DISCLAIMER: I don't own the Kingdom Hearts nor Fire Emblem Three Houses characters, Square Enix, Nintendo, and Disney are the owners.
This will be an adaptation of Cindered Shadows DLC story, the plot itself remains the same, however, Dimitri, Claude and Hilda will be absent so the whole Black Eagles members will fill the role in the story instead.
FabledLife: Sora is indeed immune to any deadly attack and fall damage, also, that little scratch heals itself quickly.
CHAPTER 18 – Mystery in the depths.
Somewhere in the Monastery | Nighttime. – Hallway.
Sora and Byleth had already attained the habit to be awake overnight only when they didn't have any class next day.
"Do you love seeing the stars, don't you?" his teacher started the conversation smiling.
"I do, when I stare at them, I sometimes think about my friends and my hometown." He replied his reasons to stay awake at night.
"I don't blame you… I sometimes tend to stay awake for a while, it's very peaceful at night." Byleth agreed with him in that.
Sora was willing to say something when…
"Uhh… Aghhh…! Fath…! Save…!"
They heard somebody gasp in fear and horror and it even didn't take a second to tell whose voice was…
"Was that… Edelgard?" Sora was alert after recognizing her voice, it seemed that she got in trouble or something...
"Was it her?" Byleth was also guessing her voice pitch.
"Look, guys, there's absolutely no ghost around here if that's what you thinking, right?" Sothis advised them not to think about such phenomenon like this.
"It doesn't matter, let's go try to talk with Edelgard." Byleth indicated her student to investigate the room where the sound came from together.
/
Edelgard's Room
Edelgard was having a very harsh and ugly nightmare where she was apparently being tortured in very cruel and atrocious ways while she couldn't help but to let out a cry for help. But nobody came to save her.
After letting out a gasp, Edelgard opened her eyes looking not only grief-stricken but also emaciated as well. Having such atrocious dream, or event, must have left her scarred for life apparently.
"No…! Agh… Huh?! Who's there?!" Edelgard spat with a cutting voice, fearing that it might be somebody who could hurt her.
"Are you okay, Edelgard? It's me!" Sora replied talking through the door. "Can you let us in?"
"So-Sora? Who is coming with you?" Edelgard interrogated him skeptically. "If it's that idiot Claude, I won't let you guys in."
"No, I come with him." Byleth spoke letting the future empress know that she was with Sora, fulfilling her doubts.
"Okay… come in." Edelgard accepted the two letting them in her room.
That's how the future empress opened the door and let the two in. What the two saw in her made them worried.
"Edelgard…" Byleth expressed concern looking at her state.
"I'm sorry if you look at me like this, anyway, what are you guys doing here?" Edelgard made them a question surprised for their presence.
"We heard a few noises and I thought that something had happened to you so…" Sora explained their motives to visiting her.
"Oh? Perhaps I was talking in my sleep." The future empress tried to not tell them about her nightmare, but…
"Did you have bad dreams or something?" Byleth intuited the empress's problem.
"Oh, sure… so you both heard me, then." Edelgard praised the two of being the only ones who came to find out first. "Yes, it was a nightmare. I've had them since I was a child."
"Since you were a child?" Sora inquired her, getting intrigued for her past.
"Yes, Sora. Those are stupid, pointless dreams I can't control… it's really frustrating." Edelgard affirmed him telling the terrible incident.
"Is there anything we can help with? You know you can count on us for everything." Byleth proposed her to give her some aid.
"No, Byleth. They are just worthless dreams from the past. Talking about it won't change a thing." Edelgard denied claiming that those were just a past thing.
"You can trust us with anything." Sora affirmed making her see that she can count on him and their teacher.
"I had a feeling you'd say that, Sora. I suppose I could try… But only if you promise me not to tell a soul, okay?" Edelgard stated that she was willing to tell them her secret, in exchange for not telling anyone about what she was to reveal them.
"We promise." Byleth nodded with her head along with Sora willing to keep the secret from everyone.
"I appreciate it, guys." Edelgard began to tell her problem with a saddened and melancholic face. "I dream of… my older brother, paralyzed, helpless… my older sister crying for help that never came… the youngest babbling words beyond meaning. I see my family dying slowly, waiting in the darkest depths for a glimmer of light."
"It must be terrible, Edelgard." Byleth said in consternation. "How many siblings you had?"
"I once had ten siblings, eight older and two younger." The future empress answered her, leading them to understand that she was part of a large family.
"Wow, had a large family, didn't ya?" Sora was amazed for hearing her those words.
"Yep, such a large family, and yet I became the heir to the throne. Do you know why?" Edelgard started to explain them the reason of becoming the next empress in the future.
"Why?" Byleth asked.
