After we kill Hubert, the rest of the Imperial troops waste no time scattering. Even the ones fighting Seiros, after a last-ditch effort to break through her lines, break and run. We're able to group up and make sure that the city is secured in good time. There's not much to do when the city's already been evacuated, turns out. I hope we can deal with Edelgard smoothly so that these people can get back to their lives. What happened with Hubert was cutting it too close.

"Ugh," Hilda tells me. "I'm going to need a monthlong break after this."

"Good news for you," I say, "Since it's normally about a month between major battles anyway."

She lets out a several-second groan. "More fights after this? Claude, you're killing me here. I can't keep getting lucky forever."

I gnaw on the inside of my mouth. Beneath her groans, she has a point. The longer we keep this up, the more certain it becomes that we're not making it out of this alive. That being said, all of our fights have been going suspiciously smoothly so far. On our side, the only one of my classmates I've lost since Byleth left Edelgard's side was Ingrid. Edelgard and her Empire haven't managed to kill a single one of us, and I intend to keep it that way.

"I trust you to pull back when you're in danger," I say. "Or surrender, if you must. Lysithea made the right choice to stand down in Derdriu when the Empire overwhelmed her."

"Haven't you spent the past few days muttering to yourself about how you have to kill her?"

I grimace. "Let's hope it doesn't come to that. She's insisting that we have no choice, but there must be some other way."

"You believe in all of us too much. It's exhausting to deal with."

Huh. First time getting that comment.

"I mean, think about it," Hilda says. "Now we have expectations on us. I wish I could be a silly little maiden who frolics in flower fields and doesn't even know what war means."

"That's the goal, isn't it? I'm sorry you didn't get to live that life, Hilda. I know it's not fair. But if we win here, that could be a reality for the next generation. You could raise a child who knows only meadows and sweets instead of this brutal conflict."

"Being a parent also sounds like too much work."

"Yeah, as the words were coming out I had a feeling you were going to say that. But seriously, Hilda. Thanks for saving us all back there. No matter what you do from here, I'll think of you as a hero."

I see her shoulders relax at the comment. "Hero. I've always hated that word. But coming from you, it's not so bad." A pause. "No matter what I do from here, huh?"

"That's right. I'll be proud of you even if the war becomes too much and you need to bow out right after this instead of helping us hunt down the Slithers. No expectations."

She replies with an embarrassed smile. "Guess there's no point in trying to convince you that I'm shallow and useless, huh? Proud with no expectations." She shakes her head. "That's hard to imagine."

"You better start imagining it, because it's true."

At this point, Seiros approaches me and Hilda takes the excuse to end the conversation and slink away. I bet she got a lot of practice in while trying to avoid Seteth in the monastery.

"Congratulations on your victory today," Seiros says. "I hear you were the one who took down Hubert."

"Hilda was the one who made it happen," I say.

"Ah, I'll be sure to compliment her as well, then."

"She, uh, actually hates those. She doesn't want anyone to have expectations of her. We were just talking about this, actually."

Seiros flashes a tired smile. "I can empathize with that. Still, I'll try to make sure she feels accepted and welcome."

Her voice is so soothing. I remind myself not to let my instincts view every adult who's willing to tolerate me as a parent figure. Seiros has enough on her hands.

"What I came here to tell you about is something a bit more serious," Serios says. "I'm wondering if you think you can manage taking the palace without me. At least to begin with."

I frown. "What else do you have going on?"

Seiros looks up at the sky. "Destruction could rain down at any minute, Claude. I need to be ready."

Right. The nukes.

"Do you think the time you'll spend in the palace is enough for the Slithers to release more javelins of light?"

"I don't fully understand their technology, and I don't want to risk it. I bet they even have spies in the city or in the army that will tell them if I enter the palace and lose sight on the skies. I can rejoin you if I feel that it's safe, but for now I must watch the heavens. My mother fell from the sky to bring peace to Fódlan, and now Thales makes us fear what lurks behind the clouds."

I let out a sigh. She's right and we both know it. All of the major leaders in Enbarr at the same time is the perfect opportunity for them to nuke the city into oblivion. If they take out me, Edelgard, Dimitri, and Seiros in one fell swoop, all of Fódlan will fall into chaos. At that point, it's as easy for them as striding into Garreg Mach and declaring dominion over the entire continent.

"We'll miss your battle expertise and your leadership," I say. "I'll do my best to stop Catherine from getting herself killed."

"Thank you, Claude. And Shamir is looking out for her, so no need to be her full-time nursemaid."

Thank goodness. I knew bringing Shamir back into the Knights of Seiros was a good idea.

"I'll keep things safe on the ground here," Serios says. "Promise me you'll come back alive."

"You know I can't do that. But I'll do whatever I can to end this war here and now. If we lose today, all of our progress over the last few months was for nothing."

A face flashes in my mind. Lysithea. Is it a fool's errand to hope I can convince her to stand down? So much of this battle hinges on what she does, since I've never seen a mage as powerful as her.

And then her warning…

"That also reminds me," I say, "There's something I need to discuss with Dimitri. I'll see you later."

