"Man, it's noisy as all hell..." Luke groaned. It was late at night but he could hear the faint sounds of combat somewhere. As such, he wandered from his dorm tiredly and made his way outside, rubbing his eyes. It was at that moment that he bumped into someone. "Agh...sorry..." When he could properly see who was in front of him, he tilted his head. "Mercedes?"
"Oh, Luke." Mercedes placed her palm on her cheek, smiling a little. "What are you doing up this late?"
"Trying to figure out where in the Goddess's name that noise is coming from." Luke said while peering around a corner. The sounds were faintly coming from there. "I heard some noise earlier but tried to ignore it...but now I'm not sure I can."
'You heard it too?" Mercedes said. "I was wondering what it was myself..."
"Well then, let's go check it out. If it's dangerous, we can just turn back and warn someone about it." Luke said, already leading the way. Mercedes opted to follow behind him. By tracking the source of the noise, they found the entrance to Abyss. "What is this place...?"
"I don't know..." Mercedes furrowed her brows. "I didn't know there was a place like this in the monastery..." They continued for a bit. And when they rounded the corner, they...could see the likes of Byleth, Edelgard, Dimitri, Claude, Shez, Ashe, Linhardt, Hilda, Yuri, Balthus, Hapi, and Constance fighting a gigantic worm. "Um..."
"Uh..." Luke blinked. He and Mercedes looked at one another. Mercedes was just about to ask if they should help, but Dimitri was able to land the final blow on the worm by violently stabbing it with his lance. A burst of lightning followed that completely fried the worm from within, causing it to collapse, dead and defeated. "...Yeah. I think they got this."
"Oh my..." Mercedes said, simply shocked at what they were witnessing. She didn't have the slightest clue what was happening, but she did recognize one of the Ashen Wolves vaguely. "Wait, I think I know her..."
Actually, Luke felt the same way. Hapi looked vaguely familiar... "We can deal with that later. I really don't want to get involved in whatever this is right now. We can just ask tomorrow." Luke said, taking Mercedes by the hand to guide her back to where they came from. It was late, they were tired, and this wasn't something he wanted to deal with right now. Mercedes could understand that sentiment.
.
.
The next day rolled around, and Luke hopped from bed and stretched. Truthfully, the events of last night were a blur. He was so tired, he couldn't tell if they were a fabrication of his imagination or not. But class was soon so he figured he'd get ready. Once again, he met Mercedes outside, but his eyes widened. "Uh..."
"Good morning, Luke. Last night was certainly something else, wasn't it?" Mercedes asked, eyes closed with a smile. "I stayed up a little last night to see if everyone was okay...and it looks like that's the case. We have nothing to worry about."
"Ah, I guess it was a little premature to leave without anything checking on them..." Luke said, his gaze drifting elsewhere. He couldn't look at Mercedes directly... "I'll, uh...ask Dimitri about what happened later."
"Be sure to tell me. I wonder if I can find that girl soon..." Mercedes was referring to Constance. "I think I'll go on ahead."
"W-Wait...I don't think you wanna do that." Luke said.
"Why not?" Mercedes tilted her head.
"Uh...you...uh...hm..." Luke felt a little too embarrassed to say it. So he pointed to Mercedes' chest. As it turns out, she left her room without putting a shirt on. Luckily she still had a bra, but...
"OH...!" Mercedes felt herself blush. "Again...?" This was a normal occurrence for her, unfortunately. "I'm so sorry you had to see this..."
"I, uh...was trying not to look." Luke just turned around now. He sure felt awkward and he already felt like he saw too much. So he quickly just handed her the light jacket he was wearing so she could cover herself. "I'll, uh...see you later." And then he bolted faster than Mercedes could respond. But she did have a faint smile as he left.
.
.
Class in the Black Eagles was...a little different between yesterday and today. Byleth, Shez, Edelgard and Linhardt were wrapped in bandages in a few area. During the fight with the large worm, Byleth did take a few hits since large monsters like that weren't the kinds of opponents she was used to fighting, but she managed find.
"You're telling me I missed all the action last night?! Man..." Caspar let out a loud groan.
