The morning at the monastery was not as cheerful as it used to be since the passing of Florencio. The atmosphere almost felt tense as the tension between the knights that were under Catherine's command would send hateful glares at Amir and Alexandra and the said knight would only turn away before she did something she regret. Edelgard's bruise on her right cheek was healing and Emily instructed her to keep on putting the cream she prescribe to her for a few more days. Yet, as Edelgard sat next to Lestia's bed, she remained silent in thought. She looked over to her step-sister, who was put into a deep slumber to recover. She thought back to when she went see Bernadetta but the result was...
"Are you waiting for time to heal your wounds? Or have you curled up in a corner and lost the will to carry on?"
"What did you just say? Does it matter?"
"It does. You've lost yourself."
"...How could you ask me something like that?"
"Only you can truly understand your sadness. Others can sympathize or even empathize, but all anyone else can offer are the tears of an outsider looking in. So I have no intention of crying for you, or of standing still with you. All I can do is promise to reach out my hand when the time comes for me to move forward."
"And what that leads to...her activating the power of her crest in rage and throwing me out of the room. Sigh..." Edelgard sighed, "Did Crest have such powers? There was never a record of it in history books. Then again...the majority of the history of Fodlan is fake." She spat and looked back to Lestia, "I wonder...if we can truly unleash the power of a crest? Part of it has already been done to you Lestia. You've been put to sleep to heal...like Flayn." She muttered and let go of a sigh.
"The true power of Crest...Are humans even capable of harnessing that power and making it their own?"
[—-]
"Aaahh!" Cirina squealed as she closed her eyes in bliss, "Blueberry cream sherbet cake tastes the same just as I remember! Sadly, those who I would share these memories are no longer here." She opened her eyes and smiled coyly.
"Out of everyone...Cornelia just had to put you in Alexandra's body." Emily pinched the bridge of her nose, "I got to meet Alex but I never got to speak to you again." She sighed as Flayn sat on her right and Cirina in front of her.
"Yeah, good to see you too, Aunty Noa." Cirina rolled her eyes.
"I see you developed a horrible attitude." Emily sighed, "Not that I blame you. Serios fucked up big time." She said and Cirina snorted.
"You know she's happy that Florencio is gone." Cirina said as she stabbed her fork into the cake, "Deep down, she is happy one obstacle is gone. That one obstacle that blocked the way to her bringing back the times of the Nabateans." She said and Flayn looked at her horrified.
"T-There is no way Rhea is happy! There is no way!" Flayn whimpered and Cirina just stared at her.
"Really? Then why did she go so far to make me look like the enemy and as a stupid warrior? She even went as far as to set me up to get killed by Riegan. The same thing is bound to happen to Alexandra." She said and both women looked at her horrified.
"That won't happen!" Emily slammed her hands on the table, "Cirina, blaming the descendants of the 10 Elites will do you no good! Especially also taking out the anger you feel onto them and others! I understand you deeply despise Serios and them but..." the girl only looked at her with an emotionless gaze.
"I'm just going to watch how things unfold. Anyhow," Cirina took a bite of her cake, "it won't be long now." She held up a finger, "One month. One more month and Sothis will become one with Arisa." The two women looked at her shocked as she continued to eat.
"I'm going to be real honest with you here." Cirina gently patted her napkin on her lips to wipe away the crumbs and looked at them with a frown and half-lidded gaze, "The flow of time has been corrupted over the years, and to change fate, three prices must be paid. One price has already been paid. And the other two will soon follow..." She turned to look out towards the lake where she saw Sandana looking out to it.
There was a small pendant in her right hand before it balled into a fist. Her eyes held some strange determination that only made Cirina smile as she turned back to the two. With her fork, she cut another piece of the cake.
"Remember the old saying Grandmother would say? Come and see the world in different ways from The River of Time before it all shatters away. Someone has abused their ability to manipulate time. It's not Arisa. But Arisa will be the one facing the consequences of their actions." Her eyes became half-lidded as she took a bite, "...Byleth, you have gone mad."
Cirina looked towards the shadows and managed to keep herself from flinching when she felt a cold gaze on her. All she could do was ignore it and keep talking to her family.
[—]
"Umm...Bernadetta." Linhardt's eye twitched as the purple-haired girl looked up from her book, "That's my book. The Magical Affinities of A Crest..." he said and the girl only stared at him before just going back to the book.
"Bernadetta, you're supposed to be with The Black Eagles," Dwyer said and flinched at the glare the girl gave him.
"I don't want to be anywhere near Edelgard." Bernadetta huffed and went back to her book, "And I don't want to see Hubert's face either." It was obvious that the three have gotten into a fight, "I want to take my classes here."
"Oh boy." Felix sighed but nodded, "Alright. We'll let you stay here. Anyway, Xina has been filling for Arisa. Just...try not to get scared." And the girl looked at him confused until Xina walked into the class with multiple books in her arms.
"Alrighty then!" She slammed them onto the desk and clapped her hands together, "Finals are finally coming up so I will go brutal on you all for your studies. Your final exams will be in two months! And because this is where magical theory comes for everyone, I will be guiding you all step by step." She smiled and blinked when she saw Bernadetta.
"Bernie...you're not part of the Blue Lions," Xina said and the girl huffed, crossing her arms.
"I am now," Bernadetta said and everyone just looked at her shocked but Xina smiled softly and nodded.
"Alright. But just so you know, Shamir is in charge of archery classes today." The entire class was filled with groans.
Arisa made it mandatory for everyone in the Blue Lions to learn basic archery and magic after what happened in Zanado months ago. The woman smiled again as she began to read out the words of The Magical Theory of Barriers by Hermis Blaiddyd, which was written 200 years ago.
Bernadetta listened to while at the same time kept reading her book. She couldn't concentrate properly. Solon is still alive, she just awakened something inside of her that just makes her feel her emotions are out of control. The power of her Crest, will she be harmed if her father finds out about it? Would he try to isolate her and make her get married? Would he try to kill her as he did to her uncle? Would he hold her mother hostage for refusing to obey his orders? What about the others that witnessed her breakdown? Are they scared of her? She doesn't think so because everyone is still treating her the same.
