Following the obnoxious sound of a creaking door, a sigh which had been used many times reverberated across the unimpressive apartment. The door closed with a deft touch, becoming chained to the system once again as soon as its assailant made its way to the lock. Such a poor bag, being thrown to the wayside as its owner flopped onto their bed with yet another sigh of epic proportions. The source of this disturbance faced the blank, white ceiling of their apartment. Some strange part of their mind hoped something interesting would happen on the ceiling. Something to help distract the apartment's black-haired occupant.
Because Lucas Hog did not have a great day.
"Man," he was thinking. "I'm really wasting my time here, aren't I? I spent so much money I don't have, spent so much time in university and got into so much debt, for this?" He checked his sanitary, white bread of a room and frowned. "There were four people down there. Four people! Granted, selling four copies of anything should be neat, let alone a book in this day and age."
Lucas quickly shared an unrequited glance at the hardback book that was sitting on his desk. It was face-up, much like himself at that current moment. He didn't need to get up to uncover the truth of its identity or anything of the sort, for he was the one that wrote it: Newborn Life. A story about a young adult (younger than the twenty-three-year-old Lucas) cutting their own path through life. Writing the tale had been quite the endeavour for Lucas. He'd mainly relied on past experiences, thoughts, and feelings he suffered through long ago as well as general inferences - all to fine-tune this one story. Many a recklessly sleepless night was held in order to slog through slower parts of the narrative and work out kinks with various tidbits of character interactions and theming.
Eventually, he was able to finish his first book. A publishing deal was made with a company that seemed certain of its success. Lucas was once that naive too. Alas, success is never guaranteed. Lucas learnt of that the hard way earlier that morning when he'd gone to the local bookshop to see if anyone was purchasing the culmination of tears - of which he called a book. Talking to the cashier would've been a wake-up call.
Well, if his early morning cup of tea hadn't fulfilled that purpose already.
Four people purchased his book. Not just four people at that moment, but four people only. While there was certainly a possibility others could've turned up later, the immediate wave of vile poison known as self-doubt reared its ugly self into Lucas' head.
"Four people?! Seriously?!" The man screamed internally. His frown was as intense as a bear's presence to those afraid of such a beast. Behind that frown was an ocean of sadness. "I worked so hard for nothing. Fuck, I've been wasting my time. I gotta…"
Lucas pulled himself upwards and scanned the room for a particular item that would've been of great use to him. His self-doubt was increasing drastically. Self-esteem was failing him. He scurried and scurried around, self deprecating thoughts clouding his normal brain processes.
"I really am not good enough to be here on my own. I should-I must...no, goddamn it! Where's those damn tissues?!"
The man hadn't realised the tissues were right next to him - on the bedside table. Grabbing the box, Lucas pulled out a tissue so soft that the touch of it alone was enough to begin the healing process, albeit slowly. He used the tissue to wipe the tear that had been coming from his eye, which in turn was becoming more and more red the more he wiped. Satisfied, Lucas placed the tissue in the bin, which was so conveniently located next to his bedside table.
His mind began healing.
"Okay, now that that attack's over and done with, I hope, I should probably stop focusing on the bad and instead start doing something else. Y'know, to keep my mind off things. Just like my therapist always says," Lucas inwardly commented to himself, looking over to one specific object.
It was a beacon of hope. A light shining in the darkness of doubt. A device he was always able to use to distance himself from the realities of the world. Nintendo's latest video game console: the Nintendo Switch.
"Oh alright, fine. I suppose another playthrough won't hurt." Lucas began to smile once more as he thought of a perfect exit strategy from what just happened. He stood up and approached the console, checking the top side of the electronic to make sure a certain cartridge was in there. "I can't ever say no to you, Three Houses."
As he turned on the console, powered on the game and sat down on his bed, something of a dilemma occurred within him. Lucas had already played through all of the game's four routes; what was he gonna do next?
"Let's make it Crimson Flower again. Why the heck not? I wanna chill out with the Black Eagles," Lucas remarked internally, thinking about that particular house. He pressed several buttons on his controller, making the game's title screen advance. "Alright, new game!"
But as he was about to confirm a new game, he froze.
He suddenly felt tired. It wasn't some ordinary sense of drowsiness or anything; his entire body felt numb. It was as if blood stopped flowing to every single part of his being at once. Like a leg that had its associated foot placed on the edge of a table for far too long or an arm raised into the air for a much greater time than needed. He couldn't even press any buttons on his controller. Which, as a matter of fact, had fallen straight to the floor because Lucas lost all grip he once possessed.
A headache was fast approaching. A stomach-ache was on the horizon. He needed to...no! He couldn't move at all! It was a literal impossibility for him to even lift a leg! Forget moving all the way to the kitchen, opening a cupboard, and grabbing a painkiller. Moving was a pipe dream.
"What the hell is going on?! I-I feel so…" Lucas tried to think, but the aches moved in. They took hold of his mind and broke his line of thinking, forcing him to recoil backwards onto his bed, which he had been using as a seat for the sake of playing the game.
Speaking of which, the game was still running just fine. Of course it would be. It couldn't feel pain. The dulcet tones of this rendition of The Edge of Dawn were a strange comforter in all this suffering Lucas was going through.
"Guess I'm having an impromptu nap," realised Lucas, as his eyelids closed.
The last thing he heard was that damn title screen song.
The next thing he heard was some vague, muffled conversation.
No, an argument? Whatever it was, some other people were present - plural.
Interrogative thoughts surrounded his mind as his vision became less blurry. In the distance, he saw some stone structure with a vague green and white figure sitting upon it, apparently engaged in some heated argument with a taller light green and black figure. At least, that last figure must've been partially black because as he soon discovered, the whole environment was covered in darkness.
