Origin Peak…

An ear-piercing shriek reached the ears of the shepherds, promptly stopping their advance.

"Yikes!" Lissa exclaimed. Her hands were visibly shaking as they gripped her healing staff. "What was that!?"

"Th-that's the dragon's call!" Lucina responded. She could feel her knees begin to shake a little. "Grima is almost ready to rampage across the land!"

"We can defeat him!" Chrom reassured everyone. "We WILL defeat him!"

"M-milord… it's like a mountain…" Frederick shuddered. For once, there was a trace of uncertainty in his voice. "How does man even challenge such a beast? Where would one even strike?!"

"The weakness described by that Plegian woman is correct." The voice of Naga replied, soothing the nerves of the shepherds slightly. "While I am able to transport a small group of you onto the Fell Dragon's back, I cannot aid you any further in exploiting this weakness. Furthermore, the nape of his neck is sure to be heavily guarded by his followers."

"That would be extremely helpful." Chrom nodded. "If you truly can transport us onto his back, that will be more than enough. How many can we take?"

"I'm… actually not sure…" Tiki had a confused expression on her face. "The presence of Grima is stronger than mine, given that I only have a vessel through which I can converse with common people. It's interfering with my judgement of my own capabilities. However… I would estimate around 30 to 40 people."

"30 to 40…" Robin furrowed his brows. "That is definitely not enough for us to take everyone. Why don't we just take the shepherds. It looks like the mountain is still crawling with Grimleal. Everyone else should begin exterminating them. Even if we were to stop Grima, we'll still need to get rid of them all eventually."

"Leave it to me!" Walhart pounded his chestplate. "Go and strike down you god!"

"Definitely." Robin nodded. "Let's assemble everyone."

"Warriors of Valm! Ride with me!" Walhart raised his battle axe and charged off in the direction of the gathering Grimleal.

"Doesn't he sound a little bit too happy?" Lissa asked with a shred of concern in her voice.

"Aye. That man thrives off of conflict." Say'ri sighed. "Regretfully, I don't think I'll be joining you. Somebody ought to keep an eye on him after all."

"We'll leave it to you then." Chrom nodded. "Cherche? Virion?"

"We'll leave our soldiers in the care of Lady Say'ri." Virion gave an exaggerated bow. "I believe we'll be of great assistance in other places."

"That is greatly appreciated." Robin smiled earnestly. "You never know what we might have to go through up there."

"Chrom, the others… they're all ready." Sumia nudged her husband. "Everyone has prepared themselves."

"Then I shall prepare a mass teleportation." Naga replied from the body of Tiki. "Be warned. Many of Grima's strongest allies will no doubt be guarding him. Everyone, gather around me."

Tiki raised her arms and began an incantation as the shepherds began to encircle her. A circle of aquamarine light began to shine around the shepherds, before everyone inside the circle suddenly vanished without a trace.

In the air…

Many Grimleal were gathered upon the back of a jet black dragon. They were all on one knee, and with lowered heads.

Along the back of the dragon were rows and rows of interlocked, diamond shaped, scales, all hard as obsidian. The scales neatly covered the entirety of the dragon's back, except for at one location. At the back of the Fell Dragon's neck, there is one small area where a single scale was missing.

Grima-Robin was standing at this precise location, looking pleased with all of his followers. His feet were firmly planted at this location, as if he was nothing more than one of the dragon's appendages. Magic constantly swirled around him, giving the appearance of a man being surrounded by purple smoke.

Indeed, Grima's conscience was currently located in the humanoid standing on the nape of his neck. He still requires more time before his strength fully returns, and in the meantime, the only thing that could pose a threat to him was if somehow he were to get stabbed in his only weakness.

'Humans haven't been a complete waste of space I suppose.' Grima-Robin mused to himself. 'At least there are a few of them that are wise.'

Suddenly, his senses alerted him to some magic that was being casted onto his back.

"Raise your heads." he ordered his followers. "We're about to have company. Serve me to the best of your ability and strike down my enemies!"

"Yes, Lord Grima!" The Grimleal shouted in unison.

"Watch, as I bring ruin upon those that oppose me!" Grima-Robin cackled as the air around him crackled with purple magic.

With the shepherds…

After the completion of Naga's spell, the shepherds found themselves standing on the back of the Fell Dragon. Behind them was the long tail of Grima, and in front of them were dozens of battle-ready Grimleal.