Except for Edelgard.
Her conversation with Edelgard the other day made her blood boil. Florencio was killed and she was telling her to get over it?! How could she say that?! Edelgard knows what it is like to lose loved ones yet she dared to tell her to get over it? Bernadetta needed to grieve. She needed to cry. She can't keep everything inside like she used to. At some point, she knew the tears she shed would dry up but not now. Florencio meant so much to her. He treated her fairly and never looked down on her. He acknowledged her. She took as many deep breaths as she could to calm herself because she noticed how the glass of water on the Professor's desk started to boil. She sighed and went back to reading her book until unfortunately, Xina decided to call on her.
"Bernadetta! What is the formula needed to complete the magic matrix for the spell Anima Matrix?" Xina asked and Bernadetta didn't look up from her book as she kept reading.
"A= 3x - ½, then modify the magic matrix by shortening the magic circle by two inches to create the number of magic to flow. Then visualize the formula once more but this time apply the formula, 3.1469265 with a2 to properly visualize the commands." She said and looked up from her book only to everyone looking at her stunned. Yet, Xina smiled proudly and nodded in approval before she turned back to the chalkboard.
[— ]
"And done!" Ferdinand smiled as he put down the makeup brush on the table, "I think this should help hide your appearance," he gave the mirror to Pollux.
Unfortunately, Dorothea's, Constance's, Sadi's, and Marianne's gasped with horror when their eyes landed on the girl, making it clear he did a horrible job at applying it. Hapi was desperately trying not to burst out laughing as the shadow bunny on her shoulder just gave the boys a disappointed look. It took Constance and Dorothea no time to quickly push Ferdinand out of the way and wipe off the makeup.
"Whoa...Umm...Pollux you look like a clown." Caspar said and Sylvain and Balthus quickly pulled the boy away before the other girls strangled him to death.
"Dorothea, you do Pollux's make-up! I will do her hair! Sadi! Get the uniform ready! Marianne, bring in the most beautiful shoes you can find!" Constance declared and the girls quickly did just that.
The Abyss had been somewhat livelier ever since the refuges of the villages were allowed to stay. When the mercenary families saw the place, they wasted no time helping the people out, helping rebuild the place, as well as helping with food and such. Crescent smiled softly as he watched the place from the second floor. Seeing the Abyss lively again reminded him of the old days with his people. He remembered his wife, who loved singing at the town square, and his son who would play with the kids. He let go of a sigh and turned his head a bit when he heard footsteps approaching. He flinched once he saw the color of mint green eyes in the one that came.
"So this is how your kingdom looked like years ago, my son. I wish I could have been there." They said and Crescent snorted as he crossed his arms, looking back to the place.
"Mother, I didn't think you come out. It's unsettling seeing you use my great niece's body like that." Crescent grimaced yet "Arisa" smiled at him as she pulled her hair back.
"Don't worry. Arisa allowed me to take over for today. The girl needs some rest. Also..." her eyes became half-lidded as she reached out her hand to only something she can see, "It seems the one who has passed away wishes to speak to her once last time." Sothis giggled as she turned back to her son.
"Will you speak to Serios?" He asked and Sothis frowned.
"No. If I speak to her, Serios will make sure to never let go of Arisa. Her eyes are also set on a way to get rid of Cirina. My son, do make sure to watch over my granddaughters and grandson. She also has her eyes set on Kaimu. He is Macuil's and Melody's son." Sothis explained and the man chuckled.
"I met the boy. He's an abomination. It won't surprise me that in the future he picks up Macuil's foul attitude. He has a knack for black magic and like his mother, loves to play the harp. He's a mini bard. I just hope he doesn't end up like Barbatos, that would be a disaster." Crescent snorted at the thought.
Already he could hear his elder brother yelling, "Here's to good wine!"
Sothis chuckled as she turned to leave but not before stopping for a bit to look at him.
"I will be going around Garreg Mach for while. Arisa will be back tomorrow. In the meantime, I will try a few things I have been wanting to do for a while." She grinned and left.
Crescent was suddenly very concerned.
[—]
Sothis giggled like a little girl as she made her way to the stables because she knew that was where Red Hare and Blanca were. She greeted the knights just like Arisa would always do and the minute she stepped into the stable that was built for the Pegasus and wyverns, Red Hare immediately stuck out his head from his stall. His ears pointing up, and his eyes with a wicked gleam. Sothis always asked herself how the flying horse was so sharp. Animals in this world were born with the ability to see the unknown since they are closely connected to the earth. It is the same for all supernatural creatures. That is why…
"Oh boy..." Sothis pinched the bridge of her nose as she walked up to the door, "I can explain."
"(Where is Arisa?! Why are you using my lady's body like it is your own?)" Animals can easily tell if someone is not themselves.
In this case, Red Hare immediately began speaking (neighing) angrily at her. Blanca and Hersvelg woke up from their naps and the wyverns, and other Pegasus all began to look out their stalls to hear the gossip. Sothis laughed nervously as she raised her hands in defense as she picked up a carrot to feed to the flying rat to shut it up.
"Now, now, Red Hare. Arisa has allowed me to take over for today due to her resting. You all know that Florencio has passed." the red pegasus snorted but nodded.
"(I see. My Lady wishes to be alone for a while. Sigh...reminds me of the early days when I was young.)" Red Hare let out a sigh and looked back at her.
"(Nyyyaaa~ Still it is strangely disturbing to see you speaking through my ladies mouth.)" Hresvelg jumped onto her shoulder, "(Ah, and yes, I've been keeping an eye on the white-haired girl of red. She still speaks to the rats of the shadows. Nyyaaa~ Little one ought to learn a lesson.)" She meowed.
"What about Puka, Kuro, and the others?" Sothis asked and Blanca let out a low laugh.
"(That's the advantage we animals have. Even we have our own spy networks. Gi though is a different level of his own.)" the group looked over to the rat that was eating corn he stole from the kitchen.
"(Hey! In my defense, Master Henry is excellent!)" Gi squeaked and continue to eat.