"What in the goddamn…? Clearly, this isn't my apartment, unless it's night-time and my lights are out. But what the hell is that stone thing doing here?" Lucas analysed his surroundings to no real effect.
It seemed the two figures took note of his presence as it seemed like they were facing in his direction. His blurry vision hadn't quite totally dissipated yet.
"Be quiet now! It seems our guest has finally woken up," a familiar, feminine voice spoke. It seemed to come from the smaller figure. That voice, it sounded remotely like someone he knew of. "Well? Are you going to pick yourself up? Hugging the floor hardly seems like a favorable pastime."
No. Impossible. It HAD to have been a coincidence. Lucas kept blinking and rubbing his eyes, hoping to expedite the process of unblurring his eyes in any way possible. He followed the voice's advice while doing so, surprised to see that his earlier predicament was no more. As he stood, he gained a clearer picture of the situation. And he was very surprised to see what was going on.
"Sothis? And Byleth? Wait, post-timeskip-fused-with-Sothis-thus-green-hair-Enlightened-One Byleth? Huh?" Lucas rubbed his eyes a final time. "This must be some kind of dream. That's the only explanation. Nothing else could explain why I'm seeing two fictional characters right here in front of me in some unclear black void. I'll entertain my subconscious."
"Hello? Mortal? Can you speak?" Sothis asked the strange man. "My word, you'd best not be like this irksome individual. Speak up!" She motioned to Byleth, who was mainly focusing on the appearance of this unknown-to-them person.
"Uh, hi there, Sothis," Lucas replied sheepishly, unsure how to speak to a goddess, even if he believed it was a figment of his imagination. "How goes things?"
Sothis seemed surprised. "You know of my name, mortal? Not that it's terribly surprising considering the information this other mortal has just given me, but it is interesting that you are speaking to me in such a casual manner. Assuming you know who I am, that's quite the confidence you have."
"Heh, well, I guess so. Confidence is an important thing to have, after all," Lucas responded.
"Indeed. Now, tell me, how have you come to arrive here? This is a place that only a select few can access. Byleth and I being that few," Sothis probed, clearly wanting answers.
"Sothis, allow me to interject," Byleth interjected, desiring to interject. The Progenitor God seemed to accept. The male professor turned to the foreign object. "Hello there. My name is Byleth. What is yours?"
"Lucas. Lucas Hog," the man in question answered. "I already know you, Byleth, so don't worry."
"Hmm?" Byleth seemed confused. "What do you mean by that?"
"I've already played the game, so you don't need to explain things to me. I get it," Lucas replied with some self-confidence.
"Game?" Sothis chimed back in. "I see some divine intervention is required. I thank you once again, Byleth of the future, for opening my eyes to my station. Now, I shall use my power to set things straight between us and this stranger of ours."
Sothis stretched out a hand towards Lucas, pulsing some sort of unusual glowing energy around her arm. Lucas assumed some kind of magic was being used. After all, he knew that was indeed a thing in Three Houses, therefore it wasn't a terribly far-fetched assumption. It actually made sense, considering the limitless possibilities of a dream.
"Oh, you believe this to be a dream?" Sothis spoke aloud after some time passed, spooking Lucas. "I suppose you're not entirely wrong. This place does exist within your mind after all."
"What?" Lucas wondered. "Did you just read my mind?"
"I did. Doing so has revealed to me some very interesting details. For one, you are not of this world. Two, you understand a lot about our world thanks to this storytelling device of sorts you call a 'video game'. Three, you fell asleep as a result of some strange phenomena and now that you have woken up, you believe yourself to be dreaming," Sothis recounted, a smug look plastered on her divine face. "I can assure you; this is no dream. It is a real experience you are having."
Lucas paused for a moment to think. "I've seen this sort of thing before. When you realise you're dreaming but the elements of the dream try to convince you otherwise. I'm not falling for that one. Sorry, Sothis."
The goddess in question frowned. Her eyes locked with Lucas', attempting to bore a deep hole into the mortal man's psyche in some way. "You are delusional. Some part of your mind knows what I am saying is true, yet your irrationality is preventing you from thinking clearly. Fine. Be that way. Sooner or later, you'll realise the truth."
Lucas ignored that. This dream truly was trying its best to convince him. Silence of a mildly awkward variety befell between the goddess and man. Byleth broke the bout of quietness.
"Sothis, we need to discuss our situation. You may already be aware of my past, but Lucas' presence will most certainly change the future beyond what I expect," the godly man stated.
"As much as I loathe to admit it, that may very well be the case," Sothis reluctantly accepted. "Though it appears his delusion may prevent us from planning anything constructive. I'm afraid we will not be able to discuss much with the fool until he realises what is happening to him."
"Hey! I heard that," Lucas defended himself. "I'm not a fool."
"Could've fooled me," jested Sothis, that obnoxiously smug look back on her face.
"Was that a pun? I didn't realise Alois was in town," Lucas joked in return. "Anyway, what was that about the future? Are we dealing with some time travel shenanigans or whatever?"
"Of a sort," Byleth vaguely responded. "I am from the future. Rather, from multiple futures. I assume you know what I am referring to."
"The routes? Like Crimson Flower, Verdant Wind and such?" Lucas questioned. "So, you've been through multiple timelines where you've chosen different classes after arriving at Garreg Mach?"
"Yes, though I'm not certain of what you mean by routes. I have seen many paths for Fódlan's future and all of them end in war. In every one of them, I've been forced to witness the death of many of my friends and closest allies," Byleth began to explain. "And there has always been some unexpected entity that forced death upon me, thus sending me back in time."
"An unexpected entity? Like the Immaculate One or the revived Elites?" Lucas queried some more.
