Chapter 5: The Edge of Dawn
Garreg Mach Monastery, The Holy Kingdom of Faerghus, Fódlan
Imperial Year 1187
The Sword of the Creator glowed in Byleth's hand.
His fingers tightened around its handle as he approached the line of soldiers positioned outside the monastery's gates. It was only a few men deep, but it spanned across the field, stationed atop a slope to give them an uphill advantage. As long as they held the line, the enemy would not get anywhere near the monastery.
The soldiers parted when he reached them, opening a path to the front of their human barricade. Byleth walked through and tested the balance of his blade with a few practice swings. He cut through the air with ease; it was as though the sword was an extension of his body, an extension of his power.
Hopefully, that power would be enough to win the day.
He glanced down the hill, lips tightening. The invaders couldn't have been more than half a mile away from them now and were getting closer with every second he wasted.
Time to begin.
Byleth turned to the battalion on his right. Alois was in the vanguard hefting a silver axe over his shoulder, face hardened and battle-ready. Hapi sat on a horse at his side, casting Byleth a much more concerned expression.
"You sure about this, Chatterbox?"
He gave her a single nod.
Hapi closed her eyes and began to draw a long, exaggerated breath.
Byleth readied his stance—one foot in front of the other, sword held out to his side. His eyes narrowed at the advancing army. They would know the wrath of the Goddess for threatening his students and his people.
Hapi exhaled a powerful sigh. The air seemed to stand still, anticipation stealing the breath from him and all his soldiers…
The silence was smashed by the roars of Hapi's Demonic Beasts.
The ground shook as several of the monsters thundered down the mountains surrounding the monastery, charging the invisible soldiers from all sides and slashing at the bodies indiscriminately. Byleth broke into a sprint to join them. His feet pounded against the dirt, quickly closing the gap between him and the opposing army. The Sword of the Creator pulsed an angry red with each stride, mimicking what should have been his heartbeat.
As he reached the base of the hill he swung his sword. The weapon elongated and split into several sharp segments, transforming into a whip that crackled with red energy. It tore through the enemy's forces, burning the air and breaking the earth with each sweep.
Hundreds of soldiers fell as the sword sliced them all to pieces, their forms dissipating into the air once the blade was finished with them. Good. Less aftermath to deal with.
Byleth pushed forward to meet a new wave of invisible soldiers advancing towards the hill. He spun his body and the whip-blade spun with him, mowing down soldier after soldier in a continuous rotation. More troops took their place; they were cut down just the same. Byleth set a rhythm—spin, slash, spin, slash—obliterating each line of soldiers that dared approach him.
He kept up the cycle, but a growing frustration sweltered through his body. No matter how many soldiers he tore through, no matter how many warriors Hapi's beasts crushed with their claws, the enemy's reinforcements refused to cease. Byleth's muscles began to ache, his lungs began to burn.
His soul may have been merged with the Goddess's, but his body was still human. And the human body has its limits.
He took a moment to catch his breath after clearing out another section of soldiers. Panting, he surveyed the field. His defensive line still held strong and was beating down a flickering Demonic Beast that had managed to slip by. In front of him, fresh waves of soldiers poured out from the circle of swirling lights. Byleth grit his teeth. Would their supply ever run out?
As he rolled his shoulders back and prepared to renew his attack, he caught sight of a strange figure on a distant hilltop. It appeared to be a man watching the battle ensue from afar, stretching his arm out toward the swirling lights. Dark hair, burned skin, riding on horseback…
The bastard who hurt Ingrid.
Byleth didn't know who or what this man was, but if he was sitting on the sidelines that meant he was someone important. Perhaps a general, or someone directing the actions of the invisible army, or the source of the magic itself.
Whatever he was, he needed to die.
The Crest of Flames flared within him. Byleth whirled, allowing the Sword of the Creator to swipe through the field once more. The air sizzled as the enemy succumbed to its overwhelming power and, with a new batch of soldiers eliminated, a path was cleared to the man on the hilltop.
Byleth wasted no time and charged towards him. His blade sent pulse waves through his body, preparing to unleash everything he had at the man who had attacked his students. He threw his arm forward, and the sword whipped through the air like a bolt of lightning—
Something jagged caught Byleth in the back and sent him flying. Pain shot through his entire body as he slammed into the ground, his blood seeped into the dirt. He coughed, tasting copper through ragged breaths.
He could barely make out a shadow approaching him from the corner of his eye, raising a strange-looking axe over his body. Before it could strike him, he reached out his hand and used a Divine Pulse.
The world inverted. Byleth cycled through the last few seconds of the battle, returning to the moment right before he was attacked. Back on his feet, he reassembled the Sword of the Creator into a single blade and turned just in time to block the blow he knew was coming.
The two weapons clanged as their edges met. Byleth immediately pushed the enemy back, preparing to counterattack with a strike of his own—
Then he froze.
His assailant wore a familiar red dress and heavy cape. Her pale hair was wrapped into tight buns around a pair of golden horns, decorating her head like a crown. A gaping wound marred her abdomen—the spot where Dimitri had stabbed her with Areadbhar, ending her life and her war.
Edelgard.
It was impossible. It was impossible, and yet, here she stood. She flickered like the rest of the soldiers on the battlefield, her image fading into a transparent purple form before becoming whole again.
Just his luck.
"My…teacher…" she groaned. Byleth's eyes widened. His students never said anything about the invisible soldiers talking.
