DISCLAIMER: I don't own the Kingdom Hearts nor Fire Emblem Three Houses characters, Square Enix, Nintendo, and Disney are the owners.
Antex-The Legendary Zoroark: It will turn even better later, just wait for it.
FabledLife: Sora's been running a lot so it would make sense if he this was realistic, but as of now, Sora no longer feels pain on his feet.
RedRat8: Of course, Alois serves as comic-relief as well.
CHAPTER 24 – BETRAYAL
/
GARREG MACH MONASTERY – AUDIENCE CHAMBER | DAYTIME
While Sora and the Black Eagles stayed in the depths of the monastery, Byleth and the Ashen Wolves headed to the audience chamber to talk to Rhea about the subject.
"So that is what transpired…" she understood where the guys were going. "This is, indeed, the Chalice of Beginnings. It matches the descriptions in the few records of it that remain."
"Don't beat around the bush. What's our punishment?" Yuri questioned her about the consequences they would have to face for their actions.
"You removed a most sacred treasure. Truly it is my obligation to mete out punishment for that transgression. However…" the archbishop stated her obvious intend of punish them. "You also helped the church locate a valuable artifact. In light of this good deed, I shall forgive the bad one. I do wonder…"
"What's on your mind, Lady Rhea?" Byleth asked her.
"I am wondering whether your presence had anything to do anything with artifact's unbinding, Byleth." Rhea answered her question explaining some things about the apostles. "As per church chronicles, the four apostles secured the chalice with powerful magic. The only way to release the chalice is by using the four Crests passed down through their bloodlines. However, given the special powers you possess, perhaps you were able to unlock it yourself. There is no knowing at present. For the being, I'll keep the chalice somewhere safe. As for Aelfric, I assume you that the knights will find and return him in due time. I consider him to be one of my many children, after all. I will not allow harm to befall him.
"Lady Rhea, might I ask a moment of you time?" Constance questioned her with intrigue. "We cannot be expected to give up our endeavor! The enemy stated most clearly that if the knights are involved, Aelfric will be finished! We owe him so much. If there is any possibility that his life is in danger, the risk is too great to chance!"
"True. The knights are strong and all, but they're liable to get him killed." Hapi agreed with her friend. "We can take care of it. With Chatterbox's help."
"Our professor has the strength of a hundred of knights, or about one half of me." Balthus also believed in Byleth's strength. "We've got this. How about it, Rhea? We've been through too damned much get here. Leave the chalice and Aelfric to us. You won't regret."
"Lady Rhea…" Yuri also begged her to let the work to the gang instead of the knights.
"If you join your powers with theirs… yes, perhaps there is hope." Rhea replied them. "As you wish, I shall entrust you the chalice."
"Your Grace, the chalice is a legendary treasure!" a knight questioned her out of concern about the object's safety. "You can't just hand it over to those underground…"
"That's quite enough." Rhea interrupted him. "There's no cause to worry, I assure you. There will be no further discussion on the matter. Even if we lost hold of the chalice, it would be impossible for the thieves to make use of it. Though it was created to return a life that we lost, I doubt that anyone alive knows how to accomplish that feat. If someone were to successfully replicate the ritual… it would be perhaps a work of fate."
/
Meanwhile in Abyss, Sora and the Black Eagles were waiting in the classroom for Byleth and the others to have a meeting with them.
"I wonder what those thieves were up to with the chalice." The keyblade wielder began. "I mean, there had to be a big reason for that to happen, right?"
"We all ask the same thing, Sora." Linhardt replied in the same state. "What if somebody knew it all along?"
"No doubt about it, there's something fishy here in this place." Edelgard let out a high possibility about it.
"Any stuff we find out here…" Dorothea agreed with her classmates.
"Hey, Boss. Been meaning to ask… how'd you end up down here in Abyss?" Balthus voice was heard while he and the others were entering in.
"Here they come." Said Petra letting them know.
"What is this? A sort of interrogation?" Yuri was taken aback by this question.
"Yeah, you've never been big on sharing. I mean, you know all about me, and there's still so much I don't know about you." Hapi said being intrigued by his motives to be there.
"Look, I get it. Talking about the past isn't easy. But I'm curious, yeah? So get to it. I've got all day." Balthus demanded him.
"When you're ready." Byleth encouraged him to tell his story.
