Genres/Ratings: War, Mystery, Hurt/Comfort, Conspiracy, Friendship, Ideology. (T)

Characters: Raine, Dimitri, Claude, Leonie, Seteth.

Summary: It was meant to be a victory, a great undertaking with even greater rewards, and yet... In a flash of a light, in a handful of moments, everything they had fought for was lost. Their dead, their enemies, their rewards were taken from them as the javelins of light fell out of the sky like shooting stars, and they stood in the aftermath with horror and dawning realization. This was the true power of their foes. The true strength of those who hid behind the Flame Emperor. Was there a chance of victory, when their enemies could wipe an entire fortress from the map with rain of hellfire from the sky itself?

Blue Sea Moon

Fort Merceus

Afternoon

The battle had been all but won. The Death Knight had been cornered on the farthest parapet, his soldiers routed and the fortress retaken despite his furious endeavours to drive them off. With the Alliance forces flying in from the rear while the Kingdom's army marched in from the southern doors, they had crushed the Imperial troops between them. The fighting had been bloody, the defending army had fought wildly for their lives, but they had taken inch after inch of territory until finally, only the commander, only the Death Knight, had remained standing. His armour dented and nicked, his great scythe dripping blood and his eyes furiously glinting through that skull-shaped helmet, but still standing proud and strong despite it all on his jet-black stallion. He was surrounded. There was no escape for him, no mercy awaiting him, and even if he would stand defiant to the end, the end would still come and their total victory would be assured.

Then... It had all gone so horribly wrong.

The fortress was... gone. There was no other way to describe it. Where the Stubborn Old General had once stood, guarding the pathway to Enbarr, there was now only smoke and ruins. The homes, the battalions, the great walls were all now nothing but rubble, and the crater-like shape that was left over was full of stone, brick, fire and corpses. The falling javelins of light had spared no one, and everything they had fallen upon, man, beast or building, had been blown to bits in a bright flash of blinding white heat.

The Death Knight's warning, as well as Warin's booming roar of an order to evacuate immediately had spared many of their forces, but the losses they had taken were heavy all the same. Raine couldn't recall the last time she had been so grateful for her brother's sixth sense, as the moment the Death Knight had spoken, Warin had seized the nearest man to him and demanded he get their troops out of the fortress, immediately. For himself, Warin had followed the Death Knight's lead, leaping headlong from the parapet and to the ground below, and his men had followed after him at once without needing further prompting. Raine had taken a moment for herself to urge her soldiers to follow suit, with a shout to Petra to get the rest of their men fleeing with her vantage point atop her wyvern.

Then the javelins had struck, bringing with them heat, light, and a shrieking noise thousands of times louder than the most feral of wyverns. It was impossible to describe, the destruction and sheer power they had wrought, and Raine was reminded numbly of the tale of Ailell. She had only seen three streaking objects through the sky, had counted three deafening blasts of explosive fury, but three had been more than enough to lay the entirety of the great Imperial fort to absolute waste. If the weapons that had brought Fort Merceus to rubble had been the same ones used in Ailell, she had to count her blessings that so few had struck them. Two more, even just one more... They all could have lost their lives in the blast, and a second Valley of Torment would have been born.

'A second... valley...? Ailell... The Goddess' wrath...?' The thought made Raine's blood run cold, and though her ears were still ringing, the entirety of the world turned grey and distant as her stomach heaved impulsively. Pieces of the puzzle she had long been suffering over, trying to understand, had abruptly fallen into place as she thought deeply on what she had just seen, and what she had heard that first time they had crossed that cursed place the Goddess had apparently destroyed in a fit of pique. 'No. The javelins of light weren't her doing... They couldn't have been... The Church of Seiros has no reason to be attacking their own forces... Especially with Seteth here, leading the charge...? No. This was something else. Someone else... So, in Ailell... It was someone else, too, wasn't it...?'

"... -aine! Raine?!"

Hands on her shoulders snapped her back to the present, and though the voice sounded distant, muffled almost, Raine blinked several times as she looked up to see Dimitri staring at her with fear blazing raw and wild in his good cerulean eye. He had shook her shoulders before reaching to cup her face, his own drawn with worry and concern, and he was leaning in much closer than either would ever usually permit on the battlefield. Her eyes refocussed and she shook her head slowly against the gloved hands that were holding her face before beginning slowly, uncertainly, "D-Dimitri... Forgive me... I'm... just a little shaken..."

"Are you wounded?" Dimitri asked tersely, and his hands slid slowly back to her shoulders as his eyes flickered carefully across her body in search. There was dust and ash and blood staining her armour, but he could see nothing beyond the standard scrapes and scuffs that accompanied a usual battle. Still, that meant nothing considering the ferocity of the fighting that had occurred, and he couldn't resist the urge to tighten his hold on her shoulders to reassure himself that she was still standing, still there, when so many now were not.

"N-No... My ears are ringing, but... I think I'm all right." Raine shook her head again as she pulled herself harshly from her reverie to come back to the situation at hand. That worried look on his face made her ache, but it also was a terse reminder of what had happened then and now. That was far more important than her realizations and the thoughts that came with them, and she again shook her head before glancing about her at the wounded soldiers that had escaped the fortress and were now tending to themselves and their comrades. Both Kingdom and Alliance soldiers sat side by side, caring for one another without reserve or hesitation, and though it heartened her to see it, it still was a painful reminder of what they both had just suffered. "Our men... How many made it out safely? How many did we lose?"

"At a generous estimate... We lost at least a good twenty percent of our forces. The Alliance and Almyran troops fared better, with their wyverns, but... We've all taken losses today." Dimitri answered quietly, and he cast a wary, pained glance back to the ruins that held the corpses of all of the men that had fought. Though the Imperial army had came off the worse, there was no question that the destruction of the fortress was a true tragedy. There had been innocents living inside of the castle-like place as well as soldiers, and though they had been hidden away during the fighting, the attacks from the sky had ripped the fortress' bones from the earth and spared no one from the fire. "I believe we've your brother to thank for the small number. Had he not gave warning when he did... We may have lost many more soldiers and friends... But still... This remains a tragedy too bitter to taste. This was no victory."

