I know some people are claiming I'm following the in-game story too closely, but this IS a novelization, after all.
Anyhow, enjoy.
Chapter 98 – Awakening (Guardian Moon)
Anna winced as she tried to prop herself up against a tree. Though she had taken the Elixir, her wounds still left her barely able to stand.
She still could not believe how badly she had messed things up. The enemy had easily routed her militia, as she couldn't keep them from panicking when they came under attack. Leadership had never been a strong point for the redhead, not like it was with Byleth. Now the one person she had hoped to avoid getting caught up in all this was deep in the forest, and who knew if she would fare any better against Kronya.
Anna heard footsteps approaching her from the north, accompanied by the clattering of bones. Dreading what she might see, she slowly peeked out from behind her tree.
She had just enough time to dart back into cover before a skeletal archer fired at her head, the arrow whistling past her and striking another tree with a loud thump.
"Skeletons… just my luck," Anna said with a grimace.
Skeletons normally wouldn't have been a problem for her, but in her wounded state, she knew they would be trouble. She also knew that skeletons never came alone; whenever a necromancer would raise them, they always came in groups. She had no idea just how many there were, though.
Anna tightened her grip on her Levin Sword, trying her best to fight the pain in her limbs as she readied herself to face the undead.
"Miss Anna!" shouted a dainty voice from above.
Surprised, Anna looked up to see Flayn flying over her on Sumia.
"Flayn? Flayn, watch out!"
To Anna's relief, Flayn already knew about the skeletal archer that aimed for her. It released its arrow but missed its mark as Flayn pulled back on Sumia's reins. The green-haired healer then began to channel her magic in a holy spell.
"BEGONE FROM THIS WORLD!" shouted the girl, her voice far more imposing than usual.
Bright light shone from Flayn's outstretched hand, bathing the skeletal minions in holy power. They shrieked and shuddered before their bones crumpled, the unholy magic that raised them dispersed by Flayn's spell.
Anna strained to look out from her covered position. To her surprise, all the skeletons in the area had been reduced to piles of motionless bones.
Sumia then swooped down before Anna, allowing Flayn to dismount her steed.
"Are you alright, Miss Anna?" Flayn asked in concern as she readied a healing spell.
"I've… been better…"
Flayn's eyes shone with her Major Crest of Cethleann as she began to heal Anna's wounds. The cuts covering Anna's body sealed themselves, and she felt the pain in her limbs begin to fade.
"Anna! There you are!" shouted another voice, prompting Anna to look as Edelgard came running with the other first-year students in tow.
"Edelgard, guys, what're you all–"
"We're here to help get you out of this mess," said Claude. The head of the Golden Deer had a small blood stain on his forehead, but whatever injury had caused it had already been healed. The other students, though battered, still looked able to fight.
"Where's the Professor?" asked Edelgard. "And did you see Dorothea?"
"Yeah, they both went chasing after Kronya," said Anna. "I mean, Monica. They went–"
Before Anna could point the students in the right direction, they felt the ground tremble. Annette, Hilda, Mercedes, Marianne and Bernadetta all yelped in fright as everyone tried to keep their balance. Then, the group saw a tall pillar of dark fire erupt from the north.
"W-What is that?!" said Sylvain.
"That could only have been magic," said Edelgard. "But I've never seen a spell like that."
"You and me both," said Anna. As the others turned to her in concern, she said, "I've got a bad feeling about this."
"I hope Teach wasn't anywhere near that thing," said Claude. "But if we know her, she'd probably be heading toward it."
"Agreed," said Dimitri. "No doubt whatever our enemy is planning is at that site. We must hurry if we are to aid her."
"Her and Dorothea," said Ingrid.
"Anna, are you okay?" asked Ignatz.
"I'm a lot better now," Anna said as she managed to stand upright, her strength returning. "Thanks, Flayn. Come on, we've gotta move."
The students, led by Anna, moved as quickly as they could toward the center of the Sealed Forest.
…
Byleth winced loudly as tendrils of darkness continued to bind her. Beyond merely restraining her, they were coiling all over her body, as though trying to feel every part of her. She made a particularly surprised yelp as she felt a pair beginning to coil around her huge breasts like a pair of snakes, while two more began to wind up her thighs.
She shuddered at the notion of what they would do next to her. She turned her head and, despite the complete lack of light, saw Kronya being similarly bound. The assassin was motionless, her chest with a gaping hole in it where her heart had been.
Just then, green light began to shine from Byleth's chest, right around her heart. As it spread outward, the dark tendrils seemed to disintegrate, releasing their grip on Byleth and allowing her to land on her feet. The tendrils binding Kronya also evaporated, sending her corpse to what could be considered the floor of the dark dimension.
"YOU COMPLETE AND UTTER FOOL!" shouted Sothis as she and her throne appeared before Byleth. "How could you get us into this predicament?!"
