"Hey, it's Alois!"

"Wait, isn't that King Lambert with him?"

"Yea, I think so. Who's the woman next to him? She's pretty."

"And what about those kids? I've never seen them in the Monastery before. That hair too… I've never seen someone with two hair colors… Maybe when they're old…"

"Why's his left hand bandaged up? Did he hurt himself when fighting someone?"

Emiya sighed. There were too many incessant grumblings all around him. It wouldn't usually bother him, per se, but a headache was forming.

Emiya could barely sleep. His mind was preoccupied with the 'Crest' on his left hand and had been playing with it since he laid down on his bed. He tried commanding Saber, or a Servant, to arrive by his side, but nothing happened. Not that he had any hopes for it; the Command Seals wouldn't work without a summoned Servant anyway. He was tempted to use Rule Breaker, but he wasn't sure what would happen if he used it on himself. Not only that, but the Command Seals also didn't glow as it did during the Holy Grail Wars. For all intents and purposes, it really seemed like a scar from a burn. There were no bumps when he ran his finger over it; it was smooth like the rest of his hand.

He had thought that his contract with Saber had ended a long time ago. Unless… He reached towards the middle of his chest.

'Maybe the machine reacted to Avalon?'

He had already taken back Avalon from Hapi before she woke up in Fhirdiad. But still, why would the machine react to Avalon? Does it have to do with Saber's connection to it?

Emiya shook his head. While these are things to think about, he had an assignment tomorrow.

"Don't look so glum in the morning, Emiya! Here, take a plum. Maybe it'll make your morning better." Alois laughed at his own joke as he handed Emiya a plum.

"Thanks, I guess." 'Maybe some sugar would help.'

That wasn't to say that breakfast was bad; rather, breakfast was good. The menu was basically open to anything, so long as there were ingredients in the kitchen. Some students even brought ingredients and specified an order.

Emiya looked around him. While had Emiya picked the Fish Sandwich, Hapi ordered Onion Gratin Soup, as per Manuela's orders. Lambert ordered Gautier Cheese Gratin and Patricia also ordered Fish Sandwich. Alois had something called Fisherman's Bounty. It seemed like today's main was fish. What is it with this place and fish?

'I could do better.'

"It's almost time." Emiya straightened his back in surprise. Everyone else in the table bar Hapi jumped in their seats. Hapi's eyes went wide.

Shamir was right behind him, arms crossed.

"Sorry, I just finished." Emiya stood up and put away his dishes. "King Lambert, Queen Patricia, if I may take my leave. I'll see you later, Hapi, Sir Alois." He bowed before he left, following Shamir's footsteps.

Alois frowned as soon as Emiya and Shamir were out of sight. "Only 14-years old and already on his first mission." He murmured, then turned to Lambert. "Anyway, what are your plans for today, King Lambert? Preparing to leave for Fhirdiad?"

"Indeed. We've been away for a long while now. I'd like to see Dimitri again." Lambert smiled as he continued to eat.

"I know that Emiya's got his magic, but you're not worried about him at all?" Alois wore a worried face.

Lambert shook his head. "No, not at all. You should have seen him when he fought. He wielded his magic so well. The way he moved wasn't normal. A child shouldn't have been able to do what he did. Word of advice for you, Alois."

Lambert looked straight at Alois's eyes. "He's not normal. It would be best to not apply common sense when it comes to him."

"Welcome, Shamir, Emiya." Rhea welcomed both with a smile as they entered the Audience Chamber. She was alone; Seteth felt that there was no need for his presence when Rhea was giving away assignments.

Shamir slightly bowed when she and Emiya were in the center of the chamber, and Emiya followed shortly.

"This is your first assignment, Emiya, and so, you are expected to fall to Shamir's instructions." Emiya nodded at Rhea's words and she continued. "There have been reports of odd happening in the lands of House Hrym. You are to investigate and return to report your findings. Do not try to apprehend these enemies on your own."

"And what if Arundel truly has been replaced like Cornelia? His men could have those medallions." Emiya asked.

"Emiya, how long do your weapons last? Is there a distance between you and it before they disappear?"

Emiya shook his head. "My weapons do not have a set range, and the longest my weapons have lasted are approximately a week."

'Good, then that makes this easier.'

"Then, can you create a sword and leave it here in the Monastery? This way, if you need immediate reinforcements, we can deploy a strike force towards House Hrym. You won't have to come back. All you must do is wait for reinforcements. If we send out a force of wyvern riders, then it will take approximately about a day to reach House Hrym." Emiya nodded as Rhea finished.

'Good. This should allow me to see the limits of his magic.'

"Lady Rhea, what are our orders if the children of the Emperor are being held captive?" Shamir asked.

