One night, sleep was immensely elusive for Garreg Mach's newest professor. While he typically was able to get the rest he needed, there were times in which a good night's sleep would be barely out of his reach. This usually happened when there was something important to do the next day. In this situation, that was indeed the case.
Yet something terrified Lucas.
The next day would be the Black Eagles' first mission. He and his students plus some knights, were tasked to head to Zanado the Red Canyon in order to eliminate some bandits that were hiding out there. One thing Lucas remembered from this mission was how it was the first time the students had to kill. It would also introduce the possibility of them being killed. Worrying about not being strong or skilled enough to defend his students was only one component to Lucas' sleeping problems.
Another pertained to himself. He would have to start killing or else he would die. Kill or be killed. The thought of killing another living person didn't feel too bad for Lucas. In theory. It was mainly the other side of the equation that frightened him to no end. He soaked his bed in sweat merely thinking about potentially meeting an early grave.
"I don't want to die." - something he repeated constantly throughout the night.
Sothis and Byleth were relaxing his woes wherever possible. They were there to ease his anxiety, to tell him that everything would be alright. A part of Lucas didn't agree. Yet when the two reminded him of Divine Pulse, the logical part of his brain conceded defeat. The illogical part remained at large. Byleth in particular refreshed Lucas' memory in regards to all the training he'd done over the past month. His students would have done the same thing. Logically speaking, there'd be no reason for anyone to meet their end.
But the paranoia persisted. No matter how hard Sothis and Byleth tried to calm Lucas, the irrational side of him wouldn't go away. However, its intensity did lessen. The divine beings' efforts worked to some extent.
"Give it some time. Issues such as these do not disappear so quickly," Byleth stated to the goddess beside him as they were both in Lucas' mind. "We must continually work to ease his pain."
"I understand. You know more about this than I do, considering all the students you've worked with that have had those sorts of problems," Sothis nodded in understanding. "I will listen to you on these matters."
"Thank you," Byleth smiled at his partner. "Lucas is the only one that knows of Fodlan's future. We cannot interact with the physical world, so it is up to him to act upon his knowledge and change future events. If he finds himself unable to do anything as a result of whatever issue he has at that time, be it a physical or mental one, we must do all that we can to help him."
"Agreed. But know that we mustn't coddle him too much. If we do that, he'll merely be complacent and unable to do anything when it counts. He must learn to deal with his problems as they come. That therapy of his may have helped, but it will not prepare him for the trials ahead, even if he knows what is supposed to happen."
"You're right. We will help him whenever we're needed. That will include tomorrow. The battle at Zanado…"
Having made it through a rough, barely restful night, Lucas got up, got dressed and performed his morning routine of washing himself as well as getting breakfast. He and his house had to depart from Garreg Mach that day so they would be able to reach Zanado and return before the end of the month. That meant Lucas needed to re-enter his bedroom and equip himself with the armour he'd purchased with the money the monastery gave him at the beginning of the month. It was some light armour, much less weight to it than the one he'd temporarily stolen from Jeralt. His steel-plated purchase was good enough for moving around in while also providing adequate protection from all kinds of attacks. He also needed to buy himself an Iron Sword, a Training Sword for good measure along with some Vulneraries.
Ensuring he had all his recently acquired belongings on him, Lucas walked on over to the monastery's main gate, where he had to wait for his students to arrive. Some of the knights were already there, having prepared some carriages for general transportation purposes. Lucas was initially relieved upon seeing this but after speaking to the knights, he learned the carriages were only for transporting important supplies like food, water, camping equipment and extra weapons. The professor deflated once he learned the truth.
After some time passed, all of his students arrived.
"Okay, is everyone ready? Do you all have your equipment, your armour and anything you might need to pass the time?" Lucas asked the Black Eagles. Everyone nodded. "Good. It should only take a very small handful of days to get there, considering Zanado is so close. We'll be walking the entire time."
"Why can't we use the carriages? They're right there," Linhardt wondered, pointing at the vehicles mentioned.
"Because they're only to be used for transport. And I guess for anyone who becomes too injured to move, should that be the case," Lucas definitively answered. "Know that I will do everything in my power to make sure nothing of the sort occurs. We will also be backed up by these members of the Knights of Seiros, so if we get into trouble, they can step in and help. But I feel confident that we'll be fine on our own."
