Author's Notes: Hey, so, the first scene of this chapter is gonna be a recap. If you feel like skimming or skipping it in any way, feel free to do so. But if it's been a while since you read Chapter 53 or if you skipped ahead to this chapter for no apparent reason, then you probably shouldn't skip the recap.

Or, y'know, just do whatever you want. I can't tell you what to do.

The Resistance had finally reunited. Visitors from the Leicester Alliance and the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus were now at the monastery, alongside their allies within the Knights of Seiros. People from each of the three groups mingled together, getting to know one another and generally enjoying the peace before war effort continued in earnest.

Jeralt was sitting at his desk in his quarters - a bottle of alcohol in his hand. He took a swig, then watched as Alois did the same.

"Wow, this stuff's great! I really like the flavor this one has," he said, placing the bottle down onto the table he was sitting next to. "Where did you get this, Captain?"

"I, uh…let's just say that it was something I got for myself."

"What? Do you mean to say that you stole-"

"Hey now, be quiet!" Jeralt frowned and pointed a finger at Alois. "We've got people from the Kingdom walking around the monastery. I don't want them hearing about what I…'burrowed' from their royal palace."

"Captain…you truly are a sneaky little devil. My lips are sealed!"

Jeralt relaxed, slumping back into his seat behind his desk. "Hearing you of all people say that doesn't fill me with a lot of confidence."

"What do you mean by that, Captain? Am I not trustworthy to you?"

"In matters of sound, not at all. I'm afraid you might accidentally burst out the secret or something. Maybe I shouldn't let you drink...you're even worse when you're drunk."

"Oh, please!" Alois heartily laughed. "I'm better at keeping secrets than you might think! There are few things about the other knights that even you might not know."

"Yeah? Why not tell me some of them?"

"Certainly! Hmm…what should I tell you? Oh, I know! What about-"

Jeralt raised a brow, causing Alois to cut himself off. The latter of the two blinked before coming to a realization.

"Alright, maybe I'm not the best at keeping secrets. But I can assure you, Captain, I won't tell a soul about what you've done!"

"For your sake, you better not."

Jeralt took another sip of his drink. With a breath of satisfaction, he slammed his bottle down onto the desk, not bothering to wipe his face in any way.

"Damn, that's strong."

"I absolutely agree! The Kingdom certainly likes its drinks strong, doesn't it?"

"Guess it makes sense. Shit's eternally cold up there, after all. They'd wanna make the strongest beer possible so they can keep warm. Might explain why none of those brats or knights were shivering the entire time we were there."

"Maybe, Captain. Maybe."

Alois watched Jeralt take a few more sips out of the corner of his eye. He smiled, then his gaze flew over to the half-empty bottle upon the table beneath him.

"Speaking of the Kingdom, how was it? No, wait, forget that. How was the journey, Captain? From the Alliance to the Kingdom and back to Garreg Mach. Tell me all about it! I'd love to hear what kind of wild adventures you and everyone else got up to!"

"Heh, guess it was kind of an adventure, huh? Alright, I'll humor you. We last met at the Great Bridge of Myrddin, so I should probably start from there…"

Jeralt snatched another swig of his drink before perusing his brain for a suitable story.

"So, the kid, the princess, Seteth's sister, and I took a carriage to the Alliance capital - Derdriu. We met up with the duke and stayed in the city for a while. Sleeping in a palace…well, I can't deny it's pretty nice. Don't think I'll ever get to do that again, now that I think about it."

"I'm sure you'll get another chance someday, Captain."

"Hmph. We'll see." Jeralt snuck in a small sip of his alcohol. "Anyway, while we were at Derdriu, we got caught up in a battle to defend the city from some Empire forces. It was tough, but we ended up winning. Though…one of the kid's brats died."

"You mean…one of the Black Eagles? I know Hubert was killed during the Battle for Garreg Mach. Dorothea, Petra, and Edelgard are with us now, so that doesn't leave very many of them. Who was it?"

"I think her name was Bernie or Bernadetta."

"Oh…" Alois became downcast. "Poor Bernadetta. She was such a meek girl, yet strangely, she didn't mind being around me. I suppose she'll no longer be afraid as there's nothing left for her."

"Yeah. I didn't know her, but the kid definitely did. He was pretty upset about the entire thing, but the princess was able to help pull him back together."

"That's good. The feeling you get when someone you know dies…that's never nice to feel."

Jeralt silently nodded. He drank some more of his beer before getting back to his story.

"After the battle, the duke took care of some political stuff in the Alliance. They had this whole situation where some of the lords were pro-Empire, while others were the opposite. The attack on Derdiru was apparently orchestrated by Count Gloucester, and all the troops he sent in were the last ones he had that were given to him by the Empire or something like that. Since he had no soldiers left to fight with, Count Gloucester surrendered and gave up his pro-Empire ways. From there, the duke was able to convince every other pro-Empire lord to do the same."

"Oh, so the Alliance isn't fractured anymore? Excellent!"

