Another regular, mayhaps considered mundane, week passed at Garreg Mach Monastery. The students of the Officers Academy all had their lessons which consisted of differing subjects, delicious meals were pumped out at the Dining Hall and the Training Grounds saw frequent usage. Garreg Mach was as active as it'd ever been.
On that week's end (a 'weekend', if you will), the Mercury Adept Mia was paying a visit to the Cathedral. Of course, she'd been visiting the monastery's other facilities relatively frequently, but it was the Cathedral she found herself most drawn to. Not even the recently opened Sauna caught her interest as much as the historical place of worship.
Upon entering said place, Mia took to one of the many pews that lined the Cathedral's bottommost part. She found them rather comfortable. Actually, this whole building was incredibly relaxing. It reminded her much of the Sanctums from Weyard. She and her fellow Adepts were quite disappointed when they realised they wouldn't be getting any healing done here in the Cathedral. Nevertheless, the Cathedral still exuded an air of relaxedness.
"Oh! You must be Mia, is that right?" the calming voice of Mercedes would've sent Mia into a slumber had it not been so sudden.
"Y-yes! I'm Mia...that's me. Sorry, uh, who are you?" Mia asked, pulling herself back into reality.
"I am Mercedes von Martritz. I'm a student of the Blue Lions House. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mia," the nobility-born student introduced herself with a small bow. "Have you come to pray?"
"No, I haven't...I've come here to relax," Mia revealed. A feeling of embarrassment shot straight through her. "This Cathedral...it feels so nice. It's not comfortable in the same way a home is, but it's still very cozy all the same."
"I agree," Mercedes nodded. "I come here every morning to pray. That is, when I am not away on a mission. When I do come here, the moment I step inside, I feel completely at ease. As if all my worries disappear entirely. I take it you are not a religious person?"
"I'm not, sorry…"
Mia hung her head in shame, but Mercedes' unexpected positive response brought the Adept's head right back up to where it was.
"That's okay. Not everyone has a god or goddess they can pick and pray to. A mental commitment like that should not be forced upon another, so I won't look down on you for not having a mindset like mine. In fact, there are plenty of people at the monastery who aren't religious. You certainly aren't alone in your thinking."
"R-really? Wow...this place really is diverse," Mia commented, internally breathing relief. "I suppose the closest thing to a religious mindset I have is that many people in my hometown called me 'Angel'. That was because of my Psynergy."
"Angel...I assume they chose that name because you used your power to help out others, much like an angel?" Mercedes paused for a moment upon hearing the world 'angel' - her mind had wandered.
"Yes. Being a Mercury Adept, my skills are generally focused on healing and protecting. That's not to say I don't have any offensive potential...it's just not my specialty. I guess it's very much like your Priests and Bishops," Mia explained. "I used Ply, a powerful healing Psynergy, to quell the illnesses and injuries of the people of Imil - my hometown. My doing so earned me the nickname Angel."
"I see. That is rather fascinating. I am almost envious. To be regarded as a divine being for the simple act of helping others...it is not unexpected, but...I would like to be the same," Mercedes disclosed.
"You want to be like me?" Mia was understandably confused.
"I do. My lifelong dream is to help others, however and whenever I can. If I can be called Angel, then it might mean my dream has been fulfilled."
"I hope that happens to you someday, Mercedes."
Mia and Mercedes shared a smile. A small silence appeared between the two, but it was not one of awkwardness. It was of understanding. The two girls understood each other
"If I may…" the latter of the two broke the silence.
"What is it?" the former asked.
Another short silence. "Would you like to be friends with me?"
"Of course. I would love nothing more."
Thusly, the pair of girls became good friends. Mercedes stuck to her word and did not force her religion upon Mia, but she did insist that the two perform certain activities together. Sharing a perfect cup of tea, relaxing in the Sauna and even studying together. Anything that allowed the new friendship to blossom.
While those two girls were hitting it off with one another, some rather noisy happening was going down elsewhere in the monastery. An Adept and three students were the cause of it all. Their yells of absolute joy permeated throughout the area beside Garreg Mach's pond and Dining Hall. Shields clattered and rang obtusely against the hard rocky ground. Innocent bystanders gave them weird looks as they kept repeating their actions.