"No. It wasn't..." Raine agreed with a slow, ragged breath, and she cast a wary glance about at her assembled men and noted the tired, shaken condition of the most of them she saw. It had to look like something out of a horrific nightmare, as it certainly felt like it, and there were no explanations to be had. There was a tense, uncertain silence hanging over the remaining troops scattered on the outskirts of the wreckage, and Raine had no idea how to even begin to try and explain the situation to them. "We can't stay here... We've no idea if a second attack could strike."

"Agreed... Yet, would we be safe in Garreg Mach? If those javelins of light could destroy Fort Merceus, could the monastery survive such a stroke?" Dimitri shook his own head, and his eye turned carefully, tiredly towards the still-smoking ruins at his back. He hadn't known what to think during the escape, it had been so frantic, so motivated by terror after that first stroke to the centre of the fortress, but now with time to decompress, and with the knowledge that Raine has successfully fled unscathed... He was suspicious and concerned, and rightfully so. "The power of the Empire... It's more than we bargained for."

"No. This isn't the Empire. Not solely. If it was, Derdriu, or Fhirdiad, would have been struck long ago... And if the Empire was capable of this, why didn't they unleash this terror on Garreg Mach from the beginning?" Raine disagreed with a shake of her head, and her eyes narrowed as Dimitri turned to look at her with dawning comprehension in his eye. She was glad he could follow her train of thought so effortlessly, but despite it all, she kept her voice low and tense as she explained for him, "Think of what Gilbert said happened to Ailell... Javelins of light laying waste to the valley, in a show of the Goddess' wrath for the people's sins... After this? I don't believe it for a moment. Why would the Goddess, compassionate, loving, and forgiving, loose such destruction? I think it's more likely to be the power of our enemies in the shadows... They did it once in Ailell, and now, boxed into a corner, they've done it again."

Dimitri's brow furrowed and he crossed his arms as he wondered at Raine's words and the deeper implied meanings. It meant once again that the Church of Seiros had altered history to suit their needs, if she was correct, but he admittedly couldn't see how she was wrong. He wouldn't believe this attack, calculated and destructive, had been the whims of the Goddess no matter how otherworldly and horrific it had to appear. It simply made no sense to chalk it up to divine intervention, especially when the Empire's main goal was the complete eradication of the Church to begin with. Yet... Dimitri mused aloud, not so much asking as he was letting his thoughts wander, "If the puppet-masters had this power at their disposal all this time, and yet withheld it... It must mean they only turned to it now in desperation. Obviously, they did not trust Edelgard with it... We have frightened them sufficiently enough for them to see us a true threat to their goals... Yet, I admit, I can't be pleased with this knowledge if this is the outcome."

"They've used it only once in all of our known history. It can't be something used lightly, or foolishly. There's little way to keep to the shadows if they use such brute shows of violence and destruction... And from what we know, they've played a very conservative hand for a reason. They want to manipulate their way to victory, not fight. That's a tactic of those outnumbered, or playing from a position of weakness. They must be afraid of us if they choose to do this to their own fort, their own men, rather than allow us to take it..." Raine murmured thoughtfully, and she rubbed at the bridge of her nose as her ears continued to ring dully from the echoes of the blast. She supposed she was lucky, she could still hear, after all, and she wondered if those closer to the centre had been worse off than her. She could only imagine... But her people, and Claude's, would want answers when they were finished taking stock of themselves. She had a duty to provide them, and it forced her on wearily, "Perhaps we've overestimated their numbers...? They chose the Empire as the home of their insurrection for a reason. Their army had always been vast, has it not?"

"From the days of the Ten Elites. Yes. The Empire has always had great strength... There is a reason Edelgard looked down upon the Alliance and Kingdom as "mere offshoots" of Andrestia. Of course, she never anticipated those mere offshoots joining forces in rebellion against her conquest." Dimitri answered with a slow nod, and he watched as Raine's eyes flickered again back to the devastation before her before lowering to the ground. Her face was drawn and pale, and though she was trying not to show it, he could see her body trembling as they stood together and spoke. He softened with concern and care, reaching out to brush his fingers along the back of her hand before he spoke quietly, "Come here for a moment..."

"Not out in the open, Dimitri..." Raine's protest was weak and half-hearted, but she didn't argue overmuch as Dimitri grasped her forearm and tugged her close. His arms encircled her easily, pulling her flush against his chest, and though his heavy armour prevented him from truly holding her to him... She felt comfort as she felt his firm strength supporting her body. What they had just seen, what had just happened was nothing short of terrifying. She had seen much more than her fair share of death and destruction since before the war, but what had descended on Fort Merceus had been something else entirely.

"No one will be bothered." Dimitri spoke huskily into her hair as he gave her svelte form a gentle, reassuring squeeze, and he was glad when he felt her relax against him despite it all. They had drawn firm rules about their interactions outside of their quarters, especially in front of their teammates and fellow generals, and on the battlefield there was never a good enough reason to forget themselves or their places as commander and future king. Still, he had to admit he didn't care. The moment demanded this, demanded comfort, and considering how badly his heart had pounded when the dust had cleared and he hadn't been able to pick her out amongst the men of the Kingdom and Alliance... "Give me this, for a moment at least... You're trembling."

