#fe1

But as he’d planned this strategy, he’d hardened his resolve to match. “Princess Nyna, please hear me out. In the six months since we formed our liberation army in Aurelis, we have defeated many enemy units to get this far. And we have gained much from each and every one of those victories.”

“Y-You’re right. We’ve gained hope and freedom… much of the continent’s territory… days of true rest and relaxation. And we have saved countless lives.”

“However, Princess Nyna, in exchange, many of our soldiers have lost their lives in battle... For Archanea’s liberation. So that you may one day inherit your throne. I know that. And they did not die in vain. There is no argument against that.”

“...”

“Princess Nyna. In the battle for Aurelis Castle, we lost my teacher, Jagen. None could ever replace him. And since then, we have lost many more of our soldiers. I do not want to lose any more of our beloved allies.”

“But Prince Marth… That is still no reason for you to rush into the enemy’s formation all by yourself.”

“As you know, I am a descendent of Anri’s bloodline, the hero who saved our land. If the heir to Altea’s throne does not kill the enemy general, then this liberation war will be meaningless. My father lost his life three years ago for the exact same reason. He led the unit that charged straight into the oncoming enemy army…” Marth looked ever so slightly to the side in an attempt to hide the sadness on his face from Nyna. With his eyes still averted, he continued, “While we lost House Altea’s Divine Blade Falchion, Hero Anri’s blood also flows through my veins. I have to be the one to do it. I have to be the one to defeat the enemy general. Please do not worry. I will defeat Bishop Volzhin and come back alive.”

With that out in the open, Princess Nyna no longer knew what to say. Instead, she nodded silently.

-

Now, Marth was running alone through the corridors of Archanea Palace. These glittering, gorgeous corridors were clearly of a different construction than those of Aurelis Castle and Castle Deil. The palace was built before the first Dolhr Empire attacked, meaning it was over one hundred years old, and was not designed with defense from foreign armies in mind, but to be a symbol of peace and prosperity.

…‘We will restore Archanea to its former glory. Then, we return home to liberate Altea. It won’t be much longer now… It won’t be much longer!’

He thought as his arms and legs began to tremble in fear. He’d reached a massive hallway that made the prior corridors look like mouse holes. It was aptly named the “Great Hallway of the Southern Wing,” and connected to the throne room. As such, it was so tall that pegasus knights could fly around and fight freely within it, and an entire row of an armor knight unit could march through it in a horizontal formation. As for its length, Marth’s best guess was that it was thirty to forty shaku long.*

He cautiously leaned over just enough to peek down the hallway. In the shadows of the massive pillars supporting the ceiling hid several armor knights. They were likely an elite unit assigned to guard the throne room. Each pillar had two knights stationed at it. And from where he stood, to the massive doors at the end of the hallway, if he counted both the pillars on the left and the right, there were ten in total. Meaning at the very least, twenty enemies stood in his way.

‘I’ve heard that Bishop Volzhin is a skilled tactician, but knows little of combat. If I can just get past the defense unit stationed here, the hard part should be over…'

None of the enemy knights were directly blocking his path. Marth made up his mind. He unsheathed his sword in one swift movement and unleashed his suppressed bloodlust. The enemy soldiers immediately noticed his presence. Not because they all saw him, but because they sensed the sudden rush of bloodlust.

“...They are an elite unit. Just as I expected.”

Though he was at a complete loss for words, he strode down the center of the hallway. The knights’ full body armor was probably just as heavy as they were, yet they approached Marth with movements as light as a dancer’s. His calculations were immediately proven wrong. There were more enemy soldiers than he could count on his hands and feet. Just like Marth himself had done, they hid their presence completely, and slipped into the shadows.

“You may be more brave than any other man alive to rush us alone, but you will not be taking a single step further! We will have your head!” Their leader declared.

As he spoke, the other enemies slowly closed in on Marth. They likely intended to take him out the moment they had him completely surrounded. They wouldn’t charge and overpower him by force. Their movements were those of soldiers that had mastered group combat.

‘But I’d never be able to liberate Altea and defeat Medeus if I was weak enough to fall to such elite soldiers!’ Marth shouted to himself, and pointed his rapier towards the heavens.

Then, in a voice that stayed completely calm from his first word to his last, he gave his name in the exact way that the Altea Palace Guard was taught to introduce themselves in battle. “My name is Marth Noah Altea! I am the rightful heir to the Altean throne, but I do not wield my sword here and now as a prince!”

That was the moment Marth, prince of Altea, vanished. In his place appeared a god of war that knew only death and destruction; the howling beast that had appeared in Aurelis Castle’s throne room. It was unleashed once again in Archanea Palace’s Great Hallway of the Southern Wing.

-IV-

“Check it out, Princess Nyna! I think things are getting started!”

Julian pointed at Archanea Palace and shouted. They were on the peak of a hill, where they could see the entire palace grounds from up high.

