Ever since the mission at the abandoned part of the monastery grounds last month, Byleth hadn't quite felt the same as usual. To know there were people who explicitly wanted his father dead, it hurt him. That hurt fed into his desire for revenge. He knew these people needed to be eliminated before they could try such a thing again - on anyone.
But he didn't know where they were. There was no way he could go and get that revenge. As he walked around the monastery in an aimless manner, potential ideas of how to look for them swirled through his mind. Perhaps the Knights of Seiros could take up the task, or he could do it himself. Maybe even his father.
Who, incidentally enough, he just figuratively ran into as he was partway through the Entrance Hall.
"Hey there, kiddo. You up to anything special at the moment?" Jeralt asked his son. Byleth shook his head. "No? Well, that's good. Because I've got some information you might want to hear."
"What's that?" Byleth wondered, now curious.
"You know those people who tried to take me out? I know where they're hiding," the Blade Breaker revealed. "Rhea had the knights perform searches for them in secret. I say secret, but I pretty much figured it out immediately. I think the others were scared I'd beat them up if they didn't tell me."
"Where are they?" Byleth almost spat out, seething in an emotion he could only call rage. At least, it felt like how he thought anger was supposed to be. He certainly wanted to know what his father knew.
"In the Sealed Forest. It's on the edge of monastery grounds. They were hiding right underneath our noses…" Jeralt shook his head, then smirked. "That just makes it easier for us. We won't have to walk for very long, so I say we make that short trip now. Let's give them a piece of our minds."
Just then, someone else walked in. A determined look was on her face. It seemed she had something important to say. Such a thing was soon revealed.
"Professor! I know where the enemy is," Edelgard was about to disclose, but quickly realised Jeralt's presence. "Ah, Sir Eisner. I apologise. I didn't see you."
"No problem. Also, I already told your Professor, so you can save your breath," Jeralt responded, turning to face the princess. "Did you come here to convince us out of going?"
"No. In fact, I believe we should strike immediately. We know where they are. It would be the most strategic move we can make," Edelgard discussed.
"I will not allow it."
Right out of nowhere, Lady Rhea, along with Seteth and a knight, entered the scene. Rhea's expression was a rather stern one. That, combined with her tone of voice, truly conveyed her unwavering mindset.
"Rhea. Seteth," Jeralt noted their presence. "I respect your authority, but don't bother saying whatever it is you want to say. We're going. We'll kill those slippery bastards and get back before dinner. Nothing else will happen."
"Surely you must be aware that this may be a trap for you two," Seteth proposed the idea. "We are at a time where the knights are at their busiest. You should know that, Jeralt. This can only be a trap specifically designed for you and your son. With that in mind, we cannot possibly allow you to spring it."
"Indeed. Do not act carelessly, you two. Losing either of you would be a great loss for us all," Rhea added.
"Lady Rhea, our Professor and Sir Eisner are not acting out of revenge. All they wish to do is to simply rid the monastery of a dangerous foe. Do not forget that we have the Adepts on our side. With their immense, otherworldly strength, we cannot possibly lose. That is not to belittle our own power," Edelgard interjected. "You cannot possibly leave the monastery unattended. Thus, we are the most effective force you can send out. We have to act now!"
"Byleth...do you agree with this strategy?" Rhea asked the man in question, who simply nodded. She paused for a moment, as if letting go of something in her mind. "Understood. I shall give you the order. Eliminate the enemy that rests in the Sealed Forest and come back safely. The goddess watches over you."
Sothis smirked.
"Let us go, my Professor. Sir Eisner. We must make haste if we are to dispatch of these enemies efficiently," Edelgard stated.
"Of course. You two go gather your students and those Adepts. I'll get our supplies," Jeralt continued.
The three of them nodded, an understanding of their task shared between them through an invisible mental link. Every foe that slithered inside the darkness of the Sealed Forest HAD to be eviscerated. No matter what.
All of the Adepts as well as the students were quickly collected. Not long after, the reasonably sized group arrived at the edge of the Sealed Forest, the very place where their enemies were supposed to be hiding. It was definitely a forest, though it wasn't quite as lightly coloured as the ones the Adepts were used to back in Weyard. Even still, it didn't seem like the sort of place villains would collate themselves at. It truly seemed like an ordinary forest.
But that certainly wasn't the case. While on the outside it appeared normal, the darkness that lurked within was strong. Even those who weren't very intune with magic could sense something off with this place. Those who were intune with magic…
"We have arrived in the Sealed Forest," Hubert confirmed for his group. "We must not let our guard down. Especially in a place as vile as this."
