AN: Got a long one for ya! Hope you enjoy it!
Chapter 13
The Day of Rebirth
N was at the monastery's courtyard market when Byleth and her students returned. Most of the stalls were beginning to close down for the day, but a few remained open, so N wanted to buy any last minutes items he needed for lessons. While he was there, he had begun to speak with Hilda, as she was doing some last minute shopping as well. The last day of the week was usually the only day the students did not have class, so she spend most of her day shopping from what she told him. She had also been the one to see the tired group enter the courtyard market.
N had called out to them, but his words seemed to not register, as none of them looked up. As they got closer, Sylvain was the first to perk up when he heard N. He was quick to get everyone's attention towards the teenaged professor.
"You guys look worse for wear," N said with a chuckle.
A groan escaped a few of the students. It was obvious they were tired.
"What roughed you guys up so much?" Hilda asked.
"You wouldn't believe it, Professor!" Annette exclaimed. "We ran into giant creatures!"
N rose an eyebrow. "Giant creatures?"
He knew some creatures could be quite large and the canyon likely served as a home for some, but having be truly giant seemed like a stretch.
"It was crazy! The sky turned red and, all of a sudden, a Steelix and Rhydon were giant," Ashe added.
N out a hand on his chin. He tired to imagine what they had experienced in his mind, but nothing came up. He knew Steelix were already large, but the way Ashe said it made it seem it was larger than usual. There was also the part about the sky turning red. He had never seen that happen before.
"When we were about to escape, a strange looking Blaziken saved us," Ingrid said.
"How so?" N asked. Now he was beginning to become even more confused. First giant creatures, now an odd looking Blaziken. He knew that creature could have a different coloration, but even that was rare, and the way Ingrid had said it made it seem like it was not that.
"Its head wings were shorter and pointed up. The flames on its wrists were like ropes, and it had black feathers instead of yellow," Mercedes explained.
"Have you ever seen anything like that before, Professor?" Dimitri asked.
N shook his head. "I haven't. Whatever it is you guys saw, it must be something we don't know about the creatures."
"I've seen a Blaziken that looks like that," Hilda said.
All eyes turned to her, looking for answers. She took a step back and began to sweat with nervousness. She began to think she should not have said anything.
"You have?" N asked.
Hilda nodded. "My brother's partner is a Blaziken. I've seen him battle with that kind of Blaziken before, though it was never often."
"I'll have to meet your brother and his Blaziken then. I'm definitely curious about what that means," N said.
The fact that giant creatures and a different looking Blaziken enticed him like he could not believe. He always knew the potential for the creatures was vast, but this was something he never expected. He just had to get as much information about it as possible.
However, he put that aside for the moment and focused on the students. The battle they must have had took a toll and they all looked very tired. Whatever the effect of the gigantification was, it made the creatures stronger.
"It seems all of you made it out without any major injuries. That's a relief at least," N said.
"Well, that's not entirely true," Sylvain said, placing a hand behind his head.
N rose an eyebrow and gave everyone another look. Besides exhaustion, everyone, including the creatures, looked fine. When his gaze landed on Felix he saw that he was irritated by something and when N saw what it was, he could not help but laugh. Honedge was repeatedly poking him around different parts of his body.
"It seems Honedge needed a Revival herb."
Felix grumbled and looked away.
"Don't worry Felix. The effects should wear off soon."
"Well it better. This got annoying a long time ago," Felxi replied.
Everyone chuckled at Felix's annoyance. It was nice that they could still manage a laugh despite what they had just gone through.
He then looked towards Byleth, who always seemed to be looking at something behind her. She looked concerned for something. He thought it was Eevee, but the furry creature was perched on her shoulder, also looking down.
"Is everything okay, Byleth?" N asked.
Byleth turned to her friend and gave a quick nod. However, before could say anything, something drew her attention back down. N rose an eyebrow. It was not that she was hiding something, but it was more like her attention was else where. He looked up to see several of the knights that walk by look down in disgust. It was either that, or they made sure to walk away as quickly as possible.
"What's behind you, Byleth?" N asked.
"We had a stowaway," Dimitri said.
"A stowaway?"
Byleth nodded and moved a bit to the side. It was quick, but N managed to get a look at the orange reptile that was behind her. N's eyes widened in realization. He had read that the reptile had gone extinct in Fodlan. To see one alive was incredible. However, he could feel the creature's fear. It was too scared to even let go of Byleth's leg.
"That's a Charmander."
"Charmander?" Everyone asked in unison.
N nodded and knelt down. He kept his distance from the creature, but it peeked form behind Byleth's leg.
"I read they had all gone extinct. To see one alive is incredibly rare," N explained.
"That must be why we did not know what it was," Ashe said.
N nodded. He quietly called for the creature to come closer, but it refused to move away from Byleth. It regarded Byleth as the only safe spot. N could tell it was young, that meant there was still a family Charizard living in Fodlan. How the little one got separated, he did not know.
"Wait, Charmander… You mean it's related to Charizard?" Mercedes asked.
N nodded with a smile. "Yes. I could never find why they went extinct, but seeing one alive is incredibly fortunate."
"I don't think it is," Mercedes said.
N looked up to see the young woman with a fearful look in her eyes. She took a few steps towards Dedue as well, trying to hide the small creature. N wondered if she had encountered a Charizard before.
"Have you seen a Charizard before, Mercedes?" N asked.
She shook her head. "The stories are enough to make me fearful."
"Stories? What stories?" Dimitri asked, turning to her. "This is the first time I'm hearing about Charizard."
"What is this I hear about a Charmander?!"
Everyone looked up to see Seteth striding towards them. He had an angry look and the scowl he always had as more pronounced than usual. Behind him was Rhea, which surprised everyone. Even N was not expecting to see her. She was always in her audience chamber and rarely left it. She did not have the same expression as Seteth, but was obviously uncomfortable.
When the aid caught sight of the oranger creature his eyes immediately shot towards Byleth. N knew an accusatory look when he saw one. Whatever reason he needed to show his disapproval for Byleth was right in front of him.
"Where did you find that thing?" He asked. He did not bother hiding the disgust in his voice.
"At the Red Canyon," Byleth answered.
"Why did you bring it back here?" Seteth crossed his arms as he took a step towards Byleth.
"It followed me."
Seteth's scowl hardened. "Truth be told, I thought Charizard and its forms were extinct. Seeing one now just means we weren't through when searching for them."
"What's the supposed to mean?" N asked, rising from his kneeling position.
Everyone turned to the teenaged professor and took a step back. This was the first time anyone had seen him angry. His brows were so close together they looked like they became one. His fists were so tight that if they got tighter, his nails could draw blood.
When Seteth saw his anger, he could barely form a response. He was ready to respond when he heard the question, but seeing the anger made him stop.
"I'll ask again, what does that mean?"
Seteth stammered. He stumbled over his words trying to answer the young professor. It was not often he felt intimidated, but this was one of the rare moments.
"I'll explain," Rhea said, interjecting.
N shifted his angry gaze towards Rhea. Compared to Seteth, she was much more composed. It was like she had seen this kind of rage everyday.
"One thousand years ago, an evil man used a Charizard as a partner. Together they ravaged Fodlan. He was defeated by Saint Serios and her partner. However, because of that Charizard's master, many around Fodlan were fearful of it an its transformations. The people drove out Charizard and its kin. Even I believed them to be extinct."
N's rage softened a bit, but it did not completely dissipate. He understood those people's feelings well. Even he was scared of a creature, but being afraid to the point of driving it to extinction felt ludicrous.
