The townsfolk of Southtown offer to put the five of us up for the night, complete with a feast of celebration for, well, not dying, I assume. Though, for some reason, Frederick declines on the behalf of all of us, much to Lissa's distress (and mine).

Which explains why we're now walking through the forest in the dark, though Frederick is on his horse (which I resent quite a lot).

"I told you, Frederick!" Lissa moans, sighing. "I told you it'd get dark soon! All the bugs are out. Icky, flying bugs that…" Her words are cut off by a buzzing, then a choking. "Ack! Won gop in ma mowth! Blech! Pa-tooie!"

I'm resisting the urge to laugh aloud.

"Come on, Lissa, hardship builds character," Chrom smiles. "Come on, help me gather some firewood."

"No thanks. I think I've built up quite enough character for one night, thanks!"

I grin a little. "Okay, Chrom, I'll help you in Lissa's stead."

"I appreciate that, Magnus."

While Chrom and I gather firewood, Frederick had apparently gone his secret stash and produced a throwing spear, getting us some dinner. So now we're sitting around the campfire, with Robin scarfing down the meat, Chrom and I taking delicate bites, Frederick's being held in his hands, and Lissa turning her nose up.

"Ah, it seems so long since the last time I had bear meat. Delicious." Chrom smiles. "Come on, Lissa, eat up."

"Ugh, why couldn't you spear us a normal animal, Frederick? You're messing with the food chain, right, Robin?"

Robin's much too busy eating ravenously to notice or care.

Lissa sighs. "I guess if you haven't eaten in a while, you'll eat anything."

That night, my dreams are full of a strangely familiar light. Wait a second…hello again, Naga.

I believe you have questions, Guardian.

"Guar…never mind. Okay, you're right. Two questions. One: how do I know how to use a sword?"

I placed the information within thy mind to ensure that thou wouldst not die within thy first encounter with combat.

Okay…convenient, and a tad insulting. "I'll take that, even though it sounds like a cop-out fan-fiction plot device. Second question: how exactly could Grima try and put Robin directly into Validar's slimy, creepy fingers?"

Through the exact same methods I am using to prevent him. An outsider.

"Wait…there's another like me?"

Similar, yes, though he was chosen by my opposite due to his love of violence and general villainy. I saw immediately that I needed to use the same methods as my adversary in order to combat his circumventing of destiny further.

"So you grabbed me to fight fire with fire. Handy."

Indeed.

The insubstantial blackness that surrounds us shudders, and Naga's form weakens. The time is nigh. Grima and my other chosen ones come through the Eye as we speak. Awaken, Guardian. Thy companions have need of thee.

Blunt enough.

I wake up with a start, feeling the shuddering of the ground and the searing heat of fire.

"Fire?" Frederick starts up with a clanking of his armour, and I almost see a glint of his eye. Oh yeah, he's a slight pyromaniac.

A figure garbed in a dark blue runs forward, sword drawn. I immediately go for the weapon at my side, but then the person comes into view.

The clothing is a mix of a long, sleeved tunic and a skirt (fittingly enough) and is topped off by a small cape. Cobalt hair is bunched up and a thick mask covers the eyes and most of the face.

Hello, Lucina.

"I mean you no harm," she says in an attempt at a deep voice (which, I'll admit, isn't as bad as I thought it'd be). "Your friends are in peril. I came to find you and help."

Frederick makes a beeline for his horse, stopping only to grab his stout lance. "Come, Robin, Magnus, we must protect my lord Chrom and Lady Lissa!"

Robin nods and grabs his Thunder tome from nearby, running after the galloping knight.

'Marth' makes a move to follow them, but I stop him by standing in front of him.

"What in the name of the Gods are you doing?" he protests. "You would allow your friends to die?"

"No, they'll be fine. If they weren't, you wouldn't be standing here."

I can practically feel the eyes widen behind the mask. "What do you mean?"

"Don't play dumb with me…Lucina."

The sword in her hand moves to my throat.

"Well…like father, like daughter." I chuckle.

"Who are you?" The façade has fallen, her voice lighter than before. "Are you…"

"I don't work for Grima, if that's what you're asking. Quite the opposite, really."

Her body remains tense, but the sword falls from my neck. "What?"

"Let's just say that Naga wanted some extra help, and she called me."

She pokes my chest with a finger (side note: damn, that hurt). "We will speak of this again some day." She runs off in the direction of the fighting, though a little away from Chrom.

"Oh, I'd imagine we will," I murmur. As I run to catch up with the others, only one thing is running through my mind.

Why the hell did I do that?!

Before I can reach Chrom himself, I end up in a small, burning clearing with two familiar figures. One is on foot, holding a bow, the other mounted on a white steed, brandishing her lance.

Virion looks about the same as normal, with his long, flowing teal hair and his clothes that match. It's Sully, however, who catches my attention. Her armour looks the same as in-game, but her hair doesn't. It's longer now, in a short bob rather than the boyish spikes I'd grown used to.

"You there!" Virion interrupts me. "Might a gentleman request assistance?" He shoots an arrow at a dark shade, which growls and falls.

"Sorry!" I run towards him, just as something rushes from the trees to attack him.

My first impression of the Risen is that they're even more nightmarish than that high-definition cut-scene depicts them in the game. The stitched, Frankenstein's Monster-like purple skin looks even more terrifying in person, as do the glowing red eyes and the dribble of shadowy slush that's either blood or drool that falls from the gaping maw.

This particular Risen wields an axe, and it swings wildly at me with it. I block the strike and move in with one of my own. My attack slashes through the skin to reveal black smoke, but the thing doesn't slow down. Screeching, it attacks again. This time I roll out of the way and slash its back, causing it to fall. In a fair imitation of what Chrom's probably already done, I leap up and stab downwards with my sword. The Risen stiffens, then dissolves into a purple-black smoke.

It's then I become aware that the rest of the clearing is, well, clear. I hear feet touch the ground and a hand grabs me on the shoulder. It's Sully. "Damn, you sure as hell can fight."

"Uh, thanks," I murmur. "Any idea what the hell these things are?"

"All I know is they threaten my darling fiancée!" Virion proclaims behind us.

Sully glares at him, causing him to flinch. "What's your name, kiddo?" she asks then.

Kiddo? We're the same age here. "Magnus. Chrom's drafted me into the Shepherds."

"With good reason, by the looks of it. The name's Sully. That wackjob is Virion, and for some reason he's obsessed with me."

"Up until the next lovely lady comes along, I bet," I add, smirking.

Sully barks a laugh. "True."

"Magnus! Sully!" I hear Chrom call to us.

"Speak of the devil." I turn to him. "Care to explain?"

"There was an earthquake of some sort, then an eye-like thing opened in the sky."

"Those…things came out of it," Lissa murmured, her face a little scared. "That Marth guy, too."

"Marth? Hasn't he been dead for a few centuries?" I say, attempting to play dumb.

"Seems he's named after the Hero-King," Robin replied, his face confused. I'm guessing that with the amnesia he has no idea who the original Marth was. "He said we should prepare for a calamity of some sort, and that tonight was just a prelude."

"Well, that doesn't sound good," Sully muttered, stating the obvious.

"Milord, perhaps we should move with all speed towards Yllistol," Frederick recommends, "and inform everyone of these events."

Chrom nods. "Good idea. Let's move."

Virion stares at Sully with something very close to puppy-dog eyes. "May I receive a ride with the lovely Lady Sully?"

Sully's response is a stout punch to the archer's face.