Edelgard trudged towards him, dragging her axe behind her. It was Aymr, the same relic she had wielded when she was alive.
"…no…need…for…GODS!"
She screamed the last word and rushed him. He raised his sword to defend against her attack—
And cried out when the blades of a gauntlet pierced his shoulder from behind.
He barely had time to register the new attacker before another gauntlet swipe came for him, aimed at his head. He leaned back, feeling the steel whiz right over his face, then rolled to the side to avoid being split in two by Edelgard's charging strike.
Breathing hard, Byleth forced himself to his feet. He turned to face Edelgard and her gauntlet-wielding partner.
He nearly choked. Caspar?
The two gave him no time to think. Caspar ran in first, hounding him with a flurry of jabs that he could barely dodge with his newly-acquired injury. Byleth managed to parry one of the attacks, throwing Caspar off balance, but that left him open to a powerful swing from Edelgard that tore through his bicep. He staggered back, blood pouring from his arm and shoulder.
He needed to get his bearings. He needed to start over.
The world inverted again as Byleth activated another Divine Pulse. He went back further this time, to the moment before he had tried attacking the man on the hilltop. Sword raised, he searched the field and flickering faces for Edelgard and Caspar. A few seconds passed. No sign of them.
Fine. If they were going to hide from him, he would snuff them out by continuing his assault on the entire army. He transformed the Sword of the Creator into a whip again and lashed out at their front lines—
A pack of meteorites flew overhead. Byleth watched in horror as they collided with the line of soldiers behind him. The rocks hit Petra and Cyril, knocking them and their wyverns out of the sky. He turned away before they hit the ground, wincing at the loud thud of their impact and the screams of his students that followed.
He prepared a Divine Pulse, but before he could use it he needed to figure out where that attack had come from. His eyes traced the smoke trails in the sky, back to the enemy line, landing on…
Dorothea's ghastly form, with Edelgard and Caspar at her side. A prominent gash was carved deep into her chest, left by the sword Felix had used to kill her during the Siege of Enbarr.
A thousand questions flooded his mind, but he pushed them aside. He needed to focus on protecting the monastery and defeating the enemy first.
Even if that meant cutting down his former students again.
Byleth rewound time. The power brought him a minute into the past, just before Dorothea had cast Meteor at his allies. He locked onto her location and, as she began to raise her hands, sent the Sword of the Creator straight for her—
Edelgard blocked the blade with Aymr before it could hit its target, giving Dorothea enough time to unleash her spell. Byleth used another pulse. He aimed the sword at Dorothea again, bending it around Edelgard's position.
Edelgard seemed to predict his movements and intercepted the strike with perfect precision. Byleth grunted in frustration and went back in time again. He tried a different angle; Edelgard stopped that attempt too.
Another pulse, a new strategy. He slashed the sword across his body, sweeping the field, hoping to catch all three of them in its path. It cut through Dorothea, successfully stopping her from casting her magic, but Edelgard was no longer by her side. Instead, she and Caspar were charging at him again from a completely different direction. Why hadn't they protected Dorothea that time? Why did Edelgard's actions and locations keep changing so drastically with each reset?
He willed the Sword of the Creator back to his body to block another series of punches from Caspar. He sidestepped when Edelgard took a swing at him, then threw a fiery Bolganone in their direction. The spell caught Caspar in a spiral of flame but missed Edelgard, who spun out of the fire's range and began bearing down on him again.
They continued exchanging blows. Byleth alternated between his sword and spells but Edelgard evaded each attack, predicting his movements with terrifying accuracy, as though she knew exactly what he was going to do.
Aymr grazed his side. He grunted at the pain, and at the possibility that whatever force had brought her back to life had also granted her the power of foresight. A person or entity that could revive the dead, cause the sky to fracture, and potentially see into the future?
This was going to be much more difficult than he had anticipated.
"Pro…fessor…" Edelgard groaned again.
She threw another swing at him. He rolled under the axe's path and sliced at her thigh, cutting between the gaps of her armor. No blood flowed from her body, but she stumbled after taking the hit. Progress.
"Who did this to you?" he asked between breaths. The constant fighting and Divine Pulse usage had taken a great toll on his body. He needed to find a way to end this, fast.
"No…Crests…" She struck out again, ignoring his question. He parried the attack and pushed her back. The force of it caused her to lose balance, giving Byleth the chance he needed to finish the fight. He thrust his blade toward her chest.
"No…gods!"
She spun around on her injured leg before he could react. Her boot connected to his jaw, sending him face-first into the dirt.
"A new…beginning…"
Blood ran from his nose and into his mouth. He tried to push himself back up but Edelgard stomped on his back with an unnatural strength, heel digging into his spine.
"Walk…with me…with us…"
From his position on the ground, Byleth caught a glimpse of his defensive line being overrun by the rest of the invisible army. He clenched a fist around a clump of grass. While he had been focused on Edelgard, the enemy had been able to continue their assault on the monastery unimpeded. She was trying to distract him, wear him down, and she was succeeding.
She stepped off him and grabbed his ankle, dragging him closer to the enemy line. Tch, like hell was he going to let that happen.
He called upon Sothis's power. He went back as far as he could manage, returning to the moment after Hapi had summoned her Demonic Beasts. Enough time to come up with a better strategy, he hoped.
He used a vulnerary on himself to ease the aching in his body, watching as Hapi's monsters began to tear into the enemy. His eyes darted between Dorothea's position and the distant hilltop, narrowing as they spotted the man still watching the field from atop his horse. Byleth would need to take him out, but not before dealing with Dorothea and her Meteor spell.
