Welcome back, everyone!
I said to wait just a few months, but as I expected, it's been a little around 8 months. ADHD can be such a hurdle to overcome.
But I told myself I wasn't going to let the story of Songstress go unfinished, so here we are, ready to start Part 2. And I'm starting it on Christmas Day, but we'll be going with the same update schedule as before: Mondays and Fridays (as long as I don't get writer's block).
Before I start, however, I'd like to cover a few things. First, this is not going to be a carbon copy of Silver Snow; it might look similar at first, but I intend to deviate at several key points that lead to a new "route". However, this is NOT a "golden route"; there will be casualties. Second is that I'm going to be having quite a few more OC's in this part than in White Clouds. I probably should've established some of them earlier but... hindsight. I'll do my best not to make them look 100% broken. Third is that I'm majorly rewriting one of the villains of Three Houses, as I feel said villain was criminally underutilized in the game. Said villain is to become the "final boss" of my story, so I hope to do a good job there. Fourth is that I'm going to be using quite a few foreign real-life languages for certain races and cultures, but I'm only fluent in English so I have to use online translators, and those are always sketchy. I apologize if I butcher any language you may know.
And finally, I know I'm going to get some skeptics, but please no flaming, shaming, etc. No one likes that.
With all that said, let's return to the story of Songstress: Blooming Heart.
Chapter 1 – Reunion at Dawn (Ethereal Moon)
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.
…
Byleth's mind swam in an endless void, unable to form a coherent thought. She couldn't feel anything and could not move. It was though she were suspended in an endless dream.
A voice came from the void. It was familiar, but… whose voice was it?
"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 moaned breathlessly.
The voice, suddenly indignant, said, "Excuse me?! Are you saying you have forgotten who I am? How dare you!"
The change in tone sparked something in Byleth's memory. The face of a green-haired girl who once sat upon an ancient throne.
The name came to her lips as she said, "…Soth…is…?"
"Get on your feet. Right now! I'll coddle you no more! You are just like a child, always needing someone to hold your hand…"
The void began to fade before Byleth's weary eyes. Darkness was replaced by an ever-growing light as sound and sensation began to fill Byleth's being.
Her vision blurred as she saw a green pane before her, akin to glass. No, it wasn't glass; it was more like jade, for she could only see vague silhouettes through it.
Something moved outside of the crystal she floated in. Whatever it was, it was massive, and glowed with gold and silver. A pair of glowing emerald eyes were watching her.
"Jissai anata wa, oki te iru," said a feminine, booming voice. "Shikashi, mada okosa rete imasen, Sotisu."
Byleth could not find the strength to reply. She felt as helpless as a newborn.
She then saw something glowing a crimson light before her. She struggled to turn her gaze downward, and then glimpsed the pommel of a familiar blade. The Sword of the Creator glowed before her.
"Chikaku ni jūkyo ga aru horyo wa soko," said the voice. "Yakusoku shita mono ga kaette kuru no o machimasu."
Byleth could not understand the words the voice had just spoken, but somehow, they felt familiar.
The jade before her eyes began to disperse in sparkles of light. She felt the cold winter air begin to sting her skin. Her vision was still a blur, preventing her from making out the enormous creature before her, one that was now being enshrouded by a magical mist.
And then, just as her feet touched down to the ground, Byleth's legs gave out from beneath her. Her instincts kicked in immediately, and she threw her arms out to stop herself from falling face first into the snow. Her hands felt the sting of cold as she remembered her need for air, and Byleth gasped loudly as she desperately filled her lungs with icy breath. Sound began to return to her ears. She could hear the swirling of magic and the howling of a strange wind.
She remembered the voice, and so she urgently looked up.
The creature, whatever it had been, was gone, with only a dispersing fog left behind.
Byleth was still for a moment. Had it just been a trick of the mind? She tried to focus her thoughts, attempting to remember what had happened to her.
She remembered the Battle of Garreg Mach. She remembered the appearance of the Immaculate One.
And then she remembered her defeat at the hands of that man. The man who knew of the Divine Pulse.
