The town underneath Garreg Mach Monastery was at peace. It had been experiencing another ordinary day, its citizens having gone about their usual lives. Merchants were lined up at the central plaza, attempting to sell their wares to anyone that was at least somewhat interested. Children were running about the place, playing around with one another and filling the air with their boundless laughter. Guards patrolled the entire village, marching through every street and looking around every corner to ensure the safety of the people.
Some civilians were seated on the various benches scattered around the village. Most of them were either eating something they purchased from a merchant or simply sitting down and enjoying the delightfully warm air around them.
Some couples embraced the warmth of the person they loved.
Time passed in the village, as per normal. Morning, to afternoon, to evening, and to night. Nothing out of the ordinary occurred, even as darkness blanketed the land. Life gradually fizzled out within the village as everyone returned to their homes and merchants closed up shop for the day. Guards still carried on with their patrols, yet most of them were rather sluggish and filled with the occasional stop to yawn. A majority of the guards didn't bother to put that much effort into their patrols as they knew everything would be alright - there was no reason to suspect otherwise.
However, something unexpected occurred. A guard was marching down one of the village's streets, their Iron Lance ready at their side in case of any danger. As they were patrolling, a ray of heat singed the back of their armor.
"Huh?" The guard swiped at their back, soon realizing that nothing was touching it. "The hell-"
Partially turning around to see what was behind them, the guard was suddenly blinded by a bright, white light that emerged from nowhere. They were forced to close their eyes to shield them from the light. After a few seconds, the brightness slowly dissipated, allowing the guard to revive their vision.
In place of the light was a man. He had black hair, black eyes, and he was wearing the armor of a Myrmidon. His weapon was certainly unique. The guard couldn't identify them, though they could tell the man had two others sheathed on his person. His shield was also unique, its regal design bearing a Crest symbol the guard didn't recognise. The stranger's body was blooded and seemed rather bruised, which only served to scratch the guard's head even further.
"What the…? What's going on here?" The guard asked themselves. "Hey, you! Guy on the ground! Uh, get up!"
No response. The guard shrugged.
"Must be asleep. Drunk, maybe? I dunno. He's got some blood on his face…did he get into a fight at the inn or something? But that doesn't explain the whole light show thing."
The guard rubbed their chin with their off-hand, pondering the nature of the unconscious stranger. They checked the immediate area and frowned.
"Where is everyone? Considering how bright that damn light was, you'd think at least one other person would show up-" The guard interrupted themselves as they laid their eyes upon the arrival of several of their colleagues. "What timing."
"Hey, you!" One of the other guards called, approaching the first guard while their three friends looked over the body. "What's going on here?"
"No idea." The first guard shook their head. "There was a bright light, and after it disappeared, this guy was just laying there. I don't know any more about it than you do."
"Hmm…"
The second guard turned to the side, giving both the body and the other guard sidelong glances at various intervals.
"He's armed, that's for sure. Considering how badly beaten he looks, it's like he was just in a massive fight or something." The second guard glanced at the first. "But as far as we know, no battles or anything are happening around here, so he couldn't have crawled here from wherever the fight was. You saw the light, right? Did it look like a Warp spell?"
The first guard paused for a moment. "No, don't think so. Way too intense for that kinda thing."
"Yeah, that's what I figured. Just what the hell was that? It was like…I don't know. Has to be some kind of magic thing. It can't be anything else."
"Well, yeah. But if it wasn't Warp, then…"
"Hey!" One of the other three guards waved at the other two. "Take a look at this!"
They were pointing at something on the body, which piqued the interest of the two guards. Listening to their colleague, they walked over.
"What is it?" The second guard asked. "See something?"
"Yeah!" The third guard nodded. "Look!" They pointed to the man's unusual shield, particularly at the Crest symbol. "I know which Crest that is. That's the Crest of Seiros!"
The first two guards were taken aback. "The Crest of Seiros? Embedded on a shield…is this one of those holy weapon things the Church has?" The first one wondered.
"Seems like it. But why would this guy have one of them? Is he a thief that knows a bit of magic?" The second guessed.
