Temporal Glitch

by ModernHog

Have you ever felt as if you're useless? As if everything you've done in life is pointless and what you're doing now is even more worthless? Yet, despite all that, you're able to push on. Lucas Hog feels the same way. After wasting away many hours on his latest book to virtually no applause, Lucas soon finds himself in a brand new, familiar world: Fodlan. (OC SI)

66. Destiny

"GRWOAAAAAARRRR!"

Seteth, Edelgard, Claude, and Dimitri were staring down the Immaculate One. Upon transforming, she'd immediately destroyed most of the cardinals' room, leaving a large, glassless window that allowed her to continue glaring at the four beneath her.

"Seiros…!" Seteth' eyes widened in distress. "No!"

"She's not about to try and kill us, is she?" Claude wondered. He instinctively reached behind his back, grabbing nothing but the fabric of his yellow outfit. "Damn. Forgot I didn't bring Failnaught with me."

"I didn't bring Areadbhar, either. Dedue should still be guarding it. Depending on how this situation unfolds, I may need to retrieve it," stated Dimitri.

"I may need to retrieve the Sword of the Creator as well. I would hope our Relics would not be needed in this situation, but-" Edelgard looked over at the Immaculate One, who was still continually glaring at the four. "It is increasingly likely they will be needed."

"No!" Seteth glanced at the three leaders. "I do not wish to bring harm to Seiros…we must find a peaceful solution!"

"Be my guest. But, uh, I'm not sure you'll be able to find it. Seiros seems quite upset right now," Claude responded.

"I must try. For Seiros' sake…!"

Turning back to face the Immaculate One, Seteth emboldened himself.

"Seiros, please, stop this! Mother would be appalled to see such behavior from you!"

"Nonsense!" The Immaculate One exclaimed. "A traitorous whelp such as yourself dares to speak of Mother in such a way?! I will have you burn like the rest of them, Cichol!"

"Serios…! You are only bringing destruction to the land Mother once called home! Can't you see you are bringing her sorrow?!"

"Silence, Cichol! You have turned your back on Nabatea and me…as well as Mother. You will feel the wrath of those you have left behind! DIE!"

The Immaculate One slowly began to open her mouth. Seteth quickly turned around to face the three leaders.

"We must go, now! Seiros is preparing to kill us all! We must leave!" He warned them.

"You don't have to tell me twice," Claude replied. "Let's get moving!"

Before the Immaculate One could unleash the devastating might of her flames, the four within the remains of the cardinals' room rushed out of the door. The Immaculate One noticed their departure, ceasing the charging process of her attack.

"Cichol…" She said to herself, her voice distorted as a result of her transformation.

The Immaculate One paused, taking a moment to properly scrutinize the damage she had already caused. She looked around at the monastery, her gaze lingering on each building.

"This is Mother's home, built to guard her slumber…it must not be disturbed."

She proceeded to fly away.

---

Garreg Mach was in a panic. The sudden appearance of the Immaculate One was enough to shake everybody to their core. Anyone that was outside looked up to witness the presence of the ancient dragon. She was so considerable in size that even those whose views were blocked by the monastery's various structures were able to gaze upon her being.

Her screams and yells sent shivers throughout everybody who heard them. When she began flying into the distance, nobody was certain of what to do. They all simply remained where they were, the adrenaline of their earlier panic fuelling their desire to make mindless small talk.

Lucas stared into the sky at the spot the Immaculate One once occupied, having stood up from the bench.

"She…transformed? But I thought…wasn't she safe?" Lucas questioned, speaking to himself. "What the hell happened? What the hell just happened?!"

His breathing soared in its pace as his throat closed up. Lucas covered his face with his hands as he hunched over.

"Why?! Rhea was supposed to be safe, she wasn't supposed to go berserk like this…!"

As he was dealing with his attack, two arms wrapped themselves around his waist, bringing his rapid breathing to a swift halt. His throat opened back up. Lucas began to turn his head to see what was happening yet stopped when her voice brought sense to the occurrence.

"Hey, it's okay," said Dorothea as she continued hugging his back, her soothing voice providing a warm contrast against the panic of the situation. "I might not know what's going on, but I know it's going to be okay. After all, I have you, don't I?"

"Uh, w-well, you do have me, I guess…"

"Exactly. We'll be fine as long as we're together." She smiled. "Don't forget that, my love."

"Yeah, you're right." Lucas nodded, a smile starting to form on his face. "It'll all be alright as long as you're by my side. That's how it has been…how it always will be. You're absolutely right."

"Yeah. Now how about we start figuring out what exactly is going on?" Dorothea ceased her hug and scanned the immediate area, searching for clues. She noticed something to the left, by the gates on the opposite end of the garden. "Oh, there's Seteth."

Lucas followed Dorothea's gaze, soon realizing she had been correct yet again. Seteth was quickly approaching with a worried visage.

"Lucas!" Seteth called out as he got closer. "I believe you know what has happened."

"Yeah, I saw. Rhea went berserk and transformed into the Immaculate One. How did that happen?" Lucas asked.

"Claude, Dimitri, Edelgard, Rhea, and I were having a meeting to determine the course of Fódlan's future. The three leaders gave their suggestions on how to improve our society - Rhea did not like any of them. She became rather upset and proceeded to transform," Seteth promptly explained.

Lucas grit his teeth. "So she got mad because she didn't like their opinions? She probably viewed them as heresy against the goddess or something."

"You are correct." Seteth nodded. "Lucas, tell me. You said this could happen - now it has. How can we save Rhea?"

Lucas' eyes widened in realization. He hung his head forward, his gaze cast to the ground.

"We can't. She's completely berserk - there's no convincing her to stand down. At least, I'm not aware of anything that can save her at this point."

"Ah…" Seteth briefly closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. "I see."

"Wait a minute." Dorothea turned to Lucas. "Are you saying we need to kill Lady Rhea?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying. The only thing I can think of that could save her is if I was particularly close with her, which I don't think I am," Lucas responded, his gaze still focused on the ground. "Damn, if only I'd spent more time with her…"

"Do not blame yourself, Lucas. If anything, the blame lies with me. Perhaps the other three as well. Either way, this is no time for blaming. As much as it pains me to say this, we must find Rhea and put an end to her suffering."

Dorothea clasped her hands together. "Just when we thought the fighting was over…it seems our true final battle has arrived. Seteth, I'm so sorry. You must've been close with Rhea, right? You've been by her side all this time, even back in the academy days. It must be terrible to have to fight her now."

"I feel a great deal of pain in my heart for this unfortunate occurrence. However, I know what must be done. If I need to kill one of my closest friends to preserve the lives of the people of Fódlan, then I shall do precisely that." Seteth faintly smiled. "Thank you though, Dorothea. Your concern is appreciated."

"Always happy to help." Dorothea smiled in return. "Now how about we-"

The ground shook again. Screams could be heard as multiple ear-splitting, draconic roars sounded across the monastery grounds. Sounds of debris crashing to the ground added to the cacophony of destruction that was occurring all around.

"What…?!" Dorothea questioned. She pointed up to several draconic figures that were flying around in the sky. "What are they?"

"White Beasts?! What is the meaning of this?!" Seteth wondered as he also looked up at the dragons.

"They seem to be going…in that direction." Lucas pointed in the opposite direction the cathedral was in, slightly away from the main gate. "That's the same way Rhea went! Isn't that roughly where the village is?"

"Are they all converging on Rhea's current location…? We must stop them! If we allow them to rampage as freely as they please, Fódlan itself may very well be destroyed!"

"We can't let that happen! Come on, let's round everybody up and stop those White Beasts!" Dorothea added.

Lucas, Dorothea, and Seteth nodded at each other, splitting up to reach as many different people as they could. They did so with ample speed, hurrying themselves to the very limits of their bodies.

The true final battle had come - nobody was prepared for it.

---

In a matter of minutes, the Resistance army had been mobilized to deal with the new, unexpected threat. Everybody equipped themselves with their respective weapons and armor, including the mages who swiftly put on their appropriate robes. Once someone was ready, they immediately departed monastery grounds and followed the path leading to the village beneath the monastery.

Smoke billowed into the sky. As the fragmented parts of the Resistance army approached the village, they could smell the flames, the acrid smell having assaulted their noses with its abhorrent feeling.

Cries of agony and panic came from the village. Some were prolonged, evident of their fear, while others were snuffed out before they could finish on their own. Such blood-curdling screams disturbed most of the army, yet they ultimately strengthened the army's resolve.

As the first few pockets of the Resistance's forces laid their eyes upon the village, the harsh reality of the situation slowly crept in.

The village was on the verge of complete annihilation. Countless buildings and structures were decimated, burning endlessly as a result of all the destruction. Smoke continued to rise from the flames, partially covering the sky with the darkness it forced on the world below. White Beasts thrashed around the area, swiping their massive claws and unleashing their devastating fire breaths, ravaging the remains of the village in the process. Villagers fled the scene, attempting to stay away from the imminent danger, yet some were unsuccessful.

The Immaculate One herself was at the far end of the village. She was causing the most destruction out of all, her immense power being put to use for mindless, catastrophic purposes.

Although they were disheartened by what they were seeing, the Resistance's soldiers retained their composures, emboldening their spirits after realizing what needed to be done. Villagers were being killed one after another - they needed saving. As such, without direction from a commander, the army fanned themselves out into the ruined village, attempting to save as many lives as possible.

The final battle had begun.

Fighting the White Beasts quickly proved to be a difficult task. Although they were approximately the same size as a Demonic Beast, that only belied the true nature of their strength. It seemed that an average attack wouldn't be enough to faze the berserk, winged creatures. Far more effort needed to be put into every slash and cast of a spell. It was the only way the Resistance could hope to achieve anything in the battle.

