Chapter 7: Conviction

A few more days had passed since he had been able to finally talk with Lysithea, and not much had happened since then, which came as a welcome relief. Now that it was his day off, Byleth could finally get around to finishing a few errands that he had been putting off since he had returned to the monastery.

He pushed his way through the crowds of people in the marketplace within town, the community that sprung up beneath the monasteries' protection was thriving as it always had, although he did notice that there was a strange tension in the air, and he overhead the peasants talking in hushed whispers about the foreign lord who was marching south with his armies, ready to descend upon the church's stronghold, more than once as he went about his day.

Byleth soon found a smithy as he neared the edge of the town square, a young man in his early thirties worked the forge while a man who looked to be in his late sixties was managing the shop that had been built around it. Weapons of all kind were propped up on stands that faced out towards the crowds passing by; spears, blades, axes, bows, even a few exotic pieces that he didn't immediately recognize caught his eye.

The old man came hobbling out towards him as he eyed the weapons, he picked up one of the swords and gave it a few test swings before frowning. "Is there something you're looking for specifically, stranger?"

Byleth turned the sword over in his hands, it was horribly unbalanced. "My sword broke, I need a replacement."

The old man nodded his head, "yes. Of course, of course! We have plenty to choose from! Come in! Come in!"

The wizened shopkeeper led him inside the small structure through the doorless entrance, where even more weapons were stacked up. Byleth's frown deepened as he looked them all over, the work was shoddy, even though he wasn't a smith, he knew the metalwork was poor just by looking at most of them, although there were a handful that looked passable.

"Take your pick son! It's first come, first serve!"

Byleth picked up a shortsword and immediately noticed that it was far too heavy for it's size and shape, he turned the blade over in his hand before setting it down. He walked over to another rack and picked up a curved scimitar and examined it, the metal had small flecks of rust on the edges and the weapon was even chipped near the base.

Byleth turned to the old man with an annoyed expression on his face, "what the hell are you trying to pull with this garbage, you geezer!? You expect me to pay for a bunch of scrap metal that looks like you stole it from a battlefield?"

The old man shriveled back from his harsh tone and held up his hands in a non threatening manner, "p-please sir! I assure you that our goods may not be the most visually pleasing but… But they are just as good as any other!"

A voice coming from the front of the shop caught both of their attention, "that's not true at all. I've seen your product Kolfir, even a bandit wouldn't be willing to use some of this stuff!"

Byleth looked over to see a young teen who looked to be around sixteen who looked to be half a foot shorter than himself and wore the officer's academy uniform with short grey hair, soft features, and freckles that accentuated his green eyes. The lad walked up to him and the shopkeeper before pointing to the weapon Byleth was holding, "the metal's cheap, probably some kind of copper that he mixed with iron in order to trick people into thinking that it's worth more than it actually does. It also looks like the smith made a mistake while forging it and snapped the blade in half while trying to shape it and did a shoddy job in putting it back together."

Byleth glared at the old man who took a few hesitant steps back as he dropped the weapon, it hit the cobblestone with a clatter as he shook his head. "Can't believe I considered wasting my money on a con artist like you! I should bash your skull in for this."

The man was stammering trying to come up with an excuse, the boy pulled on his sleeve, the kid pointed in the opposite direction, "there's another smith about a half mile east of this place who does really good work, and his prices are half of what Kolfir asks for. I can show you if you want professor, I was on my way to see him anyways."

Byleth nodded, turning away from the cowering shop owner with a disgusted look in his eyes, "alright kid, I'm interested."

Byleth followed the short boy out of the shop and fell in stride next to him, the duo weaved their way through the narrow streets and crowds before finally coming across a much larger shop made of stone and wood that looked to be much more impressive than the small side stall they had just been at.

The boy pushed the wooden door open and they both stepped inside, Byleth took in his surroundings and noticed high quality scale and plate armor being displayed on mannequins, weapons of all kinds hung on the walls or sat on stands, just begging for a customer's attention. He was surprised to even see a small book section that claimed to sell magical tomes for prospective mages.

A man in his mid forties with tanned skin and brown hair that was starting to go grey with age stepped out from one of the backrooms and nodded to his companion. "Ah! Ashe, here to pick up your order?"

The boy, he now new as Ashe nodded, "yeah. Is it done?"