"No, nothing like that. Something almost indescribable. A vague shroud of darkness that carried some humanoid form. That was all I could ever learn before I died," Byleth added. "I have been trying to learn what it could be. I have never found such luck."
"Well, this dream is certainly something. What's this about an entity anyway? Nothing like that was in the game," Lucas remarked internally. "That sounds strange. Have you tried fighting it?"
"Yes. I've never been able to land a good hit, however," Byleth detailed.
"Maybe I can give it a shot?" Lucas suggested. "After all, I'm usually the protagonist in my dreams, so I could probably whip up some kind of Deus ex Machina weapon and kill it no problem."
Byleth's mouth opened ever so slightly, as if in shock. Sothis downright facepalmed.
"You are hopeless," the goddess in question sighed. "This is not an enemy you can defeat with some cheap trick. I am not even certain that it can be defeated. While I do have some suspicions about its identity, I can't be sure of any of them until I meet this creature for myself. From what I was able to learn while browsing Byleth's mind, it isn't something that you can fight so brazenly. You should know how skilled Byleth is as a fighter. Compared to this being of ours, you're nothing more than a rat. No, even less than that! You are less than a rat! A hopeless...thing!"
"Yeah well, I think I can do it," Lucas cracked a smile.
"This is a serious situation. There is no room for comedy, you oaf! We are discussing a being that can end someone like Byleth so effortlessly!" Sothis exclaimed, very clearly annoyed with this stranger. Lucas recoiled back slightly over just how aggressive she was being. Though she did take a deep breath following her minor outburst, so perhaps she had calmed herself down. "We're almost out of time. Soon, you'll wake up in Fódlan."
"I'm going to Fódlan? Nice! Always wanted to go there. Though, won't the dream end before I even arrive? Usually, dreams don't last very long even when you're lucid, as far as I'm aware. How's this gonna work?" Lucas rambled, basically.
"You'll be taking the place of Byleth. Considering your unusual. forced entry here combined with Byleth's overuse of my Divine Pulse, it seems some kind of temporal problem has occurred. An error, or a "glitch" as you may put it. That problem has swapped out his designated place in the timeline for you," Sothis explained.
"So, I'm Byleth?" Lucas summarised succinctly.
"Not entirely. You'll still be you and as such, you will be completely unknown to anyone in the waking world. You will simply be 'filling Byleth's shoes', as it were. Oh, on that note, try not to be skewered by Jeralt," Sothis returned to her smug look for a final time.
"Wait what-"
Lucas couldn't finish his question before his vision became blurred by a blindly white light.
One of the next few things he saw was a spear pointed directly at his throat. Lucas was clearly inside, facing up at a wooden ceiling. Out of the corner of his eye, he could barely make out the facial features of a familiarly old man: Jeralt, the Blade Breaker. Father to Byleth. He smiled upon realising who he was almost face-to-face with, but then he remembered his situation.
"Um...hi?" he greeted the elder.
"Who the hell are you and where is my son?" Jeralt growled, his quiet fury plain to hear. "Answer me. Now."
"Whoa, relax. I haven't done anything to your son," Lucas was about to get up and sit properly on whatever it was he was lying down on, but a literal pointed reminder of his situation instructed him otherwise. "If I die in a dream, do I die in real life? Anyway."
Jeralt remained silent, preferring to let his lance do the talking.
"Alright, you've made your point. Literally. Look, I think I'm here to solve a problem. I know this is a dream, so you can put that thing down and let me sit up," Lucas suggested with a frown.
"You think you're dreaming, kid? How about I shove this damn lance through your throat? Then we'll see if this is a dream or not," Jeralt barked back. "You've got some nerve to break into my camp, do goddess knows what with my kid and pretend like you haven't done a damn thing. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you right now."
"Uh, because I know where your child is?" Lucas quickly searched his mind. "Byleth, Sothis? You guys there? I could use some help."
Nothing. Not a lick of help from either soul.
"Please?"
Still nowt.
"Where is he, then?" Jeralt asked, seemingly for the final time. That spear was inching closer. And yet no response was coming from within Lucas' mind.
"Are you two being petty or something? Were you even there to begin with? Am I going insane?!" he wondered, becoming increasingly nervous. "Um, he's in my head. I think."
"What?" Jeralt simply replied. "What are you talking about?"
"I was just in a dark void, speaking to your son. His name's Byleth, right? He's known as the Ashen Demon, you used a fire that happened at Garreg Mach Monastery to sneak him out of there and from then on, you raised him as a mercenary. Is that not correct?" Lucas was sweating. "Hold on. That sweat. It feels so real."
"How the hell do you know all that? Did Rhea send you?" Jeralt demanded to know.
Lucas breathed in slowly, then back out, calming his nerves somewhat.
"I can't believe I'm facing down Jeralt of all people. He'd murder me in an actual fight, but this is a dream, so I can just use god powers or something, right? Should I try and do that, actually? If I end up breaking something, I can just patch it back together with my godly dream powers that I have. For sure. But no, let's try talking first," Lucas theorised. "Do I look like I'm from the monastery?"
He hadn't quite been able to look at himself since the dream started. For all he knew, he could've been naked. Neither Sothis or Byleth mentioned anything about a lack of clothing, so did he at least have on a shirt and some trousers?
A quick glance revealed that was indeed the case. The same ones he'd been wearing in his apartment just now. His black-toned slim beard and pitiful moustache were still there, much to his joy. Jeralt seemed to be checking Lucas' appearance too. With the spear user's attention directed slightly elsewhere, Lucas was able to get an okay-ish look at the man. He wasn't quite able to get a good angle for his looking, but it was enough to discern that it was indeed the Jeralt he knew, ripped straight from the game.
