In the eve of daybreak, Fodlan's future was being resolved through blood, sweat, and steel.
And some eerie, phosphorescent orbs in the distance, although Byleth could not tell what in the name of Fodlan it was. Perhaps it was some form of lost magic? After all, it had been centuries since any clash of similar magnitude had occurred in Fodlan.
Byleth turned his head back, witnessing a glowing red sword descend from the heavens, giving a similar phosphorescent glow.
So they were weapons, strange. Byleth was unaware of any weapons that gave off such power and light. Not to mention the sword looked... wrong. There was no other way to describe it, the sword looked out of place like it had served a more prominent purpose.
Byleth observed as the sword erupted in flames, encircling those within 20 feet before a hulking figure descended from the skies next to the sword, unaffected by the flames.
The man looked up, yellow eyes set in purpose, picking up the blade and rising, staring past a cavalry unit, and at the lone figure who dared to stand up to him.
Some odd-looking green-haired lady. Byleth thought she looked a little comical due to the horns on her headpiece, but her face and expression more than made up for the lack of intimidating figure and body armor such as her opponent.
The two stared each other down, the sun illuminating favorably on the admittedly attractive woman. Byleth had been around lecherous mercenaries for his entire life, and it was his birthday 7 years ago when some of Jeralt's mercenaries had taken him to some form of a brothel. It was there Byleth had been presented with the... finer aspects of a woman's body. Although he was not salivating this woman, Byleth had to concede that she was voluptuous and he would not be opposed to spending a night with her. But unlike the mercenaries, Byleth may have been introduced to women (albeit unwillingly and out of necessity as the rest of the guild was often at such locations ), he had in no way experienced being with a woman. It was a distraction to his training, no matter how it made his... sword feel.
After all, this was most likely centuries ago, this woman had most likely lost her curves along with being a decaying corpse.
Byleth turned back towards the fight, the bulky man had seemingly unfurled his sword into a whip and lashed out at the cavalry regiment, slicing through the men with black and red lightning, filling Byleth's ear with the shortened screams of the entire regiment.
The green-haired lady who Byleth had decided to call dragon girl due to the wings on her head ornament, grimaced and rushed forward, wielding another unique sword, although unlike the whip sword, it was made of metal. It resembled comparable to a set of balusters Byleth had seen in the estates of wealthier clients, twisting around similarly to a coiled serpent.
The man furled his whip into a sword again, charging at the woman, their blades meeting in dazzling sparks, again and again as the pair struck and jabbed at one another. The two met again, this time in a lock of swords, the two matching each other's gaze, refusing to back down. The man smirked, using his superior might to break the lock, and kneeing the woman back, before unfurling his sword and slashing at her.
The woman barely dodged, tilting her body as her stomach barely avoiding being pierced before the man slashed again, causing her to roll under the slash. The man brought his whip into the air, seemingly focusing more on power than speed and finesse on this strike.
It was a fatal mistake.
The woman met the whip with her sword, the grooves of her sword allowing for the whip to curl around her sword, nullifying the whip and giving her leverage over the sword and the battle. The man's eyes slightly widened, before the woman flung both swords away, dashing towards the man. Surprisingly, the woman landed a powerful uppercut before jumping up and kicking him back to earth, crawling onto his chest to meet his gaze with hers once again. The woman unsheathed a knife, placing it right above his heart.
"Tell me, Nemesis. Do you recall the Red Canyon?" She hissed.
This time, the man, Nemesis, contracted his pupils in terror as the woman raised her knife high before piercing through the man's heart.
"You'll die for that! Die! Die!", with each added "Die!" the woman pierced through Nemesis's heart repeatedly, although his life had previously been ended after the first time his heart gained a new opening.
"You took... everything that I loved." She once again stabbed him unnecessarily and Byleth began to question her mental health. The woman finally gave him one last stab before finally leaving the dagger embedded in his heart, looking up at the rising sun. Around her, the army cheered, with the clash, and most likely war being ended, raising their armaments high in the air for their leader. She crawled over to the two swords, surprisingly picking up the whip sword, gazing adoringly at it. She placed the sword to her cheek, smiling.
"He's gone now, Mother..." And as Byleth's vision began to fade, he concluded that this woman indeed had poor mental health, after all, swords could not give birth, let alone birth a woman, no matter how unusual or powerful it was.
Abruptly a spinning circle, similar to a whirlpool fills Byleth's vision, in a burst of colors you see buildings being raised, more conflicts being fought, serene landscapes, and families going about their daily life.
