A steaming stream of black Bergamot tea dripped down the mouths of a pair of Black Eagles. Lucas - the house's professor - was partaking in a lovely round of teatime with Edelgard. She had been the one to initiate it. When she approached him with the offer, his interest had piqued. It seemed she wanted to speak about recent happenings as was indicated by her mention of 'certain matters'. Lucas had understood right away. Thus, the two were consuming tea within Garreg Mach's courtyard.

"How are you enjoying your tea, Professor?" Edelgard queried.

"It's, uh, quite good. A bit strong, but otherwise, it's great," Lucas said after finishing a sip. "It's your favourite kind of tea, isn't it? I'm not surprised. I think I can safely call it one of my favourites now."

Edelgard smirked. "I am not shocked you would know that. But yes, it is rather powerful in its taste. It reminds me of myself. Not to self-aggrandize or anything of the sort."

"I understand. You are quite the strong person. Though to compare a cup of tea to an entire individual...that seems silly to me. It's like if I compared myself to this cookie." Lucas pulled out such a delicacy from the metal holder that was on the table. He gazed into its soul, his eyes widening when he thought of something. "Oh. Wow. Uh, that's very apt. I should probably just put that back."

He did precisely that. Edelgard cocked her head before coming to what she felt was a likely conclusion. She grinned lightly.

"It doesn't seem so silly now, does it?" The princess rhetorically asked. "I assume you were able to liken that cookie to yourself."

Lucas slowly nodded. "That feels so unnatural to say, but yeah. Can we talk about something else? My brain's starting to have a dark adventure."

"Understood. I wished to speak with you about something else, anyway."

Edelgard placed her half-empty cup back onto its plate. She checked their surroundings for anyone that could potentially overhear the next few moments of their coming conversation. Fortunately, nobody else was around.

"Monica and Tomas have disappeared from the monastery. Was that your doing?" Edelgard whispered.

"Yeah," Lucas confirmed, also muttering. "Well, mostly. It was my plan to take those two to Rhea so they could be executed at the same time. Seteth was there, so he killed Solon while I got Kronya."

"And they believed you?"

"Yes."

The dual-Crest wielding woman murmured a doubtful noise. "I cannot believe those two would so readily trust your words. Especially over their own librarian."

An idea popped into her mind.

"I am not the only person you have informed about your foreknowledge. Am I correct in assuming that?"

"Uh…" Lucas hesitated, but reluctantly answered truthfully. "Yes. I couldn't rightly allow some things to happen as normal. Namely, the continued existence of Kronya and Solon. If I hadn't told Rhea and Seteth about what I know, then you're right, they would not have believed me over the librarian they've supposedly known for many years."

"Have you told them about my plans?"

"No." Lucas promptly shook his head. "I haven't told anyone about the war, either. Except Jeralt. He's helped me out a lot so far, so I felt like I had to tell him."

"Understandable. Have you ever planned on informing anyone about it?"

"I was hoping I could talk you out of it so I wouldn't have to. How's that going, by the way? I think you said you wanted to confirm a few things before coming to a decision. I don't mean to rush you along, but we've only got about six more moons until it's supposed to start. We're running out of time."

"I'm aware. I know of my own plans, Professor. As for your question, I…" It was Edelgard's turn to hesitate. "I am still uncertain. The Agarthans, they have not made things particularly pleasant for me. For example, before you took away Kronya the other day, she threatened to kill Hubert if I didn't tell her what's been on my mind recently."

Lucas almost dropped his tea upon hearing that. Realising his grip on the cup had faltered, he figured it would be best to put it down lest any accidents occur. His mouth gradually closed itself as he carefully placed the cup onto its plate.

"Oh. She wanted to kill Hubert? Just to get information from you?!" Lucas exclaimed, fighting the urge to raise his voice completely. "They really are bad business. I was already sure, but this definitely confirms it. Do you really want to continue working with such awful beings? Especially when the church, Dimitri and Claude can provide you with just as effective a fighting force."

"I...it is not as easy as you might think."

"How so?"

Edelgard breathed a sigh, conjuring the courage to continue.

"My interests align with Thales' almost perfectly. He wishes for the destruction of the church - as do I. We both have a strong distaste for Rhea, therefore we work together in order to orchestrate her downfall. The skillset he possesses is tailored specifically to counter the children of the goddess. Because of that, he is the best person I could work with in this case."