"Is it really that bad?" Bernadetta wondered, her nerves kicking in.
"Unfortunately, Hubie's assessment is right. The magical energy I'm feeling...it's horrible. It almost makes me want to run away," Dorothea admitted.
"If we did that, we would be able to rest easy. And while I do appreciate that prospect, that would be counterproductive to our mission," Linhardt commented. "We have been tasked to dispose of our enemies. The ones that tried to kill our Professor and his father. We cannot back down from that."
"Wow. Hearing that from you, Linhardt...it makes me feel better. Professor! Jeralt! We'll defeat those enemies no matter what!" Bernie exclaimed, confidence surging through her.
"Yeah, that is pretty surprising to hear from him. What's next, flying pigs?" Caspar joked.
"Calm down you kids. Our enemies could be near," Jeralt instructed them. He turned to Isaac, who'd been standing to the side of the group of students with his fellow Adepts. "Hey, uh, blonde kid? You can sense where people are, right?"
Isaac nodded. "Through the power of my Venus Psynergy, I can. Only vaguely, though."
"You think you could scope out the area? It'll give us a good idea of what to expect," Jeralt suggested.
"Sure," Isaac began to do just that. He used his innate abilities as a Venus Adept to 'feel' the ground's life force as well as seeing in his mind's eye the location of their upcoming foes. The results didn't surprise him. "There are a few soldiers up ahead. Some Demonic Beasts too."
"Those things? They sure like pulling them out recently," Garet remarked. "It doesn't matter. We'll give it everything we've got!"
"Yes, we shall! Let us defeat those who wish to inflict pain on our beloved Professor. The very same Professor who saved my life!" Flayn was there too.
"..." Byleth remained silent.
Even if something stirred in his unnatural heart. Some kind of emotion, the same one he'd been feeling constantly ever since taking on the job as professor. It only heightened when the four Adepts gave him a confident smile. Isaac approached him.
"Be careful, Byleth. Something about this feels...climactic. Like they're gonna be pulling out all the stops to get rid of us," the Venus Adept warned the Professor. "It's possible they might have some kind of trap ready to spring on us. I'll stay by you so you're safe."
"Right. Thank you, Isaac," Byleth thanked his friend. "And thank you everyone. Let's...let's win."
Everyone giggled lightly upon hearing Byleth's odd, albeit fitting word choice. Regardless of the specific words he used, it was enough to encourage his allies. His friends. With their motivation levels maxed out, they quickly drafted a plan of attack that took into consideration the things that Isaac reported. Before long, they marched into the bottom right side of the clearing; their arena.
Just as Isaac said, there was a moderate amount of enemies. A Demonic Beast towards their left, supported by several swordsmen, mages and archers. The same towards the north. Each of those paths seemed to lead to the same area, where vague sights of stone could be seen. Nothing else was visible to the regular eye. Isaac could tell that someone powerful was standing roughy where the stone stuff was. He couldn't tell who, but it felt familiar.
"Hello! You're here! Welcome to the forest of death!" Monica's sweet sounding yet devilish voice soon drifted off into some kind of insane laughter. "My name is Kronya. This weakling girl was just a borrowed look for me."
In an instant, her entire appearance changed, though nobody could actually see it, despite her voice somehow carrying halfway across the battlefield.
"This is what I really look like!" Kronya exclaimed in a nearly excited manner. "Now, you vermin. I'll take down every last one of you!"
"We can't even see her…" Garet sighed.
"Enough talk. It is time for our battle to begin. Time to cast a blinding light on Those Who Slither in the Dark!" Edelgard temporarily took a commandatory position.
With that, the Black Eagles, Jeralt as well as the Adepts, all charged into battle. Half of the forces, led by Jeralt and Edelgard, took care of the western side of foes. The other half, led by Byleth and Isaac, took care of their northernmost opponents. Garet and Ivan went with Edelgard's team while Mia stayed with Isaac. The students were then divided up equally into those two sides.
And those sides immediately started slicing through their enemies. Numerous as they were, they could not stop the combined might of the Adepts and Officers Academy students. Even if things were to seem dangerous for an individual, someone else would jump in to save them. Byleth didn't even need to resort to using a Divine Pulse.
