The plan was simple, at least in theory. The class was once again broken up into two separate groups: the first would comprise of a small team of four that would set out in advance, taking the long way around the canyon to personally accompany the oncoming caravan en route to Zanado. Meanwhile, the rest of the class would lie in wait near the canyon's entrance, ready to spring themselves onto the unsuspecting bandits from behind the moment they set out to make their raid.

It's a perfectly reasonable strategy… yet at the same time, Bernadetta couldn't help but question why she was part of the vanguard team along with Monica.

"I understand your concerns over her… unique mental state, but Claude and I agreed that Monica's skillset would make her a perfect fit for the advance guard." Byleth quietly explained as he walked alongside the enormous trail of supply wagons. "It should also allow me the opportunity to keep a closer eye on her in case of an emergency." he added with a voice barely above a whisper.

"I guess that's reassuring…" Bernadetta reluctantly agreed. "But the whole idea still makes me feel uneasy…"

"I can't help but feel the same way… yet we're going to need all the help we can get if this supply trail wants any hope of making it through the canyon in one piece."

The entire caravan had already been outfitted with a number of guards courtesy of the church, but it was all too clear that they didn't have enough manpower to cover all the potential holes in their defenses either. All Bernadetta could do was sigh and bear it as she continued to follow the path to Zanado.

Not long after, a loud rumbling noise originating from within one of the wagons quickly attracted the young archer's attention. When she instinctively rushed over to investigate, she was hardly surprised to find Monica holed up inside, rummaging through a large supply crate without a care in the world.

"What do you think you're doing in there? You're supposed to be standing guard over the wagons, not robbing them like the common thieves we're supposed to be protecting them from!"

"We've been on this dumb trail for hours on end; can you blame me for getting bored?" Monica defended herself as she continued to dig through the crate. "I'm just dying to sink my knife into something's flesh at this point…" she loudly moaned, much to Bernadetta's visible discomfort.

"Not to worry, miss." a nearby guard shortly informed the students. "These supplies are all meant to be distributed to the monastery anyway. If you find anything of use in there, you're free to keep it for yourselves if you want."

"That doesn't sound like such a smart business plan…" Byleth dryly commented as he walked over to inspect the commotion. "I don't suppose you've found anything of interest, Monica?"

"Oh, you bet! This entire wagon is full of goodies from my homeland! We've got the latest chapter of Gambler Jack, a bunch of pricey trinkets… ooh, I bet you'll like this, Bernie! Catch!" Monica suddenly announced before throwing a miscellaneous item into her companion's unsuspecting hands.

"Whoa, hold on a minute…!" Bernadetta yelled in surprise, having nearly fumbled her new gift out of her hands. "It's a… crossbow?"

"Pretty neat, right? And it's not just for shooting arrows either!" Monica remarked just as a concealed blade erupted from underneath the weapon, mere inches in front of its recipient's face. "Quick word of advice? You might wanna avoid pointing that thing at your head."

"You could have warned me earlier…"

"Such a wonderfully ornate design…" Marianne voiced her admiration as she joined up with the rest of her group. "Where was this from, exactly?"

"It's just a standard weapon of choice for the agents of the church from back home."

"I had no idea the Church of Seiros's influence extended so far outside of Fódlan…" Byleth mused aloud, having had little experience with the religion himself.

"Oh no, it's definitely not the same church you guys are familiar with. In fact, it's not exactly easy to travel to and from Fódlan to begin with."

"Really? Aside from sheer distance, is there anything out there preventing people from simply sailing out to sea?" Bernadetta wondered with a hint of skepticism in her voice.

"That's not too far from the truth, actually." Monica chuckled to herself in amusement before sitting down by the edge of the wagon as if she was about to tell a campfire story. "Tell me; have any of you guys ever heard of the Veil of Fódlan?"

"That's the first time I've heard of it. Is it anything like Fódlan's Throat over in the Alliance?" Bernadetta was quick to recall the very centerpiece of Claude's future motivations.