Suddenly the colors stop in a small flash and all that's left is a napping girl on a throne in an empty void. Byleth observes that she is no more than a child, but feels more than that. The throne and the glow being telltale factors but oddly enough Byleth's chest tightened as if his heart was racing. But that wasn't the case.
Byleth had no heart.
Suddenly the girl woke, eyes fluttering open and looking around. She rubbed her eyes while she straightened herself, before yawning and seeming to finally notice Byleth. Her green eyes widened with curiosity, leaning closer to him.
"Oh my." She slightly tilted her head like a confused dog.
"What could have brought you here? It is most rude to interrupt a moment of repose. Very rude indeed." She beckoned me forward with a slight flick of her hand.
"Now come to me. I wish to have a look at you." Having no idea what to do, Byleth abides, stepping towards the impish girl.
"Hmmm... I have not seen the likes of you before. Who are you, anyway?"
"I am Byleth Eisner. Son of Jeralt. Some call me a demon." Byleth was... at odds regarding his nickname, "The Ashen Demon, the shadow of The Blade Breaker and strikes down men without a trace of emotion."
It wasn't incorrect in any way, but Byleth desired to feel. He simply couldn't, after all, you need a heart to feel emotions.
The girl simply scoffed. "Do not deceive. You would do well to keep your wit in line." Byleth lifted an eyebrow at the threat but thought nothing good would come out of continuing to antagonize her.
"Apologies, it's just that I lack a heartbeat. I suppose I would be a mortal." He said while bowing, the girl raised her eyebrows slightly raised but appeared not to care much.
"My, my. Peculiar. Since you are human, you must possess a date of birth as well, do you not?"
"Day 29 of the Red Wolf Moon is my date of birth." The girl's eyes grew considerably.
"Well, wonders never cease! It seems we share our date of birth. How strange."
She suddenly yawned, leaning on the armrest of the throne. "Hmmm. It all feels so... familiar. I think it may be time for yet another nap... It is almost... time to... begin..."
Suddenly Byleth's vision started to blackout for the second time, but this time he awoke to a gray wooden roof.
"Hey. Time to wake up." Byleth's eyes snapped open, clambering out of his bed to face his father, Jeralt the Blade Breaker.
"Were you having that dream again?" Byleth nodded.
"I was dreaming about a war... But this time I saw 2 people engage in a duel to seemingly end the war." Byleth said while hastily putting on his lightweight armor.
"It ended? Well perhaps that means the dreams will stop, anyways, you'll need to put that out of your mind for now. The battlefield is no place for idle thoughts Byleth." Byleth gave what can only be called an eye roll while hunting around for his dagger.
"Oh, don't give me that look. Risking your life is a part of the job for mercenaries like us. Letting your mind wander is a sure way to get yourself killed-Byleth..." Byleth had begun to tune Jeralt out, giving the most imperceivable pout as he blankly stared at his father. To anyone else, Byleth had remained impassive, but Jeralt recognized it for what it was and shook his head, exasperated.
"Time to get moving, our job in the Kingdom requires we be there as early as possible and-"
Suddenly a mercenary barged in. "Jearlt! Sir! Sorry to barge in, but your presence is needed!"
Jeralt turned to mercenary while Byleth walked over to his dagger, lying criminally on his desk. "What happened?"
The two walked outside, as the mercenary ran off saying something about he would arouse the others.
Byleth and Jeralt walked towards three people who seemed very close in age to Byleth himself. A tall, lean, blond-haired, blue-eyed boy, a darker-skinned boy with flashy hair and green eyes along with a short, white-haired, lilac eyed girl. The trio stopped conversing turning to the pair.
"Please forgive our intrusion. We wouldn't bother you were the situation not dire." Said the blond as he bowed in greeting.
"What do a bunch of kids like you want at this hour?" Jeralt said.
"We're being pursued by a group of bandits. I can only hope that you will be so kind as to lend your support." Jeralt's eyes grew a little while Byleth's slightly lit up. A battle was where he felt most at ease, more so than sleep or with his fellow mercenaries.
"Bandits? Here?" Jeralt questioned.
"It's true. They attacked us while we were at rest in our camp." The girl said, nodding her head.
The other boy put his head in his hand. "We've been separated from our companions and we're outnumbered. They're after our lives... and our gold."
"I'm impressed you're stying so calm despite the situation. I... Wait... Those uniforms a-"
Suddenly, Theseus, the third in command rushed up to the group. "Jeralt! Bandits have surrounded the village... Damn there a lot of the bastards! I'm taking our men to protect the village, you and the kid try to kill their leader, he's right outside the front."
Jeralt nodded before turning to the blonde. "Go Theseus. Kid, where's your weapon? The other boy has a bow and the little girl has an axe, how about you?"
