When the end of the month comes, your house stands together in the Golden Deer homeroom. It is the last day before the mission, and You are having one more meeting before going off to meet with Evenor Hepius.

Jill: I'm afraid I have received news about the mission, and it's not good.

Cedric: What happened? Is everything okay?

Jill: I'm afraid not. A small faction of fighters in black armor has appeared and is advancing on Ms. Hepius' home. Nesreen relayed the information earlier today.

William: So... You think she's under attack?

Jill: It's very possible, and there are no guarantees right now.

Lev: This mission was supposed to be peaceful... Of course it didn't work out...

Novalee: I'm just glad we've been preparing for a battle.

Adeline: I mean, we always knew there was a chance this would happen, but...

Raithius: Perhaps we should set out now. She could easily be hurt in between now and when we arrive tomorrow.

Jill: We haven't finished preparing. If we left now, we'd only be putting ourselves at risk, and we wouldn't be able to help her.

Wolfgang: But what if she's in danger?

Jill: Right now, we need you all on top of your game, so you need to rest.

Lev: I have a bad feeling about all of this...

Jill: For now, get some sleep. We'll deal with tomorrow when it comes.

Sofia: We'll be able to take care of it. I know it.

Jill: We'll talk about full details tomorrow. For now, class is dismissed.

The students all leave the classroom to head back to their dorms. Raithius looks to You as she passes.

Raithius: Goodnight, Professor. Don't worry too much. We'll be okay. Nothing will go horribly wrong on my watch.

He leaves as Seraphine appears. You walk back to your room.

Seraphine: A last minute fight, huh? We should have seen it coming that something was going to go wrong... For now, we should sleep. We're no use to anyone if we're exhausted.

You agree with Seraphine and return to your room before going to sleep for the night...

The next morning, You meet with the students of the Golden Deer and Jill once more before setting out on your mission.

Jill: Our destination is the Empire. Ms. Hepius lives away from the nearby villages, but it's still close enough to Garreg Mach that we'll be arriving this afternoon.

Adeline: I know she'll probably be okay, but I can't help my concern. What if we're too late?

Sofia: I know we'll be okay. Worrying won't help anyone. Take a deep breath.

Adeline: Thank you for the assurance, Sofia. I needed that.

Sofia: It's my pleasure. I just wanted to make you feel better.

William: If we're all ready, it's time for us to set out.

Cedric: You make a good point.

Wolfgang: Worrying won't do us any good. We'll take care of things when we get there. Until then, we should do our best to focus on the business aspect.

Novalee: Ms. Hepius is waiting for us.

William: We've been preparing for this. We've got it in the bag.

Lev: I hope we're ready... We don't know how strong this army is...

Wolfgang: We have this all under control.

Raithius: Then let's do it! I believe in us!

Raithius: Off we go.

The students all leave, and You follow after them.

When You and the students arrive at your destination, You see it is a small building about to fall apart. The roof is near caving in, and the walls are crumbling. It is dark and dreary, and You aren't sure about going inside.

Jill: I think this is the right place.

Lev: There's no time to be standing around out here...

Adeline: I can't help but wonder why someone would want to hurt a person like this...

Novalee: Perhaps someone wants her knowledge regarding Crests. The possibility is there... However, we won't find the truth by standing around out here.

Sofia: I'm sure we'll get the answers we seek.

Cedric: There's not a moment to lose!

William: A lot is riding on this. We can't afford to fail.

Raithius: We'll take care of things. Don't worry.

You, Jill, and the students enter the house. You can see many people in black armor standing around with weapons. The leader, a man with dark hair named Paul, steps forward.

Paul: You! What are you doing here?!

Jill: Who would you be, kind sir?

Cedric: We were sent by the Church of Seiros to investigate what your party is doing in this territory.

Paul: Get lost! It's none of your business!

William: If you won't let us past, then we'll just have to push you out of the way.

Adeline: Don't mistake us for pushovers.

Paul: We won't let you get to her! Get out of here now!

Raithius: I'm giving you a final chance here. Surrender or face the consequences.

Lev: I don't think they're going to compromise after all...

Novalee: They made their choice. They'll have to deal with it.

Paul: If you want a fight, it's a fight you'll get!

Wolfgang: I guess peace is off the table.

Jill: If it's a fight they want, it's a fight they'll get!

Before the fight begins, You hear Seraphine's voice.

Seraphine: This is your first life-or-death mission. It wouldn't do for you or your children to die. I'm going to give you access to the time-reversing power I saved your life with after you first woke up. When someone is forced to retreat, you can use this to reverse recent actions. But be careful. This power has limited charges... Hm, I wonder what we could call something like this... Divine Pulse? That sounds pretty cool. Yes, use your Divine Pulse power to turn back the hands of time to your advantage. Now, go forth!

