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Verdant Wind
The City Without Light
Day 12 of the Blue Sea Moon
It was a late night at the Garreg Mach Monastery library. By Lysithea's estimation, it had been several hours since the cathedral bells last rang, which meant it was well past midnight. She knew this because five years ago, back in her days at the academy, Seteth had once scolded her for staying up so late and explained the monastery's clock tower schedule.
"What are you doing out of bed this late?"
"Hm? Oh, hello Seteth. I'm only studying. It's easier to get work done without the distraction of others."
"While I empathize with your desire for peace and quiet, it is well past curfew. The bells are silenced at midnight so you may better rest. When they are put to sleep, you should be as well."
In the end, her professor had been reprimanded for not keeping a closer eye on his students. Lysithea felt bad at the time, but Byleth had been sympathetic, apparently not being much of a sleeper himself. He had even offered to help her by checking out books at night when she couldn't access the library.
In fact, the professor was with Lysithea right now, sitting in a nearby chair, sipping tea and pouring through several books dedicated to the basics of blood magic. The two of them had come to an agreement that any means of removing Lysithea's Crests would likely involve studying this rare form of sorcery.
However, contrary to what many would believe, blood magic was a variation of white magic, just as dark magic was a variation of black magic. And one of the fundamental laws of magic was that a mage could not use white magic on themselves, which meant the professor would have to be the one to perform any blood rituals on Lysithea.
And so, while the professor researched magic, Lysithea continued to focus her efforts on studying Crests. Despite the prominence Crests held in Fodlan, however, Crestology itself was still in its infancy, with Hanneman once being considered the Father of Crestology...back when he was alive. When it came to factual knowledge, Lysithea and the Professor had managed to cover the subject in a remarkably short time. However, there were still plenty of unproven theories and untested claims to consider. It was difficult to separate fact from fiction and, given the hour, Lysithea wasn't sure if she had the energy to keep going.
...But she had to. The professor was still awake. He was still working hard and showed no signs of stopping. Which meant Lysithea couldn't stop either, not when all this hard work was being done for her sake. As long as the professor was going to stay up, she would stay up by his side. There was no way she was going to let him outdo her!
Truthfully, however, this was the only reason Lysithea continued to work so hard. When it came to actually removing her Crests, she had come to realize early on how unrealistic the idea was and lost hope in ever succeeding. After all, it had taken the imperial mages roughly eight years to implant her Crests, meanwhile the two of them had less than four years to remove them.
Resisting the urge to yawn, Lysithea glanced towards her professor, who was jotting down notes as fast as he could in his usual chicken scratch handwriting. Even if she had lost hope, the professor hadn't. He still naively believed that they would find a way to cure her. Or...maybe he understood the grim truth but couldn't bring himself to accept it? Whatever the case, he refused to abandon her, which meant she wasn't going to abandon him either.
Lysithea rubbed her eyes as she turned back to her studies. Her vision was blurred and her brain fogged. She had awoken at six in the morning and had spent the entire day working, studying and training with the professor—who had started even earlier. They were both exhausted, physically and mentally, and likely smelled bad too since neither of them had a chance to bathe. Ordinarily Lysithea would simply suggest going to bed, however...
Since learning of the threat that slithered in the dark, she and the professor had discussed the situation and came to the conclusion that finding research regarding the imperial mage's blood experiments was their best chance at discovering a cure for Lysithea's Crests. In preparation for their raid on Shambhala, they had doubled their already intense research efforts as well as their training, both eager to exact their vengeance against Those Who Slither in the Dark.
Knowing the professor, any attempts to end their study session would result in the professor bidding her to bed and simply continuing the research on his own. He was stubborn that way, but then again Lysithea was quite stubborn herself. She would just have to wait until he—
THUD.
Lysithea blinked, startled at the sudden noise, and turned to her professor. As if right on cue, his head was resting against the open book, his writing hand still, and his tea—thankfully—not knocked over.
"Professor?" Lysithea asked tentatively, getting out of her chair and moving around the table to examine him.
Byleth's eyes were closed and his breathing was heavy. Sleeping. Normally, Lysithea might have taken a small, smug sense of pride in outlasting her professor, but in truth she was just grateful that he was finally asleep. He had certainly earned his rest after working all day, and she had managed to work alongside him the entire time...and yet in spite of that, Lysithea couldn't help but feel that Byeth had somehow managed to work more than her.
There was some truth to this. Unbeknownst to Lysithea, Byleth had been making use of the Divine Pulse to artificially extend his day and sneak in more research time. Because of this, not only had he worked longer hours without sleeping, but his body was worn out by his consistent use of this power.