The soldiers were tiny specks moving around left and right. They looked like an army of ants. There was no chance anyone could hear any battle cries or weapons clashing from where Julian and Nyna stood. Still, when Nyna looked down, she felt as if she really was hearing the intense sounds of swords crashing against each other.

“As cool as it is to see things from up here, it’s a shame to be guardin’ Princess Nyna when there’s so much loot screamin’ my name!”

“Are you unhappy with your assignment?” Jeorge, who also stayed behind as a member of the princess’ guard, shouted at him.

“N-No, it’s just a bummer that I can’t go treasure hunting, that’s all!”

Jeorge chuckled. “I would consider yourself lucky. This battle is unlike any we’ve had before it. However it may happen, if Dolhr’s army loses the palace, not a single person alive will have respect for them any longer. Just look at the courtyard! They couldn’t fit another guard soldier in it!”

“Whoa, you’re right! I hope Sister Lena’s doin’ alright…”

The courtyard should have been covered entirely by grass, but right now, it looked as if it had been dyed brown. It was the color of the shiny suits of armor each guard soldier wore. They were crowded so close together that they completely covered up the green lawn beneath their feet.

“Yikes, our guys are in a real pickle down there!” Julian muttered.

Princess Nyna was standing next to him with her hands clasped together, praying for Marth’s safety. “...Prince Marth…”

Suddenly, an aura darker than any other in existence enveloped her body. It was an ominous aura that was so vile it made her nauseous, and so cruel that it made her entire body freeze.

“This… This aura… This… evil energy… it’s…”

“Huh?”

“What?!”

Julian and Jeorge realized that something strange was happening to Nyna. She had her arms wrapped around her body, and was shivering as violently as a person wearing light clothing in the middle of winter.

“Princess Nyna!” Julian panicked.

“What’s wrong?! Are you starting to feel ill again?!” Jeorge asked.

…This aura, it’s…!”

“Aura? I-I don’t sense anything. Is it an enemy?!” Jeorge pressed her further for answers.

“It’s… not here…” Nina pointed a trembling figure down at the palace. It landed on the top of the south tower, where the throne room was located. “It’s… in the throne room…”

“The throne room…?!”

“It is an aura of great evil…” Nyna was the only one to sense this vile aura because of the memories that haunted her like a nightmare. No other reason could explain it. She’d tried on countless occasions to run from them, but that only made her body tremble harder and harder in fear. The wretched feeling of falling into the enemy’s hands and being taken prisoner was as vivid as it was the moment it first assaulted her. “Why?! Why is that man here?!”

“Who? Princess Nyna, what are you talking about?! Who is this man?!” Jeorge asked.

“He’s in danger! Prince Marth is in danger!” That was all Nyna could manage to scream before she collapsed and fainted, unable to withstand the terror any longer.

Julian flailed his arms out, and she slowly fell into them. “W-What’s wrong with the princess!?”

“I don’t know. But…”

“But?”

“It’s already too late. We have no way of warning Prince Marth that he is in danger.”

Next to Jeorge, Julian was breathing a heavy sigh as he stared up into the air with a stupefied look on his face. Three white birds flew into his field of vision. No… They couldn’t be birds. It would be strange for birds to fly like that. “Are those… pegasi?”

“Pegasi?” Jeorge also looked up into the air.

Sure enough, three pegasi were flying across the azure skies.

———————————

-I-

“...It’s time. Move out!”

Marth slowly turned around and looked at his army with an expression of unwavering determination on his face.

“Yes, Milord! I, Hardin, have nothing more to say. I will use every ounce of strength in my body to support your storming of the palace.” Hardin, standing aside his noble steed, bowed deeply.

Cain, Abel, and the many other soldiers standing behind Hardin all did the same.

“Sir Jagen is watching us from above, telling you to survive and not throw away your life, so you can return home safe one day.”

Abel nodded. “Cain’s right. You still have to make our dream of rebuilding our motherland come true!”

Marth replied to them in a quiet voice, “Cain, Abel, you’re right. I…” He clutched the crimson red gem adorning his chest as he spoke. It was the Fire Emblem itself, the proof that he was Archanea’s champion, bestowed upon him by Princess Nyna. The emblem of legend was bestowed upon true heroes by an heir to Archanea’s throne. It glittered like a burning flame across his chest. “...am the bearer of the Fire Emblem. I will protect the soul of Archanea’s people. But none of you should risk your lives either. Retaking Archanea Palace is just the first step towards making our grand dreams come true.”

Everyone nodded in response to Marth’s powerful words. A slight breeze blew past, rustling the trees of the forest behind them. Marth looked at Lena standing behind all of the soldiers, giving her the signal.

“...Yes, Milord.” She nodded. In her hands was a staff made from the wood of a sacred tree.

