1/10 Guardian Moon

"What does it mean?" he wondered as he took a closer look to the dagger he was holding in his hands. Despite all the years that had passed he was certain it was the one, although he couldn´t be completely sure since it wasn´t an extremely unique dagger.

"But if it is?" whispered a voice in his head.

"In that case I will crush her skull with my own hands. The debt with the dead must be paid. No innocent would work with them" he said, clenching his fists around the hilt of the dagger. "But it wouldn´t be justice if I act without enough evidence, I need more time…more time to understand"

"Never forget what happened to us"

"Don´t worry, Father. I remember it every single day. It is the first thing I remember when I open my eyes and the last one before I go to bed. I assure you that…" but his conversation was interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Come in"

It was Dedue, his face looking at him worried.

"Your Highness, you should take some rest. You haven´t get enough rest for days"

"Apologies, Dedue. I was just overthinking an unimportant matter" he said with a faint smile. "And I told you to address me by using my name"

"Apologies, your…Dimitri"

"That is better, do you have something to discuss with me?"

"It is about Duscur, my contacts have told me that Kingdom troops are preparing an onslaught against them because of the increasing resistance there"

"Such movement is simply a provocation"

"I´m afraid that the regent is behind it, pressured by some of the nobles of the court"

"He really wants me to have a difficult time when I succeed him" he sighed. "However, we shouldn´t leave your people alone on this matter. How many weeks left we have before the attack begins?"

"As far as I know operations will start from next month"

"In that case I can ask for reinforcements here in the monastery. Perhaps the Professor will accept to help us"

"I´m sure about it too" Dedue nodded with the lightest smile before returning to his usual stone face. "I will train even harder to not disappoint you, Dimitri"

"I will do the same, it is my duty after all" he said as Dedue silently left his room.

"A ruler should give his life for his people. I´m the shield of Faerghus values. I must make sure to protect them" he thought as he looked through the window to a starless sky, the clouds hiding the stars from his sight.

…..

"This is a story more interesting than I expected" he said as he put aside Jeralt´s diary as he yawned. He had to admit that his room was a completely mess, all kind of books scattered around the floor. He had been reading the diary for days, making sure to return it at dawn each day to avoid raising suspicions. At first, he had thought he wouldn´t find any interesting information, but the more he read the surer he was about having found a gold mine of information.

"So Teach was born here, but the thing I don´t get is Rhea. If this happened at least twenty years ago and she was already the archbishop…Why is she so young?" he wondered. Green haired people wasn´t that strange in other parts of Fódlan, Linhardt an example of it, but Rhea appeared to be in her late twenties. According to this she would be a child when everything happened, but that sounded ridiculous. After researching the library for months, he had a fair share of information about the history of Fódlan. He knew that magic could be used to mitigate the pass of time, but that was easily detected by magic devices and the one he had been keeping in his pocket hasn´t been sending him any signals when he had been close to her.

"Perhaps it is broken" he thought as he touched the elemental device. He only had basic knowledge of magic, but this device was from the warehouses of the Church so it should do the trick. "Anyway, this is too fishy" he thought. A Professor without a heartbeat, an archbishop that didn´t appear to grow older and there was also the Sword of the Creator.

"If legends are true, when the true power of the Sword of the Creator is unleashed it could destroy entire mountains. The Sword currently lacks a Crest stone so it could be that it isn´t completed yet. If even in that situation is so powerful, I can´t even imagine what it could do when its true power awakens"

He had always been distrustful of such tales, but the last weeks had convinced him that sometimes there are some things in the world that can´t only by explained by cold logic. "If a device like the Chalice existed, it could mean that similar items are guarded by the monastery, waiting to be used once again. Even if I can´t use the Sword of the Creator that would be of a huge help for my own plans, but I haven´t found yet the secret chamber hiding under the monastery". According to the information he had been gathering in his unauthorized search for the truth, there was supposed to be a hidden room within the deeps of the monastery. At first, he thought that the Abyss was that area, but it appeared to be something even more hidden. It didn´t surprise him, though. The Church was filled with secrets that would cost him a lifetime to discover and he didn´t have that much time.

The hoot of an owl made him look toward the window. Even though his room was warm enough the wind was freezing outside. "I think I should get some rest, but before I go to bed, I need to return to that room again" he said to himself as he silently left his room and headed towards Byleth´s father´s room.

