Chapter 6

A Day To Himself

The weekend after the mock battle was the first time since arriving at the monastery that N had some free time. The week before the mock battle was consumed with him getting used to his new position as a teacher. He had spent what little free time he had planning lessons and getting to know the students, as well as the staff. To him, the staff was more eccentric than the students. He had gone to Professor Manuela for some medicine the day after the mock battle and that was an experience he wanted to forget. Manuela's flirting was a bit too aggressive and he spent the entire time there very uncomfortable. However, the Pikachu she had with her was her partner was a lot easier to talk to and shared N's sentiments. He was surprised that her partner was a Pikachu.

He had gone to see Professor Hanneman as well. His obsession with Crest research just made him ramble on about things that went over N's head. When asked him to put some of his blood on a dial he kept in his office was the moment he wanted to leave. He ended up giving in to Hanneman's request. When his blood reacted to the dial, a strange symbol appeared in front of him. Hanneman mumbled something to himself as N studied the symbol. It looked like two raindrops put together with dots in the center of each of them. One raindrop was more jagged. It reminded N of lighting. The second had smoother protrusions, yet they still ended in a pointed edge. It almost looked like fire. Hanneman had deduced that it was crest he had never seen before, so his immediate reaction was to study it. He ignored N's presence and began to converse with his Kadabra, who was just as invested in the research.

After that, N made sure to only go back when absolutely necessary. The other personnel of the monastery and Officer's Academy were a bit easier to talk to. Seteth was still distrustful of him and would make it a point for him to not speak to his sister Flayn. Alois was still the same person he met that day. But now he had to listen to his bad jokes more frequently. Rhea was another enigma. He was slightly distrustful of her, as he kindness and attitude did not seem genuine. However, there was a warmness to her that did not feel forced.

Finally there was Jeritza. He was swords master of the academy. He was always silent and would rarely speak. N tried to strike a conversation with him, but he would never respond with something to keep the conversation going. However, whenever N spoke about his partner Scizor, he would speak more than usual. That made N curious about his skills in battle. He had witnessed a spar he had, so his skills with a blade were something he did not question. When N brought up battles with his partner, he was more inclined to talk.

On the current day, N decided to explore beyond the Officer's Academy's grounds. He wanted to know what else the monastery held. If N was being honest with himself, he had yet to see the monastery portion of Garreg Mach. Now that the whole new professor thing had settled down, He was had bit more free range around Garreg Mach. The layout of everything was pretty straight forward. One could easily find their way around. However, N decided to just walk and take everything in as he walked.

He surprised to find a small graveyard by the Knight's Hall. When he descended the steps towards the graveyard, he saw Jeralt standing in front of one of the graves. He had a solemn expression as he simply stared at the head stone. He did notice N walk up to him until he was at his side.

"Kid? When did you get here?"

"A few moments ago. I was just walking around when I saw you here," N said.

"Oh. Guess I was lost in thought," Jeralt replied.

N turned to the head stone. The name was barely legible but he could faintly make out the first name: Sitri. N could only guess who the person was. He assumed the person was female, as the name sounded feminine, but he could have been wrong.

"Is the person buried here someone you knew?" N asked.

Jeralt nodded. "You could say that."

"I see. Well, I'll let you two catch up," N said as he turned on his heel.

Jeralt chuckled. "You're strange, you know that?"

"You've told me many times. Tell them only the good stuff about me."

N could see as Jeralt's mood improve as he walked away. The person was obviously close to him, but he wanted to hear about them from Jeralt himself. Since the person was probably someone he knew from his days as a knight. Which meant that Byleth likely did not know about them.

N walked into the main hall and found that it led to a long bridge. There were people walking up and down the bridge. Most were dressed in church attire rather than knight armor. He assumed that the bridge led to the actual monastery, or a close equivalent. When he reach the end of the bridge, he marveled at how big the structure in front of him was. It easily towered over everything else, making look even grander. N was hesitant to walk past its gate, but his curiosity was telling him to investigate. As he walked past the gate, Byleth sprinted past him. He barely caught a glimpse of her as she ran.

"Hi, N. Bye, N," she said as she ran past him.

"Hi, Byelth," he said back.