"Why did the creature have to suffer the people's wrath? It was not Charizard's fault. A creature is not evil by nature. The partner makes it evil. Why not turn their rage towards Charizard's partner?" N asked.
Rhea's gaze saddened and fell the ground. "Because he had been killed. The people needed to vent their anger, and they chose Charizard."
"Why didn't the Church stop them then? You preach about living in harmony with the creatures, but you turn a blind eye to something like that. It's almost funny how ironic that is."
"I will admit, we made mistakes. But-"
"I don't care about your excuses!" N yelled. "I can't allow selfish human to let the creatures suffer in vain!"
"Watch your tone with the Archbishop," Seteth said.
"I don't give a damn about my tone." N moved to stand in front of Byleth and spread his arms. "I'll protect both Charmander and the person he chose as a partner against anyone!"
There was silence following his words. No one dared to speak up. As for N and Rhea, they simply stared at each other. Their gazes never breaking apart. Everyone around could feel the tension between the two and no one dared to intervene.
However, the first to relent was Rhea, who let out a defeated sigh.
"Your resolve is strong, N. Your unwavering commitment to the creatures is something I can sympathize with. But a thousand year fear of a creature that terrorized many will not go away that easily," Rhea explained.
"I don't care about that. This Charmander has done nothing to earn that. If anyone from the Church harms him…" N trailed off. Even he did not know what he would do.
"I understand."
"Lady Rhea, you can't be serious! You know-" Seteth stopped talking when Rhea raised her hand.
"Please understand this, N. A close eye will be kept on Byleth and Charmander. That is the only compromise I can make," Rhea said.
N grumbled. It was not ideal, but it was the only way for Charmander and Byleth to stay together. "Fine. I'll accept."
Rhea nodded and smiled. "I'm glad we could come to an agreement."
Rhea turned to leave, with Seteth following close behind trying to convince her that she was making a mistake. As for N, he felt the tension release from his body. He had not realized how tense he was, but he was still angry. He had to go somewhere to let all his rage thin out. He needed somewhere to just scream at nothing.
"N, I-" Byleth stopped speaking when N turned to her.
"I'm sorry. I just need to be alone right now," N said as he broke into a run. Zorua followed close behind him.
Byleth reached out to stop him, but he was already too far.
—
"Lady Rhea, please reconsider!" Seteth pleaded.
He was still in shock that she had allowed Byleth to keep Charmander. The both of them knew the danger such a creature possessed. The villages and forests that burned due to its flames. For Seteth it also served as a reminder of a painful memory of someone he lost.
"You know I will always support your decisions, but this one I cannot hold my tongue. We know why Charizard is so feared. How its strength is furthered. How is flames consume almost everything."
"I understand your discomfort, but N is also correct. That Charmander has done nothing and he is still young. I'm sure with both N and Byleth by his side, it will not become a source of terror."
Part of Rhea agreed with Seteth's worries. She too had seen much destruction brought about by Charizard's flames. She could still vividly remember her battle with the Charizard of Fodlan's fears. It was the same Charizard that defeated her mother as well. She sighed and turned to her aid, his scowl had softened, but he was still frustrated.
"N said it best. It is not the creature that is evil, but the master. I feel no evil from Byleth, therefore I do not think Charmander will become what we fear," Rhea said.
"But can we trust N's words. We both know where he hails from. That man is not a kind man," Seteth replied.
"As with Byleth, I feel no evil coming from him. He has to be one of the kindest people in the world despite his initial upbringing."
Seteth sighed in defeat. He knew there was nothing he could say that would change her mind. He would still voice his concerns whenever the need arose.
"But will you tell him the real reason why Charizard is extinct?" Seteth asked.
Rhea looked to the ground with a saddened expression. She had told N a partial truth about the fate of Fodlan's Charizards.
"If he finds out the truth, it will make more distrustful of us than he already is. If he finds out it was Church that started the extinction, I fear he will not recover."
"Very well. I understand. But for my own concern, I will have someone keep watch over the two of them," Seteth said.
"If you think it best."
Seteth bowed and left the audience chamber. Rhea watched him exit and when the door closed she turned to the stained glass picture behind her. Her eyes fell to the two smaller dragons that were locked in combat. Her eyes focused on the depiction of Charizard. Despite it being so long ago, she could still remember that day clear as day. She had expressed sadness when Charizard had drawn its final breath that day, but her rage towards its partner had yet to.
In anger and sadness she ordered for Fodlan to be rid of Charizard. She did not want anyone to use the creature for evil again. She had thought her intentions were good, but now she was not as sure. Seeing one person so angry over it was something she had never considered. Something she did not want to consider.
"Despite being raised by such a wicked man, you have a very kind heart, N. I wish to preserve that for as long as I can," Rhea muttered to herself.
She could only wonder how things would be different if he had found Charmander and not Byleth.
—-
When N managed to find a corner in the monastery that he felt completely alone. He let out his pent up frustration with a yell. He accentuated it by slamming the side of his fist into the stone wall next to him. He did not care about the pain it caused, his anger blocked him from feeling it.
So many thoughts were running through his mind at once. The one that stood out was the argument he had with Rhea and Seteth. He knew to be cautious about the Church's Archbishop and the religion itself, but the more time he spent in the monastery the more he learned. Not everyone affiliated with the Church was shady. There were some genuinely nice people. Some where a bit too devoted to their ideals, but that did not make them bad people in his mind.
But to hear that the Church simply stood by as an entire species went extinct did not sit right with him. He knew not to blame the those currently affiliated with the Church, but he had to blame the belief system itself. Part of him wanted to blame Rhea too, but she displayed genuine sadness when describing those events to him.
It just made him confused.
N turned and slid down the wall and sat against it. He looked toward the sky, wondering what he should do next. He knew he had to help Byleth protect and train Charmander. It would help him learn more about the species in the process. A single survivor from and extinct species was a good opportunity to learn.
"None of my thoughts make sense," N muttered to himself.
Zorua saw how distressed his partner was and nudged N's leg with his head. N half smiled and appreciated the gesture. He knew that no matter what Zorua would have his back. That meant that so did Byleth. The two would argue from time to time, but they would still stick together no matter what.
"Thanks, buddy."
Zorua yipped in response and moved to curl up in his lap. Before he could pet the fox, a Deerling walked up to him and greeted him happily. N was a bit surprised to see one. He had yet to see wild Deerling around the monastery, so that meant it was likely Claude's.
"There you are, Deerling."
N looked up and had his question answered. Jogging towards him was Claude, but he was not wearing the usual Officer's Academy uniform. Instead he wore what looked like exercise clothes with the Golden Stantler insignia etched onto the shit's breast.
"Oh, Teach. What're you doin' here?"
"Just thinking," N answered with a chuckle. "What about you? Why the exercise clothes?"
"Was going for a jog with Deerling. He sped up and got ahead of me. Got excited about something. He must've smelled you."
Deerling yipped happily in response.
"Looks like he likes you," Claude said with a chuckle.
N chuckled as well and pet the deer. Deerling were known to be timid creatures, but to see one so friendly made him happy.
"Seriously, though, why are you in the random corner? You can think anywhere else," Claude said, putting a hand on his hip.
N let out a breath and looked down to Zorua. "I learned something that made me very angry. Had to go somewhere to vent."
"I get it. The scream at the ocean situation," Claude summarized.
N nodded. Claude was very perceptive. "Basically."
"What's got you down?"
So many things, was what N wanted to answer. There was the fact that nightmare plagued him as he slept. The stress of planning lessons, though that did not bother him as much. The Rite of Rebirth festival that was happening next week, along with the threat on Rhea's life. Now there was the situation with Byleth and Charmander. There was just so much, that is was making his head hurt.
