Shattered Songs of Faith

by Sakura108645

Now, one does not expect to wake up in another body when they die. She did not expect to come to such a world that she had only read and played through technology. What's more, that she wakes up as Female Byleth during her childhood days. "Come and see the world in different ways from the River of Time before it all shatters away!" (SI OC) (AU)

40. Chapter 39:Memory's Whisper:Part 1

- Harpstring Moon: May 2nd -

"Now," with her steel lance held in her hands, head held high, dressed in a gray tank top, black tight shorts that stopped just above her knees, training boots, her hair in a bun, Alexandra was ready to start her first seminar, "we all know the basics of using a lance; however, today I will be showing a specific combat arts that can be used. It will take a while to master, so do not expect me to show mercy in my training. As well as I'll be teaching you all riding lessons." Alexandra said as she spun her lance.

The students present for this seminar were Ferdinand, Bernadetta, Dimitri, Sylvain, Lorenz, Ingrid, Marianne, Leonie, and Dominic. She could feel the stares of all of them as they saw the strange scars all over her and the woman was not embarrassed as she turned back to them with a tone that put them on edge.

"If you all keep staring, I'll make you all run 20 laps. So, ask away." She said and no one dared ask but like usual, there is the brave one and that was Dominic.

"Sis, you never said how you got your scars." Dominic said and Alexandra sighs.

"Only Arisa and Amir know, so might as well say." The woman said as she pointed to the one on her chest, "My mother did this to me." She said and many looked at her shocked and others horrified.

Sylvain gritted his teeth as his grip on his lance tightened as Alexandra continued to speak more about her past. He only knew a little bit but now hearing it from her. It hurt.

"I used to be a noble in the Kingdom before hell came down on me. My father did everything he could to protect me from my mother, who abused me. These scars I bear are the result of the failed experiment I am. I was eventually saved by Arisa and Amir. They saved me from going mad. Now, I display these scars proudly, to show that I live." She said and pulled out her necklace, showing it, "This used to belong to my father, now it has been passed onto me. Back to the topic, we'll start with a warmup! Everyone gets in partners and helps each other stretch! I'll be having you all the most basic lance moves, Tempest Lance. Once mastered, we'll begin to progress to more advanced moves. Later, it's a sparring match. Who is the brave who dares come and cha-someone else besides Sylvain!" Alexandra said as Sylvain raised his hand happily.

"Bring it on Alex!" Leonie yelled and Alexandra nodded to her in approval.

It was obvious to her that Bernadetta did not want to be here and Marianne, sweet girl, did not want to be there either but she was putting up with it because Alexandra was there, and the girl actually wanted to learn. Alexandra did speak with Arisa about putting Marianne on a pegasus along with Ferdinand, Bernadetta, Sylvain, Leonie, Lorenz on horses. A wyvern for Dominic because the punk already has too much fun sneaking into the stable to ride Falco when he isn't supposed to. And a griffon for Dimitri. A horse would also work.

"You seem to be having fun." Alexandra let go of a sigh as she looked up to see Cirina floating around, watching the students stretch before they each got their training lances, and started practicing thrust, "I swear these punks. Look at them. I'm surprised you haven't frozen them solid then shattered them to pieces. The girl of purple possesses the Crest of Indech, the orange of Cichol, the blonde and redhead of the 10 Elites and sweet Marie is forgiven. The child does not need to suffer more." Cirina giggled and watched Marianne happily.

"If you have time to watch, then at least be quiet about it." Alexandra said back to her and Cirina rolled her eyes.

"Yeah yeah. So, want to spar?" Cirina said, throwing the girl off guard.

"What?" Alexandra said.

"You heard me." Cirina floated back down, her feet touching the ground, snowflakes falling where she stood, making her manifest before her, catching her off guard as many who suddenly saw someone appear.

Alexandra once more felt she was looking at her mirror as Cirina stared back, though the woman's body was made of ice, she raised her hand, making a lance of Ice. The blue haired girl quickly made her own, Cirina crouched down and the two lunged at each other. Everyone felt as they watched mirrors clash as the lances kept counteracting each other.

"Too stiff." Cirina spoke, "You're too tense and what's more, who still haven't broken that habit of having your right foot in." She said and Alexandra huffed.

"Then what do I do then? Continue sparring till it's fixed." Alexandra said and Cirina shook her head.

"No." She then pointed her lance to Sylvain, "As much as I hate the boy of Gautier, he can help you break that bad habit of yours. As well as the girl of Indech and the boy of Gloucester. I don't have high hopes but hey, might as well." She said and disappeared in a shower of snow.

"What was that?" Sylvian said as Alexandra forgot they were present.

"Nothing nothing! Just forget you saw that!" She said to the class as many looked at each other confused.

Alexandra coughs and spoke in her military tone.

"Back to thrusting before I make you all run laps!" She yelled out and Sylvian snickers.

"Careful Professor, wording." He said and Dimitri and Lorenz gave the red hair a displeased look while Ferdinand was shaking his head.

The females had turned a bit red while Leonie was snickering. Alexandra smiled as she spoke.

"40 laps." She said and he just smiled and went to run them.

He regretted it later.

[-]

"This month's mission is in Zanado. Rhea, the Professors and I already talked about the mission, but I am still worried." Arisa said to Sothis as the two were in their room.

She sighs as her memory is traveling back to earlier this morning. Ugh.

- 2 Hours earlier-

"I am very impressed with your work with the students. It is a very rare occasion to see someone of your skill leave the commands to The Princess of Faerghus. Though from what I witnessed, I can see it was a sort of test to build trust. Your work with the students was remarkable. I can see that Jeralt, Florencio and Sandana trained you well. I do hope you were able to use the occasion to bond with the students." Rhea smiled kindly to her.

"I did. The children have all been doing a wonderful job and are eager to learn. I can't help but smile whenever I think of them." Arisa giggled a bit happily.

Seeing all these emotions coming from the girl made Rhea feel strange. The girl should not be able to express her emotions so well. Her mother, Sitri, had a difficult time expressing her emotions yet her daughter, expressed them with ease. She needs to keep an eye on her. Something did not feel right.

"I am so happy to hear it." Rhea smiled, "Nothing would please me more than if you use this coming year to grow closer still." She said and noticed suddenly a sad smile in the girl's eyes.

"Of course, the mock battle was mere practice. The real fight is The Battle of The Eagle and Lion, which will take place during the Wyvern moon. You are expected to properly train your students as so to not humiliate the Academy during the long-held tradition that is the coming battle." He said Arisa pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to hold back a groan.

"You remind me of my father..." she muttered, and Rhea turned her head to cover her mouth, she was trying to stop a giggle from escaping her lips while Seteth glared at the girl.

"Anyhow, I'll keep that in mind." Arisa sighs as she looks up to them, "I spoke with Professor Hanneman and Manuela. Is this regarding the next mission for this month?" She said hoping to get straight to the point.

"Correct." Rhea said as she uncovered her mouth, back to her usual smile, "Your class is to dispose of some bandits causing trouble nearby." She said.

"Oh Lord..." Arisa covered her mouth in worry, "I think I know which ones you are talking about. Ooooh...I'm not looking forward to it." She said and Seteth raised an eyebrow at her.

"And why would that be Professor? Those affiliated with Garreg Mach Monastery have the moral obligation to help those in need, regardless of social standing." He said and she spoke.

"I know, I know. That isn't it. I'm worried because the leader of those bandits could be the man I heavily injured when I saved Edelgard." She said.

"Would you like to explain?" Rhea said and Arisa nodded.

"Well, out of self-defense to protect my students, during the battle, I ended up slicing off his left arm." Annnnnnnddddd that instantly earned her a shocking reaction from Rhea and Seteth face palms, "Unfortunately I wasn't able to finish him off due to Alois appearing with the Knights, which allowed them to make a run for it. Still," she pinched the bridge of her nose, "I'll make sure to plan with my fellow professors. Enough blood has already been shed." She sighs.

"You seem to deeply care about your students. I sense something special within your heart. I have high hopes for you." Rhea smiled kindly to her.

Honestly the smile made Arisa uncomfortable and even Sothis wasn't exactly happy watching this. Thankfully Seteth broke the ice.

"Back to the main topic," he said, "I will soon provide the details for your first mission. If I told you now, I expect you would only forget." He said.

"He really needs to loosen up. Such little faith." Sothis grumbled in her mind.

"And I despise repeating myself." He said and Arisa shook her head, chuckling a bit.

"You sound like Florencio." She commented and Seteth had never looked so offended in his life.

"Ufufu...Ufufufu~" Rhea had covered her mouth once more and Sothis was laughing hard as she held her stomach.

"I will ignore that comment." Seteth said as he walked away, grumbling that he did not sound like her Uncle while Rhea followed behind him, still covering her mouth.

The door to the other room slammed shut and Arisa could hear Rhea losing it, laughing to her heart's content while Seteth was telling hher that it wasn't funny, and he had never been so offended in his life.

"Nice job! I think you did well. I can tell the woman has been detached from emotions for many years so seeing her genuinely laughing, was comforting." Sothis appeared as she hugged her friend as they began to leave the audience chamber.

- Present Time -

"Still, I'm sure right now Edelgard is telling Kotas to die. I haven't seen her today, it's most likely she is in Zanado right about now." Chris said to her as she was reading the book, he got for her from Yuri.

While the cover says, "Encyclopedia of Fodlan's Insects", that was not the true cover of the book. Arisa narrowed her eyes as she made her reading glasses appear on her face and muttered out loud one of the paragraphs in the book.

"Distance Viewer (Based on Glasses): By combining glasses lenses, one can view great distances with enhanced clarity. Crafting such a tool was forbidden by decree of the archbishop for the following reasons: 1. The ease of locating enemy camps would escalate wartime violence. 2. It would be too easy to snipe from afar. 3. It would lessen the mystery of the goddess, who watches from above." She looked up to him, "This is about a telescope." She then looked back to the book, "Flammable Black water could be gasoline or oil...metal printing tool is obvious...as well as human autopsies...Chris...this book is a record of Rhea stopping progress. This is literally physical evidence. What the hell?! Where did you get a hold of this book?!" She said to him.