"Are you ready, Robin?" Chrom asked him.

"As ready as I'll ever be." Robin nodded. "Let's finish this!"

"Grima!" Chrom pointed his Falchion in the direction of Grima-Robin. "Your reign of terror ends today!"

"Wretched son of Naga…" came the reply. "You will be destroyed… lets see how you like the taste of THIS!"

The draconic body of Grima let out a roar, and many spikes of condensed magic spew out of the scales on his lower back, striking the shepherds.

"Wh-what manner of magic…" Chrom panted.

"Magic!?" Basilio asked, struggling to stand upright. "That was... a damned catastrophe! He's… too strong!"

"It cannot end like this…" Frederick groaned. "Don't tell me all that we've done has been for naught!"

"And so it ends… Robin." Even though he was standing far away, Robin heard the voice of his counterpart clearly, as if he was standing right next to him. "Do you see how pathetic your human bonds are? You could've joined me, and yet you chose to throw it all away. With or without you, the end result is the same!"

"We're not dead yet!" Robin protested.

"Details, details…" Grima-Robin muttered. "Whatever. Still… it does pain me to have to deal with… myself. Since you refuse my offer, I suppose my only option is to enforce it upon you."

Grima-Robin pointed his hand towards the shepherds, and Robin suddenly felt a splitting headache. He gripped his head with both hands and grimaced.

"Robin!" Lissa cried out in concern. However, much like the rest of the shepherds, she was in no state to care for anyone except for herself.

"This…" Grima-Robin clenched his fist. "...is the dragon's grip!"

With that, Robin lost consciousness and collapsed. When he tried to open his eyes, he found himself in a dark, empty room. Feeling utterly exhausted, his eyelids closed immediately after the attempt.

"Finally… at last I have you…" Robin heard a voice whispering. "Once our power is joined… the dragon's might will be made whole! Your soul is mine now… you cannot escape! All that's left is for your mind to descend into the shadow of my own!"

"So… dark…" Robin muttered. "I feel… so tired… so sleepy..."

"Do not worry." He heard the same voice tell him. Although it was still the same voice, somehow it sounded a lot more calm and gentle. "Close your eyes. Take your much needed rest. You can leave everything in my capable hands!"

"Yes…" Robin let out a sigh of relief. "That… does sound… nice…"

Just as Robin was about to succumb to a deep slumber, he could make out some voices faintly calling out to him.

"You… to… back!"

"Hm?" Robin mumbled with his eyes already half closed.

"You have to… fight back!" The voice called again, this time a little bit clearer.

"Wait a minute… I know that voice." With that, Robin opened his eyes.

"You have to keep fighting! Fight back against it!" Robin could clearly hear Chrom yelling at him now. "You swore to do so, remember? Now keep your damned word!"

"Ch-Chrom!" Robin called out, unsure whether or not the man in question would actually be able to hear him. "I can hear you! I can hear you!"

"What!? No…" the voice of Grima clearly sounded irritated this time. "You are mine now.., the dragon's grip cannot be broken!"

"Come back to us, Robin!" This time, it was the feminine voice of Lissa that he heard. "Please! Come back to us!"

"I know it would take more than that to stop you, Robin." This time, it was Frederick.

"Don't tell me, you're gonna let that ugly ass snake get the last hiss?" Sully jabbed at him. "I don't think so!"

"History is watching, Robin!" Virion reminded him. "I can already see the bards singing about your many triumphs… give them yet another one to sing about!"

"On your feet!" Vaike yelled at him. "Don't make 'ol Teach… um… teach you a lesson!"

"This is a little bit of 'the pot calling the kettle black', but it's not good to oversleep!" Stahl reminded him. "So I think it's about time for you to get up."

"You are still sorely needed here." Miriel stated. "Arise from your hypnopompic state!"

Many other voices all called out towards him.

"Answer us, Robin!" (Lon'qu)

"You're too important to die here! Please, get up!" (Ricken)

"Get up this instant, or you'll be receiving a swift smack of my parasol!" (Maribelle)

"Up an' at 'em! Defeating just one dragon ought to be a piece o' cake!" (Gaius)

"Gregor will snap you out of it. Gregor does with the YELLING!" (Who else?)

