Book 1: A dragon flaps its wings

Chapter 7: Changes

17th day of the Pegasus Moon of Imperial Year 1176

xxx

Seteth did his daily patrol over the grounds of the Monastery. Since the appearance of Rean Schwarzer, Crow Armbrust and Millium Orion a whole month had already gone by and yet there had been no strange incident or the sighting of anything unknown.

While passing the training grounds he heard the loud commanding voice of Catherine. The woman stood in front of a group of knights, overseeing their daily training routine. Each member of the squad stood perfectly in line, spaced out enough for them to swing their swords around without the risk of hurting themselves. And the green haired man noticed how all of the trainees followed Catherine's orders without questioning or hesitation.

The reason for this smooth process could be the presence of their captain. Rean stood a few feet behind Catherine, following both the instructions given and the execution of said instructions. This sight wasn't anything new or special. During the last weeks the green haired man had observed the hard work and dedication that the young man had put forth. If Rean wasn't in his office doing paperwork or learning what he could about the nations of Fodlan, their geographical features as well as their customs and laws, he kept himself busy, talking with those serving under him or watching over the training regiments, like he did just now.

However there was one thing Seteth didn't understand about Rean. The young captain had never trained the Knights in any form of combat himself. Since the young captain didn't wield anything besides a sword, it made sense that he would let other people teach about bows, axes and spears. But even the training units regarding sword combat were taught by Catherine. And it couldn't be because the Divine Blade had no time to do so. One of the first things that Rean did was to split up all members of the Knights of Seiros into five groups and scheduled for each day of the week with the exception of Saturdays and Sundays a training unit which he himself would supervise. But what was taken by surprise and excitement by the soldiers at first, turned into confusion when those training regiments actually began. Since the first thing that Rean had the knights do, was walking. No weapon training, no training to build up strength or dexterity. Just walking while he gave instructions how to change the way they moved. Even now, after the passing of two-three weeks after the first training unit, Rean hadn't changed this directive. Seteth remembered how he overheard one knight suggesting that the new captain wanted to build up their endurance first before he would teach them anything else. But the true reason behind this unorthodox training was lost on him.

xXx

After having watched over the training for a few minutes, Seteth turned around and decided to continue his patrol.

From the training grounds he turned left, his next goal was the classrooms for the attendees of the Officers Academy. Multiple students crossed his path, some running towards the classrooms to try to get there on time while others seemed to run back to their rooms, most likely having forgotten something for their upcoming studies.

A surprising sight on the other hand were Crow and Hanneman, deep in conversation in front of an open classroom. Seteth's eyes wandered up towards the giant clock in the clock tower, seeing that the lesson wouldn't start for five minutes. When his gaze returned towards the two men, he noticed that Crow held onto a magic book while his other hand was a shimmering orb of frost.

"Splendid." The professor praised. "With this you have mastered the foundation for this spell, Mr. Armbrust. Now we can focus on the next part." Hanneman then noticed the green haired man walking towards them. "Good morning, Seteth." the Crest researcher greeted.

"Good morning, Professor." the man replied, before he turned towards Crow. "Good morning, Crow. It seems like your studies of magic go well. So, it seems like your origins do not seem to interfere with your ability to cast after all."

Seteth had already planned on revealing the secret of Rean and Crow to Professor Hanneman. But still, his surprise knew no bounds when Catherine brought not only Hanneman but also Manuela to him, telling him that they knew about the two visitors from Erebonia. But since both had sworn to keep the secret, this had ended up being a boon for them. The male professor had started with smaller experiments like mixing the blood samples of Crow with his own to see if there was any kind of reaction. But as of now, there were no break-throughs.

On the other hand, both Professors had agreed to teach the young men the magic of Fodlan with Manuela teaching them the magic of the category Faith, while Hanneman taught the category Reason. Not only would this allow the two to blend in better, but also be useful knowledge for future combat situations.

"Oh man, and here I thought that I could keep up my facade of the slacker." Crow jokes.

"Given the time you spent doing nothing, I expected you to have reached this stage at least a week ago." The Professor chimed in.

"What?" the youngest man turned around, a look of shock on his face. "But I thought that I was doing great. And I am steps ahead of Rean."

"But Mr. Schwarzer had a lot on his plate with his new position. What is your excuse?" Seteth continued the questioning.

