Chapter 2

Encounters at Dawn

N stirred awake. He opened his to see that the sun had yet to rise, the moon still seemed high in the sky. He sighed as he rubbed his eyes. The first time he had been able to sleep in a bit, he was awake before dawn. Zorua was awake soon after him. He jumped off the bed and rubbed itself against N's leg. N smiled and bent down to pet the black fox.

The mercenary band had arrived in Remire Village a few days ago for their job. However, it seemed that the bandits they were hired to protect the villagers from would never appear. The band spent most of their time on patrols and training. One of the perks of staying in a village was no tents and staying in an inn. His room was sparsely decorated. A bed and a desk was all it had, along with a window.

Zorua jumped onto N's shoulder as the young man began to stand. He sat down on his bed to put on his boots. He might as well check on the nightly watch. N exited his room and began to walk down the stairs. As he reached the bottom of the stairs, he overheard muffled voices speaking in the common area. He walked closer towards the room and could make out Jeralt's voice. Hearing a bit of the conversation, he realized he was talking with Byleth and they seemed to be speaking about Byleth's recurring dreams. He was able to make out that the girl that seemed to recur in her dreams seemed to speak to Byleth in her last dream.

Before he could enter in the conversation, the door to the inn slammed open. N turned to see a member of the mercenary band enter. He rushed over to his side, as he seemed a bit panicked.

"What's wrong?"

"The bandits, they're here," he replied.

"So they finally showed," N muttered.

"There's more. They seemed to be chasing a group of people, teens from what I could make out."

N rose an eyebrow. Why would the bandits be chasing teens? He pushed those thoughts aside and turned back to the member of the band. "I'll tell Jeralt. Get every else assembled."

He nodded. "Alright."

The member nodded and ran out the door. N looked towards Zorua, who looked ready to fight. N let out a breath and knocked the common room's doorframe, alerting Jeralt and Byleth to his presence.

"What's up, kid?" Jeral asked.

"Bandits are here. I've already got everyone assembled," N answered.

Jeralt nodded and turned to Byleth. "We can keep talking about this later."

Byleth nodded in response and turned to watch as Jeralt ran outside.

N walked up to Byleth and placed a hand on her shoulder. He smiled kindly towards her.

"You heard?" Byleth asked.

"Nothing gets past you," N said with a laugh. "A bit. Glad you talked to Jeralt. Now come on, we got some bandits to take down."

When the two arrived outside, Jeralt was talking with three teenagers. N rationalized that these were the teenagers that were mentioned to him. Two of the teens were male with the other a female. One of the males was blonde with blue eyes, pale skin, and wore a uniform with a blue motif. At his side was a small blue and black furred creature. Its tail was adorned with a yellow star. The other male had brown hair with grey colored eyes, darker skin, and his uniform was adorned with yellow. In his arms he carried a pink colored deer looking creature that looked wounded. The female had grey hair with light purple eyes, paler skin compared to the blue eyed boy, and her uniform was adorned with red. On her shoulder a small, fluffy bird was perched.

"Please forgive us for just appearing like this. We wouldn't bother you if the situation were not dire," the blue eyed boy said, adding a bow.

"What're a bunch of kids doing at this hour?" Jeralt asked.

"More importantly," N said as he walked towards the brown haired boy, "what happened to your partner."

"I was just about to get to that. We're being pursed by a group of bandits. We tried to fight them off, but you see what happened," the boy said gesturing to the other boy.

"Yeah, they roughed up my Deerling good," the brown haired boy added.

"I can only hope that you'd be so kind as to lend your support," the blue eyed boy continued.

N sized up the teens. They were likely only a year or two younger than him. However, they were armed with weapons, so it was likely they had experience in battle. He had heard about a school that teaches battle for people of the three nations of Fodlan, so it was possible the teens came from there. But how they got so far from there seemed strange to N.

"Those must've been the bandits we were hired to protect the villagers from, but never showed," Jeralt mused. "I had assumed they had already left this area by now."

"It's true. They attacked us while we rested at out camp," the girl said.

"We were separated from our companions and we're out numbered. They're after our lives and our gold," the brown haired boy added.

