After discovering the Abyss and the Ashen Wolves, Byleth wondered what other secrets Seiros was hiding. Over the years working as a mercenary he has learned how to read people. Life is a battlefield after all and not everyone is as altruistic as they say. Rhea and the three house leaders convey self-sacrificing personalities. Underneath their heroic poetry is shadowy self-centeredness. So when Rhea let the Ashen Wolves return to the world above, Byleth decided to be their professor.
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Stunned and offended the three house leaders sputter. Edelgard is outraged. Her voice stays calm but her pale violet eyes glint indignantly. "You'd rather be a leader to these rogues?"
"They weren't even an official house until recently," Dimitri said. "They're disgraced nobles."
Claude chuckled, hiding his pain through humor. "You're a mercenary Teach. You really think they're better than us?"
"Yes but that doesn't mean I don't decide what jobs to take. Not all mercenaries are heartless greedy people." And none of the Ashen Wolves want to change the world through bloodshed like you guys do. Unlike them you three have a choice. Saying curt goodbyes, Byleth departed from the courtyard.
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"You've made a lot of enemies by refusing their offer," Sothis' tone sounded more curious than scolding.
"I know. I'd rather live by my own choices and not by people who make them for me."
"Even if it costs you your life?"
"Even so."
Sothis chuckled. "Honorable. I'm kind of happy I got stuck with you."
Byleth finds it bizarre that Seiros is hosting an Officer's Academy with three nations. They haven't been to war for years. But that doesn't mean it'll be peaceful forever. That's another reason he chose the Ashen Wolves. If they are exiles like Rhea said, then maybe they know the truth.
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The next few days Byleth got to know his students. They too, harbor doubts about Seiros. Yuri, Hapi, Constance, and Balthus have their flaws but are very kindhearted. Like Byleth they are guarded about overall society. The Ashen Wolves are outcasts, shadows upon the history of Fodlon's noble houses, forgotten and left to wilt upon others' fake warmth. Through heart racing missions and sparring he becomes good friends with them. Even the ever-vigilant Yuri.
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Muscles ache from intense weapon training. Byleth can hardly hold up his sword. He gratefully eats a hot meal when a guard summons him to the Audience Chamber. Seteth and Rhea are waiting for him. As always Seteth wastes no time. "Welcome professor. We have trouble to discuss."
"What? Rogues? Bandits?"
"No, no." Rhea laughed. "One of our students, Bernadetta, hasn't been showing up for classes. Therefore Seteth and I decided to transfer her to the Ashen Wolves."
"All students enrolled in the Officer's Academy are expected to be refined into soldiers because of their crests and lineage," Seteth explained.
"Your group has shown remarkable strength and wit during missions. Maybe you can help her from failing."
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Bernadetta? Byleth has hardly seen her. She's like a ghost. If Byleth is being honest, he'd skip classes too if he had shoulder-crushing responsibilities.
"The Varley family and the Adrestian Empire have asked that she not be sent home until she passed. Surely you can do something."
"I'll try." He could ask Yuri for information. The Ashen Wolves leader is knowledgeable about everyone in the Abyss and Seiros.
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Yuri sipped his tea elegantly. "What can I do for you, professor? You didn't graciously invite me to tea just to figure out my real name? Or perhaps you'd like to hear one of my nightly adventures in Fodlon?" He listened closely to Byleth's problem. "Bernadetta is going to be in the Ashen Wolves?"
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Taking another sip of scalding tea, Yuri hummed. "Actually, I knew her."
"You did?"
"Years ago. I doubt she remembers me," grief briefly darkened his eyes. "I was her family's gardener."
Gardener? Sounds unlike Yuri. Was he there on a mission?
"Her father is a horrible man. She used to be a very carefree person and laughed all the time. But now…"
"Any ideas how I can get her to go to class?"
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Morning's sunny light tinted the cloudy sky. Byleth knocked on the door.
"Who is it?"
"Byleth."
"Go away please," Bernadetta replied. "I know you're trying to get me to go to class. I like it in my room better. Less people."
