"Finally, the day has come. The day in which everything I´ve been fighting for turns into reality. It has been a long fight, yet there is only one more step. I wish Jeralt was alive too, but if this works…" Aelfric said talking to himself as he prepared the ritual. Masked mages had placed magic seals around them to avoid any chance of running away.
"Yuri, why are you with that asshole if you are going to be part in the ritual? It doesn´t make any sense!"
"I had no other option; it was this or the death of innocents"
"Do you mean I am guilty of something? Well, I´m broke, but that isn´t enough, I think"
"This is outrageous, Yuri! Of all people you…"
"I didn´t want to be the bad guy either, but I did my best with the cards I had. You know that I like taking risky bets and today is one of them" he said with a smile as the bells started to ring.
"The bells? At this time?" asked a shocked Aelfric.
"You may think that you´ve had the upper hand on all of this, but the Abyss knows to be true to their word. I´ve been working for months with Rhea to unveil who had been accessing without authorization the ancient documents of the Church. I was forced to pretend to be working for you when you threatened the life of innocents, but that doesn´t mean that I´ve given up on my plans of catching you" he laughed. "Being the bad guy doesn´t suit you well, Aelfric. I don´t get why you want to do something like this, but it isn´t the right thing to do. Just be nice and surrender and perhaps Rhea will have mercy on you"
"Enough of your nonsense, even if reinforcements arrive, it is already too late for you! This is not the time to look back, if it means my end, so be it!" Aelfric shouted as he quickly placed a glyph in each one of them. As he did so, they were engulfed by a red aura that was being absorbed by the Chalice. "A life for another. This is the price for the things we hold dear" he said as he observed how the Chalice was filling by their own vital energy.
"I can´t…move" Balthus muttered as he tried to break free from the ropes that were imprisoning him.
"This is dark magic. I can feel it. Aelfric, dark magic is like a sword without a hilt. This could end badly for all of us"
"If this works, I will make sure to make everyone return, even all of you. When the Chalice is active again, we could recover all our dear ones, don´t you understand?"
"That´s not right, clinging onto the past will never be the right solution. Everyone has their own problems and traumas, but we have to keep going. If my words don´t persuade you, I hope that the Professor does" he smiled as he heard the sound of footsteps.
…..
"So they were here, after all" she muttered as she prepared her axe for the upcoming battle. The four leaders of the Abyss were engulfed in a red aura which was linked to the Chalice at the bottom of the area. Between them and the students there were Aelfric forces.
"The ceremony has already started. I will use my own power to slow down the process, but we have to stop before it is too late" Rhea said as she extended her arms. "I entrust you with the security of the students, Professor. Lend your hand to the Church to avoid further unnecessary sacrifices"
"I will do my best" Byleth nodded as he unsheathed his sword. "Edelgard with me. Claude and Ashe to the left. Dimitri and Hilda to the right. Linhardt, check on everyone from behind" he ordered as he advanced to the front.
"You´ve heard him. It is time to stop the ceremony."
As when they first battled months ago, the bottom of the room could be accessed by three paths, all of them heavily protected. The central path was protected by a group of mages, which released powerful bolting spells against them as they tried to approach.
"Be careful, they outrange us" Byleth alerted them as he quickly approached the mage in the middle.
"Incoming attack, prepare the barrier!"
When Byleth was about to attack one of the mages a magic barrier was erected, sending him backwards.
"How you dare to try to profane this ceremony. I will show no compassion to any of you" Aelfric shouted as he casted an intense fire spell, the moment the flames impacted to the ground several beasts started to appear from the crimson flames. "Ancient flames, I offer you a worthy sacrifice! Accept the flesh I offer you in exchange for your strength!" he said as the flame beasts looked at them. "May the flames guide you to your place of final rest."
"Ancient magic and of the worse kind, pyromancy has always been a beast tricky to master, but using this kind of magic against us…How troublesome" Linhardt sighed. "All of you, be careful, these aren´t ordinary flames, if they get you I´m not sure that I can heal all of you"
"If it weren´t for you I wouldn't know they weren´t an ordinary flame" Claude laughed.
"You have heard him, be careful!" Byleth shouted as he released a magic spell against the magic barrier, the first cracks appearing on it. "A few more hits and it will be done. Edelgard, attack the barrier with your axe!"