It was the Warp staff. The exact same same holy staff that had teleported Julian to the base of the Samsooth Mountains in an instant. She held on to it tightly as she walked through the crowd to Marth’s side, and Caeda opened her mouth to break the silence that had fallen over them.

“Marth!”

“What’s wrong, Caeda?”

“Oh, um, nothing’s wrong!”

“...”

“Really, nothing’s wrong!”

“Caeda.”

“Huh?”

“We’re going to win.”

“Yes, we are!”

Their conversation was cut short there. Or perhaps it was as long as it needed to be. Caeda smiled, satisfied, and pulled back. 

Lena stepped up to take her place. She and Marth nodded at each other, then she began to pray as passionately as she could in front of him to release the wondrous power sealed within the Warp staff. Its tip emitted a milky white light that enveloped Marth’s entire body. He smiled at his allies watching over him on the other side of that thin veil. It was still on his face when he vanished, as if melting into the scenery.

Silence fell over the Archanea Liberation Army once more. The staff disintegrated in Lena’s hands without a sound. It had been drained of the last of its holy power.

“All units! Prince Marth was just warped into the center of the palace to defeat the enemy general!” Hardin shouted as loudly as he could. “While we believe there to only be a handful of guard soldiers in the throne room, a unit of thousands of elite soldiers have gathered in iron wall formation around the perimeter of the palace, and await our arrival! Our duty is to cause chaos and distract the enemy for as long as we can to keep them from discovering Prince Marth’s covert operation! Our second unit led by Navarre and Merric has already arrived at the castle’s rear gate - the one that overlooks the cliff facing the seas - and they should now be on the move! We cannot allow ourselves to be defeated, either! I want all of you to give this battle everything you’ve got to finally retake our continent’s beloved Archanea Palace!”

“Soldiers, draw your weapons!”

At Cain’s orders, everyone either unsheathed their swords, raised their lances, or drew their bowstring. Each weapon they took into their hands reflected the morning sunlight, casting a cool, sparkling glow in every direction.

“Charge!”

Horseman Wolf pulled out a horn and blew into it as hard as he could, playing the tune that announced the Knights of Aurelis were about to charge. Without wasting a single second, the rows of Archanea Liberation Army soldiers rushed towards the castle, scrambling to be the first to begin the fight. It had already been one year since they embarked from the island nation of Talys. And now, the battle to achieve their current goal of retaking Archanea Palace was about to begin.

-II-

“You mean their unit is already in position?!”

“Of course. We know their movements before they even make them. Hmph, so they’re called the Archanea Liberation Army, eh? My my my, they’re awfully full of themselves.

This palace will not fall so easily like Aurelis Castle and Castle Deil did!”

“The blue unit will guard the right side of the palace. Shall the green unit and the purple units serve as reinforcements to the rear gate?”

“...Very well. And hurry!”

“Understood. May the fortunes of war be with each of you!”

Judging by how intricately designed their equipment and armor was, all soldiers present appeared to be the captains of Dolhr’s cavalry units. They bowed to each other, then each split up in front of a four-way intersection just before something suddenly leapt out from the shadows of a dimly lit corridor. It was Marth.

Marth moved expertly and swiftly between each of the shadows leading down the corridor, occasionally stopping to hide behind a pillar and listen closely to his surroundings. Once he had confirmed that there were no soldiers nearby, he once again slipped through the corridors without making a sound, focused solely on finding the throne room.

The Warp staff had teleported him inside the palace. Of course, Lena didn’t place him directly in front of the enemy general. He’d taken into consideration the possibility that an elite unit could be waiting for him like there was inside Aurelis Castle, or that the enemy general could be hiding in a different location than they thought. For those two reasons, he decided on purpose to warp to a vague location somewhere within the palace.

But as he ran through the corridors, his mind raced.

…Based on the soldier’s movements… their formations… the atmosphere… and their presence… There’s only one possibility! The current ruler of this castle, Bishop Volzhin, must be in the throne room!’

As he made his way deeper and deeper inside the castle, he only became more and more confident in his suspicion.

The palace guard walked up and down the corridors. Each time they did so, Marth either hid in the shadow of a stone pillar or behind a tapestry decorating one of the walls, sneaking right past the enemy. After a full year at war, it took him no effort to completely hide his bloodlust and his presence. In the same way that all living creatures subconsciously breathe in and out, he could now control his own aura without thinking about it.

“...Looks like I just have to go straight from here.” He murmured to himself before running further down the corridor. Though to be more exact, he wasn’t running, but taking small leaps into the air. He moved like lightning at a speed that could match a wild beast. Yet he made not a sound, not even of his clothing rubbing together, nor did he leave behind any sign that the air around him had moved.

Just as Princess Nyna had explained to him, there were surprisingly few guards the deeper he got within the castle. Since that was proving to be the case...