"Do you now?" Heh heh." Yuri began telling them his real reason to end up in Abyss. "Well, I guess now's a good a time as any to tell you. I'm here because I killed some people from the church."
"What? You did…?!" Constance gasped upon hearing his story.
"What do you mean by that?" Byleth asked him about the motive to do such action.
"Originally, I attended the academy as Count Rowe's adopted kid." Yuri kept explaining his story. "There came a point when the church ordered me to wipe out some members of my old gang. Told me it was a part of an important mission."
"Who is this 'old gang' you speak of?" Constance asked him for those members' identities.
"They were nothing more than common thieves to someone like you, Constance." He replied her. "Anyway, they're like family to me, so naturally I protested my orders. Things got heated and… well, the rest is history."
"That's some story, pal. You're damn lucky that they didn't execute you." Balthus was glad that his partner wasn't killed by the church.
"Heh, you're telling me. Aelfric stepped in and implored them to spare my life, told them to consider the circumstances." Yuri mentioned him as their protector. "It's not so different for the rest of you guys. I'm sure he helped all of us in different ways."
"He did. I was about to be thrown in the monastery underground jail…" Hapi told them a piece of her own story. "People thought I was dangerous, what with my 'gift' and all. It's dark and dingy here, but it sure beats a prison cell. Aelfric really saved my neck."
"Back to the point… Balthus, what was it you were curious about?" Constance asked him to return to the main topic. "You had ideas regarding why our enemies may be clawing after the chalice, perhaps?"
"Nah, nothing like that. But I am hung up on something Rhea said." He spoke showing some concern towards the archbishop's words. "That binding on the chalice, was linked to the four apostles, right? I know I've got Chevalier's…"
"Sorry guys, but mind if we join in?" Linhardt interrupted them asking to join the talk among the others.
"What is it? Can't you see we're busy?" Hapi questioned him for his actions.
"We can, but I just remembered something. Something important. Specifically, the names of the four apostles." He replied giving them an important information. "Aubin, Chevalier, Noa and Timotheos, the four apostles whose bloodlines were lost to time. I figured the Ashen Wolves might have thoughts all about that."
This state left the Ashen Wolves stunned, Linhardt somewhat had found out that Yuri and his team were holding their Crests.
"No use in hiding it now, Constance. Let's lay all of our cards on the table. As for me, I've got the Major Crest of Chevalier." Balthus spoke letting out their deepest secrets. "When I enrolled at the academy, the church ordered me to keep that tidbit to myself. So I did."
"Mm-mm. and I've got the Major Crest of Aubin. Never did sort out now is it I have this thing." Yuri mentioned his crest too.
"As for me, the blood of Saint Noa courses through my veins. This is kept hidden, even from the Empire." Constance also did the same as the others.
"Which probably means mine's from Timotheos. I do have a vague recollection of being told my Crest is rare." Hapi was the last to speak about her crest.
"So the four Crests, which were presumed lost, have all been gathered into the same house." Edelgard understood the situation.
"Looks like we have to thank Aelfric for that." Sora agreed with her, they had reunited the four people bearing their respective Crests.
"So, now that he's been kidnapped, what would be reason this to happen?" Dorothea interrogated them. "If they were after the chalice, they could just have snatched it from us with the need to taking him somewhere."
"Maybe someone had it out for him. Or maybe he messed around with the wrong people." Balthus tried to explain them.
"Or it could just be unrelated entirely. We're trying to untangle this mess by tying more knots into it." Yuri said leading the people to understand that they were trying to tie some loose ends. "I mean, Balthus, you landed here on accident, didn't you? It's not like that's linked to the rest of us. And I could just as easily have never ended up down here, you know? You're jumping at shadows. Anyway, we don't have much time, let's head to the ruins of the chapel and act together."
"Yeah." Byleth accepted the mission, they had to retrieve Aelfric as fast as possible.
Byleth was about to depart to the ruins with her students when…
"Hey, friend." Yuri called her for a talk. "Let's no deny that there's a connection between us. How about you and me have a little date, huh?"
Wait a minute, did Yuri just ask Byleth out? Or he said it to have her attention.
"You want to take me on a…date?" she said figuring out his face.
