OPENING DISCLAIMERS

I own the rights to just about nothing here [even my original characters, as they are manaketes, which is in fact copyrighted], save for the precise combination of words that I use to tell the story, I suppose. That, of course, is excluding every bit of dialogue in this first chapter, which is, unfortunately, taken almost word for word from the game. This is not because I cannot think of better things for them to say, but merely because I refuse to contradict cannon if at all possible. Fear not; I assure you that this occurs nowhere else in this piece.

Chapter 1

Dragon's Gate

He saw the party approach long before they arrived, but he did not intervene. His master wanted them to bear witness, so he merely followed in silence, his sharp ears overhearing every word they spoke.

"We're here," said a red haired lordling, the infamous leader of the band. "The Dragon's Gate."

The dragon girl–the one who his master sought–walked beside him, but she seemed uneasy, hesitant even. As she should, of course.

"What's wrong, Ninian?" asked the man, drawing the party to a halt. "You're trembling."

"This place," she said, "so frightening. Something… powerful," trailing off into silence.

"It's her power, isn't it?" asked the Sacaen woman.

"Her power? What's that?" said an axe-wielding man in heavy armor as he crossed his arms.

"Ninian has the ability to sense impending danger," answered Lyn, resting one hand on the handle of the Mani Katti. "Her memory may be gone, but her power remains."

"What is it you sense, Ninian?" asked Eliwood urgently.

The dancer cringed and drew back, as though to flee. "I… should not have… come here," she whispered. "Something awful will happen if I'm here." She let out a whimper, paralyzed with fear.

"Ninian?" exclaimed Eliwood, grabbing her by the shoulder. "Snap out of it!"

"This place," gasped Ninian, "No, I… I."

"She's getting worse!" cried the Prince of Pherae. "Let's get her away from here!"

That was when he had to intervene; Lord Nergal would not have them leave. He warped into the midst of the party.

"You'll not be going anywhere," he said with a condescending grin. "That little bird has escaped this island cage twice. Now that she's back, she'll not be allowed to fly away again."

"Who are you?" yelled Eliwood.

"We meet at last," he said, quite amused by Eliwood's distress. "I am Ephidel. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

"You're Ephidel?" spat Hector. "I've been looking forward to this."

"Gallantly spoken," he said supremely, purely to unnerve them. He had always had a talent of unnerving humans when he wished, even more so than normal morphs. "Of course, I know who you are. Marquess Ostia's younger brother, Lord Hector. And here we have Caelin's beloved princess, Lady Lyndis.

"By the way, the gift I left for you in the forest," his grin growing wider, "Was it to your liking? The corpse of that filthy red-haired traitor?"

"Monster!" yelled Hector, "Stay right there! I'm going to crush the life from you with my bare hands."

"Now I see," he said, even forcing a tinge of surprise into his voice. "She was an Ostian spy, wasn't she? Don't worry; she did not suffer. It only took one blow."

"Die!" bellowed Hector as he charged at the morph with his axe in hand.

Ephidel reacted calmly and efficiently. He warped behind the Ostian lord and beside Ninian, forcing a gasp of surprise from her.

"This girl is needed for my master's ceremony," he said.

"Ninian!" yelled Eliwood.

"Lord Eliwood!" she called as she pulled away from Ephidel.

He vanished again, utterly devoid of sympathy for her pleas to let her go. This time he reappeared deeper into the Dragon's Gate in order to instruct his pawns.

"Lord Ephidel," said Darin, "is the girl with you?"

Abominable human. "As you can see," he said aloud.

"Oho! The ritual can take place at last," crowed the noble.

"Yes," came the oily response. "However, we have an infestation of mice to deal with. They should be scurrying in here momentarily. They must be dealt with before the ritual takes place. May I entrust this task with you?"

"Of course. Who do you think I am? I am Darin, Marquess Laus! Ruler of this world!"

"Very well, I leave it to you."

"Ruler of the world," exulted Darin before breaking into insane laughter.

"Humans," mocked Ephidel, fully aware that the mad marquess was no longer paying him the slightest bit of attention. "They are so very fragile."

With that he vanished yet again with Ninian in tow to reappear before his master.