And then it hit him. His shirt, his trousers - they were not of Fódlan.
"Cursed dream, not giving me proper Fódlan clothes. I'm sticking out like a cliche thumb metaphor," Lucas realised. Jeralt brought the younger man's mind back to the conversation at hand.
"What the hell are these clothes?" He asked in a very inquisitive tone. "I've been around Fódlan for longer than you could imagine, and I've never seen or heard anything about the kind of clothing you're wearing right now. You can't be from Dagda, Almyra or anything like that either. Those places might have different fashion styles than Fódlan, but none of them are anywhere near as...unique as yours. Who are you?"
"I'm not from around here," Lucas plainly said.
"Yeah, I can tell. Look, kid, you can be honest with me. I won't hurt you if you just answer my questions honestly. You got that?"
Lucas sighed. "I understand, but I am being honest. Your son's in my mind and I should theoretically be able to speak to him right now, though he's not talking for whatever reason. I realise this makes me look insane. In spite of that, it's true. It's all true. Honestly."
"Hmph…" Jeralt grunted.
Interrupting their delightful interrogation, another man came rushing in. This scene was all too familiar to Lucas, as this was part of one of the first cutscenes in the game. However, Byleth wasn't here. That gave some credence to the things Sothis and Byleth were telling him back in that black void. Truly, it seemed like he'd be the protagonist.
"Cool! I get to be the professor, huh? I'll be able to teach the students, make new friends, fish a whole lot and do lots of stuff like that! Man, I really am in Three Houses!" Lucas summarised, his excitement levels increasing.
"Jeralt! Sir! Sorry to barge in, but your presence...is needed?" The unnamed mercenary's concerned expression turned to that of confusion for some reason. "Sorry sir, but I can't help but ask. What's going on here?"
"Nothing you need to worry about. Just tell me what's happened," Jeralt answered his hire, lowering his spear, though Lucas could still plainly see the weapon brandished in his direction.
"There appears to be a problem with three noble-looking young brats. I think they were being chased by bandits," the mercenary explained the situation.
Lucas decided to cut in. "By any chance, are those three colour-coded? Like, does one have a red cape, another has blue, the third has yellow?"
"Uh, well, yes," the mercenary confirmed, still weirded out.
"Okay, I know exactly what's going on. You're gonna want to take me, Jeralt," Lucas decided, sitting up on what he now discovered was a couch. "Trust me."
"Can you fight?" Jeralt simply asked him.
Lucas paused. "I mean...I think I can?" He tried to use the dream powers he assumed he had to summon a cool looking sword, but no dice. Nor could he summon the knowledge of how to fight.
"Taking that as a no. You stay here, then. I'll take my men out and deal with the problem. I'll come back to get you later," Jeralt instructed, his aura of authority indicating to Lucas that it probably would've been a good idea to listen.
He nodded. With that, Jeralt and the mercenary left the building, leaving Lucas to figure out what exactly was happening around here. Some breathing room. Looking around the literal room he'd been lying around in, he was able to confirm that it was indeed the very same place Byleth and Jeralt spoke in at the beginning of the game, post the initial conversation with Sothis.
Speaking of the smug goddess, Lucas still wasn't getting anything from her. Nothing from the supposed 'Byleth of the future' either. Nary a peep came from either individual. Lucas wondered just what it was they were up to. He assumed they were sleeping, though he wasn't confident in that assumption seeing as Byleth likely wasn't one to sleep on the job.
"Whatever. Sothis comes back at the end of Chapter 1 in the game anyway, right after Kostas shows up. Those guys will probably show up again then," Lucas guesstimated. "Oh right, Kostas! Jeralt just left to go speak with the house leaders, hasn't he? Should I go after him? He told me to stay here, but…"
Lucas realised something.
"Wait a minute. If I'm not out there at that battle, what'll happen to me? Would I still get brought to the monastery? Would I even become a professor? Oh crap, Alois! If Alois doesn't know of my fighting prowess, he won't recommend me for the job! I gotta get over there!"
Lucas picked himself up from the couch he'd been sitting on and was about to dart straight to the door Jeralt left from only a handful of minutes ago, but something caught his eye. His reflection in the window. Namely, his clothes.
"I can't go out looking like this. I really don't look like I belong. Maybe there's something here I can borrow?"
Fódlan's stranger then aimfully wandered through the abode, trying to search for any sign of spare clothing he could 'borrow'. He ended up finding a bedroom. Inside that bedroom's closet was a bunch of black robes that definitely wouldn't have been able to fit.
"These have gotta be Byleth's clothes. Man, that guy's slim. I mean it's not like I'm the fattest guy around but wow, he's gotta be a twig. Basically."
Closing the closet, Lucas departed the room and ended up finding another bedroom - likely Jeralt's - with yet another closet. Inside was a much wider array of shirts and trousers that would be more likely to fit him. Time being of the essence, he grabbed some worn, brown robes that went over all of his chest. Two metal pads were placed at the shoulders and the whole getup felt heavy. As if he'd been wearing weighted clothing. Turns out, the robes were indeed armoured. Lucas also pulled out some black trousers that had some similar weighting to them. He placed his old clothes on the bed out of a lack of options. With nothing in his pockets to worry about, the dreamer turned around to get out of the room.
A problem soon occurred.
"It is very difficult to move with these things on. Like, Jeralt must be incredibly buff to not be slowed down by this too much. I regret not working out more. Hey, wait a minute. If I'm dreaming, how am I having trouble with this armour? I'm not fully lucid, am I? Great."
As Lucas lamented his mediocre body shape, awful workout regimen and lack of control over his dream, he slowly struggled his way over to the door of the bedroom, making his painful, agonising path to the front door Jeralt went through earlier.