"I'm impressed you're all so calm in your situation," Jeralt said as he scanned each of the teens with a glance. "Wait… that uniform…"

Before Jeralt could continue, a member of the band called out to Jeralt. "Bandits spotted just outside the village! There's a lot of them."

"Looks like they followed you all the way here. We can't abandon this village now, especially when they originally hired us to protect them from bandits," Jeralt said.

He then turned to Byleth and N. "Come on, let's move. Hope you two are ready."

Byleth and N nodded in response. N then turned back to the boy with the Deerling.

"I'll focus on healing you all. I can also heal up your Deerling, but you'll need to give it to me," N said to the teen.

"Wait, you're a healer?" the teen asked.

N smiled. "Only healer in the band. You can trust me."

The teen turned his gaze towards Jeralt, who nodded in agreement.

"Alright. I'm trusting you to heal up Deerling and us if necessary," the boy said.

He carefully gave Deerling to N, who made sure to agitate the creature. He placed his hand on it and slowly began to mend its wounded leg by pouring some of the energy he had amassed.

"Zorua."

The black fox perked its head at its name being said.

"I want you to fight alongside Byleth. She'll need your help," N said.

The black fox nodded and trotted over to Byleth's side. Byleth looked down to see Zorua next to her, and she looked back towards N.

"Don't worry. He'll follow your commands," N said.

Byleth nodded and followed the group into battle. N waited a moment longer and followed the rest. He knew he would have to fight, but protecting the others and Deerling was now his top priority. He could see and hear skirmishes breaking out. The clashing of steel was all that could be heard. It was likely that none of the bandits had creatures at their side. Whenever he saw a wounded member of the band and rush to their side to quickly heal them. Upon recovery, they would simply thank N and rush back into battle. If N had his way, he would try to find a way to end fighting without all the violence, but that was always difficult; almost impossible.

As he ran across the field he could see Byleth and three teens on the front lines, pushing their way towards the bandits leader. He was caught up in watching them that he only narrowly avoided getting his head chopped off. He dodged the swing, and made sure to protect Deerling. He looked up to see one of the bandits making his way towards him, but stopped when he saw what N was carrying.

"Well, well, what ya got there? One of those creatures?"

N's brows furrowed in anger. The bandit was likely someone who'd use a creature for nefarious purposes. "You won't touch it."

"Pretty sure the boss's creature defeated that one in an instant, if it was the same one," the bandit said with a smug shrug. "Though, I could take it off your hands."

"You won't touch it," N repeated.

"Then I'll take it from your corpse!" the bandit yelled as he rushed towards N, sword in the air.

N was quick to react. He dodged the swing and drew his sword, using the arm that was not carrying Deerling. Only using one hand to carry it, the creature began to feel a lot heavier. In any other situation he would rather not have to carry a wounded creature and fight at the same time, but it seemed luck did not favor him.

The bandit charged again and swung his sword, aiming for N's head. N blocked the initial strike and got back into a defensive stance. He had to remain on the defensive, as he was carrying the Deerling and attacking might cause an opening in his defense. Not that he expected a bandit to find it, but he did not want to take the chance. The bandit continued to swing his sword and N blocked each strike. The bandit's attacks were becoming very easy to read, so when he went for an over head strike, N was ready to counter. When their blades clashed, N pushed forward causing the bandits to slightly lose his balance. N used that opening to cut across the bandit's stomach, killing him. The man dropped dead and N let out a breath. He was no stranger to taking a life, but it did mean taking one sat well in his stomach.

When he turned away from the corpse, he saw the blue eyed boy coming to a stop in front of him. At his side was his blue and black furred partner. He looked past N to see the body of the dead bandit and nodded.

"I see. I came here to assist you, as you were fighting while holding on to Deerling, but it seems my assistance was not required."

N chuckled lightly in response. "Thanks for coming either way. If there was more than one then I'd definitely need help."

Before the teen could respond, the sound of swords unsheathing filled the air. N and the teen looked around to see a group of bandits surrounding them. The two put their backs against each other, as now they had to fight together.

"I hope you're good with that lance of yours," N said.

