"Everybody fallback!" she ordered, "She's using our crests against her."
"Then, that command does not apply to me," commented Dedue before he lunged towards the girl. She dodged him using her impressive speed. But Claude started to shoot towards her. He did not seem to want to hit her but just distract and overwhelm her enough so that Dedue was able to grab the girl and move to hurl her hard against the floor.
"Iris-chan! Abi, no!" suddenly, a fluffy green dragon with a goat-like horn smashed into Dedue's side!
The dragon was the size of a large mountain dog. It had enough force to make Dedue stagger sideways, losing his footing and being forced to let go of the girl. The dragon stood protectively between Dedue and the girl and declared in an indignant voice, "That was not very nice Abi!"
"Umm, my Duscar is not what it should be," Claude chimed in, "But doesn't Abi mean father in Duscar?"
The green dragon transformed into a little girl of about ten with mint green hair and a face whose shape and general expression reminded Byleth of Flayn's but her skin was as dusky as Dedue's and her eyes, there was no mistaking those eyes!
"Ethniu Molinaro," The girl identified herself, "Why are you all attacking Iris-chan?"
"Iris, as you call her," replied Claude, "Attacked us!" pointing to Ingrid and Edelgard, Ingrid was still coughing up blood while Edelgard was struggling to get back on her feet.
Ethniu blinked, "Iris-chan! What's going on?" she asked the girl, but Byleth noticed, didn't move to help her up or otherwise touch her.
"I wanted to see if she was worth her reputation," Iris said, pointing to Edelgard, "But I am not impressed. No wonder she died at the end of Areadbhar."
"What, what did you say?" asked a shocked and horrified Dimitri.
"Don't…" started Iris but she was stopped when a large silver metallic horse-like things dropped from seemingly nowhere and a pair of hands emerged from the thing to grab the heads of both Iris and Ethniu.
"That's enough from the two of you!" came a voice but before Byleth could fully process what was happening, the beast of metal jumped and disappeared into the pitch darkness overhead.
Someone was using the divine pulse or at least something similar to the divine pulse for the time was reversing itself but seemingly only for her students. Iris and Ethniu remained absent, even as their actions were undone.
"It's more precise," Byleth realised, "It's the same power, it's Sothis's power but while I turn back the time for the whole world. This person can do it for selected people and objects. But that means Iris and Ettuni will remember what they did while my students won't!"
That seemed unfair but Byleth got the impression, whoever was doing this was not in the business of playing fair. It made her smile because it meant her son was more like her. Wait, what did she just think? Why did she think it was her son who had just used divine pulse? Why was she pleased that her son took more after her and not Dimitri?
Byleth shook her head to clear it. She needed to be present, here and now. Wherever and whenever, here and now was, for they were back in the field of flowers.
"This is Fearghus," Dimitri exclaimed once again, "I remember this field. It lies between Fhirdiad and Dukedom of Fraldarius. We had a picnic here once… Gustava!"
Byleth ignored the scene that was a replay for her and started to explore their surrounding. "Professor! Please do not wander!" Dimitri called as he came after her just as Nedar made an appearance.
"Is this place special?" she asked.
"Special? I don't believe so, I mean, a branch of my family had a homestead and land somewhere around here. But there was nothing special about them, save for the fact that they sheltered Loog for a time and were destroyed by the Empire for it. But beyond that, I don't recall this field being of particular significance."
Before Byleth could respond she heard the loud growl. This was the moment that Iris had an attack but Byleth was certain, this time around, they would not be interrupted.
"What was…" Gilbert started to say when a large lion came running into the field.
Byleth turned just in time to see Nedar mounting his wyvern and taking to the air, leaving Gilbert on the ground. The old knight braced, but the lion was ignoring him, running around aimlessly.
"Loog!" called a young boy, no more than eight or nine as a blond boy came running into view.
"Rodrigue, don't leave me!" a little girl, about the same age as the boy, followed behind.
"Stay back, Tiana!" The boy told his companion, "Loog is reacting badly to the crest. He might attack you accidentally. He'll be very sad if he scratched you in his confusion!"
"But I am scared!" protested the girl.
"Got you!" Nedar swooped down to pick up the girl, "How are you more trouble than Khalid," if Byleth hadn't happened to be looking at Claude, she would have missed the subtle twitch of his eyes.
Beyond them, Nedar continued, "And where's the wyvern?"
As if summoned by his words, a white wyvern dived for Nedar and attacked him like it would an unprotected sheep.
"Stupid worm! Think you can best Nedar the Undefeated!"
The little girl took advantage of the distraction to get out of Nedar's grip and jump down. Running for the little boy, for Rodrigue, even as Gilbert was bearing down on him.
"Your highness," came Gilbert's stern, booming voice. From the corner of her eyes, Byleth could see Dimitri flinch next to her, and in sync with Dimitri, the boy before them also flinched.
Byleth stole a glance, Dimitri looked chastised, even though he hadn't done anything wrong. But the little boy, who had done something wrong, just looked defiant, "What are you doing here, Gustava?" he demanded, "How did you even know I was here? Wait, it was Glenn, wasn't it? Argh! I knew she wasn't going to be able to keep a secret!"
"That's why I told you to bring her with us," said the girl, "If she's with us, she couldn't spill secrets."
"I couldn't do that! What if she died?" he told her, "Fraldariuses die a lot."