"Yeah I get it," Byleth's smile mirrored his voice. "People are loud and careless. Here," he dropped a package at her door. "I've left some study guides and paints. I was at the market and Ignatz recommended them. If you feel like it, the Ashen Wolves are going to the training yard today." The mercenary's footsteps vanish.
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Dorthea, Ferdinand, and Edelgard always drag me to class. But professor isn't? Being around others make Bernadetta too anxious. Her heart is pounding in nervousness from this encounter alone! I wish I was braver. I wish I could be like the others. Cracking open the door just enough to glance outside she sees the package. Pale hands lunge out from darkness and pull the delivery indoors. A warm smile lightly crossed her face. "Welcome to the Ashen Wolves! This is for you! From Yuri, Byleth, Constance, Hapi, and Balthus."
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The next day she sat on a window seat and read a book. Bernadetta jumped and dropped the volume, hearing a loud crash. Opening the window she stuck her head out to see Byleth quickly righting a barrel and crate.
"Professor?"
"Bernadetta?" His gaze snapped up to hers in shock. "Can you help me?"
"Me? I'd like to but-"
"Constance is using me as a test subject." Byleth's face paled. "I really don't want to drink another potion or be cursed from a spell. Do you know of any good hiding places?"
Of course she did. If there was a class about stealth, Bernadetta would be the best. She told Byleth and he smiled gratefully. "Thanks! I owe you!" He almost ran into a horse and tripped into a bucket of water.
Bernadetta shook her head and laughed.
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Byleth was returning from the smiths when he saw a cat. It meowed loudly as if calling his attention. The mercenary walked up cautiously. Must be a stray.
It purred and Byleth pet it. The tom has blue eyes, light grey fur, and scars over his face and ears.
A door shut soundlessly as someone appeared.
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The mercenary blinked incredulously. Bernadetta? She's outside?! And smiling?
"You've got many friends I see."
He looked around. More cats gathered around. "I didn't notice."
Cats looked up at Bernadetta and some sat beside her, their eyes glowing warmly. She knelt down to pet them and talked to them as if they were old friends. Looking back at Byleth, the grey-haired cat was curled up at his feet. Another rusty-colored tom with green eyes was getting head scratches. "They like you. That means you're a good person! Not as scary as everyone –err, I mean…" she laughed.
Byleth shrugged. "It's okay I get that a lot." He pointed to the grey tom. "I think I'll call this one Stonefur. And this guy…Fireheart."
"Those are strange names."
The mercenary smiled. "The names just came to me. Sorry guys," he carefully stepped around the army of cats. "I've got to go."
"Wait!" Bernadetta ran up, equipping her bow. "Where are you going?"
"To a mission. We've got to find Miklan and stop him. He stole a hero relic."
"I'll go with you. You'll need my help right? With such a small group it'll be hard to fight Miklan."
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The Ashen Wolves are surprised when Bernadetta joins them to fight. Her arrows scream as they fly, hitting their targets with dead on fashion. The group quickly scaled the fortress because it was clear of any reinforcements. After defeating Miklan they recovered the hero relic. Balthus found another one sealed in a chest. He gave it to Yuri.
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The weapon is made of bones, specifically a spine. At the top are two skeletal hands clutching a purple orb. "What is it?" Hapi asked.
"A healing staff," Yuri said. "Before tomes I heard that mages used staffs to cast spells."
"What a treasure! Surely it is fate that it landed in our hands, aha!" Constance waved her fan.
"Weren't there only a few remaining hero relics?" Byleth asked.
"Yes, but maybe some were lost to time. Looks like we've found another. You know, I don't think Seiros will miss one. More power to the people I say."
Byleth stored the staff in their inventory.
"Poor Miklan…" Bernadetta lowered her bow. "Driven by jealousy and disappointment. Crests are supposed to be gifts not curses."
Byleth agreed. It's all anyone is obsessed about in Fodlon. Maybe Miklan could've been a hero if he wasn't overlooked for lacking a crest.
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Humming happily, Bernadetta skipped to the newly built Ashen Wolves classroom and pinned up paper crafts. The others who arrived early eyed the archer curiously. Byleth looked at the paper chain she had made. They're the Ashen Wolves and the details are extraordinary!