"It will be done" she said as she ran forward the barrier. The mages tried to hit her with their lightning spells, but they weren´t accurate enough. With one brutal hit of her axe the barrier shattered and the mages behind them were defenseless.
"Let the lesson begin!" Byleth shouted as he jumped next to her, releasing the fury of the Sword of the Creator. With their combined attacks the mages were easily defeated, but the fight wasn´t over yet as one of the flame beasts approached them. The beast had adopted the form of a gargoyle, which roared as it tried to smash them to the ground. The attacks of the beast were brutal and the areas where its attacks impacted, they were left incandescent.
"If we aren´t careful, we will be engulfed by the flames" she said as she avoided another attack. They were getting used to its attack pattern, but how could they approach a beast made of flames without getting scarred in the process?
"We will have to do ranged attacks" Byleth said as if he had read her mind. "Edelgard, I know that you have an innate magic talent. Could you canalize it into your axe?"
Closing her eyes for a moment, she tried to do as she did so, the moment she opened her eyes again she could see blue sparks releasing from the axe. Releasing the energy accumulated within the axe she aimed at the core of the flame beast, staggering it, opportunity which Byleth took advantage of to definitely destroy it with a ranged attack from the Sword of the Creator. The gargoyle roared one more time before turning into ashes.
"Great job, Edelgard, but this is not over yet. Lend me your strength" Byleth briefly smiled to her before focusing on their next enemy.
"With you by my side, there is nothing to fear" she nodded as she followed him to their next adversary.
…
As they advanced through countless enemies, they were getting closer to the area where the ritual was held, but they had to hurry up. Yuri and Balthus were heavily breathing and Hapi and Constance were barely moving.
"Even if you are trying to delay it, the ceremony is inevitable. I won´t allow any of you to destroy what I´ve been fighting for! It seems that not even the flame beasts were able to be a worthy enemy, in that case allow me to try something better" Aelfric said as he cut the palm of his hand and casted it to one of the torches, the moment the blood met the torch the light of the flame turned black.
"Aelfric, how could you dare to practice that kind of magic in a sacred place. You, of all people" Rhea cried from the entrance of the holy tomb, where she was still trying to stop the magic of the ceremony. "Everyone, be careful!" she shouted as the dark flame turned into a beast, but unlike the flame beasts they had defeated earlier, this one appeared to have a body of its own. The creature was completely amorphous, red eyes popping from flesh covered by pustules from which emanated a dark effluvium.
"We are almost there, only one final push!" Byleth shouted as he placed himself in front of the amorphous shadow.
"No matter the obstacle we have to overcome it"
"You have stolen the words from my mouth, Edelgard. You are right, let´s put an end to this" Claude smiled, readying his bow.
"With all of you I have enough strength to get through everything" Dimitri quickly nodded as he prepared his lance for a final attack.
"Attack now!" Byleth shouted as he went head on against the beast. The monster released black flames from its multiple mouths, but the attacks missed him, hitting one of the columns and melting it. As Byleth hit the beast in the face, her and Dimitri attacked the hind legs, while Claude released arrows from the sides of the beast, hitting the mysterious creature in its multiple eyes. Shortly after, the rest of the students accompanied them in the attack. The beast was unable to battle all of them at the same time. However, even with all their efforts the beast was still standing in front of them, not a single scratch on its disgusting skin.
"It doesn´t matter what you do, no ordinary human could so easily defeat this monster" Aelfric confidently smiled. "It is a pity that your efforts were completely futile. Only a bit more and this will be over…for good" he said as he cherished the area of his hand.
"Don´t be so cocky about it, everything has a weak point" Claude said as he released a new group of arrows from his bow.
She was readying her axe too when Byleth charged at the beast. The monster opened its jaws to devour him, but in the last second, he jumped on the back of the beast and from there he used a spell to hit Aelfric, the moment he did so, the beast vanished in dark smoke.
"It didn´t matter how much we tried, the beast was invincible, but you aren´t" Byleth said as he approached Aelfric. "Take care of the rest, quickly! I will take care of him"
…..
"Why are you opposing me? Of all people, you are the one I wished could understand my objectives" Aelfric lamented as he prepared to defend the Chalice.
"Who do you plan to resurrect with the power of the Chalice?" Byleth asked as he prepared his sword.
"I´ve done all of this to bring back Sitri…your mother…the light of my life" Aelfric said with a painful expression on his face.