The third shook their head in dismissal. "Can't be. These aren't any ordinary holy weapons, you know. That shield is the Seiros Shield, and this," they pointed to the sword, "must be the Sword of Seiros."
Confused, the other two guards blinked. The third facepalmed.
"Do you two know nothing about the Church? These are the holy weapons used by Saint Seiros herself, the founder of the Church! Because of who she is and her importance to not only the Church but Fódlan as a whole, they'd wanna keep these things under tight watch. Heavy lock and key and all that." The third guard went back to staring at the body. "The fact that this guy has them…he can't be an ordinary thief. If someone could get into wherever the Church keeps these holy weapons, the knights would be doing a pretty terrible job."
"So, what? Is this guy special or something?" The second guard wondered.
"I don't know if he's special, but he's certainly not ordinary. We'd better take him up to the archbishop for questioning, at any rate."
The third guard bent down, unstrapping the Seiros Shield from the man's left arm and gently retrieving the Sword of Seiros from his right. The guard turned to the first.
"Want to come with me? You were the one that saw the body appear, after all. Makes sense for you to explain what you saw."
"Alright, sure. Couldn't hurt to have a little nighttime walk, at least." The first guard shrugged. "Uh, outside of these patrols, of course."
"Right. Well, thanks anyway. Here…" The third guard offered the first the two Sacred Weapons. "Can you carry them for me? Oh, and-" the third carefully unsheathed the additional swords the body had on them, being a Killing Edge as well as a Levin Sword. "Can you get these as well?"
"Sure, yeah." The first guard accepted each weapon, carrying the three blades by their hilts in one hand while holding onto the shield's strap in the other. "Let's get moving."
The third guard nodded in response. They reached underneath the unconscious body and lifted it up, carrying the man using both arms. They glanced at the second guard.
"We'll be right back," they told their colleague.
The second guard gave them a thumbs-up, which was all the motivation the other two needed to begin their quest. A small reprieve from their nightly shift around the village.
Yet they were not aware of just how big things truly were.
The two guards traversed up the path to the monastery, using a horse and a cart to speed the process along. They soon arrived at the gates, where they disembarked their mode of transportation and returned to carrying the unconscious man, as well as his weapons, like previously. The knights around the gate allowed the two in, although they couldn't help but take occasional glimpses of the strange man they were holding.
The Gatekeeper himself was also rather bewildered, but he permitted the two their entry regardless.
As such, the pair of guards were able to continue their journey to the audience chamber. Slowly making their way through the reception hall and into the central building, the guards found the staircases they needed and proceeded to traverse them. Once on the second floor, they entered the open doors to the chamber.
Archbishop Rhea and her advisor, Seteth, were already there.
"Greetings, L-Lady Rhea, Seteth." The third guard bowed as much as they could while carrying the body. Their colleague followed suit.
"Greetings," Rhea responded calmly and with a soft expression. "How may I help you two?"
"Ah, w-well-" The third guard took a moment to compose themselves. "We've brought you something, er, someone you might be interested in, Archbishop."
"Ah." Rhea gazed at the body within the guard's grasp. "Who might this person be? I do not recognize them."
"We're not sure. All we know is that he appeared in the village all of a sudden through a weird flash of light. Isn't that right?" The third guard turned to their colleague.
"Y-yes!" The first guard nodded. "I was the one that f-found him, Archbishop. I was d-doing my nightly patrol, and this g-guy just appeared out of nowhere from this huge lightshow. I had to shield my eyes because of how bright it was."
Seteth raised an eyebrow. "How peculiar. Based on your description of the event, it can be inferred that this was no mere Warp spell. Is there anything else regarding this occurrence we should know about?"
"Well…" The first guard glanced at the third. "You should explain this part. You know more about it than I do, after all."
"Alright, I will. You see, Archbishop Rhea, Advisor Seteth…we found some unusual weapons amongst this person's belongings. Hold up the sword and the shield for me, please, my friend…" The third guard's friend followed the request, putting the Levin Sword and the Killing Edge on the floor before raising up the two Sacred Weapons. "As you can likely already tell, these are the holy weapons of Saint Seiros herself. And our friend here was in possession of them."
