The Curse of the Brand   von Aylatha
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                          Kapitel 38: Child of Chaos
                          --------------------------


"Mist. Are you alright?", Ike asked.
"Yes, I'm fine. What happened, though? What was that light?"
"I don't know. But it's very quiet outside – too quiet. I hope everyone is
okay..."
Tibarn, Janaff and Ulki joined them.
"So, can you tell me what's going on?", the king asked.
"Impossible!", Ulki exclaimed. "I can't hear anything... Either that light took
my hearing, or – there's nothing out there!"
"What do you mean?! There were thousands of troops..."
"I'll go take a look", Janaff offered.
Micaiah and Sothe entered.
"It's time", the red-eyed girl said. "Everyone, let's go outside."
"H-hey! Micaiah! Wait!", Sothe shouted.
Getting a very bad feeling out of a sudden, Ike dashed past Micaiah and out of
the castle. What he saw there made him stop dead.
"What in – what happened?! They're all statues!"
What had been a battlefield once now resembled a graveyard or a museum. All the
soldiers, laguz and beorc, had been turned to stone.
Ike touched the snout of a gallian who had just risen a paw to strike his enemy.
He was as cold as stone.
Ike took a deep breath. "Hey! Anyone!"
He started walking again.
"Can anyone hear me?"
But there was no answer. Just his own echo and silence...
"Somebody, please!"
It started to snow and the tiny flakes settled on the petrified soldiers.
"Answer me! Is anyone here?!"
Silence.


Ike was soon joined by the other leaders of the alliance.
"From what I can see and Ulki can hear, we're the only ones left. Captain Nala
is currently taking names of the ones who weren't petrified", Janaff told them.
"Wow! There are quite a few more of you flesh creatures left than I imagined!",
a voice spoke.
The red-eyed Micaiah approached.
"That's good. Maybe that means we'll stand a chance against her."
Sothe arrived, a little out of breath.
"Micaiah! Are you feeling alright?"
She turned to face Sothe.
"I'm not Micaiah! How many times do I have to tell you that?!"
"If you're not Micaiah, then who are you?", Ike asked.
"I'm Yune. Pleased to meet you!"
"Yune?! What did you do to Micaiah?!", Sothe shouted.
"Micaiah is here with me now. She knows you'll never save the petrified ones
without me. So, she let me use her body to talk to you."
Tibarn frowned. "Alright. Let me ask you this, Yune: if you don't have a body of
your own, then what the heck are you?"
Yune closed her eyes. "I've been asleep inside the medallion for a long, long
time. Longer than any of you can imagine. But the galdr woke me up."
"Lehran's Medallion?", Ike asked. "Are you the Dark God that was sealed inside
it?"
Yune looked puzzled. "Hmm... "dark god". "Dark God"... no, I'm pretty sure I'm
not one of those. I am neither holy nor base, neither angel nor devil. I am...
freedom. Chaos. Transformation. Mystery. I am Yune."
"I don't care what you're called. Was it you who turned everyone into stone?"
"No, that wasn't me. I haven't done much of anything. I just woke up, so I don't
have that kind of power just yet. That was Ashera's doing. It was her judgement
upon this world."
"Nonsense!", Sanaki exclaimed. "Holy Ashera would never harm us! She protects us
at all times and guides us toward the right path."
"You've got it all wrong, little meatling. Ashera is neither kind nor loving to
the beings of this world. Neither is she holy nor base, angel nor devil. She
is... restriction. Order. Past. Stability. Certainty. Restraint. She is
Ashera."
"I don't understand", Ike said. "Why would the goddess Ashera try to destroy us?
If anyone's going to kill us, shouldn't it be you, the Dark God who was sealed
inside the medallion?"
"You called me a dark god again! How would you like it if I called you a dark
bag of organs? I don't want to talk to you anymore!"
Yune turned and marched away.
"What?", Ike asked.
Yune looked around.
"Instead, I'll talk to... you." She turned to face Mist. "Yes! You're the one
I'll talk to!"
"Me?"
"Ashera has always hated me, but I like her. You've got some of her in you. So,
I'll talk to you."
