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

Those who curse in the darkness

It was dawn, and most of the party was ready and willing to continue their way back to the Fódlans' Locket. The warriors prepared their equipment and took the weapons that Leonard had given them last night.

Mercedes was still somewhat taciturn. The scene she had witnessed was truly disconcerting, to say the least, bordering on an understatement. He looked curiously at the couple, the one who was still together.

Marianne looked radiant as she walked to Leonard's side without moving as far away from her as possible. Leonard, for his part, adapted the rhythm of his steps to stay next to his beloved, while he did not stop directing his gaze and even his body posture towards her. It seemed like they were mesmerized by each other.

The girl was captivated by that man. "And to think that almost everything fell recently... I don't know if it will be easy to erase my feelings. I will trust him and that the wounds of his past can heal," thought Marianne while she continued talking with Leonard.

"You're okay, right?" Leonard looked tenderly at his beloved.

"I feel well. Thank you for worrying about me," the girl's happy look contrasted too much with the facial expression she showed until a month ago.

The whole group went down the shortcuts Leonard and Holst knew to reach the fort as quickly as possible. Leonard helped Marianne to follow the path, taking her hand when going down some unevenness. Although the sky was overcast, it hadn't started snowing yet, so hurrying up before the storm began was important.

Abruptly, a strange figure appeared out of nowhere in front of the couple, possibly the product of a teleportation spell. He was an Agarthan. The odd man had a stocky posture and a beard that covered his face. He wore a black cape. Leonard had no idea who he was, but it was impossible not to be defensive. He looked at Marianne momentarily, the one who expressed with her gaze and knowing that man.

"It's Thales, Leonard..." Marianne hid behind her partner, terrified.

"Good morning, darlings," Thales said, reaching for Leonard's arm at full speed.

Before he could activate his codex, the other Agarthan used his teleportation spell. Meanwhile, Claude and Edelgard only reacted to the enemy's presence when the enemy spoke to Marianne and Leonard.

An instant later, the couple and Thales found themselves in some dark city illuminated by strange devices. In that city stood a series of buildings of a completely different style from the rest of Fódlan. The couple warned that perhaps the place's architecture, science, or technique would not have any comparison with what human society had at that time.

"Where the hell are we?" Leonard asked, summoning the Thunderbrand.

"You don't need to know; You just must know that now you are mine," Thales responded to Leonard as he stretched his arm towards him.

After speaking, Thales summoned a kind of cage that surrounded and enclosed Leonard instantly. In an instinctive reaction, he pushed Marianne so that she would be out of that prison. At first, the cell had bars of black energy, which gradually solidified until it became a material like steel.

Leonard tried with all his might to break the bars with various weapons, including the Crusher, to no avail. Suddenly, a series of cables emerged from the ground, trapping Leonard's arms and legs.

"Time to draw the power of the codex," Thales looked calm and satisfied. "You will excuse me, but you will likely die in the process."

"Ha!" Leonard laughed and immediately spat at the subject at his feet. "I have very much doubt that you can achieve that goal. You will find out in the process."