Reunion at Dawn.
It is Imperial Year 1185. Nearly five years have passed since the fall of the monastery at Garreg Mach, and war continues to plague the lands of Fódlan. Fhirdiad has been captured. The Holy Kingdom of Faerghus is in shambles. The Leicester Alliance is on the verge of collapse, fractured by two opposing factions–those who support the Adrestian Empire and its ruler, and those who seek her demise. Meanwhile, under Emperor Edelgard's rule of law, the Adrestian Empire continues to expand its reach. The path to a new Fódlan, unified by Imperial strength, may yet be in sight.
Everything was black... She couldn't see anything... Was she dead? She never expected death would be this dak and silent... These thoughts belonged to Byleth. She had lost all track of time since she fell during the battle a the Monastery.
Suddenly a familiar voice was heard "You… How long do you intend to sleep? Your body is awake. Your eyes must open now, and you must find the strength to stand upon those legs of yours. Like so much rain, a pool of blood has fallen to the ground… As spears and arrows pierce the earth, it weeps. And even now…it weeps. In order to survive, they kill. And so, the people of this world are lost in an abyss of suffering. They weep as well. The only one who truly knows the nature of such things is I… Or rather, you".
"Who?" Byleth wondered.
"Excuse me?! Are you saying you have forgotten who I am? How dare you!Get on your feet. Right now! I'll coddle you no more! You are just like a child, always needing me to hold your hand..." The voice demanded.
"Hey! A-are you awake?" Byleth woke up and saw a villager looking down at her
Byleth stands up and looks at him "Where am I?".
"We're in a village at the base of the monastery. What are you doing in a place like this? I honestly didn't expect to find someone floating away down the river… Garreg Mach is upstream of here, but that place was abandoned" The villager said.
Byleth looked confused "What do you mean?".
"Huh? You don't know? The Church of Seiros isn't there anymore. Though there have been some folks still living there in the five years since… Well, you know. Anyway, I've heard some thieves have been spotted around those parts these days" The villager answered.
"Five years? What year is this?" Byleth asked, growing more and more confused.
The blinked Villager: "Um, are you feeling all right? You didn't hit your head or anything did you? It's the Ethereal Moon of the year 1185. It's been nearly five years since the monastery fell. Tomorrow was supposed to be the millennium festival, but who's got time to think about things like that?"
Byleth looks down "The millennium festival...".
"Uh, yeah, that's what I said. But with the war and the archbishop still missing and all… I doubt there's a soul to be found who has enough blessings worth counting" The Villager said, and Byleth turned to leave "Hey! Slow down, will ya? Where do you think you're going?".
Byleth looks back at him "To the monastery".
"Are you crazy?! I told ya! They say thieves are running amok up there, and there's plenty of other dangers too. Come on, I promise I won't say you're a coward. Just forget about going anywhere near the monastery" The villager said in shock, but Byleth shakes her head "You just remember I tried to stop you, got it? It's not on my conscience if you wind up dead!".
"My students are waiting for me" Byleth said.
"Students? You really are crazy, aren't you? There aren't any kids anywhere near that place anymore!" The villager reminded.
"No need to worry about me" Byleth said before she walks away.
The Villager watched leave in disbelief "Unbelievable…".
Byleth walks up the stairs of the monastery. When she reach the top she see a figure, standing by an open doorway. It is none other than Claude. He notices Byleth.
"Huh?" He smiles and chuckles softly, happy to see his former mentor again "You overslept, Teach. Pretty rude to keep a fella waiting like that, wouldn't you say?" As Claude speaks, Byleth approaches him. She got a surprised look "What's with that surprised look, my friend?" Claude walks up to Byleth "You didn't really think I'd given up on you coming back, did you?".
"Claude..." Byleth spoke softly.
Claude looks out the open way, at the rising sun in the sky "Can you feel it? A new dawn is finally here. Not just for us, though. No, for all of FódlanIt's been five long years. Where have you been, Teach? You don't really expect me to believe that you've been napping this whole time, do you?".
"I was sleeping for five years" Byleth answered.
"That's a good one! Except… That's not your lying face. I guess I've got no choice but to believe you. You're not exactly normal to begin with, so it's not a huge stretch to imagine you sleeping for that long. Aaand this is where you say, just kidding. Right? If this is a rib, now's the time to fess up" Claude said.