"When the bell strikes tonight, meet me out front of the Holy Mausoleum. My only condition is that you arrive promptly after midnight, and not a moment before. What say you?" he replied in a flirting tone.
"Hold on, why at such a late hour?" Byleth questioned him.
"It's the most romantic time of the evening of course! Or is the idea of a date with me not appealing to you? Heh heh…"
"Look, I didn't come here to seek a man, whether be a young student or another personnel, okay?" Byleth stated her motives.
"I see, you're a focused woman." Yuri spoke laughing trying to flirt her. "Anyway, nobles have nearly killed one another fighting for my affections, you know. Perhaps you won't get all you want out of me, heh, but I'll promise you a fun time regardless.
"Oookay?" Byleth didn't look convinced, but regardless, she apparently accepted.
"It's settled. I'll see you tomorrow night, friend." Yuri was satisfied by her answer. "Don't stand me up."
Alright, that was strange for Byleth to be asked out this way, maybe Yuri was plotting something and this made her suspect him.
/
GARREG MACH MONASTERY – AUDIENCE CHAMBER.
Back to the surface, a priest entered the chamber to tell Rhea some news and many more.
"Your Grace, please reconsider." The priest tried to warn her. "The chalice is among the church's greatest treasures, akin to even the heroes' relics."
"I am well aware, which is why I have already dealt with that matter." Rhea assured him. "Consider this, the Heroes' Relics are fearsome weapons imbued with great power. On the contrary, the chalice has long lost the power it once possessed. It is little more than a token of history."
"If that so, then why is it still considered such an important artifact?" the priest interrogated her.
"It was created for a sacred purpose. To use the blood of the four Apostles to… return the goddess to our world." Rhea explained the details when she remembered something that got her upset… "Their blood…"
"Your Grace? Is something matter?" the priest asked her in concern.
"I have an urgent mission for you. Investigate the origins of the Ashen Wolves." Rhea gave him a job. "Start with their enrollment forms for the academy. Keep an eye out for falsified documents."
"Yes, of course, Your Grace." The priest nodded with his head.
"Before you begin, summon Alois at once." Rhea continued. "I have new orders for the knights as well."
"As you wish, Your Grace." The priest agreed.
"If I'm correct, we haven't a moment to lose. Another tragedy is about to transpire…" Rhea ended the conversation.
/
MONASTERY OUTSKIRTS
Sora and the others were out to head to the ruins of the chapel to save Aelfric from the bandits while having a talk with each other.
"That crumbly old chapel somewhere nearby or what?" Balthus began.
"I can play little part here, save perhaps as a bargaining chip for our dear Aelfric." Seconded Constance with her low spirits down due to the sunlight effects.
"Forget it, Constance. Getting yourself captured will not do anything good!" Ashe advised her to not let herself be busted.
"I think we should be more worried about B's… appearance. I mean, he's got the way, WAY more, uh… life experience than the rest of us." Hapi spoke in nonchalantly voice. "And all that life experience makes you look more like a knight than a student, B."
"You sayin' I'm old, pal? Don't forget you're speaking to the Ageless King of Grapping." Balthus replied her in annoyed tone due to her brutal comments about his age.
"Well, she's not wrong, Balthus. There's a pretty huge age gap between you two and I don't say this to annoy you, I promise." Sora defended her point of view.
"I can see some maturity on you, man. I wonder why is that." Edelgard said having a curious glare on the elder.
"Well, I'm been friends with Hilda's brother and we have done a lot of things together." Balthus explained the reason of his nature.
"I didn't know Hilda has a brother." Said Sora amazed by this trivia.
"She does, pal." Balthus affirmed him.
"That explains your… maturity. You make Hubert look like spring chicken." Edelgard understood his reasons, before turning to his butler showing him a wink, as to not make him feel bad.
"Come on, will ya? Anyway, I'm wearing a school uniform. No way in hell they're going to think I'm a knight."
"Yeah, and anyone wearing a school uniform is without a doubt a student." Yuri knew how problematic this mission was.
"To be honest, for a good while, I did think you might be a knight…" said Ashe being curious about the abyss uniform. "Who made your uniforms and set up the Ashen Wolves House, anyhow?"
"If I might so humbly interject, that would Aelfric." Constance answered his question.
"He did?" Sora asked to confirm her words.