He scratched his head in confusion, wondering where she was going in such a hurry. He shrugged and made a mental note to ask later.

When he walked into the building, he was not surprised it was the actual cathedral, but he was taken aback by how grandiose it was. Everything looked ornate and well maintained. It was obvious that this place was the heart of the monastery. He walked towards the front of the cathedral, where a statue of a woman was located. At her sides were two dragons. One dragon was bulky, with a pointed, cone shaped tail. The second dragon was sleeker with a strange looking tail. It almost looked like a chimney.

"Reshiram and Zekrom," N muttered.

N looked down towards the woman's feet to see another, smaller stature. It was the face of a creature, nothing else. N walked closer to it to get a better look.

"I wouldn't get closer if I were you," a soft voice said.

N looked back to see Marianne staring at him. She had a praying posture, her hands clasped together and close to her face. Hiding behind her was her Espurr, which peeked form behind her uniform. The blue haired girl had the same tired expression N had always seen.

"Why not?" N asked turning back to the statue.

"They say that the statue represents a beast of incredible strength. Even greater than the two legendary dragons. However, its rage incarnate," Marianne answered.

"Is that so."

"Though, Zekrom isn't much better," Marianne added.

"I'm not that well acquainted with the legend. What makes Zekrom so evil?" N turned to face Marianne.

"Reshiram is favored by the goddess and is said to be the true reincarnation of her child. Zekrom was jealous of that and resented both the goddess and Reshiram," Marianne explained.

"Is that right?"

"So the legend goes anyway," Marianne added.

N turned back to the statues. At first he marveled at the sight of them, now he was curious about the legend of the dragons, as well as the third beast. He took a few steps back, standing next to Marianne, to take in all of the statues. He then noticed a white orb that the statue of the woman held. Something about it drew him in, as if a voice was calling out to him.

Child of Flames…

N felt a headache coming along. He felt the pain in his head begin to grow. What once was a soft voice became a roar of rage. It was as if two beings were at war inside his head, and he was merely a spectator. He could hear roar that was like thunder and another like a roaring fire.

"Are you alright?"

Marianne's voice broke through all the turmoil in his brain and the voices stopped. N looked towards his student, who had a concerned look on her face.

"I'm fine. Just a slight headache," N said.

"It's because you're in my presence, right?"

N rose an eyebrow. Wondering what that meant and where it came from. "Pardon?"

"I'm cursed."

"Cursed?"

Marianne nodded slowly and took a few steps away from N. "You shouldn't get so close to me."

"What happened to me was not caused by you. I'm not sure what happened, but I'm positive you did not do anything."

However, N's words did not change the expression of sadness and guilt on her face. N wondered what happened in her life for her to believe such a thing.

"I should go. I don't want to cause anymore trouble for you."

Marianne turned and walked away before N could say anything. He turned back to the statues, wondering if they had somehow spoken to him. He quickly dismissed that notion, however.

"I must be going crazy if I think statues can talk."

N chalked up his experience to an old memory trying to rear its ugly head. He instinctively grabbed the black sphere of his necklace before taking one last look at the white orb in the woman's hands. He once again heard the whisper. He could only wonder where it was coming from.

"Maybe the library is a good place to start," N mused as he turned to exit the cathedral.

—

When N found the library, he was not surprised how devoid of people it was. There were only three people in the library. One person was a student that had fallen asleep at one of the tables. Books were stacked around him and a few were open. A Munna was hovering over them. When N stepped closer to them, he recognized the person as Linhardt. Deciding to not disturb him, he quietly moved passed him. Though he could only wonder why he was asleep in the library and not in his room.

The person was an aide to Rhea, but a much smaller capacity. They simply fetched whatever she needed in that moment. He did not have much of an interaction with them as they exited the library after finding what they needed.

The final person was an older man, likely the oldest in the monastery that N had seen. He wore the clothes of a priest and walked with the assistance of a cane. He smiled warmly at N when he noticed him.

"You must be one of the new professors, right?"

N nodded. "Yes, sir. My name's N. I teach the students about the creatures."

"It's been some time since the Officer's Academy had a teacher for that subject. It's nice to know the students are being taught about them," the older man said.

"So I've been told. If you don't mind me asking, who're you?"