"Oh, okay... So, you're Yune?"
"That's right. I'm Yune. Ashera is order. I am chaos. We're sisters, but
opposite in all things. We're linked to one another, though. When I sleep,
Ashera sleeps. When I wake, Ashera wakes."
"Oh, then you are a – a goddess? I-I'm so sorry! Please forgive my insolence!
I was talking down to you like you were a little kid..."
"No, no, it's fine. Talk to me however you like. You don't have to stand on
ceremony with me."
"Well, alright... if you insist... So, you were sealed inside the medallion, but
now you're inside Micaiah?"
"That's right."
"And the goddess Ashera was the one who turned all the laguz and beorc into
stone... Oh! Are you here to tell us how to save them? Wait, I get it! You were
the one who spoke to me! You said, "Wake me with the Galdr of Release, not with
the spirit of war"."
"Yes, I did! I'm so glad you understood! You're so very clever!"
Yune seemed delighted.
"Of course, I was hoping, by sending you that message, that I would stop all of
this from happening."
"What do you mean?"
"We're running out of time, so I'll explain quickly. Long, long ago, your
ancestors made a promise to Ashera. They promised not to start a war between all
nations for at least one thousand years. If that promise was broken, then Ashera
would destroy the world and try again with a new one. Despite that promise, you
bone-cages kept fighting each other. Eventually, war and conflict spread
throughout the world. When Ashera woke up, she cast her judgement upon those who
failed to keep her promise."
"I still don't understand", Ike said. "Why would it make a difference if you
were woken by the spirit of chaos, or the galdr? How were you planning to stop
Ashera from passing down her judgement?"
"I'm not talking to you!"
"Oh, by all that's – would you stop acting like a child?"
"Please forgive my brother, Yune. We want to save the people who were turned to
stone. We need you to tell us how. It did matter that we woke you with the Galdr
of Release, right?"
"First of all, you should understand, that, because of our link, waking me is
the same as waking Ashera. Now, if Ashera had been awakened by the spirit of
chaos, none of us would be standing here right now. By the terms of the promise,
she was supposed to destroy this world. No hesitation, no discussion. But if she
was awake­ned by the galdr, she was supposed to consult with me first. She
wasn't supposed to pass down her judgement until she heard from me. Ashera went
ahead and tur­ned everyone to stone without asking me. That's so unfair! But
I'll show her. I'll turn them all back somehow! The problem is, I can't do this
by myself. I need your help."
"Can we really trust you?", Ike asked doubtfully.
"Right. How do we know that you're not just telling us some story?", Tibarn
asked.
"Everyone, please wait."
It was Senator Maian. She was still very pale, but managed to walk on her own.
"Maian!", Sanaki exclaimed. "You should go back to bed!"
"I am fine. I need to talk to the goddess Yune."
They all stared at her.
She just arrived. How could she know what we just talked about?
"Oh, that's me! I'm Yune."
"You are using Lady Micaiah's body as a host, goddess?", Maian asked, sounding
amused.
"Yes, I have to use some kind of body. But you don't have to be so formal."
"My apologies. I come from a very formal world."
"That's right, you're from Begnion. I've been watching you for some time."
"You were responsible for the visions I always had, were you not? You saved my
life. Thank you."
Maian inclined her head.
"Not at all. It would have been a shame to watch someone like you die so young
– after all you've done. You worked so hard to create understanding between
the races... And you were really successful – look at your guard."
"You have to thank my father for that. It is because of him that I am who I
am."
"Yes, but I can't talk to the dead, you know. Oh, now I recognise you. You were
the one who talked to me at Melior Castle!"
"Yes. When I saw the medallion... I of course knew what it was, but – I was
curious."
"I really enjoyed talking to you. You were so compassionate, so kind... I really
like you."
Maian looked slightly taken aback.
"So, you were lying when you told us you didn't remember talking to the
medallion", Ike observed.
"Yes. I did not want to explain why I was talking to the so-called "Dark God"."
"You knew?", Sanaki asked.
"Yes, I did. I knew the truth for quite some time."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"You were too young. But we wanted to tell you, when you were older."
"So Sephiran knows, too."