Lysithea let out a small sigh. As relieved as she was, she had no idea how to handle the current situation. Thinking back, when Lysithea had passed out from overworking herself during training, the professor had carried her all the way to the infirmary and tended to her there. The infirmary was just down the hall from the library, but Lysithea wasn't nearly as strong as the professor...and he was heavy too, always wearing that armor.
Still, she couldn't just leave him be either. It was too cold. At the very least she could fetch him a spare pillow and blanket from the infirmary. Lysithea turned to leave, but paused as she did so, glancing back to the professor. She had to admit that a small, selfish part of her was enjoying all the attention she was receiving but...now the situation was becoming stressful and the professor was running himself ragged. It was getting hard to watch. Seeing him this way, Lysithea couldn't help but wonder...was this how her friends and family felt when she overworked herself?
What she really didn't understand was the professor's naive behavior. Lorenz was much the same in that regard, but the difference was that Lorenz didn't know the full truth. The professor, on the other hand, did. And he wasn't the type to look at things optimistically or make unpractical decisions. He was always straight forward, sensible and realistic... So why was he working so hard and wasting so much time trying to find a cure that probably didn't exist?
Because he cares about you.
That much was obvious. But no matter how much he cared or how much Lysithea wanted a better future, that didn't change their situation. Did he just care so much that he was in denial? Was he pushing himself so hard because his conscience wouldn't let him let him simply give up without trying? Or was he doing this so she didn't have to suffer alone? Lysithea sighed, ruffling the professor's hair as she did so, before leaning in and, after a moment of hesitation, gently planted a kiss on his cheek.
Lysithea quickly exited the library, face blushing red, and made her way down the hall, conjuring a ball of fire in her hand to light the way. Even now, the monastery still felt spooky at night. Byleth had been considerate enough to have discreetly added candles outside the student's rooms to help comfort her, but apparently the knights had neglected to add them here.
It was embarrassing to admit that even now, as a grown woman, she was still scared of the dark. For whatever reason, Lysithea had always had an easier time opening up around the professor. Maybe it was because he never treated her like a child or maybe because he was the first person Lysithea truly considered to be her friend, but even if he wasn't the judgemental type, it was annoying that he so often saw Lysithea at her most vulnerable. But then...what was it that Hilda once said?
"When you're older, you might understand the importance of looking a little vulnerable."
"Ugh. You're treating me like a child...but I guess it's mostly harmless."
As much as Lysithea hated to admit it, Hilda had been right. It was because of her vulnerability that the professor was giving her so much attention, spending so much time with her...even doting on her from time to time. It was because Lysithea had lowered her guard that she and Byleth were more...intimate now.
Intimate...
Lysithea blushed again as she made her way into the infirmary and grabbed a spare pillow and blanket for the professor. She considered grabbing a second set for herself, but decided against it. While it was inconsiderate to just leave the professor by himself, it would look...odd...if someone were to stumble on the two of them sleeping together in the library. The last thing she needed right now was more rumors spreading. The infirmary was a fairly private spot, she would just sleep here instead.
"Planning a sleepover?" came a playful voice from behind her.
Lysithea nearly screamed. It was only because she remembered that Byleth was sleeping close by that she managed to bite her tongue.
"Claude!" Lysithea hissed, turning to face him. "What are you doing sneaking up on me so late at night?!"
"Easy there, I didn't mean to sneak up on you, I promise." Claude said with his usual easy smile. "I just wanted to check in on you."
"You wanted to 'check in on me' in the dead of night?" Lysithea asked, folding her arms and scowling with accustation.
"OK, poor choice of words. I meant...I wanted to talk to you," Claude corrected himself, sitting on a nearby bed and patting the spot next to him.
"I don't suppose this would have waited until morning?" Lysithea remarked scathingly as she begrudgingly joined him.
"It's probably best if we had this talk alone," Claude muttered. "It's about you and Teach, actually."
Lysithea's face hardened. Here it was. He had come to discuss the senseless gossip floating around the monastery surrounding her and the professor, hadn't he? ...Or maybe not. It was hard to believe that Claude had stayed up so late just to make a joke at her expense. If teasing her had been his intention, he would have made it more public too. So, she would hear him out. For now.
"What about us?"
Claude didn't respond immediately. Instead he placed his fingertips together and leaned his head forward, as if pondering how to best phrase his response. After some time had passed, he sighed.
"Look, I'm not sure how to go about this tactfully, so I'll just come out and ask. Are the two of you—are you and Teach..." Claude paused as Lysithea's scowl deepened. "...Do you and Teach have feelings for each other?"