"That's not true," Lucas refused this. "If you remember, I once told you that Claude and Dimitri want pretty much the same thing as you. While they may not directly want to dismantle the church, I believe they would be willing to do so should they feel it'll be beneficial for Fodlan. I know Claude, at the very least, has some misgivings about the church as well as how Rhea's been running things."

"Dimitri, Claude...you mentioned you were aware of the possible futures in which their military force won the war. That can only mean the size of their army would be rather large, would it not?"

"Yeah, their army would be noticeably huge. And that's without them working with one another. Pooling together the best of the Kingdom and Alliance would only result in what might be the best, most efficient and largest force Fodlan could ever see. The Agarthans just wouldn't be able to handle it."

"I see. If I were to include the Empire within that...hmm," Edelgard pondered. "I assume the church would be involved."

"Of course. The church has some of the best fighters in Fodlan, like Jeralt, Catherine, Alois, Shamir and all those guys. I'm going to be quite honest here, Edelgard. I don't see why you'd want to work with the Agarthans at this point. You very clearly despise them. They were the same people that caused you so much strife. Why keep working with them when you have a much better option in Dimitri and Claude? I literally don't see any advantage to going with the Agarthans."

"I know Thales' power better than anyone else. Even better than you. You should know why." The Adrestian princess closed her eyes in recollection. "Because of that, I feel aligning with him would be the better option for my goals. However...I cannot deny what you are saying. Logistically, fighting with Dimitri and Claude would be more effective. I simply cannot fend off my base instincts so readily. I can feel Thales' power. It is ingrained into my soul. That very night, when I saw my siblings perish before my very eyes, all because of him-!"

Edelgard fell quiet. She clenched her hand, albeit with many times more force than was necessary. She could sense a liquid touch the innards of her gloves. Despite this, she kept clenching, struggling with a terrible affliction.

Something landed on her shoulder. She opened her eyes. Lucas was the cause of the sudden touch, having used his hand to enact it. Out of the corner of her eye, she could vaguely see the skin of his hand. An unfamiliar warmth came over her.

"Professor-"

Lucas interjected. "Relax. Thales isn't here. None of the Agarthans are here. In fact, all the Agarthans that were here no longer are. You're safe, Edelgard. Here, have a cookie."

He offered her the same treat he picked up earlier with his free hand. She smiled and accepted it after some reluctance.

"Thank you, Professor," Edelgard thanked, beginning to nibble on the cookie. "This...this tastes wonderful."

Lucas released his grasp on the princess' shoulder and slowly sat back down. "You're welcome. And yeah, they sure do taste great."

Edelgard continued eating the cookie and drinking more of her Bergamot tea while Lucas merely only had his hot drink to accompany him. He returned her friendly gaze, providing a warm glance he didn't even know he had until Sothis pointed it out to him. Shaking off any further comments from the diminutive deity, it was clear the conversation the teacher and empress-to-be were having wasn't over.

"Dismantling the church isn't my only goal, as you well know," Edelgard eventually said after further hesitation. "I also wish to destroy the nobility. To lessen the importance of Crests and allow anyone a chance to rule, given they are strong enough. It eliminates the possibility of any further lives from being distorted as a result of the dominating presence Crests have on our society. Myself and Lysithea being perfect examples of this."

"Yeah. That's an admirable goal. A lofty one, but certainly admirable. I know Claude and Dimitri are aiming for very similar changes. I've already told you about that, of course. Both of them dislike how important Crests are to people in Fodlan. How having one or not can determine the course of your life." Lucas leaned back. "Y'know, maybe it would be a good idea for you to have a talk with those two."

"You suppose so?"

"Uh-huh. If you talk with them, you'll be able to get a greater understanding of the sort of things they wish to achieve. And then you guys could figure out some sort of compromise. Take each of your respective visions for Fodlan's future and mash them together until you get something that can truly benefit everyone. Come up with a compromise of sorts. I dunno. That just seems like a good idea to me. Speaking candidly with them won't hurt."

Edelgard paused, taking the time to consider her professor's words.

"I shall think about it. When I come to a decision on the matter, I will let you know."

"That's fine. Just make sure you don't procrastinate on that."

"Heh, I'll try not to," Edelgard smirked. "It is not in my nature to waste time. I simply need the time to think about whether speaking directly with those two would be a good idea or not. If I were to tell them about my plans now and they reject them, then my path will become unclear. Yet, maybe with you there, you would be able to mediate things. Hmm."