"Byleth´s mother?" she thought, shocked by the revelation.
"That´s impossible, she died giving me birth 21 years ago. She has been gone for too long"
"The Professor is right, even if the Chalice had hidden powers, it would be impossible to bring back to life a body which had been dead for more than two decades"
"Then how do you explain this" Aelfric asked as he unveiled what had been hiding at the top of the altar. She could see the body of a young woman, which appeared to be sleeping. Her flesh was paler than her own clothes, but there weren´t any signs of deterioration. It was just as if she was deeply asleep.
"She hasn´t changed a bit since the day she died. During 10 years I trusted the official version that said she died giving birth to you and that she was gone for good, but ten years ago I discovered her body in one of the ancient chambers under the monastery. How could her body remain uncorrupted despite all the time that has already passed? Shocked by the revelation, I´ve spent the last decade trying to figure out how to bring her back to life and after years I finally found out about the existence of the Chalice. I thought that would be my opportunity to achieve it"
"Aelfric, I understand that you want to see her alive again, but she is gone. I consider both of you as my own children and I couldn't allow myself to bury her under the ground. That was my fault, but the Chalice won´t bring her back, her soul has already abandoned her body. The Chalice cannot bring back the dead, it can only recover their bodies, but what is the purpose of it if resurrecting means returning to the world of the living as an empty carcass? I beg you to surrender, I wish you no harm"
"You are liar! I don´t know what you did to her, but your legacy of lies won´t continue!" he shouted as he casted a potent meteor spell against them. The impact scorched the terrain in front of them, releasing violent flames. To avoid the flames, she had to jump to one of the sides as Byleth did the same.
"I don´t wish to fight you Aelfric, since you were a friend of my father, but you don´t leave me another choice" Byleth said as he jumped on him at the same time that Aelfric erected a magic barrier of purple flames. Sword and flame met and an explosion engulfed both of the combatants. When the dust disappeared only Byleth appeared to be standing, although he appeared to be injured.
"I made a promise to my father that I would protect all of them. Even if I can´t say that your intentions are evil, there is no turning back. Surrender Aelfric, it is over" Byleth said as he offered him a hand.
"Why don´t you understand? Rhea is lying to you. The death of Sitri, your apparent death in a fire more than twenty years ago…Even if I don´t know everything about it I must keep fighting. I don´t care if it means my own end. If she smiles once again then I will accept the consequences. Wouldn´t you do something like this for your loved ones?"
Byleth hesitated one moment before giving an answer.
"I think that I understand the pain you are feeling, but we can´t change the past, but even if this Chalice could return my parents, the price is too high. As long as I don´t forget about them they won´t die and they will accompany me for the rest of my life. Besides, I have a reason to keep fighting" he said as he looked at his students, his eyes lingering a bit longer on her, a light smile on his face.
"Your path and mine are completely different, but I don´t hold any grudge against you. That smile…I will cherish that memory…but I won´t back down!" he shouted as he suddenly took Sitri´s body and the Chalice and disappeared in a purple cloud.
"He had run away!"
"The monastery had limits to that kind of magic. He is still close. We have to head to the Cathedral; I have a bad feeling about this" Rhea said with sorrowful expression.
"I agree, damn it. I wish Aelfric were a complete asshole, but I can´t avoid feeling pity for him. By the way Yuri…" Balthus said as he approached him and punched him in the face. "This is for being a jerk to us. You should have told us. Aren´t we friends?"
"Sorry, I should have trusted all of you about it, but I wasn´t too thoughtful. It is time to correct this mistake. Professor, everyone I´m counting on all of you. Let´s stop Aelfric before it is too late"
"I agree, we will overcome this together. Let´s end these events for good"
…..
The surroundings of the Cathedral were completely empty, but she could feel a strong aura coming from within the building. Aelfric was kneeled before Sitri´s body at the bottom of the Cathedral, just in front of the altar.
"Aelfric! I beg you for the last time, stop this madness!" Rhea implored.
"Stop it, Aelfric. There is no point on continuing with the ritual. She has been gone for too long"
"I accept all the consequences of my acts. I just want…to see her again" he said as he placed the Chalice on her body. "Sitri, please return" As he placed the Chalice a strange aura started to engulf Sitri´s body. Strange shadows started to appear on the walls, some of them unnaturally alive. She could also hear unknown voices muttering things she couldn't understand.