"Every last one of them was crippled by disease or lost their mind or died." Edelgard explained the two. "I was the only one left who could inherit the throne."
"That's awful, how could such thing happen?" Sora asked looking at her with consternation.
"Things kept getting worse. The darkness kept getting darker. In the end, I was the only one who survived." Edelgard told them how disturbing was the incident for her and her family, getting them worried about her. "The nightmares are a reminder… to never forget. To never allow such terrible things to happen again."
"Never again…" Sora repeated those words remembering certain moments when he and the others were to face Master Xehanort, and when he watched helplessly how the old man was cutting Kairi down and killing her.
"Even now, I'm the only one who can carry the weight of the Adrestian Empire." Edelgard was more than resorted to go through everything to reach the throne and rule Fódlan.
"Are you sure you can handle all of this?" Byleth questioned her if she was capable of ruling such a big place.
"I am… The future of the Empire…of everything…depends on me." The girl affirmed her stance on that matter, but, she realized that she was telling some stuff she should not say to them. "Hm… I shared more than I intended to. I suppose there's something in the air tonight. I've never told anyone about my past before. Please… forget I said anything."
However, Sora suddenly sensed something.
"Girls, I just sensed some kind darkness." He let them know.
"Darkness? Are you feeling fine, Sora?" Edelgard looked puzzled upon hearing him say that.
"I'm fine, it's just… I somewhat sensed not only this kind of entity but some kind of a presence lurking outside of the Monastery." Sora reiterated affirming them sensing some strange energy outside.
"Well, in that case, shall we go investigate?" Byleth proposed them to go and examine the place.
"Yeah, Sora, you lead." Edelgard accepted and the three went out of the room to investigate.
[SUPPORT BEWTEEN SORA AND EDELGARD HAS ATTAINED LEVEL B]
[SUPPORT BETWEEN BYLETH AND EDELGARD HAS ATTAINED LEVEL C]
/
SOMEWHERE IN THE MONASTERY
While everybody else was asleep, Sora lead the women investigating the campus, but they weren't finding anything, in other words, Edelgard and Byleth were believing that Sora toyed with them.
"Sora, are you sure this is place where the darkness lies as you say?" the future empress questioned him feeling that she was being swindled.
"I am! I swear that this entity came from here! There must be some kind of shortcut that may lead us there!" Sora defended himself as to not look as a liar, when he noticed something. "Wait a minute… look."
"Looks like a passageway…" Byleth figure out a moderately damaged wall which created the said passageway, which had a light from afar.
This made Sora sense even more strange energy coming from the said place, besides, he felt a necessity of visiting it.
"Unless I sleepwalk, I kind of now figure out where the darkness lies, if that is, of course." Sora assumed starting to know that energy's location.
"I never thought I'd say this… but I believe in what you say, Sora, because I am kind of suspecting of this shortcut we just noticed. In fact, it reminds me of something." Edelgard affirmed in trusting Sora's medium sense. "I have heard tales of countless passages snaking beneath Garreg Mach. This is undoubtedly one of them."
"Besides so… We can't tell where that said darkness leads…" Byleth understood her student's words and the risks involved.
"Indeed, there's no telling what we could find… a formidable enemy and a lot of the heartless." Sora intuited the big dangers they might encounter in.
"Heartless… I remember seeing those creatures back when we first met." Edelgard said while remembering those dark creatures who almost took her out until being rescued by the keyblade wielder.
"I think I should go and investigate the passageway myself." Sora looked eager to go in on his own.
"Forget it Sora, it's far too dangerous to go on your own." Edelgard was not pleasant with this and advised him not to proceed alone. "I have no doubts that a threatening creature lies within that passageway and the area itself so we must proceed with caution."
"In that case, we'll come along, right Edelgard?" Byleth agreed with her.
"Of course, Byleth. If it was a thief, we must get him and not let them get away with their crime." The future empress thought the same, the three were preparing themselves to investigate the subject. "Considering what happened at the Mausoleum, vigilance is prevalent."
"You're right, it's wise for us three to go and find out." Sora agreed to head to the passageway together.
"Likewise, let's be on our way. Unless there's something else we should call for?" Edelgard asked their teacher if they should call for backup.
"I think the three of us should suffice." Byleth suggested that just the three ought to go.
"Byleth's right, there's no time to lose." Sora agreed with her.
They were getting ready to head to the passageway until…
"Whoa guys! What are you three doing at this nighttime? Acting as vigilantes around the monastery?" Dorothea showed up along with the other Black Eagles.
"I never thought I'd find you guys all awake." seconded Ferdinand surprised like his classmates.
"Guys, what are you doing here?" Sora was also taken aback by their sudden appearance.
"Well, we heard some kind of noises around the monastery and we decided to investigate on our own, and this is how we all found you, mister Sora." Hubert explained the reason of being able to casually find them.