The battle begins soon after. You and the students begin fighting through the soldiers coming towards You. You cannot tell where these enemies came from, but it doesn't look familiar, though that doesn't surprise You given your memory loss. This faction is peculiar to You, but You cannot think on it long given the circumstances.

When You defeat a foe, this dialogue plays out.

Seraphine: Death... I don't want this to become the norm for us...

When Raithius defeats a foe, this dialogue plays out.

Raithius: I... I really just did that...? Oh, gods...

When Novalee defeats a foe, this dialogue plays out.

Novalee: Death... What a horrible thing to face so soon...

When Adeline defeats a foe, this dialogue plays out.

Adeline: Theater always made it look so simple... But if it's really so simple, why am I so sick all of a sudden...?

When Sofia defeats a foe, this dialogue plays out.

Sofia: There's blood everywhere... Yuck... I already hate this.

When William defeats a foe, this dialogue plays out.

William: I don't like this one bit... This is too much.

When Cedric defeats a foe, this dialogue plays out.

Cedric: Is it truly noble to do something like this? I somehow doubt it.

When Lev defeats a foe, this dialogue plays out.

Lev: This is too much for me! Please, make it stop!

When Wolfgang defeats a foe, this dialogue plays out.

Wolfgang: I thought I would be used to death by now, but... I'm not...

When Jill defeats a foe, this dialogue plays out.

Jill: This happens every year, but I hate it each time still...

Your party begins to approach Paul after fighting off many of his minor soldiers. The time has come to defeat him and scatter his underlings once and for all.

If You initiate combat against Paul, this dialogue plays out.

Paul: I don't know who you are or what you want, but I won't let you get out of this alive!

If Raithius initiates combat against Paul, this dialogue plays out.

Raithius: Who are you? You're clearly the commander of this army. I want to know why you decided to attack a Crest scholar too.

Paul: Well, well, well... If it isn't the heir of Leicester himself.

Raithius: Answer the damn question, dastard.

Paul: I refuse. Now, let's end this.

If anyone else initiates combat against Paul, this dialogue plays out.

Paul: I won't let any of you lay a hand on those files!

When Paul is defeated, this dialogue plays out.

Paul: I... I can't believe this... Lord Bazler...

After the battle, You stand with the students and their professor. The remaining fighters scatter and run away once their leader is defeated.

Novalee: I wonder who these soldiers were...

Adeline: The leader of the group has something sewn into a piece of fabric. It's an emblem...

Lev: They're from Adrestia. As far as I can tell, they're mercenaries... I've never seen noble soldiers like this.

Cedric: I think I recognize this symbol, as a matter of fact...

Raithius: House Bazler, I think... That's a minor Adrestian noble house.

Sofia: I can't help but wonder what they could have wanted from a Crest scholar. It seems odd to me that mercenaries would go after her.

William: I wish I could give you an answer, but I have nothing.

Wolfgang: I just hope Ms. Hepius is safe after all that.

Jill: I'm going to keep this emblem with us until we go back to the monastery. I have a feeling Lady Aisa will want it as evidence against Lord Bazler.

Wolfgang: Wait... Is that a trapdoor?

Adeline: What if she's hiding underground?

Sofia: Ms. Hepius? Are you down there?

A woman with pale skin and dark hair rises from the trapdoor. She closes it behind herself before getting to her feet and rising to her full height. You can tell even without her introducing herself that this is Evenor Hepius.

Evenor: You must be the students of the Officers Academy the archbishop told me were coming... I am Evenor Hepius.

Jill: It's nice to meet you, Ms. Hepius.

Evenor: Where is the one I'm meant to be studying?

William: That would be our professor here.

You step forward slowly.

Evenor: I see... In that case, come with me.

Sofia: I bet that trapdoor takes people to a secret room.

Evenor: I always figured some would try to steal my research, so I concealed the most important information below.

Novalee: It turned out to be a good hiding place for when the mercenaries appeared as well.

Evenor: Exactly. Now, it's time for us to go down.

You follow Evenor down the trapdoor, hearing the voices of a few of your students from above as You descend.

William: She used to work with the Faixnoye family. I can't help but wonder why somebody would leave that. It must pay rather well.

Raithius: I'm a bit curious as well.

Cedric: We could ask her about it when she comes back.

Lev: I get the feeling she won't want to answer such a personal question.

Wolfgang: It might cross a line.

Adeline: I don't think I'd want to answer that sort of question myself.

Sofia: Who even knows what she'll say?

Sofia: Why not try it?

Jill: All we can do for the time being is wait.

The voices fade away as Evenor leads You deeper underground to a nearby table. The area is lit by a single candle, and many papers are scattered about.