"If your swordsmanship is as good as I just saw, then this shouldn't be a problem," the boy replied.

N chuckled, at least the teen knew when to be a bit funny. N steeled himself and kept Deerling close to his chest. The creature had yet to fully heal, and even if it could fight, he would not make it do so.

Several of the bandits charged at once. Knowing the blonde would need space to properly use his lance, N separated from him and engaged the three bandits the charged towards him. He blocked each of their strikes deftly, not allowing for their swords to interlock for more than a second. It was obvious to N that the bandits wanted that, they wanted for the interlocking in order for another to deal the killing blow.

N continued to fight defensively, however, he was beginning to tire and slow down. He needed to find an opening in order to attack. At least taking down one would lower the burden on his stamina. He found his opening when the three took a step back to reposition themselves. N charged towards one of the bandits and rammed his sword into his opponent's stomach. The action caught the other bandits by surprise and stood still for a moment. N removed his sword from the bandit's stomach and prepared to attack the next bandit. The one he targeted next had managed to recover from the surprise and was able to block N's strike. His defense was weak, however, and N was able to knock the sword out of the bandit's hand. He then slashed across the bandit's neck, killing him.

Before he could turn to the next bandit, a shadow loomed over him with a sword held high. N's eyes widened in fear, the final bandit had managed to get behind him.

Shit, he got behind me. I'm dead. Me and this Deerling are dead, N thought as the shadow of the sword swung down.

However, N did not meet his end. He heard something whizz by above him and lodge itself in the bandit's head. From the shadow, it seemed as if it was an arrow. He looked over his shoulder to see the bandit fall dead behind him. N let out a relieved sigh and looked ahead to see the brown haired teen jogging towards him, bow in hand.

"I'm assuming that was you," N said.

"Saved your ass back there, huh?" the teen replied.

"Indeed you did. Thanks for that."

"Claude, you sure took your time assisting us," the blonde said as he jogged towards them.

N looked towards the brown haired teen, who he now knew the name of: Claude. Though introductions had to wait, as there were still skirmishes in the surrounding area. N's mind then drifted towards Byleth, hoping she was holding her own amongst everything. He knew she knew her way around a sword, but he could not help but worry.

"What about your other friend?" N asked.

"Edelgard? Not sure. We got separated," Claude replied.

"I see. We should find her and my friend before things get too dire," N said.

"I wouldn't worry about Edelgard. She can hold her own," the blonde said.

N nodded in response. "I don't doubt that, but anything can happen on the battlefield."

"By the way, how's Deerling?" Claude asked.

"It's still healing. I wouldn't use it in battle yet," N answered.

"I see. Man, that guy's Machoke was way too strong," Claude said with a groan.

N's expression then paled, something the two teens caught.

"Did you say Machoke?" N asked.

Claude nodded. "What's wrong?"

"Byleth's in trouble," N said as he broke out into a sprint.

"Hey, wait up!" Claude called out.

"Come on," the blonde said.

Claude nodded in response and the two followed N.

—

Across the battlefield, Byleth was face to face with the leader of the bandits. With her was the grey haired girl. The two had worked together to get to him. The leader's eyes darted between the two, but his gaze seemed fixed on the grey haired girl.

"You with the blank stare, out of my way!" the leader said as he rushed towards them. However, he charged directly towards the grey haired girl. "Machoke, take down that one!"

The creature at his side, humanoid in shape but with a more reptilian like face, set its gaze on Byleth and charged. Byleth readied her sword, but knew this fight was meant for her partner and Zorua.

"Eevee and Zorua, attack."

The two creatures followed their directions and attacked Machoke. However, their attacks proved to be no hinderance towards Machoke, as it continued to lumber towards Byleth.

"Ha! Your beasts are weak compared to my Machoke. Crush them and her! Use Brick Break!"

"Rufflet, help out!" the grey haired girl called out.

The bird she had turned towards Machoke and flew towards it, ready to attack. "Use Ariel Ace!"

A blue-white aura surrounded the bird as it got closer to the Machoke. When the attack connected, Machoke took more damage compared to when Zorua and Eevee attacked.