Raine closed her eyes, resting her cheek against the thick fabric of his cloak as she wondered at how right he was. She hadn't realized it herself, that her body had retreated back into panic despite her mind's best efforts to compartmentalize it all, but there was little denying it now. Dimitri held her tightly enough that she could feel her very bones quivering with fright, and she sighed raggedly as her arms lifted and her hands clung to him in response. "So many dead... In seconds... I've seen battlefields, I've dreamt of wars and now I've lived it, but this...? I've never seen anything like this. And if I'm afraid, what of our men? What do I tell them to urge them to continue onwards? When all we've done can be reduced to ashes in a flash of light?"

"You said so yourself, that we have pushed them far enough that now they bare their fangs at us... That speaks to how frightened we make them. We are a threat. We are close to victory. To turn tail now, to stop when we are so close to an end... We would be disgracing all of those who have died thus far to get us here." Dimitri answered her firmly, and he gave her another long, lingering squeeze before drawing back to meet her quiet, pained seafoam-coloured gaze with his own. Despite everything, he felt steady. Holding her close had given him grounding, seeing her unhurt had reminded him that it was not yet a defeat, and though he knew they had taken losses... He would not allow his fear to shake him from the path he had chosen to walk. "I cannot guarantee anyone victory, or life, but I will fight to my last breath to try and ensure it for them. Even this does not change my wish for the future. It only solidifies my desire to see this war come to an end."

Raine said nothing at first, not sure how to answer, but feeling her chest ache with both pride and love for him at his declaration. He sounded like a true king, fervent and certain, and she couldn't help but marvel at how far he had come. He was calm and sure, his belief in her and all of them keeping him grounded even in the face of such horror, and she loved him dearly for it. His strength gave her peace, gave her the will to raise again, and she nuzzled just a little bit closer before she sighed again, "Thank you... I think I needed to hear that more than anything right now. Forgive me for wavering."

"You're permitted to falter, you know... You don't always need to project strength. Whenever you need to rest, or feel yourself ready to stumble, I'll be here for you to lean on." Dimitri reminded her gently, and his lips brushed in a soft, barely noticeable breath of a kiss on the top of her head before he finally allowed himself to release her. Still, his hand drifted along her arm, caressing its way to her face to brush away a smudge of ash from her cheek before he offered her a tight, but genuine smile, "I walk with you now... Side by side, hand in hand. You are not alone, Raine. Whatever it is to come, we will face it together."

"Mm... Thank you." Raine allowed a soft exhale as she raised her own hand, grasping at his wrist as she turned her face into his gloved palm to relish the feeling of his strong touch. It was comfort and warmth and everything she needed, though she dearly wished she could pull off his armour as well as her own to pull him closer and tighter. It didn't feel enough, even if she knew it was more than she could ask for in the circumstances. It didn't matter that their relationship was now well-known throughout the monastery, as they still had rules and obligations to follow on the field of battle. There and only there did they have to maintain a semblance of distance and professionalism, but she had never wanted to break the rules so desperately.

"Raine."

Her brother's voice brought the two of them turning about, and though they did not leap away from one another, they did pull back respectfully at the sound of him calling for his sister. Unlike most of the others, Warin looked the least worse for wear, though the sniper beside him couldn't say the same. Shamir was scuffed and nicked in several places, ash and blood streaking her clothes and face in testament to her closeness to the blast. She was wearing a headband of bandages tightly wrapped about her skull, and blood was already beginning to weep through the cloth in proof that whatever wound she had sustained it had been a deep one. Still, she didn't seem rattled in the slightest as she stood in Warin's shadow, allowing for him to speak first and for them both as he allowed Dimitri and Raine a moment to collect themselves, "Forgive me, but you're needed at the site of the blast. Claude is interrogating Seteth, and it isn't going well."

Raine closed her eyes for a moment, wishing for what had to be the thousandth time that Sothis was here to give her guidance and remind her of patience before she steeled her spine and forced her stomach to settle through sheer force of will. She didn't want to imagine how such a conversation between the two men sounded like, and from the grim look on her brother's face... She shook her head rapidly, clearing out the thoughts and returning to placid professionalism. "Very well... I have questions of my own for the man, but fill me in as we walk. Assessment?"

"Too many wounded to count. Death toll is higher than we'd like, as well." Warin reported at once as he turned to show them the way to the scene of the crime, and Shamir followed beside him briskly. He spared her a look, eyes flashing darkly with worry, but a simple shake of her head reminded him it wasn't the time or place. He turned back to Raine, forcing down his emotions as she had as he continued in a clipped, efficient tone, "We took the brunt of the losses, unfortunately. At least a quarter of our men. The Alliance fared much better. Five percent at the least, ten at the worst. The Almyrans came off best, I think they only lost a handful of their own, all considered. Their wyverns apparently flew off instinctively when the air first changed. As for the fortress... Well, you can see for yourself. No Imperial troops survived. Nor did the smallfolk within."

"Tch... Quite a victory. A quarter of our men lost, the fortress destroyed, and the smallfolk all dead... They'll pay for this in Enbarr when the time comes..." Raine muttered venomously under her breath, and though she knew Warin was the one with the heaviest grievance against Thales due to his loss in Derdriu, she still hoped her blade could find a home in his chest before all was said and done. He, and Edelgard both. Her hands curled into fists at her sides as she fought down the anger, working to remain calm despite herself as she returned to business as quickly as her temper would allow, "And the state of the wounded? How many will be able to return to Garreg Mach without crippling our healers?"

"The ones worse off are already making their way to the Great Bridge. Alois is guiding them. They won't make the trip back all the way to the monastery in the state they're in, but they're fortunately a small lot. They'll recuperate at the bridge and join with the main forces later, so not to divide our healers." Shamir spoke up then, her wine-coloured eyes sharp even as she pressed the heel of her hand against the already-damp spot on her headband of bandages. She would need it changed before she set out with the rest of the troops, but thankfully she knew she had time to seek out a healer. No one would march yet, not without taking stock of themselves and hearing reassurances from their leaders, but Alois had seen the sense of carting off the immobile and most in need of urgent care at once, and he hadn't waited for orders to do so. "Alois made sure to mention before he left that he understood he was acting without permission, but under the circumstances, he hopes you'll forgive him."