"(Anyway!)" Blanca quickly turned back to them, "(Why are you here? Did you need something?)"
"There is an old ruin nearby I wish to inspect." Sothis said, "Hare, you are the fastest but unfortunately you aren't very good at hiding your presence." The pegasus looked at her offended, "Is there anyone you recommend that can help get to the temple without being noticed?" She asked and he nodded.
"(If you want someone quiet and stealthy, then...)" he looked over to the stall that had the name, "Jason.", "(Lord Sylvain's Wyvern, Jason, would do the job.)"
Sothis nodded and walked to the stall, inside was a red-scaled wyvern with green eyes and a somewhat hostile attitude towards her.
"Hello there. Hare has told me you are the fastest and stealthiest of the wyverns. I need your help." she said and the wyvern snorted.
"(Not sure if I can help you, spirit. I only follow my Master's orders. No one else.)" he smirked but froze the minute a growl was heard all over the stable, "(Never mind. I'll help you.)" Sothis will have to thank Falco when she had the chance.
"I apologize in advance." Sothis sighed as she undid the lock and went to help the wyvern out of the stall, "Don't worry. I won't just do this without payment. I have brought some catfish and lamb meat. Or would you prefer chickens?" She asked as they walked out.
"(Oh! Lamb meat is perfect!)" The wyvern chirped as Sothis quickly looked around to make sure no one was around, but alas...fate likes to play games.
"Oh, Professor!"
Cyril.
"It had to be Cyril." Sothis whispered and put on a smile as the boy approached, "No wait, a smile would be too much. Yes! A sad smile!" And she quickly made the emotions fade from her eyes, putting on a tried expression, and used a bit of magic to make dark circles under her eyes.
"(You're dramatic.)" commented Jason, which earned him a flick on the forehead.
"Good afternoon, Cyril." Her voice was low and tried as well as she was keeping it mellow, "I see you're busy as ever."
The boy stopped and looked at her sadly but nodded.
"Thank you. Umm...Can I say a prayer to you?" He asked and Sothis blinked but nodded, "Ahem. Goddess, hear my prayer. Please receive this beloved person. When the cold rain washes the body when the bird and wolf announce the dawn... Receive them into your blue blood. Receive them into a twinkling star. That's a mourning scripture from the Church of Seiros. Lady Rhea taught it to me. I pray that Florencio is happy in the next world." He said and Sothis felt a pang of guilt.
She smiled softly and gently patted the boy's head, which surprised him.
"I'm sure the Goddess Sothis heard your prayer. Thank you, Cyril." She said and the boy looked at her in awe, "Ah, before I forget, please do not tell anyone that you saw me. I'm not exactly ready to speak to others." She said and he nodded, "Actually...could you get Noire for me?"
A few minutes later, the boy arrived with the archer. Noire looked at the Professor confused as Cyril excused himself.
"Um, Professor, did you need me for something?" Noire asked and Sothis walked up to her, her eyes glowing a bit, "No...you're not the Professor. Who are you, Spirit?" Aaahh, Sothis made a good choice.
"If I tell you my true name, that would ruin the surprise." Sothis snickered as she held her chin, "But in all seriousness, I'm a friend of your professor. She has allowed me to temporarily take over. She...wants to be alone for a while due to..." Noire's eyes widened once she realized what she meant.
"I understand. But, why did you need me?" The archer asked and Sothis motioned her to follow.
"There is an old ruin nearby I need to investigate. I suspect there are hexes and curses, and I learned through Arisa's eyes that you are the best hex and curse maker like your mother." Noire flinched at the mention of her mother but nodded slowly.
"I fear the Agarthans will soon make their move." Sothis said and the girl's eyes widened, "So Noir, daughter of one of the 7 leaders of Sirius, will you help me?" She grinned and for the first time, Sothis saw confidence in the girl's eyes.
Both got on Jason carefully and true to Red Hare's words, the wyvern didn't make a single sound when he took off. Out of paranoia, Sothis cast an invisibility spell on them.
The way to the woods was anything but pretty. It said that those that bare the Crest of Charon and Indech can affect the weather based on their mood. Saint Indech was said to cause the rivers to flood when he mourned. Currently, in this time, Bernadetta is mourning and Catherine is a pissed-off lady, so yes, the weather is cloudy and somewhat rainy. But that didn't stop Sothis. The deeper they flew into the forbidden forest, the more the plants looked like they were telling them, to turn back.
Darker and darker.
The feeling around the place just felt unsettling and she noticed how pale Noire was becoming as they reached a landing spot near the old temple. Jason let out an uncomfortable groan as he landed, sniffing the air for any predators as well as possible a snack. Carefully they got off, and Sothis handed him a piece of the lamb meat as a reward.
"This is it..." Sothis muttered as she looked up to the hill that led to the old temple, "Noire, do you sense anything?" She got no reply, "Norie?"
She turned and gasped when she saw the terrified and pale face the girl had. Sothis turned and felt her soul quake at the sight of hundreds if not thousands of damned souls of humans, Nabateans, faeries, and other magical creatures and animals alike. They screamed and wailed in agony as they clawed the air as if trying to crawl out but no matter how hard they tried, the souls were chained to the site.
Her soul screamed not to go anywhere near the site but she gulped down her fear and took the first step towards the old staircase that led up the hill. The way the temple was set up made it obvious (to her at least) that it was used for sacrifices. The old stone pillars were cracked and covered in moss, made from marble yet she could see the faint etchings of the letterings the Agarthans used. Arisa informed her in her old world, those strange symbols were called, Russian. Sadly Arisa can't read it, Sothis now wished she used that familiar de—!
"Noire! Do you know how to summon familiars?!" Sothis quickly turned to the girl, who raised an eyebrow, "Yes or no?"
"Unfortunately I'm not an Omyoji..." Noire frowned, "But...I do know a basic summoning spell. It can summon a wisp but only for a few minutes. Will that be enough?" She asked and Sothis nodded.
