The events preceding the kidnapping of Flayn were in my opinion 'handled poorly' considering the state of alert the church was in during that time. People blame Jeritza's betrayal for being the Death Knight and for taking advantage of the church, but I knew it wasn't so simple. The church had become comfortable, lazy, and arrogant. Thought nearly untouchable by the mortal affairs we deal with every day. Not surprising considering the history of the Nabateans.


The first thing I feel in my slumber is the dryness in my mouth and a general warmth encompassing my body. My eyes slowly flutter open as I hear someone in the vicinity of me moving around. I see a wooden ceiling above me and judging by the styling I'd say I'm still on the ship. Good news after that daring escape from Morfis, all things considered.

I begin to slowly prop myself up and as I do my body feels as if every muscle has been stressed and pulled in the wrong direction. Hopefully, that's the last time I ever need to use Harvest as I feel like a premium pile of crap.

"Hey! Don't move so quickly!" I hear Lysithea's shrill voice chastise me from across the room.

I chuckle, "Trust me, this isn't quick." If hobbling around like someone without legs is quick to her, I'd like to see what she thinks is slow.

Lysithea walks briskly over to my bedside and gently pushes me back down into the bed. Not being able to resist her force, I look onward curiously and ask, "So, how are the crew and others doing?"

"Oh, they're fine. Considering we've had almost 2 weeks to fix the boat up and recuperate. You, on the other hand, have been asleep this entire time. We've all been taking turns watching you."

I smile and reply, "Two weeks? Damn. But, that's heartwarming to know people are looking after me, so thank you. How's the bishop?"

Lysithea sighs, "He woke up a few days ago. Yuri has taken charge of the interrogation, but if you ask me it's a waste of time. The man is clearly insane and barely functional."

Well, that's not promising, but at least we will be able to deliver him to the church in one piece. It also says something about being stuck in that strange spell Arjun had for an extended period as Yuri and Balthus felt no adverse effects. I think I've had my fill of dangerous magic ever since the events of the holy chalice.

I look up to Lysithea who is double-checking some of the medical books that I brought along, but all of the books that I brought, including my journal and the tome, Detraxi, are out as well. I have very little hope that certain people respected my privacy, but I suppose I should find out what people know and how to explain things. The tome should be unreadable for anybody here, and as for my journal, it's nothing that the church doesn't know though I do have a few controversial opinions in there.

"Lysithea, did anybody look through my personal effects?" I inquire to my apprentice who looks up from the biology book I swiped from Garreg Mach's library awhile back.

She closes the book and replies, "We were worried for you, so we looked through everything. We couldn't wake you up no matter what healing magic we cast, though you were stable. Yuri is the only one who read your journal, as he told the rest of us it wasn't important. As for your strange tome," Lysithea walks over and picks up the ancient tome from the Shadow Library and asks in a poignant tone, "Please tell us what this is. Neither I nor Constance could decipher this text, and yet it gives off the feeling of magic. What is this?"

Well, it's hard to argue with Lysithea when she's giving me puppy dog eyes, and after giving them such a scare I agree that I owe them an explanation. I sigh and force myself to sit up in my bed even though my muscles protest strongly against the maneuver. I look back to Lysithea and respond, "It's a book on soul magic."

"Soul magic?" Lysithea mimics back with curiosity.

I sigh and try to avoid eye contact with the pale-haired girl. Looks like we are finally having this talk. "Yes, soul magic. The third school of magic apart from Reason or Faith, though older scholars would tell you it was actually the first school of magic."

Lysithea brings the tome over to me asking, "So what have you learned? How does it work? How do you-"

I bring up my hand to cut off the eager white-haired girl and explain, "It's dangerous. I'm hardly a novice with soul magic and it's nearly killed me on all occasions. I advise staying clear of it."

"Then why are you studying it? If it's so dangerous, why not be rid of the tome and forget about it?" Lysithea retorts with her voice rising at the end. Her face is a bit flush and I can see bags underneath her eyes from a lack of sleep. Apart of me feels guilty for not wanting to tell her, but should I really drop that kind of bomb on a 15-year-old?

Lysithea doesn't wait for me to respond while I consider her words as she reiterates, "Santos, why do you have this tome then if you know it's dangerous? I can already tell the situation at the docks is connected, and Hapi told us about the strange magic preformed that freed Yuri and Balthus. I- we need to know what's going on."

I suppose it can't be helped anymore. I look into Lysithea's watery purple eyes and respond, "I'm studying it because I'm preparing for an enemy. I need an ace up my sleeve to face them."

"Who is the enemy?"

I hear the door open and both Lysithea's and my attention are drawn to the newcomer, who happens to be Yuri. He seems to be in fair condition but considering he is a master of deception and trickery, I'll have my doubts for now.

