Author's Notes


Another mission-related battle for Bambietta and her Golden Deer has come.

Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo

Fire Emblem is owned by Nintendo

Me? I only own the story you're reading right now.


3rd Person POV

White Clouds

Day 31 of the Harpstring Moon

"Okay, everyone. Time for Operation: Red Canyon Dominance!" Bambietta announced as she and her House arrived in Zanado, the Red Canyon.

"Right!" Everyone else shouted, galvanized.

"So, we are taking children into battle, are we?" Sothis's voice brought up to Bambietta. "I am not certain I will be able to sleep soundly after beholding something like that... I shall allow you to turn back the hands of time, but know this power is not infinite! But don't worry. At the end of each battle, your Divine Pulses will recharge back to their maximum number of uses." She warned her. Bambietta nods.

Bambietta buys Marianne a Training Bow.

She brings herself, Claude, Marianne, Ignatz, Lysithea, Lorenz, Hilda, Raphael, and Leonie with her to battle.

And so, Bambietta and the Golden Deer go to their first real battle. "So this is the Red Canyon? Doesn't look red to me... Anyway, let's get things started, Teach." Claude asked of. "Looks like the thieves have been driven back. That's what we last heard, so no surprise there."

"The knights chased us all the way here!?" The bandit leader exclaimed.

"Chief, let's get out of here! There's no way we can win against them!" A thief suggested.

"Shut your dumb mouth! Where would we go at this point? You can't be a thief if you fear death!" The chief snapped at the thief.

"I hear there's a back road to the west. How about we split up and attack from there and from the front?" Claude asked. "We may be able to corner the enemy by approaching from both sides. In any case, we need to cross the bridge first. I'll leave the details to you, Teach."

"Yeah. Okay, got it!" Bambietta replied. "Claude, you get the first strike!"

"Ready and willing!" Claude acknowledged and shoots at one of the Fighters and hits him. His authority rank is now at D, giving him the Ability Authority Lv 2.

The rest, including Bambietta, advance.

The two Fighters attack Claude. One of them hits him, but the other misses.

Lorenz finishes off the Fighter that attacked Claude with Tempest Lance. He grows in maximum life energy, strength, magic, dexterity, and defense.

"It is a noble's duty to guard the welfare of the people. Nothing personal." Lorenz shrugged.

Claude strikes at the other fighter that attacked him, gets hit, and attacks him again. Claude grows in magic, speed, and luck.

Leonie finishes off that Fighter. She grows in dexterity and charm.

"This is what I've trained for!" Leonie exclaimed, excitedly.

"Good work, you three. Don't let up!" Bambietta advised as she heals Claude.

The rest of Bambietta's allies advance.

Some enemies advance.

Ignatz used Wrath Strike on one of the thieves and hits him, but gets hit back.

Hilda shoots at the thief with her Training Bow and hits him.

Leonie shoots at a healthier foe with Curved Shot and hits him.

Bambietta and the rest of her students advance.

A thief attacks and hits Leonie.

Another keeps attacking Ignatz who strikes back and defeats him.

"I'm sorry... I didn't have a choice." Ignatz apologized.

The archer shoots at Hilda who shoots back. She grows in magic, speed, and charm.

Hilda finishes the archer off. "I was planning to just sit back and watch. But hey, I got one!" Hilda exclaimed, happily.

Ignatz hits the other thief with Wrath Strike but gets hit himself.

Marianne finishes off the thief with Nosferatu. "Please forgive me, Goddess... and save their souls..." She prayed.

Bambietta and the others advance.

Two thieves advance and a Fighter advances and attacks Bambietta with a Gambit. "We stole this treasure! It's all ours! There's no way we're gonna give it up to some knights!" He declared. The Gambit misses.

"Good try." Bambietta complimented. "Leonie. Raphael."

The two heed her command. Leonie attacks the Fighter first, twice, and Raphael finishes him off with a Smash. He receives a Chest Key. "This is my first real fight. I guess I'm pretty strong!" He complimented himself.