The blacksmith grinned, "just need a few minutes to put on the finishing touches. Who's your friend?"

Byleth looked over to the shopkeeper before nodding towards a wall of weapons, "my sword broke while I was hunting bandits. I need a replacement."

The man nodded before extending his hand, "sure. We certainly aren't lacking in that department, I'm Haldar."

Byleth grabbed the man's extended hand and shook it, "Byleth."

Haldar turned back to Ashe and said, "Give me a few minutes to finish up your order and get it packed up. Why don't you show Byleth over to the swords for me?"

The grey haired student motioned him over to another section of the shop as the blacksmith returned to the backrooms. Byleth crossed his arms and turned to the student as they arrived at the selection of available blades, "you and the shop owner seem pretty familiar with each other."

Ashe grinned and rubbed the back of his neck, "y-yeah. I guess so, he gives me a few lessons about his trade in exchange for work, so I've gotten pretty used to coming here."

Byleth raised an eyebrow, "what could you possibly need lessons from a blacksmith for? You're a noble aren't you?"

The smile on Ashe's face dissipated as the teen looked away, "it's uh… Complicated to say the least, professor. I'd rather not discuss it if that's all right with you."

Byleth shrugged before turning his attention back to the weapon racks, he picked up a steel longsword and nodded approvingly at the weight and balancing of the weapon, he turned it over in his hands before giving it a few test swings, the metal was in good condition, it wasn't too large that he couldn't hold it with one hand nor too small that he sacrificed mobility or power, it was a well made weapon.

Haldar stepped out once again, carrying a wooden box under his arm, "you find what you were looking for?"

Byleth turned with the weapon and walked up to the man and Ashe followed suit, "this one will do. How much?"

Haldar took it in his free hand and nodded approvingly, "you've got a good eye, this is one of my finer pieces I've made in a while. I'll give it to you for 30 silver pieces."

Byleth shook his head, "for a steel longsword? I could easily get two iron blades for that much and still have some left over, 20 silver."

Haldar's gaze hardened as he looked at his customer, "too low, 26 silver pieces. The church has been buying up the good steel these last few months due to that lord from the north they are so worried about."

Byleth frowned, "from the looks of things, you haven't suffered that much from the rebellion, 23 pieces."

Haldar sighed and scratched his cheek, "I'll go down to 25 but no lower. But I'll sharpen the sword for you and throw in a free scabbard for no extra charge."

Byleth finally relented, realizing this was probably the best deal he would get, "deal."

He handed the sword over to Haldar who then walked over to Ashe and handed him the box he was carrying, "I've patched the hole in the chainmail and oiled it for you. If you have any problems, just come and I'll fix it up."

Ashe nodded, nearly buckling under the weight of the box as the man handed over his order, "right! Thank you!"

Haldar nodded before looking over to Byleth, "I'll go and sharpen this. I expect you're ready to pay for it?"

He nodded before pulling his coin pouch off his belt and taking the exact amount of money out before handing it over to the blacksmith. The man nodded approvingly at the currency before heading back to his work area.

Now that they were alone again, Byleth turned his attention back to the student that had accompanied him, the boy shifted under his scrutinizing gaze as he tried to figure out where he had seen him before.

"Have we met before, Ashe?"

The teen responded, "well… Sort of, we haven't talked before. But you shot me in the back at the mock battle, remember?"

The memory suddenly flooded back to him, "right. Right, you're in the Blue Lions, right?"

Ashe nodded, "y-yeah."

Byleth didn't press the boy any further, he began to pace around the shop, looking at the variety of weapons that were on display as he waited for his order. Ten minutes later, Haldar came back out, carrying the sword in a new sheathe made of dark brown leather and handed it over to his customer.

"Here you go. You need anything else?"

Byleth shook his head, "no. That's all."

The blacksmith nodded, "alright then."

Haldar turned back to Ashe and said, "next time you come, I'll give you some more tips about setting up trade routes, until then, just keep going over what I've already told you."

The student nodded, "okay."

With a simple goodbye, Byleth and Ashe left the store, carrying their orders with them. Once they were out of the shop and rounded the corner, Byleth turned to his companion, "just out of curiosity, what family are you from?"

The boy awkwardly shifted the box in his hands, "uh. Well, I don't have one. I'm a commoner."

Byleth raised an eyebrow, he couldn't help but compare him to Leonie, the soft spoken boy didn't at all strike him as one of the common folk, "really? No offense, but I find that a bit hard to believe."