"Only until they start bickering again. Which, knowing how stupid they all are, is gonna happen sooner rather than later."

"You're right about that one, Captain. Unfortunately." Alois sighed. "What happened next? Did you go into the Kingdom after that?"

"Not right away. The duke was gone for a while, and we had to wait for him before going anywhere. We all just kinda sat around and did whatever we wanted while he was gone. I was asked by Leonie to lead a small group to Margrave Edmund's territory so we could sort out this beast that was attacking the place, which we did. Turned out that beast had some kind of connection to that blue-haired brat, Marianne. That was a weird battle."

"I heard about that. Some rumors were floating around the monastery a little while ago about some beast that was killing people in the Alliance. I hoped you weren't involved, but it seems like you were. In a good way, at least."

"Guess so." Jeralt shrugged. "Anyway, after that mess, we got back to Derdiru. Not long after, the duke returned. That's when we could start moving to the Kingdom. Some similar civil problems were happening there as there was in the Alliance, so we had to stay with the people that weren't with the Empire. With that in mind, we took residence in the village of Galatea."

"Galatea, hmm? I've never been there before. How was it?"

Jeralt grimaced. "Not great. Seemed pretty lifeless, though we were able to get by. I assume the villagers could do the same, otherwise, they would've died. And they didn't. Not many of them, at least."

"That's always good. What happened after you all arrived?"

"Well, we were met with one of the Blue Lions brats. The blonde one…her name was Ingrid, I think. She filled us in on the situation. Turns out Rodrigue, the king, and the other blue brats were hiding out in House Fraldarius. She wanted us to go over there immediately so we could launch an attack on Fhirdiad, but the duke had another idea. We ended up retaking Arianrhod first."

Alois was taken aback, his eyes and mouth widening.

"Arianrhod, the Fortress City?! How'd you manage that, Captain?"

"We hit them from two different sides. Almost all their people were focused on the front gate, which allowed us to send in a second group to attack from the right. We took out that Gwendal guy, as well as a kid from the Blue Lions who betrayed everyone else - Ashe was his name. Lucas had to kill him."

"Ashe was on the side of the Empire? How strange. He seemed like such a nice boy."

"Yeah, well, he was an enemy. Lucas knew that, even though he really didn't wanna kill the kid. Doing that…it broke him."

"Broke? Like how?"

Jeralt sighed, taking yet another sip. "I think it had something to do with the war itself. There was that Golden Deer kid Lorenz at Myrddin, the Black Eagles kid Bernadetta at Derdriu, and then the Blue Lions kid Ashe at Arianrhod. I think it all just got too much for him to handle."

The Blade Breaker carefully put down his bottle.

"He gave up on fighting, Alois. Said he didn't want to be the cause of any more suffering. Dropped his swords and everything. Can't blame the kid, in all honesty."

"Oh." Alois' brows furrowed, his gaze falling onto his bottle. His voice grew softer. "I understand the sentiment. I may have done the same if I were in his position."

"Probably. And you know what the worst part is? It only got worse for him later on."

"How so?"

"After we retook Arianrhod and it got destroyed by the Empire's secret weapon, the Javelins of Light or whatever, we went back to Galatea. But we didn't stay there for long, as we decided to meet up with Rodrigue and the Blue Lions in Fraldarius. Once we got together, we began our assault on Fhirdiad."

"You said Lucas gave up on fighting, right? What did he do during the assault?"

"We left him at Fraldarius. Not like there was anything else he could've done. If he came with us, he would've gotten involved with the fighting. He just wanted to help with the planning and strategizing, so we left him with Rodrigue, who also stayed behind."

"Ah, I see. That's fair enough to me. How did the battle go? Well, I presume?"

"Yeah, it went well. We recaptured the city and took down Cornelia, the leader of the Dukedom, which was pretty much the source of the pro-Empire sentiments in the Kingdom at the time. However, during the battle, the princess got hurt pretty badly. She didn't say who did it, but I've got my suspicions. Whoever it was, they left a scar on her face."

"Ouch." Alois winced. "I think I saw that scar when you were all standing outside the monastery gates. I trust she's fine?"

"She's fine. At first, she was unconscious and a little bit weak, but she quickly got over that. Strong one, the princess. Can't say the same for Lucas, though. When we got back to Fraldarius to pick him up before coming here, he saw the princess' scar."

"What happened then?"

"He damn near freaked out. He ran back into Rodrigue's manor, pretty much forcing us to stay there for that night. It seemed like he was having some problems with sleep beforehand, but after seeing the scar, it must've gotten worse. Much worse. I don't think the kid's had a good night of sleep in over a month."

"A month?! That can't be good. I've had trouble sleeping before, but to have such problems for over a month? There must be something seriously wrong with him."

"Yeah, absolutely. No idea how to go about helping him. I tried approaching him once, but he ignored everything I said. That kid…"

Jeralt's eyes went over to the bottle on his desk. He reached out for it.

"He wasn't prepared for war. Now, he's experiencing the cruel reality of it all."