"The gods gave you to us… I do not believe they wish to take you from us." (Libra)

"I know the darkness is warm and delicious… but too much of a good thing is not good for you!" (Henry)

"I need ya to come on back, y'hear?" (Donnel)

"Robin… don't tell me you're closing up shop? We still need you!" (Anna)

"Please Robin! We still need you! I still need you!" (Lucina)

"Father! Please come back! I don't want to lose you again!" (Morgan)

"I can hear them!" Robin announced, confidence brimming in his voice. "I can hear my friends! I can hear my family!"

"Stop this at once!" Grima began to sound a little panicked. "Silence those wretched voices! They are powerless! They are frail! They are insignificant! They are NOTHING!"

"Return to us, Robin!" Chrom called again. "Your bond with us is stronger than the grip of the Fell Dragon!"

"I'm coming Chrom, I'm coming! Hold on!" Robin began to struggle against the grip of Grima, and his consciousness began to clear up, little by little. He felt himself being pulled upwards, towards a bright light in the distance.

Robin's eyes flickered open, and the first thing he saw was Lissa's concerned face.

"Robin?" she rubbed her eyes a little. "Hey everyone! Robin's woke up!"

Robin heard a series of cheers around him. He mustered the strength to sit up.

"Where… what happened?" Robin asked.

"The Grimleal started to attack." Lissa explained. "Since you had not woken up, we had no choice but to begin combat without you."

Feeling quite alarmed, Robin immediately began to survey his surroundings. To his relief, the shepherds seemed to be familiar with their combat plans, even without his guidance. The Grimleal, although formidable opponents, could not break through the carefully created and practiced battle formations that the shepherds had grown accustomed to.

Robin let out a sigh of relief, then immediately steeled himself. Although no one on their side had fallen yet, this does not mean they will eventually win the battle. He had to figure out a way to either kill off all of the Grimleal, or to forcibly break through their ranks to reach the nape of Grima's neck.

Perhaps he felt drained by Grima's hold, or perhaps there really was no easy solution, but Robin eventually decided that the best and possibly only way to break through was the kill off the Grimleal as quickly and as efficiently as possible. After all, since the shepherds were able to hold off them all without his assistance, surely if he joined the fray, the scales would be tipped in their favor.

Raising his scythe, Robin dashed forward, quickly cleaving apart a Grimleal with each swing of his weapon. This was his safest bet, as casting magic would give him a chance to hit his allies. He did not have as much control over his body, as fighting on the back of a flying dragon was not the same as fighting on land.

By aiding his allies one by one, the shepherds immediately realized how much of a burden Robin had lifted for them. Shepherds that had been given assistance by Robin could then pay back the favor and help someone else, and the Grimleal quickly found themselves at a disadvantage.

"Don't move forward so quickly!" Robin called to his allies. "Grima's body grows wider as we move forward, so the Grimleal would be able to circle around and surround us. We can gradually thin out their numbers from here before moving forward!"

When Robin briefly lost concentration of the fight, it enabled a Grimleal Assassin to dive at him. By the time Robin noticed, it was already too late for him to block the lunge. However, the body of the Assassin was stabbed and then tossed aside by Cordelia's spear.

"Thanks, I owe you one." Robin called before refocusing his attention to the enemies in front of him. He noticed a couple of sorcerers preparing to cast dark magic. Robin jumped up and cleaved his scythe through the air, sending a blade of dark energy at them. Although he threw it out in a rush, Robin was still able to interrupt their casting.

Almost as if rehearsed beforehand, Virion and Gaius quickly shot an arrow at each of the sorcerers, finishing what Robin had started. Robin made eye contact with Gaius and saw the ex-thief give him a thumbs up, before pulling out another arrow.

Frederick and Sully were using the armored bodies of their horses to help protect their allies. Together with the help of Kellam and Kjelle, they struck down anyone that tried to approach them. Although they were able to overpower most of the Grimleal, there were a few muscular axemen that gave them a tough time.

Although they couldn't be pushed back, these axemen couldn't break through either. Morgan and Yarne, who had been looking for an opportunity, quickly closed in. The head of one Plegian Warrior was knocked off by a powerful kick from Yarne's hind legs, while Morgan swiftly cut through two more Warriors. Their equipment focused on attacking and freedom of movement, which left most of their bodies unprotected. Epilogue, which was able to cut through most metals like butter, easily slashed through their flesh.