"Hm, sort of. In short, any and all ships that attempt to leave the waters of Fódlan will always somehow find themselves sailing right back to Fódlan, regardless of what direction or how far they traveled… That's assuming they don't mysteriously disappear at sea along the way."

"That sounds like the divine retribution of the Goddess at play…" Marianne fearfully muttered.

"I dunno what your Goddess has against free travel, but that sure makes it a pain for me to go back and see my family whenever I want!"

"How very strange…" Sothis wondered aloud at the details of Monica's story. "Was I truly responsible for this phenomenon in some fashion?"

"You mean you don't remember?"

"I'm afraid my memories of my time a thousand years ago are still a blur, even now…"

"This has been a truly fascinating tale, but there is one thing that's been bothering me…" Byleth raised a hand to his chin as he looked Monica directly in the eye. "If this Veil is as big of a problem as you say it is, then how were you able to visit your home after you vanished from the monastery last year?"

"Ah, you still remember that, huh?" Monica returned the professor's stare with a cheerful blink. "We have discovered one method of travel between Fódlan and my homeland in recent years, and it involves following an extremely precise route from one point to another." she explained, using her finger to draw out the route in question on the floorboards of the wagon. "Even then, the rate of success is still abysmally low for my tastes…"

"I believe this may warrant further investigation after we return to the monastery…" Sothis commented, her interest fully piqued by the details of Monica's story.

"Hold!" the voice of the caravan's leader rang out from across the distance, prompting the entire traveling party to stop in their tracks.

"It appears we've arrived at the entrance to the canyon…"Byleth noted as he readied his blade in anticipation. "Everybody, let's brace ourselves for action!"


"It's quiet… too quiet."

"You can't just say that out loud, Marianne!" Bernadetta hastily warned her blue haired classmate. "That's just an open invitation for the bandits to jump out and ambush us when we least expect it!"

"I'm pretty sure your panicked screaming is gonna have the same effect, Bernie." Monica commented with an amused shrug as the group continued to march through the seemingly empty canyon.

"Er, sorry…"

The very sight of the ruins surrounding them in every direction left a pit in Bernadetta's stomach. Armed with the knowledge that this canyon was the site of a bloody massacre in ages past, she couldn't help but cringe in hindsight at the signs that still remained. Bits of ruined architecture were strewn about every which way, there were few signs of life to be found for miles on end, and she could almost see faint marks of crimson lining the stone walls of the canyon out of the corner of her eye.

"It's best not to dwell on such grim thoughts. All that has transpired here can never be undone." Sothis reminded with a sorrowful tinge to her voice.

"I know… though it's still pretty hard to ignore the truth once it's come to light." Bernadetta solemnly concluded. "…Do you think it's possible that-"

"No." Sothis sharply cut in before her companion could fully form her question. "Like a snake devouring its own tail, the Agarthan's own actions are what lead to their ultimate downfall. Of that, I can say for certain."

The party eventually came to a halt upon nearing a more open area of the canyon, housing what appeared to be the remains of a small city.

"This looks like an obvious spot for a trap if I've ever seen any…" Byleth dryly commented as he drew his blade and set out in front of the caravan. "You should refrain from entering the city until we've made sure it's cleared of hostiles. It should be impossible for anyone to have followed us on such a narrow trail, but I'll need your guards to remain by the wagons just in case." he directed the caravan's leader before turning his attention to his accompanying students. "I'll go in first to try and draw the enemy's attention. Bernadetta, Marianne, the moment I initiate combat, I'll need you two to use that signal flare you've been working on to alert our team on the other end."

"What about me?" Monica excitedly jumped out in front of her professor to grab his attention. "I'm ready to see some intestines on the ground!"

"I'd suggest you keep yourself out of sight until the enemy comes rolling along. That should allow you to take some of them out before they can get their bearings."