"Of course. Who, do you think, told me? That is why I was in such a hurry to
find the goddess... I feared that there might be some trouble." She turned back
to Yune. "I need to talk to you in private, it is very urgent."
"Right. Where do we go?"
"Just over there."
Maian led Yune a few steps away and when she started to speak again, Ike
couldn't hear her any more.
"What's happened?", Ike asked.
"She's used a spell to stop us from listening", Nala explained.
"I see."



Yune was truly curious when she followed Maian away from the others. Something
about her was – odd.
Maian waved a hand and Yune could feel the magic she was using.
"What was that?"
"A simple spell to prevent the others from listening. Most of what I am going to
tell you now is not known to the public, but you have to know..."
"What are you? You are very strange."
"I am the same as Micaiah. The laguz call us "parentless", the beorc "branded".
I use the word "hybrid", because it is not so negative and describes more
clearly what we are."
"So you mean that you are a combination of laguz and beorc, is that it?"
"Yes, that would be one way to put it. This brings me to the first topic – the
general public believes our very existence to be a violation of the law of the
goddess. We are shunned, persecuted, and – in the worst case – killed. That
is why I must ask you never to mention our true nature to anyone. It would cause
us a lot of trouble."
"But that is utter nonsense! Until right now, I didn't even know you existed!"
"I know", Maian said soothingly. "But there are only very few people who either
know the truth or do not care about our blood. Ike, for example, or my guard
Nala."
"I could tell them."
"I am not sure if they would believe you, besides, we have more important things
to do. About the second matter – you have already noticed that people refer to
you as a "dark god". This is not meant as an offence, they were all taught this
to be true. It will take them some time to get used to the truth. Please be not
upset by this."
"I understand. I'll try. But how comes you know, if even the apostle had no
clue? Who told you?"
"Is Micaiah listening?"
"No, she is asleep right now."
"Good. This is a secret as well... the one who told me was Lehran."
"Dear Lehran! You know him?", Yune asked, clapping her hands.
"Yes. He taught me everything I know about magic and galdrar. And he told me the
truth about you, Ashera and my people. It is thanks to him that I am proud to
live my life as who I am, even if I cannot admit it."
"I see... What happened?! Where did it go all wrong? This isn't how it's
supposed to be..."



Pelleas soon realised that he was no match for the other magician, Soren. Even
though he was a Spirit Charmer...
Where does his power come from? Is he – one of the Branded?
A strange ringing sound made them stop. Soren looked up at the sky.
"I don't like the sound of that."
The next moment, the light struck. Blindly, Pelleas grabbed the first thing he
could find for support. It turned out to be Soren's arm.
The magician glared at him and Pelleas quickly let go. He created another
shield, but Soren simply ignored him.
"You can stop that. There is no-one left to fight for."
Pelleas looked around and saw that every single soldier hat been turned to
stone.
"What happened?", he asked.
Soren walked over to a cat and touched its snout.
"Interesting..."
"You don't seem to be bothered too much by that", Pelleas observed.
"Don't get me wrong, I don't dislike the laguz in general. I just can't stand
gallians. And I have my reasons for that."
"But – why did you join them in the war?"
"It wasn't my decision. Ike decided to take the contract, because King Caineghis
pays us a lot of money, he and Ike are friends of some sort and because the
com­mander was really angry with Begnion for treating the Laguz Alliance in
such a manner. Besides, Ike would be at a total loss without me."
"What do you mean? Are you their tactician or something?"
"That's right. I'm also responsible for the finances of the company."
"I see."
Soren turned away and spotted Kurthnaga, who was sitting on the ground, his arms
wrapped around his knees.
"The fighting's over. You can get up now."
Kurthnaga looked up, surprised.
"You're with Ike, correct?"
"Yes. Soren, Staff Officer of the Greil Mercenaries."
Slowly, Kurth got to his feet. He looked around in dismay.
"This is terrible..."
Kurthnaga hadn't helped much in battle. He had killed a few enemies while
begging them not to come closer because he didn't want to fight them, but then
he had got­ten sick, reverted and spent the rest of the fight sitting on the
ground, looking mise­rable. To Pelleas' surprise, the enemy soldiers had simply
ignored him and con­centrated on the units that wanted to fight.