Yuri strides confidently into the room and answers, "The enemy, from looking at his journal is someone named Sothal. Though you leave out quite a lot of details, Santos."

That was intentional if anything like this ever happened. Information can be more powerful than any weapon or cure because of the possibilities it can hold. As for my options right now, I have two very curious students in front of me looking for answers. We've already put our lives in the hands of each other, so maybe it is time I open up a bit about the threat to the world.

"Fine. Ask your questions, and I'll give you an answer best to my knowledge. A word of warning though, you may not like what I have to say," I caution one last final time to the two students who exchange looks before Yuri asks, "So who is Sothal?"

"They are a dead god. The counterpart to Sothis."

Yuri chuckles, "Really? And here I thought the church had enough secrets. Why haven't I heard of this god before in the records of Abyss or through the church?"

"Because most the people who were alive when it happened are either dead or wrote Sothal out of history. The winners get to document history, and Sothis and her followers won eventually. Thus, Sothal faded into obscurity."

"Then why do you know so much about this?" Lysithea inquires.

I reply, "Because I bear their crest. Sothal's crest was implanted in me during my imprisonment in Dagda. It's been a curse ever since arriving."

"A crest that is the opposite of the goddess…" Lysithea quietly muses.

Yuri seeing Lysithea go into a mode of deep thought takes the opportunity to interject, "So you have a rare crest, like most of us here. What's your point? What's it have to do with them being an enemy now?"

"When I received the crest through experimentation I made contact with Sothal. It wasn't until relatively recently that I managed to break that bond from their spirit. My research suggests that their spirit is now free, and I fear for what that may mean for Fodlan," I explain to my students who nod and accept my explanation.

"What is it you fear exactly?" Yuri inquires with a more constrained tone from before.

I lean forward with some effort and reply, "The end of everything. But it isn't the only game being played on the chessboard. Other players are making their moves, but I haven't figured out who exactly they all are yet."

Lysithea leans in closer to me and requests, "Could this be why you used blood magic while working for Count Galatea? Were you possessed?"

That would be an easy diversion from the truth and would be completely believable but as a complete lie. While Sothal did aid me during that time, they were only trying to break me by showing me the truth of Sevihn's actions to force me to side with them while I made the conscious decision to go back. Then again, Sothis did mention Sothal's ability to craft illusion and false ideas...still I believe I wanted to go home. I refuse to give credit to that deranged spirit.

"No...I wasn't possessed. Maybe persuaded, but the decision for that incident was mine and the fault is mine alone. I was trying to see someone I cared about again," I concede in an unenthusiastic tone that leaves me feeling tired with the old memories dredged up once more.

Both students are quiet for about 30 seconds to take in my information before Lysithea asks, "Soul magic. I want to know what it is. I want to know why you are so afraid of what's to come."

"Afraid?" I defensively reply. That may be right, but I don't like being called a coward to my face.

Yuri rolls his eyes and retorts, "Mhmmm, it's all over your face. You look like your a crazy old man talking about the end time, but considering what I've seen in the past 2 months with Aelfric and here at Morfis, I kinda believe you. It makes more sense why you gave me those names to look into."

"What names?" Lysithea asks to Yuri.

I look to Yuri who smirks. "Santos wanted to investigate a translator for Aelfric, Edelgard von Hresvelg, Tomas the Librarian, Seteth, and Cornelia Arnim."

"That would be correct. I have suspicions about each of them and want to know more about their histories. As for soul magic, I'm still figuring that out. I didn't lie when I said I was a novice, but I'm hesitant to teach anybody about it. While you have a great aptitude for magic Lysithea, I wouldn't feel good about myself if something backfired or went awry."

"My magical skills come mostly from my crests…"Lysithea bemoans as I can see her eyes darken. I've seen how hard she applies herself and it saddens me a bit that she won't give herself a lot of the credit for her work habits. She deserves more than having people put her on a pedal stool just because of good genetics.

Thankfully Yuri snaps back, "That's utter nonsense. You study just as much as Constance if not more. Besides, you've taken the most shifts to watch over our dear professor and practice healing magic on him. Crests don't make the person, take my word for it."

Flabbergasted Lysithea can't formulate a response so I add, "He's right, Lysithea. I wouldn't agree to teach you magic if I thought you weren't skilled in your own right. Your work ethic speaks volumes about who you are as a person. And Yuri is right; a crest doesn't make the person. You do that on your own."

Lysithea is frozen in place with her head down. I see her wipe her face with trembling hands, "Thank you. It means a lot," Lysithea looks up to me with watery eyes, "It means a lot. I now know this was the right decision. Thank you for noticing me for my effort and not for my crest."

I motion for Lysithea to come near me and I give her a small side hug and whisper, "We've all been used for our crests here, in one way or another. I'm certain anybody else here will understand. You're among friends...and I shall show you soul magic. Not because of your crests, but because you are strong in your own right. I believe you can surpass me. Your training will begin tonight, so go clean yourself up and prepare."

