Troubling Developments.
The Battle of Eagle and Lion were over, with the Golden Deer claiming victory thanks to Byleth's surprising victory over the legendary Esdeath. To think Esdeath would taste defeat one day was a shocking event that would certainly be spoken about for a long while. Though none would be stupid enough to talk about it out loud if Esdeath was nearby, just in case she feels insulted and brings her wrath on anyone foolish enough to speak about her loss in her presence. Right now, Byleth was speaking to Rhea and Seteth in the Audience Chamber, where she would be congratulated for her victory during the Battle of Eagle and Lion.
"I can only call your deeds during the Battle of the Eagle and Lion...quite versatile" Rhea praised with a warm smile.
"Comparing against their performance in the mock battle of the Great Tree Moon, the students have grown significantly. It is clear that this is a result of your guidance" Seteth said with a smile of his own.
"In appreciation of your efforts, and to show our high hopes for the future of your students, I award you with this" Rhea said as she hands over an reward "Please continue to instruct your students as a model teacher".
"So! You've made good use of all my power after all. I would have been upset if you had failed at such an easy task! Then again, given how powerful Esdeath was, maybe it wasn't that easy" Sothis said from within Byleth, who made sure not to show visible reactions to her words.
Seteth's smile soon turned in to a serious expression "It pains me to assign such a disturbing mission to you during such a blessed moment in time... However, next month your assignment will be to journey to Remire Village to investigate an abnormal occurrence there".
"Remire Village... If I recall, you've been there with your father and sister many times" Sothis said.
"An abnormal occurrence?" Byleth asked, worried about the people of Remire Village.
"I have yet to ascertain the details, but it would seem the villages have been acting strangely. I have already dispatched the knights to verify the authenticity of this information. They should be back shortly. I suggest you begin by finding out what they have discovered" Seteth explained, earning a nod from Byleth.
"I pray this is not a bad omen... May the goddess protect you all" Rhea said with a small prayer.
Red Wolf Moon: Hoarfroast now graces treetops and open fields alike, and an icy chill blown in from the north of Faerghus blankets the land. All of Fódlan's creatures begin to settle in for a long winter. The setting sun bathes the full winter coat of every wolf in a foreboding scarlet glow. Hunters can now spread the word that the red wolves are back on the prowl.
Sometime later, Akame was in Rhea's room and had just finished getting dressed after another check up from the Arch Bishop who was smiling at her "Good news Akame. I can say for certain that your body has fully recovered and has successfully adapted to Murasame's power. You are now allowed to train again".
"Does that mean I will get to travel to Remire Village with my father and sister?" Akame asked, hoping she could finally get back in to action again.
"If nothing unforeseen happens until then. Yes, you may go with them. Just be careful" Rhea instructed.
Akame smiled and bowed "Thank you Lady Rhea. But now I have a lot of training to catch up on before we head out".
"Don't over exert yourself to much. You may have recovered, but rushing in to taxing training could have the opposite effects" Rhea instructed.
"Don't worry, I will not give you a reason to worry" Akame assured.
"I will always worry when you go in to danger. May the Goddess bless you" Rhea said before giving Akame a warm hug, making the young girl blush a little. For some reason she felt like she was being hugged by a warm and caring mother.
And she liked it.
Later that day, Akame met up with her family "So, is the mission a go?".
Jeralt nods "Yes, we will head to Remire Village by the end of the month. I'll be in my office making preparations. What about you two? If you have the time, it would be helpful if you could go ahead and talk to the knights".
Byleth suddenly felt some beat inside her chest, causing her to collapse, much to her family's shock and surprise "Sister!".
"Hey! What's wrong?" Jeralt asked in worry.
Byleth takes a breath before she managed to stand up, Akame took her hand and looked really concerned "Sister, are you alright? What happened?".
"I don't know. I just got a little dizzy" Byleth answered honestly.
"If anything feels off, return to the infirmary. No need to just grin and bear it. Got it?" Jeralt ordered, since he didn't want his daughter to just keep pushing herself in case something was wrong.
"He's right, sister. If we are going to help Remire Village, we all need to be in our best shape" Akame said.
Byleth nodded "I understand. I don't think it's serious, but I will have a check up, just in case".
"Good, I will be damned before I let any of my children die before me" Jeralt declared.
"Come on father, you are not that old. You still have some good years left" Akame said with a smile.
Jeralt chuckled "Maybe there is still enough reasons left for an old block like me to stick around. Well, you two just make sure you are ready for what's to come".
Both daughters nods before heading to do their own preparations.
In the dining hall, Hubert was speaking to Edelgard "You look unwell. It's because of what happened, isn't it?".
"Don't speak of it aloud" Edelgard warned.
"You can't change the past. For now, all we can do is use it to our advantage" Hubert reminded.