"I di- didn't want to come here! I want to head back to sleep!" Bernadetta looked freaked out due to the noises. She wanted to go back to the bed. "Those noises are creepy…
"You will be protected, Bernadetta, ok? You just have to fight back the monsters." Sora calmed her down telling her to defend herself.
"I-I will."
"It's certainly a rare and unexpected sighting… especially considering the hour." Said Ashe having weird thoughts about this incident.
"Looks like a whole lot of something is about to happen. I'm going back to bed." Linhardt was willing to head back to his room when Caspar stopped him by grabbing his shoulder.
"You're not going anywhere, Linhardt!" he told him to stay with them. "Your bad luck is our good fortune, so you're coming with us."
"You all can count on my support if you want." Petra stated that she was willing to give them a hand.
"Thanks Petra, now this mission will be quite easier, with the assistance of all of you guys, we will get through this." Byleth said those making them high-spirited.
"Happy to help, teacher! We don't have anything better to do at this hour, so we may pitch in." Ashe expressed enthusiasm.
"Alright, guys, let's be on our way. Are you ready, Byleth?" Sora got ready just like everyone else.
"Yeah, okay my students, this is a mission we haven't have before, get your weapons ready, we don't know whom we might encounter." Byleth commanded them to prepare themselves to fight anyone who could try to get on their way.
"Yes, teacher!"
/
DEPTHS OF THE MONASTERY – ABYSSIAN CLASSROOM
Way down the surface in a classroom, two men were standing beside each other for no apparent reason or something.
"Ugh… Yuri, this is brutal, man. Tell me again why you're subjecting me to this freaking boredom…" said the elder man with a much shaped body and black combed hair.
"Enough with the yawning, Balthus. If you're really that bored, we could always make a friendly wager." The young boy with a lilac hair replied telling him to stop complaining and make a bet with him if he was that eager to take the boredom out.
"Thanks but no thanks, pal. I'm low on funds as it is." Balthus indicated his lack of money as to make bets with him. "Last thing I need is another debt I can't pay."
Two girls appeared before them from nowhere just to tell them few things.
"Right, B. As if you could say no to that." Spoke a brown-skinned girl with a long red hair in a monotone voice.
"Aaaaahahaha! How diverting that you should bicker for my amusement!" said another girl with a short blonde hair mocking the two men. "Imagine my overwhelming dread were I stuck here without such joyous entertainment."
"Count me out. I'll leave the talking to Yuri-bird and Coco." The red-haired woman didn't want to see the bickering between them, when suddenly…
"Hey, boss!" a rogue called Yuri to bring the group some news.
"Back already, huh? Have you detected any movement on the surface?" the boy asked him if he had news.
"Well, uh, I looked for the cardinals' meeting-just like you said…" the rogue began to tell everything he saw back on the surface. "The thing is… I was spotted by some weirdos, one of them holds a weird weapon that has a key-like shape. They chased after me and everything."
"Some weirdos, and key-like weapon, you say. So very helpful. They weren't knights, were they?" Yuri was rather curious after hearing the news or even better, he found the latter quite, interesting.
"I dunno. There were only few of 'em, but I bet they were armed to the teeth." The rogue didn't have idea if those people were knight or not, but he recognized how strongly they were armed.
"With a meager number like that, I doubt they intend to take on Abyss." Yuri had a negative feeling about those people his rogue mentioned.
"They probably took you for some kind of villain, they'll lock ya up if they catch you, man." Balthus warned him to be careful of not get caught, only to be excited about fighting. "Finally, a little action! Let's find them first and throw some punches."
"Wait, Balthus! This ignorance to rush itself headfirst into trouble." Constance, the blonde girl, tried to stop the man from rushing himself to find these guys.
"You're excited to fight too. You've been waiting for a chance to try out your shiny new magic." Hapi, the red-haired girl figured out that they all were excited to have action too.
"Heh heh, surface laws don't apply down here. That give us the freedom to have some fun with them." Yuri was very eager to have fun as the others. "They're probably not knights, but our new friends definitely work for the church."
"Wha… Wait! Don't leave me behind!" Constance wasn't willing to stay behind and joined the three.
/
Meanwhile, Byleth and her whole class had gone downstairs inside the passageway to access the the depths of the Monastery, it didn't look as creepy as everyone were making it out, it was a basement with some kind of a normal room aspect.
"Hmm… It seems this place is more than a simple passageway." There's clear evidence of human habitation" Edelgard said while scanning the room.
"Are there some people here?" Sora asked while taking a look at the place.
"It seems so, I remember hearing some stories like that and I took them as such rumors." said Caspar while noticing some people from afar. "I heard that this whole place was called… Abyss."
"Exactly, young boy!" Balthus' voice came from nowhere and appeared at the front of everyone. "Welcome to Abyss, strangers."