The bandit leader growled in frustration. "Machoke, crush the bird too!"

The muscular reptile turned its attention to Rufflet and tried to swat it out of the sky. However, Rufflet was faster and avoided most of Machoke's swings.

Byleth then found her opening to launch an attack on the Machoke.

"Eevee, Swift! Zorua, Fury Swipes!"

Byleth knew it would not deal that much damage to the Machoke, but small increments of damage was better than no damage. Machoke began to feel overwhelmed. The constant attacks from the smaller creatures was pushing it back.

The leader of the bandits seemed distracted because his Machoke was being pushed back, so Byleth used the opening to attack him. Realizing that he was about to be attacked, the bandit leader brought up his ax to defend himself. However, he was too slow to properly defend himself causing for his ax to fly from his hands. The bandit leader took a few steps back, but soon after his Machoke stumbled into him causing for both of them to fall.

With the situation seemingly under control, Byleth sheathed her sword and made her way to Zorua and Eevee. Both had sustained damage in the battle, but nothing treatment from N will not fix. However, a sound caught her attention. She turned to see the bandit leader had risen from the ground and was sprinting towards the grey haired girl, ax held high. Byleth sprinted towards her, sword in hand. She pushed the girl aside and could feel the ax inching closer to her back. She knew that this would be the end.

"Byleth, no!" a voice called out.

However, time seemed to freeze just as the ax was about to make contact with her flesh. Then everything began to twist and Byleth was now in some sort of pitch black void. The void felt somewhat familiar. She looked around trying to figure out where she was.

"Honestly! What were you thinking by pulling that stunt?" a female voice said.

Byleth turned to see the green haired girl that was ever present in her dream sitting on a stone throne. Just like her previous dream, she spoke to her again.

"It's like you're trying to get me killed, you fool!" the girl continued. She paused and let out a sigh. "I guess it's fine. After all, if you don't know the value of your own life, then you won't protect it, are you?"

Byleth had not idea what she was talking about. Of course she valued her own life. It was a split second decision. If she had a chance to properly think it through then of course she would make a smarter decision. It was not like she could turn back time.

"Well, then," the girl said a she stood up from the stone throne she sat in, "I guess it's up to me to guide you then, right? You can call me Sothis."

At least Byleth now had a name for the voice inside her head.

"But I'm also known as 'The Beginning.'"

What's that supposed to mean? Byleth thought as she raised an eyebrow.

"It seems I was only able to recall my name only just now," Sothis said.

Byleth's brow rose even higher. If this was just her talking to herself, what was the point of it all? She had no idea who or what Sothis was. For as long as she could remember, this girl was just a dream that constantly plagued her.

"With that look on your face you must think I'm some child that can't remember her own name. Well, this child just saved your life! And what does that make you?"

"Grateful, I guess," Byleth replied.

"You should be grateful. You may look like an adult, but do you act like one?"

What's that supposed to mean? Byleth said to herself.

"You threw yourself in the path of an ax to save one young girl. Yet all is well as I've stopped the flow of time for now. You would have died had I not intervened," Sothis said.

Byelth's eye's widened. This girl stopped time. She could hardly believe it. Not that it mattered, once time resumed the ax would still collide with her body. "You can stop time?"

"Since you said you were grateful before, I'll let your tone slide. However, I'm not sure how I did that."

Once again, Byleth was left unsure with what to respond. What was the point in freezing time if she was going to die regardless.

"How rude of you to drag me into this! What to do now?" Sothis mused.

"Can you turn back time?" Byleth asked. A part of her actually wondered if it was possible, the other part of her was what gave the question a sarcastic tone; something she had picked up from N.

"While I do not appreciate your tone, that is the most sensible option," Sothis said. Then a yellow circle formed in front of her adorned with different symbols. The one in the middle seemed vaguely familiar to Byleth.

"I do believe it can be done. You truly are troublesome," Sothis said.

And you're pretty annoying, Byleth said to herself.

"I cannot wind back time too far, but far enough for you to properly defend yourself. Now, go. You who bears the lightning within. Drift through the flow of time and find the answers that you seek."

Lighting within? Byleth thought.

