Illusions and Lies (A Super Smash Brothers fan fiction)

CHAPTER THIRTY SEVEN: FIRST MISSION.

It hadn't even been a week since the group's induction into the ranks of the Rebellion, and yet Lucina was already being sent on a mission. 

Honestly, this whole thing was kind of terrifying. At the moment, Lucina was sitting in the ready room with her gaze firmly fixed on the floor. A horrible anxious feeling twisted her stomach into knots, bringing with it a faint sense of nausea. 

A hand on her shoulder caused her to look up. Dimitri was there, a reassuring smile on his face. "Nervous?" 

"Just a bit." Lucina smiled weakly and tried to fight the nausea that threatened to overwhelm her. 

"This should go pretty smoothly. It's a fairly routine mission, if that helps at all." Dimitri said. He offered his hand to her, which Lucina just kind of stared awkwardly at. "Corrine will be responsible for looking after you. She'll go over a final check of your gear before we leave, and if we see any intense combat, she'll look out for you."

"Alright." Lucina accepted Dimitri's help in standing up. Oddly enough, almost as soon as she stood up, the nausea vanished. 

The silver-haired girl in question was standing over by the door, deep in conversation with her twin. Interestingly enough, Silas, who was Corrine's boyfriend, was nowhere to be seen. As they walked over, Corrine laughed and ruffled her brother's hair. 

"Don't worry. I'll come back. Since I still haven't taken you to that bookstore like I promised I would, we can do that when I get back." Corrine said with her signature bright smile. 

"Sounds like a plan." Corrin replied. After a brief hesitation, he smiled back at her, though he still looked worried. Lucina didn't blame him in the slightest. 

Before she could respond, Dimitri cleared his throat and said "Corrine, I apologize for the interruption, but we're preparing to head out now. Your brother will have to leave now." 

"Of course. See you later." Corrine pulled her brother into a brief hug and then stepped back. He left shortly afterwards, pausing at the door to wave at her. Once the door closed behind him, Corrine turned back to Dimitri and Lucina. "Alright. Lucina, I'll check over your gear once. I'm assuming that's what you wanted me to do, yes?"

Dimitri nodded. "Correct. You'll also be keeping an eye on her." 

"Gotcha." Corrine gave him a thumbs up. She turned her gaze to Lucina then, scanning over her equipment. "Let me check the edge of your sword, and then you'll be good to go. Wouldn't want your blade to be dull, just in case we do run into trouble." 

As Lucina was unsheathing the Parallel Falchion, a spike of pain behind her eye caught her off guard. As she raised her free hand to her eye, an image appeared before her eyes, taking the place of her regular surroundings. Startled, she dropped the sword, but she never heard the metallic clang that followed it. The vision had completely taken over by then.

Dimitri was standing over a body, his cape billowing in the wind. A scowl twisted his features almost unrecognizably, and his grip on his lance was so tight Lucina feared he'd snap it in half. 

She knelt to inspect the body herself, though she had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach that she knew exactly who this was already. 

Sure enough, the silver hair that was drenched with blood was enough to confirm Lucina's suspicions. Forgetting that she was nothing more than a ghostly spectator, Lucina reached her hands out and tried to shake Corrine's shoulders. Her hands just passed right through the body. Horrified, Lucina stumbled back. 

There was so much blood. Lucina couldn't bring herself to look closer at the body to determine what had killed her. 

Lucina was snapped out of the vision and back to the present by someone shaking her shoulders and calling her name.