Suddenly everything stopped as Sitri started to stand up, her eyes completely closed.
"Merciful Sothis" Rhea whispered shocked as she witnessed how Sitri stood up once again.
"I told you I was right. Oh, Sitri, I´ve waited all this time to meet you again. I´m sorry that Jeralt isn´t here, but I could make him return too"
"Aelfric! Leave her now!"
"Why should I? I was right all…" he couldn´t hear anything more as Sitri opened her eyes, but instead of the eyes of her Professor there were just two holes devoid of all life, blood pouring from them.
"This can´t be…What did I do wrong?" Aelfric cried, but it was already too late for him. With a swift movement his head was trapped between Sitri´s hands, his head starting to melt as Sitri fused with Aelfric, his eyes melting as if they were made out of snow.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH" Aelfric´s death cry was piercing through her head as he was engulfed in a red mist, when it disappeared, there was nothing left of the Chalice, Aelfric or Sitri. Instead, there was a giant beast in front of them. Red veins covered the winged beast body and a giant skull devoid of life covered its head. When the beast howled as it flipped its wings, a heavy blizzard started to fall outside of the monastery.
"What the hell is this?"
"It is the umbral beast, the punishment for trying to surpass the power of the Goddess. We cannot let this being break free from here or a tragedy will unfold once again. We need to slay it" Rhea said with a saddened expression on her face.
"Lady Rhea" Alois interrupted them as he entered the cathedral. We have repelled the attack to the village, but a heavy blizzard had just started to fall and monsters are starting to appear outside the monastery!"
"If we do nothing, the monastery will be overwhelmed. I will command the troops with Seteth. I am afraid to leave you with such a beast, but the lives of many depend on me now" Rhea said. "I will place a seal to block the exit to this cathedral. I entrust you their lives, Professor. May the Goddess give you strength"
"I will protect them with my own life" Byleth nodded as he unsheathed the Sword of the Creator. The beast had already noticed them and was silently approaching.
"Attack from different directions. We need to overwhelm it!" Byleth shouted as he used the whip of his Sword to attack the beast´s hind legs.
"Said and done" Claude smiled as he shot at the beast as fast as he could.
Receiving attacks from different directions the beast howled, his roar breaking the heavily decorated windows of the Cathedral and letting the blizzard in.
"Stop this madness!" shouted a known voice.
"Aelfric?" Byleth asked shocked when he saw him standing a few meters from the Umbral Beast.
"If you continue attacking your mother will be gone for good. Are you willing to such an atrocity" he said as he casted a fire spell against him.
She was about to assist him when she was almost hit by another fire spell.
"You students should be out of this matter!"
"This can´t be real, there are now two of them!"
Taking advantage of the situation the Umbral Beast released blue flames from its mouth, separating Byleth from the rest of the students. The flames completely encircled Byleth with Aelfric´s clones, making it impossible to break free from the barrier.
"Keep fighting! I will take care of these illusions"
"You have heard him, keep the pressure!" she shouted as she attacked the beast with her axe.
…
"You are just an illusion!" he shouted as he cut through one of the clones.
"I wish I were, but this pain…is too real" one of the Aelfric´s said as he coughed blood. Even though he was sure they were illusions their bodies didn´t disappear.
"They look too real" he thought.
"My son…" The moment he heard those words his blood froze as he turned around.
"Father?" He couldn´t believe his eyes, Jeralt was standing a few meters from him, wearing the very same clothes he was wearing the day he died. "What are you doing here?"
"I came to see you once again" he said with a faint smile as he approached him.
He was tempted to lower his sword, but his instincts told otherwise as he blocked a fast attack aimed at his heart.
"I didn´t imagine that a day like this would come. Father…even if you aren´t real I wished I couldn´t fight you"
"Me neither, but the reality of this world is not ours to decide" he said with a sad expression on his face as he charged at him.
The attacks of Jeralt were strong and merciless as if he was fighting against the real one…" Was he really just an illusion?" he wondered as he parried another attack aimed at his neck.
"You have really turned into a mighty warrior"
"I learnt from the best" he had said it many times, but this time saying those words was painful.
"I´m glad to hear that" Jeralt said as he canalized all his strength into a brutal blow that would have destroyed any normal sword, but he had the power of the Sword of the Creator on his side. Using its hidden strength, he teared through the armor and flesh effortlessly. Jeralt was spitting blood, trying to get up again as he approached him without success.