Yet now she was looking at Palla with a deep sadness in her eyes. “Maybe Catria’s right. Maybe I am just an embarrassment to the Whitewings…”

“Of course not! You know how Catria is, don’t you? She sounds harsh, but she’s just joking!”

“I kinda doubt that…”

“I am.” Catria cut in. 

Was Catria going to take advantage of this opportunity to further insult Est while she was down? Palla opened her mouth to say something to her, but it was too late. 

Catria said to Est with an elegance never otherwise found in her voice, “Hey, Est. Have you ever thought that maybe you’re thinking about this the wrong way?”

“...Huh?”

“There’s people with all kinds of duties in this world. Some craft horseshoes, others make swords, others write books, others steer ships; and some are gifted with the ability to ride a pegasus from a young age, who don’t get to wear pretty clothes or have a loving boyfriend, because they are forced onto the battlefield…”

“...”

“Whatever our duty is, we can’t change it. It might not be something that someone ordered us to do, but it is determined when we are born.”

“...When we’re born?”

“Yes. That is why we live each day to its fullest, doing our best to fulfill it. It’s okay to have our doubts about it, but our duty is our duty. You want to fulfill it properly so that you don’t have any regrets, don’t you?”

Est nodded confidently.

“And this doesn’t just apply to the work the three of us do and the current situation we are in. In every walk of life, everyone has a duty. Some lead others, some do exactly as others tell them to, some work alone to perfect their craft, and there are even some who cheer up everyone around them. Est, don’t you know how much your naivete has helped to keep everyone calm, even on the most violent of battlefields?”

“Really? But you said all I am is an idiot!”

“And that is also a part of the duty you must fulfill. So long as you aren’t the kind of idiot that annoys other people, at least, then you’re fine the way you are. After all, there are idiots who may mean well, but make others feel worse instead of better.”

“I guess…”

“It’s true! You said that everyone helps you, right? Well, no one wants to help someone who only makes them feel worse. If others help them, then that alone is proof that there is something good about a person.”

“So you’re saying there’s something good about me?”

“I am. Do you understand?”

“Kinda…”

“Then I think you can figure the rest out yourself.”

“Okay!” Est’s normal smile returned to her face as it turned a bright shade of red. The evening sunlight did not seem to be the only cause of that.

As she watched over their conversation, Palla didn’t quite understand why, but strangely, it brought a tear to her eye. Not because she was sad, but because she was happy. Fearing that she would actually start to cry if she remained silent, Palla said in a voice a bit louder than her normal volume, “So, what kind of person do you think Prince Marth is?”

“Where did that come from, Sister…?” Catria asked, returning to her usual slow tone with a puzzled look on her face.

“I mean, he’s leading an army full of people with superhuman strength! It makes me wonder what kind of person he is.”

“...I suppose I am curious as well…”

“He must be so. Super. Cool!!” Est squealed.

“Maybe! He has to be a true brave and strong hero, at least! After all, Princess Nyna deemed him worthy of the Fire Emblem.” Palla said.

“The Fire… Emblem? What’s that?” Est asked.

“You really cannot remember… a single thing. You idiot…” Catria sighed.

“Hmph, hmph, hmph! Weren’t you just saying there is something good about me?!”

Palla ignored her sisters’ squabbling and said, “The holy Fire Emblem is proof that whenever the continent is in a time of crisis, someone representing the Kingdom of Archanea will save the world. It is the proof that the person possessing it has all the qualities of a great champion, like infinite wisdom, righteous courage, and great strength. After the battle to retake Aurelis Castle, Princess Nyna bestowed it upon Prince Marth.”

“Whoa, it seems sooooo cool! I can’t wait to see it with my own eyes! THE Fire Emblem!” Est shouted.

Palla nodded. “Yes, we’ll be able to see it soon! All three of us, together.”

“I’m still not so sure Est is going to make it…” Catria said.

Est stuck her tongue out. “Bleeeeh! I will get to see it, even if it means I have to step over you two to get to it!”

“You never stop…” Catria shook her head.

And so, the sound of pegasi hooves and wings combined with their cheerful laughter, echoing throughout the rose-colored skies as the sisters continued eastward towards the Kingdom of Archanea.

“But now I think we really have reached our limit. Since things have come to this, please, Princess, give us the order… just tell us to die in battle, for the glory of the Whitewings.”

As her long hair as red as a burning flame fluttered in the wind, Minerva spoke not a word. She could not bring herself to do anything but look down at the ground. Finally, she raised her head, stared her almond-shaped eyes straight at Palla, and said, “Palla? You too, Catria, Est. Do you recall what I said to you two years ago?”

“Huh?” Est tilted her head.

Catria nodded. “...Two years ago… …That was the day the castle fell…”

“Ah, yes, I remember! Princess Minerva, you told us… um… That we must “...go into hiding with the belief that we will one day rise up again. We must believe that one day, our Macedon will be restored to its former glory.” …That was it, yes?”