Rhea and Seteth were taken aback, their mouths agape.
"That's not possible…!" Seteth exclaimed in surprise. "Rhea, you don't suppose they have been stolen, do you?"
"I should think not. Still, it may be prudent to check. If you could please take a look where the sword is typically hidden…"
Seteth nodded, silently departing from the audience chamber, the two guards moving away from each other to allow the advisor to pass. Now that they were both alone with the archbishop, they turned slowly to her.
"Please, give me those Sacred Weapons. I wish to inspect them for their authenticity," Rhea said to the two in a slightly forceful manner.
"Um, a-alright." The first guard approached the archbishop and offered her the Sacred Weapons owned by the unconscious man. "H-here you go, Lady Rhea."
"I thank you, my child." Rhea gave the guard a brief, warm smile as she gently retrieved the sword and shield from their grasp.
The guard returned to their friend's side, picking up the other two weapons they placed on the floor earlier, able to hold onto them properly now that their hands were free. Meanwhile, Rhea brought the holy weapons closer to her face, spinning them around so she could view them from various angles, thereby inspecting them with a thorough eye. As she did so, the audience chamber grew quiet - there wasn't anything that needed to be said.
Until Seteth returned. Everyone was speechless, for a second Sword of Seiros was in his hand.
"What is the meaning of this…?" Rhea wondered, breaking the silence after a few seconds. "Give that one to me, Seteth. I must see…"
"Very well."
Seteth complied, handing over the sword he had. For now, Rhea put the Seiros Shield on the floor so she could hold both swords in each hand.
Her pupils wavered, shaking in a mix of fear and bewilderment.
"They are both legitimate. But that should not be the case…!" Rhea gazed at the body of the black-haired Myrmidon. "Who is this man, and why is he in possession of a perfect copy of the Sword of Seiros?!"
"P-perfect?! You mean to say…they share the same power? It is not a mere forgery?" Seteth questioned.
"They possess the same effects. There are also no differences between them…they are one and the same in every possible way."
"Impossible! The Sword of Seiros has been locked away in the monastery for over a thousand years. Not a single soul should be capable of making an exact, perfect copy of it. We are dealing with some manner of anomaly!"
Rhea glanced at the first guard. "You saw this man appear through a blinding flash of light, is that correct? There was nothing else indicating the nature of his arrival, or anything akin to that?"
"N-no, not at all." The guard nervously shook their head. "That's all I saw, Archbishop."
"I see." Rhea briefly closed her eyes. When she reopened them, she took a lingering look at the two Swords of Seiros in her grasp. "You are dismissed then, you two. Seteth, if you could please take the man from this lovely guard. We shall bring him to my quarters for questioning."
"As you wish, Lady Rhea."
Seteth walked over to the third guard, stretching out his hands in preparation for receiving the unconscious individual. The guard accepted, handing the man over. Once Seteth comfortably had him in his possession, he turned to Rhea and nodded at her.
"Let us go," he said.
She nodded in return. The two proceeded to leave the audience chamber, but not before retrieving the man's additional weapons. The guards also left, the first one stopping to pick up the Levin Sword and Killing Edge for the archbishop so she didn't have to do so.
Once all the preparations had been made, Rhea and Seteth traversed the stairs, approaching the door to the former's room.
Moments later, Rhea and Seteth locked themselves inside of the room. Seteth placed the unconscious person carefully onto the large bed while Rhea put all of his weapons on the circular, wooden table in front of said bed.
The two were standing on opposite sides of the bed, staring at the stranger's sleeping form. Both were silent. Rhea closed her eyes while her head was pointed down, Seteth quietly allowing her to do as she pleased.
Several minutes later, Rhea opened her eyes.
"This man…is no mere human," she said. "I sense a familiar power somewhere within him."
"A familiar power? Could you elaborate?" Seteth asked, cupping his chin with a hand.
Rhea slowly turned to him. "It feels like…Mother. I sense her mana."
"Mother?!" Seteth's eyes widened. "Do you mean to say that this stranger possesses the power of the Progenitor God?! Just who is this person…?!"