"Oh ho ho, I've been waiting for this!" Monica quietly cheered as she scurried off to find a hiding place for the coming ambush.

"If that girl even thinks about hurting him…" Bernadetta whispered in apprehension as she tightened her grip on her bow.

"Not in front of witnesses, she won't…"

As a deathly silence began to linger in the air, Byleth proceeded to set out into the ruined city before him, all while his young purple haired student looked on with apprehension. Sure enough, like moths to a flame, it didn't take long before a pair of bandits leaped out from behind the rubble to strike at the professor the moment he came near. A single precise swing of the Azure Demon's blade was all it took to send their bodies tumbling to the ground before they could even attempt to land a blow.

The fall of their front line immediately prompted an entire slew of bandits to emerge from further within the city, all with their eyes set directly on the wagon of goods behind the professor. Two trios of bandits approached from the east and the west, hoping to overwhelm the lone mercenary with a pincer attack. Yet in the blink of an eye, the western group was swiftly and mercilessly cut down by Monica, who leaped out from the shadows to slice open their throats in quick succession, giggling like a madwoman all the while.

"B- Bernadetta, the signal!"

"Right, let's do this!" the archer affirmed, aiming her bow for the skies as her blue haired classmate focused all the magical energy she could muster into the weapon. Together, they let loose a single arrow towards the heavens that promptly exploded in a mesmerizing burst of holy magic that could undoubtedly be seen for miles on end.

"Watch my back, Marianne. I'm heading in to support the professor!" Bernadetta sternly ordered, readying her weapons as she bolted towards the city with a newfound look of determination.

"W- wait for me! Please be careful in there!"

Upon arriving by the entrance to the ruins, Bernadetta was promptly greeted by a pair of warriors rushing towards her with battleaxes in hand. Without missing a beat, the lilac haired student fired a single arrow in the direction of her aggressors, piercing the heart of one unlucky bandit as his body collapsed to the ground face first.

This left his partner with just enough time to for a vain attempt to close in and swing his axe at the student before them, a maneuver that was easily avoided by a simple backstep from Bernadetta. Seizing the opportunity, the girl proceeded to activate the hidden blade of her new crossbow and slashed it across her foe's chest, eliciting a piercing cry of pain as the bandit's weapon clattered to the ground. Bernadetta then finished the job by firing two quick crossbow bolts into the wound she had already created.

"I suppose I've stopped caring about this sort of thing after so long…" the archer dryly commented as she watched the bandit's body collapse to the ground. In the next moment, a thief brandishing a scimitar followed in the wake of his fallen comrades. Though fully prepared to take aim at her newest opponent, Bernadetta yelped in surprise as a knife whizzed past her head to strike the oncoming thief in the throat before he could even come close.

"Saved your life! Now you owe me one!" came the cheerful call of Monica as Byleth moved in to regroup with his students, having just finished off his own skirmish.

"Yeah, thanks…" Bernadetta unenthusiastically relayed her gratitude before turning her attention to her professor. "Marianne and I just sent the signal. How long will it take for friends to arrive?"

"I believe they've situated themselves a fair distance from here. We'll have to hold out for a while until-" Byleth's orders halted as a peculiar whistling sound ringed through the air. "We need to get to cover, now!"

"Huh?" Bernadetta looked up to the sky and her eyes widened in realization when she caught wind of an enormous ballista arrow speeding in her direction. Instinctively, she ducked down just in time for the arrow to harmlessly land on the ground behind her. Yet before she could breathe a sigh of relief, another arrow was already speeding right for the girl, forcing her to throw her body to the ground to avoid being skewered alive.

"How in the world did those bandits manage to sneak two ballistae into this canyon?!" Bernadetta grumbled in frustration while she struggled to stand herself back up.

"It's a good thing we kept the caravan outside the city, but this could easily spell trouble for Claude's group when they finally arrive…" Byleth grimly noted as another wave of bandits began to close in on their position.