The older man let out a wheezy chuckle. "Of course. I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Tomas. I'm just a humble priest at the monastery."

"It's nice to meet you."

N took a moment to properly acquaint himself with Tomas. Tried to find anything that felt out of place about his demeanor. However, he found nothing. Nothing jumped out at him as off putting. Tomas was really just an old man.

"However, you are the professor for the creatures, yet you don't have one with you," Tomas said.

N looked to his shoulder, expecting to find Zorua there, but it was not. He then remembered that he had left the fox in the dormitory sleeping.

"I do actually. My partner is a Zorua. It's back in my room sleeping. Though, its probably awake by now," N said.

"Ah, Zorua are rare. You have a most interesting partner," Tomas replied.

"How about you? Do you have a partner?" N asked.

"A long time ago. That life is long behind me."

"I see."

There was brief pause between the two. To N it felt like Tomas was also further acquaint himself with him. There was something about the look in the old man's eye that caused him to take a small step back. He chalked it up to being nervous, but there was something else about it as well.

"It was nice to get to know you, Professor. But I must take my leave," Tomas said.

N nodded. "Of course. It was nice to meet you as well."

As Tomas slowly began to exit the library, N turned to the bookshelf the old man was standing by. He skimmed through the spines of the books, trying to find something about the legendary dragons. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Tomas making it to the door.

It doesn't hurt to ask, N thought with a shrug. "Excuse me, Tomas."

The old man stopped and turned to the young professor.

"Would you happen to know where the books about the legendary dragons are?"

Tomas smiled and used his cane to point at a bookshelf across the room. "They should be over there."

"Thank you. I appreciate it."

N did not make a move towards the bookshelf until Tomas had exited the library. When he did, N quickly moved to where the old man had pointed. He was surprised to see just how many books there about them. Most of them involved Reshiram and the legend surrounding it, but N still considered that something worth looking into. His eyes then fell on an older book. The spine was worn and wrinkly. When N took it out, its pages were mostly yellow. N took that book and few others and placed them on a table. He sat down and began to skim through them, starting with the newer books.

"The legendary dragons? That's interesting," A sleepy voice said.

N looked up to see Linhardt staring at the book he was looking at. He jumped in fright at the sight of him. He looked to where the sleeping student once was and there was only the stacks of books he had.

"Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you," Linhardt said.

"It's fine. I just wasn't expecting that."

"So, tell me, why're you looking into the legendary dragons?"

"I was curious. I've only heard the names of the dragons, never what they did," N answered.

"Here I thought most people already knew about the legend," Linhardt said.

"From the looks of things, there's a lot to the legend," N replied.

Linhardt shrugged. "There always is." The green haired teen let out a yawn. "Tell me what you find. We can trade notes."

N watched as the teen walked back over to his stack of book, and promptly went back to sleep. N was still baffled that he could simply sleep where ever he pleased. N turned his attention back to the book he was skimming, trying to find something of interest.

The newer books did not have much information on the dragons. Just the basics of what they represented in the legend. Reshiram was good and Zekrom was evil. What N wanted to know was of their origin and place within the Church of Seiros. Despite being considered evil, Zekrom was prominently displayed in a lot of the artwork in the Cathedral and around the monastery.

When he began to look through the older books, he began to slowly find what he was looking for. He was surprised when he found out the last time Reshiram and Zekrom were seen was almost 1,000 yeas ago. It was also the last time two massive armies clashed in battle. It was also the last time a creature known as Charizard was seen. N remembered seeing a depiction of an orange dragon. He wondered if that was a Charizard.

From what N read, Reshiram was commanded by Seiros. Which likely meant the statue of the woman was Seiros. N realized she was also what the church itself was named after. He could only wonder exactly who Seiros was.

Then there was Zekrom. The black dragon was commanded by someone by the name of Nemesis. He also commanded a Charizard. He was painted as the villain of the battle. His defeat caused for Zekrom and Reshiram to disappear from the world. Where they went, the book did not say.

N assumed that Reshiram and Zekrom had to be incredibly powerful. They could also could only be partners with someone of equal strength. N wondered what it took to become a partner of a legend.