"You don't look well", Soren observed. "Don't you like battles?"
"It's the blood."
"Are you a hemophobe?"
"Yes."
Both Pelleas and Soren stared at him.
"Then why the hell are you on the battlefield?! Do you have a deathwish?!",
Soren asked.
"No, I just – I just wanted to protect my family..."
"Family... I wouldn't know what that's like. I never had one."
He turned abruptly and walked away.
"Where are you going?", Pelleas called.
"To the castle. Moments before that light struck, I felt a strange wave of power
coming from there... Come to think of it, where's your silver-haired sage? I
didn't see her around."
"I don't know... she must have disappeared during the battle. But that's not
like her..."
"What if – the power I sensed within her... but no, even if she is strong,
turning peo­ple to stone would be too much... besides, why would she petrify
her own men?"
"Wait for us!", Kurthnaga called as Soren started to run.
"Fine, but only if you don't slow me down too much."
They dashed after Soren. Soon, Pelleas was out of breath.
"He is fast – for someone – so skinny!"
"Should I carry you?", Kurthnaga offered.
"You could – do that?"
Kurth looked amused. "Just because I look small does not mean you should
underestimate my strength."
"Ah – I think I will be fine."
"Somehow I get the feeling you don't like me", Kurthnaga muttered.
No... that's not it...
But Pelleas had not much time to think because they reached the place where the
remaining soldiers had gathered. Pelleas felt a little uneasy when he noticed
how many laguz were there. He spotted Micaiah, standing inside a silvery bubble,
talking to a woman with golden hair.
"Commander Ike!"
A young man with blue hair stopped pacing and turned to face them.
"Soren! Good to see you're safe. And you brought Prince Kurthnaga and King
Pelleas, too..."
"They insisted on coming along. The senator's having a private chat with Micaiah
of Daein?"
"Actually, that's not exactly Micaiah... remember what you said about her having
a special power? She used the Galdr of Release. The being sealed within the
medal­lion turned out to be Yune, Goddess of Chaos."
"Did I just get that right? Yune, a goddess? No god?"
Ike nodded.
A younger girl appeared by his side.
"She doesn't like being called a dark god, it upsets her. And I believe she's
trying to help us."
"You can give me the details later. They look like they're finished. Wait,
what's with her eyes?"
"That's how we noticed something was different", Ike replied. "Those have to be
Yune's eyes. But her behaviour is also different – she's like a child."
The silvery bubble disappeared.
"Thanks to Maian here I now understand a few things better", Yune said. "I
really want to help you, but I can't do this without you. Will you help me?"
"Of course we'll help!", Mist said. "It's strange, but I trust you, Yune. And we
all want to save the people who were turned to stone!"
Ike nodded in agreement. "Yes. We'll do whatever it takes."
"That's right!", Skrimir added. "We will allow nothing to stand in our way! We
will fight!"
"It's all so confusing", Queen Elincia said. "But we must do all in our power to
save the people!"
Sanaki was silent for a while. "To be honest, I have spent my whole life
teaching that the goddess Ashera watches over and protects us. This is all a
little hard to accept."
"You don't have to believe me", Yune replied. "You could just let her destroy
the world..."
"No, I will do whatever it takes to save the people who were turned to stone. I
will join the others in helping you."
Maian smiled. "That is my Sanaki", she said, putting a hand on the empress'
head.
Sothe didn't look too happy.
"So what you're saying is that we all have to play nice and and work together?
Just forget about all that's happened?"
"Sothe, open your eyes and look around", Ike said. "There aren't that many
people left to fix that mess. If you don't help us, we can't do it. Besides, I
think that saving the world is something we could all agree on."
"You're right, commander. All this is the result of our war. I guess there's not
much reason for flag-waving on either side. First thing we have to do is –
unpetrify everyone. And, well... I, uh, I'm actually kind of relieved. At least
I don't have to worry about fighting you anymore."
"I wasn't looking forward to that match-up, either."
"Don't you have anything to say on the matter, King Pelleas?", Soren asked.
Everyone turned to look at him.