For a moment Crow was silent. He hadn't thought of the possibility of the two older men to team up on him. With a sigh he gave his answer. "You see, I would have much more time on my hand if a certain professor wouldn't ask me to assist him in his various experiments. How could I concentrate on my studies when I fear that I will be called upon at a moment's notice to donate blood or perform extenuating physical tasks."

Hanneman wanted to respond, but he was interrupted by the sound of the bell. The victorious smile on the Erebonian's face told him that Crow had timed his answer on this event, since now the professor had to begin teaching. But the researcher wouldn't admit defeat so easily "Seteth, if I may." He began quickly, turning towards the green-haired man. "But it seems like I need more data about the endurance of Mr. Armburst here."

The smile on Crow's face vanished, knowing what Hanneman would ask of Rhea's right hand man. And to his chagrin, he only saw one way out.

"Please, delegate any heavy labour you come across today towards him. I wish to test the limits of his endurance." The two men turned towards the now deserted spot where Crow had stood just a few moments before. "Or you can leave him." Hanneman continued. "After all, now the score stands three to two in my favour." And with these words he left the stunned Seteth behind as he entered the classroom.

xXx

After finishing his morning patrol, Seteth spent the rest of the morning in his office, checking the available food as well as the monetary matters of the Monastery. He overlooked the letters that were delivered to see where an intervention was needed and were not. All this work took him until lunch and after grabbing a bite to eat in the dining hall, the right hand man of the Archbishop had some time for himself. Which led him to the bridge between the monastery cathedral and courtyard.

Deep below his feet rested the newest secret of the Church of Seiros, which were three giant mechanical beings. Bringing the Divine Knights towards this place in secret had taken a lot of careful planning to pull off successfully.

The first hurdle to overcome was the problem with the newly found third Knight, Ishmelga. According to Valimar the body was functional, but lacked autonomy to be fully usable. In the end and after a long discussion it was decided that Valimar would turn Ishmelga's empty body into his vassal. The first reason was that this allowed the Ashen Knight to control the flow of mana towards the Ebon Knight, allowing it to be piloted even without a proper Awakener. The cost however was that this procedure consumed a lot of mana, limiting Valimar's own combat capabilities as a result. A worthwhile trade for now, since it allowed them to move the giant beings into the canyon below the Monastery, keeping them safe from the unknowing populace. It also allowed all three bodies to focus on any repairs necessary while they were not needed.

But at the same time, there was another reason why they decided to turn Ishmelga into Valimar's vassal. If the consciousness of the Ebon Knight would return, they all hoped that the newly formed connection between the two Knights would alert them if this would take place.

Still lost in thoughts, Seteth didn't notice the figure stepping next to him.

"Are you admiring the beauty the goddess gave us?"

It was the kind voice of a young man that pulled the older one out of his thoughts.

Said newcomer chuckled when he witnessed the other man's wincing. "But please be more careful of your surroundings in the future, Lord Seteth. After all, some things are beautiful, because we humans can't reach them." The voice of the newcomer was full of warmth.

"Yes, you are right." The green haired man took a deep breath and his face became stern and professional again. Then he turned towards the other man. "I'm glad to see you well, Aelfric. We missed you during Saint Seiros Day"

Said Aelfric was a man in his mid 30ths with dark hair who wore the dark robes of a monk of the Church of Seiros. "Unfortunately, a disaster struck my community. A fire broke out and caused great damage to the village. I assume that you understand that my place was next to those who needed me."

"Completely. There is no reason to apologise." Seteth replied. "I remember you requesting help from Garreg Mach. Were the resources we sent helpful."

"Yes. Especially the food. I don't want to imagine what kinds of hardships the people would have been in if not for the help of the Church." For a moment the two just stood next to each other in silence. "Lord Seteth, may I ask for your company?" Noticing the displeased expression on the older man's face, he added "It won't take long. I promise."

For a moment the older man thought about declining the request, but at the same time, there wasn't anything urgent that needed his attention. And maybe some more time out of his office would be exactly what he needed. "Please, guide the way."

"You have my thanks." The priest turned right and Seteth followed him. The destination of theirs wasn't too far away from the bridge and after roughly two minutes the two entered the small graveyard of the Monastery.

This part of the complex was positioned on a small, slightly lowered platform. As a result, there existed a serene silence in this place, a feeling that no other place here could replicate. Even the sound of the people just a few steps above them seemed muted.