"Abyss. When the time comes, I will take you to the shadow library there. It's filled with books that have been removed around Fodlan as well as books on Agarthans legends and books. And...books on forbidden magic." And instantly Arisa was in his face, a bit of drool coming down her mouth.

"Ttttaaaaaakkkkeee mmmmeee!" She squealed and Sothis coughed.

Arisa quickly wiped the drool and apologized for the way she acted.

"Not now. Especially with Seteth still on guard. Once the Rite of Rising happens, I'll take you. For now," he took out a small pouch and handed it to her, "I made it a few years ago before I met you again. Look inside." He said.

Arisa opened the pouch and frowned as she took out the device in it.

"Long Brass Nautical Monoscope Telescope...I'm impressed." She said as she looked through and sure enough, the device does what it is supposed to do.

"I made two of them so I'm letting you keep this extra one. Just make sure to be careful with it." He said as she nodded, putting the small device away.

"But what will we do now? All three houses are coming to this area. It's entirely different this time. Still, out of safety, I think I should hire a battalion." Arisa said as Sothis spoke.

"Bad idea. The carriages won't be able to handle everyone. But you can hire one person to join you." Sothis giggled as she looked over to Chris, "Balthus was his name correct?" She said.

"Sothis, are you trying to get me killed?" Christian said and Arisa could not help but chuckle.

"We're in danger." Arisa said and Sothis couldn't help but burst out laughing, "But that wouldn't be bad. Balthus would be good to bring just in case wolves appear on us." She said.

"Fine. I'll go see Balthus later. Sothis, you owe me." Christian sighs as the two stood up and Arisa warped the book away to her special magic vault.

The two walked out of her and were surprised to see Dimitri about to knock, also his surprise face.

"Oh Dimitri!" Arisa smiled warmly, "Sorry if we scared you. Is something the matter?" She asked.

"O-Oh!" The prince snapped out of it and spoke, "Seteth has summoned the house leaders as well as the Professors and instructors to his office. I offered to come and escort you there." He said warmly and tried to ignore the stare Christian was giving him.

"Of course." Arisa said she patted his head, the prince had a tint of pink on his cheek, "Thank you Dimitri. Well let's go." She smiled warmly as she began to walk a bit ahead, Dimitri followed her till he froze when a hand was on his shoulder.

"Sis, you go on ahead. I need to speak to Dimitri regarding a training regimen we spoke about a few days ago." He said and Arisa turned to look at them a bit confused and let go of a sigh, knowing exactly what her brother is about to do to the prince.

"Christian, por favor no me hagas esto aquí en este mundo..." she said in Spanish and her brother just smiled to her.

"No te preocupes..." he said and Arisa face palms, flinging her arms in the air, walking away, leaving por Dimitri utterly confused.

Chris sighs as he turns to the prince as he closes the door to his sister's room, and then leans on the door, his eyes closed.

"I recognize the way you look at my sister." He began and Dimitri was silent, "It's the same way I look at my wife. It's a look full of love and tenderness." Chris smiled softly to himself, "However," he frowns as he looked up to him, "I currently do not approve of you." He said and Dimitri looked at him shocked

Why was Chris doing this to him? The answer was obvious, to him at least. Dimitri currently was in no state to even try and make a move on his sister. Let alone the way he currently is.

"Before you say anything, let me explain." Chris sighs as he pinches the bridge of his nose, "First, you're still young. Two, you two have barely recently reunited and have changed over the years. Both of you in a way are strangers to each other. I'm no idiot. I know the looks of the dead attached to you. Lastly, Arisa wishes to remain professional. She does not wish to create a disturbance. Hope you understand. " he said and Dimitri stared.

"I...I know." The prince sighs, "We have all changed these past four years and even I see the change that has happened to her. Truthfully, when we reunited last month, I thought I was looking at a different person. The way she commanded the mercenaries...the way she controlled her sword she took out her opponents with no emotions in her eyes. The way she defended Edelgard. It...unnerved me. Yet..." he looked at his hand as he remembered the day in the snow 4 years ago, the way she looked so broken as she gently held his cheek despite he hands covered in blood, "I do not want...to see that broken face of hers ever again." Dimitri said as he looked back to him, a determined look on his face.

"..." Christian was silent as he stared at the prince before him.

They used to be brothers, he still thinks of Dimitri like a brother, but he knows damn well how twisted the prince becomes as the year goes by and even worse during the 5 years Byleth is gone.

Just how effect will Arisa have on Dimitri when she is forced to sleep in February next year? How much will Dimitri change? Will he go full "KILL EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM" or retain at least some sort of sanity? The worst events have yet to come and they will very much shape what will transpire in the future. Personally, he would have preferred his sister to have chosen the Golden Deer. It's a selfish wish but to him, it was the most stable route. He didn't want her to go through or witnessed Dimitri's horrible state and behavior. But Arisa wasn't like that. She could never bring herself to only choose one. She loved them all. She loved all the students and that...Christian felt it was going to be her downfall. She was too kind. Arisa never stopped yearning to be with people. To be around others, to laugh and play. She is still a child in a way because she never fully developed that mentally when she grew up in the hospital room. The fear of being alone is still there. The girl that desperately screamed to be free. It was the cause of trauma from her old days in their old world. His mind then switched to Claude. How will he be affected? What about Edelgard? How will everyone be affected? He knows the number one main goal Arisa right now has is to prevent Jeralt's death. Christian's own main goal is hoping to make Edelgard understand the right and wrongs of both her own ideals but also the Church's, but for her also to learn to trust others. Thankfully Arisa already partly succeeded in that, but will the result be? He turned back to Dimitri, who he knew was nervous, but he can tell, Dimitri was ready to get defensive. Damn kid for pinning on someone older than him.

"Your words are empty till you have proven otherwise." Chris said as he stood back straight and stared down to Dimitri, "You are still a man. Even you must have sick fantasies of her. Are you sure your love for my sister isn't some sick twisted obsession?" He said coldly and now Dimitri glared at him.

Now there was the look of the infamous "Boar Prince." But he was right, Dimitri was still a man, even he can get sexually frustrated or even desires he wishes to fulfill. So being in denial was one thing. The prince was still a teenager and lets all be honest, he was still in his puberty stage, a horny teenager.

"How dare you say such things?!" Dimitri hissed, "I would never do that to Arisa nor hurt her in such a way! I truly care for her and would kill anyone t-" he froze at his own words as Christian smirked.

"Kill huh?" Christian chuckled, "Sorry to spoil you little love fantasy but..." he leaned in and whispered, "Arisa hates blood." Dimitri's eyes went wide at his words, "She hates the scent of it. The sight of it. She hates the feeling of it. It upsets her stomach and she has to run every time. She hates killings. She hides her fear of it well, because...she doesn't want to burden us." Christian as he leaned back up, "You go till the Pegasus Moon next year. Prove to me you will not become twisted." And turned to leave but stopped, "By the way, you got competition. I'm not going to name them." And with that he left to the audience chambers.

And Christian knew exactly who those individuals were. Honestly, he was looking forward to seeing how his sister was going to handle it. He knows Arisa is going to put on the act of a dense female to try and avoid such interactions, also to not give people hope. Then again, it could backfire on her and they could make the first move on her. But then again, those individuals respect her.

"Looking forward to the drama...damn...I sound like mom..." he thought to himself.

Dimitri was stunned to silence as he watched the Professor's brother leave and saw Arisa was far at the corner of the hallway, waiting for them. She didn't leave but thankfully she was far away, and we did not hear their conversation. Still, the woman glared at her brother and looked over to Dimitri worried. She was going to head back to him, but Christian placed a hand on her shoulder, shaking his head. He could tell the two were arguing a bit with themselves till Arisa shook her head and walked towards him.

"Are you alright?" Arisa asked him.

"Yes, I am alright." He quickly smiled to her kindly and saw Christian shaking his head from far away, "It is nothing to worry about Professor. For now, let us head to the Seteth's office. We do not want to face his wrath." He chuckled a bit and Arisa looked at him worried.

She gently patted his head and smiled softly to him.

"If you ever feel troubled, you may come and talk to me if you want. I'll listen to you." She said as he looked at her with a slight tint of pink on his cheeks.

The rest of the walk was somehow comfortable.

[-]

"As you all have been notified, your mission is to subdue some bandits. Our students have been learning about combat through study, but this is a precious opportunity to provide them with practical experience." Seteth said as he looked at the Professors and then the House Leaders, "The knights will support your mission and are prepared to offer their assistance if necessary. In short, " he uncrossed his arms, "this is no mock battle. You must be prepared for anything. You will receive a message from the knights when it is time to depart. Until then, use your time wisely." Seteth said and left.

There was a bit of silence till Edelgard spoke.

"The last time we fought bandits, you saved me. Maybe I can return the favor this time." Edelgard smiled warmly to Arisa who nodded.

"Still," Claude spoke, "more bandits? Still not very original Teach." He said and Manuela sighs.

"I'll have my battalion ready just in case. Professor," Manuela said as the woman turned to her, "I need to speak with regards to materials for the mission. Think we could talk about it later?" She said.

"Of course. I will be happy to help." Arisa said.

"By the way," Dimitri said, "this will be our first true battle. I'm looking forward to fighting alongside you Professor." He smiled at her and she chuckled as she patted his head like her was a child.

Lestia and Claude were snickering while Manuela giggled. Hanneman shook his head while her friends just coughed.

"My aren't you so cute when you talk like this! Reminds me of the good old days when I would train you to hunt!" She said with a flowery aura around her.

"Professor...I...am not a child." He said and Arisa just smiled at him.

"You'll always be a child in my eyes! You remind me of my son! Cute little Jaden is!" She said and Cirina was howling in laughter while everyone was looking at Dimitri with pity.