"Farewell father" he said as he felt tears forming in his eyes when he received the impact of a spell.
"No son should kill his own father unless he wants to be cursed for the rest of his life. I didn´t die for something like this"
"Not you too" he said as he saw Sitri, approaching him. Unlike the hollowed Sitri, this one had his very own eyes and a sad expression on his face.
"Why do you keep fighting, my dear son? Don´t you understand that the Chalice offers us the opportunity to be a family again?"
"A normal family, think about it" Jeralt said as he slowly stood up.
"Stop messing with my mind!" he shouted as he charged at them.
….
"This monster is too strong. No matter how many times we hit it, it always finds a way to counterattack" she though as she avoided another attack from the beast. Snow was entering the cathedral through the broken windows and she could see her own breath. The blue flames casted by the beast were still surrounding Byleth, blocking any contact with him.
"If we destroy the skull, we might able to weaken it. Focus your attacks on the skull!" she shouted. "Linhardt, warp me to the beast´s face"
As she said so, a few seconds later she was a few meters above the beast, unreleasing the power of her dual crests in a brutal blow to the head.
…..
"When will this pain end?" he wondered as he released his sword from the body of Sitri. He was feeling exhausted, an acute pain piercing his head, but his senses alerted him from an incoming attack. As he avoided the spell, he was shocked to see his new enemy.
"Professor, I really don´t want to fight you. Why do we have to kill each other? Please stop this madness" Dorothea said while crying as she charged another Thoron spell.
"This is impossible, Dorothea is alive, then why is it appearing in front of me? Did something happen while we were out. Am I the one to blame?"
"In Brigid those who we hold dear never really abandon us. The spirits must be trying to communicate with you" Petra said as she tried to stab him from behind.
As he looked at his surroundings, he could see the students he cared so much appearing around him. Lysithea, Caspar, Raphael, Marianne… All of them pure within their heart, yet their faces were looking at him disappointed.
"Look at what you have turned into. Teach, I don´t have any will-ill against you, but I promise I will end it quickly" Claude said as he prepared his bow, refusing to gaze at him.
"Professor, I won´t back down, I hope that you can understand. Even if it´s you I will do everything I can"
"I don´t want to fight all of you…Please stop!" the pain he was feeling inside his head was starting to make him feel dizzy…or was the pain of fighting his dear students?"
"You are too weak, accept what you are…" whispered a voice inside his head. "What am I?" he thought as he avoided another attack.
"A demon…A ghost…A sword" the voice whispered back.
When he opened his eyes again the Sword was even brighter than before as he charged at his students.
…
"We are weakening it!" she shouted as she avoided another attack. The skull was starting to crack, but the Umbral Beast was even more aggressive. Pools of blood and melted snow were all around them.
"I can´t avoid feeling bad about this" Yuri said next to him. "Even if Aelfric used us for his own benefit, I can´t consider his intentions as evil"
"Sometimes the things we hold dear can destroy us. I liked him too, but now the only thing we can do is ending his suffering" Hapi said as she casted another spell.
"The old man was sometimes weird, but this fight…sorry Aelfric" Balthus said as he used his own relic against the beast.
…..
"I´m sorry, I wish I didn´t have to do this" he said as he looked to all the corpses around him. He could hear his own heartbeats in his ears, but it was nothing compared to the pain he was feeling in his heart. But he knew the fight wasn´t completely over.
"My Teacher…." The sound of that voice was sharper than a blade.
"I don´t wish to fight against you, Edelgard" he said as she looked at her. He didn´t know anymore what was real and what wasn´t, but the corpses around him were a silent reminder of the atrocities he had just committed. How could he be alive despite all the things he had just done?
"I wished the next time we were alone you would invite me to dance, but that possibility is already gone" she said with a lonely expression on her face as she prepared her battle axe.
"This can´t be real"
"It is. As real as the snow falling over us" she said as she charged at him.
Sword and axe impacted against each other surrounded by blue flames as the snow silently started to cover the corpses around them. Even though he had the power of a relic on his side she was successfully parrying all of his attacks.
"That´s because you have been my guide all this time" she sadly smiled as if she had read his mind.
The Sword of the Creator, that until now was charged with energy appeared to be devoid of life as they continued to exchange blows. It was a fight he couldn´t avoid anymore, yet that didn´t make it easier.