Claude seemed to pick up on N's distress and understood as well as he could. Even Claude would forget that N was only a year older than him. Being that young and a professor had to be challenging for him.
"I think I get it. You got a lot on your plate," Claude said.
"You have no idea."
"Then how about we talk about something not stressful," Claude said as he sat down next to the teenaged professor. "How did your present hunting go?"
An intense blush formed on his face as he turned away. Claude, meanwhile, had a sly grin forming on his face.
"It went well I take it?"
N did not say anything and kept his face away from him. Buying it was easy, giving it was what became complicated. Whenever he did not have a nightmare, that night played on loop in his dreams. Ever since that night, things had been strange between him and Edelgard too. They could never speak casually, and their conversations never went on for too long before becoming awkward again.
"How did the person respond?" Claude asked.
"I think she liked it, but her reaction wasn't what I expected," N said.
Claude raised his eyebrow slyly. "So it was a girl, that's interesting. Did she fall head over heels for you with it?"
N shook his head. That response surprised Claude. He had thought things had gone well with his mystery girl, but maybe he was wrong.
N then turned to Claude, the blush that formed was gone. Now he only had an embarrassed expression.
"She ran away after she took it," N said.
"Like that huh?"
N nodded in response. "Things have been awkward ever since."
"That bad. It can't hurt to try again. You know just talking to get things going," Claude said.
N chuckled. "I can't believe I'm getting romance advice from my student."
"Then think about it two friends helping each other out. We are close in age after all."
N turned to Claude, there was a smile on the teen's face. "But I haven't done anything to help you."
"Then I'll have to ask for a favor someday," Claude said as he began to stand. "You look less stressed too."
"Yeah well, you made me think about my botched gift giving. That tends to stick out," N said.
"See," Claude said with a laugh. "You aren't thinking about anything else."
N wanted to respond, but Claude's laughter infected him and he began to laugh as well. After everything that had happened, it felt good to laugh. When the managed to stop laughing, Claude bid farewell and jogged away, Deerling following behind him. N turned back to Zorua and smiled.
"As a friend, huh?"
—
When N returned to the room, he found Byelth was already in sleep clothes. It consisted of a pair of short pants and short sleeved shirt. She sat on her bed, with Eevee beside her and hidden behind her was Charmander, who peeked behind his new partner. N smiled at the sight of the orange reptile. Charmander was likely overwhelmed with everything that had happened.
Before he could say anything, Byelth surged to her feet and embraced him in a tight hug. The gesture caught him by surprise, as he was the one that usually gave hugs. All he could manage in response was putting his hand on her head. Sometimes he would forget how much taller he was than her.
"You had me worried when you ran off."
N was left surprised again. She had a genuine expression of worry on her face. When she would usually say that, he expression was always neutral. He smiled, knowing that being around her students made her show more of her emotions.
"Sorry. I needed to vent some frustrations," N replied.
Byleth separated from N and turned back to her bed. Eevee yipped happily when she saw N, while Charmander hid behind Eevee. When Byelth sat back down, Charmander moved to be behind her.
"Charmander looks very attached to you," N said.
Byleth nodded and turned to the orange lizard. Its blue eyes staring between her and N.
"He's afraid of me."
"He's scared of everyone. When anyone tries to get close, he hides behind me. Even during our walk back, he refused to get down from my shoulder."
As N listen to Byleth's explanation, he walked over to her and Chamander. He knelt in front of the two, but kept his focus on Charmander. The orange lizard hid behind Byleth and showed no signs of wanting to separate from her. Something must have happened for Charmander to become so scared.
"It's okay little one. I won't hurt you," N said with a soft voice.
Charmander peeked from behind Byleth, but kept his distance. It was enough for N to notice his tail, and how the fire that burned at the tip was small. Seeing that made him sad. Charmander had been separated from his family for a long time. He was barely surviving in the wild.
"His tail flame it weak. I read that if the flame is small, then Charmander isn't in the best of health. I'll see what I can do," N said.
Byleth turned to Charmander and saw what N had mentioned. She knew next to nothing about Charmander, so she was happy that N knew the basics on how to take care of creatures. She knew a bit as well, but compared to N it was next to nothing.
From the bag he had, N took out a round, blue berry and offered it to Charmander. Zorua and Eevee looked enticed as well but with a quick look from N, the two stopped from trying to jump for it.
Charmander meanwhile, continued to stare at N. His head tilted curiously at the berry N was offering. Charmander then took a step forwards and N took the opportunity to inch closer. Charmander took another step and now N could see Charmander completely. It looked the same as he had seen in the books at the library. An orange scaled reptile with blue eyes. It even looked cute.
"It's okay. This will help you get healthy."
When Charmander was close enough, he brought his nose to the berry and smelled it. Satisfied, it let out a happy growl and grabbed the berry. He returned to being behind Byleth to eat. Despite that reaction, N was happy the orange lizard accepted the berry.
With a satisfied sigh, he stood up and grabbed two more berries. He tossed one to Eevee and Zorua who happily munched on them when they caught it.
He turned to Byleth, who had her usual half smile. It was close to a smile, so N was happy.
"That's impressive. I wasn't expecting Charmander to leave from behind me."
N chuckled. "It took a bit of prodding, but he must've been hungry. Next time I'll give him proper food."
Charmander moved from behind Byleth and jumped off the bed. It scurried over to N and hugged his leg. Charmander let out a happy growl as he did so. The orange lizard even smiled.
"We have to keep him. He's adorable," N said. His eyes practically turning into stars.
Byleth giggled in response. She was happy that N's mood had changed and that Charmander appeared bit more comfortable around N. She was already planning on keeping Charmander, but now she was sure of it.
—-
The day of the Rite of Rebirth had two very different atmospheres happening simultaneously. If one walked around the courtyard market and the mail hall, there was a very festive air. The courtyard was lined with so many stalls that it almost felt like a different place. The amount of people coming to visit the monastery was also greater. It heightened the festive atmosphere with everyone present and it caused for the courtyard to be even more populated.
When N passed by, he could not help but be absorbed by the festivities. It reminded him of the simpler times of just being a traveling mercenary. Every so often they would stop at a village that was holding some kind of local festival. It always made stopping there more fun, plus it was one of the few times he could get Byleth to loosen up.
N was supposed to be on high alert due to the threat of assassination, but the atmosphere made it difficult to focus. It seemed he was not the only one, as the Gatekeeper also looked like he wanted to check out the stalls. His Watchog, meanwhile, remained ever vigilant.
"Taken in by the fun?" N asked.
"Oh, greetings, Professor," the Gatekeeper said.
N chuckled at his usual greeting. He always came off as a greener soldier within the knights, so N assumed he was sticking to protocol with how formal he would respond.
"I'd be lying if I said no. Seeing all the stalls and people would make anyone want to take a look. But I must remain vigilant." The Gatekeeper tightened the grip on his lance, and Watchog huffed in agreement.
"I'm supposed to be vigilant as well, but it's difficult with the feeling of merriment." On N's shoulder Zorua yipped in agreement. "Though I could go without my tail."
N slightly turned his head to get a look behind him. A woman named Shamir had been assigned to keep watch over him and Byleth after the situation with Charmander. She kept her distance, and at times N would not notice. But he knew she was around whenever her Dartrix was perched somewhere.
"Hm? Tail?" The Gatekeeper looked behind him.
"Don't worry about it," N said waving his hands.
The Gatekeeper shrugged. "If you say so." The Gatekeeper turned his attention forwards. He then let out a gasp and turned to N. "Is it true you have a Charmander?"