Evenor: Here we are. Now, I need you to place your arm out over this circle on the ground.

You look down and notice a pattern is on the floor. You do as she instructs, waving your arm above the symbol as it begins to glow a dull purple. A symbol appears in the circle.

Evenor: I see... This is not what I anticipated, I must say.

Seraphine: That doesn't look like any Crest I saw the students activate... Maybe it really is that Lamine Crest the kids were talking about.

Evenor: This Crest was always thought of as a theory, but none could prove it was real... Wave your arm over it again.

You repeat the motion, but this time, a different symbol appears in the purple light.

Evenor: Two Crests...

Seraphine: Two Crests?! Is that even possible?!

Evenor: Nobody can be born with two Crests, you know. It's impossible. Any given person can be born with one Crest, and from there, it is theoretically possible to give them a second Crest, though I am not sure if there is any official evidence of such.

Seraphine: Then what the hell was that abomination we saw before?!

Evenor: The first Crest... That has never been seen before. Some Crest scholars theorize that if a person has many Crests, or even all of them, a different Crest would manifest from the combination of them all.

Seraphine: Like... Like a quilt, but with Crests? Sounds impossible to me.

You shake your head. You do not believe this can happen.

Evenor: It's not possible for there to be an undiscovered Crest. History would have found it by now. Unless, perhaps, you know about your family, and they had this Crest.

You tell her You do not know your family since you have amnesia.

Evenor: Interesting... I must wonder if this Crest is the theoretical Unio then.

Seraphine: Unio?

Evenor: It's what scholars have named the potential combination of many Crests. If enough are mixed together, it may create something new. You may have Unio, this peculiar combination.

You are unsure as to how You should respond to this.

Evenor: And yet, you have another Crest. You have Unio and something else... That other Crest is the Crest of Flames. It is considered the rarest Crest, and it has only been seen once in the past hundred years, and its bearer died less than five years after it manifested, though given you are as healthy as can be, that won't happen to you.

Seraphine: So, we have two Crests, which is only theoretically possible, and one of them hasn't even been proven real? It sounds like this lady is really out of it.

Evenor: As impossible as it sounds, I have been working with Crests for many years. If anyone was to figure out the truth, it would be me. I'm afraid you'll just have to trust me on this, but there is your answer. You bear two Crests, one being Unio and one being the Crest of Flames.

You thank Evenor and turn to leave, but You are stopped when she speaks to you once more.

Evenor: Now, tell me... Do you remember ever meeting me before?

You think on it briefly before shaking your head.

Evenor: What about voices? Do you ever hear voices?

Seraphine: How could she possibly know about that?!

Not wanting to be put at risk for saying so, You shake your head once again, though Evenor seems to be able to tell You are lying.

Evenor: I see... You should return to your students. I'll come to see you off.

You both climb back up the ladder and back into the main area of the house where your students are waiting for You.

Jill: How did it go?

You explain your two Crests to her.

Lev: That's... Wow...

Adeline: You have two Crests?!

William: I didn't even know that could happen...

Raithius: Well, I guess it can.

Evenor: Well, you should be returning to the church now, yes?

Jill: You won't be coming with us?

Evenor: I'm afraid I have too much business going on here to come along. My apologies.

Novalee: In that case, can we ask a few questions before we set out once again?

Evenor: Of course.

Cedric: We heard a rumor that you used to work with the Faixnoye family.

Evenor: Yes. It was many years ago. Twelve, to be exact.

Wolfgang: What were you even doing with them?

Evenor: I'm afraid that information is classified.

Jill: I believe that's all we have to know. It's time for us to go back to the monastery anyways.

Lev: I get the feeling she'll want to know about the professor having two Crests.

Sofia: She'll need to hear about the mercenaries too.

Wolfgang: Lord Bazler... I wonder what he's planning on doing.

Novalee: We aren't going to gain any information standing around like this. The monastery officials will be expecting us.

Lev: Thank you, Ms. Hepius...

William: I'm sure you'd be alright to request help from the church. I'm sure Lady Aisa will be receptive given what you did for us today.

Evenor: I understand. Goodbye.

Jill: Have a nice day.

You, Jill, and the students leave Evenor's home behind. You cannot help but wonder about the Crests situation, and Seraphine seems to have the same thing on her mind.

Seraphine: We should tell Lady Aisa about your Crests. Maybe she'll have some extra information for us on them.

You nod and follow your students and Jill back to the monastery, talking briefly along the way.

Adeline: Unio... It's odd to think that's a real thing.

Novalee: In any other situation, I would be skeptical, but we've seen proof of it being real through the professor.

Cedric: It's not something you would expect to hear about.

Sofia: An artificial Crest... How odd to think of.

William: I can't help but wonder what mysteries it holds.

