robin, we need to help him!" Lyn said, running past him.

"Right!" Robin followed Lyn.

They followed the hallway for a way in. All they would was a set of stairs leading away from the enclosed room the knight was in. Running back to the barred doorway, Robin looked up and down for the lock. There was none. If there was, it was most likely buried beneath the rubble, and it didn't look like the knight had a lot of time left.

Growing impatient, Robin conjured up flames in his hand and grabbed onto two of the iron bars blocking his path. The metal quickly heated, glowing a bright orange under Robin's flames. As to why he didn't do this in the first place, he didn't know, but Robin wrenched the heated metal aside, creating a large enough gap for him and Lyn to slip through.

Upon closer inspection, the knight was even in worse condition than Robin feared. His rounded helmet had multiple dents all over it, and his visor was lowered at a crooked angle, and a tattered red scarf was loosely wrapped around his neck. A regal blue cloth lined with gold was worn over a set of chainmail armor with an elaborate golden design, most likely his house banners, etched on the center of armor. A battered pauldron was barely hanging on his left shoulder, and his arm was bent at a terrible angle. He was clinging onto a medium sized blue shield with his left hand. On the shield was the same golden crest that was on his armor. In his main hand was a straight sword with an elaborate golden hilt with a pale blue gem placed in the center of the guard.

All of this showed that the knight was most likely a high ranking knight, maybe an elite, in his homeland. In Ylisse and many other parts of his world, only ranked officers would bear the standard of their house, For this knight to have both a set of armor and shield with his house banners and a regal sword only proved as such.

The knight turned his head to look at Robin, his helmet rattling as it moved.

"Oh, you…you're no Hollow, are you?" the knight rasped. "Thank goodness… I'm done for...I'm afraid…my insides are are damaged… I'll die soon..."

"Don't say that!" Lyn yelled as she knelt down next to Robin. "Don't give up yet!"

The knight let out a chuckle. "I'm blessed to have met such kind souls...in such a bleak area… I have a request to ask of you…will you hear me out?"

Lyn nodded without hesitation. Letting out a small sigh of relief, the knight's sword clattered to the floor.

"I regret to say this, but I have failed in my mission," the knight coughed. "But…perhaps you…you can keep the torch lit… There is an old saying in my family…"

"In thine exodus from the Undead Asylum,
Maketh pilgrimage to the land of Ancient Lords.
When thou ringeth the Bell of Awakening,
The fate of the Undead thou shalt know."

A shock shot through Robin's head. He felt as if he should know this, but why? This was the first time he heard of this - no…no it wasn't. He HAD heard of it before, read it actually. Back in his world, in an abandoned library located on a small island just off of Chon'sin. The very library where he came across Light Magic.

"Well…now you know…" the knight said. Just from a slight change is posture, Robin sensed as though a heavy burden was taken off of the knight's shoulders as he let out another sigh of relief. "Now I can die with hope in my heart…"

Lyn shook her head. "Don't…don't say such things!" Her shoulders were shaking as she clenched her fists. "You can't give up! Not yet!"

"That's right, it's not too late," Robin agreed, standing to his feet. "You're going to survive. I'll make sure of it."

Much to the knight's discomfort, Robin picked him up easily. Carefully placing him around his shoulders in a fireman's carry, Robin made his way out of the small room, to the right, and peered over a small balcony. Beneath them was the first courtyard they came across, and in the center of that was coiled sword sticking out of a pile of ash. Without hesitation, he jumped as Lyn let out an alarmed yell from behind him.

Casting a small gust of wind from his feet, Robin slowed his descent as his feet lightly touched the floor. Walking towards the meek fire, Robin gently laid the knight down next to the flames.

The knight took a shaky breath as he turned his head to look at the flames.

"Ah…a bonfire…" the knight croaked. "To think such a thing would be placed in such a godforsaken place…" the knight looked up at Robin. "Thank you, stranger. You've shown me a kindness that I cannot ever hope to repay."

"You can thank me by not dying," Robin smiled. "May I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"The one that put you in this state…was it…?"

