Hello everyone! Here I am, Sentinel07!
Well, the last chapter seemed to be well received, so let's just keep that up, shall we? I apologize to those of you eager for the main story to continue. It's still being worked on. Just not sure what else I need for it at this time. It'll definitely come at some point, perhaps even after this chapter if I feel like it. You can be assured it will be at some point.
In any case, I hope this turns out as well as the last one. This will be the first time this story tackles a major battle. Yeah, I covered the Battle of Garreg Mach in a previous chapter, but this will be one of a bit of a larger scale due to some new events I'm putting in. Nothing that drastically changes the narrative, but should make Byleth and Bernie's characters hopefully more interesting. Anyway, let's roll.
As usual, I own nothing.
DIVINE PULSE!
Extra: Guilt
Byleth's mind was racing. He wasn't entirely unprepared, but the fact that it had come to combat was surprising, to say the least. What was just a mission to help with the aftermath suddenly turned into something much more serious.
"All right, everyone! Be sure to stick together!" Catherine called out as her knights and Byleth's class were gathering. "Byleth, I'll trust you to keep your class in line. We can take care of most of them, but better safe than sorry. Be prepared to defend yourselves in case things go awry."
"Right," Byleth nodded.
Everyone had gathered nearby, where the trees and fog weren't making things any easier. Catherine and the knights had determined that Lonato's forces were coming in their direction, baring any more surprises. There wasn't much light to go off of, beyond Catherine's Thunderbrand. Heck, that was the only thing giving them any light with these overcast skies. Byleth kept to keeping his class together, to which there was a mix of intrigue and anticipation.
"You think they'll be alright, Claude?" Byleth asked.
"Well, it's a little different from bandits, that's for sure," Claude replied, being rather serious. "And this fog doesn't make it any easier. As long as we maintain formation, we can make sure we don't lose anyone. We'll be as blind as bats if we get lost in this."
Byleth nodded in agreement. This fog hadn't broken in hours. Anyone who got separated would likely end up disoriented. And their opponents knew this area better than they did. Byleth wouldn't be surprised if they knew exactly how to work in this weather. He remembered coming across bandits who could do so in the past when he was in Jeralt's group.
With that, Byleth turned to everyone. Emotions ranged from eager to anxious, with many in-between. He wasn't surprised of course, as he figured most would be given this would be a first for them. Common bandits didn't quite strike a chord as much as fighting soldiers for real. One could hope that it wouldn't be bad as it could get, but it was best to expect the worst.
"Do we know the extent of Lord Lonato's forces?" asked Ignatz anxiously.
"According to Catherine, it's mostly his own knights. Although..." Claude began, trailing off near the end. "There's been possible sightings of a local militia that has allied themselves with him too. Unconfirmed, but it wouldn't be surprising. I doubt his army would be substantially big without civilian support."
"Civilians..." Ashe muttered to himself, to which Bernadetta could hear. "What are you thinking, Lonato?"
This all just made Bernadetta want to hide even more. Their opponents were trained soldiers, and fighting potential civilians gave her a pit at the bottom of her stomach. She hoped it wasn't true. It was just a theory, right? She wouldn't have to fight against ordinary people, right? That just felt wrong in so many ways. Somehow, her worst feelings tended to come true a lot of the time. Her hands gripped her bow tightly, to the point where her knuckles were white. Leonie, who was standing next to her, noticed.
"Hey, Bernadetta," Leonie spoke, startling the girl slightly. "Just relax. You'll never get a good shot off if you're all tensed up."
Bernadetta gulped at her words, now beginning to panic a little. Of course she was doing something wrong. Why would she expect anything less?
"I know. I'm just going to mess up," she replied despondently, about to turn and walk away. "I'll just find a place to hide and stay out of your way."
"Woah, hey hey," Leonie replied, grabbing Bernadetta's hood and turning her back around. "No need to go that far. Just try and take it easy. You'll break your bow if you try to use it in that condition."
"O-Oh..." Bernadetta replied, not feeling too much better.
"Hey, if worst comes to worst, we'll look out for each other," Ashe offered optimistically, perhaps trying to boost his own spirits in the process. "Just be careful. The locals are quite used to conditions like these."
"Noted," Leonie replied, before turning back to Bernadetta with a light smile. "Just trust in us and your training and you'll do well."
"OK..." Bernadetta spoke slightly, lessening her grip on her bow but not any less stressed than before. "But...um...are we really going to fight...just regular people?"
Leonie blinked at Bernadetta actually asking her a question, but she offered a faint smile as she shook her head. "Probably. That's just how things go at times. Some nobles will recruit anyone for their armies. Knights, mercenaries, or just ordinary civilians...anyone can get caught up in them."
"But I don't understand why Lonato would do that," Ashe added, frowning. "The Lonato I knew would never endanger his people like that."
"I don't doubt what you're saying," Leonie replied understandably. "We can only hope we might learn a thing or two if he's cooperative."
Bernadetta sighed as Leonie and Ashe discussed it for a bit. Guess she had no choice in the matter. She would have to fight no matter what. She looked past everyone to Byleth, who was watching over everyone with Claude. She had yet to fight under his leadership, but she could dare to hope it'd go well. The others seemed to trust him to lead them into battle. Maybe she could too and come out a little better for it. Maybe...
Back up with Byleth...
"What do you think, Catherine?" he asked her.
"With this fog, it's impossible to tell where the enemy might be...or how many of them there are," Catherine replied, Thunderbrand glowing in her hands. "They might try to surround us, but they shouldn't have enough soldiers to form a tight circle. With the knights fighting ahead, we shouldn't have to face their full force."