"He needn't worry. He's doing his duty as Knight-Captain." Raine waved away the thought with a small, tired smile playing at her lips at the very idea of the poor man thinking he needed to apologize for acting as he knew he should for those incapable of waiting. It was so like him, and she made a mental note to thank him profusely when they met up again. She was glad for his steadfast nature and his quick-thinking, and she knew she could trust him to always act in the best of faith. She glanced to Shamir, noting her injury with some concern before remarking gently, "And the state of the rest of our men?"

"In shock, mostly. Some are demanding we leave immediately, others refuse to move without orders. I can see the appeal of both, but the bickering is already beginning to get grating." Shamir answered plainly and with an errant shrug, and she dropped her hand back to her side so not to draw more attention to herself. It was bad enough, having been directly in the path of the flying shrapnel and taking a hit to the head, and the last thing she wanted was pitying eyes being made at her. She had been lucky in comparison to those who had been slower in their escape, and she wasn't about to act otherwise. "Claude is acting on his own, of course, and he marched straight to Seteth to demand explanations. He apparently believes he has the answers for what happened here."

"Seteth very well might have some knowledge of the means behind this mess, but acting as if he's the one who called down the sky won't do us any good. Claude will have us all turning on each other in days if he keeps acting so recklessly." Dimitri muttered with a shake of his head, and he wondered how quickly his disdain for his fellow "leader" could continue to grow. Claude cared nothing for decorum and professionalism, and he had shown that he would not take orders, and would keep his secrets to the bitter end of things. He was waiting them out, waiting for their promised secrets, but his patience was clearly finite. It made him grind his teeth, and he fully planned to wrench the man up by his shirt when he had a moment to bring him back firmly in line if that was what it would take to force him into silence. However, like the siblings before him, he knew he had to keep a level head for the moment, and he turned to the sniper and mercenary before giving his orders crisply, "Prepare those capable to march at once, and send them off to the monastery with Rodrigue. Anyone who can't leave immediately will be looked after here, and we will follow after them. Both of you, supervise the first group, and we will reconvene at the bridge, or the monastery. Whichever is reached first."

"Understood." Warin and Shamir replied in tandem, and without a backwards look they separated from the others to begin to attend to their new orders. They moved quickly, shoulders brushing as they disappeared into the throng of soldiers that had gathered on the fringes of the blast radius to lick their wounds and take stock on themselves, their supplies, and their comrades. Rodrigue and Gilbert would both be found there in the thick of things, tending to their men and keeping the most hotheaded on tight leashes, and as the pair vanished among the soldiers, Dimitri was supremely grateful for their experience and willingness to put their trust entirely in their orders.

"Prepare yourself for yet another battle..." Raine muttered under her breath as she and Dimitri moved onwards to where Claude and Seteth likely were, and only after a moment of walking could they overhear them well before they could see them. Claude's voice was raised and annoyed, filled with a righteous sort of indignation, and Seteth was replying with a surprising amount of calm even though he was matching Claude word for word and claim for claim. Claude was far more hotheaded and incapable of the finesse Seteth had from his lifetime of playing politics within the Church of Seiros, and the two were like oil and water as they argued.

Dimitri ground his teeth as he began to catch the words flying fast and freely, far too freely, and he fought down the instinctive surge of annoyance and wrath that Claude seemed so easily capable of inflaming in him. Accusations of secrecy, of duplicity, were flying from Claude's mouth, and while he, himself, knew and admitted that Seteth was not the most trustworthy of men... He also refused to believe that Seteth would ever do anything to put his own men, his own daughter, in danger if he could possibly prevent it. His loyalty to the Church was absolute, but he was not a tyrant, nor were his actions ever underhanded or selfish. He had fought alongside them for the entirety of the rebellion, and even if their personalities and wants clashed... Seteth was one of their soldiers, one of their generals, and he did not deserve to be treated as if he was an enemy without any conclusive sort of proof.

Claude's voice continued to rise, and as Dimitri and Raine approached them, they were surprised to see that the two were not alone. Leonie was standing at Claude's side, her arm hastily bandaged and nestled in a makeshift sling. She, like many others, had obviously come off luckier than most in the fighting, yet her appearance beside Claude seemed to be needling at his temper despite things. Seteth, for his credit, looked sympathetic for Leonie, but his expression as Claude continued to rail, his eyes hardened and his posture stiffened with barely contained anger that was furrowing his brow all the further and tightening his lips into a firm line, "You obviously know something about all of this, but you're refusing to say a word of it! How many men died fighting at this fortress? If you knew the Empire was capable of this and refused to warn us, you're as complicit in their deaths as the ones who dropped the sky upon us!"

"Enough!" Dimitri's voice was a roll of thunder, breaking the trio apart and making Leonie almost leap clear out of her skin as she turned about to see the professor and future king arriving at the very outskirts of what had once been the walls of the great old Imperial fortress. They were surrounded by ruins, cracked and shattered stone, plumes of rising smoke being blown away in the gentle wind, with the stench of burnt flesh permeating the air. Dimitri ignored all of this as he strode forward, inserting himself cleanly into the argument, and he stood between the three, not giving either his back in order to prove he was defending no one as he continued in a fierce, commanding tone, "You will cease this immediately, do you understand me? The dead have yet to even be found and buried, and you think now is the time to be throwing about accusations and blame amongst your comrades? If you wish to fight, fight when we return to safety and your fellows cannot hear your slander and have their hearts poisoned against those they must entrust their lives to. You get away with enough Claude, but this I won't permit. We have lost enough today. We need not lose more to paranoia and your insipid desire to make enemies of anyone and everyone you deem worthy of mistrust."

