Part 1: White Clouds

A Well Deserved Rest

"What in the name of the Goddess did you all get up to while you were down there? Honestly, I don't know why I bother even trying to heal you all, when all you do is get yourselves hurt again and again…"

Everyone had to endure the scolding of Manuela while they were getting treated. Needless to say, they deserved every bit of it. But did they have any regrets? Not at all. They won, and that's all that mattered.

Right now, they were in the infirmary as the ones who had sustained major injuries were on the medical beds. Those being Edelgard and the Ashen Wolves. The Princess had a cast on her foot, but thanks to her ability to heal quicker thanks to her Ki, she just had to spend the week staying off it. That didn't mean she was happy about it.

"But Professor Manuela, I have training to do-"

"Oh no you don't! You may be the Princess of Adrestia but that doesn't mean you get special treatment! You stay off the foot until it's fully healed!" Hellen waggled her finger at Edelgard who visibly deflated, realising she wasn't getting out of this.

"…Yes, Miss Hellen…"

Hellen huffed and shook her head, placing her hands on her hips. Her eyes then fell to Jeralt and Byleth who were… oddly quiet. Well, odd for Jeralt. The man usually celebrated after a successful mission by running the local taverns out of their booze supply.

"Captain? Is… everything okay?"

"Yeah Hellen… just been a long week is all."

Something was bothering the pair. And if Hellen was a betting woman, it had to do with… her. It was quite a shock to her self as well as the rest of the Blade Breakers when the Captain and his kid emerged from the Cathedral holding the body of his dead wife. And they were planning to have a little ceremony to bury her… again. None of them really knew about Jeralt's history, only that he did have a wife. They wanted to know more but… they knew it wasn't the best time to ask. After making sure Edelgard wasn't going anywhere, Hellen slowly made her way to Byleth and sat next to her.

"Hey kid, how are you feeling?"

Byleth slowly looked over to Hellen, before looking back down to the ground. She was sort of her surrogate mother back when they travelled Fódlan together. Whenever Byleth had questions or things to talk about that Jeralt or the other guys couldn't answer, Hellen was always there to lend an ear and give advice. And judging from Jeralt excusing himself and leaving the room, this was one of those times.

"I'm not sure… I mean, I finally got to see what my mother looked like so… I should be happy, right? But… when I think about how she wasn't where we thought she was, that she was laid somewhere else, and that… her body was messed with… it… it makes me feel things."

"Anger?"

"Yes… I think anger is the right word…"

Hellen smiled lightly and rubbed Byleth's head, the same way Jeralt did to her. "Listen kid, I don't know any of the shit you and your old man got up to this week and quite frankly, after that attack on the Monastery last night, I don't even wanna know. But maybe you should try and talk to someone about this. You know, the ones who were there with you?"

She then got up and winked at Byleth. "The Captain might pretend that he is an old dog who can't learn new tricks, but if you try, he will talk. And I think over twenty years is long enough to get your answers, don't you think?"

"…Yeah. Thanks, Hellen."

Hellen smiled wider and nodded, but then she turned to see one of the patients and glared. "Hapi! Stop moving, you'll open up your stitches!"

"Ugh, I should've just left and died…"

Byleth closed her eyes and leaned back on her chair. Hellen was right, it was high time she got told everything. Not to mention that her dad promised, and he never broke his promises.

'So… seems like you had quite the adventure while I was asleep, huh?'

Sitting next to her was Sothis, who looked a little more presentable now that she was fully awake. Not wanting to draw attention to herself, Byleth only spoke internally and nodded to Sothis.

'I learned a lot. And dad is going to tell me everything about my mom, and my origins. I already know I'm half alien and that my mom came crashing down here to escape the destruction of her own world.'

'…What in the world did I miss?!'

"Kid?"

Byleth opened her eyes and saw Jeralt poking his head through the door and nodded.

"It's time."

"…Okay."

She slowly stood up and looked at Hapi, who was grumbling to herself and Balthus, who decided to take a nap while his painkillers were still working. She also saw Edelgard talking to Dimitri and Claude who she didn't even notice come in to visit. They were all alive and accounted for. They got super lucky, this time.

"Damn Dimitri, that was a pretty good strategy you had. You managed to go in for the kill!" Claude praised the Prince, slapping him on the back. Dimitri blushed and rubbed the back of his head.