Many soldiers fell to simple swings from White Beasts' claws. Their roars were powerful enough to halt the Resistance's advance, blowing them back slightly with sheer force. Entire groups of soldiers were killed through the use of a blast of fire.

It was evident that killing merely one White Beast would be quite the challenge - let alone multiple.

Caspar was one of the first few Resistance commanders on the scene. He was already prepared for battle, having spent the previous hour doing some sparring at the training grounds. As a result, he didn't need to spend much time changing, and thus was able to get to the burning village to help deal with the situation at hand before most other people.

The second son of House Bergliez did all he could against the White Beast he was fighting. In the middle-left portion of the village, among the debris of all the nearby, partially destroyed buildings, Caspar ducked and weaved his way around a combination of claw slashes and fire breath. He used all the opportunities he had to get in close, where he could then start unloading his counterattacks.

A rapid series of jabs followed by several swift kicks and then a final, lunging punch. The White Beast reeled back in pain.

Yet only a few scratches were on its body.

"Damn! These things sure are tough…!" Caspar exclaimed to himself. "But I'm not gonna let them beat me! Come at me, whatever you things are!"

On the other side of the village, Raphael was leading the charge against another one of the White Beasts. He was also one of the first few Resistance commanders to arrive on the battlefield, as he was Caspar's sparring partner.

The brother of Maya valiantly fought against the White Beast he was up against. At various points, he caught the battered and bloodied bodies of allies that were thrown in his direction by the beast. Some of them died in his arms while others were alive but unable to move.

Despite everything, Raphael continued to fight, unfettered by his woes. He ran toward the White Beast, ducking underneath one of its wide swings and blocking a fire blast. The attack sent him sliding backward, almost causing him to stumble over a large stone slab that had fallen to the ground.

"Wh-whoa!" Raphael caught his balance. He checked his arms, which were all badly reddened and bruised. "Man, that was close! I gotta focus though! If I don't make it outta here, I'll never be able to see Maya and the others ever again! I can't let that happen! So…"

He stretched his right arm out, pointing the claws of his gauntlet at the White Beast.

"How about we try this again?"

Raphael's persistence never faded, even as his fight with the White Beast continued.

As time went on, more members of the Resistance appeared at the burning village. This allowed more pressure to be put against the White Beasts, thereby evening the odds in favor of the Resistance.

Ingrid was one of the next few commanders to arrive, her pegasus granting her the speed necessary to do so. She honed in on one of the White Beasts that wasn't already being targeted by a Resistance commander. With Lúin in hand, she reeled back her arm and used the momentum of her trusted steed's forward rush to perform a powerful lunge, straight into the beast's neck. She quickly wrestled control of her Relic and pulled it back out of the neck before the creature's pained thrashing around gave her any issues.

"What is happening? I thought the fighting had concluded already. Where did these White Beasts even come from?" Ingrid wondered as she directed her pegasus to move backward, away from an incoming bash of the White Beast's wing. "I suppose it doesn't matter where they came from. They're causing so much destruction…I can't allow it to continue! I won't let these things disturb the peace we've found!"

Ingrid resumed her fight with the White Beast, her authoritative presence providing some sense of relief to the soldiers around her. With her present, they at least had some guidance - they weren't on their own in this fight.

Coming in from the path that led up to the monastery were a group of horse-bound soldiers. Sylvain was one of them, his Lance of Ruin at the ready. Guiding his mount through the endless piles of debris, the heir of House Gautier found a White Beast that was seemingly focusing more on bringing devastation to the village rather than killing all those that approached it.

Seeing an opportunity, Sylvain charged ahead while the beast burned down an inn with his flames. As soon as he got close to his target, he quickly reeled his arm back and performed a rising upward diagonal slash with the Lance of Ruin, creating only a slight gash upon the White Beast's leg.

The beast turned, its draconic eyes bearing its anger toward the red-haired man.

"Oh, seems like you're a tough one. I'm gonna need to put a little more effort into my attacks if I wanna bring you down." Sylvain grinned. "I'll have you know, I can do some pretty great things when I put my mind to it. Just know that if you start crying or screaming later…"

He frowned at the beast, his grin swiftly disappearing.

"It's all your fault."

Sylvain engaged the White Beast in a fierce battle, assisted by the various soldiers around him.

Among the earlier arrivals from the Resistance army was Catherine, whose hair was slightly disheveled. She rushed into the burning village, ignoring everything that was happening around her. The only thing she knew for certain, aside from the thing her mind was almost solely focused on, was that Shamir was right by her side - as always.

The two women ran ahead, trusting in their allies to take care of the White Beasts. Together, they hurried to the other end of the village, where the largest draconic figure of all was causing the most destruction. With only a single breath of fire, it could create huge craters, destroying a considerable portion of the village in the process. In only a matter of time, there wouldn't be much left for the Resistance to defend.

Yet, to Catherine, that didn't matter as much as what she had in mind. Alongside Shamir, she approached the Immaculate One.

"Lady Rhea!" She called out to the Nabatean dragon. "Stop this, please! You don't have to do this!"

The Immaculate One slowly turned around, her eyes narrowing at the wielder of Thunderbrand. She spoke somewhat softly, even though the draconic nature of her being distorted her voice. "You are wrong. I must do this…so I may cure humanity of its folly."

"I…I'm not sure what you're talking about, Lady Rhea. What I am sure about is that humanity isn't all bad. Sure, there might be some terrible people out there, but there's also a lot of good as well. Are you passing judgment on every person - even the good ones?"

"I have the right. Mother wished for me to guide humanity to a prosperous and peaceful future, therefore I have the right to pass judgment, to do as Mother asked of me." Her voice suddenly became loaded with vitriol. "I have determined humanity to be a failure. Time and time again, they wish to point their blades at the goddess herself. At Mother…I cannot allow her to be harmed. Not again…"

"How arrogant can she get?" Shamir remarked, speaking quietly enough for only herself and Catherine to hear. "I guess these are her true colors."

"Shamir, stop. I don't want to hear any of that-" Catherine spoke at the same low volume as her partner.

"You know I'm right," Shamir interrupted. "Just listen to her. Passing judgment on all of humanity? You can't deny that's not something anyone should do. Especially not someone in power, like her."

She glanced up at the Immaculate One's gargantuan form. Catherine followed her gaze and sighed.

"Lady Rhea…!" Catherine called out again. "Is this truly what you believe? You said you've determined humanity to be a failure…does that include me?"

The Immaculate One was silent, only for a moment.

"Yes. It is a shame, for you are perhaps the shining example of what humanity should have been. If they all had been like you - I would not have needed to pass judgment."

"I-I see." Catherine wiped at her misty eyes. "I don't want to kill you, but I don't want my closest friends to die, either. D-damn, I…"

"All of humanity will fall to my wrath. You needn't concern yourself, for I shall release you from your suffering, in much the same way you released me from my capture in the Imperial palace."

"I…"

Catherine froze as a hand landed on her shoulder. She turned her head to the side.

"Save your tears for later," Shamir suggested. "Right now, we've got a problem to deal with. If we're unfocused, we'll die, and the Immaculate One will destroy everything. Later, you'll have as much time as you want to cry. Do you get what I'm saying?"

Catherine sighed, pausing before nodding. "Y-yeah. Guess there's no time to cry now, huh…?"

"Good." Shamir smiled. "Now raise your sword, and let's stop the Immaculate One from destroying everything we've come to know. Ready?"

"I'm not, but…"

She tightened her grip on Thunderbrand.

"Let's do it anyway."

Shamir nodded. "You won't be alone. I'm with you, partner."

"Yeah, that's right…heh, now that I think about it, you might be the only thing I have left." She pointed Thunderbrand at the Immaculate One, raising her voice. "Lady Rhea! Shamir and I, we'll…we'll put an end to your suffering!"

Combining their skills and their efforts, Catherine and Shamir engaged the Immaculate One, fighting the former archbishop with everything they had, despite the former of the two's reluctance to do so.

The rest of the battle was proceeding rather slowly. Due to the sheer might of the White Beasts and the limited space the debris provided, fighting was quite tricky for the Resistance. They had yet to experience battling in such limited terrain, thus they weren't quite used to the somewhat claustrophobic environment they were in. Most of the times the Resistance soldiers moved, they would stumble over a fallen rock or an obscure stone, which would then give the White Beasts a perfect chance to go for the kill.

Though, the Resistance wasn't entirely on the backfoot. The power they had, as a collective, was immense. It was enough to push back against the overwhelming strength of the White Beasts, although they were still quite powerful. Countless soldiers fell to their might.

Fortunately, as time passed, more of the Resistance's forces arrived, thus turning the tides. Petra was among their number. Upon entering the burning village, she made her way through the rubble-lined streets, using the near-distant visage of one of the White Beasts to guide her.

She ended up in a clearing between buildings, staring at the White Beast that was fighting Raphael. He punched the side of the beast, seemingly only doing a very little amount of damage before being forced to leap back to evade a ball of fire.

Petra let out a calming sigh.

"Flame spirit, guide me…"

Crouching, the Brigid princess tightened her grip on her Brave Sword, observing the White Beast's movements. She waited for the perfect opportunity - then struck.

With the energy she had been building up in her legs, Petra darted forward, approaching the White Beast at an incredible speed. As she got close, she crouched again, this time quickly gathering enough energy to leap high into the air. She jumped to a point higher than the beast's head and used her only arm to raise her blade.

"Hyah!"