He noticed that had been the case ever since Isaac arrived. The Divine Pulse really wasn't needed while the Adepts were around. Perhaps that was also in part due to his students generally improving their combat skills, thus they didn't require literal divine intervention as much as before, but it did surprise the ex-mercenary how much of a help the Adepts were. Not that he was complaining. As long as his students were safe, he didn't care for circumstances.
A well placed arrow from Bernadetta, a cast of Pyroclasm from Garet, one of Caspar's well placed punches, Ivan's Spark Plasma...all sorts of attacks were thrown across the place. From both sides. The two Demonic Beasts were throwing around boulders and gigantic claw swipes all over. But the students and Adepts were well used to dealing with this kind of thing at this point. Needless to say, the beasts along with the other enemies were downed in due time.
Everyone converged on Kronya's position. Jeralt was allowed to be first.
"Oh, it's you," the devilish girl spat. "Just a rusty old man that doesn't know his place. How about you stay perfectly still and let me finish what I started?"
"I don't give a damn about what you want, 'girl'. I'll kill you before you even get a chance to think about what else you might want," Jerat spat back. "I'll not only break your blade...I'll break your entire body! Get ready!"
Jeralt jumped off his horse, using the momentum from his leap to increase the power of his stab. Kronya evaded. She returned the favour with a running stab from her own lance, but the Blade Breaker easily knocked the weapon out of her hands with a single swing of his lance. He held the tip to Kronya's throat.
"I won't give you the pleasure of last words," he coldly spoke.
Readying a final stab, Jeralt rammed his lance through Kronya's throat. At least, he tried to. A stay ball of dark magic came flying at him, causing him to jump back to dodge. Kronya used this time to leap back and equip her dagger. The exact same dagger she used to try and kill Jeralt earlier.
"Solon!" she almost seemed pleased to see her comrade. "Don't just stand there! Help!"
"Yes...you certainly do need my help," Solon grinned in a very menacing way.
He slowly walked over to Kronya, his palm out. What happened next surprised and disgusted everyone that saw it. Solon reached through Kronya's lightly armoured body, causing her a great deal of pain. This somehow resulted in the four pillars surrounding the stone platform they were on to become enveloped in darkness. Some of the students retreated off the platform upon seeing this. Jeralt, Byleth and Isaac stood their ground.
While this was happening, Solon continued to reach through Kronya's body. The darkness intensified. Aware of the obvious danger, Isaac immediately used his Lift Psynergy to launch Jeralt away from the platform, leaving only himself and Byleth. Although he intended to do the same to Byleth as well as himself, some dark tendrils lashed out and grabbed onto his limbs, restricting his movements. Same with Byleth.
"Solon…! Stop this!" Kronya pleaded, her life ebbing away.
Her 'comrade' ignored this plea for help. Solon's hand found its target. It suddenly pulled back, revealing Kronya's heart in its grasp. The girl in question dropped to the floor and asked for help, but it was too late. She was dead.
"It is time to unleash the Forbidden Spell of Zahras!" Solon declared.
A massive torrent of darkness enveloped Byleth and Isaac. After all the darkness dissipated, nothing was left. Byleth and Isaac were gone. Kronya's lifeless body and Solon's very much lifeful one remained. The others seethed in rage. Rage mixed with bewilderment.
"What kind of magic was that? What happened to Professor Byleth?" Edelgard wondered.
"And Isaac, too! Where'd they go, you veiny freak?!" Garet demanded to know.
"Wouldn't you like to know…" a new voice sounded from nowhere.
Someone new entered the scene. A certain Mercury Adept teleported into place, standing beside Solon with a grin of contentment plastered onto his face.
"Alex!" Mia yelled as she recognised him.
"So you are working with the likes of Solon," Edelgard frowned. "How despicable."
"Your words mean nothing to me, princess. I simply work with those who I find to be beneficial. Solon's weapon is certainly going to help me," Alex responded. "Your dear professor and Isaac have been trapped in a realm of darkness thanks to that weapon."
"Indeed. They are both destined to wander the darkness for all eternity. To think that we could have had the Sword of the Creator...we may have even been able to take that Adept's blade for our own use as well," Solon lamented.
Everyone's confusion was now replaced with total anger.
"You're lying! Isaac would never be trapped by something like that!" Ivan practically yelled.
"Neither would the Professor!" Caspar agreed.
"That is correct! Our Professor and Isaac are not the type to fade away in such a manner!" Flayn chipped in.
"I know Isaac better than anyone else, except for probably his mother. We've been through so much together ever since we set out from Vale. There's no way he could be beaten by something like this!" Garet exclaimed in absolute irritation.