"Oh, then Bernie and I will volunteer to take them both out for you!"

"Speak for yourself, Monica! I never consented to any- hey, don't just run off on your own!" Bernadetta shouted in dismay as the redhead darted off into the further reaches of the ruined city.

"It looks like that decision's already been made for you, Bernadetta. Marianne and I can hold off the bandits over by the entrance, but it's up to you to keep an eye on our new friend."

"Alright, Professor." the lavender haired archer reluctantly agreed, taking a moment to notch another arrow into her bow in anticipation of the wild chase that was sure to ensue. "Please keep him safe for me, Marianne…"

A great number of fresh corpses lined along the roads on the western side of the city, making for a fairly convenient makeshift trail for Bernadetta to follow in her pursuit of her fellow redheaded student. The girl's full sprint inevitably attracted the attention of a few lingering bandits along the way, though they were all shortly dispatched with some well-placed arrows before they could manage to come too close.

The sound of a thief wailing in pain was a sure sign that Bernadetta had finally caught up with Monica, as the latter had found herself surrounded by a small gathering of enemies, not too far away from the ballista she had hoped to get rid of. Reluctantly, the purple haired archer fired an arrow into the back of one thief's head whilst they were all too focused on Monica to notice her presence.

"Aw, thanks Bernie! I knew you cared deep down!" Monica cheerfully voiced her appreciation as she narrowly ducked underneath the swing of a warrior's axe.

"It's not like I had a choice in the matter!" Bernadetta replied with an arrow in the head of another thief.

The remaining thieves promptly split themselves up to deal with both girls at once. The familiar sound of a ballista firing rang through the student's ears in the midst of their skirmish, yet for reasons unknown, the device fired in the opposite direction of the caravan this time around.

"Hey, I think I can see Claude with the rest of our class out in the distance!" Monica quickly noted as she slashed open the throat of an exhausted thief. "But it looks like there's a raised drawbridge separating them from the city here!"

"It's probably too far away for us to reliably make it over on foot…" Bernadetta mentally assessed the situation as her crossbow's blade pierced through the back of a bandit who had embedded his axe in a nearby wall. "Do you think you could clear that ballista for me? I might be able to force the bridge down with it!"

"Good thinking, Bernie! I'll off the vermin operating it right away!" Monica readily agreed with the proposed plan as she rushed off gripping a knife between her teeth like a hyperactive housecat.

"W- wait! I surrender! I'm unarmed! GAAAH!"

"The coast is clear, hotshot!" Monica gleefully waved over to her purple haired companion. "You do know how to use this thing, right?"

"Oh, you know, I only had to use one to shoot at my old friends five years from now." Bernadetta cynically monologued as she took aim towards the raised bridge. "All I have to do is cut down the rope holding the drawbridge up and the rest of the class should be free to swarm in and clean house. This should be easy enough."

"I just need to set the proper trajectory and… FIRE!" Bernadetta screamed out as she launched the device's arrow high into the air… only for it to anticlimactically drop into the canyon below. "Uh… that was a bit too high. Let me try that one again."

In the blink of an eye, the archer had undone her previous misfire and was left preparing for another shot as if nothing had happened. "I just need to aim a little lower and… NOW!"

"Ah, that's too low, that's too low! I almost hit Claude with that one!" the serial time traveler loudly panicked before triggering another Divine Pulse to readjust her trajectory.

"I'd like to take a moment to remind you that my powers are far from limitless."

"I know, I know… third time's the charm, right?" Bernadetta took a little longer to scrutinize her aim before finally launching the ballista's arrow once again. Lo and behold, this shot had managed to strike its target dead on, piercing right through drawbridge's rope and creating a safe passage for the rest of her class to enter the ruins with.

"Whoo hoo! Good shot Bernie, you're a natural!" Monica applauded her companion's efforts as she witnessed Claude's group storm the ancient city.