Lysithea and I break our awkward side hug as my muscles are feeling strained by that simple action and I hear Yuri comment, "Well, since you are well enough to give heartwarming advice, what do you want to do about our prisoner? He's insane and can't even form sentences that make sense."

Lysithea gives me a nod as she leaves the room to go clean up her face, and I return my attention to Yuri and reply, "Nothing. The church asked for him so we will deliver him. It's that simple. I have no intention of delving into his mind to find whatever he's hiding. It wasn't the job we were given."

"Not even a bit curious, professor?" Yuri goads but I don't take the bait.

I chuckle and wave him off, "Perhaps a bit, but I'd rather not put people here at further risk. I don't know if he's booby-trapped his mind or something else crazy. I'll settle for some rest, hot soup, and an uneventful trip back."


The trip back to Garreg Mach was thankfully uneventful like I had hoped. The Ashen Wolves did a wonderful job of keeping me healthy in both mind and body. We had faced the first large tribulation together in unusual fashion, but we got the job done.

The rest of the voyage for me only lasted about 3 days until we hit port in Ordelia territory and returned the crew and ship in one piece. The crew was supportive of our endeavors, though a few did have some questions for me on the night we left Morfis in a hurry. Thankfully, none of them are educated in magic so I managed to brush it off as just a powerful spell. While that earned me some admiration from the crew, it did nothing to fool my students.

My students know the truth of soul magic and thanks to Yuri's sharp wit and wandering eyes, but only Constance and Lysithea seem truly fascinated by its capabilities. I decided to use Wander again to visit them in their dreams and besides the waking fatigue, I managed to impress them and open their eyes to the greater possibilities of magic. All the Wolves promised to keep the information a secret amongst ourselves about Sothal, thankfully, though Yuri did make a point of saying that we should take the information to the archbishop if anything comes up. I agreed to the terms without much hesitation, and for the simple fact is that I trust everyone in the Ashen Wolves.

Our training continued on the road and the ship once I got up and moving again to join Balthus for his rediculous routine, though Yuri managed to surprise me by gifting me the Levin blade from the assassin that I Harvested on the night we left Morfis. He managed to snag the rare blade in the confusion and said it was for 'saving our assess' but I feel he just wanted to surprise me. As for using it, I'm great at using it as a conduit to cast spells, but my blade work is bad enough where I'm barely a match of Constance. Yuri has taken it upon himself to show me how to duel more like a fencer since I only have one usable arm, as long as I keep up my Faith magic work with him. Always something for something with that guy with nothing for free, even if I was offering the Faith work for free anyways.

As for magical anomalies, on our way back to Garreg Mach I reflected on the fragmented memories I had from my encounter with Arjun in his statue lair. It feels like I was there yet not in a strange way, almost as if he had fused Wander and Soothe into some hybrid spell. He did help me in a way as I feel a weight lifted off my soul, but it still goes to show I'm still hardly a novice when it comes to this archaic magic. Yet another thing I need to look further into to be fully prepared for when Sothal makes his next move, as I fully believe he's still out there and most likely not being idle.

Approaching 7 weeks away from the monastery, with little over 4 of that on the ship we took a week-long detour through Hyrm territory to check in on the village. Hyrlin was pillaged weeks ago when I was tagging along with the Black Eagles but seemed to be making a turnaround. The townsfolk were more than thankful to see that someone from the church had returned to check in on them. Turned out to be uneventful charity work, which was much needed after the boring ship rides and dangerous night in Morfis.

With our weathered carriage making it's way up the final incline to the gates of Garreg Mach's mercantile quarter I notice many of the knights of Seiros on active patrol. With Balthus taking his shift to steer the cart, me beside him on the bench, I pat him on the shoulder and point out, "Looks like somethings got the guards paranoid. This is easily double the normal patrol number. Get the cart put away and get the rest of the Wolves unloaded and deliver Bishop Solari to Alois or whoever is in the knight's hall. I'll meet you guys in the dining hall in an hour. I'm going to figure out what's going on. "

"Sure thing, boss. And, uh, do you want me to ask Yuri to find his contacts?" Balthus asks as I hop off the cart. The workouts with Balthus have been doing wonders for my balance lately, which I appreciate greatly since I'm always a little lopsided due to missing a limb.

I turn around with a slight smirk and reply, "Thought that was implied. Now get going!"

Balthus spurns the horses to move forward to the stables as I look back to the somewhat crowded merchant's quarters and begin weaving my way through the crowd. I see Anna set up with her wares haggling vigorously with a few part-time students, no doubt giving them an unfair deal. In my brief experiences with her, I've learned two things about Anna; she's greedy and a lightweight when it comes to alcohol.