A roaring yell later and Petra began to fall. As this happened, she brought down her blade, using the momentum of her fall to increase the power of her strike. Before the White Beast could react, she made a large gash on its neck, landing firmly on the ground after the fact.

"Whoa…nice moves, Petra!" Raphael smiled at her. "I wish I could do stuff like that! Looks like you really hurt that thing!"

"I have many thanks, but I am fearing I did not hurt it very much. Look."

"Huh?"

Raphael looked over, finding that the recoil the beast suffered didn't last very long. It roared at them both, causing Raphael to gain an incredulous look.

"Oh man, really? I thought that would've done it! Or, at least, I thought that would've had a bit more of an impact. Guess not."

"It is being much of a shame, but we must be continuing to fight. Our prey has not been fallen."

"Yeah, you're right. I think we can make it fall together, though! Let's do it, Petra!"

"Yes, Raphael! Let us be combining our power!"

Swordmaster Petra and War Master Raphael fought together, using everything they had to deal whatever damage they could against the White Beast.

One of the other Resistance commanders that had just come in was Felix. He too followed the scent of a nearby White Beast, following a different path to Petra. The heir of House Fraldarius ended up finding the very same creature that War Master Caspar was so desperately fighting.

While Caspar was busy unloading a flurry of punches into the side of the beast, Swordmaster Felix took an opportunity he soon found. He zoomed ahead, approaching the White Beast at a rapid speed, delivering a powerful lunging stab on its other side. Before the crazed creature could think to do anything in response, Felix made use of a swift and fierce series of quick, consecutive slashes.

Which were all promptly halted by one of the White Beast's wings smacking into him, sending him flying back some ways - Brave Sword still in hand.

"Not bad…" Felix grinned, panting. "This might be fun."

"Hey, Felix! Are you okay over there?" Caspar asked, waving at the Swordmaster from the near-distance while avoiding a claw slash. "Need a hand?"

"I'll be fine!" Felix called back, soon lowering the volume of his voice as he spoke to himself. "I'm not about to let some wild animal get the better of me. I'll end you, beast!"

Felix proceeded to join in with the fight against the White Beast that Caspar was already fighting, helping the War Master to give some manner of hurt to the creature in question.

Meanwhile, a large flock of Resistance wyvern and pegasus riders flew into the fight, storming the skies above with their weapons of great variance. Claude was with them, getting a bird's-eye view of the battlefield thanks to his trusted wyvern. On the back of his winged steed was Hilda, who looked down upon the destruction of the village with a sorrowful frown.

"The village is all but destroyed. How did this happen…?" Hilda wondered.

"I think it might've been my fault. At least, partially," Claude replied with a sigh. "Edelgard and Dimitri are probably just as much at fault as I am."

"What do you mean?"

Claude glanced over to Hilda, keeping his wyvern steady in the air. "Do you remember that meeting I said we'd have with Rhea?"

"Yeah, but what does that have to do with anything?"

"Well, let's just say Rhea didn't take too kindly to the ideas we had. She transformed into the Immaculate One while she was still inside the cardinal's room, and then this whole mess started," Claude explained. "Looks like Rhea has a whole lot of power within her…"

"She didn't like your ideas, so she got angry and started destroying the village? That's not your fault." Hilda shook her head, her frown becoming more irritated in its appearance. "She's the one who got mad. You can't blame yourself for that. All this destruction…she's the one causing it, not you."

"Heh, I guess you're right. Still, I can't help but feel like I should've approached the topic a little bit differently. This whole thing might've not happened if we were more delicate about it."

Hilda waved it off. "Maybe, but you'll never know for sure, which is why you shouldn't worry about it. Just focus on the here and now and try to make a better future, yeah?"

Claude smiled, turning away from her.

"Right. How could I forget?" He chuckled to himself. "Thanks, Hilda. You're always there to keep my head on straight whenever I start losing it."

"You're welcome! Always happy to help my fearless leader." She winked at him. "Now how about we start helping out our allies?"

"Yeah." Claude nodded. "Let's go!"

The two of them flew into the fight, assisting various allies that were fighting against one of the White Beasts.

While the Resistance's various pegasus and wyvern riders began to flood the sky, Myrmidon Lucas and Dancer Dorothea arrived at the village, quickly laying eyes upon the ruined environment.

"Oh no, this is terrible…" Dorothea caught a glimpse of a lifeless, heavily bloodied body that was partially stuck underneath a large rock. "So many innocent people are dying because of this…is Rhea that blind to the pain she's causing?"

"Unfortunately, yeah," Lucas said as he unsheathed his Sword of Seiros. "I wanted to prevent this from happening, but it happened anyway. All we can do now is deal with the consequences."

Dorothea solemnly nodded. "We can't allow Rhea to keep doing this. If we can't stop her here, how far will she go? Will she not stop until all of Fódlan is destroyed?"

"Potentially. That's why…" Lucas pointed his sword in the general direction of the Immaculate One's distant, yet large visage. "Rhea, thanks for giving them back to me, but I'll stop you with your sword and shield. I won't allow you to destroy everything I've come to know and love…"

At that moment, the Immaculate One roared, almost as if in response to Lucas' words. As soon as the roar ended, several flashes of bright, yellow-white teleportation magic shone around the decimated village.

In the place of those flashes of light were a series of massively tall and heavily armored Golems. Several human-like soldiers also appeared through additional warps, yet the bulged veins on their skin and their blank, white eyes were evidence of something more.

"Golems," said Lucas, frowning at the arrival of the new enemies. "And those must be the frenzied soldiers from the church. This won't be easy…"

"But it'll be fine…" Dorothea glanced at Lucas, a bright smile on her face as she blushed. "As long as we're together."

"Y-yeah." Lucas's cheeks also flushed. "As long as we're together."

Their hands locked with each other for a moment as they stared into the other's eyes. Various soldiers brushed past them, snapping them out of their romantic stupor and bringing their focus back to the fight at hand.

Among the next few waves of incoming Resistance soldiers was Manuela, who, as a Bishop, took a different approach to the battle. Instead of helping the offensive push against the White Beasts, which now included the Golems and the frenzied church soldiers, she went to help as many innocents as she could. Making use of her expert command of Faith magic, she warped away civilians that were attempting to escape, saving the lives of anyone that was in immediate danger.

Though she wasn't able to help everyone.

"Oh dear…" She clasped her hands in front of her chest. "I'm gonna be busy for the next few weeks."

"Indeed," said a soft, masculine voice.

"Wha-GAH!" Manuela turned around, taken aback by the sudden presence of the additional voice. She calmed down once she found who it was. "Oh, it's just you, Linhardt. Try not to sneak up on someone like that, okay?"

"My apologies. I was only assisting you with your rescue efforts. I can't stand what I'm seeing here…" Linhardt winced. "So much blood…"

"Yeah, it is a lot, isn't it? I bet you're glad you don't have my job. I have to deal with that kind of thing all the time."

"Even so, you likely aren't prepared for situations such as these. I know I'm not."

"Neither am I." Manuela shook her head. "Still, it's something I've gotten used to lately. No thanks to this war…"

"Ugh, war. I hope this is the final battle. I've had enough of war."

"Same here. Let's do all that we can, okay?"

Manuela and Linhardt nodded at each other, each of them pooling their Faith magic experience together to help anyone that was about to face death.

Anyone around the village that was fighting on the side of the Resistance was quickly made aware of the sudden appearance of the Golems and the frenzied church soldiers. This quickly changed the Resistance's slapdash formation, some of their forces having to stop whatever fights they were having and engage the reinforcements.

Jeralt and Leonie were working together to fight off various church soldiers, using their respective mounts as Paladins to give themselves a height advantage against the Snipers and Heroes they were dealing with.

"Where did these guys even come from? Did the Immaculate One summon them or something?" Leonie speculated, bending her body to the right to avoid an incoming arrow.

"I wouldn't be surprised. Rhea's always had an incredible level of power, so seeing this…" Jeralt replied, breaking an opponent's sword with his Silver Lance. "It doesn't surprise me in the slightest."

"I'll take your word for it, Captain Jeralt. You know a lot more about her than I do."

"Sure. Just stay focused, alright? I might not be surprised right now, but that doesn't mean that can't happen later. I don't know what-AGH!"

Jeralt held onto his forehead with his hand, his head hanging forward as an intense pain surged through his mind. Leonie looked over in surprise, quickly landing a powerful blow with her lance before rushing over.

"Captain Jeralt! Are you okay?" She asked with a worried brow.

"I…I'm fine," he answered, breathing slowly. "What the hell was that…?"

"It'll be okay. I'll protect you. Whatever it is, I won't let it get you killed!"

"Heh. As if I'd let that happen." Jeralt grinned. He swiped ahead with his lance, cutting through a frenzied church Hero. "It's probably just a hangover or something. No big deal."

"Whatever you say, Captain Jeralt. Just don't push yourself."

"Of course. I've still got a lot of fight left in me, though. I won't give up until we stop this madness."

Leonie nodded, deflecting a blow from an incoming Falcon Knight. "Same here! Let's show these guys what the Blade Breaker and his greatest protege can do!"

Jeralt and Leonie continued fighting together, watching out for each other as they tore through swaths of enemies with their combined prowess.

In another part of the village, around the center of the whole location, Ignatz was shooting arrows all around, firing them with supreme deftness. Some of them were shot as he spun on the spot, thereby creating a spiral of arrows. He didn't fire them with total carelessness - he did have some regard for his ammunition.

Yet each one of them was necessary to keep the incoming crazed enemies away from him.

"Lady Rhea, why must you do this…?" He said to himself, clipping the wings of a maddened pegasus with a well-aimed arrow. "Is the church truly this questionable?"

