Robin - Garreg Mach Library
Robin let out a heavy yawn as he closed the book he was currently reading. Turning to his stack of finished books, he tossed the new one on top of the pile that stood ten books high and counting. For the last two days, he'd spent nearly every free minute he had from teaching the Blue Lions to studying magic in the monastery library. He'd long since been wondering if it could have been possible for him to use magic, and with his discovery from the Lions two days ago, he felt as though it might be possible. So far, he felt that he was grasping the basics how magic functioned it Fodlan. Apparently, they called the study of combat magic 'Reason' and healing magic was 'Faith'. Since he'd never been a skilled healer, Robin had dedicated his full time to Reason and trying to see if it was at all possible for him to perform spells. Thankfully, many of the spell names had apparently carried over such as Thoron and Bolganone.
Leaning back in his chair, Robin sighed and stretched his arms. After a cursory glance around to make sure there was no one else present, Robin pulled the glove off his left hand. On the back of his palm, the Brand of the Defile gazed at him. Robin still felt himself shiver every time he looked into the six glaring eyes of the brand. Ever since the Dragon's Table, he could never look at the mark and not hear the deafening roar of the Fell Dragon ringing in his ears.
"Ok... Let's try this," said Robin as he extended his arm out. With a wave of his fingers, he found himself repeating a gesture he'd used countless times. Robin imagined the familiar cracks of lightning forming between his fingertips, but nothing seemed to come. He closed his eyes and concentrated, feeling the energy within himself and forcing it into his palm. Robin smiled in satisfaction as he felt his body beginning to respond and power flowed into his hand. When Robin opened his eyes however, what he saw made his blood run cold. Sitting there in his palm was not an orb of lighting, but an orb of dark magic!
With a shout, the tactician fell back out of his chair, hitting the floor with a heavy thud. Robin shakily pulled himself to his feet, trying to process what he'd just seen. He'd never been able to conjure dark magic before. Why did it trigger now? His thoughts were suddenly interrupted when he heard footsteps enter the library. Grabbing his glove, Robin slipped it back on just in time before Seteth rounded the corner.
"Oh... It's you. Robin, correct?" Robin felt Seteth's eyes analyzing him up and down as if he was trying to dissect him with his gaze.
"That's correct. You're the archbishop's advisor, Seteth? What are you doing here?"
"Well it's almost midnight and I heard a commotion coming from in here. The students are required to be in their rooms at ten so I was doing my rounds to make sure no one was up here after curfew. If I may ask, what brings you up here so late?" Robin responded by gesturing to the table.
"I was curious about how magic works on this continent. Where I'm from it's quite rare to see anyone who can perform spells without the assistance of a tome of some sort. In fact, I should probably be leaving now." Robin hurriedly picked up the stack of books and was about to put them back on the shelf when one of them fell from the pile. Before Robin could react, Seteth snatched it from out of the air.
"Hmm... 'The Fodlan Annals'," mused Seteth as he flipped through the book, "A complex and complete history of the early events that shaped the continent. They say it was written by Saint Cichol himself. I must say you have good taste in literature." Seteth replaced the book on the shelf while Robin did so with the rest.
"Well, it's definitely a dense read. I found the illustrations to be a bit lacking..." Robin sighed. "Anyway, it didn't have anything I was looking for, but it made for a decent break from study. In any case, goodnight sir!" With that, Robin turned on his heel and left the library, leaving behind a very puzzled Seteth.
"I could have sworn I felt a powerful release of magic..." Seteth looked towards the door as Robin disappeared around the corner. "Something not of this realm, that's for sure..."
Garreg Mach Battlefield
Byleth looked out over the small field in which the Mock Battle was to take place. Earlier that morning, all the students had awoken early and were marched down the mountain to a field where three tents had been placed at varying ends of the 'battlefield'. According to the rules, the houses all had two hours to discuss strategy and choose which members were to take part in the battle. In addition to the professor and house leader, only three students could join the fight. After an intense round of bickering between the Eagles, it was decided that Hubert, Dorothea, and Ferdinand would support Edelgard and Byleth.
As Byleth studied the terrain in front of him, the house members who weren't fighting were assigned to build the fortifications for the battle. Of the four, only Caspar and Petra showed any actual interest in getting things finished. Baradetta merely sat on the sidelines fretting while Lindhardt lazily floated building materials over to Caspar. Rubbing his forehead, the ex-mercenary busied himself with another weapon inspection. In addition to the sword strapped to his waist, Byleth had decided to arm himself with a lance. He didn't expect much of a challenge from any of the students, but Byleth still couldn't put a benchmark on how strong Robin or Corrin were. Having a weapon that could give him some distance made him feel a bit more confident about his chances. He was so lost in thought that he jumped when he heard Sothis' voice.
