A forest covered in shade. Purple, hazy mist blanketed the area. Standing amongst a cavalcade of fallen leaves and shadows was a middle aged man. One who had quite the notable goatee and elongated hair. T'was Lord Arundel of the Adrestian Empire. At least, it would appear that way to anyone not already in the know.
The man stared frustratingly at the young woman who stood in front of him. Edelgard von Hresvelg was sending her supposed uncle a glare of pure contempt. A short lived staring contest emerged between the two prior to any sort of conversation going underway.
"You have chosen to not wear your Flame Emperor attire. What is the meaning of this, princess?" Arundel questioned, his irritated countenance persisting.
"I do not see any further need for it," Edelgard answered.
"What?!" Arundel exclaimed as a vein bulged on his forehead. "How preposterous. You wouldn't want to throw away all that you have worked so hard to build up."
"Maybe I do. You don't know that," rejoined Edelgard, the vague beginnings of a smug grin cropping up on her face.
"I know you, Princess. You are a strong, powerful-minded individual. Stubborn at times, too. Many times before have you spoken about wishing to strike against the Church of Seiros and reform Fodlan for the better. You will not be able to do that without our power. Without the power we've granted you," Arundel claimed. "Do not bite the hand that feeds you."
"What if that hand is tainted with the foulest of poisons? I would much rather reach for something clean. Something less dangerous and more certain," Edelgard countered. "Do not presume to tell me what to do, 'uncle'. I can act however I wish."
"You would call our methods poisonous? We are no more virulent than the church. Have you forgotten how they have changed historical records for their own purposes? You cannot be so foolish as to align with them."
Edelgard hesitated. "You may be right about that. But therein lies the keyword: may. There is a chance you are not telling the truth. It is difficult for me to believe in someone so inherently distrustful such as yourself."
"How ridiculous. Our kind has existed for thousands of years. We have lived for precisely the same length of time as those Nabateans. Yet we have never disguised our own history. Never have we attempted to manipulate the masses for our benefit."
"Are you joking?" Edelgard scoffed. "You've manipulated my family in order to create your ideal pawn. You have carefully placed spies in every corner of the continent, all so you may control the paths the three territories take. Even if what you are saying about the church is true, your kind has done far worse."
Another vein bulged upon Arundel's forehead. He raised his voice, anger coursing through him. "You fool! Those actions were necessary to attain power and control over most of Fodlan! The church and its Archbishop have fed nothing but lies to their blind followers, tainting their minds and beliefs with false ideas of the past! How dare you suggest otherwise, girl! Do you wish to face the wrath of an entire race?!"
"Hmph. You're exploding at the slightest provocation. That only indicates you are unstable. Not well-minded. If you truly were my uncle, you would be the worst ruler Adrestia has ever seen."
"Now you're resorting to insults? How base of you. I assumed you were raised better than that."
Edelgard scowled. "Do not dare mention my childhood. You have no right. You were the one that brought it to ruin."
"All for the greater good of Agartha and Fodlan. I did what was necessary in order to grant you power necessary to obtain your ideals. Do not forget that we were the ones that gave you both Crests. And that sword…" Arundel motioned to the princess' sheathed Heroes' Relic. "It would be useless to you without our research."
"I will never forget what you did to me. How you and your researchers successfully modified me, but at the cost of my siblings. I may have had a happy family if it were not for you. While a part of me is grateful for the strength I now possess, I still wish you never intervened."
"Thankless girl. One day, you shall give us the recognition we deserve. And that day will come as a result of the power we gave you."
"I will achieve my dreams on my own merits. With or without your power."
Arundel's facial expression tightened once again. Edelgard glared at him in response, her evident distaste for the man's true identity and his people as clear as the very concept of language itself. He composed himself.
"You have been rather uncooperative as of late, princess. This is the first time we have spoken in several months. Was there a reason you wished to speak? Or was this meeting conducted solely to irritate me?"
"I wanted to let you know how much I disliked your most recent plan. The failed one involving the Agarthan that kidnapped my professor. What were you even hoping to achieve with that?"
"So Pittacus truly did not succeed. Unfortunate, but it's not unexpected if the church was able to discern Solon and Kronya's true identities. You are saying she attempted to abduct your teacher? She would not do so without proper cause. How curious."
"Wait, you weren't specifically aiming for my professor?"
"No. I merely instructed her to bring anything interesting back to Shamballa. I see now. Your teacher must have something unique about them. Thank you for the information." Complacency showed itself in Arundel's expression.
Edelgard recoiled backwards in regret, quickly recomposing herself. "So you were aiming to take anyone, then. You truly are despicable, Thales."
