'Come in Byleth.' Seteth called. The door to his office opened after a few seconds, and Byleth slid into the room, a puzzled expression on her face.

'I hadn't even knocked yet!' She said. 'How did you know I was there?'

Seteth's brow creased. 'I must have heard your footsteps.' He replied. 'I was expecting you anyway.' He added.

'Right.' Byleth crossed over to sit across the other side of his desk to him. The tea was already poured and waiting for her.

'I'm sorry it's taken so long for us to get round to talking about the Church in any detail.' Seteth began, lifting his cup to his lips.

'And I'm sorry that I had to ask...' Byleth admitted. 'I know how busy you are, Seteth and it was Rhea who originally offered to give me an insight.'

'Nonetheless, I am sure she planned to hand the task over to me.' Seteth smiled wanly. 'Rhea had always been a little disorganised.' He murmured. 'She isn't quite as bad now as she was in her youth, I suppose her years as Archbishop has tamed her natural inclination to chaos.'

'I cannot imagine her as anything other than generally serene.' Byleth shrugged. 'I have little experience of her, though.'

Seteth stood and went over to his window, peering out at the sky that was just starting to dim into twilight. 'You specifically asked about the Rite of Rebirth.' He said, turning back and holding out a hand to beckon her over. 'That is actually as good a place to start as any.'

Byleth moved to stand beside him at his invitation while Sothis materialised to hover at his other side, so they were flanking him. Seteth clasped his hands behind his back in an almost formal pose, which was likely his lecturing stance Byleth realised with a tiny burst of amusement. He was silent for a moment, his eyes distant as if he were seeking inspiration from the heavens, then he faced Byleth with a kindly smile.

'As the sun grows brighter and the night's become ever shorter, the Blue Sea Star returns to the sky once more.' Seteth's voice was deep and sonorous as if he were reciting a passage of text. 'Every spring, that star is completely absent from our view. At its most basic explanation, the Rite of Rebirth is a celebration scheduled each year on the exact day that the star returns to our sight once more.'

'The Blue Sea Star?' Byleth stared out of the window. 'I don't understand.' She admitted.

'That star is believed to be the origin of the Goddess Sothis.' Seteth paused, frowning when Sothis choked out a rather rude and disbelieving laugh. After a moment of perplexion, he continued. 'Not only is it where Sothis claimed to have come from, but it is also thought to be where her spirit resides now.'

'Pfft!' Sothis chuckled. 'Right next to you is where my spirit is currently residing you dummy!'

'Err...' Seteth's eyes narrowed slightly at the interruption, but didn't seem to have actually heard anything. 'So... when the star is obscured from us, we are left unprotected and vulnerable, however, when the star reappears, we are once again reborn into the grace of the Goddess and the benevolent shelter of her love.' Seteth rushed to finish.

'I see...' Byleth said quickly to cut off any further comment from her tittering companion. 'So then, the Rite is basically a celebration of the return of the Goddess and the rising of her power and influence over the land...'

'Indeed.' Seteth agreed. 'It is the holiest day of our calendar. It is also said that on that day, the Goddess herself walks amongst us - giving us her blessing.'

'I can do that!' Sothis agreed, still laughing.

'Could it really be true, though?' Byleth asked bluntly. 'That Sothis came from a star, I mean?'

'Hmm.' Seteth pondered the question. 'It is recorded from many sources that in the time when she physically walked the land, she herself named the Blue Sea Star as her home and a source of her power.' He replied seriously.

'You don't think that maybe she just had a perverse sense of humour and liked messing with humans then?' Byleth inquired as Sothis cackled merrily.

Seteth choked. 'What?'

'Just a thought.' Byleth mumbled, flushing at the faint look of outrage on his face. 'Um... so you just said 'when she walked on the land...' You mean She once actually lived here then? Like, with a real body and stuff... or was she just a floaty spiritual apparition?'

'Your mind really does work in some odd ways.' Seteth muttered as he went back to his desk to sit down.

'Yeah, I guess.' Byleth admitted following him to a seat. 'This is all totally new to me, though.'

'Of course, it is.' Seteth's voice became softer. 'I need to keep that in mind. It's just that my knowledge and my faith has always been so much a part of my own life...'

'I really don't mean to cause any offence!' Byleth added quickly.

Seteth chuckled. 'I know that Byleth. If I look shocked, I promise you that I am only trying to keep up with your line of thinking!'