"He pulled everything together for us, Sora." Yuri explained Aelfric's actions. "Some time after he was appointed as the guardian of Abyss. Said he wanted to give former students who were expelled from the academy somewhere to live. Somewhere to belong. Of course, all of this was established before any of us were in the picture."
"So getting you four together was a coincidence?" Byleth asked him.
"You could say that." Yuri said in slight annoyance.
"Perhaps. After hearing all of that, it's not as unbelievable as I'd thought." Edelgard gave a good opinion regarding his story.
"All I know is that he helped me, so I'll help him." Hapi expressed her willingness to take the initiative.
"I strongly doubt that I shall factor into Aelfric's retrieval, but I shall follow your lead." Constance said also expressing the same wish to help.
"That's right. We do owe Aelfric. Maybe your goddess doesn't about debts, but my fists and I sure do." Balthus agreed with everyone.
"Sorry to have roped you into this." Yuri apologized for dragging her and her team into the problem.
"It's ok, Yuri. I wouldn't mind if I face such problems to help my students." Byleth replied affirming him that there was nothing to apologize for.
"What a pal, Byleth! The Ashen Wolves really landed an A+ professor. Not just a paper, but in practice too." Balthus praised her for her words. "This is great! Has me ready to get to it and start hitting things."
With that, Sora and his classmates headed to the ruins of chapel leaving Byleth and Yuri behind to have a word with each other.
"What's up?" Byleth began.
"Ever since I was a kid, I've lived my life by one rule: that I'd only play my hand if I was guaranteed victory. "I've gotten this far by using my cunning in any way necessary… lying, cheating, even killing when there was another way..." Yuri told her a part of his life as a thief. "But this next play? Well, the odds don't exactly seem to be in my favor. Not unless you trust me enough to provide me with an ace… Heh. Never mind, friend. Let's just go."
With that, Byleth and Yuri ran as faster as they could to catch Sora and the others.
/
CHAPEL RUINS
Sora and the others headed to the ruins to confront the Aelfric's kidnappers and free him from those guys, the situation was becoming critical for everyone.
"Ha! Ha! Ha! At last you've arrived, you fools! You certainly took your sweet time…" a man called Metodey said mocking them.
"Guys! Why have you come?!" Aelfric questioned them in surprise.
"To save your ass of course. You didn't really think we'd just up and abandon you, did you?" Balthus replied stating his reason to be there.
"If I may be so bold, we have the chalice you seek. Might I humbly request that you return Aelfric?" Constance tried to diplomatically request the guys to release his guardian.
"Here." Byleth showed the chalice to everyone, surprising the man in the process.
"You guys found the chalice? When I told you of it, I never imagined you'd…" Aelfric stuttered in shock seeing the object in front of him.
"Let's make sure it's not some cheap imitation. Hand it over." Metodey ordered.
"No, not until you hand over the hostage. There needs to be some degree of a trusting exchange here." Yuri retorted making sure that nobody would play dirty.
"I can see you don't understand your own predicament." Metodey replied in a threatening voice. "We've no issue killing the lot of you and taking it either way."
"You gotta do better than that." Sora summoned his keyblade ready to fight.
"Sora, wait." Edelgard stopped him from engaging. "Now is not the moment to start a brawl yet."
"I can't tell if this guy's ears are stuffed with wool or if he's just this stupid." Said Hapi looking at Metodey with annoyance.
"Can't say I'm surprised. Thugs like this aren't about to show us any gesture of sincerity." Yuri said knowing exactly what those thieves were going to, they showed no honesty in their eyes.
"Yuri! Stand down!" Aelfric tried to ask the gang to stop. "Leave me! Take the chalice and flee… you must! It is irreplaceable, you must not hand it to these brigands!"
"Heh. You know us better than that. We didn't come here without a plan. Do you thing, Hapi!" Balthus stated that they had an ace under a sleeve.
"Wait! Do what thing?!" Metodey said freaking out.
"Seriously? Right now?" Hapi asked looking surprised by the words of his friend.
"What is she going to do?" Sora interrogated them.
"This. Now, Hapi!" Balthus gave a vague answer before telling her to do her thing.
"Fine, fine, fine." She said before letting out a huge sigh.
"That sigh! She's…" Aelfric knew exactly what she was going to do.
Effectively, Hapi did indeed summon a giant bird surprising everybody, letting them know by the animal's huge grunts.