I shake my head and chuckle at the unfortunate students that are scrambling for supplies and return to my task of finding out why so much security is out. I nearly make it to the first set of stairs to Garreg Mach's entry hall when I feel a hand grab onto my shoulder and a familiar voice monotone voice call out, "Long time no see, Santos. Or should I say, professor."

I turn around with a big smile on my face, "Shamir! Haven't seen you for a while."

Shamir motions for me to follow her to the edge of the market near the fishing pond, and I do so as she responds, "You've missed a lot since you've been gone. Whole church is stirred up."

We make it to the edge of the waterfront and well away from anybody else in the vicinity as I look around and ask, "So what's happening? That's a lot of knights walking around, and they seem on edge."

"Flayn is missing. Seteth's sister, you know her?" Shamir inquires as she sticks her hands in her pockets and keeps her eyes locked in towards the fishing merchant and a few passing knights.

I rub my chin in thought and reply, "Huh, and no leads? I don't know much about the girl. Would it be possible she's just been away in town or ran away? Seteth can be a bit overbearing…"

Shamir shakes her head, "Not likely, at least if Seteth is to be believed. Byleth came running to me asking about her around an hour ago."

"Hmmm, she does have a way of getting her nose into other people's business."

"Yes, she does. What was your mission by the way, if you don't mind sharing?" I ask to the former merc who replies, "Bandits near Sreng. Had me and a few others go up there to settle it. Heard you went to Morfis. I've never been."

"Fairly terrible. Found the man we needed, but ended up being a hassle. I took the long way back to check in on some villages that were pillaged a few weeks ago. Good practice for the students to flex their public relations skills and do independent training out on the road. Yuri even started training me in swordplay."

Shamir sighs and shakes her head, "And here you could have asked me to show you the bow all this time…"

"Yeah, fuck you too," I sass back and Shamir and I stare angrily at each other for about five seconds before we both smirk and chuckle to ourselves quietly.

"Good to hear. You've always been a liability in close quarters combat. I'm sure you'll appreciate it as much as your students."

"I hope so. It's slow going, but I've realized I need a wider skillset if I'm to be an actual professor. Byleth, Manuela, and Hanneman have non-magical skillsets, so I should probably follow suit."

Shamir sagely nods and quips, "Agreed. You seem happier than when you cooped yourself up in that clinic. That's good."

I nod my head slowly and look back out over the water. I certainly feel weighed down less by my past and by not having Sothal occupy space in my mind, so that's gotta count for something. I exhale deeply and reply, "I think your right. With all the insanity going on, I feel like I've got a good group with me. Are all the classes back from their missions? I'd like to work on group tactics and such."

Shamir raises an eyebrow and suggests, "Why not just wait for the battle of the Eagle and Lion?"

"This is new to me. Didn't that happen a couple of hundred years ago or so?" I question back to the archer who rolls her eyes replying, "Not that one. This one the church hosts every year as a battle between classes as a mock battle, though I don't know how it'll handle a fourth class. I'm sure Rhea will think of something."

I snap my fingers and surmise, "That makes sense. My class will be excited, though I do wonder how we will fare."

"I'm sure it'll- wait, someone's coming, look," Shamir conveys as she looks over her shoulder to see a cleric racing towards us shouting, "Captain Shamir!"

I lean closer to Shamir and whisper, "One of yours?" and I get a grunt in response, confirming my suspicion.

The female cleric runs up to us out of breath wheezing, "Captain Shamir...Oh! And doctor Capetillo! Come quick, we have an injury and information on the kidnapping of Flayn."

Shamir grabs the cleric by the hand and steadies her with a calm tone, "You're shaking, slow down. Tell us where they are and who is injured."

The young cleric barely manages to gasp out, "Manuela. Professor Manuela was critically injured. Claude ordered me to find extra medical help as he took Manuela to the clinic while Byleth and Dimitri pursued the attackers…"

Shamir and I exchange a glance as I propose, "I have the clinic," and Shamir nods in acknowledgment and responds, "I'll find Catherine and some other knights to go support the attack. Cleric, show me where they are."

The weary cleric nods as I focus my mana and close my eyes. Luckily, I have quite the innate connection and understanding of where the medical bay is in Garreg Mach so Warp should be able to put me in there directly. I do run the risk of landing on top of someone, but it's certainly faster than walking if Manuela's in critical condition.

I crack open my left eye and give one last nod to Shamir stating, "See you in a bit," as I disappear in the blink of an eye and a small flash of light. I swear as the Warp spell activated I saw Shamir roll her eyes at my flashy use of Warp, but I digress. It's not like I'm using it to get to the dining hall to avoid people...this time.


I immediately find myself stumbling into someone and nearly fall to the ground, but someone manages to hoist me up from behind as I sputter out, "Thanks."