A pause. "See you later, Claude."

I walk over to where Dimitri and the others are gathered in front of the palace doors. He gestures for me to come over when he sees me.

"Did Serios tell you about her plans?" I say.

"How she's going to watch out for the javelins of light?" Dimitri says. "We both agreed that she should talk to you about it. I know I'm the king, but I'm under no illusions. We wouldn't be here if not for you."

"That could be said about many of us. But yes, I think that's the best course of action. Though we will need to be extra careful without her, especially since Lysithea dropped some hints about what we'll see when we were chatting in the dream world."

Dimitri raises his lone eyebrow. "Again. You could tell us these things beforehand."

"Sorry, sorry. There's been a lot going on. Lysithea mentioned that Edelgard is… doing something to herself to increase her strength. My first thought was turning herself into a Demonic Beast, and Lysithea assured me that wasn't it. At least not fully."

"But other than that, it sounds like she didn't spill any more info about what we can expect?" Dimitri says.

"Right. So we'll want to be extra careful and be ready for anything. Now that I say this I realize it's not the most useful advice…"

"Any knowledge helps," Annette says. "I mean, that's how Byleth managed to conquer almost all of Fódlan by themselves, right? By always being prepared for what their enemies had to throw at them."

"All right," Dimitri says. "Let's head on in. I don't have a grand speech this time. Think about the people we've lost to allow us to come this far, and let's make sure that their losses mean something."

"Mercie," Annette says, putting a hand over her heart. She looks like she's about to cry.

"Ingrid was a noble knight to the end," Ashe says. "I carry her honor with me, always. We'll win this fight for her."

"Marianne was the best of us in the Golden Deer house," Hilda says, hands on her hips. "The Empire made a mistake in taking her away from us. Edelgard is going down."

Wow. More of this confident Hilda, please.

"Rapahel and Leonie taught me how skilled commoners can be in their respective areas of expertise," Lorenz says. "It was our duty as nobles to protect them and foster an environment that allows them to excel, and we failed. Now we must make it up to them by keeping their loved ones safe."

"Alois," Catherine says, shaking her head. "You big buffoon. Why did you have to leave us so soon?"

"Getting sentimental over there, Catherine?" Shamir says. "This isn't like you."

"Oh, quiet. I know you missed him too. You were… even quieter than usual." Catherine casts a sidelong glance at Annette. "And there were other losses within the Knights of Seiros that I mourn."

"And I failed Felix," Dimitri says. "He was the one who challenged me most, but he fought at my command. He sacrificed his life to protect Fhirdiad from me and Rhea. It's not fair that I'm the one who lives while he died, but I'll do what I can to make it up to him."

Now it's my turn. Hoo boy.

"I'll win this fight for Judith, who guided me through being the Alliance Leader when I had nobody else," I say. "And I'll end this war for Petra and Caspar. I spent enough time with the Black Eagles that I got to know them, and I saw them both die trying to protect people."

A series of nods around me follow the statement. I take a moment to think about Hubert, who was the only person not mentioned or referenced that we knew back at the monastery who lost his life to this war. I do have to respect him for risking his own life on the battlefield, and I can't blame him for using all methods available to win the war while he was committed. I'm realizing I don't know much about him other than that he was determined to always stay by Edelgard's side.

If we win, Hubert, I promise to take down the Slithers. That's something we see eye to eye on.

#

When we enter the Imperial Palace, I do my best to recall the layout. I recognize the garden to the east, treasure room to the west, and if I keep heading straight forward I'll reach the throne room where Edelgard is.

"Secure the garden and the treasure room," Dimitri says. "We can't let them cut off our path to the exit as we advance further in. Claude, stay with me and help survey the situation."

Blegh. Distant command isn't my style, but it does make sense. The Kingdom soldiers head into the treasure room and Dedue leads the charge engaging the soldiers there, while the church and Alliance troops head into the garden. Or rather, they follow Catherine's lone charge into the fray. It's a miracle that woman is still alive after all of her stunts.

"So close," Dimitri says. "But we can't get ahead of ourselves. You have a better read on Edelgard than I do, Claude. What do you think she has up her sleeve?"

I don't know, and that scares me. I open my mouth to say as much, but close it when I see soldiers bursting in from the next room in trying to cut a path to the entrance. I tense myself into combat position and start letting arrows fly. Dimitri lunges forward, his lance becoming a whirl of death as he dispatches soldiers around him. I take aim at the ones who are going after him, which dissuades the others. The bad news is that they can reach me and Omar with their attacks since the ceiling is fairly low, which means I have to spend more time maneuvering around than I like. Still, we're able to defeat the soldiers that come charging at us in good time. I check Dimitri's wounds, which don't look life-threatening but aren't good for our first little skirmish.

While I'm fishing around in my saddle pouch for a healing vulnerary or concoction, the rest of our army returns. Catherine is already beat up and I see Lorenz doing his best to heal her with white magic, but I know that isn't his specialty. The good news is that the Kingdom side of the army looks better, with Dedue only having minor scratches on his armor while Ashe and Annette look untouched. Annette rushes over to heal Dimitri, and the wounds on his face and chest vanish.