Taking advantage of one of the attacks from Edelgard he was able to disarm her. Using what remained of his willpower he teared through her flesh as he felt a light pain on his side. He realized he had been stabbed by her, but his armor had been able to deviate most of the damage.
"So this is how it ends…" she whispered as she fell on her knees, her body about to collapse.
"I´m sorry…" he said as he held her body. The pain he was feeling through his entire body was starting to overwhelm him, his sense of reality completely lost. "I just don´t know what is right and what is wrong anymore. Is this just an illusion?"
"Could an illusion do something like this?" she asked as she cherished the area of his cheeks, staining them with her blood, the moment she did so the pain he was feeling started to reach inhumane levels.
"Have I turned into a monster?" he wondered as he looked at the corpses of all of his students. "Am I cursed by everything I have done? Is this the punishment I deserve for having abused the powers of Sothis?" Even though he was surrendered by flames he couldn´t avoid shivering as he witnessed everything he had done. "Her body is still warm…this kind of punishment is worse than death itself" he thought as tears unwillingly started to leave his eyes.
"So you finally understand, the price of true power" said a known voice behind him.
"Sothis, is it really you? I can´t believe what I see anymore"
"You already know the answer to that question…Sometimes the price of knowledge can bring us to our doom" He had never seen her like that, her face filled with compassion and pity.
"So I did kill them all…I must be a monster" he said as he cherished her hair, her face was paler than usual, her blood staining her mouth in a vivid red. "What can I do now? I have no one anymore"
"Even at a time like this, there is always a glimmer of hope. A life for a life…if you really wish to stop this endless suffering you have to offer your own life" she said as she approached him.
….
With a final blow to the skull of the beast it finally collapsed to the ground with an agonizing roar, its body starting to dissipate by a furious wind.
"So it finally has ended" she thought as she caught her breath. They were completely exhausted and parts of the building had been heavily damaged, but everyone was alive.
"I need to go to his side" she thought as she approached the blue flames that were starting to get weaker, the moment she was able to see the other side, she froze.
Byleth was holding her body, his usual neutral expression nowhere to be seen. Around him there were the corpses of the different students, but the most unnerving thing was the shadow that was starting to engulf him.
"What kind of curse is this?" she thought alarmed. Suddenly, her attention was caught by a strange light coming from the body of the fallen beast. "The Chalice is still functioning!" she realized as she rushed to the body of the fallen beast before it was too late.
…
"It will be over in a moment, dear child" whispered a voice next to him as he felt weaker. The world around him was starting to get darker…
"Don´t succumb to the despair, Byleth"
When he opened his eyes, he wasn´t in the cathedral, but in an unknown room with two doors.
"My dear child. You have fought and suffered a lot, but now it´s not the time to give up"
"Mother?" he asked, almost speechless. Her mother was wearing the same clothes that he had seen back in the cathedral, but there was no sorrow in her face, only happiness.
"Thanks Goddess I was able to meet you, at least once, but even now our time is limited. You have to return, lots of people need you now. Even in a time when the world is menaced by darkness you must embrace the light"
"Where am I?"
"You are in the frontier between the world of the living and those who are already gone. I have waited for you all this time, but you still have plenty to do. The more time you spend here the weaker it will be your bond with the world of the living"
"I have committed many atrocities, I don´t even know if I can be considered human anymore"
"We are what we choose to be. The decisions we make are what shape our paths. Your heart isn´t stained in dark, my dear son" Sitri said as she cherished his cheeks, tears leaving her pure face. "The power you have…it comes from me, but you can control it, don´t let it pick your path" as she talked the room where they were started to crumble. "You have to hurry up or you will be trapped here eternally"
"Even though it is the first time we are talking we are already departing" he said as he felt tears leaving his eyes.
"One day, our paths will cross again, but swear to me that you will enjoy a long life before our paths cross again. The time is running out…and don´t worry, your father is also proud of you, he is waiting for me to the other side" She said as she stood up again.
Nodding at her he hesitantly approached the opposite door.
"Byleth"
"Yes, mother?"
"I will never regret having you. Me and your father will always be proud of you, but now you have to follow your own path" she said as tears left her face.
"I love you too" he said as the room where they were started to collapse.
…..
The moment he opened the door all the pain he was feeling returned to him in a sudden, he was feeling like his head was about to explode.