In protest, Byleth said, "Sothis, I–"
"Excuses won't help us! This darkness is terrifying! As you and I are one… I, too, am trapped within this void. But please consider this… This realm of darkness we are in is separate from the world from which you came. I mean that it would take a god to leave this place. In time, our hearts and minds will cease to be. Are you prepared to die?"
Byleth did not immediately answer this. Truthfully, dying didn't scare her, but there was still so much left for her to do.
"Not here," she said to Sothis. "Not now."
"I thought as much." Sothis then sighed and said, "It seems there is no other choice…"
"What choice?"
"Do you recall your father's diary? He said you were a child who never cried nor laughed. I think I am the one to blame. I must have been asleep, but even then, I feel I was a part of you. I do not know how Rhea managed it, but she allowed me to exist inside of you. Perhaps when she gave to you your mother's heart, she placed me within you as well. The truth is I have always been with you. It is within you that I found my power yet again. The power of a goddess. The power of the progenitor god."
Byleth was silent at this, knowing Sothis could only be telling the truth.
"My name is Sothis. By now you must be well aware of what that means. I am the one who watches over Fódlan and the creatures dwelling there. I am Sothis, she who died then returned."
"I can't believe it… and yet, somehow, I know it to be true…" said Byleth.
"There is only one thing left to do to save us from this darkness of eternity. I must now use the power of a god. However, I lack a body of my own. And so, I must relinquish all the power that I have… to you. The time has come for you and I to join as one. And when that comes to pass… then I shall disappear."
"D-Disappear?!"
…
Dorothea grunted as she blocked a blow from a rusted blade as Solon's skeletal minions continued to plod toward her. She made a wide swing in reply, smashing the skeleton's ribcage and sending the rest of its bones to the ground.
Dorothea looked at the rest approaching her with a grimace. The skeletons were easily destroyed, but Solon kept summoning them faster than she could destroy them. She had tried attacking him again earlier, but his barrier rendered all her spells useless. Unless she could get to him, she knew she wasn't going to last.
Another skeleton with an axe rushed and swung at Dorothea, prompting her to jump back and throw a quick fireball at it. The skeleton burst into flames as it was blown apart. However, Dorothea did not have time to recover before another one swung its blade at her, forcing her to parry. She then saw another one behind it readying an arrow. Dorothea had just enough time to break out of her clash to avoid being shot in the waist.
Solon laughed as he watched his minions force Dorothea back. "I'm sorry, were you planning on defeating me with such feeble skills?" taunted the necromancer. "You're even weaker than I thought."
"You'll find I'm full of surprises!" Dorothea said, trying not to show weakness as she slashed at another skeleton.
The skeleton, moving with surprising speed, blocked two blows, but could not block a third that struck its head clean off. However, to Dorothea's dismay, the remaining skeleton did not slow down, swiping its sharp bony fingers at her. Dorothea let out a painful shriek as the skeleton scratched her along the left side of her abdomen, tearing a chunk of her outfit away in the process. Her waist was exposed, showing the cuts weren't too deep. As the cold winter air stung her wounds, Dorothea cast a Force spell and blasted back the skeleton, blowing it apart.
Then, to her alarm, another skeleton got behind her and grabbed her right shoulder. Shrieking, Dorothea pulled away from the skeleton, which ripped another part of her academy jacket off and exposed her arm. She tried to step away, knowing she couldn't take the time to avenge her wardrobe, but saw to her alarm that another skeleton was swinging its battle axe at her.
Joyeuse let out a resounding clang as Dorothea barely blocked the blow, keeping it from carving into her chest, but sending her to the ground. Desperate, Dorothea looked up to see the same skeleton move in, readying an overhead swing to crush her underfoot. With panicked yelps, Dorothea kicked at the skeleton's left leg, knocking it off balance and causing its swing to embed its axe in the ground next to her head. She rolled away as the skeleton struggled to pull its axe from the ground and, upon standing up, she blasted the minion with another fireball.
Dorothea then staggered, finding it difficult to stay standing. She knew she couldn't keep this up. There was just no end to the enemy. She thought it was a miracle she had even lasted this long. Quivering as she tried to raise Joyeuse, she looked up at Solon as he continued to laugh at her struggles.
The cackle of another skeleton pulled her attention back to the minions. Three more readied their crude bows and fired their arrows, which Dorothea quickly blocked with a ward. As the arrows clattered to the ground, Dorothea stumbled back, her strength fading further.
"Give in to the inevitable, beast," said Solon. "You only prolong your suffering."
"I… I won't give in… to you…!" Dorothea hissed.
Dorothea then placed her left hand to the flat side of Joyeuse's blade, channeling her Mana into the weapon. The Mythril rapier began to shimmer a bright white as holy magic was infused into it.
Another skeleton rushed in, this one with a broken lance, looking to stab the girl in the chest. With a defiant yell, Dorothea swung Joyeuse at the minion, which screeched as it was destroyed on contact with her magically empowered blade.
"Hmph, an amusing trick," said Solon. "But one I have seen before. It will not avail you here. You will still fall."