"It was more trouble than it was worth." Linhardt said while shaking his head. "Because of that, it completely threw my sleep schedule off." He said as he started to fall asleep while sitting.
"...Are you sure about that?" Caspar said with a deadpan. But the injuries of the Professor and fellow classmates was far from the unusual part. Constance was sitting at an empty desk, accompanied by Yuri, eyes closed as she was basking the feeling in being in an actual classroom again.
"These are our new students. Technically they're transfers." Byleth said. "This is Yuri, and..."
"Hold! I can handle my own introduction, thank you very much." Constance said while clearing her throat. Her bombastic personality was still very present. "I am Constance von Nuvelle! Although my house may have fallen, I will undoubtedly restore it to its former glory and beyond!"
"Constance...!?" Ferdinand was absolutely surprised to see her here. As one who followed the state of House Nuvelle, seeing Constance alive and well was a relief.
"Oh. She seems...fun." Dorothea had a nervous smile. When she looked next to her seat, she was surprised that Bernadetta wasn't entirely hiding under the desk. She was to avoid Constance, but she couldn't help but look at Yuri.
"S-She's...loud..." Bernadetta whimpered.
'It is nice to be meeting you!" Petra said with a welcoming tone. "Both of you!"
"Yeah, it's nice." Yuri said while placing his arms behind his head. "Let me say one thing, though. We're not really here as Eagles...we're just here to observe how this new Professor does things. But if she asks for our help, we'll show up. Otherwise, we're still Wolves."
"...Hm." Hubert was extremely cautious about this and for numerous reasons. Granted, Constance, while annoying, wasn't someone to be overly worried about. It was Yuri that held his suspicion the most. "As long as you do not pose any issues for Lady Edelgard, we will not have any problems."
"It's strange..." Arval told Shez. "They're both here because of the Ashen Demon. I don't understand it, but that woman has a strange way of pulling people towards her. I don't get it."
"Neither do I..." Shez responded. "Not me, though...I'm only here so we can take her down." She had to clarify that. She wasn't drawn in by Byleth's strange charm, not at all. She was here because she was a woman on a mission. Everyday she was learning something new every day.
.
.
Whereas Yuri and Constance were sitting in the Black Eagles classroom, Balthus was sitting in the Golden Deer one. He...obviously stood out. Manuela scrunched her nose and approached him. "...Aren't you a little old to be a student? I know Professor Byleth said it was alright, but..."
"Aren't you pretty young for a teacher?" Balthus immediately quipped back.
Okay, he could stay. "Just don't cause too many issues and we'll be alright." Manuela was convinced rather easily and she returned to her desk.
"...That was easier than it should've been." Lysithea remarked.
"Baltie, do you really have to be here...?" Hilda's face was against her desk. Marianne was silent and beside her, but she was clearly mildly concerned for Hilda's somber expression.
"Hey, it helps me keep an eye on you. I did promise your brother after all." Balthus said with a shrug.
"You don't need to babysit me." Hilda groaned. How was she unable to escape the overprotection of her brother even when he wasn't here!
"You said it yourself. You're a delicate flower." Either Balthus was serious, or he knew Hilda's lie and just decided to play it against her.
"You do say that a lot." Claude was withholding a snicker. Balthus had her there. Hilda just groaned again. Sure, Balthus was reliable, but...
"Um. It'll be okay, Hilda...' Marianne said quietly.
"Hilda, if you ever require protection, be not afraid to look to me for aid." Lorenz said proudly.
"That's sweet, but no thanks." Hilda shot Lorenz down fast.
"Agh..." Lorzen clutched the rose adorning
"Whoa! Your muscles are huge!" Raphael approached Balthus. "Almost as big as mine!"
"Almost?" Balthus had to laugh at it. This kid had some gumption! "I'm the almighty King of Grappling. I'm way stronger than my muscles show!"
"Oh yeah? I'd love to spar with you some time!" Raphael was pumped up for that chance.
"You're on!" Balthus grinned.
"I feel like this class got livelier in the weirdest way possible." Leonie stated.