"Byleth, Byleth, please wake up!"
"He has lost too much blood; do you think that…"
"Nonsense! He will recover, right Linhardt?"
"Edelgard…"
When he opened his eyes, he felt a bit dizzy but he could see their faces looking at him with a worried expression.
"Ey Teach, this wasn´t the right time, to take a nap. You have been worrying all of us" Claude said with a worried expression on his face.
"Even if it was for a split of a second, I witnessed what there was to the other side of the flames. I can only shiver to the mere thought of it.
Even though they were looking at him relieved, he wasn´t sure anymore what to believe as he stood up.
"You should take it easy" someone said but he slowly advanced to the center of the cathedral, where the body of the Umbral beast was dissolving. He could see the body of her mother, the Chalice and what remained of Alfreic. Placing his hands of the body he canalized what remained of his energy.
"My Teacher…what are you…" But he wasn´t able to pay attention to the world around him. Setting the body on fire he used the Sword of the Creator to give a fatal blow to the Chalice which shattered in multiple pieces as it was devoured by the flames. "I won´t let this happen anymore" he said as silver snow fell on his head. He then sheathed his sword and silently headed to the entrance of the cathedral.
"Byleth?"
"It doesn´t matter what I say, that´s what everyone wants me to be"
"What do you mean?" she asked when a distant memory came to her mind. "I´ve seen this before, I need to reach for him before he disappears" she thought as he rushed to where he was.
"Let me go!" he ordered; his eyes devoid of life as she reached for his hand.
"I won´t!" she refused, looking at him right into the eye.
"I killed…I killed all of you. My hands are stained by your blood. I don´t even know if I´m human anymore. A demon…a ghost…a sword…that´s all I am"
"They were only illusions. And you are neither of those things, please listen to my words"
"They were too real. I will harm you, I will harm all of you, so please let me go. I don´t want any of you to suffer for my wrongdoings"
"You have saved me more than once. Let me be by your side this time" she said, putting his hands on her chest. "If this heart beats it is thanks to you"
"Edelgard…"
"Byleth, please be by my side. I swear to you that Jeralt´s death won´t be in vain. Those filthy creatures will pay for it with their blood. But for now, stay with me, with all of us"
Byleth´s legs crumbled as he embraced her and buried his face in her hair. She silently embraced him as a whirlwind of silver snow surrounded them.
…..
"The end of Aelfric is truly a tragedy, but it had to be done" Rhea said adopting a praying gesture. "Thanks to all of you, unnecessary sacrifices were avoided, you have my eternal gratitude"
The archbishop had returned a few moments after the umbral beast had been slayed and had silently listened to their explanation as Byleth was attended by Linhardt.
"Even in that case I can´t avoid having a sour taste in my mouth" Yuri said with a saddened expression. "Aelfric´s role didn´t truly suit him and what he did was out of love. It makes it really difficult to hate someone like him"
"Was he thinking the entire time about using us?" Hapi asked.
"I highly doubt it. He said he discovered her body ten years ago, but the project to secure the inhabitants of the Abyss started way before that"
"Then it means that he was doing it in good will!" said a shocked Balthus. "I can´t really despise him after everything he had done for us. Even if he did used us, I will keep the good memories of him"
"I will do the same. When I had nowhere to go, he quickly accepted me and thanks to his hospitality I was able to meet all of you"
"Oh, Constance, that really got me. I guess that I think the same. Even though I´m still cursed I found a place that protected me from the outside world. I really appreciate what he did for me"
"Lady Rhea, now that the mystery surrounding the Chalice and Aelfric is gone, what will happen to the Abyss?"
"You don´t have to worry about it, Yuri. The Church will continue to protect the Abyss unless the inhabitants of the Abyss tell us otherwise" she smiled. "After all your efforts and everything that has occurred, I think this will be a good opportunity for your graduation"
"Graduation? Do you mean that we are free to go?"
"If you wish to do so. It does not mean that you will not be able to return again, in fact I have the hope that you could return, but I cannot order all of you to stay here any longer"
"But to graduate you need to have the authorization of a Professor, right?"
"I agree with Rhea, all of you have endured things that most students wouldn´t handle in an entire lifetime. I must say that I´m proud of all of you" Byleth said, assisted by Linhardt.
"You really think about us as your students, even me?" asked a shocked Yuri.
