Chapter 18: Act 3- The Search part 4; Threat Beyond Grima?
The playful atmosphere evaporated as Severa leaned in, her voice dropping to barely above a whisper. "There's something else we need to talk about. I overheard Odyn speaking with Lord Chrom last night..."
Inigo's usual smile faded, noting the gravity in her tone. "What did you hear?"
"These Risen we've been fighting," Severa glanced around before continuing, "the ones that move like they're being conducted? Odyn said they're not Grima's doing. At least, not entirely."
Cynthia's pegasus shuffled nervously, picking up on her rider's tension. "What do you mean, 'not entirely'?"
"Apparently," Severa's voice grew even quieter, forcing the others to lean in closer, "there's something else out there. Something older than Grima. Odyn told Chrom it's an ancient enemy from his realm, one that even the dragons feared."
Inigo's face paled slightly. "That... would explain the difference in these Risen. The way they move, how coordinated they are. It's almost like..."
"Like they're being puppeteered," Cynthia finished, unusually serious. "But by something that understands combat as a dance."
"Did you see how Odyn and Roy's dragon crests reacted during the battle?" Severa asked, her hand unconsciously tightening on her reins. "They were glowing brighter than usual, almost pulsing. Like they were responding to something."
"I did notice," Inigo nodded, his performer's eye having caught the detail. "The way their crests resonated... it reminded me of how Naga's power would manifest in our time, when things were at their most desperate."
Cynthia shivered despite the warm day. "Do you think... do you think they'll have to use their full power? I mean, we've never actually seen what happens when they fully unleash their dragon's blessing."
"I saw Odyn's hand shake," Severa admitted. "After the battle. Like he was restraining something. And Roy... did you notice how Nowi stayed closer to him than usual? Almost like she could sense something building."
"In our timeline," Inigo said slowly, piecing together memories, "the future Odyn once told me about a power he couldn't use, something he had to keep sealed away. Said using it would be like trying to contain a dragon's soul in a human vessel." He paused, looking ahead to where both brothers rode. "I wonder if that's what these crests really are – not just blessings, but actual dragon essence they have to keep in check."
"But against an enemy that ancient..." Cynthia trailed off.
"They might not have a choice," Severa finished grimly. "Lucina told me once that when Odyn first showed her his crest's power, she could feel it resonating with her Brand. Like it was trying to connect to Naga's bloodline."
"That's why they're keeping close to Nowi and Tiki," Inigo realized. "They're not just allies – they're anchors. Living connections to dragon-kind who might be able to help stabilize their power if..."
"If they have to fully unleash it," Severa nodded. "But there's something else. Something Odyn said to Chrom that really worries me." She glanced significantly at the others. "He said this enemy knows them. Knows about the future Odyn who protected us. Like it's been watching across timelines, across realms."
A heavy silence fell over the group as they processed this revelation. Finally, Cynthia spoke up, her voice small but determined. "So... we're not just fighting to prevent our future anymore. We're fighting something that's been orchestrating things across multiple futures?"
"Maybe that's why the future Odyn was so prepared to protect us," Inigo mused. "Like he knew what was coming, knew more than he could tell us as children."
"And now his younger self and his brother are here," Severa added, "with power they've spent their whole lives learning to control, right when this ancient enemy decides to make its move."
They all looked ahead to where Odyn rode beside Lucina, his dragon crest faintly visible even in the daylight, a constant reminder of the power he carried. Roy rode nearby, deep in conversation with Nowi, but they could all see how his hand occasionally strayed to his own crest, as if checking its stability.
"Whatever's coming," Inigo said finally, his hand instinctively moving to his dance rings, "we need to be ready. Not just to fight, but to help them maintain control when they do unleash their full power. Because if this enemy is as ancient and powerful as Odyn suggests..."
"Then containing Grima might end up being the easier of our tasks," Severa finished, her expression grim but determined.
The future children shared one final look, each remembering the future they'd fled, each silently vowing that this time, with these allies and these powers on their side, the outcome would be different. The question was: at what cost to those bearing the dragon's blessing?
The campfire's flames cast long shadows as Odyn finally spoke the truth he'd been carrying, his orange eyes reflecting both firelight and ancient pain. Lucina sat beside him, her hand intertwined with his as she felt his dragon crest pulse with suppressed emotion.