Alois murmured in agreement, grabbing his bottle. "This is my first war, as well. I can't say that I was very well prepared, but I must be lucky because I'm not having too many problems sleeping."

"That's because you're strong, Alois. You haven't experienced war, but your strength of will and your optimism is what keeps you going. You've also got a family to protect, which gives you even more strength. Lucas, on the other hand…"

"He doesn't have any of that, does he?"

Jeralt shook his head.

"He's got nothing to live for. Sure, he has friends, but that can only go so far. You need someone to watch out for, someone that makes you feel good, someone that you'll wanna protect with everything you've got. We know what that's like, but he doesn't. If he had a family, then…"

His eyes momentarily widened.

"Wait a minute," he mumbled to himself. Jeralt reached into the innards of his light brown coat. He reached into several of his pockets, not finding anything in particular.

Until his fingers brushed up against something silvery and round. He smiled.

"Captain? What are you doing over there?"

Jeralt snapped out of his thoughts, retracting his arm and keeping the item he rediscovered where it was.

"Nothing important. Don't worry about it."

"Alright, if you say so…I'll just finish up this fine beer you didn't steal."

"You do that, Alois."

The two men smiled at one another, sharing in the enjoyment of the last few drops of their respective drinks. Jeralt's thoughts briefly lingered on the item in his pocket before refocusing his efforts on downing the rest of his alcohol.

Within the filthy, dark, and dusty midst of Garreg Mach's dungeon was Edelgard. Her black boots landed forcefully upon the ground, causing the small puddles to splash up against her black leggings.

She followed a line of torches that were on the wall, only until she reached a large, locked door, reinforced with iron.

Edelgard unlocked the door and went inside. She found herself in a dark, narrow corridor lined with steel cages. A frown appeared on her face as she failed to find the particular holding cell she was looking for. Her eyes wandered all over the place, scanning the environment for the one person she wanted to see.

Eventually, she found him. Ferdinand was sitting on the ground in a fetal position, facing the wall, so it was difficult for Edelgard to get a read on his state. However, after laying her eyes upon his torn, black and red robes - it all became clear to her.

"Ferdinand." The orange-haired man's head perked up slightly. "It's me."

He partially rotated his head so that only one of his orange eyes faced the person outside of the cell. It flew open instantly, shaking and wavering as his stare remained focused.

"Y-you…" he struggled to say. "Edelgard…"

"You've changed quite a bit. Even during the battle at the Great Bridge of Myrddin, you seemed resolute. Resolved to fight for the Empire." Her expression was neutral, although she felt the urge to furrow her brows. "What changed? Was it your time in this cell or did you see the true darkness within the palace?"

Ferdinand tore his eye away from Edelgard's battered visage. He said nothing, although his mouth was twitching.

"I heard from Petra and Dorothea about how you've been acting as of late. How very unlike you, Ferdinand. You were such an optimistic person during our time in the Officers Academy. Now, it's as if you've become a completely different person."

Silence, but that didn't deter Edelgard.

"I will not pretend to understand what it is you are going through. As such, I cannot empathize or even sympathize with you. All I can do is offer my hand to you when it is time for you to move forward. However, you seem perfectly content with sitting there, with no desire to move at all. Have you lost the will to live?"

Silence, once again. But just as Edelgard was about to open her mouth to continue speaking, Ferdinand said something.

"Someone like me has no future. I will remain here, in atonement for all the terrible things I have done."

"That is your idea of atonement? Simply wasting away in a dungeon and running away from all of your problems? Atonement isn't something that happens on its own. You will need to actively pursue it if you want to forgive yourself. All you're doing now is wallowing in your regret."

"I deserve nothing more than what I'm allowing myself. You don't know the things that I've done, the actions I've taken in the name of the Empire, as well as the lives I've stolen. Don't t-tell me what I should or shouldn't be doing."

"I'm telling you these things because I care for you, Ferdinand. I don't want to see you lost like this. I'm sure Petra and Dorothea feel the same way. Is that not why they were continually visiting you these past months? Do they not care for you?"

"I d-don't deserve their love. Neither do I deserve yours. Please, leave me be. It will be easier for you to just forget about me."

Edelgard shook her head. "That I will not do. I will pull you out of this darkness, Ferdinand. I refuse to leave anyone behind as I move onward."

Ferdinand partially turned back, his one eye peering at the white-haired woman staring down at him. His gaze then fell to the ground.

"You are truly reaching out to me. I…" Ferdinand hesitated. "No, I can't f-face you. Not you. Anyone but you!"

He sharply turned away, causing Edelgard to raise a brow.

"Anyone but me? What do you mean by that? Did I do something to you in the past?"

"N-no. You did nothing. It-it was all me."

"Then you simply must tell me what is ailing you. You will not be able to move forward until you do."

"I-I can't. It's…"

Edelgard furrowed her brows, then crouched down to be on Ferdinand's level. She smiled at him.

"Please, Ferdinand. You can tell me. Keeping your emotions locked within will keep you in the darkness, this self-harming realm of torture…forever."