Everyone seemed to agree, except for Bernadetta. Her fellow classmates helped reassure her, but Lucas could tell she was as scared about the whole operation as he was. He kept note of that.
"Alright, since there's nothing left to be done, it's time to head out. Let's go, everyone!"
At Professor Lucas' command, the knights and students began leaving Garreg Mach, setting out on their mission towards Zanado. Lucas' heartbeat grew quicker and quicker with every step he took towards the ancient locale. The sight of his first true battlefield would soon be upon him and his students.
Many miles had been crossed throughout the beginning of the monastery contingent's journey. While some of the reluctant students complained about having to walk the whole way, they eventually calmed down once they realised there was no other option. At least reprieve would come about when camp happened.
Since Lucas was now a professor and not a visitor/guest type person, he had to assist with setting up the tents that were being brought out of the carriages (instead of huge bags like last time). Several students decided to pitch in with these efforts. Their help combined with the efficiency of the knights made it so that the campsite didn't take very long to set up. Once it was all good to go, the students made off to go pick out their tents while Lucas had no choice but to help wheel out the food. There were dedicated 'chefs' who were appointed prior to the group's departure, so Lucas didn't need to worry about cooking or anything.
When all the food - at least the ones to be used that night - was out, Lucas was then allowed to select his tent. He chose the first one he found that wasn't already preoccupied. Unsure of what to do after that, Lucas returned to the knights and kept watch, hoping he could be called upon for further help if needed.
Such a thing was only required until the food was ready to eat. Lucas volunteered to round up all the students and notify them of the situation. Before long, the students, knights and the singular professor were consuming some wonderful meat.
"So, are you all ready for your first mission?" Lucas asked his students.
Murmurs soon followed. "I'm ready as I'll ever be! Bring on those bandits!" Caspar exclaimed in excitement, raising his fist to the air, almost knocking over his meat in the process.
"Calm yourself, Caspar. Move recklessly like that again and you may find yourself without food," Linhardt warned his friend.
"Yeah, I know. I'm just pumped!" Caspar declared to nobody in particular.
"Pumped? By what? Is there a pump here?" Petra wondered, confused by the language.
Caspar answered nervously. "Uh, no, that's just a phrase. Another way of saying I'm excited."
"Oh! In that case, I am pumping as well!" The Brigid princess agreed.
Lucas very nearly failed to stifle a laugh at that. "Heh, 'pumping'."
"Are you okay, Professor?" Ferdinand inquired, having noticed the older man's laughing-related close shave. "Did something happen?"
"No, I'm fine," Lucas said while smiling. His momentum from his internal laughter kept going. "I just thought of something funny, that's all."
"Alright then. That is understandable. I too sometimes think of humorous jests. But as a noble, I know when not to say something," Ferdinand claimed. Dorothea scoffed at that, earning a small look of irritation from the Aegir. "What was that, Dorothea? Are you saying that I speak too much?"
"Yes," the girl replied with no hesitation. "You speak about as much as a bee buzzes."
"Again with the bees…" Ferdinand mumbled angrily.
Hubert chuckled slightly. "Actually, her comparison is rather apt, Ferdinand. Your attempts to surpass Lady Edelgard certainly leave a sting."
"Hmph. Ironic of you to say that, Hubert. Don't bees usually stick to their queen and never let go unless for extraneous circumstances?" Ferdinand grinned in response.
"Keep your words to yourself, Aegir. Or I may have to silence you myself," Hubert threatened him.
"If I knew Faith magic, I could literally Silence you instead. But I do not know any form of magic, let alone ones of the Faith variety. Maybe I will have to ask Professor Manuela for help on that front," Ferdinand retorted, frowning. "Either way, I can silence you easily."
"I'd like to see you try."
"Oh, I shall!"
Before Ferdinand and Hubert's argument could devolve into a vicious fight, Lucas put down his nearly finished food and jumped between the two (they were sitting on opposite sides), spreading his arms out.
"Hey, enough! There is no need for any of this! You two, sit back down and get back to eating, or else I'll get the knights to force you both to run hundreds of laps around the campsite. You don't want that, do you?" Lucas interrupted the pair, nervously shaking on the inside. The two did as they were instructed, albeit with frustrated expressions. "Good."