"He wants us to return to Garreg Mach, as if that somehow is actually an option we can entertain. Look at what our enemies are capable of! An entire fortress, simply wiped clean off of the map because of the javelins of light that turned Ailell into a flaming wasteland... You wish for me to believe that Garreg Mach is safe from such power, too? I won't believe it, and I won't lose more men on his word that the monastery is safe." Claude returned just as sharply, and he pointed an accusing finger in Seteth's direction with his eyes flaming in quiet, blazing fury. He stood almost protectively in front of Leonie, who was watching him with a tired, almost exasperated gaze, but he seemed immune to it as he continued in a growl, "I want answers, answers that I know that he has, but he won't tell us. I don't intend to put my neck on the chopping block, offering it up to Edelgard, because of something as foolhardy as trust. Especially in him."

"Oh, please... Your men? If you mean the Almyran forces lead by Nader, then you've no foot to stand on. You lost less men than the Kingdom, Alliance, or Church forces today, and Leonie will be able to draw her bow before we even make it back to the monastery grounds. Don't play the part of a self-righteous commander in front of us. We all know full well it's a lie." Raine remarked with a roll of her eyes, and though Claude turned on her angrily, she met his venom with cold steel of her own. She was well and truly tired of him, tired of his implications and accusations, and moreso tired of his hypocrisy. He wasn't a leader, he was even less of a commander, and he had made it well known he was only with them because of his own self-interests. She wouldn't permit him to act as if he had joined them for any other reason, even if it meant that she had to stand up for Seteth in the process. Even if she personally disliked the man, she could at least say for him that he acted in complete honesty with himself, his goals, and his desires. "Unless you're finally willing to come out with it and explain what your connections to Almyra truly are? Because if you do, I may just give you some sympathy if they are truly your men. So, speak up. You want to talk about secrets, then expose your own before you demand the same of anyone else."

"That is not necessary, Professor." Seteth broke in before Claude could begin yet another diatribe, and he was well aware the young wyvern rider was thinking of it from the angry flash in his eyes. He wasn't sure how Raine managed to do it, sliding herself underneath that calm, cheerful and conniving mask that Claude wore so often in order to prick his temper and reveal his true self and intentions, but she seemed to make it incredibly easy. She had been making a point to call him out at every given opportunity ever since he had given over his bow to the rebellion's cause, and he had noticed just how much tension it was causing at the war councils. Raine seemed entirely unbothered by it all, but Seteth was wary of causing more stress, especially considering the fallout of the day's battle. "I am merely advising an immediate retreat to Garreg Mach, where we will be safe to reconvene, lick our wounds, and then set out again from a place of strength into Enbarr."

"Well, I'll give Claude this much, he's right to suspect it will be safe." Raine replied with a small shrug, and she turned to Seteth and appraised him with careful, shrewd eyes as she felt Claude boiling quietly behind her. She was used to this, to his anger and disgust with her and Dimitri's ideals and plans for the war and what would come after, but she had made her peace with it. He, after all, was the one who said he would be leaving Fódlan behind when everything was said and done, and she didn't understand why he took it so personally if he truly wasn't going to be there to see what he claimed would be a failure of a future. Still, she paid him little mind as she watched Seteth carefully, and she did not mince words as she spoke flatly to him, "Do you have proof that Garreg Mach can withstand an attack of this calibre? This entire fortress, and everyone and everything in it, are gone, Seteth. Everyone here would expect the same result if the javelins were to fall again onto the monastery. Is it safe to return to?"

Seteth did not reply for a moment, weighing the harsh stares that were burning into him against the knowledge he held, as well as the feelings of unease and fear that he had seen rippling through the remaining troops of the rebellion's forces. He closed his eyes for a moment before letting out a slow, tired breath, and he turned his gaze back to Raine before he explained slowly, quietly, "I cannot provide you with physical evidence that the monastery will be safe from such an attack, yet... I know that it will be. Many, many long years ago, when the Goddess and Saint Seiros waged their wars, wards were placed above, around, and within Garreg Mach to protect it from evil magic. This attack... This devastation is too much alike the destruction of Ailell. The monastery was designed to be protected from such destruction."

"That would explain how it stood so tall even after the Empire's invasion... and also why these javelins of light never struck the monastery at all before it was even overrun. If Edelgard had meant to destroy it, why would she have not unleashed such a power?" Dimitri mused, thinking of Raine's words and conclusions and agreeing more than ever that she was finding the correct path and forging forward on it with both ease and fierce determination. Still, his brow furrowed slightly, and he tilted his head to the side, touching his chin in thought as he questioned, "If this is so like Ailell... Can we be safe to assume our enemies behind the Empire were also behind the destruction there, rather than it being caused by the Goddess, Seteth? Is this another instance of the Church hiding the truth, or bending it in order to protect itself?"

"That I cannot honestly say. Despite how it looks, and despite what you may believe... I do not know everything that there is to know about the Church and its history. The only one with such a complete knowledge is Rhea." Seteth admitted honestly, and he looked from accusing face to face, knowing full well he might be discarded as lying, and also accepting that it would be their right to think such things of him after so long. Yet, what had happened to the fort, what had happened to the rebellion's men and women, and almost to himself... He owed them truth, or at least, as much truth that he had access to. His eyes fell on Raine again, meeting her placid but piercing gaze and offering himself to it as he explained, "There was a period in my life when the Church and I were... separated, for lack of a better word. I was not always Rhea's right hand, and I do not know all that she knows. My knowledge may be vast, and varied, but I do not know all, and I cannot tell you all you wish to know. But what I do know is that Garreg Mach is the only place where we would be safe from this danger, and I would offer up my life in order to prove that."

