Byleth narrowed his eyes as he swung the Sword of the Creator against the Imperial battalion in front of him, the chain wiping them off the ground and rendering them unable to fight any further. He was holding himself back, and yet, his breathing was heavy, the exhaustion beginning to trail into his arm directly afterwards. He couldn't only rely on the relic… all of this, it wasn't supposed to happen, but then again, he couldn't have known.

Or could he have?

He took a glance around, noting how the Imperial troops were focusing on cornering him and his Knights, all the while being far more careful in their approach than it was actually necessary if they were truly intent to harm them. His eyes shifted to the side when suddenly, Edelgard took the liberty to step towards him.

"Byleth, if you lay down your weapon, I promise that I won't harm anyone under your command. There is no need for any further conflict…", his grip on the relic tightened, regarding her closely. Her tone was as commanding and stern as he knew it from her, but he didn't fail to notice how her voice cracked near the end, covered only by her expression that she was trying to maintain.

He knew her long enough to see through it, after all, she confessed this much to him all those years ago… how could she expect him to not see through her mask after all this time? Or maybe she did, and she was hoping to convey it to him in that way.

His expression hardened, his eyes narrowing once more.

"There are several conflicts along your borders, yet you decide to turn your attention towards us? You are wasting your time.", Edelgard merely huffed in return, but her expression changed nonetheless, her eyes glancing at the ground in an attempt to hide it.

"... I won't pretend anything, Byleth. I have told you back at the Monastery, and I mean every single word of it.", Byleth's eyes widened for the briefest of seconds before they narrowed once more.

"We'll see, Emperor."

He didn't forget how her eyes flashed with hurt in that single moment.

Byleth climbed up the stairs towards the top of the Goddess tower, his steps echoing on the walls being the only sounds within the entirety of the building. The night was cool and refreshing, providing the peace and silence that he seeked once he reached the top. It had only been a few hours since they returned from the former Alliance, and the Monastery was the closest space available for shelter on their way back into the Empire.

He viewed the courtyard and the buildings below, a feeling of familiarity and nostalgia coursing through him. He almost felt… at home. He didn't even realize how much this place had grown on him.

"I have never seen you being that much at peace before."

Byleth's eyes snapped open before he whirled around to look for the intruding voice in his head, a short giggling following right afterwards.

And he froze in place.

"Haven't I once told you that you should get accustomed to my voice? I believe I did. Imagine if somebody were to walk in on you."

Words failed him once he laid eyes upon the floating girl in front of him, a smug expression on her face. And regardless how much he tried, he couldn't move from the spot.

"I thought you-"

"I said, that I would cease to exist in your mind. And not entirely. Besides, I saw that you were lonely, so I decided to pay you a visit."

Byleth merely closed his mouth, regarding Sothis with simple and obvious disbelief. And yet, he slowly relaxed, prompting her to smile in satisfaction. However, her expression slowly turned serious, the playfulness and smugness vanishing.

"... you're happy, I can feel that."

He followed her movements as she joined him near the terrace, a thoughtful look in her eyes.

"You have come a long way from the indifferent young mercenary who almost got himself killed while trying to protect a young girl he didn't even know."

A grin suddenly formed on her mouth, shooting Byleth a playful glance, the latter merely opting to avoid her knowing stare.

"She holds a strong hatred against me."

Immediately his eyes snapped open, her tone stating it as a matter of fact.

"Do you hate me now as well?"

Whether she meant it or not, her playful grin returned, albeit he could see that it was only half hearted. His silence caused her to giggle once more, regarding Byleth with a mixture of irony and wonder.

"You should know by now that I can feel what you feel, and your thoughts aren't exactly hidden as well."

A hand was suddenly placed on his shoulder, and her expression turned serious once more.

"... I don't blame her, if that is what you are concerned about."

The surprise was written upon his face, but for once, Sothis didn't pick up on it at all, choosing to gaze at the buildings below instead.

"She is following what she believes is right, just as you are now, too. As is everyone else. Ultimately, it is all about the choices we make…"

Her eyes turned sympathetic, and she lowered her gaze to the ground, removing her hand from his shoulder.

"You have never had to make such a choice before, did you? The life you have always known was to follow what you were told… this is what brought you to this place, connected you to the people here."

Her glance was carefully trained upon him, and he could almost feel it on his back. Yes, that was all he had ever known, and he had never considered anything else. Until…

"-she entered your life, and you did the same in her life. This was the first time for the both of you to experience what it meant to have somebody close to you. It was through her that you learnt what it meant to act on your own behalf. And now here you are."

Byleth's eyes were trained on the ground, memories swirling through his head. He didn't even realize how much he had valued their bond, not until everything changed on that fateful day. But it never subsided, and despite everything that happened, here he was.

"Do you now understand what I'm saying? The choices we make in the end will alter the future, but there is no right or wrong. Ultimately, one choice can lead to the end of another. It is up to you to decide…"

He shuddered once the images of the past went through his mind. He had regarded Edelgard as an enemy, he didn't hesitate to stand against her, all of it to-

-to protect the only thing he had always known in his life, to follow what he was told, to follow what Rhea had wanted from him. And he did so without question.

The only thing that he could never shake from his mind was… if he had truly forgotten about everything he had experienced with Edelgard, about the only person he had allowed into his life. Or if he merely suppressed it, buried it, and tried to forget. He remembered exactly what he wanted to remember, those images within the Holy Tomb, and the betrayal that he had felt.

He convinced himself that their paths diverged from one another.

"... and she made a choice. She didn't accept to lose you, to lose that precious bond you share. She did everything to prevent that, and now here you are. She chose to walk this path with you alone, Byleth, and now your paths are intertwined. Now only one question remains…"

He gasped when her hand suddenly placed upon where his heart was, and he turned around completely to see that her gaze was deeply trained upon him.

"... what will you do, Byleth?"

His eyes widened when a pair of steps suddenly approached from the stairs, and sure enough, Edelgard appeared at the end of the stairs, her eyes meeting his own after she surveyed the space for the one she was looking for.

And he found that Sothis was no longer to be seen.

"Here you are, I had a feeling you would be.", a serene smile formed on her face as she approached him, standing beside him at the terrace. Her crown was missing, and she allowed her hair to freely flow behind her head. Sothis's words echoed in his mind as he absentmindedly stared outside, something that didn't go past Edelgard.

"Is something the matter…? You look as though you have seen a ghost.", she placed her hand atop of his own, the sheer warmth causing him to finally meet her eyes. Their bond had always been there, and no matter how much he had tried, she never let go of it.

He was torn out of his thoughts once she placed her head upon his shoulder, no words being spoken between them as they simply relished in this moment. He had already made his choice as well.

He was going to follow his heart.