Ashe laughed, "yeah. I do get that a lot, me and my siblings were taken in by one of the lords of Faerghus after our parents died. He's done his best to try and teach us how to act more proper."

Byleth pressed the question again, it wasn't likely, but with how evasive this kid was being, there might be a chance…

"Tell me his name, I grew up in Faerghus. I might know who you're talking about."

The boy suddenly looked down at the package in his hands, "professor… I don't think-"

Two women suddenly rounded the corner and both Byleth and Ashe couldn't help but overhear the conversation, "I'm telling you that we need to leave town as soon as possible! That Lord from the north will march on that damn monastery any day now! It's not safe here anymore!"

The second women rolled her eyes as they passed by the teacher and student, "I already told you Lydia! Lady Rhea won't let Lonato or his men come within ten miles of the town. The church has never failed us before! Why would they now?"

Byleth couldn't hear anymore of the women's conversation as they passed out of earshot, but as he turned his attention back to Ashe, he knew his assumptions were right. The boy was biting his lip and staring at the box in his arms with a steel gaze, and beneath it he could see there was anger in his eyes.

This might be a more productive day than he initially thought.

"You hungry?"

This seemed to shock the boy out of his stupor as he looked up at the professor before shaking his head, "N-no! That's okay professor, I don't want to be a burden, I'm sure you have more important things to deal with."

Byleth crossed his arms, "nonsense. I was intending to get something to eat anyways, besides, I still owe you for helping me out, and I still have some leftover money from my last job. It's really no trouble, so how about it?"

Ashe bit his lip again, "well… Alright."

Byleth suppressed a grin as he turned around, "alright. Then come on, there should be a tavern around here somewhere."

It didn't take him long to find somewhere to eat with the boy in tow, they sat across from each other in a mostly empty tavern, most of the local patrons wouldn't be around until the evening, so it gave him enough privacy to do what he wanted.

He idly picked at his roast chicken and mushrooms before taking a sip of his ale, Ashe stared down at his bowl of stew while stirring it mindlessly with a spoon, refusing to meet the professor's eyes. Byleth looked over the timid boy before glancing at their surroundings, after making sure the coast was clear, he started a conversation.

"So. Where in Faerghus are you from, roughly?"

The grey haired boy stopped what he was doing and looked up, "Mateus. I was living in that region before I came to the academy."

Byleth nodded, "I hear it's good land, who rules it? it's been a few years since I've been to Faerghus. Did anything change?"

Ashe looked down again before clenching his fists, the kid didn't respond immediately, Byleth took a sip of his drink before the teen spoke up, "why did you ask me to come here with you?"

Byleth smothered a grin by taking another sip before setting the cup down, he leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms, "alright then, tell me, what's your connection to Lonato?"

Ashe flinched at the Lord's name being brought up before looking up at the mercenary with a tired look in his eye, "what gave it away?"

Byleth shrugged, "you're a piss poor liar. Now spit it out."

Ashe sighed before rubbing the back of his neck, "he… What the church is saying about him is bullshit!"

Byleth's eyes widened as the tired look in the kid's eyes turned to anger, Ashe clenched his fists again and gritted his teeth, "Lonato is a good man! There has to be a reason for why he's done this, he's kind! He's honorable! He wouldn't do something like without a good reason! You have to believe me!"

Byleth raised a hand and motioned for the boy to lower his voice, several villagers were giving the duo strange looks, "calm down. I don't care either way who is right or wrong or whatever. I just need information, so answer my questions."

Ashe sighed before glaring and looking up at him, "what then?"

Byleth replied, "if you had to make a guess, why would Lonato rebel against the church?"

Ashe looked down at the table with a sad look in his eyes, "Lonato… He- I wasn't his first choice to become his heir. He had a son, Christopher, who was everything a knight and a lord should be, and everything I'm not. He was strong, charming, brave, he was a terrifying warrior and an honorable and kind leader. He would have become a great man but… He died."

Ashe bit the bottom of his lip again and Byleth had to spur him on, "keep going. I don't have all day."

The teen continued, "Christopher… He- He- The church executed him three years ago for what he did in the war with Duscur. They… They lied! I know it!"

Byleth felt the urge to smack the kid just to get him to focus but refrained from doing so, it wouldn't look good in public like this if he did, "just get to the point!"