"What is that?! A big bird?!" Sora made a question in shock just like everybody.
"You damn right it is!" Caspar seconded coinciding with him. "I never thought that she could call for any monster!"
"I've gotta say, that sigh of hers never gets old." Yuri gave a compliment of her magic.
"Yeah, yeah, glad you liked the show. It's not like it's a gift I asked for." Said Hapi not caring about the praise she received.
"Gyah! Where the hell did this come from?!" a rogue yelled in horror.
"Yeah, let's get the fuck out of here, move!" another one suggested to run for their lives, and some of the rogues did.
"Hahaha! Absolute cowards! How entertaining. Balthus, will you do the honors?" Yuri made fun of the runaway rogues.
However, Balthus didn't quite understand his words and started to wrestle with the giant bird and made Yuri have a dismay.
"Hey, Balthus! Stop screwing around! Come on! Hey!" Yuri tried to stop him from recklessly fighting with the big animal. "Damn, it flew off with him! He'll sort it out. At least we got Aelfric back in one piece. Now, let's handle these idiots."
"Cheap party tricks!" Metodey spat in anger. "Let's make these children scream!"
"You gonna have knock us out first!" Sora said pointing his keyblade on him.
"Your reckless actions could have resulted in death of you. Still, I thank you for that." Aelfric thanked them for saving his life.
"You don't have to thank me yet, we've still gotta get out of here." Yuri replied asking him to save it for later.
"Hmph there's no time for foolish blunders when our future is at stake." Metodey spoke while watching at Sora's team with grudge.
"We must complete the mission the noble gave us. We shall vanquish these infidel posthaste." A thief leader stated his mission against them.
The whole team spread out in every corner to face and take out the thieves they saw, Sora was joined by Edelgard, Ashe, Caspar and Byleth while clashing with them.
"You don't know who you are messing with, you punk!" the thief leader said trying to slay the boy down.
Sora guarded himself from the attack and counterattacked casting the Thundaga spell taking down the man and some of the rogues along with him.
Ashe shot few arrows towards some mounted knights who tried to lay a finger on Aelfric and the others.
Byleth used the power of the sword of the creator to kill some rogues more with ease while Edelgard cut the rest of them down by swinging her axe.
However, more thieves were coming, so Yuri had to make a plan.
"Ugh, there's still so many of them. Hapi, you know what to do." He said coming up with that dangerous plan he knew very well.
"Again? What do you take me for, a sigh servant?" Hapi wasn't happy with that plan she figured out.
That's right, Yuri didn't have a choice but to make Hapi sigh and summon not only another giant bird but other beasts as well filling the area.
"What the fuck?! More Monsters?!" a rogue yelled in horror seeing those beasts.
"Holy shit!" seconded another rogue wanting to run for their lives.
"More monsters coming?! Come on!" Ferdinand babbled freaking out.
On the other hand, Metodey was not exempt from feeling horror upon seeing the beats swarming the whole area.
"Why are monsters like that in Garreg Mach?!" he said just before having his face cast in overconfidence. "Ah, well. Perhaps I can take the treasure they found as a parting gift."
Meanwhile, Balthus eventually slayed the bird down to meet with the others and deal with the rest of the thieves.
"Why you took it so long?" Yuri asked him right after defeating a thief.
"I had to deal with the bird." Balthus replied explaining his reasons.
"I see. Let's get this done with." Yuri ended right before resuming in defeating every last one of the thieves.
Sora didn't waste his chance to perform Sonic Blade ability to take down a lot more of them until eventually clearing the area thanks to his and his people's actions.
All he was left was Metodey, who showed an intense but cocky attitude towards the keyblade wielder.
"So you and those bunch of sons of bitches managed to take out all of my subjects, but it doesn't matter. Just a few more moons, then all will know that I am the Em… hm hm hm… Forget I said anything." Metodey said before realizing that he was talking too much and he was like he had his cover blown. "Then again, if you die, it won't matter anyway."
"Bring it on!" Sora said before charging at the guy.
Sora summoned his Oathkeeper keyblade to take on Metodey and clash with each other's weapons. Metodey tried to cut him down, but Sora flipped backwards and performed the Ars Arcanium laying lots of slashes on Metodey across his body and finished him off holding his keyblade's tip backwards and then proceeding to defeat him with Zantetsuken.
