Ashton could barely comprehend the scale of the being before him. It was like looking up at an art piece that had been stretched into a three-dimensional form, or a picture of a mountain that had been squashed into a two-dimensional painting. The only thing that seemed to stay in place were the blazing eyes sat inside of two otherwise empty sockets. The mechanical god spoke, and Ashton could hear it reverberate inside of his head. A quick glance at the others confirmed that it wasn't limited to him; Seteth, Seiros, and Arawn looked to be having the worst of it, covering their ears as if that would somehow stop the voice, while the three leaders - Edelgard, Dimitri, and Claude - all seemed about ready to fall to their knees. The only one who seemed to be completely unaffected physically was Byleth, and even then, his face was an unnaturally white pallor.

"I CANNOT REMAIN HERE LONG," the voice of Prometheus said, the flaming wings somehow growing in intensity. "FOR EVERY SECOND I AM HERE IN THIS FORM, THE CLOSER THIS WORLD TEETERS ON THE BRINK OF ANNIHILATION. EVEN HEARING MY VOICE IS DOING DAMAGE TO YOU, I CAN SEE."

Ashton wanted to reply, but he doubted the machine god would be able to hear him.

Prometheus opened its maw, letting out a scream that Ashton could not describe with words. "IN ALL OF THE FÓDLANS I HAVE OVERSEEN, VERY FEW HAVE RESULTED IN AN ARMISTICE OF THIS NATURE. I WOULD BE IMPRESSED, WERE IT NOT CAUSED BY OUTSIDE INTERFERENCE. OUTSIDE INTERFERENCE OF MY OWN DOING, NO LESS."

He is talking about me.

The machine god's eyes moved slightly, and Ashton knew who, exactly, it was looking at.

"YES," the machine god said, "I AM SPEAKING OF THE FALSE CHAMPION. HE IS NOT THE ONLY ONE TO COME HERE FROM A DISTANT, NONEXISTENT LAND, BUT HE IS THE ONLY ONE WHO MATTERS IN THIS SITUATION. KNOW THIS, PEOPLE OF FÓDLAN: I AM A MERCIFUL BEING. YOUR WORLD HAS BEEN MARKED FOR PRUNING, YET ALL YOU NEED TO DO TO SAVE YOURSELVES IS SACRIFICE THIS ROGUE VARIABLE. WITH THE FALSE CHAMPION'S LIFEBLOOD, YOU WILL SAVE YOUR WORLD FROM DESTRUCTION."

Ashton felt his blood turn to ice.

"SACRIFICE," Prometheus continued, "SACRIFICE IS WHAT I CALL FOR. OR, YOU CAN FIND WHERE MY VESSEL RESIDES, AND DESTROY IT. NO EASY TASK, BUT COMPLETELY ATTAINABLE EVEN BY YOUR MEAGER POWERS. THE CHOICE IS YOURS. PROVE ME RIGHT."

The being's wings seemed to fade slightly, but not before letting out one final bellow.

"AND AS FOR THE CHILDREN OF THE GODDESS, WHO SO VALIANTLY STOOD AT THEIR MOTHER'S SIDE AS SHE RAINED HELLFIRE UPON THE HAPLESS AGARTHANS, KNOW THIS: I AM PROMETHEUS, CUSTODIAN OF THE GRAND MULTIVERSE AND ITS DESIGNS. I PROTECT IT ON MY OWN TERMS. I HAVE NO EQUAL."

Even as the being continued to fade into nothingness, it only showed how much the world around them had changed - the sky remained a dull red instead of blue, and the clouds grew dark and heavy. Even the sun seemed to shine a blood red. Even when Prometheus' terrible true form completely faded away, it was almost like a symbol of fire remained where it had once been.

It took a couple seconds for Ashton to realize that Prometheus was gone. When he looked around, he saw Seiros and Seteth immediately jump to his side. Seiros had a hand on her sword, while Seteth looked around suspiciously.

"Well, then," Claude said, "what a nice fellow, huh? I swear I can still hear that damned voice in my head."

"The sky…" Dimitri murmured, "what manner of power can change the sky like that? And the sun?"

"I don't know, but I will not stand for it. I will not be commanded by a so-called 'god'," Edelgard declared. "Hubert, we must find where the Agarthans' former base is, and quickly. I want the vessel of this 'Prometheus' dead before the moon closes."

"The positioning still has not been perfected, Lady Edelgard," Hubert reported, "but given some catastrophic event, such as what just happened, perhaps I can pinpoint it. I must return to my instruments."