"Ah – well, Sothe just said it. We'll help you."
Petrified people can't die, right? So the senate can no longer control me...
"It's settled, then!", Yune called, clapping her hands. "How should we begin? I
know! Let's divide the army into three teams! I'm pretty sure Ashera is going to
notice what we're up to..."
"Dividing us up is smart", Ike said. "It reduces the risk of everyone getting
killed at once."
"We have to hurry. I can feel Ashera's power building."
"It's all over if we get turned to stone, too. Alright, everyone, it's up to
us!"
"What's your name?"
"I'm Ike."
"Alright, Ike. You won't ever call me a dark god again, will you?"
"Not if you don't like it. Can I call you Yune?"
"I would like that. I guess I forgive you, then. Oh, I know! As a sign of my
forgiveness, I'll make sure that you can get to your destination safely. I can't
do it for everyone, because it's a little exhausting for me, but... Hold still
and close your eyes."
Ike did as she said.
"I'm ready."
Yune raised her arms. A ray of light descended from the sky and when they could
see again, Ike had changed.
He was wearing a breastplate now and his left arm was covered in a sturdy
armour. He flexed his arm to try it out.
"How do you feel?", Yune asked.
"Strong. Like I can take on anyone."
"Wow! You're very confident for a being that can die! Let's see..."
"If I might", Maian interrupted. "May I suggest we discuss any further details
inside? It would be much warmer, besides, I do not like planning a strategy
without a map."
"I agree", Soren said.
"Very well", Tibarn agreed. "But all of us would never fit inside our strategy
room. I suggest that each leader takes the ones he wants to attend, the others
wait here. Janaff, Ulki, you come with me."
Sanaki called Sigrun and Tanith, two pegasus knights. Ike chose Soren and
Titania, Naesala his old caretaker Nealuchi, Skrimir Ranulf, Elincia Lucia and
Kieran, Maian Cynthia and Nala. Kurthnaga was accompanied by another dragon
called Ena, and Pelleas took Tauroneo, Sothe and – of course – Micaiah.
Pelleas asked Jill to tell his mother what had happened and the young
draco-knight left, along with a man called Haar.
Yune seized Maian's hand.
"Thank you for giving me all the information earlier, I really appreciate it.
Now I can understand everyone better... I will let Micaiah take over now and
join you again inside."
Yune closed her eyes, and when she opened them, they had turned yellow again.
Micaiah looked down at Maian's hand that she was still holding. She quickly let
go.
"I-I'm sorry - "
"You need not apologize", Maian replied, smiling kindly. "I just wanted to tell
you that I am glad I no longer have to fight you. Now, let us go to the strategy
room."
As they went inside, Pelleas caught up to Ike.
"Are you Ike of the Greil Mercenaries?"
"I am."
"So, you are the one who killed my father."
Ike didn't reply, he just stared at Pelleas, what made him quickly feel uneasy.
"Ike, stop scaring him", Soren said. "He's not as brave as his father was."
"Ashnard wasn't brave, he was crazy."
"Come to think of it, what if he had succeeded in awakening Yune? He would have
caused Judgement Day to happen three years earlier."
"Did he honestly believe he could harness the powers of a goddess – or a
god?", Ike asked.
"Someone might have made him believe that."
"You mean Ashnard was manipulated? No way. He was mad, but not dumb."
"Excuse me!", Pelleas exclaimed.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to insult your father's memory or anything. But you see,
for me this is a thing of the past. I was just fulfilling the contract I had
with Elincia – reclai­ming the kingdom your father had stolen and avenging
her parents he had slain. Come to think of it, it was because of Ashnard that my
parents had to flee Daein, the medallion killed my mother and three years ago
the Black Knight came after the medallion and killed my father, Greil – or Sir
Gawain, as you call him. Listen, Pel­leas, I'm not going to blame you for your
father's deeds, nor is Elincia going to do that. We don't want any quarrel with
you."
"I see."
Queen Elincia, who was walking just in front of them, suddenly turned to
Pelleas.
"King Pelleas, I must ask you something... have you heard anything from Count
Bastian lately?"
"No, I saw him last shortly after my coronation, when he came as your envoy...