"Gwaah! Fuck this shit!" Metodey growled in frustration feeling a lot of pain. "Anyway, I don't mind the pain, but it's time for me to leave. My employer pays me more than this treasure worth."
Metodey crawled as he could to leave the place, while glaring at Sora with hate on his face, swearing revenge on him in the process.
"You OK, Aelfric?" Balthus asked concerning about his health.
"I am. All thanks to you." The man replied positively. "Is the chalice unharmed?"
"Yes, it's safe. Chatterbox is…" Hapi was answering when three dark mages appeared from nowhere surrounding Balthus, Hapi and Constance.
"What?!" the blonde girl said in shock.
"Nightly night, fellas!" Yuri spoke before slashing Byleth's wrist to snatch the chalice away from her hands, much to everybody's shock.
"Hey!" she spat getting upset for his actions.
"Yuri, why?!" Sora spoke in the same state, feeling betrayed like everyone else. "Why are you doing this?!"
"Yuri! You fucking idiot! What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Balthus expressed his anger due to his treacherous actions. What was he thinking? Why was he doing what he did?
"Hahaha! I think you can see what I'm doing, Balthus." Yuri laugh making fun of them, much to his anger.
"Beautifully executed, Yuri. The chalice is finally mine now." Aelfric congratulated him, revealing his true colors. "Along with the blood of the Four Apostles."
It was at this moment that Sora sensed a strong dark energy nearby, and he found out where that energy came from: it was from Aelfric, the man who was acting all along with him and the others as a kind-hearted man for the Ashen Wolves and he in reality had evil intentions on his mind: to get the chalice and maybe revive somebody.
"Aelfric! How dare you to betray us?!" Sora interrogated him after finding him out.
"Wow, I'm glad that you found out, kid." The man replied in a creepy voice.
"It seems I was correct… that there was an enemy in our midst. To think our bird was instead a rat." Constance let out her words she was holding on until now.
"You've always had a wild imagination, Constance." Yuri said with some mock on his voice. "I've got to say, turning your attention elsewhere was a challenge even for me."
"Enough talk, Yuri. I informed you not to divulge too much." Aelfric scolded him for spilling out more info than he should.
"They'll all be under the dirt soon enough. It's not like they'll be able to talk at that point." He assured telling that the ashen wolves wouldn't stand a chance. "After all I have gone and done for you, Aelfric, I would think you'd have just a bit of more faith in me."
"Yuri…" Byleth murmured in disappointment.
"Your soft voice speaks volumes… Guess this is the end of the niceties." He said understanding her disappointment. "It's all on you now, Byleth, Sora. I'm sure you guys will figure it out."
After stating those words, Yuri warped along with Aelfric and the others, leaving Byleth, Sora and the Black Eagles team alone. They were stabbed in the back.
"Byleth! Are you allright?" Sora asked her in concern after noticing a wound on one of the wrests.
"I'm okay, it's just a scratch." She replied affirming him that it wasn't as bad as he thought.
"I'm glad to hear that." Edelgard was relieved after hearing her say that.
"I can't believe that those idiots betrayed us!" Caspar spat in annoyance, who could blame him for say those words, right? "Tell us how, ah I get it. He only pretended to attack you, didn't he?"
"So you were just playing a part in this grand performance. But was that really the smartest decision here?" Ferdinand was rather confused just like everybody else.
"The chalice and the Ashen Wolves are gone." said Linhardt concerned about their safety. "I don't like to think what will become of them without our help."
"And how do you propose we pursue them? We haven't a clue where they went." Edelgard interrogated her about Yuri and the other's whereabouts.
"I don't know." Byleth admitted not having idea about them.
"Well, we know what they're after. That at least narrows down the possibilities." Dorothea spoke with bowing her head down.
"Professor! Are we late?!" said Rhea arriving along with some knights of Seiros to the scene.
"Archbishop! Why are you here?" Edelgard asked her the reason for her presence.
"After sending all of you off, I began to investigate the lineage of Ashen Wolves." Rhea answered her question. "In doing so, I was able to confirm that the documented information about their Crests was falsified. What was once a wild speculation, I now know to be true,"
"Falsified?" Byleth asked her intrigued.