"Ah," said Nergal, "you've done well. Precious Ephidel. Shall we prepare for the ritual?"

It was not really a question, so Ephidel would not have responded even if the prisoner had not interrupted.

"Nergal," said Lord Elbert.

The spellcaster turned to look at the noble with a mocking gaze. "Does it gall you, Marquess Pherae? It's destiny. There could be no other outcome. Despite all of your mischief, the girl was fated to return to me."

"My son," said Elbert. "Where is Eliwood?"

"He's still alive," said Nergal indifferently. "Of course, it's only a matter of time before the Black Fang finishes him."

Elbert paused for a moment, glaring at his black-garbed foe. "Nergal!" he spat suddenly. "Prepare to die!"

Nergal was caught off-guard as the peerless swordsman rushed at him, but no matter. Ephidel's master was brilliant in every respect, so there was still a plan in place. Jaffar leapt out from the shadows and cut Elbert down with a single well-placed stroke of his blade. It did not kill the Marquess, but there was certainly no danger of him causing any further trouble as he groaned and fell to the ground.

"That was a surprise. When did he undo his bonds?" asked Nergal with a mocking chuckle. "Why do you not heed my warnings, Lord Elbert? You cannot alter destiny. Stop this foolishness."

The only response that he received was a bloody gurgle.

"Jaffar," continued Nergal, "take Marquess Pherae and the girl to the far chamber. I will begin preparations.

"Thy will be done," said the assassin before going about his task.

Nergal then teleported before the gate and Ephidel followed. His master began to recite the summoning incantations as Ephidel fed quintessence to the gate, though Lord Nergal was quite capable of opening it himself. But they were pressed for time; all the other morphs were indisposed as they spread the seeds of war across the continent so that even more quintessence might be gathered. They could not assist now, but Ephidel alone was still more than enough.

Or so it seemed. The two stood before the gate, now with Ninian and Elbert as well, focused on their incantations of fire and summoning, spittle and foam accumulating around their mouths as they muttered for over twenty minutes. The ritual was nearly complete when voices began to approach.

"Father!" said one. "Father? It's me! Eliwood! I've come to save you! …Father?"

"It's dark in here," said Hector, "Can't see a thing…"

"Eli…" gasped the fallen Marquess. "Eliwood."

Abomination. How was that human able to speak after suffering such a grievous wound? Both Ephidel and his Master were tied to the magics of the Gate, and unable to break free without totally abandoning the ritual. Lord Nergal began to shift the weight of the spell back wholly to himself so that the morph could deal with the intruders, but that would still take time.

"Father," called out Eliwood. "Where are you?

"Back there," said Lyn. "Eliwood! His voice is coming from back there!"

The three lords ran up the enormous staircase to get closer to Elbert's discarded body–closer to the Gate.

"Ah," sighed Eliwood. "Father. You… You're all right."

"Eliwood," rasped Elbert. "Wait! For-forget me! Take that girl and flee!"

"Ninian?"

"That girl. She's the key to the Dragon's Gate. Hurry! Go, before Nergal notices you!"

Eliwood seemed to come to his senses and heeded the advice. "Ninian! This way! We must flee!"

The dancer gave no response, for she too was bound to the Gate. Ephidel anxiously continued to mouth the incantations as he waited to be unbound himself.

"Something's wrong with her," said Lyn, "Yet we've no time to hesitate."

"Eliwood!" said Hector, "I've got your father! You take Ninian!"

"I understand!"

"Lord Elbert!" continued Hector as Eliwood worked to pick up Ninian. "I'm going to move you a little. Be strong."

"Hector," said Elbert, "you came, too? Thank you."

"Don't worry about that. Come, let's leave this place."

"Eliwood! Hector!" shouted Lyn. "Hurry! This way!"

She was cut short, however, for Jaffar finally decided to intercede. The assassin paused a moment to look over the party before speaking. "You will not pass here."

"When did you–" began Lyn.

"You must not fight that man," said Elbert, cutting her off.

"What?"

"That man," whispered Elbert, "is dangerous. You cannot defeat him on your own."

"Father, there's no time. The danger must be faced."