In the air, Cherche, Gerome, Cynthia and Cordelia had formed a square around Sumia, who was carrying Miriel. The two airborne mages rained magic down onto the back of Grima. Although the dragon itself didn't even feel their attacks, the Grimleal hit by them screamed out in pain and anguish. Due to the continued bombardment, the Grimleal also began proceeding with caution, buying the shepherds situated on the back of the Fell Dragon some time between each of the continued Grimleal assaults.

Many Wyvern Lords tried to eliminate Sumia, but she was protected from all sides by the shepherds' own airborne units. The Plegian Wyverns could not break past them fast enough, and were quickly shot down by arrows and Ricken's wind magic.

Robin also saw Lucina darting around the battlefield, defeating enemy after enemy with vigor. The only thing that seemed to matter to her was killing the Grimleal that was directly in front of her, and none of them could keep up with her, especially with all the adrenaline flowing through her body. She methodically slashed her way through every opponent, and none of them could stand against the sharpness of her Falchion.

"How is it?" Chrom finally found an opportunity to talk to him. "Similar to how you would have arranged us?"

"It's… really good." Robin admitted. "Did you plan it?"

"I wish." Chrom chuckled. "This was your daughter's doing."

"Morgan!?" Robin asked.

"Like father, like daughter, I suppose." Chrom shrugged. "I thought she did a pretty good job, but to hear you say it is something else."

"She's very talented." Robin nodded. "Maybe she'll take over for me someday."

"There's… so many of them…" Lon'qu panted as he took down an enemy Swordmaster. In doing so, he also interrupted Robin's slightly somber attitude.

"Yeah… I'm not actually certain who will come out on top at this rate." Robin furrowed his brows. "There are only so many shepherds. Even if we kill most of them, we'll still lose if we can't defeat Grima in the end."

"So do you have a plan to thin out their numbers?" Chrom asked.

"It's too difficult for us to kill them all… at least without sacrifices, or at the very minimum, tiring ourselves out." Robin began. "We might not have enough energy to be able to kill Grima when all of this clears up."

"Then… don't tell me… you're giving up?" Chrom asked incredulously.

"Of course not." Robin quickly replied. "We just have to come up with a shortcut."

"Short cut?" Chrom asked.

"We don't necessarily have to kill all of Grima's followers." Robin explained. "It's just as good if we can simply get them out of our way..."

"Get them out of the way without killing them?" Chrom asked with a puzzled expression. "How do you suggest we do that? Ask them politely?"

"Ideally, yes, but I get the feeling we won't get through to them." Robin pointed at his feet. "Have you realized how far up we are?"

"Well of course. Everyone is very careful not to…" A sudden look of realization appeared across Chrom's face. "Don't tell me you mean…"

"Let's find out how long it takes for someone to fall to the ground from this height." Robin smiled mischievously.

Nearby…

Ricken was busy casting spells, throwing them out with extreme efficiency. One moment he was casting Bolganone towards a group of charging Grimleal… one moment he was blasting a Wyvern out of the sky with Rexcalibur…

"Ricken!" The familiar voice of Robin yelled from across the battlefield. Ricken immediately gave him his utmost attention. "Cast Rexcalibur at me!"

"At you?" Ricken seemed confused, but still obliged.

Just when the spell was about to hit Robin, their tactician nimbly tumbled out of the way. As a result, the wind magic flew past him and hit a couple of Grimleal instead. They were immediately sent flying, but instead of merely falling down, the angle at which they were hit caused them to fall directly off the side of the dragon.

Feeling awfully satisfied, Robin turned and gave Ricken a thumbs up. "Good. Just like that."

Immediately understanding Robin's purpose, Ricken began aiming his powerful wind magic at the units on the ground. Instead of hitting the Grimleal directly in front of him, which would only knock the Grimleal backwards, Ricken began to knock off the Grimleal near the sides of the dragon by directly blowing them away.

At first, not everyone caught on to what was happening. But by Ricken's 6th successful attempt (and Chrom's unorthodox shoving of his opponents) many of the shepherds understood what was going on.

The shepherds reliant on strength began to use it to shove the Grimleal away whenever possible, and magic users began to use wind magic more frequently, which resulted in many Grimleal being flying off the side of the dragon. Cherche even had a smile on her face as Minerva repeatedly grabbed their enemies in her claws only to fling them off Grima's back and towards the ground.

Even the Grimleal that resisted weren't so lucky. The more muscular Plegians pushed back on the shepherds, but in doing so, they became easy pickings for the more nimble shepherds. Virion and Gaius had an easy time sniping down what essentially were stationary targets, while Lon'qu and Olivia found it much easier to slash up their opponents if they did not have to worry about dodging.