"Maybe." Lucas shrugged. "All I know is that you don't have to do this alone. There's always going to be a light, even in the darkest of times. And within that light are hands waiting for you to reach out."

Edelgard had nothing to say to this. She mulled it over to herself, those words repeating over and over again within her mind.

"Reach for my hand…"

Initially, those words were cold to her. Hard to touch, hard to think about. However, now, there was something warm about them. A comforting feeling that seemed an effective weapon against the darkness that persisted inside of her heart.

She chuckled.

"Professor, I had not realised you were such an effective speaker. You truly are a good friend."

Lucas spat out the tea he'd been consuming at that moment. Which just so happened to be the rest of it. Luckily, he spat towards the ground rather than the important Adrestian princess in front of him.

"I, uh...w-what?!" He sputtered, bewildered. "I-I'm your friend?"

"Why wouldn't you be? You have been guiding me for quite some time now. We have not known each other for long, though you understand me better than most people do. Even if that is likely because of your unique knowledge. Also, you are helping me with my problems. Is that not what friends do for one another?"

It was Lucas' turn to remain silent. He had no counter, no further exclamations on his end.

"I…" As he hesitated, Lucas briefly glanced over Edelgard's eyes. They stared at him with concern, expectation clear in their gaze. He sighed and gave in. "I-I don't know if I can consider anyone here my friend."

Edelgard gasped lightly. "What? That cannot be. You have not been merely training and studying for the past six months, have you?"

His mind figuratively shattered.

"Six months. That-that can't be right. Has it really been six months since I got here? Has it been half a year ALREADY?!" Lucas exclaimed internally. "There's no way...there's no way!"

The professor's silence persisted for some time. Edelgard had finished off the rest of her tea and decided to indulge herself in a sweet pastry, yet paused when she realised her teacher was taking much too long to respond.

"Professor? Is everything okay?"

This question had snapped Lucas back to reality. His earlier smile was no more, it being replaced with a frown. A glimmer could be seen in both of his eyes. His unshed tears shined against the rays of the sun. Edelgard's concerned expression intensified.

"I...I don't want to talk about it," was all Lucas could say in response.

Standing up from his chair, Lucas ran away, covering his eyes so as to not allow anyone to see his emotional state of being. Edelgard observed the professor open the courtyard gate, disappearing around the further side of the hedge. She sighed.

"Professor. You cannot keep avoiding your emotions. Even should they become too much. One of these days, you will have to face them. Only then can you move forward with clarity."

She stood up and began to clear the table.

Lucas chose to retreat to his sanctity, his one place of complete comfort within the physical realm. His bedroom. He hadn't come across anyone on his rushed journey over there. He'd been left completely alone by the whims of fate. Locking his bedroom door, Lucas grabbed a box of tiny cloths - his Fodlan replacement for tissues. He then collapsed on his bed and began wiping away at his unwelcome waterworks.

Some tears were able to escape his grasp. Those that did dripped down his cheek and onto either the bed below or somewhere on his uniform. Lucas cared not for how wet his fabrics got. At that moment, he could only think about one major thing as well as its related offshoots.

"Goddess, I'm never gonna be able to make it back home, aren't I? Th-there's no magical McGuffins I can collect that'll open up a portal or whatever. There's no special spell that's powerful enough to send someone between worlds. I'm stuck here…" Lucas thought while sniffling. "I'm never gonna be able to get back!"

Sothis and Byleth's brows furrowed. Lucas picked up on their silence.

"You guys...you don't think there's a way back, either. You're being quiet because you know there's nothing I can do," he accused them.

They remained voiceless. Lucas' cries only worsened.

"Goddess damn it, I'm right. Of course I'm fucking right. Why the hell do I have to be right?!" He lamented. "My family, my job...I wonder how much Newborn Life has sold in the past six months? Probably zero extra copies. I wouldn't be surprised."

Sothis' eyes narrowed. "Do you truly miss that? It doesn't sound as if your occupation was the most fulfilling."

"Of course I do! It-it was…" Lucas tried to find a response. "It was fun. Writing the kinds of stories I wanted to write, getting it out there for people to consume and hopefully enjoy - it was great. I just wish I was able to reach more people."

"What about dealing with the publisher? And those endless nights you spent writing the novel? Can you truly say your struggle justified the result you received?" Byleth questioned.