“Ha ha, that’s right, Palla. You remembered my words exactly.”

“Whoa, the princess herself praised you!” Est cheered.

“Est, don’t be such a boor… in front of the princess…” Catria scolded her again.

Minerva shook her head. “I don’t mind, rather, I want you to take Est’s words to heart. We haven’t fought this long just to die, or anything of the sort. We’ve fought to live, to survive, and to retake our kingdom. If it were for any other reason, um… Palla, how old are you now?”

“Eighteen.”

“And Catria is seventeen, and Est is fifteen, right?”

“Yes…”

“Yup!”

“Exactly. I would not have dragged anyone so young into this cruel battle if they were going to fight just to die. Please think of the allies we have lost. They were all young women the same age you are…”

“Th-They were. I understand, Princess Minerva. That is the reason you tell us not to die.” As Palla pictured each of her lost allies in her mind, she realized what Minerva’s inner feelings were, and why the princess had such a somber expression on her face. 

While Minerva’s younger sister Maria, the second princess of Macedon, narrowly escaped the castle when it collapsed, she died in one of their many battles over the past two years.

But Minerva shook her head to shake off her current reminiscing of the past, and continued, “There is no glory in death, especially when now is the time for our liberation army to rise up.”

“The time for us to rise up… has come…?”

“It has, Catria. One of our moles has been reporting to me the empire’s movements, as well as the actions of all those who support our same cause.” Minerva said as she pulled a piece of parchment from a small leather bag attached to her belt. It had been delivered to her by an ally who joined Dolhr’s army, but still swore their true loyalty to Macedon. Minerva and her liberation army had only survived this long largely thanks to the help of many such infiltrators. “You three know Prince Marth of Altea’s story, yes?”

“We do. He is the young prince who fled Talys Castle when it fell.” Palla nodded.

“Indeed. And I heard that after that, he built an army. Though it is very, very small, and consists of about twenty members.” Catria added.

“Whoa, that makes their army even smaller than ours!” Est’s large emerald eyes widened even further. 

Hearing such a tale would surprise anyone. Even the smallest of Dolhr’s units was made up of sixty soldiers. From the perspective of such a massive empire, twenty people would be thought of as nothing more than ants.

Minerva nodded in response to Est’s words, then continued, “Against all odds, Marth’s army has marched from Talys all the way to Aurelis… But it is what they did next that is the most crucial accomplishment of all. They rescued her. Princess Nyna. After combining forces with the survivors of the Knights of Aurelis, they succeeded in retaking the castle. Now that their numbers have increased further, they are known as the Archanea Liberation Army.”

“D-Did you say Princess Nyna?!” Palla couldn’t believe her ears.

“She’s… alive?” Catria gasped.

“Who’s Princess Nyna?” Est tilted her head.

“You can’t be that much of an idiot, Est… She is the only rightful successor to the Archanean throne. Every single nation across the continent has a deep connection to the Archanean royal family…” Catria had an exasperated look on her face as she glared at Est to judge her harshly. 

Catria’s reaction was reasonable, though. The people of Archanea regarded Princess Nyna as highly as a goddess, and also considered her to be the very symbol of their nation.

“Hey, how dare you call me an idiot!”

“...Well, it’s true…”

“Quiet, you two! Anyway, Princess Minerva, what will be Marth’s army’s next move?” Palla asked.

Minerva shook her head. “Unfortunately, I’ve already shared all of the information I received with this report. What I know right now is that the empire sent reinforcements towards Aurelis.”

“They sent reinforcements? That would make sense. Not only was Aurelis Castle taken by just twenty soldiers, they also know now for certain that Princess Nyna is alive.”

“Dolhr’s army… No, Emperor Medeus is risking his pride to defeat the Archanea Liberation Army. Though it seems that Dark Pontifex Gharnef is the one truly pulling the army’s strings. Him and Wise General Camus of Grust.”

“I knew about the role Gharnef is playing in the imperial army, but now even General Camus is getting involved?” Palla’s eyes widened.

General Camus was the commander of the Sable Knights of Grust. Not only was he known as a talented leader both for his bravery and resourcefulness in battle, but he was also said to be the greatest swordsman in all of Archanea.

“Yes. General Camus is the pinnacle of a chivalrous knight, so he will not go against his motherland’s decisions. Though it is now a part of the empire, The Kingdom of Grust still retains its own identity. As a citizen of Grust, General Camus has set out to defeat the Archanea Liberation Army, and he will not retreat until he has done so.”

“I can’t believe the Archanea Liberation Army is going to challenge both Dark Pontifex Gharnef and General Camus…”

“Emperor Medeus aims to stamp out all rebellion as quickly as it stands up against him. Now that everyone knows Princess Nyna is alive, the number of liberation armies across each region of the continent is likely to multiply. It is a worst-case scenario that the empire must do whatever they can to avoid. If the liberation armies start to rally together, it is possible that they will become a large enough force to rival Dolhr’s army. We simply haven’t had someone with the strong will needed to lead the cause yet. Every group so far has merely fought on their own whenever they saw the opportunity to do so.”