In front of the stone pillars, Noire began to draw a magic circle with cursed runes that spelled out soul, a talisman placed in the center along with a small shard that fell off the stone pillar. The girl nodded, satisfied as she placed a small drop of blood on the stone. She began to chant in broken tones, watching as the runes glowed a light red and green before burning to ashes. In its place was a small wisp with some flames.
"Hello there." Sothis knelt, "I can not say my name but we are the ones that summoned you. Can you tell us about this place?" She asked and wisp looked back and forth before it let out a hiss at them.
"Filthy. Filthy! Human summon cursed fae! You are not human! You are like a stone! Are you Agarthan?" It hissed and the two shook their heads.
"No. But we want to stop the Agarthans. Especially...the sages." She said and the wisp stared at her for a moment before it spoke.
"I was a warrior of Fae Tribe. I served General Vernata, who served Lady Cirina." Sothis twitched at the name.
Vernata, The Maiden of the Wind. She was one of 20 children of the Faerie Queen Titania and King Oberon. The two fae royals were once good friends of hers all those years ago but after her death, she didn't know what happened to them. She remembered Vernata. She was a wind fairy who loved traveling all around Fodlan.
"Lady Vernata...used the last of her life to destroy this old temple. Her relic, we do not know where it is." It sighed and turned to look at the old pillar, "This temple is bad. It is filled with malice. Here is where creatures of all were brought and sacrificed to create it. It is an evil curse." It raised its tiny arm and pointed toward the direction of the giant area, "It was created to destroy Sirius."
"You mean the organization?" Noire spoke up and the wisp shook its head.
"No." It turned to them.
"It was created to destroy The Divine Dragon Sothis."
Sick.
Sothis suddenly felt sick to her stomach as fear began to crawl in Arisa's body. Her soul began trembling as she began to remember the way she was killed. The wisp was silent as it noticed she began trembling and continued to speak.
"The souls were harvested to create energy. The bodies were torn apart to create materials. The blood was boiled to create the bindings. And the hearts were torn to awaken to darkness." It whispered and flew up to Sothis, "Spirit, if you have a chance...please purify this place and allow the souls chained here to be freed and pass on. That is all I ask..." The whips said and faded away.
Noire looked at Sothis worried as she saw the tears that were falling down her eyes. She looked at her hands, seeing them stained in blood as all those years ago when she supported Duma when he trampled Thabes. She began to remember the old days when she would smile and laugh with her siblings. She remembered after trial and error, she was finally able to create her first child. The memory of her beloved daughter Parvati giggling for the first time. Mercedes and Jeritza remained her so much of her. Yet, the tears that fell were that of anger and sorrow as she looked at the old arena.
"All this bloodshed...Just to destroy..." She smiled bitterly as she balled her hands, "Noire, let us go. I have seen enough for today." The girl nodded, "But one thing for sure..." Sothis turned around, her eyes dark yet they held a determination that she had not had in a long time...
"We will finally put an end to this war."
[—]
Jason knew something was up when the spirit in the woman's body had the scent of salt all over her. He would say something but he didn't want to get a yelling Lord Falco. He already had enough with the new little prince Nagi. And if Zarha learned that he made the spirit cry, she and the kinshis would unleash hell on him. For now, he decided to keep his jaw shut as he landed near the s—oh no.
"Huh? What is Cathrine doing here? And it seems Amir and Alexandra are there too. Jason, quick! I have a bad feeling!" The spirit said and they wyvern did just that.
[—]
"Aw, is your pride hurt?" Cirina giggled as she twirled a lock of her hair, "Of course, I'm going to step in to stop you from ruining your image of a chivalrous knight. Can you imagine the gossip that would go around if Rhea's Champion executed a child?! Oh! The scandals!" The woman laughed while Amir was just banged her head on the nearest wooden pole.
She should stop Cirina, especially because Alexandra was still asleep but she had to admit, seeing Cathrine get...what was the word? Roasted! Made her feel happy. Amir when she was a young girl, admired Catherine for her merits and such but as the years went by, she saw the effects of discrimination. Especially...towards her people.
"How dare you?! The fact that you knocked me out right when Lady Rhea was about to deliver judgment, and even froze my knights?!" Catherine snarled and Amir placed her hand on Cirina's shoulder to keep her from making the situation worse.
"First off, we chose to knock you out because you indeed were about to ruin your reputation." Amir began as her gaze was dark, "Second, Pollux is a child. Regardless of whether she looks like us or not. And third, there was clear evidence that Dark and Black magic was being used to manipulate her." Amir stated her argument.
"She worked with Tomas and same with her brother. They leaked information and who knows what else they have stolen! By the name of the goddess won—-!"
Fear.
Pure fear filled every fiber of the trio. It was as if some sort of force suddenly chose to make itself present. Cirina began trembling as the presence faded away. Arisa appeared but Cirina already knew that wasn't her. That was Sothis. But, by the red eyes and the dark circles, she knew Sothis must have had a bad day. That didn't matter. Amir knew Sothis could be sly and manipulative when she needed to but when she was angry, even Arisa became terrified of her. Sothis took a deep breath as walked up and looked back and forth between the three.
"What is going on?" She asked and as expected, Cathrine turned to her furiously.
"You." Cathrine growled as Sothis crossed her arms with an unamused look, "How dare you to stand in the way of Lady Rhea bringing judgment on those traitors?!" She snarled and Sothis just raised an eyebrow at her.
"You nearly had Pollux executed." Sothis said coldly, "Anna and Sandy tied her down yet you grabbed and pinned her to the ground like an animal. You shouted out that they help Tomas when in reality it was far from it. Because of this, if I and the others had not intervened, the girl would have been executed on the spot." She explained but it seemed Cathrine didn't care.
"She was an accomplice of Tomas! It's because of her and Castor that Florencio is dead!" Cathrine yelled, "And you have some nerve telling Lady Rhea to shut up. Even more when these idiots!" She pointed at Amir and Alex, "knocked me out cold and froze my knights!" She snarled and Sothis's gaze went sharp.
"Repeat that, you human. You dare insult, my friends?!" Sothis growled and quickly Amir stood in front of her with her arms spread out.
"Stop. Stop. Stop." Amir quickly got in front of Sothis, "(Sothis, you're going to get in trouble!)" she spoke in Duscurian.