This is too easy. Edelgard must have something else planned.

"Good news," Ashe says. "I found this elixir in one of the treasure chests. You should take it, Your Majesty."

Dimitri nods and accepts the elixir, still catching his breath. I wonder for a second why Edelgard left her treasure chests unlocked before remembering that Ashe can pick locks in the blink of an eye.

"Let's move forward," Dimitri says. "Careful. We don't know what to expect."

Dimitri leads us forward towards the central room of the palace. I know from studying the floor plan that it's connected to the throne room, so if we can secure this room we'll have a clear path to Edelgard. So close to being done with this damned war forever. And then…

Can't get ahead of myself. I don't expect her to go down without a brutal fight, and I bet Hubert crafted some schemes as a contingency plan in case he fell in the city. I'll need to keep my eyes peeled.

As we walk towards the central room, I see it before everyone else does. Two blasts of dark energy fly through the wall. One slams into Annette while the other catches Lorenz's horse.

"What in the Eternal Flames?" Dimitri says.

"Back up to the door," I say. "I bet they can't hit us there."

The army follows my command, and as we pull back another pair of dark bolts phase through stone and fly at us. They stop short as we make it back to the opening palace doors. Lorenz heals off Annette's wounds.

"What was that, Claude?" Lorenz says. "I'm nearly out of healing energy already."

"Some contraption in that central room," Dimitri says. "It must be."

Is it, though? I remember seeing the bolts of darkness phase through the wall at a wide distance from each other, and didn't spray out much from there. Which means…

"It came from further in, based on the trajectory," I say. "The throne room. It has to be. I'll bet it's Edelgard herself."

"You're serious?" Hilda says. "I didn't sign up for this. I think I should-"

Dimitri cuts her off. "So we need to rush the throne room."

"That does let enemies in the other rooms connected to the central room cut off our escape path after we enter the throne room," I say.

"Could we take out those enemies first?" Ashe says.

"Since her bolts can phase through walls, Edelgard can keep blasting us with darkness there."

"So we either let ourselves get trapped and flanked or we get worn down by a constant barrage," Dimitri says. "And Edelgard's smart enough to go for the healers first. If we lose them, the fight is much harder to win."

"Is there a chance we can stall until she runs out of magical energy?" Annette says.

"The attacks looked more like what a Demonic Beast does," I say. "And I don't think they run out of attack uses like mages do."

"So we really have no good options," Lorenz says.

"What do you think, Claude?" Dimitri says.

"Me?"

"Yes, you. How many times are we going to go through this? You have the skills of a tactician and know Edelgard better than any of us, since you fought with her class for half of our missions back at Garreg Mach."

And since she's been pestering me in my sleep for the past few months. Well, if he's going to demand an answer from me might as well give the best one. If I were Edelgard in this situation, what would I not want my opponents to do? When I think about it from her prespective, the answer is obvious. She wants to make us cautious so that she can control the battlefield and wear us down. She knows she can win the battle of attrition.

"We have to charge in," I say. "Head straight through the central room and secure the entrances to the throne room. Our escape will be cut off, but that way we can force Edelgard to deal with us. It's the only way."

I survey the faces of everyone who will be affected by this decision. I want someone to challenge me, dismiss me and make up their own mind. Because at least that way, if their names are added to the list today it won't be my fault.

"I agree," Shamir says. "Trying to preserve every last life is unrealistic. The best strategic decision is to charge."

Ugh, not how I wanted to frame that. Dimitri meets Shamir's gaze and nods.

"Then let's go," he says.

It's almost scary how willing our soldiers are to rush into this situation. They know it's going to be a risky operation. I'm sure they have friends and family back home who are counting on their return. But they believe in this war, maybe more than I do. And for today, I'm grateful for their faith.

We barrel into the central room, and our lines soon break as we try to single out Imperial commanders and take them out as quickly as possible. The fight devolves into a mess of blood and metal ringing on metal. I focus on surveying the situation and trying to help the sides that are struggling, but with the chaos it's hard for me to get a read on the situation. I end up spending most of the skirmish by Lorenz, Annette, and the healing battalions we have. I'm able to ward off most of the attackers, but the blasts of darkness through the walls and closed door are aimed at the healers, and I see them drop one by one. I let out a low growl.

We manage to take the central room. I'm guessing that we suffered heavy casualties, but I need to finish this damn job before I let myself succumb to guilt and pain again. After we clear out the soldiers, Ashe rushes up to the door leading to the throne room and unlocks it. I shout at people to go through as reinforcements start spilling in from other rooms. Dedue takes up the rear of our forces and stands in the doorway to block the Imperial troops from entering.

I fly inside last, and it's then that I see what Edelgard has done to herself. She's transformed into a winged monstrosity with the hard, black skin of a demonic beast. On top of the wings, her arms are long and spindly, with fingers that remind me of spider legs. Her face retains most human features, and I can tell it's her by her hair and crown, but some of the black patterning has crept onto her cheeks and her eyes are replaced by black husks with glowing, red dots in the middle.