"There! Less dreary!"
Yuri turned to Byleth and whispered, "I must thank you. Bernadetta seems like her old self. Hopefully her days are brighter from now on that she's with the Ashen Wolves."
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Evil spies are hiding in Seiros. Students of the academy are turned into demonic beasts. The Ashen Wolves and Jeralt are sent out to fight them. Hapi, Balthus, Constance, and Byleth help Jeralt distract the demonic beasts while Yuri and Bernadetta rescue those trapped under rubble.
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Two left to rescue. Yuri clears away fallen debris and Bernadetta pulled him free. Yuri's quick eyes noticed a flickering blade and pushed the archer away just in time. The knife plunged above his collar bone, close to his neck, and Yuri struggled to get the student off of him. Bernadetta grabbed Yuri's sword that he lost in the fight and killed the adversary. "Are you alright?!"
"I think so," clouds rumbled, signaling a downpour. "But this means this was a trap! The others are in danger!"
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The last demonic beast screams as it died, transforming back into a student. Bernadetta runs up to surrounding forests and sees Monica thanking Jeralt.
Quick! Don't mess this up, Bernie!
She draws her bow just as Monica stabs Jeralt. The world turns black, green, and blue. Time resets just before Monica's attack. Wait. Didn't she just stab-
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Monica is disarmed by Byleth but a blast of magic engulfs captain Jeralt. Even Byleth, the calm mercenary, is surprised. Jeralt screamed and fell.
No, captain Jeralt! I was too late! Bernadetta's survival instincts ignited. She spun around, drawing her bow and letting an arrow fly. A dark mage hiding within the woods gurgled, arrow stuck in his throat, as he collapsed before Byleth in the mud. He turned and saw Bernadetta sprinting for them.
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The mercenary cried, holding his dying father in his arms. The Ashen Wolves stared on in somber shock. Yuri limped from the corner and staggered before hitting the icy stone below. His breathes were ragged as the students hurriedly tried to help him.
The staff started to glow –and so did Bernadetta's crest. The archer felt her feet propel her forward automatically. She reached out her hands, feeling dizzy and weightless. Is the light talking to her? Can no one else hear it?
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A Varley? I didn't expect such a timid presence. But now your soul is blazing with heroic fury. What do you want? The staff asked.
To save my friends!
So it shall be. I am the staff of a lost crest, belonging to a talented family of healers. All of them have perished. You have a gift that is in your bloodline. I shall extend my powers to you.
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The staff quivered violently as it flew into Bernadetta's hand. She ran to Yuri and light engulfed his entire being. His death gasps became steady breaths. Byleth and the Ashen Wolves are slack-jawed.
Yuri blinked three times in shock. His head turned and he smiled at Bernadetta. "You saved me." He weakly grabbed a folded paper crown from his pocket and gave it to her. Memories returned with the intensity of a flame strengthen by wind. It was the same paper crown she had made for Yuri years ago, a gift to her first friend. The Varley's gardener.
He sees the gleam of recognition in Bernadetta's eyes. "I was hired to kill you but I couldn't. You're like the people I vowed to protect with my life. Your father banished me when he knew I was an assassin. I'm sorry."
Bernadetta smiled. "I'm just happy you're still alive. My friend…I missed you."
"I did too." Yuri put the crown atop her head. "I relinquish my role as leader of the Ashen Wolves."
"What?! But you-"
"I hereby grant you, Bernadetta von Varley, leadership for saving my life. And Byleth's."
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Jeralt was buried next to Byleth's mother in Seiros. The professor hardly left his room and carried an unshakable somberness. Everyone kept at a distance and let him grieve. Bernadetta had been drinking tea outside when she overheard Edelgard talking to Byleth.
"…it must be hard. But death is a fate for all of us one day. You still can't be sad over his death, can you? Someone as strong as you must be a symbol for us! Showing such sadness is weak!"