Finally, the bonds broke and Ninian and Nergal then became the sole individuals tied to the gate. Ephidel was free to deal with the intruders.

He appeared just before them again, taunting them as he so often did. "Be a good boy and listen to your father, young master Eliwood."

"Ephidel!" was all the prince managed to say.

"Even among the Black Fang," continued the morph, "this man is feared for his skill. You are no match for him, not even as a group."

He then turned to address Jaffar. "You've done well Jaffar. That is all. Return to Bern and begin your next assignment." The assassin was no longer needed, for Ephidel could hold his own against the three lords and their army if necessary. Regardless, his master was moments away from summoning an ally who could destroy them all with ease, and they were to be the first witnesses of the fire.

"Hear my word!" proclaimed the morph. "I have an invitation from my master. In honor of your hard-fought arrival he's prepared a special show for you."

"Stop it!" said Elbert with surprising strength. "You cannot release the dragons!"

"Father?" said Eliwood. "What's all this about?"

"You will know shortly," replied Ephidel. "At the expense of your father's life!"

Then he began to drain the quintessence out of Marquess Pherae, slowly feeding it to the gate through Ninian. It was such marvelous quintessence; Ephidel wondered if his master's own had looked like this those centuries ago before augmenting himself, though he doubted it. Elbert groaned with a deep grimace on his face as his life was drawn out of his body, though that was the only sign of his most recent suffering.

"Father!" said Eliwood, "What's wrong? Father!"

"Lord Elbert!" yelled Hector. "Hold on!"

Then Eliwood glanced up from his father to look at the dragon-girl before him. "Huh?" he said, "Ninian?"

She had finally risen from her stupor, but was now under the control of Lord Nergal. "Pow…pow…er," she gasped as she haggardly drew closer to the gate. "…Power."

Then Ephidel drew the final surge of quintessence needed from Elbert, eliciting an agonized scream.

"Father!" said Eliwood, his attention torn between Elbert and Ninian.

"Now, Ninian," said Nergal as he closed the spell. "At last. Open the Dragon's Gate."

"Gate," she repeated. "Open…gate."

The earth quaked from the great powers being called upon. The elder runes that had remained dormant for so long before Nergal had called upon them lit up. Slowly the gate beyond began to glow orange, and an immense presence filled the room.

"Yes," said the spellcaster as he felt the power rush out from the Gate, "that's it… This way, dragon…"

"Whoa!" said Hector, "What's… What's this rumbling?"

"I can barely keep my feet!" grunted Lyn.

"Nergal," yelled Eliwood. "What… What's happening?"

"Here," moaned Ninian, "Come, children of… flame. Come… to me."

Then the gap between the worlds of man and of dragon ceased to exist. The rumbling grew stronger and a crimson dragon burst through the gate in all its terrible might.

"It can't be," said Hector.

"No," sighed Lyn, "It isn't…"

"Is that… truly" said Eliwood, "a dragon?"

Nergal let out a maniacal laugh, his life's work complete after so many centuries. "Yes!" he jubilated at Ninian, "Use all your strength! Squeeze every drop from your body! You will call dragons!"

But the victory was short lived. "I will not allow this!" declared a voice.

"Who's there?" said Ephidel, turning about to locate the speaker. It did not take long. "You!" he spat.

"Nils!" said Lyn in relief.

"Ninian," called out the bard. "Come to your senses! You must not do what they want."

Did he not realize how stupid it was to tamper with the ritual? He was more likely to kill Ninian than save her if he sought to fight the elder magics of the Gate.

But somehow she began to break free, slowly at first, but she quickly gained enough momentum to actually speak. "Ni… Nils."

"Nils?" growled Nergal. "Not now! Ephidel! Stop him!"

"Desist, Nils," yelled the morph as he drew an elfire tome from his cloak, if only to scare him. "The power… It runs wild!"

Nils paid him no mind. "Ninian!"

"Nils?" started Ninian, returning to her senses.

"Here; hurry! The dragon is crumbling. Everyone flee!"

It was true. The dragon was indeed crumbling as Ninian broke away from the Gate. It was too late to save it. Nergal's face writhed in a rictus of hate to see what he had worked so long to create be destroyed in mere moments, and without another word, he warped away.