Sothis only started at her before she gently moved her to the side, and then turned back to Cathrine with a terrifying cold gaze. The Crest of Charon in Cathrine's blood began to quiver in fear as the knight felt as if someone suddenly pushed her to the ground. Sothis rarely abused her authority as a divine dragon but today...
"How dare you blame the death of Florencio on innocent children? When yourself would murder children like a stupid mutt if your master ordered you!" Roared Sothis furiously.
"But—!"
"SILENCE FARNIR!"
Something inside Cathrine immediately trembled at the name that the woman yelled. It was fear. Like if a mother was about to punish her for doing something stupid or offensive. Sothis glared at her and stomped one foot before she stood straight, looking down at her.
"Answer me this Catherine, are you a knight?" She asked and the woman looked at her confused for a moment, "Are you a knight?" Sothis repeated and Cathrine nodded.
"Of course I am." She said, "My role as a Captain of the Knights of Serios is to protect Fodlan as well as cut down anyone who terrorizes the peace. And anyone that dares goes against the Church and Lady Rhea." She said and Sothis gave her a disappointed look.
"Then let me challenge you on those ideals." Sothis said and not too far she could sense a few others must have been watching, well...might as well let them, "As a knight, you say you would obey the orders of your Master. And this goes also towards retrainers. Then, what would you do if your lord starts heading down a path that you question? A dark path, that you know in your heart is wrong." She sighed as she placed her hand over her heart.
"Have you not ever doubted the actions of your Master? Have you ever asked yourself if certain actions were truly the correct thing to do? Even if it goes against what you know in your heart is right?" Sothis asked and Catherine only narrowed her eyes at her, "I know you hid a few facts from Lady Rhea when you reported what happened at the territory of House Gaspar." Now she saw the reaction she was looking for.
Hesitation.
"Tell me, Catherine, why did you choose to hide that Alexandra used a Heroe's Relic and that the fae chose to get interfere?" Sothis smiled and Alexandra deep within her mind stirred, "Because you knew that Rhea would do something to my friend."
"Your question from earlier. I would follow Lady Rhea to the bitter end. No matter what." Catherine said and Sothis frowned.
"If she told you to kill a Lord, would you do it?"
"Yes."
"If a child ran towards her with a knife, what would you do?"
"Isn't it obvious? Cut them down."
"...If Rhea told you to burn a whole city..." Sothis said because she was referring to a memory of Arisa, "would you do it? With citizens and all?"
"...Lady Rhea's words are absolute," Catherine said and Sothis chuckled darkly as she ran her fingers through her hair.
"Well, if you fail to disarm a child and chose to cut them down, you are a failure as a knight and human being as well." Sothis said coldly to her, "The fact that you would obey if she ordered you to burn down a city...you're acting no better than a puppet. It's sad...I pity you." And she turned away, furious.
Catherine gritted her teeth, she would not stand for such slander. She ripped off her glove and threw it at Arisa's back. The smack of the leather could be heard when it made an impact on Arisa's back. Sothis stopped and slowly turned to look at her with a blank gaze before she looked down to the ground to see the glove. Cirina dragged her hand down her face while Amir just wanted to throw herself off the bridge. Noire was mortified as Sothis picked up the glove.
"Your arrogance is applauding. So humans always act this way when things do not go their way?" Sothis said as she looked at the glove thrown at her.
"I challenge you to a duel! I will not allow you slander Lady Rhea!" Cathrine roared as Sothis scrunched her face.
"As entertaining as the idea is, I do not accept." Sothis threw the glove back to her, "Things would end badly if we did it."
"What happened to all the big talk?" Catherine smirked but Sothis only smiled.
"If I duel you, it could end up in three ways." She held up three fingers, "One, you end up with a broken arm. Two, your pride as a knight is demolished. Three, you ruin your name once more in so call defense of Lady Rhea's honor. And.." just for fun, she held up one more finger, "I know I said three but let's make it four." Her gaze went straight to Thrunderbrand, "You surrender Thunderbrand to me."
"What?" Catherine was taken back by her words but the Goddess only smiled as she placed her hand on her hip.
"Erick would benefit more using that sword. He does a lot more than you realize." She said and that only seemed to anger the woman, but in Sothis's eyes, she was not worthy of wielding the sword made from the bones of her son.
"Fine. But if I win, you take back everything you said." Sothis laughed at her words.
"Even if I say I take it back, I wouldn't mean it." Sothis smiled and turned away from her, "Do pick your locations and time carefully Catherine. Don't want to be late to the show." And away she walked but she can just feel Catherine's murderous glare on her.
Once far away, Amir and Cirina pushed Sothis onto the wall, angry.
"What the hell were you thinking?!" Both yelled and Sothis only blinked at them.
"Arisa is going to freak out once she wakes up!" Amir hissed as well as Cirina, "Baba, you haven't changed!"
"Alright, Alright, already." Sothis sighed as she got them to let her go, "But I do not regret what was done today. I know very well that Ingrid and Cyril were present along with Noire and a few others. Let them think of my words. I want them to realize a few things." She sighed once more and looked at them, "Arisa will be back tomorrow. I'm sure you all met...him in your dreams already." She said and the two went silent.
"Just a little longer."
- Dream -
"Hmmm..."
White.
The first thing she saw was white. A pure white place, the lighting of it warm as she carefully sat up and looked around. There was a faint scent of water but what was the most noticeable was the scent of lavender. The pure white landscape took her breath away yet the more she looked around, she began to see familiar buildings. She took a deep breath as she stood up and began to walk, yet her breath felt like it was taken away when she looked towards the center of the place. A familiar shade of pastel purple came into her sight. She finally began to figure out what was going on as she took the first step as soon she began running towards the person that was walking. She ran and ran, till finally, she was five feet away from them. She panted and gasped for air as they stop.
"Ufu..." a familiar small laugh as they waited for her to catch her breath, "I see you still rush things as usual." They turned to her and she felt her eyes begin to water, "Been a while."
"Florencio..." Arisa gaped as the man smiled at her as placed his hand on his hip.