Ashe shook his head, "sorry… Chris hated what was happening, he didn't believe that Duscur was responsible for the assassination of our king, he believed that they our longtime allies had been framed, and were innocent in all this. He leaked information to Duscur's military, important information; troop orders, supply lines, a list of spies and their orders. He nearly cost us the war effort, but he became too bold and was caught. All he could say was that Duscur was innocent, and that what we were doing was shaming our ancestors. At least that's what Lonato said had happened."

He could see the boy shaking in his seat as he continued, "Christopher's death… Changed Lonato, he became bitter, angry, sad, but at his core he was still a good man! He taught me everything he could so that I would succeed him, he sent me to the academy for an education! He rescued me and my siblings from the streets, he gave us a chance when no one else would! So I can't… I can't believe he would do this without a good reason!"

Byleth nodded, "why is he targeting the church then? Shouldn't he be going after Faerghus?"

Ashe shook his head, "no. All I know is that Christopher's execution was performed by someone within the church. He's never forgiven them after he found that out. But something must have changed for him to do this! You have to believe me Byleth!"

He shrugged, "I can't say what is true or not. But it doesn't change the fact that your precious lord is already marching with thousands of men, ready to torch this place."

Ashe was still shaking as he looked down at the table again, Byleth stood up and said, "I admit that this situation is strange, but I'm in no position to stop what is happening. At the end of the day, Lonato is responsible for his own actions. Even if he's driven by grief or some twisted sense of justice, Rhea is going to kill him for this. This isn't an insult the church can forgive."

Ashe slammed his fist into the table but didn't say anything, Byleth turned around and was prepared to leave, "I'll see what else I can get out of Rhea. There may be some validity to what you say about him being manipulated, but don't assume anything."

Byleth left the boy behind as he left the tavern, another piece of the puzzle was in his possession, and the next would have to come from the priestess.

He finished up the rest of his errands for the day and soon enough it was Monday again, today would be the first day that Bernadetta and Caspar would be let out of the infirmary and could rejoin his class, so he had to make sure and get there a little early today. He was heading towards the classrooms when he heard a voice call out to him, "professor!"

He turned his head to see Edelgard jogging towards him, falling in stride next to him, he replied, "get enough beauty sleep princess?" The girl frowned at him before replying, "more than enough. Rhea asked me to deliver some information to you before class started."

Byleth nodded as they continued to make their way towards the classroom, "alright. What is it?"

Edelgard continued, "apparently one of the students from the Golden Deer class have requested to be transferred into the Black Eagles. They'll be attending your class starting today."

Byleth raised an eyebrow at her, "they can do that? And why haven't I been told until just now!?"

The young woman shrugged, "Rhea's been busy these last few weeks. I'm sure it just slipped her mind, and any student is allowed to transfer if they think they'd do better in another house."

Byleth frowned since he couldn't do anything to refute what she said, he suddenly started to have a bad feeling when they rounded the corner and came into sight of the classrooms. "She wouldn't… Not after what we talked about, would she?"

Byleth thought to himself, soon enough, he reached the door to his room and pushed it open, the rest of his students were all sitting in a circle on the tables in the center of the room and his heart sank in his chest as he caught sight of a very familiar small figure with white hair.

The entire class turned to see their professor and head student standing in the doorway, Lysithea's eyes lit up as she caught sight of him and bounced up to her feet. "Byleth!"

He scowled as the small girl darted in front of him, "Lysithea… What the hell is the meaning of this?"

The girl crossed her arms behind her back and grinned, "nothing. I just came to the conclusion that I would do better in Professor Byleth's class after discussing it with Professor Hanneman. Is that a problem."

He growled at her, "you know damn well-!"

Edelgard jabbed him in the side with her elbow and he looked up to see the rest of his class staring at him, he subdued his anger momentarily before sighing and pushing Lysithea out of the way.

He sat at his desk and rubbed his temples, the rest of his students crowded around him, including Lysithea, they bombarded him with a multitude of questions about their new addition but a harsh glare silenced them all.

Although he could still feel Edelgard's disapproving gaze on him afterwards.

"Lysithea will be joining us for our lessons from now on, don't treat her any differently from the rest of you. Now sit down so we can get this crap out of the way already."