Not everything was perfect for the shepherds. In order to kill some of the Grimleal, the shepherds had to reach their backside, putting themselves between a Grimleal and the edge of Grima's body. When Anna did just that, the Plegian Warrior in her sights lost the deadlock, and knocked her off the side of the dragon as well.

"This is the end. This is the end. This is the end…" Anna repeatedly muttered as she shut her eyes. She felt an unfamiliar sensation, and when she opened her eyes, she found that she had been pulled atop a pegasus.

"I've gotcha! Don't worry about it!" Cynthia turned around and made a 'V' with her fingers at the flabbergasted Anna.

"Thanks…" Anna breathed a sigh of relief as she was dropped off onto the shepherds side once again.

This strategy worked out quite well for a few moments before the Grimleal began to grow wary of it. However, their numbers had been thinned out extremely quickly, and they no longer held an overwhelming advantage after the shepherds managed to cheat their way through the battle.

Against the shepherds, the Grimleal had no hope of ever winning as soon as they lost their numbers advantage. Soon, the shepherds were alone on top of the dragon's back.

"Give up Grima." Chrom brandished his Falchion at Grima-Robin. "It's over."

"Pathetic humans..." Grima-Robin muttered to himself. "So they were useless after all. But no matter. I shall have to take care of you myself!"

Grima-Robin snapped his fingers, and the draconic head of Grima twisted backwards until it was facing the shepherds. Out of the maw of the giant beast, the breath of ruin spewed forward, engulfing the shepherds.

Grima-Robin chuckled at his absolute victory. However, when the dust settled, the shepherds were all still alive, protected by a translucent blue-green barrier.

"Even now, you stand in my way!" Grima-Robin snarled. "Why can't you just give up? Your power can not even compare to mine in that pathetic state of yours."

Tiki simply ignored him and continued channeling the barrier.

"Children, I cannot keep this up for much longer." Naga's voice resonated within the barrier. "With the Grimleal dead, we only need the person tasked with slaying Grima to stay. I'll enchant a smaller barrier around them for protection, and take everyone else back to land."

"Please take care of them while I finish this." Chrom immediately nodded.

"No… please…" Robin gripped Chrom's arm. "Let me."

"No!" Lucina and Chrom protested at the same time.

"It's too risky." Chrom shook his head. "Even if you can get rid of him for good, we still might lose you as well."

"But think of what it would mean… future generations will never have to deal with his reign of terror ever again." Robin countered. "If I can truly kill him, I think my life would be worth the thousands… perhaps millions that I might save!"

"Then what about us!?" Lucina asked. "We need you too! I need you!"

"Of course, I might not die." Robin chuckled. "Don't worry. There's a chance that I'll come out just fine."

"You're willing to stake your life on just a chance?" Lissa asked dubiously. "That doesn't seem very calculated to me."

"Let me, Robin." Chrom pleaded. "We've all made enough sacrifices. Isn't saving the world from destruction enough? Don't make us lose more than we have to."

"Think about Emmeryn's sacrifice." Robin countered. "This would be the right thing to do."

"But Emm would never have asked you to do something like this!" Lissa protested.

"Correct." Robin agreed. "And you would've never asked Emmeryn to sacrifice herself either. Yet she did it anyway for the good of the people."

"Why can't you just be selfish this one time?" Lucina begged. "Please…"

"Children… I hate to rush you, but please make a decision soon…" Naga's voice sounded strained for the first time.

"There's something in my decision for me as well… there is a chance, if I live, that I will no longer be burdened by the chains of Grima. I'll be free from his grasp for good… at least, that is what I hope." Robin took one of Lucina's hands in his left, and procured a small box from his cloak. "This was something that I had gotten for you… I want you to keep it. It's my promise that I'll come back to you."

Lucina cautiously peeked inside the box, and the sight of what was inside caused her legs to give out. Cynthia and Brady immediately rushed to her side to make sure she was fine.

"I'll do it." Robin finally declared authoritatively.

"Fine." Chrom sighed in defeat. He gave Robin's shoulder a light punch. "But you'd better remember your promise. I won't forgive you if you break it!"

"You can count on it." Robin gave him a bittersweet smile.

"Has the decision been made?" Naga asked.

"Yes." Robin nodded. "Please send the rest of them to safety."