"Are you really going to jump like a child whenever I talk? You really must get over that..." Byleth couldn't see the girl, but he got the sense she was shaking her head at him. "Anyway, as this is our first battle working together, I feel it's only necessary to lend you a portion of my power."
"Your power?" Byleth murmured as he placed a hand on his chin. "You mean I'll be able to turn back time?"
"Yes, now you get it," Sothis said excitedly. "My powers are still weak so you'll only be able to use my Divine Pulse a few times, but I have no doubt that we can do it more as you and I both get stronger."
"Sounds interesting," Byleth responded as he began to make the final preparations for the mock battle. He was interested in testing out the power of the Divine Pulse for himself, but he didn't want to get in the way of his students. This was their battle after all. A cursory glance over the map of the battlefield showed where the other houses' camps would be, but it didn't specify which was which. Off to the side, Jeralt and several other members of the Knights of Serios were placed atop a cliff face in order to observe the battle and make rulings.
After several more moments of contemplating a strategy, a trumpet sounded across the field. The battle would begin in five minutes. Byleth turned back to the war tent and proceeded to observe his students.
On the other side of the battlefield, Corrin and Lilith stood together watching the Golden Deer building their fortifications. For some reason, Claude had insisted that all members of the house participate in building their defenses, and they were looking quite sophisticated. In addition to several barriers, Claude had taken it upon himself to build three pitfall traps around the camp. Corrin couldn't help but smirk at the young man's scheme. She could never have imagined any one of her siblings pulling an underhanded trick like that.
Supporting her and Claude on the battlefield were Hilda, Lorenz, and Marianne. While the other house members were happy to contribute by helping build defenses, Leonie fumed a little at her not being chosen. It seemed she'd been eager to fight when she learned that Jeralt would be judging the match, but she was outvoted when Lorenz practically volunteered himself for the battle. Claude had chosen Marianne and Hilda personally since Hilda wasn't going to be much help on the defensive front, and they would need a healer.
As the horn sounded, Lilith turned to face Corrin, "It would seem that's my cue. I'm due to meet Jeralt on the cliffs in order to judge the battle. Whatever happens, I'm not granting you any special permissions ok?" As Corrin nodded, Lilith turned to walk away before she whipped her head around, adding with a wink, "Just so you know, you're not getting Astral Breath either!"
"Go!" Corrin said playfully as she turned her attention back to her students. Currently, Ignatz was directing Raphael in the construction of a barrier along the southern edge of the camp. Meanwhile, Lysithea was busy casting charms around the camp to ensure none of the other houses were spying. The Golden Deer had already decided to take a defensive stance for the main portion of the battle. Once another house started to break through their defensive line, they would rush out and swarm the attackers. Corrin fingered the Yato which was currently sheathed at her hip. According to Lilith, the blade had been cut off from the Divine Weapons' magic which resulted in the blade reverting to its sealed form. Corrin was saddened she couldn't draw out the full power of the sword, but it was likely for the best since they needed to keep a low profile.
"Alright everyone!" Claude called from the tent. "The Mock Battle is about to start. Everyone remember the plan?" As the students all nodded, Clade smiled and raised his arms. "This is the first day we'll get to show the Golden Deer house means business. We aren't the Whimpering Lions or the Insufferable Eagles; we're better than them. We are the Golden Deer!" Everyone cheered as Claude continued his rallying speech. As he was about to go on another tangent about how great the Golden Deer house was, another horn blasted through the area. It was time for the battle to begin.
"Places. everyone!" Corrin began moving the students who weren't fighting out of the battlefield area while the remaining four took up their positions. Claude had to suppress a few laughs as he watched Lorenz trying to tiptoe around where they had dug the pitfalls. As Corrin took up her position, they all heard the sounds of shouting and blades clashing in the distance. It seemed as though the Eagles and Lions had engaged each other in combat.
Robin kept to the back of his group as they began their assault on the Black Eagles camp. After what had transpired in the library the other night, he wasn't exactly keen on doing much fighting for awhile. Besides, this battle was meant to be a test for the students, not the professors, so he didn't feel so bad letting Dimitri, Felix, and Dedue lead the charge while he observed their progress. Mercedes, who had been elected to be the Lion's healer for the battle, kept to the back of the party as well, ready to heal if the need should arise. Before they could storm the camp, Robin heard a shout from the tree line and saw a flash of orange hair appear from the shadows with a shout.