"I can't take the credit, it was Yuri who came up with the plan. I just merely followed orders."

But Edelgard cracked a smile and leaned over to place a hand on his shoulder. "You still were the one who executed it perfectly. It was thanks to you that victory was ours to achieve."

"I appreciate that, Edelgard. But let's not forget that you also helped in preventing that battle from becoming an impossible one."

"Yeah… that was way too close for comfort." Claude nodded. "But hey! We managed to make it out without any scratches!"

"…"

"…"

He noticed both Edelgard and Dimitri glaring at him and he grinned sheepishly. "Almost any scratches."

But then he crossed his arms and hummed in thought. "Though now that it's all over… I wonder where the Archbishop will put the Chalice?"

"Yes, it is concerning to think about." Dimitri agreed. "What if it happens again? And this time, we're not around to stop it?"

But that's when Edelgard shook her head. "Oh come on, you two. Think about it, it took Aelfric fifteen years of constant research to even get close to finding it. And on top of that, if anyone wanted to actually use it, they would not only have to find the Ashen Wolves, but also perform the Rite of Rising. To anyone else, it would just be a shiny chalice."

"Yeah, that's true." Claude shrugged. "Took a lot of effort to even get it to work. Not bad Princess, seems like you're smarter than I give you credit for."

"Still… I can't help but shake this feeling that we're not finished with this Chalice…" Dimitri sighed.


Meanwhile, in the Cathedral, a group of knights were carefully placing the Chalice of Beginnings in a leather satchel to transport it as per Lady Rhea's orders. One of them shook their head while observing the damage done to the Cathedral.

"By the Goddess, what a mess…"

"We just got to clearing the Monastery from the last attack and now we have to start repairs on the Cathedral. Honestly, I wish I was stationed out in Faerghus. I would have peace and quiet at least."

"Quit your bellyaching!" The Captain of the squad barked. "We can leave the repairs to the rest of the knights. Right now, we have a mission to get this away."

"What even is it?" One of the knights asked. But before the Captain could answer, another one spoke up.

"It's the Chalice of Beginnings. It's capable of bringing the dead back to life, provided you do the ceremony properly."

The Captain slowly turned around to see the knight who said that, while holding the pouch. "Private… how do you know that?"

An eerie silence followed as they all saw the knight start to laugh. "Oh woopsies… you have to forgive me. I'm not used to being a knight, so I kinda forgot what rank I was meant to be."

"What the hell are you talking-"

SHICK

"HURK!"

The rest all stood frozen in fear as the Captain slowly looked down to see a Ki blade dug through his chest. The private grinned under his helmet and pointed his Ki blade at them tilting his head.

"Sorry guys, I'm sad that we can't have a merry adventure. Buuuut now I can't let you all leave."

What followed was a massacre. The Cathedral was filled with screams and cries of horror which unfortunately wasn't heard by anyone. When it was all done, the only person standing was the private who looked at the pouch still tightly clutched in the Captain's hands. He raised an eyebrow and summoned another Ki blade, before slicing his hands clean off and he brought it up to his face… and noticing a hand still attached to the pouch. He grimaced and shook the pouch to loosen the hands grip, before tossing it away.

"Bleh… disgusting surface dwellers…"

And that's when the armour on the knight started to slowly melt off and when the drops hit the floor, it turned into wisps of dark smoke. The helmet completely melted away along with the face of the knight to reveal a familiar looking woman, who grinned and stepped out of the puddle as it slowly evaporated into smoke. Kronya flicked off a piece of armour from her thigh and placed her Scouter on her face before turning it on, to address her superior.

"Lord Thales… I got it." She giggled, tossing the pouch away and angling the Chalice of Beginnings in the sunlight. "And not a scratch on it!"

A voice sounded in her ear, which was filled with glee. "Excellent work. I trust you know what to do next?"

"Of course, sir!" Kronya grinned and reached into her pocket before pulling out a sheet of paper with strange writing on it. She placed it on the pouch and stood back, waiting for it to do it's thing. And after a few seconds, the writing started to glow purple before vanishing along with the artefact. She looked around to make sure nobody was here.

"It has been sent, sir! What will you have me do?"

"For now, you will remain at Garreg Mach and keep our little rebel in check. Nobody has suspected you yet, so don't do anything that could blow your cover."