"As are you. It is clear you can no longer be relied on for our plans," Arundel said while staring at the white-haired girl in disdain. "You have not performed any of the actions we have asked of you. But that is fine."
Lightly raising one of her brows, Edelgard looked at the disguised Agarthan in confusion. Arundel gazed back with a hint of crazed maliciousness.
"There is another tool we may use."
Upon the dawn of a bright new day, Lucas, his house of Black Eagles, as well as a contingent from the Knights of Seiros, set out towards the location of their brand new mission.
Derdriu - the Aquatic Capital of the Alliance. It was quite the distance away, meaning the group needed to get going a little earlier than usual. Some were pleased to have another lengthy trek to go through while others loathed the painful strain on their legs the walk soon brought about. It had been quite some time since their last journey of such a caliber, yet the revered/despised memory of their previous one initiated a clash of emotions.
Following along their overall group were two notable knights. People that Lucas actually knew. Alois and Shamir had come along. Their presence alone was enough to corral the general sense of rowdiness amongst the squad. Shamir's more so than Alois'. Her stoic nature spoke a thousand terrifying words all on their own; it rivalled even the older knight's outspoken self in some regards. Nobody dared to complain after the deadly archer sent a glare their way.
Primarily, Lucas had been on his own. Simply moving in-step with everyone else and not bothering to interact with many people. This made him stick out like an Almyran in a sea of Fodlans. Alois picked up on his lonesomeness.
"Greetings there, Lucas! What are you doing on your own? Is there something wrong?" The aged knight asked his fellow man.
"Oh, hi Alois. I'm just lost in thoughts all alone over here," Lucas shrugged with a sigh.
"I understand, heh. Sometimes I like to take a moment to myself so I can think things over. Good thing you're being mindful, eh?" Alois smiled.
Lucas couldn't help but chuckle. "Yeah, I guess so. Good one, Alois."
"Yeah...hey, wait a moment! Y-you actually liked that? Wow. Honestly, not too many people here appreciate my masterful wordplay. I've spent so many hours thinking of these, y'know! Not all of them even get used!" Alois exclaimed. "It's nice to get some recognition."
"True. I can appreciate good, flexible usage of the Eng...I mean, Fodlan language," Lucas quickly corrected himself. "I do have to admit, not all of your puns are bangers. Uh, I mean, not all of them are great."
"Oh well. You can't win them all."
The professor nodded in agreement. Alois' smiled persisted even as the conversation fell into a lull of sorts, although it was eventually picked back up.
"So, I've been meaning to ask you ever since we left the monastery. What do you think of the mission? Anything that jumps out at you?" Alois wondered curiously.
"Nothing that I can share without looking suspicious," Lucas said to himself. "I don't think much of it. It's just defending the Aquatic Capital from some Almyrans, right? Shouldn't be too special."
Alois seemed disappointed. "Hmm, I suppose you're right. It's just...there's something about this I don't like. I was hoping you'd have picked up on it as well."
"What do you mean?"
"I just wonder if it's truly Almyrans we'll have to fight. I've met a few of them already, not including the ones at Garreg Mach, and they all seemed like good people. Are they really savage like most say they are?"
Both of their expressions became grim.
"Right. I forgot about the blatant racism here," Lucas remembered. "I sure hope not. Nobody really actively wants to fight their fellow men, right? I shouldn't think the Almyrans are bloodthirsty in any regard."
"I completely agree. It's a shame that certain people are regarded in specific ways all because of where they were born. I've seen so many of my fellow knights talk behind Shamir's back, for example. Dagdans, Almyrans, Duscurians...no matter who you are, if you're not of Fodlan, there will always be a part of the populace that hates you." Alois sighed.
"Hopefully that changes one day. Maybe someone will come along and introduce kinder policies pertaining to foreigners and such. It might not fix the problem entirely, but it would be a good first step," suggested Lucas, his mind fluttering to the image of a certain house leader.
"That would be great!" Alois concurred. "I hope that comes sooner rather than later. If it comes at all."
"You might need to wait a while for that." Lucas looked over towards the horizon. "I agree, Alois. I'm hoping change comes to Fodlan very soon."
The walk became silent following the end of the conversation. Alois kept walking alongside Lucas as much as he could before the older male was dragged away by Shamir for some official administrative business. Something a professor of the Officers Academy didn't need to worry about.
Now that he was on his own, Lucas checked his equipment. His Myrmidon armour had been a little tough to put on at first. It wasn't anything like traditional Fodlan clothing. There were straps and miniature mechanisms involved - all to keep the armour pieces in place. It felt a bit clunky to wear at first, but he soon got used to it after several hours of training.