“But if we join the Archanea Liberation Army, then maybe…”

“Yes - we too can become part of an army of justice powerful enough to fight against evil. This is the best thing that could have happened to us. Palla, Catria, Est... The day we have waited for is finally coming.”

“You’re right, Lady Minerva!” Est cheered. “So that means we’re going to join Prince Marth’s army right now?!”

Minerva shook her head. “Unfortunately, we are not, Est.”

Palla and Catria both looked like they had the wind knocked out of them. Just as Est did, they both thought Minerva was leading up to giving them the order to join Marth’s army, only to have that expectation utterly betrayed.

“Then what are we going to do?” Palla asked.

“Now that the Knights of Aurelis are fighting alongside them, Marth’s army is combining their forces with other liberation groups across the continent. They will not fall to Dolhr’s units that easily at this point. I can’t imagine we’d make much of a difference if we just became members of their army directly.”

“Then what are you suggesting? Sit idly by, jealous that we cannot make as much of an impact as they are?”

“Do not be so impatient, Palla. There are many things that only we can do.”

“There are many things… that only we can do?”

Minerva rolled out the piece of parchment one more time, and offered it to Palla.

“But you just showed us this…?”

“Macedon’s reformed army is the backbone of the Dolhr Empire. And we were trained to be members of the powerful intelligence network it is built on. We will take full advantage of that.”

“So then, Princess Minerva… you’re saying…?”

“Exactly. Before long, Marth’s army is sure to make it their goal to retake the ageless Archanea Palace. It will decide the fate and the future of the entire continent. We will help them prepare for that day by gathering every single piece of information we can find, both big and small.”

“And lead the Archanea Liberation Army to victory!”

“That is our fight right now. It will not be too late to hurry to join their fight after that.”

Minerva said as an ear-to-ear smile spread across her face, and her eyes were set ablaze with hope.

-V-

And so, three months later, with the various pieces of valuable information they had acquired, Palla, Catria, and Est said goodbye to Minerva and started their flight across the strait to fulfill their wish to join the Archanea Liberation Army.

“But it’s taking us so much longer to meet up with Marth’s army than we anticipated! We planned to find them when they crossed the border into Archanea…” Palla said.

“We just never could have imagined…  the details of the very last piece of intel we received…” Catria added.

“You mean the information about Dark Pontifex Gharnef?!” Est asked.

Palla nodded. “Yes, we never imagined he would start to move this early! And there’s no way Prince Marth and the others would know, either!”

“Even Dolhr is starting to panic… it seems…” Catria said.

“And so many of our allies sacrificed their lives to pass that intel on to us…” Palla stared down at the ground.

Catria also turned her eyes away from Palla, trying to escape the memories of that bloody battle. Even Est and her always bright and cheery self fell silent, sadness welling up in her eyes.

After a long moment, Palla finally muttered, “‘Gharnef is in Archanea Castle.’ They died just for those five words.”

“But… It is the one piece of intel… that can change our fate…”

“You’re right, Catria! That, and this tome.” Palla pulled a dusty old tome out of her knapsack. 

The gold leaf pressed into the book’s cover to spell out its title had flaked and fallen off, and all four of its corners were worn and rounded. But the only things that mattered were that it still existed, and that it was in their possession. It was the tome needed to cast the spell “Starlight Explosion.” The full meaning of those two words would be revealed in time.

“Alright! The pegasi look well rested now, so let’s get a move on! We’re going to Archanea, too!” Palla abruptly stood up. The force caused the front locks of her hair to fly up and brush her thin, pale arms. 

Catria also stood up, returning her supplies to her knapsack and closing it up as she did so. 

Est continued to munch lazily on her remaining hunk of hardtack.

Palla looked down at her. “We’re going, Est! I’m seriously going to leave you behind this time! Remember what I said before we set out on this journey? Even if something happens to one of us, the other two have to press onward!”

Est looked away. “But if you leave me behind just because I’m still eating my hardtack, then there will be nothing of the Whitewings left… not even the last shred of our pride…”

“W-Well, maybe we aren’t in that much of a rush. I-I’ll wait, I promise!”

Though Est did hurry to stand up, she did not neglect to wipe off the bit of dirt that was on her sleeve. Though she may still look and act like a child, she was old enough to take care of herself. Not that she should care so much about such small details when she was about to be left behind…

“Catria, Est, with this, our final break is over!” Palla announced. “It will take us just half a day to reach Archanea from here. We’ll fly as fast as we can! I know I’m repeating what I just said, but even if one of us starts trailing behind, then the remaining two of us - maybe even the remaining one of us - must fulfill our duty! Understood?”