"Very well, tell me the instant you learn anything new," Edelgard ordered.

"Wait a second," Claude said, turning to the others. "You're really going to kill its… well, 'vessel'? Listen, I know I'm the last person you'd expect to take the word of a machine god at face value, but maybe we should try to the approach that results in less bloodshed?"

Dimitri shook his head and crossed his arms. "It won't result in less bloodshed, Claude. Do you not see?"

Claude looked to see Seiros and Seteth around Ashton, with Arawn nearby, hand on the handle of his axe. He let out a sigh.

"Fair enough. Was just playing, what was it called? Devil's advocate? Yeah, that. Listen, we may all agree on what to do, but what about the families of our soldiers and the knights? Can we expect them to follow along with this plan? When an end to the carnage lies in just one person's death?"

"I know that my people are loyal to me," Dimitri stated. "They will listen to me. It is you I am most worried about, Claude."

"Heh, too true. I haven't exactly fostered a loyal populace, have I?" Claude chuckled.

Edelgard sighed. "We shall decide what we must do later. For now, I suggest we see our men and make sure they are alright. If the voice of that creature was as debilitating to them as it was to us, then our armies will be in chaos before the day's end."

Ashton could barely hear what was being said. He was too busy clouded in his own thoughts. Sure, the leaders of the three nations had apparently decided to spare him, but what of the hundreds of thousands that made up their armies? Would they stand for such a decision? Perhaps Edelgard could rally her own people with nationalistic fury, but what of Claude? The Knights of Seiros? Loyalty to religion could only take one so far when the only god-like entity that had shown itself demanded the blood of one person to save thousands.

"Ashton."

So caught up in his own thoughts, Ashton didn't realize he was being dragged somewhere. Seiros had a death grip on his hand as Seteth and Arawn were nearby. They were in a small alcove in the walls of Fort Merceus, away from prying eyes.

"Oh," Ashton whispered, "good to know I'm somewhere else now."

"I am concerned. You barely moved even as Seiros dragged you, and your eyes…" Seteth said before shaking his hand. Ashton could see the shine of the Spear of Assal even as the sky grew dark, the red fading away to give way to an inky black. "We should not speak of that now. Seiros, you know what will happen."

Arawn looked behind the group, hand tightly clenched around his axe's shaft. "A simple tactic. Prometheus wants to sow discord. I daresay we might see riots outside the walls before the end of this week."

"I will not lose him," Seiros said.

"Mother, I-"

"I am not about to sacrifice the one I love to some heathen god!" Seiros snapped. "I would rather see myself reduced to nothing but ash before I will let that come to pass!"

"As strong as you are, mother," Arawn drawled, "you are only one. Even in your dragon form, you would fall to the armies' sheer numbers. Just as I heard you did during the First Battle of Garreg Mach."

"But I will not be alone," Seiros pointed out. "Ashton, you are not considering surrendering yourself to the masses, yes? Please, tell me that you aren't."

"I…" Ashton began, a growing lump in his throat. "I am not. I will not. I can't."

"I doubt any of us are actually suggesting we do that," Seteth said with a snort. "The former house leaders seem to agree that it is an unwise course of action, at least. But there word can only spread so far. But maybe we shall be surprised. Nonetheless, I suggest we take a less radical course of action?"

"What do you propose, Seteth?" Seiros asked.

"Let me guess, charging across the continent to find even a glimmer of a rumor about where the Agarthan base is?" Arawn said.

"Of course not," Seteth said, "that would accomplish nothing. As the leaders of the respective armies are here and see the folly in sacrificing one lone man to a machine god, it would be safest to stay closely by them. I could not have been the only one who heard what Emperor Edelgard's retainer had to say."

"We would need to place our faith in the Empire, then," Arawn said, letting out a breath. "Which is not something I am sure any of us wants to do, yes?"

Ashton shrugged. "What's the harm in trying? You saw that thing, too. You've seen him before, haven't you?"

"Not in person," Arawn said, sniffing. "I have never seen the being called Prometheus up close like that. I would almost consider all of us lucky if it wasn't the most excruciating thing I have ever experienced."

"Right, you all were covering your ears," Ashton said, "Do you have a different way, son? If you do, let's hear it. We're not exactly wanting for options right now, are we?"

"We only have so much time," Seiros confirmed, quietly.

"I do have a suggestion, yes, and it involves someone you picked up on the way to rescue mother," Arawn said, crossing his arms.