"I've been waiting for you," Edelgard says. Her voice is deep and distant, echoing throughout the room. "Master Tactician. King of Delusion. Come and face me so that I can make this day your last."

"Focus on the battle," I shout. "Engage the soldiers closest to us and guard the other entrances."

There are two more doors to the throne room, one on the east and one on the west. Hilda and Lorenz take the left side while Annette and Ashe take the right. Dimitri leads our main force into the mass of soldiers standing in between us and Edelgard. Catherine rushes right past them and charges Edelgard herself. Not a bad strategy, since it stops her from being able to snipe us. But who am I kidding? I know that Catherine is doing what she always does.

I follow behind Catherine, firing at the Imperial soldiers that try to intercept her. With my cover fire clearing the way, she rushes right up to Edelgard and unleashes four strikes in rapid succession with Thunderbrand. Dark magic erupts in a pillar around Edelgard, and she shifts positions to a more aggressive stance. She lashes out with one of her elongated arms and sends Catherine flying back. She readies another ball of darkness and fires it at Catherine. This one looks larger than the other ones, and pulsates with more energy.

Time to take action.

I have Omar swoop down, and I'm grateful that Catherine takes the opportunity to grab onto his tail. Omar drags her across the ground, armor clanging, as the burst of magic flies towards us. I have him swerve to the side and take Catherine out of the way. The dark orb flies past us and dissipates before reaching the fight in the middle of the throne room. So she can use more powerful attacks, but those don't have as large of a range. Good to know.

Catherine hops to her feet and runs out of blast range. I expect Edelgard to unleash more long-ranged attacks, but she continues to float in the air, her aggressive posture beckoning me forward. No thanks.

After shifting herself to use close-ranged attacks, it looks like she can't bombard us anymore. Guess Catherine's reckless charge was a blessing in disguise. I look over at Catherine to see her wounds closing as she meditates using the healing focus combat art. After a few seconds, she looks untouched. I should have learned that one.

"Thanks for the save," she says. "Let's deal with the rest of these Imperial dogs before we put their dear emperor in the dirt."

I nod. No point in wasting breath. I have Omar fly towards the center of the battle and I identify Dimitri by Areadbhar's glow. He's surrounded by enemies, and even a warrior like him can't win a fight while being attacked on all sides. Another idea pops into my head. I think I've been watching too many action movies, but here goes nothing.

I leap off Omar, drawing my blade, and land back-to-back with Dimitri. He whirls around and I need to catch the shaft of his lance before he slams it into me. His eye widens, and after I release Areadbhar he goes back to fighting. I slice at the Imperial soldiers in front of me, doing my best to split my focus between them and Dimitri behind me. They force us back until our backs are pressed against each other's. Fighting this way is harder, since I can't dodge out of the way without the blow carrying on and hitting Dimitri instead. I do my best to parry the attacks, but the Imperial forces never seem to stop coming.

"We need to cut a path out of here," I say.

"Agreed. Three, two, one…"

I push off Dimitri's back in order to leap forward into the mass of Imperial soldiers. I time a swing with my momentum, sending them staggering back. I can only hope that I gave him an extra boost forward as well instead of making him stumble. I hack and slash my way through the mess of battle. It's harder to not have someone watching my back, but at least I can dodge now. I slice an Imperial soldier's leg open and yank her towards me as I see an attack coming out of the corner of my eye. I leap past her and see the other soldier who was trying to backstab me ram his blade into his comrade instead. The rest of them pause, which is all I need to break out.

I switch to my bow and fire off shots to discourage them from pursuing. I see Dimitri break out of his horde seconds later, and both of us are able to rejoin with the Knights of Seiros. Shamir is keeping a defensive line, and scanning the bodies on the ground I can see that more of them wear Imperial uniforms rather than church ones. Thank goodness someone is showing restraint.

"That was stupid," Shamir says. "Both of you. Heal up. We can't afford to lose either of you now."

She tosses both of us healing concoctions. Dimitri reaches for the elixir that Ashe gave him, but I stop him from drinking it. We have time to hang back, and it's best to save the elixir for the middle of combat for a surprise burst of healing.

While we're recovering, Omar flies over to me and whimpers. I see that he got cuts across his neck and the bottom of the stomach. I force a smile and pat him on the snout.

"They don't look life-threatening, boy, but you've suffered enough for today. Let me handle the rest of this, okay?"

I swear I see him nod. These wyverns catch onto more than we give them credit for.

By the time we're done healing up, most of the Imperial soldiers have been defeated and the remaining ones break and run for the exits.

"Soldiers," Dimitri says. "Secure the exits to the throne room. Pursue stragglers if we must. We make our stand here."

The knights follow after the fleeing Imperials. I glance over and see our Kingom and Alliance soldiers stationed outside the throne room and fighting outside each of the doors. I wish I had Byleth's instincts that let me know how an entire battlefield is going and give orders based on positions they can't even see.

"Tch," Shamir says to me. "I don't know how you do it, Claude. Commanding people is a nightmare. They're all so stupid and reckless. Can't rely on anyone but yourself."

"Aw, that's nice of you to say," Catherine says, walking up. "I don't know about you, but I'm ready for some more."

