Bernadetta let out a contented yawn as she slowly sat up from her bed to stretch her weary limbs. It was hardly an exaggeration to say that she hadn't received such a good night's sleep in ages until now.

"Do you think you've rested enough to handle the coming day now, Bernie?" Byleth patiently asked, receiving an affirmatory nod from the still drowsy girl in response.

"Oh, by all means, this display has long since overstayed its welcome." a fatigued Sothis strongly complained from within the depths of the awakened Miss Varley's mind as the latter thankfully shook her head in denial.

"I only brought us back a few more hours…" Bernadetta sheepishly defended her impulsive action as the object of her affections promptly rose up from his resting place.

"This mutual sentiment between the two of you is sweet and all, but must I remind you that I've left with no choice but to come along for the ride as well? Especially when you decide to call upon my powers without a moment's notice?" the Goddess hotly protested, to which Bernadetta let out an amused giggle at the tiny deity's frustrations.

"Look, I said I was sorry, alright?"

"Thanks for sticking with me throughout the night, By…" the lavender haired recluse looked up at her professor with an expression of immense gratitude. "It really means a lot to me…"

"Think nothing of it. I'm just happy I could be here to support you when you needed it most." Byleth humbly waved off the girl's fervent praises before taking up a faintly troubled look. "…I trust you didn't suffer from any further nightmares last night?"

"Nope, not at all. I slept like a baby thanks to you. Did something happen while I was asleep…?" Bernadetta hesitantly asked. She could hardly tell if her eyes were playing tricks on her or not, but there appeared to be the slightest hint of a dried tear on her companion's cheek. It was an unwelcome sign, to say the least. As if her parents have not given her enough to worry about already. "You're looking at me like you've just seen a ghost."

"Ah, it's nothing… please, forget I said anything just now…" the teal haired professor muttered under his breath as he turned his attention to the door of their shared bedroom. "…I suppose it would reflect poorly upon us if someone were to catch us departing your room together at such an early hour…"

"Uh, yeah…" Bernadetta agreed with the ex-mercenary's observations as she adopted a troubled frown of realization. "We'd have all sorts of nasty rumors spreading around if that ever happened…"

"In which case, I should probably depart early to deflect any potential suspicions against us. I do have some preparations to make for today's investigations, after all." Byleth calmly observed as he proceeded to make his way out into the hall. "We should still have plenty of time before we begin our conference with the rest of the class, so feel free to-" the professor began to convey, only for his explanation to be cut short when his lilac haired companion suddenly rushed out from behind to envelop his body in one last tight embrace. Though, perhaps this embrace was more of an unintentional tackle than a hug, as the impact had nearly sent the pair clumsily tumbling to the ground.

"You truly are as insatiable as ever…" Sothis vexingly muttered as her former vessel found himself wordlessly glued to the spot for what seemed like an eternity.

"Er, sorry… I probably shouldn't keep you here for too long, huh?" Bernadetta timidly spoke up after some time, all while Byleth awkwardly refrained from turning to face the equally flustered Miss Varley. "I don't know what's bothering you… but I'm always willing to lend an ear if you have any concerns weighing you down. You've already done the same for me more times than I can count."

"Indeed…" Byleth quietly mumbled as the younger student slowly released his waist from her deceptively strong grasp. "I trust you recall where we're scheduled to meet, correct? I don't want you arriving late." he uncertainly asked in a weak effort to reign in the discussion at hand, receiving a confirmatory grunt in return. "So long as that's clear… I should go."

Taking a moment to clear his throat, Byleth abruptly retreated through the bedroom door, leaving Bernadetta to nervously fidget in place; clearly still lost in thought from the tender, artificially extended night she'd just spent with her heart's desire.

"The more things change, the more they stay the same…" Sothis keenly observed as her violet haired host slowly sat back onto her old bed in a moment of self-reflection.

"It's… nice to relive some of my happier experiences amidst all these drastic changes; to be able to take a break from reality... I'd probably spend the entire week wallowing in those memories if I had the chance, but I know that's no longer a valid option."

"I suppose it's only natural that you would yearn for these rare moments of solace." the Goddess murmured in understanding. "Byleth was much the same in our original time."

"He was…?"

"Why, of course. He would often spend several nights' worth of time simply lingering in bed by your side, taking comfort in your presence for as long as my powers would allow."

"He really valued me that much…" Bernadetta muttered aloud, a tearfully nostalgic smile faintly forming across her lips as she clutched a hand to her unsteady heart. "But if we can still pick up from where we left off, then…" the girl's words trailed off, leaving the pair in eerily uncomfortable silence until Sothis grimly spoke up once more.

"To be completely blunt, I've no idea if that is even possible-"

"Of course it's possible!" Bernadetta angrily cut the Goddess's words short, taking a moment to calm her nerves with a strained sigh before continuing. "I know he doesn't share any of the memories we made in our future, but he's still the same Byleth to me. You've seen it yourself last night, didn't you? Sure, he's a little less emotive than his future self, yet he's still every bit as kind and loving as I remember…!"

"For your sake, I can only pray that you are correct…"

"I know I'm right. I can make him remember everything, and we'll make up for all the time we've lost." Bernadetta grimly muttered, almost as if she were trying to convince herself that she was correct. "But then… how did you know about any of our nighttime rituals? Was your consciousness even intact during the war?"

"I may have been dormant at the time, but I was still relatively cognitive of my surroundings all the same. I shared the same heart and body with your professor, and all the different sensations that came along with it, just as I inhabit yours today. Of course, that also means I was quite privy to your more intimate moments-"

"Okay, I do NOT need to know any of that!" Bernadetta frantically interrupted before her divine companion could go into any further detail. Fully flustered, the reclusive student hastily rose from her seat and headed out to the wooden barrier barring her from the outside world to begin the day properly. "That should be enough idling for now. We've got a lot of things to take care of today, and the sooner we finish, the better."

With an emboldened sense of determination and an almost literal spring in her step, Bernadetta confidently reached out and swung her bedroom door open with all her might… where she was shortly met with a sudden, unexpected crashing sound and a familiar yelp of pain from the other side.

Understandably taken by surprise, the young Varley quickly darted out of her room to find a familiar redheaded figure writhing on the floor, clasping her hands to her face in an obvious display of pain.

"Ugh, not this again…" Bernadetta shook her head in aggravation before turning back the clock a few precious seconds to spare Monica the pain of a door slamming into her head.