"It's the truth" Byleth said.
"You must be insane. And yet… Fine. I believe you, OK? But that means you don't know anything that happened after your last battle, right?" Claude asked and Byleth nods "I guess it's on me to catch you up. As you can see, Garreg Mach was crushed by the Empire and was never restored. The monastery is in ruins, and the town is in pretty bad shape too. Can you guess why?".
Byleth looked worried "Did Rhea die?".
"Her body was never found, and the Empire never declared that she had been killed. So… No telling" Claude said "All we know for sure is that Rhea suddenly vanished during that battle five years ago. The Knights of Seiros have apparently been searching all over Fódlan for her… But the fact that this place is still in ruins tells me they still haven't found her".
"We must find her. I'm worried" Byleth said.
"Worried, huh? Well, for better or worse, Rhea was clearly fond of you. But you're right, I've got a mountain of questions I'd like to ask her, after all" Claude said "But I'm not so sure whether it would be good for her to return as the archbishop… Rather, with her gone… Eh, never mind. This could be a dangerous conversation. Before we discuss the state of affairs in each territory… Are you hungry? You must be. It's not much, but I did bring some food with me. Let's eat up and go from there".
Byleth nods. She was pretty hungry.
"Phew! I. Am. Stuffed. Even the most humble of meals tastes great with the right company. By the way, Teach, do you remember the night before the ball? I know it was five years ago… But we promised that the Golden Deer House would reunite during the millennium festival. Today's the day we promised to meet up… but no one's here" Claude said.
"It's still early" Byleth assured.
"True… There's still some daylight left" Claude agreed "Let's just wait a little longer. You never know… Maybe someone will show up after all. Hey, Teach… Just waiting around sounds boring, so why don't we get in some exercise. You know, help with digestion and stuff. You must be in bad shape if you've been sleeping for five years. It'll do you good to get your body moving again".
"You want to work out?" Byleth asked.
"Something like that. Look, if you come with me, you'll understand. Oh, and don't forget your weapons, OK? I want to make sure neither your leadership nor your skill with a blade have dulled" Claude said.
But before they could leave, Byleth remembered something "Wait Claude... have you seen Akame these past 5 years?".
"Oh yeah, you younger sister. How could I forget her? But to answer your question, no, I haven't seen her. But she was captured by the Empire after everyone believed you were dead... and I heard the Empire got a deadly new assassin. I don't want to make any assumptions, but I heard the assassin kills with a single strike. Which sounds to familiar" Claude answered.
Byleth looked worried 'Akame... what happened to you while I was gone?'.
In the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus, Imperialist loyalist Cornelia has subdued all regions of the former royal house of Blaiddyd to prevent further revolt. Prince Dimitri has been sentenced. Now, the backbone of the former Kingdom–Houses Gautier and Fraldarius–struggle to continue the resistance. Cornelia–operating out of the royal palace–has accepted the support of the Empire to build an army and plots to wipe out all remaining Kingdom forces.
In the Leicester Alliance, House Riegan leads an anti-Imperial faction, while House Gloucester directs the Empire's supporters. Despite the undeniable threat of fracture, the Alliance's adept new leader, Claude, deftly maintains the outward appearance of a unified front.
In Enbarr, the Imperial Capital of the Adrestian Empire, Emperor Edelgard fights to strengthen her regime. She has extended her reach to the Kingdom by inciting a coup and continues to draw its former lords under her influence in pursuit of controlling all of western Fódlan. With Esdeath back in battle, and her mysterious new assassin lurking in the shadows, Edelgard's plans moves forward at a steady pase.
In the meantime, the Knights of Seiros have been dispatched to find Archbishop Rhea, who remains missing despite their searching. Left unattended, the monastery at Garreg Mach has fallen to ruin…and become a haven for thieves.
Byleth and Claude arrives in the small town, and there are indeed a lot of bandits running around.
"The thieves are here. Apparently they're trying to run off with treasures from the monastery" Claude said.
The bandit leader named Pallardó noticed them "What the… Intruders! Protect the goods!".
"This is gonna get expensive. Collect everything the thieves carried out!" Claude declared.
Byleth nods, but the odds were not in their favor. The bandits held a great numbers advantage, along with deadly fighters an archers. However, after a little while, Lorenz and Ignatz showed up.
