Chapter 1: Reincarnation on Budget Cuts

My sleep was disturbed. All around me was the void and yet I felt as though something was around me. I tried to focus through the haze my mind was in and suddenly, I could hear a few disjointed phrases.

"Usurper!"

"Di-ace!"

"Th- … hubris! …. -ution!

More and more voices joined in and I got the unsettling impression that they were talking about me. It was one big shouting match. After some time, however, a booming voice bellowed.

"Silence!"

All of a sudden, the cacophony of voices stopped and things somehow became clearer. I still couldn't see anything, but I got the feeling that I could hear now.

"This one has not intended insult. For that matter, offence was not yours to take but mine, and I have not taken it. It is not your place to demand or extract punishment."

That authoritative voice was the same that had silenced the others. Good. Whatever this was, I now felt as though I'd get out of this intact, whatever it was.

"It seems our guest is listening in. Welcome, young man." said the voice from before. "So, you are the one who would take my name, hm? Well, this is interesting."

I was confused. Why would I take someone's name? I don't remember doing that.

Whoever was talking to me apparently sensed my confusion. "Ah, but you will. He may have relinquished his domain to your future friend, but the old man with the sickle can still sense some things through it."

This did nothing to abate my confusion in the slightest. Now I only had more questions than before.

"You'll understand in time," said the voice before it (he?) began to laugh as if he'd just told a good joke. "In time, indeed. Now then, my name and domain have gone unused for eons and you seem to be a decent enough lad. Use it well, for I hereby legitimise your usurpation. Good luck."

The impression of a smile entered my mind and without a warning, there was a great storm all around me. I was cast adrift in colourless clouds and once more, drifted off into sleep, wondering what had happened.

I suddenly woke up in a void. That seemed mildly distressing, but seeing that I was neither in pain nor discomfort, I let it slide for now. I looked at myself and noticed that my attire had changed from my pyjamas to my most comfortable get-up. If this was some weird psychedelic trip, I would at least give it points for the comfort factor. Still, in case that this was not, in fact, a trip or a dream, I had to figure out what the bloody hell was going on. Oh boy.

Looking around the place, I quickly noticed that it wasn't so much a void as that the ground was merely invisible. I could see a very faint glow in the distance, which made me curious enough to investigate. I took some time to analyse my situation on the trek to the glow. Thoughts flew through my mind and I was quick to pick up, discard and pick up again several lines of thought.

As I neared the glow, an unsettling feeling started to creep into my consciousness. When I reached my destination, that feeling intensified. I gazed at the stone steps leading up to a throne on which a small girl with green hair and pointy ears slept peacefully.

There was only one appropriate way to summarise this.

"Well, fuck."

I studied her for a long time and thought frantically. If I was now involved in some stupid reincarnation business, that had some very concerning implications. One, I had died and I could say bye-bye to friends and family. That stung. Two, I was now stuck in Fire Emblem: Three Houses. On the surface, that might have been pretty exciting, but I knew I'd screw it up if I had to take Byleth's role in the story. Fodlan was not just a game world anymore and battles would most certainly not work like in the game. I was dealing with a real world and real people. I'd get a lot of people killed trying and failing to live up to Byleth's supreme tactical abilities. I did not have his natural charisma either. This was getting worse and worse.

Before I could completely fall victim to panic, however, I re-evaluated an earlier observation. I was I, not Byleth, at least appearance wise. That was comforting. It meant that there was hope that it was not up to me to save Fodlan. If that was the case, and I hoped it was, then I could support Byleth and affect how the story played out. I was not too keen on that 5-year long nap nor on the visit to the actual void that would prelude it if the future played out like canon. Avoiding Jeralt's death was also on the to-do list. I had no intention of failing Byleth, not when he or she and Sothis would be the only two possible friends I could ever have in this new life.

Just as I was beginning to get angry over my lack of ability to take notes so I would not forget crucial details, a blue glow joined Sothis' green one. I had to avert my eyes because of the light's intensity and when I was able to look in front of me again, I was floored. Turns out reincarnation didn't just give me a zero in the superpower lottery. Before my eyes was what I could only describe as the most comfortable tactical command centre I had ever seen. There was a multitude of monitors behind which there was an assortment of cushioned office chairs. There also seemed to be a couch and a rather ordinary TV monitor at the back next to a gigantic shelf filled with numerous items that looked like books and DVDs. The final piece of it all was a four-poster bed with curtains close by. All the while, the entire area continued to glow with faint blue light.