"Ugh, fiiiiiine. Understood, sir."

Thales disconnected the transmission and looked behind him to see the floor covered in the same writing as the sheet of paper that Kronya was carrying. And as if on cue, the writing on the floor started glowing purple before a dark orb started to form. But Thales just waited patiently and saw after a few seconds, the light disappeared and sitting on top of the writing scribbled on the floor, was The Chalice of Beginnings, alongside a now burning piece of paper.

"I assume you have many questions, young Hubert?" Thales spoke up, having sensed the young man come in earlier while he was talking to Kronya. Hubert saw him take the Chalice from the spot and frowned.

"Forgive me… my Lord. But I was under the impression that what you're holding is useless and doesn't work."

"You are correct." Thales replied. "It is useless… when used by the wrong people. May I ask, Hubert. Are you familiar of the story that is the Tortoise and the Hare?"

Hubert frown went even deeper and followed Thales throughout the facility, walking past various Agarthan's who had their noses buried deep in research notes. "I don't see what that has to do with-"

"Come on boy, I know you're smarter than this. What does the story show?"

Letting out a sigh, Hubert recalled the events of the story, still not understanding where Thales was going with this. "…and then the tortoise managed to win despite the hare being faster."

"Precisely. Because as the message says, slow and steady wins the race." Thales concluded as he and Hubert entered one of the many facilities.

"The Chalice of Beginnings does have the power to revive the dead and grant wishes. But it's user error that causes the problems to occur. All the Nabatean's, you surface dwellers, you're all impatient. You want quick results, consequences be damned."

Hubert nodded in understanding as he watched Thales place the Chalice on a strange platform. "I see now. So to draw out the full power of this artefact, it has to be done slowly."

"I'm glad you're finally understanding. Yes, we can draw out the power, but it will be a long process."

"…What exactly are you trying to accomplish with the Chalice?"

Thales just have a grin and walked past Hubert. "You don't have the authority to know that kind of information."

The young man narrowed his pale yellow eyes at the Chalice which had a warm glow to it's symbols. What are they planning? This is miles away from the information he and Edelgard were given before.

She was right. Something was up. Not that he ever doubted his Emperor, but to see it with his own eyes… he needed more research.


"Dad, where are we going?"

Byleth followed Jeralt with a furrowed brow, confused as to where exactly they were going. At first she thought they were going to the tavern to grab a drink and then he could answer her questions, but he just kept on walking through the Monastery with seemingly no direction in sight. It wasn't until they finally got to the more older looking rooms that were away from everyone that he finally stopped in front of a door.

"You wanted your answers? I'll try my best. But first, you'll want to see this. Rhea?"

Her eyes widened as she saw the Archbishop was waiting for them, with her holding a key. From the looks on her face, she almost looked like she didn't want to do it. But with a heavy sigh, she held out the key for Byleth to take.

"This is… the key to your mother's room. What you're seeing before you. Behind those doors, is everything she held dear."

Byleth stared at the key in awe, and she slowly took it from Rhea's hands. For some reason, it felt very heavy right now. And she turned to the door, with it somehow looking much bigger than before. But she shook her head, it was all in her mind. So sucking in a deep breath, she inserted the key into the lock and turned it. The lock released and she looked to Jeralt who nodded back.

"We're behind you, kid."

She bit her lip, and slowly pushed the door open before stepping in. When she first stepped in, the first thing she noticed was how dusty everything was. It was clear that nobody had stepped foot in this room for years. But then, when she properly looked at her surroundings, she was amazed at what she was seeing before her.

It was… a workshop. Tools were neatly arranged on the wall, and in other places were unfinished projects. Many of them looked very otherworldly to Byleth. Most of the projects were made out of steel. And on the workbench were crumpled up pieces of paper containing various sketches that didn't make any sense to Byleth. But what she didn't think would happen were these feelings bubbling up inside her.

This was all her mothers. All of it. And she felt… happy.

"Is this really my mothers room?"

"Every bit of it, kid." Jeralt smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder. "See, your mother was a mechanic back on Planet Vegeta. Her home. And well, to say she wasn't impressed with our world's tools and carriages was an understatement. She mostly worked in the Monastery but what you see here are her various attempts of… how did she say it… modernising Fódlan."