"I know that. I also know that I must steel myself to ascend the Imperial throne" Edelgard said.
"Those preparations are going well. We... Someone is coming" Hubert said as Akame entered.
"Oh, Edelgard, Hubert. Didn't expect to see you two here" Akame said.
"So what brings you here then?" Hubert asked.
"Was going to see if I could have a quick snack before I start training again. Rhea finally told me I have recovered enough to start training again. If it goes well, I will be able to join my sister and father on their mission" Akame answered.
"Yes, I heard about our mission for this month. Something terrible is happening in Remire Village. That's where you and your sister were when fate sent you our way. This feels...preordained" Edelgard said.
"Are the knights making progress with their investigation?" Hubert asked.
"I don't know. My sister is the one who will speak to them. I am just going to make sure I am ready for the mission" Akame said.
"If what is happening there is by design, there must be someone pulling the strings. There is the Death Knight, of course. And the mysterious mages who were implicated with the Western Church. They showed up when Flayn was kidnapped as well. And now there is another strange occurrence near the monastery... It seems an unknown organization hopes to make the monastery its stage for something" Hubert said.
"What do you mean?" Akame asked.
"Akame, do you believe that all of these incidents are connected?" Edelgard asked.
Akame thinks for a bit "Well, it does seem a little to much to just be an coincidence".
"That is the logical conclusion, but I'm not so sure" Edelgard said.
"Huh?" Akame asked confused.
"It certainly appears that all of the events surrounding the monastery are connected by a single thread. However... I think it's possible that it may just be a result of different motives overlapping. Remember, Akame... If you think of people as simply enemies or allies, it may be impossible to grasp the truth" Edelgard explained.
Akame had no idea how to respond to that. Just what was Edelgard trying to tell her? And why does it feel like Edelgard knows something Akame don't? Edelgard is full of secrets, that much is clear... but what kind of secrets?.
In the Library, Claude was talking to Byleth "Tomas doesn't seem to be here... Oh well, that's fine. I've been researching the Heroes' Relics a lot since we last spoke to him. I found out something interesting".
"Something interesting?" Byleth asked.
"It's about the connection between Crests and the Heroes' Relics. The Crest Stone of each Relic is carved with a specific Crest-the one that has the ability to wield it properly. The Crests are the keys. You need the right one to safely use a Hero's Relic. The only thing I can't figure out is...why doesn't the Sword of the Creator have a Crest Stone bearing a Crest?" Claude asked.
"It had one in the past" Byleth realized.
"Precisely. At least, that's my current guess. There's more. I believe the Crest Stones might be the source of the Relics' inhuman power. When Miklan transformed into a Black Beast, he was taken over by something that originated from the Crest Stone. And the Crest Stone was on his body. It all seems to add up. Now, look at this picture I found in the library" Claude said as he shows a drawing of a large dragon on a worn piece of paper "That creature is called the Immaculate One, who was supposedly sent by the goddess to save the followers of Seiros. See the pattern on its brow, and the faint circular boundary? Isn't it possible that's a Crest Stone? If all this is true, then Crest Stones are what power the ability to assume massive forms like that of the Immaculate One. And maybe the Heroes' Relics can harness that transformative power...".
Suddenly Seteth shows up "Oh. It is you. Have you seen Tomas recently?".
"No such luck. I was hoping to speak with him myself, but he seems to be out on the town" Claude answered.
"I see. Well... Hm?! Where did you find that picture?" Seteth demanded.
"It was in the library. Why do you ask? Is it something my youthful eyes shouldn't be seeing?" Claude asked, but his tone made it sound like he already knew the truth.
"No, of course not. However, that is not part of this library's collection. It must belong to Tomas. It would be problematic if it got mixed in with the other books. I will take possession of it for now" Seteth said as he took the picture from Claude.
Claude began muttering "Take it away where no one can see it, you mean...".
"What was that?" Seteth asked with a dangerous look.
"That's what Tomas said. He said records that the monastery doesn't approve of tend to disappear" Claude explained.
"Tomas said that? Preposterous. I have far too much to accomplish to waste time with this foolishness" Seteth declared as he leaves.
"He was certainly in a hurry. I wonder if he's off to confront Tomas. Well, he took the picture, so I guess that's that for now. I'll see you later, Teach" Claude said. Byleth nods and leaves "So, the church is hiding something after all. Some massive secret about Relics and Crests. A secret that must have something to do with the professor's true identity...".
Akame was on her way to train until she heard someone call out to her "Hey! Akame!".
She stopped and looked "Seryu? What can I do for you?".
Seryu ran up to her "I heard you were going to train. So I wanted to join you. Since like me, you seek justice against he monsters responsible for what is happening to the innocent people in Remire Village. So let's train together so justice can be served!".
"You are really a strong believer of justice, Seryu. If you don't mind me asking, what made you in to such a warrior of justice?" Akame asked.