She cracks her knuckles and grins. I glance at the Knights of Seiros filing out of the throne room to secure the hallways and connecting rooms. Then I look back at Edelgard, floating alone above the Imperial throne. I think I've gotten a decent read on her over the course of the war, and she doesn't seem concerned. Does she think that her alterations will let her take on our whole army or-

"Wait," I say. "We need to call some of them back in case-"

I hear it before I see it. Metal doors falling over the three exits to the throne room, trapping us inside with Edelgard like she's a Zelda boss. I glance around. Just me, Dimitri, Catherine, and Shamir. All of the others are out dealing with the Imperial soldiers.

Shit.

"Don't feel bad, Claude," Edelgard says, her voice dull and otherworldly. "No amount of tactics can save you when you're up against the power I have. You took the best option available to you, which let me plan for this eventuality."

"I wouldn't be so cocky over there," I say. "Four against one isn't great odds for you, demonic powers or no."

"Hm." Through her voice, I pick up a note of amusement. "It is as you say. Let's even the playing field a bit, shall we?"

The next moment, I see another figure teleport into view next to Edelgard's throne. Lysithea, carrying a Caduceus Staff that increases her magic attack range, meaning I can't outrange her with Fallen Star or Curved Shot combat arts.

Catherine growls. "Traitor."

"Quit it," Shamir says. "We're all killers in this enterprise. No shame in changing sides. But we'll have to be careful in how we approach this."

I walk up to right outside the range where Edelgard can sling her darkness attacks at us. She cocks her head at me.

"What are you waiting for, Master Tactician?" she says. "If you surrender here and now, I'll give you both important regional management jobs."

"Thanks, but no thanks." I hear footsteps and turn to see the others approach. "We're not trapped in here with you, Edelgard. You're trapped here with us."

I glance over at Lysithea. No reaction. I know that she prepared me for this moment, but it's still hard to believe. Can I bring myself to strike down a classmate from the Golden Deer house? Someone I'm supposed to protect, someone I've learned to call a friend?

Damn it all.

"We'll have to rush up the staircase to the throne," I say. "We can overwhelm them from there."

"Careful discussing your strategy where we can hear," Edelgard says.

Well, that part was obvious enough. I lean in and whisper the next bit, making sure to watch Edelgard and Lysithea out of the corner of my eye.

"When we rush in, we need one person to occupy Edelgard. Then the rest of us…" I sigh. I know what's coming, they know what's coming, but the words don't want to come out. "We need to focus Lysithea. Edelgard's transformation gave her more resilience, and Lysithea hits harder."

"I'll engage Edelgard," Dimitri says. "I have faith in the rest of you."

"You're certain you won't hesitate, Claude?" Shamir says.

"I can't afford to."

She seems to accept the answer, but I couldn't bring myself to say yes outright. I hope I'm not the one who needs to take the killing shot. I can incapacitate martial warriors with an arrow to the knee and turn them into Skyrim NPCs, but that doesn't stop mages.

"Let's do this," Catherine says. "One more fight here, and the war is over for good."

I take a deep breath. I didn't come this far to fall here. That's what I need to focus on, not… not how I'm going to be killing a friend.

Dimitri looks up at Edelgard. "If this is how far you'll go to achieve your goals, you don't need me to feel sorry for you. Pity is a tool you can use against me."

"Enough words." Her voice echoes. "Face me, King of Delusion."

Dimitri raises his lance and bolts up the staircase. Catherine is next, and Shamir and I take up the rear as the archers. I make it look like I'm charging Edelgard, and then shift my focus to Lysithea. Catherine lunges at Lysithea with a flurry of blows from Thunderbrand. The attacks leave Lysithea bloody and keeled over.

"Your crest, our crest, serves you well," Lysithea says. "Unfortunately…"

She casts a Nosferatu spell, draining Catherine's vitality. I fire in a shot while she's not focusing me, but the amount of life drain she gets from her spell means she still has some vitality left in her even through all the damage. Catherine crumples to her knees, dropping Thunderbrand. Lysithea shoves a hand at her and she goes flying off the edge of the throne platform onto the ground past the pool of water surrounding it.

Lysithea made sure not to kill her outright with magic and not to drown her. For all of her big talk about kill or be killed, she's showing mercy and restraint.

Shamir fires off a Hunter's Volley combat art. The first shot takes Lysithea in the chest and sends her stumbling back, but she manages to phase out of the way of the second one with magic. She fires a single blast of magic back that sends Shamir also flying over the edge. I don't have time to check, but Lysithea is precise enough that I have to assume Shamir is unconscious, but not dead.

And here Lysithea is, weak, panting, hunched over from her wounds, while I'm at full vitality. So long as I don't miss, I know what's going to happen here. I nock an arrow in Failnaught and prepare to unleash a Fallen Star shot.

I see Lysithea's eyes widen.

I hesitate.

The next moment, my vision goes red with pain. I fall forward, landing on my hands and knees. A spell? I didn't even see what it was. I look up as Lysithea approaches me. I want to reach for my bow, but my hands are too weak to prevent my body from collapsing to the floor if I move it at all, much less draw an arrow.