N grimaced. Another knight asking about Charmander. They all asked about it, and none were happy it was around. He knew it would be difficult to change a 1000 year hatred, but he thought at least a few would be open to the idea.
"So you've heard too. I take it you're not too happy either," N said.
"On the contrary, I think that's cool. Charmander are so rare. Being able to see one would be awesome. All the drawings I've seen of it are super cute!"
The Gatekeeper's enthusiasm had taken N by surprise. He was the first knight to not show distaste for the orange reptile. N could not stop himself from laughing when he called Charmander cute. It reminded him when the reptile hugged his leg.
"Yeah, he is quite cute. Very shy though. It rarely leaves Byleth's side," N said.
The two conversed for a bit longer. N found that talking to the Gatekeeper felt calming. It made the previously tense atmosphere slowly dissipate. Despite that, he was still keeping his mind focused on his duty. He had been assigned to keep and eye out for intruders and he would continue to do so.
Though, a short break won't hurt, N thought as he eyed one of the stalls.
"I think I'm going to take a quick break. Want to see what the food at this festival has to offer," N said.
The Gatekeeper let out a dejected sigh. "I wish I could join. Standing here all the time can get a bit boring."
Watchog grunted in response. Not happy that its partner would say something like that.
"I think Watchog disagrees," N said with a chuckle.
"She always does," the Gatekeeper said with a sigh.
N chuckled again and turned to walk away. He waved goodbye to the Gatekeeper and descended the steps towards the courtyard market.
As N waded through the people, he took in the different smells and sights. People bartered for rare goods, or ate some type of food that was not usually found around the monastery. In one corner he saw the merchant Anna selling her wares. He cringed at what he heard the prices were; they were nearly double than what he saw last month.
As he continued to walk, there was one stand that was emptier than most. Only a few people mingled around it, but passerby seemed to ignore it. However, he did find one person he recognized buying something: Petra, with her Froakie on her shoulder. The purple haired student appeared to be chatting quite amicably with the man running the stand. It looked like she was having no trouble talking with him at all. As he got closer, he noticed the man had a similar complexion to her and when he saw the sign for the stand, he understood. The stand was selling food from Brigid, Petra's home.
"Taking a break too, Petra?" N called out.
The purple haired student turned and bowed with her head. "Greetings, Professor. I was not intending on doing so, but the stand is having food from home."
"I get it. Homesick are you?" N asked.
Petra nodded. "Sometimes."
N turned to the stand and read what it was selling. He could only assume that the food was written in the native Brigid tongue, as he found trying to understand what certain things were made of difficult. He could get a basic understand of what the food was, but besides that was nothing. He turned to Petra and saw her happily munching on some type of skewered meat. He wondered what it could be on the stand's chalkboard.
"Hey, Petra, do you have any recommendations? I'm curious about what food from Brigid is," N asked.
Petra turned to the teenaged professor and looked between him and chalkboard. She appeared to mull over something before settling by pointing at a name.
"That is good for basic understanding. Everyone has a liking for it at home," Petra said. "The spices are used by everyone."
N nodded in understanding. "Then I'll have that."
The man behind the stand said something in the Brigid tongue as he began to cook. Petra had not been kidding about the spices. The cooking had barely begun and he could already smell them. He turned to her, and saw that she was giving Froakie a small piece of food.
"So, tell me, what's Brigid like? I've been all over Fodlan, but never there," N asked.
Petra turned to him with a surprised expression. For her, it was not often people asked about her home. She would talk about it, but never gave specifics, as no one seemed to listen for very long. But with the way N asked the question made it seem like he was genuinely curious about her home.
"Much warmer, that is of certainty. Never gets cold also," Petra explained.
"I get it. It's a tropical place, so the temperature must stay relatively the same most of the time."
Petra nodded. "I have great love for the sea. I spent most time there. It is what I am missing most."
N noticed how saddened she got. He did not know much about Brigid, but he did know about how the ocean there was supposed to be second to none. It was part of the reason he wanted to visit, with the other being how different the creature one would encounter there.
"Well, there is a beach in southern Fodlan. I doubt it can compare to those on Brigid, but the few times I've gone it's always fun," N said.
"I must be exploring them soon," Petra replied, a smile coming to her face.
"What about the creatures that inhabit the island? I rarely see Froakie in Fodlan. Are they common there?"
Petra nodded and pet Froakie. The blue frog seemed to purr at the gesture. "They are living in a secluded area. Impossible for anyone to be reaching. If one wants to becoming mature, they must be venturing to find where Froakie and transformations live."
N listened closely to Petra's story. He was fascinated by how she explained her encounter. He gathered that Froakie and its transformations lived in clans similar to humans and would accept humans into their clans if they were deemed worthy. When that was the case, a partner Froakie was assigned to the human. When both returned fully trained and Froakie having transformed into Greninja, both would be tested. Should they succeed, they were allowed to remain partners. Should they fail, the human could not return to the clan's abode.
"Wow, that sounds both thrilling and terrifying," N said.
Petra chuckled. "Indeed. The elder of the clan was intimidating. He inflicted quite the fright."
"What kind of test did you and Froakie have to complete?"
Petra was silent for a moment and looked towards her partner. Froakie shrugged, which she took as a response.
"I would prefer to be keeping that for me. It is not meaning to be shared," Petra replied.
N's face went red with embarrassment. With hindsight, she was right, but as she told the story of how one gained a partner Froakie he had become curious to where her test was.
"I'm sorry. That was insensitive of me."
Petra shook her head. "No need. Curiosity over the tradition is natural. Many do the asking when I do the storytelling."
N put a hand behind his head and chuckled nervously. "Is that right? Well, I'm sorry anyways."
The two talked for a bit longer and continued even when had gotten his food. As he ate it, Petra asked him to describe the flavor. He tried his best, but he could never seem to describe it in a good way. Petra did not seem bothered by it and just laughed. The more she spoke about her home, N could see the homesickness come and go with each change in topic. N found himself very engrossed in her explanations on different aspects of Brigid culture. If it were not for his duties, he would have loved to keep talking.
"I think my break has gone on for a bit too long. Better get back to patrolling," N said.
Petra nodded. "I am of the understanding. I, too, must do the returning."
"How about next time you have some free time, you can come talk to me about your home. It's obvious you love talking about it and I enjoy learning about it from you. Maybe it'll help you feel less homesick."
Petra nodded in response. She looked up to meet N's eyes. She saw that genuine curiosity again. It felt like she could talk to him about anything and he would listen to what she had to say. It was not often that she felt it was safe to talk about her home. The fact that her Professor would be that person felt a bit odd. However, she was happy about it regardless.
"Thank you. I am grateful. I would be enjoying the next time we meet," Petra said with a smile.
N nodded. "Great. Let's get back to our duties. We can only hope that things stay as jovial as they are now."
—-
During N's many laps around the monastery grounds, he never spotted anything out of the ordinary. The festivities in the courtyard were still jolly and the people walking about the monastery looked normal enough. There were a few odd ones her and there, but to N they just seemed like overzealous church followers. No one seemed to be making shady movements, except for the person on his tail.
He would forget that the silent Shamir was keeping watch, but whenever he felt a chill run down his back he would remember. He had to give her credit, she was pretty stealthy. Just when he was about to let his guard down, he would be reminded by her presence. That signal was a hoot from Dartrix, which always kept its eye on him. Her sneakiness made him think she was shady, but he knew that was not the case. She was a member of the knights and their loyalty to Rhea was absolute.