The knight nodded before Robin even finished speaking. "The Asylum Demon. A grotesque monster that was born of the Flames of Chaos long ago. Now it acts as this place's warden, mercilessly crushing anyone that tries to leave."

"I see…thank you," Robin thanked the knight as he rose to his feet.

He was hoping to avoid a confrontation with what the knight called the Asylum Demon for the second time. Their first encounter ended up with both him and Lyn being literally thrown out of the fight with a broken bones. Since the demon had fallen on them, Robin took a guess that the wounded knight was on the rooftops for some reason when the demon had smashed him through the ceiling, which caused him to end up in such a battered state in the room where there seemed to be no entrance.

A metallic clang reverberated through the air from Robin's right. Looking over, he saw a small gateway open with Lyn stepping through. He hadn't seen that door the first time he was here. Judging from where Lyn was before, Robin guessed that the door Lyn just opened up would lead back up to the second floor of the Undead Asylum.

"Hey, guess what?" Lyn grinned. "I found a shortcut!"

She made her way over to the knight, handing him his dropped sword and satchel.

"I noticed," Robin deadpanned. "So, I've good news and bad news."

"Let's hear it," Lyn said, her brow furrowing.

"Turns out the giant thing we fought earlier is a demon that's guarding this place, acting as its warden," Robin casually said. "The only way out of this place is to kill it."

Lyn frowned. "...and the good news?"

"That was the good news," Robin sighed. "Bad news is I don't see a way that we can kill the thing. Its skin is tough, it had a ridiculous amount of strength, nearly killing all three of us earlier, and to top it all off, it's freakishly huge."

"And fat," Lyn added with a small smile.

"Ha...ahaha...ow…" the wounded knight weakly laughed. "It is indeed fat."

"Not to mention I broke my sword in a last-ditch effort to protect us both," Robin added, holding up what remained of his sword. "Well, not that it was my main weapon in the first place. Still useful, though."

"If...if you need a weapon…" the knight struggled to sit up, unlatching his regal sword. "...take mine. It was crafted by the finest smith from my homeland, Astora, and is blessed with divine magic."

"I couldn't possibly take such a sword!" Robin hastily said.

"Please," the knight urged. "A knight's honor is worth more than his sword. It would not do for the ones that saved my life to go without a weapon."

Scratching his head, Robin hesitantly took the sword.

"My deepest of thanks," Robin said.

It was indeed imbued with divine magic. Robin had been around Chrom and Lucina's Falchion long enough to know what a divine weapon felt like. Although this sword from Astora didn't give off the same feeling, Robin could still tell that there was a powerful magic inside it due to his keen sixth sense.

"We'll return soon," Lyn promised the knight. "After we kill that demon."

"I won't be going anywhere," the knight said with dry humor. "Give the Asylum Demon one from me, will you?"

"Consider it done," Robin grinned at the knight.

Robin and Lyn walked past the wounded knight and towards the large wooden doors that Robin opened earlier. Only this time, in replacement of the door was another wall of grey fog.

"Nuh uh, not this time," Lyn placed a firm hand on his shoulder. "You got to go through the fog last time. Now it's my turn."

Grumbling, Robin stepped aside to let Lyn go first. He watched as she lightly pressed her hand against the wall of fog, then the green swordswoman vanished into the grey wall. Robin waited for the fog to disperse like last time, but it didn't seem like it was going to vanish anytime soon. Uneasiness coming over him, Robin quickly ran through the fog. Appearing on the other side, he looked up just as a familiar oversized hammer was descending on him.

Letting out a strangled yelp, Robin rolled to the side, narrowly dodging the demon's great hammer. His head smashed into one of the many clay pots that were scattered around, but he shook off the minor pain as he rolled to his feet. He saw Lyn hack away at the Asylum Demon's chest, but the demon paid her no mind as its red eyes shone maliciously at Robin.

"Oh, come on!" Robin complained, dodging another hammer swing. "Are you still mad that I cut off your tail?"