As Catherine said, fighting could be heard somewhere in the distance, eerily echoing through the fog. Everyone stood at the ready, eagerly anticipating just when the remnants that got past the knights would reach them. It was strange, as it sounded so close yet so far away at the same time. Byleth's hands were clenched on his sword, already drawn and at the ready. Claude was naturally readying an arrow between his fingers. It was recommended that they not push forward at all until the enemy got closer, as rushing in would surely lead them all to a quick death. Byleth didn't want to rely on Sothis's power unless truly necessary. Last thing he wanted was to become reliant on it.
He looked behind him, seeing all of his students in formation. Claude and the rest of the main Golden Deer were all ready to go, but the two students he was worried about the most were situated to the back-right of the group. Ashe looked nervous, yet also resolute given he wanted to get to the bottom of this. Next to him, Bernadetta looked incredibly nervous, even as she had her bow and arrow drawn. Byleth knew he couldn't babysit her, as he would need to keep his focus on the battlefield above all else. It wasn't like she had time to practice with the other students too. The fact combat wasn't expected in the first place was starting to seem very short-sighted.
At Catherine's command, the group began to move slowly, stepping gingerly into the fog. She lead the way, Thunderbrand at the ready. If they were to come their way, she'd be the first to see them. And she could feel them coming, from how she began to tense, her fellow knights right beside her.
"Any second now," she spoke softly, just enough for everyone behind her to hear.
The sounds ahead of them began to get louder, with the cries of battle audible to them. Shouts from the men and the clash of metal could be more easily heard now, about to jump on them at any second. The whole group proceeded with bated breath, just waiting for that one second that would break the anticipation.
And, indeed, all it took was a single second.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
"HAH!"
Right through the fog came one of Lonato's soldiers, brandishing a sword as he intended to bring it down upon Catherine. However, with all the quickness of a Knight of Seiros, Catherine reacted instantly, striking Thunderbrand across the man's chest as he screamed, dying almost at once.
"So fast..." went through the minds of every student present. The finality of Catherine's attack was striking.
"Advance!" Catherine immediately gave the order. "Stick to your training and don't let the enemy past you!"
And just like that, the battle had begun in earnest. Catherine and her knights proceeded forward through part of the wooded area, easily being a match for any Lonato soldier they came across. As for Byleth's crew...
"Hah!" Byleth cried as he cut down a soldier who came for him, while Claude was shooting down another to the right.
"We're just seeing the ones who got through the knights' containment. We shouldn't get surrounded, but keep your wits about you everyone!" Claude commanded. "Watch the woods for ambushes!"
Claude led the charge forward along with Hilda and Raphael, being best suited for the front lines (despite Hilda's protests). Lorenz was around the midpoint, keeping enemies away from Lysithea so she could fling magic from afar. This also had the benefit of keeping most threats away from Marianne so she could heal easily enough. Ignatz also lingered around them, offering an arrow shot when needed. That left Leonie flanked with Ashe and Bernadetta. They were around the right side of the group, closest to the nearby forest.
"Hah! Yah!" Leonie's lance clanked against another. "Ugh...not bad, but I've faced harder!"
Leonie forced her opponent's lance to the ground, elbowing him up high to stun him before artfully bringing her lance back up and running the soldier through, pulling it back out as it fell the ground, twitching a little before stopping entirely. Bernadetta paled at the sight before her.
"Ugh," she gulped. She had an arrow at the ready, but her hands were still twitching.
"Focus Bernadetta," Leonie said without missing a beat. "There's many more where that came from. We have to do it."
"R-Right," Bernadetta replied despondently, keeping pace with Leonie and Ashe.
The air was soon filled with the cries of soldiers being slain and the scent of blood in the air. It was nauseating for Bernadetta to experience. Even the one bandit attack the Black Eagles were in didn't come close to this kind of conflict. Not to mention, everyone else was so much more into it than her right now. Leonie had the eye of a fighter, nothing surprising her as she took on whoever dared come within a few feet of her. Ashe also had a look of determination, even despair could be seen with every arrow he shot at their opponents. So many questions had to be going through his head on why this had to happen.
Bernadetta didn't have much more time to think about it, as more soldiers were coming, and the front-liners weren't enough to handle every one of them.
"Bernadetta! We got to cover the others!" Ignatz was calling over, shooting an arrow as he did.
"R-Right!" Bernadetta was startled a little but she fired her shot.
Her shot hit her target in the shoulder, not even close to being enough on its own but it distracted them enough to where Byleth came in and cut them down. He gave her a nod, one that gave off a sign of "keep that up" if she was reading him right. Honestly, there was already so much chaos that it was somewhat disorienting on what she should do next, but she stuck next to Ignatz for a bit as the more delicate units were kept to the back, now that Byleth and the others were curbing the charge in front of them.
All the while, as Bernadetta got into a rhythm of firing and keeping her distance, the carnage in front of her wasn't any less settling. She didn't get that feeling around bandits before, but just the idea of fighting soldiers like this made her feel a little sick. It reminded her a little of the knights back in Varley territory, people she didn't talk to all that much but at least they never did anything bad to her. These are people likely with families they were providing for back home, all fighting for something although no one could figure out what. These thoughts continued to plague through her mind even as one of her shots landed dead center between the armor plates of another soldier.
"Why? I just want to go home," she groaned. That would be so much more preferable to this, and less violent.
As the group was moving forward, they made sure to keep an eye on the wooded areas nearby before moving, trying to reduce the chance of an ambush. Of course, such efforts were still hindered as a result of the heavy fog, which they couldn't help but wonder if it was getting thicker the more they moved forward.
"This fog...it's something else," Byleth commented as he took down an enemy archer.
"I'm beginning to think it might not be natural," Claude replied, still at the ready. "It wouldn't surprise me if they have an experienced mage assisting them."