He had tired several times to try and make conversation. It usually entailed him asking if she wished to scout the ground together, but she appeared to disappear whenever he would ask. It would get especially embarrassing when he would ask when people were around. A random bystander would look at him like he was crazy.
N let out a sigh. It would take time for him to get a conversation with her.
As he continued his rounds, he began to notice less and less people roaming the monastery halls that were open to the public. It slowly began to trickle to just members of the clergy; priests from different areas around Fodlan. He was told to keep any eye out for Eastern Church affiliates, but he could not tell them apart from those who were not. Whenever he passed by an odd looking clergyman with a pointed mask, his initial reaction would be to report them. He found out later in the day that most high ranking priests wore one to keep their identities concealed. Why a priest needed a make, he would never know.
During one of his rounds near the cathedral, he saw Byleth speaking with Dimitri, Dedue, and Annette. It seemed strange to not see her with all of her students, but they had the same assignment as him, so he chalked that up to them doing rounds as well.
He smiled when he caught sight of Charmander. The orange lizard appeared to be in better health, as the flame on its tail burned brighter than when he first saw it. However, he was still shy. He remained behind Byleth, but seemed to be comfortable around Annette's Jigglypuff.
He was about to call out to them when Seteth and Flayn walked towards the group. When he caught sight of N, he gestured for him to join them. He greeted Byleth and her students with a simple hello, and did the same with Flayn. Seteth softened his glare, but still had his brows furrowed close.
"You all appear to be too relaxed for my liking," Seteth said.
"We have yet to spot any intruders, but I'm sure they'll appear soon," Dimitri said confidently.
Seteth nodded. "In any case, the Goddess's Rite of Rebirth is about to begin." His green eyes scanned everyone closely. His gaze hardening when he saw Charmander behind Byleth. "While we are in the Goddess Tower, we are relying on you to secure the locations that are weak in defense."
"Then what was the point of all the rounds I was doing?" N asked.
Seteth turned to N. "To see if we could catch any intruders disguising themselves as common folk. Though if they were good, I doubt we would be able to discern them from the rabble."
N nodded in understanding. His reasoning made sense, though N did not like he referred to commoners as rabble. After all, he was one too.
"May I let you in on something, Professors?"
N turned to the young girl, a playful smile was on her face.
"My brother can be a bit…callous. He told me he was concerned about you and hinted that perhaps you would be better off patrolling a coffin," Flayn said, barely able to keep her in her giggle.
At first, N was surprised Seteth was concerned for his and Byleth's wellbeing. After the whole situation with Charmander a few weeks ago, it felt odd that he was not concerned. However, based on Flayn's laughter, he believed that it could be true. Seteth's expression also made him believe that was the case as well.
"Who would've thought? I was under the impression he hated my guts?" N asked, also barely able to keep laughter in.
Seteth turned to Flayn with an embarrassed expression. "That was said in jest, Flayn, and in confidence. Please just remain at my side and refrain from causing anymore trouble." He turned back to Byleth and N. He still had a hint of embarrassment, but hid it well enough. "As professors, you would do well to guide your students down the path of righteousness."
"Please excuse us, everyone. We shall see you again when the ceremony has concluded," Flayn said.
They all exchanged a simple goodbye and walked towards the Goddess Tower. N watched as they disappeared when they turned in the direction towards the destination. Once again, N was left puzzled by their relationship. Seteth seemed way too overprotective of Flayn to be just a sibling. He let it go for the moment, as there were more pressing concerns.
"It's time," Dedue said.
N rose an eyebrow. "Time for what?"
"We have a plan to catch the intruders," Byleth answered.
"You're welcome to join us. We'll need all the help we can get," Dimitri added.
"Sure. It beats doing all those rounds. It gets very monotonous."
Dimitri nodded, but before he could continue, a hoot filled the cathedral. They all looked up to see a Dartrix perched on a column. It flew down and landed on Shamir's outstretched arm.
"I'll join too. It's my job to keep an eye on the two of you after all."
"An experienced knight as well. We will defiantly push back the intruders," Dimitri said.
Shamir simply nodded in response.
"Well, we should find a hiding place where we can watch over the Holy Mausoleum. If anyone suspicious enters, we'll follow them in and take them down. Got it?" Dimitri asked.
Everyone nodded in agreement and began to find places to keep hidden. N noticed how the rest of the Blue Pyroar students had already found their own hiding places. It answered N's previous question as to where they were. When he found a place to hide, he had to share it with Shamir. There were limited spaces already, but he felt like sharing one with her meant he was still being watched by her.
He turned towards her and saw how calm she was. It slowly became obvious that she was used to this type of mission. He wondered what kind of training she did in the past. Her Dartrix returned to the column it had been perched on. It would hoot in different patterns, which felt like some sort of code, but N was sure it was something Shamir could recognize.
The time they spent hiding began to feel like it crawled at the slowest pace possible. People entered and exited the Cathedral in random fashion and never stayed for very long. So far, no one suspicious had entered.
N let out a sigh, which was quickly sushed by Shamir. He looked up towards her and saw the scowl on her face.
"Sorry. Never thought this would be so boring," N whispered.
"Well, stakeouts are usually like that," Shamir responded.
N's eye widened in surprise. He not expected to get a response from her. She seemed similar to Byleth, the quiet type that never said more than they had to. Maybe this was his chance to get to know the pale knight better.
"You do this often?" N asked.
"During my mercenary days, yeah."
"You were a mercenary too, huh? How'd you end up here?"
"I owe a debt to Rhea, and that's all I'll say."
N shrugged. "Fair enough."
Silence was once again between them. The silence was something N had to get used to with her. Though her silence felt different compared to Byleth's. She was silent because their current objective was to remain hidden. He knew a few basic rules of stealth and silence was one of them. The silence was broken when Dartix began to hoot in a specific pattern. Zorua sniffed the air too and began to growl.
"Heads up. Dartrix spotted something."
N looked up to see a group of priests get close to the mausoleum. They all wore matching rend and white robes, but with them was a large person with draped in black robes. The robes covered their whole body, so N could not tell who they were. At his side was fierce looking Houndoom. N noticed around its neck it wore some kind of thin collar with an odd stone attached to it.
N could easily tell those people were not at the Cathedral to pray. They were cautious, always keeping their eyes moving. It made them look more suspicious, but he pushed that thought aside. He watched as they entered the Holy Mausoleum when they deemed it safe.
Dartrix returned to Shamir who silently thanked it for its assistance. She then turned to N, her expression a bit grim.
"Those were from the Western Church order."
"How could you tell?"
"The robes they wear. Plus, there's an insignia etched onto the robe's breast," Shamir explained.
"You could see that?"
Shamir nodded. "There's also that guy in black. He's definitely bad news."
"I can agree to that. Just seeing that Houndoom gave me chills. It looked way too strong," N said.
The group reconvened in front of the Mausoleum's doors. Without a word, they were all in agreement and followed them in. They descended torch lit stairs in the quietest way possible. N could feel the tension within the students. Some were afraid, while others were just unnerved. He could not blame them. This would be another mission where they would have to take a life in order to survive. Even after many battles, N never felt good after taking a life. All he could do was take a deep breath and press on.
When the reached the bottom, the door led to a large space. The room was held up by large column and lit by several dozen torches. In between the columns there looked to be coffins, at least they were shaped like them.
The Eastern Church intruders were all gathered by a larger coffin. The leader seemed determined to get it open. N was not sure why what was inside was important, but he would not stand to see someone desecrate a tomb.
The group kept quiet as they entered the mausoleum. The enemy did not appear to notice, but they kept themselves at the ready. N could see that a few of them had creatures, but compared to the black robed figure's Houndoom, they were weak. When they were all inside, N peeked from behind a column to see what was going on. He realized that the large coffin had to be important, as they struggled to get it open.
