Edelgard jerked awake, stumbling up onto her forearms. Her breath was short and the cold stone beneath her did little to provide any comfort. Grunting, Edelgard looked around at her surroundings- the green tinted light still washed over the chamber, dully gleaming across the stones. The great architecture was as ancient as it had been before, still standing proudly without a hint of dust.

And Byleth. Byleth still sat on the same throne, splayed atop it just as Edelgard had left her, with the same stone still protruding out of her flesh.

Edelgard grunted, and pushed herself up onto her feet. Walking was cumbersome, but not too difficult. Like waking up from a long fever. Byleth remained motionless. Edelgard reached out to her teacher's neck, pressing down on her veins. At first, nothing. She continued waiting. And waiting. Until finally, she felt a dim pulse.

Exhaling, Edelgard looked down at the stone in Byleth's chest- she hadn't been able to get a good look at it before. The stone was smooth and round, save for etchings running through it, creating the Crest of Flames. It still glowed that bright reddish-orange that all Relics did- undoubtedly a Crest stone.

But what did that mean? Why did Byleth have such a thing in her body in the first place? Did that mean-

Edelgard paused, and raised her wrists up to her face, one after another. Her skin was smooth. Unbroken. Her uniform, while ragged from the fight and chase, was still in one piece, and the wounds she had received in the battle had vanished. In fact the dried blood-

"...Dried?" her voice croaked. Her wounds had healed. The blood had dried.

How long had she been here?

…A question to answer once she returned to the surface. Edelgard gripped Byleth's shoulders and closed her eyes, concentrating like she had before. She reached out, waiting for the sudden change in air, the sounds to echo like a wide open courtyard.

But nothing happened. Edelgard's brow furrowed. "Transport us." nothing changed. "Activate?" A small noise droned to life, or perhaps it had always been there. It was muted, quiet. Perhaps it was the earth shifting, or the ceiling preparing to collapse on top of them in a few hundred years. "Work, damn you!"

A minute or an hour passed. Her only response was the stillness in the air.

Edelgard growled as she stomped down the grand staircase. Two great stone doors loomed ahead, only growing taller. As she approached, Edelgard couldn't see any handles on the door. Surely there had to be some way to pull the doors open. Perhaps it was some sort of mechanical lever, or a set of gears that pulled the doors apart? It would make sense, given the massive size and weight of the stone. But as far as Edelgard could see, there was nothing- no cleverly hidden set of controls behind any stonework, nearby or otherwise. No intricate, stylised grooves in the door that blended into the surroundings in the low light.

Edelgard took a deep breath. Magic could be at work. It had to be. Rhea had to have gotten the statue that started this whole mess in here somehow. Edelgard let magic form in her hand, and tried to reach out, to sense something. To activate some arcane energy hiding behind the door.

She had never been very good at the subtler arcane arts. Edelgard groaned, and tried pounding her fist against the stone. Nothing. She looked back to Byleth, and began to trudge back up towards the throne.

The statue of Seiros looked down at her with an angry intensity.

Byleth was still alive. Perhaps she would awaken soon, just as Edelgard had.

"Byleth?" Edelgard tried. "Can you hear me?"

Perhaps there was a gentle shift in the still air. Or perhaps not.

But there was a faint groan. Dimly, Edelgard recognized the sound of her own stomach. She shook Byleth's shoulder, trying to stir her teacher from her coma. Once. Twice. Thrice. Again. And again. The response was still the same.

So that was it then. She would die down here, wasting away to hunger or thirst, if she did not throw herself down the staircase first. Edelgard snorted. An ignominious end, and justly deserved after trying to do the right-

Plip. The sound of falling water echoed quietly, but wrenched Edelgard out of her stupor. Plip. it was coming from nearby, behind the throne. Plip. Water was dripping down from somewhere above, a small puddle already forming. Edelgard reached out and tasted it- normal enough. Cool. And not nearly enough.

She would have to make do with her surroundings. Her dagger's sheath would have to do for a cup. After arranging a few loose stones to help capture the liquid, Edelgard looked up again at the ceiling. Pitch darkness greeted her.

Perhaps there was some hole in the stone masonry that was letting water from the surface travel down? "Hello?" She shouted upwards. "Can anyone hear me?"

The subtle settling of stone was her only response. No matter, she could always try again later. It was impossible to tell the time in this cavern, with the darkness so thick. There was no guarantee that anyone was above her at the moment.

Or any guarantee that there was a hole to carry her message above.

Edelgard looked down at her sheath. It was nearly full now. She picked it up and took a sip. Cold to the taste. She turned back to the throne. "Byleth?" Edelgard placed the makeshift goblet under the other woman's nose. "Are you thirsty?" Byleth remained silent. Edelgard sighed, and pushed the woman's mouth open, pouring the water down.

Returning the sheath to its place, Edelgard sat down on the floor, staring up into the darkness. She could try shouting again. Or pushing against the door. Perhaps trying to teleport again. Maybe she just needed to wait a while. Perhaps the magic needed time to recharge, and that was why she couldn't return to the surface as she once had. She would only need to wait here, in this dim crypt, for a little while longer. Perhaps she had done something wrong in the incantations. Perhaps she just needed to wait a little longer, and she would be saved.

Edelgard snorted. She sounded just like she did when her uncle had first thrown her into his dungeon.

Her head rolled back down to Byleth. The woman was still enough to be the stone that surrounded them. Her hair almost seemed to fade into the faint green magelight illuminating the chamber.

"So," Edelgard started. As if Byleth would respond. "This is how we die, then?"

"I should hope not." A high pitched voice replied. "Your corpse would make dreadful company."

Edelgard jumped as her neck snapped towards the voice. Standing at the top of the stairs was a child, wearing strange dark blue robes, pointed ears, and with a mess of long green hair.

"A bit short after a long delay, but the next will come sooner, I swear"
-The author on any given fic

Also, check out the movie Sahara if you get the chance. Excellent WWII movie. It also has a 90's remake, but with significantly less Humphrey Bogart.

As always, thanks to Dox for beta reading!