Lysithea's scowl now turned to a look of disgust. So Claude had come here to ridicule her over...that. Just when she thought he wouldn't sink so low...to think he would stalk her in the dead of night simply to frighten her and then add insult to injury by treating her like...like some childish schoolgirl who had a crush on her teacher.
"Ugh, I should have known better," Lysithea snapped "Look, I really don't have time for this right now. It's very late and—"
"Lysithea, wait, it's not—"
"Honestly, I'm starting to think the reason you belittle me so much is because you're the child, Claude!" Lysithea spat indignantly.
"Please just hear me out," Claude pleaded.
Lysithea said nothing but continued to glower fiercely at him.
"You'll listen?" Claude asked tentatively.
"Speak quickly," Lysithea sniffed shortly. "I'm still deciding what spell I might need practice on."
Claude shuddered, whenever Lysithea got like this, she reminded him of his mother...
"Lately I've noticed, Teach seems to spend a lot of time with you," Claude noted cautiously.
Lysithea continued to stare at him intently, but knew there was no use in denying it.
"What of it?" Lysithea asked. "I've noticed that you spend a lot of time with him too."
Although she was simply deflecting, there was some truth to this. Ever since their academy days, Claude had spent a lot of time probing the professor on his past. And now that they were at war, he was constantly grooming Byleth to act as leader of the Church.
"That's true," Claude admitted. "But this is different. The two of you have practically become inseparable. You're always training together, eating together, spending a lot of time alone, pulling all-nighters in the library—like right now. And whenever anyone else comes to talk, you both get really quiet and secretive."
Lysithea's face flushed a soft shade of red; she hadn't considered how their behavior might look to everyone else. When Claude phrased it like that, it made sense that people would jump to conclusions. Still...
"I'm not sure what you're getting at," Lysithea huffed dismissively.
Claude frowned, Lysithea was too smart to get away with playing dumb.
"It seems strange, doesn't it?" The two of you are hardly the type to socialize with anyone and yet now you're always together but have distanced yourselves from everyone else."
"Like you said, we're not very social." Lysithea shrugged.
"That's not what—I'm just saying it's a bit unusual and I'm not the only one who's noticed," Claude pointed out, his face unusually stern considering the nature of their discussion.
"Hmph. Well thank you for the warning, but I don't care what baseless rumors the others are spreading. And frankly it's none of your concern."
"Actually, I think it is."
Just as Lysithea was able to snap at him again, she realized that his tone and expression were both very sincere. Her own expression softened a bit.
"Why's that?" Lysithea asked, trying to keep some level of contempt in her voice. She very much didn't enjoy talking about this.
"Because I wasn't just talking about our friends. Even the troops have noticed how you two behave together during training and on the battlefield."
Lysithea rolled her eyes. If the troops really had nothing better to do than gossip about the potential love life of their commanders, then clearly they weren't being pushed hard enough.
"...As well as our enemies," Claude added.
"What do you mean?" Lysithea slowly asked with a confused frown.
"I'm talking about Edelgard."
Lysithea's eyes widened and she felt a pit in her stomach...so she hadn't been imagining things then.
"I-I..." Lysithea hesitated, not sure how to respond.
Their last battle had taken place in Enbarr, the Imperial Capital, where they had finally toppled the Empire shortly before learning about the mysterious threat that slithered in the dark. There was a moment during their fight with Edelgard where Lysithea felt she had been specifically targeted by the emperor. At first Lysithea thought it was because Edelgard had recognized her as a threat, but the more she thought about it...
"You noticed it too, didn't you?" Claude pressed. "She was using you to get to Teach."
"Hmph, if I recall, you were the one who was ready to lay down his arms when we thought the professor was defeated," Lysithea reminded him defensively.
This was true. During the fight against Edelgard, when Claude was on the brink of surrendering, Lysithea and Leonie had refused to back down. And it was Lysithea who had brought Edelgard to her knees.
On the other hand, Claude wasn't entirely wrong either. Looking back on it now, it was obvious that Edelgard had been using her as bait to draw the professor into an unfavorable situation, which led to his near death. In that sense...Lysithea had been just as much a liability as an asset during that battle.
"Of course and, to be clear, I'm not saying you didn't pull your weight in that fight," Claude assured her. "But you can at least agree that Teach cares about you, right?"
"I suppose..." Lysithea muttered, immediately feeling a wave of guilt over these words.
Such a halfhearted answer was hardly fitting to the professor who had been working so tirelessly for her sake, who had collapsed from exhaustion in the library not moments ago. Lysithea shook her head.