Truthfully, Arisa was doing on purpose to tease him to make up for whatever Christian threatened him with.

"A-Anyhow," Dimitri quickly said, "It seems we have some time to spare before our departure." He said and Lestia spoke.

"Hey Prof, might as well get ready. I got some herb collecting to do!" Lestia cackled.

"Lestia, make sure to not pick the Sreng mushrooms. I need those for my research." Hanneman said.

Lestia just cackled.

[-]

"You seem well. Are you adjusting to life at the monastery?"

It has been awhile since they left the audience chambers and Arisa wanted to check on her father. Down the hallways she went and to his office, which he seems to be getting ready to head out. He smiled when he saw her come in as she closed the door, asking her how she was.

"A bit. But I admit, it's a bit different from my days teaching in Faerghus. But, it's fun." Arisa said as Jeralt chuckled.

"Oh? I did not expect that answer. But then again, you always loved interacting with others whenever you had the opportunity." He said, "When we were mercenaries, I, Sandana and Florencio handled everything. You are still a bit of trouble like the days in battle. Truthfully, I thought being thrown into another swarm of noble brats would be a bit too much for you and the others. Alexandra seems to be enjoying her time teaching the kids in the town at times. Amir still loves hammering military training on those noble brats. Haha! I'm surprised they are still alive. And Christian, well...that boy is doing just fine helping those kids out. Seems I had nothing to worry about." He smiled warmly at her.

"Dad...truthfully..." Arisa said a bit softly, "I am a bit scared. This is so much different from my days as a mercenary. Yes, I still enjoy teaching but at times I can't help but feel I am not doing enough. Is that normal?" she asked.

He smiled warmly to her and patted her head.

"You're doing just fine kid. I saw the way you teach those kids and they really enjoy it. They are learning. Keep doing what you're doing." He said and she smiled at him softly.

"By the way, I heard about those bandits. Your first assignment is to take them out right?" He asked and she nodded, "That's fairly routine for you by now. Same with the others, but don't forget it's the first real taste of battle for those brats. It'll be tougher to sleep at night if you let one of your little pupils die so stay vigilant and lead them well." He said and she nodded.

"I asked Christian to watch over you. I know how you get sick after the job is done. Don't push yourself too hard. But just in case, make sure to take your stomach medicine before you go. I wish I could offer you my support, but Lady Rhea won't allow it. And Sandy unfortunately won't be back till next month from who knows what mission Lady Rhea sent her off to. For now, Florencio, Sandy and I will try and figure out what she wants from you kids. I don't like the way she looks at Alexandra especially. I don't mind you kids settling into your lives here but don't let your guard down. Ever." He said.

"Same with you dad." Arisa said that caught him off guard a bit as she hugged him, "Please watch your back also. I won't be able to bear losing you." She said as she hugged him tightly and Jeralt smiled sadly to her as he hugged her back.

"I know, kid. I know. I promise to watch my back. Even if I'm not here physically, I'll always be with you." He smiled as he fixed a strand of her hair.

Her smile was the same as her mother's. Filled with love and kindness.

[-]

- May 9th: Annette's Birthday-

"You...want me to help you get something for Annette?"

A rare thing it was for someone to come ask Amir for advice on things and to her biggest surprise...it was Caspar.

"Please! I'm not very good at choosing things for girls. I was hoping I can help Annette feel better since she seems to be down as of lately. Yes, she has gone to talk to the Professor and even Dorothea has invited her to go to choir practice with her. " Caspar said as he rubbed the back of his neck.

Amir smiled softly and nodded.

"How do you feel about music? And flowers?" Amir said and Caspar blinked.

"Well, I do like listening to the music that the choir sings and at times I help Annette tend the flowers in the green house." He said and Amir nodded, "Wait! I can give her flowers!" He said excitedly, "but which ones?" He asked.

"And that's where I come in." Amir chuckled as he motioned him to follow her, "Let's go to the marketplace. I'm sure the forest has the perfect flowers for her. Maybe we could find another gift to add." She said and he nodded.

"Hey um...Amir?" Caspar said, "Thank you." He grinned at her and she patted his head.

"No problem! Now let's go." She said and the two left to the marketplace.

[-]

"Aaahhhhhhhhh~ Oh Goddess watch over us. Bless this land and sea ~"

Annette could not help but stare with gleaming eyes as she sang with Dorothea on her right and was Mercedes, and somehow Dimitri got dragged in. He was behind her along with Felix. Poor boys. Arisa could feel a bit of their faith magic growing so that was a good sign. As the last notes finished, Arisa nodded in approval as she stepped down from the small stage, since she was put in charge of leading Choir practice for this week.

"Wonderful everyone. Nice job. And before I forget," Arisa smiled kindly as the palm of her hands glowed, a flower crown of orange peonies, and gently placed it on Annette's head, "Happy Birthday Annie! Hope you like them." She said.

"Oh my! These are beautiful. Professor, you didn't have too." Annette said as she gently touched one of the flowers.

"Did you grow these?" Dorothea asked and Arisa chuckled a bit nervously.

"I did. I have a small flower garden growing in the green house and thought this was a perfect gift for Annette. It's a tradition of mine to give flowers on people's birthday." She explained, "Now Annette, is there anything else you like?" She said.

"Oh no Professor! This is more than enough! I can't possibly ask you for such." Annette said.

"Come now Annie, don't be shy. It's your birthday after all. Let us spoil you a bit." Mercedes said and Dorothea chuckled as Annette looked at them each.

"Then...Professor..." Annette looked back to Arisa, "Can we go to the town together? There is a dress I want to see you wear." She said suddenly Arisa felt scared.

"O-Oh! Y-You want to dress me up? U-Um! How about I bake you a cake instead?" Arisa said with a crooked grin.

"Well, well." Felix began, "Who would have thought that the almighty Professor is afraid of being dolled up? Pathetic." He said and Annette sent him a glare.

"I have a better idea!" Dorothea said, "Annette, do you still have that make up pallet? We can even use some makeup on her." She said.

"I have some perfume and ribbons also!" Mercedes clapped her hands together.

"H-Hold on a minute..." Arisa said and Felix was smirking as he saw the girl chatting among themselves as well as Dimitri sighing.

"Come o-" And Arisa wrapped away, the girls in shock.

"Capture her! Don't let the Professor get away!" Annette said as the females dashed out of the cathedral, hoping that the Professor didn't get too far.

"Unbelievable." Felix sighs as the two males begin walking, "She can fly to the ground with ease, yet she is terrified of getting dressed up?" He said.

"Now Felix," Dimitri said, "I'm sure the Professor has her reasons for... running away. At the same time, I cannot blame her. From what I heard, apparently Sandana loved dressing her up." The two continued to walk through the gates of the cathedral and through the bridge.

The two stopped when they spotted Alexandra staring out, she seemed to be talking to herself for a bit, till she noticed the two males walk up to her.

"Good evening Alexandra. I see you are well." Dimitri said and the woman gave them a small smile.

"Same to you Dimitri and Felix." She said and turned back to the bridge.

"Is there someone you're waiting for?" Felix said and she nodded.

"Yes. And he should be here right about now." She grinned and heard a roar in the sky, the woman quickly climbed on the balcony, then jumped off, sending many screaming.

"ALEXANDRA!" Dimitri yelled and Felix began cursing as they watched the woman drop till a blur of black past their vision, then swooped back up, the woman seated perfectly on the back of the wyvern Falco.

"Hahahahahah!" Alexandra laughed joyfully as she flew up high but blinked as she had Falco flew back to them, "Sorry about that!" She grinned.

"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?! WE LITERALLY THOUGHT YOU COMMITTED SUICIDE!" Felix yelled and Alexandra raised an eyebrow at him.

"Now Felix, do not use that tone on me. For the record, this is normal. Arisa does it also as well as Christian and Amir. Anyhow, Dimitri, " she turned to the prince, "You and Sylvian will be taking riding lessons with Arisa soon. She isn't exactly keen on a few things, but she wants to train you all in advanced riding methods that would be considered crazy. But then again, she did train for quite some time in Faerghus to the point Uncle Jeralt has to ground her." She said as she scratched under Falco's chin, the wyvern purred.

"Sigh." Felix sighs, "Alright, we'll go. Just...don't ever do that again. At least not in front of us." He said and Alexandra blinked.

"Ufufufu." She giggled.

"What?" Felix narrowed his eyes at her, and she smiled at him.

"You've always been like that..." she said and flew away before any questions were asked.

"Felix, I know this might sound strange, but...have you ever gotten the feeling that we have met her before?" Dimitri said as they began to walk back to the Academy, "Something about her is familiar. Sylvain spoke to her as if they were old friends...I had never seen him look...so genuine." He said and Felix was silent.

Honestly that day when the Professor came along with her companions was one of the strangest in the world. Arisa knew him since his childhood, that was easy. Amir met 4 years ago but the two did not speak much. They had a mutual friendship. Christian was a bastard that literally hammered him on his techniques. But at the same time, it was welcomed because he improved. Felix was no idiot; he noticed the change Sylvian was going through the minute his eyes landed on the blue haired woman. The way he smiled at her when he spun her as if they were dancing, the smile was genuine, true. Who was this woman? Who was this girl that made Sylvian smile warmly and real? Even Ingrid could not believe what she was seeing. Sylvain would be seen talking normally to the woman. He didn't flirt with her; it was the same case with Amir and Arisa. He didn't flirt with them yet there was something different when it came to Alexandra.

"Hey!" Felix looked up and saw the Golden Deer leader walk up to them with Hilda, "Have you two seen Chris? He said he was going to help us out?" He said.

"Wait Chris?" Felix said and looked over to Dimitri, who stiffened.

"Yeah. It's his nickname. Short for Christian. Well, he hates it when we call him that and has told us multiple times to stop it but it's fun seeing his reaction." Hilda admitted.

"And I will keep saying it!"