Alex grinned.
"I think you'll find this spell is quite potent. It utilises the most powerful of forbidden Fodlan dark magic in conjunction with the theory of alternate dimensions," Alex explained. "Which we now know is fact, thanks to what I discovered upon receiving the Golden Sun's power."
"Golden Sun?" Edelgard looked over to the Adepts, asking them directly.
"It's a long story. In short, it's a special object that consists of a very large amount of Psynergy. Alex has apparently absorbed some of its power, but thanks to The Wise One, he didn't get all of it. Isaac got the rest," Mia explained.
"I despise The Wise One. But he doesn't matter anymore. With the power I can gain from Solon's forbidden spell, nothing else will matter," Alex avowed.
"Do not forget. I would like to be in possession of some of that Golden Sun's energy. It would do well for my experiments," Solon reminded his ally.
"Of course. I wouldn't forget," Alex reassured him.
Solon turned his attention back to their enemies. "It must be torturous for them. Wandering in eternal darkness for all eternity...soon they shall perish."
"Okay, listen here," Jeralt pointed his lance at Alex and Solon, his voice filled with ferocity. "If you've just gone ahead and killed my son right before my eyes, I'll do the same to you. You'll regret ever messing with the Blade Breaker's family."
"Sir Eisner is right. This is not the end of our Professor's story. Neither is it the end for Isaac," Edelgard nodded.
"I will not forgive such insolence. If that is what you wish, I shall add you to the ranks of the dead!" Solon contended. "Alex! Let us engage in battle with our…"
Alex had disappeared, much to Solon's frustration.
"Ugh, no matter! I will personally eliminate you all!"
Darkness. Complete and total blackness. Not a single living lifeform resided in this realm of absolute nothingness. Light was a foreign concept. Only one thing was the truth - the dark. However, the sudden arrival of a pair of beings from an entirely different world proved to be the direct antithesis to everything this dark universe was.
Byleth Eisner and Isaac the Venus Adept were suddenly transported to this realm. It took them some time to open their eyes. At least, they thought they did. The only thing they could see was the never-ending darkness. They soon found each other. Mysteriously enough, neither of them were blanketed in the blackness. Each of them could see the other perfectly.
A conversation directed at finding their truth soon came to be.
"That Solon guy must have sent us here," Isaac realised. "Whatever that weird spell was, it's trapped us here. With no way out, it seems."
"...I refuse to believe this is the end," Byleth soon replied. "My students and your friends. They're still in the forest. We cannot die here, we musn't. For their sake."
"Right. But how do we even go about getting out of here?" Isaac proposed the eternal question.
Neither of them could think for long, because a worn out stone throne complete with a strangely long flight of stairs appeared out of nowhere, some ways behind the duo. A certain green haired being quickly emerged upon the throne. She did not seem pleased.
"You fool!" Sothis scolded. "What were you thinking, charging right into an enemy's trap? Are you just...a boulder…?" She'd begun to notice Isaac's presence.
"Uh, who are you?" Isaac returned Sothis' gaze with a confused one of his own.
"Not you too! Honestly, you two are quite simply, the most moronic individuals I've ever come into contact with! I would continue with my boulder metaphor but perhaps that would be too fitting for you, Adept," Sothis continued to scold. "I am Sothis, the Beginning. But that does not matter in the slightest as of now! This darkness is terrifying!"
"Wait, Sothis? The same one that Ivan talked about? So he was telling the truth," Isaac mumbled to himself.
"Are you dense, Adept? Do you not understand the gravity of the situation you have so foolishly found yourself in? Act seriously, you buffoon!" Sothis carried on.
"Sorry…" Isaac apologised, hanging his head in shame.
"I am sorry as well…" Byleth followed suit.
Sothis' frown only worsened.
"Apologising will not right this wrong!" the girl's composure loosened, as if her anger dissipated. "Do consider this. This realm of darkness is different to that of the world we came from. Consider it to have a similar relationship the one that Fodlan and the Adepts' world share. Perhaps that isn't so apt, actually. In either case, it would take the power of a god to leave this place. Our bodies will fade away as time passed. Are you two prepared to die?"
Both Byleth and Isaac shook their heads.
"That is what I thought. I also do not wish to die. Yet," Sothis' expression changed to one of sadness. "There is no other choice."
"What choice?" Byleth asked.