His two swords were sheathed on opposite sides of his waist. The Killing Edge and the Levin Sword. A pair of weapons each with their own uses, their own weaknesses and strengths. And their own appearance.
Lucas grinned. He recognised how coincidental that thought was.
It took almost an entire week to reach Derdriu. When the monastery group got close, their eyes feasted upon a large city, filled with stone buildings, wide plazas and many corridor-like streets and roads. Lucas noted that it wasn't quite like any city from Earth, but this place certainly had its own charm.
At the very least, it must've been impressive for Fodlan standards, as some of his own students gasped in amazement upon seeing the capital.
"Whoa! That's Derdriu? Heh, looks almost like Enbarr!" Caspar remarked.
"It's not quite as large as Enbarr, but it most certainly is impressive in its own right. I am amazed that the Leicester Alliance's capital is even comparable to the Adrestian Empire's at all!" Ferdinand von Aegir added.
"If we don't succeed at our mission, this city likely won't survive. Remember that," Shamir advised, breaking her personal quietness.
"Oh no...imagine all the people that must live here! We have to protect them!" Bernadetta exclaimed.
"You seem fired up, Bernie," Dorothea noted. "And rightly so. I imagine this city has a lot of poor and homeless, what with it being a capital and all. Those people won't have a place to hide in, so we've gotta make sure they don't get involved either."
"Even if it's a drag protecting them, I wouldn't be able to rest at night if I allowed innocents to die," Linhardt stated. He looked over to his teacher. "Do we know when the Almyrans are supposed to arrive?"
Lucas shrugged. "I dunno. Soon? We better get into the city as soon as possible, in any case. Shamir, do we have a base?"
"We'll be setting up inside of the duke's home. There should be enough beds to hold all of our students and soldiers should we need to stay overnight," Shamir clarified.
"I believe Lady Rhea sent an advanced message to Duke Oswald that notified him of our needs, so some things are probably already set up. We shouldn't need to worry about much apart from unloading our equipment and the like," Alois assumed.
"Is Duke Oswald not unwell? I thought that he was," Hubert presumed.
"He is. I believe he has appointed an Acting Duke to take over his responsibilities while he's unwell," Edelgard informed her retainer.
"That's a relief, then. Glad to know we won't be dealing with some unorganised officials. Heh. Imagine what it'd be like if the Almyrans attacked while we were still busy preparing." Lucas breathed a sigh of relief, stretching his upper body backwards.
"Ha! That would be quite the nightmare!" Alois jested.
Laughter and smirks came from the more jovial ones of the group. As everyone progressed further along the dirt path they were travelling on, with the sun at the peak of the sky, Derdriu came ever closer. It even looked as if it grew in size as they all drew nearer.
In time, the group arrived at the main entrance gate. Shamir and Alois addressed the city's guards. Everyone was allowed inside once the guards learnt of the squad's true identity. When they got inside, the state of the city became clear.
Barely anybody was around. Some townspeople and city guards were wandering the streets, but that was about it. The amount of folks present on the stone-paved streets could be counted on a single pair of hands. Whoever was around observed the Garreg Mach group with much interest. Their carriages and sizable collections of people certainly juxtaposed the natural emptiness of the city.
An unnerving feeling passed through the group's souls.
Everyone was able to somewhat distract themselves by focusing on their task at hand. They all ventured over to the miniature castle at the furthest end of the city - the home of Duke Oswald. Some were interested to see what Claude's supposed childhood house was like. Others were simply keen to get away from the damn ghost city. Another identity check stood between the group and protection from the creepy capital.
Time passed as everyone got prepared within Derdiru's fancy fortress. As usual, the students found their given rooms while the knights mostly trained the rest of the day away. Lucas, Shamir and Alois were directed over to a war room by one of Duke Oswald's men. Then were they able to discuss proceedings.
"Well, that felt fast," Alois commented. "I could've sworn we were outside the city just a moment ago. I blink, and now we're here."
"That's what happens when you don't pay attention. It can actually be quite the useful skill if you want time to pass quickly when you're doing something dull. I use it a lot," Shamir explained, pulling a rolled-up piece of a paper out of a bag.
"What's that?" Lucas asked, pointing at the paper.
"Allow me to show you." Shamir removed a string that kept the paper rolled up as she laid it out onto the wide table, one that took up most of the large room. "It's a map of the city. I've taken the liberty of circling the area we'll most likely be fighting in."
Lucas and Alois checked the map, their eyes immediately catching the black circle that surrounded the port as well as the plaza right beside it. Both men murmured in assent.