"That's Saint Seiros' casket. Why would they want to steal her bones?" Shamir asked in a hushed tone while nocking an arrow.
"Not sure, but we have to stop them before they do," N replied.
The black robed figure's Houndoom then began to sniff the air. N hoped it had not spotted them yet, but his hopes were dashed when it turned around. It continued to smell the air and kept its head moving. It then stopped when it somehow found N's scent. N hid behind the column and tired to calm his breathing. It was possible that Houndoom had spotted him. Houndoom's growl filled the air. N peeked and saw it was facing the direction of his column. The black robed figure turned to Houndoom and looked in the direction it was facing.
"It appears we have company." The voice echoed in the mausoleum and N was now sure that the figure was male.
The Western Church intruders all turned and took defensive positions, they were ready to fight. As for the black robed man, he removed the robe and revealed a black suit of armor with a skull shaped helmet. His eyes appeared to glow red and his weapon glowed with a purple color.
Seeing that scared N to the bone. Anyone seeing that armor would be scared, it looked more like a demon than a man. N swallowed saliva and looked between Shamir and Byleth. Neither of the two seemed to have a good plan.
"Come out. Houndoom knows you're there," the masked knight said.
N took in a deep breath. They needed a plan and the best course of action was to stall for time. Byleth seemed to recognize what he was planning and gestured for him to not go out. Even Shamir looked apprehensive. N exhaled and stepped out from behind the column. In front of him were about two dozen Western Church soldiers and the masked knight. His Houndoom continued to growl, but made to effort to go after him.
"Just one?" a soldier asked.
"Just me," N said with a shrug. "I gotta ask: why steal bones? What's the point?"
There was silence among the group of soldiers. They all looked between each other, trying to figure out who should answer.
"I know there are more of you. Houndoom's smell does not lie," the masked knight said.
"Is that right? How many do you think we are?"
The masked knight chuckled. "You're stalling for the others to get into better positions. You're tactics are far too simple."
N rose an eyebrow. "Is that so?"
The masked knight then sighed. "If they will not come out, I will draw them out. Houndoom, Fire Blast."
The black furred dog opened its mouth and flames collected in it. Before N could react, the blast of fire shot from the mouth and rocketed towards N. He closed his eyes and brought his arms up to guard, but he knew it was futile.
"Happiny, Protect!"
N opened one eye and saw the small pink creature appear in front of him. A blue wall shined and the blast of fire hit it. N looked back to see Mercedes standing behind him and relief washed over him.
"It's those Central Church dastards. Buy me some time while I open the seal!" one mage ordered.
The soldier's nodded and got into position. Before they could charge, smoke filled the mausoleum.
"What's this?"
"Charmander, Smokescreen!" Byleth called out.
N looked back and saw the orange reptile release smoke from his mouth. It looked terrified, but still followed his partner's orders. He turned his attention forwards. The masked knight had yet to move, but his mere presence kept N from getting close. He turned back to Mercedes, who was still behind him.
"Join the others. I'll keep the Houndoom distracted."
Mercedes nodded hesitantly and called for her Happiny. N turned back towards the masked knight, he gestured for him to come closer. N swallowed hard, he knew this one knight was bad news, so he had had to keep him from fighting the others.
"If you're going to fight him, you'll need backup."
N turned and saw Shamir standing behind him, Dartrix at her side.
"Thanks. I'll need the help."
"Death Knight! Prove yourself and scatter these fool!" the lead mage said.
N guessed the knight's code name was Death Knight, but he did not seem like he was actually taking order from the mage. His guess was proven when he turned to face the mage.
"I don't take commands from you." He turned back to the green haired professor in front of him "Or waste my time on weaklings. However, he looks strong."
N grit his teeth. The Death Knight was focused solely on N. That worked in the other's favor, but he and Shamir could not face him alone. They had the disadvantage when it came to the creatures.
"We'll hold the knight off! You guys focus on the enemy soldiers!" N called out.
When he finished his words, the sounds of battle filled the mausoleum. The sound of steel clashing and creature attacks filled N's ears. He pushed all of it aside however, and focused on the fight in front of him.
"You're the battle instructor here, correct?" Death Knight asked.
N nodded. "What of it?"
"Show me the strength of you and your partner! Houndoom, Dark Pulse!"
The dark energy burst from Houndoom's mouth and collided with Zorua before N could utter a command.
"Zorua!"
The black fox was pushed back by the attack, but seemed relatively unharmed. N had to guess that Death Knight knew the basics of battle and that attack was a warning. Even weaker attacks would pack a punch. N had to be ready.
"We have to careful, Shamir. He's strong," N said.
"Yeah, I figured that one out."
Death Knight chuckled. "Both of you will take me on. I gladly invite the challenge."
"Zorua, Double Team!"
Zorua's body glowed for an instant before multiple sprung from it. In a matter of seconds, several dozen Zorua were between him and Houndoom. N knew this was just to stall, but he still had to give it all he had.
"Dartix, Light Screen!"
Dartrix glowed for as a yellow wall appeared in front of the two. Once it formed, the wall faded. N knew of this move. The wall might be invisible but it would be helpful in decreasing the damage of Houndoom's ranged attacks.
"Very smart. Both of you a well versed in battle," Death Knight praised. "However, it will still take more than that to stop us. Houndoom, Nasty Plot."
Houndoom glowed with a purple light. It dissipated when it let out a howl. N grit his teeth. Death Knight was going all out. He expected him to toy with them for a bit before letting show his truth strength. He had to somehow keep this fight going.
"Zorua, let's try out that new move. Use Dig!"
All the Zorua clones buried into the ground. It would take a bit for his attack to hit, but being underground would help him avoid attacks as well.
"Not bad, kid. Dartrik, Pluck!"
Dartrix flew towards Houndoom with a glowing beak. With quick strikes, it pecked the black furred dog repeatedly. Houndoom howled as the attack finished. It had taken damage, but seemed largely unfazed.
"So far, I'm disappointed. Have I overestimated your abilities?" Death Knight asked. "Houndoom, Flamethrower!"
Fire collected in Houndoom's mouth and a stream of fire was released. Shamir called for Dartix to dodge, but the owl was struck by the attack. The Light Screen glowed, but it could not negate all of the damage. Even with it up, the Nasty Plot from earlier made it deal a bit more damage.
Dartrix fell to ground, but was still standing. It did not like that its wings had become a bit singed.
"Damn. Dartrix can't take another one of those," Shamir muttered.
"Zorua, ascend now!"
Zorua shot up from underneath Houndoom and struck it with his claws. Houndoom howled again as the attack did more damage compared to the previous one. N was pleased that he decided to have Zorua learn Dig, though he had to replace Fury Swipes for it.
"Dartrix, Synthesis!"
The white feathered owl glowed with a green light as its once singed feathers regenerated. Once again, N was happy Shamir had support moves. It was making the battle just slightly less difficult.
"Come on, just a bit more," N said.
Shamir nodded. "We'll make this guy work to take us down."
"Good. It's no fun if it isn't challenging. Houndoom, Flamethrower!"
—
Byleth was used to having odd dreams, but having them while she was awake was new. Ever since she had entered the Holy Mausoleum, a voice was present in the back fo her mind. It was not Sothis, but a deep, gravely voice. As she neared Saint Seiros' coffin, the voice began to grow louder. Within the voice were growls and roars. She looked towards the casket and felt that something wanted to break free.