This time making sure to open the door as gently as possible, the already miffed Bernadetta was hardly surprised to hear a jovial, teasing greeting the moment she set foot outside.

"Ooh, you've been a naughty girl, Bernie!" Monica quietly peeped, playfully poking a finger to the violet haired recluse's forehead which only served to irritate her further.

"What are you going on about this time?" Bernadetta flatly asked, taking a single large step away from the redhead in a tired attempt to reclaim at least some of her personal space before adopting an expression of stunned realization. "Oh, dear Goddess… how long were you standing outside my room…?"

"Long enough to catch you snuggling up with your special someone-" the Black Eagle student casually began to clarify, only for a flustered Bernadetta to hurriedly place a hand over her mouth and pin her up against the wall before she could finish.

Unconcerned by the panicking Varley's sudden act of aggression as the latter girl frantically scanned the hallways around her in search of any other potential eavesdroppers, Monica nonchalantly removed Bernadetta's hand from her mouth to further her own defense. "Hey, relax Bernie, I'm no snitch. Hell, I'm impressed you managed to score some action for yourself in such a short amount of time."

"I- I know what it looked like, but I swear we didn't take things that far-"

"No, no, it's alright. You don't have to explain yourself to me." Monica reassured, which only ended up further flustering her unwilling schoolmate. "It's not like I was intending to spy on you this time. I just happened to catch a glimpse of your private time while I was climbing along the outside of the manor."

"…Do I even want to know why you were scaling the walls of this place in the dead of night?" Bernadetta asked, loosening her grip on the subject of her annoyance as she stared at the redhead with a faint look of disbelief.

"Oh, you'll find out soon enough." Monica vaguely replied with a dubious wink as she abruptly set off down the hall, leaving Bernadetta to wallow in her own confusion as she looked on with weary eyes.

"I really don't get this girl…" Bernadetta mentally groaned in dismay, cradling a hand to her forehead in apprehension of the exceptionally long day that was sure to await her.


Of all the potential horrors that awaited her, the thought of having to put up with her father for another day filled Bernadetta with an overpowering sense of dismay. With that thought in mind, it certainly came as a relief to the count's reclusive daughter when she found no trace of the man in her class's makeshift meeting room. The heavy sigh of relief she let out at this small stroke hardly went noticed by the students already present, who all looked up to silently greet her with a handful of welcoming nods.

"Er, I'm not late, am I?"

"No, we're just about to get started, actually. Though we do seem to have a more egregious straggler on our hands today…" Lorenz drowsily noted, scoffing in irritation from the conspicuous absence of Claude from the table.

"Ah, I'm sure those two will catch up with us sooner or later. Why don't you take a seat, Bernie? I've saved a spot just for you." Monica earnestly offered, gesturing to an empty chair that just happened to lie in between herself and Byleth.

The knowing smile beaming in her direction was undoubtedly unnerving, yet Bernadetta knew better than to openly refuse such a kind offer. With a renewed feeling of mental fatigue, the girl humbly took up the vacant seat that awaited her, though not without taking a moment to subtly move the chair closer to Byleth. Monica couldn't help letting out an amused chuckle at the thinly veiled gesture, much to her unwitting friend's embarrassment.

"Well then, if our humble house leader won't be joining us any time soon, I suppose we'll just have to start the briefing without him." Alois casually stated as he unfolded a large, detailed map of the Varley region and spread it across the table for all those present to see. "Professor, if you would kindly-" the knight requested, only for his words to be cut short by the timely emergence of the missing Claude.

"Ah, speak of the devil; How kind of you to finally grace us with your presence." Lorenz smarmily commented, to which the house leader replied with a mocking bow.

"Say now, did you happen to find Count Varley while you were busy wandering about? I don't think anyone here's seen him all morning." Hilda curiously asked. The mere mention of her father's name was enough to make Bernadetta instinctively tense up, though her racing nerves were shortly settled when Claude briefly flashed a confident grin in her direction.

"Oh, I'm afraid the good count won't be able to join us today. You see, he apparently gulped down a questionable blend of tea last night, and well…." Claude proudly proclaimed, leaning forward to shift his gaze to Monica, who returned the Golden Deer student's look with a mischievous grin of her own. "If my calculations are correct, he should be vomiting into a toilet as we speak."

"Well now, there's a thought I can scarcely stomach!" Alois lightly joked, eliciting a chorus of pained groans from the students and knights gathered around him.

"My, that sounds very unpleasant… perhaps I could relieve him of his-"

"Don't even bother, Flayn." Monica sharply interrupted before the young priestess could finish her offer. "He can get over it on his own."

"How interesting… I believe I may be willing to overlook your tardiness today, Claude." Byleth amusingly declared, having turned his gaze to find a clear look of relief washing over Bernadetta's face.

"Oh? I don't think I did anything to deserve such praise, but I'm not about to look a gift horse in the mouth." Claude humbly replied, the mischievous smile on his face never fading as he made his way over to his assigned seat.

"I suppose there's nothing to be done for it. So long as everybody is finally gathered here, would you kindly begin our briefing, Professor?" Alois requested once again, receiving a simple nod from his teal haired compatriot in return.

"Very well. As I'm sure you are all aware, a mysterious plague has swept across the territory of House Varley." Byleth coolly explained, the eyes of his students all firmly focused on him as he slowly rose up from his seat. "The origin of this disease is unknown, and the symptoms have varied widely from one case to another. Numerous casualties have already risen across the land, more people are becoming bedridden with each passing day, and a few towns have even given reports of their crops mysteriously withering up and dying, but there is a single, prominent trait that links all the victims of this outbreak together: the formation of a sickly white shade of hair, all traces of pigment having somehow vanished overnight."

Bernadetta felt a chill run down her spine upon learning of this discovery. She had already seen the plague's effects for herself when she met with her mother the night before, and if the mortified expression on Lysithea's face was anything to go by, then it was all too clear that dark magic was at play here.

"For now, our primary objective will be to disperse across the various settlements of the region, collecting information as we go and delivering whatever aid we can to the afflicted." Alois added, taking a short pause to clear his throat. "Our investigations are scheduled to last throughout the week, but we can at least take solace in the fact that, for once, your mission is one of peace. There should be no threat of conflict while we're all out on our investigations."

"Bah. What a drag." Monica complained, no doubt disappointed from the lack of any promised bloodshed compared to her previous outings with the Deer.