"Well said. I've been thinking somewhat similar," Catherine spoke, flinging some of the blood off of Thunderbrand. "We'll have to proceed as necessary, but keep an eye out."
"Understood," Byleth nodded. "Thus, so far, we've avoided any ambush."
"Can't sit easy there. That's when we're at our most vulnerable," said Claude. "Honestly, I'm a little worried. These soldiers sure are spirited, and I can't help but think there is more to this..."
While this was going on, Bernadetta was just catching her breath after assisting some of the others near the forest. She retrieved some of her arrows, many of them caked in blood by this point. Some of it had actually gotten on her uniform, as it had with many of the other students. Leonie in particular had quite a bit that she was trying to get off in the brief interval they had. It wasn't a pretty sight.
Still, they continued to move forward, combing the area as they went. Still, Bernadetta tried to stay closer to the back, not wanting to get any more involved than she already was. There was a tree nearby to where she was standing, and she ducked behind it as fast as she could. It seemed safe enough, given they seemed to be securing this part of the field pretty well.
"Phew, safety," she sighed, sliding down the tree trunk in relief.
She watched over the side of the tree, seeing where the others were. Even with the fog, they were still forging through. Admittedly, as she watched Byleth working so hard keeping everyone in line, it made her feel a little guilty about ducking out. Still, this was just too scary to keep on doing. She didn't want to keep putting herself in danger like this, let alone hurting others in the process.
Over to her right, she could see Lorenz looking everywhere before beginning to rejoin the others. Guess the fighting was proceeding forward...
Snap
Bernadetta's heart nearly stopped at the sudden sound, and following the sound to its source drained her face of color.
"Any updates?" Byleth asked Claude as they moved towards a clearing.
"Catherine says she may know where the source of the fog is coming from, so she's moving to intercept them," Claude informed him. "I believe Lorenz is checking behind us just in case."
"Good," Byleth nodded. He did a headcount of everyone around. He could see all of his students within a reasonable distance, but Bernadetta couldn't be seen. He ran over to Ashe nearby. "Ashe, have you seen Bernadetta?"
"What?" Ashe asked, looking behind him. He seemed to be just as surprised. "That's odd. I could have sworn she was right behind me. I hope she didn't get harmed."
Byleth gripped his fist a little. He was supposed to look after her. He was the reason she was even here to begin with. At least if she was behind the battle lines, she should be fine, but he couldn't say he was happy about it. He had half a mind to go look for her, but the front lines needed his attention more. On that note though, Lorenz was returning from taking a look at the nearby forests.
"All clear, Professor," Lorenz said cockily. "Nothing to worry about."
"Are you sure about that?" Claude asked. "You made sure there was no one? No one to sneak up behind your back?"
"I never look back, Claude."
"Not what I meant," Claude sighed. "I swear, even Hilda would be more useful doing this. Teach, I'm going to take another..."
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
The ears of everyone nearby shot up at the sudden scream, which was suddenly followed by battle cries. Byleth was just as alarmed given the likely owner of the scream. Those fears were confirmed when he saw Bernadetta suddenly running through the fog. Immediately, Leonie was running to see what was happening, before she was able to see what was behind Bernadetta. Her eyes widened.
"Bernadetta, get behind me!"
Leonie pulled Bernadetta behind her, getting her lance up just in time to stop a sword that was coming right out of the fog.
"What the-?!" Claude cried out, as more shades began to come through.
"For Lord Lonato!"
Byleth grit his teeth as the horde charged. From their appearance, they were not soldiers. Their clothing and lack of armor didn't give off such an impression. That could only mean...
"Civilians," he spoke, readying his sword.
"So, Lord Lonato rallied a militia after all. Damn," Claude cursed. "And they caught us in the worst spot too."
"Claude, they're getting closer!" Hilda screamed.
"I know!" he yelled back.
The group was unprepared for an attack on both fronts, the militia attack from behind sending them into a frenzy. Leonie's attack barely slowed them down, and there were too many of them for her to fend off. Furthermore, there wasn't enough time to support her. Bernadetta was lying scared behind her. Leonie grunted as she tried to get a small look at her.
"Bernadetta...get...going...NOW!" Leonie cried back, pushing back the swordman's blade as much as she could. "Go an-AHHHH!"
STAB!
Sadly, there were too many for her to handle alone, as another enemy came up from Leonie's side, running her straight through. Leonie tried fighting back with all her strength, but the attack allowed the opponent she had been engaged with to push his attack and stab her as well. Blood ran profusely from the large gashes in her body, words unable to escape her mouth as she crumbled to the ground. Leonie's body twitched a little, only choked sounds coming out.
And then, her hand fell completely still, a small action that was as impactful as an earthquake.
The whole group stood in shock, many trembling from the attack. Lorenz's face contorted in anger at seeing his fallen classmate. Even the normally jolly Raphael's fists tightened underneath his gauntlets.
"You shall pay for that!" Lorenz charged.
"RAAAAAAAAAH!" Raphael charged headfirst.
"Wait, don't charge them!" Claude cried out as he began to fire arrows. "Damn it!"
Chaos began to erupt among the group, their formation crumbling from the sudden and brutal attack. However, from Bernadetta's angle on the group, seeing the bloodied corpse of the girl who was just trying to help her a while ago...it was like it was all in slow motion.
"L-Leonie?" she choked out in little more than a whisper. Her hand reached out a little as if trying to reach the fallen girl.
No one was more shocked than Byleth though. Everything had crumbled so quickly, and Jeralt's words never resonated more in his mind than they did now. Watching one of his own students get run down right before his eyes was a startling sight. Even the one time before since Sothis allowed him to turn time back, it had not gotten that bad. Now, Byleth was witnessing just how bad things could get, as Lorenz and Raphael's reckless charges were doing little to help the situation. Both were already badly injured and on the verge of death themselves.