Ashton thought for a moment before Seiros spoke in his stead. "The mercenary? Shez, her name was? What does she have to do with this?"

"Honestly, mother? Not much. She's a mercenary way in over her head, dealing with things she has no experience in. I am well and truly surprised she has stuck around for this long," Arawn admitted with a shrug. "But I have my suspicions. We all know of the strange sword she wields, correct? The one she can summon with a mere thought?"

"I always thought such a thing strange," Seteth said, "were we in more peaceful times, I would have liked to research it. I am sure Professor Hanneman would have loved a word with her as well."

"All in due time, should we survive the ordeal ahead of us," Arawn stated, "she has connections to the Agarthans, I am sure of it. The nature of said connection, I cannot be certain; even she likely has little clue as to where it came from. What I do know is that she is originally from Ordelia territory."

"That tells us nothing," Ashton pointed out.

"Maybe, but with a little extrapolation, and taking into account that one of the Golden Deer - Lysithea, was it? - is from the Ordelia family and territory as well, and I can tell she has two crests…"

"How…" Ashton coughed. "How is that possible?"

"Not naturally. And going by her sickly look, not nearly as nurturing as mother giving her blood to you, father," Arawn continued, pacing. "Now, I am no expert on Crests, even with the one I possess, but was it not the Elites who had the blood of Nabateans granting them power, and the bodies of our kind they used as weapons? Who else would gain from such experimentation?"

Ashton and the rest were silent as Arawn's words washed over them. Ashton had to admit, what Arawn said made some amount of sense. It wasn't a pinpoint; there was miles of territory in that area of the continent, and it would take many days of travel to reach it in the first place. Between that or waiting on Edelgard's retainer to pinpoint the exact location while hundreds of thousands of desperate soldiers awaited outside the walls, one didn't seem all that better than the other. It was like choosing between being poisoned or being stabbed.

"Have I missed something?"

They all turned to the newcomer, and Ashton could tell it was Byleth immediately. By his side was Flayn, her face uncharacteristically void of emotion. Ashton tilted his head.

"We did not exclude you on purpose, Byleth," Seteth said, "we just needed to leave as soon as possible. Though the leaders of our armies did not seem to heed the words of that Agarthan god, who knows what other, desperate soldiers would do."

"I understand," Byleth replied, nodding his head once. "And do not worry; I will not sacrifice anyone or anything to some machine god. I would sooner plunge off a ledge myself than stoop to human sacrifice."

"A man of principle I see," Arawn observed.

"And a man who has a plan. You need to leave," Byleth continued, looking squarely at Ashton. "And take whoever is willing to go with you. Whether Hubert comes up with some means of finding the Agarthan base or you have something up your sleeve, draw it now. You will only have a few hours before the news spreads through the ranks like wildfire."

"We were already discussing such a thing, Byleth," Seiros said. "We have reason to believe that the Agarthan base is somewhere within Ordelia territory, and we will figure it out from there."

"There is one more thing, though," Byleth said, "Whatever you awaken within, if you cannot defeat it alone, draw it to Garreg Mach. I cannot go with you, as I have an entire church that is somehow looking to me for leadership, and doubly so if the former archbishop is not there as well."

"You know her so well," Ashton mumbled.

"We talked a lot during my stay at the academy," Byleth replied, "in any case, that's where we stand. I have little doubt that I will be able to convince Dimitri to follow along, at least; it presents that best opportunity and the least risk to his men. Claude and Edelgard might be a bit tricky, but if they came to the same conclusion as we did, then I don't see why they wouldn't follow along."

"So, that is it, then?" Arawn asked, "all set, are we? That did not take long."

"It is fortunate we have two able planners, yes," Seteth said, looking between Arawn and Byleth. "I shall go with you to ensure compliance with the former house leaders, then. Flayn, would you-?"

"I am going to travel with them," Flayn stated.

Ashton expected Seteth to balk at the mere suggestion, but the former saint merely sighed.

"I did not expect any different, I suppose. You are giving your father heart issues, you know this, yes?" Seteth said, crossing his arms.

"I will not abandon my family in their time of need, and I will do more if I am with them then if I stood here twiddling my thumbs, father," Flayn replied, though there was barely a hint of venom in her voice.

"Very well. You will be in good hands, and maybe I should have been less overbearing in the past," Seteth admitted, "with all that said, please, Cethleann, be safe. Do not take unnecessary risks, if for no other reason than my sake, please?"