"Although there have been some troubling rumors running rampant as of late. We don't exactly know if these reports hold any merit, but…"

"Wh- what sorts of rumors are you talking about?" Bernadetta reluctantly asked, recognizing the familiar look of unease on the professor's face all too well. "This is the first time I've heard of them."

"Ah, I'm sure that's nothing more than old wives' tale, Professor." Alois heartily commented with a dismissive wave of his hand. "In these troubled times, it's hardly surprising that the people's frightened minds would come up with such a tall tale."

"Even still, if reports from the servants are anything to go by, there have been numerous sightings of an unknown figure-the Witch of Pestilence, as it's come to be known as-prowling the lands and abducting unsuspecting innocents, day after day." Byleth warily described, as he delicately turned his eyes to focus on Bernadetta. "Make no mistake, there have been mysterious disappearances cropping up throughout the region. Countess Varley told me as much herself. Is it any coincidence that these same folks fell victim to the plague not long afterward?"

"I understand your concerns, Professor, but I must assure you, your fears are fully unwarranted. Why, I'm sure the absence of evidence surrounding these abductions should be more than enough to cast a spell of doubt over these stories, eh?" Alois confidently joked in a lighthearted attempt to put his teal haired associate at ease, much to the continued chagrin of the students and knights under his command.

"This situation is beginning to feel eerily reminiscent of the tragedy that occurred at Remire Village..."

"First the Death Knight, and now a Pestilence Witch? I have a really bad feeling about this..." Bernadetta mentally shared in Sothis's concern. Between the widespread whispers of this mysterious witch and the thinly vague look of apprehension in her professor's eyes, the young Varley's situation was growing more uncertain by the second. "What could By be trying to hide from me… and why would he even feel the need to? I haven't seen him look this troubled since…"

"Now then, if we may move on to everybody's assigned parties..." the booming voice of Alois suddenly rang through the distracted recluse's ears like a whistle, easily snapping her out of her train of thought. "Bernadetta, you will be accompanying Flayn, Monica, and Lysithea to the nearby village of Weiler."

"I eagerly look forward to working with the three of you today!" Flayn happily chimed in.

"Likewise…" Lysithea unenthusiastically muttered, casting a thinly veiled look of scorn in Monica's direction, who innocently returned the gesture with a cheerful wave of her hand.

"Looks like we're gonna be partners again, eh Bernie? Isn't that great?" the redhead asked, playfully nudging her schoolmate's shoulder with an excited grin.

"Yeah, I figured as much." Bernadetta indifferently shrugged. "I'm just glad the professor will be coming along with us too-"

"No, I'm quite afraid we have other arrangements in mind for your professor, Bernadetta." Alois's next words echoed throughout the room, practically slashing through the girl's hopeful thoughts in an instant.

"Wh- what..?"

"Our numbers are stretched uncomfortably thin as it is, you see; there has been a particularly alarming outbreak of victims off to the east, near Gronder Field, and we're making that one of our priority destinations."

"Is there any way I could convince you to reconsider our assigned parties?" Byleth urgently spoke up, much to the surprise of the already perplexed recluse seated next to him.

"We've been over this before, Professor. We can't allow any of the students to accompany you on your mission, for it is strictly confidential." Alois sternly refused with a solemn shake of his head before leaning forward to peer into his colleague's troubled eyes with a comforting grin. "You didn't hear this from me, but Seteth doesn't trust you being anywhere near his beloved sister. That's all a load of hogwash as far as I'm concerned, but rest assured, Flayn and her companions should remain perfectly safe under the watch of my most trusted knights. You'll have absolutely nothing to worry about."

"Gronder Field, you say… what horrible secrets could the church have to hide from prying eyes this time?"

"Whatever it is, it's clearly got By worked up… I just wish there was something I could do to support him…" Bernadetta silently lamented, sympathizing with the ex-mercenary's unseen plight as the sound of Lysithea's impatient footsteps rapidly approached her.

"Let's just get this over with as soon as we can. You can waste time staring down at your feet after we've returned from our mission."

"Aw, what's the rush, Lissie?" Monica curiously replied. "Weiler's like the closest town to the manor! Do you have some sort of secret tryst you're not telling us about-" the redhead continued, mockingly raising an eyebrow as Lysithea indignantly raised a finger in the air to cut her question short.

"Okay, first of all, please never call me Lissie again. Second, the two of you are nobles, aren't you? I'd expect you to have a better sense of punctuality." the youthful mage sharply reprimanded, her arms sternly crossed as she impatiently tapped her foot on the floor. "We all have better things to do than sitting around daydreaming while people are clearly suffering all around us."

"Please, there should be no need for you to fight!" Flayn insistently spoke up. "We are all friends here, are we not?"

"You're making a lot of assumptions right now…"

"You're free to begin preparing for your departure immediately, Lysithea." Byleth sharply interjected, putting a halt to her growing frustrations before they could boil over. "Bernadetta, can you come with me for a moment? I'll have you join back up with the rest of your group shortly."

"Y- you mean right now…?" Bernadetta aversively asked, receiving a short nod from her professor in return as the latter promptly made his unannounced departure from the meeting room.

"Professor? We're not quite finished yet-"

"We'll only be a short moment, Alois." were Byleth's final, offhanded words of assurance before he disappeared from sight altogether, leaving his violet haired student to nervously follow after him. With an apologetic bow, Bernadetta hastily darted out the door she came in to find her professor marching down the hall at an uncomfortably accelerated pace.

"Hey, can you just stop for a minute and tell me what's going on?!" Bernadetta frustratedly demanded as she quickly darted over to grab her professor's coat from behind.

"I know just as little as you do, perhaps even less." Byleth calmly admitted, stopping dead in his tracks the moment his perplexed companion managed to catch up with him.

"Can you at least tell me what you saw last night? You always clutch your hand over your unbeating heart whenever you're lying or otherwise trying to hide something from me." the violet haired girl informed. It was a tic the ex-mercenary was clearly unaware of. What followed was an uncomfortable period of silence as the pair lingered in the hall for what seemed like an eternity.

"…By, you have to voice your feelings, or else I won't understand."

"You'd be better off not knowing. I'd much rather forget all about it myself." Byleth reluctantly admitted, still refraining from turning to face the girl waiting behind him.

"You don't have to be ashamed to tell me anything…"

"This is rather unbecoming of an instructor… I want you to make a promise with me." the professor softly requested with a wistful sigh before finally turning around and placing his hands on Bernadetta's shoulders. "If anything is to go awry while you're out in Weiler, I want you to let me know right away. Understood?"