"You." I hear venom in her voice. "You were supposed to kill me. Why did you hold back?"

Lysithea bends down and picks up Thunderbrand off the ground. The blade glows in her hands, and she points the sword at me.

"Look at what you're making me do," she says. "Killing the person who did so much for me. I… I only have a few years left. Killing me would have been nothing. Answer me, Claude. Why did you hesitate?"

"Guess… I'm not as cold as I thought."

"You've killed dozens of people," Lysithea says. "Hundreds. I've seen it. But when it matters most, you freeze." She scoffs. "I wish I could keep you alive. But I know even if we throw you in a cell, you'll vanish and come back to cause more trouble. That's the one trick I've never been able to figure out how you do."

She raises Thunderbrand above her head.

"Do it," I say. "Take care of Fódlan for me, will you?"

I see a tear run down her cheek. Her eyes flare with anger.

"It should have been you, Claude."

She brings Thunderbrand down. I close my eyes.

A burst of energy surges through me.

White magic healing. I know that feel. I don't let myself think about how there are no healers in this room other than Lysithea. Before I realize it, my reflexes have rolled me out of the way. I rise to a knee and open my eyes to see Lysithea staring dumbfounded at something in the distance. This can't be an act. She had a chance to kill me seconds ago. So I risk a look.

I see Dorothea by what must be a secret passageway that's been opened in the walls of the throne room, dancing as her hands glow with white magic. And Ferdinand is galloping straight towards Edelgard.

"No," Lysithea says. "No! Ferdinand, stay back. Edelgard's going to-"

When he reaches the steps, Ferdinand leaps off his horse and sprints up the stairs. I scramble for my weapons. I see Failnaught on the ground, but when I dash towards it Lysithea surrounds it in a ring of erupting darkness that prevents me from reaching it.

I search for my backup bow, and saw that it broke when Lysithea hit me with magic and sent me tumbling to the ground. So all I have left is my blade. I won't be in time for help.

I look over at Edelgard and I see Dimitri kneeling in front of her, bloodied and bruised. She goes for a final swing with her darkness claw hands and Ferdinand leaps in front of Dimitri, blocking the attack with his shield.

"Get back, Your Majesty," Ferdinand says. "More help is on the way."

"But-"

"No questions. Go!"

Edelgard fires of a blast of darkness, which Ferdinand absorbs by standing in front of Dimitri. I rush forward to try and help him, but Lysithea shoves a hand at me and my body freezes up. Dimitri manages to scramble down the staircase, and I see Dorothea healing him.

"Ferdinand, you need to leave," Lysithea says.

"I've finally found you, Edelgard," Ferdinand says. "I see now what I am to you. I always thought we were rivals. But your grand ambitions… even when we fought side by side, I was terrified of you. So of course you didn't see me as a rival. You didn't see me at all."

"You are just another traitor," Edelgard says. "Your actions matter more than where you were born."

"On that last point, I agree."

"So come and face me, Ferdinand. Face death."

"Stop ignoring me, both of you," Lysithea says. "You need to back down. Don't you remember the Black Eagle Strike Force? We were… friends."

Neither of them so much as acknowledge her. Ferdinand lunges forward with his axe, and Edelgard blasts him with another darkness ball. He falls to one knee, armor clanking, and then forces himself up by the butt of his axe.

"You don't have power over me any longer, Edelgard," he says. "Dying for what I believe in is better than serving you."

"Then die."

Edelgard wraps her arms around herself, and I see dark energy building up within her.

"No," Lysithea stops. "Edelgard, you have to stop."

"Wilted Flower." I catch a twinge of sorrow in Edelgard's voice.

Darkness starts to flow out of her body, engulfing first Ferdinand and then me. My vision goes red with pain. Lysithea lets out a panicked scream.

When the haze clears, I see Ferdinand's body on the ground. Lysithea rushes over and kneels down next to him, pulling his head into her lap. She channels healing magic into him, but his wounds don't close.

"Too… far gone." Ferdinand's eyes open. "Thanks for… keeping us safe."

The last of the tension leaves his body as he closes his eyes. Lysithea channels one last burst of healing energy into Ferdinand. Nothing. She stands up, her hands shaking.

"What happened to our promise, Edelgard?" Lysithea says.

"That we would let them live out their lives despite the desertion if you continued to lend your strength?" Edelgard says. "I had no plans of killing any of them if they did not try to kill me first. If this is too much for you, I understand if you need to bow out of the rest of the fight."

Edelgard turns to me. Lysithea releases the spell binding me, but I'm so sluggish that I can barely move. Edelgard fires a blast of darkness at me. I try to leap out of the way, but I know I'm not in time. Lysithea looks at me, eyes wide, and then vanishes the next second. Goodbye, then.

Right before the orb hits me, I feel more white magic bring some of my vigor back. When Edelgard's attack lands, I'm able to stay conscious and standing. I open my mouth to thank Dorothea, but this time it's different. A hand is on my shoulder. I glance over and see Lysithea standing behind me, channeling healing magic into my body.

"I don't think this is what Edelgard meant by you bowing out of the fight," I say.