"I-yeah. I mean, that stingy publishing company was absolutely abhorrent with its deadlines and I most certainly do NOT miss those sleepless nights. To only get four people buying the book despite all of that…" Lucas released a sigh, charged full of sadness. His thoughts trailed off uselessly.

"It didn't feel good?" Byleth finished the end of the sentence for him.

Lucas nodded, reluctantly. "It felt horrible. Like I wasted the entire writing process. Do you know how long it took to write Newborn Life? Just over six months. Yeah, I felt as if I wasted almost half an entire year. What a great feeling."

Byleth and Sothis persisted with their silence as their heads became downturned.

"My condolences, Lucas," the latter eventually spoke. "Your struggle must have been great. It is unfortunate you had to suffer through that. But, consider this. You are no longer in that period of time. It has long since passed."

"Well, yeah. That is how time works. What are you getting at?" Lucas wondered, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"I am saying that you have to move on. To not allow these past events, these previous horrors of yours, to fester within your mind. You need to move towards the future while no longer being weighed down by the anchors of your past," Sothis advised.

"That's easy for you to say. You don't know what it's like to have wasted six months of your life on something you really wanted to do, only to receive little appreciation or applause for the hard work you put in," Lucas claimed.

Sothis frowned. "I am the progenitor of humanity in this world. I have spent thousands of years watching them grow from their basic beginnings. They were originally a peace-loving people, until war was introduced into their lives. By myself. Now, while the people of Fodlan do certainly appreciate what I have done, there has been less of that as time has passed. Some people in this age even use faith as a means of helping themselves with their own issues rather than praising me as their goddess. Which is fine. But it still hurts when mortals do not recognise all I have done for them."

The mental incarnation of Lucas' mouth fell agape.

"Do not talk to me about not receiving appreciation for hard work. I know what it is like," Sothis finished, staring straight at the mortal professor.

"I do, too. There isn't a single person alive who is aware of the struggles I have gone through. I have been through many futures, many different timelines, all in an attempt to find a future in which everyone can live. Yet I haven't been able to find it. I've always been stopped by that strange, dark entity," Byleth added. "The point is that I will never receive any appreciation for my struggles. No-one will care for what I have gone through. I understand what you are feeling, Lucas. Perhaps even better than Sothis does."

The professor had nothing to say in immediate response. He mulled over the words his two mind-compatriots gave him. His eyes closed.

"Heh. I sure am pathetic. Crying over this comparatively small matter, while you two are still standing strong despite these monumental things weighing on your minds. Just goes to show how little of a person I am," Lucas wept. His tears had slowed, clearing his mind enough to allow him to roll over onto his back in the physical world. "Why did it have to be me? Why couldn't it have been someone strong? Why couldn't it have been someone useful-"

A sudden jolt of pain zapped across his cheek. Lucas' head recoiled backwards from the pain, both in the real world and the mental void. Within the latter, he brought his head back forward, seeing Sothis floating right in front of him, an arm of hers raised.

"Wha-"

"Stop this. Right now," she demanded, folding her arms while floating in place. "It will never do you any good to think that way. You are far more useful than you realise."

"How? I haven't done anything. Someone like Byleth, he's way more useful! He's actually strong, he has skill with all sorts of weaponry and he has more control over Divine Pulse than I ever could! Even outside of that, someone more athletic would be more easily accustomed to this world and its survival conditions. Me? I can barely make it. I'm hanging on by a thread," Lucas snivelled.

In an instant, Byleth was also right in front him in the void, standing alongside Sothis. "She is right. You are much more useful than you think. You've been able to come up with unique strategies to defeat your enemies, attacking with methods I could never think of. You were able to translate fictional techniques from your world into actually useful maneuvers here in Fodlan. You've also been able to connect with your students in a way I never could."

"But your students always love you. That's a fact about any timeline. Despite your usual speech inhibitions, you're able to come across as charming enough for your students, creating lifelong relationships with practically anyone you teach. How the hell am I doing better than you in that?" Lucas continued asking.

"I never said 'better'. I merely said you were able to connect with everyone in a different way," Byleth clarified. "I realise I have never been the most talkative. Teaching different classes and reliving the same events, getting the opportunity to grow further as a person...it has allowed me to become more emotional than I ever could have been otherwise. Yet, I still find myself lacking something compared to you."

One of Lucas' eyebrows was raised.