"Rodrigue!" chastised Gilbert, "Do not be disrespectful," turning to the little girl he added, "Please call off the wyvern, princess."
"Fine!" said the girl and she whistled. The white wyvern stopped attacking Nedar and resumed circling overhead.
The Lion howled again, "Loog!" called the boy and he ran to the lion, grabbing it by the hind leg, pulling it back until he could grab hold of its middle but the lion was not happy and fought against the boy's surprisingly strong grip.
"Well, that's a Blaiddyd," Sylvain commented, "I don't know how but that's a Blaiddyd."
"Any moron could see that boy is the boar's spawn!" snapped Felix, "The fuck does he mean by Fraldariuses die a lot! We don't die, except when stupid Blaiddyds do stupid shit we have to shield them from, like grabbing a fucking lion!"
Just as Felix said this, the lion managed to manoeuvre itself and bite down hard on the boy's shoulder!
"Your highness!" screamed Gustava and charged toward him and the lion.
"Rodrigue!" the girl wailed and tried to run to him but Nedar caught her.
"Oh no, you don't! Listen here, girl. Something happens to you while you are in Fodlan, no amount of friendship between their King and Khalid will stop the Almyrian army from marching across Fodlan's throat!"
The girl burst into tears, "Rodrigue!"
Rodrigue however, did not seem all that bothered by a lion using his shoulder as a chew toy, "Don't hurt my lion!" he told Gilbert as he jumped away from the charging knight, "He's just having a hard time adjusting to his new crest."
"His what!" demanded a stunned Gilbert, "What… what blasphemy have you committed!"
"Well I didn't want my lion to die, Gustava!" he told the old knight as if it was the most obvious thing ever, "Did you know lions don't live as long as humans? So I was really sad. But then I thought, maybe if Loog had a crest he might live a long time. Then I read about the Blaiddyds of the Greenfield who were murdered by the Empire during the war with Loog. I read that the Imperials submerged them alive in a way where instead of drowning they slowly froze to death. But their loyal knights retrieved their bodies and sealed them in their family mausoleum before the Imperials could subject their bodies to further indignations. I figured that maybe given their manner of death and the speed at which their bodies were sealed, maybe there would be enough fresh left on their bones for Loog to make a meal of it. I wanted to use my powers on the lingering crest magic in the flesh and create Loog a crest!"
"Rodrigue!" exclaimed Gilbert, sounding defeated, "I cannot begin to tell you how many ways that is wrong! But perhaps seeing your lion in pain will teach you not to mess with the goddess's plans!"
"Sothis wouldn't want my lion to die!" Rodrigue protested, "Besides, look, Loog is calming down," indeed the lion was calming down, releasing Rodrigue's shoulder before beginning to lick him, as if in apology. The boy smiled and buried his face into the lion's mane, "It's okay, Loog. Look, I'll fix up my shoulder no problem!"
Rodrigue's shoulder started to knit itself back together or so it seemed at first glance. But it was when the blood that had spilt from his shoulder began to re-enter his body that Byleth realised what was actually happening. Rodrigue was reversing time but just for his shoulder.
"That's not a healing spell," Nedar said out loud what no doubt many of her students were thinking.
"His highness is special," said Gilbert, sounding exhausted, "Let's just leave it at that."
That was also where the tower decided to leave it because the scene before them faded and they were back in the pitch-black room of the tower.
"What the fuck was that!" demanded Felix.
"It looked like a moment from the future," commented Sylvain, "So that boy was your highness's future son. He's cute!" he said with a grin.
"And the girl," Lorenz added, "Appears to be the princess of Almyra. I guess in the future Fearghus and Almyra become friends. How curious!"
"So is Nedar like your Gilbert, Claude?" asked Byleth.
"What!" Claude tired to laugh, "Why would you think… what does that even mean?" he sounded desperate and confused.
"Well, that little girl is obviously your daughter," said Byleth, "I am sure that's why the Tower showed us that scene. Unless there is something about that field that's important?" Byleth fell silent as her thoughts overwhelmed her.
"So, you are the crown prince of Almyra," emphasised Edelgard.
"Wait, what!" exclaimed Lorenz, "How? But no, that makes perfect sense! Of course, you are from Almyra. That's where you have been hiding!"
"Huh! I told you he's Almyran royalty!" declared Sylvain proudly, "You owe me a keg of beer, your highness."
"Indeed I do," agreed Dimitri.
"Let's not misunderstand here!" Claude hastily interjected, "I'll admit that my father is the current King of Almyra," Claude explained, "But I am not the crown prince. Almyrans don't have crown princes or princesses. It's more survival of the fittest and whoever lives long enough and can prove themselves gets chosen by the current King. Even that doesn't mean much if you aren't someone who is deemed worth following. I don't have a crown waiting for me or anything."
"So that's why you came to Fodlan. To claim the guaranteed legacy!"
"Which part of the leader of the alliance is guaranteed, Lorenz?" demanded Claude, he sighed, "Look, I am here for my own reasons but they are not nefarious. So just leave it."
"For what it's worth," said Dimitri, "Your future daughter is very cute."
"Thanks! Your son is cute too! But what's with the weird powers? Who do you end up marrying? Wait, is it teach?"
"Yes," Byleth replied without hesitation, "Rodrigue is my son and like me, he can tap into the power of Sothis," she said as she extended her hands and tried to do what she had seen Rodrigue do, exert her power of divine pulse on the tower itself instead of the world as a whole.
The tower responded...