"I– I guess… but how would you know if anything's wrong while you're miles away in Gronder Field…?"

"You can signal me with two split-second Divine Pulses. Just like this." Byleth stoically confirmed, even going as far as to demonstrate the technique himself on the spot. The two short flashes of color that swept past Bernadetta's eyes were a sign that both members of the pair were sure to notice, even if the rest of the world around them was completely oblivious to this message.

"Okay… w- well, you'd better do the same if you run into any trouble while you're out on your own. I'll come running right away!"

"You might have some trouble slipping away from your group unnoticed, but I'll be sure to keep that in mind." Byleth amusingly noted,

"We'll have another chance to… talk tonight, won't we?"

"Of course... if that's what you desire. It will be something worth looking forward to." Byleth readily confirmed, taking one hand off of his shorter companion's shoulders to fondly ruffle her unkempt hair. Though perfectly content with the warm act of affection, Bernadetta's comfort did not last for long, as before she knew it, she found herself back in her class's meeting room.

"Bernadetta, you will be accompanying Flayn, Monica, and Lysithea to the nearby village of Weiler." Alois commandingly repeated as though the former's brief rendezvous with her professor had never happened at all.

"Oh come on… couldn't we have gone a little longer than that?" the girl frustratedly thought to herself as she cast a look of disappointment towards her professor, who merely answered with an apologetic nod in return.

"Come now, you heard the man. I know you still have much to talk about, but you can resume your illicit activities after you've finished your business in Weiler."

"I know, I know…" Bernadetta mentally relented as her gaze shifted to find an already restless Lysithea impatiently tapping her foot on the floor. As always, it seemed that no matter how much the violet haired recluse wished to hold on to the precious moments she had alone with her beloved, it seemed that time would continuously find a way to escape her. With a tired sigh, Bernadetta set out to join up with her colleagues, wanting nothing more than to fulfill her duties at the earliest opportunity.


Bernadetta drew a deep breath of fresh air as she continued to walk down the thick, forested trail leading to her destination. True to Alois's word, she and her fellow students were accompanied, or rather surrounded, by the highest ranking knights under the man's command. It was an oversized entourage for the relatively small town that awaited them, due in no small part to the presence of Flayn, who seemed to happily prance along the trail without a care in the world, taking in the unfamiliar sights around her with all the glee of a curious child.

"Before we set foot in Weiler, I must remind you all to take extreme caution when interacting with the villagers." the knight in the front of the pack loudly boomed. "You are to keep all physical contact to a minimum, and you are not to consume any food or water you find under any circumstances. Am I understood?"

"Yeah, don't worry. I wouldn't touch anyone in there with a ten foot pole." Monica nonchalantly replied, her hands idly cradling the back of her head as the party's trek proceeded along as planned.

"A ten foot pole…? Do you intend to strike down any of the villagers that cross your path?" Flayn curiously asked, a look of confusion forming across her face as she imagined the redhead fending off an angry mob's worth of people with a simple staff in hand.

"Well, of course! How else am I supposed to keep myself from getting turned into a flesh eating zombie?" Monica facetiously affirmed, barely managing to stifle a small chuckle as Flayn let out a stunned gasp in response. "You'd better not let anyone bite you, Flayn, or else you'll-"

"There is no such thing as zombies, you two. They are purely a work of fiction, and nothing more." Lysithea immediately stepped in before the young priestess's mind could be further corrupted by Monica's tall tales.

"Aw, you're taking the fun out of this, Lissie!" Monica dramatically complained, much to the further annoyance of the white haired mage. "For all we know, the witch everyone's scared of could actually be a necromancer!"

"There's nothing fun about this! And that s- stupid witch isn't real either!" Lysithea loudly snapped, insistently stomping her foot on the ground for greater emphasis. "We're supposed to be investigating the cause of a terrible illness, not putting down rampant villagers out of some cheesy horror novel!"

"That's a lot likelier than you might think…" Bernadetta mentally retorted, once again shuddering at the memory of the events at Remire.

"Well, why don't we try asking Bernie?" Monica's voice rang through the recluse's ears as she blatantly invaded the girl's personal space to a rest an arm over her shoulder. "So what do you think, are zombies real or not? Flayn and Lissie are just dying to know the truth!"

"Hey, leave me out of this!" Bernadetta loudly objected, throwing the redhead's arm off her shoulder as she uncomfortably backed away from her inquisitive colleagues, where she promptly bumped directly into one of the knights accompanying their group.

"Whoa, careful there, Miss Varley!" the knight urgently warned, halting the recluse's momentum with his hands to prevent her from losing her balance. "You wouldn't want to tumble down the cliff leading down to the village, would you?"

Puzzled, Bernadetta peered around the body of the helpful knight to find, true to his word, the village of Weiler waiting right beneath them, complete with a long, winding trail leading down to the entrance.

"Well, finally. At least we've managed to arrive without any significant delays." Lysithea flatly noted, picking up her pace to advance down the trail as Bernadetta continued to look out upon the afflicted town.

"Goodness, what a pleasant community… I have not seen such a lively settlement in so long…" Flayn softly commented, clearly in awe at the sight of another human settlement outside of Garreg Mach.

"I don't think lively is the right word here…" Bernadetta quietly pointed out, noting the distinct lack of people roaming the village grounds as Flayn eagerly followed in Lysithea's footsteps. There appeared to be nothing structurally wrong with the village at first glance, yet for whatever reason, there wasn't a single soul in sight. Could the plague have already grown so dire?

The Varley heir's mind was already brimming with questions while the other members of her entourage promptly strolled past her to set off towards Weiler, but her attention quickly shifted to Monica when the redhead silently walked up to the edge of the cliff with an abnormally wistful expression.

"Is… something wrong, Monica?"

"Ah, it's nothing, don't worry about it. This place just reminds me so much of my hometown, you know?" Monica casually explained, her expression unchanging as she continued to look over the tranquil village.

"Oh, really? If you don't mind me asking, what was your hometown like?"

"It was really nothing special… just a tiny little border town off in the middle of nowhere. It's probably not the kind of place you'll find on the map anymore…" Monica answered, prompting a curious stare from her violet haired schoolmate before bursting into a small fit of laughter. "Ah, what am I even telling you all this for? Trust me; you wouldn't wanna sit around listening to my boring life story."