"Of course I will not, father," Flayn said, bowing her head. "I think I am in good company, either way. Even if it is only aunt and uncle."

"With luck, we'll have more than a few beyond us three. Arawn?" Ashton said.

Arawn sighed. "I suppose I have no choice, do I? I want to see the end of this, and I want Prometheus to pay."

"Has it done something to you, my son?" Seiros asked, a dangerous edge in her voice.

Arawn shrugged. "Not particularly, but the suffering it has indirectly caused to my relatives… ah, father, I must speak to you at some point. I have my suspicions about something that I have just begun thinking about. Something I believe will interest you."

"I guess we'll have ample time to talk about it on our way to Ordelia territory, then," Ashton replied. "Either way, we should begin preparing. If we are going to leave, we should leave by daybreak."

The night was unnaturally dark. Back in Ashton's old world, he had grown used to a night that remained light do to electricity and light bulbs, but in Fódlan, true darkness at night made it impossible to see. Even then, whatever Prometheus had done with its mere presence had somehow made the sky even darker, and the shadows hung at the edge of torchlight as if it was alive and waiting for a chance to strike. While Fódlan could be dark, there was something else to this darkness that Ashton saw everywhere he turned as he and Seiros packed up their few belongings.

Ashton had to admit, he admired Seiros' ability to seem cool and confident even in the face of overwhelming odds, but he could still see the signs of nervousness and anxiety. Her fingers were ever so slightly shaking whenever she grabbed something, and they were clenched into fists whenever they were idle. She stared straight ahead at whatever she was focused on, her eyes almost dagger-like with how sharply they stared. With the darkness outside, her golden armor did not shine, with only the faintest of flickers caught by the torchlight.

He couldn't resort to the usual; taking her outside and looking at the stars wouldn't work when there were no stars, and simply speaking would merely have them both babbling. Thus, Ashton merely walked up behind her and embraced her from behind, just as they were done with packing.

Seiros immediately relaxed after a moment of surprise, and Ashton felt her shudder and sigh, and her eyes closed.

"We shall get through this night," Seiros whispered, "we shall get through this night if it kills me."

"And you told me to stop speaking about death," Ashton replied, trying to ignore his quickening heartbeat as she spoke.

"I am… merely being realistic," Seiros said. "If this being is as strong as I sensed, then- then there is little doubt that we will be leaving this unscathed, if at all."

"Maybe, but you know what? I'm done moping around," Ashton said, taking a step back and releasing Seiros. "You taught me that. I am going to live, and so are you."

Seiros chuckled. "My own words being used against me? It is not the first time this has happened."

Ashton turned and picked up his hammer before hooking it to his back. "Do you think that Shez will cooperate?"

"I see no reason why she would not," Seiros replied, hand on the Sword of Seiros' hilt. "If she does not accept the offer immediately, Arawn will make a deal. I have faith in him."

"Could always wait to see if Hubert discovers anything," Ashton shrugged.

"I would rather not wait for whatever devices he uses to come up with a solution, not with an army at our door," Seiros said, letting out a sigh from her lips. "I would not be surprised if captains are calling for your head by the morning."

Ashton hummed. "Maybe we don't actually have a lot to worry about. Few people outside the knights even know who I am."

"Perhaps, but shall we count on the loyalty of every individual?" Seiros asked, "No. I will not chance it."

Ashton could tell he was getting nowhere, so he decided to drop it. Maybe Seiros was right, he thought - but then again, maybe she was acting on her trauma. The massacre at Zanado rang bitterly even well over a thousand years after it had occurred. Perhaps no one else besides those close to her would recognize her distrust and unwillingness to leave the continent in the hands of others as anything but the fragile control of a despot, but Ashton knew differently. It wasn't as if those who held such a view were out of line; were Ashton looking from the outside in, he would have thought differently.

It did not make things better, but it did make him understand, and that was all that mattered to him.

"Are you ready? They will be expecting us shortly," Seiros asked.

Ashton rolled his shoulders and crackled his neck, taking a deep breath afterward. His heart felt as if it had surged up his throat, pulsing and making it hard to speak.

"I am ready."

Fort Merceus was an impregnable fortress, locked up tighter than a miser's purse at the worst of times. There were ways built in that allowed an escape, though, in the event that the unbreakable fortress proved very much breakable. Before Ashton yawned a small doorway, and beyond that only the same darkness that pervaded the land since Prometheus' speech.