Raine took a moment, watching Seteth's face closely as she took in his words as well as the tone of his voice when he spoke. She knew it was true, if only because of what her father had told her, as well as what Flayn had said to her during her teaching days. Seteth had not always been at the monastery, he had lived a life in seclusion with his daughter, and presumably also his wife, which meant that in some ways he was not as connected to Rhea and her secrets as it may have looked at first glance. She would give him that benefit of the doubt, that he did not know everything that Rhea did know about the monastery, but she was well aware that what he did know regarding her own mysteries was real enough. Still, this was not her personal problem, and she would not bring her own feelings into it as a consequence. She had to act as a professional, and she would do so with a nod as she told him, "I believe you... If you say that Garreg Mach is safe from this, then I see no reason to hold out and abandon our stronghold. While leaving this area and pulling back means losing our foothold, I'd much rather conserve the lives of our soldiers than worry about our way into Enbarr. The Empire lost more than we did today... We can take comfort in that, however small."

"Why are you believing him now?"

"Because we have no reason not to, and we need to think rationally. Seteth wouldn't lie about this, and moreover, if Seteth had truly been involved with this attack, he wouldn't have been here on the frontlines when it happened. Which, if you remember correctly, he was." Raine answered sharply, turning again on Claude and shooting him a dark, angry look at his continued persistence on pinning the blame squarely on Seteth. She crossed her arms, eyes narrowing, and she pointed out none too gently when Claude met her glare for glare, "And adding further credence to this, who else was fighting today? That's right, Flayn was. And if Seteth had even a remote connection to these javelins of light, Flayn would have never seen the battlefield. He may be willing to risk his life, but he would never risk his daughter's. Think on that a little, before you accuse anyone of being a spy, or a traitor to our cause. We all have things we love, and things we'd do anything to protect. Flayn is Seteth's. If anyone is to betray our cause, I'd wager they have a damned good reason to do so. If you wish to accuse anyone ever again in front of me, you best have proof in your hand in order to convince me that you mean well, and aren't just acting out of fright, or anger."

"You're all idiots. Every single one of you. Sometimes I think I'm the only one with an ounce of intelligence or sanity here." Claude growled out, and he shook his head and hands in disgust before marching off without a backwards glance. He headed straight for where the Almyrans had set up camp, and disappeared quickly into the brush. The whole way going he was muttering under his breath, his voice laced with expletives and unkind words that only vanished with him when the trees swallowed him, along the surviving men he had been leading inside of the fortress.

"Professor..." Leonie spoke up for the first time once Claude was well and truly gone, and her expression was equal mixture apologetic and somewhat saddened when she glanced up to Raine's curious, but calm eyes. She fidgeted somewhat, pulling on her ponytail with her uninjured hand, and her cheeks reddened a little before she finally continued under the curious looks of Raine, Dimitri, and Seteth, "Please don't be so harsh on Claude. I understand that he's... grating, and that his ideals, and his worldviews, don't match up with your own. But he is genuine in what he wants for the world, and how he sees things. He was only angry because I had been injured, and he overreacted because of that. I won't defend him, because I know he was wrong to accuse Seteth... but he isn't truly a horrible person."

"I'll argue that until the end of my days, but that's because I've only been exposed to the worst of him since he came waltzing back into the rebellion's affairs. I understand you know him better than I do, and I won't discount that, but it isn't about to change my opinion of him, Leonie." Raine answered with a slow shake of her head, but she admitted she did feel sympathy as the young woman looked to her both pleadingly and with pain written clear across her face. There was genuine affection there, deep in her eyes, and despite things, Raine was very aware that it was reciprocal. Wherever Claude went, Leonie was always following, and it hadn't taken much for anyone to realize that in Hilda's place, Leonie had become Claude's right hand. When and how such a thing had happened, no one was sure, and none of the Golden Deer were willing to offer up information on their personal lives, but Raine knew a "clandestine" relationship between two former students when she saw it. "I know the two of you are close, and you feel obliged to defend him... That's fine. I've done the same in your position, so I won't fault you for it. But I cannot let him sow distrust in our ranks. Not when we're so close to Enbarr. It's too dangerous."

Leonie nodded slowly, understanding Raine's words and also grateful that she was not being given a harsh judgement for her instinctive urge to defend the young man who had changed her own view of the world with his words and ideals. She admitted wholeheartedly that Claude had completely changed her outlook on both her life and her way of seeing both the war and the way of the country she knew, but she also admitted that perhaps looking too far outside had blinded Claude to what was right in front of him. Still, she had to wonder if the opposite was true for those in front of her, and it made her question slowly, hesitantly, "Professor... Prince Dimitri... The outside world is large. What is happening here... It's only a tempest in a teacup, at least from the view of the entire world outside of here. What will you do when this war ends? Will you continue to let Fódlan stay wrapped up in its own little world, or will you let it expand beyond its borders?"

"I would see it expand, as many of our "enemies" are only enemies because of our inability to reach across the divides that separated us long before we were born... Yet, in that same vein, such things must happen slowly, and with caution." Dimitri answered slowly, and only after Raine looked to him with gentle assurance that he was welcome, and encouraged, to be honest about how he intended to handle the country he was meant to lead when this war came to an end. He shook his head slowly, frowning slightly before he admitted as he ran a hand tiredly across his face, "I would reach my hand still even to Edelgard, to try and understand what it is she wants, what it is she believes, even though I am aware that will likely reward me with nothing. What Claude says, what Claude dreams of... It is not entirely without merit. He is right in that this world has barriers that need to be torn down, and old wounds that need to be closed... But we cannot be overeager, or naive, in how we go about making that dream into a reality. Andrestia, Faerghus, Leicester... Duscur, Almyra, Dagda, Brigid... They all can coexist together. We all can learn from one another, work with one another, and better one another. But that must be a mutual agreement, and that is where my beliefs, and Claude's, part."