Catria nodded. “Our duty is to deliver our intel and this tome to Prince Marth’s army. All before they begin their attack on Archanea Castle…”

“Correct, Catria! Did you get that, Est?!” Palla asked.

“Um, uh, y-yeah, Sis!” Est said through loud chomps of her hardtack with a nod. The childlike expression that was on her face just moments ago had already vanished without a trace.

“Not that I would ever in a million years want to trust Est alone with this duty…” Catria muttered.

“You’re so mean!!” Est shouted.

“Alright, we’re going!”

With Palla’s shout as their signal, the other two sisters also hopped on their white pegasi, and their mounts took off into the skies. 

Pegasi not only flap their wings, but also kick their legs to run through the skies. That silhouette is what defines them as the divine beasts of legend that allow only pure young maidens to ride them.

“Enough already…” Those words were Catria’s. She muttered them between sips of fresh spring water from her leather water pouch and bites of hardtack wrapped in oil paper. “You made the first mistake… by expecting Est to be responsible about something, Palla…” Though she spoke her few words slowly and calmly, her tone was still so strict that she left no room to argue with her.

“...”

They seemed to leave much more of an impression on Est than Palla’s scolding, because the goofy smile disappeared from her face. 

A heavy tension hung over the three sisters. Est didn’t look up from her feet. Catria seemed unbothered as she continued to chew quietly on her hardtack. 

Palla finally broke the silence in a panicked voice, “I-I mean… we don’t need to worry about the water anymore. We figured it out. We should think about what we need to do next instead. Right, Catria? Est?”

“That’s… what I’ve been meaning to do… all along…” Catria said.

“Y-You’re right, Sis!” Est nodded.

“Yup! So, um… Anyway… Let’s confirm the details of our current situation one more time. Alright?”

The younger sisters both nodded. 

Palla reached into her knapsack lying beside her and pulled out a neatly folded map. “This is Aurelis Castle. It was retaken by the liberation army six months ago, remember?”

Est nodded. “Uh-huh! They’re Princess Nyna’s army, right? And Hardin’s army too, he’s ‘The Lion of the Grasslands.’ I’ve heard that he’s super cool!”

“That’s not exactly it… Prince Marth is their actual leader…  And Captain Hardin of Aurelis’ cavalry unit is ‘The Wolf of the Grasslands,’ not the lion…”

“Bleeeeh!” Est stuck out her tongue at Catria.

“This is serious, you two! So anyway, here’s Aurelis Castle. And south of it is…” Palla slid her index finger pointed at the map further down it, “...where Marth’s army, now known as the Archanea Liberation Army, used that momentum to continue to take out the other Dolhr units stationed in the surrounding areas.”

“He’s so awesome! They’ve done all that with around thirty people! Including the Dark Sword Emperor Navarre, wind mage Merrick, and Cain and Abel of the Altea Palace Guard! Oh, I can’t wait to meet them!” Est could hardly contain her excitement.

But Catria felt very differently. “...If you put too much faith in them… that will just make it all the more terrifying when they betray us…” 

“C’mon, Catria! Why are you being so mean to me?!”

“Enough already! As I was saying, in the few months since then, the Archanea Liberation Army has utilized Aurelis Castle as their base of operations to defeat units of Dolhr’s army all around the peninsula, including the “Steel Division” of Lefcandith Valley, the horseman unit of Port Warren, the "Invincible Naval Unit” of Pyrathi Castle, and Grust’s “Wooden Cavalry Unit” of the town of Knorda. Now, at the end of that long series of battles, they have set up camp in this area for their field operations.”

Palla said as she replaced her finger on the map with a loud tap, pointing at the Kingdom of Archanea’s border. And directly to the left of it was a symbol that represented its palace.

“Whoa, they’ve made it that far already? It’s super close to Archanea Palace, isn’t it?!” Est asked.

Catria rolled her eyes. “...Why did you think we’re crossing the strait right now? Princess Minerva explained all of this to us before we left Macedon, remember…?”

“Wait, really?! Ah ha ha! She did?”

“...You’re such an idiot…”

“M-Me, an idiot?! Th-That’s so mean, Catria! Now you’ve gone too far!”

Palla held her head in her hands as she frowned. Their spats always gave her a headache. 

‘Maybe I should just leave them here on this island, and go by myself…’ That unsettling thought did cross her mind. But they were her sisters, and now her last surviving allies of the Macedonian Whitewings. She couldn’t abandon them here. And their skills as pegasus knights were recognized by Princess Minerva herself. Why else would they and no one else have been assigned to this very important duty?

“Stop, Catria! You too, Est! You should both remind yourselves of just how important this mission is.”

“...You’re… right.” Catria said.

“Understood, Sis!” Est nodded.

“There!” Palla sighed. “Now, what was I talking about?”