I immediately headed over to my new command centre and sat down behind what seemed to be the main computer of the thing. It looked like everything was already running, going by the electrical lights and the sounds the machine made. I quickly took to the task of figuring out how this thing worked. Luckily, it was very similar to what I was used to. That was very fortunate indeed, for I sucked at technology.

A huge weight fell off my heart when I spotted a series of files titled "Wiki". Opening it, I discovered what I had hoped for: A plethora of entries concerning what had originally been just a game and was now my reality. Most of the other files I saw were tutorial instructions on what my new command centre could do. Others contained assorted data I found very useful in relation to Byleth's future job as a teacher at the Officers Academy. I could work with this.

An hour or two later, I was slowly growing weary of working through the files and as of yet latent programs. While I had found out quite a bit and was curious to test a lot of my new knowledge, my curiosity over the back area was finally growing too strong for me to ignore. To my delight, I discovered a vast collection of entertainment. This would not only serve to stave off my own boredom, but also to have bonding moments with the other occupants of this place. I was eager to see if the equipment worked as I hoped so I chose a DVD at random and put it in the player below the TV screen. I settled on the couch and relaxed while the film began its run.

Some time later, I felt an odd sensation, as though a persistent but not uncomfortable vibration was passing through this realm. Could it be that Byleth was sleeping right now? That he or she was now closer to this place? Somewhere deep within me, I knew that right now was a time of opportunity. Right at this moment was my chance to do something, and I knew just what that something was. It was time for an early wake-up call.

I quickly left my personal area and hurried up the stairs to Sothis' throne. I slowed down towards the top, partly because I had never been fit and partly because I didn't want to be too hasty or pushy while waking her up. When I had finally reached the top of the stairs, I approached the throne calmly, laid a hand on Sothis' shoulder and shook her lightly.

"Wake up," I said.

When a groan left her mouth, I knew that I was close. I shook her once again.

"Wake up," I repeated, "You've been asleep for a very long time now. Fodlan needs you."

She groaned again before her eyes started to open slowly. I pulled back my hand from her shoulder and gave her what was hopefully a warm smile. She stared at me with her sleepy eyes before they widened. She looked around with a hurried, almost panicked gaze. Her breathing was fast and uneven as she shot straight up in her throne. I lost my smile in shock. This was not what I had expected.

Her eyes finally locked onto me. She looked afraid of me and I immediately decided that I hated that. I knew she was an ancient and powerful goddess, but at this point she looked like a small child. A small child who was shaking in fear at the sight of me. I'd probably get a world of sass and embarrassed condescension for it later on, but right now, I had a feeling that I needed to treat her like a child. She likely hadn't even started remembering even hints of her life. What a mess.

"Hello," I said with a renewed smile while I sat down on the floor in front of her throne.

"… Hello," Sothis answered after a few seconds. Her fright was starting to abate a bit and she looked around again. Then she asked "What is this place? Who are you?... And… and who am I?"

Her renewed distress was definitely not a welcome sight for me. Therefore, I quickly answered her questions as best as I could. "As far as I'm aware, this place is the mindscape of a person called Byleth. You and I are pretty much stuck here until he or she shows up. I don't think it's too far off at this point in time."

I paused for a second before resuming, "Now then, introductions. You can call me- agh!"

A blinding pain shot through my head, unbidden and without warning. I recalled that strange dream I'd had before I landed here, knowing now that it was likely more than just a dream. Just then, the pain went away and a single word, a name, came to the forefront of my mind. It fit the theme quite nicely.

"You can call me Hyperion. Pleased to meet you.

As for you, well… Your name is Sothis. As reliable sources tell me, you are also called the Beginning."

Recognition flashed in her eyes and she immediately gripped her head in pain.

"Ugh-!" she managed to choke out while tremors wracked her body.

I stood up and rushed to steady her, lest she fall of her throne. This reaction was far more violent than mine had been.

After more time than I felt was good, Sothis finally stopped shaking. I tentatively knelt down and looked at her face, which she had tilted downwards.

"Sothis, are you alright?" I asked with concern.