His last words to her flashed in her mind.
"Break your promise to your dear songbird…!"
Byleth choked at the memory. Her promise to…
"Hey? Hey, are you alright?" said an unfamiliar voice.
Alarmed, Byleth looked up to see a villager approaching her with a look of concern on his face.
"What are you doing in a place like this?" asked the villager.
Byleth hesitated to answer, for she had questions of her own.
…
The empty halls of Garreg Mach Monastery echoed faintly with the sound of high-heeled footsteps as Dorothea Arnault strode through the main hall. Just as she had expected, the place was empty, except for a few cats and dogs looking for scraps to eat.
Five years ago, the halls had been so lively, with students, teachers and knights everywhere you looked. Now, the monastery felt more like a tomb.
Dorothea shivered as she rubbed her sides for warmth. She knew she should have worn something warmer. She turned to look at a fallen pane of glass from one of the windows and caught her reflection looking back at her.
As beautiful as the twenty-four-year-old former diva had been in her academy days, the last five years had only made her lovelier. She was still tall and slender, with curves in all the right places. Her chest had grown since then, and the red ballgown she wore struggled to contain it. The silver corset around her waist kept the ensemble together, but it too exposed a great deal of the silky, smooth skin of her back. Below the waist, she wore a set of brown tights with high-heeled boots. The skirt of the dress extended down behind her ankles. Her long, luxurious locks of brown hair flowed down over her shoulders like water, with only her hairclip, shaped in the form of a Silent Princess, adorning her head. Of course, she still wore the few pieces of jewelry she could find, intended to draw attention away from the Mythril blade strapped to her waist. The blade, Joyeuse, had served her well over the years, and remained pristine as ever. The diva wore no makeup at present, not having the time or desire to accentuate her features, but even without it her green eyes and red lips made her beautiful beyond words.
But as the silence around her continued unabated, Dorothea knew her looks weren't going to account for much that day. After all, why spruce yourself up if no one was going to be around?
She thought back to her days at the Officer's Academy, back before the war had broken out. She and the others had been such good friends then. But over the past years, she hadn't crossed paths with any of them. She wondered how many were still alive.
She wondered if any of them were.
Of course, Edelgard was still alive and well. The ongoing war proved that much. No doubt Hubert was the same. She also knew Claude was still around, leading one half of the Leicester Alliance while those from House Gloucester opposed him. As for Dimitri, he was probably too busy readying himself to either retake Fhirdiad or march straight to Enbarr with whoever he could muster.
Dorothea bit her lip as she thought of Edelgard. Her best friend had not ceased her efforts in conquering Fódlan. Even after five years, the continent was still burning and continued to be bathed in blood.
She didn't expect Edelgard would show up this day. Why would she? She was busy trying to force Fódlan to bend to the Empire's rule. And why would the others show up either?
Dorothea sobbed to herself at this moment. She had been so stupid. Today was supposed to be a joyous day, commemorating the 1,000th anniversary of the monastery's founding. She'd wanted everyone in their year to come back to see each other again.
It had been a naïve dream. Had she known what Edelgard had been planning to do, she never would have suggested such a stupid promise.
Dorothea stopped at this moment, and realized that in her nostalgic daydreaming, she had walked herself into the ruins of the cathedral. Beams of faint starlight bathed her as she looked up to see a massive hole had been blown in the roof. No doubt that had been a result of the battle that had taken place nearly five years ago.
Nostalgia filled her again as she thought back to the days when she would be singing in the cathedral. She'd be with Manuela and the others, practicing for the choir and doing her best not to put the others to shame with her voice.
And so very often, she'd be with her. With the Professor.
Sorrow filled the diva once more. She had listened to every rumor she could to try and figure out what had happened to the teacher, but no one had seen her since that day five years ago.
Dorothea knew that, in all likelihood, Professor Byleth was dead. But deep down, she couldn't bring herself to believe that. It was one of the few shreds of hope she had left: the hope that, just maybe, they'd see each other again, just like she'd promised.