Lucas returned to his seat on the log beside Edelgard, keen to finish up his food. Everyone continued eating in silence for the most part. Sometimes the students would chatter amongst themselves about something irrelevant. Out of the corner of his eye, Lucas could see Bernadetta briefly look in his direction before turning away once she felt like her gaze was being returned.
"Strange. Wonder what that's all about?" Lucas wondered to himself.
"Perhaps she wishes to speak with you. She used to do that quite frequently when I taught the Black Eagles," Byleth suggested, cutting into the professor's thoughts. "Most likely, it's about the mission."
"Ah, I understand. I know what to do."
Lucas finished the last bite of his meaty meal (mealty?). He stood up, placing the bowl on his log and yawned while stretching, making it quite obvious to his students what he intended on doing next.
"I'm just about done for the night. Don't stay awake too long, everyone. We've gotta get back to walking again tomorrow morning," Lucas instructed them. "Goodnight. I'll be in my tent if anyone needs me."
Waving a goodbye to his class, Lucas sauntered over to the tent he chose earlier and sat down, awaiting for the inevitable arrival of the violet-haired girl. After some unidentifiable amount of time, he could see her silhouette as she stood outside the tent. She tapped on the fabric.
"You can come in. It's open," Lucas told her all of a sudden, evidently surprising her. She slowly opened the tent and darted inside before anyone could see her. "Hey, Bernadetta. What's on your mind?"
"I...I wanted to talk about our mission. I k-know this is super late, but I've just gotta ask!" she answered. "Can you leave me behind or something? I don't want to kill someone. I know they're bad people and all, but every time I think about it, I-I always feel like throwing up. Can you help me?"
Lucas paused to think before responding. "I can't do that, Bernadetta. I'm sorry. Sometimes, we need to face our fears if we wanna get something done. That's why you must join us. It's so you can crush the overwhelming presence that is your fear."
"Oh," Bernie dropped her head in disappointment. "I'm just so terrified about the whole thing. I've never killed someone before. How do they expect me to just...do it?"
"That's exactly it. You just do it. You don't hesitate, you go for it. You can lament their deaths later. If it's to survive so you can do the things you want later in life, you'll have to kill your enemies. Or at least incapacitate them," Lucas reassured her, making sure to remember what he was saying so he could try and fall back on his own advice later. "Don't expect to be able to deprive everyone of their weapons so they can't fight or anything of the sort. You wouldn't be very well liked if you did that."
"But I can knock them unconscious, right?"
"Yeah, you can. I don't recommend doing that, though. Sooner or later, you'll have to kill someone. It's either kill or be killed out there. Would you rather be dead and make all your friends upset or would you rather be alive, doing the things you like to do?" Lucas briefly considered if he should've used his foreknowledge, but chose not to. "Whatever that is for you."
Bernie was silent as she thought about this. "Well, I do like to write. It would suck if I couldn't do that anymore."
"You like to write?" Lucas feigned ignorance.
"Y-yeah. It's something I like to do in my spare time, whenever I'm not training or studying. I think it's very fun and creative! Don't judge me!"
"Hey, I wasn't judging. I agree with you. I actually like to write myself," revealed Lucas.
"You do?" Bernie seemed interested. "What kinds of stories do you write?"
"All kinds. I don't root myself in one genre. Sometimes I'll do fantasy, adventure, fantasy adventure, sci-fi, romance - all kinds. I even wrote a book once."
Bernadetta gasped. "You wrote a book?! What's it about?"
"It's called Newborn Life. It's about a group of teenagers who have to figure themselves out as they enter the real world, so full of-" Lucas stopped himself from revealing something about Earth. "-roughness. And stuff. Yeah."
"Wow, that sounds really interesting! Where can I read it?"
Lucas paused in surprise. "Uhh...it didn't sell very well. Barely made any money off of it. I highly doubt any shop's gonna be selling it at this point. I never carried any copies either. Sorry."
"Oh, okay then. That's fine. Maybe I can read whatever you write next?"
"If I ever get to write anything, what with all I've gotta do as a professor. Maybe sometime, Bernadetta. Maybe sometime."
"Hehe, I understand, professor. Thanks for talking with me! I'm already starting to feel better about the whole thing."
"You're welcome. Glad to know I could help. Don't hesitate to come to me if you need anything else."
"I will. Bye, Professor!"