"I do not know. I can only assume this individual is a messenger from the goddess, but I am uncertain why that would be necessary in the first place. Could it be that something of great severity is to happen very soon?"
"If this person was a messenger from Mother, that would not explain why he is in possession of your Sacred Weapons. It would also not explain this person's appearance - why would Mother return to us in such a masculine form?" Seteth folded his arms. "It would be prudent to wake him up as soon as we are able to. There are too many mysteries at hand with this one."
"I agree." Rhea nodded. "Allow me…"
She stretched out her arms in the stranger's direction, pointing her open palms toward his head. A light-green magical aura pulsed around the archbishop's hands, glowing only a little bit brighter after a few seconds passed. The light around her palms shined for a while longer until its brilliance dulled. But several seconds later, the intensity of the light shot back up, soon switching between dim and bright in short intervals.
Eventually stopping, Rhea retracted her arms, her and Seteth watching in anticipation as the black-haired individual began to stir. His eyes twitched, reopening, although his vision was rather cloudy - he could barely make out anything around him. A roaring headache shot through his mind, forcing him to slowly clutch the side of his head as he writhed and moaned in agony. Aches that were all around his body prevented him from moving with any grace or swiftness.
"M-muh, meh, ugh…" He said, unintelligibly, looking at the two vague blobs somewhere above him. "Wh-whuh?"
"Greetings, stranger. My name is Rhea. I am the Archbishop of the Church of Seiros." Rhea bowed, smiling at the man. "And this is my advisor, Seteth. What is your name?"
The man hesitated. He blinked multiple times, using his other hand to wipe at his eyes to try and restore his vision. It didn't work that well, but it at least made things somewhat clearer for him. His eyes widened.
"Y-you…" He trembled slightly, his speech becoming clearer and more intelligible. "Where am…"
"You are currently in my quarters, which is located in Garreg Mach Monastery. You are safe, young one. There is no need to fear." Rhea slowly shook her head. "Please, tell us your name. We are eager to learn more about you."
"I am…" The man hesitated again, his eyes briefly closing as he lowered both of his arms onto the bed. "L-Lucas."
"Lucas? A most wonderful name. If you are comfortable with telling us, we would like to know where you come from and how it is that you arrived here. We may be able to return you from whence you came."
"Uh, I…" As Lucas' vision became clearer, his trembling slowly ceased. "I-I was fighting…that being, it tried to kill me. The transformation, the heart…the village." He blinked. "The v-village! How is it? Is everyone okay?"
"You are referring to the one beneath the monastery? It is peaceful, as it ever has been. Are you a citizen of it?"
Lucas seemed confused. "N-no, I…" He clutched his head with both hands. "What happened to me? I was there, but now I'm here…"
"You were brought here by one of the guards from the village. Another guard carried your weapons, including those…rather unique ones. How did you come to own them, if I may ask?"
"That's not what I-" Lucas shook his head. He paused mid-shake, his eyes widening once more. "Wh-what's the date?"
"It is the 20th of the Great Tree Moon of the Imperial year 1180. Why do you ask?"
Lucas froze. The fog around his mind seemed to lift as well as several of his aches. His vision was getting to a point where he could see somewhat clearly, although there was still a vague mist in his eyes.
"Dorothea…" He mumbled to himself, his voice losing all emotion. He became downcast, his immediate vision filled with the pure whiteness of the bed sheets, along with the dark colors of his Myrmidon uniform. Instinctively, he reached into the inner pockets of his armor.
A delicately crafted ring was in his grasp.
"I'll never see you again…"
His vision became blurry again, but not for the same reasons as before. He raised his knees and lowered his head into his thighs. allowing his staggered emotions to pour out of him. Rhea and Seteth furrowed their brows, looking away as Lucas proceeded to drown himself in his sorrow.
"Lady Rhea." Seteth whispered, leaning closer to the archbishop's ear. "The name he just mentioned…it is the same as one of the students from the Officers Academy this year."
"Is that so? It may be a coincidence. Let us not make any assumptions of him," Rhea whispered back. She raised her voice to a normal, soft level as she turned to the weeping individual. "Lucas…I may not understand the weight of your particular loss, but I empathize with it all the same."