Caspar was the main instigator for such a loud activity. He'd easily managed to convince his friends Raphael and Garet to join in on the fun - he even roped in some random student. The four of them were sliding down the staircase that rested in front of the Dining Hall by the use of shields Caspar procured from some other place.
"Oh yeah! This is great!" the Black Eagles boy exclaimed as he slid down the staircase for the fourth time in a row. "Are you guys having fun?"
"I sure am! Man, this is incredible! Almost as fun as weight lifting or training, or even eating! Uh, actually, forget that last one," Raphael responded. "Nothing beats a good meal!"
"You sure are wise, Raphael. I don't think anyone can resist a nice dinner," Garet nodded in agreement. "Why don't we all get something to eat when we're done here? Assuming the Dining Hall doesn't close or something."
"Oh, don't worry about it, Garet. The Dining Hall never closes, but the staff members running the place leave after a certain time. So if we wanna have something good to eat, we'd better get in there before it gets too dark," Raphael reassured the fire user.
"I have it all under control, you guys. We'll do this a couple more times and then we'll go feast on everything they've got in the pantry! You in with us, Corona?" Caspar turned to the third student.
"I'm...fine," the girl, Corona replied. "I have to go now anyway."
"Really, so soon? That's a shame. But I guess that's the price you have to pay for being a temporary student here…" Caspar sighed, shaking his head. "See you later."
Garet and Raphael also gave their goodbyes to the female student. They all remarked that she looked rather like Byleth. Perhaps they were siblings. But they shook such an idea off and noted her visual similarities to their professor as a coincidence.
Right after Corona departed, the three went back to shield sliding. Well, they would've, had a certain individual not turned around the corner at that very moment. A very well known blonde prince saw the three boys and frowned.
"So it was you three who were the perpetrators of that terrible noise," Dimitri, the House Leader of the Blue Lions, stated upon approaching them. The trio froze in place. "I will have to ask you to stop this madness at once. It is causing a great disturbance for those of us looking for peace. Please, halt your activity."
"Oh, alright...looks like we're not allowed to have any fun," Caspar frowned back. "Let's go, you two. Maybe we'll get lectured by Edelgard next or something…"
The three boys, with disappointed looks on their faces, retreated into the Dining Hall, likely to do precisely as they'd already planned. Though, they'd forgotten they were still holding onto certain things.
"What else do they plan to do with those shields…?" Dimitri wondered aloud.
Elsewhere within the calming confines of the monastery, Ivan had a very specific thing to do. After having another chat with Sothis thanks to Mind Read, Byleth proposed the idea of using the mental-based Psynergy on some other people within the monastery grounds. Particularly on those who dealt with some kind of negative issue that greatly worsened their minds.
Bernadetta was the first one to come to mind for the ex-Ashen Demon. She was infamous for her reclusive nature and lack of social skills. There was definitely a mental problem at play with the violet. Byleth already knew about why she was a recluse. Mayhaps, Ivan's Mind Read ability would prove useful in finding out more about her ailment. If, however, that ability could read that deep into a person's psyche.
Ivan did not know. He never had to do such a thing before. Though the Jupiter Adept did want to at least try. Reality was brought back to him as he heard the obnoxiously loud screams coming from the four shield surfers.
"Right. I need to focus. I just need to find Bernadetta, which shouldn't be too hard if Byleth is correct. Then I need to cast Mind Read on her, figure out what it is that made her a recluse and from there, I - or Byleth - can think of a way to ease whatever that problem is. Shouldn't be too hard. I'll have to get close to her in order to actually use Mind Read, though…" Ivan's thoughts directed themselves onto the task at hand.
He approached the door Byleth told him belonged to Bernadetta. All of the dormitories' doors looked the same as one another, so Ivan wondered how Byleth could even memorise which ones belonged to whom. Shaking that aside, Ivan knocked on the door. A startled yelp sounded on the other side.
"Um, Bernie's not here!" Bernadetta obviously lied. "Damn! Uh, I mean, who is it?"
"It's me, Ivan. Can I talk to you for a moment?" the Adept in question requested.
"S-sure. You can speak through doors, right? You otherworld guys have some crazy powers so I'm sure you can do something like that," Bernie assumed. "I hope."