Aelfric stepped into the middle of the small area and folded his hands in prayer. His companion mimicked the motion.

"Oh goddess." The monk began. "Please grant all of us your blessing. Help us through hardship and guide us through the darkness that covers the ways of our lives. Move our eyes, so that we can see the suffering of those around us. Move our hands, so that we can extend them to those in need. And once our lives come to an end, please meet us at that final door, with a smile. Reward those who came before us, those who enacted your will. Accompany those who came before us, because we aren't able to. And save those who came before us, so that their immortal souls are saved in your grace."

With the last word spoken, the silence returned to take back its hereditary place while the two men remained silent for a few seconds longer.

"A prayer from the heart." Seteth was the first who spoke.

Aelfric nodded. "Even though they may no longer be with us, they all are children of the goddess." he mused. "And as such I feel that it is important that we don't forget to pray for them just as we do for the living." The monk took a few steps forward and sank onto his knees. His eyes were now on the same height as the gravestone in front of him, a smile on his face. "I see that they are well cared for." He mustered the cold stone in front of him, not a hint of grass or weed seen anywhere on it.

"As you said, they are children of the goddess. And it would be irresponsible of us if we didn't care for them." the green-haired man replied.

The kneeling monk pulled out a bouquet of flowers and laid one down on the grave before him. "One last reminder that they aren't forgotten." He explained before moving towards the next resting place, also putting a flower on it.

Seteth stepped forward, his hands already outstretched to help, but Aelfric just shook his head. "You already have done enough for me, Lord Seteth. I can't ask for any more of your time. Please, leave this task to me."

Seeing no reason to deny this request, Seteth and Aelfric said goodbye to one another and the older man returned to his office back to his work.

xXx

The next time the green haired man came out of his office the sun had already begun to set.

Not wanting any attention right now, the right hand of Lady Rhea began to move towards the classrooms. Since the corridors and halls were filled with students at the end of their studies or soldiers who just finished their shifts, he hoped that he would be less disturbed there. And so, he turned left and started walking.

Some students were still outside, either greeting him respectfully or trying to scurry out of his sight, mostly out of fear that he would punish them for something. For a moment Seteth wondered if he really was too strict. But he also knew that for someone in his disposition such a look was pretty useful to have around. And those who fled from him weren't worth his effort, since their deeds were mostly negligible.

Something else that caught his attention was the sound of clashing steel coming from the training area. He had expected this place to be deserted at this hour, but when he entered, he saw familiar faces in the middle of the arena, facing each other. Rean and Catherine.

For a moment the green-haired man was under the assumption that Catherine had challenged her captain to a rematch, then he noticed that Rean was holding his sword differently from the time of the duel.

Rean had only one hand on his blade, the tip pointing at the ground.

"Begin!" Catherine commanded and Rean moved.

Raising his sword above his head his first attack came from above, but was so obvious that his opponent blocked it with no problem. The next slash came from left to right, followed by a reversed attack from right to left.

Once more, Catherine blocked without problems. "Since you only use one hand, you lack the power of your usual style." She declared between blocks. "Try to guide my weapon away from me with your attacks, so that I am open for your follow ups."

The Divine Blade tried to follow her instructions, but he didn't manage to create any kind of opening in the woman's defences, but was able to continue applying pressure.

After another few futile attempts, the two warriors separated, but by that time, the spectator had already left with neither fighter having perceived his presence.

"I don't know if I should call him remarkable or foolish." Seteth mused. Now he knew why Rean hadn't led the sword training this morning. After all, only a fool would let an untrained fighter teach veterans. And after watching over the young Captain For a month now the green-haired man could say one thing for certain: Rean Schwarzer wasn't a fool.

xXx

The sun had already set when the green haired man headed for his last stop. Climbing the stairs he passed the nearly empty second floor and began his climb towards the third and final floor. Seteth then stepped towards the office door of the Archbishop and knocked three times.

"You may enter." the graceful voice of Lady Rhea chimed through the door and the man followed the invitation. "Seteth," The Archbishop greeted him with her motherly smile. "How was your day?"

"Productive." Her second in command replied, his face stoic and professional. "Lord Aelfric visited us today, so there is no need to worry about his well being any longer." The green haired man then told his interlocutor everything that had happened today.