"Yeah… I totally got it right the first time." Bernadetta felt a drop of sweat roll down her cheek as she turned her attention to the ballista on the other side of the city. "Now I've just got one more thing to take care of-"

A familiar flash of colors suddenly weaved through the archer's eyes before she could finish her sentence, leaving her briefly dazed as her mind scrambled to process what just happened.

"What in the world just…?

"Are you simply trying to show off now?"

"No, it wasn't me this time! I swear I didn't turn back the clock again!"

"If it wasn't you, then…" Sothis quickly paused upon coming to a startling conclusion. "Oh my. It seems this situation may be far more complicated than I initially expected."

"Hey, uh… how long does it usually take you to line up a shot with one of these things?" Monica lightly tapped her fellow student on the shoulder to grab her attention, briefly causing her to jump in her boots on contact.

"Sorry, I just spent a little too long concentrating…" Bernadetta quietly apologized before launching out another arrow, which as luck would have it, actually managed to cut through the rope once more.

"Whoo hoo! Good shot Bernie, you're a natural!" Monica repeated the same words of congratulations she had just uttered moments ago, at least from her companion's point of view.

"I'm just glad I got it right this time…"

"Now we've just gotta take care of-" Monica came to a sudden pause as she caught wind of another enormous arrow sailing through the air. "On second thought, we might wanna get out of here right now!" the redhead hastily announced, forcibly pulling Bernadetta away from the ballista just before the device was crushed to pieces by the ensuing impact.

"Well, there goes that strategy…"

"No worries, I'll I bet I could take down the other one myself in record time now that the enemy's distracted. Wish me luck!" Monica cheerfully waved goodbye to her fellow student before darting off into the ruined city once again.

"As long as that's taken care of… you should probably check up on your professor right away."

Bernadetta simply nodded in response before making another desperate sprint for the other end of the ruined city. If Byleth had truly felt the need to trigger a Divine Pulse of his own, that could only mean that he'd run into some sort of trouble earlier. Sure enough, when the lilac haired archer had finally arrived at her destination, she found the Marianne and the caravan's guards embroiled in a struggle against another squadron of bandits, while Byleth himself was engaged in single combat with the bandit's leader.

All of this was frankly to be expected, given how long it took for Claude's reinforcements to arrive, but what really threw Bernadetta for a loop was the sight of a large red gash across her professor's chest.

"Was that… was that because of me?" the archer couldn't help but wonder aloud as she immediately recalled her earlier Divine Pulse shenanigans. Though completely involuntary, Bernadetta's breathing quickly became labored and her eyes nearly bloodshot as the injury on Byleth's chest brought back vivid images of the impalement wound that took his life in the future.

"Have faith in your professor." Sothis softly whispered in an effort to comfort her companion. "We both know him well enough to understand that a mere bandit cannot take him down so easily." she stated just as Byleth had relieved the foe of his weapon, as if right on cue.

"Yet that's exactly what got him killed before…!" Bernadetta muttered under her breath as she drew her bow on the bandit leader, who had fallen to his knees and was left begging for mercy from the Ashen Demon. Though he was fully prepared to execute the man himself, Byleth was quite surprised to find an arrow lodging itself into the back of Kostas's neck before he could do so.

"Professor!" Bernadetta called out with a slight tinge of fear as she ran over to speak with him directly. "Are you okay?! Gods, that cut looks a lot bigger up close…"

"There's no need for concern, Bernadetta. It's nothing Marianne's magic can't patch up." Byleth calmly explained as he leaned forward to affectionately pat his pupil on the head. "It seems you and Monica performed quite admirably out there. The rest of the class may not have arrived when they did without you."

"Ah, well, you know…" Bernadetta's cheeks immediately flushed in embarrassment from her professor's kind gesture.

"Come along, now. The battle may be nearing its end, but we'll still have plenty of work left to do after this."