Ivan grit his teeth. "Not good. I can't use Mind Read through doors or walls or anything...I need to talk to her face to face. And I have a feeling that might be difficult to make happen."
"Are you still there? Can I get back to my, uh, thing that I was doing? Y'know, the thing," Bernie almost pleaded.
"Sorry, I was thinking," Ivan apologised. "Could I speak to you face to face? This is kind of important."
"No! N-nope, not happening. I'm...busy. Yeah, I'm busy with an assignment. Do you mind waiting until later? Please?"
Ivan instinctively shook his head, despite there being a door in the way. "This won't take very long, I promise. Please, just open the door. I'm not asking you to come outside. I just want a face to face conversation. That's all."
"No way. You probably want to steal my face or something. Or maybe you want to kill me! No, worse…" Bernie paused, seemingly for dramatic effect. "You want to steal my cake that I am not eating! How dare you! You're the worst kind of evil! I will never let you in, you villain!"
"W-wha…?"
Ivan was too dumbfounded to retort in any kind of fashion. He couldn't fathom how a girl like Bernadetta could go from terrified to accusatory in a manner of seconds like that. And didn't she have an assignment?
He shook his head once more, again to no avail. "She seems stern. Well, from the sound of her voice at the moment anyway. I don't think I'll be able to get her out by just asking her...Plan B it is."
"Eek!" Bernadetta yelped again as another knock on her door came. "Who is it now?! Why won't you people leave Bernie alone?"
"It's still me, Ivan. Look, Bernadetta, your professor is here and he wants to speak with you. Something about a cookie?" Ivan lied.
"Professor? Cookie?! Oh, alright. I'll come out, then."
At last, the door opened. It opened slowly, but it was what Ivan wanted nonetheless. Noticing a rather distinct lack of Byleth, Bernadetta's eyes widened and even her pupils seemed to dilate.
"Where's the Professor?! Did he leave? Did he not want to wait for me?!" she exclaimed. "Oh no…"
"Now's my chance!"
Ivan immediately began casting Mind Read on Bernie. He immediately regretted it. Passing through the depths of her psyche, he happened upon disturbing memories and an overwhelming sense of fear for one man in particular. Her father: Count Varley. Skimming past these thoughts, Ivan quickly summarised that Count Varley was an awful example of a human being. Tying his daughter to a chair, forcing her to be as submissive as possible and performing all sorts of horrible tests upon her…
He pulled himself out of Bernadetta's mind before it could get any worse. He hadn't prepared himself for such inhumane sights.
"Bernadetta…" Ivan eventually spoke aloud. "I'm sorry."
"Huh? What are you talking about? Is this about the Professor?"
Ivan shook his head for a third time. "No. I'm...I'm sorry. I promise you. I won't let anything bad happen to you ever again. And I'm absolutely certain that everyone else at the monastery feels the same way. You now have people that love you. Cherish them, Bernadetta."
"What?" Bernie asked. "Well, if Professor Byleth isn't here, then I'll have to get back to work! On the thing. Yeah, I'll go do that."
She practically slammed the door shut. It returned to its natural state of being locked, surprising Ivan with precisely how fast she did it. Her skills as an archer weren't wasted, that's for sure. With his mission only partially achieved, Ivan decided to leave it for now. Thus he left the area.
In doing so, he wasn't aware of the tears that were coming from Bernie's eyes.
Even though all of these three occurrences happened at the same time, there was yet another. Precisely when Mia met Mercedes as well as when Garet, Caspar and Raphael shared a shield sliding session, which was also when Ivan invaded Bernadetta's mind - Isaac had something of his own to do.
The Venus Adept was found by Seteth. Apparently, Lady Rhea requested Isaac's presence specifically. Feeling a mix of curiosity along with confusion, the young man in question just had to find out what the Archbishop wanted. Seteth led him to the Audience Chamber. He'd been there before, particularly when he first arrived at the monastery not too long ago. But coming in here gave him a subtle sense of relaxedness much alike the Cathedral. Isaac figured that was to do with all the spirituality the two places had.
Walking into the chamber at pace with Seteth, Isaac was met with the regal figure of Lady Rhea.
"Ah, there you are, Isaac. Thank you for fetching him for me, Seteth. You are excused," the Archbishop of the Church of Seiros thanked her aide.