However, she seemed to be the only one who could hear the voice. She had separated from some of the students, as they decided to go around the battle N was having, and was joined by Ingrid, Ashe, and Annette. Getting to the coffin was another challenge. Despite not there not being more than two dozen intruders, they were putting up quite the fight. The four had managed to get past a few armed with swords, but mages and archers protected the mage fiddling with the coffin.
She turned to the coffin again. The voice grew louder in her head. It was starting to give her a headache and it was becoming more difficult to fight. Whatever was sealed in that casket had to remain sealed. She mostly wanted that in order to have the voice stop, but whatever was sealed wanted to escape and she would not let that happen.
But at the moment, they were pinned down by archers and mages. Byleth peeked from behind the column and narrowly avoided getting skewered by an arrow. She quickly moved back behind the column as another arrow whizzed by.
"We won't be able to stop them from opening the coffin if we remain behind here," Ingrid said.
"It's quite difficult because of those archers, but mages have creatures as well," Ashe added.
"We need a way to get in close," Annette said.
Byleth thought for a moment. The smokescreen from before had helped them get this far. She needed a moments distraction for Charmander to use it again. The only problem was that he was scared. The orange lizard grabbed tightly to Byleth's leg and would refuse to let go. She knelt down and put a hand in his head. The fire lizard looked up with a fearful expression.
"I need you to be strong okay?"
Charmander nodded hesitantly, but grew just a bit more determined.
"I need a quick distraction. Enough for Charmander to get us another smokescreen," Byleth said.
"How're we going to do that?" Ingrid asked.
"Use your partners. I have yet to see anyone who attacks a creature with a weapon. They'll halt their attacks for a moment, I hope," Byleth explained.
"It's worth a shot," Annette said.
"I'll take care of it. Treecko is pretty stealthy," Ashe said as he put the arrow he had nocked back in his quiver.
The other three nodded in response. Ashe knelt next to Treecko and gave it orders. The green reptile nodded and climbed up the column. Before Byleth could turn to watch, the voice intensified and her headache grew. She rubbed her forehead, trying to soothe the pain. The fact the voice grew louder meant the seal was close to opening.
"Treecko, Bullet Seed!"
Byleth looked up to see Treecko on the ceiling firing energized seeds at the intruders. They brought up their hands to guard, which gave her the opening she needed.
"Charmander, Smokescreen."
Charmander nodded and hopped from behind the column. It opened its mouth and released large amounts to black smoke.
"What's this?" one intruder cried out.
"Smoke? They're trying to conceal their movements," another said.
"Damn them! Golbat, use Gust!"
The blue bat flapped its wings hard and slowly began to disperse the smoke. As the intruders opened their eyes, they saw the four rushing towards them.
"We won't let you get past us! Nuzleaf, attack with Razor Leaf!"
The Nuzleaf jumped into battle and from the leaf on its head it fired sharpened leaves. Ingrid chose this intruder to be her opponent.
"Ponyta, Flame Charge!"
The fire-maned pony sprinted into battle was cloaked by flame. All the leaves that came into contact with it burned up. Ponyta then collided with Nuzleaf, dealing massive damage. She smiled confidently. She was sure if N were watching he would praise her skills.
"Keep it together! Mightyena, Bite!"
The black furred canine rushed into battle, fangs glowing with purple energy. It was met by Annette's Jigglypuff, who was unaffected by the attack.
"Oh no you don't. Jigglypuff, use Disarming Voice!"
Instead of Jigglypuff's usual singing voice, a shriek escaped her mouth as purple colored hearts fired from her. The attack hit Mightyena and the canine struggled to stay up.
"Now's your chance, Professor!" Ashe called out.
Byleth nodded and sprinted forwards, Eevee running at her side and Charmander on her shoulder. One of the intruders not in a battle with her students was her target. She needed to get past them.
"If they won't stop you, I will. Golbat, Air Cutter!"
Golbat's wings glowed and with a single flap sharpened air shot towards Byleth. However, she did not stop to protect herself.
"Eevee, Take Down."
The fluffy creature nodded and charged forwards, white energy engulfing it. She and Byleth avoided the attack, much to the surprise of the intruder. Eevee jumped and rammed into Golbat, causing it to fly into the wall. Byleth then drew her sword and ran it through the intruder's stomach. The intruder groaned and looked down to Byleth's monotone face.
"You're the… Ashen… Demon," they croaked.
Byleth did not have time to respond. Her headache had intensified and the voice was now just a roar. She turned to the mage at the casket and saw them cheer in triumph. They had broken the seal.
The mage let out a triumphant laugh. "The seal is broken at last!"
As the mage opened the coffin. The voice roared in Byleth's head. She gripped her head as images flashed. She saw a battlefield, which quickly changed to a man on a mountain. Storm clouds circled him and the roar from before rang out. The man held his arm towards the black sky and thunderbolt rained down. When it retreated, a black creature took its place. It was larger than the man. Its eyes glowed red and a horn glowed blue. It let out another roar as the image faded.
"What's this? A sword and some kind of stone?"
Byelth looked up to see the mage removing a sword from the coffin. She grit her teeth and charged towards the mage. They turned to fight with the weapon, but their inexperience was obvious. She easily knocked the sword out of the mage's hands and grabbed it. As she did, the roar returned. Another image flashed in mind. The creature and man from before stood in a field. The land around him was scorched by something. The man held the sword she had just grabbed and pointed it towards the air. The black creature roared and the image faded again.
Byleth managed to regain her bearing in time to deflect a fire blast from the mage. When she did, the sword began to glow. She studied it for a moment. It looked to be made out of bone and it had an empty hole in the middle. It seemed to react to something, as Eevee and Charmander glowed in a similar light.
Use me, the deep, gravely voice from before said.
Byleth dropped her steel sword and put both hands on her new weapon. The mage fired another blast, which she quickly deflected it. She turned to mage, who took several frightened steps back. However, they were backed into the wall. They brought their hands up and formed a magic shield. Byleth charged and swung her sword down onto the shield. Slowly, the magic began to crack. The sword's energy was overpowering the mage's spell.
"Who are you?" the mage struggled to say.
Byleth did not reply. The shield shattered, and Byleth brought her sword down on the mage. With a single slash, the mage let out his final breath and slumped to the ground.
Byleth looked to her sword again, eyes falling on the hole in the middle. Another headache came on and another image flashed in her mind. Two creatures battled. The black one from before and the other was white. Fire gathered around the white one and lighting circled the black one. The two roared at each other and collided. Commanding them was a woman and the man from before.
The black creature soared into the air and let out a roar, thunder clouds circled around it. The image of the battle disappeared all that was left was the black creature.
You who bear the lighting. When your ideals are manifested I will come to your aid, the deep voice said.
Byleth looked towards the black creature. A single word crossed her mind in that moment. "Zekrom."
The image faded and she was back in the Mausoleum.
—
The battle between N, Shamir, and Death Knight had stopped when the seal to the coffin had been broken. N was thankful for that, as the battle was not going in their favor. The two had barely managed to deal enough damage to Houndoom for it to begin to tire. Death Knight had said he had grown tired of their battle just as the coffin was opened.
The exchange between the mage and Byleth had caught their attention, but Death Knight seemed to most interested. When N saw Byleth was gripping her head, he wanted to sprint over to her and help. But Shamir kept him from going. With a single look she told him to stay put. He could only grit his teeth and watch.
However, he was relieved to see that she had recovered and managed to take down the mage with a single attack. With their defeat, the just left Death Knight.
"That sword is… I see. What an interesting development," Death Knight said. "Houndoom, Haze."
"No you don't!" N called out and charged.
"N, stop!" Shamir shouted.