"You are far more connected with your emotions than I am. I still feel as if emotions such as happiness and sadness are too far away for me. I am still uncertain about many things. Even love...I have been detached from romance for quite some time," Byleth began to lament. "My original timeline was when I was the happiest. But then I was torn away from it. Forced to start anew. All because of that unknown entity."

"Don't you feel angry because of that entity thing? If that's the case, you'd be more in-tune with your emotions than you think," Lucas stated.

"That's the thing. I feel nothing. I should be angry, but I am not," Byleth revealed, staring into the distant blackness. "It seems that despite all the time I've spent in Garreg Mach across various timelines, I still have yet to truly understand what it means to feel certain ways. On the other hand, Lucas, you know precisely what it means to feel sadness, to feel anger and happiness. All of these things. You know in much greater depth than I could ever comprehend. You cry when you are upset, you see red when you are greatly irritated and feel warmth when you are pleased. It is difficult for me to feel such things. If it's even possible."

Lucas' eyes darted to the floor.

"What does this have to do with me and my students?" He queried.

"It means you are much more empathetic when it comes to the struggles and conflicts your students face. For example, with Edelgard just now, you were able to sense her sadness and come to her aid right away. If I were you, I may have simply nodded in vague understanding because I wouldn't understand. But you do understand. You know what true sadness is like. Therefore, you can be much more directly comforting for those in emotional need," Byleth explained.

Lucas' face flushed red in embarrassment. "That's not…"

"Please, don't think of yourself as useless. You might not be the best in direct combat, but that can be improved with time. Just look at where you are now compared to six moons ago. You could not handle a single bandit back then. Now, that same manner of bandit wouldn't be much of a challenge for you. That alone is evidence of your growth," Byleth shot him a smile. "Given enough time, you may even surpass me."

"It's gonna take a long time for that to happen. But…" Lucas wiped at his eyes. "Thanks for the encouraging words, Byleth. You too, Sothis."

"You are welcome. Even though it was mostly this irritating half-deity that did most of the work." Sothis pointed to Byleth, an expression of mock vexation appearing on her face. "Are you feeling any better?"

"A little," Lucas said through a few sniffles. "I still don't think I'm particularly great, but Byleth was totally right. He made things pretty clear. I guess I can use my own emotions as a tool of understanding, huh."

"It is your greatest weapon," Byleth commented, a smile on his face. "Far stronger than any blade."

"Heh, I don't know about that. I'll most certainly give it a try, however," Lucas smirked, laughing a little while wiping his eyes some more.

At this point, his tears had gone away entirely. Sunlight coming from the outside world peered into his bedroom through the window, illuminating the brown, wooden makeup of the dormitory.

"What now? Should I go apologise to Edelgard for running out of her tea time event thing?" Lucas wondered, staring at the door.

"She knows what it's like to need time for yourself. She won't need the apology," Byleth answered. "Why not take a walk around the monastery? It worked for you when you had that nightmare a few moons ago. It cleared your mind. Perhaps that is what you need right now."

"I agree," Sothis concurred. "That is sound logic."

"Alright, a walk it is," decided Lucas.

Taking a moment to restore his physical energy after resting on his bed for what felt like a damn eternity, Lucas pulled himself together and then brought himself away from his sleeping apparatus. He took a single deep breath before leaving his place of sanctity.

With the golden sun shining ever so brightly upon the grounds of Garreg Mach Monastery, one could say it was quite the lovely day. Lucas could agree to such a statement. The wind felt just a bit more smooth than it had been earlier. After breathing in the fresh air, Lucas' walk commenced.

To start things off, he walked over to the right, passing by the various other dorm rooms and some miscellaneous students. At the end of the path was the greenhouse. It was a place he hadn't visited very often, if at all. He didn't feel like increasing his amount of visits at that moment.

Ignoring the greenhouse, Lucas passed by the fishing pond. It seemed a lot of people were partaking in a fishing tournament of some kind. Many students from the Officers Academy had taken part, including some of his Black Eagles. He chose to discard the idea of joining. Fishing didn't appeal to him. Not at that time, anyway.

Lucas' little adventure then took him round the front of the monastery. His eyes switched over to the miniature marketplace. Various students, knights, clerics and members of the general populace were milling about, engaging in the sacred act of trade. The professor grinned as he watched the market from afar. His mind was entranced by the minute amount of moving bodies present over there. A sudden, energetic voice shook him out of his stupor.

"Greetings, Professor! Nothing to report!"

