This is part one of a double update. Author's notes will be in the next chapter.

[Aelfric]

Just like every other night of this moon, I go to the abandoned Chapel. And just like every other night, I hear the sound of breaking glass coming from inside of it.

But tonight, to my surprise, I hear it not once, but twice, one shortly after the first. And when Atalanta comes out, she is not alone, as there is another of her people by her side.

It's a man, almost as tall as me, dressed with long dark green - almost black - robes, with a bronze collar and bracers. His hair is pale shade of brown, as is the short goatee on his chin. And his pale skin and dark eyes are just like Atalanta's. The irises are emerald instead of golden, but they are no less uncanny.

This new man carries himself with a confident stance, with his hands folded behind his back and a neutral expression with which he regards me.

"Wolf," Atalanta draws back my attention. "Allow me to introduce-"

Before she can finish, the new Agarthan raises a hand and she immediately cuts herself off. "It is just the three of us here, Atalanta," the man chides, with a tone that carries authority. "Your subterfuges and nicknames are unnecessary here."

Atalanta glares at the man, but does not voice any protest. Who is the man that holds such authority over her?

"Cardinal Aelfric," he addresses me, the angles of his mouth turning upward, before he, to my surprise, bows to me. "I am Professor Periander. Formerly of the Shambhala Elder Magic Academy." He stands up again and offers a hand. "I am pleased to make your acquaintance."

Hesitantly, I grab and shake it. "Likewise. Are you the Master I have heard about?"

This Professor Periander lets out a weak chuckle. "No. I apologize for keeping you in the dark, but the Master requires his identity to be kept secret. His name is unlikely to mean anything to you, but to our enemies within our own people means much more."

I furrow my brow. "How many within your organization know it?"

"Only three. And two of them stand in front of you right now."

"We are not here for idle chatter," Atalanta scoffs from the side.

If the professor is offended by the interruption, he doesn't show it. "Of course. Do you have what was requested of you, Cardinal?"

"I do," I answer, grabbing the vial with my lock of hair from my pocket. "Although I still don't see how my hair is so important."

"If you will allow me, it will be easier to show you how." Professor Periander grabs a flask from his belt. Upon opening it, he reveals a liquid within it that looks like water but releases a foul smell. "Place the sample here."

This thing is a potion, there is no doubt about that. Potions are not my area of expertise, but I do not recall anything that matches this color and smell. Or any that require a specific person's hair.

Although, I know next to nothing about Agarthan potions. Maybe this makes more sense to them?

I follow Professor Periander's instructions, let the lock fall into the flask and watch as the potion starts boiling. The professor smiles as that happens, before raising the flask to his lips and drinking its content.

When he's finished, the professor lets out a couple of coughs but he's still able to recompose himself quickly. "Perfect," he says with a smile on his face. "Now, to keep my word…"

Right as he says it, patches of his flesh are covered by a bright glow that soon spreads all over his body. And where that glow spreads, to my astonishment, his skin takes a natural color instead of its usual sickening white.

Atalanta watches impassively as that happens.

By the time that glow has covered the professor entirely, his skin is not the only thing to change. His jaw has broadened, his goatee has gone away and his hair has lengthened and darkened. And when his eyes are revealed, it's not the eerie dark ones I expect but a pair of brown ones.

And, to my dismay, what stands before me is not the Agarthan professor I have been introduced to. It's another me wearing his robes.

"Wh-?" I ask, taken aback. "What is this sorcery?"

"Science," I am answered. By my own voice. "Inside us all, there is a substance that determines what we are like." My doppelganger shakes the flask. "And this just gave me the ability to look just like you."

"And-" I gulp. "And what are you going to do with it?"

"Glad you asked. This is the part Atalanta will explain."

I let out a breath of relief as the man steps away from me to make room for Atalanta. "Listen well," she says, crossing her arms. "I'm only going to say this once."