"If you find out that these enemies hold Ionius's heirs, then hold your positions and call for reinforcements. Try to find a way in and rescue the children. Do not engage unless you must.

"Remember, your first objective is to find out more information about these enemies. If you can find evidence about the heirs, then take it, but not at the cost of the first objective. If they realize that the Church is on their tail, they may run to somewhere we do not know of."

Shamir and Emiya nodded.

"You may leave the Monastery tonight." Shamir and Emiya nodded. With the debriefing over, they began to leave the room.

"Emiya, stay," Rhea commanded. Emiya abruptly stopped before returning to the center of the chamber. Shamir left the room.

Emiya raised an eyebrow. "And the lessons begin today?" Rhea nodded.

"Yes. You may have to face them in your coming mission."

"Then what about Ms. Shamir?" Emiya asked. "She's also going to be in this mission."

"All she knows is that the enemies are enemies of the Church. She does not need to learn more about them. She is a Knight of Seiros and will have duties that require her to act in that capacity. You, on the other hand, are not. You will hunt these enemies and kill them. You won't be a knight. Do you understand what this means?" Rhea asked.

Emiya nodded. "We made a deal. You give me information on these enemies of yours and I'll hunt them down."

'His eyes… It really is like looking at a mirror.'

"Why?" Rhea narrowed her eyes. "Most people would never even think about going back once they have escaped. You, however, have decided to jump back to the fire."

Emiya shrugged. "I'm not like most people."

"You dodged the question." Rhea frowned. "Answer me. Otherwise, Shamir will continue without you."

Emiya stayed quiet, then opened his mouth, only to close it again. "I was trained to hunt and kill monsters. Why shouldn't I use those same skills to find the people that are threatening Fodlan?"

Rhea stared at Emiya.

'It is not fully true. It makes sense to bite the hands that traumatized him, but why him, specifically? He can just leave it to us, the Church, and live in the Monastery, but he has been very adamant in taking the field. He has been pushing his magic to be this perfect answer to finding the Agarthans…'

Rhea's eyes widened.

'He cannot sit idly while knowing his captors are out there. He cannot forgive himself if he waits for results.'

Rhea's face softened. "You cannot forgive yourself if you sat around and waited, can't you?"

Emiya's face twitched slightly. While normal humans may have missed it, Rhea's sharp draconic senses caught it.

"You know that other experiments are going on; Hapi is an example of that." Rhea slowly approached Emiya. "With the knowledge that there are more, and with a definite clue to their location, you feel that you must be there to fight. So long as someone needs saving, you cannot lay down your arms and rest."

Rhea stopped in front of Emiya and knelt in front of him. At this point, Emiya's hands were clenched tightly, enough that his knuckles were turning white. Emiya looked to the side, not meeting Rhea's eyes, though his face was calm.

"You feel guilty that you are free while others are still out there. And so, you continually throw yourself to the fire, hoping that your actions will be enough for repentance." Rhea caressed Emiya's face with her left hand and turned him so that Emiya looked at her.

"You have survivor's guilt," she murmured.

"And what if I do?" Emiya asked softly.

Rhea hugged Emiya and a tear fell from her eye. The name itself was telling enough that even a child could know what it meant. For a child, whose attitude was older than his actual age, Rhea thought, Emiya didn't need to be explained what it meant. "Then you and I are very similar. No one in Fodlan knows it better than I do."

Emiya tried to look at her, but with how tightly she hugged him, he could only slightly tilt his head. "What do you mean?"

Rhea let him go and turned to look outside the Audience Chamber. The sun was still high in the sky, seemingly midday.

She turned back to Emiya. "There is still time before you have to leave. Let us continue in my room. This is not something that should be said here."

Rhea moved swiftly out of the Audience Chamber with Emiya in tow. Emiya slightly struggled to initially keep up due to his short legs but found a comfortable stride to keep pace.

They reached Rhea's Room and entered. Inside, there were a few chairs, a table, and a large bed in velvet purple. She locked the doors while Emiya moved two chairs for the two of them to sit on. Rhea sat one and Emiya on the opposite.

Rhea inhaled a breath and slowly exhaled to calm herself down. Rhea stared at Emiya with a sad smile and began her tale.

"Long ago, a Goddess descended from the heavens…"

Author's Note:

Expect the next chapter to be the true history of Fodlan from Azure Moon and Verdant Winds. I need to do this since it'll allow some Fate-only readers to understand Fodlan history. On top of that, some FE3H players may not even know it since you must play through 3 different routes, and some players probably only played 1.

That said, I also want to do this so that I can get my history straight.

I've also edited the format. Does it look better?

2021/02/10 Edit:

Formatting changes.

Added missing words.

No plot changes.