"Do you recall your father's diary? He said you were a child that never laughed nor cried. I think I am the one to blame," Sothis revealed. Isaac nodded along, having already received an explanation of Sothis' situation from Ivan. "Ever since your birth, I have been a part of you. I do not know how Rhea managed it, but she has allowed me to exist within you. It is through you that I have found my power again: the power of a goddess. The power of the Progenitor God."
"Progenitor God? I remember reading about that. Wait, you're saying…?!" Isaac soon came to the realisation. Sothis carried on.
"My name is Sothis. By now, you should know what that means, Byleth. You too, Adept. No, Isaac of Weyard. I am the one who watches over Fodlan as well as the creatures that live there. I am Sothis, she who died and then returned," the Progenitor God revealed.
Byleth and Isaac's mouths were agape. They couldn't believe it, yet somehow, Byleth knew it to be true. The latter of the two mortals had a slightly harder time believing.
"So a goddess has been living in Byleth's mind ever since he was born? That sounds...crazy," Isaac remarked. "And that goddess was you?"
"Indeed. I now possess every single memory that has ever been lost to me. I remember events that have occurred since time immemorial. Isaac, please thank Ivan for me. My talks with him have been most enlightening," Sothis answered sincerely. "Long ago, the people of Fodlan could cast a powerful type of magic without the need of tomes or any sort of magical circle. They could utilise the energy found within the world itself to use these immensely powerful spells."
Isaac was piecing it together.
"That energy was known as Psynergy," Sothis disclosed.
"Psynergy?! It exists in this world? No, it...it existed?" Isaac was immensely shocked.
"Yes, it once existed. I knew that if I left it alone, the energy would have wrought destruction upon the world. I needed to seal it somehow. I could not simply make it 'go away'. Psynergy was a natural part of the world - I could not erase it. Only one choice remained: I had to seal it," Sothis recounted more of her returned memories. "To do so, I took the essence of the energy and forced it to manifest within the blood of the most powerful individuals. It was once called the Emblem system, but they now refer to it as 'Crests'."
Byleth and Isaac's mouths returned to their earlier agape state. It all made sense to Isaac. Back with in their adventures, they'd learned that Weyard needed Psynergy to survive as a kind of food source. Without Psynergy, Weyard would die. However, with it, humans were assumed to misuse its awesome might. If this was true and Psynergy worked in Fodlan the same way it did in Weyard, then Sothis' point about it wreaking destruction on the world was certainly correct. But her response to that destruction was quite interesting.
"So in order to prevent people from misusing Psynergy, you sealed it away," Isaac repeated part of the goddess' explanation aloud. "But instead of actually sealing it away, you did something very clever. Something that nobody in Weyard thought of. You instead hid Psynergy away and turned it into something else. You changed it so that it no longer had the potential of being misused and yet you allowed it to remain in the world in its new form. Therefore, you satisfied both needs. No conflict between sealing and unsealing the power took place because the power was still there!"
Sothis grinned. "Thank you, Isaac. Ivan informed me you were the most knowledgeable about Psynergy amongst your group. I am glad to see his information was not false. What you just explained was exactly the thought process I went through so many years ago. Despite that, I failed to see that it would affect the world this negatively…"
"The existence of Crests has brought about many things throughout history. Recently, there was that struggle we had against Miklan as well as our encounter with Lonato," Byleth remembered. "Hanneman has explained it to me. There is no denying that Crests are very important to society. Maybe too important."
"Yes, precisely. I was not able to see that at the time. I am beginning to regret forcing Psynergy into the form of Crests," Sothis sighed. "But nothing can be done about that now. Not even I can rewind time that far."
"Wait, rewind time? Is that what happened back when Jeralt was nearly killed?" Isaac noted.
"Yes. That was a result of my Divine Pulse, an ability I was able to grant Byleth before he arrived at the monastery," Sothis confirmed Isaac's suspicions. "It seems for some reason you Adepts are not affected by it. Perhaps because the Divine Pulse is a power that comes directly from me. Since this form I take now is made up entirely of Psynergy, it is likely that your possession of Psynergy is what made you invulnerable to its effects."
"So this Divine Pulse thing is basically just another Psynergy spell? Wow, that makes sense," Isaac nodded to himself. "Wait a minute, it can't be Psynergy. If it was, I would be affected by it. I've been hit and therefore affected by Psynergy attacks before. Why wouldn't I be affected by yours?"
"Do remember that I am a divine being. That is likely the cause of your discrepancy," Sothis assumed. "As this body is made up of nothing but Psynergy, that would logically make Byleth an Adept of sorts."
