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Chapter 8x: Echoes of the Past

The clear condition for this chapter reads “Kill Lyon, Zephiel and the other one.”

Opening

(The group's progress is halted by Zephiel, Nergal, and Lyon.)
demeter
Oh, no!
kyra
More friends of yours?
demeter
I know this one. This one's a classic.
It's the Trial of Might!
In life, these were some of the best commanders of their realms.
We must face off against their combined strength.
kyra
...That's it? Rather lazy for a trial, right?
I've been in plenty of battles against strong commanders.
demeter
Yeah, but now there's three of them!
kyra
...I'll admit, I don't think I've ever fought three at once.
Two a few times, pretty sure, but three...
lyon
I am Lyon, prince of an empire called Grado.
I conquered a king of demons, a continent, and everyone I loved.
And now... Violence and hatred is all that I know.
kyra
Okay, weirdly macabre for how harmless you look, but sure.
demeter
You're used to the likes of Sandraudiga.
But evil takes many forms...
And the road to Hell is paved with good intentions.
elias
(smiles) But he looks so nice, though! How bad could he really be?
lyon
Mm... Let us see if my magic will prevail against your mettle.
zephiel
...Hmph... Human vermin.
I suppose you might as well know my name before I vanquish you.
Zephiel, King of Bern. I despise humanity above all else.
Contemptuous, selfish, traitorous, evil fiends, to the last...
elias
...I don't think I like this one.
zephiel
Rest assured, I don't like you either, human gnat.
kyra
Hey! That's my little brother! He's never done anything wrong!
You take that back now, you--
demeter
All right, all right, save it for the battle.
Last, but not least... C'mon, introduce yourself!
nergal
......
Nergal. I can create people.
I forgot what my goal was. That's kinda the whole point.
Blah blah. Can we just get to it already?
kyra
...The heck's your problem? Why are you so angry?
demeter
Oh, I wouldn't recommend getting into that right n--
(Nergal becomes agitated.)
nergal
Dammit, it's not fair!
I waited patiently, let these two have their day, and then what?!
YOU come along and pull the carpet under my feet!
Who even are you? How is this fair?
It was MY turn to shine!

Explaining the Joke

Saint Rubenio has made hacks centering Zephiel and Lyon (Eckesachs and Dark Stone respectively), but despite requests he has no interest in making a similar hack for Nergal.

kyra
Whoa, whoa! What'd I do? I don't even know you, man!
lyon
Don't mind him. He's, uh... got a chip on his shoulder.
nergal
A chip on my-- Who are you compared to me?!
Your creations are worse! Your power is lesser!
What do you have that I don't, huh? What?!
lyon
Calm yourself! We have to work together now!
nergal
I'll work my hands together when I wrap them around your neck!
(Lyon becomes agitated.)
lyon
You idiot! Stop!
(Negal chases Lyon around the arena.)
kyra
......
demeter
......
zephiel
Hmph. See? Humanity is rotten to the core.
They'll never be as perfect as dragons.
demeter
Okay, let's just go beat them silly and move on.
kyra
Took the words right out of my mouth.

After all three commanders have been defeated

lyon
Urgh... I can't believe it... We've been defeated...
zephiel
No...! Not yet!
I will not fall to this human waste.
Even if I must do... THAT, with humans...
nergal
I see... We're that desperate, huh.
Very well. So be it.
With me, you two!
(Zephiel, Nergal, and Lyon do a fusion dance.)
all
Villain... Engage!
(The three fuse into Zephlyogal, who warps to the army's starting location.)

Conversations

Zephiel

Combat

zephiel
Humanity.

Combat w/ Demeter

zephiel
(smiles) Omigosh are you a dragon?!
You look like some dragons!
demeter
Huh? Well, I'm...
(smiles) A completely ordinary girl!
Just a silly bean. Nothing weird here.
Heehee.
zephiel
(scowls) ...Curses. If you are not a dragon...
Then I care nothing for you. Begone!
demeter
Why do you hate humans so much, anyway?
zephiel
I have daddy issues.
demeter
Oh.

Defeat

zephiel
At least this time I didn't get done in by a toddler.

Explaining the Joke

This is a reference to Zephiel's fate in Eckesachs.

Defeat by Elias

zephiel
At least this time I didn't get done in by a toddler.
elias
Er... Well...
zephiel
Offscreen.
I didn't get done in by a toddler, offscreen.
It happened inscreen. I'll take solace in that.
elias
You're a really sad man, aren't you?
zephiel
Shut your mouth!

Nergal

Combat

nergal
Where's MY leading role?!