"No problem, thanks for dropping in so conveniently." Claude smarmily replies as he helps me get my bearings, I begin to assess the situation.

I can see 3 clerics of the church in here, Claude behind me, Mercedes next to the far left medical cot with Manuela resting upon it. Manuela seems unconscious and judging by the amount of blood-stained on her clothes I'd say that explains the situation enough.

"Everyone move aside if you aren't helping!" I shout at the top of my lungs. The room begins to clear as people make a path for me to Manuela with Mercedes's hands glowing as she actively applies a Heal spell.

I walk over to the injured songstress and see a stab wound right in her abdomen. Judging by location on the body I can presume it might have hit her left kidney. I look over to Mercedes who seems focused on maintaining her Heal spell I ask, "How long have you been healing her?"

"About 5 minutes now I would guess," Mercedes replies with a greatly strained tone. Well, that certainly means that something vital was hit and Manuela is on life support. Since people rely on magic so much for healing I know that the clinic doesn't have any blood for a transfusion, limiting our options even further.

"Do we have the weapon?" I question as I begin to inspect Manuela wound more carefully for point of entry and how it was removed. Depending on how they twisted the blade can be a good indicator of how much work I have to do, and they did a real bang-up job on her.

I hear Claude behind me reply, "Yeah, got it right here. Nasty curved blade. Also not sure where it's from."

Claude hands me the dagger and I look it over. The construction is jagged almost like a Levin sword would be, but much smoother edges. I investigate further by smelling and looking closely at the bloody blade, which reveals a thin almost clear like liquid coating some of the blade edge near the hilt. Looks like we have poison to contend with, which would explain why Mercedes is only able to keep Manuela stable and not actually seal up the wound.

I consider my options by looking at the old alchemy station and between Mercedes straining to keep Manuela stable. I don't have enough time to tinker for a cure on an unknown poison, so helping Mercedes seems to be the way to go. I position myself on the opposite side of the medical cot and calmly instruct the Blue Lion's student, "Listen. Keep doing what you are doing, and don't stop monitoring her until I say so. Clerics, go find me Lindhardt or Lysithea. I need someone with good magical control to help stabilize. Claude, how well versed are you on poisons?"

"The answer may surprise you, doctor," Claude quips as I begin to cast Restore on Manuela.

I nod and reply, "Good. Take that blade to the alchemy station and open up the ingredients book. We need to know what we are working with, but start with poisons that resist magic. We can heal her organs, but the blood loss and poison may still kill her."

"I'm on it," Claude replies in a serious tone and begins to go to work at the alchemy station. The clerics depart into the hallway in a fumbling frenzy for more help as I feel my Restore spell being fought against quite hard and not being able to nullify any of the poison effect. I end my Restore spell and switch to casting my Heal spell in conjunction with Mercedes.

Mercedes and I focus for about 10 minutes as Claude works hastily by flipping through many pages of the poison's book and mixing various reagents. I can see Mercedes beginning to look quite faint as she's approaching her limit for continuous casting. I close my eyes to cast a Recover spell on Mercedes, and as I open my eyes I feel a heavy wave of fatigue wash over me as Mercedes's eyes become more attentive and some color returns to her face. Manuela has been on the brink of stable only because of continuous magic holding the poison in her body to a stalemate.

With my muscles and mind beginning to feel numb I hear someone enter the room, and I look up expecting to see Lysithea or Lindhardt, and surprisingly I see Rhea instead. I see two of the clerics behind her looking quite worried as Rhea approaches the medical bed with a mournful expression upon her face. Claude seems to becoming frustrated by making no progress and working faster while Mercedes and I are approaching our limit for healing.

"Maintain your spells, and I shall cure her," Rhea instructs as she walks behind me until she's standing behind Manuela's head. Rhea places her palm upon Manuela's forehead and I can feel powerful magic pulsate from Rhea as she casts a faith spell I can't identify.

As Rhea finishes her spell she instructs, "Santos. Mercedes. One last Recover and Heal spell from each of you should suffice."

Mercedes and I comply, and thankfully this time I feel no resistance as the spell takes root and Manuela's shallow breathing becomes regular. I let out a deep exasperated breath as I fall to my butt on the hard stone floor. Mercedes does the same while also managing to pass out from exhaustion.

I look up to Rhea and say, "Thank you. You've got show me that spell sometime."

Rhea in turn bows to the room and replies, "It is I who should be thanking you. If it weren't for all your efforts Manuela may have suffered permanent or long-lasting damage from the poison. My only regret is not being here sooner. I've only been recently informed of the newest developments."

Claude is the first one to reply as he sets aside the alchemy book and confesses, "Many thanks, Lady Rhea. As for the other, Teach and Dimitri took some of the Blue Lions and Golden deer into the underground to rescue Flayn from Jeritza."