"Very well." Tiki's lips curved into a small smile, and then began to chant something different.

Moments later, all of the shepherds had teleported back to the ground, leaving only Robin on the back of Grima. Around him, just mere millimeters above his skin, was the same translucent blue-green light as before.

"You die today." Robin raised his weapon and pointed it at his look-alike. He slowly began to move towards Grima-Robin.

"Kill him!" A shred of concern appeared in Grima-Robin's voice, as Grima's breath of ruin repeatedly failed to harm his aggressor. After all, he was rooted to the spot, and without any weapons to boot.

"No!" Grima-Robin was in a full blown panic by the time Robin was within range of him. "You wouldn't! You wouldn't kill yourself!"

"I'm not killing myself." Robin retorted. "I'm killing YOU. Now die!"

Robin swung Naglrath upwards, piercing the chest of Grima-Robin, with the blade exiting his back. Grima-Robin desperately tried to pull the blade out with his bare hands, and spat out a mouthful of blood.

Meanwhile, Robin continued to force the blade forward. Despite clutching the handle of the weapon, blood dripped down from his hands, and a trickle of the crimson liquid flowed down from the side of his mouth.

"Now… you've done it." Grima-Robin croaked. "You've spelled the end for both of us!"

"No…" Robin panted as his vision began to turn dark. "Just… you…."

Meanwhile…

Lucina sat on the ground teary eyed. She, along with all of the other shepherds, gazed towards the sky. Suddenly, Grima's body turned limp and began falling towards the ground. During this period, as if sand being blown away by the wind, the body of the great dragon began to crumble into dust, until eventually nothing was left. It was only after they confirmed that nothing had even hit the ground before Lucina actually began to cry. They had averted her disastrous future, and yet she did not feel like celebrating at all.

"The war has ended." Chrom sighed. "I owe all of you far more than words can ever repay… especially Robin, who made the ultimate sacrifice for the good of everyone."

Seeing as everyone was in a somber mood, Chrom felt like he needed to add something. "Remember… as long as our bonds are strong enough, Robin is able to come back to us."

"But… he disappeared as well…" Lucina sobbed.

"Fear not…" Tiki said with a strained voice. "Robin's body was destined to disappear along with the Fell Dragon. However, he'll be back as long as his soul can return from the spirit realm."

After saying her piece, the body of Tiki finally gave out, leaving a peacefully sleeping Manakete.

"Y-you're right!" Lissa clenched her fists. "He'll be out there somewhere! We'll find him, even if we have to search every stupid field in this whole stupid world!"

"I believe the same as well, milady." Frederick voiced his opinion. "Robin is too strong to simply disappear. It falls upon us to take care of the realm and the peace Robin has given us… until he comes back."

"He'd BETTER come back!" Sully exclaimed. "If that damned dragon really got the last of him, I'll be the one breathin' fire!"

"...he lives." Lon'qu plainly said. "I know it. Some people are just not the dying sort."

"You're right." Chrom agreed. "Robin has secured for all of us the most precious gift of all: the future. Now it falls upon the rest of us to protect what we have been given. I vow to give my all towards healing the wounds this war was wrought upon our realm. When he returns, I want Robin to be able to see all of the goodness his sacrifice has brought. Robin… if you're out there and can hear me… I want you to know that you'll always have a place here with us. Always."

After a few more moments of grieving, the shepherds all began to pick themselves up one by one. Though Grima had been defeated, there was still much work to be done…

Spirit Realm…

When Robin opened his eyes, he saw the familiar sight of the realm between life and death. A purple gate among the green landscape stood in front of him.

"What… am I here again?"

"Indeed." The soothing voice of Naga reached his ears. Robin turned around to see Naga trailed by 3 blackish-purple figures, all bound in strands of green light. The first was a somewhat elderly man with gentle eyes and a soft smile. The second appeared to be a floating robe… or rather… an invisible person wearing a hooded robe. The third was simply a ball of chaotic energy that struggled restlessly against its bonds.

"That's…"

"The three parts of Grima." Naga nodded. "Do not be surprised. When you made the decision to drive your weapon through Grima, someone had to die. Now it's time for you to decide who."

"What do you mean?" Robin asked.

"In order to kill Grima, we just have to kill one of his three parts." Naga explained. "Without all three, the two that are left cannot be considered the same entity. The two remaining parts will then fuse with you, allowing for your return to the material world. Consequently, you could jump through that rift yourself, but that would allow Grima to return to the world above, and I highly doubt you would want that."