"I... I understand." Leonie nodded slowly, and she was heartened to hear such things from Dimitri, and even moreso to see that Raine believed in him wholeheartedly. That gentle, proud light shining in her eyes was adoration and warmth incarnate, and proof that the professor had truly decided that her student had outgrown her teachings. They were a wonderful pair, both on and off the battlefield, and Leonie truly believed that Faerghus would be in safe, caring hands when the end of all this came to an end. Yet, at the same time, she was sharply aware of the fact that she had overstepped her bounds, regardless of how honestly and sincerely Dimitri had answered her. He was, after all, the future king of Faerghus. Raine stood at his shoulder as his professor, his lover, perhaps even one day as his future queen, but she... She was still a commoner, an aspiring mercenary, and she turned her head a little as she began sheepishly, "Forgive me... I, er... I understand that it's not my place to be questioning how you intend to rule your lands. I'm a commoner, after all, and I'm not even one of your subjects, to boot."

"Nonsense. You are still my former classmate, and I am not yet king. It does not matter to me that you and I are of different stations. If anything, our differences in birth, in privilege, only mean that your opinions, concerns, and experiences have more substance than my own do." Dimitri immediately brushed off her words with a firm shake of his head, and his one eye narrowed with seriousness even as he almost felt Raine's smile broadening as she stood at his side. It made him slightly embarrassed, being so sharply aware that she was grinning at him despite everything, but he forced himself to focus on Leonie's surprised expression as he hastened to explain, "I am a prince, Leonie. There are many things I will never know, because I was born to nobility. It is true, I lived five years in exile as little more than a beast, and I learned to live as the most poor and tortured do... but that was only for five years, and I will return to the throne despite that experience. I do not know the hardships you knew, and lived with for all of your life... Your worldview is important to a future ruler. You could teach me much. And I've no doubt you have taught Claude much already, as well. Do not discount yourself."

Leonie flushed, uncomfortable with the compliment even though a small part of her exulted in being affirmed in being knowledgeable and experienced even as a common woman. She had lived too long under the thumb of tight-knuckled nobility, and she had little to no love of blue bloods. Claude had attracted her because he was the complete opposite of the types she had known and dealt with in her youth and village, and she had appreciated how he treated her, and everyone else, as people rather than nobles or commoners. His worldview of equality, of simplicity, had been incredibly appealing to her. His wanderlust, and his wish to see a united world even moreso. Yet... She could, and did admit that Dimitri had points of his own with equal appeal, and equal logic. "Thank you... It's... nice to hear that I'm... someone to be taken seriously, despite where I was born, or what I do. Truly, thank you for that."

"It's how we built the Blue Lions, Leonie. I followed after my father's teachings in my own. That everyone, regardless of station, birth, country... should all be equals on or off of the battlefield. It took some doing, because there are habits you can't break easily when they're ingrained in you from birth, but I like to think all of us see each other as friends and comrades before being knights, dukes, princes or princesses." Raine explained with an idle shrug, and a small, bittersweet smile flickered to her face at the mention of her father. It still made her ache somewhat, thinking of him, speaking of him, but she knew Leonie loved him, and she would not begrudge her for that even if it had been grating when they both had been younger and less wise. "One day... I'd like to see a world somewhat like that, too. But, I think what people forget is that such a world will take time, time and effort, to achieve it. And if that doesn't happen in my lifetime, that's all right. I'll have laid some groundwork for others to continue to build on."

"That's a surprisingly idealistic worldview, coming from you. You've changed a lot, since our days at the academy." Leonie couldn't help but remark, and she looked at Jeralt's only daughter with sharp, but still kindly examining eyes. She had never gotten along well with her mentor's children, though she knew that was more a fault of her own than theirs. She had been stubborn in her youth, believing herself their betters based on nothing but pride and arrogance, and she had been humbled greatly in her five years since their parting. Warin had proven himself her better a hundred times over, which she had realized and come to terms with when he had arrived in Derdriu to meet with Claude during his exile, and now Raine was proving to be a thousand times better than her with nothing but a simple conversation. She had overestimated herself, and underestimated them sorely, and she dearly wished she had been wiser when she was young. "I like to hope I've changed just as much... One day, do you think you'd cross blades with me again? I'd like to measure myself against you, even if I lose, to see how far I've come."

"Maybe one day, when things are more peaceful. At the moment, the idea of turning my blade on an ally, even in sparring, makes me feel ill." Raine answered apologetically, and her eyes flickered against their will back to the smoking ruins that they were still standing beside. Though the stench of death and fire and smoke had faded, or perhaps she had grown numb to it, she still felt a faint sense of nausea cramping in her stomach. She didn't want to handle a weapon, let alone level it at a familiar face, for at least a fortnight. There had been too much needless death today, and even if it made her look weak... She shuddered reflexively even as she forced a small, weak smile to her lips, "For now, we'll put it on a tab. You can collect once this is over. Deal?"

"Deal." Leonie nodded affirmatively, and she watched as Dimitri sidled closer to the older woman, noticing the change in her body language and reacting to it automatically. It made her withdraw respectfully, understanding she had spent enough time with them, and her own feet were urging her to turn back about and find Claude. She wouldn't be able to soothe him, nor talk much sense into him, but she wished to be with him all the same. She again offered the two before her a nod, turning slightly before waving her hand, "I'll take my leave for now. I think there are a lot of wounds that need licking right now, and I ought to attend to mine. I'll see you on the march back to the monastery."

Dimitri and Raine watched her go, following quickly after Claude and disappearing even more quickly, and they were silent for a long moment before they turned to see that Seteth had not moved from where he had been standing ever since the ending of the arguing earlier. He was watching them, his expression pensive and brow furrowed, and Raine turned her head a little to examine him carefully. There was something approaching gratitude in his eyes, but there was also thought and concern that weighed on him, and it made her both blunt, yet somewhat more measured as she addressed him, "Is there something else you decided to keep to your chest you want to disclose? If you've decided not to trust Claude with information, that's a choice you can make freely, but I hope you won't be making such a decision with myself and Dimitri. At least not about these matters."