His students hesitantly followed his instructions and Lysithea also followed suit, the rest of the day passed by uneventfully and his students didn't seem to have any problem with their new classmate.

Byleth sighed in relief when the ringing church bell notified them that the daily lessons were over and his students started to leave the room one by one. He started to clean up his own desk as the teens filtered out of the room when he heard someone walking towards him, he looked up and unsurprisingly he found Lysithea standing there.

The girl opened her mouth but he cut her off, "save your excuses. I may not be able to change your decision to transfer into my class, but this doesn't change anything. You are not to interfere in what we discussed already, do I make myself clear?"

Lysithea grinned at him and replied, "that's fine by me!" Byleth stood up and walked around his desk, the girl falling in stride next to him.

They both exited the room and she asked, "where are you going?"

He looked over to her and said, "I need to speak with Rhea about something, er… Not about you, something else."

Lysithea nodded absentmindedly, "I see. Well! I'll talk to you later then!"

The chipper student started walking off in the opposite direction to him when she suddenly shouted over her shoulder and waved, "thank you for having me professor!"

He frowned at her teasing tone at the last word as the girl rounded the corner, but he shrugged it off. Talking with Rhea was more important.

He soon found himself in front of the door leading to the audience chamber, Byleth hesitated for a moment before knocking on the hard wood. After a few moments, a muffled "come in!" Came through the other side, he pulled the door open and found the room empty, which momentarily confused him.

"I'm in here!"

Byleth turned to the door nearby, suddenly remembering that this room connected to the priestess' private quarters. The door was wide open and it let him see the woman leaning over her desk with a paper clutched in her hands.

Rhea looked over her shoulders and softly smiled at him, "professor! This is a pleasant surprise, you haven't come unannounced before."

Byleth shrugged, "I didn't have a reason to talk with you before. Now I do."

The older woman nodded before looking down the paper in her hands, he walked into the room and leaned against a bare section of the wall, "reading anything interesting?"

Rhea replied, "just a report from my scouts. Lonato's forces are moving faster than expected..."

Byleth nodded as she rolled up the thick parchment and slipped it into one of the drawers in her desk. Rhea stood up and turned to face him with a polite smile, "what did you need, child?"

He rubbed the back of his neck and said, "it's… Going to take a little while, do you have time to talk for a bit? I have some questions that need answering."

She nodded and replied, "yes, actually! I'm not too busy at the moment, so we can talk as much as you need."

The woman walked towards the door and motioned for him to follow, "I was already planning to have some tea. I would enjoy some company to go with it."

Byleth caught up to his companion and followed her out of the building and towards the courtyard area, as soon as they exited the building, Rhea motioned for one of the servants to come over and relayed her request, the servant bowed before scurrying off to complete her task.

Turning back to him, he was surprised when Rhea took him by the arm and pressed herself against his side, his shoulders stiffened from the contact but he did his best to not let the woman see how uncomfortable he was with her sudden contact. They continued walking, now at a slower pace, Rhea glanced to her slightly taller companion and said, "how have you been professor? Are you adjusting to life here at Garreg Mach?"

Byleth looked down at the cobblestone path, a cursory glance to the people they passed by let him know they were staring at the duo as they walked by. "Fine, I guess. I haven't had any real problems so far."

Rhea nodded, "good. I'm glad to hear that you are settling into your new role. What of your class? Are they doing well?"

He nodded as they made their way closer to their destination, "they resisted my instructions a bit at first, but they know better now. I haven't had too many problems in the last few weeks."

Rhea smiled at him, "I'm happy to hear that. Your father was worried that you were ill suited for this sort of thing, I'm glad to see that you have proved him wrong."

Byleth didn't know how to respond to that, so he stayed silent as they made their trek to the same courtyard where he had his discussion with Lysithea a few days ago. Rhea led him over to the pavilion and the large wooden table situated under it, finally letting go of his arm and letting him relax. She sat down on one side of the table and he took his spot on the opposite side from the archbishop.

It wasn't long until the servant came to them carrying a platter containing a teapot and two cups, the girl bowed low to Rhea before leaving them to their peace.

Rhea poured the sweet smelling liquid into the cups and offered one to him, "go ahead. You don't need to hesitate."

Byleth slowly took the warm drink from her hands and took a small sip before setting it down. Rhea similarly took a gulp and sighed, seeming to relax slightly as she enjoyed the tea.

