"Sometimes I ask myself, what am I doing here?"
Lush, green fields. Vast expanse, stretching endlessly into the horizon. A world of viridescent nature. Vision unclear. Viewpoint all misty and hazy. All he could see was a vague, never ending greenness.
As well as a sky of tenebrosity. Sheer darkness covered the realms of the above.
Unmoving. Frozen. Immobile. Not a single step forward was taken. He attempted to do so, yet an invisible force prevented any meaningful motion from taking place. The person was stuck. Unable to advance.
An attempt to scan the environment for any clues, any meanings or hidden messages he could decipher. Anything he could use to escape his current predicament.
Nothing. Zero. Nought. He became all worried, all concerned. His body had yet to authorise movement.
"I think of all the reasons, but it's still not clear…"
A golden glint on the uncertain path ahead shined with such intense radiance. It was an aureate column of light that pierced the heavens above. However, it was blocked by the ceiling of shadows.
He assayed to reach out for the light, forgetting his earlier frozen nature. As if it had never become a problem, he was able to witness the state of his arm for the first time.
A bulky, muscular, white arm stretched out before him. Yet it was tainted - by blood. Fresh blood.
The stench of thousands of decomposing bodies infiltrated his nose. He checked his other arm. It too was covered in the red juice of life. Infinitely more effluvium invaded his internal systems. His nose contorted and was on the verge of death.
Though he did not falter. His arms were stained, yet he remained within the world that was void of all wind, his face undeterred by the revelation he uncovered.
"I kept everything inside, and even though I tried…"
A blade appeared within his right hand. Of which he grasped the hilt with a violent fervour. A flicker of flames ignited somewhere deep in his gaze.
But then he became sorrowful. Regretful. Remorseful. Guilty for the crimes he committed. Apologetic for all the horrific actions he had taken.
They were justified, were they not? Was he not doing the right thing? By ridding the world of its scum and the vermin that infected it, was he not doing the world a favour?
An answer failed to come. He was left wondering and pondering about the nature of his actions.
The blade disappeared, but he didn't notice that.
"It all fell apart."
His grasp on both of his hands tightened, the tips of his fingers digging deep into the makeup of his palms.
Around him came a rising wave of fire. It circled his body, creating a ring of conflagration that darkened the natural, peaceful surroundings he was enveloped in. The soft grass that peacefully rested around his bare feet was soon no more. It all burnt away.
A field of destruction persisted around his struggling self. He closed his eyes, intending to blind himself from the pain and suffering surrounding him. To ignore the inferno. To disregard the scorched earth.
All he could see in the darkness behind his unopened view were the faces of those long forgotten. In his ears were their muffled calls and screams.
A blonde man halfway to the afterlife, one who wore a dull grey tuxedo, roared with a deafening shout. A black-haired woman of slightly lesser age, someone that dressed themselves with a dark blue apron, wailed all throughout his mind. A third girl, someone barely older than him that wore a branded, red-coloured shirt and pitch-black jeans. She leered directly at his visage.
Her silence was the loudest objector of them all.
Unable to face reality, he shrunk himself down, attempting to nurse himself by covering his ears with his hands.
No effect. There was no choice in the matter. A method of prevention or circumvention for the matter did not exist. He would have to listen. To hear all of their verbal torture. Even if it was garbled and barely understandable, he still knew what it all meant.
He knew it was all true. Yet he wished it wasn't.
"Yet still I hide..."
A rush of emotion. It was too much. He couldn't take it anymore. From his crouched position amongst the black-faded, blazing surroundings, he rose. He shot back up to a stand. All those known figures dissipated. They faded into nothingness - they became a memory.
The ring of flames had become much smaller. He could feel the volcanic heat rise up to his face. His entire body felt as if it were submerged within an ocean of lava. Sweat poured slowly down his whole self.
He went to go wipe his forehead, as if that would achieve anything, but then he noticed. A partially grey, partially black sleeve reminded him of the clothes he was wearing. Upon his head - as he soon checked - was a hat befitting of the reality he knew.
The world he'd become too comfortable with.
For a moment in time, he was calm. He could finally become himself. The flames mattered not to him. Despite how dangerously close they were to his body.
He froze. Once again.
"Behind this mask that I have become."