"Good thinking, Shamir! According to the reports, the Almyrans always arrived at the city with the use of their infamous ships. I don't see them coming in from land," Alois reasoned as he fiddled with his goatee. "Hmph...I'd make a joke about this, but I don't know if it would land well."
Shamir audibly groaned while Lucas audibly laughed.
"Yeah, this makes sense to me," the professor agreed. "I see two entrances to the city by the docks. We'll probably have to defend those points so none of our enemies can get in and cause mayhem. And that means we might have to split up our forces in two."
"Exactly as I was thinking. I also thought the battle might end faster if we took care of the enemy leader. All of their soldiers would likely stand down after seeing that happen. At least, it'll make cleanup much easier," Shamir proposed.
"So both of our groups will have to charge forward while getting rid of any enemies in their respective ways, thereby preventing any outsiders from getting into the capital. Seems like a plan to me. I don't have any other ideas," Lucas stated. "Aside from blocking all entrances and playing the defensive game."
"That wouldn't be a good idea. If we let all of them charge, they might overwhelm us." Alois shook his head. "I prefer the offensive option."
"Then it's settled. Now, let's discuss our formations…" Shamir said as the three moved onto the next item in their agenda for the meeting.
As the discussion progressed, Lucas nodded along with everything the other two mentioned, adding in ideas of his own that aligned with his foreknowledge. He looked out of the lone window the war room possessed. The world was slowly darkening.
Soldiers flooded the streets of Derdriu. A huge cluster of fighters from Garreg Mach Monastery filled up a chunk of the plaza near the city's port. They were split up into three. One side, led by Alois, stood around the northernmost docks entrance; the one that transitioned to a medium stone platform. Another team, led by Lucas, took the easternmost exit, which was followed by a lengthy stretch of grass and general rough rockiness. A third team - one led by Shamir - stood closer to the middle of the plaza. They were ready to fight off anyone that dared to infiltrate the city.
Which was good, considering a quartet of ships were approaching. Slowly edging their way closer to the port, the ships took a mild beating from arrows launched by Deidru's guards. But it wasn't enough to halt their advance.
The ships docked. Out came a moderately sized force, consisting of all kinds of weapon users and specialties. Wyvern Riders were included amongst their might. Shamir grinned once they showed themselves. Alois held tightly onto his axe. Lucas trembled slightly, but was able to recompose himself.
"I don't have time to worry. I've gotta get rid of all these chuckleheads," Lucas reminded himself. "With Shamir's squad hanging around the plaza, it won't be the end of the world if one of these guys manages to get past us. Those wyvern blokes will be annoying to deal with, though…"
"At least you were able to have Bernadetta on your team," Byleth mentioned.
"True," Lucas concurred. A realisation came to him. "Hey, now that I think of it, why is it that arrows are super effective against pegasi and wyverns?"
"It's to do with the wings. If you were to slash at them with a sword or lunge at them with a lance, your weapon would just bounce off. It would deal damage, yes, but it wouldn't have any other effects. On the other hand, arrows are likely to get stuck in their wings. That would cause the animal to crash to the ground since it would no longer be able to use its wings properly," Byleth explained promptly. "Didn't you read that in a book?"
"Oh yeah, I did. Guess I forgot. Either way, it's good to know."
What seemed to be the leader of all the enemies stepped out of the central ship. His voice echoed out, even reaching those within Derdriu's walls.
"Tremble before our might! We are the greatest navy the world has ever seen! We are the Almyran Navy! Give us everything you own, now!" The enemy leader bellowed out to all that could hear.
Alois frowned. "I knew it...these people look nothing like Almyrans! Do not fall for their tricks, everyone! These are just common pirates!"
"Yep. So I guess that's still the same. I'm glad our relations with Almyra won't actually be negatively impacted as a result of these bastards. At least, I hope," Lucas wished, readying his Killing Edge. "Alright everybody, you know what to do! Take out that pirate captain leader guy and we'll be all set!"
The people under his command all voiced their acceptance of his instructions. Bernadetta merely released a short yelp while Linhardt vaguely yawned, but someone like Caspar was more than ready to get into the meat and potatoes of the situation. Dorothea shot Lucas a concerned glance. He fired back with a thumbs-up.
He was more than ready. When the screams of battle sounded, he and the rest of his squad charged in.
Almost right away, Lucas' team came face to face with several horse riders. Dealing with them was a bit tricky since the riders' lances would come in swinging whenever anyone tried to get in close. A combination of spells for the human and arrows for the animal was enough to put them both out of commission. They all then proceeded further down their grassy path.
Wyvern Riders came flying by the team. Bernadetta, as well as some archer knights, were on hand to promptly deal with them. A couple managed to sneak by. Lucas was tempted to use Divine Pulse there so they wouldn't be able to do that, but Shamir's team fixed up the issue anyhow, so the hands of time weren't messed with.