Lorenz looked at the thieves in disgust "The barbarity is even worse than the rumors. On my honor as a noble, I will expel these ruffians!".
"Today was supposed to be a happy day, but the monastery is in disrepair..." Ignatz said.
"Over there… Is that the professor? And the others?!" Came the voice of Hilda, and she was not alone.
Leonie was with her "Professor! You're alive! Guess we'd better handle this before I celebrate though, huh?".
"You finally made it! I guess virtue still exists in this crazy world after all" Claude said with a smile.
Byleth smiled as well before she noticed more of her students arriving "Raphael, Lysitheas and Marianne!".
"Is that the professor and everyone else? If they're fighting, I gotta go help!" Raphael said with a big smile.
Lysithea looked surprised "Wow, it's you! Here I thought you were dead all this time".
"Could that be the Professor's…ghost?" Marianne asked in awe.
"Hey, you're late! Hurry up and help!" Claude said happily.
The bandits grew nervous. They were not expecting this at all. The reunited Golden Deer began plowing through them, 5 years of experiance had made them even deadlier than before. Byleth charged at an Pallardó who panicked "No! I'm not the one you want! Gah! I guess I've got no choice".
Byleth easily cut him down but turns out he was just a decoy. The real Pallardó showed up with some of his men "It isn't looking good for us. Should we retreat?".
"So, he revealed his true identity. Catch him and recover the treasure!" Claude said.
The bandits tried to escape, however, before they could, it turns out the last member of the Golden Deer hadn't arrived yet... and suddenly, someone leaps down from the roof top. She landed right on top of a bandit's head, the impact causing his neck to snap. She then punched the second bandit in the jaw, dislocating it and making him choke on his own blood. Pallardó backed away with his sword raised, but the mysterious attacker didn't give him a chance to use it as her armored fist smashed in to his face, causing him to fall down and his neck landed on a rock, snapping it.
"HAHA! Oh yes! I needed this!" The Mysterious attacker laughed, and now everyone could see who she was.
"Leone?" Byleth spoke.
It was indeed her fired up blonde student, Leone. She had changed, she looked stronger than before, but the most eye catching part was her hair. It had grown much longer during these 5 years, reaching far down her back. Leone looked in Byleth's direction. She got wide eyes but then she smiled widely... and got in to a running stance.
"Pro-fes-sor!" Leone yelled out before taking of in to a full sprint.
"Wait! Leone!" Byleth yelled as she held up her hands, but was tackled down on the ground by a very happy Leone "Ow...".
"I knew your were alive! I never gave up hope!" Leone said as she hugged Byleth tightly.
"Umm, Leone? You are suffocating her" Leonie said in small concern.
"Need... air..." Byleth chocked out.
"Of quiet. You've been gone for 5 years, you owe me this" Leona said as she squeezed Byleth one more time before finally allowing her to breathe.
"You've gotten stronger" Byleth noted as she caught her breath.
"Glad you noticed! I've been working hard for your return!" Leone said with a smirk.
"Ugh, I'm exhausted! What gives, Professor?" Hilda asked, clearly not expecting a battle.
Lysithea nods in agreement "I was so excited to see everyone again, and then this happens…".
"I'm still tired from the long journey. How did it come to this?" Leonie asked.
"Let's all take a moment to catch our breath…" Ignatz said.
"If you've got the time to play with those guys, the least you could do is prepare some tea" Hilda said.
"Blame Claude" Byleth said simply.
"Come on, those guys were thieves! We couldn't just let them get away" Claude said "It seems they've been taking advantage of the church's absence and doing whatever they please here".
"In any case, um… I'm glad that all of you are well" Marianne said, still the quiet girl.
Ignatz smiled at her "That's the spirit, Marianne!".
"That was fun! In fact, I wouldn't mind romping around some more!" Raphael said happily.
"I enjoyed it too Raph! I sure missed throwing people around with you" Leone said as she and Raphael gave each other a quick hug.
Lorenz looks at Byleth "So, you were alive this whole time, Professor. I am not surprised. In fact, that is why I came here".
"And it doesn't look like time has rusted your skills. That's a relief!" Leonie said with a happy smile of her own.
"I'm just glad everyone's alive and well. On that note, let's move this reunion party somewhere else" Claude said.