Edelgard and Caspar were wild cards. He wasn't sure where they would come from this time, so he needed to act quickly before they could interfere again.
He counted the remaining pulses he had left. Not many. Not much room for more error on his part.
Byleth set his jaw. As the Goddess's vessel, it was his duty to eliminate any threats towards the people of Fódlan, no matter the odds. He wouldn't fail in that duty today.
With a renewed determination, he charged at the enemy ahead.
The cathedral was quiet.
It wasn't something Ashe was used to. The cathedral had always been a place full of life, even during the war. Between the sermons, choir practice, and people offering their prayers to the Goddess, there had always been some kind of noise filling the large chamber. Ashe would visit the cathedral often for that very reason; he had found that the liveliness helped distract him from the ghosts of his past.
Now, in place of hymns and prayers, there was an eerie silence that only worsened Ashe's anxiety. He twirled an arrow between his fingers in an attempt to relieve it. He knew he shouldn't be worried—they had their professor protecting them, after all—but he just couldn't get his nerves to settle.
He shook his head, forcing the thoughts into the back of his mind. Byleth had charged him with keeping Kana and Sophie safe, and to do that, he needed to focus.
"Have we received any reports from the soldiers patrolling the perimeter?" he asked.
"No, but they should be checking in soon." Lysithea smoothed out her dress. "I asked them to check on the infirmary after finishing their rotation, to make sure Ingrid is okay. But so far, everyone within the monastery seems to be doing just fine."
Ashe forced a smile. "Thanks, Lysithea. I appreciate it."
Lysithea fiddled with the end of her sleeve, frowning at a pew several feet away from them. "Are they…doing okay?" Kana sat on the bench's edge, hunched over with his mother's pendant clutched against his chest, while Sophie rubbed circles on his back. Ashe's heart sank at the sight.
"I don't know," he answered honestly. "They've been through a lot in the last few hours."
Lysithea pursed her lips for a moment. "Do you think they like sweets?" She rummaged around the pocket of her dress, pulling out a few pieces of wrapped candies. "I bought some to help keep me awake for my research last night and…well…maybe some sugar will help them feel better."
"We can try," Ashe said, "but I don't think Kana is in the mood for—"
They both jumped as frantic screams pierced through the silent air. Ashe whipped around towards the entrance, mouth going dry at the ringing wail of metal striking metal coming from outside. The battalions—!
Kana let out a pained cry. "They're here!" The boy's eyes darted between every corner of the cathedral. His thin fingers gripped the backrest of a pew so tightly that the wood began to splinter. "They're here!"
The bow was in Ashe's hand in less than a second. His soldier's instincts kicked in, nocking an arrow and scanning the chamber for any sign of danger. He stepped closer to the entrance with cautious feet, pausing at the doors once he had a better view of the bridge.
His stomach turned over. More invisible bodies than he could count occupied the bridge, vastly outnumbering the monastery soldiers who were desperately fighting to push them back. Several of their guard had already fallen, painting the stones of the bridge red.
Before Ashe could rush to their defense, he caught a glint of steel aimed in his direction. His breath caught.
"Get down!"
He sprung backwards and dove behind a pew just as a barrage of arrows ripped through the cathedral's entrance. The projectiles whistled just over his head, bouncing off the stone pillars behind him. His heart and mind raced in tandem, panic quickly setting in. How in the Goddess's name had so many of them gotten into the monastery?!
Ashe peered under the rows of benches, spotting the feet of about a dozen flickering soldiers shambling into the doorway. Their steps left a trail of purple energy as they staggered towards a section of pews opposite Ashe, across the aisle, where Kana and Sophie were huddled together on the floor.
He crawled along the edge of the bench, rising to a crouch once he reached the end of the long seat, careful to preserve his cover behind the backrest. He readjusted his bow arm and swiped an arrow from his quiver. Blood pounded against his ears, making it difficult to track the sound of their footsteps, but he knew they were getting close to Kana and Sophie. Too close for his liking.
He recited his mantra to clear his head: breathe, nock, draw, release. Simple.
He pulled back the bowstring and, after taking a deep breath, leaned into the open aisle to loose the arrow.
His aim was true, striking a soldier through the head. As it dissipated into wisps of purple energy, he felled two more. Three down, several more to go.
He ducked back behind the pew to avoid another volley of arrows being fired from the entryway, a few projectiles barely missing his cheek. His breath hitched. Way too close!
"Stay there, Ashe!" Lysithea's voice called out.
She jumped up from her hiding place. Dark energy flowed from her hands and coalesced into a ball of Miasma that she launched at their attackers. The spell struck the group of soldiers approaching Kana and Sophie, causing the apparitions to explode into mist and disappear from sight.
She sent another ball at the cathedral's entrance. It smashed into the archers and the stone walls framing the entrance, shaking the entire chamber on impact. Ashe couldn't tell how many it had hit, but it was hard to believe anything could survive a direct hit from her magic.
Lysithea returned to her cover behind the pew across from him. Her face seemed more pale than normal, pallid and trembling.
"What's wrong?" he called to her. "Are you okay? Were you hit?"
"They're…ghosts…" she whispered, lips quivering.
Ashe frowned and prepared a new arrow. They shared a common fear of the paranormal, but he had never seen Lysithea so shaken by it. He began to rise so he could fire another shot, to give her time to recover. "Don't worry, I'll—"
"Don't look, Ashe! Don't look!"