Once outside, the chill nighttime air washed over him like a calming wave. The distant sounds of steel clashing and voices yelling greatly contrasted just how nice the night felt. Looking around, Lucas discovered he had no idea which way to go. Since the battle had very clearly already started, Lucas' only choice of action was to follow that sound.
So, he did. The now-armoured man followed the source of the battle cries, eventually coming across a small field enclosed by trees and some wooden structures. Jeralt and some of the mercenaries were dealing with a gaggle of bandits while the three Lords themselves were close by, seemingly being directed by the Blade Breaker.
"They're doing a pretty good job over there. Damn, I'm running out of time to help. I need to do something!"
As Lucas was about to stumble into the fight like a lost child, some footsteps approached. Turning around, Lucas realised he was just about to be forcibly dragged into proceedings, as a stray bandit found the aforementioned lost child.
"Hey! You're not getting away, bastard!" The bandit yelled; axe raised high.
"I think there's been a misunderstanding, sir." Lucas tried to talk his way out of it.
But no dice. That bandit was fast approaching. Too fast, at that. Lucas was far too heavily armoured up for such an opponent. It wasn't as if that bandit was moving blindingly fast, no. Lucas had simply prepared incorrectly. He realised so as a single axe swing from said bandit pushed him down onto the ground.
"Shit! This isn't good, this isn't good! I sure hope dream deaths aren't painful!" Lucas remarked as he got into a physical struggle with his assailant.
The man was pushing against Lucas, axe at the forefront of his struggle. Lucas was doing his absolute best to prevent that axe from getting anywhere near his head. One swing from that against his skull would mean game over.
"Man, this guy's strong!"
"Just die already!" The bandit shouted in pure adrenaline.
Lucas and the bandit's little bout continued for what seemed like forever. Luckily, the bandit didn't appear to be one of the stronger ones, but it was still clear that the Brit was losing out to this fellow. That axe was getting closer and closer to his face.
The realisation of what could happen to his skull horrified him.
"Why the hell can't I use any dream powers? I'm about to die! Why can't I just summon a gun and shoot this guy? What in the absolute hell is going on here?" Lucas exclaimed internally, sweat levels rising and overflowing. The axe inched closer. "No! I don't wanna die I don't wanna die I don't wanna die!"
Closer it came. It was mere inches away from his face.
"Fuck, no! No! I can't-NO!"
Lucas closed his eyes, to wait for the inevitable and to block tears from leaking out. For some reason, this encounter felt much more real to him than any dream could possibly be. It was as if he was about to be killed for real. He wouldn't be waking up. He wouldn't be able to get out of this situation. He would be dead.
Was he not dreaming after all?
"I see you have begun to realise your situation, mortal," Sothis returned, back on the throne in that dark void. Byleth was standing beside her, looking down at Lucas with pity present on his face.
"S-Sothis?! Wha-why...where…?" Lucas stuttered, delirious.
"Calm yourself. I have stalled the hands of time so that we may speak," the goddess explained. "Do you understand what was about to happen?"
"I...I was about to get hit by that axe," Lucas responded, his heart racing. "Why...why did that feel so real? Sothis, what in the name of YOU is going on here?!"
"As I was trying to tell you earlier, this is no dream. You are truly in Fodlan and you were truly about to meet your end. If this were a dream, you would have woken up long ago. We would not be having this discussion. Do you see it now?"
Lucas paused. He used the time to think about her words. Byleth and Sothis watched the writer from another world as he visibly began struggling to come to terms with reality. They could not blame him entirely for thinking in the way he'd been up to that point. It was an unusual circumstance for them as well.
Eventually, Lucas piped up with an answer.
"You're right. There's no way I'd feel so scared in a dream. That's a feeling your subconscious can never truly recreate. The fear of death is absolutely terrifying, I see it now. Some stories underplay precisely how horrifying it can be." Lucas accepted his fate. "I'm-I'm sorry, Sothis. And Byleth. I'm sorry for not treating this situation with the seriousness it deserves. I honestly apologise."
He bowed his head, closing his eyes once more to prevent more tears from leaking out. Sothis, despite some part of her feeling satisfied that this mortal finally understood his situation, couldn't help but feel somewhat sympathetic for him. Her facial expression showed her concern. Byleth was the same way.
"It is fine. You may relax now," Sothis' voice became rather soothing. "But do realise you have certain responsibilities to tend to now. Dry your tears so that you may face them."
Lucas nodded. He wiped his eyes and did his best to cease his weeping, though the redness of his eyes was a clear indicator to anyone of how he felt. Once his immediate deep sadness resided, he focused himself.
"What now?"
Byleth and Sothis shared a glance, then nodded. "You are aware of my Divine Pulse ability, are you not? We will simply use that to turn back the hands of time, which will allow you to save yourself from that bandit's assault."
"I get that, but how? I'm no fighter. I've never been in a real fight before, let alone something life or death like this," Lucas doubted. "I'm sure you can tell, Byleth. Even a bandit has way more combat experience than I do."
"That may be so," Byleth agreed. "But practice will nurture you into a skilled fighter."
"You won't be able to practice here, however. I can't keep time frozen long enough for you to learn. You'll have to rely on your instincts for now," added Sothis.
"My instincts? I just told you, I'm no fighter. I'm a writer. I don't have any fighting instincts," Lucas claimed.
"Doubtful. Every living person wields the instincts necessary in order to survive. If you wish to defeat this bandit, you will have to tap into those instincts. Once we are past this encounter, you can start training," Byleth assured him.
"Training? Like you usually do?" Lucas winced at the idea.
"It is your only option. You are living, so you must survive. You must be aware of all the conflicts that will befall Garreg Mach Monastery in the months to come. If you continue as you are now, you will not be able to achieve anything," Byleth explained bluntly. "Do you understand?"