"Shut it, smartass. We're ending this war today. Together."

"Unfortunate," Edelgard says. "If you choose to stand and fall with them, so be it."

I hear footsteps behind me and see Dorothea, Shamir, Catherine, and Dimitri appear in the corner of my vision on the throne platform. Dorothea gasps.

"Edie, you actually…"

"I will do whatever it takes to see Fódlan's new dawn. You understood that, once."

"You're wrong. I thought I was following you, but it was Byleth who kept the whole operation together. After they vanished in Fhirdiad, I realized how little I believed that subjugating Fódlan is the right decision, even to get rid of nobles." She takes another look at Ferdinand. "Ferdie was our friend, Edie. Do you remember those times? Or was it all plotting for you?"

"I wish they could have been happier," Edelgard says. "As I wish that you could be by my side now. I will weep after all the friends I am forced to kill today."

"We won't give you the chance," Dimitri says.

"I'm sorry, Edelgard," Lysithea says. "I believe in your dream, but I have to draw the line somewhere. I'll carry on your story and your ideas after you're gone."

She unleashes a Miasma spell at Edelgard, and Edelgard retaliates with dark orbs of her own. My alert stance allows me to jump into action and pull Lysithea aside, but the attack grazes by her head and leaves dark wisps on her face. Lysithea looks bad from all the damage she took from Catherine and Shamir.

"Claude, catch."

Dimitri's voice. I look up in time to snatch the elixir out of the air. I pop the cork off and hold the potion up to Lysithea's mouth. She tries to slap my hand away.

"I'm not a-"

"Not a child, I know. Drink."

She stops resisting and gulps down the elixir. Her wounds disappear in an instant.

"Now," I say. "Let's finish this for real."

I scramble towards Failnaught and pick it off the ground before Edelgard can pull any more funny tricks. After that, we begin our attacks against Edelgard. Catherine and Dimitri charge into melee with their relics and combat arts, breaking through the extra defenses granted by her form slowly but surely. Shamir and I provide support fire, and I learn to target the arms to make it harder for her to batter people with them or use them to sling blasts of dark energy. Lysithea slices through Edelgard's defenses with a brutal magical offensive, combining light and dark magic. Dorothea stays in the back, healing and occasionally shooting out a long-ranged blast of lightning.

It's working. With all of our might combined, we're wearing her down. Before long, I can see signs that her form is about to deteriorate.

"You… will not conquer me so easily," Edelgard says.

She unleashes another Wilted Flower attack, flooding the area with darkness. More pain. This time I manage to keep my posture stady. When the attack clears, she holds Lysithea in her elongated hands. Lysithea's arms are squeezed against her side, preventing her from doing magic.

"One misstep," Edelgard says, "And your new friend has her years cut short."

"You know better than to listen to her," Lysithea says. "I don't have much of a life left to live. End this war here."

Dimitri hesitates and looks at me. Fuck. I can't make this decision.

"Drop your weapons or she dies," Edelgard says. "Five, four, three, two, one…"

A flurry of rapid-fire arrows soar over my shoulder and slam into the Edelgard's darkness hands. Her fingers shake, and for a second I think the pain is going to make her drop Lysithea, but she keeps her grip. Damn it, Shamir.

Wait. Shamir is right in front of me. If the arrows came from behind, then…

"Another betrayal," Edelgard says.

I risk a look over my shoulder and see Bernadetta, cold sweat dripping down her face.

"No, no, no," Bernadetta says. "Edelgard, please. You can't kill-"

"Never thought you were going to be the one to call that bluff," Edelgard says. "Well done."

She brings Lysithea down and sets her on the ground. Even after the hands leave her, Lysithea remains seated on the ground, her arms bracing her body behind her.

"Why?" Lysithea says. "Edelgard, what are you-"

"Sisters," Edelgard says. "Until the end. Remember me and my siblings as you did your own, will you? I trust you remember the stories I told you."

"Edelgard…"

"Finish it, Lysithea. Even if I wanted to kill you, I know I stand no chance of winning. There's no point in more senseless death."

Lysithea nods. Brushes herself up and rises to her feet.

"Hades Ω."

A pillar of darkness erupts from underneath Edelgard, consuming her. When it clears, Edelgard's monstrous husk starts fading into wisps and floating off. She descends to the ground, and within seconds she's back to her normal human form, kneeling on the ground with her legs splayed behind her to either side like a schoolchild.

Lysithea turns away. The obvious question rises in my mind, and I'm sure others are thinking it as well. Do we kill Edelgard?

Dimitri walks up to Edelgard and extends his left hand, holding Areadbhar in his right.

"El…"

She looks up at him. Offers a smile. Then I see her reach behind her back.

As I open my mouth to shout a warning, a blur moves past me and shoves Dimitri aside. It takes me a couple seconds to see what's happened. Seiros now stands over Edelgard, Dimitri behind her, with a thrown knife embedded in her chest. Dimitri readies Areadbhar for an attack, and Seiros holds up a hand.

"Please, let me try one last thing," she says. "If it fails, she's all yours."