It was like looking into a black hole. Even the torches they held in their hands could barely pierce the inky darkness. Ashton felt himself shiver just looking into it.

Stare into the abyss, and so the abyss stares back.

Unfortunately, only three were there, including himself, Ashton realized. Arawn had still not arrived, hopefully with Shez in tow. He didn't know of anyone else who was going.

Seiros and Flayn were there, patiently waiting by the sides of the entrance. As he stood there, Ashton remembered how he and Roland had escaped with Cethleann through a secret passage in the castle in Fhirdiad, so many years prior. Such events suddenly felt as if they had happened yesterday. Ashton felt a pang of melancholy at that, but true to his earlier word, he wasn't letting it consume him.

"Surely we cannot leave until they arrive?" Flayn asked, looking around. "To fight against this Prometheus with only the three of us, it would be suicide."

Ashton nodded. "Just give him a while longer. Maybe Shez needs a bit more convincing."

"How much convincing could a mercenary possibly need?" Seiros questioned, her arms crossed over her breastplate. "She has been paid more in the last few moons than in the last few years, if what I have heard is correct."

Shrugging, Ashton replied: "Can't say for certain. Maybe she's got her own reservations about all this. We both know Arawn can be about as blunt as this hammer, yes?"

"I suppose that is true," Seiros sighed.

"Just another hour or so," Ashton said, "we aren't so prepared that we can't call this off."

"Yes," Seiros said, "and risk your wellbeing. It is not a sacrifice I am willing to make."

Luckily, they didn't need to debate that for long, as three silhouettes appeared down the nearby alleyway, heading towards them.

Three? I guess he was able to get more than Shez after all.

Arawn was the first to appear with nothing but simple clothes, as per usual, although Shez right beside him had decided to trade in her old mercenary armor for something a bit flashier. More plate and a form fitting robe, it seemed, though her purple hair still fell wildly around her shoulders. The other person with Arawn was someone Ashton recognized, but had never meaningfully interacted with.

"...Cyril?" Seiros said, her voice soft. "Why are you here?"

With a skin tone somewhat darker than Claude's but similar facial features, Ashton knew that the young man was Almyran. Beyond that, though, he knew virtually nothing else about him. Although he must have been strong, considering the axe slung across his back that was almost as tall as he was.

"Because I want to help," Cyril replied succinctly. "I couldn't go when he was gathering people to rescue you, so I'm coming along now."

"I never saw you at Garreg Mach," Ashton said, "where were you? If you had approached me, I might have allowed you to tag along."

Cyril shrugged. "By the time I knew you were leaving to find Lady Rhea, you were already gone. It's not like you were going around telling everyone about it, were you? All I heard before you left was that Leonie was looking for a legendary bow."

"Arawn?" Ashton called, looking behind Cyril to see Arawn with a shadowed face. "Care to explain what happened?"

Arawn sighed. "The guttersnipe ambushed me while I was talking to Shez."

"Your son is very rude, Lady Rhea," Cyril said, without a hint of a joking lilt or ironic tone. "And yeah, I know he's your son. He told me trying to get me to go away."

Seiros shook her head. "It seems my son still needs lessons in the art of truth-covering."

"I cannot say that I learned from the best, mother," Arawn replied.

"Alright, alright, alright, you all can keep yapping for the rest of time, but I've been convinced by greenhead over there to go on another journey with the happiest family in Fódlan, and I'd rather we get started before I change my mind."

Shez said that, marching forward with such audacity Ashton felt himself take a step back to give her some room. He looked to Seiros who shrugged.

"You know what we are doing, right?" Ashton asked.

"Of course I do. You think that lug back there can keep anything from me?" Shez replied, "I think I have a decent idea on where to go, but we should ask around local villages, just in case."

Ashton nodded, his shoulders slumping as he looked to Cyril. "What about him? Seiros?"

"Cyril is an able-bodied young man," Seiros said, "were it during the days at the Academy, I would have rejected this proposition outright, but as it stands, we cannot afford to turn our noses up at help."

Ashton looked away. "We could always ask Catherine."

"I think not," Arawn said, pushing past Ashton. "Let us go. I want to be out of this fortress as soon as possible. It is making me claustrophobic."

We're getting close to the endgame already. This'll probably end up being the shortest story in the trilogy. Probably because I cut out the entire academy phase of the game, and also didn't have Ashton interact with the entire ensemble cast. I can't tell if that was a good decision or not.

Anyway, enough about my insecurities. I'll see you all later!