Her words did not reach him and he continued his charge. Death Knight turned to N and let out a mocking chuckle.
"Until next time."
Houndoom released a purple smoke from its mouth. N closed his eyes, but pushed forwards. When he was free from the smoke, Death Knight had vanished.
"Dammit!" N kicked the ground in frustration.
He looked up to see Dimitri jogging towards him, a frustrated expression on his face. "He got away. We have not choice but to let him go for now."
N turned to Byleth and saw that she continued to stare at the sword. He saw her lips move to mutter something, but could not make it out. He walked towards her and put his hand on her shoulder, breaking her form her trance.
"You okay?"
Byleth nodded and turned back to the sword.
"Is it just me or is that sword and the Professor's partners glowing?" Sylvain asked.
N looked between the sword, Eevee, and Charmander. They all had a red-orange glow to them.
"Isn't that red color the same as the one from the Red Canyon?" Mercedes asked.
N recalled what Byleth and the students had said about their encounter with the giant creatures. They had a crimson glow to them before they became giant. He wondered if it had some sort of connection to the sword's glow.
"Are the intruders here?"
Everyone turned to see Catherine, her Electivire, and several knights run into the mausoleum. Shamir sighed and put a hand to her forehead.
"You're late. We took care of 'em already."
Shamir walked towards Catherine and continued the conversation. N turned back to Byelth, her eyes had yet to be removed from the sword. It was no longer that she studied it, it felt like the times where she would stare at the wall and mumble.
"Are you sure you're okay?" N asked, his concern growing.
Byleth blinked rapidly and looked up. "I think so." She turned to the coffin. "Did you hear a voice too when the seal was being broken?"
N shook his head. "Can't say I did. I was preoccupied though."
Byleth rolled her eyes and lightly punched N's arm. There was still something bugging her. The mage had mentioned a rock as well. Byleth walked up the steps, ignoring N's caution, towards the now open coffin. She peered into it and found no bones, just a black, round stone. Byleth reached for it, but quickly retracted it as a jolt of static electricity shocked her. However, it did not deter her from trying again. She grabbed the stone, finding it surprisingly smooth, and took it out of the coffin. She turned to show it to N.
"What's that?" N asked.
"I don't know. I felt it calling to me," Byelth said.
Before N could reply, the sound of steel scrapping against a scabbard filled his ears. He turned to see the knights and Catherine eyeing Byleth with disdain. N got between them and her and drew his own sword.
"Drop that. Now," Catherine said, her voice cold as ice.
N's eyes darted to Shamir. She was on edge too, and kept glancing between N and Catherine.
"What is it?" N asked.
"That's for Lady Rhea to say." Catherine's gaze narrowed. "Charmander I can get past. That stone leaves this place and I will not hesitate to cut the both of you down."
N tightened his grip on his sword, while the student's protested at Catherine's declaration. The air grew tense around the two. Anything would send them into a fight.
"Why don't we take a minute to cool our heads. Rhea'll be here any minute. We can let her decide," Shamir said.
Cathrine relented and lowered her guard, however, she kept her sword drawn. It did not take long for Rhea to join them. Seteth and Flayn were with her as well. Flayn was curious about what was going on, but the Seteth's scowl deeped seeing Byleth holding the stone. Rhea's expression was harder to read. N could see her eyes darting between him and Byleth. She did not have her usual practiced smile. This time she looked worried, but N could not say for sure.
"It seems something that was locked away has been found," Rhea said. "I hoped this would never come."
"Lady Rhea, you understand the gravity of the situation?" Seteth pointed to Byleth. "That sword and stone have been the source of evil in the past."
N rose an eyebrow. "How can sword and stone do that? A sword is just that. It is up to the wielder to decide what to do with it. As for the stone, it's just a stone. Why seal it away?"
"There are things you do not understand," Seteth said.
N crossed his arms across his chest. "Then tell me."
"I will explain as much as I can. However, the stone must remain here." Rhea's eyes fell to Byelth. She studied her and the sword she now possessed. She could feel the strength the poured out from it. It had chosen her as its wielder. "You may keep the sword, Professor. As N said, it is up to the wielder of it to decide how it's used."
Seteth gasped in surprise. "Lady Rhea, this is a step too far! Can't you see the bad omen of her using that blade and the Charmander at her side?"
"This is a different era, Seteth. I trust her with safeguarding the sword and training her partner."
Seteth looked like he wanted to say something else, but kept quiet. He crossed his arms and turned away. N was not sure why he was so displeased, but seeing Byleth with the sword clearly made him uncomfortable.
When the tension between everyone settled down, Byleth was told to put the stone back in the coffin. Rhea then praised her and her students for stopping the intruders and that the remaining intruders were going to be dealt with. N was positive that meant death, but that was the least of his concerns. He was still thinking about Death Knight. He was a third party within the intruders. Someone else was interested in what the Holy Mausoleum kept sealed away, but he had not guesses as to who. Death Knight never mentioned who he was working for, so it left him with a lot of questions. Was he after the sword? He recalled Death Knight saying something about it, but was more surprised than anything. If it was not the sword, that meant the stone, but it looked like any other rock.
"You doing okay?"
N looked up to see Shamir walking towards him. Her Dartrix flew next to her and landed when the two were face to face. It still had some singed feathers. Not even Synthesis could finish healing those.
"Yeah. Just there's a lot of questions going through my head." N put a hand on his chin and turned to the coffin. "Did you know about the stone and sword?"
Shamir shook her head. "Not a clue. I knew the mausoleum kept something important, but not that."
"I get the sword, but the stone is the biggest mystery. What is it?"
Shamir shrugged. "You're guess is as good as mine." She then put a hand on his shoulder. "C'mon. The others are starting to leave."
N turned to the mausoleum's doors and saw that the students were starting to leave. He called for Zorua, who jumped onto his shoulder and quickly joined the group. He took one last look at the coffin before exiting.
Something's going on here. This doesn't feel random, but it could've had better planning. Then there's Death Knight. Where do his allegiances lie?
"Professor! Everything okay?"
N looked up to see Annette calling out to him. He smiled and sped up to join her.
AN: After a bit longer wait than I wanted, a new chapter comes! Made it longer to make up for it. Sorry for being gone so long, but life really complicated things and it made it difficult to find time to write. Plus, getting used to my new uni schedule was difficult for a bit. Now that I've settled into it, writing chapters should be easier going forwards.
With this chapter, we got a bit more with the Pokemon side of the plot. Things are really escalating in that regard. Plus, this also serves as Shamir's introduction. I'm sure her partner was obvious, but I decided to have it Dartrix before Decidueye. As for why, well that will be explained in the story. With this chapter I picked up right where the previous one left off. I meant to have that chapter end with the beginning of this one, but decided to move it which is why this chapter is longer.
We also get more of N's growing distrust with the Church. I want N to come across as someone who puts the needs of his friends and creatures before anything else. So it would be obvious that he would be distrust of the Church. Especially after this chapter and what happened to him in the past. There will be more of this, so I hope you look forward to it. Plus we get a bit more interaction with students from other houses. In a way, these could considered his support conversations, so you can look at them like that. I'll try for him to interact with someone different every chapter, but that will be difficult going forward. Remember, his support chart that I made was just for fun.
There is also a bit more of the role Byleth plays. We get a glimpse here as to who has chosen her. Her role is what makes this story fun to write. IN a sense, she is the wild card for a certain schemer. His reaction to this will come soon, so I hope you look forward to it.
With all that out of the way, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Sorry for making the AN so long, but I wanted to clear a few things up. Stay tuned for the next one. If you are enjoying, feel free to follow, favorite, and/or reivew!