"Gah!" Lucas, after getting over his startled state, turned around. He breathed a sigh of relief when he found out who it was. "Oh, it's just you, Gatekeeper. That is your name, right?"

"Well, sort of! It might as well be at this point," the humble Gatekeeper replied. "I don't mind, though. Keeping the gate is what I'm best at, after all!"

"I guess that's true. Speaking at a loud volume's probably your second best thing," Lucas half-joked, his expression changing to a mock accusatory one.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I just saw you standing there right in front of me. I thought you were trying to speak to me or something. What were you doing, if you don't mind me asking?" Gatekeeper wondered. His expression was totally unreadable - purely due to his helmet. It covered most of his face.

"I was just looking at the marketplace. Seems lively today," Lucas revealed to the other man.

"Yep, sure is! We just got some new merchants in, so I imagine a lot of people are interested to see what they've got. I'd love to have a look myself, but the gate demands its protector! Not that I have any irritation towards the gate, don't get me wrong. I'm just a curious guy!" Gatekeeper informed the professor.

"New merchants? Anyone interesting?"

Gatekeeper paused for a moment, likely to recall. "We've got someone who claims to have unique trinkets from even the likes of Morfis. I don't know how true that is, but it might be worth checking out!"

"Is that all?" Lucas asked, interest clear in his expression.

"Uh…" Gatekeeper paused again. "Oh! I remember now. One of Garreg Mach's favorite merchants has returned!"

An eyebrow raised, Lucas required clarification. "Who's that?"

"Her name's Anna! She always has the most interesting items, from what I hear. Swords, axes, lances, bows - all kinds of items! It might be a good idea for you to check out her shop. Your students might benefit from all the high quality weapons she has!" Gatekeeper suggested.

Upon hearing the name of the merchant in question, Lucas stopped in place. Realisation hit him like a speeding truck.

"Anna? Oh, it's gotta be THAT Anna. It has to be. And if it is…" Lucas started theorising.

"What is going on? What's so special about Anna, aside from her wares? She's merely a merchant. A merchant skilled at battle, but a merchant nonetheless," Byleth asked, confused.

"There's a lot more to Anna than you could ever otherwise be aware of. You know about the video game thing, right? How Fodlan in my world is part of a series of games that each take place in their own universe? Some overlap, of course, but generally it's a new world per game," Lucas explained. "While many things are different between these worlds, there is usually at least one constant. One individual that's always there in every world. That individual is Anna."

Sothis put on a doubtful tone. "You are saying there are multiple versions of this Anna person and they are spread across multiple realms? How is that possible?"

"In my world's context, it's rather simple. But here, in reality, I have no clue. I believe the different Annas are all sisters of one another. It's implied they keep contact. So if I were to talk to one…" An idea began forming in Lucas' mind. Sothis detected it right off the bat.

"No. Don't you dare," she refused the oncoming idea.

"Huh? Why not? You don't even know what I was going to say," Lucas stated.

"I do. You were about to suggest that you talk to this Anna, figure out the secrets of her interdimensional travel and use them so you may have a chance of returning to your home world. I shall now explain to you why that's a bad idea," Sothis began with a stern look. "First of all, there is no guarantee you can use it to return home. Is there an Anna in your dimension? I should think not."

Lucas deflated as Sothis carried on.

"Second of all, if you were able to teleport to another realm, who is to say that other realm would be a friendly one? You could be caught in the crossfires of war. Or even a world where you have to fight for your very survival. It is far too dangerous and uncertain of an idea." Sothis frowned. "Don't you pout at me, Lucas! I am merely saying this for your own good."

Lucas sighed, ending the pout he put on partway through Sothis' lecture. "Right, right. Sorry. Guess I won't do that. But I can at least look at her wares, right? I need a new sword anyway."

"That is fine. Just don't go about mentioning worldly travel to her," the goddess advised.

Giving the diminutive one a smile of reassurance, Lucas' gaze returned to the physical world. Gatekeeper had been staring at the professor ever since his mental departure. He was startled when the teacher's eyes suddenly gazed right back at him.

"Whoa! Professor Lucas, are you okay?" Gatekeeper asked out of concern.

"Heh, I'm fine. Was just thinking about something. I tend to space out a lot, I guess," Lucas chuckled. He turned back around towards the marketplace. "Gonna head in and see what's what. See ya, Gatekeeper."

"Goodbye, Professor! I'll be sure to let you know if there's anything to report!"