Rhea was oddly quiet as he recounted what Sitri would say to him. And the way she looked at all the projects was… disgust. But she kept it hidden as the pair didn't notice her. Jeralt guided Byleth over to the workstation and slowly pulled out a box. Byleth wondered what was in it but found her question would be answered as Jeralt pulled out something. It was Sitri's old Scouter. He smiled gently, remembering her being fond of this little device.

"Here, kid. This is a Scouter. It's the only thing of your mother that survived the journey here."

"What… is it?"

"Eh, it's mostly just decoration at this point. Sitri tried to fix it, but unfortunately our world just doesn't have the stuff necessary to do the job. The only thing it can do is measure power levels. I'll show you another time. But I want you to have it."

He held it out to Byleth, who blinked once. Then again. And again. This was a memento belonging to her mother. What she always wanted to have. And she finally had it. But then she saw Jeralt smiling warmly and tilted her head confused.

"What's wrong?"

"I think that's the widest I've seen your smile. It suits you, kid."

"…Yeah. Thanks dad." She smiled again and Jeralt smiled back. Rhea was watching them still and kept thinking to herself. But was then interrupted as Alois came in and whispered in Rhea's ear. "We have a situation, Archbishop."

She frowned and turned towards him. "What is it?"

"…The Chalice has been stolen."

Unfortunately for them, Byleth and Jeralt overheard.


"Huh. That's a problem." Yuri frowned to himself. "Seems like no matter what, that Chalice finds trouble."

"WHAT?! HOW CAN THIS BE?!"

Everyone in the room covered their eyes at the screeching that came out of Constance and Manuela walked over and gave her a death glare causing Constance to shrink in her seat. She then turned to Rhea after Manuela left.

"You're going after the perpetrators, aren't you?"

But unfortunately for Constance, Rhea shook her head. "I'm afraid that it's not possible. Do not assume we are giving up, we will try to investigate as much as we can, but the thief left no tracks at all and nobody saw them leave. We have no clues to go off of."

They all watched Constance whine loudly and deflate even more into her seat. But then Yuri placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Come on now, Constance. I think you got a little too attached to that thing, especially considering what happened to us regarding it. It's best to leave it now. And besides, if they wanted to enact the ritual once more, they would need our blood and to do that, they would have to find us."

"Yes… I suppose you're right. It's just frustrating that after all we did, it's now gone forever."

Constance let out a long sigh but then nodded. "Yes, yes. You can stop looking at me like that. I will let the Chalice go. I'll find another way to restore House Nuvelle once I take my leave."

Byleth and Jeralt looked at each other and the former raised an eyebrow. "You're not staying?"

Yuri shook his head. "There's no point in sticking around. Especially now that the Ashen Wolves have been disbanded."

Byleth looked to Rhea who nodded, confirming what Yuri just said. "I spoke with the Cardinals and my decision is final. The Ashen Wolf house was originally established for youths who were in need of the Church's protection. Somewhere along the way, that intent was corrupted. And it became a cage for Yuri and his friends. The Ashen Wolves are officially disbanded."

"Yes, we were spoken about this beforehand." Constance nodded. "Even though it does feel like this was all… pointless at the end of it all, it feels nice knowing that I can go off on my own."

"And we spoke to Hapi and Balthus before they fell asleep. They agreed with us in leaving too." Yuri nodded.

"Guess after what you've all been through, I can't blame you for not wanting to stick around." Jeralt said, scratching his head. "But where will you brats go?"

Yuri shrugged. "Not sure. I think my main concern is taking care of my people back to my hometown."

"So you'll stick to being a thief?" Jeralt asked.

"Yeesh, you don't beat around the bush, do you? Yeah, that's the plan. It's what I'm good at after all, and this time, I get to do it how I want to do it. Change how I live."

"Well then, I wish you luck. I haven't known you for that long, but you seem like you've got a good heart."

"Thanks old man. You have a good daughter too. I learned a lot thanks to her."

Byleth nodded. "And I learned a lot from you too."

"Thanks friend."

Though that's when Yuri frowned deeply. "Can't help but worry about everyone living in Abyss however. I took care of them for so long-"

"We'll take care of it." Byleth nodded. "After all, they're part of Garreg Mach too."

He blinked in response to what he heard… and then chuckled. "There you go being cute again. But thanks. I'm sure Abyss will be more than capable in your hands."