'You two are so infuriatingly polite to each other.' Sothis groaned. 'Boring!'

'So, ah... about Sothis then...?' Byleth reminded him.

'She was a physical being, yes.' Seteth nodded. 'The Rite itself actually begins in her tomb, where her earthly remains are at rest. The service then transfers to the Goddess Tower, where the emergence of the star and is observed and by association worship is afforded to her spirit.'

'How is it that she came to died then? Being a Goddess and all?' Byleth looked puzzled. 'If her spirit returns to us along with this star, why does she no longer have a real body?'

Seteth sat back in his chair and eyed Byleth thoughtfully. 'You are talking about some much more advanced theology now.' He noted. 'In her time here, Sothis's body was merely a physical vessel, just like yours or mine and it could be broken with exactly the same finality. The truest difference in her lay within her soul, though.'

'Her soul?'

'Or spirit... whatever you wish to call it.' Seteth was warming to his subject now. 'When she first came to Fodlan, this land was a barren and harsh environment that was barely able to support any life whatsoever. Over an unimaginable period of time, Sothis's divine soul and unique power brought life and energy in abundance to where once there was nothing. All living things - including the humans - finally began to flourish under the bounty that this new environment provided and they gratefully accepted the grace and tender care of the Goddess that had made it possible.'

'Oh, how very wonderful of me! I told you I was remarkable!' Sothis sniggered.

'Yes, she was remarkable, of course.' Seteth agreed as if it were Byleth that had spoken.

'So, what happened?' Byleth asked, too caught up in the story to pay much attention to anything else.

'Well, some of the humans eventually became jealous of the power and the unique abilities that Sothis had access to.' A frown now marred Seteth's face. 'These people locked themselves away in darkness, and while they took all of the learning and benevolence that Sothis provided, they began to twist it to their own ends. Finally, in their arrogance, they rose up to proclaim themselves to be Gods and to challenge the very hand that had kept them safe and nurtured for so long. ' Seteth sighed unhappily. 'War's began, and it was all that Sothis could do to keep the land and her people healed. Her continued efforts completely exhausted her, and that made her vulnerable. She was actually taken at a time when she was recuperating and was unable to protect herself.'

'Hmmph.' Sothis was biting at her lip reflectively. 'I certainly don't remember any of this!'

'Did no-one come to her aid? Did she truly have no-one willing to protect her?' Byleth asked sadly.

'There were her children, of course.' Seteth nodded. 'And by the time that the troubles first started, there were also a fair number of descendants of those children. But once the Goddess was lost, they too were overwhelmed and beaten back. Most were massacred in one particularly bloody and singular assault.'

'My children?' Sothis cried. 'I had children?' She was shaking her head, looking momentarily stunned. 'They were massacred?' With each word she spoke, Sothis's voice became louder. Byleth felt her companion's rush of confusion and anger soul-deep as it suddenly manifested in an overwhelming burst of pure power that exploded out of nowhere. A wave of heat and crippling nausea swept over her, and she slumped heavily in her seat clutching at her head.

'Byleth?' Seteth was on his feet and by her side. 'Are you alright?'

'Y..yes... A little overwhelmed...' Byleth stuttered.

Seteth's shoulders shuddered. 'There is a very peculiar feeling...' He began, sharply looking around the room as he took hold of Byleth's hand, then he dropped it again with a surprised exclamation. 'You are exceedingly hot!' He exclaimed, moving his hand swiftly to her brow to check her temperature.

'You're kinda handsome yourself...' Byleth replied weakly, trying desperately to grin at him and maybe cover some of the strangeness going on around them. Her head was reeling as Sothis continued in her struggle to contain the storm of her sudden anger, ire bursting powerfully from her, pulsing the air with crackling intensity.'

'I'm serious!' Seteth looked worried now. 'We should take you to Manuela.' He decided.

'Father?' Neither of them had noticed Flayn entering the room. Her eyes were huge, and her face was strained as she stood uncertainly by the door.

'Father?' Byleth had enough equilibrium left to pounce immediately on Flayn's slip.

'Later!' Seteth said through gritted teeth as he positioned himself to pick Byleth up.

'Who are you?' Flayn was staring directly at Sothis, whose raging immediately ceased, and she looked utterly flabbergasted at both being seen and by the question.