…

When she opened her eyes, the sky was still of a deep navy blue, the stars of the sky clearly visible. These last days she had been getting up earlier than expected, her mind busy with all kind of planning of the events there were about to happen.

"A month and the end of the beginning will start" she thought. With Arundel nowhere to be seen, the last part of their plans was almost completed. However, she needed to be careful for the time being.

With her mind completely awakened, she didn´t feel like going to bed again so she decided to go for a walk. The last days had been warmer, although it was clear than winter was far from gone. "Perhaps spring will come earlier this year" she thought as she walked through the empty aisles of the monastery. It was strange to be walking through the aisles where in a short time the clashes of swords would be heard. "Most people won´t understand, but this is something that must be done, even if in the process I have to lose everything" she said to herself as a kind wind slightly moved her hair. Unknowingly her eyes lingered on Byleth´s room, which was a mere few meters from her. As she did so, the events that had happened during the last few months came to her mind, making her heart beat a bit faster. It was quite ironic that she would find love in the place that aimed to destroy, but there was also fear within her.

"If my words could move him…" but her hopes had greatly vanished since the events of Remire and the death of Jeralt, but even now she still had a glimmer of hope. "I must have turned into a naïve person, regarding this matter" she sighed.

"Edelgard, what are you doing here? Are you having problems to sleep?" asked a voice behind her. As she turned around, she could see him, carrying a bucket and a fish rod.

"I woke up earlier than expected, but don´t worry I didn´t have any strange dreams tonight. It seems that you were busy as usual, my Teacher"

"It´s been a while since the last time I went fishing, it helps me to keep my mind busy. Are you taking a walk? If you want I can accompany you"

"It would be a pleasure. I will wait for you then" she nodded as he headed to his room with the bucket and the fishing rod. In no time he returned, offering his arm which she quickly accepted.

They walked together in silent through the gardens of the monastery, but it wasn´t an uncomfortable silent. It had been a while since the last time they were both of them alone and she didn´t want to spoil the moment.

"A lot of things had passed during the last few weeks" he finally said, although his eyes were focused on the path they were following.

"You are right. To be honest with you I didn´t expect most of what had just happened. The fact that we know so little about our surroundings is so unnerving…but I´m glad we could overcome it together"

"I´m sorry I wasn´t myself for a while, the events overwhelmed me"

"That kind of illusions would have overwhelmed anyone, don´t blame yourself by it" she said as she came a bit closer to him.

"I really thought I killed you" he said as a shadow passed through his face. "Even if it was an illusion it felt too real. I don´t want to experience something like that anymore"

Hearing his words, her heart started to beat faster. "I feel honored by your words, my Teacher. The fact that you worry so much about me, to be fair both of us have changed a lot for the last few months. You barely expressed yourself…"

"And you were overly cautious about everything" he smiled

"Is it a problem to want to have everything under control?" she smiled back.

"It isn´t. I must thank you for what you did in the cathedral. Your words reached for me and helped me overcome the undying pain I was feeling within me. I owe you one"

"You owe me nothing, you saved me first, remember? When the bandits came to attack us, you didn´t hesitate to help me. You could say we are even"

"Edelgard…" Byleth said with a serious expression as he suddenly stopped walking.

"Yes?" she wasn´t sure why, but her heart was beating even faster. When they were walking it was easy to keep a close distance, but standing still was a different matter.

"I want to tell you something important, I´ve been wondering if it was ok to tell you, but there is no point on hiding it anymore"

"Those words, could it be?" she thought as she felt a strange dizziness in her head. "I´ve been keeping something hidden from you for a long time too, my Teacher". She was talking without thinking, she was losing control but she could do nothing about it.

"I´ve discovered that this monastery was my real birthplace. I´ve read my father´s diary and I have found out that I lacked normal emotions since my birth"

"Oh" she didn´t expect to hear that from him. It was something interesting to hear, but she couldn´t avoid feeling disappointed. "Why I lose control so easily? I was about to say something extremely embarrassing!" she thought. "Your father´s diary?"

"Yes, my father decided to run away with me from the monastery using a fire that happened more than twenty years ago. He didn´t know why, but I didn´t cry once and he suspected that there was something odd with my body. Perhaps it is true that I´m strange and everything is related to what happened when I was born. I´ve been thinking about it for a while and that´s what I can think of, did something similar happen to you?"