Lucas thought about this. "I...I don't think I can do that. I'm not built for this kind of thing."
"Do you wish to die?" Sothis cut in.
"Uh, well, no," Lucas replied. "But I'm just-"
"Enough with the self-deprecation! Don't you realise that by thinking in such a manner, you'll only be granting the opportunity for bad things to occur? The things in which you are afraid of occurring in the first place?" Sothis pointed out. "By training and becoming stronger, you will be able to stand against such occurrences. Do not wallow in your self-doubt."
"I'm not afraid, Sothis, I just don't know if I can do it."
"Look at it this way," the goddess started. "Most, if not all, of those characters in that game you love so much will meet a most gruesome end if you stand idly by. The bonds you forged through virtual means; would you truly be willing to break them?"
"..."
Lucas almost had something to say but stopped himself when he repeated Sothis' words to himself. He hadn't quite realised it yet. This world he was now in was reality. It was the world of Fire Emblem: Three Houses. Ergo, all the characters he knew and loved were here, no longer fictional. They were real. Could he really let them all die just because he didn't think he could save them?
"No. I wouldn't break those bonds. I won't let them die," Lucas asserted. "I'll train so I can protect them all. Even if I have to train 24/7, I'll do it."
"Good," Byleth nodded with a smile. "The war will begin in several months' time. You will need to train rigorously so that you may have the chance of living through it and defeating that mysterious entity."
"Oh yeah, that thing. It's just some dark, vaguely humanoid being, right? Do we know anything else about it?" Lucas remembered what the pair told him earlier.
"No. I know very little about it," Byleth shook his head. "Sothis seems to know more than I do, but her memory is limited. I have been able to inform her of things she would have learnt eventually, such as her identity, though I do not have the capability of restoring her entire memory."
"It is frustrating. I feel as if I should know what this being is, yet I do not. This must be the same feeling my original self felt when she did not know of her identity," Sothis commented, frowning. "We'll have to move on as normal. For now, Lucas, focus on defeating the bandit and getting to the monastery."
"Ah, right, that. Yeah, how exactly am I supposed to get the professor role at this rate? Byleth only managed to get it because he's so impressive in combat. I'm the exact opposite," Lucas asked.
"You'll figure something out. I'll send you back in time so you can deal with the bandit. Then you can go from there. Now go!" Sothis ushered the mortal.
Lucas nodded, then steeled his mind for what would be the most difficult fight of his life so far. His vision gained a purple tint as the black void disappeared, being replaced with the sight of the bandit's axe being ever so close to his face. He then was treated with a playback of everything that happened to him in the past minute or so, like a VHS tape on rewind.
"Divine Pulse is so cool," he remarked as all this happened.
The temporal state shattered once Lucas found himself on solid footing. He'd been sent back to a point where he was still around Jeralt and the three Lords' battlefield, except he was standing and not on the receiving end of an axe swing.
"Okay, so I just time travelled. No big deal. Don't freak out, Lucas. You only experienced something that should be an impossibility back home. No biggie," he reassured himself, mentally giddy after experiencing such a thing.
"Hey! You're not getting away, bastard!"
Turning his head, Lucas saw the bandit from before was heading his way. The non-fighter cursed himself for not grabbing a weapon of any kind before leaving Jeralt's home (base?). He looked around for anything he could use.
Lucas grabbed a twig and threw it at the adequately armoured bandit. It bounced off him like a pinball.
"What the hell was that?" The bandit asked incredulously.
"I wish I watched more fantasy anime," Lucas lamented, sighing. "Don't suppose you'll walk away if I ask nicely?"
The bandit simply laughed. "Are you insane? I ain't gonna walk away from a good pay!"
"Nice rhyme," Lucas commented to himself. He felt as if vocalising that to a bloodthirsty bandit wouldn't be a good idea. "Alright then, you leave me with no choice."
Mr. Bandit stood there confused as Lucas pulled some grass from the ground and obtained another twig. He laughed again, this one somehow less venomous than the last.
"Are you makin' some sorta garden? Hah, you really are insane! I'll just cut you up and get to the others-HEY!" the bandit was interrupted by an unexpected action.
Lucas ran up to his opponent and threw his fistful of grass into the axe wielder's face, using this opportunity to punch the man in his cheek. The force behind the attack wasn't very strong, but it was enough of a distraction to allow Lucas to chomp into the bandit's axe-using arm. Such a manoeuvre forced the bandit into a state of recoil. He dropped his axe, allowing Lucas to steal it and use it against his foe, smashing it down onto the same arm he'd bitten.
A rather loud scream of pain soon followed.
"You-you fucking bastard!" the bandit complained.
"Sorry, but I have to survive! For the future of Fódlan!" Lucas yelled back.
He continued slashing and bashing the bandit in a very undignified yet effective manner. Lucas didn't bother dealing with the armour as he knew he wouldn't be strong enough to pierce through it. Instead, he focused on the exposed bits of armor, making his wild assault that much more successful.
"No, no! Leave me alone!" The bandit pleaded.
Lucas didn't listen. As if blinded by rage, stress and pent-up self-doubt, he continued his strikes despite the bandit's pleas for help. He carried on attacking, attacking, and attacking, not giving his enemy any time to rest. The bandit stumbled backwards while trying to get away. This only ended up in him falling on his back, giving Lucas ample opportunity to end it all.
With one swing, he slammed the axe into the bandit's skull. And again. And again. And again. He kept doing it until he tired out. By that point, the bandit's face was completely disfigured, unrecognisable from what it once was. Lucas took a moment to catch his breath.
Then he saw the damage. What he inflicted.