She stayed still for a few moments before shaking her head and looking at me again. Her gaze was lucid again and the fright had disappeared from her eyes. Finally, she gripped my arms firmly and shook them off.

"What do you think you're doing?" she half-shouted, "Do you think I'm a child who is unable to look after herself? Phooey!"

I couldn't help myself. I laughed, heartily at that. This was more along the lines of what I had expected when I had decided to wake her up. She even used almost the same line on me as she had on "canon" Byleth. After a few more chuckles, I decided to answer Sothis before she could take offense at my joy.

"Right now? No, you don't need me to look after you. But you'll have to admit that you were not quite there yet a few minutes ago," I said.

I took her grumbling as a victory and grinned good-naturedly. I noted that she looked around again, this time probably to take stock of her surroundings. When the green haired girl next spoke, her tone carried curiosity and a hint of suspicion.

"Tell me," she began, "How is it that you know these things? You don't exactly look like the overly smart kind."

"Oi!" I interjected. I mean, she had a point, but that was kind of insulting. Nevertheless, I decided answer, "Long story short, reincarnation. It's quite possible you'd know a thing or two about that if you had all your memories, Miss Arbiter of Every Soul."

The invocation of that title seemed to give Sothis a headache again, though this time, it fortunately seemed to be far less harrowing for her. When she regained her bearings, she looked at me in surprise. She narrowed her eyes and stared at me with unblinking eyes for a minute. It was quite awkward, I had to say.

"You speak the truth," she intoned, "Your soul belonged to a body before you died. But that still does not explain how you seem to know these things about me!"

I nodded. That was a fair point, but I had an answer to it, and so I said, "I did say it was a long story. It seems we have time, though, so sit back and I'll-"

Before I could continue, our surroundings began to quickly distort. Colour, mostly grey, began to replace the black all around us and we both could hear rain. If this was what I suspected it was, it would help my explanation along quite well.

"Well, well, well. It seems like our host is dreaming of the past by virtue of your powers. This dream will help me explain to you what is happening, at least," I said at last.

And then, I could say nothing anymore as the dream finally finished taking shape and played out.

Under the cold rain of Faerghus, on the Tailtean Plains, the final battle of Seiros' holy war against Nemesis took place. Tens of thousands of soldiers hailing from the ascendant Adrestian Empire charged towards the lines of Nemesis' host. Though the horses, the pegasi and the wyverns were hampered by the intense downpour, they continued on unperturbed. The infantry clashed and the bloodbath began.

Thousands upon thousands died over the hours and it became clear that the Adrestian forces had gained the advantage by midnight. However, as the rain cleared, the enemy was reinforced by the incoming personal guard of Nemesis and the 10 Elites. Empowered by the Crests and Relics they had stolen, they slaughtered untold numbers of Imperial soldiers. Nevertheless, they could not reverse the momentum of Seiros' forces, merely halt it. And so, the battle raged on in a morbid stalemate wherein the killing continued.

Towards the early hours of morning, Seiros pushed forward with her own personal guards, rapidly ploughing their way across the battlefield towards the banner of Nemesis himself. Similarly, having spotted his greatest opponent's banner, the King of Liberation advanced towards Seiros' unit. Any troops unlucky enough to be in the path of these two opposing forces were mercilessly cut down before they even noticed what was going on.

Finally, just as the sun began to rise over the horizon, the two stood in front of each other. Nemesis' gaze was cold while Seiros' stare held nothing but contempt and hatred for her opponent. After but a moment, she charged towards him. He responded by unleashing the Sword of the Creator, using it as a whip to try and ensnare the woman so as to cut her to ribbons. Instead, she managed to dodge with inhuman reflexes as the attack went onward and killed more of the surrounding soldiers. A second attempt followed with very much the same result. A third and fourth attempt came after that. Then the two blades clashed directly as the two warriors parried each other's blows.

It was well known at the time that the Sword of the Creator could cleave a mountain in half, seeing as Nemesis had used it to that effect once or twice. However, it required time to charge that power. Now that Seiros was so close, there was no time left. As Nemesis swung the bladed whip, it could unleash none of the power it could have generated. And so, Seiros caught it with her own blade, entangled it on the enchanted sword and ripped it from his hands. Then she closed in on him and with her superhuman strength and kicked him down into the mud.