"I-"

Ferdinand half-turned around again. His eye kept its trembling focus upon Edelgard's bright visage, which stood out tremendously amongst the darkness of the dungeon. His stare almost fell astray, but a sudden surge of determination deterred any distractions.

"Fine. I will tell you. Please…keep this to yourself. I do not want anyone else knowing about it."

"Your secrets are safe with me."

Edelgard nodded, which served to imprint the image of her smile within Ferdinand's mind. The ends of his lips began to twitch.

"Th-thank you."

He breathed in, then out. Ferdinand found the strength to turn completely around, displaying his dirtied and rough face to Edelgard. He stared straight at her face, partially transfixed on the scar on her left cheek.

"All that I did…joining the Adrestian military, becoming one of the Emperor's commanders, and carrying out every single one of his orders…"

Ferdinand focused on her purple eyes.

"It was all for you."

"W-what?"

Edelgard's mouth and eyes slowly widened. Ferdinand slowly nodded.

"I…I wanted to change the Empire from the inside. Already, from the start, I could tell something was wrong. There were so many cloaked mages wandering the halls, Emperor Arundel was far too malicious - I knew I had to change it all. I had to change it, all so that I could give you a proper home. A place to come back to. Your throne was stolen from you by your uncle and I needed to bring it back to you."

"But why? Why would you go to such lengths?"

"Because I've always known you were the only one worthy enough to succeed Emperor Ionius IX. Nobody else could take the throne. Nobody else would be able to lead the Adrestian Empire to peace and prosperity. Nobody else…except for you."

Edelgard was quiet, but only momentarily. "I…see. I presume your plan changed."

"It did. As I spent more time underneath Emperor Arundel's command, I could feel my old self slowly start to disappear. I found myself buying into his rhetoric, his belief in the complete destruction of the Church of Seiros, and the unification of Fódlan under his name. He was mad with power…I was drawn into that madness."

"And that's when your regrets started to form."

"Yes." Ferdinand's eyes closed. "I killed so many people and captured so many others. Do you remember the Ashen Wolves?"

"I do."

"I captured them. Three of them, to be exact. Yuri was already in their grasp by the time I joined the military. Constance, Balthus, and…Hapi. Petra and I worked together to bring them into Enbarr's dungeon. Hapi was the biggest problem of them all. Her ability to summon monsters with a single sigh was the only thing that allowed her to evade capture for so long. We ended up getting her with a surprise attack."

"I didn't know she had that ability. Though, perhaps I forgot - it has been a while. Anyway, how did you keep her captive? Surely her ability would have allowed her to escape as soon as she woke up."

"The mages took care of that. They cast some kind of spell on her that stole her voice. They also cut open her neck and did…something to the insides of her body. All of that, just to prevent her from escaping."

Edelgard had no immediate response. Her smile was gone and her face only had furrowed brows upon it.

"They stole her voice? And…you were the reason it happened?"

Ferdinand nodded. "I regret it every single day. At the time, I failed to care. It was all in service of the Empire, so I did what I was told without any hesitation. But now I am constantly haunted by it. The deep, bloody incision the mages carved on Hapi's neck…I see it whenever I close my eyes. It is a nightmare I cannot escape from."

Edelgard said nothing. She allowed him to continue.

"That is why I deserve only the darkness. I have chosen to stay here so that I may experience the pain and suffering that I caused. It is the only way I can atone…"

"No."

Ferdinand looked up, watching as Edelgard ascended to a standing position.

"There is no single way to atone," she said. "As I said earlier, atonement isn't something that happens on its own. You'll need to actively pursue it. It won't come to you. You'll have to stand up and reach out with your own two hands."

"I…I do not know if I can believe that. I am unsure if I even deserve atonement."

"That's something you can only find out for yourself. What I can do is offer you my hand, to help guide you away from the darkness. Clouding your thoughts with regret won't help you find anything. It will only mask the truth."

She reached out her torn, white-gloved hand through the bars of the cage. Ferdinand was engrossed by it.

"Take my hand. We can find the truth together."

Ferdinand struggled. His body shook, his eyes closed, and his arms trembled. He could feel tears starting to well up somewhere within himself. When he reopened his eyes, his view was clouded by some kind of mist, but he could still clearly see Edelgard, as well as her hand.

He raised his arm.

"The truth…who I really am and who I can truly be. What lies beyond atonement, I…"

His arm wavered as it stretched ever closer to her hand.

"We will find it…together."

Their hands grasped one another. Ferdinand's mouth twitched, eventually curving into a smile. Edelgard reciprocated with one of her own.

Tears streamed down Ferdinand's face as he stared at his future.

Lucas had returned to his room. The one he'd been given so long ago by Seteth, around the time he was starting his job at the Officers Academy. His small, wooden desk was the same as it ever was, much like how the white carpet that was on the floor remained unchanged. The lengthy desk that stretched out from one side of the room to the other was entirely clear - nothing sat on it.

Another element of his room that didn't change was the bed. Its unstained, white sheets had been undisturbed during the entirety of his absence. But now that the room's occupant was back in the monastery, it soon saw use.