Her warning came too late. He spotted a tall figure in the entryway, standing in front of the remaining invisible soldiers with a sharp lance in hand. The man flickered like the others, fading into a translucent purple mirage every few seconds, but it didn't matter. Ashe recognized him immediately.
His bow fell to the tile with a clatter.
"L-Lonato?"
Lonato's glowing eyes snapped up to meet his. Ashe's blood turned to ice, his lungs froze shut. Lysithea was yelling at him but her words didn't reach him, couldn't reach him. He couldn't hear anything. Memories of Lonato's final moments rushed over him, memories of the worst moment of his life—
Lonato glared down at Ashe, face contorted in anger and betrayal. Thick smoke filled the air, choking Ashe as he tried pleading with his adoptive father to stand down.
The man growled. "If that is how you feel, prepare yourself. I'm putting an end to this!"
Lonato spurred his horse towards his classmates. Ashe raised his bow—
Ashe couldn't find the will to move. He couldn't breathe. Lonato's flickering form was pointing the lance in his direction, but all he could focus on was the man's throat. There was an arrow lodged in the center of it. The one Ashe had shot him with. The one Ashe had to shoot him with to protect his friends. The one Ashe had used to kill—
White light encircled him. His skin tingled as magic wrapped around his body and teleported him to Lysithea's side. The sudden movement snapped him out of his stupor. He blinked as his mind returned to the present, watching another round of arrows cut through the space he had been standing in mere seconds ago.
"Ashe, you need to go!" Lysithea shook his shoulders, her hands glowing and warm from her warp spell. "You have to get the kids out of here before they corner us!"
"R-right…"
"Take them through the gate below the porch." She drew a shaky breath and curled her fingers, tendrils of magic beginning to form in her palms. "I'll cover you and draw their attention for as long as I can."
A lump formed in his throat. "We don't leave allies behind—"
"Don't underestimate me. I-I can handle these things," Lysithea said with a wavering voice. "I'll be right behind you."
"But—"
"Just go!"
She stood up from behind their bench and cast a combination of light and dark spells at Lonato and his troops. Ashe ground his teeth and forced himself to move. Protect Kana and Sophie, don't think about who's fighting on the other side, don't think about the odds. Focus on the mission, the mission.
He repeated the order to himself as he quickly recovered his bow and crawled over to the siblings. Kana was still collapsed on the floor with Sophie hovering over him in a defensive stance. She wielded a lance of her own, but the weapon was shaking in her hands.
"We have to go now," Ashe said in a whisper. "Lysithea is distracting them for us. Kana, can you stand?"
Kana responded with pained grunts. Ashe hooked his arms under the boy, lifting him to his knees, then gasped at his appearance.
Kana was drenched in sweat, breathing rapidly and legs trembling under his weight. His irises had changed from gray to crimson; his pupils had thinned into tight slits.
Into the eyes of a dragon.
"Trying—stop—" Kana tried speaking through clenched teeth. "It—urgh!"
Panic gripped Ashe's chest. They couldn't let Kana transform again. He was too unpredictable in that form, and they couldn't risk him rampaging through the monastery while they were under siege. But how does one stop a person from turning into a dragon?
Light filled the cathedral as Lysithea unleashed Abraxas on the enemy. The floor quaked with the power of the spell, and she shouted at them again to run.
"Does that pendant help him at all if he wears it?" Ashe asked frantically.
"S-sometimes."
Sometimes was good enough for him. Ashe pried the jewelry from Kana's fingers and quickly slid its cord over his head.
"Keep fighting it. You're doing a great job." Kana groaned in disagreement, but Ashe would take it. He wasn't sure if the pendant was doing anything for him, but Kana was at least still himself. That was all they could ask for.
Ashe hoisted Kana over his shoulders and locked his arm around the boy's legs to keep him stable. He cast a quick glance towards the battle waging behind them. Lonato and his soldiers were occupied, dodging wave upon wave of dark spikes being shot from Lysithea's hands. His knees buckled ever so slightly at the sight of his adoptive father—
He shook his head and steeled himself. Focus on the mission.
"Stay close to me," he said to Sophie, motioning for her to follow as he ran for the cathedral's porch. Kana's weight barely slowed Ashe down, thanks to the adrenaline pumping through him. He prayed it would last long enough to get them to safety.
They bolted through the massive doorway and bounded down the steps connecting to the cathedral's porch. A sharp scream shattered the air as they reached the bottom. Lysithea's scream. It made him feel sick, but he didn't slow down. He couldn't slow down.
Without a second's pause they dashed towards the gateway and its connecting tunnel that led to the monastery's outer walls. The portcullis was raised, leaving their route forward unimpeded—
An arrow flew over their heads, slicing through the rope holding up the gate. The heavy steel came crashing down, cracking the floor with the force of its descent and blocking off the tunnel.
Blocking them from their only means of escape.
"No, no, no…" Sophie whispered. The fear in her voice elicited a growl from Kana.
Ashe stood frozen, his heart threatening to burst out of his chest. They were pinned between the sealed tunnel and the enemy at their back.
"Nowhere…to run…" a voice said from behind them. "The boy…."
He recognized that voice. It was a voice that he had heard almost every day as a child, one that had read stories to him and sung him to sleep when times were tough. It was a voice that had been unjustly taken from the world, a voice he had wanted to hear again for years. But not like this. Never like this.
Ashe swallowed hard, and turned to face his adoptive father.