Sudden urges, a random tendency. Unforeseen desires - an impulse to break free. To cut loose. Become one's true self.
The blade returned. A twisted expression full of murderous intent. Veins all around his arms bulged, like he was clenching even the inner mechanisms of his appendages. A flash of red came from the deepest innards of his pupils.
Then, he hurtled himself through the flames. Ignoring the pain, he hurried across the burnt and bruised battlefield the landscape had become. Bodies of vaguely familiar selves were strewn across the brown, scorched grass. Pools of blood formed underneath them. Swords, axes, lances, arrows - all manner of weaponry had been used to down these foes. None of that mattered.
It never mattered how. It only mattered what. As long as it got done, as long as they were all alive; it never mattered how it happened. The means always justified the ends. No matter what the ends were.
He was alive. Right?
The battlefield never ended. Countless mangled bodies, discarded weapons, remnants of magical spells - they all littered the battered field. All he had to do was keep going.
Keep going and head towards the future. One goal in mind, one thing to achieve. It was-
All of a sudden, there was a meteor strike. Several gigantic spheres of destruction rained down upon the battlefield from the sable sky above. They embedded themselves into the ground, either splattering the dead bodies of unfortunate souls or worsening the field's appearance.
He kept moving. This was no reason to stop. He still hadn't achieved his goal. There was still more to do! This wasn't the finale! He had to push through, and make it to the end!
A meteor saw an end to that. His world was no more.
An awakening.
Lucas Hog's closed eyelids twitched and shivered. They were on the receiving end of a rush of glacial, fearful emotions. His eyelids quivered and trembled within the embrace of terror as his mind gradually sparked to life once more.
Then, his eyes were exposed to the new reality that laid before him.
"Ugh...wha-?" Lucas stumbled as he awoke. "Where-what is this? Why-"
A flood of sudden cognizance overtook his brain. His hands fell gently upon the pure white bed sheets that surrounded his lower half. Tilting his head slightly revealed that he'd been resting on numerous heavenly pillows. A quick scan of the room he was in gave him more clarity on the situation at hand.
Some clarity. There were still plentiful, mountain-sized gaps within his memory and general understanding. Lucas raised a pair of palms to his face as he laid face up on the bed. Strangely, his arms ached as he did so. He ignored the sensation, as something else chose to visit his mind.
Waves of recollection came over him one after another.
"Is this Rhea's bedroom?" He asked aloud, to no-one in particular. "Why am I even here? Last I remember, I was at that forest-"
Lucas gasped, rapidly lowering his palms and powering through the pain as if it were nothing.
"The Sealed Forest! What the hell...what happened there? What even-what's the continuity?" He wondered to himself.
Eyebrows crossed, irritation evident. Lucas raised his voice in a burst of vexed exclamation.
"What the fuck happened?!"
Just then, before he could stew in his confusion any longer, a quick series of knocks came from the door. Addlement only furthering when this occurred, Lucas directed his attention over towards that wooden door at the opposite end of the bedroom.
In doing so, he attempted to raise his head from its pillow-based confinement. An unforeseen ache followed by a loud yelp of pain from the awoken professor - it all occurred as a result. He was forced to return himself back to the bed and merely stare at the door through the bottom of his sclera.
A panicked voice emerged from the other side of the door.
"H-Hey! Are you awake in there?" An obviously masculine individual inquired.
"Uh...yeah?" Lucas confirmed, uncertain. "Who are you? What's going on around here?"
"Don't worry, sir! Stay right there! We'll get Seteth, and you'll get your answers!" The unknown man reassured.
A more feminine voice soon arose. "By the goddess, is he finally awake?! Are we done?! Do we no longer have to stand guard by this stupid door?"
"Hopefully!" The first voice shared their friend's wishes. "You stand guard while I get Seteth. Last I checked, he was in his office, so I'll be right back!"
Lucas laid there, in the bed of unspecified ownership, with a massively perplexed expression. He shrugged. Seeing no other option, he decided to wait. He allowed fate to take the wheel.
As he waited for whatever Seteth or this unknown individual - likely a guard, he presumed - had in store, Lucas retreated to the inner black void that represented his mind. Answers were his goal. He knew two people that would be able to provide them with that.
However, he wasn't in luck. Once the darkness formed around him, he could see the people he literally had in mind.