The group turned as they saw the said man walking towards them, shaking his head, but Hilda could not help but stare at the scars on his arms, plus he was buff. It was rare seeing the man without his coat, but he was only wearing a sleeveless shirt as well as his usual pants, and of course, the eye patch. His hair was a bit wet, as he ran his fingers through his hair, the pink haired woman started with wide eyes.

"There you are Chris! You look like you just washed up from the stream!" Claude jokes.

"I actually did." The man said which made the Golden Deer leader stop.

"Wait seriously?" He said.

"Yup." Chris nodded, "I have been giving swimming lessons to the knights since most of them don't know how to swim. Managed to drag Edelgard into the lesson along with a couple other students. Still, I verbal tongue lashing from the princess! Hahahahahaha!" He laughed proudly while the other shook their heads.

"Anyhow, Hilda and Claude, you're doing axe training with Amir. She'll get you all into the proper shape." He said and the color on the green eye boy began to drain, "Aw, don't make that face. She isn't going easy on any of you but anyhow," he turned to Felix and Dimitri, "You two, are going to take a couple brawling lessons with me. Usually it would be Arisa but she's busy with a different seminar today. '' he said.

"Wait, the Professor does brawl lessons?" Dimitri said.

"Yeah. She's been sparring with Raphael to help him shape up along with Caspar and Annette. Anyhow, you two, with me." He said and began walking away, expecting them to follow him.

Hearing Annette taking Brawling lessons was a surprise for everyone. The two waved goodbye and went quickly after Christian. There was a bit of silence the three males walked to reach the training grounds but to Felix, it was obvious something happened between Dimitri and their instructor.

"So, Christian right?" Felix said as he crossed his arms, "I'm curious to hear your story. How you got those scars as well as how you met the Professor. It is not every day we see someone who we never even met be made an instructor." He said.

"Feisty midget huh? No wonder Glenn sometimes groans! Hahah! You remind me of him! Dimitri reminds me a bit of Zander except the skirt chaser attitude." He said.

"Wait you know our brothers?" Dimitri said.

"Working as a mercenary you travel all around. You work with different kinds of people and such. I worked with the two for a while in the Kingdom. Hell, things are somewhat stable over there but even I worry for the people." he explained.

"And the scars? How did you get those?" Felix said and Chris looked at him a bit.

"I survived being a human experiment to Those Who Slither in The Dark." He said coldly and the two teens froze.

"What...?" Dimitri choked out barely.

"How do you think I got the white hair? The human body was put under so much stress that it made me lose my hair color. Also, I lost my right eye by fighting in self-defense. I'm not going into any more details for obvious reasons. As for Arisa, she saved me and my wife. Other than that, were here." They didn't even notice how much time passed till Christian opened the gates and Dimitri felt his throat go dry.

"Hya!"

"Haa!"

"Haaaaa..."

Dressed in a sleeveless tank top that exposed her stomach, tight shorts that stopped at her knees, her hair tied in a high ponytail, and wore black gloves with part of her fingers exposed, her fist were balled together as she was crouched, her elbows tucked in as she then jabbed a punch at Annette, the poor girl was dressed in her lounge wear, barely managed to dodge the jab that was sent by the Professor.

"Not bad! Still slow but you improved. Try to focus on sending your magical energy to your fist. When you throw punches, you'll be able to send the attacks from a distance." Arisa said as the two stopped, the woman looked like she didn't break a sweat while Annette looked ready to faint.

From the side lines, Caspar, Raphael, Dedue and surprisingly Dorothea watched in amazement.

"It's your birthday so I'm going a bit easy on you. Also, once practice is over, I'll help you out on that homework Manuela left you with." She said as Blanca brought over two canteens with water.

"Aww. Thank you, Blanca!" Annette grinned as the white wolf gave her a nod then left towards the doors, where Hessian was waiting for her.

"Well, look at those two! They're a couple!" Raphael laughed as the two wolves nuzzling each other then left.

"Wait." Caspar said, "Doesn't Blaiddyd also mean Wolf King and Sirius means Wolf Star? That's what I heard Sadi call the Professor. Wolf King and Wolf star....." He muttered and Dorothea and Annette gasped as they turned to Arisa and Dimitri, hiding their squeals.

"Someone shoot me." Arisa muttered as she closed her eyes, shaking her head.

"Back to the subject!" Chris spoke and made everyone turn to him, "Men, you're sparring with me. Girls, you got Arisa. Umm, also Dorothea could you get Hilda and Edelgard? I don't need another verbal whiplash from the princess." He said.

"What on earth did you do to Eddie?" Dorothea said as she left to get the princess.

"You do not want to know..." Dimitri sighs as he turns as he heard Arisa giving instructions to Annette and Mercedes, the two girls were doing punches.

"Alright, line up!" Christian yelled as Raphael, Caspar, Dimitri, Felix, and Dedue got into their positions.

"We'll start with a few basics. I'm going to teach you all a foreign form of brawling called kickboxing as well as normal boxing. It's a bit intense but it'll be beneficial for you all. Arisa and I have known this for years. For starters, we'll begin with jabs and crosses. Use the gloves provided. I'll start with a demonstration." He said as he turned to the wooden sand dummy.

"Spread your legs like this. This Is called an orthodox position stance." He said as he stood with his feet apart, his elbows a bit tucked in, "Also, assuming you are a right-hand person, stand straight facing your target. Open your feet, shoulder apart." He demonstrated, and his right foot back, "Right foot back. Keep arms, elbows and upper part of your arms close to your ribcage." He said while the others watched.

"With thumbs facing towards your face," Arisa said as she was doing the same demonstration to the girls, Edelgard walked in along with Dorothea and surprisingly Flayn was with them along with Hilda, "It's going to be chin level and the first thing I'm showing you is how to jab. Slowly extend your left arm with your thumbs facing you. Right before I make contact with the dummy, turn your fist," she turned her fist, knuckles facing the dummy, "where my knuckles are facing the ceiling. This is a slow version. Make sure to put your weight on your left foot and sort of project towards your target." She said as she did it in a slow motion.

The girls watched silently as Arisa demonstrated and then they flinched when she did it at full strength.

"Whoa." Hilda said as she could hear the boys doing what Chris said to do, "You're serious about this...aren't you?" She said and the woman nodded.

"That is very impressive!" Flayn clapped his hand together joyfully, "I remember watching Sandana practice brawling for some time!" She said excitedly.

"Would you like to join us Flayn?" Arisa said.

"I would love to! Though I admit my brother would most likely disapprove, I want to learn to properly defend myself! I will not always be here at the Monastery and there will be days where we must part ways. So, I am more than happy to learn self-defense! I believe this is what you all call the rebellion phase!" She said joyfully and Arisa pinched the bridge of her nose.

Seteth was going to murder her alive, but she was happy to teach Flayn. Thankfully all the females were already changed into their lounge wear. Meanwhile, Hilda felt proud for Flayn as the girls lined up and got into position.

Once more, Arisa said the instructions and the girls listened till the said woman said for them to do it. It was a bit of a disaster watching Dorothea do it, but the girl had spunk, Arisa had to give her that as she made them repeat the mentions on both left and right arms. The same case was going on with Chris, but she noticed punches that Dimitri was giving. Those were the strikes that had full intent to kill. Her lip became a thin line as she observed him. It hurt watching him have such killing intent. She didn't know why but something about him did not feel right. She didn't like being left alone with specific people. Rhea was one of them of course but Dimitri? Why was she feeling on edge with him of all people? He was a childhood friend. Maybe it was because lately she's been hearing whispers. The one that put her guard and worried the most was a whisper that sounded like Marianne. It was filled with so much sorrow and desperation, and sadly she could not understand what those whispers were saying. They were all nothing but murmuring.

"I can sense the darkness underneath that mask." Sothis muttered in her mind as Arisa nodded a bit then turned back to the girls.

She was impressed with how Flayn was keeping up but sadly Hilda was complaining. Edelgard was fully focused on the training as well as Annette.

"Maybe I should bring in Lysithea as well as Selkia." She thought to herself and spoke.

"Nice job girls! Now onto the next step. But before that," she turned to Chris, who nodded, "We'll be doing advance demonstration of what you all could do in the future with these methods." She smiled as she turned to Chris and got into position.

The group backed away to watch from the sidelines as they saw the two siblings circle each other, their arms close to their rib cages as their stare was intense then...

"HYAA!" The two ended up going at the same time, throwing left high kicks at each other, then a right jab from Arisa and left one from Christian, both moving their heads opposite direction to dodge then the two threw at each other jabs with kicks.

"Okay...I'm scared." Hilda admitted as the fight between the two siblings was becoming more intense, and even the boys were wide eyes.

"Go Professor!" Annette and Flayn cheered together and only for a split-second Arisa glanced their way.

The woman quickly jumped back and let go of a sigh as she but also her brother stopped. He threw her her canteen which she popped open again and swung her head back, gulping it down like if she was drinking wine. Everyone just stared except Chris because he was used to it. However, Dimitri and Felix felt they had seen the fight before.

"What a woman..." Dorothea muttered as Arisa drew back her head, wiping her lips.

"We'll be switching up at times. Sometimes I will be giving this seminar and at times it will be Christian. Our first real mission is at the end of the month, so I want you all to be prepared." Arisa explained as she was thrown a towel from the side, which she caught.

She looked over and realized it was Jeritza, also known as Emile.

"Not bad. I must admit...I am impressed. Perhaps we could spar again like in the mock battle." Jeritza said to her.

"I will be happy to teach you if you want." Arisa said Chris had to do a double take.

"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?!" Sothis and Chris mentally roared at her.

"Oh Emile!" Mercedes smiled at him, "Did you just return from your mission?" She walked up to him and the two siblings began talking.

Honestly it was nice seeing him without the mask.

It was a bit of a show from what Chris told her when Jeritza was warped to the hills after she beat him in the mock battle. Mercedes was beyond happy to see her brother again. It was honestly cute seeing how Mercedes was wiping crumbs off his face and Emile was a bit embarrassed.

"Bye professor!" The students yelled out as they began to leave.