"Well… no, I don't think it sounds boring-"

"Hey, what do you two think you're doing, dawdling around up there?!" Lysithea irritably called out from further down the trail before Bernadetta could form a complete response. "We have a vital assignment to take care of, in case you've forgotten!"

"Eh, duty calls. What're we gonna do about it?" Monica indifferently shrugged before taking a large leap down the side of the cliff, leaving Bernadetta to watch on with a look of bewilderment as the Black Eagle enthusiastically beckoned her to follow suit.

"…I think I'll take the long way around." the Varley heir quietly shook her head, still not sure what to make of her redheaded colleague as she hurriedly set off down the winding trail to Weiler.


"How very peculiar… is there perhaps a law forbidding the citizens from roaming the streets at this hour…?" Flayn inquisitively commented, her gaze wandering every which way as she scanned the seemingly deserted streets for any signs of activity. Even for a town of such a small size, it seemed disturbingly out of place to find not even a single person going about their business outside.

"You don't think the entire village was infected by the plague, do you…?" Bernadetta fearfully questioned.

"Or even worse… they could have all been abducted by the scaaaaary wiiiiiitch!" Monica mockingly theorized, receiving a sharp elbow to the side from Lysithea for her troubles.

"No, the people here are simply frightened. Take a look at that house over there." the youthful mage promptly corrected, pointing over to a single open window where a young child was secretly peering his head out from behind. Immediately realizing his presence had been noticed, the child hastily slammed the window shut and closed the curtains together to shield his presence.

"Huh. There are folks watching us every direction, and they're all giving us some serious stink eye…" Monica quietly noted, showing a slight display of discomfort as her eyes rapidly darted around the area.

"At least we know this place isn't abandoned… for now, it seems our only option is to interrogate the villagers within their homes, assuming they'll even allow us inside." Lysithea concluded as she promptly set off towards the nearest house.

Naturally, her fellow schoolmates were quick to follow in the mage's footsteps, more than eager to find out more about the strange, desolate town they found themselves in. Only halfway towards her destination, however, Bernadetta nearly felt her heart stop when a thundering slam rang out from within the nearby home. Within moments, one of the frontal windows opened up to reveal a furious looking brunette girl, presumably one around her age, waiting behind it.

"Don't you dare take one step closer!" the youth loudly cried out, pointing an accusatory finger at Bernadetta, who instinctively trembled in response.

"Wh- what… what are you even talking about?!"

"Don't play dumb with me, girl! I'd recognize that demonic shade of hair anywhere!" the villager angrily spat back, briefly bending over to retrieve and hurl a small pebble in the direction of the fearful student, who just barely managed to avoid the impromptu projectile at the last second.

"Hey, what the hell is wrong with you?!" Lysithea sharply protested. "We're only here to help you, you simpleton!"

"If you truly wanted to help us, you wouldn't have taken that scum's daughter with you! And you…! After all he's done to ruin my family, I'd bet Count Varley was the one that unleashed that witch upon us too!" the youth shouted once more, her gaze still firmly focused on the shuddering figure of Bernadetta, who had no idea what she'd done to incur the woman's unbridled wrath. The brunette opened her mouth to continue her accusations, yet before she could utter a single word, she abruptly collapsed back into her home, having been struck in the forehead by the very same pebble she had attempted to attack Bernadetta with.

"Wha- Monica, no!" the lilac haired recluse immediately objected, not even hesitating to turn back time and take hold of her schoolmate's arm before she could fire back at the resentful villager.

"What gives, Bernie?! Don't tell me you actually like getting put down like a wild animal!"

"Of course I don't, but do you really think this is going to solve anything either?!"

"It'll sure as hell make me feel better!" Monica quickly retorted, still refusing to drop the stone firmly gripped in her hand.

As if on cue, another loudly slam reverberated from the stranger's home when Lysithea angrily took hold of the youth's shoulders and, due to her short height, forcefully pulled the aggressor down onto the windowsill to that she could look her directly in the eye, even startling a handful of the nearby knights accompanying the group with her violent act.

"I don't know what Count Varley might have done to you, nor do I even care; there is nothing more foolish than blaming the child for the actions of their parents!" the young mage fiercely roared, almost as if she were personally offended by the villager's fierce accusations herself.

"Try telling that to the older brother I had to bury last week!" the youth quickly shot back, a claim that made Bernadetta instinctively shrivel up in guilt. "He was the only one left to support us after our parents fell victim to the last plague! And all of this happened under the watch of that worthless brat's father!"

"The last plague…? What could she be…"

"Everybody, please come to your senses!" Flayn urgently pleaded, catching the attention of everyone present as she deftly rushed over to the open window. "Lysithea, please unhand this woman right this instant. This was supposed to be a mission of peace, was it not?"

Begrudgingly, the white haired mage eased off on the equally enraged brunette, allowing Flayn to gently walk up and apply a light curative spell to the battered villager.

"You… you're a healer, aren't you?"

"Indeed I am. Would I be correct to assume that your remaining siblings have fallen victim to the plague?" Flayn calmly asked, receiving a slow nod in response. "Then I would like to request that you allow me and my friends into your home. I may not be able to cure your sibling's ailments entirely, but I can at least ease their pain."

"Very well… I'll allow you to lend your assistance…" the aggressive youth gratefully accepted, but not without shooting one last scornful look at the remaining students. "But I will not allow any of your alleged friends to set foot in my home."

"And why not?! I don't know what Count Varley did to you, but I'm not the same person as him! I've never even set foot in this village in my life!" Bernadetta desperately questioned, still bewildered by the brunette's severe lack of hospitality.

"Hmph. If you really want to know more, why don't you try asking someone else? My family is far from the only one that your bastard of a father has ravaged." the villager firmly concluded, silently beckoning for Flayn to come inside before bringing her window back down and forcefully yanking the curtains together.

"My apologies… it seems there is nothing I can do to convince this lady to change her mind."

"There's no need to apologize, Flayn. These people are all fools; holed up in their homes in fear of some harmless little girl… it's completely nonsensical." Lysithea bitterly grumbled, her eyes firmly shut as the young priestess apologetically bowed and set forth to enter the paranoid villager's home with two knights in tow.

"If anyone should apologize, it should probably be me-"

"Don't be ridiculous, Bernie, you didn't even do anything wrong!" Monica immediately objected, prompting a pained sigh from the lilac haired recluse.

"I know that... but if what that woman said was true, then-"

"What that woman said doesn't mean anything, Bernadetta. She's not even worth listening to." Lysithea sternly cautioned, to which the troubled girl acknowledged by silently setting out further into the depths of the town. "Now where do you think you're going?!"