Bernadetta rose to her feet on trembling legs, still a sitting duck for all intents and purposes. She had dropped her bow when Leonie pushed her away from the action, and seeing what had just happened had dulled her awareness as to what was happening.
"Why...Why is this..." Bernadetta cried out. Complete terror filled her eyes as she watched the militia continue to work their way through their broken formation. "Home...I-I...wish I was home...I can't..."
"Bernadetta, MOVE!" Ashe cried out, trying to reach her while dealing with his own injuries.
But his cries fell on deaf ears, as Bernadetta stood in complete terror. She...She couldn't work up the will to fight back. She was so scared, utterly helpless, and unable to bring herself to fight these people. Another swordsman was making his way towards her, and Bernadetta only had the briefest of seconds to react to it before he raised it high.
"All who serve that wretch shall die!"
Bernadetta's eyes widened, and being without her weapon, she tried to grab the weapon before it came down on her. However, she was too late, and the blade came down right into her heart. The pain lasted for barely an instant before her eyes glazed over. Time slowed down as if processing what just happened. Images flashed before her eyes.
Guess...it was really true what people said when your life flashes before your eyes.
"Help..." she barely got out before she collapsed, breath leaving her. Her head rolled to the side as she landed, her half-open eyes still holding how she felt in her last moments.
Just like that, her body laid lifeless, near where Leonie and others had fallen beside her.
Witnessing it all, Byleth felt something ignite within him. The sight before him was so horrible, seeing so many people under his command dying, all because he wasn't as thorough as he should have been. Seeing Bernadetta, who was only here because of his insistence, fall was the last straw. Not that he didn't intend to use it when Leonie fell, but now whatever he was feeling was too much.
His mind cried out, tapping into Sothis' power as her power gathered once more.
DIVINE PULSE!
Immediately, all time around Byleth slowed to a crawl before ceasing all movement, developing all in a purple hue across the battlefield. It was oddly still and peaceful, despite the chaos all around him. Byleth couldn't say he liked it, the stillness of it all. It felt so unnatural, though perhaps that was fitting for such an unnatural power. Whips of energy appeared like a lock around his right hand, allowing him to move back and forth as he pleased. Of course, this always meant having to see his comrades be injured again, even with it being in reverse.
"That was surprisingly sloppy," quipped Sothis as Byleth was adjusting the time. "I do believe you were warned quite a bit regarding the dangers, and yet you didn't account for one of the obvious places they'd place an ambush."
Byleth sighed. This also meant more time for Sothis to critique his work. The girl in his dreams seemed to drift back and forth between helpful and sarcastic.
"I'm well aware of that," Byleth spoke, watching the rewind as he got past Bernadetta coming back to life, followed by Leonie. "Even doing this doesn't erase what happened entirely."
"As long as you understand," Sothis shrugged.
Making use of the enhanced clarity granted to him by this technique, Byleth got a sense for where the militia was coming from. He chose a good point to begin from, settling on just that point where letting the magic leave him, fully reversing reality to the selected time. Just like that, Byleth felt an impact as the new reality began to settle, like an image in his mind coming into focus.
The environment changed back to normal, a brief look of confusion going over many of his students' faces before they resumed what they were doing. Something Byleth realized the first time around was that certain sensations tended to linger even after using this technique. It certainly was with him, as he could still feel everything from the time that was just erased, even as just a passing sensation. Looking at his students, he got a feeling they felt similar.
In any case, he had no time to waste. This was when Lorenz was about to go back to check behind them.
"Claude," he suddenly spoke. "I'd like to take a look behind us to make sure they haven't gone around us."
"Oh?" Claude asked with a raised eyebrow. "You sound pretty assured of that, Teach. Something on your mind?"
"Just a feeling," Byleth replied. "You, Hilda, and Lorenz can maintain our frontline, while I take some of the others to check."
"Well, far be it from me to question a former mercenary," Claude replied, his usual snark coming through, but also with a genuine sense of respect. "Do what you need to, Teach."
Byleth thanked him, before bringing Ignatz and Raphael over to him. Leonie tensed for a second as Byleth tapped her on the shoulder to join him as well. She looked she just came from whatever was on her mind.
"You alright, Leonie?" Byleth asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Leonie shook her head. "Just...had a strange thought on my mind is all."
Byleth nodded, before asking her to come along. With any luck, those lingering sensations would help her survive the second time around.
It had to be around this time that the militia began their charge. Not to mention, Bernadetta would likely be over there given she seemed to be the first to encounter them, probably from hiding. Given she wasn't running yet, hopefully, he rewound far enough.
Nothing seemed worse than repeating one's mistake.
"Ah!"
Bernadetta's eyes widened suddenly. What was that? For a split second, it was like she was having some terrible dream. She was running from some bad people, but they ended up killing her and many others. For something that felt like a passing dream, it felt surreal enough. She looked down at her chest and noticed her right hand over the area near her heart.
Somehow, she could almost feel the sensation of being stabbed there, like she could envision the blade tearing into her flesh. What was going on? Was it just her being her usual scared self that conjured the feeling? But it just felt so real!
"Oh, I'm losing my mind," she groaned, leaning against the tree.
Snap
Bernadetta's heart felt like it stopped right at that moment. Why did that come in the opposite direction of where everyone was? And why did it sound so familiar? Bernadetta didn't have time to contemplate either question, with bodies beginning to look visible through the fog.
"Ah...ah...ah..." Bernadetta began to whimper, her fear increasing.
That...it couldn't be could it? Was it...