[Eugenio]

Finally, the day of the Rite of Rebirth has come. All the students that will take part in overseeing the Holy Mausoleum have gathered in the same meeting room as last week, waiting for Byleth to show up, while the others have rendezvoused with Hanneman and Manuela at the cathedral. What the other two professors have set up to watch over Rhea, I have no idea.

Meanwhile, we are the ones handpicked by Byleth. Of the Blue Lions, besides me, there's Mercedes, Dimitri, Dedue and Felix. All with a glow-up to their gear. Mercedes now sport a more padded version of the robe she used to wear before; Dimitri has taken up a blue and gray version of his uniform with a pauldron and more reinforced gauntlets and greaves; Dedue has ditched his leather armor for actual plate mail; Felix has also added some light armor to his outfit and I now have the flowing robes of a Mage. An exam I passed just two days ago.

Of the Black Eagles, there are Edelgard, who wears a red and bronze version of Dimitri's armor; Hubert, who wears a dark version of the robe I am; Linhardt, who wears the same stuff as Mercedes only green instead of white; and Petra, who wears a simple leather outfit.

Of the Golden Deer, there are Claude, with a yellow and brown version of his fellow House Leaders' armor; Leonie, who wears light yellow armor; Hilda, who has reinforced boots and gauntlets accompanying her leather armor, and Lysithea, who wears a white version of the Mage robes.

That last one is also making a point of not even looking at me.

"I see your Myrmidon exam has gone well," Mercedes tells me out of the blue, eyes on the sword I'm carrying by my hip.

Guess I've gotta fill in for Annette's absence.

"Yes," I reply. "Ald...although, it wasn't easy. I wasn't expecting...the professor to carry out...the exam himself."

Indeed, the fact that instead of standing our ground against the shadowy constructions we had to spar against Jeritza one-on-one was a surprise I could have done without. Makes me wonder how hard he went against his sister, though.

"When I tried it, Professor Jeritza disarmed me with just one swing." Really? Ouch. "How did it go for you?"

More or less how the duel between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader goes in Empire Strikes Back. An expert that moves with precision and focus, easily wiping the floor with a novice. The difference this time being I didn't lose an arm. If Jeritza decided I could still pass, he must have seen something in our bout I didn't.

"I stood up against him for a bit, but he easily overpowered me," I say, shrugging. "I'm not sure why he to...thought my performance was adequate." At least I know to stay clear of him tonight.

Yes, tonight. Even though everyone knows there's a possibility we will find intruders within the Mausoleum, I'm pretty sure the others are hoping we won't. Only I know for sure. And the thought that someone else might die by my hand tonight...

"I also noticed your new gloves," Mercedes continues, eyes fixed on my hands. "Where did you get them?"

"Bylet gave...them to me," I answer. "Do you recall my first lesson with him? And what happened with my bout against Lysitea?" She nods. "According to him, with d...these, I should be able to replicate...that."

"Oh? How so?"

"He said d...they are standard equipment for Morfis' War Mages," Mercedes furrows her brow. "Members of...their army d...that mix magic and martial arts."

Mercedes tilts her head. "Really? How curious. I've never heard of anything like this."

I shrug. "I don't exactly know how it works. You'll need to ask Bylet for details. Maybe he'll also get you a pair now dat you're also studying Brawling."

Mercedes winces after I say that and her face pales. She quickly recovers, though, and despite her blushing she tries to muster one of her closed-eyes smiles. "Let's...not get ahead of ourselves. I'm not sure my skills are worthy of Professor Byleth's attention."

Alright. Your call, Anime Mom.

"Also, I see your study sessions with Petra are going well."

"D...they are," I admit, nodding. "I'm still far from perfect, but I...think...the accent is less obvious now."

"You speak less fluently now," Mercedes observes, with a small giggle. "But I'm sure with practice you'll get used to it."

I give her a small smile and nod. "Tank you."

"You're welcome."

After that exchange, it isn't long before Byleth arrives. He gives us a quick rundown of what we're going to be dealing with, warns us to be careful and to follow his instructions, and then we're off. To the Holy Mausoleum. To a fight with the Western Church and the first true Slitherers. To the Creator Sword.

