Chapter Text
BYLETH
The timeskip had one job. Just the one.
Starloon watched me with mild concern on his face. Although with his face smashed into his hands, perhaps the message was lost a little.
“I mean, at least Rhea didn’t die?” Starloon offered.
“We don’t know how long that will hold true,” I growled. I paced back and forth within the (sadly) empty throne room, the absence of Sothis’ chair leaving the space hollow from its usual comfort. “For all I know, I’ll launch a campaign, lose my sweet mint hair, and find Rhea dead.”
My hands slid across my face. “The one time I decide to side with the Church is the one time everyone from it is dead.”
“I mean, to be fair, the rest-”
“The rest doesn’t matter!” I threw my hands up wildly. “If I specifically wanted the rest, I would have dragged them along to somewhere else. No, those three are the only ones with answers. After all, Sothis has done for us, I must at least have the decency to at least help uncover her past.”
Starloon did a lazy flip in the air. “Well, since Seteth and Flayn are, ah, not here,” Starloon shrunk slightly at my glare. “Church is free real estate.”
I stuttered to a halt. “Pardon?”
He looked up languorously. “The one reason you don’t just anhalliate the church? The people inside of it.” He got up. “Specifically, Seteth, Flayn, and Rhea.”
Starloon shrugged. “As you said, the rest of the church group you can send elsewhere.”
“Dismantling the church won’t stop the world from falling to shreds,” I moaned. It was true: the church's orders were not the only reason Dimitri declared war upon Edelgard.
Starloon’s eyes glinted. “But what if you gave them a reason to unite?” He flared with magical power. “Declare war on the Kingdom and Alliance. Force them to bow to your demands.”
“Which would be?”
The bloodthirsty look on Starloon’s face gave way to an unimpressed stare. “Have them team up and yeet you off the planet of course.”
“Yeah, no,” I dismissed. “We aren’t sending thousands of soldiers to their immediate death.”
“Ah, but you don’t!” Starloon exclaimed. A magic diagram wove its way between them. “We know that Those Who Slither In The Dark reside here, here, and here,” Starloon said, gesturing to the relevant locations. “Just take those places, fling the heads of the leaders off their shoulders, and proceed to exist as swarms of soldiers are stalemated at your defenses.”
“I mean, perhaps…” I said. It certainly was possible. TWSITD hideouts were usually on well defendable land. “A crusade...”
“Hey, Edelgard gets rid of the church, Dimitri hopefully doesn’t die, Claude gets his act together, and you get to own Those Who Slither In The Dark for me!” Starloon said cheerily. “I personally like that last part, your health permitting of course.”
“Taking up defensive positions in their land will not provoke Dimitri,” I said, still doubtful. Once the advance stops and church soldiers dig in, I may be entirely ignored until after the original war.
“Take some church fanatics and plunge deep yourself,” Starloon said. “The Blue Lions will surely follow. The hardcore people won’t be satisfied with the original maneuver anyway.”
“I still need a motive for attacking the Alliance,” I pointed out.
“Eh, just spout some nonsense about taking the Alliance is necessary to get to the Kingdom.”
I looked up warily. “You realize this is a stupid idea, right?”
“If anyone could pull it off, it would be you.”
I sighed and turned back the clock.
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“Why am I even here?” Edelgard sighed. “I know they won't come, but here I am anyway. How has it already been five years? Time stops for no one, I suppose.”
I entered the room slowly, a hat I got specifically for the occasion tipped in my hand.
Edelgard’s eyes widened. “Huh? It's-- It's you! What are you doing here?”
“I came here for you,” I nodded, slipping back into a mask of stoicness.
“For me? Highly doubtful.” Edelgard shook her head. “So you were alive. What have you been doing all this time?”
“Dead.” I offered, knowing she wouldn’t believe me. “Well, sleeping, more like. The goddess’ powers allowed me to recover from quite the nasty fall, even if it took, what, five years?”
“Joking at a time like this.”My lips twitched downward in disappointment. “Well if you don't wish to tell me, I won't persuade you. All that matters is this: Will you return to the Empire with me?”
I opened my mouth, but Edelgard held her hand up. “Before you answer, know that our friends from our Black Eagle days have chosen to join me in the fight ahead.”
My eyes widened. That was new.
“Did they now?” I muttered softly.
Edelgard’s eyes lit up with hope. “Yes. They saw merit in my cause.” She reached out her hand. “Please, professor. You once said that you would move Heaven and Earth for your students. Won’t you join us now?”
I pulled at Time Pulse longingly. “I...”
“Hesitation. It betrays your true answer.” Edelgard’s face fell.