"Should have expected this…" Lucas mentally grumbled. "Byleth, Sothis, sorry. But it's time to wake up."
Wading through the flat plane of blackness, the recently awoken teacher approached the souls that shared his mind. Waking them up was an absolute necessity. It was indeed the best way to get the answers he desperately required.
But they wouldn't stir. They wouldn't move, twitch, or do anything in response to Lucas' incessant shaking. Their eyes remain shut. Eternally asleep.
"Oh, come the fuck on. I have to wake up, so it's only fair you guys do as well!" He said as he shook the pair of them once more each.
No response. Still.
"Okay then. Fine. You stay asleep. I won't need you. I-"
Lucas faltered. Doubt had crept in whilst he was speaking. He leaned back from where he stood atop Sothis' throne, observing the diminutive goddess herself resting peacefully upon the ancient stone construction. Byleth, meanwhile, was asleep with his back against the side of the throne itself.
The currently-awake one smiled.
"I can't stay mad at such a tranquil sight, can I?"
He chuckled, proceeding to turn right around and head back down the massive staircase, leaving the two restful ones perfectly alone. Lucas stared up at the throne from the void's floor. His beaming face persisted all throughout.
"I'll leave them to it. I'd be a right dickhead if I just woke them up like that. Hopefully they're not gone for too long. I dunno what I'd do without them guiding me like usual."
Lucas stretched his limbs within the mental realm - as if that would achieve anything.
"I have no idea where exactly I am or what's happened. But that dream…"
The image of a gigantic meteor crushing him-
"Yeah, let's not go there. I'll just throw that to the side while I wait for whoever to show up. No good to dwell on the past, anyway."
Minutes passed. Both in the physical realm as well as the real world. Nothing changed for Lucas. Byleth and Sothis continued with their eternal rest while he himself was still bound to the bed he woke up in.
He wished something would change. Nothing did.
Not until a duo of familiar faces wandered through the bedroom door.
"I see that you are truly awake," Seteth noted, soon smiling. "Welcome back to the world of the living, Lucas."
"Uh, thanks?" Lucas replied as his face displayed clear confusion. "Nice to see you, too. And you, Manuela."
"Of course. Long time no see," Manuela Casagranda greeted. "Well, a really long time, at that. Do you know how long you've been asleep for?"
"No. I'm, uh, I'm terrified of the answer. But give it to me anyway," requested Lucas.
"Alright…" Manuela responded with uncertainty. "Prepare to be surprised. You might not believe me at first, but trust me - it's how it is."
Lucas' eyes gathered plentiful suspicion as the practitioner of Faith magic readied herself to tell the truth. His heart raced in anticipation. Instinctively, he covered his chest with a palm, feeling some inexplicable urge to protect himself.
Even if he wasn't sure of what she was about to say.
"It's been five years. Currently, it's the year 1185. We've been at war with the Adrestian Empire this whole time," she revealed.
"WHAT?!" Lucas exclaimed.
His attempts to safeguard his own wellbeing all met with failure, as he suddenly shot up from the bed, swiftly lifting his head as fast as he could. This resulted in a surge of pain shooting straight through his entire body. It forced him back on the bed.
Manuela and Seteth looked on with both astonishment and pity.
"Please, calm yourself," the latter of the two recommended. "It will not do you well to act with such anxiety."
"Yeah. That, and being asleep for so long can't be good for your body. I wouldn't suggest moving around so suddenly, unless you want your body to feel like a pastry," the former of the two added.
"A-Alright…" Lucas accepted their words. He eased himself into a resting position, pulling the covers over himself as he did so. "S-So, five years? A war? Could you two elaborate, perchance?"
"I could, but I must ask. Were you not aware that the war would occur?" Seteth asked.
"I was aware. I thought I stopped it from happening-hey, wait!" Lucas interrupted himself, coming to a realisation. His gaze landed on the physician. "Why are we talking about this with Manuela here?"
The woman smiled reassuringly. "Oh, you don't need to worry about that. We're all aware of your foresight. Seteth told us about it five years ago. In fact, that's the whole reason we're still even at the monastery."
Lucas looked over at the Nabatean, searching for a confirmation. He silently nodded.