She put a hand to her chest.
"I once lost my mother, a long time ago. That day, I was inconsolable. I know how it feels to lose someone so dear to you. I cannot think of her without feeling a pain in my heart. However, despite that, the pain always eases. I return to my senses and I am able to live on, for I know that is what Mother would want for me."
"Sh-she was everything to me…" Lucas said between his sobs. "She's the only o-one that made my days bearable. I h-had something to look forward to, a future to r-reach out for…now she's always gonna be out of reach."
"But she will always remain in your memories. As long as you do not forget her, she will never truly die."
His sobbing slowed, enough so that he was able to open his hand and gaze longingly at the ring in his possession.
"Rhea, you…this explains a lot."
"Hmm?" Rhea raised a brow. "What do you mean?"
Lucas sniffled. He wiped at his tears with the back of his left hand, the one that wasn't holding the ring. "N-never mind." He let out a heavy sigh. "I th-think I'm beginning to understand just what's going on here."
"I must ask that you tell us," said Seteth, speaking as softly as he could while still exuding an aura of authority. "It would help not only us, but you as well. We may even be inclined to provide you assistance."
Lucas nodded, lowering his knees so that his legs were back to lying on the bed, though he remained sitting up. Powering through the rest of his sniffles, he glanced at Rhea and Seteth, though only for a moment as he nervously turned away.
"You want to know who exactly I am, r-right?" He asked them, his voice heavy and low. "Well, I-I'll tell you. You might not believe me, but everything I'll say is the truth. There's no point in lying anymore…"
"You have already proven to be quite the intriguing individual," Seteth replied. "There are many questions we have for you, but we shall allow you to explain at your own pace."
"Thank you."
Lucas breathed in and out, calming his mind as he wiped his damp fingers on the lower half of his armor. He continued to look down, away from the scrutinizing gazes of both Rhea and Seteth.
"I…am from the future. I come from a Fódlan that's been ravaged by war, caused by the Agarthans. I was fighting alongside you, Seteth, as well as people from the Alliance and the Kingdom. We formed a Resistance against the Empire, which had been controlled by Thales, the leader of the Agarthans. Eventually, we beat them, and went on to eradicate the Agarthans at their headquarters. It all seemed like we were finally going to live in peace…" Lucas frowned. "But then something appeared. And, s-somehow, it caused me to be sent back in time. Now I'm here, stuck in the past - no longer with those I've come to know."
Rhea and Seteth were stunned.
"You are…from the future?" Rhea wondered, rhetorically. She temporarily glanced at the table in front of the bed. "Is that how you have come to own the sword and shield of Saint Seiros? You received them from this war-ravaged world of yours?"
Lucas nodded. "Yeah. You were actually the one that gave me the Seiros Shield, Rhea. I'm not sure why, but it was a gift you left for me in the Holy Tomb. You left a note before the war began, and I found that note years later, after I'd woken up from a five-year nap. That's when Seteth, Edelgard, and I went into the Holy Tomb and found the shield."
"What about the sword? Where did you get that from?" Seteth asked.
"Some guy had it. An enemy commander, I think he was. He had the sword with him for some reason…probably stole it from you, Rhea, when you were captured by the Agarthan-controlled Empire. I got the sword when we killed him in Enbarr." Lucas briefly closed his eyes. "But then he came back to life and decided to ruin mine."
"I see. You know of the Agarthans, then." Rhea sighed.
"Tell me, Lucas. If you are from the future, then how is it that you were able to turn back the hands of time? Do you possess the power of the Progenitor God, perhaps?" Seteth continued to ask.
"I do. Sothis has been with me for a long time. Ever since…" Lucas paused. "Today, but in my timeline. Which, to me, was about six years ago."
Seteth turned to Rhea. "This explains that presence you felt."
"Indeed." Rhea's smile returned, a little brighter than before. "You must have been sent here by the goddess to warn us of this war. To guide us all to a favorable future, an everlasting era of peace - that is the only explanation. You truly are a messenger from the goddess."
"I don't know." Lucas sighed. "I just wanted to live in peace with the woman I love. But now, she might as well be dead…"
"Even so, it is not the end for you." Seteth frowned slightly.