"More like annoying..." Lysithea grumbled.
"Ahah...it sure is gonna be a little more interesting." Ignatz wasn't really sure what to say. The monastery was providing more experiences by the day.
.
.
"The Ashen Wolves?" Annette blinked at Hapi and Dimitri's explanation.
"Yup. That's the House I'm from." Hapi said with a nod. "I'm just here to see how things are like on the surface. I don't intend to cause any trouble."
"I find this just fine!" Hanneman was gladly accepting of the idea. "By the way, do you have a Crest of some kind?"
"Yeah, but don't worry about it." Hapi said. She didn't mind saying she had a Crest, but the last thing she wanted was for Hanneman to start prying. So he simply nodded and accepted that. "I'm still a Wolf, but I may just pop in from time to time..."
"Pop in...?" Felix wasn't sure how to feel about this.
"I have absolutely no problems with that. Another beautiful girl joining the class? Sign me up." Sylvain's reaction was extremely predictable. Like clockwork. His friends could only groan.
"Sylvain, can you not flirt with a girl for two seconds?" Ingrid face palmed. Hapi was somewhat of a new group, and yet Ingrid was catching secondhand embarrassment from Sylvain's actions.
"He's hopeless, you know it." Luke waved his hand dismissively. There's no hope for Sylvain.
"Regardless, welcome." Dedue said with a nod.
"If you need anything, do not be afraid to let me know." Dimitri said.
"We'll do our best to make you feel welcome." Mercedes said with her usual smile.
"Hah...thanks." Hapi did feel a little welcome. So far, Dimitri was the only one that knew about her little...sighing condition within the Blue Lions. Hapi was going to try her best to ensure she didn't cause any problems with it either.
"..." Luke still couldn't help this feeling. Hapi looked so familiar for one reason or another...
.
.
Late in the day, Luke and Felix were at the training grounds. Jeritza was overseeing their sparring session, making sure they didn't go too far. They were using training swords, clashing against one another. The battle was mostly even, as all their sessions were. But as Felix stated once before, Luke still had yet to best him once. "Hah!" Luke swung at Felix, but Felix was able to deflect his strike with a nice parry.
"Too slow!" Felix grunted, thrusting his blade forward against Luke's chest. It was a hit and he staggered back. Before he could regain his footing, Felix already had his sword pointed at Luke's neck. "There." And once again, Felix had yet another victory over Luke.
"That's enough." Jeritza said. The battle had a clear winner. "If this were a real battle, you would be dead twice over." Jeritza stated. "Your movements leave much to be desired..." Three whole sentences. That was probably the most Jeritza had talked this whole week. Once he said his piece, he walked out, passing Byleth along the way.
"Man..." Luke sighed and dropped the training sword. "No luck against Professor Jeritza or you today." At least with Felix it was kind of close. Jeritza barely had to move and essentially swatted Luke down like he didn't even matter.
'Of course you have no luck. The skill you have is barely your own." Felix huffed. "How do you intend to get any stronger with a blade if you can't even decide on your movements?"
"It's a work in progress, alright?" Luke scoffed in turn. "It's not just swords. Lances, bows, axes, even magic soon. I'll be able to see how they all work. And if I barely have any skill, how come you're only barely able to beat me these days?"
"I can still beat you." Felix immediately responded. "You're the only one who puts up somewhat of a challenge when you try to imitate me. Just because you know how someone moves doesn't mean you can beat them. When are you going to learn that?"
"Tch. I'm not the only person with an imitation problem..." Luke muttered.
"What'd you say?" Felix knew Luke's words rang true, but he didn't appreciate being called out on it.
"...Nothing." Luke turned his back to Felix. "If we're done for the day, I'd like to practice my swings a bit more."
"Hmph." Felix just left after that.
"...That was...a lot." Byleth was there and heard the whole thing. She approached Luke, who was practicing his swings as he said. "Is everything alright between you two?"
"Oh, so you heard that..." Luke couldn't bring himself to face Byleth just yet. He kept swinging his sword. "It's fine, it's always been like this between us. Well...maybe not always."
"Did something happen...?" Byleth asked. "Of course, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to."