Lucas was laying down upon his bed, staring sorrowfully into the ceiling above. He sighed as his head was pressed up against the only pillow he had.

"Everyone seems to be having fun," he thought. "That's good. I'm glad they're able to enjoy themselves, despite everything that's happened…"

"It's only natural. They've all come together so they can defeat the Empire and end this war. After realizing there are so many people that want to do exactly that, it makes sense they would feel this way," Byleth replied from within Lucas' mind.

"Right. I get that, but still, this war's not over yet. We've got Enbarr and then maybe Shambhala to deal with. It's fair enough that they're all able to feel so happy and whatever about it, I just…" Lucas frowned. "No, forget it. I'm being awful again. As usual."

"It is fine to have doubts. You are not 'being awful' - you are merely concerned. You need not depreciate yourself."

"Sothis is right. You're not a bad person, Lucas."

Lucas' frown intensified, worsening into a scowl. "If that's true, then why do so many people that I care about die right before my eyes? Why am I such a magnet for death? Even when I don't fight, people still get hurt. No matter what I do, death still follows me wherever I go."

He instinctively reached over to grab the Seiros Shield, which was propped up against one of the bed's legs, but stopped and retracted his hand before getting anywhere close. He sighed again.

"It's like the universe is punishing me for all that I've done."

"It is just as I told you. Fate is a powerful force, one that cannot be so easily overcome. You are merely feeling the full might of its effects."

"I doubt it's fate. Call it whatever you want, Sothis, but we all know what it really is. Retribution from the universe itself. The world's punishing me for letting so many people die…" Lucas' scowl diminished, returning to a regretful frown. "And I deserve it. After all, I'm a terrible, terrible person."

"That's not true." Byleth shook his head. "You're a good person."

Sothis nodded. "If you were truly bad, then you would wish for the destruction of Fódlan or the success of the Agarthans. You do not desire any of those things. Can you truly call yourself 'terrible', knowing that?"

"I don't have to want any of those things to be a bad person. A thief that only steals from people that don't deserve to be robbed may not wish for the complete annihilation of Fódlan, but they're still not good." Lucas closed his eyes. "I am that thief. Someone who takes the lives of those that shouldn't be killed…"

"That is not-"

"It's true, Sothis. Don't waste your time trying to tell me otherwise. Don't feed me any of that bullshit you've got stirring up in that divine head of yours. You really shouldn't waste your time on someone like me."

Sothis frowned. "You irksome fool-!" She stopped when an arm appeared in front of her from where she was sitting upon the gray throne.

Byleth looked down at her, an arm of his extended out. He shook his head, causing Sothis to sigh and lean back in her seat.

Silence soon filled both the room and the inside of Lucas' mind. Sothis remained sitting on the throne, her eyes threatening her with the potential of sleep. Byleth kept standing around beside the throne, not doing much of anything. Lucas resigned himself to resting upon the bed, his head continuing to throb in eternal agony.

He attempted to have a nap, but it was always just out of reach.

The three of them refused to talk to one another. Yet, as they were all stuck with each other, the uneasy silence persisted.

Until sounds of knocking came from the door. Lucas lifted his head from the pillow, powering through the surge of pain that followed. He stared at the door with a raised brow.

His expression eased when he heard a familiar voice.

"Profess-I mean, Lucas? Are you in there?" It called out. "It's me, Dorothea."

"Dorothea? Uh, here, lemme get the door for you…"

Lucas pulled himself away from the bed, sluggishly removing himself from the relative comfort of his prior prone position. Steadily plodding over to the door, he reached out for the handle and pushed.

Dorothea stood in the doorway, a radiant smile upon her face.

"It's really you…wow. You don't look all that different, I have to say. You look just like you did five years ago."

Lucas blinked while a faint grin formed on his visage. "Uh, yeah. Sure. You look…" He paused, spending some time looking at her appearance. Her black and red robes as well as her long, brown hair elicited no reactions of surprise from him. He nervously scratched his cheek, which had turned slightly pink. "Different. Very different, but still the same, uh, you."

"Oh, heh, thanks." Dorothea giggled. "I thought I'd change up my style. The old student uniform just wasn't gonna cut it in the real world, y'know? I got all this in Enbarr. Thought it fit me pretty well. But enough about me - how are you? You were in the Alliance and the Kingdom with Edie, Jeralt, and Flayn, right? How was that?"

Lucas had nothing to say. He furrowed his brows and his head became downcast. Dorothea's smile quickly faded.

"It wasn't good, huh? I…I only heard a little about what happened thanks to Seteth and all the letters he shared with Claude. I-" Dorothea clasped her hands together. She briefly faltered, staring down at her clasped hands before summoning enough determination to bring her head back up. "I know what happened to Lorenz and Bern."

"It wasn't just them," Lucas suddenly replied. "Hubert died during the Empire's initial invasion of Garreg Mach and I had to kill Ashe during the battle for Arianrhod. Not only that, but Edelgard also got hurt during the fight to recapture Fhirdiad."