"The Silent Dragon…awaits his kin…" Lonato said. The pauses between his words sounded like gurgles. It wasn't difficult to guess why; the arrow stuck in his throat was explanation enough.
Ashe tried to meet the man's glowing eyes, holding back tears. "Lonato, please…If it's really you, let us go. He's just a kid—"
"The Silent Dragon…awaits…" Lonato ignored him, instead directing his attention to the boy on Ashe's shoulders. More invisible soldiers emerged from the cathedral and congregated along the top of the stairs, staring down at them with empty expressions. He felt Kana shudder.
"You know…me…" Lonato stepped towards them. Ashe backed away to increase the distance between them, maneuvering his arms around Kana to get to his bow. "The Silent Dragon…" Another step. "Awaits…" They were pressed against the fallen gate now. "His…kin…"
Ashe raised his bow, pulling the string back as far as he could with the extra weight around his shoulders. He forced himself to inhale, long and slow, steadying his hand. Whatever this thing was, it was no longer his father. Just an enemy wearing his skin.
The arrow flew at the dead man. Lonato tilted his head to the side to dodge it and continued his slow approach. "Come…with…"
Ashe prepared another, eyes quickly scanning the forms of the other invisible soldiers. What were they waiting for? Why wasn't Lonato attacking like before? It seemed like the dead man was trying to reason with them, using a familiar face to gain Kana's trust.
What exactly did they want from him?
Kana growled again as Lonato took another step towards them. Ashe released the next arrow, grazing the man's forehead as the man attempted to evade his aim with a quick sidestep. Purple energy leaked from the wound, but it didn't slow him down. Lonato moved forward again—
And just barely raised his weapon to block a swing from Sophie's lance.
"Stay away from my brother!"
Kana let out a distressed groan as she pressed the attack. She was quick and aggressive in her strikes, forcing Lonato to back up and take on a defensive stance to avoid being skewered by her lance. With a well-timed thrust, she managed to stab through the man's shoulder, a move that would have incapacitated a normal soldier.
But the dead man was not a normal soldier.
Lonato lurched around in a circle, lance still stuck in his flesh, forcing her to stumble forward and lose her grip on her weapon. He smacked the back of her head with the shaft of his own lance, sending her tumbling to the floor in a crumpled heap.
"S-Sophie!" Kana called out, voice straining.
Lonato loomed over her. As he ripped the lance from his flickering body, Ashe dropped Kana from his back and ran forward to stop the man from attacking her again. He shot an arrow at his head and, as Lonato leaned back to dodge the projectile, swiped the dagger from his belt and stabbed Lonato through a gap in his armor plate with all his strength.
The momentum from Ashe's strike sent them both toppling over. They slammed into the floor together and, without wasting another second, Ashe rammed the dagger through the man's throat.
Dark energy erupted around the handle. Lonato's body flickered rapidly between his full image and translucent state for a few moments, then faded from the world completely.
Panting, Ashe rose on unsteady legs—
Only for a fist to smash into his face with a sickening crack.
Ashe reeled back, instinctively grabbing his nose. Throbbing pain seared through his skull at the contact. When he pulled his hand away, he found it coated in blood.
Through hazy vision he could see one of the invisible soldiers from the cathedral stalking towards him, his clenched fist stained red atop the purple glow, with several others staggering down the stairs to join him. A row of the transparent bodies remained on the upper level, raising a dozen bows in Ashe's direction.
His fingers tightened around the dagger. Perhaps his fate was sealed, but he wasn't about to go down without taking at least a few more of the invisible soldiers back to the grave with him.
He took a step towards the enemy's forces—
and Kana unleashed a feral roar.
The booming sound shook the foundation of the monastery itself, knocking Ashe and the invisible soldiers off their feet. A jolt of pain shot up his back to his nose as he landed on the hard stone. He did his best to ignore it, scrambling to his knees and turning to check on Kana.
His jaw dropped.
Silver horns jutted from the boy's head. Wings of a similar color unfurled from his back, just above the base of a smooth tail that swayed slowly above the ground. Water droplets and wisps of purple energy rose from the new appendages, from his scalp, from the sharp curve of his fingers.
A cross between dragon and human.
Kana growled at the invisible soldiers, baring the fangs of an apex predator. As the soldiers began to recover from their fall, his arm transformed into what appeared to be a long spear encircled in silver and blue scaled ribbons. With a powerful lunge, Kana's limb elongated and impaled one of the soldiers straight through the chest.
Ashe's mouth was practically on the floor now.
Kana's "spear" retracted and shrunk back into a normal arm. Ashe blinked, struggling to process what had just happened.
"K-Kana?" he tried. "Are you—"
Kana screeched. He barreled into Ashe at a blinding speed, knocking him flat on his back before charging at the remaining invisible soldiers. Ashe cursed as he hit the ground again, pain surging through him for the umpteenth time that day. Goddess, everything hurt.
Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to roll onto his side. In front of him, Kana transformed his arm again and tore through the archers lining the staircase. The boy fought like a demon, savage and wild, cutting the invaders down with horrifying ease.
"Kana…" Sophie's voice whispered behind him. He glanced over his shoulder to find her on her knees, pale hair matted with blood. "What's happening to you?"
Ashe gave no reply. He had no words of optimism to share, no strategy, nothing. He just laid on the ground next to Sophie, sore and exhausted, watching Kana shred the enemy to pieces and hoping that the boy wouldn't turn his aggression towards them.
What else could he do?