"HAH!"
Bernadetta immediately fell back down and grabbed her head, expecting to be attacked. However, to her surprise, there were no wounds on her. She opened one eye, and her eyes widened upon seeing Byleth and Leonie in front of her, clashing with what looked to be militiamen. Bernadetta's mind immediately went into a panic.
"What?! Are those civilians?!" she thought.
On the other side, the men seemed surprised at being caught here, but it didn't hinder them. They tried to push through just as they did before. Byleth still didn't know their full numbers, but having an idea of just who they were made planning easier.
"Leonie, swordsman on your right side," Byleth spoke.
"I see him!" Leonie replied, carrying said swordsman who came from that side.
The fog didn't make things any easier, but Byleth thankfully had enough allies with him to take care of the group. They couldn't stop every opponent, but at least they were able to minimalize their own injuries this time. Byleth just got through taking down a swordsman and an archer by himself, watching them fall to the ground while observing to see who else was around.
Leonie and the others all seemed to be alright, albeit a little tired from the attack. Just as Byleth was about to talk to them, something strange happened.
"Huh? Hey, the fog is all gone!" Raphael pointed out.
"It must have been done by magic, just as we thought might be the case," Ignatz replied. "Catherine and Claude must have taken care of them."
"Good. Now we can finally see," Leonie took a breath, stretching out her shoulders a bit. "Hey, wasn't Bernadetta just here?"
Somehow, the purple-haired girl had disappeared from where she was sitting.
"Ah, oh no!" Ignatz suddenly paled. "I remembered her running off and one of the militiamen following after her! I didn't have time to catch her though because I was tied up."
"Damn," Byleth clenched his fist. Of course, things wouldn't work out exactly as he hoped. "Did you see which direction?"
"To the north," Ignatz pointed.
"All right, we'll go search for her. Raphael, you come with me," Byleth commanded. "The rest of you will keep an eye on this area in case any more show up. Don't be afraid to call the knights over if you need."
"You got it, Professor!" Raphael replied.
"Leave it to us," Leonie nodded. "There's enough of us here to handle them."
With that, Byleth, Ignatz, and Raphael ran in the direction Ignatz pointed out, hoping she was alright.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"
Bernadetta cried out as she stumbled through the grass, alongside the edge of the forest. She had slipped away in the chaos, thinking she safely got away from it all. Better that than dealing with all those enemies. She hid down behind a rock, allowing herself to catch a breath.
"Phew...this should be far enough," Bernadetta sighed, sliding down the rock until she was sitting down.
Really though, what was it she felt before she started running? Somehow she felt a greater urge to run right at that very moment like she knew something bad was going to happen. I mean, she felt like that a lot of the time anyway, but that time felt especially strange. It was just weird, but whatever the case was, at least she got away. It was too scary to stay around there.
Step Step
"ACK!" Bernadetta felt like her heart just stopped at the sudden sound of steps.
"I know you're here, dog of the Church," snarled a ruthless voice. "No one who opposes Lord Lonato shall live this day."
Right out of the corner of Bernadetta's eye, she could see a swordsman heading her way. The look on his face portrayed nothing other than the desire to kill, making the color drain from her face completely. How did she not notice being followed? Was she too focused on just getting away? And now she was stuck here with no one else around.
"Ah...ah..." Bernadetta cried a little, bow awkwardly drawn.
"HAH!"
The swordsman charged forward, and Bernadetta hastily fired an arrow. It missed wide to his right, allowing him to keep charging until he was up close with her. Sword drawn high, he brought it down with mighty force.
"AHHHHH!" Bernadetta cried as she instinctively slid to the right, the blade just barely missing her.
"Grr! Take this!" the swordsman continued as he began to swing his sword horizontally.
Bernadetta quickly ducked to the ground utilizing how short she was, allowing the sword to clang off the rock behind her. She had no opportunity to fire an arrow unless she got some distance, and while running was something she was good at, her legs felt like pudding at the moment.
'Gotta run! Gotta run! Oh, Goddess, I'm going to die!'
Bernadetta cried in fear as she leaped forward to dodge another strike, scrambling on the ground as her bow fell to the side. The swordsman was relentless though, shaking his sword a little bit as he began to pursue her in earnest. Bernadetta was out of her element now, feeling like she had no place to run and no place to hide, and as she was scrambling to get back up, she had little to react. The swordsman was right on her once again.
"Are all of that witch's followers as cowardly as you are?" the swordsman growled.
Not sparing much thought he meant by that, Bernadetta rolled to the side, getting away from another sword strike. Now the swordsman was getting even more angry, seeing this girl no nothing but dodge. At that, he did another wide swipe, one that Bernadetta wasn't able to roll away from and it slashed her across her right calf. The effect on Bernadetta was immediate.
"AHHHHHHHHHH!" she cried out, feeling the cut across her leg.
"Now you can quit getting away from me," sneered the swordsman.
Bernadetta grabbed her leg, a steady flow of blood visible across her boot. The swordsman loomed large over her. She wasn't going to get away this time. He was going to bring that sword down and cut her wide open. Fear kept her absolutely frozen, her mind desperately trying to come up with something. How desperately she wished she was safe at home right now.
'No, he's going to kill me! What do I do?! What do I do?!'
Tears began to leak from her eyes as she cowered in fear of imminent death, a feeling that for some reason felt familiar. For a second, she wished that someone, Byleth or otherwise, would cut through that fog to save her, but as the seconds passed, nothing of the sort happened. Bernadetta's hands began to move, just looking for anything that might be of use. The sword was only seconds from coming down upon her.
"AHHHHHH!"
With a sudden cry, and feeling no other option, Bernadetta grabbed one of her arrows over her arrow and threw it right at the swordsman.