Everyone nods and head back to the Cathedral. Once there, a true reunion could begin.
"Now that we've dealt with those violent bandits, we could potentially use this place as our base of operations again" Claude said.
"What could you possibly mean by that?" Hilda asked.
"I'm talking about the Leicester Alliance taking over Garreg Mach Monastery. After all, it's right in the middle of Fódlan. It's a critical strategic location" Claude explained.
"Are you suggesting that we fight back against the Empire" Lysithea asked.
"Aren't you getting a bit ahead of yourself? The Alliance is in complete discord at present" Lorenz said.
"And as leader of the Imperial faction of the Alliance, isn't Count Gloucester, your father, the main cause of that discord?" Claude asked.
Lorenz looked like he wanted to argue "I… Yes, that is true. It was inevitable. Our house's territory is close to Imperial land, after all. Had we not consented to vassalage under the Empire, they would have invaded immediately".
Claude nods "Naturally. And to be clear, I have no problem with your house maintaining its Imperial ties until we're sufficiently prepared to revolt. The Empire is the cause of the infighting. If we rid ourselves of them, the situation should resolve itself. That's why I'm thinking we should make this our base, raise up an army, and stir up some trouble for the Empire".
"Now you're talking! Sounds like fun!" Raphael said.
"Yeah! I've been waiting for a chance to crack some imperial heads!" Leone agreed.
"So then, Mr. Leader Man. Does this mean you intend to rope us into your little scheme?" Hilda asked.
Byleth looked at Claude "Leader Man?".
"Hm? Ah. My grandfather passed away. That means yours truly is officially the leader of the Alliance" Claude explained.
"If we had a more reliable leader, perhaps the Alliance would not have been divided…" Lorenz said.
"Think what you will. All I need to know is if you're in or you're out" Claude said.
"I'm happy to lend a hand. I won't let those Imperial dogs set foot in Alliance territory! I couldn't bear it if my village got caught up in the chaos of war" Leonie said with determination.
"I'll fight too! I've gotta protect my little sis!" Raphael added.
Lysithea smiles "I will join as well. After all, House Ordelia was once dragged into an Imperial revolt. It ruined us".
Lorenz looks down "Ah, of course. I understand your motivation".
"I'll fight too… It's time to take responsibility for my own future!" Ignatz declared.
"I… I don't want to run anymore. I hope I'll be of use to everyone" Marianne said.
Ignatz looks at her "We can do anything if we work together, Marianne!".
"You already know my answer. I've been waiting for this day for 5 years. So I am more than ready" Leone said.
"What about you, Lorenz? Are you going to go back home to your scary father or what?" Hilda asked.
Lorenz tried to save face "We cannot rely on Claude's scheming to lead us to victory. Therefore, I will remain. It is my duty to ensure Claude does not worsen the situation in the Alliance".
"All of us are fighting for a different reason, but we share a common enemy. If we don't act, the Empire will crush us eventually. I say we stop them before they have the chance! So, Teach… Will you help as well?" Claude asked.
"I'll give it some thought. But I would prefer to find Akame" Byleth said.
"Please do. I'm counting on you. Even if your ultimate goal is to find Akame, it would be better to stick with us as you search" Claude said "With you on our side, the church will join us as well. That makes fighting the Empire a moral cause, which means it will be easier to rally support. Above all, your knowledge and strength are indispensable if we hope to stand a chance against the Imperial army. Without you, my schemes are nothing. Just words. Please… Take all of that into consideration as you decide".
"You're really laying it all on the table, aren't you, Claude? Well, all that aside, this place is a mess. We can't very well make our base in a ruin! And repairing it sounds like a lot of work… I wonder if anyone would be willing to help us out with that?" Hilda asked.
Everyone smiled, knowing who would be more than happy to help. Byleth was back, and with her, a new glimmer of hope... But she is worried about Akame... and she worried even more what Akame had been doing these past 5 years.
Back in the Empire, Akame was watching the sun, with her hair in a pony tail. She got a feeling something big had happened. And she had no idea what it could be... little did she know, the greatest challenge of her life was fast approaching.
.
Yeah I am done being stuck in the 5 year gap. Felt like the story was standing still. So I decided to skip to when Byleth returns so the story can finally move forward.
.
Tell me what you think.