"No... I've little else to truly say in fact about what happened here today. All I can offer is conjecture, which is not useful to you." Seteth answered with a slow, tired shake of his head, but eyes lingered on the devastation that stood at his feet all the same. There was pain lining his face, ancient and yet still somehow incredibly raw, as if he was reliving something over and over again that refused to allow the wound in his memory to heal over. He turned however to Raine, eyes still sharp despite the pain, and he spoke in a blunt, matter-of-fact tone as he questioned her, "However, there is a question I wish to ask of you... You so quickly discarded the idea that the creation of the Valley of Torment was not the doing of the Goddess. I am aware of your lack of belief in religion, especially when it concerns the Church of Seiros, and yet you were so prompt, so convinced, in your dismissal. Why was that, Professor?"

"I'll believe for the moment that your question is more ideological than pragmatic, so I'll play your game if you wish... The Goddess you speak of is a creature of compassion, patience, forgiveness and love, is she not? To callously rain destruction in a fit of pique over a handful of sinners hardly seems to line up with the tenants you teach of her." Raine answered with a shake of her head, and she felt a pulse of tightness in her chest as the memory of that smiling, impish little girl that had been her companion in dream and reality, had been closer to her than a sister flashed through her head. It didn't matter that the "goddess" she had known had been incomplete, or unaware of herself and her powers. The girl she had known, the Sothis she had grown to love, was not the kind to take to death so quickly, or so mercilessly. "I don't believe in your religion, but if the Goddess is to exist, then I choose to believe that what she was described to be is true to her character... A being who would choose first and foremost to preserve life, rather than destroy it. Is that not the Goddess you know?"

Seteth did not answer straight away, but instead watched her sharply as she stood unafraid and unashamed in her prompt, biting reply that hid far more passion than her placid expression would ever give away. Her seafoam-coloured eyes were calm, but deep within he saw the smouldering fire, and it made every single part of him ache. Did she know what she was questioning of him? Is that why she challenged him as confidently as he challenged her in return? He did not know, and he was well aware, painfully aware, that he possibly would never know. It was a regret, a deep, aching regret to be aware that whatever relationship he could have fostered with her had broken away long before he had come to his senses, but he had made a vow to be a quiet, stalwart guardian of her wishes if he could be nothing else now. She had earned that much, after everything that had transpired between them.

Yet, that likeness... That painfully bittersweet facsimile of things long gone, long mourned... That ached even more. And if the pain for him was so sharp, he could only begin to imagine what it was that Rhea had suffered when she had come to the same realization he had, five years prior. But he could not speak for her, and he had chosen not to. She would have much to answer for, when the chains of Enbarr were cast away, but that was, too, Raine's right to demand. He had been a fool five years ago. A follower, naive and blind and enabling, and he was now paying the price for it. And that gaze burnt him just as much as it had been a lifetime ago when he had been so young, and he found himself answering with a small, bitter smile, "No... That is not much like the Goddess I know, at all."

AN:

And so, we're ramping up to where things are going to get super interesting (as well as super goddamn painful and annoying to write). As I know you guys have likely put together by now, this is indeed a strange amalgamation of the three routes, Azure Moon, Verdant Wind, and Silver Snow. However, the endgame is not going to play out like all three of these routes combined. The idea of slogging through four (FOUR!) separate boss fights and transcribing them into chapters is not something I can even conceive of doing with any amount of actual skill. I am not an action writer, and though I do feel like my skills are getting better every time I write, I still know where my skills lay, and I want to play to them as best as I possibly can. With this is mind, I'm going to be... mashing the routes together a little more awkwardly in order to make a less painful ending for me to write.

Now, mind you, I don't intend to cut anything out in order to make it easier on me. Anything I intend to do is going to be done in line with making a cohesive and coherent narrative, without expending myself and my mental and physical energy to do so. As fun as it can be in gameplay to be put through a gauntlet of boss battles, turning game chapters into written chapters is a whole other beast, and it's just not one that I am very good at, or confident in doing. So, with that in mind, I am changing up how the endgame will be proceeding, but hopefully in a manner that both makes sense, and doesn't make the ending feel "rushed" or "cheapened" by any means.

With all that said, I also am not rushing to finish this project. I want to write exactly what I want to write, and while I do have a very clear vision of how this fic will end, that's not coming quickly. I have a lot of things I want to address before, during, after, and in-between all of these things, and so the next few chapters are not going to be a series of fights that lead up to a booming climax. There's still a lot of meat left to the story despite the position I'm currently in, and I'm not in any hurry to race through it. I want to finish this in a way that leaves me, and hopefully my readers, satisfied with my ending.

Mind, I am going to say that despite things, I actually didn't set out to make Azure Moon: Cerulean Tears into a "fix it" fic, though it is kind of turning out that way. That really was more of an accident than anything, especially considering the fact that in taking Silver Snow and Verdant Wind into account, I had to incorporate characters and canon in different fashions in order to make things flow, as well as make sense. And considering Azure Moon is the route with both the least amount of lore, and the most amount of open-ending questions, having this fic go on without the involvement of Claude, and eventually Seteth and Rhea, really was never an option. Especially considering the personalities of Raine and Warin, which is what led to this route going off the rails in the first place.

Anywhosit, after my essay of an AN last time, I'm going to cut things short here. As always, thank you for reading so far, and I hope that you guys are all safe, healthy, and happy, and that you enjoyed my work. Please drop me a review should you feel the need, and have a good one until I see you again with my next update!

Mood: Intrigued.

Listening To: "Last Night, Good Night" - Miku Hatsune (Rockleetist Cover)

~ Sky