Shooting him a final smile, Lucas headed deep into the marketplace, keeping an eye out for any sign of red hair. He figured it would stand out since most people around these parts had a fairly basic hair colour. Yet, it was difficult to do so. It was as if she wasn't there at all. Curious, Lucas peered around the side of every stall, yet he couldn't spot even a single iota of red. Disappointed, he spun around to restart his earlier walk.

A hand was placed upon his shoulder.

"Excuse me, sir, are you looking for someone?"

"That's not Anna." Lucas failed to recognise the voice that likely came from the person who just made contact with his body. "Who is this?"

Slowly, Lucas turned around. A young woman - seemingly around his age - stared back at him. Concern was present in her beautiful, brown eyes. Her blond hair looked as if it absorbed the energy of the sun. It became more radiant the more it was in his vision. And her voice. It felt divine. Not literally of course, since Sothis was still in his head, but it might as well have been. Lucas blinked.

"Um, who are you?" He asked the woman.

"I think I should be asking that of you. But I think I already know, considering what you're wearing. You're a professor at the Officers Academy, aren't you?" She inquired, somehow flipping the tables of questioning right around.

"Yeah. My name's Lucas. I'm the professor of the Black Eagle House. I, uh, repeat my earlier question. Who're you?"

The woman giggled, causing a wave of warmth to emanate throughout Lucas' very self. "I'm Sophia. Just some merchant's assistant who was lucky enough to be able to make it into Garreg Mach walls. I don't know if I even belong here, but I'm happy regardless," the woman, Sophia, divulged. "Okay, I'll be honest. I only came to you because you looked really sad."

"Oh. Wait, what? What does that mean?" Lucas squinted, suspicious.

"I can see it in your eyes. You've been crying recently, haven't you? I...I know what that looks like. Heh, you could say I'm quite the sad person myself." Sophia looked to the ground.

"I'm-" Lucas hesitated.

"You don't need to say it. Thinking about that kind of thing never goes well for me. I just want you to know something. A little phrase I like to tell myself any time things aren't going well. It always gets me out of whatever problem I'm having at the time."

Lucas motioned for her to continue. She nodded.

"Life isn't always dark. There's always gonna be a ray of light that will come through and defeat the dark, no matter what and without fail," Sophia recalled. "You get what that's saying, Lucas?"

"Y-yeah. I think I get it." Lucas was able to smile. "Thanks for sharing, Sophia. I appreciate it."

"You're welcome. Say, I don't actually know anyone around here, except for my boss, obviously. Would you like to join me for a meal in the village down below sometime? Maybe we can get some tea?"

Lucas blushed. "W-what? You want me to join you?"

"Why not? You seem like a nice guy. Pretty handsome too, if I don't say so myself. Who better to ask than you?"

Lucas had now frozen entirely. His entire face, covered in sweat and blush. It was impossible to tell which was which. But Sothis and Byleth could tell which was the more prevalent feeling in his mind. They smiled smugly, continuing to observe the conversation.

"I-I...uh, yeah! Sure! I'm tota-completely okay with that! Yeah!" Lucas sputtered. Sophia giggled, once again filling Lucas with an absolutely wonderful feeling he couldn't quite figure out.

"Alright. I'll meet you here tomorrow around twelve. You're free on Sundays, right?"

"Y-yeah! I am!"

Sophia smiled. "Good. I'll see you then. Bye."

As the woman of mystery sauntered away, likely to get back to work, Lucas couldn't help but watch her go. His face was still awash with a blush. It wouldn't disappear. No matter how long he looked within the direction she went in. He could feel his heart pumping and pulsing at a much faster rate than usual.

"Byleth, what am I feeling?" Lucas asked.

"You already know," was all Byleth needed to say.

Lucas gulped. He turned around, finally moving out of the spot he'd been standing in for the past few moments. Keen to get away and rid his face of its eternal blush, he went straight for the blacksmith, having given up on finding Anna. Even during the process of obtaining several new weapons with the mountain of extra cash Rhea provided him with, that blush persisted. His faster heartbeat kept going.

Sophia, the blonde haired goddess, just wouldn't leave his mind.

Author Notes: Ooh, yeah, looks like Lucas has finally found himself a love interest. Gotta be honest, didn't expect this one to be as long as it is now, but that's just how it be sometimes.

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EDIT (26/09/2021): I think I'm getting to the parts of my editing journey where the changes become so miniscule that they're hardly worth mentioning. At least they're happening!