Varley nearly broke her teacup when she set it down. Standing up she walked over to Byleth and though her voice shook, her resentment was clear. "E-Edelgard! Leave Byleth alone. Everyone grieves or cries. Have you never? Surely you must have lost someone close to you."
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No one knew of Edelgard's sad past except her. She is the only one to live from outlandish crest experiments. She stammered for a witty response. "Yes, but you must be strong –and move on. Especially when things can go wrong in an instant. Use that sadness to take what you want, to change the future."
"Oh, stop with the tacky pep talks! Not everything is about changing the future and being the next hero. I know you have a lot to worry about being heir to the Adrestian Empire but don't tell people how to feel."
Both Edelgard and Byleth are surprised by Bernadetta's confidence. The white-haired woman sighed. "Fine. Either way I give you my condolences, professor. Good day."
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The mercenary's eyes are melancholy but he smiled gratefully. "Thank you."
Bernadetta watched Edelgard as she disappeared around the courtyard. "N-No problem, professor. Edelgard is a caring person but she's sometimes really authoritarian." She remembered the day they returned to Seiros after Jeralt's death. Byleth had told the Ashen Wolves that he has Sothis attached to him and the captain's hesitancy to go back to Seiros. How everyone looked at him as some weapon without a heart. He thanked Bernadetta and the others for saving his life and they vowed to help Byleth with anything, even if the entire world was burning down. And with this new information, it just might. I knew not to trust Claude or Edelgard.
She gave him Jeralt's diary which Byleth thought was lost. "I'm sorry for taking it. But I saw Claude sneaking around the captain's quarters after he died. I think he was looking for it."
The book itself was sealed by a lock only Byleth could access by a key. The metal was sturdy and would require time for anybody to destroy the lock. He thanked Bernadetta, happy to know he could trust the archer with his life.
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Edelgard betrays Rhea. Uneasiness shrouds the Seiros army. Byleth couldn't sleep. He walked around Garreg Mach and ended up in the training yard. Most of those enrolled in the Black Eagles fled with Edelgard so he was shocked to see Bernadetta firing arrows at a wooden target. Many books are scattered on a table, their pages about healing magic.
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She lowered her bow and faced Byleth. He stood there unsure of what to say.
"Did you expect me to run to the Adrestian Empire?"
"It is your home. If you go now I wouldn't be upset. I'd face you in the battlefield as soldiers should."
The archer laughed. For a mercenary, Byleth is too noble. "It was my home."
"Was?"
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Bernadetta sighed. "I…I do agree with Edelgard. But I think she shouldn't have gone to war to change Fodlon. I don't like Rhea's ideal either. The importance of crests and nobles ruined so many lives. It forced them to live lives they don't want. No freedom and too many expectations. Is…is that dumb? Is there a way to change Fodlon without war?"
Byleth agreed. His father was suspicious of Seiros and Rhea. Edelgard is too violent, willing to sacrifice anybody for her ideals. Now their friends have to fight to the death, and for what? "No. You must do what you think is right. I've been feeling that way about everything. With Sothis, the hero relics, Miklan's death, Seiros. It's like they were waiting for this hero to fall from the sky and save them, to push their bloody goals. But I don't want to be a weapon for anybody. I just want to protect those I care about."
She smiled. "I'm glad. I was afraid I was the only one to see it that way."
"Are you going to the Empire?"
"No. To be honest I don't miss it!" Her anxious gaze softened. "You and the Ashen Wolves are family to me. Big brothers and sisters. You guys never saw me as a failure –and I fail a lot! Maybe you should leave Fodlon. I don't want to see you guys get hurt. If you all died I'd be…be…"
"Bernie." Byleth gave a reassuring smile. "I'm not leaving. Fodlon is my home. My mother and father are buried here. And I can't let you fight in this war by yourself. You saved my life. I'm going to help you –together we'll get justice."
"I understand."
"Let's survive."
"Yes," she nodded. "Survive to see the next day."