"Though I'm sure it'll be harder getting Claude turning up to classes now that he's found his own playground of secrets." Jeralt groaned.

But that's when a bunch of Rogues came rushing into the infirmary collapsing into their knees. "Boss! You can't do this to us! What'll happen to Abyss? What'll we do?"

"I should've known…" Yuri facepalmed and sighed heavily. "Humans are adaptable creatures. You'll all turn out fine."

But then they all felt an intimidating aura nearby. And slowly turned to see Manuela glaring.

Uh oh.

"Get. Out!"

Everyone in the room was tossed out of the infirmary like rag dolls all collapsing on top of one another eliciting a bunch of groans.

"Get off of me! This is very unbefitting to someone of my station!"

"No, you get off me, Constance!"

"I wasn't talking to you, you brute!"

But then a chorus of yells sounded as both Byleth and Jeralt, who were on the bottom of the pile, stood up and threw everyone on the ground.

"Oh Goddess it still hurts to move…" Yuri groaned, slowly picking himself up.

"I think we can spend this time resting. We were going to throw a little feast tonight to celebrate our little victory." Byleth explained while dusting her coat.

"That so? Heh, I wouldn't say no to a free meal." Yuri smirked.

"Ohohoho! A feast fit for a Noble? Show me the way!" Constance giggled.


One week had passed since the events of Abyss. Since then, a lot more rebuilding had been done, which in this case was merely repairing the damage that the bandits caused to the town as well as merchants being compensated for the goods that were destroyed. In terms of the large beasts that were drawn to the Monastery, they were dealt with efficiently with minimal damage done. After seeing what had happened the last time a large Moon Beast drew in monsters, the Church had developed protocols with Task Force 141 to help keep the hordes away. So far, it seemed like everything was truly over for the most part. There was just one more thing that had to be done.

"Baltie, you can't leave!" Hilda whined loudly, thumping Balthus' chest with both her hands.

"Sorry Hilda. But I think it's big time that the indebted King of Grappling finally paid off his debts, fair and square!"

"I could help you out…" Hilda huffed, crossing her arms and pouting but Balthus raised his hands.

"Hey now, Hilda. I appreciate it, but I don't do charity. Besides, there's plenty of gold in the world. I could just be a Mercenary and settle my debts that way."

But he then winced when he clenched his fist and chuckled nervously. "After… I take the time to heal up my arm. Damn thing is still stiff even with all the medicine."

"In fairness, you did use all your power on one limb. Honestly, it is a miracle that your arm didn't explode." Edelgard pointed out. She then turned to Constance.

"And where will you go, Constance?"

"Ohohoho! The world requires my talents, yes that is true! The Fhirdiad Royal School of Sorcery demands my presence posthaste! How could I deny them?"

"But didn't you already graduate from- OOF!"

"Be nice." Edelgard said as Linhardt rubbed the part of his ribs which Edelgard elbowed.

"Why about you, Hapi?" Ashe asked and the red haired girl just shrugged.

"Eh, maybe I'll go and see my family. It has been a while. Though the whole thing might be a drag so I will probably end up coming back to Abyss. Or die from my injuries. Ugh, it still hurts to move…"

"You really have such a positive outlook on life, don't you?" Claude shook his head.

Yuri then nodded to Byleth. "Take good care of my rogues in Abyss. They may not be much, but they will fight until the bitter end."

"Of course."

The former Ashen Wolves all looked at each other and Hapi let out a smile.

"I suppose this is it."

"Yeah, I'll see you all later, my friends." Yuri nodded and cracked his own smile at the surprised looks his friends gave.

"Hey, I mean it. You are my friends. You always were."

"Awwww look at the boss getting all sappy on us!" Balthus grinned, grabbing Yuri into a headlock.

"Okay Balthus, let go."

He grinned but did let go and looked at the group that he spent the last week with. "I'll catch you later pals. I mean, friends."

Yuri nodded looking at Byleth. "Until next time, friend."

They all watched the former Ashen Wolves turn around and walk out of the Monastery, and just like that, they were gone. Silence was prevalent amongst the group as Claude rubbed the back of his head.

"It almost feels unreal that it's over. I mean, we spent so long down in Abyss and just like that… are we even the same people that we once were? What do we take from all that we have learned in our travels? Is this truly… our limit?"

"…Claude."

He turned to see Edelgard raising an eyebrow at him. "We were down there for a week."