“I have made my choice,” I agreed solemnly.
“That means... we're enemies now, you and I. Your students will truly be heartbroken.” Edelgard drew the Sword of Seiros from its scabbard. “My teacher, the time for discussion has come to an end.”
“I’d rather not,” I sighed. Still, I unhooked the Sword of the Creator from my belt, Sothis’ power humming within me. “Still, I wish to give an explanation, if you will listen.”
I whipped the sword out to meet Edelgard’s strike, the two rare metals grinding against each other. “You think you know who Rhea is.”
“Your words are meaningless Professor. No matter the case, the years of oppression under church rule are unforgivable.”
“Not denying that part,” I grimaced, stepping back after a particularly hard blow. Wind swelled at my feet, Windboost lending its aid. “But more specifically, what she is.” Wings of fire formed on my back, which crashed upon the spot where Edelgard stood. “A dragon.”
She slashed upward from her roll, creating some space. “That was established five years ago. What is your point?”
I aimed a well-placed Wind spell at Edelgard’s hands, knocking the blade clean out of her hands. “My point is,” I growled, throwing the Sword of the Creator to the side (I broke its fall with Wind, I chill with artifacts!). I threw my weight against Edelgard, tackling her and pinning her to the ground. Ignoring the widening of her eyes, I commanded, “Look at my eyes.”
I focused slightly on what used to be a neat parlor trick. After one of our joint runs, Beleth found that we could turn our eyes to the slits that dragons naturally had.
Edelgard’s eyes widened further. “It can’t be.”
“I’m just like Rhea,” I confirmed grimly. Technically, no, I only held the power of one. Still, fake it till you make it.
I unpinned Edelgard from the floor, sheathing my sword. Beginning to pace, I said, “I did some digging before my death and before coming here. Essentially, after a certain number of years, dragons are consumed by madness.”
I spread my arms. “Believe it or not, the same rule applies to Rhea and I. By my estimates, it should have happened during the millennium festival, but here I am. My theory is that the sleep I mentioned ended up buying me some time, enough to last me through a few months.”
Edelgard looked on in disbelief. “Which means…”
“I’m a liability. If I join you I’ll ruin your dreams of a united Foland.” I patted her on the head, ignoring how I was easily within knife range. “I can’t move heaven and earth if I go off the deep end. Therefore, I need to die. Preferably in the most spectacular way possible.”
“You seem awfully calm about this,” Edelgard said.
“You want the church gone, correct?” I continued. Waving her off. “I’m technically next in line, due to my minty hair. I take leadership, antagonize the life out of Claude and Dimitri, and then you three take out myself and the Church.” I glanced at Edelgard. “Claude and Dimitri are still ruling, and are still fighting you, correct?”
“So you don’t know the current situation? I guess I must reconsider everything you said till this point.” Edelgard sighed. “Technically, Claude is neutral. Dimitri has been in exile for the past five years. Are you sure you can provoke them?”
“Won’t be for long, I assure you.” I chuckled wryly. “So, how about it? I have some fun, hopefully keep from killing my students, and you dismantle the church.”
“And you’ve made certain there is no other way to save yourself.”
I nodded. “And thus my reasoning.”
Edelgard nodded back solemnly. “Very well then. Goodbye, my teacher. When next we meet, one of us will breathe their last.” She sheathed her sword, turned around, and left.
I managed to look grim for about 10 seconds, before collapsing into a heap on the floor.
“Oh thank Sothis that worked,” I thought breathlessly. “How in the world did I manage to pull that off?”
“Byleth charm stat too OP, please nerf,” Starloon agreed solemnly. He flickered briefly. “From this point on, it’s you and me, buddy.”
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Soon, the bandits arrived.
“You know, I can’t say I disagree with Dimitri,” Starloon shrugged in my mind. “Even though I don’t know their circumstances, I can’t help but think of them as filthy rats, scurrying in the decay.” He sighed, and when he spoke again, his voice returned to normal. “Perhaps that is the bloodlust talking. Regardless, make a show! We have a statement to make to the world after all.”
“Right,” I muttered. I made my way stealthily to the nearest bandit. Magic energy flared up inside of me, releasing into well placed Thunder spells. Two bandits fell with screams, the first whiffs of burnt flesh stinging the air. I picked up the bandits’ sword and axe, twirling the sword casually at the looters who now noticed me.
“What the… Intruders! Protect the goods!”
The fight was laughably easy, given that I could attack without holding back. It was liberating, almost, to only have to worry about my own flesh and blood, to be able to feel the magic pulsate freely in my bones. Gone were the flare and the style; no man would be leaving these grounds tonight.
I would let the carnage do the talking.