Before she could ask what that meant, the yellow circle began to glow and everything began to shift. Then the events that had just transpired played in reverse and Byleth found herself with Zorua and Eevee again as time resumed. Knowing what she had to do, Byleth spun on her heel and sprinted towards the grey haired girl; just as the lead bandit stood up again. Byleth got into a defensive stance in front of her and expertly parried the bandit's blow, causing him to stumble back. The remaining bandits, and a now awake Machoke, grabbed their leader and ran into the forest.

"Hey! Over there!" a voice called out.

The two turned to see the blonde teen and brown haired teen jogging towards them. Behind them was N.

N lunged forwards and hugged Byleth tightly, something she was not anticipating. He separated from her and she could see the relieved expression his face.

"For a second there I thought you were a goner. Though, how did you know he would stand up again?" N asked.

"I would like to know too," Jeralt said as he rode towards them on his Mudsdale.

Before she could respond, the sound of armor and footsteps caught their attention.

"The Knights of Seiros have arrived! We're here to cut you down for terrorizing our students," a voice called out. "Hey! The thieves are running away. After them!"

Soldiers that were accompanying a man ran past them and into the woods. The man, who seemed to be their leader, walked up to the group gathered. His eyes landed on the three teens in uniform and he let out a relieved sigh.

"The students seem to be unharmed," the man said. His gaze then fell on N, Byleth, and Jeralt, most notably on Jeralt. "And… who's this?"

Jeralt let out a groan, clearly annoyed by the person person in front of them. "Why him?"

The man's eyes then widened in recognization and walked up to Jeralt as if he was an old friend. "Captain Jeralt? It is you! It's been ages! Don't you recognize me? It's Alois, your old right-hand man!"

Jeralt let out another groan. N and Byleth were beginning to share the annoyed sentiments. Alois seemed like the kind of person who could never stop talking.

"It must've been 20 years ago you went missing without a trace," Alois said.

N's gaze shifted towards Jeralt when he heard that. He had asked Jeralt about his past a few times, but never got a straight answer. He had gradually lost interest in the topic, as it had never really felt important for N to know, but Alois's words sparked his curiosity again. N had not realized that the conversation had turned towards him and Byleth, as he was broken from his thoughts by Byleth elbowing him.

"Sorry, lost in thought," N said.

"Are you related to Jeralt? Are you his son?" Alois asked.

"No, not at all," N said as he waved his hand quickly. "I'm just some kid he found by a river bank."

"Well, then, I'd like for you to see the monastery too," Alois said with a hearty laugh.

"Monastery?" N asked.

"Garreg Mach Monastery. It's where we, the Knights of Seiros, established our presence," Alois explained.

"Oh, now I understand. I guess I'll go," N said.

Jeralt let out another groan. It was clear he did not want to go, but there was really nothing he could do about it.

"What's wrong, Captain? You aren't going to run off again are you?" Alois asked.

"Even I wouldn't run from the Knights of Seiros," Jeralt replied.

The walked ahead to talk in private. N turned to Byleth, but she seemed lost in thought, almost as if she was talking to herself. N looked ahead to see Claude waving for them to go to him. This time N nudged Byleth, who was broken from her thoughts.

"They're calling for us," N said as he gestured towards the teens.

Byleth nodded and followed N to where the teens were gathered. When they arrived, the first to speak was the grey-haired girl.

"I appreciate your help. Your skill is beyond question. You're clearly an experienced mercenary. Your father is Jeralt, the Blade Breaker?" the girl asked looking towards Byleth. She continued on to explain Jeralt's reputation among the Knights of Seiros. It was likely that he had gotten that moniker when he was part of them. "Have I missed anything?"

"I didn't even know he was a captain," Byleth answered.

N nodded in agreement. "He never talked about his past too much."

"By the way, thanks for healing up my Deerling," Claude said, turning his attention towards N. Next to him was his Deerling, who was almost fully healed, but healed enough to walk.

"Don't mention it. I just can't stand to see these creatures suffer," N said as he pet Zorua who was perched on his shoulder. "I can tell all of you have a strong bond with your partners. The way they spoke to me confirmed that."