"No—I mean yes. He does care," She admitted, her cheeks turning pink.
"You mean the world to him, Lysithea," Claude remarked with a smile.
"OK, OK, message received! Can we stop talking about this now?" Lysithea grumbled.
"I'm only saying this because our raid on Shambhala is coming up," Claude explained. "Once Shamir reports back from recon, we'll be moving in. I know this mission is personal to you. No doubt, you want to get revenge for everything they've done."
"Not just to me," Lysithea corrected him. "To the professor, to Edelgard, and to everyone else who was forced to suffer at their hands!"
"Right." Claude nodded. "It's personal for both of you. And I know you and Teach always have each other's backs, but he can be a bit...reckless when it comes to your safety. Just be cautious, alright?"
Claude's smile was a bit too playful for Lysithea's liking.
"I had every intention..." Lysithea muttered.
Combing through the hideout for information was crucial. Lysithea and the professor had been setting up their plan of attack for some time. After years of suffering and desiring revenge, she had no intention of messing it up now. Still, considering their personal investment in this mission, she supposed Claude couldn't be blamed for worrying about her.
"Also...I'm sorry I snapped at you," Lysithea added gently. "I just don't feel comfortable discussing these types of things..."
"I understand."
Claude nodded sympathetically.
"However, you never did tell me for certain if there was anything going on between you and Teach," He added with a smile.
"Ugh. Haven't I told you enough?" Lysithea pouted.
Claude had already said his piece and warned her about being cautious. For what reason could he possibly be so invested in their personal lives?
"Nope. Hilda's curious too. And I doubt she'll leave you alone until she gets an answer," Claude chuckled.
"If you're that insistent of snooping, then fine. As long as you leave us alone," Lysithea sighed. "But there isn't much to say. It's...complicated."
"If it's complicated, I would imagine there's quite a lot to say," Claude argued with a wink.
Lysithea sighed. He was right of course. There was a lot to say when it came to her feelings for the professor and yet so much she couldn't share. She had always been drawn to the professor, from the very first day they met. Lysithea had joined the academy, aspiring to be someone who her parents and the people of her territory could depend on. And she had decided well before joining that she wouldn't develop personal attachments...
...But then she met Byleth, a young prodigy much like herself, who had taken the mantle of professor and was teaching students his own age. Lysithea saw a lot of appeal in this, for Byleth was exactly the sort of person she aspired to be. A young, dependable leader who had full control over their emotions...someone that others around them could truly rely on.
As Lysithea got to know him better, she began to see the professor more and more as a kindred spirit. He wasn't only young, but he too had been isolated for much of his life and had just as much trouble socializing as she did...he had even been targeted by Hanneman for being a Crest anomaly much like herself. Not to mention, he was also one of the few boys in the academy who didn't view her as a child...
Eventually, Lysithea did develop feelings for him. And she made excuses for those feelings. He was the professor, after all, so it wasn't as though she could avoid him...not to mention it would be detrimental to her studies. And, despite everything she had promised herself, there was even a time when Lysithea had planned to come forward with her feelings after the school year. But then...then the war began and the professor had gone missing.
Because of this war—this pointless, ridiculous war—Lysithea had already lost so much of her precious time. When she had finally reunited with the professor she only had five years left. Now four...four years at most . For all Lysithea knew, she could die next year. She didn't have time to pursue a relationship, she didn't have time to spend with the professor or look for a cure or any of that. And yet...she was doing it anyway.
The truth was, Lysithea loved him dearly...and deep in her heart, she knew that the professor—that Byleth—felt the same way. If things had been different, they could have been together. But no, not only was Lysithea wasting her time by looking for a non-existent cure, she was also wasting Byleth's time and giving him false hope by indulging in his idealistic fantasies. In the end, she was only making it more painful for him when they were forced to part ways...when...she died.
"Lysithea, are you OK?" Claude asked with a look of concern.
"I'm fine," Lysithea muttered, wiping her eyes. She realized she had been quiet for some time now and sighed before continuing. "If you're really concerned about the situation between me and the professor...well...I will say that I consider the two of us to be very close. That's all."
There was a pause.
"You love him, don't you?" Claude coaxed gently.
"...I do," Lysithea admitted.
At this point it was plainly obvious and there was little point in hiding it. In fact, now that she had actually said it out loud, Lysithea realized she wasn't even embarrassed...just sad. It was painful to think about something wonderful that couldn't be.