"…Damn my concept of time is completely messed up. Oh well, time to hit the hay! I'm absolutely exhausted."

Claude started walking away but then realised that he was not going anywhere. Just walking in the air. He then turned around to see Byleth holding him up by his collar. And an amused smile on her smile with a little glint of mischief in her eyes.

"Oh no you don't. You've all missed out on a weeks training."

"Oh no…" Hilda's face went pale at what she just said. And slowly the rest understood what she meant.

"And you all have a lot to catch up on."

"I'm leaving. I'm not part of this." Linhardt quickly departed from the group and Edelgard wheeled around, completely shocked.

"What- YOU GET BACK HERE!"

"No, he is right. He's not part of the Task Force. And you know what? The rest of the students had to pick up your slack while we were gone."

"Wait, what is happening right now?" Claude asked.

"It doesn't seem very fair on them, does it?"

"We almost died!" Hilda yelled.

"And yet here we are, still alive. And your reward is double the training to get yourself caught up."

Byleth couldn't stop the amused smirk on her face watching the students all collapse while groaning loudly in pain.

"Oh, you want to start with pushups? Excellent idea! One hundred to start off with."

"Professor, no!"

"Professor, yes. Oh, and for every complaint, you are on Pegasus cleaning duties."

"Claude I'm going to kill you!" Edelgard yelled.

"Wait, why me?!"

"Because I need SOMETHING today!"

As Byleth watched the students all walk away to begin the training, Sothis appeared next to her with a hand to her mouth, giggling.

'I never took you for someone to partake in devilish antics.'

"It's true, though. They are far behind in the training. I'll keep an eye on Edelgard though, but her ankle should be fine now. Still though… I wonder if we'll see those four again."

'Yes, you have had quite the interesting adventure. Even managing to be reunited with your own mother.'

"Hm. Oh yeah, that reminds me. I need to do something later on."

'Oh? And what exactly is that?' Sothis tilted her head.

"You'll see." Byleth said as she walked over to the disgruntled students, ready to do a full on training session.


"You sure you want to do this, kid?" Jeralt asked.

"Yeah… it's high time I started to."

The two of them were in the Monastery's graveyard, where all kinds of tombstones were laid out. Ranging from various members of the Church, to knights who fought until the end, to even students who never got to realise their potential during their stay at Garreg Mach. But the pair were only looking for one. One that was finally in it's rightful place.

They looked at the tombstone at the very end of the graveyard, that was just by itself by special request from Byleth and Jeralt. And etched onto the stone was the name of the person who was buried under there after so long.

Sitri Eisner.

Byleth felt a hand on her shoulder and saw Jeralt nodding at her. And looking to her left, she saw Sothis floating there, but she said nothing. Just observed. She understood that Byleth needed a moment alone, and this was the best she could do.

And with a heavy sigh, Byleth knelt down in front of the tombstone and reached into her satchel and pulled out a bunch of flowers. Jeralt told her what her favourites were and Jacob helped her find them. She slowly placed it on the soil and closed her eyes.

"Hey… mom. I guess this is the first time I've gotten to talk to you, hasn't it? Dad says that doing this helps him when he is feeling lost. I suppose that makes two of us. We… we managed to save you! Yeah, Aelfric tried to revive you… went about as well as you would expect."

Her eyes then stared at the ground as her tail coiled around anxiously. "Even after all he did… the lies, the betrayal, desecrating your body like that… I still can't find it in my heart to hate him. I think he just missed you a lot, mom. I know dad does."

But then something caught her attention. She glanced up at the towers of the Monastery to see Rhea looking down at her and she just nodded in return.

"But… I think some people just can't let go of the past. They can't learn to accept that nothing they can do will bring their loved ones back, no matter how hard we try. I think nobody told Aelfric that. Or if he even listened."

Byleth let out a sigh and smiled lightly. "But honestly? I'm glad that we went on this adventure. I learned so much about myself, as well as you. I like to believe that dad is finally managing to move on too by talking about you. He was always tight lipped when it came to that. I finally know what I am. I am a Saiyan."

She then stood up and looked down at the gravestone with determination. "And now that I know what I am, I will keep on moving forward. And I will better myself. Dad always said that you loved the beauty that is in this world. That's why I will protect it."

Byleth turned around and looked at Jeralt. "How was that?"