Combat w/ Hecate

hecate
(smiles) Heeey, matching turbans! Nice!
nergal
How very quaint.
Let us not waste time, shall we?
The faster we fight, the sooner this will be over.
hecate
Hey, not for nothing, but...
I think your style is pretty cool.
nergal
(smiles) ...Y-You think...?

Defeat

nergal
Why? Why must I lose?
More power... I must be...stronger...
I...

Why? Why did I... want power?
...... Quintessence?
...Don't...under...stand...
Maybe I'd understand,
if they properly translated my special death quote!

(Nergal stamps his foot.)

Why does it suck so much to be me?!

Lyon

Combat

lyon
Okay, if you'll just give me a minute to lift my tome...

(Lyon struggles.)

Hnnnngh...!

(Lyon struggles more.)

Nnnnnnnnnngh...!!

Explaining the Joke

Lyon's personal tome, Nafalgar, is one of the heaviest weapons in the game. Lyon has the shrimpy Constitution one would expect from a mage, so this weighs him down to an extreme degree. The absurdity of this, both as a game design decision and as a question of how a book can possibly be heavier than steel weapons, is a meme in the FE8 fandom.

Combat w/ Inquisitor Sandy

sandraudiga
Wow, you're such a tragic villain.
But I think I'm more tragic than you.
lyon
You're not serious, are you?
sandraudiga
So you were a weakling and got no bitches.
Big whoop. I got turned into a super zombie
dropped off a giant skyscraper
buried alive
and sentenced to purgatory...
pretty much forever.
lyon
Yes, but you kinda deserved all that.
sandraudiga
Awww, details shmetails...
lyon
......
How long is your sentence in purgatory, anyway?
sandraudiga
978,352,481,896,484,
652,765,163,478,
687,951,591,597,196,
879,666,666,666,
156,947,965,453,172,
776,262,351,214,
111,995,176,456,234,
579,651,598,778,
895,746,263,148,878--
lyon
Y-Yeah, okay... I get it...

Defeat

lyon
Oof... Huff... Puff... E-Enough! Enough!
Hoo... Aww, I'll never have your endurance,
Eirika... Ephraim...

Zephlyogal

Combat

zephlyogal
(smiles) Together, we are the ultimate villain!
...Wow, and I can actually lift my tome like this!
It's amazing! It's... Why, it's wonderful!
(scowls) Shut up and get ready, Lyon!
Pah. Look at them bicker like humans. Disgusting.
Stop already! We're fighting, remember?

Defeat

zephlyogal
In retrospect, this was a really dumb idea.
(smiles) But hey, at least there's a silver lining!
I got to know how it feels to be able to lift my tome!
(Zephlyogal fidgets with agitation.)
zephlyogal
Why do you even have that tome if you can't lift it?!