'Who is who?' Seteth had scooped Byleth up in his arms.

'Put me down, Seteth.' Byleth sounded weary. 'I promise you that the nausea has now passed, and I think that things are about to get... interesting.'

There was a long and ponderous silence.

'Why are you floating?' Flayn finally asked, moving behind her father who still had Byleth in a bridal hold.

'What are you talking about Flayn?' Seteth's voice was frustrated.

'She can see my imaginary friend...' Byleth murmured in explanation.

'Excuse me, WHAT?' Seteth exclaimed. Flayn let out a little puff of surprise too. Then she nodded.

'Not so imaginary then. Jeralt was wrong about that.' Flayn muttered.

Seteth placed Byleth back down in her chair gently although his mind was working overtime. 'So, um... I need to ask... if both of you can see this apparition... why can't I?' He inquired in a perfectly level tone.

'You've heard her.' Byleth looked up at him with a kind of reassurance. 'A few times now, actually. I've had to cover it.'

'You don't have to talk about me like I'm not here, you know!' Sothis grumbled, pouting.

'Okay, I heard that!' Seteth was remarkably calm.

'It's just a child, Father.' Flayn explained wondrously. 'She is floating, though.'

'Rude!' Sothis observed, flicking her head dismissively. 'Oh! Very rude!' She squealed when Flayn drew up the nerve to dart forward and poke a finger towards her, which went right through the manifestation. 'You don't see me trying to poke you!'

'Are you a ghost?' Flayn was now completely entranced. 'I've never seen a ghost before...'

'How dare you!' Sothis demanded. 'This is not how I imagined this going at all.' She moaned.

Flayn's hands flew to her mouth. 'Your ears!' She cried.

Sothis was getting cross now. 'I imagine if we were to pull back your hair, your own would be the same, you brat!' She grouched.

'Sothis, play nicely!' Byleth ordered wearily, 'I'm sorry!' She apologised. 'She can be awfully outspoken at times.' Byleth frowned at the little Goddess.

Seteth's cool had finally evaporated.

'S... S...Sothis?' He stuttered. Flayn had fallen back away as well, her shocked face almost comical.

'Yes, yes...' Sothis bowed in ironic irritation. 'Feel free to be as worshipful as you like. Anything would be better than being rude...'

'Sothis!' Byleth barked. 'You promised you'd behave!'

'That was before these ignoramous's actually started interacting with me.' Sothis sulked. '... And before I learned that I had children who were massacred.' She added, a little more genuinely. Her emotions started to whirl again.

'No!' Byleth begged. 'Calm down! Please...'

Sothis threw her hands in the air in silent surrender and floated herself over to the window.

'So, I guess you have been keeping a few things from us.' Seteth remarked mildly, although he had fallen into a sitting position at Byleth's feet, as though his energy had deserted him.

'Don't blame the child.' Sothis said quietly. 'She wanted to tell you - both of you - about me. I asked her not to. I have no memory of what or who I was before I was with her...'

'You remember nothing?' Flayn was still visibly stunned.

'I just said so didn't I?'

'We are both concerned that she could be taken away somehow.' Byleth added softly. 'We have come to the conclusion that her being joined to me isn't a natural happenstance, and if that is true, then it is just as likely that she could be removed too.'

'Jeralt suspected that something untoward happened to you when you were born.' Seteth mused then his eyes widened and he started to swear. 'What in the hell are we going to tell Jeralt?' He groaned.

'Da would march straight to Rhea.' Byleth predicted. 'Demand answers. That might not be for the best...'

'When you say she is your imaginary friend... what exactly does that mean?' Flayn asked, her eyes narrowing thoughtfully.

'Well, she normally lives in my head, but since we came to the Monastery, she has been able to manifest – just like you see now.'

'Before being here, I slept a lot... within her.' Sothis explained. 'I was always completely aware of Byleth's experiences, and I took her feelings and her emotions. Not purposefully!' She added. 'It seemed to... feed me. Here, I find I can pull on other power, I don't have to suck her dry...'

'Lately, though, that power seems to have been getting stronger.' Byleth shivered. 'She has been different. More alive, more invigorated... and certainly a lot more... err... interested in others.'

'Byleth thinks it's due to all the nice little worshipers coming here, for the Rite - all singing my praises.'

'It's making me tired, though.' Byleth sighed.

'... And horny.' Sothis cackled.