"I do and I couldn´t be any prouder" Byleth said with a faint smile.
"You are really a badass, Professor. Sorry, I think I´ve got something in my eye" Balthus said, hiding his face.
"I trust your words, don´t betray me like others had done to me"
"I promise I won´t Hapi"
"I have some matters to resolve in the outside world, but if I can learn from someone like you it would be a pleasure to meet once again" Constance laughed.
"I´m looking forward to it"
"You surely are impressive, Professor. I´m glad that I was able to meet someone like you" Yuri said with a genuine smile. "Take care of the Abyss while we are outside, they may look like tough warriors, but sometimes they are crybabies like this one here"
"I´m not crying, I was just cleaning my eyes!"
"Sure, Balthus" he laughed.
When they headed to the main gates of the cathedral the first rays of the sun were starting to appear, cleansing the area of the events of last night.
"Our paths will cross another time, until then stay safe" Yuri said wavering a hand as he headed towards the outside world accompanied by the rest of the Ashen wolves, Constance casting a parasol to avoid the rays of the sun.
"Balthie! If you stop by my brother´s place, don´t forget to bring me some accessories"
"Hilda, you haven´t changed at all" Balthus laughed as he kept walking. "No problem with that, although your brother may offer to bring them himself"
"I can´t believe that so many things had just happened. If I wasn´t here I would have thought this was an elaborated prank or something"
"It really happened, though" she said as she observed how the archbishop was talking with Byleth. She was tempted to approach them, but she didn´t have any particular reason to justify it besides her own curiosity.
"If we can work together like this there won´t be any problems in the future. It appears to be that these events weren´t related to the things that had been happening in the monastery these last months"
"Teach really looked depressed after the flames disappear. Out of curiosity what did you say to him when he was about to leave?"
"N-nothing in particular Claude, you surely appear to enjoy making unnecessary questions" she said as she avoided his gaze.
"Even if we are in the middle of the winter, I guess that spring is blossoming earlier than expected" Claude laughed, looking at her as he observed how the sun started to rise through the clouds.
"What do you mean, Claude?" Dimitri asked, not sure about what they were talking about.
"Nothing important, I´m just a bit poetic this morning, that´s all. My stomach is empty, how about we go to the canteen and then we enjoy a long and deserved rest?"
Hearing him, she couldn´t avoid smiling. "Even at a time like this you barely change, although I must admit that your idea is tempting enough" she said before looking one more time behind her. "I will pay him a visit later" she thought as she followed the two other class leaders.
…..
"My heartfelt thanks for all you have done. If it weren´t for you I can only shiver to the mere thought of what could have happened"
"It was all thanks to my students" he said nodding at her, exhausted for everything that had happened during the last days.
"Of course, I am sincerely thankful for their help too. The cathedral has been partially damaged because of the battle, but I have the hope its scars will eventually disappear as the mist leaves this world when the sun reappears. Poor Aelfric, the pain he must have endured…It is something that I have experienced it myself" she said, her expression saddened as she looked at him again. "The Chalice of the Beginnings has finally been destroyed…It is a pity that a device built on good intentions could do such an amount of damage"
"What was the purpose of it?"
"It was intended to restore the bodies of those who had lost it, but even if the flesh can return, it doesn´t mean that our dear ones can return once again. It was a mistake of the ancient times of the Church, but now everything is in the past now" she smiled to him, as if she was convincing herself about it. "I beg you to rest, the events of the last days must have been too hard. I will accompany you to the infirmary and this time please don´t abandon it" she said as she offered her arm.
"I´m sorry about it…I wasn´t my usual self"
"Times make us change, but sometimes changes can arrive to us in an unexpected manner. I can´t hardly blame you about it. For now, rest, it is the wisest thing to do" Rhea said with a reassuring smile as both of them left the Cathedral, although he was still thinking about Aelfric´s words, "What really happened twenty years ago?" he wondered as he felt the rays of the sun on his exhausted body, the tragedy of man which acted out of love left behind him.
One of the scenes was anticipated in a vision (Chapter 20, the end of it). I like doing these little things.
I have thought for a long time about how to make an indirect confession (告白, kokuhaku) and I think this one was subtle enough in a moment were Edelgard´s defenses were low (justified, though).
The Ashen Wolves aren´t gone for good. Expect more from them as the story develops.