"Oh...well, the cat's out of the bag. As are every other animal that was stuck in there, it seems. Like a regular damn Noah's Ark or something," Lucas said with a sigh. "By 'all', what do you mean? Who else knows about it?"
"The day after the Imperial forces attacked the monastery, I held a meeting to determine our next course of action. More on the attack later," Seteth started to explain. "Including Manuela, there were the likes of Hanneman, Shamir, Catherine, Alois and Gilbert. Jeralt was there as well, though it appears he already knew of your...gift."
"You just told everyone without consulting me?" Lucas questioned, his expression indicating a combination of hurt and suspicion.
"You were asleep. I was required to act based upon my own judgment," Seteth defended himself. "It wasn't as if I needed you. I do not wish for someone to guide my every action."
"Oh."
Lucas' expression dropped all prior pretences. He frowned.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to suggest anything like that," the professor apologised.
"It is fine." Seteth waved it off. "It would be ridiculous of me to focus on a triviality such as that. Especially after all we are facing at this very moment."
Manuela nodded in agreement. "Yep. Say, Lucas, you've been unconscious for five years. What's the last thing you remember?"
"The Sealed Forest battle. I remember using some kind of special power, but that's literally the last thing I can recall," Lucas answered.
"Wow," Manuela said while her mouth was agape. "That was definitely five whole years ago. You need to be caught up. Shall we, Seteth?"
"Yes. Let's," agreed the Nabatean.
Lucas sighed. Lacking any decent options to make himself more comfortable, he simply remained where he was, mostly underneath the covers of the bed.
He allowed the pair that were standing between the bed as well as the doorway to fill him in on everything he'd missed.
...
As it so happened, there was a lot he'd missed.
"So, lemme get this straight…" began Lucas as he frowned in concentration. "The month after the Sealed Forest mission, the Holy Tomb got invaded by Imperial forces. Ones that had absolutely nothing to do with Edelgard."
"Yes," Seteth confirmed.
"Right. They were led by the Flame Emperor, who turned out to be some guy called Adrian Aquila. I can safely say I didn't know that," Lucas continued. "Anyway, so they were able to steal about three Crest Stones before they were all defeated. Adrian got away. Not long after, Arundel declared war. And he also decided he was the Emperor of Adrestia. Yes?"
"That's right. I always thought Edelgard was next in line, but from what she's told us, it seems like Arundel just stole the throne from Emperor Ionius. I wouldn't be surprised if he killed the poor old guy," Manuela guessed.
Lucas nodded in agreement. He could only make minor movements as a result of his bedridden condition, thus his nod was barely even noticeable.
"I can imagine he'd do that. Arundel isn't a good person," he commented, a hint of hatred hidden within his tone. "So, about two weeks after his declaration, he and his forces attacked Garreg Mach. You guys were able to successfully fend them off. But then it turned out that Rhea disappeared during the battle. And instead of going out to find her, you chose to stick around here to wait for my awakening. Is that correct?"
"It is," Seteth stated.
Lucas sighed. He became visibly upset. His head collapsed upon the bed's pillows and he faced away from his visitors.
"Why?" He asked with a depressive tone.
"Because of your foresight. I had a feeling you would know of Lady Rhea's location," Seteth explained. "Was I right to assume that?"
Lucas pulled the bed covers further up his body and dug his head into the pillows ever so slightly. Dejection was clear to see upon him.
No response came from the cover-bound teacher. Not immediately. He spent a considerable amount of time wallowing in self inflicted sorrow.
"You were," he eventually said. "I know where she is. Assuming things haven't changed, that is. But…"
Seteth and Manuela watched as Lucas gradually rolled his head until he was facing them once more. Sounds of snivelling came from his direction as he did so. He held his hands to his face.
"Why are you so confident in me, Seteth?" He questioned while his fingers partially covered his eyes. "My predictions could very well be wrong. I've changed so much of the futures I know. Heck, Adrian Aquila was never supposed to be a thing. I didn't even know he existed until now. He was never supposed to play any relevance to overall proceedings in Fodlan."
Lucas' hands lowered, revealing a circle of red that formed around his eyes. His expression somehow became more determined, yet still with a trace of sadness.
"But I changed that. My foreknowledge, my desire to prevent certain things from happening...it all resulted in a future - or present - that I don't know much about. My predictions aren't going to be as useful as they once were. Can you still believe in me, even knowing that, Seteth?"