Not just yet. As Lucas got into a fight with a Brawler, he found himself nicked in the side, the spikes on the enemy's gauntlets able to pierce through his Myrmidon armour. This had left him open for a fearsome fisting, though a Divine Pulse allowed him to avoid the initial nick. In turn, he nicked the Brawler's life.
Meanwhile, Alois' side had been doing well for themselves. Most of his forces consisted of knights, yet four Black Eagles students were among them. Edelgard effortlessly sliced through her opposition with the Sword of the Creator, making effective use of her unnatural power. Hubert and Ferdinand were right behind her. They made sure that anyone the princess didn't get to were indeed gone. Petra was right with them, although she fell more in-step with the knights.
A pincer formation had occurred. Between the two sides of Central Church-aligned forces were a whole load of pirates masquerading as the Almyran Navy. Their lies had been quickly debunked and their numbers were slowly whittling. The pincer grew tighter.
It came to the point where the two groups were able to see each other plainly as they cleared out their respective ships. They were closing in on the main craft, the one the leader was cowardly hiding out on. Alois and Shamir approached.
"This is the end for you and your crew, pirate! Stand down and you will not have to face the power of the Knights of Seiros!" Alois insisted.
"L-like hell! I'm not gonna let you walk all over me, y-you…!" The pirate captain faltered as the imposing figure of Alois came ever closer to him. To his side, the Knights of Seiros' deadly assassin aimed her bow straight for his face. "D-damn! Do I really have a chance here?!"
"No, you don't. Give up now if you want to live," Shamir suggested.
"Live, huh? W-well, that sounds a hell of a lot better than dying all because some guy in a mask told you to!" The pirate captain threw his weapon into the ocean and raised his arms in defeat. "Arrest me! Do whatever you want! Just don't execute me, p-please!"
"We'll see what happens. Alois, you have the rope?" Shamir asked her ally.
"I certainly do!" Alois answered, pulling out a wound-up piece of rope from his petite waist pack. He walked over to the pirate captain and tied up his arms as tight as humanely possible. "There we are! You won't be doing any more damage today, pirate!"
"Hey, I'll take it! Beats getting killed…" the captain commented.
Several knights came up to him and escorted him away from the scene, all while Shamir and Alois discussed logistical manners. Lucas had watched all of it play out, yet something struck out to him that kept the teacher thinking.
"Hold the phone. Uh, I mean, halt the carrier pigeon. Did the captain guy just say something about a guy in a mask?"
Instinctively, Lucas turned to his right. His face exhibited fear. True fear. Edelgard, who was standing on the same central boat where the pirate captain had been arrested, noticed the sudden change in her professor's demeanour.
"Professor? Whatever is the matter?" She wondered.
He said nothing. All he did was point in the direction he was looking in. Curiously, Edelgard followed his finger. Her expression met the same fate as Lucas'.
Someone wearing a red-toned armor and white mask stood atop a hill away from the city that provided a good vantage point with which one could use to overlook the area of the battle. As if wearing her own mask, Edelgard hid her primary emotion of fear, instead putting up a genuine front of surprise.
"How? How is this possible? That's…" She struggled. "That's the Flame Emperor. But why? Ah-!"
The Flame Emperor disappeared in a flash of magical energy, startling both Lucas and Edelgard. They shared a puzzled glance.
"What was that?!" Lucas questioned.
"I...I do not know. I am as confused as you are, Professor. I do not-" Edelgard interrupted herself. "Could this be? Thales, is this your new tool?"
As the two remained upon the boat, duelling with their newfound bewilderment, the Flame Emperor stood far away from the Aquatic Capital. Its expression was unreadable by anyone on the outside.
Only the person inside could see the malignant smile upon their own face.
Author Notes: We're comin' up on the end of Act 1. Only one more chapter to go. With this reveal, how will this Act even end? Find out next time…
Oh, before I forget, Lucas has recently been featured in another fanfiction! It's called Tales From The Summoner's Undercroft, available over on AO3! The fic itself features isekai'd SI-OCs coming together in a bar to shoot the shit and discuss whatever! Each chapter features a different set of (at least) three OCs. Chapter 5 has Lucas, but it also has Sam from the fic Rigged From the Start by TheBobcat18 and Audrey from Diversis Mundi Magica Actum by 3-13 Sniper! Go check out all three of these fics if you haven't already! The authors deserve your love!
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 (26/09/2021): I do wonder if the Flame Emperor II reveal was a bit too sudden, but I feel like it's okay? I'm not overly sure about this one. I just left it as it was.