"The Risen we've been fighting," Odyn began, his voice heavy with centuries of buried history, "they move like puppets because that's exactly what they are. But their puppeteers aren't human, or even dragon. They're demons."
Lucina felt her breath catch. Across the fire, she saw her father Chrom stiffen as Sybyrh placed a steadying hand on his arm, her mother's orange eyes meeting Odyn's in silent understanding.
"Demons?" Lucina whispered, her grip on Odyn's hand tightening. "Like the stories of the underworld?"
"Far worse than any story," Odyn's free hand touched his dragon crest, which flickered in response. "They serve a being known as Mordred, the Demon Dragon King. A creature so powerful that even the divine dragons of old feared his influence."
"The dark elves," Sybyrh continued, her voice carrying the weight of their people's tragedy, "we weren't just driven to near extinction by war or disaster. We were systematically hunted by the demons." Her hand trembled slightly in Chrom's grasp. "They needed our essence, our connection to both shadow and light, to try to bridge the gap between realms."
"And those who survived?" Chrom asked, though his grim expression suggested he already knew the answer.
"Captives," Odyn's voice turned harsh with barely contained rage, his dragon crest flaring briefly. "The demons keep them alive, using their life force, their suffering, to fuel their dark rituals. Every dark elf they capture brings them one step closer to bringing Mordred back to the realm of the living."
Lucina's Brand of the Exalt pulsed in response to Odyn's agitation, and she placed her other hand over his dragon crest, trying to calm its increasingly erratic glow. "But why target you specifically?"
"Because of this," Odyn gestured to his crest. "The dragon's blessing in my blood, combined with my dark elf heritage... it makes me a perfect conduit. A bridge between realms that could anchor Mordred's return." His eyes met Lucina's, filled with both love and fear. "That's why the future Odyn protected you and the others so fiercely. He knew what was coming. Knew that the demons would never stop hunting for me across timelines, across realms."
"The choreographed Risen," Sybyrh added, her scholarly nature emerging even through her distress, "they move like that because they're being controlled by demon lords who view combat as a dark art form. Each battle is a ritual, each death a sacrifice that strengthens their power."
"And now," Chrom's voice was tight with controlled anger, "they're trying to use our war against Grima as cover for their true objective. They're manipulating events, using the chaos to mask their hunt for you."
"Not just for me," Odyn looked toward where his brother's tent stood. "Roy carries the same blessing, the same potential. That's why we were both sent here - to protect us, yes, but also because this realm, with its connection to divine dragons like Naga, might be the only place where we stand a chance of stopping Mordred's return."
Lucina felt her heart constrict as the full implications hit her. The future she'd fled had been devastated by Grima, but this... this was a threat that transcended even that horror. A force that had already destroyed one ancient race and now threatened to unleash something even the divine dragons feared.
"My love," she spoke softly, feeling Odyn's dragon crest pulse beneath her palm, "how long have you been carrying this burden alone?"
"Not alone," he corrected gently, covering her hand with his. "Never alone. Not anymore." He looked up at Chrom and Sybyrh. "But now you understand why these Risen are different. Why they feel wrong even to those who've fought them before. They're not just shells animated by Grima's power - they're vessels for demon lords to channel their dark arts into our world."
"And if they succeed in capturing you," Chrom stated grimly, "if they manage to use your power to bring Mordred back..."
"Then Grima's devastation would pale in comparison," Sybyrh finished, her voice hollow with the weight of ancient memories. "The demons don't want to just destroy this world. They want to transform it, to make it as dark as their own realm. To use it as a staging ground for Mordred's return to power."
The fire crackled in the heavy silence that followed, shadows dancing across their faces as each processed the horrifying truth. Finally, Lucina spoke, her voice carrying the same strength that had brought her back through time to save her future:
"Then we'll stop them. Just as we'll stop Grima. Whatever it takes."
Odyn's dragon crest flared briefly brighter at her words, resonating with her determination. But in the darkness beyond their fire, shapes moved in the shadows, and distant laughter echoed from realms better left undisturbed.
To be Continued in Chapter 19: Act 3- The Search part 5; Tracking down Brady