"I see." Lady Rhea fell silent after her visitor had finished his report. "Then we are unable to use the training grounds today?"

"In my estimation the risk of discovery is all but guaranteed. Since Captain Schwarzer and Lady Catherine have used them this afternoon, the chances are high that other knights may use them now."

The Archbishop let out a frustrated sigh. A feeling that the man could comprehend just too well. With the threat of Ishmelga on the horizon, both Rhea and he himself had decided to prepare for the coming war by training themselves back into fighting shape. But given their respective position this wasn't something that could be done in the open. If word would come out that the archbishop picked up a sword like a common soldier… no, Seteth didn't want to imagine what this could lead to.

At the same time, the few times the two had been able to train in secret, the results had been insufficient. Their bodies had gotten rusty, moved slower and their strikes lacked the strength they had possessed maybe a decade ago. Seteth's right hand moved towards his left upper arm. During the last session he had been too slow to block one of Lady Rhea's attacks, a proof of his aforementioned observation.

"Oh, what is that?" Through the movement of his arm, Lady Rhea had been able to spot one letter inside of Seteth's blue vest. "Is there something you'd like to talk to me about?"

Noticing the now open piece of paper the green haired man shook his head. "I am sorry, Lady Rhea, but this is a private matter."

"So, it's from her, right?" She knew only one person that would make her old friend react in this way.

The man sighed defeatedly. He and the archbishop knew each other for a long time now, so it was obvious that she had already caught on to his plight. "Yes." He admitted. "Alois has reached her and the two began their travels towards the Monastery. Unfortunately she had gotten it into her head to visit Rhodos Coast first and asked for my permission."

"She hasn't seen the outside world for a long time now, Seteth." Rhea replied, her face stoic. "But at the same time she has to understand the risk that comes with being related to you. I would assume that you would have prohibited her right from the get go." For a moment the woman mustered the man. "I assume that your meeting with Aelfric made you hesitant."

Seteth nodded. "She hasn't been at that place for years now. Being separated from it was harder for her than I can imagine. And now, she finally gets the chance of being free. I can imagine that she wants to visit all the places she once knew. But still…" he couldn't hide his inner conflict any longer.

Rhea watched the fight that took place on her friend's face for a few seconds, before she came to a conclusion. "Then why don't you accompany her?"

"What?" Seteth replied in surprise. "Lady Rhea, I must have misheard you. You said that I should travel with her to Rhodos Coast. But my duties towards the Monastery?"

"The Monastery can manage without you for a few days, Seteth. There is nothing to worry about." the head of the Church of Seiros reassured him. "And at the moment we live in a time of peace. With the risk of both Ishmelga and those under them rising, who knows when these times come to an end. It is better if you two make that journey now while it is safe and not when we are under attack."

They looked at each other. There were so many thoughts running through Seteth's mind, but there was nothing he could say to refute her nor did he want to. "Maybe my meeting with Lord Aelfric was a hint by the goddess then, wouldn't you say?" he asks, his voice barely a whisper.

Lady Rhea smiled. "If you think so, then it could be."

"I will take Crow and Shamir with me. Together with Alois we should be strong enough to fight off bandits and monsters while being a small group that doesn't gather much attention." The green haired man explained.

"It seems like you have already thought quite a lot about this, Seteth." The Archbishop mused. She knew that he had just needed someone that told him that following his own heart against his head was something he should do in this situation. And she was happy to play that role. "I assume that you will depart tomorrow, then?"

Seteth nodded. "I will talk to my two travel companions as soon as possible. If they can manage it, then I would like to set out with the rising sun."

"Then go with the blessing of the goddess." Rhea spoke.

Her friend bowed and turned around, knowing that his evening had just become a lot more hectic. But at the same time, it just felt like he was doing the right thing.

xXx

This chapter was beta'd by Infinite Zangetsu. Thanks for all your work.

Welcome back to all of you. It has been some time since I last updated and I hope you are all well. This chapter basically starts the first real story arc of this story and if you have played Three Houses, you can guess which character will appear during the next chapter.

Also, with Three Hopes on the horizon, there may be some new ideas that can be worked into this story as well. But since I can't see the future, I won't promise anything in this regard. To be honest I'm really looking forward to the return to Fodlan.

Until next time and stay healthy

ZMusok