Dorothea was stunned, her mouth agape.

"Ashe? He was such a sweet guy, even if I never talked with him all that much. Him, along with everyone else…" She frowned sorrowfully. "So many of our old friends have died, Lucas. Even Ferdie and Edie were close to joining them. I…I miss when life was simple. When we didn't have to worry about our loved ones potentially dying the next day."

"Yeah. Me too."

The two fell quiet, their minds filled with memories of days long past.

Lucas was the one to break the silence.

"How?" He asked, raising his head to meet hers. "You don't look very disturbed by this whole thing. Why aren't you a wreck…like me?"

"A wreck? You don't…" She got a closer look at his face, quickly discovering the immensely dark circles around his eyes and the strange paleness of his skin. "Oh. You look terrible. What happened?"

"I…I haven't had a good night's sleep in well over a month." He closed his eyes. "I don't deserve one."

"What? That's ridiculous, of course you deserve one! Everyone does!"

"Not me. I just get people killed, one way or another. I'm a monster that feeds on the blood of my friends. The only thing I deserve is torture."

Dorothea frowned, her expression radiating anger. "Okay, now that's just crazy. I won't have you talk like that. You deserve way more than you think. You're an amazing, lovely person, Lucas. I will not let you say or feel otherwise."

"Don't waste your time on me. You'll probably end up dead in the next battle, anyway. The world itself wants nothing more than to see me in pain."

Dorothea continued to frown, murmuring some sound of disapproval. She said nothing, becoming quiet for a short while.

Her eyes suddenly lit up, to which she smiled.

"If the world wants to see you in pain, how about we ease those pains?"

"What?" Lucas reopened his eyes. "What are you suggesting?"

"Come with me. I want to take you to the sauna. I always go there if I'm feeling down. It doesn't get rid of every little problem I have, but it does help. What do you say, Lucas? Care to join me?"

"S-sauna?! B-but isn't that-?"

"So what? If it helps, it helps. And don't worry, there's uniforms we can wear. We won't have to worry about getting our clothes wet or anything like that. Come on, join me. I'll keep pestering you until you say yes."

"I, er…"

Lucas looked all around him, searching for a way out, but it always came back to Dorothea's radiant smile. He sighed and yawned.

"Sure. I-I accept."

"Great! Let's head over there right now!"

Dorothea began to walk away from the dormitory building. Reluctantly, Lucas closed his bedroom door behind himself, not bothering to keep it locked.

At her insistence, Lucas followed Dorothea over to the sauna building.

Since Lucas' room was right next to the sauna building, it didn't take long for the two to get there. Once inside, they were met with a choice of paths. The left side led to the baths, while the right side led to the sauna. As it was what they were looking for, Lucas and Dorothea followed the rightmost path.

They soon arrived at the end of a narrow, wooden corridor. A tall door was on the right and two smaller, regular-sized doors were on the left. One of the two left-side doors had a faint image of a feminine figure drawn upon a small canvas. Something similar was above the other door that was on the left side - a masculine figure.

"Have you ever used a sauna before, Lucas? Do you know how it works?" Dorothea asked the man standing next to her.

"No, I h-haven't used one before, but I do know how they work," Lucas replied. "Aren't we supposed to change our clothes? We d-didn't bring any spares."

"They're inside the changing rooms. We just need to make sure to find the right ones that fit us. And, of course, we need to put them in the collection box when we're done so someone can come by later and clean them. Do you have any other questions?"

Lucas looked over at the door that was beneath the drawing of a man. "N-no."

"Good." Dorothea smiled. She approached the other door, the one with a drawing of a woman above it. "I'll meet you back here soon. I won't be long."

Dorothea opened the door and headed inside, leaving Lucas on his own within the hallway. Sighing and trembling due to his general lack of energy, he approached the door to the men's changing room.

"You are excited."

He stumbled forwards as his hand made contact with the door, almost falling over.

"W-what?!"

Sothis shrugged. "You know what I mean."

"No, I d-don't."

"Hmm…I wonder if that's true. I suppose we shall have to see." She sighed. "Go on, now. Your clothes need changing."

Rapidly blinking, Lucas ignored the implications of Sothis' words and headed inside the male changing room.

It was a considerably crowded room, with barely any open space to move around in. Tall, wooden wardrobes lined all four walls and a large, seatless table was in the very middle of the room. Nothing else was there - not even any windows.

Lucas checked some of the wardrobes. All he could find inside of them were light brown and gray featureless robes, as well as some dark undershirts and gray sandals. He rifled through the robes until he found an average-sized one that seemed to fit him rather well. At his request, Sothis and Byleth averted their gazes, allowing Lucas to change in peace.

Once he wore all the clothes he needed, he put his usual uniform inside one of the wardrobes and approached the door, ready for his sauna session. Upon returning to the hallway, he was met with Dorothea, who was wearing largely the same outfit as him, except her robes were slightly pink.

"Huh. I don't know what I expected."

Lucas raised a brow, half-heartedly. "E-excuse me?"