"I think we should all split up from here. It should be easier for you to get into people's homes if they don't see me with you." Bernadetta offhandedly explained, not even bothering to face her fellow schoolmates as she continued to stroll off into the distance.

"Are you even listening to yourself right now?! You can't just wander off by yourself in a place like this!" the white haired mage strongly objected. "You may not place much value in your own safety, but I just know the professor's going to freak out if anything happens to you out here!"

"I'm afraid I must agree with Lysithea on this matter. The people of this town have grown so paranoid that there is no telling what they may attempt if they catch you out on your own."

Bernadetta momentarily halted, realizing full well that Byleth must have personally instructed Lysithea to keep an eye on her, letting out another guilty sigh before turning to face her unofficial supervisor. "This isn't worth troubling yourself over; you should probably take care of Flayn instead. I can handle myself just fine, but we'll all be in deep trouble if anything happens to Seteth's beloved sister."

"Flayn has an entire squadron of knights at her beck and call. And unlike you, she's not the focus of a fear-crazed village-wide witch hunt." Lysithea sharply retorted, completely unfazed by the girl's cold reasoning.

"Look, I appreciate your concern, it's just-" Bernadetta quietly subsided, only for her eyes to widen in realization upon noticing the absence of a certain redhead in her group. "Wait second… do you happen to see Monica anywhere?"

"What are you… ugh, that's just wonderful. Like I don't have enough to worry about as it is." Lysithea tiredly groaned, cradling a hand to her forehead as she scanned the area to her missing schoolmate, but to no avail.

"Well, I guess we have no choice but to split up now." Bernadetta apologetically shrugged. "We should probably make sure our guest doesn't kill anyone while our backs are turned, right?"

"You really are hopelessly stubborn, you know that?" Lysithea continued to grumble, an assertion her lavender haired colleague didn't even attempt to deny as she resumed her own departure. "Just don't hold me responsible if you end up doing anything stupid while you're on your own." she gravely warned, showing no small amount of vexation as Bernadetta offhandedly waved goodbye to her.


"It seems the sins of the father may run far deeper than we could have anticipated." Sothis grimly noted sharing in her companion's mental anguish as Bernadetta continued to wander the streets of Weiler with her head hanging low.

"I don't even know how much of this I should believe in…"

Indeed, Bernadetta was no stranger to the myriad of unpleasant rumors surrounding both her and her family at large. It was hardly a secret, even as far back as her childhood, that Count Varley was not well beloved among his people. Many of the affronts spewed by the villagers were ones she had heard before, yet the sheer level of vitriol against her family's deeds was something else entirely.

"Twenty years of ludicrously high taxes, and what did that get for us?! Absolutely nothing!"

"None of this would have happened if Lord Abelard were still in power!"

"You… you're the daughter of the bastard that stole away my child! Even after he'd already taken so much from us…!"

"Count Allocer was the one that spread this plague, I tell you! He's already done it once before, and he'll damn well do it again!"

"That man doesn't give a damn about his own people's suffering! He'd rather sit in his comfy mansion and watch as he feeds innocent people to that pet monster of his!"

"No… please, forget you ever saw me! Your father, he'll… he'll have me killed in my sleep if he knows I'd failed to uphold my debt…!"

"Then remember this: the truth is what you see with your own eyes, not what you hear from others." the Goddess sympathetically offered her guidance. "No matter how heavily they might weigh upon you, these rampant rumors are ultimately nothing more than fleeting words. They do not reflect upon your true character in the slightest."

"You don't have to lie to make me feel better." Bernadetta bitterly shot back. "You were there right with me; you saw exactly how much they all hated me, didn't you?"

The Varley heir bit down on her lip as the unprecedented fear and anger directed towards her still rang clearly through her mind. Truthfully, she couldn't care less about her father's public affairs, but if even a fraction of the villager's tall tales were true, then why would they pour so much energy into blaming her for all their misfortunes? She knew deep down that she'd done nothing to harm any of them, yet she still became the target of scorn and slander all the same.

"You must be that reclusive freak that makes cursed dolls to bring bad luck upon her enemies! Get the hell away from me!"

"Y- you can't fool me! You're the witch your father sent out to terrorize the land, I just know it!"

"Stop pretending you're even human! And give her back… give my sister back, you heartless witch!"

"Just looking at you makes me sick to my stomach. Why don't you head back to your dungeon and stay there forever?"

"Innocent? You actually think you're innocent?! If you hadn't been born, fewer people would have suffered needlessly for it!"

"My son is dead because of you and you alone! I swear if Owen had never had those delusions of befriending a noble…!"

"Don't be such a fool. You should know better than to blindly agree with all this resentful trite. You were perfectly willing to stand up for yourself before, so what changed?" Sothis harshly reminded as her companion planted a hand over the freshly made bruise on her cheek, formed at the hands of a wrathful mother. "Did you truly mean it when you said you were not the same person as your father? That you were not the same terrible villain these people viewed you as?"

"Nothing I say will ever make a difference… I can argue all I want, but those people will only ever see my so-called father in my eyes and nothing more." Bernadetta dismally resigned, stopping in her tracks to rest her weary body against a nearby wall. "And they might actually be right, you know? Maybe if I'd just disappeared, then-"

"It must not be fun, being so thoroughly loathed by everyone. And for what, exactly?" a low, mysterious voice suddenly called out, quickly snapping Bernadetta out of her thoughts as she frantically scanned the area for the source of the disturbance. Within seconds, her attention was drawn to an uncanny cloaked figure, its hooded face concealed by the shadows, save for a beckoning grin beaming in her direction.

The very appearance of this newcomer was enough to fill Bernadetta with a sense of overwhelming dread, leaving her rooted to the spot as the two silently stared into each other's eyes. Then, with nary another word, the unknown figure's jet black coat swayed through the wind as the onlooker calmly retreated into a nearby alleyway, seemingly without a care in the world.

"I- I must be seeing things… There's no way this was real, right…?" Bernadetta fearfully asked, her body visibly trembling from the mere presence of the hooded figure, nervously anticipating a reply from the Goddess in her mind only to receive none in turn. "S- Sothis… can you hear me…?"

"Hey, come on… if this is a joke, it's not funny…! You can't just fall asleep on me at a time like this!"