To telling Byleth the truth.

Our travel to the Mausoleum's entrance is rather uneventful. As Byleth leads the way through the Monastery's grounds, we come across almost no one at all, save for a couple of students rushing to the cathedral and paying us little attention.

Everyone walks with stoic expression on the way. The few who aren't are Claude and Hilda, who look rather nonchalant, Linhardt, who just walks around with his eyes closed, making me wonder if he isn't just sleepwalking, and Mercedes, who just looks...tense.

"Are you alright?" I ask her.

My question snaps her out of it. "I am," she replies, even though she doesn't sound convincing. "It's just that I'm wondering…" she glances at our group before coming closer to my ear and whispering. "Do you think it could be possible the Night Cats kidnapped Lord Lonato just to learn of this attack?"

That is...I honestly hadn't taken that possibility into consideration. When I first heard of Lonato's kidnapping, I still thought the Cats were working with the rest of the Slitherers. And when Hanneman brought up the possibility they were renegades, the thought didn't come back to me.

But...they wouldn't dare show up, right? The Mausoleum is in the middle of Garreg Mach. And their appearance is too peculiar not to draw attention, right? And otherwise Hanneman would have brought up the possibility, right?

Right?

"Eugenio?"

"Sorry," I reply. "It's just I hadn't t...thought about...that."

She nods to me. "I see. But do you think it could be possible?"

"Hmmm," I reply. "Even assuming d- they were keeping watch over Lonato, what could...they gain from learning of...this attack?"

No way they already knew I'd be there. And unless they are somehow more friendly to the Church than the rest of their kind, they have no reason to prevent whatever damage they are supposed to do to the Mausoleum.

"Perhaps they were hoping to use the chaos as a cover to look for you?"

I shake my head. "Doubtful. As far as...they know, I'm in the crowd attending...the Rite of Rebirth. Even if I were d- there, finding me wid- without stirring a ruckus would be a challenge."

"I suppose you're right," Mercedes concedes, although her face and her tone don't match those words.

"Here we are," Byleth announces from the head of the group as he points to a door that, upon opening it, reveals a set of stairs going downward. "We will proceed slowly and with caution from here. According to Seteth, there are torches enchanted to automatically lit up if someone enters. Should we find the place already lit up, it means the enemy is already here. Stay on your toes."

With that instruction, we proceed down the stairs, making sure to keep quiet all the way down, taking one step at a time. I'm not sure what everyone's thoughts are as we proceed down, but it doesn't take long for us to reach the end of the stairs. And to see the light coming from inside.

Seeing that, Byleth gestures for us to get to the sides of the entrance, which we all do. And then, after he's also pressed his back against the wall, Byleth leans forward to take a peek at the inside.

After what feels like just a couple of seconds, he leans back again. "Alright, here's the situation," he whispers, eyes...slightly narrowed? "There are three archways inside. The two side ones have about five armed men each. The middle one has just one on horseback."

The Death Knight.

"There are also mages further inside, They seem to be trying to open a casket. Likely the one containing Saint Seiros' bones."

"Dastards," I hear Dimitri mutter.

"So, what's the plan, Teach?" Claude chimes in.

"Claude, Edelgard, Dimitri," Byleth turns to each one as he says their names. "You three are with me. We're dealing with the mounted man."

I risk a glance at Edelgard and Hubert as he says that. Neither of those two has any sort of apparent reaction.

"Hilda and Leonie," he turns to the two Deers, the latter immediately straightening up while the former stays resting on her axe's pommel. "You and the Black Eagles are taking the left archway. Lysithea," he turns to the short mage, who is listening attentively to him. "You and the Blue Lions are taking the right one."

I'm in the same group with Lysithea? Uh-oh.

"We won't let you down, Professor!" Leonie proudly declares. More loudly than any of us had been speaking thus far.

"Did you hear that?"

"Where did it come from?"

I turn to glare at the tomboy. As does a good half of the other students. And the only thing she can do is blush.

I think I hear Byleth let out a quiet sigh before he speaks again. "Let's go."