Just then, an opposing arrow came in toward him, moving at a speed much too quick for Ignatz to react to. It struck him in between the slots on his Sniper armor, almost forcing him to drop his currently-nocked arrow as a result of the ensuing surge of pain.

Another arrow appeared from the crowd ahead. This time, it was aimed at his skull. Ignatz blocked it with his armored hand, the projectile in question bouncing off said appendage. There was a considerable dent in his armor where the arrow struck, but otherwise, he was fine.

Ignatz soon locked eyes with the frenzied Sniper that just tried to kill him - they were aiming at him again. As such, he primed his Silver Bow in their direction.

Before any exchanges of projectiles could occur, the enemy Sniper (alongside several other enemy soldiers around them) was suddenly blasted away by a random Thoron. Ignatz looked to the side, his expression brightening upon seeing who helped him out.

"Oh dear. This is certainly a horrible mess."

"Professor Hanneman!" Ignatz exclaimed. "Thanks for the help!"

"You are very welcome, young Ignatz. I trust you have not been hurt? I may not be an expert on Faith magic, but I at least know how to use Heal. Do tell me if you have any wounds that I may be able to assist you with," Hanneman replied, moving closer to Ignatz and eventually standing side by side with him.

Ignatz shook his head. "No, I'm fine." His brows furrowed. "That's more than I can say for these knights. Why are they attacking us…?"

"It is a most perplexing situation. I can only think of one plausible theory for why this has occurred, yet I am uncertain of its validity." Hanneman fired a Ragnarok into the horde of enemies behind Ignatz, blowing several of them away.

"What's that?" Ignatz asked as he clipped the wings of another pegasus, forcing it and its rider to the ground.

"It appears the knights that are attacking us are all ones that have received Rhea's blood. I recognize a few of their faces and have even analyzed some of them, which is why I feel confident in my earlier statement."

"Okay, but what does that mean? Why would they be attacking us, then?"

"It means that Rhea, in her berserk state, must have done something to connect to the individuals that have her blood, thus invoking the same emotions within them as she is currently feeling. As she is berserk, so too are these knights."

"So…these soldiers are berserk because Lady Rhea is?"

Hanneman nodded. "Precisely my theory. However, as I said, I am uncertain of how valid it is. I cannot say with absolute confidence that that is exactly what is happening."

"Well," Ignatz fired an arrow into the skull of an approaching Swordmaster, "it's something, at least. I think it makes sense. You would know more about this than I do."

"That is precisely why I feel so frustrated. I have been called the Father of Crestology, yet even I cannot pinpoint the true cause of these events, which have to be linked to Crests in some manner. Add onto that the abhorrence of what is occurring before us, and…" Hanneman blew up a distant pegasus knight with a cast of Meteor, unleashing a large, fiery rock that exploded upon impact. "I find myself disgusted - in more ways than one."

Ignatz stewed on Hanneman's words, considering them as he fought, though he didn't allow them to slow him down in any way. Hanneman himself was much the same, able to persist despite his thoughts.

Elsewhere within the ravaged village, Edelgard and Ferdinand were fighting as one unit, pooling together their strengths to form a union stronger than any of them could ever be while alone.

The Sword of the Creator was a useful tool, especially while against such a large group of foes. Its extensive slashes and its whip-like capabilities were quite effective in clearing multiple enemies at once. Edelgard was more than aware of this and proceeded to make good use of it, though it wasn't her only method of attack. She did have to preserve the Relic's uses, after all.

Her Silver Axe was mainly used after thinning out the enemy's numbers, when a more delicate approach was required. Ferdinand's swift strikes were also effective in this same manner, his horse allowing him to improve the strength of his attacks through the use of momentum.

"This cannot be allowed to continue…!" She exclaimed, cutting down a crazed knight with her axe. "Seiros' rampage must end."

"It does not seem as if approaching her will be a viable strategy. We are surrounded by so many of these berserk knights!" Ferdinand added, slashing through another soldier with his Silver Lance. "We are entrapped by the enemy's formation!"

"If they will not allow us through, then we shall create an opening of our own! They may have considerable numbers on their side, but so do we - perhaps even more so. The tides of battle will turn in our favor!"

"Of course! Your Majesty, I-I mean, Edelgard, your fervor knows no bounds!"

Edelgard and Ferdinand continued fighting together, eventually able to forcibly form an opening. Seeing an opportunity, the two of them hurried away from their previously restrictive position, breaking out into the more open spaces available on the battlefield.

However, their progress was halted as they approached a Golem.

"Edelgard! We can't very well allow our allies to fight this…thing on their own, can we?"

The emperor sighed. "I suppose not. It seems we will have to wait if we wish to take the fight directly to Seiros. Let's go, Ferdinand!"

Focusing their efforts on the Golem ahead, Edelgard and Ferdinand proceeded to support their allies in taking on such a dangerous foe.

There weren't many Golems that had been summoned, only two. Despite that, they were still extraordinarily powerful. They were capable of eliminating massive handfuls of Resistance forces in a single blow with their explosive Lances of Light. By no means were they pushovers.

As such, the Resistance put up a considerable counteroffensive. Lysithea was engaging the second Golem, employing all of her spells to deal hefty damage to the giant of steel. Luna, Dark Spikes, and Hades were all used against the Golem, empowered by Thyrsus - the Relic Lysithea was holding.

"I was just getting ready to live the rest of my days in peace, but all this had to happen…" Lysithea glared at the Golem, evading one of its lance swings. "I've got no time for any of this or any of you! I'll make you pay for not only getting in my way but for hurting all these innocent people as well! That, in of itself, is inexcusable!"

"Careful there, Lysithea! Make sure you don't get hit by any of those light…things!" Alois advised, smacking the Golem with his Axe of Ukonsavara. "After all, getting hit by them wouldn't be a very bright idea!"

Lysithea frowned at the non-crazed knight. "Alois, this is no time for jokes! Save them for later, when we're not under attack!"

"Oh, very well then…" Alois grinned. "In that case, we'll just have to win this battle as soon as possible! I've got plenty of jokes up my sleeve, and I want to be able to share them all!"

"Now that's something I can agree with. The first part, that is. Well, I guess I'd rather hear your jokes than be dead."

"Are you dead serious about that-"

Lysithea glared at Alois. "What did I say?!"

"Sorry! Couldn't help myself with that one, hah." Alois chuckled, ducking out of the way of another lance swing. "That's all I've got for now. I need to save my material for later, you know!"

Although frustrated with the knight, Lysithea continued to fight alongside him. The two of them gave the Golem everything they had.

Overall, the fight was beginning to turn in favor of the Resistance. With all their available forces finally having made it to the battlefield, a solid effort could be made against all the frenzied individuals from the church, which included various cardinals and monks. One of the White Beasts had even been taken out - a sign of their progress. Those that were still alive after the beast's death took a brief moment to catch their breaths before helping the rest of their allies.

Caspar and Felix's breaks were short-lived, purely out of their own volition.

Fighting against another one of the White Beasts were Dimitri, Marianne, Mercedes, and Annette. The four of them gave it their all, using all the spells and techniques in their respective arsenals, not letting up for even a second.

"Don't give in, you three!" Dimitri called out to the three girls near him. "Only a little more pressure and we can win!"

"O-of course!" Marianne firmly nodded. "We can't allow these creatures to keep destroying everything!"

"So many people are dying…we must do all that we can!" Mercedes exclaimed, casting Physic on a somewhat nearby ally who had just gotten hit by the White Beast's claws.

"Yeah! We're not about to let these things walk all over us! Especially not after all we've been through!" Annette said as she smashed Crusher against one of the beast's legs.

"Indeed…we mustn't allow ourselves to succumb to their might! They may be powerful, but so are we! Do not forget that, and let us give them all that we have!" Dimitri sliced Areadbhar through another one of the White Beast's legs. "For us…for Fódlan!"

As time continued to flow, the enemy's forces gradually decreased in size. The power of the Resistance was becoming greater than the Immaculate One's furious allies could handle, thus they lost the advantage they had at the beginning of the battle.

Everyone's battles carried on, even as the flames around the village grew larger with time. Some attempted to quell the fires with wind and ice magic, which worked to some extent. Anna was a great help in these efforts, using buckets of water pulled from her stock to defeat the rising flames - despite her reluctance to use items she planned on selling.

Even the Gatekeeper pitched in, helping any surviving civilians that escaped to the monastery to find a safer place to hide from all the destruction. Garreg Mach itself was not under fire and was only partially left in ruins from the Immaculate One's earlier attack, as well as the quakes caused by the sudden appearances of the White Beasts, which in turn resulted in the partial destruction of various buildings around the monastery. This all meant that Garreg Mach was a safe place to be.

Gatekeeper did an earnest job to keep it that way. As did Gilbert and Judith, who assisted in the same manner.

All in all, the Resistance was faring well, despite the unfortunate start to the battle. Leonie and Jeralt were clearing out a few of the crazed cardinals that were coming their way, putting themselves and their lances to a brief rest after doing so.

"I think we're doing it, Captain Jeralt…we're nearly there! Only a little bit more to go…!" Leonie stated while panting.

"H-heh, yeah. You'd better follow your own advice, though. Don't push yourself too hard." Jeralt held his head with his hand as it was facing the ground, also catching his breath.

"Of course I won't. Who do you…think I am? I'm not some i-idiot. I'm your first and greatest protege, Leonie Pinelli!" She gave him a determined look.

Jeralt laughed. "H-ha…you might be right, kid."