"Who went down there?" Rhea asks Claude who rubs the back of his head as he tries to remember, "Well, I know professor Eisner and Dimitri went in immediately. After that, I rounded up Felix, Leonie, Marriane, Ingrid, Lorentz, Raphael, and Hilde to go in after them and assist. I also shouted at some knights about the situation as I carried Manuela back here, and thankfully Mercedes was here practicing her healing magic."

"I see. Santos, I expected you to be back a week ago. Where have you been?" Rhea questions as she returns her serene yet restrained gaze to me and I wearily reply, "Morfis is a long way away. On our way back I stopped by Hyrlin to check in on the rebuilding efforts. The Ashen Wolves did quite well in our mission to bring the bishop back, all things considered."

"I'm glad to hear that. I was in the middle of speaking with Yuri about it in fact before I heard about the situation here. I'm sure you'll give me a full report later once this mess is handled," Rhea states as she flashes a small smile towards me before asserting her expression as more serious to instruct her clerics.

Claude walks over and pats me on the back saying, "Thanks for the save Doc. I'm not sure I would have found the poison in all honesty. Nothing was reacting like the way it should. Thank the goddess for Lady Rhea, right?"

I nod and find myself quite tired as my adrenaline is fading away from the sudden excitement. I reply, "Indeed. Mercedes is fine by the way, just overtaxed herself. She is the real reason Manuela is alive."

"I'll take her back to her room, I still feel like I need to contribute," Claude admits as he puts his hands on his hips and walks over to Mercedes. He leans down, and after a small struggle, he put her in a fireman's carry and begins to make his way out of the clinic past Rhea and her clerics.

I see Rhea talking with her followers in hushed voices, though it seems like she's just doing damage control and trying to calm them down. I pull myself up from the ground and make my way to the medicine cabinet, grab myself a vulnerary and immediately down the contents. The elixir makes my body feel warm for a moment as my mind clears a bit and my muscles don't feel as fatigued. Not a complete fix, but definitely better than what I was.

I approach Rhea who finishes talking with her clerics and dismisses them to watch Manuela who asks me, "Are you feeling well?"

I roll my neck and pinch my nose to help try and distract myself from the magical fatigue, "Yeah, I'll survive. Do you need anything else, Rhea?"

"Follow me. I presume that professor Eisner will be or has resolved the issue by now. We must go discover what has transpired."


The report from the tomb ended up being successful in the end. Flayn and another student, Monica, were recovered and there were no casualties on our end. The Death Knight, who we now presume to be Jeritza judging from Manuela's testimonial when she woke up later that evening, all but confirmed it. Rhea and Seteth took their time speaking with Byleth, Hanneman, and some of the students individually inside Seteth's office once everyone cleared out of the tomb and the knights began searching it for other clues or traps.

Nearly midnight now I'm sitting outside Seteth's office as the last person to be spoken to by the church superiors, and I hear the door open. I look up as I'm seated across from the door to Seteth's office and next to Jeralt's empty office, I see Byleth walk out with a confused look on her face. I stand up and exclaim, "Hey!" to get the professor's attention.

Byleth's eyes light up as she mouths out 'oh!' and greets me, "Good evening, Santos. Are you speaking with Lady Rhea and Seteth next?"

"That's how it seems. They wanted to speak to me last, so I've been waiting out here for the past hour since a messenger fetched me from the clinic."

"How is Manuela?"

I chuckle and reply, "She's fine now, just mad that Jeritza got the jump on her is all."

Byleth nods, "That's good. The fighting in the tomb was...difficult to say the least." Byleth's gaze intensifies a bit on the ground as she seems to be reliving some of the moments of battles.

"Really? I heard there were a lot of dangerous foes down there, but I'm glad you all made it out in one piece," I console but she seems to not be in the mood for cheering up.

Byleth despondently shrugs, "The fighting itself was fine. We are all quite skilled, though working with Dimitri proved to be a challenge with how he threw himself at the Death Knight. And then the aftermath…"

I narrow my eyes and inquire, "What 'aftermath' are you talking about?" Byleth cryptically replies, " I ran out of chances, but I hope I said the right thing."

What the hell is she talking about? I raise an eyebrow and pat Byleth on the shoulder which seems to jolt her out of her morose mood and I reply, "Look, go get some rest. Maybe have a drink with your old man? It's late and you're probably overthinking whatever it is you are thinking about."

" ...You're right. What's done is done. Thank you, and goodnight," Byleth announces as she heads down towards the stairs and I hype myself up for the meeting with my bosses.

I clear my throat and enter Seteth's office. Rhea is standing beside Seteth who is seated at his desk. Seteth looks visibly exhausted while Rhea is still maintaining her divine presence and glow, though I swear I can see her visage beginning to crack with how tired and sad her eyes look.