"Well, you're getting better at your speeches, kid. But did it feel nice?"

"…It did. I guess knowing that she's under there…"

Jeralt smiled and patted her head. "If you don't mind, I'd like to be alone with your mother. It's been a great many years since I've properly spoken to her."

"Of course, dad. I'll be with the students."

As he watched her walk away, he exhaled through his nose and slowly sat beside the tombstone, grunting at the slight difficulty in doing so. Figures that this is how his age shows.

"She's definitely your daughter, Sitri. Always looking to better herself. But she's also helping others. Even got the three future leaders of Fódlan under her watch. Can you believe it?"

He stared up at the sky and hummed in thought. "Gotta be honest. I never told her for so long because… well, I was scared. I know, me? Scared? But it's true. But I guess I made it up in my mind that she couldn't handle the truth. That she isn't like anyone else in this world. Though it wasn't exactly a well kept secret. Anyone could've spotted that she wasn't like us. But I now know that I was hurting her by keeping her origins from her. She seems better now. Has that fire in her eyes. Though… there are some things that keep me up at night."

He leaned forward and played with his gloves, frowning deeply. "She still has no heartbeat. I mean, I know Saiyan's are different, but you at least had one, weak as it may have been. But she doesn't. Not to mention… her."

Jeralt wasn't a fool. He knew exactly where he was, so kept names out of his thoughts just in case anybody was listening.

"She still terrifies me, Sitri. The way she looks at our kid… doesn't rub me the right way. She doesn't look at her as a person. I can't explain it, and I know the kid can handle herself. But still… the way she stored your body away in Abyss is proof enough that I can't trust her. And though she doesn't show it, Byleth doesn't trust her either."

He then smiled and closed his eyes. "Yeah, you're right. I gotta stop thinking about the negative. Let's just enjoy this peaceful moment together. Just me and you."

And that's what he did. No more talking. It was just him and the slight rustling of the trees. Nobody else.


'Are you sure that you're okay?'

Byleth looked at Sothis who was staring at her in worry. But she nodded in return. "Yes. I guess knowing who I am, it's like I have been underwater for so many years and now I have come up for breath. The world feels a lot clearer now."

Sothis simply smiled back. 'Well, it seems that all your questions have been answered. An alien from another world… hm.'

"What's wrong?"

'Nothing, it's just… why does that feel so familiar?'

"Well, now that my questions have all been answered, that means that we can focus on you now. We can find your lost memories."

'…Heh. You are certainly more optimistic compared to when we first met. You have grown a lot in the short time we have spent together, child. But you cannot neglect your training. Nor can you forget the students. You're training the next generation of Fódlan, after all! We can't leave this world unprotected.'

Both looked at each other and nodded as Sothis then had a… less than stellar thought. 'Though what is concerning is that if your mother managed to find this world, even by accident. Who's to say that other foes can find this world? Or even that Emperor that she was running away from?'

"Hmm… well then, we will protect this world, just like you said."

"Yo, Byleth! You coming? It's time for the sparring sessions!"

Byleth looked over at Shamir waving at her with the students behind her. She nodded and started walking towards them.

"I will get stronger. And I will make sure they get stronger too."

'In that case, then I shall help in any way that I can. We're in this together! After all, can't have you dying on me.'

If only they knew what lay on the road ahead of them. As far away from this world, a lone space ship was flying nearer and nearer to Fódlan. And in it, grinning evilly, was none other than Lord Slug.

"Finally… Gargmana."

*Song: DBZ Ending Theme*

At long last, after so much turmoil, their journey in Abyss is over. But will their hard earned peace be short lived? Who is this Lord Slug? And what does he want with Fódlan? Find out next time on the next chapter of, The Ashen Saiyan!*


And just like that, the Ashen Wolves Saga is now officially over. There will be a couple interlude chapters but I've already started the first chapter of the Lord Slug saga. I don't think it'll be as long as this, at least I hope.

Also, I've started writing a new story though it remains to be seen how I actually structure it. But it'll focus on this universes version of Fire Emblem: Awakening.

Really happy that you guys all follow and favourite and review, even in PM. 165 follows and 148 favourites is definitely something I never thought I'd have. I thank you all for taking the time to read.

Like I said, there will be a couple of interlude chapters. Next one actually will be Edelgard focused.

I will catch you all in the next one!