"The changes on my body only happened a few years ago and they are clearly visible. This hair that you see here was once of a different color" she said showing to him her own hair. "However, I wasn´t born like that from the beginning. What did your father find strange about your body?"

"The fact that I lack a heartbeat" The moment he said those words she looked at him in disbelief. "If you don´t believe me you can see it yourself" he said as he embraced her.

"B-Byleth I wasn´t doubting…" but her words suddenly stopped as she heard nothing. Putting her ear, the closest she could she waited to hear his heartbeats, but nothing happened. It was difficult to believe but he really lacked a heartbeat.

"Even though I lack a heartbeat I have a pulse" checking the pulse on his wrist she could feel it yet she could feel nothing when she placed her ear on his chest.

"I´ve never heard of something like this. Now I´m certain that they have done something to your body and the scars on your chest are what remains of what happened to you, but for what purpose?"

"I don´t really now, this is everything I know, the purpose of the marks within my body remains in the shadows. That made me wonder if I´m human or not"

"Don´t say something like that. You are human like me, even if both of us had to endure things that the rest of people wouldn´t suffer in a lifetime". It was clear to her that the Church was behind the experiments on him, but their purpose was still unclear to her. Were they preparing an ultimate weapon? In that case were they aware of the existence of the other group or they just suspected they were still lingering in the shadows? "Thank you for telling me, this was highly unexpected, but I´m really thankful you told me"

"By the way, what did you want to tell me?"

"Oh, that was nothing important, really. I just wanted to admit to you if I´m closer to the rest of the students is partially thanks to your guiding" she lied as she felt her face getting hot.

"I see" he said, although his eyes kept piercing hers. "In no time dawn will come. If I know anything more, I will shortly tell you"

"Thank you for trusting me" she smiled. "I will see you later" she said as she waved a hand to him. As she headed to her room, she couldn´t avoid thinking about what she had just heard. Both of them were changed yet the process appeared to be different. "Is that the reason why he is able to wield a crestless Sword of the Creator?" She had many unanswered questions, but she had the feeling that some questions were better left unanswered. "What has happened to you, my Teacher and what are the plans of the archbishop regarding you?" She had the feeling that depending of the answer to that question their paths would greatly change.

1/11

"Thank you for having some time to spare with me? I deeply appreciate it"

"I have no problem, it is your birthday, after all" he said as he offered her a cup of tea. The archbishop appeared to have a relaxed expression on her face as she accepted it.

"Being the archbishop takes most of my time, the chains of my duty are heavy, but that does not mean that I cannot appreciate a little recess like this"

"How did you end up being the archbishop? You are so young" he said as he sipped his own.

"You shouldn´t ask a lady about their age" she said with a light smile. "I entered the Church since I was very young and I was already a high ranked priestess when the Goddess´s revelation was made clear upon me"

"I don´t remember doing something like that, I must be useless as a God" Sothis yawned inside his head.

"Did the Goddess communicate with you directly?"

"Unfortunately, not, but the Church is able to interpret her will analyzing the omens she sends to us mortals. The Goddess´s will is every lifeform since all of us had been created by her"

"Does it mean that I created roaches? So disgusting"

It was difficult to keep a neutral face with Sothis´s words, but he tried his best.

"I must apologize for not knowing so much about the Church. When I was searching for more information, I was told that unfortunately a fire years ago destroyed valuable documents"

The moment he said those words, Rhea´s face darkened for a moment, although in a spit of a second her face returned to her usual self.

"It was an unfortunate tragedy, but must of the knowledge is stored inside our heads and the copyists had been working for years to avoid losing that knowledge for the coming generations. I told you before that the Goddess sends to us omens of her will. Do you think that she has been acting on you?"

"Don´t say to her that I´m inside your head I don´t have a good feeling about it" warned him Sothis.

"Perhaps, I don´t know if some things happen by chance or not"

"I am confident that the Goddess´s will is strong on you. The moment you wielded for the first time the Sword of the Creator, I realized that the Goddess´s desire was that you fought in her name against the enemies of the faith. Only light can pierce through the shadows of those who defy our mighty Lord. You have already seen it, our enemies are trying to attack us from the shadows, the Goddess is on our side and they fear us because of that. That is why I have entrusted you the Sword" she said as she looked at the Sword of the Creator hanging from his belt.