What he could still not understand was the reason for calling Zekrom evil. N always stood by one philosophy; a creature was not inherently evil, its partner was the source of that evil. He could only assume that Nemesis was the evil that plagued Zekrom.

However, he still wanted to know about the dragons themselves. Learning about the battle did help him understand a bit more about the legend.

He opened the final book he had taken. It was the older one with the worn spine and yellow pages. He carefully opened it and began to read. As he read, he realized that this was the book he was looking for. It told stories from before the war of Zekrom and Reshiram. The two were considered to be opposites of each other. Black and White. Truth and ideals.

Then came a bit about their origin. N had become so enthralled in his reading that he had not noticed he was reading aloud.

"Reshiram and Zekrom are said to be born from the progenitor god, Sothis."

That name caused for N to raise an eyebrow.

"Sothis? Who's that? A creature or a person?"

Zekrom would come to someone who held a strong truth. Reshiram would appear for those with a strong ideal. N wondered what Seiros and Nemesis had that made the dragons chose them as a partner. He had to believe that Zekrom would now its partner was evil. However, he had no way of knowing if Nemesis was truly evil anyway. He had to wonder what caused the battle from almost 1,000 years ago. The other book did not delve deep into that origin.

He pushed that thought aside to focus again on the dragons. Both are said to have the power to destroy the world. Reshiram with blue flames and Zekrom with bolts of lightening.

N let out a breath and look towards the ceiling. There was so much to just two creatures. In his mind appeared the symbol he had seen in Hanneman's office; the jagged and smooth raindrops. He wondered if the raindrops' shape implied the two legendary dragons. There was also the circle in the middle of the two raindrops. He could only guess what that meant, if it even had a meaning.

He returned to the book, trying to find if there was anything about a third creature. As he flipped through pages, he could not find the information he was looking for. There was a passage about the icy heart that made up the two dragons, but he concluded that was a metaphor about something relating to the dragons.

When he closed the book, he was surprised to hear the sound echo. He looked up to see that he was the only one in the library. Even Linhardt had left, however, the stack of books he had remained on the table.

He put the books back where he found the and exited the library. When he did, he was surprised to see that it was already sunset.

Was I really in there for that long? N thought as he ran a hand through his hair.

"Ah, Professor, you're here as well" a feminine voice said.

N turned to see Flayn standing in front of him.

"Flayn, right?" N asked.

The green haired girl nodded enthusiastically. "Indeed. I'm glad you remember my name despite us only meeting once."

"Well, Seteth always makes it point for me to not talk to you. It's hard to forget that," N admitted sheepishly.

"That brother of mine. He's way too overprotective. I know you're not a bad person," Flayn replied.

There it is again. I still don't think they're siblings, N thought. "It's going to be hard to get through his prickly exterior."

Flayn giggled at N's choice of words. "You're not wrong. Anyways, why were you at the library? If you don't mind me asking."

"Just studying up on some history. It helped understand something a bit better. Why do you ask?"

"Just curious. However, I will say, some students have been looking for you all day," Flayn said.

N's face paled at her words. He had never anticipated that students wanted to see him during their day off.

"Crap, really? I guess I'll have to apologize to them later," N said. "Regardless, I should be getting back to my room. Got to get some rest and get ready to teach tomorrow."

"I'm sorry for keeping you," Flayn said.

"Don't worry about it. It was fun to talk to you," N replied.

"Likewise. I hope we can chat again."

The two then parted ways. N was left with two lingering thoughts. One was that impossibility that they were siblings. The second was just what really was the Church of Seiros and what connection did they have to the legendary dragons.

—

The blizzard was the worst thing he had ever experienced. He was not bothered by the frigid temperatures, what did bother him was how hard it was get accurate data. He had spent days trying to traverse the frozen wastelands of northern Faergus in search of an elusive cave, but the constant blizzards kept preventing that. He knew he was in the right direction, but the blizzards kept throwing him off course. He stopped moving when he heard the sound of a familiar hum.

"Did you find anything, Magnezone?"

From within the blizzard emerged an odd looking creature. It was shaped like a domed saucer. At its center was a singular red eye. To its sides was another eye, but those did not appear to move. At the top of the dome was a yellow antenna. Its underside was adorned with a u-shaped metal object that could light up. The creature was metallic and did not have an animal like traits.