"Oh, sorry. I didn't mean anything by that. I just thought…I thought that color would look better on you. I guess there's a reason you only wear that professor's uniform, huh?"

His brow remained raised. "W-what?"

"Never mind," Dorothea said as she shook her head. "Let's go inside."

She pushed open the larger door on the other side of the corridor, allowing Lucas and herself to enter.

The sauna was a medium-sized room. There was a series of benches on the left wall, all of which were stacked upon one another, creating three different heights with which to sit at. On the right wall was a stone fireplace, one that cast a vague mist across the entire room. A mild heat drifted quietly along their bodies, letting the sauna's latest pair of visitors know that the room was indeed 'a bit hot'.

Dorothea led the charge as her face grew more flushed with every second that passed in the sauna. She sat down on the first row of seats and patted the area next to her. Lucas, whose face was also awash with heat, slowly sat down next to the brown-haired woman.

They continued to sit there for some time. Minutes passed as the warmth came over them both. Dorothea had her eyes closed and her head held back, allowing the heat to comfort her.

Meanwhile, Lucas was struggling. He was squirming in his seat, eyes wide open as his skin started to become noticeably pink. He wrapped his arms around his chest and retreated inside of himself as far as he could, physically. Hiding in the mental world did nothing for him as the immense heat in the sauna was always eating away at him.

A giggle came from his side.

"You're not used to the heat, are you?"

"N-no," Lucas said while bunched together within himself. "I always l-liked the cold."

"Oh? Never would've guessed. Maybe all the time you've spent in the Kingdom has made you used to the cold. Now that you're here, it must be quite the sudden change."

Lucas looked away, his eyes focusing on something not within the sauna. His trembling and shaking persisted throughout his distant stare. Dorothea watched on with furrowed brows. She clasped her hands together on her lap.

"Sorry. I shouldn't have brought that up. That was thoughtless of me."

Lucas slightly shook his head. "No. Th-that was fine. You don't need to apologise. It's me that needs to apologise…to all those that have passed."

"Huh? Oh, I understand." She cast her head down to her lap. "You feel the same way I do. But…you look like you've been hurt a lot more than I have."

He said nothing as he stared at the floor. Dorothea continued, her voice becoming sorrowful in tone.

"I can see it in your eyes, you know. You look like you're carrying a lot of guilt and regret. What happened to Hubie, Lorenz, Bern, and Ashe - it all still haunts you, doesn't it? Like a knife that's stabbing you through your heart, over and over again." She released a heavy sigh. "The guilt never goes away."

Lucas made some kind of indescribable grunt. Dorothea nodded, seemingly understanding its purpose.

"I know what that's like, Lucas. When I was in Enbarr with Anna, planning our little rebellion with Petra, I heard lots of horrific stories and rumors about the war. Cities in both the Kingdom and the Alliance being occupied by the Adrestian military, innocent civilians killed at the slightest bit of provocation…I couldn't take it. Knowing that so many lives were lost and I wasn't able to do anything to help them - it was like a nightmare I couldn't wake up from. But-"

She turned to him.

"You were living it. I only ever heard about all the death and devastation, but you experienced it. You saw it for yourself. That must've taken its toll on you. And that's why you don't think you deserve a good night's rest. It's because the guilt won't let you."

"They're all d-dead, and I'm still here…I don't deserve to survive. I let them all die. Someone as e-evil as I am doesn't deserve to keep on living…" Lucas' voice gained a similar sorrowful tone, becoming heavier with every breath.

"That's not true. If everybody thought like that, then they would all die. It's just…not true. Not at all." Seriousness came through Dorothea's voice. "Everyone deserves to live. Well, except for the evilest of people, like that Cornelia woman or Emperor Arundel. But you're not anything like them, Lucas. Sometimes death is unavoidable, no matter what you do. You can't blame yourself for that."

"I could've stopped it. I could've knocked Lorenz or Ashe unconscious, I could've not fallen asleep during the Sealed Forest battle, I could've killed that fucking Flame Emperor before he could get anywhere near Bernie." Lucas raised his head, closing his eyes. "I didn't. I did nothing, and I let them die. That's why I deserve the wrath of fate itself."

"You were doing what you had to do. Fighting's your only option, isn't it? Other than giving up and letting yourself get killed, which you clearly haven't done."

"N-no. I haven't. Not entirely."

Lucas turned to Dorothea.

"But I have given up on fighting. I-I always end up causing so much pain to others. Fighting's not my only option - it never was. I threw my swords away back in Galatea. I think Edelgard has them now. I don't care. I want n-nothing to do with them…they remind me of what I've done."

"Okay, but you do realize that throwing away your weapons hasn't changed anything? People are still going to die no matter what. Just because you're no longer on the frontlines, it doesn't mean everyone else is going to be safe in all the battles to come. And it also won't do anything to ease the pain that you feel. You're still hurting inside, Lucas. It won't go away so easily."