Rhea set her cup down and looked him in the eyes, a curious yet serious look in her eyes, "so what did you need to speak to me about?"

Byleth nodded and replied, "right. It's about Lonato. I need you to answer some questions for me."

A frown appeared on Rhea's delicate features, she sighed before replying, "very well. What do you wish to know?"

He leaned back in his chair and said, "you can start by telling me what you're planning to do with that Ashe boy. You're not stupid enough to not realize that you have Lonato's heir here in the monastery with you, so why do you allow him to roam around freely? Aren't you worried that he's a spy?"

Rhea looked away from him before replying, "Ashe… Is an interesting case, I assure you that we're keeping a close eye on him. It's been surprising, he hasn't attempted to make contact with Lonato once since his rebellion began. As to why? I don't know, I want to believe that the boy may yet return his guardian to his senses, you don't understand how much sway Lonato has in the Kingdom, he could easily turn more than a third of the nobility against the crown and the church if he wished to. Yet he hasn't."

Rhea clasped her hands on top of the table and rested her chin on them, "why do you think that is?"

Byleth frowned as he thought about it, "you think he wants to die? Or that someone is forcing him to do this?"

Rhea nodded, "I assure you that the man holds no love for us, I assume you know why? A man this influential suddenly declares war on the church, yet actively goes out of his way to discourage the other lords from rebelling by only targeting Garreg Mach? A place where many of their children are currently attending? It doesn't add up."

He nodded, "you think Those Who Slither in The Dark are forcing him into this? That this is a ploy of some sort?"

The priestess shrugged, "that's partially true. I don't doubt Lonato has been waiting for an opportunity to attack us after what happened to his son. But it seems more complicated from what I've learned, he has no interest in causing damage; he's left every farm, village, and township untouched. He's only recruited peasantry and mercenaries and gone out of his way to avoid every military outpost of both the Empire and Faerghus. And they have made a beeline towards the monastery since they left his lands. This is no conqueror, it's a military strike of epic proportions. He's targeting the monastery specifically, or at least his masters are, the fact he can claim revenge against us is negligible."

Byleth rubbed his chin, "I see…"

Rhea suddenly looked at him, suddenly putting him on guard, "I will be frank with you professor. I know our enemy is targeting you, I don't know why. But you have something they are after, so I ask that you will aid me in this endeavor. Those Who Slither in the Dark are a danger to the stability of Fodlan, this may be an opportunity to finally expose them and their supporters. Will you help me?"

He hesitated to answer her request, on one hand, this was a perfect opportunity to get more information out of Rhea and potentially uncover more about Sothis and his bloodline by integrating himself deeper into their organization. But this would also make Rhea more suspicious of his actions, it was a risk but…

He looked up at her, "Alright, I suppose I could do that. I have to admit, I'm curious what they want from me anyways. If you say that you can stop them, then I'm willing to help."

Rhea smiled at him, "good! Very good, thank you for this Byleth."

Rhea suddenly stood up from her seat and bowed to him, "I have enjoyed our talk immensely professor, but I really should get back to my duties. I will talk with you again soon."

The priestess suddenly turned her back to him and walked off, leaving him alone with his thoughts.

As soon as the woman was out of sight, Sothis appeared in Rhea's seat across from him, "are you sure this is a good idea?"

He shrugged, "the church is the only direct connection we have to Zanado and the only thing standing between us and Those Who Slither in the Dark. We need their information if we are going to find out the truth about us."

Sothis nodded hesitantly, "I don't like it, but… I think you're right, what about that kid, Ashe?"

Byleth shrugged again, "he may be useful for us. But he's too emotionally invested in Lonato, he could end up being more of a danger than an asset."

Sothis frowned, "that may be true. But it wouldn't hurt to look at it from his perspective would it? He's caught between his duty and his father figure, you shouldn't be so hard on him. He may be conflicted, but I think he'll do the right thing."

He looked at her with a raised eyebrow, "and why do you think that?"

The spirit suddenly smiled at him, "who knows? Maybe it's just a feeling, but I trust people like him to do what is right."

Sothis suddenly reached over and grabbed his almost full teacup, draining the lukewarm liquid before setting the cup down and disappearing once again. Leaving him to mull over what she said, "just a feeling, huh?"

He didn't know why, but that vision he saw in Zanado suddenly sprang back up in his mind, but he wasn't sure why it did.