As she continued to stare at his smiling countenance, Leonie couldn't help but reciprocate with a laugh. The two shared their merriment as they each caught their breaths. About a minute later, they stopped, as did their panting.

Leonie and Jeralt gave each other a simple smile.

But then a moment afterwards, Jeralt began to scream in agony. He dropped his lance, clutching his head as he writhed around atop his horse.

"Agh, g-gah…!"

"Captain Jeralt! Are you okay? What's wrong?" Leonie asked, a concerned look on her face.

Instead of responding clearly, Jeralt grunted in pain. He swayed from side to side while on his horse, eventually falling to the ground. He resumed squirming, his body convulsing and twitching amongst the debris in the surrounding area.

Leonie watched on with a raised brow. She dismounted and started leaning over Jeralt.

"Captain Jeralt…?"

The orange-haired girl watched as the Blade Breaker's pupils slowly disappeared, his eyes becoming a blank white. Veins had bulged around his face, his grunts and cries of pain gradually subsiding. He stopped writhing. Quietly, Jeralt looked to his side and picked up his dropped Silver Lance before standing up.

"What are you-"

Leonie was cut off by Jeralt punching her in the face. She stumbled back, almost falling over a piece of debris. She felt her nose as blood began to drip from her nostrils.

"C-Captain Jeralt…! What are you doing?!"

"Grragh! Hyarhhh!"

He swung at her with his lance, a move she promptly evaded by leaping back.

"What…? What's going on?! Captain Jeralt, stop!" Leonie pleaded, dodging further attacks from the pupiless Jeralt. "Please, stop!"

Jeralt didn't reply to her, instead swinging at her some more. All of his moves were evaded, yet some were close.

"Captain Jeralt, please…I don't know what's gotten into you, but you need to stop! Don't make me hurt you. Please, don't…"

Noticing an incoming downwards swing coming from Jeralt, Leonie blocked it with the handle of her lance. But as the edge of Jeralt's weapon struck, it cut hers in two.

"What?!"

Leonie was fine, but her main weapon of choice was no longer in use. The surprise of such an occurrence gave her quite a shock, freezing her in place just long enough for Jeralt to attempt to take her life.

Before the Blade Breaker could do the deed, however, Leonie was warped out of the way. Jeralt looked around, searching for his target, finding her standing alongside two green-haired individuals.

"Huh? Wha-" Leonie blinked, looking at her two saviors. "Seteth? And Flayn? What's happening…?"

"You needn't worry, Leonie. I have saved you with my use of the Rescue spell." Flayn smiled at her. "Whilst we were in the skies above, from atop his wyvern, my brother and I noticed you were in danger. As such, we made a swift decision to provide you with immediate assistance."

"O-oh, uh…thanks, Flayn." Leonie nodded at her before staring confusedly and concernedly at the pupilless Jeralt, who wasn't speaking a clear language. "But Captain Jeralt, he-"

"I was concerned that something of this caliber may have occurred," Seteth interrupted her, briefly closing his eyes. "Though I must say, this is quite unique."

Leonie raised a brow, turning to Seteth. "What? Do you know what's going on?"

"Not with absolute certainty. However, I can make a safe assumption as to the nature of what has befallen Jeralt." Seteth returned Leonie's gaze. "It seems he has become berserk, much in the same way as the other frenzied knights, albeit with some difference."

"Some difference? Of what kind?"

"The other knights seem to be attacking as per Rhea's orders, while Jeralt has seemingly lost all semblance of reason - from what I can gather. There is also the fact that Jeralt's transformation into this berserk state happened at a much later time than the others. I do not know why."

"He has become but a mindless monster…he must be stopped!" Flayn stated. "I do not wish to kill him, however. Is there some way we can save him, brother?"

"I don't know. Perhaps, but I am unsure."

Leonie, Seteth, and Flayn watched as Jeralt thrashed around, slowly approaching the three of them while wildly slamming and swinging his lance around. Leonie winced at the sight.

"There's gotta be something we can do. Would Faith magic work?" She wondered.

"Flayn and I have already attempted that with the other knights." Seteth shook his head. "It is not likely to work."

"Well, we can try, at least? It'd be good to cross it off the list first." Leonie turned to the smaller girl beside her. "Flayn, can you give it a try, please?"

"I…" Flayn hesitated. "I will do my best."

She stepped forward slightly, focusing on Jeralt's mana signature. Conjuring enough magic in just a second, Flayn began her cast of Heal, which was then followed by Restore, and then another Heal. Large amounts of white light engulfed Jeralt as the three of them waited.

The light dissipated, and nothing changed.

"It is the same as the others. My healing has no effect. I apologize, Leonie." Flayn glanced at her former classmate, giving her an apologetic nod.

"It's fine," replied Leonie, her gaze fixated on the berserk Jeralt. "At least you tried. What else can we do, then…?"

"Perhaps Professor Lucas may be of some help? He knows many things, does he not? Perhaps he is aware of a method to restore Jeralt's state," Flayn suggested.

"That may very well work, Flayn. It is likely our best option, at any rate." Seteth tightly gripped his Spear of Assal as Jeralt continued his approach. "Leonie, please fetch Lucas for us."

"Wait, why me? I want to stay here and help Jeralt."

"I would do it myself, but my wyvern needs some rest. Do not worry, Flayn and I will keep him busy. You can help us, which will in turn help Jeralt, by fetching Lucas. Do you understand?"

Leonie sighed, giving the berserk Jeralt one final look, him getting ever closer to the three.

"Fine." She hurried over to her house, quickly mounting it. "You'd better keep him safe, you two."

Without any further words, Leonie rode her horse away from the immediate area, beginning her search for the professor. Seteth and Flayn stayed behind, the former of the two engaging the berserk Jeralt, him doing so defensively. The latter of the two provided support, using a Heal or a Physic cast to ease any wounds her father received during his fight.

They did not fight to kill - only to distract.

---

Before long, the White Beasts were all but eradicated. Only two of them remained. Both of the Golems were taken out while most of the frenzied knights and cardinals were killed. The Resistance army was making their final push against the forces allied with the Immaculate One, of which consisted of three pairs approaching the dragon herself.

Edelgard and Ferdinand, fresh out of defeating a Golem. Claude and Hilda, having provided support to various battles with the White Beasts. Dimitri and Marianne, who left Mercedes and Annette to their own devices after defeating the White Beast the four of them had been fighting.

The six of them made it to the Immaculate One at almost the same time, only somewhat surprised at their coincidental timing. They stopped before they could get any closer, however, as they witnessed Catherine and Shamir get blown away by an outwards swing of the Immaculate One's claws.

"Lady Rhea…!" Catherine struggled to speak, kneeling on the ground while using Thunderbrand to prop herself up.

Shamir had no such tool, merely kneeling on both knees. "She had this much power within her…?"

Noticing their plight, Dimitri nodded at Marianne.

"Please, help them," he asked her.

Marianne nodded, proceeding to do exactly as she was asked. While she went to heal the two women, the remaining five stepped closer to the Immaculate One.

They all stared up at her with the same determined look.

"More fools," the Immaculate One said, scowling at them. "That you are opposing me…you humans are all the same. No matter how much time has passed - you will never change. You will always wish to betray me and my mother."

"We are only opposing you to protect those we hold dear. You are the one that continues to rain destruction down upon us, thereby destroying our homes and killing the innocent…you are the one that has betrayed us, Seiros," retorted Dimitri.

"He's right," Claude added. "We didn't ask for this battle. You're the one that decided to start killing innocents because of a disagreement."

"A disagreement? You whelps intend to defy the will of the goddess, the will of my mother! It was not a disagreement - it was heresy!" The Immaculate One yelled, hate evident in her eyes.

"Therein lies your problem." Edelgard shook her head while scowling at the draconic archbishop. "You expect every person in the continent to follow your will, disguising it as being from the goddess herself. You may be her daughter, but it seems you don't understand her at all."

"And you do?! How dare you suggest such a thing…! I shall kill you where you stand!"

"I may not have spoken with the goddess myself, but I know someone who has: Lucas. He may very well be speaking with her at this very moment. Because of that, only he knows what the goddess is truly like! Your idea of her is clouded by your memories of a time long since passed! Yet, you use that faulty idea as the basis of your judgment? How foolish of you!"

"You are the fool, Emperor of Adrestia! Lucas was nothing but a vessel for my mother, and now she has returned to me! Do not speak to me as if you know anything about her! YOU KNOW NOTHING!"

"Enough!" Edelgard shouted. "It seems you truly are the fool, Seiros! I have spoken with Lucas, and I know the truth of who he is! Out of respect for his wishes, I will not share them so publicly, but know that you are wrong, Seiros! He is but a visitor, not a vessel! He is not a pawn in your selfish schemes…he is our friend!"

"SILENCE! I WILL NOT ALLOW YOU TO SPEAK SUCH LIES! THIS VILLAGE WILL BE YOUR FINAL RESTING GROUND…ALL OF YOU!"

Hilda winced. "It's ironic how she's asking for silence when she's the loudest one here."

"Indeed." Ferdinand nodded. "It seems we must be the ones to silence her."

"I didn't want it to be this way, yet she gives us no other choice." Dimitri tightened his grip on Areadbhar's hilt, pointing it at the Immaculate One. "Raise your weapons, my friends! Let us bring an end to the destruction caused by the Immaculate One!"

"Never thought this would happen. At least, I hoped it wouldn't. I figured we could end this war and live peacefully…" Claude nocked an arrow into Failnaught's bowstring. "Guess not. Time for the final battle!"

Edelgard raised her blade, aiming at her final opponent. "The end is upon us! Our final target…Saint Seiros, the Immaculate One! Let's end this, once and for all!"