"...Nah, it's fine. Talking it out with someone can help." Luke said, slowly turning to face the Professor. "I'm sure you've heard of the Tragedy of Duscur?" Byleth nodded in response. She heard about it from a few people, though it was all new information to her. "Well...let's just say that something happened during that time. I knew Dimitri, Felix, Sylvain, and Ingrid since we were kids, but I was never in their friend group or anything, just an outsider. But I know the events on that day changed them...and while I can't help but feel a little bad for what happened, Felix and I just clash a lot because of it. The tragedy that day was a little hard on me too."
"Did you lose someone...?" Byleth said.
"You could say that." Luke kept his answers vague. He didn't mind talking to Byleth about it, but he wasn't going to indulge everything. "I will say this, though. The dead have a lot of power in the Kingdom. Maybe even more so than the living..."
That was a pretty ominous thing to say. But it felt like something worth pursuing at a later date. Sensing that Luke wasn't going to talk too much, Byleth took a training sword and stood next to him. "I've seen you fight. If I had to guess, you have a good memory and use that to, erm, copy how people move, correct?"
"Yeah, that's right." Luke nodded. Figures that Byleth would be sharp about his secret. He had no reason to deny it.
"I think you're struggling because you're doing too much. This is just my opinion, but I think you should focus on mastering one person's movements before focusing on another. If you try to do everything at once, you'll only confuse yourself." This was only Byleth's suggestion, but Luke was staring at her like she just gave him some sort of breakthrough.
"Holy...of course! It's really that simple..." Luke can't believe he didn't think of this before. "You're a genius...!"
"Oh, it's nothing really..." Byleth shook her head. But she was just glad she was able to help. "Should I leave you to it?"
"I'm not sure how I feel about your likeness being used in combat..." Sothis didn't like the idea of being copied. It rubbed her the wrong way.
"It's fine. It's an interesting fighting style and I'm curious to see if he can progress." Byleth replied to Sothis with a shrug.
"Yeah, I've got plenty of training to catch up on. I have to try this method." Luke nodded. Byleth made her exit, and Luke was trying to figure out where he wanted to start. Unbeknownst to them, Mercedes' curiosity got the better of her, so she was peaking in for a little bit to see the two work on Luke's training. But she did leave when Byleth was about to. "Focus on one person and go from there..." Between the Black Eagles and the Blue Lions, he felt like he could master anyone's fighting style...but who to start with? He then looked at the training sword Byleth left on the ground. Two swords at once...? Maybe...
.
.
"There you are..." Ashe managed to track Yuri down. "I've been looking for you."
"Ah, Ashe." Yuri just looked at him. "Did you need something? You look like you're preoccupied with what's happening to Lonato."
Whatever Ashe wanted to talk to Yuri about was gone now. Ashe expected this but that didn't mean it was an easy topic. Yuri was probably one of the few people he could talk to about this. "I...I just don't know what to do. I don't know why Lonato would go against the Church!"
"Who knows." Yuri said. "But...you know what's going to happen to him, don't you? Standing against the Church doesn't go well for anyone. Even I wouldn't think of doing something like that if the cards weren't in favor."
"I...I want to talk to him. I have to try." Ashe said. "Maybe I can..."
"Maybe you can what? Convince him to stop?" Yuri's eyes narrowed. "Look, I admire that optimism, but do you really think that'll work? Maybe he's already thought about you as a factor. And he's still going."
"But I want to understand why! I have to!" Ashe rebutted. If he didn't have an answer to why the man who saved his life would throw away his own...he wasn't sure what he would do.
"You want to know the answer...but what if it's something you don't like?" Yuri said while turning around. He didn't feel like he was the sort of person that Ashe should be confiding in. "Just because we knew each other doesn't mean we're friends. But I'll be joining that mission to see how things play out myself."
"But..." Ashe wasn't sure what to say. Yuri was already walking off. Before long, Ashe was left on his own. His eyes closed and he just tried to figure out what it was he truly wanted from Lonato. The events of the incoming mission would no doubt change the trajectory of his life... "Lonato..."