The warrior woman pulled a dagger from her waist and held it to the defeated man's throat. "Tell me, Nemesis," she began menacingly, "do you recall the Red Canyon?"

Wide eyes. Stab!

"You'll die for that!"

Stab!

"Die! Die!"

Stab!

"You took…"

stab!

"everything that I loved!"

Life fled the King's eyes and all the remained was Seiros' heavy breathing. Around her, the Adrestian forces cheered while what remained of their opponents fled the field. As the rising sun's rays became more pronounced, the Saint moved over to where the Sword of the Creator had fallen to pick it up. She knelt there in the mud and lifted it up to her face as if she wished to hug it before uttering a single, quiet sentence.

"He's gone now, mother."

The world turned into blurs once more and everything became dark again.

When the darkness around us returned and we could speak again, I was almost ready for Sothis' rather shrill question.

"What in the world was that?!"

Wincing a bit because of the volume, I took a second to look downwards before answering, "I'll be happy to tell you, just as soon as introductions are done."

"Introductions?" she asked.

She followed my gaze, which had not been on her for a few seconds now, and spotted what I'd already seen. There, at the base of the stone steps stood a man with dark green, almost blue hair, dressed in black clothing and armour pieces. His seemingly empty stare looked up at us, but in spite of the appearance of emotionlessness, I suspected there was also curiosity in there. He certainly wasn't dull where it counted from what I knew.

Sothis peered down curiously and said, "Oh my, what could've brought you here?" She paused for a bit before asking her next question, "Well? How about you introduce yourself? What is your name?"

"Byleth," was the short answer he gave.

The look he gave us was sharp and questioning. He was clearly expecting us to reciprocate. The resident goddess noticed too.

"My name is Sothis," she said, "and this here is Hyperion."

I lifted my hand in greeting. "Hi."

Byleth nodded before taking a look around. "What is this place and why am I here? And what was that dream?" he asked.

"I'm happy you asked," I responded immediately, "It fits nicely together with the explanation to the questions Sothis has asked me. To answer your last question first, that was the last battle of the War of Heroes on the Tailtean plains in the Imperial Year 91. It was also, I suspect, a memory of Sothis'.

As to what this place is, it's your mindscape. Basically, it's a place inside your mind where your concept of self manifests. I'm not quite sure about that, but mindscapes are very common in people who have other entities 'living' inside them. With me so far?"

Byleth and Sothis both nodded. Neither of them was stupid, so I wasn't surprised when Byleth eventually commented, "That still does not explain why you two are here."

"Or why you think that this dream was a memory of mine," added Sothis.

"We'll get to the reason for my presence here a bit later. It's more convenient if I start with Sothis' presence. Mainly because I'm sure with her case whereas mine is a bit murkier," I answered.

I took a moment to think over how I wanted to say what I wanted to say before I spoke again, "Long story short, Sothis was planted into you right at your birth. You were stillborn and the only thing that could save your life was the surgery that put her heart into you. Have you ever truly thought about why you have a pulse but no heartbeat? It's her heart that makes your blood move. It is also why she is here. At least part, and in her case all, of her kind's consciousness is stored within their heart, even after death."

The both of them stared at me incredulously. Unbothered by their disbelief, I continued. "This is also why I believe that what we've just seen was a memory. Did you have a good look at Nemesis' sword?"

Still questioning the truthfulness of my words, the two nevertheless nodded.

"Good," I said, "That's important for one good reason. Sothis, I'm sorry for what I'm about to say, but it's the truth. That sword was, and still is, the remains of your mutilated and desecrated corpse, made after Nemesis had murdered you in your sleep. The sword's handle, guard and blade were made from your spine and shoulder blades. The glowing stone at the intersection of the guard and the handle is your heart."

While Byleth still appeared sceptical, Sothis took on unhealthy shades of white and green. Her hands flew up to her mouth and she stated shaking again. I had expected a horrified reaction, but not this. Sure, you don't get told that your body was appropriated for the construction of what amounts to magical WMDs, but what could-

Oh shit. My own plan had gone horribly right. I began this venture with the intention of helping Sothis regain her memories quickly. Why hadn't I thought of her remembering… unpleasant memories? Stupid!