"It was of no issue, Lady Rhea. I will be taking my leave," Seteth bowed in courtesy, then left, leaving the Adept and Archbishop to speak in peace.
The woman in question smiled. Such a calming action only served to heighten how comfortable Isaac felt here. He almost felt as if he could fall asleep. Of course, that wouldn't be wise, considering the company he was in. Speaking of that company…
"H-hello, Lady Rhea," Isaac mimicked Seteth's earlier bow. "Thank you for…"
"Please calm yourself. You do not need to act so formally in my presence, though I would advise you not to be too familiar with me. Just be yourself," Rhea advised, her smile retained.
Isaac nodded. "I...understand. Sorry, Lady Rhea, I just feel the need to respect those who have a position of power like you do. Maybe I place too much respect in those kinds of people, now that I think of it."
"It is fine. Do not worry yourself about it. The way you are speaking now is perfect," Rhea reassured him. "Let us get back to the topic at hand. Isaac, from what I have read in Byleth's reports, there have been multiple appearances of a blue-haired Adept throughout the Black Eagles' excursions. You know who he is, do you not?"
"Yes. I assume you want me to tell you about him?" Isaac asked.
Rhea nodded. Isaac took a small breath and began to plan out his explanation of the most enigmatic person he'd ever met. Save for The Wise One. Perhaps even Byleth. Regardless, an explanation was required. He had to deliver.
"His name is Alex. He's a Mercury Adept, like Mia, which means he can use water-based Psynergy. I...don't actually know too much about him as a person. Mia knew him from when he lived with her in their home village of Imil. I think he was an apprentice to her father?" Isaac recounted from things he learnt from Mia. "When he started appearing in our adventures, he sided with two Mars Adepts named Saturos and Menardi, then later Karst and Agatio. We fought them off, but Alex never fought us himself. He always used other people to do his dirty work and always ran away whenever we were almost going to fight him. He's a very slippery person."
"I see," Rhea seemed to take this information in relatively well. "He is a puppeteer, it seems. The kind of individual that slithers in the shadows rather than basking in the glory of the light. I can only hope he is not working with them."
"You mean Those Who Slither in the Dark? I heard about them from Byleth and Edelgard. They seem like terrible people."
"Yes. Those Who Slither in the Dark are indeed the lowest forms of humanity. They perform inhumane experiments on innocent villagers, kidnap our loved ones and implant spies amongst our ranks. I do not know what their goals are, nor am I familiar with this Alex. However, regarding what I do know as well as what you have told me, I can only assume that a joint effort from those two forces could lead to total chaos if left unchecked. Promise me that you will do anything to prevent such a thing from happening."
Isaac nodded. "Of course. I won't let Alex get away with what he wants. He almost did back in our world, but we stopped him. We'll stop him again. I promise you, Lady Rhea."
"Thank you, Isaac," Rhea smiled again. "You are dismissed. Should you have any concerns or fears, do not hesitate to talk to me. I am here most of the time."
"Understood. You're welcome."
Satisfied with their chat, Isaac turned around to leave. He made his way to the Audience Chamber's doors and began to push them open. But then Rhea had something else to say.
"Oh, Isaac. I have just remembered something," the Archbishop suddenly said.
"?" the Venus Adept turned around, an eyebrow raised.
"Your kind. Adepts, I believe you call them. I have heard of them before."
Isaac couldn't think of anything else for the rest of that day.
Author Notes: Sorry this one took so long, folks! About two weeks ago, I had a really busy weekend, so I barely had any time to write. And when I did, I was too tired to do so. So I decided to put it off until the week after, but then Smash Ultimate decided to have an event that made getting everything in that game easier after I'd already confirmed for myself that I wanted to get 100%, thus most of my attention was focused on that.
That leads us to today. Again, sorry for the delay, but I hoped you enjoyed this chapter regardless. It was an interesting one to write, kind of going for a '22 Short Films About Springfield' styled approach with multiple shorter stories happening at once.
I should probably mention that Corona is an edited version of my friend's Three Houses OC. Just thought I'd do something nice for her and give her character a small cameo.
This is also the penultimate chapter! Next time will be the finale. Do let me know if you people wanna see a continuation of this. I will be more than happy to oblige.
Anyways, see you next time.