The demon roared in anger. It swung its great hammer down again at Robin, who easily jumped out of the way. Jumping onto the hammer, Robin once again ran up the length of it. Learning from its past fight, the demon made a grab at Robin with its free hand. Seeing the giant hand coming at him, Robin stepped off the hammer's handle, causing the demon to grasp at nothing as Robin used his falling momentum to swing his body up and right in front of the demon's face. Twisting his body, Robin drew the Astora sword and at the demon's upturned face in a single motion, drawing a red gash over the demon's right eye.

"That was for…huh…I never got the knight's name…" Robin murmured.

Unlike Robin's silver sword from earlier, the Astora sword seemed to have no trouble slicing through the demon's tough skin. Perhaps with this sword, killing the Asylum Demon wouldn't be impossible. Touching down the ground, Robin felt a foot press down on his back before it vanished. Turns out Lyn used Robin's lowered posture as a footstool.

Leaping off of Robin's back, the swordswoman plunged her sword through the demon's neck before swinging around to its backside. A stream of red blood gushed out of the open wound like a miniature waterfall of red.

Letting out a cry of pain, the Asylum Demon spread its tiny wings, throwing Lyn onto the ground as it took to the skies.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Robin exclaimed. "Those tiny wings can lift that fatass into the air?!"

"How're we going to reach that?" Lyn asked.

"Why are you asking me?"

"You're the tactician."

"…right…"

Robin quickly formulated a plan in his head. It was a little risky, but it'd work. He explained his idea to Lyn, who agreed without hesitation.

"I trust you as much as I trust Mark, which is a lot," Lyn said, giving a small smile.

"Right then," Robin couldn't help but feel flattered.

Putting his sword into its scabbard, Robin lowered his posture while clasping his hands together in front of him. His plan: Lyn leaps off of his hands as he gives her a boost by both a push and wind magic to propel her upwards as she cuts off the demon's wings. The demon passed the ceiling already, so they had to act quickly on Robin's plan, but a multitude of things could go wrong. The demon could bat her aside, move out of the way, or Lyn could completely miss altogether. But Lyn's confidence in Robin made him feel like they'd succeed.

Lyn took a couple steps back for a running start, then ran at Robin in a full sprint. Robin didn't think of when he should lift his arms to give her a boost; he just relied on gut feeling as he had done many times in the past, and it didn't fail him. There was no awkward pause between Lyn leaving the ground and into the air, and Robin threw Lyn upwards as hard as he could while casting a gust of wind to help propel her.

Lyn shot upwards at a speed that would make the fastest of pegasi jealous. Holding her sword in a two handed grip, she readied herself to swing Mani Katti to slice off the demon's stubby wings. She drew closer and closer to the Asylum Demon and she started to swing her sword when something coarse and leathery hit her on the side, and her world flipped upside down.

The demon had swung its arm and batted Lyn aside as if she was a ragdoll. She was tumbling through the open air as the roof of the asylum rushed forward to meet her.

"I'm sorry…Robin," Lyn whispered as she shut her eyes.

Then she felt an arm wrap around her waist, stopping her freefall.

"Sorry for what? You did nothing wrong," a familiar voice chuckled.

Lyn opened her eyes. She was suspended in midair above the asylum's rooftop. Turning her head, she saw Robin's hazel colored eyes warmly looking at her as he held her afloat with his arm.

"H-how?" Lyn stammered.

"I'll explain later, but taking that thing down takes priority," Robin pointed over his shoulder at the flying demon. "Ready for another flight?"

Lyn nodded.

"Great!" Robin grinned. "This time, however, I'll be supporting you."

Setting her on the roof, Robin entered the same stance as before to propel her. Lyn soared into the air again. She was curious as to how Robin would be supporting her from down there, but she got her answer when Robin suddenly materialized in front of the demon's face with his sword in hand, surprising both her and the demon. The Asylum Demon let out a surprised grunt before Robin swung his blade across the demon's good eye, effectively blinding it. With its vision lost, the demon started to flail its limbs about frantically.

Lyn watched in awe as Robin flew around the demon in circle and a moment after, both of the demon's arms and hammer were falling to the ground.

"Lyn! You're up!" Robin yelled from the skies.

"Got it!"