Then that horrifying sound between a retch and a scream started and both Byleth and I rushed towards Sothis, though in the latter's case, it took a few seconds for him to reach the top of the stairs. During that time, she'd already started thrashing violently.

"Make it stop!" she screamed, "make it stop! Make it stop! Make it stop! Make it stop! I feel their hands digging into me! They're ripping me apart! Don't take that out! No! Make it stop!"

By the end, Sothis' screams had degraded into sobs. Her shaking had not stopped though. So, I did the only thing I could think of. I wrapped my arms around her and hugged her. I gave Byleth a hard stare and he seemed to get the hint. He, too, wrapped his arms around the small goddess, though it looked incredibly awkward.

We stayed like that for a few minutes until the sobbing stopped and then I took a look at Sothis again. She was asleep.

"Help me put her on the bed down there, please. I'll answer your questions afterward," I asked Byleth.

He nodded and we carried her gently down the stairs and behind my command centre to the four-poster bed. We laid her down on the mattress and I took a moment to pull the covers over her before I gestured to Byleth to walk with me.

"Before you ask, I didn't know that would happen. I want her to regain her memories, but if it's like this, I'm wondering if it's worth it," I told the mercenary with a humourless chuckle.

We walked in silence for a few seconds before he asked, "Why do you want her to remember?"

I gave him my most serious look and said, "Because the sick creatures who did those revolting things to Sothis are still out there, and their ways have not become any more scrupulous over the last millennium. Because Sothis is a goddess and we need her power, which can only be restored if she has her memories of using them. Because you are the host of her heart and you are the only one who can pull off a victory in the fight against them. And because they will be hunting you as soon as they realise you exist."

Byleth took a long moment to process that. His deceptively empty stare seemed to pierce my very soul, which was probably true, considering that we were in his mindscape. He finally put forth another question. "How do you know this?"

"Because I know a timeline, or rather four and a half timelines, of this world," I answered. Before he could ask me to specify, I continued, "I really wanted Sothis to be here for that conversation so I could explain it to both of you at the same time, but I screwed up, as you can see.

The short answer for why I know these timelines is reincarnation. The somewhat longer answer is that I come from a world where yours could be… viewed in the form of a game."

"Do not take me for a fool!" shouted Byleth, taking me aback. How was it possible to shout with such an emotionless face?

I scoffed. "I don't. You're a smart guy. Want proof of part of my story? I'll tell you a piece of information that only your father could possibly know: the identity of your mother. Her name was Sitri."

Byleth did not get a chance to respond, for the entire atmosphere of the mindscape suddenly began to shift. I had a suspicion just what this meant.

"It seems you're about to wake up," I said. "Tell your father about this 'dream' if you want. In fact, I'd prefer it if you did. Stopping his death is one of my objectives here. Have a pleasant day."

Before he could say anything, the shift was complete and he disappeared from his mindscape.

I took a moment to process the mess I had unintentionally started and I hung my head. The road to hell was, indeed, paved with good intentions.

"I'm so sorry, Sothis," I whispered.

I could only hope she'd forgive me for making her remember this pain. She'd get an apology from me once she woke up.

That aside, there were plans to be made. It was, after all, my intention to actually help people more than hurt them with my interference. With a bad start like that, I had work to do to make up for it.

And so, with determined steps, I headed over to my command centre. It looked like it was time for some good old-fashioned research and planning.

AN:

Alright folks, I hope you liked this opening chapter. It took me an embarrassingly long time to cobble this together and I sincerely hope that it's paid off.

From what I can tell, this kind of self-insert is either completely new or really obscure. Let's see if the fresh wind has gained your approval, dear readers.

Feedback and criticism, so long as it's valid, are always appreciated. Flames too, if they're funny enough.

Also, a shout-out and a huge thank you to Rouge Ebony for inspiring me to actually write something on this site. I really recommend her story "Round Two" for any fan of Persona 5.

Edit of the 20th of November 2020: Minor revisions to punctuation and orthography. Change of wording in one instance.

Also, in case anyone finds this interesting, Adrestia, better known as Adresteia is the Greek Goddess of Revolt. She is the daughter of Ares and Aphrodite and is often depicted with Nemesis. Sometimes the two are conflated. So, in the plot of Three Houses, it seems rather fitting that Adrestia be there to revolt against a corrupt order upheld by Nemesis.