"The Crests they bear are the same as those of the Four Apostles, the same who long ago enacted the Rite of Rising." The archbishop continued. "Once the blood of the four is poured upon the chalice, its power can be harnessed. I believe we have enough evidence to assume that our Ashen Wolves will suffice to carry out this ritual."
"So Aelfric's aim must be to carry out the Rite of Rising…" Edelgard expressed her dismay towards that man. "At the expense of the students... Lady Rhea… What is the purpose of this ritual?"
"We've heard that it has the power to resurrect life, but we are not sure if this is true." Sora expressed his concerns.
"The chalice is a holy artifact, created by the goddess herself. It serves the purpose to restore a physical form that was previously lost to this world…" Rhea gave them a crucial information regarding the chalice.
"So what this man said is true… it really can bring somebody back to life." The keyblade wielder assured her words.
"Not exactly, Sora. It can breathe life into a body, but it cannot return a spirit that has already departed." The woman clarified him the real purpose of the chalice. "Ultimately, it is a tool to return the goddess to her physical form. Her spirit is omnipresent, but her flesh is no more. Such incredible power is truly awe inspiring…and extremely dangerous. In that way, it is akin to the Heroes' Relics. For this reason, the Four Apostles were never intended to pass down their Crest. This gathering should never have been possible. The Ashen Wolves are now gathered together, making it possible once more."
"I see, Aelfric is the intellectual author of this mess, luring them all to the Abyss for his selfish and evil reasons." Dorothea spoke understanding the big danger they all were. "Without so much as a whisper of it to the church, of course."
"This incident is my own doing. I should never have entrusted the chalice to them." Rhea regretted her bad decisions that lead to this mess.
"Archbishop, do you have any idea where they could have gone?" Edelgard asked her if she had a clue for their whereabouts.
"I do indeed. Garreg Mach, which is protected by the goddess, is the only place the Rite of Rising can be performed." Rhea appeared to know the place within the monastery. "Holding such a ritual requires absolute focus, so I imagine the setting would need to be serene, peaceful."
"There are many places inside the monastery" Linhardt was confused.
"How about the Holy Mausoleum?" Byleth came out with the suspected place.
"It's certainly peaceful there, but due to last month's incident, it's heavily guarded at present." Edelgard was rather curious about those words.
"For now, let's return to the monastery. There's much to consider." Rhea suggested them to head to the church, but…
"Lady Rhea!" Alois appeared running in front of them.
"Alois, you look troubled. What has happened?" she asked her looking in surprise by his mood.
"Thieves have breached Garreg Mach's village walls!" he gave the news flash, gasping everyone. "They've been pillaging the shops and residences, taking whatever they please!"
"I wonder if this has anything to do with Aelfric." Rhea suspected of that man, knowing how capable he was.
"There's no telling, but for now, their numbers are too great. They need the knights!" Alois replied admitting not having idea if he did it or not. "By your will, Lady Rhea, allow us to clear the village of these hooligans!"
"Yes, Alois. Please ensure the safety of the villagers immediately. However, leave a few of your best knights with me." Rhea indicated him.
"Yes, your grace. I'll see to it." He accepted getting himself to do the said actions.
After Rhea and the others left, the house' members needed to have a word with Byleth.
"Byleth? It seems that you need to say something." Sora began.
"I do, Sora. It's about Yuri…" she started to clarify the situation. "He, he asked me to meet up with him at the Holy Mausoleum."
"Did he tell you to go meet with him at that place? Ashe asked her in surprise.
"I think he must have a reason to set up this meeting, he took the time to speak with you, Byleth, however cryptically, before he left." Sora gave his opinion.
"Fair point, Sora." Edelgard agreed with him. "I do wonder why he told you it needed to be after midnight. Wouldn't it be better to rush to their aid immediately?"
"Yuri is not stupid, there must be a reason for this, and we gotta head to the mausoleum to aid them." Sora said with determination.
"Very good. My students, let's head to the mausoleum." Byleth ended the conversation and everybody headed to the mausoleum aware of their incoming battle awaiting for them.
END OF CHAPTER 24
AUTHOR'S NOTES:
Thank you for enjoying the fic, I have to confess that I was surprised to see how most read it is, and all is thanks for you guys and feedbacks I receive.
Anyway, it would be all I can write this, peace out.