Marianne and the Forbidden Codex: A Fire Emblem Three Houses story

No Heroes, No Relics

"Yeah... It's complex to start with this," Leonard said, rubbing his head. "Have you noticed that these weapons are strangely shaped and seem to throb?"

"Yes, which prevents me from using my family's relic," Hilda replied.

"Thank you, Hilda," Leonard replied. "Well, if they throb and have the shape of appendages, it is because they are just that: appendages and parts of the body of some being, that is to say: corpses... So to speak. Because the truth is that they are still alive."

They all looked somewhat puzzled. Leonard's explanation could have been more clear. Most of the users of any of those relics were left confused or even overwhelmed by that fact that now seemed almost obvious.

"And from what beings would these supposed living corpses come?" Sylvain resumed the word with an expression that almost bordered on disgust.

"I will be brief in this explanation to not complicate you: Sothis descended to earth and left his offspring on it. That offspring became known as the Nabateans. After the catastrophe caused by the confrontation between Agartha and the Nabatean, the Goddess restored the earth. She also left humanity to populate the earth. The sons of Sothis met mainly in what are today the ruins of the Zanado Canyon, while my kindred hid underground, as some books mention."

"It's true... In the Abyss, there was a book about that story," Claude commented.

"These weapons are corpses of the Goddess's children, you mean?" Lysithea asked.

"That's right... The power of the Relics requires three elements: The weapon created with the remains of the corpse of the Goddess and her children, or Nabateans. Then, the Crest stones are needed, which are nothing more than their hearts, which imbue the weapons with energy," Leonard drank some water before continuing. "Now, for someone to use a specific weapon, they need to be compatible with the weapon's body and with the Crest stone... That's where their Crests come from.

"It is clear that the Crests come from the blood of those Nabateans after Nemesis and the heroes drank from it," said Lysithea.

"Exactly..." Leonard replied with his head down. "That is why the implantation of a Crest is done through a blood rite."

"I highly doubt this could be human work...right?" Lorenz commented.

"That's right..." Leonard replied. Because of the Codex, I can only tell you that their creation responds to an attempt on the part of Agartha to take revenge on the children of the Goddess and rule the humans.

"So, that thing about the Liberator King... Nemesis, it's nothing more than a farce," Leonie took the floor, to everyone's astonishment.

"To a certain extent," Leonard answered again. "Nemesis and the heroes were nothing more than bandits, albeit quite skilled. The Agarthan urged them to steal the remains of Sothis. Thus, the Sword of Creator was forged from her bones, the heart of Sothis was imbued into it as the Crest Stone, and Nemesis was given her blood to drink to invest him with the Crest of Fire.

"All this that you tell us is horrible, Leonard..." said Ingrid, with an expression of awe. "I assume the other relics repeat the same pattern as the Sword of Creator."

"That's right," Edelgard commented now. "As you may assume, the blood of the Goddess's children is truly powerful, as are their hearts and bodies. None of these have "died" in the terms we humans know. The Heroes transfer their Crest to their descendants during these thousand years, even partially. The weapons have not worn out, and the Crest stones continue with the same brilliance and power as a millennia ago."

"That's what I was going with the undead corpses term," — Leonard commented before letting out a nervous laugh.

"That means that the idea of the life of these beings is completely different from ours, " Ferdinand thought. "We are fragile beings next to those beings, those who still lend us their power..."