Lev: I hope it's nothing bad...

Wolfgang: We won't know until the time comes for us to find out.

Raithius: Lady Aisa is going to want to hear all of this for sure. It's a lot more important than the information I expected us to get.

Jill: We'll tell her everything once we arrive back at the monastery.

Seraphine: I really want to know what the bit at the end was about... How did she know you heard my voice? It doesn't seem like just a lucky guess to me. Also, she asked if you remembered her... I have a bad feeling about her, but there's nothing we can do about it now. All we can do is see if we encounter her again. She didn't seem to want to open up, but next time, we'll get her for sure.

When You arrive back at the monastery, You go to visit Aisa alone.

Aisa: I see your mission was a success. What did you learn?

You explain that You have two Crests.

Aisa: Two Crests... I see.

You tell her that one of them is the Crest of Flames.

Aisa: The Crest of Flames... That has some peculiar implications, I must say...

Seraphine: Peculiar implications? Out with it then! We want to know!

You ask her what she means.

Aisa: The Crest of Flames has only been found before in Nemesis, an ancient figure from our continent's history... The full story is rather complex, and I will explain it to you another day.

Seraphine: Only one person? But Evenor said it was in someone else in the past hundred years...

You point this fact out to Aisa.

Aisa: Hm... I never heard about such a person. How strange.

Seraphine: Why do I feel like there's more to it than that?

Aisa: What about that other Crest you mentioned?

You explain Unio and how it is a conglomerate Crest formed from many others.

Aisa: Odd... I wonder what this could mean... I have never heard of such a thing. Perhaps I will have to investigate it further.

Seraphine: Please do. We want to hear the truth!

Aisa: In the meantime, you should return to your students. They are waiting for you.

You nod and walk out. You return to the Golden Deer homeroom.

Jill: And with that, we're finished for the month.

Novalee: This moon wasn't anywhere near perfect, but we got by.

Cedric: We had to fight Adrestian mercenaries... I have a bad feeling about that part in particular.

Raithius: We should tell the archbishop about that.

Jill: I'll take care of it. Don't worry. Today, we did a lot though, and it's time for all of you to rest.

Sofia: I'm so tired... All I need is a girl to cuddle with, and I'll be out in seconds. Wolfgang, would you like to volunteer?

Wolfgang: W-Would I like to what?

William: We gained important information here. That's what we should be focusing on.

Adeline: Plus, we know about that Adrestian lord sending out mercenaries. That's important too.

Raithius: I hope the church starts digging into that. If it's left alone, it could get really dangerous really fast.

Lev: I wonder if we'll have to take care of him...

Adeline: I don't like that... I don't think we should worry about it though. There's not much we can do until the church tells us what to do next.

Novalee: I'm just relieved we got to Ms. Hepius in time. It could have gone horribly if we were too much later...

Wolfgang: It was too much drama for me... I need some rest now.

Adeline: Goodnight.

Sofia: Farewell for now, beautiful ones.

Lev: Sleep well.

Cedric: Until tomorrow.

William: I'm glad this went well... That'll make it easier to sleep for sure.

Jill: See you later.

Raithius: Night, everybody.

The students leave the room followed by Jill. Raithius hangs back for a moment to speak with you.

Raithius: Thanks for everything this month, Professor. We appreciate your help, and we're all glad we could help you learn about your Crests. It's all a mystery as to how things will turn out now, but we'll take it on together. Until that time comes, goodnight.

Raithius leaves.

Seraphine: He's not what you would expect from the future leader of the Alliance. Most heirs are so serious, but he doesn't have a care in the world. I can't help but wonder how he can be so relaxed with so much on his shoulders... I'd love to learn more about him and the other students... Anyways, we should go to sleep. We have a lot to think about.

You nod and head to your room.

Seraphine: I hope we can learn more about that Crest scholar too... Evenor Hepius... Something about her feels odd to me. She asked if we remembered her, which makes me think that she knew us before we lost our memories... She didn't show any signs of it around the others though, which is odd. You would expect her to react immediately if she knew you at one point.

You nod your agreement. It did seem odd.

Seraphine: Plus, she asked if you heard voices. Why would she ask something like that if she wasn't sure? It feels odd, like it came out of nowhere. She knows something. We may not have had much of a chance to ask her today since we had to get back to the monastery, but we'll get her next time. She's the key to the truth.

You agree with Seraphine and lay down on your bed.

Seraphine: Well, it's getting late... Goodnight, Professor. We can talk more another time.

You close your eyes and hear Seraphine begin to snooze as her ghostly physical form fades away and she reappears in your head. You fall asleep yourself soon after, wondering about the new knowledge You have obtained and what it could possibly all mean...


Chapter two is done hell yeah baby

-Digital