In a single stroke of her blade, Lyn swung her sword and sliced off the demon's wings at their base. The demon didn't have time to roar in pain when she twisted her body around and embedded Mani Katti into the demon's skull, the sacred blade piercing through flesh and bone. Wrenching her blade out, she kicked off the demon's head, letting gravity take care of the rest. She herself was in freefall, but not for long as Robin quickly caught her again.

"Nice job," Robin grinned.

"Couldn't have done it without your help," Lyn replied.

Robin started to descend with Lyn in tow as they watched the Asylum Demon crash onto the floor with a loud crash. A large cloud of dust erupted from the demon as Robin landed. The two readied their weapon in case the demon got back up. Much to their surprise, the demon's body started to disintegrate into a bubbling white light. A large ripple of energy spread through the area, dispersing the demon in its entirety. Soon there was nothing left of the large demon aside from the web of cracks on the flooring from the fall.

"That's…a little unexpected, but not surprising," Robin muttered. "Reminds me of how the Risen would die."

"Risen?" Lyn asked.

"Foul creatures from my homeland," Robin explained. "Dead bodies reanimated by dark magic by the Fell Dragon Grima."

"That's terrible…" Lyn said through gritted teeth. "Desecrating the dead like that is unforgivable."

"Yeah…" Robin quietly agreed. "Come on, let's head back."

He started walking forward when he accidentally kicked something at his feet. Looking down, he saw that the "something" he kicked was a large key made of bronze. That definitely wasn't something that was there before. He picked it up, not sure what else to do with it, and stowed it away in his coat.

The two walked back to the small bonfire where the knight was resting. Noticing their arrival, the knight looked up at them through his helmet's visor.

"I am pleased to see you both unharmed," the knight said.

"Thanks," Robin replied. "I gave the demon a large gash across one of its eyes for you."

Robin started to unlatch the sword attached to his side when the knight stopped him.

"Please, keep it," the knight said.

"Wouldn't that leave you without a weapon?" Robin asked.

"We knights of Astora always carry around a spare," the knight said, pulling out an elaborate dagger that was attached to his shoulder. "Please, do not worry for my safety. Even in my state, I am confident that I can handle a few Hollows."

Robin tilted his head. "Hollows?"

"Yes, those husks of men that you've seen around here," the knight explained. "They were once like us, but degenerated into that state as they lost their will and purpose to live. They no longer have any trace of humanity, and are mad creatures that will attack anyone that enters their sight."

"That's not unlike the Risen from my world," Robin said, comparing the two.

Even behind the metal visor, Robin could tell the knight was smiling.

"Will you be joining us?" Lyn asked the knight.

The knight pondered on the question for a brief moment. "Perhaps in the near future. I fear my wounds are still too deep for me to move just yet."

"I…I see," Lyn said, slightly disappointed. "I suppose this is farewell for now."

The knight nodded. "Stay safe, my friends."

"You as well," Robin said, giving the knight a light bow.

"May the flames guide thee," the knight said with a wave of his hand.

Robin and Lyn turned parted with the knight, walking back into the large room where they felled the Asylum Demon. Robin walked towards the set of metal doors on the opposite wall. He tried to open it, but it was locked shut.

"Maybe the key you found earlier?" Lyn suggested.

Heeding Lyn's words, Robin pulled out the large key he picked up a few minutes ago. At the center of the door was a large keyhole, which the key fit into snugly. With a loud clack, the doors started to open by themselves, revealing a short road and an open sky. A small set of broken stairs and walls could be seen ahead.

Cautiously making their way forward, the two ascended the steps. The broken walls to either side of them were charred black as was much of the ground around them.

"Wait...do you hear that?" Lyn suddenly asked.

Robin stopped, straining his ears, but all he heard was the howling of the wind. "No, nothing. What did you hear?"

"…strange…I don't hear it anymore. It sounded like a voice…like a…crow…" Lyn frowned. "Sorry, I must've been hearing things."