"That would explain why I could see the spells Isaac and his friends were using," Byleth himself realised. "Do I have an element?"
"...I am unsure. Potentially, potentially not. As I am the goddess of this world, it is hard to tell. You may even possess all four elements. Water. Earth. Fire. Air. Byleth, you may very well have mastery of all of them," Sothis came to a conclusion.
"Maybe I could teach you," Isaac suggested to his friend.
"Maybe," Byleth repeated.
Sothis brought them back to the situation at hand.
"As I saying, it would take the power of a god to leave this place. Or, in this case, a goddess. And I must use the power a goddess wields. To do so, I will require a body of my own. I do not have such a thing. Thus, I must relinquish all that I have to you, Byleth," she explained. "The time has come for you and I to join as one. When that comes to pass, I shall disappear…"
"Disappear?!" Byleth felt a pang of a certain emotion - shock.
"When I say that, it does not mean that all of my being will be gone. My soul will join with yours. You and I will never be apart. But...I will no longer have the chance to speak with either of you. I shall miss it, even if I have only known you Adepts for a short amount of time. I will miss you regardless," Sothis elaborated. "So long have I been with you, Byleth. I have seen and heard many things throughout our time together. From time to time, I was even able to chastise you. I may not have acted like a goddess, but it was certainly fun."
Byleth truly couldn't believe it. Those wet puddles were starting to form in his eyes again.
"For all that you have done, thank you. I'm glad that it was you to whom my fate was bound," Sothis thanked her partner.
"Thank you for everything," Byleth simply said in response.
He wasn't sure if it was his usual stoicism that prevented him from saying anything further, or if it was his emotions clamming him up. Isaac didn't like what was going on.
"Hold on. I may have another solution," he brought up before anything else could happen. "Since your power is Psynergy, that should mean Psynergy itself is the key to getting out of here, right?"
"I...I suppose so. Do you possess a spell that will bring us back to the world of light?" Sothis wondered, genuinely hopeful.
"I should. It's called Retreat," Isaac revealed. "I've used it to warp myself and my friends out of caves so we could restock at the nearest town. Considering how it works and how we're in a unique situation, it might just be enough to get us back to Fodlan."
"Is that so? Well then, do not dally. Use this 'Retreat' spell of yours. Please," Sothis pleaded.
She disappeared back into Byleth's consciousness. Isaac walked over to Byleth.
"Do I need to do anything?" the professor asked.
"Just stand next to me. All I need to do after that is to cast the spell," Isaac answered.
Byleth nodded. He did precisely as he was told, ensuring to stand right next to his younger friend. The socially inept ex-mercenary even made sure to create a direct line of contact with the Venus Adept by holding onto his shoulder. This only slightly interrupted Isaac's usual casting process. He channeled the right kind of Venus Psynergy through his veins and extended his arms upwards.
"Retreat!" he yelled.
Out of nowhere, several multi-coloured balls of light emerged from above and engulfed the pair. They were both soon transformed into those spheres, disappearing from the world of darkness entirely. Their fate was unknown.
Within the Sealed Forest, both sides were standing there, watching the other. Those with Garreg Mach Monastery had their respective weapons ready, in case either Solon or Alex tried something. The two that slithered in the darkness were sure of themselves. Byleth and Isaac were both gone for eternity - they had all but won.
As Edelgard, the Adepts and the others were losing hope, a cluster of multi-coloured balls emerged from nowhere. They landed on the stone platform. In their wake came two bodies everyone recognised. Solon looked on in horror.
"Professor, it's you, right?" Edelgard greeted her ally. "I knew that you would come back to us. You too, Isaac. I am glad that you are safe as well."
"Damn it Isaac, you really kept us waiting there," Garet jokingly complained. "You used Retreat to get back here, didn't you? I knew that massive forehead guy's spell wouldn't be able to stop you!"
Much to the surprise of everyone, Alex began laughing. It quickly became very audible.
"What are you laughing at?! Don't you see that my forbidden spell has failed? No doubt as a result of the Fell Star's intervention!" Solon exclaimed, now afraid.
Alex kept laughing.
"Answer me!" Solon demanded.
Alex calmed himself somewhat. "I knew this was going to happen. Isaac has proved every hypothesis I had by simply using that Retreat Psynergy. I know everything now."
"You-you knew?! And you refused to inform me?! How dare you!"