We do as he says and rush into the Mausoleum.

The first thing about this place that catches my attention is that it's more large than wide. When compared to other archways from various churches I've seen, these are among the least wide, with the pillars defining them only a few meters away from each other. Something that is, however, countered by the fact that they go on longer than I would have ever expected. So much so that the casket Byleth mentioned is barely noticeable from where we are. What the hell was Rhea thinking when she designed this place?

However, I don't have the time to dwell on that too long. Right as Dedue, Felix, Mercedes and I get into the right archway, the eyes of the enemies Byleth spotted are immediately on us. They don't attack us right away, but their firm stances suggest they won't just let us pass.

Before we proceed, I turn to look at the central archway. And lo and behold, he's there: the Death Knight. Same scythe, same spiked armor, same horned skull-shaped helmet. And he looks about as ridiculous as he did in the game with his 'Grim Reaper' motif.

"How do we go about this?" I hear Mercedes ask. Turning around, I see her looking at our adversaries with a concerned face. Dedue is stealing a few glances toward Dimitri, while Lysithea and Felix are entirely focused on them, the latter simply narrowing her eyes, the former outright glaring.

"Simple: stay out of my way," Felix responds before suddenly charging headfirst toward the armed men, to everyone's surprise.

"No wait!" Lysithea tries to say, outstretching a hand, but is too late to stop him, as Felix clashes blades with the closest thug. "Damn it!"

To her credit, the kid calms down fairly quickly and turns to the Duscurian. "Dedue, you cover that idiot before he gets himself killed."

The big guy takes a moment before nodding, turning to the swordsman of our group, unstrapping his shield and axe and rushing to his position.

"Mercedes," Lysithea turns to the older girl, who looks at her attentively. "You are with me. We're providing cover fire."

Mercedes stiffly nods.

"And what about me?" I ask. Although judging by how Lysithea tenses up, slowly turns to me and looks at me with contempt, maybe it wasn't a good idea.

"You go help Felix and Dedue," she hisses.

"Are you-?"

"Now."

Oookay...better not push my luck here.

I turn around to better assess the situation. There are two guys with a lance, two with an axe and one with a sword. All five of them are now surrounding Felix and Dedue, the former being the target of the two lancers while Dedue tries to shield him from being cornered by the other three. They are giving as much as they're getting, but they're still two against five.

However, at the corners of the semicircle made by those five I can easily see one of the spearmen trying to skewer Felix to the left and one of the axemen keeping Dedue busy to the right. Meaning I have a clear shot at either of them.

"Alright," I mutter as I clench my gloved hands. "Let's do it."

"Just get a move on already!" Lysithea snaps behind me. "We can't aim at them while they're mixed up like this, and you just standing there isn't helping!"

Easy there, pipsqueak.

"You two be ready to fire at will," I tell her and Mercedes.

"What?"

I don't take the time to answer that. I just rush to the lancer on the left, the markings on my gloves starting to glow. Taking advantage of the guy's focus on Felix, I'm able to grab him by his arm.

And release the Thunder I had been charging.

The electricity quickly flows from the point where I grabbed the man to the rest of his body, effectively enveloping him entirely. The man cries out in pain as that happens, but it isn't long before he stops and he goes limp.

Limp, but not unbreathing from what I hear. Good, I haven't killed him.

I let go of his arm and he falls down unconscious.

I then look up to the others who were fighting and see they are looking at me with stupor, some more evident than others. Just as I was hoping.

Without missing a beat, I charge an Arcwind and release it on the remaining four goons, blasting them against the Mausoleum's wall and clearing Felix and Dedue from them. The goons have certainly taken a hit, but they're not down yet if their groans are anything to go by.

"Step back, boys!" I order the two, grabbing Felix by his arm and pulling him when he seems about ready to jump those guys. Dedue is thankfully more receptive. "Now girls!"

Shortly after I say that, a fireball hits one of the brigands that was trying to get up again. More arrive, quickly followed by Miasmas, all hitting these hooligans. By the end of that barrage, all of them have burns on their body. And only two are still breathing. I have to grit my teeth as I watch what is left of the other two.