"GRWOAAAAAARRRR!"

The final battle for the fate of Fódlan began.

---

Meanwhile, in the midst of the ruined village, Lucas and Dorothea were taking a break after having successfully taken out all the crazed soldiers in their immediate area. The battle certainly wasn't over, but their bodies were yearning for rest, thus they complied. They sat up against a wall as they cooled down and caught their breaths.

Dorothea glanced toward the distance as the Immaculate One's roar sounded across the entire village.

"She's making that sound again. I wonder if somebody's fighting her already…" She wondered.

"I'd hope so. I mean, taking her out is the quickest way to end this battle. Get that done, and we can all go home." Lucas' head hung backward, his face pointed at the sky.

"But didn't you say you were from another world or something? Are you going home after this?"

He shook his head. "No. I don't plan on it, and it's impossible either way. I decided a while ago that I'd stay here, though it's not like I ever had a choice in the matter."

"Do you want to go back?"

"Not at all." Lucas gave her a determined gaze. "If I went back, I'd have to leave you behind. And I could never do that."

The former songstress blushed as she smiled. "That…that makes me so happy. I'd never leave you behind either, darling."

Lucas blushed as well. "Uh, er…"

Although it was only a giggle at first, Dorothea soon burst into a full fit of laughter as Lucas stared at her with a bewildered and confused expression. His blush disappeared as her laughter went on, him withdrawing into himself somewhat.

Dorothea noticed this change in his demeanor and stopped laughing.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to laugh at you like that. I know how sensitive you can be, and-"

"It's okay," he interrupted her. "I know you didn't mean it. I just can't help but feel sad whenever someone does that kind of thing to me. Makes me feel like I did something wrong, even though I know that's usually never the case." He closed his eyes. "Sorry. I didn't mean to make this awkward."

Instead of replying, Dorothea simply smiled. Much to his surprise, he felt something warm land on his shoulder. Lucas opened his eyes to find that she was leaning on him, her white Dancer uniform flowing toward the ground.

"Uh…" He was unable to form a coherent sentence, his blush quickly returning.

"Hehe," she titered. "You truly aren't used to this, huh? That's fine, though. You'll have a lot of time to get used to it after we've won this battle."

"I, uh…I hope so."

The two sat there for a while longer, regaining the energy while sharing the warmth of each other's lives. They remained undisrupted for quite some time.

Until Leonie suddenly appeared. She raised a brow at them, but then shook her head, removing the suspicion from her expression.

"Professor Lucas! Come with me, quick!"

"What's happening, Leonie?" Lucas asked her.

"It's Captain Jeralt. He's gone berserk, just like those other church soldiers! You've got to help!"

Lucas blinked, his eyes widening. "What? Jeralt's gone berserk? But how…?"

"I don't know. Come on, you've gotta come with me! Seteth and Flayn are keeping him busy, but I have no idea how long they'll last! Hurry, Professor!"

Sharing a glance with Dorothea, the two that had been taking a rest nodded at one another. They stood up, their respective weapons at the ready.

"Alright, let's go," he said.

Leonie nodded, allowing Lucas and Dorothea to mount her horse alongside her. She had to budge herself up a bit to allow for more space, but the three of them made it work. When everyone was safely secured, Leonie rode the horse away, leading them all back the way she came.

In a matter of a few short minutes, the three of them arrived at the clearing where Leonie was previously. Seteth was still in a fierce, close-quarters combat battle with the berserk Jeralt, whose moves were rather aggressive. The Spear of Assal had taken damage, as indicated by the various chips and marks across the weapon's blade. Despite this being the case, Seteth was hanging in there, in no small part thanks to his Crest's compatibility with his Sacred Weapon as well as the healing Flayn provided.

"Seteth! I found him! Also, Dorothea's here too, I guess," Leonie called out to the male Nabatean, who was in a close, physical struggle with Jeralt.

"V-very good!" Seteth replied, grunting while trying to overpower the pressure Jeralt was applying.

"Professor!" Flayn exclaimed. "Please help my brother! With your knowledge, I am certain we can find a way to bring Jeralt back to his senses!"

Lucas and Dorothea dismounted Leonie's horse, readying themselves for one last fight.

"Sure! I'll-" He corrected himself. "We'll help!"

They gave each other an additional nod before rushing in to provide Seteth with the assistance he required. Dorothea began by firing a Thoron, blasting Jeralt away from the Nabatean, while Lucas got in close.

"What the hell are you doing, Jeralt?!" Lucas questioned, yelling his question as he punched Jeralt in the face. "Snap out of it! Come on!"

Instead of a straight answer, Lucas got a punch to the gut, straight from the berserk Jeralt. It had enough force to send him flying backwards, though Dorothea caught him, preventing him from falling over completely.

"D-damn. He's not saying anything. His eyes, too…" Lucas remarked as Dorothea helped him onto his feet while also staring into Jeralt's pupiless eyes. "He is berserk."

"No doubt about that. Be careful, Lucas," she warned. "Whatever happened to him, we'll help him together." She glanced at Seteth. "Alongside him, I presume."

"Right. Let's do this, Dorothea, Seteth, Flayn, and maybe you too, Leonie! Let's knock some sense into him!"

"Professor!" Seteth called as he was getting healed by Flayn. "Do you not know of a method to cure his ailment?"

"I don't. This was never supposed to happen. I don't know why it has, either. It might-whoa!" Lucas blocked an incoming swing from Jeralt with his Seiros Shield, entering his own physical struggle with the berserk Blade Breaker. "Um, as I was saying, it might have something to do with Rhea's transformation…"

"They are linked? But how?" Seteth continued to ask.

"I think it's b-because Rhea shared her blood with him. He became berserk l-later than everyone else, right? That m-might be because he only got her blood and not a Crest St-Stone, which I'm pretty sure everyone else got. Or something like that."

"Ah, I see…" Seteth's eyes slowly widened. Flayn was done healing him, so he tightened his grip on the Spear of Assal and approached the fight. "In that case, it may be that if Rhea is defeated, Jeralt's berserk state may cease to be!"

"So we just have to subdue him until then? How do we know if anyone's fighting her right now?" Dorothea wondered, using another Thoron to get Jeralt off of Lucas.

Seteth glanced over to Leonie. "I have something else to ask of you."

"What is it?" Leonie asked as she unsheathed a Killer Lance from the pouch on the side of her house.

"Can you see who it is that is currently engaging the Immaculate One, and then report that information back to us? I apologize for asking so many things of you as of late, Leonie, but it would truly help if you could do this for us."

Leonie sighed, mounting her horse once more. "Alright, fine. I better not see him dead, you hear?"

"I won't let him die." Lucas glanced at her. "I promise you."

"I'll hold you to that, Professor."

After mounting her steed, Leonie hurried away, leaving the other four to take care of the issue with the berserk Jeralt.

---

At the far, open end of the village, near the gates that led onto the path leading to the west of Alliance territory, the fight for the future of Fódlan was taking place.

Edelgard, Dimitri, Ferdinand, and Hilda were up close, approaching the Immaculate One from all sides. This made it difficult for her to get rid of each source of pain, forcing her to swipe at them one after the other. She made use of her tail, as well as her claws and wings, attempting to strike at all the opponents surrounding her.

However, Claude and Marianne's ranged attacks distracted her from fully carrying out her actions. Failnaught was far stronger than Marianne's comparatively simple spell casts, though it wasn't as if her attacks weren't doing anything.

Being distracted, the Immaculate One was unable to properly aim her swings and slams, resulting in them missing. This allowed Edelgard, Dimitri, Ferdinand, and Hilda to continue their combined assault. The Sword of the Creator, Areadbhar, and Freikugel worked in tandem to deliver multiple powerful blows onto the Immaculate One - alongside Ferdinand's Silver Lance.

"Nrrgh!" The Immaculate One grunted.

Enraged, the Nabatean dragon roared with enough force to blow everyone around her back. Edelgard and Dimitri stabbed their Relics into the ground and propped themselves up on them, allowing them to remain in place despite the pressure of the air, while Hilda was continually pushed back while Freikugel was embedded into the ground. Ferdinand was the least affected, though his horse was clearly distressed.

Claude, however, anticipated this. Just before the Immaculate One released her roar, Claude flew into the air on his wyvern, mostly moving in the opposite direction to his opponent. As the continuous roar proceeded, the Alliance's duke shot an arrow into the Immaculate One's open mouth, which soon resulted in her having to stop the roar so she could cough the arrow out.

Fortunately, this allowed Claude's allies to resume their earlier attack. A long-ranged slash from the Sword of the Creator, an emboldened stab from Areadbhar, a powerful overhead smash from Freikugel, and a swift series of lunges from Ferdinand's Silver Lance. Marianne had only been somewhat affected by the earlier roar, yet she was able to resume her attack all the same. Claude, of course, joined in, putting as much energy as he could into his every shot.

Seiros, as the Immaculate One, writhed in agony. She convulsed, using the energy and momentum of her convulsions to empower her tail swings. Only a few of them hit, landing firmly into the side of Ferdinand's horse, thus sending it out of the fight. Hilda was also struck, though she was ultimately fine.

As her enemies were dealing with the recoil of her thrashing, she briefly flew into the air and aimed a wide blast of fire directly beneath her. This resulted in an explosion that forced Edelgard, Dimitri, Ferdinand, and Hilda away. Seiros landed back on the ground and began to select her targets, turning her back to Claude and Marianne so she could reliably take their attacks through sheer endurance.