Megnezone let out a metallic grunt. The man nodded and placed a hand atop the dome.

"You sensed magnetic disturbances in that direction. Most interesting. What of Beheeyem's status?"

Megnezone grunted again.

"Still checking the perimeter I take it."

The man paused and put a hand on his chin as he mused. If he wanted to, he could continue moving forwards in the direction Magnezone had found the disturbance. There was also the possibility that Beheeyem would find something.

"We'll return to camp. It's getting dark, and while that doesn't bother me, it makes data gathering all the more difficult," the man said as he pushed up his glasses.

Magnezone let out a mechanical whine.

"I understand we're on a tight deadline, but sometimes one must know when to stop. Besides, Ghetsis won't be arriving any time soon. I'm sure the others are freezing at the camp." The man let out an exasperated sigh. "Honestly, they have no sense of scientific advancement."

Magnezone grunted again, but the man did not respond. The man turned and began walking back to where the camp was. He made sure that he did not stray too far from it, as getting lost in a blizzard would be a terrible way to die. The bright lights of the camp soon filled his view and in front of the tent stood a guard.

"Master Colress! We were about to send a search party for you," the guard said.

Colress waved him off. "No need for that."

"Of course. However, the blizzard has picked up significantly. Are you sure you aren't cold?"

Colress looked towards his attire. He wore a black shirt and pants, adorned with a bit of blue. Over it he wore a thin lab coat. It was his usual attire whenever he was conducting research.

"Not in the slightest. Thank you for your concern."

The guard bowed his head. "Of course, sir. May I ask where Beheeyem is?"

"Finishing its perimeter sweet. You should see it soon," Colress answered. "If you'll excuse me."

"Of course." The guard moved to the side and opened the tent for Colress.

It was a large tent that easily fit everyone within his research group. His own space was fill with books, loose paper, and other trinkets he needed for his research. However, he was focused entirely on the book in front of him, the book he had taken from Garreg Mach Monastery. It was an old tome. Likely as old as the monastery. It gave the most information on the legendary dragons without the legends behind it. It was truly a scientific book, not an old religious text. He had poured through the pages, taking notes on the margins, and soaking up all the information the book had to offer. He had read the text cover to cover, but each time he read it he found there was more to learn.

What intrigued him the most about the book was the tale of a third dragon. In every old legend of the dragons, there was always two. There would vague mentions of a third, but never anything concrete. Colress wanted to study the third dragon, know everything there is to know and he was so close. Beyond the endless blizzard rested the third dragon.

"Master Colress."

Colress looked up from the tome. A fellow researcher was standing next to him, a scroll in hand.

"A message from Ghetsis?"

The researcher nodded.

"Give it here, Cedric."

Colress held out his hand and Cedric placed the scroll on it. Colress opened the scroll and began to read. It was a simple message, that he was making his way towards him as progress had been positive. For Colress that proved to be an annoyance. He had yet to find conclusive evidence of the location, but he knew Ghetsis was not a patient man. Colress let the scroll roll itself up again and let out a sigh as he took off his glasses.

Just where are you hiding, Kyurem?

—

"This'll be your new home."

N opened his eyes to see a giant entry way. It felt like the entry to a castle. This was place was supposed to be his? His eyes darted around the room, spotting all the doors that lined the entry way. He could only guess where each door led. A large staircase led to a second floor.

N was ushered forwards to the staircase. He looked up to see the man that now would be his father. N could almost believe his way his real father, as they shared a similar hair color. The man smiled warmly at him as their gaze met. Everything about him looked warm and inviting.

"Let's go upstairs. Your sisters are excited to meet you."

N nodded and slowly began to walk up the steps. The stairs reached a hallway that was lined with several doors. N turned left as he followed his father. They reached a door that has his name etched on a name plate. He ran his hand along the intricately written symbols. Under it was another symbol he did not know.

His father knocked on the door and N could hear the shuffling of footsteps.

"Is everything ready?"

A muffled yes came from behind the door. The door was opened and N entered a large room. It was so big that N felt even smaller than he already was. The room was brightly colored and was adorned with anything a four year old would like. However, what caught his attention the most were the two girls standing side by side in front of him. They looked to be a bit older than N. One was blonde and the other had pink hair.