"Wait, can you talk to the creatures?" the girl asked.

"Well if you're coming to the monastery with us, I'd love to hear more about it," Claude said.

"Please, Claude, no one can actually talk to them. He probably is just able to see the strong bonds we have with them," the blonde boy argued.

"It's fine if you don't believe me. Not many people do," N said.

"I didn't mean it to insult you," the blonde apologized.

"Again, don't worry about it. I'm not bothered by it," N said.

"I should also mention that the three of us are students at the Officers Academy at the Monastery," Claude said, bringing the conversation back to its central focus. "We were doing some training exercises with out partners when those bandits attacked. It's part of the reason my Deerling got injured."

"That would be because you ran off," the girl said.

"Got me there. I was the first to make a strategic retreat."

N felt as if everything was almost like a game fro Claude. He could appreciate that to a certain extent, as it helps in keeping positive in certain situations, but seriousness was something that was needed as well.

"Because these two followed me is why those bandits chased after us in the first place," Claude continued.

The three continued to bicker amongst themselves. At least to N it seemed more playful than out right blaming each other for the events that had transpired. It is clear that the three were friends. Though when the blonde and the girl began to argue it felt a bit more personal; something Claude caught on to and attempted levy the situation. Though what he said only seemed to frustrate the girl even more.

"In any case, forgive our digression. I must speak with both of you, if you can spare a moment," the blonde boy said.

"Well we haven't mobilized to leave yet, so we got time," N said.

The blonde first turned to N. "When we fought back to back, it felt as if I could fully trust you in that situation. Even with Deerling close to the chest, you still managed to hold your own. I was really impressed by your technique. I do wish I could learn from it."

N placed a hand behind his neck and began to rub it nervously. The way the blonde praised him felt a bit strange to hear. "Thanks. I felt like I could trust you too. You wield that lance expertly."

"Thank you. Your words humble me." The blonde then turned to Byleth. "The way you held your own against the bandits' leader was truly captivating! You never lost your composure in the moment. It showed me I have still much to learn."

"That's better compliment than I got," N muttered to Byleth.

"Your skills is precisely why I must ask you to lend your services to the Empire," the girl said.

This one's bold, N thought.

Before the girl could finish her statement, the blonde stopped her, wanting to continue his own proposition. N also caught the name of the girl: Edelgard. He was sure it was said before, but in the heat of battle he could not commit it to memory.

"The Holy Kingdom of Faerghus is in dire need of exceptional individuals like the two of you. Please, do consider returning to the Kingdom with me," the blonde said.

These two are trying real hard to recruit us. Will Claude try too? N thought.

"Whoa, there! You two sure are hasty. Trying to recruit someone you just met. You two have no tact, really," Clause said.

"Where you going to try too?" N asked.

The question had caught the teen off guard and he let out a nervous chuckle. "Well, I was hoping we'd become friends before then."

N chuckled slightly. Never had he anticipated for three nobles trying to recruit them for their respective sides. It amused him to a certain extent. And even if Byleth did not show it, it likely amused her too.

"Anyways, capable stranger where does you allegiance lie?" Claude asked.

N and Byleth looked towards each other, unsure of what to answer. They had never considered leaving the mercenary band. Granted, it was unlikely that they would, but it was somewhat flattering to be considered to be so skilled.

"May I ask, why you're so keen on recruiting us?" N asked.

"Both of you are very capable on the battlefield in your own respects," the blonde said. He turned to N first. "You seem to be very knowledgeable about the creatures that inhabit this world. I'd love to know more, so Shinx and I can become even stronger." The blue and black furred creature at his side let out a growl in response. He then turned to Byleth. "And you're exceptionally skilled with a sword. I'm sure you'd be a wonderful ally."

Claude nodded in agreement. "Basically everything Dimitri just said."

Before either of them could give an answer, Alois intervened in their conversation.

"Alright, that's enough with the small talk. It's time to head back to the monastery."

"Looks like we'll have to pick this up another time," Claude said.

"It was nice meeting you both," Dimitri added.

"I do hope you make the right choice," Edelgard said as she walked away.

When they were out of earshot, N let out a breath. "Man, those three are something else."

