Several years ago. Or perhaps, many years ahead. A forest on fire.

Many Ylissean refugees lived temporarily within the depths of the forest. To flush them out, the dark master of the Risen devised a scheme to trap them between a fiery death and a legion of his soldiers.

Within the forest, a man is dying. His leg, crushed underneath a log. He pleads for the girl to kill him. Tears are in her eyes. No matter what she does, she can't save this man. He will die.

Lucina will never forget this moment.

The barren desert fades away as we leave Plegia, and we race through the plains and fields of Ylisse toward Mount Prism. The land is beautiful, but there is no time to lose. We hurry past farming villages, not stopping even when the capital is within a stone's throw.

Most of us are silent as we march. I don't think Lucina has said a word all day. Instead she stares blankly at the sky.

Even moving as fast as we can, we have to make camp in the woods for the night. The forest we make camp in is near the base of Mount Prism, and Robin plans for us to hike up in the morning.

I eye the tall mountain with a feeling of trepidation. I don't know why, but I get a vaguely familiar uneasy feeling. An unnatural chill runs up and down my spine.

Well, at least it doesn't smell like sulfur.

The light of the setting sun illuminates the west side of the mountain. The campfire is already lit, and food is already being cooked.

I join the others for the evening meal, choosing to ignore the feelings of discomfort that push themselves into my mind.

The night passes with a dreamless sleep. I awake just before dawn.

Another day, another ordeal.

I rise from my cot and put on my tunic and pants. A lot of the camp tends to sleep in a little later than me, but a few are awake at this hour. I know that Robin tends to wake up a little bit after me, and Lucina wakes up before me, while Chrom tends to snooze until a little after dawn.

It sort of disturbs me that I know that much about their sleeping habits. Well, we have all been living in close proximity for a while.

As I step out of my tent, the same chill as last night runs up and down my spine. I can't place when I've felt like this, but I get the distinct feeling that I'm walking into something bad. The grey, pre-dawn sky greets me as it does every day.

Lucina sits by the ashes of last night's cooking fire. She's donned her brown traveling cloak again.

"Hello," I say to her.

For a second, she locks up, hesitates, and then turns slowly to look at me. Her face is grim and her eyes are dead. "Good morning," she mutters back in a gravelly tone.

I sit down on the ground near her. We sit together and watch the sun begin to peek over the horizon without saying a thing.

From behind us, Robin steps out of his tent. His footsteps crunch on the ground as he walks up behind us. "Morning," he says. "Once we eat breakfast, Chrom and a handful of soldiers are venturing up the mountain to the peak."

"I figured," I say. "Do you expect any Risen to be up there?"

Robin looks grimly at the top of Mount Prism and narrows his eyes ever so slightly. "Of course. It's what I would do. So, are you two in?"

As expected, Robin assembles a group to head up the mountain within minutes of breakfast's conclusion.

The hike will be several miles up the mountain, carrying anything that might be needed in case of an ambush, in the early morning. Of course, we can't get too tired on the way up or else we might not be able to perform as well in a fight. So we're not going to be wearing any of the heavier armors, just in light armor.

Naturally, I'm one of the people hiking up the mountain.

As we start up the mountain, a wave of nostalgia hits me. Even though it was years ago and under far different circumstances, I can't help but think of long camping trips in the mountains. The memory of my father, smiling broadly as we reached the peak.

I want to see that smile again.

The hike isn't so bad when I hold that memory. The trail up the mountain is rougher than the ones back home, and I don't have the best shoes for a hike, but I'm happy when I focus on the memory of years ago.

Everyone else wears a determined look, but a small smile creeps onto my face as we press onward to the summit.

The summit is beautiful. A wonder of natural beauty.

In a word: serene.

It's indescribably beautiful. A massive waterfall lies toward one end of the small plateau, and a rainbow that never seems to fade lies in the sky to the north. The spots of forest are closely packed, and I can spot pieces of ruined buildings here and there, along with abandoned forts.

Another chill runs up my spine and the sightseeing is over. I can't shake this unsettling feeling, it seems.

"It's beautiful," Cordelia says. A content expression rests upon her face - a far cry from the hard look she's had around camp and during the bike up here.

Lucina, her drab traveling cloak slightly billowing in a mild breeze, nods slightly. "The divine dragon - her power flows through every blade of grass here. I have only been here twice before, long ago, but its beauty had not diminished."

Meanwhile, Robin surveys the land with a hard look on his face. His eyes narrow and he says, "Everyone, prepare for battle. Risen."

"Risen? Here?!" Chrom half-yells. "This is holy land!"

"Let's make this quick," Robin says. "Lucina. John. To the east, there should be some forts. Make your way there and defend them. Cordelia - you and Chrom make your way to the north and east. Eliminate any Risen you might find and meet us at the altar. Henry and I will make our way to the southeast. Hopefully, there's not too many of them."

The forest grows thicker as Lucina and I make our way east, but soon we come across the forts. The cold, grey exterior of the fort makes it stand out from its natural surroundings.

We silently march through the open front gate.

A trio of Risen await us, weapons in hand. I draw my steel from its sheath. In the corner of my eye, I see that Lucina holds Falchion in a ready stance.

The Risen shamble toward us. Lucina dashes in and bisects one. I follow and chop the second Risen's right arm off before impaling it. To my left, Lucina severs the head of the last Risen.

After a quick search, we find that the rest of the fort is devoid of Risen. Lucina and I carry the bodies of the dead Risen out of the fort, and then we wait just inside the gate at the ready for any other Risen.