His father walked in front of him and stood behind the two girls.

"Meet your new siblings Anthea and Concordia."

"It's nice to meet you," the girls said simultaneously.

N took a step back as their speaking at the same time caused him to be a bit scared. However, the two girls did not seem offended by his fear.

"No need to be afraid N. We're all family here," his father said.

However, N soon learned that that was not true at all. N, Anthea and Concordia were all tools for their adoptive father Ghetsis. When Ghetsis realized N was more useful to him than Anthea and Concordia, he practically disowned the two of them. The interactions between the siblings became minimal, Anthea and Concordia stopped referring to N as brother.

"Let's go, N. We have more to do," Ghetsis said.

"Please! I don't want to go! I'm scared!"

"You will be useful to me! Are you ungrateful for everything I've done for you?" Ghetsis growled.

N did not respond. He knew not to. Whenever he talked back to Ghetsis, he would snap. The last thing N wanted to do was make him angry. That meant another visit to Hydreigon. N considered all the creatures his friends, but Hydreigon was the only one who he feared.

"You've failed again, N."

N knew that tone of voice. The door in the room opened and N heard a low growl. The sound caused for a shiver go down his spine and his hairs to stand. N turned to see Hydreigon inching closer to him. N's pooled tears began to fall, his fear was over taking him.

"You will become king, N. It is why you are useful to me. One of the legendary dragons calls to you."

Hydreigon inched closer and closer. Each of its heads snapping at him. N found himself against the wall and the dark dragon would continue to stalk towards him. The middle head then lunged at him and he brought up his hands to protect himself. Everything went dark.

N shot up from his bed. The sudden movement caused for Zoura to wake. He ran a hand along his face and could feel the sweat that dripped down it. He panted heavily as he slowly moved to sit on the side of the bed. He looked up to Byleth, who was undisturbed by his outburst. N chuckled to himself. Her ability to sleep through almost everything remained intact.

Zorua nudged the side of his arm, trying to poke his head through. N raised his arm and let the fox move to his lap. However, instead of curling up in it, the fox sat down and stared at him. N half smiled and pet the fox.

"It was so vivid this time."

The fox titled its head, unsure of what he meant.

"Hydreigon."

The mention of the black dragon caused Zorua to snarl and turn towards the door. N appreciated that Zorua was so willing to protect him.

"It won't come. It was only a dream," N said.

The fox took one last look at the door before turning back to its partner. It then curled up next to N and began to sleep again. He put his hand on the fox, with another on his face. The nightmare that plagued him was happening with increasing frequency. No matter how far he go from Ghetsis, his ghost would always haunt him. He took a moment to collect himself before trying to go back to sleep. But every time he closed his eyes, he could hear the low growl of Hydreigon.

AN: Here ends this chapter. This chapter started out kinda fun, then became depressing. It was not my intention, but as I wrote I found myself writing what I did. Here we get a view of the dream N was talking about. Originally I was going to have say a bit here in there in conversation, but I decided to just tell it outright. I decided to change things up about N's childhood a bit, make Ghetsis abusive from the start. Not something N realizes later. Anthea and Concordia will also become important characters in this story, but no spoilers on what they'll do. I also decided to give N a crest. I haven't decided on the name of it yet, but what it symbolizes is something important. I'll go more into it as the story goes.

This chapter also introduces Colress. I'm positive that the scientist I mentioned in the last chapter everyone could guess was Colress. He'll have a similar role in the games, but I'll be changing him a bit. I hope you look forward to what I do with.

In the last chapter I got a guest review asking if I'll be adding more characters form the Pokemon games. The answer to that is I had never thought about it. However, with this chapter, I put in a character form the games. As of now, I don't know if I'll add more Pokemon characters, but its is possible if they fit into what I have planned.

I do have a question for all of you. The first chapters had the partner Pokemon's gender stated. I kind of forgot to keep that trend going. Should I bring that back, or keep the Pokemon genderless?

With all that out of the way, I hoped you enjoyed this chapter and stay tuned for the next one. If you're enjoying this story, then feel free to follow, favorite, and/or review. Also, follow me on Twitter. I post story updates and other stuff there as well.