Lucas' expression wavered, his shaking becoming more intense. He turned away and closed his eyes in the span of a second, clenching his fists as he desperately tried to ignore the throbbing in his head.

It never disappeared. No matter what he did. Lucas opened his eyes, coming to a realization.

"H-how…?" He asked, partially turning back to Dorothea. "How can I make it go away? How can I be as strong as you? You're not like me. You don't have any bags around your eyes and you don't look pale. But…you say you're feeling the same things and thinking the same thoughts as I am. H-how can I keep going, like you have, despite it all?!"

Dorothea had no immediate response. She paused, thinking to herself as she returned Lucas' gaze. Eventually, she smiled.

"I can show you."

"W-what?" Lucas raised a brow as his eyes twitched and started to become misty.

"Don't worry. Just, uh…look at the fireplace. Trust me. I'll give you something I think you'll like."

"Uh…okay?"

With his raised brow, Lucas turned around, focusing on the fireplace that was providing the sauna with its infamous heat. His view was pointed straight ahead of the seating area, Dorothea being completely out of his line of sight.

He yelped and jumped in place when he felt something touch his shoulder. Lucas turned his head, seeing Dorothea rest her head upon his shoulder.

"H-huh? Wh-what are you doing?"

Dorothea smiled at him. She was sitting a little bit closer to him, using only his shoulder to prop up her head.

"Just let it happen."

"B-but…"

She raised a finger, hovering it in front of his lips. "Shh. Don't worry. It'll make sense soon. Just let it happen for now."

"Uh, um-" Lucas squirmed in place. He released a defeated sigh when Dorothea gave him a warm look. "F-fine."

Lucas ended his squirming and returned to looking at the fireplace, allowing Dorothea to continue as she was. Her head remained on his shoulder.

The two were in such a position for quite some time. More heat filled the room, intensifying the temperature of the sauna. As a result, Lucas and Dorothea became increasingly warm as time passed.

Minutes later, Dorothea shifted her position ever so slightly. She pressed herself up against Lucas' arm, the tip of her head approaching the side of his. Lucas screamed internally, but ultimately allowed it to occur.

Several more minutes passed. The warmth within the sauna rose ever higher, causing the skin on both of their bodies to become increasingly pink and warm. Lucas was still somewhat squirming in place, while Dorothea was content with staying where she was.

Just then, Lucas felt something. Deep within himself, something started to form. He placed his left hand (his right arm was occupied by Dorothea) on his chest. His heart was beating at a rapid pace, but there was something else.

His mind started to clear. The endless throbbing that had been with him for so long was still there, yet it was muted somehow. The pain he was feeling had subsided, but only to some extent. Lucas looked down at the peaceful, warming visage of Dorothea, his mouth agape with surprise.

"Do you feel it?" Dorothea asked.

"I…" Lucas clutched his chest with his left hand again. "I feel different. What is this…?"

She smiled. "That must be it. What keeps me going, despite all the crap the world wants to throw at me. How does it feel?"

"It feels…good. Really, really good."

"You like it, huh? That's good. Hold onto that feeling, Lucas. If everyone close to you were to die, then you would never be able to feel it ever again."

"What? You mean…"

Dorothea raised herself from Lucas' arm and stared straight into his eyes. She nodded.

"If the Empire were to win this war, they would kill every single one of us for daring to oppose them. That's just how the Emperor is. Believe me. Do you understand where I'm going with this?"

Lucas' eyes widened. He slowly nodded.

"Yeah," he said. "I…I get it now. I need to f-fight, so I can protect this warm, warm feeling. If I don't, everyone might die. And that means this feeling…I'd never feel it again."

"Exactly. Now, you-wha!"

Lucas suddenly arose from his seat, startling Dorothea. She almost fell, but quickly regained her balance and went back to a normal seated position.

"What are you doing?" She asked him.

"I n-need to apologise to Edelgard, to Jeralt, and everyone else…I messed up. I need to get my swords back."

He began to step forwards as if to leave the sauna, but Dorothea reached out.

"Wait! You can afford to wait, can't you? Why don't you stay here with me for a little longer?"

"Uh…" Lucas turned completely around, facing Dorothea with a largely pink face. "I guess I could stay."

Dorothea smiled and retracted her arm. She tapped the seat next to her. "Let's get back to what we were doing, then. Shall we?"

Lucas smiled, then nodded.

"Yeah. Let's do it."

Although he was still shaking, Lucas found the strength to power through it all. He returned to sitting down upon the bench within the sauna, once again allowing Dorothea to rest her head on his right arm.

They stayed that way for a while longer. In the meantime, the warmth on the outside became almost stifling for Lucas. But the warmth on the inside was a comforting presence, helping to guide him away from all the pain.

Lucas looked at Dorothea, and she looked at him. They both smiled, appreciating the warmth of the other person.

Author's Notes but again: Act 4 is finally here! Now that the Resistance is back together, people from both sides now get to mingle with one another. Kind of a breather chapter, but hey, you gotta have 'em every now and then.

Major thanks to Frost for beta-reading.

And with that, I'll see y'all next time!

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