"I... Ummm... Broke my lance by striking too hard..." The boy looked down in shame while Jeralt sighed, tossing Dimitri a lance.
"Well you heard Theseus, I gotta get my horse and a lance, mind taking control kid?" Byleth nodded.
"Good, you three, follow Byleth's orders and try not to die." The Blade Breaker spun around and ran to his cabin while the Ashen Demon unsheathed his blade.
"Follow me."
The group stood outside the gate, Byleth in front flanked behind by the girl and Blond while Green Eyes was behind the other two.
"Listen up. Lance, you're with me, we're drawing the bandits into the western forest and taking them there, Green Eyes and the girl will go east, kill the bandits you see. When the leader starts to approach, strategically retreat west, there Lance and I will hit him by surprise and kill him." Byleth turned back to the group.
"Questions?" The three shook their head. "Good. Now, why don't we kill some bandits?"
Byleth watched as the girl and the archer ran off, noticing the girls slight annoyance at the situation. Perhaps she was at odds with the archer? It didn't mean much to Byleth but on the battlefield grudges against your ally aren't good to have.
As the two faded out, Byleth and Lance started making their way northwest. Nearing the forest the two slowed to a walk.
"Thank you. We are in your debt. It wouldn't do for us to fall in a place like this. Please, lend us your strength. Let's work together to drive out these thieves!" Lance said, smiling with conviction. Byleth had to admit, the man would prove to be a tremendous leader of men if he ever became a warrior.
Suddenly the two were rushed at by thieves. Byleth quickly dispatched one bandit in 2 quick strikes to his sword and chest and delivered a downward blow to the neck to another bandit. Lance took a powerful leap at his opponent, knocking the bandit over before spearing him in the head, before throwing his spear at the last bandit's heart. Walking over, Lance took his spear out before looking back at Byleth.
"It would seem that these are all the bandits in this area. I must say, you are exceptionally talented with a blade, per-" Whatever Lance was going to say what cut off by the rustling of branches and the girl and Green Eyes coming out of the forest.
"DIMITRI! HELP U- OH FU-!" The green eyed boy called as he was sent flying by an axe into the girl. Byleth and Lance, apparently called Dimitri, rushed towards the wielder of the ax, a burly looking man with pinkish hair.
"First I have to chase down those brats, then the damn Sword Bearers show up... I'm gonna kill you where you stand you son of a bitch." Dimitri's eyes narrowed as the man pointed his ax towards him.
"I will fall one day, but it won't be by your hand you dastard." Dimitri rushed forward, taking a giant leap in the air before a symbol glowed in the air and he threw down the lance at the bandit leader, piercing right through the attempted parry and the man's shoulder.
"Gahh... Hey, you with the blank stare! Outta my way!" Byleth scoffed, another enemy to be slain by the Ashen Demon.
Byleth rushed forwards, noticing an odd glow above his head as he turned around, throwing his sword in the air and performing an overhead kick, breaking the axe and striking the man's abdomen as he fell to the ground.
Byleth walked forward, grabbed his sword, and began to walk towards Dimitri who seemed to be tending to Green Eyes wounds.
Suddenly, he hears the girl gasp and the distinct sound of the unsheathing of a dagger.
"You'll die for that!" The leader it appears had not fallen but instead chosen to play dead. Begrudgingly, Byleth had to admit it was a good strategy for a detestable vermin such as this man.
Hurrying to the girl he threw himself in front of her, thrusting his sword as the formerly concealed axe came crashing down on his head.
Suddenly, Byleth's vision was of this moment, in the eyes of a bystander. The colors were all inverted and time frozen. The vision shatters and Byleth looks around, noticing he is in a familiar void.
"Honestly! What are you accomplishing with that little stunt?! It's like you're trying to get me killed, you fool!" Byleth looks up to see the impish girl again, seated on her throne with a voice one would use when condescending a child.
"Well, it's fine. After all, if you don't know the value of your own life, you're not going to protect it very well, are you? Course not. " She stands up and brushes her hair out of her face. "Well then, I guess it's up to me to guide you from now on, right? You can call me Sothis…but I'm also known as 'The Beginning'."
The girl made her way down to Byleth, as he rose an eyebrow, silently questioning how she remembered her name. " I was not able to recall my name…until just now. And just like that, it came to me. How odd. That look upon your face… Did you think me a child? A mere child who forgot her name?! Phooey! That 'child' just saved your life! And what does that make you?"
Byleth, in a rare moment of being bested, looked down and muttered something incoherent.