Surprisingly, Edelgard opened a bit to Flayn and invited her to tea with her and Dorothea, and Hilda decided to join in along with Annette, which was welcomed. While the boys left, Chris noticed Dimitri looking over to Arisa, who was speaking with Mercedes and Jeritza. The older man gave her a small bow, thanking her for helping their mother, and Arisa frantically shook her hands that he did not need to bow. There was a slight tint of pink on her cheeks as the three talked.

"Alright, lover boy. Let's go." Chris sighs as he dragged Dimitri out despite the protest the prince was trying to say.

"And off he dragged the prince." Sothis snickered as Arisa was speaking with Jeritza.

"Oh! I nearly forgot. We met once during the Battle of Offers but now I can introduce myself properly to you. I'm Arisa Byleth. That's my real name. Would you like it if I called your Jeritza or Emile?" She smiled warmly at him.

"Jeritza is fine." Jeritza answered while Mercedes looked at him worried.

"Once again, thank you for helping our mother. We have not had much time to speak to each other so would you like to share a meal with us?" He said and Mercedes covered her mouth a bit surprised.

"Oh shit..." Arisa mentally cursed while Sothis was snickering at her, "Sure. I do not mind. Just um...let me go change back to my original clothing first." She said and quickly left to the changing rooms.

There, she grabbed her shirt and screamed into it.

"I was not expecting that at all!" She said as she went to the showers and did a quick wash, "Sothis, the fact that he knows I know he is the Death Knight worries me. It is possible he may be trying to gain information on me...but..." she muttered, worried.

"Arisa, for now it seems he may? actually want to form a friendship with you. Take it slow, remember? We need allies. The few allies we made are Yuri and Balthus, as well as Emily and the others." Sothis said as Arisa used wind magic to dry herself and then changed to her clothing.

"You got a point. Anyhow, I'll be meeting with Annette later. I promised to show her how to read music notes." She smiled warmly at the thought of teaching the girl how to read music notes.

[-]

It was evening now, and it was a bit surprisingly seeing the dining hall a bit full, but thankfully Mercedes and Jeritza haven't arrived yet, and went to get something to eat. The lady in the line smiled at her and spoke.

"Good evening Professor! What would you like today?" She said.

"I'll have the Derdriu-Style Fried Pheasant and a noa fruit sorbet today of its alright?" Arisa said and the woman nodded.

"No problem!" The woman grinned as she served her food and handed it to her.

Arisa said thank you and left towards a table in the corner that thankfully wasn't taken. She sat down and began to eat. However, she heard footsteps approaching and looked up to see Ferdinand, who gave her a kind smile.

"Good evening Professor! I see you've gotten your meal. If it be alright, may I join you?" He asked.

"It's alright Ferdinand. I do not mind." She smiled kindly to him.

"Thank you, Professor. I must admit, I was surprised to see you eating here alone. Also, thank you once more. Your lessons have been very helpful, and I am enjoying them. Perhaps we could go more deeper on the subject in your next seminar?" He said and she nodded.

"Of course. I was actually going to talk to you about that soon, but seems you beat me to it." She chuckled and he raised an eyebrow at her.

"Oh. What did you wish to discuss?" He said.

"Well, I was looking at your papers and discussing with Professor Hanneman about training you in the lance, axe, as well as riding. But I also see potential in you in the heavy armor section. Perhaps an armor knight? Also, all of us Professors have agreed in teaching you all basic magic in case a healer is not present." She said.

"Oh! Thank you for your advice. As for magic...just...not fire magic. Anything else but fire magic." He said as he took a bite of his steak.

"Wait...why not Fire magic?" Arisa asked and Ferdinand looked at her a bit nervously.

"There was...an accident a few years ago. Professor...have..we...met before...you came here?" He said and Arisa looked at him worried.

"Yes, we have. You also know me as Kiana Kalsana." She said and he shook his head.

"Yes I know about that but...I'm saying have I met you as you are? As Arisa." He said and it clicked.

"He's referring to the fire in his territory four years ago..." she thought, "Not that I know. I am sorry." She gave him a small bow.

"It is alright Professor. It's just that your hair color...I've seen it before. A long time ago. Then again there could be others that have the same hair color as you." He chuckled a bit.

"I feel the subject isn't one you aren't fond of so let us change it then." Arisa gave him a small smile, "I heard from Caspar that you like going horseback riding. Maybe you would like to join me and Petra in my next riding lessons?" She suggested.

The boy nearly choked on his drink, thankfully he did not.

"I-It would be an honor!" He said a bit too excitedly and Arisa could not help but laugh a bit.

The ginger haired man blushed a bit as he chuckled and the two continued to speak. From a table in the distance, Dimitri wasn't exactly happy seeing the Professor be so friendly with others, but he needs to...

"You're staring." A female voice made him snap out of it as he looked over to see Amir sit down next to him, Dedue on her right and next to him sat his sister, who happily munched down on the warm loaves of bread.

"Oh...forgive me. I did not mean to." He said and Amir nodded.

"It is alright. It's not the first time I seen you jealous." She said casually as she took a bit of her chicken leg, and Sylvain was trying to burst out laughing at how pale the prince got, while his sister was just smirking.

"Amir, please do not tease his highness." Dedue said as she looked over to him.

"I am not teasing. I only speak the truth. Besides, he's not the only one pinning on the Professor. I once wanted to be her lover too." She said and Ingrid nearly spit out her food.

"Wait, you had feelings for the Professor?" Lysithea said.

"Yes, I did. However, I later realized the feelings I had for her were not of love but respect. A sisterly love. For she is family to me. Anyway, I wish for her to find happiness. I do hope she finds one of her heart one day. Besides, I got my eyes on someone else anyway." Amir said casually, and Sadi already knew who it was.

"Oh, who who!" Lestia said, "It's Zander isn't it?!" She said and Amir nodded.

"Yes." She said normally and Dimitri choked on his drink, while Felix and Sylvain just looked at each other like they saw hell.

"I knew, I knew, I knew it! Lestia said excitedly, "After that one time I saw you two sleeping on the same bed, I knew it!" She grinned and now Amir began choking on her drink.

"Ha!" Sadi slapped her back.

"Cough! Thanks..." Amir coughed, "Also, we only slept next to each other. Nothing more before your mind goes to the gutter." She said and Lestia just smiled.

"Right..." Sylvain snickered, "Still, think you could get word for me with Alexandra?" He said.

"Begone whore." Amir said to him and Sylvain looked offended while Ingrid, Lysithea, Lestia and Sadi were snickering.

Felix and Dedue had smirks while Ashe and Dimitri shook their heads.

"Oh, I did not think her, and Jeritza got along." Amir said and everyone in the table looked over to see Mercedes and Jeritza join Arisa and Ferdinand.

The ginger head excused himself and left since he was done with his meal, leaving only the other three. Dimitri tried to avoid staring but it was getting obvious to everyone in the table also, but the time Annette came with Dorothea, Hilda and Flayn and surprisingly Linhardt. They sat at the table across from them and Hilda could hear a bit of the conversation. Simple things like what are their interests, hobbies, perhaps challenged to sparring match, which was accepted. Then it came Arisa's turn to embarrass Mercedes, telling Emilie a few childhood stories from their younger days. The poor woman covering her face while Jeritza chuckled. To top it all off, Arisa had a few pictures on her.

"Arisa you traitor!" Mercedes screeched as Arisa could not help but laugh a bit as Jeritza was looking at the picture Amir got during the celebration of the new year, where Mercedes was asleep peacefully and Arisa had the fun idea of drawing on her face, plus balancing a few mandarins on her friend's chest. Miss Charlotte was in the background giggling while Alexandra was knocked out on the couch.

"Pay back for last month." Arisa snickered as she was referring to the tea party.

Jeritza had to cover his mouth to try and not to burst out laughing at the picture. But he was happy to see his sister and mother were doing well after everything they have been through. Perhaps it is because the feeling of warmth was something rare that he did not have growing up. Seeing this, somehow felt comforting.

"You smiled!" Arisa's voice made him look up to her, the woman had a grin that made his hand twitch, "I rarely see you smile and such. I admit, a smile suits you better. By the way, a little trivia." She pointed her index finger at him with a warm smile, "Emile in a language called French means To Strive Or Excel Or Rival. And the name Jeritza means leader, creator but also thank you. The J also represents your fun side." She grinned.

"Ummm...Arisa...I think you might have over done it." Mercedes was trying to hide her laughter as she saw how her baby brother had propped his left elbow on the table and covered his face, his ears had turned red. The man peaked a bit through his fingers and gave her a glare while the woman just gave him a smile.

"Go for the kill, go for the kill, go for the kill." Sothis cheered and Amir had to use Dedue as support as she covered her mouth with her free hand, the woman was shaking.

"Amir are you alright?" Dedue asked.

Arisa smiled at Jeritza and the next words were the kill.

"How cute."

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAH!" Amir lost it while Jertiza stood up and straight up left before he pounced at the woman and challenged her to duel or straight up murdered her.

"Emile! Hahah...wait!" Mercedes could barely breathe out as she went to chase after her younger brother.

Arisa felt a small triumph and it was her way to pay him back for the fight they had two months ago. Hilda and Dorothea sent each other looks, knowing damn well the Professor purposely embarrassed the man, so in a way, they just witnessed their Professor flirt with someone, indirectly.

"Ayyeee!" Arisa suddenly screeched as she felt a hand slightly push her head down, messing up her hair.

"¿!Que chingados Christian?!" She snarled as she looked up to see her brother with a smirk, looking like he was back to his regular clothing, and with him was Alexandra.

Amir was still a laughing mess, many looking towards the Blue Lions table, wondering what the hell was so funny.

"Yo lo vi todo. ¿La primera persona con la que coqueteaste tenía que ser él de todas las personas? Hermana, me preocupa tu gusto por los hombres." He said in their original native tongue and Alexandra blinked.