"Grrrrrr!" the man groaned as the arrow tip hit him, but pricked him due to the lack of force. "You little...!"
"HAAAAAH!"
Bernadetta rapidly jumped to her feet, little wobbly thanks to her injured leg. She closed the distance between her and the swordsman, fighting over the sword he carried. Bernadetta was in no control of her movements, just grabbing at whatever she could to make him drop the weapon.
"Little shit!" the swordsman growled. "Let go of me!"
The two of them fought over control. As driven, or crazed, as Bernadetta was, she didn't have enough strength to overpower the larger man. The swordsman used his free hair to grab a fistful of her hair.
"Ow!" Bernadetta cried out, her grip loosening as a result.
"Get off!" the man barked again, pulling enough to get Bernadetta to let go of his sword. "Just die already-AHHHH!"
The scuffle between the two of them had knocked them both off-balance, with the swordsman's own momentum beginning to take him down to the ground. His grip on Bernadetta was still strong though, as he ended up pulling her down with him, her head slamming against the ground.
"AUH!" she cried out, her head feeling a little dizzy after that hit. 'That hurt.'
After she was able to focus though, she could see the man trying to get up again. Acting frantically, Bernadetta immediately got over and tried to pin him, not seeing anything else nearby. However, just as before, the man was too strong for her, forcibly grabbing her by the neck.
"Finally, you're done," he growled once again.
Gasping for breath, Bernadetta had less of an avenue to leave now. Her vision was getting blurry as she frantically tried to remove the man's hands from her. She clawed and scratched the man's arm as much as she could, but it only served to anger the man more.
"So annoying. Die you little FAILURE!"
In that instant, Bernadetta's eyes widened, as if the image of the man before her had shifted to a visage far more disturbing. Time seemed to slow down, her world descending into black and white, with someone new looking down at her in disgust.
"You're just a worthless, unmarriageable girl! Never be good for anything!"
It felt like the surroundings had changed all around her, mirroring a scene Bernadetta was well familiar with: a wide room, with a man looking down angrily at her. She was trapped in a seat, every bit as constraining as the ground she was on right now. Bernadetta's panic continued to rise, unable to see any difference between the two visions in front of her.
"No...No...NO! GET AWAY FROM ME! LEAVE ME ALONE!"
At that moment, Bernadetta's hands happened to finally curl around a discarded arrow nearby. Rapidly and with great force, she took the arrow and struck it right into the man's arm!
"AHHHHHHH!" the man growled, the deeply embedded arrowhead making him lose his grip on Bernadetta.
"GO AWAY! GO AWAY!" Bernadetta practically screeched, getting right back up.
She pulled back the arrow, both it and her hand covered in blood. Holding it almost like a dagger, she pushed forward, ramming it into a spot between the swordman's chest armor. The swordsman cried out, trying to push through the wound in his chest to get Bernadetta away. His sword had fallen in the chaos, so he was resorting to fists to try and get her off, resulting in Bernadetta sustaining some blows to her head.
"AH! AH!...AHHHHH!" Bernadetta tried to block the man from injuring her further while trying to push her attack at the same time. Her vision was still blinded, seeing the visage of the last man she ever wanted to see in front of her.
"What is wrong with this girl?!" the man gritted to himself. How was this girl who was only half his size railing so hard against him?
She dodged the last fist he threw, giving her another chance to impale him, causing another gash of blood. The arrow was beginning to bend and break, but Bernadetta didn't care at this point. The only thought on her mind was getting this man as far away from her as possible.
"GET. AWAY. FROM. ME!" Bernadetta cried out.
"What are you...!"
At that, Bernadetta put both her hands on her arrow, bringing it down straight upon the man's head.
STAB!
And it impaled right through the man's eye.
"AHHHHHHH! GRAUGHHHHHH!"
After a little more twitching, the man's groans began to subside, before eventually going completely silent. Bernadetta's eyes remained closed, her teeth gritting against each other as she breathed hard, sweat doing down the side of her head. She continued to take deep breaths, the adrenaline still going from the experience she just went through. Slowly but surely, the images from her brain were starting to fade, clarity beginning to make its way back.
"Huff...huff...huff..." Bernadetta continued to breathe, her breaths beginning to slow down. Her eyes slowly opened as her heart began to normalize. "That was so-AHHH!"
Finally getting her eyes open, she gasped at the bloody sight before her. The arrow was still lodged in the swordman's eye, a rather gory sight before her. Blood not only covered the man's face but had also flowed onto the ground around him. Small twitches came every few seconds, but there was no response from the man at all. Just complete silence.
"W-Wha...Wha...What did I...?" Bernadetta quivered, hands shaking as she finally let go of the lodged arrow. "What...did I do?"
As if coming out of a trance, Bernadetta looked down at her shaking hands, seeing the blood that covered them, not to mention the cuts from the sharp edges of the arrow. The blood splatter not only covered her hands but also went up to her arms, and a good amount of it covered her chest as well. Her skirt had traces of it, and a little trail of blood flowed on her leg from where she was stabbed. Her whole body trembled from the sight of it all, between how she looked and what she had done to the person in front of her. There were so many wounds on the deceased swordsman, especially the multiple chest stabbings she put in before her final blow.
"Ah...Ah...Ahhh..." Bernadetta whimpered, slowly wobbling as she got back on her feet. Tears began leaking around the edges of her eyes. "Oh Bernie, what have you done?"
Perhaps the shock was what was keeping her from screaming at the top of her lungs. The look of the man on the ground suggested a brutal attack, not something Bernadetta had ever considered herself capable of. Even the times she fended off her dad from forcing her into another one of his "lessons" never amounted to something like this. Was she really so afraid that an attack like this was within herself?