“You have sinned!” I exclaimed, Wind erupted from my blade and knocked the latest batch down. “The goddess brings her judgement!”
The leader snarled, backing up among the bodies of his men littered around him. He lunged at me, blade snapping at thin air as I casually sidestepped the swing. “A lesson learned too late,” I chuckled. I whirled the blade thrice before bringing it down upon his head with practiced ease. His body thudded in the courtyard, joining the other corpses blanketed by shadow and blood.
“Who is it?!” A voice boomed. I could hear an axe being drawn, feet being planted on the ground.
I turned, sword drawn, then relaxed slightly as I saw who it was. “Alois? Alois!” I cheered mentally. I really wasn’t in the mood to deal with more cannon fodder. “Why hello there. Don’t suppose you came to help with the bandit problem, did you?”
“Gah! Professor? No, it can’t be.” Alois shivered “We lost him 5 years ago. Which means you must be a ghost!” He jumped back five feet, face contorted (hilariously) into a look of fear. “Stay back!”
I held my hands up placatingly, already having heard the spiel. “It’s really me.” I stomped my feet on the ground as proof. “See? Not a ghost.”
“It’s really you,” Alois said in disbelief. “Where have you been these past five years?” He shook his head. “After all this time…”
“Dead, sleeping, take your pick,” I said, tapping my hair. “After falling off that cliff, I ended up in stasis for five years, healing thanks to the power I received.”
“All right then,” Alois said reluctantly. “To be honest, I’m still having trouble wrapping my head around it. But I will trust your word, Professor. Say, I wonder if Lady Rhea is going through something like you did. She also disappeared after the battle at Garreg Mach five years ago. Since then, the Knights of Serios have been fully devoted to searching for her. We have yet to find a trace.”
“Could she have been captured by the Imperial army?” I tried not to drawl. It still grated on me to have all the answers, yet be unable to act until I “rediscover” them again.
“I guess it is possible. But the Empire has been quiet about such things. Even if they announced it, the Knights of Serios are shorthanded when it comes to troops.” Alois patted me on the back. “But now we have you! Surely the people of Foland will rally behind your cause!”
“I would hope,” I nodded. “Could you grab Catherine, Shamir, Cyril, and Seteth? I would like a meeting in the Cardinal room.”
“Ah, professor,” Alois’ face fell. “We lost Seteth and Flayn a year ago, in a surprise attack by the Empire.”
I took a deep breath. I already made the decision to put aside my grieving for later. “I see,” I stated tightly. “The time for grieving shall come. Gather the rest, and we shall see what we can do.”
Alois opened his mouth, then closed it and shook his head. “Right,” he stated.
Picking my way through the ruins and bodies, I made my way to Seteth’s office. Thankfully, quill and parchment, no matter how dusty, still remained in one of the desks.
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“Shamir, a word?”
Shamir looked at me quizzically. By some miracle, I had just convinced Alois and Catherine to depart for Rodrigue in the Kingdom, and Cyril to depart for Claude in the Alliance to aid the former Blue Lions and Golden Deer. Each took a battalion of knights with them.
The few weeks passed together will be sorely missed.
“What do you need?” She asked.
I slipped a letter into Shamir’s hand. “Show this to Claude when you get to the Leicester Alliance. You may read over the letter if you would like, but otherwise, this message is for Claude’s eyes only.” I handed her another one. “This one's for you personally. You may share it if you please, but I would prefer it if you don’t.”
“You know I won’t be offended if you keep me out of this,” Shamir sighed. “But your trust is appreciated.”
“Right,” I gestured off towards the monastery gates. “You better join Cyril before he leaves you in the dust.”
I watched Shamir nod and exit the Cardinal Room.
I turned my attention to the maps scattered across the table. “Play to my strengths,” I muttered. There was a reason I revolutionized defensive warfare; The torrents of soldiers would do nothing to the mercenaries I led, standing resolute against the crashing tide.
I scattered tacks and scraps of parchment around key areas, having already had experience waging war in those fields. I knew Rodrigue in particular would be a problem, as most soldiers resisted only one type of damage. But if they couldn’t hit me in the first place...
“Ah.”
I withdrew my quill, Petra’s name half-written across the most recent mark. Sure enough, I had transitioned into strategizing around my students’, opponents’ , strengths.
Which reminded me that I still needed to take stock of what units I even had for deployment.
I sighed, noting the setting sun.
“If only you were here,” I smiled sadly.
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Author’s Note:
This is supposed to act as a prequel to my other story, Ashen Reincarnate. It is supposed to help me with independent plot lines, but I am already stumped on where to take this. Suggestions are appreciated though!