Kana finished off the last of the invaders with a final thrust of his arm, skewering the translucent bodies together and flinging them against the cathedral's outer walls. The mangled soldiers evaporated before gravity could bring them back to the ground.
The cathedral was silent once more, all except for Kana's heavy breathing. Ashe and Sophie sat motionless, waiting to see what the boy-dragon would do next.
Kana's victory didn't seem to pacify him. He began to prowl along the top of the staircase, snapping at the air. Was he protecting them, or looking to start another fight?
"Kana, it's okay!" Sophie said, wincing as she stood up. "We're safe, you can stop now!"
The boy-dragon whirled around and locked his crimson eyes onto his sister. His lips curled back into a snarl as splotches of his skin began to turn silver and blue. The pendant around his neck was shining brightly, like it had back in Gaspard, but it didn't appear to be calming the boy down at all.
Ashe frowned, eyes trailing to Sophie's discarded lance.
"We're all going to be okay," she tried again. "The bad people are gone now."
A low growl emanated from Kana's throat. Ashe inched closer to the lance and brushed it with the tips of his fingers.
She reached out her hand. "Let's go back inside and—"
Kana lunged at her with his spear-arm.
Ashe scooped up the lance and shoved Sophie out of the path of Kana's attack, deflecting his arm with the weapon's shaft. The force of the strike shook his entire body, but he stood his ground. Kana growled again and flared his wings.
He steadied his grip on the lance. "Snap out of it, Kana! We don't want to hurt you!"
The boy-dragon moved down a step. His hand morphed into a mouth-like crater, edges lined with silver fangs and a swirling tempest forming within its center. He lifted the monstrosity up—
White light burst from under Kana's feet. He gave a confused whine, swiping at the air as the magic engulfed his body. The light flashed, and Kana suddenly disappeared from sight.
Ashe stared at the now-empty staircase, dumbfounded. Was that…a warp spell?
"Don't just stand there! Get up here and help me!"
Ashe's eyes widened. That was Lysithea's voice!
He followed her command and sprinted up the steps. Lysithea was pushing on the doors of the cathedral's side entrance, struggling to move the heavy metal on her own. He wasn't sure why she was trying to close them, but he joined her anyway, pressing against the doors with all the strength he had left. The metal creaked as they forced the slabs together. Lysithea slammed the locking bar into place, sealing the cathedral shut.
In the next moment, something crashed against the doors from within the chamber. It wasn't until Ashe heard the muffled growls that he realized they had just locked Kana inside.
"Hopefully that holds him for long enough," Lysithea said, pressing a hand to her side. Blood ran between her fingers. "I was able to lock the other entrances, so he can't get out unless he breaks the doors down."
"How—"
"I warped him inside." She swayed a bit, a sign that she was starting to feel the effects of blood loss. "Maybe…maybe he'll calm down inside…"
Ashe wanted to question whether locking up the feral boy would help calm him down, but he held his tongue. This was the only option that didn't involve either Kana or the rest of them getting hurt, for now.
"What happened?" Sophie ran up the steps, searching the cathedral's porch. "Where's…"
Ashe nodded to the doors and flinched as they rattled with a powerful shake. Something sharp screeched against the metal, probably claws. Sophie wrapped her arms around herself. "O-oh…"
They watched the doors with bated breath, waiting—hoping—for the pounding and scratching to subside. Ashe sighed, looking up at the sky. Dawn had begun to slip beyond the horizon, making way for the soft blue of the coming day. The cracks were slowly fading away, leaving no trace that the sky had ever fractured in the first place.
Was it over? Had they won?
Tears pricked at his eyes. He forced them back with rapid blinks; he had to be strong for everyone, he couldn't let what happened overwhelm him. That was his duty as a knight and a lord.
Lysithea groaned and slumped forward. His arms reached out to catch her, careful not to aggravate the wound in her side.
"Here, you need to rest…"
He guided her to a bench. Once she was seated, he shrugged off his jacket and gently tied it around her torso to help stop the bleeding. It wasn't perfect, but it would have to be enough until they could find a healer or vulnerary.
Lysithea mumbled a thanks and wiped her bloody hands on her dress.
"Can't you heal yourself?" Sophie asked.
"It doesn't work like that. I can only use magic to heal others, not myself." She looked Ashe over and raised her palm towards him. "Like this—"
"Don't," he said, nudging her hand away, "you need to save your strength."
"But your nose…"
His face throbbed at the reminder. "I'll be fine."
She lowered her arm but continued inspecting his face. A frown tugged at her lips.
"You don't have to hide it, Ashe."
"What?"
"Those ghastly figures were frightening enough in appearance alone, but for one of them to be your—"
Ashe sucked in a breath.
"I-I mean…never mind." She sighed and stared at her lap. "I'm sorry, this must be…really terrible for you, for all of you."
A traitorous tear slid down his cheek. He was tempted to wipe it away, but he would only cause himself more pain by touching his face.
Instead, he just turned away.
"I'll check around the perimeter." His throat was tight, voice almost cracking. "Need to make sure all the soldiers are gone. See if I can find a healer."
"Okay."
His feet carried him around the corner of the cathedral's outer walls. Once he was out of sight, he doubled over and retched.
Everything hit him at once. The attack on his home, his siblings and friends in danger, the threat of the undead, the pain coursing through his body, Lonato…
Lonato…Father, I'm so sorry…
The weight of it barred down on his chest, crushing him and making it difficult to breathe. The charade of strength he had tried so hard to maintain crumbled into dust.