Nodding, Robin continued to walk up the steps. In front of him was a cliff. A mountain range could be seen off in the distance, their peaks shrouded by the low hanging clouds. Peering over the edge of the cliff, Robin felt a sense of vertigo. They were high above the ground, almost as if they were atop one of the tallest mountains, for that's how far away the ground was. Taking a step back, Robin shook his head to clear the feeling of nausea that started to settle in his stomach. He looked around for a way to leave, but found nothing.

"We're isolated…" he muttered.

"It's almost as if this place was built with the sole purpose to prevent anyone from escaping," Lyn said, standing next to Robin. "But why would - " She suddenly tensed.

"What's wrong?" Robin asked.

"I hear something…" Lyn said again.

For the second time, Robin strained his ears. There was indeed the sound of wings flapping, and they sounded powerful. Almost as if they belonged to a -

"GIANT CROW?!" Robin exclaimed.

A massive crow suddenly flew up from below the cliff. Each wing was nearly three times as large as Robin as loose black feathers fluttered out from the wings. Its beady black eyes shone with intelligence as it extended its talons. Neither Robin nor Lyn had time to react before the giant crow grabbed them both by its claws, and took off into the skies.

Whisked off by a giant crow after fighting a giant demon…what is wrong with this place and its oversized inhabitants?

Next to Robin, Lyn was having the time of her life. She was laughing with her arms and legs outstretched as they soared through the skies in the clutches of a crow.

At least one of us is having fun…

Ending Author's Note: Robin and Lyndis on a journey through the world of Dark Souls. Two of my favorite characters from the Fire Emblem series in one of my favorite games of all time, how could I not? This is NG+7, just saying.
Why Dark Souls and not DeS, DaS2, DaS3, or Bloodborne? I have very limited playtime of DeS since I only got through one playthrough of it at my friend's house since I don't own a PS3/4, so I wouldn't be able to be as in-depth story-wise and lore-wise.
DaS2 is my least favorite out of the 5 games, Bloodborne was a high contender, but seeing how I haven't played that in a long time, I've forgotten a lot of it. Not to mention I was only able to play for a week by borrowing my friend's PS4 and game.
DaS3 was also a very high contender, but your character in DaS3 (the Ashen One) is one who failed to link the First Flame, so in order to do that, I'd have to write about DaS first.
So, in the end, it fell down the DaS due to the reasons above. Not only that, I've accumulated at least (huge huge emphasis on "at least") 1,623 hours into the game. I say "at least 1,623 hours" because a single file has a limit of 999:99:99 (hours, minutes, and seconds respectively) of playtime. My main character has more than that and I've deleted more than a few characters, so I've only counted the numbers that I can see on my save screen. So, with what I'm assuming to be ~2,000 hours of playtime in DaS, I have the most knowledge on it out of all the games in the SoulsBorne franchise. Am I bragging? Maybe a little. I'm a huge nerd, I know. This was back in highschool when everything was easy and I had no worries in life.

Now, things to note on the story itself.

The Asylum Demon normally isn't that difficult of an enemy. That is, if you've managed to get past the first couple of steep learning curves that the SoulsBorne franchise is notorious for. And as you journey through NG+ and NG+x, the fight gets considerably easier since you have +15 grade weapons and possibly +10 armor. But on your very first playthrough, I'm pretty sure every single person freaked out on what to do on that fight (and died. Don't lie and say you killed the AD in your first playthrough with that Broken Sword Hilt or your fists. There's no shame in admitting that you died in what's considered to be the tutorial of Dark Souls).
That's the case for Robin and Lyn. I could've easily had them step over the Asylum Demon as I normally do in my playthroughs, but I'm treating this as my very first blind playthrough of the game. In a way, I'm recreating my own personal experience (reaction-wise, at least) through the perspectives of Robin and Lyn. Even with their combat experience and weapons, it took two attempts for them to kill the AD by using the power of gravity, since falling is the reason for 99% of my deaths now.

As stated earlier in the first AN, this is an AU of FE:AA starting just after the Gangrel Arc. As for Lyn, her timeline has only gotten to her part of Blazing Blade, during that 1 year gap before Eliwood's story starts, which is why she only has Mani Katti and not Sol Katti.

And that's the end for now! Hope you all enjoyed, and I'll see you on the flipside.