"Ah. Come in, and shut the door," Seteth commands in a curt tone to which I nod and follow his ill-mannered instruction. I'm not going to rag on the man who nearly lost his daughter, so he gets a pass.

"I'm here, so where are we beginning?" I wonder aloud to the religious duo.

Rhea takes the lead and explains, "First, I'd like to thank you again for aiding professor Manuela. Your timely intervention proved extremely valuable."

"She should be up to normal and healthy by tomorrow. She woke up for a bit and told me about Jeritza before I alerted you two and then you talked with her. Since then I've monitored her vitals and she's been stable," I answer as Rhea and Seteth nod in acknowledgment.

Rhea takes a deep breath before asking, "Santos, how are you liking teaching? Are you enjoying it so far?"

"Quite a bit actually," I honestly reply. It's been an up and down journey thus far, but it's been the best thing I've had since arriving in Fodlan.

Rhea follows up, "Would you be opposed to taking on more students? I've spoken with many people today, and I have one request and one immediate transfer for you."

An immediate transfer? That sounds suspicious, to say the least. Considering what Byleth commented about the 'aftermath' of the fighting I have a feeling that it's something to do with that. Odds are that I'm getting one or both of the kids that were rescued.

"Alright, who are they?" I question. Most students are either part-timers that aren't assigned a house or they must be transferring in. Worst case scenario; I'm getting someone else's problem.

Seteth wearily explains, "For safety and...other negotiations Flayn has asked to join the Blue Lions with Dimitri and Hanneman, and Byleth has agreed. Monica has requested to join the Ashen Wolves house to finish her education, and we are immediately transferring Felix Fraldarius to your house after today's incident. You may turn away Monica if you wish and we will place her elsewhere, but we believe your house to be the best fit for Felix."

"Why the Ashen Wolves? I've had Felix in a few seminars before, but I'm curious as to why the sudden need for him to transfer. And as for the other girl, I'm fine with her coming along if you approve of her skillset."

"Felix and Dimitri got into an altercation according to professor Eisner after the Death Knight had fled and the Flame Emperor had made an appearance. It was bad enough that we have had to separate them for their safety," Rhea explains with words filled with sorrow. She seems to be taking their confrontation quite personally by the look and sound of Rhea's mournful demeanor.

Seteth nods in acknowledgment adding, "Indeed. Your house was the most suitable as Felix said the Ashen Wolves or Golden Deer would be his preferred locations. The Golden Deer represent the Alliance which would arise suspicions back in Faergus and Felix's family, so we have placed him with you. Do take care of him."

Alright, so it looks like I'm getting two new students in one day. Felix from what I remember is a quick study and attentive learner from the few seminars of mine he joined to learn more reason magic. A skilled sword fighter would finally give Yuri a decent sparring partner for swords since Balthus is more of a brawler and Hapi's lance skills aren't enough to challenge someone as skilled as Yuri.

"Alright, I'll do my best with Felix and Monica. I'll be sure to talk with them tomorrow and have a house meeting. Anything else or new missions?"

Rhea shakes her head and concedes, "That was most of it. I have your written report and Yuri's testimonial, so your business concerning Bishop Solari is finished. I only had hoped Morfis was more hospitable to you and your students. As for your next mission, next month is the Battle of the Eagle and Lion. Seteth shall give you more details tomorrow, but it is going to be a mock battle between all four houses. A unique battle for a most unusual year."

"Very well, I'll take my leave. I'll be in my old quarters for tonight. Just come get me if someone else needs medical attention," As I begin to walk towards the door, I hear both Seteth and Rhea bid me farewell.

I leave the office and force my tired body back towards my room. The patrols seem normal as I wave to a few knights on my way towards my quarters, though as I round the corner to the hallway, I manage to spot someone in the darkness outside my room swinging their arms back and forth and by the sound of it, humming.

I suppress a groan as I march forth and the girl with hair tied up in dual buns and wearing a generic Garreg Mach student uniform with a red bow adorned at the top to match the color of her eyes and hair. She manages to spot me at the same time I see her and she happily waves at me before skipping over to me, happily beaming, "Good evening, professor! I'd like to introduce myself. I am Monica von Ochs and I'm very excited to be in your class. If I had known the Ashen Wolves were an option last year I would have chosen them over the Black Eagles!"

"What makes you say that?" I inquire while trying to keep any semblance of tiredness away. It may be late, but that doesn't constitute a poor first impression with my newest student.

"Oh, because I've been catching up on all the gossip of course! I heard about the monster your class faced in the cathedral a while ago. I figured if you managed to take down a beast like that, then I could learn far more from you than Manuela."

"Ahuh. Well, this has been enlightening, but I'm also very tired. Could we manage to continue this in the morning? I have a whole meet and greet planned with the Ashen Wolves."