"Who are you?" Byleth interrogated him in a defense stance.
"That uniform…" Edelgard was taken aback at his clothes. "It's almost the same as ours…"
"Welcome, curious students of the Officer Academy! What brings such fine, upstanding surface dwellers to our humble abode?"
"We're tracking someone who was creeping around the monastery." Sora explained the reasons to be there.
"Our business here doesn't concern you, could please let us pass?" Edelgard tried to ask him to let them in, but the man had some plans for them.
"Aaahahaha! Such indulgence simply cannot be permitted." Constance appeared aside Balthus stating that they wouldn't let in easily giving them a challenging glare.
"Who are you guys? And why won't you let us pass?!" Sora questioned them, showing the same glare as well.
"Your words may fool the fool, but I cannot be so easily deceived!" the blonde girl replied him in a mocking voice and introduced herself. "My name is Constance von Nuvelle and I shall divine your true intentions. You are here by the order of the church… which cruelly plots to eliminate the inhabitants of the Abyss!"
"You think we're here to harm you?" Byleth denied such claim telling her that they were not there hurt them and neither sent by the church.
"Did she say…? Nuvelle?" Edelgard was puzzled after hearing that last name, it seemed so familiar for her.
"I don't care what the reason for this brawl is. A fight is on the menu, and I'm ready to feast." Balthus expressed his immense urge to fight anyone. "Let's get right to it, yeah?"
"Looks like these guys are tough! I bet they are gonna tears apart!" Caspar knew that these were experienced combatants, and it would be hard to defeat.
"Yeah, I think we should retreat for now, it would be a suicide if these two crushed us all quickly." Hubert suggested them to leave immediately. Until…
"Turning back already?" Yuri's voice was heard from the ceiling and jumped down towards Byleth and her students. "Oh, but you'll make me so sad. Now why would you wanna do that?"
And he didn't come alone, as he was soon joined by Hapi, finally reuniting with the others of their own.
"Everyone here is starved for amusement. They've been waiting for a good fight." He stated his biggest wish for a fight with them.
"Look at that, a fine example of a surprise attack, you guys surely are rattlesnakes." Ferdinand flattered them, something that the future empress didn't like.
"Ferdinand, this isn't the moment to be impressed by those enemies, we must find a way though at once." Edelgard berated him for his cocky attitude.
"She's right." Sora agreed with her while summoning his Kingdom Key weapon just in case, something that surprise Yuri and the others.
"Hold on… That weapon…" Balthus was taken aback looking at Sora's keyblade. "Sora isn't it? Sora Nomura, the keyblade wielder?
"Yes. I'm Sora, I take you have heard things from me, haven't you?" Sora affirmed it, confirming them his identity.
"Nobody else have this foreign name like yours… I'm amazed that you were able to enroll at the academy this year." The man gave his opinion about it in that state, he was more than glad to meet him. "You are a unique guy who was lucky to have these classmate of yours. Looks like my luck's finally taking a turn for the good. All right, so your choices are as follows: line up for the beating of a lifetime… or let us lock you up like the good boys and girls you undoubtedly are."
This left them speechless as the threat was becoming prevalent, they ain't going to be locked up in a dungeon of awful smell, but they also didn't want to have a big beating with those guys either.
"What should be do? We can't let those guys lock us away! Come on!" Caspar was not pleasant with this hard decision, as he didn't want to be locked up in a fudged up cell.
"How can you guys do whatever you want? You aren't anything to tell us what to do!" Ferdinand also expressed annoyance, only to be given a rather intimidating glare from Edelgard for being reckless.
"Damn it…" Sora realized that they didn't have a choice. "We don't have a clue what this guy's going on about, but it looks like a fight's in order, and this is pretty much all my fault."
"Hey, don't blame yourself, Sora." Byleth comforted him asking to not disregard himself. "It was our idea, after all."
"Besides, looks like we don't have a choice but to fight them." Edelgard understood the trouble they all had.
"Finally! Let's do this already! Prepare to face the Almighty King of Grapping!" Balthus declared them in an eager voice that he and his friends were more than ready to fight them.
The huge brawl was about to break out between both teams.
END OF CHAPTER 18
/
-Dark Aura Signature: It's a skill that allows the user to sense every type of darkness except for the corrupted within any being, or even strange energy and track down its origin, like Sora when he learned it after defeating Death Knight.
So, this is the prologue of the Cindered Shadows arc, I must confess that I wanted to write this a very long time ago thanks to a follower of mine who suggested me to.
The enemies the whole gang is gonna encounter will mostly be heartless, those will be the primary ones.
And, Byleth will use the newly found Sword of the Creator to defeat every enemy she encounters.
That's all I can say, see you next chapter.