Ending

(Zephlyogal unfuses following their defeat.)
lyon
Well, that's that. Our small role in this adventure is over.
zephiel
Good. I tire of mingling with humans.
nergal
Hmph...
lyon
C'mon, Nergal. Cheer up.
nergal
And why should I?
lyon
W-Well... You could have not been included, for starters!
nergal
Oh yes, I'm so glad I got to be here.
Got made fun of without the actually good part of it.
Why the devil should I cheer up?! It sucks to be me!
lyon
That's not true!
You may not have gotten the treatment that we did, but you have admirers that number in the thousands.
You are worthy of your place in the pantheon of villains.
nergal
...Do you mean that?
lyon
(smiles) Of course I do! And Zephiel agrees!
Right, Zephiel?
zephiel
I hate both of you. Filthy human scum.
lyon
(still smiling) See? He said he agrees in Zephielish!
nergal
......
(smiles) Thanks, guys. I appreciate it.
lyon
That's more like it already.
Let's go celebrate the occasion with a milkshake.
nergal
Oh yeah, I could totally go for a milkshake right now.
Hope they haven't ran out of quintessence-flavor milkshake.
zephiel
Human milkshakes are terrible. Dragons make the best milkshakes.
lyon
Okay! Off we go, then!
demeter
(smiles) How wonderful is that? Don't you get the sense that things are just right?
elias
(smiles) It's always nice when it all turns out well.
demeter
This has truly been an eye-opening lesson on the value of friendship.
elias
Yeah... Everyone deserves a friend. Even villains.
kyra
...Am I supposed to understand what's going on, or...?
demeter
No.
kyra
(smiles) Good. Just wanted to get that cleared up.
All right! C'mon, big guy, let's keep it up.
elias
Only one trial remains, Kyra.
Soon enough it'll be over. Let's hurry!
kyra
(frowns) ...Yeah...
edward
(smiles) Man, Eli... It's been amazing watching you work! Look at you!
Who needs an old fossil like me with you around?!
Elias, the great knight of the future! Gehahahaha!
elias
(smiles) Bah, don't talk like that...
I was just given this so I could keep up with everyone else.
You're plenty strong, and you need no contraptions.
edward
(frowns) Hey! Don't you go puttin' yourself down, now!
Everyone uses weapons, right? Me and Hestia like our axes, yer sister favors her bows, and you've got your machine!
(smiles) That's all it is. A weapon befittin' of the bravest lil' warrior ever!
elias
Ahahahaha! All right, all right. If you say so, Uncle Ed.
pheme
Awww, man... This is totally not fair.
Why don't I get a cool robot?
elias
(frowns) I-I mean, I can't exactly do anything about it...
Why don't you ask the higher-ups?
pheme
Dang right I will! I already made an appointment!
...They can only see me in 3,387 years.
Stupid bureaucracy.
hestia
(smiles) ...Anyway, you've got to let me take a look at the gizmo, little dude.
I need to know how it works. Such incredible technology...
I may have to start believing in miracles...!
elias
(smiles) Sure. Anything for my sister's wife.
(Hestia starts.)
hestia
(frowns) Whoa, whoa! We're not married yet!
edward
“Yet?” Gehahahaha!
Don't keep me waitin' too long now, you hear?
I've gotta walk Kyra to the aisle, and I ain't getting any younger!
elias
Just so you know, and not that it matters, but you've got my blessing.
Honestly, I wasn't sure she'd ever find the right person for her...
Couldn't have imagined a better partner for her.
hestia
(smiles) ...Soooo... That means I can take a look?
elias
Go ahead! I trust you not to break anything.
(Elias steps out of his mecha.)
hestia
Yahoo!
edward
Hey, hey! Let me look too! I wanna see too!
hestia
Look, but don't touch!
pheme
I wanna ride it! Just for five minutes! Pretty please?
(Everyone leaves with the mecha, but Elias stays behind.)
elias
Hahahaha...

(serious) ...You know, you could say hello.

(Lorenzo emerges from the pillar he was hiding behind.)
lorenzo
Ah! You saw me?
elias
It's not easy, hiding in a place like this.
lorenzo
Young Elias... Listen, I--
elias
Before you say anything, Sir Lorenzo... I wanted to thank you.
You delivered my final message to Kyra, like I asked.
You gave me a proper burial... You fought at her side...
You did so much for me, and for her. Thanks...
lorenzo
And yet... I fear I do not feel as though it was enough.
How could it be? After all my years of blind servitude...
I was complicit to countless crimes. So much suffering...
And now that the war is over, what is there for me to do?
It was much too brief... How can I earn redemption now?
elias
......
lorenzo
Bah... Pardon me.
It is not as though I am alone in this.
And this should be a time for merriment... for fun!
Forgive me for bringing my self-pity into this.
elias
Sir Lorenzo... There is something I'd ask of you, while I have the chance.
lorenzo
Hmm?
elias
In the forest where you buried me...
Right between my and Lady Apate's graves...
A flower has begun to bloom. A dwarf iris.
Of course, the woods are dense. That spot is really dark...
This flower can't fight for sunlight against the mighty trees.

Only you live close enough. This blossoming bud has nobody but you.
Would you see that it grows strong and healthy, Sir Lorenzo?

lorenzo
......
(smiles) It... shall be my honor.
elias
(smiles) Thanks... I knew I could count on you.

Character Descriptions

Zephiel
Seemingly a gifted genius, but he couldn't appreciate his perfectly fine foster dad. And worse, he made Narcian a general!

King
A monarch whose animations are really stupid to import, so I had to settle for a version without the cool flips. Womp womp.

Lyon
A very soft boy who did a little war crimes, but we can fix him, right?

Necromancer
If I ever become rich, I'm definitely buying a cape like that so I can twirl it around all dramatic-like.

Nafalgar
A heavy weapon that expunges speed.

Negal
A dark druid, so powerful and so wise, he could influence the quintessence to create... life. Then he died. Ironic.

Dark Druid
Like a regular druid, except with the special ability to not get a hack about him from me.

Zephlyogal
You may not like it, but this is the true face of Emblem Zero.

Bern/Grado/Morph
Vestiges of ancient soldiers, following he who was once their leader.

Pupil
An adorable apprentice studying magic under the dark master Lyon.