Monica laughs to herself as if I had just told a funny joke and replies, " Pshhhh, it's not that late, and I figured no time like the present to get to know your teacher!"

I pinch the bridge of my nose and respond as tactfully as I can muster, "While I appreciate your enthusiasm, I need rest. So if you don't mind moving," I motion with my hand for Monica to scoot aside but she smiles and blushes a bit as she replies, "Well...I would, but you see I don't have a room to stay in and I figured my dear professor could share his lodging with me tonight. I've been gone from the monastery for a while, so someone else naturally took my old room when the year started."

"Laying it on rather thick, aren't we?" I deadpan respond to Monica who's face turns ghost white and she falters, "W-w-What-How did-?!"

I groan and interject, "Look, you ain't getting extra credit that way, trust me. I'm sure Seteth is still awake and can set up something for you here or give you funds for a room in the town. Easy, right?"

Monica backs away now seemingly completely dejected and responds, "Ah, of course. That wasn't my intention, it's just that I was overexcited and all since being free of the Death Knight. I wasn't thinking clearly. I'll go find Seteth. See you tomorrow, professor."

Now making me feel a bit guilty for jumping to conclusions I console her, "Look, I'm sorry. It's been a rough day for everyone. I'll take you to Seteth to get squared away, okay? Don't want you disappearing a second time."

Seems my joke landed as her mood flips and she giggles and hooks her arm around mine and points down the hall, "Excellent! I knew you weren't that heartless! Seems I made the right choice after all, now onward!"

With Monica dragging me forward since I have very little energy to stop her at this point in the evening I can't help but shake my head and berate myself. She's clearly suffering psychologically so I should take a more careful approach to her whims and suggestions. We all deal with prolonged isolation in different ways, so this must be hers in trying to be extremely extroverted. Can't help but feel that her intoxicating charisma will pair nicely into the Ashen Wolves. We're a weird group of individuals so I doubt she'll have trouble fitting in.


A/N: That's a wrap up on Part 6 of white clouds as we now veer towards the Battle of the Eagle and Lion! exciting stuff! Also, the Ashen Wolves are now complete as is most the other rosters. Anybody surprised by the turn of events with people joining certain houses? Lots of shifting around as we inch closer and closer to the end of part 1, which I'm very excited for. Part 2 will be out of left field for hopefully many of you, I gotta keep you on your toes, right?

Also, I introduced another Soul magic in the previous chapter and now you get to see the side effects of a mortal wielding that kind of power, even with a crest. There is always a cost for power...but we have only covered 3 so far in the compendium. You're free to guess what the others might be, but there is 9 in total. That's my only hint for you ;) I've taken my time in crafting how they interact and I have to say, I'm excited to unveil them (if Santos figures it out of course).

Another bit of news for the distant future...is I may be working on another FE OC story. No spoilers yet as to which game, but I've stewed on the idea and will happily unfurl my plans when Stolen Remedy comes to a close eventually. We are past the halfway mark of this story, but I think the best and most shocking is yet to come. Stay tuned.

That's a wrap for this week, and as per usual I can be found on Narwhal Lord's Fanfiction Treehouse discord Stormtide_Leviathan on discord . gg / 9XG3U7a so stop by and say hi to all the talented folks over there! Lots of other great stories to pick up and read from what I've found if more FE fanfiction is your things.

Big shoutout to all those who have dropped a review, thank you all for your feedback! Over 100 reviews now on Stolen Remedy! Whoohoo! I hope to hear more from you all in the future.

Review Response:

Skye: Santos is biologically & mentally 29 (technically 31 due to his time skip forward) as of this chapter. his birthday is 11/17.

Sukaleska: If Santos can unleash havoc with one soul drained and then go into a coma for a fortnight...It's strong but that's a heavy trade. A lot of burden to put on your soul. Will it show up again? Perhaps :) and don't worry, I haven't forgotten about Claude, he's one of my favorite characters!

Sakura108645: Very brutal indeed. Thanks for the support, means a lot from another talented FE writer!

Guest: I'm glad you are liking the differences between Byleth and Santos! You'll see more of Santos's teachings, but if you want an example it's very much an emphasis on awareness, task management, and privatization. His seminars are Faith and Reason based, so his weakness is in any of the martial combat arts, whereas Byleth shines in those as an ex-merc. Byleth is very much the one-woman wrecking crew to Santos' team-based needs. As for TWSITD, there is a reason for the juxtaposition of Solon/Tomas treating Santos the way he is versus Edelgard going about trying to kill him initially. The bad guys have a plan, but do they have all the information? As for some Annette and Mercedes fluff, I plan to have some coming up in later chapters, but it will most likely be brief. Thanks for the feedback and I hope you continue to enjoy the fic!

That's it this week, so until next time! Stay safe and don't catch the turbo flu.

Next Chapter: 4/10-4/11

EDITED: 4/6/20