Bambietta heals Ignatz with Recover.

The rest of Bambietta's house advances.

One of the thieves attacks Hilda and gets countered.

Four more enemies advance.

Lysithea defeats the thief that attacked Hilda. "A precious opportunity to test my own strength. I won't make waste of your deaths." She said to them.

Lorenz, with the power of his Crest, shoots a fireball at a thief and hits him.

Hilda finishes off the thief. She grows in maximum life energy, strength, dexterity, speed, and charm.

"Okay. Time to split up. Claude, Mari, you're with Lorenz, Lysie, and Hilda. Go assault the front. The rest, follow me!" Bambietta ordered. "Oh, and before I forget, Raphael, since you've got that chest key, try it out on that chest."

"You got it, Professor!" Raphael acknowledged as he and everyone else follow her orders.

The three enemies that advanced advance again.

Marianne scores a critical hit on one of the thieves with Nosferatu and defeats him instantly. She grows in maximum life energy and luck.

Claude shoots at the archer and hits him, but he counters.

Hilda, with her Gambit boosted, attacks and defeats the archer with Onslaught. She also masters her class. The Fighter is now rattled.

Leonie shoots at another thief and hits him twice. She masters her Commoner class.

Bambietta heals Leonie.

The thief attacked by Leonie attacks Leonie.

Leonie strikes at the thief again, gets hit by him, and strikes him down.

Bambietta heals her with Recover.

Hilda finishes off the fighter she rattled. She grows in dexterity and speed.

Raphael opens the chest with the key he obtained to find a Large Bullion. "Oh wow! Professor! I found a Large Bullion!"

"What's that do!?" Bambietta asked.

"The same thing as a regular Bullion! You sell it, you get a lot of gold! Only this one can be sold for a higher price!" Raphael answered.

Bambietta whistles. "Nice! All right! Let's sell it once we get the chance! Cool with that?"

Raphael gives a thumbs up. "Sounds good, Professor!"

Marianne heals Hilda.

The rest advance.

The enemies do nothing and Bambietta and her students advance again.

One of the archers advance toward Lysithea's group, one of the thieves attacking Hilda.

Hilda counters and defeats the thief that attacked her.

Marianne heals Hilda.

Lysithea hits the archer with Swarm Z, lowering his speed.

The rest advance.

The archer that was attacked attacks Lysithea, but was defeated by her. She grows in maximum life energy, magic, dexterity, and luck.

The Bishop attacks and hits Lorenz with Nosferatu. Lorenz counters twice with Fire.

Lysithea attacks and hits the Bishop with her training bow but was hit by the Nosferatu.

Lorenz defeats the Bishop with Tempest Lance. He grows in maximum life energy, strength, dexterity, luck, defense, and resistance. He has also mastered his Noble class.

Marianne heals Lorenz.

The rest of the Golden Deer advances. The chief does nothing.

Marianne heals Lysithea.

Hilda gets close to the chief and equips her Iron Axe.

Lorenz hits the chief with Fire.

Bambietta heals Lysithea and the rest advance.

The chief, due to the floor he's standing on, is healed. He hits Hilda, but she misses her counterattack. Her Axe Prowess is raised.

"Come on, Hilda, you got this!" Bambietta cheered.

Through her words of encouragement, Hilda scores a critical hit with her Smash combat art.

"I should have never listened to that idiot... What a mistake..." The chief groaned as he dies.

Hilda grows in maximum life energy, strength, dexterity, speed, luck, and resistance.

"Those thieves ran out of luck when they entered this canyon. They never had a chance." Claude boasted. "Your leadership was amazing, Teach. Let's leave the rest of this work to the knights." He suggested.

"Yeah. Man, Hilda. You put in some WORK. Really good job, girl." Bambietta told Hilda and she gets her in a playful clinch.

"Agh! Professor!" Hilda grunted. The rest of the Golden Deer laugh. Hilda's motivation was maxed out.