"So," I say. "Earlier, you said you had been here before?"

Lucina nods. "Twice."

"In your future?" I ask after a moment.

"Yes," she says. "My second visit was to travel to this time."

I nod and turn my head toward the open gate.

A lone Risen approaches the fort. I draw my sword and walk calmly toward him. With a quick movement, I slice his left leg off and impale him.

With all this limb-severing, my blade's going to need a good sharpening.

About a half-hour later, Robin and Henry slip in through the front gate. "Everything quiet here?" Robin asks, sitting down and drinking from a waterskin.

"Yup," I say, taking a seat next to him. Lucina gets up and takes my spot as watchman.

"Weird," Robin says. "There weren't many in the forest. How many were in here when you first got here?"

"Three," Lucina says from her position watching the gate. "Two axe wielders and a swordsman. Not much of a fight."

"Something's not right." Robin puts a hand to his chin. "We've only come across a few Risen ourselves. There's no way Grima would just let us waltz up here and perform the Awakening, right?"

I look at the forest beyond the gate. "Do you think there's a trap?" I mutter.

Robin nods his head. "Grima's not a fool. He wouldn't let us just walk up here. If he could, he'd have a legion up here preventing us from reaching that altar." He stands up with a suspicious look on his face, eyes toward the open gate. "Me and Henry have only come across two patrols - six Risen - and we've covered a fair bit of ground." He looks down at me again. "Enough of this speculation. Come on, let's rejoin Chrom at the altar."

Lucina guides us through the forest. The trees are thick, but we soon find the altar's entrance. Almost immediately after we reach the entrance, Chrom and Cordelia appear from the depths of the forest.

"Good timing, Chrom. How many Risen did you kill?" Robin asks.

"Seven," Chrom responds. "You?"

"Nine, all combined." Robin pulls out a tome from his longcoat. "Ready yourself."

Chrom takes point as we slowly enter the sanctum. His right hand holds Falchion, and in his left is the Fire Emblem with all the Gemstones.

"Doesn't look like there's anyone here," Cordelia mutters.

"Don't let your guard down," Lucina responds in the same hushed tone. She tightens her grip on her Falchion and steps forward.

I relax my grip on my sword and stand up from ready position. "This could not be a trap," I say.

A moment passes where nobody moves a muscle.

If this was a movie, this would be the perfect moment for all the Risen to jump out of the shadows and ambush us.

After several seconds, everyone else relaxes, too. Swords are sheathed.

"Well, that was underwhelming," Robin says. "Did Grima just fail to anticipate our moves?" His hand goes up to his chin in thoughtfulness. "There's no way."

"Let's discuss it after Chrom performs the Awakening," I suggest.

The components of the Awakening are placed upon the altar.

Well, really Chrom just puts the Falchion and the Fire Emblem on the altar. He then yells to the sky, "Hear me, Naga! I bear proof of our sacred covenant! In the name of the exalted blood, I ask for the divine dragon's power! Baptize me in fire, that I may become your true son!"

Naturally, he then violently bursts into blue-green flames.

They don't burn away his clothes, but they do cause him to scream a little bit. Just a little. I'm impressed at his pain tolerance. I know I'd scream my head off if I was set on fire.

The flames abruptly go out and he stumbles a little before falling to his knees. "I-I'm alright!" He yells, overjoyed at his survival. "I did it!"

From the heavens, a divine glow appears. Within the light, a form slowly takes shape. A woman, draped in ethereal silks.

"T-the divine dragon," Cordelia says, kneeling and bowing her head. Lucina also does so, and so I follow suit - with the exception of bowing my head.

So this...is the divine dragon, Naga? Not what I expected, but then again, I have yet to see a classical dragon like in the myths. These dragons seem to be markedly different.

"Be welcome, Awakener," the dragon says, her voice echoing and reverberating through the sanctum. "Your heart has been tested and deemed worthy. Cleansed in my fire, your desire has proven to be the stronger."

Chrom looks up at her. "Then I am granted the power to defeat Grima? The power of a god?"

Naga smiles. "Yes." And then her face resumes its neutral expression. "But know this: I am no god."

Lucina stands up from her kneeling position. "But...milady, you are the divine dragon!"

Naga smiles upon Lucina. "The sons of man have named me so. But what worth is in a name?" She picks up the Fire Emblem and holds it to her chest. "I am no creator. I do not possess the powers of making nor unmaking. And neither does Grima." She sets the Emblem down and eyes Falchion, setting on the altar. "Neither of us has the power to utterly destroy the other."

Chrom stands, slightly less confident than before. "Then what power do you grant me?"

Naga picks up the blade from the altar and it gleams in the sun, radiating light. "Falchion, carved from my fang, shall once again show its true power. The blade of the exalts is restored."

Chrom's mouth sets into a small, but noticeable frown. "But this does not have the power to destroy Grima."

Naga shakes her head. "Nay. Grima cannot be slain. With the restored Falchion, sleep will be your victory. Just as your ancestor out the fell dragon to sleep, you shall too. With the final blow, his slumber shall be resumed."

I speak up for the first time. "Is it possible to destroy Grima?"

Naga slightly raises an eyebrow at me. "There is a power that can destroy Grima. 'Twould be his own." Naga moves over to the altar and picks up the Emblem in one arm, and cradles Falchion in the other.

"Where is Grima?" Chrom asks, finally.

"To the west, on the waves, there is a volcano named Origin Peak." Naga hands Chrom his sword and shield. "You shall find the fell dragon there."