Many seconds passed, and still, the violet haired student heard nothing from her divine companion. It was as if the Goddess had vanished just as suddenly as the cloaked figure appeared before her. Though it went against her better judgment, Bernadetta was left with no choice but to follow the onlooker into the alley, hoping with every fiber in her body that she was mistaken about this stranger's identity.

"I can't believe I'm doing this, I can't believe I'm doing this…!"

With her longbow drawn and ready, Bernadetta cautiously followed in the hooded figure's footsteps, ever wary of even the slightest movement from the shadows around her. The alley was little more than a single dark, abandoned corridor, seemingly cut off from the rest of the village, yet perplexingly, the cloaked stranger was nowhere in sight.

"You poor, poor girl..." a familiar voice suddenly spoke up from behind, practically startling Bernadetta out of her boots from how close it was to her.

"Agh! S- stay back! Stay back or I'll shoot!" the terrified student demanded, acting on pure instinct as she turned around and aimed her weapon directly at the hooded figure mockingly waiting behind her. Though the figure's voice was deeper than she would have expected, there was no mistaking that it was feminine in nature. Upon closer inspection, Bernadetta could make out the telltale pale white skin of an Agarthan peeking out from under the mysterious woman's hood, complete with a pair of ink-like markings trailing down the sides of her face, alongside two flocks of snow white hair long enough to rest upon her shoulders.

"Confused, are we? Too scared to even speak?" the stranger questioned, her lips forming into a mocking smirk as Bernadetta continued to shudder under her gaze. From this short distance, it was clear that the woman stood nearly a full head taller than the terrified archer. "Did you have any nice dreams last night, Bernie Bear?"

"How do you- just d- don't come any closer! I'm warning you, I'll put an arrow through your head if you try anything funny!" Bernadetta fiercely demanded, utterly refusing to take her aim off of the imposing threat before her.

"Wow, such courage, such bravado!" the woman offered an insincere compliment as she slowly applauded her victim's show of bravery. "And here I was expecting you to shrivel up like a wilted flower while you beg for your beloved professor to come and save you again."

"Shut up… you… you don't know anything about me! You're just trying to screw with my head…!" Bernadetta fearfully cried out, nearly losing her breath when her aggressor mockingly pretended to put a single foot forward.

"What do you think you did to make all these people hate you so much, Bernie? You must have done something especially awful lately."

"Don't be ridiculous… you're the witch responsible for spreading this plague around, aren't you?! You're the reason these people are too frightened to leave their homes…!"

"Witch… is a rather vulgar title, don't you think?" the hooded woman mused aloud, not even bothering to deny Bernadetta's claims. "And yet they're all pointing their metaphorical torches and pitchforks at you instead. Why do you think that is?"

"I- isn't it obvious…?! I'm just… a proxy for the people who actually wronged them… a walking target for them to vent their built up frustrations towards… even if it's not entirely unwarranted…" Bernadetta added under her breath.

"I'm glad to see you understand that much." the witch contentedly nodded before raising a single finger to her lips. "But I can promise you this; even without all this business surrounding your dear old dad and the plague, these people will still find another reason to hate you regardless."

"What are you even talking about…?"

"They're out there, you know. Wherever you look, you'll find people so despicable, they'll go out of their way to hurt others, and even those remotely associated with them, purely because of their blood." the witch's lips quickly formed into a venomous frown. "Disgusting, isn't it?"

"Well yeah, I can't deny that…" Bernadetta reluctantly agreed, having already seen her fair share discrimination towards herself and others. "But not everyone's like that, you know?! I have friends… loved ones who couldn't care less about where I'm from… and someone dear to my heart who'd reach out his hand for me no matter what-"

"And how long do you expect those friends of yours to last, Bernie?" the witch grimly challenged, her tone growing direr with every word. "Do you think you even deserve them? Do you truly believe they'd still care for you if they found out what you really were?"

"What I really am…?" Bernadetta fearfully parroted, unsure what to make of the witch's ominous warnings. "W- wait! I told you not to come any closer!"

"You honestly haven't figured it out after all this time?" the witch chuckled in disbelief, completely ignoring the terrified archer's warnings as she continued to close in on the terrified archer.

"Who are you?! What do you even want from me?!" Bernadetta shakily asked as she slowly backed away from the oncoming witch.

"If you wish to learn more about yourself, why don't you ask your mother? I'm sure she'd love nothing more than to share all the juicy details with you." the cloaked figure nonchalantly advised before her lips formed another smug grin. "And don't worry; I'll be sure to save some more time for that cute professor of yours later."

"No…! You stay away from him!" Bernadetta snapped back, fully incensed as she finally mustered the will to let loose an arrow from her bow.


"…Will you wake up, already?!"

"Wait… what…?"

"Are you daft?! What was going through your head when you decided to fall asleep in a place like this? And in the middle of an assignment at that!" the voice of Sothis rang through Bernadetta's ears like a morning alarm, prompting the girl to instantly shoot up to her feet with a terrified scream.

"Where… where is she?! Where the hell is that wicked witch…?!" Bernadetta loudly demanded, her eyes wide open and bow still in hand as she frantically scanned both sides of the alleyway for any signs of life.

"Would you please take a moment to compose yourself before you attract any unwanted attention?!" the voice of the Goddess boomed once again, this time causing her lavender haired companion to brace herself against a nearby wall as she desperately attempted to catch her ragged breaths.

"Sothis… please tell me you know what's going on… I couldn't hear a thing from you while I was chasing that witch into the alley…!"

"The witch? What in the world are you going on about?! All I saw was you mindlessly wandering off without heeding any of my warnings!"

"You're kidding… right? You really didn't see any of that?!" Bernadetta questioned in utter disbelief. "The witch was right there! She was in a shadowy hood, and she seemed to know way too much about me, and-"

"Once again, I would like to remind you to get a hold of yourself… I never claimed not to believe you. I am just as troubled over this conundrum as you are, but panicking will get us nowhere." Sothis carefully reminded in an effort to ease the frightened recluse's racing nerves. "It was as if you were just possessed by some unseen force… I was unable to hear a single word from you as well, yet if you truly met with this witch as you have claimed, then…"

"Hello… is anybody in there? I just heard the most terrible scream…" a curious voice echoed through the alley before Sothis could further her train of thought.

"I wasn't that loud, was I?"

Immediately recognizing the source of this voice, Bernadetta's gaze shifted to the entrance of the alleyway to find Flayn staring back at her with the same wide-eyed, innocent expression she always bore.