"I am the only one that is capable of guiding humanity and the world to prosperity. It is my role, as was given to me by my mother. You whelps need me. You cannot kill me!" The Immaculate One yelled, focusing on Edelgard. "FIGHTING ME IS AKIN TO ENSURING YOUR OWN DEMISE!"

In a surge of rage, the Immaculate One unloaded a quick, consecutive combination of claw slashes upon Edelgard, who proceeded to try and block them with her large, crimson-toned Fortress Knight armor, as well as the sizable shield the class provided.

"Do you have the strength to protect humanity?! The will to inhibit the world's evolution for its sake?! Do you have that?!" The Immaculate One screamed, not letting up with her attacks. "NO! YOU DO NOT! ONLY I DO, AND THAT IS WHY IT IS MY RESPONSIBILITY!"

"Get. Over. Yourself!" Edelgard shouted back, using a rush of adrenaline to push away the Immaculate One's claw swipes. "Humanity ill needs such a ruler as you! Much less do we require the presence of gods!" She stabbed ahead with the Sword of the Creator, forcing its elongated blade into the dragon's chest.

"What-UGH!" The Immaculate One was too stunned and thus could not defend from Edelgard's stab. The Relic cut into her chest, its wielder following up by slashing downward, causing a large incision to be made.

"She's right!" Claude also raised his voice, aiming a shot with Failnaught, a red aura appearing around the tip of his arrow. "We humans have the unparalleled ability to reach out our hands and accept each others' friendship! That's what gives us the strength to fight another day, to live on until the moment we die! We don't need you or any goddess…because we have each other!"

He fired his arrow, which pierced through the Immaculate One's neck so fast that it was like a blur. The dragon recoiled in pain, still too stunned to defend or make any sort of counterattack.

"This is the end, Seiros!" Dimitri added, Areadbhar glowing a fine orange. "You, who have been stuck in the past, unable to accept the present for what it is and blind to the possibilities of the future…this is the moment you die! Fódlan shall see a brand new era - without you!"

Darting ahead, Dimitri performed a wide, sweeping slash with his empowered Areadbhar, creating a large gash upon the Immaculate One's leg.

"El, Claude!" The King of Faerghus called to his friends after finishing his attack. "Let us put an end to Seiros' tyranny…together!"

"Right!" Claude nodded.

"With our combined power, we shall cut our own path to the future! Let's do this, you two!" Edelgard also nodded.

Briefly crouching to build up the strength for their next movement, Edelgard and Dimitri leapt high into the air, almost approaching the same height Claude was at. Before reaching the apex of their jump, Edelgard and Dimitri raised their Relics into the air, emboldening their weapons with all the strength they could muster. Claude nocked an arrow as his Relic also glowed as bright orange as the others were.

"Seiros! This-" Dimitri began.

"Is…" Claude continued.

"Over!" Edelgard finished.

Together, the three yelled, the determination of their souls shining through their harmony. Edelgard and Dimitri brought down their weapons as they began to fall while Claude shot his arrow at the same time. The three attacks combined as one, fusing into an all-powerful strike that was aimed solely at the enraged Archbishop of the Church of Seiros.

"N-no!" The Immaculate One cried. "M-Mother…help me! Mother…!"

Edelgard and Dimitri landed on the ground, having slashed through the Immaculate One's body while Claude put every bit of power he had into a single shot. His arrow pierced straight through her body, its speed undeterred until it reached through the other side of her and hit the ground.

Copious amounts of green blood splattered from her body. Any energy the Immaculate One had left was quickly fading. No longer was able to maintain her draconic form. It soon faded as well, disappearing into thousands of tiny pieces that vanished into the wind.

Rhea slowly glided to the ground where the Immaculate One once stood, her eyes closed. Nobody went to catch her, simply allowing her motionless body to fall.

"M-Mother…" Rhea struggled to say, fighting a losing battle in trying to open her eyes. "Where a-are you…?"

Despite the immense strain on her body, Rhea was able to raise her arm and reach for the skies above, yet it wavered and shook immensely. Before long, she couldn't support her weight, thus her arm fell to the ground.

"Have you…a-abandoned me again?"

Her eyes closed, the pain taking hold. No longer did she feel the warmth - the cold was all around her. Finally, she let go.

Edelgard, Dimitri, Claude, and everyone else in the area stared at the body of the archbishop for only a moment longer. They soon turned to the village, witnessing the destruction she caused in her rage.

"Finally." Claude smiled, staring into the sky as the smoke dissipated. "A new dawn."

Everyone around him also found the strength to smile, to look toward the future that was now within their grasp.

At that moment, their attention was diverted when Leonie appeared on horseback, breathing heavily as if in a rush.

"Oh good, you guys got the Immaculate One. Guess that means Jeralt's okay now!"

"Leonie? What are you doing here?" Marianne asked her former classmate.

"Seteth asked me to check up on the battle here. Took me a little while because my horse needed a little rest." Leonie stroked the back of her steed's neck. "It's okay, little guy. I'm not blaming you, don't worry."

"Seteth asked you that? For any particular reason, or…?" Claude wondered, putting a hand to his head as he sheathed Failnaught.

"Well, there's been a bit of a situation with Captain Jeralt. Kind of a long story, but in short, Seteth and Professor Lucas figured the situation might've had something to do with the captain's connection to Rhea," Leonie answered. She shrugged. "But now you guys have taken her out, which should fix the problem! Finally, I can give my horse friend here some more time to relax."

"Are you certain this has fixed the problem? Would it not be prudent to check?" Dimitri suggested.

Leonie sighed. "You're right…I'll head back." She patted the side of her horse. "Only if you're up to it, my friend." It neighed, a response nobody but she could discern. "Heh, alright. Just a little more!"

At the unintelligible response of her horse, Leonie hurried off into the distance, back from whence she came. Everyone that had been fighting the Immaculate One watched her leave with both a mix of curiosity and confusion. Some felt an urge to follow after her, yet exhaustion had taken over.

Whatever happened next was left up to fate.

---

While the fight with the Immaculate One had been happening, the battle with the berserk Jeralt was also underway. Lucas and Seteth were the main offensive force against the Blade Breaker while Dorothea provided ranged options and Flayn was there to heal. It was a well-balanced formation that gave their enraged opponent very little time to breathe.

Lucas got in close, delivering a flurry of slashes with the Sword of Seiros, all of which were blocked by Jeralt. The last hit was parried, which left Lucas open for an attack. Except Seteth was there, keeping Jeralt busy with a series of deft lunges and swings as Lucas got his bearings. Again, Jeralt parried one of Seteth's strikes and was about to hit him with a lunge of his own, but Dorothea countered with a well-timed Thoron.

Jeralt was kept busy every second. All of his moves were intercepted by either a slash or a spell. Any time he was able to hurt someone, Flayn healed them up with the use of Heal, Physic, or Fortify. His efforts were mostly wasted.

Defense-wise, he was faring a bit better. Neither Lucas, Seteth, nor Dorothea were able to deal any lasting damage to him. Anything that would've certainly brought some level of pain to the original Jeralt left naught but a scratch upon the new one. It was as if every part of him had been enhanced by his berserk awakening without losing a single facet of his skill.

He was indeed a tough opponent. Neither side had a considerable advantage over the number. What Jeralt lacked in numbers, he made up in sheer strength and skill. The two sides clashed many times over, yet not a clear winner was making itself known.

Lucas clashed with Jeralt again. The Blade Breaker kicked the professor away, such a move being reciprocated by Dorothea with a powerful spell known as Agnea's Arrow. A large pillar of light crashed into Jeralt from the skies above, exploding into a sizable wave of magical energy. Dorothea and Seteth held their arms up to their faces to withstand the force of the attack, dust kicking up all around them.

Yet when the energy faded, Jeralt was still standing there with small bruises and dark spots around his body.

"He…he just took my most powerful spell like it was nothing!" Dorothea frowned, her Dancer outfit torn slightly. "How can he be so strong?"

"The Blade Breaker, enhanced by the true power of his Crest and the blood bestowed to him by the archbishop…a most powerful foe indeed!" Seteth stated, his armor dented. "We must not give in! Not until Seiros has been defeated and his ailment is no more!"

"Y-yeah!" Lucas returned to Dorothea and Seteth's side after getting healed by his sword and shield as well as Flayn. "Just need to hold out a little longer! If only we could knock him unconscious…"

"He's barely responding to anything we do to him. I'm not sure he would fall unconscious, even if we got the chance." Dorothea shook her head.

"It is as if we are facing the personification of a well-fortified fortress. How can we win…?" Seteth wondered.

Berserk Jeralt was slowly approaching the three as they spoke and thought of ideas. Lucas narrowed his eyes, raising his sword closer to his head as he kept it pointed at the Blade Breaker.

"I have an idea, but it's something only I can do." Lucas glanced at Dorothea, then Seteth. "On my mark."

"Very well." Seteth nodded, tightly gripping his Spear of Assal.

Dorothea reluctantly sighed. "Don't get yourself killed. I might never forgive you if you do."

"Don't worry." Lucas smiled. "I have the power of the goddess on my side."

"You mean…Sothis?" The male Nabatean wondered.

"No. Well, yes, but that's not who I was talking about."

A blush came to Lucas' cheeks, allowing Dorothea to realize what he meant. She blushed in response. Seteth could only give the two an uncertain glance.

"If you are going to do what you plan on doing, then do it now," he said to Lucas.

Lucas nodded. He turned to Jeralt, who was getting closer. Holding his breath, he eased the immense and immediate pressure of his woes. Sword of Seiros at hand, he rushed ahead.

Making it seem as if he was aiming for a standard horizontal slash, Lucas prepared his attack. Jeralt already got into position to block, which Lucas grinned at - his opportunity was there.