"She really seems interested in that you use that Sword, but there was another guy that wielded it once, right?"

"How about Nemesis? He was also once the wielder of the Sword" As he said those words, Rhea´s face darkened again, before she showed him a charming smile.

"The omens of the Goddess are never wrong, but the flesh is weak. Nemesis was once a warrior of great might and earned the favor of the Goddess, but his heart grew dark and in no time, he tried to usurp the rule of the Goddess. However, another mighty warrior rose against the evil and wielding her sword she battled against countless enemies, but no matter the obstacles her faith in the Goddess was strong and she overcame them. That´s why Saint Seiros is also known as the Guardian and this month has her name in her honor. She is the Guardian of the Goddess and the faith until she returns to this world once again" she said. She then took a long sip of her tea before smiling at him. "As you can see, I am quite fond of Saint Seiros. Saint Seiros day and my birthday are the same so you could say that my bonds with Saint Seiros had been strong since my birth" she smiled.

"If I truly was that powerful Saint Seiros would be embarrassed of me right now"

"I see" he simply said as he sipped his own cup of tea.

"Apologies for making such a deep explanation. Perhaps shall we talk about another topic?"

"How did you meet my father?"

"I am glad to hear that question from you. The Church forces were ambushed by a group of bandits and the only forces nearby were your father´s mercenaries. He personally protected me and even though he sustained heavy injuries he overcame them. Back at that day I was the leader of the Knights of Seiros and offered him a position within our ranks. In no time he proved to be a capable leader and he eventually succeeded me as the leader of the knights. For me you are the son of my benefactor" she smiled as she slightly touched his hand. "I know that you have heard it many times, but I am sorry for your loss. What you must have endured…it is similar to what I have suffered" she looked to her surroundings before looking at him again. "May I ask if you are willing to stay at this monastery for the time being? In a couple of months, a year will already have passed since the day the Goddess´s will make our paths reunite again"

"I must admit that I will miss my students"

"A particular someone more than the rest, though" Sothis teased him inside his head.

"I will pray to the Goddess to make sure the bonds with your students remain strong. I am sure they share the same feeling than you. I am confident that from now on you will have plenty of opportunity to strengthen your bonds with all of them. This monastery reunites all of Fódlan to keep the land at peace, the fact that most of them are getting along it is a proof of its success"

"Not all of them, though. If some of them are able to annoy the Goddess, the world might be at peril once again" Hearing her he couldn´t about coughing the content of her tea cup.

"Are you ok, Professor?"

"Sorry, I was about to speak while I was drinking" he said trying to ignore the laugh of Sothis.

"I wouldn´t like to lose someone like you to such an enemy" she smiled. "I guess that our time together has come to an end. I must reassume my duties once again. My heartfelt thanks for this little moment of tranquility"

"The pleasure was mine" he nodded at her as she left the room.

…

"So something really happened back then" he thought as he read Jeralt´s diary. He knew what he was doing was morally questionable, but he had a feeling he needed to check the content of the diary.

And the words written there were making him shiver.

"The current Professor was born here more than twenty years ago, yet this information has been kept from me all this time. He felt disappointed by her lack of trust, but what was really unnerving him was the fact that there was something strange with the Professor.

"So I wasn´t really wrong since the beginning" He really surprised him that Rhea chose to appoint an unknown mercenary as the new Professor, even if he was his benefactor´s son, but now everything made more sense. "The real question is why, what are her plans and why is she being so secretive about it. He had known her for a long time, but he knew he had never completely known her. "She has always been like the sea; what we see and what she is are completely different realities.

"I will need time to unveil the truth behind all of this" he thought. All kind of matters were demanding his attention, but he promised himself to have more time to investigate on it. "For now, I will place this book at its place until I have some time to spare" he thought as he carefully closed the door behind him after he made sure that no one was in the aisles.

As silence invaded the room one of the armchairs doors slowly opened.

"That was a close call" Claude sighed. "I should have left this place after returning the diary but I did have to keep reading. If I got caught it would have been problematic. But it seems that I´m not the only one that is interested about its content, if someone like Seteth appeared to be so interested, there must be some truth behind it. I wonder how many people know about this. Things are getting interesting, but I need to keep careful about all of it" he wondered as he silently left the room as well.

There are some paralogues left that I plan to add. I can´t wait to enter Zahras.