"R- right! I'll… keep helping as much as I can!"

"That's all I can ask for."


With the bandits successfully routed, the scheduled caravan was met with no further troubles as it travelled the path to Garreg Mach alongside the students of the Golden Deer house. The sun had already begun to set by the time they reached their destination, yet much to their collective dismay, the students were subsequently tasked with aiding to unload the myriad of supplies from within the wagons before the day was fully up.

"Ugh, I just want to be back in my room now…" Bernadetta sighed in exhaustion, looking up to at the sky as she hunched over by a nearby wall to rest her weary bones.

"I think you were pretty awesome out there today, Bernie!"

"Agh! What in the- can you stop sneaking up on me like that, Monica?!"

"You didn't notice me waving right in front of you? You're not about to keel over on us, are you?"

"It's awfully tempting…" Bernadetta painfully groaned as the redhead sat down right next to her. "I can't believe you're still full of energy after everything that happened today…"

"Oh no, I'm just as puckered out as you are." Monica sarcastically commented with a slight giggle. "I've actually got something I wanted to show you here!" she eagerly announced as she began to aggressively rummage through her pockets. "You remember that friend of mine I told you about the other day, right?"

Bernadetta tiredly nodded in affirmation.

"Well, check this out! I just got a letter from her delivered by Tomas a little while ago!" the redhead excitedly continued, pulling out a lavishly decorated envelope to present to her exhausted colleague.

"Oh, that's nice. How long has it been since you've heard from her?" Bernadetta curiously asked as she watched Monica tear into the envelope with a spare knife.

"I'm sure it must have been at least a year at this point, but with the Veil in place, there's no telling how long this actually took to arrive…" Monica contemplated for a short while before reaching inside to grab the letter in question.

Out of the corner of her eye, Bernadetta saw what appeared to be a small portrait tumble out face down onto the stone pavement as Monica casually tossed the envelope to the side. Upon leaning forth to get a closer look at the strange picture, the lilac haired girl was rather shocked to find a young child staring right back at her with bright, golden eyes. The sheer detail of the picture before her was rather outstanding, to say the least. The child bore a playful smile on her face as she stood before a grand luxurious manor. She was clutching a black stuffed rabbit in her hands, garbed in a vibrant white dress, and adorned with a petite black ribbon in her hair, which even shared the same violet hue with Bernadetta.

"Oh nice, she even sent a picture too!" Monica excitedly leaned over Bernadetta shoulder to get a closer look at the photograph in her hands. "See, I told you she looked a lot like you!"

"No kidding… the resemblance is a little too uncanny." Bernadetta's gaze lingered on the child's eyes for a moment longer before she slipped the picture into Monica's hands.

"Uh huh! And I've noticed how your entire demeanor changes when in battle too!"

"Er, I don't know what you're talking about there…"

"Well, how else can you explain such a drastic transformation from a timid schoolgirl to a cold hearted killing machine? Though even that's nothing compared to how wild my little friend can be whenever she gets into a killing spree!"

"C- cold hearted?!" Bernadetta glared at Monica with a mildly offended expression before continuing. "You can't honestly expect me to believe this little girl is a seasoned killer, can you?"

"Hey now, you haven't seen anything until you've witnessed her cleave a fully armored knight in half with her massive scythe!

"Now I'm having an even harder time believing you…"

"Monica?" an aging voice called over to the pair before the redhead could reply. "I do hope you're not expecting a frail old man to carry such a massive crate all the way to the library on his lonesome."

"Oh, uh, I'm coming, Tomas!" Monica instantly rose up from the ground, sounding a little less confident than usual upon noticing the presence of the old librarian. "Duty calls! I'll see you around, Bernie!'

"Yeah, you too Monica…" Bernadetta lazily bade farewell as the redhead rushed off to aid Tomas.

"I don't know what this girl is trying to accomplish with all these talks… but at least it's a nice change of pace from blatant home invasion."