Dimitri grunts. Then after a full second, he lowers his spear and steps back.

"Was it not clear that I'll continue to be a thorn in your side so long as you don't kill me?" Edelgard says. "I knew the consequences of what I was doing. I hope you enjoy your rule over humanity. Your kind is a scourge on the world."

"Thales thinks the same, I am sure. And while Rhea deserves your ire, others of my kind do not." She glances over at Ferdinand's body. "I am sorry to everyone that I was so late. I accept that his blood is on my hands."

"He made his choices," Dorothea says. "And you waiting around for Bernadetta may have saved us. I'm not sure where we'd be right now without her courage."

"How did you know?" Edelgard says. "The secret passage-"

"You meet a lot of powerful people when you're an opera singer," Dorothea says. "Some of them who deal in information. You'd be surprised about everything I know."

"Hmph." Edelgard turns back to Seiros. "So what's your game here, Rhea? You can't offer me anything that is worth living for if I can't see my dreams become reality."

"I was telling Claude earlier," Seiros says, "That I think you and I are more similar than you realize, Edelgard. Thales and the Slithers pushed both you and Rhea to control Fódlan and protect it from the horrors he planned to unleash, no matter the cost."

"I am nothing like you," Edelgard says. "Humanity can stand on its own without gods and saints to rule over us."

And yet she worked with someone who has the powers of a god.

"I'm not sure how much good there was to say about me during the time when I was her," Seiros says, "But there was one attribute that kept me grounded, that made up the best part of me. Do you know what that was, Edelgard?"

"I bet it's something that doesn't apply to me."

"It was love," Seiros says. "Not romantic love, in my case, but caring about the friends I made and what little family I had left."

"You think you're going to persuade me with the power of love?" Edelgard laughs. "You're even more ridiculous than I imagined."

"Am I?" Seiros says. "Because right now, I see two options for you. I recommend you come quietly with us. Because if you choose to dig in your heels here and die, after we rescue Byleth from Thales I'll explain to them that you chose to die rather than see them again. That they were always worth less to you than your own pride, and that you were using them for their powers all along. For the rest of their life, they'll wonder why you couldn't wait for them. They'll wonder why they were never enough for you."

Edelgard winces. It's the first time I've ever seen so much raw pain on her face. Seiros' words remind me of the fucked up assumptions people make about suicide victims not caring about their loved ones, but I do think Seiros is right in this case. Edelgard isn't suicidal. She's just so stubborn that she doesn't want to live in a world she can't rule. If her love for Byleth overpowers her pride, she'll choose to stay alive so she can see them again.

"This is what storybook villains do," Edelgard says, "Hold people's loved ones against them."

"Then it's good you already see me that way. So what is your decision, Edelgard?"

A full minute passes without any of us saying a word.

"Looks like I underestimated you," Edelgard says. "I surrender."

Seiros looks back at us. "Is this acceptable with all of you? I know Edelgard just killed one of your friends."

"I'll never forgive her for killing Ferdie," Dorothea says, "But enough people have died today. Besides, you'll need her to calm her loyalists down when you build a new Fódlan."

"I don't want to kill anyone," Bernadetta says.

"Claude?" Seiros says.

I let out a sigh. "You don't deserve to live, Edelgard. So I guess today's your lucky day, because you made yourself too important to kill. Life's not fair, and right now it's working in your favor."

She smiles at me. "Honestly, I'm amazed that you haven't put an arrow between my eyes yet."

"That can be arranged if you don't open the damn doors right this second," I say. "There could still be fighting going on in those halls."

"Ah yes. If you will allow me…"

"With supervision," Seiros says.

As Edelgard fiddles with a contraption behind her throne, my gaze finds its way over to Ferdinand's body. Because of him, Dimitri was able to live, and the entire continent of Fódlan didn't get thrown into chaos.

Marianne, Judith, Raphael, Mercedes, Leonie, Alois, Gilbert, Petra, Felix, Ingrid, Caspar, Hubert, Ferdinand.

The war is over. That list ends here.

Except…

Thales is still hiding somewhere. It's my mission to kill him. Then we can ensure the desperation and panic the Slithers forced on Rhea and Edelgard both never happens again.

I can't bring my friends back, but I'm on the verge of building a world where nobody has to suffer like they did ever again.

This is one of the chapters I was nervous about posting, which is part of why it's been a hot second since I've posted even though I've been sitting on this for a while. I knew from the start I wanted to have an AM-style ending but where Edelgard is spared, but the how was the hard part. I didn't get to put as much Edeleth into the earlier chapters as I wanted to since this fic was already getting long, so I hope that the "staying alive because of love" still makes sense.

And like Claude says in the chapter, I want to make it clear that suicide victims aren't uncaring towards their loved ones. My read on AM Edelgard is that she doesn't want to die per se; she just wants to accept her fate and will fight to the end, even when chances seem slim. So I feel more comfortable undercutting that by giving her something else to care about that convinces her to preserve her own life in a way that wouldn't necessarily work as easily for someone suffering from suicidal thoughts.

Thanks for reading all this way! We still have a decent chunk of content left but we're getting near the end! :)