"What was that? Speak up now, a child must always have-"
"I'm... less than a... child" He spat at her, softly glaring at her as she smiled haughtily.
"You threw yourself before an axe to save just one young girl. Yet all is well, as I have stalled the flow of time for now. You would have died had I not intervened." Byleth bowed, his pride wounded from being bested by a bandit to a little girl embarrassing him and saving his life. Not the finest morning for him.
"There now. Is gratitude so much to ask? I did deem you worth saving, after all. Though it is only momentary, time has stopped. However did I manage that?" Sothis said.
"What will happen when time resumes?" He asked.
"When time begins again, the axe will tear into your flesh, and you will surely meet your end. How rude of you to drag me into this! Now what to do…" Byleth paced for a good ten seconds before realizing this girl, Sothis may have the power to manipulate time, after all, she has stopped it. Perhaps...
"Turn back the hands of time." She shot up before smiling, waving her hand as a glowing yellow symbol appeared.
"Yes, I do believe it can be done. You are quite troublesome. I cannot wind back time too far, but all is well. You are aware of what's to come, which means you can protect yourself this time. Now, go… Yes, you who bears the flames within. Drift through the flow of time to find the answers that you seek…"
Byleth disappears into what must be the vortex of time and returns to the moment before Kostas jumps to his feet.
"You'll die for that!" Once again the leader rushed forward, this time however Byleth was more equipped to stop him. Standing protectively in front of the girl he raised his sword, before meeting the ax with his sword and launching a powerful kick to the man's stomach, sending him out of sight but likely still alive. Byleth scoffs, he let such a man beat him? That would be no good if Sothis was unable to turn back the hands of time again.
"Hey–over here!" Byleth and the girl turned back, seeing Green Eyes and Dimitri rushing towards them, meeting them both with grateful smiles.
"Hey, kid! Oh, you took care of everything already." Jeralt galloped to the group, scanning his son for any injuries.
"Keep up old man, if you continue at this pace, it will be Byleth's Sword Bearers, not Jeralts." Jeralt smiled, ready to engage in their common verbal sparring before a loud horn blared.
A man wearing bulky armor ran to Jeralt and Byleth. "The Knights of Seiros are here! We'll cut you down for terrorizing our students! Hey! The thieves are running away. Go after them. The students seem to be unharmed. And... who's this?"
Jeralt, seemingly recognizing this man, put his head in his hands. "Ugh... Why him?"
The man turned to Jeralt as Dimitri's group was led away for medical evaluation of some sort. "Captain Jeralt?! It is you! Goodness, it's been ages. Don't you recognize me? It's Alois! Your old right-hand man! Well, that's how I always thought of myself anyway. It must have been 17 years ago that you went missing without a trace! I always knew you were still alive!"
"You haven't changed a bit, Alois. Just as loud as ever. And drop that 'captain' nonsense. I'm not your captain anymore. These days I'm just a wandering mercenary. One who has work to do. Good-bye, old friend."
"Right... Good-bye, Captain." The man nodded before appearing to realize what Jeralt had said. "Wait! That isn't how this ends! I insist that you return to the monastery with me!"
" Garreg Mach Monastery... I suppose this was inevitable." Jeralt sighed while Byleth was confused about what this Alois and his father were talking about.
"And how about you, kid? Are you the captain's child?" Byleth looked at the loud excitable man with a blank stare as Dimitri, Green Eyes and the girl walked over to them, seemingly cleared of injury.
"I'm a bandit." Which caused a sigh from Jeralt, a smirk from Green Eyes, raised eyebrows from Dimitri and the girl, and a hearty laugh from Alois.
"Great sense of humor, this one. Cut from the same cloth as the captain. I'd love for you to see the monastery too. You will join me, won't you?" Byleth nodded, perhaps he could find work at this monastery, perhaps a good sparring partner if he was truly lucky.
"What's troubling you, Captain? You aren't about to run off again, are you?" Jeralt shakes his head.
"Even I wouldn't dare run from the Knights of Seiros." The two walked off leaving Byleth with three seemingly important people.
"I appreciate your help back there. Your skill is beyond question. You're an experienced mercenary. And your father, that would be Jeralt, the Blade Breaker? Former captain of the Knights of Seiros. Oft praised as the strongest knight to ever live. Have I missed anything?" The girl rambled to Byleth as he raised his eyebrow shaling his head.
"You haven't heard of the Knights of Seiros? The most famous order of knights in all of Fódlan? How curious. I'd wager the explanation for that is fascinating indeed." Her eyes met his, lilac and light blue in an attempt to peer into his persona.