Florencio smiled at her like always and looked around, a bit before smiling at her again.
"This...just a fragment of my memories...isn't it?" Arisa muttered as she rubbed her arm nervously and Florencio smiled a bit timidly.
"If so, then I am glad time is frozen here." He said, "Sigh, I guess Solon is alive. Pity. But he's on the brink of death." He said and turned, "Let's walk. We have much to discuss." Confusion filled her features but she knew better than to question her uncle.
The white space began to change into a place full of color. Old houses made of stone and brick began to take shape, the afterimages of adults and children walking around. Dogs, cats, birds, and cattle in fields of grass help the farmers plant their crops. The village is surrounded by pine trees to protect them all. Arisa couldn't help but smile softly as they were walking through Remire Village, back when it was the small village. They stopped in front of the clothing shop, and Florencio chuckled.
"I never once forgot how you ran for your life when Sandy brought you to this place." He chuckled as they entered and the first thing in their sight was Byleth sulking as she was being put into a frilly hideous pink dress that Sandy chose, "In case you are wondering, this entire place was built on my memories. I never once forgot what Old Remire looked like. Especially with how it changed over the years."
They continued to walk as she watched Byleth jump out the window when she found the perfect opportunity. Sandy was screeching while Florencio only shook his head as he cheered his niece on. The scene then changed to her bedroom where she lay in the bed after being picked up by Jeralt. Arisa immediately recognized it as she felt her heart stop as she heard Jeralt yell, "Byleth, are you alright?!"
There she was on the bed, passed out from when the memories poured into her, the skin under her eyes red from crying and some of the bandages had a bit of blood on them. Sandy kicked Jeralt out and both immediately began to change her bandages and treat her wounds. Again, the scene shifted to when Jeralt and Florencio came to check on her. They asked her if she was alright and her response was, "I'm okay, Papa. I swear this cut is nothing." She said a bit too confidently.
The way the two men froze almost made her laugh yet Florencio chuckled as he let out a small sigh.
"When you woke up, I immediately knew something was different. Byleth's eyes never held any emotions since the day they were born. Your form of speaking, you immediately knew you did something you weren't supposed to do." He said and the scene changed to the inside of his shop.
It was her reading his book about poisonous herbs and how to make them into something deadly. He chuckled as the two watched them talk about the book.
"I remember this." Arisa smiled softly, "I guess..."
"This is the day I first met you. You as Arisa." He said and turned to her with a smile, "I knew something changed when we spoke for the first time that day. Emotionless eyes filled with strength but also sadness. A sadness that is there and never goes away." He said and Arisa smiled sadly at him.
"However, I didn't know what exactly changed."
The two continued to walk and soon reached a forest covered in snow.
"I remember this." Arisa muttered, "When I first...wounded a bandit." The little girl fell to her knees, shaking and crying as her hands were covered in blood, her father finishing off the bandit.
He quickly hugged her and tried to calm her down. In the distance, Florencio watched, shocked to see the girl terrified of death. He smiled softly as they stopped in front of a snow-covered field. Though time froze this place, they revisited places that they had traveled over time yet...
"Florencio..." Arisa took a deep breath and turned to him, "Why are you showing me this?" She asked and the man smiled.
"I thought it is good to reminisce some things before we havve serious talk." He said and Arisa lip quivered as she stopped.
"I can't…We can't continue this path of memory lane." Her voice cracked, his back facing her "I failed...I swore I would protect you all." Arisa whispered as her head hung low, her eyes refusing to meet her uncle's, "I swore I would do everything I could to defeat Those Who Slither In the Dark. I swore I would do what I could to change the future...but not like this..." she gritted her teeth.
"In the end...in the end!" Her hands shook as she looked at them, her body trembling as her tears finally began to stream like a rainstorm, "What's the point of knowing the future if I couldn't even use it to protect those I love! "
Hot tears rolled down her cheeks like the rain pouring down from the sky. The guilt of being unable to do anything to save Florencio. The guilt she felt because it was her fault that so many things had changed. She was an aberration. A being that was different from the rest. She was a character that was supposed to play her role in the theatrical theater yet here she was, cutting the strings that tied her down to the stage. But to cut the strings, a price must be paid. Another sob escaped her lips as her mind brought up the old memories of much happier times. When she would practice magic in Florencio's shop or when he would correct her when she made a mistake. She thought back to the time when she first arrived at the world of Three Houses, despite knowing something changed in Byleth, he still treated her with kindness.
She thought back to the time when she broke down into tears in front of him. Confessing who she truly was, her origins, as well as the things she has done behind her father's back. He could have rejected her. Tell her that he was disgusted by what she had done. He could have accused her of killing Byleth yet...he still extended a hand to her. A warm hand that she took hold. He listened to her weep. He listened to her rants. He listened to the anger she felt and even the questionable things she has done. Florencio smiled softly as he looked at her.
"There is an old story that was told many years ago." He began as she looked up to him, "That a mother who knew she did not have much time, wrote many letters for her daughter so that she may have one on each birthday. In each letter, she would include money so that the daughter could buy candy. Each year, that money increased. This was her way of growing with her child." He smiled and Arisa felt more tears welling up.
"Even though I've passed away, I'm still a parent who will encourage my children to grow up and accompany them through their childhood. Hehe." He gently patted her head, "The role of a parent is to guide the children of the next generation. To teach them to make their own choice. To help learn from right and wrong. To show them both beautiful and ugly of the world. So that when the time is right, for when the children leave the nest, they will be able to make the right choices." His smile softened as he looked back to one of the mirrors.
"I knew death was coming for Jeralt." He said and Arisa went still, "I have my way, my dear niece. Solon is still alive, that much I know. Arisa, the River of Time is a fragile thing, unfortunately. Many people get dragged into it without them even knowing or asking for it. But here is my question to you Arisa." He held out his hand to her and projected the Crest of Flames.
"Why did you accept Byleth's offer?" He said, his gaze calculating.
He wanted to hear it for himself. Arisa looked at him with wide eyes but closed them as she smiled sadly, "Though my memories have almost faded...I still remember enough." She muttered softly as she turned to look at one mirror.