With the divine power he wielded, he activated one of his Divine Pulses, turning back the hands of time to just before he began his feint. At the last second, right as Jeralt began preparing his block, Lucas changed his mode of attack, going in for a quick stab instead. Jeralt scrambled to switch his block accordingly, but he was too slow.

Lucas' stab succeeded, the Sword of Seiros landing firmly in the Blade Breaker's chest. He wasn't done yet, however, as he unleashed a point-blank Fire spell, blasting his opponent with a wave of heat. Jeralt was blown back as a result of the attack.

"Now!" Lucas called out.

Seteth and Dorothea nodded. The latter of the two unleashed a cast of Meteor, keeping Jeralt distracted with a large, fiery meteor that headed in his direction from above. Seteth, meanwhile, hurried in on foot and began stabbing Jeralt all over with the Spear of Assal. He allowed Dorothea's Meteor to finish off the combination, clearing the area before the spell could land - Lucas did the same.

A storm of fiery dust appeared around Jeralt, obscuring everyone's view of him.

"Did that work?" Dorothea asked.

Everyone waited for the dust to subside. It eventually did, though they were all dismayed at what they saw.

Jeralt was still standing, albeit with more damage than before. His armor was scorched and riddled with dents and holes, but he was ultimately okay.

"Even that did nothing?! A considerable amount of effort was put into that combination - from all of us. Was it truly not enough?!" Seteth exclaimed, gritting his teeth in irritation.

"Damn. How are we gonna beat him…?" Lucas frowned, holding on to the Sword of Seiros.

Jeralt began his slow approach once more. Step by gradual step, he made his way closer to the three, spouting incoherent grunts and yells as the veins around his face seemed to convulse. Just as with the rest of him, his Silver Lance was in good condition - it was ready for prolonged fighting.

Lucas, Dorothea, and Seteth prepared themselves for another assault.

Byleth gasped.

"Lucas, behind you!"

Without questioning his friend, Lucas checked behind him. Nothing was there, aside from several destroyed buildings, debris, and Flayn's visage. There was nothing out of the ordinary.

"No, it's in front of you now! There!"

Following Byleth's directions, he turned back to Jeralt. His eyes widened when he saw something neither of them had ever expected to see. Dorothea and Seteth's expressions followed suit.

"As I said…" A smug bout of laughter followed from the appearance of the deep, masculine voice. "You can't kill me."

A weapon suddenly appeared in his hand. It was an axe, one with an edge that resembled bones and the wings of a dragon. It was similar in appearance to Aymr, yet several shadows of dark magic surrounded the weapon, giving it an eerie, dark glow.

With a single swing of the axe, the berserk Jeralt was torn in half. The lifeless halves of the Blade Breaker flopped to the ground, blood forming around his body.

Nobody could say anything, for they were too stricken with fear to do so - aside from the smug, dark blue-haired figure.

"Speechless? Wondering how I'm even alive? I don't blame you for wondering such things. But, you needn't worry, as the answer is quite simple."

The figure laughed maniacally.

"My name is Adrian Aquila, and I am Fódlan's strongest."

"Wh-what do you want?" Dorothea asked forcefully. "We were just about to save Jeralt, but you killed him! Why would you do that?!"

Adrian cackled. "An easy question! You see, I killed that admittedly impressive man because it gave me exactly what I wanted. To see your abhorrent faces writhing in anger and fear…oh, it tickles just about every part of me."

"You…" Dorothea scowled. "You're terrible! Why can't you leave us all alone? We only want to live in peace. I'm sure you do as well, don't you? You don't have to do any of this! You didn't have to kill Jeralt!"

"You're wrong. I need to do this. I will not rest until every last person in the world understands how powerful I truly am. It would also be nice to get revenge against those who thought they could kill me. Still, everyone shall witness the true depths of my power, the strength given to me by the Agarthans…"

Adrian, with his off-hand, reached into the bloodied armor of the Flame Emperor as well as his robes underneath. His face contorted into one of true, unbridled fury.

"Every other person in this world is but a weak, insignificant insect! Allow me to show you…" He grinned maniacally, pulling out something from within. "The key that will unlock my true power."

Lucas, Dorothea, Seteth, and Flayn's faces all blanched. Inside of Adrian's grasp was a beating heart, staining his hand with its blood.

"That is your key…? I fail to see how that will help you," Seteth remarked. "Surely you understand how outnumbered you are."

"Oh, believe me…you'll soon see how irrelevant numbers are to me." Adrian clenched the heart. "You should know something, you lot. This heart once belonged to an Agarthan."

"An Agarthan?"

"Indeed, Seteth!" Adrian smiled menacingly. "In truth, it was one of the Agarthans you killed. Myson, I believe his name was? He played right into my hands."

"Myson…? I do not recall the name, but they must have been important. What manner of relevance does this all have?"

"Watch, and you'll see. The power I was destined to awaken…!" Adrian turned to his heart, his eyes widened, maddeningly. "Time for the Forbidden Spell…of Agartha!"

Lucas gasped, but before he could say anything, Adrian crushed the heart with his hand, causing an explosion of blood to splatter around him, most of it falling to the ground. Soon after the heart was crushed, pitch-black dark magic began to form around the exact spot on Adrian's palm where the heart once rested.

The black, purple mana quickly began to stretch out through the rest of Adrian's arm. It soon engulfed his entire body, becoming like an aura of shadows to him. As this happened, his skin grew paler and veins bulged around his face. Tendrils of darkness started to appear on his face, patterning his countenance. Lucas, Seteth, and Dorothea put an arm over their faces so they could withstand the immense air pressure Adrian's new power was releasing. Even Flayn had to do so, despite her being further away from the scene.

Some of the darkness around his head reached out for the sky, forming a large circle above him. Adrian's expression was one of madness.

"Hahaha! This power I feel…it's incredible! Truly, this must be the power I was destined to wield! I could bring about the end of Fódlan if I so pleased!"

"W-what…? What manner of power is this?! It feels so vile…the complete antithesis of all that is holy!" Seteth commented.

"That is exactly what it is, Seteth! Observe as I unlock the power of Agartha itself! With the might of this enhanced Aymr, and the power I now possess…nothing can overcome what I have become!"

Inside Lucas' mind, Byleth's eyes widened in realization.

"Get out of there," he insisted. "Run, escape, do whatever it is you can to survive!"

"Huh? What are you talking about, Byleth? Do you recognise Adrian's new power somehow?" Lucas asked his friend.

"It feels familiar. Very familiar. It feels as if this very power…" Byleth hesitated. "Will bring about the end of all."

Sporting a confused expression, Lucas turned his attention back to the physical realm. Adrian's Dark Aymr was raised to the smoke-filled sky above as his dark aura intensified. The dark lines around his body and face only grew as time passed. Adrian continued to cackle as his power increased.

But then it all stopped.

"Wha-ugh! GRRAGH!"

Lucas, Seteth, Dorothea, and Flayn watched on in confusion as Adrian dropped Dark Aymr and clutched his head with his hands, all while his aura expanded.

"N-no! Get out of my mind, you infernal being! My body does not belong to you!" Adrian started speaking to himself as he screamed in agony. "I am Fódlan's strongest! And you…you are not! YOU WILL NOT HAVE MY BODY! GAHHH!"

His dark aura rapidly expanded, filling the immediate area in a brief shroud of blackness. Although it was brief, something had changed.

Adrian was no longer clutching his head in pain. His screaming ceased. He slowly raised his head as his aura returned to a regular state.

His pupils were no longer there.

"N-no…" Byleth closed his eyes. "It's over."

"What's going on, Byleth? What is this?"

Byleth reopened his vision, staring down at Lucas from beside Sothis' throne with an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, Lucas."

Before Lucas could question his friend, Adrian suddenly spoke, although his voice was different.

"I sense an anomaly," they said, their voice lacking any emotion and being somewhat light. Taking control of Adrian's body, the being turned sharply to Lucas. "It is you. As such, you must be eliminated."

"W-what?" Lucas wondered, his body trembling with fear. "Who-"

In an instant, the being appeared in front of him. They raised their right hand, causing Dark Aymr to teleport to their grasp from where it was on the ground.

"All anomalies shall be eradicated."

The being brought down their axe at a speed much faster than anybody could react to.

"No! Lucas!" Dorothea cried, attempting to reach out.

But she was much too slow. Dark Aymr was mere moments away from taking Lucas' life. Byleth remained silent, as Sothis' eyes slowly widened. She nodded in understanding.

"So this is how it happened…" She said quietly.

A moment later, just before the axe made contact with Lucas' head, the whole world froze. Time paused while a purple tint surrounded everything in Lucas' vision.

"Wait, what's happening?" Lucas questioned, looking all around him. "What-"

As if to answer his question, the world began moving, though the purple tint remained. The being that was about to kill him moved backwards and Dorothea's lips moved oddly, like they had been reversed.

"Divine Pulse? But I'm not doing anything. Sothis, Byleth, what's going on?!"

The two divine beings said nothing at first. They merely shook their heads.

"Fate has taken hold…" Sothis eventually answered. "This is our destiny."

"Destiny…? What do you mean-"

His vision turned black, his consciousness disappearing. Lucas' questions were left unanswered as the whole world continued to rewind.

---

Author Notes: The end of Act 4 is upon us! Next time, we'll be getting into Act 5, therefore we'll see the true meaning of what just occurred here. I've been very, very excited to get to Act 5, so I hope you end up enjoying it just as much as I did coming up with it!

Thanks to Frost for beta-reading!

Feel free to drop a favourite, follow, and/or a review, if you're so inclined! I'll see ya next time!

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