"Heh, then I suppose I can forgive you for keeping Teach to yourself all this time." Claude smirked. "Still, the rest of us need him too. He is our commander, after all."
"You've been working him hard enough as it is!" Lysithea scolded crossly, folding her arms.
The irony of this statement wasn't lost on her. While Claude had certainly become dependent on him during the war, Lysithea was leading him on a wild goose chase...even worse, now the professor was in the same position she was in...always in a rush to find a cure before it was too late, with no time to spare. Nevertheless, that didn't make her feel any less defensive about the workload Claude was piling on him.
"Of course, I am," Claude said candidly. "You know how important Teach is to the war effort. He's our best tactician, he inspires the people around him, and he keeps this ragtag team of misfits in line. I admit, I rely on him."
Claude laughed and Lysithea couldn't help but smile, but after a moment of pause, her face fell.
"You know, Claude, the professor once told me that...he considers you to be his best friend. Did you know that?" Lysithea asked softly.
"To be honest, I didn't. It's hard to tell with Teach sometimes," Claude mused with a surprised but unusually genuine smile on his face.
"Still...he worries sometimes," Lysithea added. "He thinks you may be using him."
"Makes sense. It's not exactly a secret, is it?" Claude confessed. "He is the commander of our army and I did use him to convince your father and the other lords to support our cause. It's not something I'm proud of, but I've been upfront about it, haven't I?"
Lysithea nodded, remembering that day well...Byleth had made quite an impression on her father.
"That's true," Lysithea agreed. "But it feels like you've been setting him up as a figurehead leader for our 'rebellion'. When the truth is, he wasn't that interested in the war to begin with. He only joined to protect us...and to save Rhea."
She was staring at Claude intently, but he simply shrugged this off.
"Like I said, Teach is a beacon of hope to the people. It's only natural that I would make him the symbol of our cause." Claude reasoned.
"And when the war is over, you weren't perhaps...thinking of leaving him to settle Fodlan's affairs and disappearing, were you?" Lysithea asked shrewdly.
Claude paused; he hadn't expected that.
"Is this coming from Teach? Or from you?" Claude asked cautiously.
Lysithea didn't answer and Claude sighed before continuing.
"...I'll admit, I may have overstepped my bounds with Teach. And I haven't always been the 'best friend' I should be. But I do promise this...I would never do anything to hurt him."
One one hand, Lysithea could tell that Claude wasn't being entirely truthful with her. On the other hand...he did sound very sincere about not wishing harm on the professor.
"I guess I have no choice but to trust you," Lysithea sighed again, sounding quite sincere herself. "And for all his doubts...he trusts you too. I hope you know that."
"I do. And I was being serious when I said I wouldn't do anything to hurt him. The future we're creating will be one where Teach can see his own dreams to fruition. Still, he's pretty lucky to have you looking out for him."
Claude winked and Lysithea rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, yeah. Now that I've opened up, is there anything else you need from me?"
"No, you're fine," Claude assured her. "But don't you need help carrying Teach in here?"
"Oh! Uhh...yes, I would appreciate that, actually. Thank you."
Lysithea conjured another ball of fire for light as they retreaded her footsteps down the hall. Upon making their way back to the library, however, it suddenly dawned on her that Claude must have been waiting for a chance to talk to her alone for some time. Hours maybe. ...Was her private life really that important?
"Hey, Claude...would you mind if I asked a question?"
"Hmmm? What is it, Lysithea?"
"Why are you so interested in my relationship with the professor?" Lysithea asked with a small frown.
"Eh, I just thought I'd keep tabs on everyone," Claude said vaguely with a slightly dismissive hand wave. "With the war coming to an end, I just wanted to keep up with you and Teach. After all, I'm sure you'll both be important figures in Fodlan's future someday."
In truth, Claude had been a bit worried about leaving Fodlan in the hands of poor ol' Teach. Their professor was someone who he believed could act as Fodlan's moral compass and inspire a new set of values in its people...but he couldn't do it alone. He needed someone who understood Fodlan and its history, someone who could guide Teach through the political hurdles and teach him the art of diplomacy. Alas, Claude wasn't the one to do that. But with Lysithea at Teach's side as queen...Claude had hope for the future of Fodlan's New Dawn.
"I see. Well, don't expect us to announce an engagement any time soon," Lysithea sighed wearily. "But um...would you mind not telling anyone what you saw?"
"What I saw?" Claude repeated as he approached the professor.
"You know...me kissing the professor," Lysithea mumbled shyly.
"Ah, I see...well thanks for sharing that little tidbit of gossip," Claude chuckled with an amused smirk, much to Lysithea's horror.