"I am FERDINAND VON AEGIR!" Ferdinand swung his lance in a wide arc, striking Felix squarely on the back and sending the youth tumbling due to his forward momentum. Dimitri and Dedue both stopped in their tracks as the noble turned his eyes to face his two opponents. Ferdinand and Dimitri stood roughly equal in height, but Dedue towered over him by at least a foot and a half. Robin stood there dumbfounded that Ferdinand wasn't running.
"He's just one man versus two, and one of his opponents is a giant..." Robin muttered as the three began to circle each other. "I know I praised him earlier, but if the boy is really THIS foolish..." The tactician only watched as Ferdinand sprung forward, spinning his lance. Before Dedue could react, the lance struck the giant in the side. In spite of the attack connecting, Dedue didn't even seem to budge. Dedue smirked as he raised his gauntlets to deliver a series of punches when Ferdinand began to glow with a green aura.
"Saint Cichol... I invoke thee!" Ferdinand raised his right arm and an orange symbol burned to life in the air in front of him. Suddenly, the ground in front of Ferdinand began to crack as massive chunks of rock shot from the ground. When the dust settled, there was a sizable mound of rocks between the Lions and Ferdinand. Dedue staggered back as he'd caught one of the earth spikes in midair that had been heading straight for Dimitri. Ferdinand laughed from the other side of his wall.
"Damn Crests," Dedue muttered as he staggered himself back into a fighting position. Robin turned and looked back at Ferdinand, his mind whirring. "So that's what Hanneman was talking about. Do all people who have Crests bear this kind of power?" Robin's thoughts were interrupted yet again when Dimitri finally got back to his feet and charged at Ferdinand, smashing through the rocks with his lance. It appeared as though the two of them were both skilled in lances, but there was a clear difference in their styles. Dimitri seemed to be relying on brute overpowering strength while Ferdinand's employed a more light-footed approach as he deflected the heavy blows and wore down the prince. It seemed to be an even match until Dimitri pulled out his trump card. The prince smirked to himself as he let loose with a tempest lance.
"Hero Blaiddyd!" Dimitri swung his weapon down as a new Crest appeared in the air over his head. The lance came down right onto Ferdinand's lance; shattering the wooden shaft and destroying the lance. Dimitri breathed heavily as he stood and aimed his lance at Ferdinand's throat. With a sigh, Ferdinand raised his hands.
"I... submit," he said sheepishly. Ferdinand, turned on his heels and left the battlefield. Robin approached Dimitri and patted him on the shoulder.
"That was well fought. I must admit I'm astounded by the power of those Crests."
"Thank you, Professor, but now isn't the time for talking. Ferdinand was likely acting on his own accord in an attempt to usurp Edelgard. Right now, that means the Eagles are one soldier short. If we invade their camp, then we ca-"
"Professor!" Felix shouted as he appeared from behind a bush. "We're going to need a change of plans. It appears the Eagles have already decided to face the Deer in combat. Currently, their mage Dorothea fell into a pitfall leaving only Edelgard, Hubert, and that other Professor left. The Deer have been fighting well, but they are in a losing battle. Get the boar and let's move!" Felix gestured for the group to follow him, turning back and disappearing among the forest.
Byleth breathed heavily as another member of the Golden Deer house raised their arms in defeat. After Ferdinand had disappeared, Edelgard had chosen to attack the Deer first, viewing Claude as the wildcard. Upon their arrival at the Deer's encampment, they had been ambushed by Lorenz and Hilda who had been quick to fall, but not before they had tricked Dorothea into wandering over one of their pits. The fighting hadn't really been difficult, but it had been a small strain to get past all the traps Claude had manged to put into place. Byleth looked up to see Hubert and Edelgard engaged in a battle with Claude. The duo appeared to have the upper hand, with Claude being pinned behind a tree, and blind-firing arrows. Byleth was about to relax when he suddenly heard the sound of a sword cutting through the air.
He whipped around just in time to block the Yato blade from striking him in the back. Corrin grimanced when she saw her surprise attack had failed.
"Aww come on! How did you see that coming?" Corrin moaned pitifully as Byleth deflected her blade.
"You're sword gave you away," Byleth replied simply. "Certain types of blades disperse the air around them before they connect. My father trained me early on to be able to sense those changes and predict where the strike would be coming from."
