She was a phoenix.
Burning bright, golden, scream on her lips as the Sword of the Creator ripped through reality, his professor leaping from the schism.
His Teach was different, her hair the most obvious, but the faraway look in her eyes subtle. He was lost in them more than before, as if there was now an absence in them he could fall into.
Solon's magic ceased as he stared at her. His wizened face transfixed with horror, rigor mortis onsetting before her sword freed his head from shoulders. And it really was that quick, as soon as her feet hit the ground Byleth leapt forward and decapitated him.
The battle that had raged crumbled, Solon and Monica's forces slipping away as soon as the head of the snake fell. The Deer and Lions let them go, far too blindsided to pursue or understand quick what was happening.
Their eyes were locked on her; the woman on fire. Byleth's sword was alight with flame, not burning her, and had spread to the rest of her body, fire so hot it burned white.
She turned to them, the fire flickering out. Byleth's eyes swept over them all as if not registering they stood there. Stepping forward, she opened her mouth to speak.
Her legs gave out and she began to stumble. Claude was at her side already, catching her.
"Teach?" he whispered, terrified. He felt for a pulse, finding one.
With a sigh of relief, and far more relief than he expected, he marshalled the other students to return to the monastery.
Like they had with Ignatz, they waited for her to wake up.
The infirmary was crowded. Manuela had given up trying to get them to return to their dorms. Those not in the Deer stopped in often, stressing the room beyond its occupancy.
It was an impromptu celebration of sorts. They'd leapt into the maw of the beast and escaped without much harm. Injuries sustained were healed and they got their professor back. The Deer were invincible.
Amidst the chatter, Ferdinand smiled to Lorenz. "I'll admit, at the start of the year, I wasn't expecting such strength from the Deer."
His friend chuckled with a nod. "I'm somewhat ashamed, but I was the same way. To see us now…well, it's certainly something else."
A spell of laughter fell over the group as Raphael reach the punchline of a story. They'd slowly become rowdier as they realized Byleth was genuinely okay and apparently the world's heaviest sleeper (when she actually slept, Mercedes never said).
"I've considered switching houses," Ferdinand admitted with a tinge of melancholy.
Lorenz' eyes widened. "Really?"
He nodded. "Quite. But, and I'm sure you understand, my father would be quite displeased at me turning my back on Adrestia. Plus with but a month and change left, I'm sure it might not be worth the trouble."
Another spell of laughter, keeping their conversation private amidst a crowd. Lorenz nodded slowly. "I think I understand."
Ferdinand laughed lightly. "Would that I could rewind time, mayhaps I would have made a different decision." His eyes darkened. "But such is life. I must take my leave, though. I was hoping the professor would wake before I needed to, but I'm to receive some troops from my father."
"Trouble?" Lorenz asked.
"Well," Ferdinand paused. "I believe I may have stumbled onto something rather dire about the Empire that I must take into my own hands."
Lorenz frowned, but nodded. "Do tell me should there be anything that I can help with. You're my friend, Ferdinand, and if the Deer have taught me anything, it is that friends help each other."
Ferdinand smiled and stood up, resting a hand on Lorenz' shoulder. "I think I'll take you up on that. But when I return, I'm afraid I've lingered too long."
He said some farewells and walked to the door, closing it just as he heard Hilda shout, "Byleth!"
Ferdinand smiled and for the briefest moments considered turning back to stay with the Deer. But he sighed, summoning his resolve.
She would be there when he returned. He needed to bring Hubert to justice like all nobles were in Adrestia, by marching them back to the Emperor and laying them at his feet.
Worry boiled in the pit of his stomach. Perhaps that was the wrong word. Concern. That was better.
Petra was supposed to meet with him today. Claude and she were going to iron out some tentative agreements on their alliance—as well as make a plan to keep her safe.
But the heir of Brigid never showed. He'd asked around to the Eagles, and when he got nothing from them, he turned to Dorothea instead.
"Well, Edelgard left to return home yesterday. Rumor has it she'll be back within a week. Petra went with her, along with Lysithea and Hubert."
The songstress hadn't looked pleased with that, but didn't seem to expect ill of the trip. Not that reassured Claude, but he at least had an answer.
When he'd asked Ignatz, the man had blushed profusely, not understanding why he would be privy to such knowledge. To that, Claude smiled and hoped his friend would pursue his and Petra's growing…well, whatever it was or could be.
Still, unease lingered.
"Claude?"
He jumped out of his skin as Marianne's soft voice woke him from the reverie. It'd gone and gotten dark out while he was leaning against the bridge to the cathedral, watching the wyverns pass. She must have been returning from prayer.
"Hello, Marianne," he said lightly. "How has your day been?"
She lit up a bit. "Hilda promised we'd get dinner, so I'm off to meet her. What about you?"
In a brief moment, Claude remembered the woman who hadn't looked him in the eye or ever asked him a question. He smiled. "Oh, just doing this and that. Unremarkable, ordinary, a usual day in life of Claude."