The images wavered and changed to a white room with windows, a hospital bed, and a young woman laying on the bed, connected to multiple machines. Her tan skin was pale and sickly, yet her face was blurred.
"In my previous life...I was born sickly. That blurred woman you see is me. I was 26 years old." Arisa smiled bitterly as the image shifted to her falling in the darkness and hearing Florencio's gasp when a much younger Byleth cupped her cheeks.
She turned to him with a smile.
"I made I promise. An oath. That I would protect her—our family. And I will keep that promise, no matter what." She said as she raised her hand, her appearance wavering revealing a young woman with tan skin, brown-colored eyes, and dark brown-black hair, then her appearance wavered again but this time to Byleth.
And one final time, this time it was its current self. She projected The Crest of Flames and then crushed it in her hands.
"This is our story. This is my life now. This is my reality." She said, "For many years I did not see you and the others as a family. But over the years, I finally accepted. In the story I once read, I began to live my life and realize none of it was a fantasy. I accepted, I learned and I learned to love the world I was reborn with. Uncle, I accepted because not just a promise to protect you all, but because of my dying wish."
"I wish I had a little more time."
Arisa took a deep breath as the images shifted to her and Byleth, surrounded by all their friends and family. Even if she took on a role, she will cut the strings and create her own path. Her own fate. She turned back to him and smiled.
"My war with destiny isn't over. I'm going to keep on fighting and do everything I can to protect this world. I used to think I was a bystander but not anymore." She said and Florencio broke into a grin and hugged her tightly.
"You're both my niece. I'm proud of you." Florencio smiled, "Do you still have that key given you?" He said and she nodded, "Good. The fire may have destroyed the village but certainly did not destroy the basement of my shop. I have old Agarthans magic books there as well as other information on Shambhala, take it. Use it to stop them. Can you do it?" He asked and he saw the determined look in her eyes.
" I will. That is my promise."
Both looked around and saw the entire world around them waver. Florencio smiled softly as he took a step back and looked over to see a door appear at the end of the hall.
"Looks like my time is finally coming to an end." Florencio closed his eyes and smiled softly as he turned his head towards the door at the far end of the hall, "I already spoke with Bernadetta, Xina, Kaimu, and the rest of our family. Tch. Wish I could have said goodbye." He shook his head and smirked a bit.
"You know Arisa, I'm proud of you. There will be many hardships in the future. Many more tests to come. The malice in the human's heart never ends but lets the enemies question what they lost. Did they lose to justice? Hope? Love? Faith? Strength? Let them question it. Then again, they wouldn't understand." He chuckled as he patted her head once more.
"Uncle...will we ever meet again? To be honest…I don't want this moment to end. I want to spend more time with you/" Arisa whispered and Florencio looked at her fondly.
"I know, my dear. But you must continue forward. Perhaps in another life. But just so you know Arisa, you're never alone. I'll always be with you." He pointed to her chest, "I'll be in your heart. I'll be in your memories. As long as a person remembers me, I'll still live on. So don't think of our final meeting as a goodbye. Think of it as the graduation of sorts." He crossed his arms and looked up to the sky.
"You're Arisa Hernandez of the World of Steel. But you're also Byleth Renus Eisner of this world. You're both the same person and at the same time not. But one thing for sure, you're my crazy niece. You're my student. You're the successor to The Holy Magus Florencio." He grinned proudly at her.
"So Arisa, when you look up to the sky, think of me as a star. A star will always light your way in the darkness and watch over you. After all, they say the stars are the souls of those who have passed and become the guiding light of their loved ones." He looked to the door and smiled softly.
"It's time to go. Go Arisa. Walk the path you believe in."
"May all the beauty be blessed…Goodbye...Florencio."
"Take care, my student."
The final thing she saw, was a small child running towards the man along with a woman who extended her hand to him. She smiled softly as she turned back to the door and walked through it.
"Goodbye, Uncle. May we meet again one day."
[—-]
"GAAASSP!"
She sat up quickly on her bed and gasped for air. It felt she had awoken from a deep sleep. Yet, she closed her eyes as she felt the quivering in her heart ease as she took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Carefully she removed her blanket and looked around, yet she felt Sothis smiling sadly in her mind as she walked up to the picture of her uncle smiling, his hand was ruffling her hair as Bernadetta was a grinning mess. Xina held a calm face as she was holding a book in her arms. Her lip trembled a bit she placed the picture down and turned to her closet.
She picked her black button-up shirt, along with pants, she didn't wear her armor, but her cape she always did. Her sword on her waist, and black boots on. Her hair was tied up in a high ponytail as she picked up her gardening scissors and a small bucket.
"I'll be back in an hour."
[—]
The cemetery at the end of the church was a place for the dead to rest In peace. Many of the old tomb's stones that were once dirty were now being cleaned gently by a wave of her hand. Her face, was calm and soft as she carefully removed the weeds that had grown around her mother's tombstone. Even Alferics, though the man was a simp, she knew the love he had towards her mother was genuine. But there was now a new tombstone next to the one of a small infant and a woman. She cleaned the two stones till they were clean as a whistle and with a flick of her hand, made dandelions grow in front of the tombs. They were their favorite flowers after all.
"Thank you for being in my life." She whispered and smiled softly, turning her back and leaving.
[—-]
The atmosphere around the monastery seemed a bit brighter for some reason. With doors opened the Blue Lions gasped when they saw Arisa with arms crossed, sitting on the desk with her eyes closed. Bernadetta turned to them surprised and Arisa smiled softly as she opened one eye.
"Glad to see you all doing well." She chuckled as she jumped off and walked towards them, "Sorry I took a while. I've come to terms with a few things. But that can wait," she motioned Bernadetta to come, "we got a new student. Everyone, welcome Bernadetta to the tea—-"
"WELCOME BACK YOU TWO!" Everyone jumped at them, hugging them tightly as they could.
Arisa couldn't help but smile softly as she hugged them back and looked out the door to see her father, Kaimu, Jaden, Sandy, Alexandra, Chris, and Amir. The students let her go and walked up to them, smiling softly at them.