Again, more people dead at my feet. Again, I'm feeling nothing. It wasn't by my hand they died this time, but that doesn't make this any better. Not to me.

A whistle coming from behind me breaks my thoughts. "Well, you guys sure handled this bunch fast."

Felix, Dedue and I all turn around at hearing Claude's voice. And upon doing so, we're met by the sight of not just him, but Dimitri too.

"What are you two doing here?" I ask confusedly. I glance past the two of them, and the Death Knight is still just standing in the central archway, but he's apparently not minding the two opponents that slipped past him. Or four, considering Byleth and Edelgard are also nowhere to be seen. "Don't tell me, d- that skull guy let you pass."

"As a matter of fact, he did," Dimitri replies just as confused, turning in the direction of the Death Knight. "One of the mages ordered him to attack us, but he refused."

"Quote and quote," Claude chimes in, making a bad impression of the Death Knight's voice. "'I don't take commands. Or waste my time on weaklings'." He lets out a chuckle. "Guess he was expecting to be fighting the Knights."

Uh...that's right. Beating him is not a requirement of this part. Wasn't expecting him to just ignore us like this for real, though.

"Anyway, Teach told the two of us to reinforce you while he and Her Highness reinforced the Eagles." Claude glances past us after saying that. "Looks like you cleared the enemy just fine already, though."

"Over there!" a new voice shouts from somewhere closer to the end of the Mausoleum. And turning in its direction, there are three guys in white and brown robes similar to those of the Church's priests, only with some more furs added. "How did they dispose of the mercenaries so quickly?"

"It doesn't matter. Blast them!"

As one, the three priests conjure spells of their own and launch them. Two are Fires. One is a Miasma. All three are headed right for us.

"Look out!"

Claude, Dimitri, Felix and I manage to get out of the way of the spells. Dedue doesn't react fast enough, but thankfully he manages to raise his shield to defend himself from the worst of the impact.

Before the three priests have a chance to fire another volley, Miasmas and Fires start flying toward them as well, scattering them for the time being. Lysithea and Mercedes rejoin us after that.

"Is everyone alright?" is the first thing Mercedes says. "Any injury?"

We all reassure her, then we turn back to the situation at hand.

We have theoretically the mages outnumbered, but the only ones of us who can return fire are me, Mercedes, Lysithea and Claude. Dimitri, Dedue and Felix are useless so long as they remain at a distance. And the only cover between the mages and us they could use to approach are the columns separating this archway from the central one.

"What do we do?" I ask the others.

"Are you really asking?" Claude chuckles before wrapping an arm over Dimitri's and Felix's shoulders each, the first looking at him confusedly, the latter just scowling. "It's simple: we get His Highness and Grumpy over there and they'll take care of them."

Seriously?

"What?" Dimitri asks dejectedly. "Claude, there is no cover we can use! They'll blast us away the moment we set off!"

"Not to mention none of us knows Warp," Lysithea chimes in. "We're supposed to study it later in the Faith Magic course!"

Claude lets the two Lions go and raises his hands defensively. "I know, I know," he says light-heartedly. "So how about you guys fire your spells at the same time as those folks?"

"That'd be suicide!" Lysithea keeps protesting. "We can't attack and dodge their spells at the same time."

Right as she says that, an idea hits me. "But...neither can d- they."

Claude nods to that, grin ever present. "Precisely. And while they are forced to take cover," he glances at Dimitri and Felix, "these two will approach them."

"Three," Dedue chimes in. "I'm going with them."

His statement gets Claude's smile to falter somewhat. "Sorry, big guy, but I'm afraid that's not a good idea."

Why not? Dedue can't do much if he stays in the backlines with us.

"I'm afraid he's right," Mercedes intervenes as she looks Dedue up and down. "Your armor slows you down. And that could make you an easy target."

Oh…

Dedue doesn't look at all convinced by that reasoning and he then turns to Dimitri.