The Nabatean's mouth opened for a moment as shock enveloped him. His countenance soon became one of reassurement. A smile adorned the ancient man.
"Of course I can," Seteth responded with a calm voice. "You have not led us astray thus far. Even if you do not believe in your own capabilities, know that I do. Should something unexpected stand in our way, or if your predictions are incorrect in any manner, then we will deal with those resulting occurrences as they come."
"But-" Lucas' reply was interrupted by the only other human in the room.
"He really does believe in you, I hope you know," Manuela added. "I might not know much about your power or whatever it is, but we're all aware how stubborn Seteth can be. Just ask Alois and the others. If Seteth thinks your future-seeing ability is worth listening to, then it's gotta be. He wouldn't think that way if it wasn't worth it."
Lucas' frown returned as he looked away once again. Seteth glared at the scantily dressed female physician beside him before resuming his earlier expression of reassurance.
"While I do not appreciate Manuela's accusations and claims, she is ultimately right. I have placed my utmost faith within you, Lucas. Your gift will become a useful tool for circumventing the Empire's plans," claimed Seteth as he directed his gaze at the sorrowful teacher. "I believe in you. As we all do. You will be the light shining against the darkness of our enemies. Your foresight shall be the key to our victory."
"I don't know about that," Lucas doubted.
"You will soon," Seteth reassured. His eyes quickly fluttered over to the window on the wall behind the bed.
The sun was beginning to fall.
"Oh my, it's nearly dinner time. I'd invite you, Lucas, but-" Manuela pointed at his resting figure. "I don't think you'll be going anywhere anytime soon. I'll bring you something from the Dining Hall. What would you like?"
"Anything," Lucas answered with only a monotonic voice.
"Alright. I'll surprise you, then. This'll probably be the first thing you've ever eaten in five years, so even if you don't like it, I can imagine you're gonna eat it up anyway," Manuela surmised. She began to head towards the door. "Don't go anywhere. I'll be right back."
The available physician then departed from the bedroom. Only a pair of males remained within.
Once the door closed, Seteth faced Lucas and gave him one more smile.
"I will be leaving as well. I have many duties as the leader of our forces. Soon, we can begin our campaign to overthrow the Empire and find Lady Rhea-" Seteth's face recoiled in realization. "Oh! I almost forgot. You never told me her location."
"She's in Enbarr. The Imperial palace. I think," Lucas revealed, carrying on with his monotone voice.
"Ah. It makes sense she would be in the enemy's primary base of operations. That she was abducted, even as The Immaculate One…" Seteth became visibly concerned. "The Agarthans are every bit as powerful as we presumed they were. I'll come up with a plan. I may need you to look over it."
Lucas merely nodded in response.
"Thank you. Your assistance will be instrumental in our efforts going forward," Seteth stated. His hand reached for the door. "I hope you are able to realize just how much you mean to us."
Seteth then left the bedroom.
All alone, Lucas remained where he was within the Archbishop's bed. He was physically unable to leave or do much else. As the sun outside continued to move over towards the horizon, darkening the sky in the process, the restricted professor failed to attain any further sleep.
"We're in the post-timeskip now, huh?" He asked, hoping to get a response from the souls inside his mind. Nothing. Lucas ignored their silence and continued mentally talking to himself. "We're in the middle of a war. Never expected to be involved in one. Let alone one that was supposed to be fictional."
His hands clenched as his arms were laid out upon the bed in front of him.
"And I'm supposed to be 'instrumental' in it?!"
Tears threatened to leak themselves out. Lucas instinctively held them in, no matter how strong the urge was to let them go. No matter how bloodshot his sclera would become.
He needed to keep it all in.
As time passed, Lucas kept struggling with himself. His strong desire to cry soon wore itself out, though it did nothing to ease the depressive thoughts that plagued him.
His stomach growled - his desire had become something else entirely. He looked around, hoping Manuela had returned while he wasn't looking.
There was no food in sight. Disappointed, the exhausted Lucas collapsed to the bed and waited for some kind of relief.
"Professor?"
Lucas looked up and over to where the door was. Standing some way in front of it was one of his former students.