Again, Dorothea realized she had been walking as she daydreamed, and now she found herself at the top of the Goddess Tower. She didn't know how she'd managed to get up there unconsciously. But as she looked out at the horizon and the sky as the stars began fading, she was overwhelmed by one particular memory.
The memory of how she and Byleth had danced together in that spot five years ago.
They had been so close. Professor Byleth had done so much for the girl in such a short span of time. She had taught Dorothea how to use a sword properly. She had learned how to cook delicious meals and to heal others thanks to her. Byleth had listened to Dorothea's troubles. She had saved the diva's life more times than Dorothea could remember.
And she had confided her deepest secrets with the brunette. She had told her that her heart wouldn't beat in her chest. She told her about the goddess that had been living within her.
She thought back to that day, when Byleth had revealed that Sothis had lived within her body.
Without even thinking, the diva began to sing.
…
Byleth knew she shouldn't have expected to find anyone in the monastery, but after learning from the villager how today was the day of the anniversary, she knew she had to check the place. If there was any chance one of the others could show up that day, she had to take it.
She still had a hard time believing it had been five years since the Battle of Garreg Mach. How could she have been asleep for that long? How was she even alive? How had Fódlan changed in her absence? These questions burned inside her as she searched the monastery.
Aside from a few wild animals, however, Byleth saw no signs of life within the empty halls of Garreg Mach. As she gazed about at the broken and crumbling rooms and hallways, she remembered her days as a teacher. Everyone had been so eager to learn from her, and she had been honored to teach them what she knew.
And as she taught them, she knew she had learned from them. She had learned how to smile. She had learned how to laugh. To cry. To show anger.
To simply feel.
Even now, as she felt pangs of loneliness and remorse, she could not help but be thankful that she could feel such things. She would gladly feel such loneliness rather than feel nothing at all.
The greenette found herself in the cathedral and looked up at the broken ceiling as the stars above started fading. Morning would come soon. She prayed the dawn would herald the return of the others.
Then, to her surprise, she heard a faint voice.
camma i a testa i mente
sambara mi adisimo
Byleth's eyes widened as she heard these words. She immediately began following the sound out the side door of the cathedral.
camma i a testa i noche
celsata i madisia
As soon as she was outside, Byleth looked to the one place the sound could be coming from: the Goddess Tower. Hope filled her heart as she strode toward the tower.
kan ye kan ye kan ye ayaye
i solai mi madisimo
i cella di vi noche
As she ascended the stairs of the Goddess Tower, Byleth knew the song could only be coming from one person. The person she had promised to see once more before her fall.
kan ye kan ye kan ye ayaye
i solai mi madisimo
i cella di adisia
Byleth reached the top of the stairs as Dorothea stopped singing. The diva's back was turned to Byleth as she looked out at the horizon, tears filling her green eyes. She hadn't heard Byleth approach.
Byleth's first thought was to announce her presence to the diva, but she hesitated. Dorothea, who looked more beautiful than ever to the greenette, was crying. A single glance at the girl was all Byleth needed to know she thought the teacher was dead.
The singer continued her melody as Byleth stood and watched silently.
kan ye kan ye kan ye ayaye
i solai mi madisimo
i cella di vi noche
kan ye kan ye kan ye ayaye
i solai mi madisimo
i cella di adisia
Dorothea was about to start sobbing again when she heard Byleth's footfall softly behind her. Startled, she whipped around and, upon seeing the green-haired warrior, made a wide-eyed gasp of shock.
For a moment, Dorothea could only gaze into Byleth's eyes in utter surprise as the greenette smiled at her. Several seconds of silence passed between them.
And then Dorothea finally said, "Professor…? Is it… is it really you?"
Let me know how you feel about the start of the post-timeskip.
And please excuse me if I end up butchering other languages. I'm only fluent in English.
Just to note, though, the song Dorothea sings here is not a real language. It's a "Con-Lang" by Yuki Kajiura, and comes from the anime Mai-Hime. The song is titled "Ensei", so you can find it on Youtube.