The thought of it was just too much. The sight in front of her made her want to puke. The disgusting sight and thick smell of blood in the air threatened to overwhelm her. She was lucky to even still be upright.
"What happened here?" came a new voice out of the fog, apparently an ally of the swordsman. "You!"
Bernadetta's head slowly turned, seeing an archer of the same affiliation as the swordsman. He was waiting no time fitting an arrow and beginning to fire at the stunned girl. Bernadetta looked straight at him, feeling so tired that she wasn't sure if she could move even if she wanted to. She felt spent, like every will to move had just left her. She was a statue, looking the archer straight on as he began to fire.
SLASH!
"AHHHHH!"
Suddenly, the archer cried out as he buckled and fell over, a large gash across his back. Life left the archer's eyes as he fell completely to the ground, revealing Byleth behind him, wielding a bloodied blade.
"Bernadetta!" Byleth called, running over to the girl as Ignatz and Raphael looked around.
"Any others around?" Raphael's hands clenched beneath his gauntlets.
"None that I can see," Ignatz replied as he aimed his arrow back and forth between a few spots, making sure he wasn't overlooking anyone. "I think we're in the clear here."
While the two of them looked around just to be sure, Byleth ran over to Bernadetta's spot. As he did, his eyes widened slightly at the bloody sight before him, seeing a man impaled multiple times with an arrow through his eye. It looked like such a brutal act from all appearances that Byleth wouldn't have believed where it came from. His eyes followed the blood up to Bernadetta, who stood completely still. Cuts and blood covered her all over, and Byleth could easily guess where the injuries and blood came from based on how beat up her hands were. He could only imagine Bernadetta ended up in a close contest with the man.
Honestly, he was just happy that she seemed to be alright. If nothing else, she was alive and in one piece.
"Bernadetta..." he spoke, getting closer to the unresponsive girl.
Only when he got closer though could one thing be abundantly clear: she was anything but okay. Her face, all covered in dirt and blood, was deathly pale. He could even see outlines of tear streaks on her cheeks. Only then was it clear to him of just how horrifying an experience it must have been for her to fight off someone on her own like this.
Silence prevailed between the two until Bernadetta's mouth slowly began to move.
"Home...I...want...to g-go h-h-home..." she spoke in small breaths, her words beginning to quiver as she struggled to get them out, becoming little more than a whisper.
At that moment, more tears began to leak out from Bernadetta's eyes, and her breath hitched as she began to cry. The thought of it was just too much to bear. Being out in this foggy forest, fighting against civilians like this, imaging "him" of all people, and worst of all, the sight of all this blood. She hated it. She hated and was scared of how it came to this.
'This is...so wrong. I wish I didn't have to do this. I wish I didn't have to kill. I wish...that I could just hide away from all this.'
Byleth, for his part, couldn't think of a word to say to the crying girl. His eyes went downcast, unable to make eye contact with her. There were no words he could think of to comfort her, and nothing he could think of to justify what happened. Sure, he could say she just acted in self-defense, but what good would that go right now? Not to mention that he was the reason she was even here to begin with. Without him, she'd be in her room, most likely safe and a lot happier than she was right now.
'Is this...all my fault? Did I overstep my bounds? I thought I was doing something that would help her...but maybe not...'
"..."
Even Sothis was silent about this situation, neither having much idea on what to do with this. Bernadetta continued to cry in front of Byleth, the poor girl looking like she was falling apart. For Byleth, there were no words at all that he could think of to soothe her. And so, in the end, his body made the only move that seemed to make any sense at that time.
He placed a hand on her head, patting her lightly as he lightly ruffled her hair. To him, it was the only action that made any sense to him.
As Bernadetta continued to cry, she felt the sensation on her head. She just could just see Byleth's act in front of her, and...it...brought an odd sense of calm to her. Not enough to completely distill what was going on inside her heart at the moment, yet at the same time, it felt like something welcomed. Her tears slowly began to stop, even as she stayed rooted in her spot. No words were spoken as the two just stayed there, lost in the moment, each unsure of what to do but taking in at least some small level of comfort.
"Um, what's going on?" asked Raphael to Ignatz. "They've been standing there for a while."
"I think we should let them be," replied Ignatz. "I think Professor Byleth is trying to help her in whatever way he can. I can't imagine what happened here, but I bet it wasn't pretty."
"If you say so," Raphael replied before he turned his head. "Hey, I think the fog's lifting."
True to what he said, the fog was slowly beginning to lift around them, revealing the forest and clearing in its entirety. The sounds of battle could be better heard now, likely now intensified now that no one had to be careful anymore. The theory that it was magically induced seemed to be true, as Catherine had struck down a dark mage that was producing the fog. The battle with Lord Lonato was in full swing now with its leader now in the open.
As much as Byleth wanted to not leave Bernadetta to her own devices right now, he knew he couldn't leave the rest of his class to fight on without him. Whatever more could be done with Bernadetta could wait until later.
"Ignatz," he called. "Can I ask you to take Bernadetta to the back? Keep her away from the fighting."
"Yes, Professor," Ignatz nodded.
Byleth gently passed Bernadetta along to Ignatz. She didn't react much when the young man took her by the hand, collected her discarded bow and arrows, and began to lead her away from the sounds of combat before them. Bernadetta's thoughts didn't change much as she was lead away as if any will to resist was gone. Ignatz frowned in worry as he ran with her in tow.
"Hey, you know, we'd be happy to help in any way we can," he offered to her, but to no reply.
Nothing else was said between them, and as Byleth and Raphael returned to face Lonato alongside Claude and the others, one thought went through his mind.