Lucas looked up at Seteth, raising a brow, asking a silent question in the process. Seteth continued.
"You are still alive, are you not? That means you can take action. If you are able to act, then you will always have the capability to reach out and fight for another day."
"What are you suggesting that I do?"
"I am suggesting that you can attempt to rebuild the life you once had. The bonds you forged, the life you led, the world you helped create - you can start over. You know what has caused you to turn back the hands of time, which means you can prevent it, and thus continue to live the life you wish to have."
The black-haired man turned away with a sigh. "I don't know. That dark being, whatever it was…it was impossibly strong and fast. I couldn't react to it at all. I don't think I could ever fight it, let alone kill it."
"What if it were to return? Would you allow it to take everything away from you again? Your friends, your loved one…could you experience that pain for a second time?"
"I…" Lucas paused. He glanced at the ring that remained in his hand, his face soon bearing a frown. "N-no. Never."
"Then you must become stronger. Become the most skilled warrior you could ever be and use your power to defeat that malicious entity. We shall help you realize that dream - only if you are willing to help us."
Rhea nodded. "I concur. You know of the future, of the war that is to come, which means you can guide us all to a world free of these tumultuous times. As a resident of this world and the wielder of Sothis' divine power, it is your duty to help."
Lucas sighed again, clenching his hand. "Honestly, I don't care about whatever my duty is. I just want to live in peace with Dorothea for the rest of my life. To that end, I'll help you, but only so I can become strong and defeat that damn entity that took her away from me. I'm sorry if that disappoints you."
"That…is understandable." Rhea's expression gained a hint of disappointment. "As long as you intend to guide Fódlan to a bright future, you may wish for any personal desires you please. I would like to appoint you as an official seer for the Church of Seiros, but I am afraid I cannot do that until your knowledge of future events has been proven to us. I hope you understand."
"You want a prediction, then? Alright, let me think…"
Lucas entered a contemplative state.
"It's the 20th of the Great Tree Moon, which should be the day the three house leaders get attacked by bandits near Remire Village. The bandits are led by a man named Kostas, and the house leaders should also get assistance from some mercenaries that happen to be residing in Remire. Those mercenaries should consist of Jeralt Eisner and his…" Lucas blinked. "Child. I think it might be his son, but it could also be his daughter. I'm not too sure either way."
"Jeralt Eisner? This must be the same man who escaped in the fire twenty years ago. I suppose if he truly makes a reappearance, then your prediction will have been proven," stated Seteth. "I did not know he had a child, however."
Rhea was silent. Lucas noted her silence, immediately sensing the manner of thoughts she was having. He turned away before Seteth could notice him.
"Well, what now?" The British man asked.
Seteth glanced at Rhea. "Lady Rhea, shall I take him to the guest rooms? Our new friend will be needing a place to sleep."
"Ah-" At the sound of Seteth's voice, the archbishop snapped out of whatever stream of thoughts she had been dealing with. "Yes, please do so, Seteth. Lucas shall be treated as a guest until his prediction has come true, where I shall then officially appoint him as my seer."
"And if it does not come true?"
Rhea smiled. "I have faith that it will."
Although he frowned in response, Seteth eventually sighed. "Very well." He turned to Lucas. "Please, come with me."
Lucas nodded, lifting himself from the bed. The pain of his mental aches may have disappeared to an extent, but his body still yearned for a reprieve, as evidenced by his pained moans as he struggled to bring himself to his feet. He managed it in the end, though his balance was certainly off - he nearly fell over. Fortunately, Seteth raced to his side, preventing any such embarrassing occurrence from taking place. From that moment on, he supported Lucas as the two of them approached the door to the bedroom..
"Wait, what about my weapons?" Lucas asked as he leaned against Seteth's side while the latter of the two went to open the door. "Am I ever gonna get them back?"
"We will hold onto them for you for now. They seem rather worn and they could use some cleaning," Seteth answered, unlocking the door. "Rhea, shall we keep them in here for the time being?"
"Yes. I will have someone repair and clean them in the morning. There is nothing to concern yourself with, dear Lucas." Rhea smiled at the black-haired and bearded man.