Why do you ask?"
"Do you know where he went?"
"No, I assumed he would return to Crimea..."
"Well, he hasn't. I received a report that he would stay in Daein longer than
planned, because he wanted to investigate something... But I haven't heard of
him ever since..."
"I'm sure he's alright, Your Majesty", Lady Lucia said. "It's Bastian we're
talking about. He's a powerful sage and he could easily talk himself out of any
bad situati­on. Besides, he wasn't travelling alone."
"But I am still worried about him."
Pelleas' gaze returned to Maian.
"Isn't she a bit young to be a senator? I mean, I always thought all senators
would be old men like Lekain."
"She isn't that young", Ike explained. "She could be my mother, actually."
"What, really? Now that's surprising."
As they rounded another corner, they ran into Rafiel and two other herons who
looked just like him. Pelleas stared at them. They had the same golden hair,
green eyes and white wings and all three of them were exceptionally beautiful.
"Are they – siblings?", Pelleas asked.
"That's right", Ike replied. "Prince Reyson and Princess Leanne."
Leanne spotted Maian, rushed over to her and seized her hand.
"I – um, I heard that Maian – unwell... um - "
She switched to the Ancient Tongue. Even though Pelleas could use it for spells,
he was barely able to understand a word. Maian, however, didn't seem to have any
problems with that and even replied in the same manner.
"No, that's wrong", Reyson suddenly interrupted. "You pronounce it lythee, not
lythi."
Maian looked amused. "My apologies. I know that I still make many mistakes - "
"Never mind my brother", Rafiel said. "Your skill is remarkable, if one
considers that you have been learning for only ten years, and that the Old
Tongue is your second language. I have never known any other beorc who would go
through the trouble of learning it."
"Why, thank you. But I am glad if you tell me about my mistakes – otherwise, I
would not be able to improve."
As they continued to the strategy room, Maian and Micaiah filled the herons in
on what had happened. All of them were very surprised to hear that Micaiah had
been the one to use the Galdr of Release.
"Soren, we need a map of southern Daein and one that covers all of eastern
Begnion, from the border to Sienne", Maian ordered.
Soren flicked through a pile of maps and pulled out three of them which he
placed on the table. Maian took a quill and an inkwell and pointed at a spot on
the map.
"Our current position is here, our destination - " she took one of the two
Begnion-maps, "is here. Sienne, the imperial capital. The Tower of Guidance is
where Ashera lives. This is where we must go, am I right, Yune?"
Micaiah's eyes had turned red again.
"Yes, that's right. We have to make her stop!"
"If we are taking three different routes, one group would have to cross Grann
Desert", Soren said. "Another would go around that big lake in the east and the
third take the path that leads past Serenes Forest, through the Duchy of
Tanas."
"The route around the lake is the longest, so we should send our fastest units
that way", Maian added. "Nala, give me the list, please."
The white dragon handed her a piece of parchment.
"Now, let us see... the Dawn Brigade is complete, just as my guard and the Greil
Mercenaries – thank goodness. Now, as for the teams – I suggest that King
Tibarn and Queen Elincia take the eastern route, with the remains of the royal
knights - "
"We should avoid tearing the groups apart, if possible", Soren interrupted. "And
we should have a heron on each team."
"I agree. Ike will lead the team that goes to the south-west, along with Queen
Nailah and Prince Kurthnaga. Sanaki, General Skrimir, King Naesala and Lady
Micaiah take the route through the desert. Any objections?"
"Yes!", Skrimir growled. "I don't want to be on the same team as that traitor!"
He pointed at Naesala, who didn't even flinch.
"For heaven's sake, Skrimir, we don't have time for that!", Soren spat. "You
don't have to talk to him, if you don't want to. Ignore him, if you must. But
the King of Kil­vas is a strong warrior and we need everyone we can get."
"Soren is right", Yune added. "If you start fighting among yourselves, you won't
stand a chance against Ashera."
"What about me?", Pelleas asked. "Which team will I be on?"
"We'll take him", Tibarn offered.
Maian nodded. "Soren and I will divide the soldiers onto the teams. Everyone
else, please get some rest."

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