'No, Sothis, that's you!' Byleth flushed.

'Right... because you can't seem to keep your hands off Blondie at the moment can you...'

'Excuse me... You were the one who was fawning pathetically all over Yuri!'

'Wow!' Flayn was bouncing in amusement. 'You two are just like an old married couple!

Seteth had his head in his hands. 'This is all a little too much to process.' He admitted. 'I don't doubt what you are saying ... but this whole situation is stretching the bounds of my experience to breaking point.'

'I know what you mean.' Flayn agreed. 'You look nothing like the Sothis I remember.' She added to the girl.

'That you remember?' Sothis queried, her delicate brow raising at the girl.

'I mean from her rendering in books and the like.' Flayn said quickly.

Sothis shrugged. 'I don't know what I'm supposed to look like.' She grumbled. 'I don't even remember my own children...' This time the pain in her voice was tangible. 'It was the Red Canyon wasn't it!' She said suddenly. 'When we went there, it was like a hundred voices were all calling to me at once. It made Byleth sick...'

'Yes.' Seteth nodded, and the frown that he had been wearing disappeared into gentle concern. 'Zanado was your home here, although the location of this Monastery is directly where your main centre of learning and teaching was located.' He rubbed tiredly at his brow. 'Zanado was also where the worst of the massacre's happened...' Seteth got to his feet and edged closer towards where Sothis's voice was coming from. 'I wish I could see you...' He sighed longingly.

'It's faith, Father.' Flayn advised him. 'That is what drew me here in the first place... I was in the library when I was quite overwhelmed by an explosion of faith magic. Indeed there is so much raw power in this room at this moment, that even you should be able to draw on it, and I can't remember the last time you used your abilities in that discipline!'

'I can feel it.' He agreed. 'Probably nowhere near as strongly as you can... and I can't quite seem to latch onto it.' He sighed.

'Byleth sleeps.' Sothis noted suddenly. The three of them turned, and Byleth was indeed crashed out in her chair 'She spoke correctly.' Sothis added gently. 'I hadn't noticed it until she brought it up, but ever since Cethleann's birthday, she has been horribly fatigued and rather emotionally needy... while I have been buoyed by enormous energy. I believe that it may be because - despite her oddities – she is only human. They were never meant to deal with such an abundance of power.'

'You... you know who I am?' Flayn asked breathlessly. 'I thought you had no memory...'

'Please child. I may be an incorporeal emotion-sucking leech, but I am not stupid.' Sothis sniffed. 'You share the birthday with the saint. You obviously remember me as I was, and you are not only aware of me, but you can see me too now that my power has grown.' Sothis paused for a second, then continued on confidently. 'I am of the mind that the both of you have to be some of those descendants that were mentioned earlier. I mean, I am obviously where you both get your good looks from for a start...'

'You really are very different from the Sothis that we knew.' Seteth noted with a visible wince. 'Your feeling, though... the ambience. That is precisely the same.'

'No doubt complete amnesia followed by twenty years in the company of Jeralt and a bunch of mercenaries has resulted in being a little rough around the edges!' Sothis muttered. 'Byleth has a rather unique sense of humour too.' She added.

'If I think about it, there have been times when I have felt you within Byleth. Now that I know you are there, it is rather obvious.' Seteth murmured. 'And you really have no memory of your past, of our shared history..?'

'How many times, boy? I. Do. Not. Remember!' Sothis pouted. 'I get flashes sometimes, a stray thought or feeling. I continually feel like I am... under-cooked... not fully complete.'

'We should find out how this happened. We need to speak with Rhea. Confront her.' Flayn declared passionately.

'Be very wary child.' Sothis grunted. 'There is one thing that I do know that Byleth herself isn't aware of.'

'Oh?' Seteth immediately noticed the gravitas in her voice.

'Byleth was born dead. Once she left her mother, her heart never ever beat. Not once.' Sothis's voice was deathly serious. 'While I have my regrets about stealing her emotions to nurture myself... I have, in-kind also provided a service to her.'

What do you mean?' Seteth's voice was anxious.

Sothis sighed heavily. 'In all ways that matter, I am her heart. I keep the blood flowing around her body in replacement of the organ that was broken. If I were to be removed, then the child could not possibly survive.'

'That does complicate matter's somewhat.' Seteth said delicately.

'You think?' Sothis griped.