"I...did that?" He wondered aloud. "Is he dead?"
"Yes. He is dead," Byleth confirmed. "You have never killed before?"
"No, never. It's not quite a common thing to do back where I come from. Well, it's never been something I've come across anyway," Lucas answered. He dropped the axe and stared at his bloodied self. "Not until now. I...I don't know how I'm supposed to feel. Byleth, how do you deal with the fact that you've ended someone's life?"
No immediate reply.
"That is a hard question to answer," Byleth eventually responded in a solemn manner. "Different people deal with it differently. As for me, I keep telling myself to move on, to never focus on the kill for too long. Morbid as it might be, the opponent is dead, whereas I am not. I cannot allow myself to be brought down by those that have passed."
"Just move on, huh?" Lucas returned his gaze to his now red-stained hands. "I'll do my best."
"That's all anyone can ask for," the professor replied.
Lucas nodded. He checked his surroundings to see what was going on. Over in the battle with Jeralt, the Lords and the rest of the bandits, the former group were mopping up the last few survivors. In the distance, somewhere near a white-haired person, a familiar bandit approached the Lord.
"Uh-oh. I gotta get over there!" Lucas realised aloud. "Edelgard's gonna get killed!"
"Are you certain she'll need your help? She isn't as unskilled as you. Far from it. She isn't likely to be downed by a single bandit," Sothis refuted.
"I mean, true. But don't you see? This is a clear opportunity to get that professor job! If I save the future emperor of the Adrestian Empire, it'll only reflect positively on me. Right?" Lucas stated his case.
"Not a bad idea. Though, how do you plan on getting over there? You can hardly move in that armor. It took you some time to put it on, too," Sothis noted.
"Yeah, that's true. Hey, wait a minute, you weren't asleep back then?!" Lucas realised.
"Enough talking! Save the princess or whatever!"
Sothis seemed to disappear or fall asleep (or whatever they did) for now, only frustrating Lucas even further. But she was right. He needed to stop messing around or else he'd miss his golden opportunity to get in the monastery's good graces.
Attempting to walk forward reminded Lucas of his mobility issue. Even though he could move, he was mostly exhausted from his fierce encounter with that bandit, so his already limited speed became even more limited. He lacked a ranged weapon - that option was out. He had no spells either. There was one option.
Lucas began dashing onwards as fast as he could, entering the mostly empty battlefield, likely falling under the bewildered stares of allied forces. He manoeuvred around a wooden barricade and kept speeding over towards Edelgard's location. It was still quite the distance away. Kostas was almost right in front of his target. Her dagger was drawn.
"Hey, Kostas!" Lucas called as loud as he could.
"Huh?" The bandit in question halted his assault to turn his gaze to the source of the call. "What the hell do you want? And how do you know my name?!"
"I've got him right where I want him. Edelgard, the next step's all up to you," Lucas grinned slightly, his confidence rising. "You're gonna have to stop attacking, Kostas!"
"What? Who the hell are you to tell me what to do? Get outta my sight before I kill you too!" Kostas barked in return.
"Oh please, like you can do that. You're pathetic, you know that? Attacking some children out of nowhere. How dare you!" Lucas stalled, essentially rambling.
"I'm the pathetic one?! Damn it, I'm coming after you now!" Kostas yelled, buying into the bait. He gripped his axe and dashed his way over to Lucas at a speed that hadn't quite been anticipated fully.
But Lucas was prepared. He glanced at Edelgard and nodded in Kostas' direction. She nodded back, clearly understanding what needed to be done. As Lucas stood his ground against Kostas' approach, the white-haired student zoomed behind the bandit and stabbed him in the shoulder with her dagger, causing the man to reel back in pain. He also dropped his axe - for Edelgard had attacked the right shoulder.
"Oh, damn it! This smarts! I'm getting the hell outta here!" Kostas sped away in some random direction.
The battle was over. Lucas breathed a sigh of relief, seeing as his plan worked out. It felt nice to succeed for once. The feeling of having a half-baked plan actually work roughly as intended definitely felt good.
"Excellent work," Edelgard complimented. "You provoked an enemy with not a single weapon on your person. Most impressive."
"Uh, thanks. I don't think it was that impressive though. I kinda did what I had to," Lucas replied sheepishly.
"Even so, the bravery that went behind your action cannot be undersold. I could have handled that bandit myself, but I thank you regardless," thanked Edelgard.
Lucas nodded with a smile. Although he didn't value his actions very highly, it was quite comforting to receive a genuine compliment. Especially one from someone like Edelgard of all people.
"Hey, there you are!"
Claude and Dimitri approached the scene in a manner befitting that of the game's equivalent cutscene. Lucas was almost star struck when he became face to face with the other two Lords of the game, though he did his best to inhibit that emotion lest anyone get suspicious. Couldn't risk his true identity getting out.
"What the hell are you doing here? I thought I told you to stay behind," came the voice of Jeralt, who approached Lucas and the Lords soon after Claude and Dimitri's arrival. Before he could say anything else, the energetic voice of a certain knight rang through the area.
"The Knights of Seiros have finally arrived! Prepare to receive judgement for attacking our students!" Alois proclaimed to all the dead or currently fleeing bandits. "Hey, wait a minute. They're all running away! Get after them, men!"
"Ugh. Great," Jeralt mumbled. "Why this guy?"
Alois marched over to the five-person group, eyeing up its occupants. His confident smile quickly turned into an expression of genuine surprise.
"Hold on! I'd recognise that face anywhere! Captain Jeralt, is that really you?" Alois exclaimed upon realising who he was speaking to. "I sure hope I'm not seeing things again. That IS you, isn't it, Captain?"