"Don't worry, Dedue," the Boy Scout reassures him. "We'll be careful."

The Duscurian still looks unconvinced, but this time he nods to him.

"Great!" Claude intervenes after that. "Now let's get to it, shall we?"

Yes. Let's.

It took some work, but eventually Claude, Lysithea, Mercedes and I were able to cover Dimitri and Felix enough for them to close the gap between us and the mages and deal with them. And after that, we were able to rejoin and check the bodies.

As we do that, Mercedes and Dimitri are able to identify the mages as priests of the Western Church thanks to the furs of their robes - or at least, that's what seems to tip them off. The others start debating on why the Western Church would do this, but I mostly tune it out since this is no news to me and turn to look in the direction of the casket.

As it turns out, there is still one mage left. It's just another priest of the Western Church, with no beaked mask like in the game, but it's still the guy that manages to open the casket. Open it and pull out a sword out of it.

What happens after that is basically the same as in the game, only seen by a different angle: Byleth rushes him, disarms the guy, the sword makes a brief twirl upward before landing in Byleth's free hand, the mage tries to attack him with a fireball, the sword lights up and Byleth parries it.

"What the-?" I hear Dimitri ask, aghast. Looking around, I see the rest of the students have also turned to look at the casket, and now surprise is on all of their faces.

"Is…" Lysithea tries to say. "Is that sword glowing?"

Ah, you sweet summer children.

After admiring the Creator Sword for a moment, dropping his normal sword and parrying another fireball, Byleth charges the mage and easily cuts him down. Just like he always did in the game.

Well, I suppose this is it. The chapter ended here and soon Catherine will arrive with reinforce-

CRASH

...no.

CRASH

Not them. Not here. Not now.

I look at the central archway. All across it, there are now a series of new figures. All of them wear dark green hooded robes, with the beaks of plague doctor-like black masks with green ornaments protruding from beneath the hoods.

"What the-?" Dimitri mutters.

"Whoa," Claude adds. "Who are these guys all of a sudden?"

"N-no," I hear Lysithea whisper. "It can't be-"

These are not the Night Cats themselves. But the masks and Lysithea's reaction leave little doubt about it: these are Agarthans, at least a dozen of them, and all dark mages from the looks and feel of it.

Before any of us can react, the Slitherer mages all raise a hand, some toward us, others to the archway opposite to the one we're in. Squinting my eyes, I manage to glimpse faint blue lights forming in their palms, while I also sense them gathering magic. At first, I expect them to conjure Dark spells of some kind.

"Shit!" I exclaim as indigo fireballs form in the Slitherers' hands. "Blue Fire?!"

No sooner do I say that, streams of Blue Fire are shot forward.

"Scatter!" Dimitri orders.

But that proves unnecessary, as the streams of fire don't reach us, but land between the space two columns. But from the spots where they land, the Blue Fire spreads, first forming a line of fire between them which then proceeds to form a large circle around our group.

Three of these Agarthan mages are now standing near the circle we are in, hands outstretched toward us. Past them, I see three more outstretching theirs toward the other archway, their backs turned to us. The rest have surrounded Byleth, Blue fireballs aimed at him, while he keeps the Creator Sword raised defensively and glances around his assailants.

"This is the best they can do?" Felix scoffs in the meantime. "Pathetic."

"I don't think this is all there is to it," Claude replies lightly, although there is a more worried note to his voice now. He grabs his bow and nocks an arrow, aiming it at one of the Slitherers focused on us. "Watch," he says before letting it loose.

As soon as that happens, that same mage raises his hands and the circle sends up a tall burst of flames that immediately incinerates the arrow.

"Yeah, I thought as much," Claude comments.

Crap.

"Interesting."

And as if things couldn't get any worse, now the Death Knight has decided to move from where he was standing and approach these newcomers. None of them seems to acknowledge him as he glances over them. Only Byleth does

"Which one of you wishes to die first?"

"You will claim no life today, Emile von Bartels."

I freeze in place upon hearing that voice, while the Death Knight turns around. I only heard it once. And I only heard it say one word. But the voice distortion leaves little doubt who it belongs to.