"Hey! You are coming with us to the monastery, right? Of course, you are. I'd love to bend your ear as we travel. Oh, I should mention that the three of us are students of the Officers Academy at Garreg Mach Monastery. We were doing some training exercises when those bandits attacked. I sadly got the worst of it." Green eyes said, shaking his head in mock despair.
The girl scoffed. "That would be because you ran off."
"Too true! I was the first to make a strategic retreat. Everything would have worked out if these two hadn't followed me and ruined everything. Because of them, every single one of those bandits chased after us. Utterly ridiculous." The girl looked peeved and the two continued their war of words while the blond in the middle looked exasperated.
"Halt, you two. We have the audience of the Ashen Demon, and have embarrassed ourselves with petty squabbles, is that not unbecoming of us?" The two stopped their talking, the girl looking peeved at the other two while Green Eyes, or Claude as he heard the girl call him, stared at Byleth in a whole new light.
"Wait like the Ashen Demon that cuts down foes mercilessly? Said to have been born with a sword, for else there's no other explanation for his skill? No way..." The girl, however, seemed to evaluate Byleth even more, more intent on discovering him. A famous mercenary not even aware of this equally famous military group is probably unusual.
"Indeed, and your signature overhead kick's deadliness and accuracy were not exaggerated in the slightest. In any case, forgive our digression. I must speak with you if you can spare a moment. The way you held your ground against the bandits' leader was captivating! You never lost control of the situation. It showed me I still have much to learn."
Rudely the girl cut him off, "Your skill is precisely why I must ask you to consider lending your services to the Empire. I might as well tell you now. I am no mere student. I am also the Adrestian Empire's–"
"Halt, Edelgard. Please allow me to finish my proposition" Dimitri said, miffed at Edelgard. "The Holy Kingdom of Faerghus is in dire need of exceptional individuals such as yourself. Please, do consider returning to the Kingdom with me"
Claude threw his hands in the air with mock exasperation, "Whoa, there! You two sure are hasty. Trying to recruit someone you just met. I was personally planning to develop a deep and lasting friendship on our journey back to the monastery before begging for favors. But it seems there's no time for niceties in this world. So, capable stranger, let's get right to it. Where does your allegiance lie?"
"Hmm. It seems one's place of birth is quite significant to them. Yet they are so impressed by you, that you may take your pick. Well?" Byleth internally jumped at Sothis's voice, leading to the girl slightly giggling.
" The Adrestian Empire is where I spend the most time..." Edelgard's eyes lit up before Byleth continued. "Although the Kingdom's jobs are more exhilarating and the Alliance pays the heaviest gold... so my allegiance is to my father I suppose." Edelgard's eyes remained inquisitive while Claude raised an eyebrow, seemingly joining Edelgrd in examining Byleth.
Dimitri on the other hand was strangely apologetic. "Ah my apologies, it would be wrong of me to separate you from your father, I hope you can forgive my insensitive comments." Byleth waved him off, telling the boy that no harm was done.
"All right, that's enough with the small talk. It's time to head back to the monastery." Alois marched up to them, the three took their leave, Dimitri bowing, Claude winking and Edelgard nodding as they all left.
" My, my. They are in such a hurry. You know... Each of the three is most unique."
Byleth felt the same. Edelgard was a beautiful woman, who knew how to take care of herself but Byleth thought she was evaluating her allies as tools to a mean, not people. Claude had a nonchalant smile, but it never reached his eyes. He put up a facade of being laid back and careless to assess his allies as well. Dimitri was the earnest, compassionate knight, devoted and chivalrous. However, in battle, his eyes steeled themselves and betrayed no emotion but slight darkness beneath.
"I felt the same way about all of them. Except for Edelgard... you seemed quite fascinated with her." Sothis giggled while Byleth gave a small pout and an even smaller roll of his eyes, as he walked to his father and the three students, ready to embark on a journey to this Garreg Mach Monastery.
Yay! That's chapter one of my first ever fic of Three Houses. I'm a somewhat old school FE fan and Three Houses is my second favorite game to date, behind the Sacred Stones. And it's rare you see a fanfic diverge from canon often, which I'll happily attempt to rectify in this fic. Of course, some of this would never happen in the game but it's FanFiction, so I'll have my fun with it. Trust me, this isn't your average Three Houses fiction. I plan on doing things I felt the game could have expanded on (Like Jeralt and Byleth not having supports were criminal, would have helped as they tried to Greil him again.)
Also I've changed two of the character's ages slightly, one of them being Byleth. Just felt like it.
Well, if you liked this then well... Follow or Fav and Reviews are happily welcomed and PMs for ideas or really anything will be met with open arms as well! So um... peace.