Edelgard von Hresvelg's elongated white hair flowed as naturally as before. Yet, it was somewhat unkempt. Strands of hair struck outwards from its overall long length. Dark bruises and cuts were plentiful upon her face, dampening her appearance.
Her clothes were radically different as well. Instead of the red-caped monastery uniform she'd worn five years ago, Edelgard wore a lengthy, black dress that had diluted light-brown highlights and patterns scattered all around its fabric. The Evening Wear uniform, as he noticed. Her leggings were also completely black - as were her boots.
Lucas could only stare with bewilderment and intrigue. Though concern was his primary emotion. It was evident with his expression.
"E-Edelgard? Is that you?" Lucas inquired, rubbing his eyes to ease his view of any mistiness. He noticed she was carrying a brown bowl that contained some unidentifiable substance, but chose to ignore it since there were more important matters to discuss.
"Indeed. It is I, Professor. Heh," Edelgard smirked. "Perhaps I should not be calling you that. You haven't taught me anything in five years."
"Yeah, I suppose…sorry about that, by the way. I didn't plan on taking such a long nap," apologised Lucas, relaxing the back of his head further into the pillows once more.
"It's fine. Nobody intends on sleeping longer than a day, let alone an entire year. Or even five years, for that matter. I don't hold anything against you," reassured Edelgard. She smiled. "I am happy you are awake."
"..."
Edelgard was unsure how to react to her former teacher's silence. She squinted her eyes to try and get a better look at his face, glimpsing something unusual. Such a mildly closer inspection brought his bloodshot eyes to her attention.
"Professor, you-" She caught the error in her words. "I mean, Lucas, your eyes...is something wrong?"
"No, it's just, well - I've had quite the manic couple of hours," he disclosed. "I'm fine, though. I'm good."
"Obviously not. Otherwise your eyes would not be clouded by red. However, I won't pry any further. I remember you do not appreciate that." She lifted the bowl, pointing Lucas' attention towards it. "But you may appreciate this."
"What's that?"
"Fish and Bean Soup. Manuela asked me to take this to you. She said that a light dish such as this would be best for you, considering your current state. Here."
Edelgard walked over and carefully handed off the bowl to her bed-constricted ex-professor. Its wooden makeup was somewhat hot to the touch, but it was at least warm enough for Lucas to hold relatively peacefully. He grabbed the wood spoon that partially rested inside the bowl and began to take sips.
"Oh wow. This is pretty good," he remarked after his first few samplings of the soup. "It's been a long time since I last had something like this."
"It is rather delicious. I had some earlier. Not much, though," Edelgard said, sighing and turning away. "The war has forced us to ration our food supply. We've been able to survive as a result of that as well as various discreet hunting expeditions. Unfortunately, we seem to be gradually running out."
"Running out?" Lucas asked between sips.
"Yes. Our supplies have been decreasing in overall number as of late. It is only a matter of time until there is no more," Edelgard clarified. Her expression became determined. "We need to contact any potential allies for help as soon as possible. Or else we will all die."
"Mmm," murmured Lucas in assent while chugging down a considerable portion of soup. "Yeah. That makes sense to me. I'm surprised you hadn't started doing that already, actually."
"There was no need. Our hunting expeditions were fruitful at first, but recently, we've not had much luck," Edelgard explained. "I also believe Seteth did not wish to act without your jurisdiction. He assumed you possessed some manner of secret knowledge that would allow us to win the war."
"He really trusts me that much?" Lucas wondered. His sipping halted as he struggled to process what he was told.
"We all do."
Edelgard crouched down slightly and faced Lucas directly, staring straight into his midnight black pupils.
"I have heard you've expressed dissent towards the idea. That you would be a reliable source of information regarding the war. You feel as if your knowledge cannot be trusted as of this point in time," she began. "You need to stop with that. Your self-deprecation. It will only get you killed."
Lucas tried to gaze elsewhere, but Edelgard swiftly held his head in place with her torn gloves. He attempted to speak, yet was interrupted.
"You are more than you think you are. You have helped myself, Dimitri, Rhea, Jeralt and so many others thus far. Even if some parts of your knowledge are useless as of now, the fact that you are alive means you still have the capacity to help. The potential to assist."
A faint glimmer could be seen in the fallen princess' purple pupils.
"Do not waste your potential. Or your life."