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Peace is upheaved in Fodlon. The nations and Seiros collapse under such sheer fighting. Byleth and the Ashen Wolves focus their energy on protecting the unarmed citizens. Bernadetta's healing magic quickly replenishes injured soldiers and miraculously, they can withstand the Empire's relentless attacks. Wielding hero relics, the mercenary and archer are an intimidating duo. After weeks of fighting the Ashen Wolves go back to Garreg Mach to report to Seteth and Rhea. Byleth and Bernadetta notice dead guards tossed carelessly around. Big pools of blood lead up to the Audience Chamber. Running upstairs the two kick down the balcony doors.
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Edelgard and Hubert are there. Edelgard holds Rhea's severed head while Hubert corners Seteth and Flayn. Dark magic pulses from his arms as he smiled sadistically.
"Seiros has fallen. I will finally rid this world of crests and disgusting intimidating gods!"
"No you won't." Byleth lunged, his sword meeting an axe blade. Sparks rain down on stone.
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The Ashen Wolves rescue Seteth and Flayn, leading them safely out of Garreg Mach and out of the hands of Adrestian soldiers. Bernadetta dodged scorching serpents of dark magic and launched arrows. Some disintegrated and others flashed by Hubert, leaving bleeding wounds. He cursed, his glare just as dangerous as his spells. "Troublesome traitor! For breaking lady Edelgard's trust you'll die a painful death! Maybe your father should have kept you locked up after all."
Pain flared in Bernadetta's heart. She's hurled by magic and she screamed, stunned by an injured leg and side. She almost fell off the balcony but used her staff to catch stone floor. It screeched as the magic dragged her violently. Blood soaked into the stone gaps. She flourished her bow.
Hubert chuckled. "Your newfound confidence isn't going to save you."
"Yes. It. Is!"
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Crest aglow, magic wildly spun around her like a cyclone. The arrow's metal reacted, absorbing magic. Hubert sidestepped and lunged. Before she let go of the arrow Byleth saved her. Sprinting, he swung up and slashed Hubert's neck.
"HUBERT!"
Bernadetta abruptly turned on her feet and fired. Edelgard is in mid-attack as the arrow goes right through her shoulder. She drops the axe with a loud clang and staggers.
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The archer's eyes blazed fiercely. "No one hurts my brother!"
Another arrow lodged into Edelgard's shoulder. A third by the heart. Blood trickles down her mouth, but Edelgard's crest glows. She escapes death's stubborn grasp. The woman had made a vow, had a dream, and doesn't want to give up. Chucking a sword it flew right at Byleth. Bernadetta's arrow screamed and exploded as it met sword. Quickly adding another arrow she fired again. It landed squarely in Edelgard's throat. Blood spews upon the balcony as Edelgard falls onto stone. It's over.
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White-silver light washes over the endless dead below. Somber victory echoes throughout Seiros. The Ashen Wolves are invited back where Seteth and Flayn are. Rhea has been buried and now Fodlon has no leader.
Everyone eyes Byleth expectantly. He stares at Seteth in surprise. "Me? Archbishop?"
"You saved Seiros. And it was Lady Rhea's last wish."
"You deserve it, Chatter Box. We fought hard for this war's end." Hapi said.
"You lead us this far," Yuri added.
Everyone agreed but Bernadetta and Byleth exchanged uncertain looks. The mercenary faced Seteth. "So many died needlessly. If I'm to lead Fodlon or at least Seiros it won't be as Archbishop."
"Then what will you do?"
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"I'll be a leader to unite Fodlon. However we will abandon the crest system. I can't oversee everything so I ask that you and the Ashen Wolves serve as my council."
Seteth nodded. "I'd be honored to."
Byleth smiled at Bernadetta. "I'll appoint you as Adrestian's next ruler, Bernie."
"M-Me?! Are you sure that's a good idea?"
"The healer's hero relic chose you. Healers mend, not cause bloodshed. Besides, you're kindhearted and trustworthy. If I were to fall, I'd ask you lead in my place."
Bernadetta disbanded her nervousness and nodded. "I'll do my best! Bernie, please don't mess this up!"
The Ashen Wolves laughed.
The mercenary turned to Seteth and sighed. "I guess we must speak to the people of Fodlon now. This is going to be a long, long journey. But I know with my friends, we'll be able to bring peace to Fodlon."