"Alright, sure." Lucas sighed. "It's not like I'll need them any time soon. Let's go, Seteth."
A moment later, the door was unlocked and wide open. Seteth and Lucas' journey was able to continue. The two of them left the room, allowing Rhea to look after Lucas' equipment.
Because of Lucas' inability to walk on his own, the journey was somewhat long. Even getting to the staircase in the central building was quite the trial. As they traversed the stairs, Seteth realized that carrying Lucas in his arms was a far quicker alternative, therefore that is precisely what they chose to do instead. With the stranger from the future in his arms, Seteth was able to make it down to the bottom floor at a much swifter pace. They soon made it outside, facing the quiet reality of the night.
From there on out, their quest to the building that housed the guest and faculty bedrooms was carried out without any problems.
"You should know," Seteth said to Lucas as they approached the gate near the stables. "I do not trust you. Rhea claims you wield the power of the goddess, but I have yet to be convinced. If you were to do anything that brings harm to her, or the church itself, I will have no qualms with dealing with you myself."
"That's fine. You'll understand soon." Lucas nodded in acceptance. "You were exactly like this in my previous timeline, you know. You were cautious about me back then, too, but you eventually 'saw the light'."
"Hmph. We shall see."
Seteth proceeded to open the gate, thus allowing the journey to resume.
Before long, they both arrived at a large, stone building with various windows around the exterior. Seteth carried Lucas through the front door, using one of his keys to retrieve a different key from a considerably-sized wooden box on the wall before progressing through the various corridors of the building. After traversing through a series of stairs, the two stopped at a particular wooden door.
"This will be your room," Seteth told Lucas as he carefully placed him back on his feet. He handed him the key he retrieved earlier. "And this is your key. Do not misplace it, for it will only cause us all a great deal of pain if that were to occur."
"Right. I won't lose it. I'm good at not letting that kind of thing happen."
"Very good." He turned around, facing the way they had just arrived from. "I shall have someone return in the morning to provide you with some food, water, as well as a change of clothing. I should imagine you will need all of that. Goodbye, Lucas. You may have your rest."
Seteth departed, leaving Lucas on his own. Despite the struggles with his aching body, he managed to unlock the door with the key Seteth had given him. With a careful push, the door swung open, revealing the room inside.
It was fairly small, with a red carpet in the middle, a desk up against the left wall, and a standard-looking bed up against the rightmost wall. Fighting his overpowering urges to head to bed right away, Lucas made sure to lock the door - then he was able to retreat to bed.
He didn't bother to remove his Myrmidon armor as he flopped onto the covers and guided his head to the pillows.
"So I'm stuck in the past," he thought to himself. In the void that represented his mind, he looked at the resting visages of both Byleth and Sothis. "I wonder if this is what Byleth had to go through."
Lucas sighed.
"I guess I'll have to redo everything I did last time. There's gonna be a lot to do, but I'll do it anyway. For her…"
He gave the ceiling a determined expression.
"For Dorothea."
As his mind started to wander, Lucas gave into his urges and fell asleep, allowing the passage of time to wash over his sleeping form.
Author Notes: And so, we begin Act 5 - the final act. Only a few more chapters until we end this thing. I've been waiting to start this act for a very long time...I hope you enjoy it.
Thanks to Frost for beta-reading!
blueassassin996 - This is what's happened.
Guest - That sounds reasonable. Still, I feel like you'd at least briefly think that it's a dream. It certainly would be an odd situation, so I think it's warranted.
Feel free to drop a favourite, follow, and/or a review, if you're so inclined! I'll see ya next time!
Would you like a cool, hip place to talk about fanfiction, games, anime, movies, books, and stuff? Well, I've got just the place for you! Introducing the Fanfiction Treehouse Discord server! We have all kinds of fanfic writers and enthusiasts, including me. I'm also a mod, which is cool! The invite code is: u89gs745fn. Hope to see you there!
BRIEF ADDITIONAL NOTE: If you've tried joining the Discord via the link in the previous chapters and you haven't been able to get in, don't worry. We had to change the link recently. You can use this updated one here, which should work just fine.