"Could I just choose to throw all three parts in?" Robin asked.

"Yes, but then there would be no return for you either." The elderly man replied. "As a mortal, you are already dead. Only by returning with two parts of Grima can you be successfully resurrected."

"I see…" Robin sighed. "Since I promised I'll go back, I guess this isn't an option."

"He's right." Naga nodded. "However, do not be hasty. Not all parts of Grima are evil."

She gestured to the eldery man. "The consciousness of Grima is surprisingly innocent. All of Grima's decisions… his choices… his needs… his wants… none of them are up to him to decide. He is just the vessel that communicates with others."

"Sort of like Tiki then?" Robin asked.

"Sort of." Naga agreed. "Yet… slightly different as well."

She gestured to the robe. "The power of Grima is also innocent. Although it is the power of death of destruction, this power is still needed in order to preserve the balance of the world. By itself, this power is not inherently evil."

Finally, Naga reached the struggling ball of matter. "And finally, this is the will of Grima… this is the driving factor behind his decisions. Grima's goal of the destruction of the world is naturally its brainchild."

"Then the choice is rather obvious." Robin shrugged. "I'll just send the third one to go die."

"An excellent choice." Naga gave a sweet smile and threw the protesting ball of energy across the purple rift door.

"So… that means I can resurrect with the other two parts of Grima?"

"Yes." The elderly man rubbed his sore wrists as he was freed from the green strands of light. "Grima's knowledge… Grima's power… you will inherit them both. However… without his will, the two of us will be unable to do anything by ourselves. We simply exist, but we lack a purpose by ourselves."

The robe nodded its hood in agreement.

"In other words, they will follow yours." Naga explained. "If you possess pure intentions, you may be able to make the world a better place with their help."

The two remaining parts of Grima looked at each other and nodded. Then they disappeared into Robin's shadow and melded with him. Robin felt an intense jolt of power running through his veins, and aeons of knowledge began flooding into his brain.

"You're awake?" Naga asked when Robin regained his senses.

"Huh?" Robin asked, still slightly light headed.

"Good." Naga gave him a sincere smile. "From this day forward, we'll be colleagues then."

She reached out her hands to Robin's and shook them.

"That being said… can I ask you for a favor?"

"What is it?" Robin asked, rubbing the grogginess away from his eyes.

"It's simple really… Now that Ylisse no longer needs to worry about impending danger, we can shift our focus to other regions in need of help. In fact, I can detect an evil plot brewing even as we speak." Naga sighed. "While I know you want to head back to your friends as soon as possible, could I trouble you to adjust the destination of your resurrection? You can return as soon as the issue is resolved. This part… I think it shouldn't take too long."

"Um… I don't mind. But…" Robin scratched his head. "What do you mean by adjusting my destination? I have no idea how to do that."

"No worries, no worries." Naga smiled. "You are my junior after all, there's no reason to think you'd understand all the intricate details of the divine realm, even with the help of Grima. I'll help you with it. Since I do not have a suitable body to reside in the mortal world, I can only watch from here. But now with you, things are different. If we work together, we can make the world a better place."

"That… sounds pretty nice actually." Robin agreed. "All right. I'll do it."

"Perfect… I'll send you to the appropriate location right now." Naga placed her hand over Robin's eyes and began to chant. Robin soon lost consciousness.

Unknown Location…

Robin felt his eyes begin to flicker open.

"Are you awake?" A gentle female voice called to him.

Robin opened his eyes to see a girl with green hair and green eyes greet him.

"I found you unconscious on the plains." she explained. "I am Lyn, of the Lorca Tribe. What is your name?"

Author's Notes…

It has been quite a while since my last post, and I am sorry that it took so long. However, please bear with me. This semester has been significantly more busy for me, as my classes are harder and I've also been working for longer. My plan was to get this chapter done and to wrap up the story during spring recess, but that could not be done due to COVID 19… I had to move everything back from campus and adjust to learning from home, etc.

That being said, this is the final chapter of this story. It has been quite a journey, and I must thank all of you readers for, well, reading my story. However, as implied by the ending, there will be a sequel. Fire Emblem fans can probably see where this is going. I am not certain when I will begin posting chapters of this next story, so make sure to follow me if you don't want to miss it.

Hopefully I will see you all in my next story. Until then, take care and stay safe!