It was too overwhelming. His shoulders shook, he clutched his head…
and he let himself cry.
Byleth wiped his brow. The cut on his forehead, courtesy of Caspar, stung at the contact, but he had to keep the blood and sweat from getting in his eyes if he wanted to beat his current opponent.
The woman who refused to die: Edelgard.
Byleth surveyed her posture, her movements, trying to predict her next action. Would she attack him first like she did in the previous timeline, or would she wait for him to make a move? She wouldn't have help from Dorothea or Caspar this time—he had swiftly taken care of them before engaging the emperor herself—so he wanted to assume that she would fight more defensively.
But he couldn't rule out the possibility that she had other undead classmates hiding in her ranks. If he allowed her to stall for too long, would he have to contend with a resurrected Hubert? Ferdinand? Bernadetta? All three of them?
His jaw set. The enemy's numbers were dwindling, his defensive line was still intact, the fractures in the sky were starting to disappear. He had come too far in this timeline, used up too many pulses, just to start the whole battle over again because of Edelgard's tricks.
He had to defeat her now.
Byleth conjured fire in one hand and lifted the Sword of the Creator in the other. Edelgard held up Aymr in response, taking a few steps back to increase the distance between them. His eyes narrowed. He was ready.
Against all expectations, Edelgard turned on her heel and ran.
A single crease formed over his brow. She was…giving up? He watched her dart across the field, past the remaining invisible soldiers and their last Demonic Beast, heading towards…
The swirling lights.
The strange magic had begun to flicker and fade like the cracks in the sky. The man from the hilltop and his horse stood in front of it, their translucent forms blending in with the dim lights as they waited for Edelgard to reach them.
They were trying to escape before the magic disappeared completely.
Anger flared inside him. They thought they could attack his monastery, threaten his people and his students, force him to relive this damn battle a dozen times, and just leave unscathed?
Not if he could help it.
He sprinted after Edelgard. With his sword's whip form, he cleared a path through the remaining invisible soldiers then threw his arm forward, aiming the tip of his weapon straight at her back.
Only for the last Demonic Beast to jump to her defense, snatching the Sword of the Creator out of the air in its giant maw.
Byleth willed the segmented blade to return to his side, but the wolf-like beast resisted by clamping its jaw shut. He tried again, tightening his grip on the sword and pulling with all his strength. The handle pulsed with an angry red glow as it strained to escape the monster's bite, but the beast refused to give.
Instead, the wolf tugged and yanked Byleth right off his feet. His body was flung through the air as the beast violently shook its head, trying to force Byleth to let go of the Hero's Relic.
It worked.
He lost his grip on the handle and hit the ground hard, tumbling through patches of grass and scattered rocks. The rough landing made every inch of him ache, but he didn't have much time to process the pain before the Demonic Beast was charging him.
Byleth rolled out of the monster's path and back onto his feet. Massive paws thundered past him, trampling the dirt he had been lying on. The wolf whipped around into a low crouch, prepared to pounce at any moment, the Sword of the Creator dangling from its teeth. Man and monster locked eyes with one another.
Fire formed in Byleth's palms. He held a hand out towards the wolf, the dancing flames warning it not to come any closer. The beast growled but remained in place.
Byleth glanced behind him and grunted. Edelgard had reached the swirling lights. Without the Sword of the Creator, there was no way he could stop her retreat now. None of his spells had a long enough range to hit her from this distance.
All he could do was watch as she and her dark-haired companion stepped through the lights and disappeared from sight. After a few seconds, the glowing anomaly vanished into mist along with them.
Frustration simmered in his gut, both at himself for being unable to stop Edelgard and at the creature who had helped her get away. Byleth glared at the beast, eyes narrowing. He had expected it to fade away too once the lights had disappeared, but the monster gave no indication that it was going anywhere. Instead, it began to stalk towards him, as though eager to renew their battle.
His lips thinned, the only clear outward expression of rage his face could make. If the beast wasn't going to disappear on its own, then he would blast it into oblivion himself.
Byleth cast Ragnarok. Red flames scorched the scruff and flesh around the wolf's neck, causing dark energy to burst from the fresh wounds. Enraged, the beast charged again. It swiped its paw in a wide arc, but Byleth managed to roll out of its reach before the blade-like claws could eviscerate him.
The monster roared. Byleth prepared a new spell—Thunder—and raised his arm as sparks gathered in his hand.
"Professor, hold on!"
He looked over his shoulder. Two horses were galloping towards him, accompanied by Petra and her wyvern. He immediately recognized the first cavalier as Sylvain, but he couldn't quite place the two riders on the last horse from this distance.
Sylvain and Petra flew past him and rushed the Demonic Beast together, Sylvain taking the monster's left and Petra taking its right. At the same time, they drove their weapons into the monster and rode along the length of its body. Purple energy spewed from the deep gashes their blades left behind.
A Fimbulvetr spell exploded underneath the beast before it could retaliate against Sylvain and Petra, stabbing its belly with thick icicles and freezing its paws to the ground.
Byleth blinked. None of his students or soldiers on the field were able to cast that particular spell, so who…?
The horse carrying the unknown riders flew past him. A woman with long light-blue hair held the reins, spurring the horse forward towards the beast. Byleth caught a glimpse of her face, and he was struck with a flash of recognition.
Marianne?
His eyes moved to her passenger. Green hair, weathered armor, a cape tattered at the ends—someone Byleth had never seen before.