Seryu smiled "I don't mind at all, I am happy to tell you why. It may be hard to believe, but I wasn't always a believer of justice. Before joining the knights, I was nothing more than your everyday street rat. My parents were killed by a evil man, and no one wanted to adopt the lowest of the commoners. So I was stuck on the street, having to steal just to survive another day. I had hit my lowest point, and my life was less than meaningless".
"I take it something happened that turned your life around" Akame guessed.
Seryu got a look of pure joy on her face "Yes... one day, the Knights of Seiros showed up near my village. Being the stupid girl I was back then, I tried to steal from them. Of course I was caught and the knight was not happy for my disrespect towards the church. I might have gotten a good thrashing that day if not for her...".
"Lady Rhea" Akame realized.
"Yes. Rhea don't travel often, but she just happened to be there that day. She stopped the knight from giving me my well deserved punishment. She asked me why I would risk stealing from them, I cried and told her I was starving and didn't know what else to do. And what happened next was such a miracle that I still have a hard time believing it happened. Instead of being punished for my crime, she offered me a chance for redemption and to serve the Church. Of course I accepted, and in time I was able to be accepted for training to become a knight. I've been her faithful servant ever since" Seryu explained, smiling at the good memories.
"That was a touching story, Seryu. Rhea really is a good person" Akame said.
Seryu nods "She is. First time I saw her, it felt like I was looking at the goddess herself. If not for her, my life would've been meaningless and I would've certainly have been beaten to death in a dark place. Rhea saved me, she is my life now".
Akame smiled "You really like her... say, do you love her?".
"Of course I love her. All the knights do" Seryu answered.
Akame shook her head "I mean are you in love with her?".
Seryu blushed "Wh-what? Of course not! I am just a knight, a knight should not fall in love with someone that is so much more important than them!" Akame was just looking at her, making Seryu sigh "Ok fine. Yes, I am in love with her. You have no idea what I would do to earn her love. But that is just an impossible dream. Yes she cares about me, like she cares about everyone of her people. But I am just a knight, and she is the Arch Bishop. She is far above my league. My love for her could even be seen as heresy, and insult that a simple knight would even dare to think they have any rights to be in love with Lady Rhea".
"Do you really believe that? Unless everything I know about Rhea is wrong, I do not believe she would be insulted or angry if she learned about your love for her. I think you should confess to her, you never know until you take the chance" Akame said.
"Spoken like a true outsider, you haven't even learned half of what you need to know about the Church... regardless, I will consider your words. Now if you excuse me, I just remembered I have duties to attend to. So our training together will have to wait" Seryu said before walking away.
Akame hoped she didn't upset her.
Later, the sun was on it's way down, and Byleth was returning to her room. But she then spotted someone, someone she had been looking for. Esdeath was back after having been absent for most of the day. This was a good time for Byleth to talk to her. However, Esdeath noticed her and headed over to her.
"Hello the Byleth. I wanted to speak to you" She said.
"Good, I wanted to speak to you as well. Are you alright? I hope that me defeating you during the battle didn't hurt your pride" Byleth said.
"Don't worry about that. I was the one arrogant enough to believe I could win with my sword alone. You defeated me fairly, so I got nothing to be upset about. I just needed some time to think. You are the first to ever best me in combat" Esdeath assured.
"If you say so then we will leave it at that. But now for the reason I wanted to speak to you. Remember the deal we made? That whoever won our duel would have a wish granted from the one who lost?" Byleth asked.
"Of course I remember. That's honestly the reason why I wanted to talk to you as well. Have you decided what you want from me?" Esdeath asked.
Byleth nods "Yes I have".
"Oh? Then what do you wish of me? Would you like me to help you teach your class? Show you a few pointers? Be your training partner?" Esdeath asked before she suddenly smirked and leaned close to Byleth's face "Or is it something more intimate? Another kiss perhaps? Or would you like to share a bath and have me wash your back?".
Byleth blushed as she took a step back "N-no, I wanted to know about something I have been wondering about for a while now. Where your unbelivable strength comes from. You said it had something to do with your blood line. What exactly is so special about it?".
Esdeath was silent for a moment before she pushed Byleth against a wall before pressing her body against Byleth's own, holding her in place as she got close to her ear "You are bold to ask something that personal. But very well I will tell you. But this is a secret, in fact, not even Rhea knows about this. So don't tell anyone, ok?".
Byleth nods, while blushing by Esdeath being so close.
Esdeath leans in to her ear "I am a descendant of the King of Liberation. Nemesis, is my ancestor".
Byleth got wide eyes, before she could say anything, Esdeath kissed her right on the lips before leting her go and walked away without a word. Leaving Byleth to process the information she just heard.
"Well... I must admit that I did not expect that" Sothis said.
Byleth couldn't agree more.
.
Tell me what you think.