"Ah, greetings Bernadetta. What a pleasant coincidence; I was actually hoping to seek you out just now." the young priestess happily noted as her violet haired schoolmate hurriedly darted over to speak with her directly.

"Flayn? Wait a second… didn't you have an escort of knights following you around the last time I saw you?"

"Well, you see, I have just engaged in the delinquent act known amongst today's youths as… ditching!" Flayn proudly proclaimed. "It gives me such an exhilarating feeling, the likes of which I have never experienced before!"

"I don't think your brother's going to be happy to find out that you ran away from the guards he sent to protect you…"

"Seteth means well, but he is always so overbearing… it seems that is something I cannot evade even outside the walls of the monastery."

"At least you know he'll always care for you, right?" Bernadetta quietly asked, receiving a nod of agreement from the young priestess in return. "Did you… happen to catch anybody going in or out of this alleyway recently?"

"Not in particular… I do not recall witnessing any people within this passage aside from you." Flayn noted, a curious expression forming across her face as she placed a hand to her chin in deep thought. "And from the looks of it, there only appears to be a single entrance to this alley as well… what exactly were you doing here?"

"Are you sure you didn't see anyone coming out of here? No… mysterious hooded figures or witches-"

"Witches? Oh, Bernadetta, you should know full well that this witch we have been hearing of is nothing more than a figment of the frightened populace's imagination." Flayn calmly explained, no doubt skeptical of her schoolmate's wild story. "I fear this rampant paranoia may have gotten to your head as well..."

"I- I'm not making this up! I know what I saw! I met with the witch myself and followed her into this alley!" Bernadetta frantically attempted to defend her account, only for Flayn to place a concerned hand over her shoulder for her troubles.

"Perhaps this is all getting to be too much for you… but fear not! I have a favor to ask of you that may serve to take your mind off your troubles."

"I swear I'm not… fine. What did you want to ask me?" Bernadetta hesitantly relented, knowing better than to continue digging herself deeper.

"Well then, for starters, it has come to my attention that a great number of children in this village have lost their parents to the plague. Once we have wrapped up our investigations for the day, I plan to arrange for them all to find a new home over in Garreg Mach; much like the orphans of Gaspard whose lives you saved."

"That sounds like a kindhearted plan… but what am I supposed to do? Do you want me to convince my parents to give them a quick place to stay for the week, or-"

"Oh no, I should require no assistance on that end." Flayn immediately corrected. "Is it true that you are known across the monastery as an avid author of children's books?"

"A- an author…? Who could have given you that idea?" Bernadetta nervously denied, now desperate to shift the subject away from herself. "I swear, I've never written a book before in my life!"

"Oh? But I have heard so much acclaim for writing capabilities from your peers; Sylvain in particular had nothing but glowing praise for your latest creation!"

"Ugh, when are those shameless drabbles of mine gonna stop coming back to haunt me?!" Bernadetta mentally anguished as the young priestess continued to gaze upon her with expecting eyes. "Okay… maybe I'm not a total stranger to writing, then."

"That is wonderful to hear! In which case, I was hoping that you might craft a new story for me to read to the orphans back at the monastery. If all goes well, perhaps we could even convince the children from this village not to be so frightened of you!"

"Well, I- I'll at least think about it… but I'm really not the best person for the job, you know? Isn't there anyone else you can-" Bernadetta desperately attempted to back out of her schoolmate's requests, only for her conversation to be cut short by a loud series of crashing sounds resonating from across the street.

Concerned, the two students immediately fled the alley to locate the source of the commotion. The deafening bangs continued to reverberate throughout the village as the pair hastily raced the streets to discover their origin, and before long, both students were greeted by another loud slam emanating from a nearby house.

"What in the- Monica?! What are you even…?" Bernadetta's eyes widened in shock as she instantly recognized the redheaded figure emerging from a newly dislodged front door. Perhaps the involvement of the ever-present Black Eagle didn't come off as a surprise in hindsight, but the robed figure forcibly snared within her hands was another matter altogether: an Agarthan Dark Mage bearing the familiar bird shaped mask worn by his occult colleagues.

"Oh hey, you two! You'll never guess who I just found skulking around in here!" Monica proudly explained, an expression of satisfaction spreading across her face while her fellow students looked upon the ongoing scene with abject confusion.

"There's something really fishy about this…" Bernadetta's brows furrowed as she mentally assessed the situation at hand. "I know we heard signs of their supposed struggle from a mile away, but these two clearly aren't injured whatsoever… just what the hell is Monica trying to accomplish here?"

Before the Varley heir could even begin to make sense of her redheaded companion's intentions, however, a ball of dark magic suddenly sailed through the air, forcibly knocking the dark mage out of Monica's hands as the projectile struck him across the chest.

It didn't take long for the students present to realize the source of this disruption when an enraged Lysithea fiercely marched over to the masked mage she had sent unceremoniously tumbling to the ground.

"Odesse…!"

"Why, if it isn't Miss Ordelia… I'm quite flattered to see you still recall my name after all this time…" the downed mage weakly sputtered, his mask had cracked from the spell's impact to reveal traces of his pale white skin hiding underneath.

"Lysithea, what is the meaning of this?!" Flayn quickly demanded, unhesitantly throwing herself in the path between the white haired mage and her wounded victim before the former could do any more harm. "Do you know this man?"

"You don't know the half of it, Flayn."

"Why the unhappy face, Miss Ordelia? Are you still not grateful that I allowed you to grow to your new potential?" the injured Odesse politely asked, further incensing the short statured noble that wounded him so gravely. "I can already sense the staggering progress you've made from here…"

"Shut up! Stop acting like you've done anything to help me!"

"Oh ho ho, it looks like somebody's holding a grudge!" Monica amusingly commented, earning only a disapproving stare from her colleague in response.

"Hmph… I hope you all like long stories, because there is something I've been meaning to share with you for a while. If my theory is correct, and I know it is… this tale may just reveal the secret behind this terrible plague." Lysithea darkly announced, to the tune of a loud chorus of surprised gasps from her unsettled peers.

All the while, Bernadetta remained cautiously silent, already knowing the tragic details of Lysithea's story all too well. Odesse… this was a name she had only heard briefly in her original timeline; he had likely been killed shortly after his encounter with the Alliance's army, but there was no doubt that this Dark Mage had a vital role to play in the grand scheme of things. With some luck, perhaps the new information unfolding before her could serve to shed some much needed light on the mysterious witch plaguing her mind as well…