Solon fired a dark magic attack at his now ex-partner. An attack fuelled by intense hatred. Alex merely teleported out of the way.
"You're on your own, old man," the Mercury Adept warped away, this time disappearing from the forest in its entirety.
"No...no!" Solon began to freak out.
Byleth and Isaac slowly made their way towards the so-called 'old man', their respective blades at the ready. The Sword of the Creator and the Gaia Blade. Two swords of immense power from two different worlds. Both were ready to be unleashed upon Solon. Isaac began by activating the Gaia Blade's Howl - Titan Blade - to completely blow Solon away. He was near to death at this point.
Nothing was left of him once Byleth unloaded countless slashes into the man's body. Total annihilation.
"In the end, Thales will carry out our mission…" was Solon's final words.
Victory was attained. The Black Eagles breathed a sigh of relief, for their battle was done. The fighting had been done. Life could go on as normal. Jeralt also felt relieved. Mostly now he knew the fate of his son. The Adepts were much the same for Isaac.
It wasn't over.
"A fitting death for such a horrendous man," Alex commented, having returned, appearing back on the stone platform beside Solon's many remains.
"You again? What do you want, Alex? Don't you see you're hideously outnumbered?" Mia asked him. "And outmatched."
"I would be foolish to fight you all at once," Alex admitted. He pulled out a book from behind his back. "That's why I'm not here to do that. This tome I carry contains instructions on how to use the Forbidden Spell of Zahras. Now that Isaac has confirmed for me the relation between Psynergy and the Progenitor God, I should be able to bend the forbidden spell to my own whims."
"What do you hope to achieve with that?" Edelgard questioned.
"And when did I confirm anything for you?" Isaac also questioned.
"One question at a time, please. First of all, Adrestian Princess, I'm not telling. Secondly, my greatest asset as of now, you were able to escape a realm that only the goddess could by using Psynergy. That proves to me that Psynergy is directly linked to the Progenitor God...Sothis," Alex explained. "Now, let's see…"
He quickly flipped through the pages, making it seem as if he wasn't sure what he was looking for, if anything at all. But he knew precisely what he was doing; he wanted to keep an illusion up. An illusion of making his enemies feel the utmost confusion. Before long, he began to channel the same dark energy that was used in the initial usage of the Forbidden Spell of Zahras. Instead of using it to catch anyone, he formed a specific black sphere with it in front of him.
"I think we've had our fun here, Adepts. Time for us to go back home to Weyard. Let's not bother the people of Fodlan any longer," Alex instructed, almost playfully. "Goodbye, children."
Alex stepped inside the sphere, which only stretched to his mid section. He waved as the dark ball's magical power caused him to slowly fade away until he disappeared entirely. Everyone else looked at each other with confusion.
"So what now?" Garet wondered. "Do we go after him?"
"Well, it's a way back home. I don't see why not," Ivan gave his opinion.
"Can we really trust Alex, though? It might be a warp to some kind of trap. I don't think we should do it," Mia refused.
"But what if it's really a way back? This might be another one of his roundabout plans or something...ugh, he's so unpredictable," Ivan suggested. "It even looks like the thing that brought us here, doesn't it?"
The Adepts took a gander at the sphere Alex created.
"I...I suppose it does. But that doesn't guarantee it'll bring us back to Weyard. That thing's design could be a deliberate design choice. Perhaps it's meant to make us think that way," Mia argued. "I don't know. I really don't know."
Isaac and Byleth convened with the three other Adepts, as did the students along with Jeralt.
"I think you should take it," Byleth insisted. "Seize this opportunity with your own hands."
"Seize it?" Mia pondered this.
"My kid's right. If you don't go ahead and take it, you might never get another chance to return home. A person's home should be very important to them. Don't you dare take it lightly," Jeralt threw his hat into the proverbial ring.
"I have agreement. Brigid is having importance to me, even though I am still inside Fodlan. I want to return to there someday. If I could, I would be doing that right now. But I cannot. I am still having things to do here in Fodlan. You do not. You can be leaving," Petra added.
"It'll be a shame to see you guys go...I didn't even get to show you a Fodlan opera!" Dorothea lamented.
"I didn't get to nap with you," Linhardt sighed.
"And I never got to properly explain to you four precisely what it is that makes a noble a noble," Ferdinand complained.
"Perhaps that one's for the best, Ferdie," Dorothea joked around. Ferdinand feigned shock.
"Next time you guys come here, I'll...well, I don't know what I'll do, but I'll do something!" Caspar stated.