"Estoy preocupada. ¿Arisa tiene algo para los hombres con una actitud angustiada?" Alexandra said and the two siblings turned to her like she grew a second head.

"What? I've always understood this Spanish you two speak as well as I can speak it." She said and the two siblings looked at each other in slight horror.

"Right, anyhow, you finished eating? There is something serious I need to talk to you about. It's regarding..." no more was need to be said as Arisa nodded and stood up.

"Amir! We need you for this one!" Chris yelled out a bit since the woman was still recovering from her laughing fit, the woman stood up, Alexandra shook her head as she dragged her friend out.

"Hahaha...you...you...hahahah!" Amir was still laughing as Arisa rolled her eyes, put her plate where the other plates were.

"Okay, that's enough. You're overdoing." Arisa sighs as Amir walks out the door, still laughing.

Sometimes Arisa wonders if she was born for show.

[-]

It's been 20 minutes since they left for Arisa's room and making sure the barrier was placed, Alexandra took out a map that she had drawn out, placing it on the round table in the center. Arisa's room in the monastery was different. Thanks to the Territory creation spell Florencio taught her, she was able to make her room much bigger than it should. She knew the day she would leave Remire Village was coming, so she made sure to pack all her belongings in a magic vault. Only Chris, Amir and Alexandra would be able to access it as well as her. And it would stay closed even during the time of the 5-year time skip. For now, the only reason she made the room slightly bigger was for the bookshelves she brought with her books as well on shelf that she had filled with herbs and other ingredients for potions and medicine. She placed a barrier around her room, that it would only let in those that she allowed, or those that had good intentions. It would kick anyone out if they wanted to try and snoop around. Back to the subject, Alexandra spoke as she pointed to the map.

"Just like you requested, Falco and I went to scout the area around Zanado. Its heavy mountain territory as well the land isn't very stable. I managed to get some information that Zanado is an ancient ruin. Cirina...has said it was once her home." The woman said a bit bitterly as Arisa looked at the map.

"Is the rumor of Demonic Beast activity increasing in that area?" Arisa pointed to the area of an altar.

"There have been sightings." Amir said, "Monster wolves as well as vultures. Will it be wise to bring another battalion other than Manuela's? Perhaps Anna could come also?" She muttered.

"Actually," Chris spoke, "I hired someone who specializes in mountain terrain. Other than Blanca, Puka, Hessian Selkie and Volouria, we should be fine. Arisa, make sure to wear your Assassin uniform, as well as your haired tied up." He said and she nodded to him.

"I'm worried about the area...the place seems to have good hiding spots, so we need to keep a lookout. Chris, think you can command Feh and Kuro to watch the skies? We'll bring Skylar for this one. As much as I wish we could bring Red, Hyper and Falco with us, it'll be too much. By the way, who did you hire?" Alexandra said and the two siblings looked at each other than to their friends.

"His name is Balthus." The two siblings said, and the two other females looked at each other confused.

"You guys will meet him soon. Anyway, it's getting late. We better head to our rooms before Seteth comes after us." Arisa sighs as they stood up and headed to the doors,

"I'll be staying up for a bit. Thankfully the showers are open right now." She said and they nodded.

"Good night." Amir and Alexandra yawned, and Chris waved to her bye.

With the door closed, Arisa sighs once more as she sits back down on her bed, removing her clothing and changing into her blue nightgown. She grabbed her small bag that had her under garments, soap and shampoo, and headed to the showers. She needed a long break after today.

[-]

The hot spring also known as the sauna was built in two ways, one side for the women and the other for men. Thankfully in this hour, it was alone, and Arisa was more than happy to be sitting in peace in the warm water, a white towel wrapped around her body, her hair soaked wet. It felt nice that they had a glass roof top to be able to see the stars. Best of all, the lights were off and only a few lanterns were on. As much she hated being alone, there were times she found silence to be comforting. After today's training, seeing the joyfully smile on Annette's face today, as well as embarrassing Jeritza, it was a good day.

"Du..du..dudu... la..la..la..." she lightly sung as she closed her eyes, un aware that someone else had come in also, "If you need me I'm here...I've be waiting for you...I still remember your voice...It's now become a part of me...hmmmmm..." she sang softly.

"You sing beautifully."

Arisa's eyes snapped open and she quickly turned, seeing locks of dark burgundy hair, tan skin, brown colored eyes with a small pink triangle under her left eyes, a towel wrapped around her body.

"Oh Petra it's you...you gave me a heart attack..." she let go a sigh of relief as Petra sat down next to her.

"How does my presence give the heart an attack?" The Brigid princess asked.

"Well, it means you scared me a bit. I was not expecting to see someone else here so late." Arisa said and Petra smiled at her kindly.

"I prefer to be here where there are no others. I mean, when there aren't others. It is more peaceful, and the sky is more beautiful. Also, I have noticed you have the markings of Brigid on your chest and back." She said and Arisa nodded.

"I lived in Dadga for six months and then Brigid for the other half of the year. The Elder of my village and other villagers are also from Brigid, Dadga, Almyra, Duscur, Morfis, Sreng and Fodlan. I got these markings when I was 13 years old." She explained and Petra could not help but become a little curious.

"I am impressed. Um...may I speak in my native tongue and you answer in Fodlan? I feel this could help me have the understanding better." She said and Arisa nodded.

"(I'm surprised to hear that many from different countries and backgrounds are all in one place. It's a little hard to believe but...seeing how kind you treated me as well as Dedue, Sadi, as well as Claude and the others. Thank you.)" Petra said to her and Arisa smiled warmly.

"I will always treat everyone equally regardless of who they are. You are important to me and I will defend you all with my life. But let us not forget I am also your Professor. It is my job to guide you all, so you may all make the choices of yours in the future." Arisa said kindly to her.

"(Thank you, Professor!)" Petra politely bowed to her, "(I am truly grateful and will follow your lead. By the way, do you know what the markings on your chest and back mean?)" She said.

"Well, Elder Bara said that the marking on my chest represents the Spirit of Light and that the one on back represents the Spirit of Darkness." Arisa said and Petra nodded.

"(Correct. The marking of the Spirit of Light is always placed on the chest. It represents compassion and understanding, life-giving and complex. It is a symbol for love. The Spirit of Darkness on the back represents your fears, solitude, the evil that we all have inside us. Yet, when someone possesses both symbols that are over the heart, it also represents that you acknowledge both the good and evil in you and that you accept them. I believe in other terms in a Fodlan book I read, the sentence is...You are the Beginning to your End and the End to your Beginning.)" She said.

Sothis was screeching while Arisa looked at the princess with wide eyes, extremely shocked by learning this.

"I'm so going to talk to Elder Bara when I get the chance..." Arisa thought as she shook her head a bit.

"Whoa...I did not know that. Very interesting. Perhaps I should introduce you to Elder Bara. I think you two would get along nicely." She smiled warmly to her and Petra nodded.

"(Yes! It would be an honor to meet The Elder Shaman! Oh, I nearly forgot. I saw a few of the water spirits, wind, and flowers spirits here in the monastery. They are a bit different from the ones in Brigid but are very kind and welcoming!)" Petra said.

The rest of the talk was filled with joy and excitement.

- 40 minutes -

"It's been awhile since I saw you chat so happily. The princess was so kind as you spoke to her of the fae here as well as your time in Brigid and Dadga. I like her. You better not lose that one." Sothis chuckled as Arisa had her hair dried now and after walking Petra to her room on the first floor near the classrooms.

"She is very kind. A bundle of joy." Arisa giggled a bit as she was walking through the hallways of the second floor, making her rounds, also to make sure none of the students were playing hooky (cough! Sylvain! And Hilda! Cough!)

Dressed in her blue night gown and hair tied into two long braids, she walked with a small ball of fire floating near her. It was rare to see the hallways at night and she had to add it, it made her a bit uncomfortable, but she bears with it. The two females continued to walk till they heard a strange noise...

"Ugh...ahhh...Fath...save..."

"Shh!" Arisa quickly said and blew out her fire as she heard what seemed muffled cries.

"We are in a monastery...no ghost would dare set foot here. Well...except Cirina." Sothis said and Arisa gave her a look, "What is that look upon your face?! How dare you think I am such? I am no ghost, if that is on your mind!" Sothis said angrily to her and Arisa shook her head.

"I know. Anyhow...I know who those cries belong to." Arisa said as she began walking to a specific door with the number 23 on it.

She gently knocked and heard "No..Augh! Who's there?!" It was most obvious that the individual woke up startled from a nightmare.

"Edelgard? It's me, Professor Arisa." The older woman said softly, and the door opened, revealing the white-haired girl in her nightgown, her hair loose.

But there was no denying that there was still fear in the girl's violet colored eyes as well as some sweat running down her cheek and forehead.

"Professor...what are doing here?" Edelgard said surprised as Arisa gave her a small smile.

"I couldn't sleep. I heard some noise so decided to see what was going on." Arisa said and Edelgard sighs, as she looks away.

"I see...Perhaps I was talking in my sleep." Edelgard said and Arisa gave her a warm smile.

"Care to join me for a cup of tea? It's a bit late but I'm still up anyway." She said and the princess looked at her surprised.

"I...I couldn't possibly do that to you!" Edelgard protested but Arisa giggled.

"It is alright. Now come. I think this will help us." Arisa said and the princess sighs as she closed her door and followed the Professor.

[-]

It was the first time Edelgard had ever stepped into Arisa's room in the monastery. The place felt warm and comforting compared to her own room. A simple yet warm looking bed with pink blue and green blankets and pillows. Bookshelves filled to the brim with books and a few shelves with herbs and she couldn't help but chuckle a bit as she spotted a shelf specifically labeled for teas. Each jar and can had a label of a tea and some teas she had never seen or heard of. Edelgard sat silently at one of the chairs at a round table near the window, where the curtains were a nice dark shade of blue but left open to see the starry sky outside. She spotted Blanca fast asleep on a giant bean bag cushion and Feh perched on a stand next to the Professor's bed.