She giggled. "Somehow I think our definitions of unremarkable differ. At least, I don't think ordinary describes you."
"Careful, Marianne, you'll make Hilda jealous," he winked.
She blushed deeply. "Claude, that's—we're not—I can't—"
"Relax, Marianne." He laughed. "You know, I haven't ever seen Hilda as happy as when she's with you. You mean a lot to her."
Marianne blinked, managing to recover. "Oh, well, I'm sure you're just being nice."
"I mean, she told me herself how much you meant to her," Claude said, laying the bait.
"…what did she say?"
"You'll have to ask her, I'd never reveal one of Hilda's secrets like that," he teased. "Not even to the woman she loved."
She laughed, blushing madly. "I stand by what I said about ordinary."
"You enjoy your dinner with Hilda," he said, turning back to looking off the bridge.
"Oh, um, would you like to join us?" she said.
He grinned, even if she couldn't see it. "Trust me, Marianne. I think Hilda would be entirely displeased if I took even a moment of your attention."
Marianne sputtered something, a denial perhaps, but he could hear the smile in her voice. She turned and set off to meet Hilda.
Claude smiled sadly, thinking about a letter tucked away in a textbook in his room. Margrave Edmund…Marianne deserved better than him.
He'd burn the letter, he resolved. The offer to bring Marianne back to him would go unanswered, hopefully buying him some time to get back to the capital and figure out a compromise.
Betraying her would be tantamount to betraying his own family, something he couldn't stomach. Thankfully he could trust Hilda to protect her. His best friend had it bad for Marianne. It made for excellent material to tease her about.
But he was happy for them. For all this year had been a tempest, good had come of it in the end.
When she awoke, she'd felt empty. Like there was something missing Byleth's mind, a hole unfilled.
Her first breaths were shuddering, hugging herself as if she'd slip from reality again. But she sat in the infirmary, somewhere that made sense. Not the expanse of nothing.
Byleth wept.
"Oh, my child," whispered a feather light voice.
It was her luck to not wake to her friends, her family. No, it was Archbishop Rhea who sat on the edge of her bed, looking at her like a mother.
She squirmed under the gaze, tears ceasing immediately. "Archbishop," Byleth spoke, voice hoarse.
"I am so relieved you are back with us," Rhea said. She smiled a genuine smile, one that profoundly unnerved Byleth, like she saw something other than her.
"Me too." Byleth coughed.
Rhea raised her hand and pressed it gentle to Byleth's throat, White energy flowing into her skin. "Byleth, I know you've only woken up, but your hair…" Her hand left the throat and instead brushed it through hair that wasn't hers.
Then she realized it was. Her hair, a green almost the same as Rhea's. It caught her so off guard that she was only uncomfortable with how Rhea had touched it after her had pulled back.
"That's…a thing," she said, dumbly.
"Byleth, do you remember what happened when you disappeared?"
She almost, almost, waited for Sothis' inevitable response. But she didn't. "I don't remember."
But she did. Oh, did she remember. The last moments, when Sothis fused with her. And the long hours, days, weeks, time, alone.
Your god is dead, she wanted to snarl. There was nothing Byleth wanted to do with this religion any longer.
Rhea nodded, as if it didn't faze her. "Byleth, what happened to you—" she stopped herself. "Rest, there shall be time later. The Goddess has blessed you with her power. This is an auspicious day."
Byleth said nothing.
The Archbishop stood. "We shall speak again soon, of the revelation as well." She turned heel, pausing one last time to say, "I am glad you are safe, professor." Her gaze, once again, looked through her, seeing something—no, someone—else.
She left and Byleth was alone.
An immediate chill set about her. For all that her surroundings were that of reality, it was far too quiet. A quiet far too reminiscent of what had been a small eternity for her, one she was falling into again—
"No," she whispered, blinking furiously. "Focus!"
The door opened.
Byleth spun in her bed to see Aelfric standing in the doorframe. He looked…tired. Perhaps that wasn't right. But something certainly was off about him.
/"Forgive me for barging in," he said. "I had to see for myself."
"What?" she asked.
"You," he breathed, staring at her, her hair. "You are…not what I expected, Byleth Eisner."
"I'm nothing special," she assured.
Aelfric smiled, too widely. "Of that, I disagree. Someone touched by the Goddess is special by default."
And with that, he left without goodbye.
And that silence reigned again. Byleth slid out of her bed and opened the window. Bird chittered and tittered and the sound of the world soaked in.
Relief washed over her. Reminder that she was here, in the world she belonged.
Author Notes: Chapter took a while because, uh, there was a coup in my country. I'm relatively young and have already lived through SO much history in these past few years, I didn't really think I could be much more glued to the news. But uh, that happened. And understandably, I wasn't writing very much. It's a very scary time right now with such a huge wave of domestic terrorism. Forgive me if I take longer than usual to update.
Editing Notes:
5/6/2021: Minor grammatical changes.
9/23/2021: Minor grammatical changes.