"I'm back." She said and hugged Jeralt tightly, the man couldn't him but smile along, happy to see his daughter back.
"Welcome back kid," Jeralt whispered and Arisa hugged him tighter.
"I'm home." She whispered back looking at her father seriously.
Jeralt knew that look better than anyone in the world and he would gladly help her with whatever she was planning.
"Dad, I need you to do something for me."
[—-]
"Only two days you've returned and already you are stirring up trouble." Shamir frowned as she rode beside the group of four, "Jeralt should be arriving in a bit. Sandy is keeping the others at bay. Also," she pointed up to the sky, "why is Bernadetta with us?"
"She has the right to know about who we are going up against." Chris said as he fixed his hood, "It's no longer a secret anymore. We're going against a new enemy. Bernadetta wants to help and she's more than welcome to." He grinned at her.
"By the way, I'm still pissed at you." Shamir said to Arisa, "You got Catherine yesterday. But I have to say," she sighed, shaking her head a bit, "Thank you. She needed to hear those words along with the others. So, you going to take Thunderbrand?"
Sothis was whistling as the memories played in mind. Arisa did a closed-eyes smile as she was mentally scolding the gremlin.
"Truthfully, I think the sword would be better suited to be wielded by Erick." She said as Shamir let out a snort.
"Rhea is going to be quite angry."
"Let the lizard growl."
"Pppffffttt! Hahaha!" Shamir burst out laughing did the others, "You really should be careful. You're lucky I'm on your payroll this time." She said as she jiggled a small bag of gold coins, "Information you wanted has been sent to your room in the name of a certain mocking bird."
"Thank you, Shamir." Arisa chuckled as they arrived at the burned east gate of Remire.
She looked at the place with a half-lidded gaze as she mounted off Red Hare and Bernadet—-
"AAAHHHHH!"
Boing!
"Ah," Arisa said as Sothis began howling as Bernadetta landed on a giant water bubble she created like a trampoline, landing on it then being flung in the air again before being caught by Chris in his arms.
"So future sister," Chris snickered as the girl looked at him nervously, "since when did you learn to make a water bubble when you only just recently awoken your crest powers?"
"I um...have been staying up late at night with Linhardt and Mercedes studying for the finals? Ehe he..." Bernadetta chuckled nervously as Chris just gave her a blank look.
"My, she is a handful." It had been a while since Chris heard Heather's voice, and because of that, he got spooked, accidentally dropping the girl.
"Ow!" Amir couldn't help but laugh as Alexandra shook her head, "Chris, you got to be more careful~ If Vima wash—!"
"I am here."
"Jesus fucken Christ!" Alexandra screamed and ended up jumping into Amir's arms, "When did you get here?" She screeched as a pink-haired woman walked out of the shadows.
"Arisa asked me to come here earlier than you all. It was to double-check a few things but I found an unwanted bug." Gina grinned as the plants around her slithered like snakes and brought out a Faerghus knight that she gagged.
He was wrapped in vines and his mouth was gagged with leaves. The knight looked at them terrified and frantic but Shamir noticed the cuts and a few fingernails missing.
"No one messes with my people. This one was sent by Cornelia to investigate. The reason I know he is from Faerghus is because I stripped him of his cloak." She said and made the plants take him away despite how he whithered and screamed.
"Okay, you Fodlanese have some serious issues." Shamir shook her head yet smirked, "But I gotta admit, whoever you are, I like your style. Name's Shamir." The two women shook hands.
"I'm Olivia (Gina), Christian's wife," Gina said and Shamir looked at the man shocked.
"You're married? Damn." She snapped her fingers, "I won a bet with Catherine."
"And that bet was?" Amir raised an eyebrow, "To see if Chris was single or not. A few of the female knights have had their eyes on him for a while but I kept saying he was taken. Looks like I've won 2 silver." She chuckled as the others just shook their heads.
"Anyhow..." They walked up to the burned gates, "We're here."
[—-]
The paved road that was once flat now had burn marks and was covered in ash and mud, cracked from stones falling on it. Houses that once stood tall and proud, now we're all ruble in the mud. The rain wasn't too heavy today but the scent of water all around them, as well as the wind blowing, didn't make them feel any safer. Looking around, she could almost see ghost-like versions of themselves when they were children running from place to place. The people doing their daily things, a few cats, dogs, horses, and other animals running around. She stopped in front of what used to be Diedra's barkery. The brick kitchen somewhat survived but was black because of the ashes. The old oven was in pieces as well as burnt baskets of metal and wood laid in the mud along with now rotten ingredients. She knelt, carefully picking up a chipped porcelain plate with Duscurian artwork on it.
A small sigh escaped her lips as she put the plate into her bag. Her heart aches as they continued to walk through the village, seeing her home reduced to rubble...
"We're here." A small wisp of fire formed on Chris's shoulders, "Shall I light the way?" Heather asked.
Shamir at this point didn't ask because, at this point, it was most likely new surprises were coming in.
"Light up." Chris muttered and the wisp flew a bit ahead of them as it spoke, "You haven't spoken in months. Since...Lonato's death."
"I had to recover. Using my other form took some toll. Also because I wanted to avoid Seteth detecting me." Heather said as shook her head, "Still, I am glad you all are well. You've all changed in some way, both good and bad ways."
"Oh? This I want to hear." Shamir said, "And the name's Shamir."
"I know. I saw you and Catherine kiss behind the stables."
"Shut it." Shamir quickly pointed her dagger at Arisa, who had her cheeks puffed out from holding her laughter, it was the same with the others.
"Anyhow." Heather stopped in front of what used to be Florencio's shop, "We're here."
"Half the building was burned down," Arisa said yet she walked to the one area that was covered in burnt wood.
With a wave of her hand, the wood disintegrated and revealed a staircase that led to a wooden door. Shamir was silent and looked over at Chris, who nodded.
"You girls go. Shamir and I will keep watch." He said and they nodded.
Arisa took a deep breath as she, Amir, Bernadetta, and Alexandra held each other's hands.
"Uncle, I promise we'll end this war."