"Wow... That's impressive!" Corrin jumped forward for another strike. It was clear to Byleth right away that Corrin had much better agility than he did. The woman's speed was so fast that he barely had time to move his sword and block her barrage as she merely jumped and bounced all over the place. As Byleth managed to block another swing that got too close for comfort, he suddenly shot out a hand. Before he realized it, Byleth activated the Divine Pulse. Time instantly rewound itself and it was five minutes earlier.
"Wow... That's impressive!" Corrin jumped forward a second time, preparing the Yato for the same flurry of attacks. This time however, Byleth was ready. He quickly dodged the first several and then landed a solid punch right into Corrin's torso, which knocked her off balance long enough for Byleth to bring his sword around and land a heavy blow.
Corrin was sent staggering from this attack, and when she turned to face Byleth again, there was a strange look in her eyes. Corrin reached out her free hand, and the ground began to shake. Suddenly, a strange symbol appeared on the ground around Corrin's feet. The symbol was golden in color and took the form of an eye. Before Byleth could react, he felt something gripping at his legs. He looked down and his mouth fell open at seeing ghostly soldiers coming out of the ground, holding his legs in place. Corrin dashed in, ready to deal a finishing attack when Byleth activated the Divine Pulse a second time. This time, he managed to land right before Corrin called upon that power. Rushing forward, Byleth struck Corrin with the pommel of his sword and knocked her to the ground.
"Submit..." Byleth pointed his sword at Corrin's throat. When she raised her arm, Byleth smirked in satisfaction. He didn't have long to revel in his victory when a bolt of lightning struck him in the back. Byleth turned to see Robin staring him down from across the clearing. The tactician smiled as he twirled his levin sword in his hand.
"It seems you beat Corrin. Pity. I was hoping to test out that strange sword of hers. I guess we'll just have to fight each other now won't we?"
"It would seem so. After all, can't let the students have all the fun." Byleth raised his sword and assumed a stance.
"Very true." Robin responded in kind. In truth, this was exactly what Robin had planned on. If he could keep Byleth busy long enough, his students would be able to ambush Claude, Edelgard, and Hubert; therefore claiming the victory in one fell swoop. "You'll have to remember though... I'm always three steps ahead!"
The two charged towards one another, their sword clashing in the middle of the camp. Right away, Robin could tell Byleth was the superior swordsman. The levin sword he carried wasn't made for physical attacks, and he doubted he could surprise Byleth with another lightning blast. What Robin didn't understand was how Byleth was so quick to parry every single one of his attacks. Anytime Robin swung his sword, it seemed as though Byleth was there to block it with an almost inhuman speed. Then, something inside Robin began to stir.
"He's cheating Robin..." A voice whispered in the back of his mind. "He's using magic... to perceive the future... and prevent you from winning..." With a start, Robin realized this voice was right! Suddenly, he felt a new sensation bubbling up inside him. Raising his left hand into the air, the Brand of the Defile suddenly glowed to life overhead!
"What the...?" Byleth stopped for a moment as he saw this new Crest appear. Were both of these other professors hiding Crests? If so, what could this one possibly do? Byleth barely had time to think before Robin fired a new blast of lightning from the levin sword. Byleth prepared to use the Divine Pulse one final time in order to win the battle, but something strange happened. As Byleth tried to activate the Pulse, the power wouldn't come to him. Before he could figure out what was going on, Robin rushed in with a powerful sucker punch to Byleth's chest, sending him flying onto his back. Robin walked up to him and placed the tip of his levin sword against Byleth's chest.
"Submit," Robin said simply. With little other options, Byleth let go of his sword and raised his arms above his head.
"I submit..." he said, exhausted. No sooner had Byleth said this than a trumpet blared across the field.
"Attention, students!" Jeralt's voice boomed with the added effect of sound magic. "The mock battle is officially over! The winners are... The BLue Lion House!"
Hey! Two chapters in one month! I'm getting faster! I wanted to take a minute here and address a question a few readers posed some chapters back. I know the Brand of the Defile is canonically on Robin's right hand, but I changed it here as my own headcanon since it makes for cooler story telling (In many medieval cultures, the left hand was considered evil or unclean much like Robin's Brand). Also, if anyone is dissatisfied with how the battle turned out, don't worry. Corrin and Byleth will have some victories coming their way. It's tricky trying to strike an even chord between the professors and the students when you are already juggling three points of view, but I think I'm managing so far. So what did you all think? What were the new powers being displayed by Robin and Corrin? Are they Crest-bearers or something more? Why is Robin suddenly using dark magic? This and more coming soon!