The man hopped off the horse's rear and ran at the monster, wielding a golden sword in his left hand and an ornate shield on his right. The wolf snapped at him, but the man spun out of its reach with one smooth motion. Without slowing down, he jumped towards a thick icicle from Marianne's spell, pushing off it with his feet and using his upward momentum to fly over the beast's head…
Then drove his sword straight into its skull.
The wolf froze. Its mouth hung open as if to attempt one last roar, allowing the Sword of the Creator to finally escape its maw, but the only sound that came from the creature was the quiet crackling of its fading purple energy. Once the creature began to dissipate, the man pulled his sword free and jumped to the ground.
Byleth watched the transparent form until it faded away completely, then eyed the unfamiliar man who had come to his aid. Whoever he was, he was clearly an experienced soldier.
"Are you all right, Professor?" the man asked, turning to face him. "We wanted to help you sooner, but we had to get through the remaining soldiers at the line before we could reach you."
That voice, Byleth thought, looking over the man again, why does his voice sound so familiar?
"…Professor?"
"Don't worry about him, he's always quiet after a fight," Sylvain said as he trotted over to them. "Old habit from his teaching days. He's probably poring over the battle, analyzing what we did right and what we screwed up."
Petra landed her wyvern near the group and smiled. "Yes, but we did well this battle. The sky is normal, the enemy is defeated, and the monastery is now safe. We have achieved victory!"
"Temporarily," Byleth said, "their generals got away."
"Generals? Is that who you were fighting?" Sylvain asked. "They must have been pretty tough if they were able to keep up with you."
Byleth nodded. He was tempted to tell them about Edelgard and her resurrected allies, but that would only cause more panic. For now, his army needed a chance to recover without having to worry about the emperor rising from the dead.
Warm light suddenly washed over his body, closing the cut on his forehead.
"I hope that's enough to heal you for now," Marianne said, voice not much louder than a whisper. She dropped her hands and the warmth of her healing magic vanished. "I'm sorry, I don't have much magic left after all that fighting…"
"You've done more than enough today." The unfamiliar man smiled at her. "The way you were able to maintain control of your horse and cast your magic all at the same time was truly incredible."
"Thank you, Uncle…"
Byleth cocked his head at the two. He was her uncle? The man didn't look much older than Marianne herself.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Professor. I should have introduced you," she said, diverting her gaze towards the ground. "It's just been so long, I wasn't sure how to explain everything…"
"There's nothing to apologize for. This whole situation has been…bizarre, to say the least." The man sheathed his golden sword. "Let's start with names and work from there."
He held out his hand towards Byleth.
"My name is Alm."
Character Bios:
Alm: ?
-A mysterious swordsman who is allegedly related to Marianne. Although his face isn't well-known to the monastery, there's something familiar about his voice…
-Relations: TBA
Caspar: Warrior
-Former student of the Officer's Academy and Black Eagles House. Known for his ferocity in battle, he proved to be a formidable general in Emperor Edelgard's army for the duration of her five-year war. Killed by Petra in 1186.
-Relations: Son of Count Bergliez (deceased). Step-nephew of Randolph and Fleche (both deceased).
Dorothea: Dancer
-The famed "Mystical Songstress" of the Mittelfrank Opera Company. Former student of the Officer's Academy and Black Eagles House. A charismatic woman who rose from poverty to become a powerful mage and a close advisor to Emperor Edelgard. Killed by Felix in 1186.
-Relations: Bastard daughter of an unknown lord and his lady-in-waiting (both deceased).
Edelgard: Armored Lord
-The last emperor of the Adrestian Empire. Former student of the Officer's Academy and leader of the Black Eagles House. An ambitious woman who started a war against the Church of Seiros, seeking to unite all of Fódlan under her rule. Killed by Dimitri in 1186.
-Relations: Daughter of Emperor Ionius IX and Patricia (both deceased). Step-sister of Dimitri.
Hapi: Valkyrie
-Former student of the Officer's Academy and Ashen Wolves House. An apathetic woman from the hidden village of Timotheos with a peculiar ability to summon Demonic Beasts when she sighs. Likes giving nicknames to new people she meets.
-Relations: Daughter of parents who she left at a young age to explore the world.
Lonato: Paladin
-Former lord of the Gaspard region of Faerghus. A kind man who turned to revenge and rebellion after learning about the unjust execution of his biological son, Christophe. Killed by Ashe in 1180.
-Relations: Father of Christophe (deceased) and Ashe (adoptive).
Marianne: Holy Knight
-Former student of the Officer's Academy and Golden Deer House. A timid girl with a mysterious past, who prefers to spend time with animals so she can avoid being a burden to the people around her. Disappeared at the onset of the war with the empire, and has returned to Fódlan for reasons unknown.
-Relations: Daughter of Margrave Edmund (adoptive). Alleged niece of Alm.
From this point on, there will be spoilers for Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia as well as a few tweaks to the game's canon to better connect it to Three Houses (you can probably tell what exactly was tweaked lol). Continue reading at your own risk if you have not played the game.
A quick side note: the character bios are partially from the perspective of the POV character, so information that they wouldn't be privy to up until this point generally won't be included (e.g., there's not much information on Alm because Byleth doesn't know anything about him at this point in time). However, I will include updated bios in future chapters when new information is revealed for the character and the plot. So, expect an updated version of Alm's bio soon.
Next chapter: The monastery recovers from the battle. Alm explains what he's doing in Fódlan.