“You got to the part where Prince Marth’s army, the Archanea Liberation Army, made it to the area near Archanea Palace!” Est explained.

“That’s right. So in just under six months from their attack on Aurelis Castle, the Archanea Liberation Army has chased Dolhr out of the peninsula. Now, they are about to make their dream of liberating Archanea Palace come true.”

“Archanea Palace symbolizes the continent itself. When Princess Nyna steps foot into it once more, that will utterly crush Dolhr’s power and authority over all of Archanea.” Catria explained.

“Catria’s right! Ever since the Archanea Liberation Army first took its stand, the rebel armies across the continent have regained their own momentum, so much so that they are evenly matched against Dohlr’s occupational and invasion forces.”

“Yup, yup, yup! That’s why we’ve been ordered to set out and join them as reinforcements!!” Est said.

“That’s correct, Est. At the end of that battle more terrifying than our worst nightmares, I never imagined we’d ever see such a light at the end of the tunnel.”

Catria and Est both nodded weakly at their older sister’s words. There was a painful loneliness in their expressions. Even Est had a dark light in her eyes. They must have been vividly reliving their memories of the horrible things that happened when their motherland fell to the Dolhr Empire.

-III-

The sisters were born and raised in the Kingdom of Macedon, the land Shadow Dragon Medeus conquered first and founded as the center of the new Dolhr Empire upon his resurrection.

But that does not mean that even Macedon fell easily into Medeus’ hands. It was once known as Archanea’s greatest military power. Not only did it have the Whitewings to fight in the skies, it also had a massive cavalry unit to fight on land, and even a mighty navy to fight across the seas. But the Manaketes’ powers were far too great.

Harnessing the mystical power sealed within their “Dragonstones,” they can change from human to dragon form in an instant. Their arms tear down the sturdiest of castle walls with a single swing. Their deadly breath, as dangerous as a fiery explosion, can turn tens of thousands of soldiers to ash in mere seconds. When they take to the skies, they can fly faster than any divine beast, and on land, even the greatest warhorses cannot keep up with them.

The enemy attacked in a formation centered around one such massive dragon. Even the smallest crack in the sturdiest of levees can cause the entire structure to mercilessly crumble and fall apart. The collapse of Macedon’s army was much like that. First, they suffered the utter defeat of their vanguard, the cavalry unit. They were not defeated in close range combat, rather, they froze in fear of the dragon coming at them, and their formation fell apart midway through the battle. The armor knight, archer, and mage units that came after them all suffered the same crushing defeat.

The people lived in fear that an entire horde of dragons might invade the whole country any day now. But the king addressed the people from atop the magnificent palace balcony, and swore to them that their army was sure to emerge victorious.

At the exact moment he said those words, a massive dragon pierced the skies and flew down from between a rift in the clouds. The king was killed and the castle was destroyed in an instant. Multiple enemy units then took advantage of the chaos to flood what remained. Macedon’s beloved pegasus knights, the Whitewings, took a calm and composed stand against them, but they had been caught completely off guard, putting them at an insurmountable disadvantage. And their brave commander was so stricken by grief over the king’s death that she could not fight to her fullest potential.

She was the king’s daughter, Princess Minerva herself.

“We lost our king before our very eyes, then our castle was destroyed. That smashed our people’s hearts to pieces. Right now, Macedon’s will to fight is weak, and all we can do is shiver in fear of our impending deaths. We do not have the strength we need to fight such a terrifying enemy. We have no choice but to swallow our pain, withstand our shame, and go into hiding with the belief that we will one day rise up again. We must believe that one day, our Macedon will be restored to its former glory…” Princess Minerva said to her few remaining soldiers through her anguish. 

From that day forth, Macedon entered the hardest period in all of its long history. Medeus rebuilt the castle, made himself its emperor, and established it as the center of the new Dolhr Empire.

On that day, the people looked up at the dark figure standing on the new balcony in deep sadness and despair. He wore a robe the color of the darkest night, and was none other than the de facto leader of Dolhr’s army, Dark Pontifex Gharnef.

Gharnef suddenly appeared on the center stage of history from its deepest, darkest depths. He made the public declaration in Medeus’ place that they would build a new Dolhr Empire. Utilizing the momentum they gained conquering Macedon, the Dolhr army crossed the gulf leading to the nearby Kingdom of Grust, and seized its lands as well. And so, with the unification of Macedon and Grust, the Dolhr Empire was born, as Gharnef had declared it would be.

At that same time, enduring the shame of fleeing the fight, Princess Minerva and Macedon’s liberation army escaped the empire’s pursuit and hid deep within the mountains, believing that the day would come that they could rise up again.

Many long days and months passed. While the liberation army did what they could to sabotage Dolhr in secret, they were unable to do any significant harm to the mighty empire, and before long, could only wait for it to collapse. While at first many survivors joined their cause, over time, nearly all of them were killed, and they had only a few dozen members left.