"Help yourself to the cookies there. They go well with tea." Arisa said to Edelgard from a distance as she was preparing tea at another table near the shelves.

The scent of bergamot tea filled the princess's nostrils as she unconsciously grabbed a cookie and munched on it. Edelgard's eyes sparkled a bit as she recognized the taste of sweet honey and almond of the cookie. Her mother used to buy these for her when she was younger.

"Meow."

She turned to see a snow-white cat with violet colored eyes walking gracefully towards her, observing her a bit, her head slightly cocking.

"Hereslvg, come here~" Arisa's coo for some reason made the princess turn pink as the white cat mowed happily and walked swiftly towards the Professor, who carried a tray with jade teapot with flower designs and two similar cups.

Arisa chuckled a bit as she placed the tray down on the table and grabbed a cookie, breaking it in half, and gave a piece of it to the cat, who happily accepted, and went straight to making it's comfortable on her bed, to eat it.

"Sorry about that. She's one of the monastery cats that has claimed me." Arisa said as she gently placed a cup of tea in front of Edelgard.

Edelgard picked up and stared at it, like it was poisoned for some reason.

"It's not poisoned." Arisa's blunt voice, she look up to see a dead panned face.

"Forgive me...I did not need to offend you." Edelgard said and took a sip, her eyes lit up as she tasted bergamot tea with a bit of honey, making it sweet.

"Glad you like it. I remember seeing someone sneak you candies when we were kids." She giggled and Edelgard was turning pink, "But changing the subject? Did you have a bad dream?" She spoke carefully.

Edelgard sighs as she places her cup down and nodded a bit.

"Ah...So you heard me then...Yes. It was a nightmare. I have had them since I was child. Stupid pointless dreams I can't control. It's frustrating." Edelgard said frustrated.

"It is alright. We all have nightmares. Even I do." She said and noticed Edelgard raised an eyebrow at her, "If it be alright, can I ask what the nightmare was about?" She said as she took a sip of her tea.

"Just...my childhood. A time before I had realized who I was destined to become." Edelgard sighs.

"It may not be my business, but you can talk about it if you like. However, that is only if you desire. I will not pressure you nor make you speak." Arisa said and Edelgard looked at her a bit surprised.

"Perhaps...Perhaps not. Still, here you are...willing to listen to me. The only one that ever has...Maybe I can trust you with this...but only if you swear not to tell a soul!" The princess said.

"My lips are seal. Cross my heart and hope to die." Arisa said as she made a cross motion over her heart and Edelgard couldn't help but chuckle a bit, taking a sip of her tea.

There was a bit of silence as the princess prepared herself. She remembered the times the Professor would train her when she was younger, how she first met her. How her and her older brother Chris would help her with her studies. The times Arisa would share sweets with her. A feeling of sincerity filled her yet also fear as she began to speak. Her voice trembled a bit.

"I appreciate it. I dream of...my older brother, paralyzed, helpless... my older sister crying for help that never came... the youngest babbling words beyond meaning. I see my family dying slowly, waiting in the darkest depths for a glimmer of light." She said grimly as she closed her eyes, remembering the horrific images of those days.

"I...I remember Chris...fighting to defend me...fighting and cursing that he would do everything in his power to protect me. Him fighting to protect Gina...him desperately holding me tightly in his arms. Other than Chris...Altogether...I once had ten siblings, eight older and two younger. The youngest was my little brother Henry. Sigh..." Edelgard sighs as she looks up to Arisa with a frown.

"Such a large family, and yet I became the heir to the throne. Do you know why? Every last one of them was crippled by disease or lost their mind or died. I was the only one left who could inherit the throne." She said bitterly.

"I want to ask how such a thing happened but like I said, I will not pressure you. Take your time." Arisa said as Hersvelg jumped on Edelgard's lap, and made herself comfortable, a soft purr was heard.

"Thank you...but...sigh...Things kept getting worse. The darkness kept getting darker. In the end, I was the only one who survived. The nightmares are a reminder...to never forget. To never allow such terrible things to happen again." She said as Arisa gave her a sad smile.

"Never again..." Arisa muttered as her grip tightened around her cup.

"Even now, I'm the only one who can carry the weight of the Adrestian Empire. The future of the Empire...of everything...depends on me. Hm... I shared more than I intended to. I suppose there's something in the air tonight. I've never told anyone about my past before. " she said and noticed the Professor had a sad look in her eyes.

"The weight of knowledge. The weight of life. The weight of a burden. The weight of responsibility. The weight of death and survival lies on one's shoulders." She looked out the window as she smiled sadly, "They are weights that we must carry on. To be able to move on. They are weights of history, history that we do not wish to repeat. We must move on, for the sake of many but also ourselves." She turned back to Edelgard.

The princess stared at her Professor. The way she spoke, it was as if she had been through the same experience as her. She noticed that Arisa subconsciously touched the two streaks of mint hair she had, and Edelgard looked at her own hair, it was white that faded to a light chocolate brown. She wondered if her Professor was also a victim of those inhumane experiments at some point in her life.

"Edelgard, thank you for trusting me with this. As promised, I swear I will not say a word. Whatever is said in this room, does not leave this room. I guess in a way...I am your therapist." She said.

"Therapist?" Edelgard said, confused.

"A therapist is someone who listens to others. We are sworn to secrecy and never speak of what our patient speaks to us. At the same time, by listening, it helps our patients improve in their lives. To help them cope with their emotions and various challenges in their lives. You are always welcomed to come and talk to me if you desire. I'm always happy to lend an ear." Arisa explained and Edelgard nodded, giving her a small smile.

"Thank you, my teacher. Well, might as well return to my room. Don't want Seteth to catch us." She chuckled as she gently stood up, and Hersvelg jumped off, meowing at her.

"Ufu. Oh trust me, I don't need a lec-!" And right when Arisa opened the door, Seteth was on the verge of knocking, and he was scowling.

"Professor, I did not think you were up so late." Thankfully Edelgard made a dive to the left side of the wall where he couldn't see her.

"O-Oh Seteth! I apologize! I am grading a few papers to give back to the students tomorrow. I um...I'm not causing a ruckus am I?" Arisa said as she looked around a bit.

"No, it is alright. I was surprised seeing the light of your room still on. But it did sound like you were talking to someone." He said and then heard a hiss, looked down and saw the white cat, "So you took in one of the monastery cats?" He said.

"More like she claimed my room her home." Arisa chuckled as she picked up Hersvelg, who still hissed at Seteth, "Anyhow, I'm almost finished with my papers. I'll be asleep a bit." She explains and Seteth nodded.

"Very well. I was just making sure. The other day I caught Boey and Dwyer sneaking into the training grounds. Honestly...do speak to them to not sneak out at night." He said.

"I will." She nodded, "You know..." he looked up to her, "When I first met you 5 years ago, your name sounded familiar. However, it then struck me that I heard your name mention when I was child a few times." She smiled.

Edelgard raised an eyebrow at this as she listened, but also tried to remain still.

"Is that so? It is rare to hear that." Seteth said with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes. I was four years old when your name was mentioned! A messenger came to Remire village to deliver the usual mail. However, at that time I did not know that my father hid that I was his daughter but as a joke, I said Sandy was my mother." Arisa chuckled, "The messenger said he won the bet that Sandy and Seteth got married and had a child!" She laughed.

Edelgard had to quickly cover her mouth and bent down, she was shaking from trying not to burst out laughing and could only imagine the face the advisor was making. And indeed, Seteth was slowly turning red as Arisa continued to speak. Sothis was howling as she held her stomach, too bad no one could see the goddess laughing hysterically.

"I only knew that the Seteth mention was a former lover of hers. The face my aunt made, and Florencio looked dead as my aunt went to chase after the messenger to not spread such false information and that she was single! Though, the Seteth they were talking about...I'm not sure if it was you or someone else." She said.

Arisa knew damn well they were talking about the Seteth in front of her.

"Cough. I believe they may have been talking about someone else. Anyhow! Do finish your work and go to sleep. Have a good night Professor." With that, the man left and Arisa closed the door, quickly putting the sound barrier and put down her cat, who happily walked over to Edelgard, who finally was able to laugh properly.

"Haha...hahaha...Haha! I-I...I have... never heard him so embarrassed!" Edelgard laughed as she stood up.

"I knew very well the messenger was talking about him. The perks of knowing things. Ufu!" Arisa giggled as she handed the princess a bag of cookies, "I'll warp you to your room. Well, good night Edelgard." She smiled warmly at her.

"Thank you, my teacher. Truly. Well, good night." And with that, Arisa wrapped her to her room.

"My my! This is the first time I've seen the princess so happy! You did well. But seriously we need sleep so off you go." Sothis said as Arisa waved her hand to turn off the lights and went to her bed.

Herslveg mowed at her as she began to lay down, the white cat made it comfortable on a pillow next to her.

"Seriously, the fact that you claim my room as your home now surprises me." Arisa yawned a bit as she pulled the blankets in.

"Sigh...good night..." she muttered as she closed her eyes and drifted to a deep slumber.

[-]

- Zanado -

"That damn bastard! We're already screwed over and what's more with the way that damn mercenary left me! Arrgh!"

Pure anger at the leader of the bandits, Kotas felt as he slammed his fist on a stone wall, looking at his missing left arm, that was cut off by the mercenary of forest hair. He wasn't completely healed but was still covered in a good portion of bandage cloth.

"Boss, this area has been getting sightings of demonic beasts. We got to be careful!" One of the bandits said as his companions that knew magic began to set up barriers to protect themselves.

They were in one of the stone houses with a broken rooftop.

"Don't remind me. Ugh! I swear that bastard..." Kotas growled.

They all went silent as they heard footsteps approaching, one of the bandits threw a fireball which was deflected.

"Who's there!?" Kotas yelled as the owner of those footsteps came into view.

Person wearing a black cloak with a hood that hid their face, about 5'2 feet, was silent. There was a strange eye looking symbol on the back of their cloak. Kotas growled as he stood up as the figure approached him.