Bernadetta happily departed from the tent, almost skipping as she did so. On the other hand, Lucas was pleased to see that he could help another. Although Bernadetta had her own problems, he knew that it wouldn't take too much to help her out. Not as much as someone like Dimitri.
He shook off such overwhelming thoughts and fell asleep for the night.
Next morning, the Black Eagles and their accompanying knights were on the road again, only doing so once all the camping materials were cleared away back into the carriages. Zanado wasn't too far away from their current location. That meant the journey over there wasn't quite as long winded as one may have initially assumed. Lucas was glad his training with Jeralt improved his stamina to the point where he could make the whole trip without becoming overly exhausted.
Though, he was still tired when they all arrived at the rocky locale. He spent some time catching his breath before addressing his students.
"Everyone, we're finally here. We'll be going in first while the knights hang back and make sure none of the bandits can escape. They'll also provide assistance should we need it," Lucas began. "Now, we should be able to take care of them as they come. They'll be in a rather straightforward area for the most part. As long as we stay together and don't get reckless, we'll be fine. There'll be a bridge at the beginning so our formation will have to be narrow at first. Edelgard and I will lead the front. Linhardt, I'll need you at the back. Bernadetta and Ferdinand, you two will hang back and protect him. Hubert and Caspar, you'll be right behind Edelgard and I. That leaves Petra and Dorothea. You'll be behind Hubert and Caspar. Any questions?"
"Would it not make more sense for Linhardt to be in the middle of our formation? That way, he can reach any of us with his Heal casts," the house leader suggested, raising her hand.
"Good idea!" Lucas agreed. "Linhardt, you'll be between Hubert and Caspar as well as Petra and Dorothea. Bernadetta and Ferdinand can stay where they are. Does that sound good to everyone?"
No further objections or suggestions were given. Everyone seemed satisfied.
"Okay. Time to head in. Don't forget your Vulneraries, everyone."
The Black Eagles nodded, following their professor further into the mountainous depths of the Red Canyon. Everyone stopped once they reached a clearing that followed a particularly steep upwards path. In the near distance were their targets: the bandits. As expected, there were two axe-using thieves at the other end of the first bridge.
What caught Lucas' attention was the presence of the archer behind the axe users.
"Huh, so I guess these missions are gonna run on Hard mode logic. Good to know," he noted to himself. "Everyone, formation!"
As per his instructions, the students shuffled themselves around until they got into the arrangement Lucas detailed earlier. The professor looked back at his students. A mix of determined, scared and uncertain faces. Lucas breathed to ease his woes.
"Let's go!"
The group charged in. Lucas and Edelgard led everyone through the bridge, up towards the two initial axe bandits. With a shared nod of understanding, Edelgard targeted the man on the right while Lucas handled the other one. A single, powerful axe swing was all Edelgard needed to end the bandit's life.
Meanwhile, Lucas was hesitant. Hubert was keeping the archer busy. This meant the professor had enough time to second guess his actions. As he raised his sword in preparation, he began twitching. Twitching as a result of his arms aching along with the looming dread of murder.
Lucas found himself unable to perform the act. The whole world slowed down to a crawl as his arms gradually rose, blade in hand. Byleth was there to help him.
"I understand your reluctance. Killing isn't easy. However, you must do it if you want your students to survive," the future man assured. "Take your blade and swing."
"But I...I can't. I don't want to take someone's life like that. I don't want their families to despise me for it. I don't want to hear the guttural sound of someone's throat being sliced into two," Lucas refused, still holding his sword in the air. "I helped Bernie earlier but I can't even seem to help myself when it counts. Byleth, how? How can you live despite having killed so many, in just one timeline alone? Considering all the timelines you've been in, there's no doubt you've killed the same person at least twice. Why would you ever do that again?"
Byleth gathered his thoughts momentarily. "As I said, it's not easy. It's never easy. Every time I cut down someone that's in my way, I immediately think about what may have led them to that situation. And why they would have made those decisions. Knowing that, I'm able to make sense of things. I can carry on fighting."
"But-"
"Those bandits will keep trying to kill you and your students. They do it in order to survive. There's no other option for them. A peaceful pathway does not exist. They will fight no matter what. The only way to stop them from killing your students is to kill them first. Do you understand, Lucas?"
"..."
"Do you wish to die?"
"What? Of course not. I wouldn't want to feel that pain, even if it doesn't last too long."