Later, Bambietta POV

I was looking around the canyon. "I remember this being a peaceful place... Since when has it been called the Red Canyon...?" I thought out loud.

I then heard something. "Hmm... I wonder why it is that you recall this place."

AGH!

"You must be weak of heart. Each time I speak, it scares you so." Sothis pointed out.

"Y-You surprised me! That's all...!" I snapped at her.

"Although the battle's at an end, do not feel too at ease. Well, anyhow... I am quite fascinated by this place. As far as I can tell, this is your first time here..." Sothis said.

"Have you been here before, Sothis?"

"Here? I daresay it would be impossible to have forgotten such a place as this. I must admit I am unsure. Beyond the name and this strange feeling of familiarity, I can't seem to remember anything about this place. And yet... a great depth of emotion is tied to that sense of familiarity. Like joy and sorrow. Pain and love. And all things in between... If I was somehow here before, I wonder what took place..."

"Teach? What are you doing here? We should get back to the academy." Claude told me as he appeared.

"Y-Yeah. Thanks." I nodded.

"it is time to depart. But know that time reveals all things. One day, I will remember that which I have lost..." Sothis declared. "Oh, by the way. It seems you've earned my gratitude. The thieves who came here are no more."

"Why... are you grateful?" I asked her.

"I am not sure myself, yet I am grateful all the same. In any case... You must become accustomed to my voice! If you fall down with shock each time I speak, that just won't do." Sothis pointed out.

"Who said I did!?"

"Oh... You think you're standing strong? Of course you are! It was a jest."


Entrance Hall

"Hey, Teach. On the way back, you seemed transfixed by the canyon." Claude pointed out to me. "Did something happen there?"

"Actually..." I told him about what happened.

"It seemed familiar to you? Huh. Can't say the same. Maybe it's a memory from when you were a child. Or from a past life. Anyway, if you can't remember, I guess there isn't really much more to be said. Although, I'll admit, there is something about that canyon that has me captivated as well. How did Zanado come to be called the Red Canyon?" Claude asked. "Nothing there... was actually red..."


Audience Chamber

I talk to Rhea. "So, you have safely disposed of those bandits. I pray that their souls find salvation. But why did they target the students to begin with? We must further investigate the true cause of all that took place." Rhea declared. "Until we know more, I ask that you support the students and relieve them of any unnecessary worry."

"I'll do all that I can." I nodded.

"Good. I have high expectations for you. By the way, how was your time in Zanado?" Rhea brought up. "Legend has it, in ancient times, a goddess alighted upon this world in that very canyon. For a goddess from the heavens, Zanado could only have been a temporary haven."

"A goddess? A temporary haven?" I repeated.

"Long ago, the divine Seiros received a revelation from the goddess. A gift, to help guide the lost. The goddess is always watching over Fodlan from her kingdom above. However, in ancient times, the goddess graced this world with her presence and offered salvation to the people here. She is the mother of all life, the arbiter of every soul." Rhea told me.

"I didn't know. My father never told me." I said.

"I see. During your time here, I pray that you come to devote yourself to the teachings of Seiros." Rhea said.

"Uh... Lady Rhea, I am sorry to interrupt. There is something I must ask about in regard to those bandits." Seteth declared as he appeared.

"As you wish. We shall continue our discussion when next we meet." Rhea told me.


Cathedral

"A goddess... I have no memory of her. But then... I have no memory at all!" Sothis exclaimed. "Oh, how bothersome! It is as though I know... and yet I don't. Perhaps Zanado was my home back when the goddess walked the land. If so... what does that make me now? A ghost?"

"I don't know..." I shook my head.

"Hmm... No. That cannot be. I am most certainly alive. Of course, we also have the mystery of why I'm here with you. Is it somehow connected? Perhaps some past regret is stopping me from moving on, and now I'm forced to stay with you instead... No, that's not it! I can't believe in such a meaningless existence! I... I..." Sothis trailed off as she yawns and drifts off to sleep.

Whew... What a day...

END OF EPISODE