Lucas' expression was overcome with regret. He averted his gaze as much as he could while still restricted by Edelgard's light, but firm grasp.
Staring at the fragility of her gloves, something came to mind.
"What happened to you, Edelgard? First, you show up looking all battered and bruised. Now you're acting all touchy-feely. I remember you flinching when I once put my hand on your shoulder. What happened that made you this way?" He queried.
The princess' own expression faintly fell. Yet her grasp remained. "Hubert. He died while protecting me."
"What?!"
Lucas - again - jolted in place out of sheer surprise, nearly knocking over his mostly consumed bowl of soup. He kept himself steady so as to avoid such an occurrence.
"He-he died?" The professor asked in a more peaceful and composed manner. "Who killed him? How?"
"Thales. He visited me during the battle to defend Garreg Mach. We discussed our relationship and whatever ties we had between each other that remained. In his anger, he casted some dark, powerful spell…" Edelgard recalled. "Hubert warped in front of its path and led me to safety. He soon fell to his wounds."
"Oh. I'm so s-sorry. If only I hadn't fallen unconscious, I might've been able to save him. I-"
"Stop." Edelgard shook her head. "You cannot guarantee that. Perhaps you may have been able to. But there is an equal chance you could have not been aware of the situation that led to his death. You may also not have known where it would have taken place. Here, allow me to tell you something."
Lucas quietly stared up at the damaged woman.
"I have long since stopped thinking about different outcomes of events. What ifs, should haves, and if onlys. Disregard them all, for they will only slow you down. Should they do so - you will not be able to move forward. Hubert's death allowed me to realize this."
Lucas stared back towards the floor.
"He wouldn't want me to dwell on them. And I don't want the same for you. Always keep moving forward, Lucas. That is the only way to achieve the things you desire."
She let go of his head and stood up.
"So please. Don't feel sorry for me. Instead, help me to reach the future I want to see. No, what we all want to see. With your foreknowledge and the combined strength of myself, the Church, the Kingdom as well as the Alliance, we can reach that future. We must. For all of our sakes," finished Edelgard. "We have to kill every last Agarthan."
Lucas' face perked up, and kicked into a gear of pure anger.
"Right. We do. Those fucking bastards need to all die!" He exploded. "They'll pay for everything they've done!"
Edelgard grinned. "I hadn't realized you harbored such distaste for them. Good. That means we share the exact same sentiments. I look forward to fighting this war with you, my former teacher."
"Yeah. I still don't know if I'll be helpful all that much, but if it's to eviscerate those fuckers, then I'll do anything."
"I feel the same way you do," smiled Edelgard.
She began to move away from the bed and towards the door. "Now, please, get some rest. Allow your body to rejuvenate. Manuela told me you will only need a day or two before you can begin to move properly. When that happens…"
She opened the door.
"I will be more than happy to whip you into shape."
"Huh?" Lucas wondered. "What do you mean by that?"
"You've been asleep for half a decade. Your combat abilities may have regressed in that time. That, and you have missed out on five straight years of training," Edelgard pointed out. "Compared to mostly everyone else back then, you were lacking in skill. Five years have passed since then. Everyone's been training. And you haven't."
Lucas paused as he realised what she meant. Edelgard hid her mischievous grin by facing the open doorway.
"See you soon, my former teacher."
She closed the door behind her. Lucas collapsed onto his bed as dread itself overlooked his very existence.
A part of him wished he'd never woken up.
Author Notes: Boom, Act 3 has now begun! We in the post-timeskip now, folks! Hang onto your seats, 'cause this ride's about to go off the rails!
Time for more review responses! Normally my phone notifies me whenever I get a new review, but it didn't do that for the most recent ones here, which was weird. Oh well. At least I'm reading them now!
AK632612: Yup. Damn him indeed.
Bridd: Lucas is a sensitive guy. His reactions and outbursts don't always make sense. That's just how sensitivity is. If it feels a little random and you don't like that, sorry. I'm not really sure what else to say.
And with that done, I'll see y'all next time. Chapter 39 will be kind of insane.
If you want a cool place to hang out, talk about random stuff (mainly fanfiction), then the Fanfiction Treehouse Discord server is the place for you! I'm there, as are a whole bunch of writers you may have heard about! Here's the invite code: 9XG3U7a.