"Do you feel as if your students think the same way?"
Lucas' eyes widened. "They probably do. I'm sure even Bernie wants to live."
"Are you going to let them die?"
"No. Never."
"Then swing your sword. End the bandit's life so you may protect your students. The bandits knew what they were getting into the moment they they began their lives of thievery and murder. Do not feel sorry for them. They chose to become thieving, pilfering scum. End their lives so you can end their misery and save your students. You can do it, Lucas. I believe in you."
Lucas was unsure. Byleth's words made sense. While he wasn't certain about the 'make sense of it' side of things, one thing he did know was that he wasn't about to let his students perish. Not if he could help it.
"Edelgard, Dorothea, Bernadetta, Caspar, Linhardt, Ferdinand, Petra, even Hubert...they all deserve to live. Even if Edelgard in particular did some terrible things in specific timelines. In spite of that, I love them all. I never want to see any of them meet a terrible fate. Which is why…!" Lucas internally declared. His determination soared, him using said surge of positive mental energy to grip the hilt of his Iron Sword harder than ever before. The world sped back up. "I'm sorry!"
He swung. The attack was successfully parried by the bandit. Lucas grew irritated - he needed this man to die NOW. Garreg Mach's latest hire switched his strike to a stab fuelled with angered determination. The blade pierced the bandit's chest.
Yet he wasn't dead. Lucas, now frowning, finished the job by pushing his weapon upwards while it was still inside the bandit's body. This required some effort on his end, but eventually, Lucas cut through a vital organ. Shaking the blade off the downed foe, Lucas stared at his bloodied hands, then at the mangled corpse beneath him.
"I'm so sorry. I never wanted this to happen. I...I had no choice," he sniffled, wiping at his eyes.
Lucas refocused on the battle. He mentally prepared himself for the additional murders he'd have to make. After all, there was no other option in the matter. Kill or be killed. That's all that mattered in this world.
Whilst Lucas was struggling with reluctance, Hubert was primed to eradicate, like a war machine designed to destroy. He killed the archer with no hesitation. No consideration for the life that stood in front of him. No mercy.
Once the initial three bandits were cleared, an axe user from the left closed in on the class alongside two swordies and another archer. Caspar focused on the axe user. He was able to use his nimble movements to easily evade the axe bandit's sluggish strikes and land some piercing blows to his opponent's vital areas, killing him before long.
Lucas did his best to ignore the unusually energetic fervour Caspar and Hubert wielded as they murdered their enemies. It didn't quite work.
His other students finished off the two sword users and the archer. Particularly, Ferdinand, Petra and Dorothea took care of them. Once the small group of three were eliminated and it didn't seem like any other bandits would be closing in, the professor ordered a regroup.
"There's two bridges, both leading to different sides of the same area," Lucas pointed out to the students. "If we can flank them, there'll be no way for them to escape."
"Are you suggesting that we split up?" Edelgard wondered.
"Yes," Lucas nodded in confirmation. "I'll lead one team to the uppermost bridge and you, Edelgard, will lead the other half to the leftmost bridge. Are you fine with that?"
"That is fine with me. How shall we divide ourselves?" The princess asked.
"We need to have a solid split of weapons on both sides. There's a lot of archers and a mage on the left side, so sending people in that can weave around those projectiles would be good. With that in mind, I say Hubert, Caspar and Petra can go with Edelgard. I'll take Bernadetta, Dorothea, Linhardt and Ferdinand. There's more of them on the upper path so my group will need the extra person," Lucas suggested. "Any objections or anything?"
"I have none, Professor. Come, Hubert, Caspar, Petra. Let's put our side of the plan into action," Edelgard called, taking her three and heading towards the left.
"Let's go, you four. Ferdinand, you lead the charge with me. The rest of you, you three stay right behind us," Lucas instructed his group.
The professor and his team of four proceeded forwards, heading to the uppermost bridge. Doing this almost caught the bandits by surprise as it seemed like they hadn't expected the church's forces to start moving again so soon.
But they were ready, as a nearby archer and mage managed to damage Lucas and Ferdinand with their respective projectiles. The sword users had closed the gap, focusing on the Aegir heir. Before anyone could react, they both struck. Ferdinand had received many lethal cuts on his body.
And then he collapsed. Lucas looked down to see that not a single body part of his was moving. He was dead. There was no doubt about that. Lucas grit his teeth and allowed his tears to surface.