Ephidel, however, was not so fortuitous as to command such powerful elder magic himself, not without his master's aid, at least. And that aid was not forthcoming.

"Stop," called out the morph in a final, desperate plea. "You mustn't come here! Lord Nergal! Lord Nergal! Please!"

It was in vain, he knew, but really, what other options remained? The magic of the Gate was rushing back inward, pulling Ephidel with it, and he would only be safe if he warped away or the Gate was reopened. He knew and understood why the latter was not forthcoming, for those who closed the gate were his enemies, and of course would do nothing to help. He would do just the same in their position.

But why did his master refuse to lend him his aid? Warping was no great task for him, and Ephidel would surely prove no small asset as they sought to call upon the might of dragons again.

It was more than that, though: Ephidel was the third and final morph to know emotion. Kishuna was the first, but he was a failure, worse than useless. Sonia was simply ridiculous, trying to imitate those filthy humans before finally convincing herself that she was one of those rats. Unlike Kishuna, Ephidel could fight, and unlike Sonia, he always kept his emotions firmly under his control. He alone forced those meaningless feelings to have purpose, for nobody, not even Lord Nergal himself understood humans as he did. Wars began, lives were lost, and quintessence was gained from this understanding, and Lord Nergal had been pleased.

Why was he abandoned?

The Gate was pulling him with unbearable strength now, and it was that moment that Ephidel decided to stop resisting. He refused to live in the same world as one who would toss such brilliance aside on a whim, and one way or another, he would not have to. Either he would perish in the flames of the Gate, or he would find his own way to a new world. As he passed through the barrier, he hoped with a hateful grimace that it would be the latter, but if not, then so be it.

–––Author's Notes–––

The Author's Notes section contains absolutely no information required to understand the story, merely various details that you might find interesting. You can skip this section entirely and miss nothing essential. It will generally include the following information [in no particular order]

-explanations of my extrapolations from canon
-etymology of original names
-major edits that have been made since the original publication
-credit to any sources that I used, even if only for inspiration
-a request that you submit a review [because I do need them]
-miscellanea as necessary

And now to actually begin the first Author's Notes section. This work is a tribute to my favorite and perhaps the most publicly underappreciated character in the game. Ephidel never struck me as being one to die so easily and I thought it somewhat ridiculous that he would cause so much misery for Eliwood/Hector for eight full chapters only to magically disappear without a battle.

And I say that he did indeed merely disappear, though others would disagree and say that he died. The scene in question is in fact quite ambiguous, the only adamant facts being that the Gate closed, and Ephidel and the dragon were gone. I suspect that we all know what I believe, and if your opinion differs, I hope you can ignore the fact for the duration of this piece.

As mentioned in the opening disclaimer, the dialogue is takes almost word for word from Blazing Sword Chapter 19: Dragon's Gate, though I did attempt to work around the general overuse of ellipses and exclamation marks that the chapter suffers from. I detest canonical discontinuity far more than the lack of control that I have over a character's speech. But fear not, I plan to have only one more chapter tied in with the actual events of Blazing Sword, and that will only be at the end. Unless I change my mind, which is certainly a possibility; I refuse to plan more than one chapter a head, though in reality it is typically closer to one page ahead. [EDIT: I did change my mind] But I digress; all you really need to know is that the dialogue will improve in future chapters.

Regardless, I hope that you will find this piece enjoyable, and I would greatly appreciate whatever feedback you have to offer. Please be as harsh as you wish, be it for some obscure comma misuse, incorrect assumptions about magic, a plot discontinuity, or whatever you would like to see changed. No doubt that as soon as I read your comment, my OCD powers will activate until I have fixed it, so chapters may evolve over time, though they ought not to change completely.

In fact, the primary reason that I am publishing this here at all is because I need an unbiased audience who will not glorify a disgusting piece of writing merely because I was the person who wrote it. It truly grows to be irritating over time, but there is no place better to have all your faults pointed out than the internet, so here I am. I look forward to reading what you have to say.

Thanks go to eclipse of Serenes Forest and Basikilos for pointing out the ineffectiveness of the introduction, among other things.