'I'm sorry Bernadetta. I promised that you'd be safe, and I failed.'
The battle with Lord Lonato ended favorably for the Church of Seiros, though Byleth couldn't deny that it was leaving a bad taste in the mouths of the students. Ashe had spent a good while overlooking the dead corpse of the man he called father, with Hilda putting a hand on his shoulder in comfort.
"We did our job, though I can't say I'm happy about it," said Claude as he walked alongside Byleth. "What could inspire a lord to do something like this? He had to have known he didn't stand a chance, yet did it anyway, and involved civilians in it too."
"It's despicable and irresponsible is what it is," Lorenz spoke angrily. "No true noble would put his subjects through such danger."
"I knew it was unsettling, but I never would have imagined this," added Lysithea. "I just hope that there was something to this, that they didn't die for nothing."
"We'll just have to see what the Knights dig up. They're investigating further right now," said Claude. "What do you think, Teach?"
"I'd much prefer there was a point to this," Byleth replied somberly. "I feel that I did an inadequate job preparing you all for this."
"On the contrary Professor, the fact that we all live to tell the tale is proof of your caliber in combat," smiled Lorenz. "The odds were stacked against us with the unfamiliar terrain and the fog, yet we prevailed all the same."
"For once, I actually agree with Lorenz. How strange," added Hilda. "That was super scary though. I thought every shadow that came out of there was going to be an enemy."
"I'm just...glad everyone's okay..." Marianne practically whispered.
"Hey, you got to put a little more into it than that, Marianne," Leonie pumped her fist. "Circumstances aside, at least we won."
Byleth appreciated all the words of encouragement, even if he knew they couldn't fully understand what he was thinking. No way could they know that he actually failed to protect them once, having to rely on Sothis to fix it for him. I mean, he could at least be happy that he took advantage of the power and made sure they didn't fall a second time, but it still weighed on him.
Not to mention perhaps the biggest weight on him of all. Off to his right, Bernadetta just stood there. Marianne had taken care of healing her wounds, but smears of blood still remained across her clothes and a little still on her face. Not that such a thing didn't apply to the rest of the class as well, but the completely despondent look on her face was still etched in Byleth's mind. Ignatz, true to his word, had made sure she didn't run into any more trouble over the course of the battle, but it seemed a little late for it anyway. She hadn't spoken another word since the incident.
"So, what are you going to do?" asked Sothis.
"I don't know," Byleth spoke to himself. "I don't really know right now."
Once Catherine and the Knights were able to conduct their business, along with some potentially disturbing news of their own, it was back off to Garreg Mach. It was a much quieter walk back this time, with much of the class consumed with their own thoughts of what happened. Even Leonie, despite her earlier eagerness, was seen sighing off in the distance during one of their breaks.
Bernadetta continued to be off on her own the whole time, and Byleth made no effort to actually say anything this time. After seeing her caked in blood the other day, he couldn't figure out a single word of what to say to her. In his mind, he felt that he failed to live up to his role as a teacher, and instead did more to put her in danger than anything else.
And so, rather a rather uneventful walk back to Garreg Mach, Byleth allowed his class to go do whatever they wanted to rest after the grueling ordeal. Of course, Bernadetta was released to head back to the Black Eagles as well, an act that Byleth felt was best at this point. Better to let her actual instructor look over her development than him trying to interfere again.
He felt pretty sure sleep was not going to come easy to him tonight. His mind continued to be plagued by thoughts of his students as he retired to his quarters.
As Bernadetta went back to her room, enough time had passed for her head to clear up for the most part. She was quick to put "him" as far back in her mind as she possibly could, but the fact that she reacted so ferociously upon seeing his visage in front of that swordsman from before had lingered on for a while longer. She had finally gotten herself cleaned up from the whole trip, and thankfully Marianne's magic had wiped away most of the cuts she got. There was a light scar on her right leg, but it would likely fade in time.
"Why him of all people?" she sighed. "That was so scary. I never want to do that ever again."
Even now, as she looked at her hands, she still felt like she could feel the blood on them. It was such a horrifying thought, something she wished she never had to inflict on another person. Sure, bandits were one thing, but these people were something else entirely.
Thankfully, no one else had talked to her on the way back. Whether it was because they were all too occupied with their own thoughts or not, she wasn't sure, but it worked out well for her either way. And now, she was back in her personal sanctuary, where she could just rest and do whatever she wanted.
Still, even as she settled, she couldn't get everything off her mind. Not only was it still alarming to how frantically she killed that swordsman, but Byleth's reaction was unreadable to her. Was he disappointed in her? Did he regret bringing her along? Perhaps she was worthless just as she had thought all this time. And yet, the feeling when he put his hand on her head felt...so comforting. Like, she actually felt peaceful for a little bit during that time. She wasn't really sure what it meant. Her mind was so messed up to figure out anything right now.
Byleth hadn't looked her in the eye once the whole trip back, and she couldn't bring herself to do it either.
Driven to the point of exhaustion, Bernadetta barely had enough energy to change out of her dirty uniform before falling facefirst on her bed, entering a dreamless sleep.
Well, that's it. Probably the most blatant somber chapter I've written.
Frankly, I'm not sure if it's any good. I think this chapter taught me that I'm not very good at writing Fire Emblem battles. Not like I know a damn thing about how weapons actually work or anything. :D
So yeah, drama and fights. Two things I'm probably not the best at all things considered. :D
Well, above all else, as long as characters still act in a way that makes sense, I am satisfied, and I hope you'll get the same impression. That's all for now. The next chapter will continue from here with the aftermath. If the chapters ending feels somewhat abrupt, it's because that'll be more explored in the next chapter. That's being set up to deal with most of the aftermath of this event.
Sentinel07, out!