He then turned to Byleth, who had the same expression as he before, lost in her own head. N wondered what she could be thinking about. He hoped she really was not talking to herself, but he often could never get a good read on her emotions.

"What did you think of them?" N asked.

Byleth blinked rapidly as she was broken from her thoughts. She then shrugged in response. "Not sure. Each of them have their own characteristics. Good and bad."

N nodded in agreement. "You got that right."

"Hey, you two!" Jeralt called out. "Get your stuff packed we're going to meet up with the Knights by midmorning!"

"You got it!" N called back. He turned to Byleth again. "Looks like we're on the road again."

Byleth nodded in response and the two began walking back into the village in order to get all their gear.

—

Once the band was fully packed and ready to move out, they made their way into the forest in the direction of the monastery. Just as Jeralt had said, they met up with the Knights and the three nobles by midmorning, and they began the trek towards the monastery.

Jeralt walked ahead with the other Knights, catching up with Alois and the other veterans who were present. His Mudsdale rode at his side, while Alois' Onix stood tall next to them. Behind them walked N, Byleth and the three nobles. Zorua, Eevee, and Rufflet were perched on their partner's shoulder, with Deerling and Shix trotting next to theirs.

Claude had asked N more about being able to speak to the creatures. With N explaining that he can hear their voices in his head. Dimitri still could not wrap his head around the idea, while Edelgard seemed to listen closely. N knew Byleth believed that he could speak to them, so when she was asked if she believe, she would nod in agreement. The five learned a great deal about each other. N explained the story of how he was found by Jeralt and the other mercenaries, without going too into detail on why he at the river in the first place; adding how he and Byleth basically grew up together. The three explained their heritages and how they were the next in line to rule their respective territories.

While they explained, N could feel a memory from his past creep up, but he managed to suppress it. When another question about his ability was asked, N put on his usual smile and answered to the best of his abilities. He also explained to Claude how he managed to heal his Deerling.

"The magic I know is focused on healing, so I just carefully poured energy into him. That heals any internal and external damage. Of course there is a limit to what I can heal. Whatever I heal still needs to heal normally. Then I gave it a special berry. Almost every creature enjoys it."

"Cool. You'll have to teach me sometime," Claude replied. The Deerling at his side let out a low grunt as it seemed to smile.

"I can try."

Around early afternoon, the edge of the forest came into view, which meant their destination would soon be in view.

"This will the first visit to the monastery for you both, correct? I'd be happy to show you around?" Dimitri asked.

"It really is Fodlan in a nutshell. The good and the bad," Claude summarized.

"Why's that?" N asked.

"Like it or not, we'll be there soon," Edelgard said, avoiding N's question.

N turned to Edelgard. Her gaze was forwards, but he knew there was more to it. Before he could say anything, the forest came to and end and sunshine rained down on them. N looked ahead to to see a massive monastery a top a mountain. He had never seen such a huge place.

"There it is, Garreg Mach Monastery."

"Woah." Was all N could say.

AN: And here is chapter two for this story! This chapter basically plays out similar to the events in the game, so not much changes. What does is that there's a Pokemon battle in this one. Pokemon battles in the story will work similar to how they do in the anime, so it'll feel familiar. I know not a lot happens in the Pokemon side of this story, but next chapter is when Pokemon will become much more involved. By the same token, only specific characters will have Pokemon partners. Basically all the main characters and those who the player would normally interact with in Three Houses (Gatekeeper will get a Pokemon, just 'cause I think it'd be funny).

I got a few questions in the review by guests, so I'll answer them here. Once asked about an upload schedule. Normally, I don't really have one, due to personal reasons. I am a university student, so most of my time goes to all the work I need to do there. Also, I very frequently get writers block, but with this story I have it mostly mapped out, so I hope not to fall under its spell. I hope to upload new chapters as biweekly as possible, but not promises. A second question was the image I chose for the story, and to be honest I just googled Zekrom years ago and that image popped up. I tired to find its original creator, but to no avail. I hope that answers everything.

With all that out of the way, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and stay tuned for the next one! If you're enjoying, feel free to follow, favorite, and/or review.