"I can't fucking do this, I can't fucking do this, NO!" He exclaimed internally.
Even though he could hear the cries of his students, Lucas was far too gone to hear what they were saying. Out of the corner of his eye, a sword loomed over him.
"Am I really about to die?"
But then time froze. Reality briefly turned purple/blue. A sound of something breaking and a brief vision of reality itself cracking snapped Lucas out of the sad state he was in. The bandit's sword was still in the air, yet it was unmoving. Everything else was also frozen. He sat there, utterly confused as to what was going on.
"You fool! How could you let such a thing happen to your student?" Sothis chided from within his mind.
"Sothis?" Lucas wondered. He soon began to realise what was happening. Palm met face. "Oh. Divine Pulse. Right."
"While I am glad that you care for the lives of your students, you must not forget about this power you wield. Should they suffer such a fate as this one, then you may reverse the hands of time in order to save them," Sothis explained. "Do not forget about it again."
"Of course. Sorry."
With additional guidance from Sothis, Lucas was able to use Divine Pulse to return to a point in time before Ferdinand was attacked by both sword wielding assailants. Before the two could do anything to his student, Lucas parried the first strike of one sword user and engaged in combat with him. Ferdinand dealt with the other one. Each of the bladed bandits were taken care of, though Lucas and Ferdinand were on the receiving end of some damage, Lucas more so. Linhardt reversed this with some Heal casts before helping Dorothea kill the archer while Bernadetta shot the mage through the skull.
While they were doing that, Edelgard's team tore past the lone bandit guarding the bridge to the left, then circled around the cliff to approach the figurative lion's den. Hubert kept the archers busy while Petra and Caspar zoomed in to kill them. The bandit mage was killed around the same time as a pair of axe users on Lucas' side. At this point, the two groups were pretty much back together again, though they did have to kill an additional archer and sword user before encircling the platform the enemy leader was on.
"Oh shit, I'm surrounded! I can't get out!" Kostas realised as the Black Eagles circled him. "Damn it! You've taken out all my men, now you're gonna get me too?! Can't you just leave me alone?!"
"I'm sorry," Lucas apologised to the bandit leader. "There is no other option. This is your end."
"Like hell it is! I'm gonna...wait a second! You're that guy from last month who called me pathetic! Fucking damn it, why are you here?!" Kostas yelled, remembering Lucas after gazing at his visage.
"I'm here to end you. Bernadetta, arrow!"
"Wha-oh, right!" The mentioned girl responded, knocking an arrow and shooting into Kostas' skull. The bandit reeled back in pain.
"Dorothea, Hubert, Linhardt! Hit 'em with your spells!" Lucas commanded.
The students did as they were told, smacking Kostas with a Thunder, Miasma and Wind respectively. Lucas then stepped forward, sword at the ready.
"Ah, fuck! No, damn it, no!" The bandit exclaimed in agony.
Lucas raised his sword to the sky.
"Goodbye."
And then he swung, slicing into Kostas' skull and ending the man's life. The Iron Sword was even wedged into the now-dead bandit's head. Lucas had to wriggle it back out. After he did so, the body collapsed. It was as lifeless as Zanado itself.
Gazing at his bloody hands once more, Lucas began shaking. He held back the vomit that was sliding its way over to his mouth. Such measures wouldn't last for long. Thus, it was a good thing the Black Eagles were done with their mission. Lucas sheathed his sword.
"W-we're done here. Let's head back to the knights, everyone," he instructed, leading his students back the way they all came.
Although the mission was over, the memory of intentionally killing multiple lives in a single day never left Lucas' consciousness. It remained there, festering negativity like a parasite. He hoped things would get easier. As per Byleth's words, they would.
But that didn't stop Lucas from assuming the worst.
Author's Notes: The events of Chapter 2 from the game. Lemme know what you guys think about Lucas' reaction to all the death and stuff here. I hope I did it well.
Don't forget to join the Fanfiction Treehouse Discord server! I'm there along with a whole load of other cool writers! Here's the invite code: 9XG3U7a.
See y'all next time!
EDIT (25/11/2021): More beta stuff. Major props to Frost for helping me out with all this. He's been quite good to work with thus far! Can't wait to see how our combined power will affect future, yet-to-be-written chapters of the fic.