As Dorothea struck down one of the skeletal archers with Joyeuse and then blasted two more with a Thunder spell, she saw Solon raise his hand and channel his dark magic again. Then, to her dismay, more skeletal warriors emerged from the ground, their cackles sapping her will.
Solon was right. She couldn't win. And she couldn't get away in her present state. She was going to die.
Then, she suddenly felt her body surge with familiar pain. As Solon's spell coursed through her, Dorothea cried out in agony as every nerve in her body felt like it had been set on fire. But despite his power, Dorothea struggled not to fall to her knees, even once Solon stopped his magic. The spell enchanting her blade faded as the pain left her body.
With a loud smirk, Solon then said, "Any last words, beast? Perhaps they may just reach your friend." Solon laughed at this.
Dorothea scowled at him, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of watching her break. But inside, the girl knew she was finished.
Again, her life began to flash before her eyes. She could just barely remember her mother's face, sharing the same brown hair and green eyes as her daughter, as she passed away in the company of her friends. She saw herself escaping after stealing some bread to feed herself. She saw herself on stage at the Mittelfrank Opera House, singing to the crowd. She saw herself chatting with Edelgard, both at the opera house and at the academy.
And then she saw her. Byleth. Her teacher, her friend. There were so many fond memories. She saw herself in one of Byleth's lectures, wearing clothes the diva had picked for her. She saw Byleth helping to instruct both her and the others in the ways of swordplay and tactics. She saw Byleth saving her when she had fallen from Conand Tower, when she had nearly been killed by the Sand Crawler that Hapi had summoned, and then rescuing her from the clutches of the Death Knight. She remembered the fun they'd had in the Abyss bathhouse, and when she and the others had dressed up in maid outfits. More and more memories poured through Dorothea's head.
But now she was gone. Byleth was gone. Pulled into an endless void from which there was no escape.
Dorothea had no more strength left in her legs. She fell to her knees with tears in her eyes as she whispered, "Byleth… help me…"
Solon grinned as he saw her falter.
He then shouted, "FINISH HER!"
…
"Now… We must pray," said Sothis. "For if we share this wish, our spirits two will join as one… Your wish… is to return to the forest, stop the enemy, and rescue the little ones. No need for words. I know your heart as though it were my own… Your will and mine are now as one. Both sides of time are revealed to you, and you alone. You know I am the beginning. What shall you do?"
Byleth shut her eyes as images of her students and friends flooded her mind. Edelgard, Dimitri, Claude, Anna…
Dorothea.
Byleth's mind flooded with memories. She saw Dorothea smiling as she helped the teacher in trying on new outfits. She saw Dorothea singing in the cathedral. She saw her laughing alongside the others when Leonie had been embarrassed during the fishing festival. She remembered how happy the girl had been upon winning the White Heron Cup. She remembered when Dorothea had comforted her following Aelfric's plot, and how she had sung for her when Jeralt died. And she remembered the night of the ball, when the two had danced in the Goddess Tower together.
And then, as Sothis' power began to flow into her outstretched hand, and as the green-haired girl disappeared, Byleth could hear Dorothea's voice, pleading.
"Byleth… help me…"
…
Edelgard and the others arrived just as Solon shouted, "FINISH HER!"
The skeletons surged forward, intent on ending the girl who held her blade in a defiant last stand.
"DOROTHEA!" Edelgard screamed, knowing they would never reach her in time.
Suddenly, time seemed to grind to a standstill as a glowing golden blade tore through the very air, opening a rift between worlds. The blade then ripped outward like a writhing serpent, carving with lightning speed through the ranks of the skeletons that threatened the diva. In a mere second, all the skeletons that had surrounded her were reduced to dust.
Dorothea's eyes went wide with shock at this sight.
The tear between dimensions widened as a woman stepped out from it, dragging the body of a fallen assassin with her.
Solon, watching in muted horror, said, "So the Fell Star consumes even the darkness itself…"
Dorothea could not believe what she was seeing, but she could not have been happier.
Byleth stood before her, her hair now a glorious golden green. Her eyes glowed green with power as she released her grip on Kronya's body and turned toward Solon.
And then she said, in a voice not quite her own, "Solon… Know that I am The Beginning, and I am your end!"
And so Byleth goes Super Saiyan. This was pretty damn epic in-game.
Sorry for more lewding, but I just can't help myself. Byleth is just too sexy with those huge melons of hers!
As for Dorothea's bit, if you're going to say "damsel in distress", I view it a bit more as "badass in distress" at this point. She put up a good fight; she was just outmatched.
I actually wanted Byleth's last line in this chapter to be spoken in Japanese, but couldn't get a good translation (grammar and all that). If anyone can provide a good translation to Romaji, I'd really appreciate it. The idea of it is that Byleth, high on Sothis' power, would be speaking in the ancient Nabatean language, even if she doesn't know that tongue.
Finally, as for why Byleth pulled Kronya's body out of Zahras? That'll become clearer later on. But Byleth didn't do it out of some desire to save her.