"Y-yeah! I'll bake some cookies for you all! And I won't eat them before you get to!" Bernadetta declared.
"I will be sad to watch you four depart. But I realise this sadness will not last forever. I will always have the memories of meeting each of you and learning about your world. I shall cherish them forever," Flayn asserted with her usual friendly smile.
"You Adepts have been useful in guarding Lady Edelgard's life. It is a shame that protection will not remain," even Hubert chipped in.
Edelgard stepped forward.
"Isaac, Mia, Ivan, Garet. On behalf of the Black Eagle House, I thank the four of you for protecting each and every one of us. Your presence has been nothing but a boon for all of us. If you were to become permanent residents of this world, I would have given each of you the highest role in the Adrestian Empire's military forces. Again, I thank you," Edelgard bowed in respect. Her fellow students followed suit. Jeralt didn't and simply smiled.
"But we haven't even decided yet," Mia protested. "We might not want to spring Alex's trap."
"If it is one," Byleth refuted. "You can't be certain on something unknown. That's what makes it unknown. When faced with circumstances like those, you will need to take a risk."
"Exactly. I'd rather die trying to get home than be stuck in another world while our friends worry about us," Ivan nodded in agreement. "Think about Imil, Mia. Wouldn't you want to at least try to see everyone there again?"
Mia thought about this for a moment. She relented. "Fine. I would like to see my village again. Garet, Isaac, I guess you two want to try that sphere...thing?"
"You don't have to ask me. I don't need to think twice about seeing my family again," Garet answered.
Isaac nodded. As usual.
"Then that settles it. Byleth, Edelgard, Jeralt, the Black Eagles…" Mia began. "Goodbye. I'll never forget you all. Especially you, Flayn."
"I will miss you most of all, Mia," Flayn responded.
"Same here. I expect another shield sliding session when I get back, Caspar!" Garet smiled.
"You got it!" Caspar replied.
Ivan's turn. "Thanks for your hospitality, everyone. I…" He stopped himself before he could say the rest out aloud. The Mercury Adept switched to Mind Read. "I hope everything works out okay for you, Bernadetta."
Bernie seemed to visibly freak out upon hearing that in her mind, but she nodded. That seemed to be an 'okay' to Ivan, so he was content. He still had someone else to contact.
"Goodbye, Sothis," Ivan used Mind Read on Byleth.
"May your days be well, Ivan. I hope to see you and your friends again one day," Sothis answered. "Thank Isaac for me, please. He saved me."
Ivan nodded internally, then cut the mental call. Isaac was up next.
"I...thanks, guys," he merely said. "Petra, keep training. You'll become very strong one day."
"My spirit is full of training!" the Brigid girl responded with pride.
The Venus Adept turned to Byleth. "And thank you, Byleth. Thanks for letting me into your class. Without you, I don't know where I'd be."
"You're welcome, Isaac. I hope we meet again," the professor hoped.
"Me too."
With their goodbyes outed, the four Adepts made their way over to Alex's leftover sphere. They were unsure as to where it led. Could it truly be a means of getting back home, to Weyard? Or was it really a trap from Alex? There was no way they could know. But as the expectant, tearful eyes of Fodlan's natives gazed at them, their resolve strengthened. One by one, the Adepts stepped into the dark portal.
And then they disappeared. Fodlan was left to follow its own path. Its correct path, as dictated by fate. The very concept Sothis subscribed to. Byleth left the area especially happy. His father was alive and Sothis was still around. This was made possible by the Adepts, no, his friends. His friends that are now gone.
Gone far away.
Author Notes: And that's the end of Psynergy Between the Three Houses! What happened to Isaac and his party? Where did Alex go? What path will Fodlan be led down? I dunno. What I do know for sure is that this is the final chapter for the fic, unless you folks wanna see more. I do have some ideas for a continuation, but I won't do 'em if nobody's gonna read it.
With that being said, it seems like you guys have really enjoyed this story! Thank you all so much for supporting it. Really, I can't thank you enough. I'll be taking a break from fic writing for a while (mainly due to Christmas and stuff). Not sure what I'll return with. Might be another Three Houses themed one, might be a Golden Sun story, I don't know exactly. We'll all find out eventually.
Anyway, hope you folks enjoyed your time reading this fan-fic. Have a good day!
P.S: I wonder if anyone will catch the Avatar: The Last Airbender and Smash Ultimate references I threw into this chapter...