Lucas smiled. He always liked Alois. That guy was always the fun, perhaps slightly over-energetic uncle to literally everyone ever. Lucas also appreciated the literary as well as the comedic values in the man's best puns.
Alois and Jeralt's conversation proceeded the same way it did in the game. The latter asked the former to 'drop that captain nonsense', both sides said their goodbyes that lasted for a second and then Alois' 'return to the monastery with me' insistence followed. Lucas had tuned this conversation out since he already knew it fairly well, though he could've sworn it sounded different than usual.
"And how about you? Are you the captain's child? A trainee, perhaps?" Alois directly addressed Lucas, breaking the latter's zoning out.
"Oh, uh…" he didn't have a lie ready for this. Jeralt was staring at him, likely indicating he wasn't sure what to go with either. Lucas had to come up with something. Luckily, Alois already provided something useful. "I'm his protege. I just started, actually."
"I understand. Good to see that you've taken on a pupil, Captain!" Alois laughed heartily. "I'd love for you to see the monastery as well. Even if you don't stay. Would you care to join me?"
"Sure! I'd love to, Alois," Lucas answered with a nod of confirmation.
Jeralt grumbled.
"What's the matter, Captain? Rattled from all the noise of the night?" Alois noted.
"I guess you can say that," Jeralt responded. He turned to Lucas for a moment. "We need to speak when we get the chance. We need to talk about that technique you tried to pull off in training earlier."
Lucas was confused for a moment but realised what the old man meant. "Oh, right, yeah. Sorry about that."
Jeralt said no more as he and Alois walked away from the scene, likely to talk logistics about the trip back to the monastery or some such. This left him with the three multi-coloured house leaders.
"You are an apprentice of that man...Jeralt, the Blade Breaker, correct?" Edelgard asked.
"Uh, yep. Only started yesterday, so I'm not exactly the best fighter around," Lucas partially lied.
"I see. It must be quite the accomplishment to be training under the former captain of the Knights of Seiros," Edelgard continued.
"Hey, you're coming to the monastery, right? I'd love to have a new person to talk to on the way there," Claude cut himself in. "I should probably mention we're students of the Officers Academy at Garreg Mach Monastery. We were doing some training when that big mess happened. As you can see, I got roughed up the most."
"That's only because you tried to run away," Edelgard testified.
Lucas giggled, surprising the other three. "Heh. I can tell you guys are good friends."
"Good friends? Yeah, I'd say so. Isn't that right, Dimitri?" Claude agreed, turning to his blue coded ally.
"Yes, certainly. It would be incorrect to call us enemies of one another," Dimitri nodded in agreement. "Might I ask, what are you doing in that armor? I can tell you're not comfortable in it. Forgive my assumption."
"It's fine, don't worry." Lucas waved it off. "I was in a rush. Jeralt told me to stay behind but I wanted to get some battle experience, so I ignored him. He's probably gonna want to scold me for that when we talk."
"Ah. Is that also why you lack a weapon?" Dimitri questioned curiously.
Lucas sighed. "Yes. As much as I hate to admit it, I forgot to get a weapon. Completely slipped my mind. I was too focused on getting into the action."
"Charging ahead without a weapon is certainly an example of reckless behaviour. You shouldn't do that again lest you worry those around you," Edelgard suggested.
"Right, of course." Lucas nodded. "It's quite something how she's lecturing me. Actually, that doesn't bode too well for my job prospects. I hope I don't end up as a squire of Alois' or something."
"Let's hope that doesn't happen. For the sake of Fódlan," Sothis agreed.
Byleth seemed to have something to say. "I've noticed something...different with Edelgard, Claude and Dimitri. They haven't offered you any positions in their territories. Usually, they do that for me."
"Yeah, but I'm not you. They barely saw me fight so there'd be no reason for them to want to offer me anything. Which might actually be a good thing, because if they did, they probably wouldn't be too impressed with me. Edelgard especially," Lucas speculated.
Silence was shattered the moment Alois' voice returned to the group.
"Alright, that's enough small talk. It's time to head back to the monastery!" He called to everyone else.
Edelgard, Dimitri and Claude said their temporary goodbyes to Lucas, leaving just him standing there on his own. He fixed his gaze on the massive construct in the distance, shrouded in the nighttime darkness. Garreg Mach Monastery; his next destination.
"I guess this really is my new life," Lucas realised once again.
"Indeed. Are you ready to accept the responsibilities you shall be burdened with?" Sothis asked him.
"Yes. It's my only option, after all."
Lucas broke his gaze with Garreg Mach's shadow and clumsily walked in the direction everyone else went in. Finally, it was time to get to that monastery the game focused on so heavily. Lucas was wrought with nerves, believing he'd mess it up somehow. Luckily, Sothis and Byleth of the future were there to guide him.
A trio of divinity and foresight.
Author's Notes: Yep, I've finally gotten back into fanfiction! Don't know if I'll ever get back to Psynergy Between the Three Houses. Maybe someday!
So yeah, this is an idea I've had for a while. Think of it as an OC insert mixed with a Peggy Sue. I've played around with this for a bit, changed some stuff here and there and heck, even now, the final draft of this chapter is quite a bit different as to what I've got written down in my plan. Hope you folks enjoy this story because this is gonna be a long one! Not quite as long as Luster, but still decently long. See y'all next time!
EDIT (22/09/2021): Changed up a few things in this chapter as per my week-long editing 'journey'. Mostly some spelling and formatting mistakes, but there were also a few minor lines changed here and there. Major thanks to Cavik and UDtimburrhog for their criticism! Go check their work out if you haven't already. They write some good stuff!
EDIT (24/11/2021): Thanks to Frost, my new fancy-schmancy beta reader, this chapter's received a bit of an update. Mainly just grammatical stuff, but hey, an update's an update.