And when I also look, there she is. Tigress. With her katana drawn and the rest of the Night Cats by her side. The twin-axes guy, the lancer that must be Panther and-

Oh Jesus Christ, that is Lion?

[Periander]

I wait for the so-called students of the Officers' Academy to enter the Mausoleum before I can descend there myself.

Their presence here has been a rather unwelcome surprise. I would have thought the heads of the Church would assign their best Knight at guarding a place as important as this instead of children, but I suppose that is too much to ask from the beasts that torched our civilization and chained humanity.

At least the disguise as Cardinal Aelfric has worked to perfection. The man's instructions on how to carry myself have been invaluable in not stirring any unwarranted attention. And with him down in Abyss conducting the place's version of the Rite of Rebirth, we run no risk of someone crossing both of us.

It isn't long after they've descended that the sounds of battle begin. That is my cue to peek into the Mausoleum.

Let's see...that fool of the Western Bishop has sent some of his priests, a few armed men, possibly mercenaries, and…

Oh. Well, well, the butcherer of House Bartels. The Master's hunch must be correct if the Imperial Princess was willing to send her attack dog here.

Well, no matter. We have the means to both get past and deal with him.

Closing my eyes, I reach out for the other mage seeking to make the necessary connection to warp inside here. Finding her is not too difficult as we are not so far apart. Nor is it warping her other three passengers. And the sounds of battle do cover that of their arrival.

"Welcome, Night Cats," I greet the four of them, all wrapped in their usual cloaks.

Actually, no that isn't quite true. Doctor Selene has not put on either of them. And instead of the black flowy robes I'm used to seeing her wear she now wears leather pants and boots, wrapped gloves and a sleeveless top. Her usually flowy hair is kept into a ponytail and she's carrying a massive warhammer in one of her hands.

"What are you doing, Doctor?" I ask her.

"Oh, this?" she replies, casually resting the warhammer on her shoulder. "Since we have plenty of mages already tonight, I thought I'd take advantage of my other talent. And I put on something easier to move in for the occasion."

I glance at Atalanta. She rolls her eyes and shakes her head.

Very well.

I give the quartet a quick rundown of the situation inside the Mausoleum. The one called Cheetah pays me little attention, but the other three listen to me attentively. Atalanta also furrows her brow upon hearing about the Flame Emperor's enforcer.

"I see," she comments after I'm finished. "Those kids being here instead of the Knights changes little. But Bartels' presence will make this more difficult."

"It's a good thing I'm here, then," Selene intervenes, drawing everyone's attention. "I'll keep him busy, you do the rest."

"Do not get overconfident, Lion," Atalanta interjects. "That man's skills with a blade are far superior than yours."

"Why do you think I picked a hammer to fight?"

I have to suppress a chuckle at seeing Atalanta facepalm.

"Whatever. Let's begin."

After saying that, Atalanta drops down on her knees, grabs a satchel from her belt and puts out the twelve Warping Glasses inside. Doctor Selene then summons Wind Magic and has them roll inside the Mausoleum, slowly but steadily slipping past the Bartels heir and close to the casket at the end.

And not a moment too soon. By the time they are all in place, I sense a shift in the surrounding magic, signaling the unlocking of the casket

"So, we set?" Cheetah asks.

"We are, my boy," I reply to him, before looking back to his leader. "Do you have further need of me?"

Atalanta shakes her head. She then points back to the top of the stairway. "Make sure no one leaves or enters through there. So long as your pupils remember not to let themselves be taken alive, we can take over from here."

I suppress a shudder at that reminder. I told my students what the risks were going to be and what would be required of them. That so many volunteered regardless both surprised and made me proud. But I pray it does not come to that.

"I shall do as you say," I tell her before shedding the Aelfric disguise and walking back to the entrance. And upon already hearing voices approaching, I know Atalanta's paranoia wasn't misguided this time.

I take a calming breath before conjuring Blue Fire.

For the Light. For Agartha. For Fódlan.