"Question. Are you Kotas?" It was a soft feminine Male voice that spoke from the hooded figure.

"Yeah. Who are ya? Was it that damn bastard that sent you?" Kotas snarled.

"Negative. I was sent by my Master to provide aid." The figure said.

"Help? You can't be serious." Kotas scoffed as the figure nodded.

"Confirmation. I have brought an item to help you." The figure said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a stone with a Crest symbol on it, "Acceptance. My Master has ordered you to give this you. It will give you the power of a Crest." He said as Kotas glared.

"What is this? Some kind of sick joke?" Kotas said.

"Confusion. Is this not what you desire? To get revenge on the nobles of Fodlan? Strange. Humans are strange." And the figure took a step back to dodge Kotas hands coming at him.

"Of course, I want to kill those snot nose brats as well as that mercenary that took my left arm! Gimmie that damn thing!" Kotas snarled and the figure threw the stone to him, which he easily caught.

"Understood. Instructions on how to use the stone. Place it on your missing left arm. Its power will give you what you want. Warning. Beware of the Knights of Serios." The figure said.

The knights located us!? Dammit! Grr...look kid, this damn thing better help us or I'm coming after your head." Kotas threatened him and the figure just cocked his head confused.

"Confusion. Is this how bandits speak?" He said and warped away before things went south.

- Forrest near Gaspar Territory -

"Did you do what I instructed?"

Pipipipi!

Dressed in the clothing of a War Cleric, Sandy camped deep in the forest of Gaspar Territory, speaking to a cute little creature called a Lizard. It was rare seeing one that liked piping like a little chick but this fae was usually native to Almyra. It looked like an axolotl, but it had little dragon fly wings and could walk and breath perfectly on land. These little ones loved digging holes and making their nest in them. Also, these little creatures at some point when Sandy's family was alive, were trained to gather information without suspicion. The fact that Sandy remembers such training from years ago was something she was grateful for. Sweet little fae it was.

"Pipipipipipi!" The Lizard said as Sandy wrote down information in a piece of paper then lit it on fire, sending it directly to Seteth.

"He's probably pissed. I just woke him up from his sleep." Sandy chuckles as she hugged her knees, staring into the fire she made.

"How that man managed to woo me all those years ago...I don't know..." she muttered as she closed her eyes, past memories replayed in her mind.

The times she would play with Flayn. The times she would train with her own siblings. But suddenly the image of Cyril and Claude came into her mind for some reason. Cyril very much reminded her of one of her siblings but Claude...there was something about the boy that always put her on edge. His scent had this particular...how would she explain it...taste? Wait, that sounds wrong. Just something about it was familiar. Yes, she knew the boy from those years ago when the girls trained him as well as the jobs she would take with Judith. The boy's scent was that of Fodlan but also...Almyran. The Almyran part was familiar but there was just...something...something that she cannot remember. Whatever that unknown yet familiar factor was, it put her on edge.

Pipipipi!

She opened her eyes and saw the lizard looking around frantically. Sandy quickly stood up as it climbed on her. She heard rustling in the leaves, quickly taking out a dagger as she steeled herself to kill. She quickly casted her spell that changed her appearance completely. Her skin became a light peach, her hair a light pink, her eyes a dark brown.

"Who's there?!" She yelled out and two knights dressed in the armor of the Kingdom came out, "Oh for Pete's sake! How many times are you Faerghus knights going to give me heart attacks!?" Sandy groans loudly as she puts her dagger away.

"Oh...um sorry. We thought you were...a knight of Serios." One of the knights said and Sandy huffed.

"Hell no! Anyhow, what are you punks doing out here anyway?" She said.

"We could ask you the same thing." The other knight said.

"On my way to the town of Gaspard. I'm a mercenary from the Alliance. Heard they were offering jobs for hunting bandits that have been pillaging villages." Sandy said as she turned off her fire.

"The town's actually not far from here. We're on our way there. What's your name?" They asked.

"Tifa." Sandy said and followed them.

And it was true, they were heading to the town. It took around 20 minutes to arrive and she waved goodbye as they went their separate ways. She headed to the inn, booked a room, and closed the door. She set down her bag on her bed and sighs as she begins to remove the metal hoop, letting it plop onto the wooden floor.

"Pipipipipi!" Lizard said as Sandy petted them.

"I know...I know...we'll gather more information tomorrow. I return next month to the Monastery. Sigh...Lord Lonato...why start a battle you will lose...?"

Chapter 39: Memory's Whisper: Part 1: Preparations

[-]

Who is this new mysterious enemy and the measures being taken for future battles? Now, we are starting to see relationship developments. Now, I won't be rushing things like I said before. I'm going to take it at a nice pace, so the story develops. Arisa's first support conversation with Edelgard as well as her interacting with Ferdinand. You'll see how the fire affected him in the next chapter.

Next, we have Dimitri getting challenged by his own stepbrother, Chris. Christian is protective of his family and that quality of him is from his past life stayed with him. He was very protective of Arisa so in a way, he is like Holst minus the overprotective nature. Despite him now being the one with older mentally than Arisa, he still greatly respects her for what she has been through and was able to continue forward. Also, he straight up tells Dimitri that he knows he loves Arisa but is also challenging the prince, making him think if he truly loves her. Also, him saying that Arisa will put on the dense girl act on purpose to make sure things remain professional is a bit of a defensive mechanism Arisa has had in her past life. The reason Chris was so brutal with him was to make Dimitri think. To force him to think about if he should be trapping himself in the voices of the past. 4 years ago, he wouldn't have been able to do that to Dimitri but now that he remembers his past life and his old personality merging with the one of this world, his true age and mentally is showing. It is the same case with Arisa and Alexandra.

Arisa will talk more with Petra and soon we'll have her talking with Bernadetta.

Hope everyone is doing alright with the COVID-19 virus going on and such. Stay safe, wash your hands. Over here they put my city on lock down and such. Stores closing down. As well as my university has been closed down for the rest of the semester. So, cleaning my house and such plus good opportunities to finally fix my damn room. Hope you are all okay and stay safe and wash your hands! Maybe a new hobby?

Translation to what Chris and Alexandra said about Arisa:

Chris:
I saw everything. The first person you flirted with had to be him of all people? Sister, I'm concerned about your taste in men.

Alexandra:

I'm worried. Does Arisa have something for men with an anguished attitude?

Omake -

After spending an entire 2 hours in the marketplace searching for a gift, Caspar finally settled down on an orange colored leather journal with flower designs imprinted on the leather and a pressed flower bookmark made of pine wood, for Annette. The girl turned 16 years old today and had already received many gifts from her friends. He saw her looking down still after she talked to him about the incident in the dining hall regarding the plates flying, the pots giving off blue steam, that happened a week ago. Then again, he did hear about the accident where she was carrying dishes and somehow tripped on air, the plates went flying in the air. Thankfully, Christian was nearby and managed to catch them, but Annette was still a bit down.

"Hey Amir, think Annette would like an axe to go with the journal?" Caspar asked the Duscur woman who shook her head.

"Bad idea my friend. Just settle on the journal. I think she'll appreciate it. Besides," she pointed to the journal," the journal also comes with sheet music. She likes to sing, but don't tell her that I told you or she comes after my head." Amir chuckled.

"Hrrmmmm...Alright if you say so." He said and they passed by a flower stall, and the woman noticed the boy staring at a few sunflowers.

Amir smiled softly and spoke.

"Do you want to get some for Annette?" she asked him to give her a thumbs up.

"I saw her tending the flowers in the green house. I think these will cheer her up also!" Caspar said and Amir nodded.

A small bouquet of sunflowers was bought.

[-]

She was tired and sore from the professor's training today, yet Annette could not help but feel excited to continue working hard. She has been improving in her faith magic greatly along with her axe skills. She was honestly surprised when the professor suggested that she also learn brawling to help her improve her physical physique. Anette was surprised by the results and was more than happy. Besides, today was also her birthday and she receiving many wonderful gifts from her friends. Still, sadness lingered in her eyes as she remembered that in the past, her father would gift her wooden dolls he would carve himself. How she missed those days he would be with her and her mother….before he suddenly left without a word.

"Sigh...no use getting down about the past…." she sighs as she opens the door to her room yet she blinked multiple times as she saw near the open curtains of her window, was a flower vase with sunflowers along with a parcel, a letter on top of it.

The girl walked up to the shelf and could not help but smile warmly as she gently touched the flowers and picked up the letter opening it to read it.

Hey Annette! Hope you like the gifts I got you. Truthfully, I was having a hard time figuring out what to get you and had some help from a few friends. But I hope you like the journal and bookmark! Also, sunflowers reminded me a bit about you so decided to get you some! I hope this cheer you up. You've been down lately, and I rather see you laughing and smiling! Hope everything is alright. Welp, got to go. Happy Birthday Annette!

From Caspar

Annette could not help but feel her face turn a shade of pink as she finished reading the letter but giggled happily as she opened the parcel. Inside was the journal along with the pressed flower bookmark. The girl smiled warmly as she looked at the forget-me-knots, daisies, and other flowers on the bookmark as well as the journal.

"Thank you, Caspar." she smiled warmly as she touched the sunflowers once more.

Indeed, today was a wonderful birthday.

"But how did he get these into my room? I always have the door locked and the lock wasn't broken."

Meanwhile with Amir:

"Thank you, Lily." Amir grinned at the brownie that gave her thumbs up and was happy with the warm cup of cream Amir had gifted her and disappeared in a shower of pink dust.

A couple of brownies lived in the monastery and helped keep the rooms clean but they only appeared when no one was in the dorms, so that gave them a chance to clean the rooms in peace. Amir happened to run into one named Lily that was cleaning Annette's room and politely asked the woman if she could be allowed in to deliver a gift. Lily caught on quickly and had a mischievous glint in her eyes as she opened the door and allowed Amir to deliver Caspar's gift safely.

"Ahhh. Young love." Amir chuckled as she left to continue her work.

Indeed, today was a good day.