Hey all, I know it's been a long, long time between uploads, so I figure I owe you all a bit of a talk before we get into things.
I've talked briefly about my professional writing work before, but at the beginning of September I got a promotion and now have genuine work shifts almost every day. That's pretty much the reason things started to slow down at first, but add some combination of ongoing pandemic blues and election anxiety here in the states, and I've had some trouble really pulling my stuff together.
For anyone who has stuck around, anxiously waiting for an update, I appreciate the hell out of you.
I am still committed to getting this done, but my timetable is more nebulous than ever, so I hope you understand. I've had this bit written up for a long while but figured I would eventually write up the action-heavy second half before uploading it. Since it has been so long I figure that's an unrealistic hope for now, so I offer you this to tide you over. As far as the next chapter goes, all I can say for now is I'll get to it when I get to it. In the meantime, I might try to write some smaller, compact stories, a few of which may be tangentially related to this. So be on the lookout!
Thanks for sticking by, and please remember to be safe and good to each other.
Part 2 — Guardian Moon
The joyful reunion of the Blue Lions is cut short. Though plans to resist the Empire are still being devised by the Kingdom army, the Imperial army has already anticipated their next move. An Imperial vanguard just outside Garreg Mach, led by General Randolph, begins to advance with the aim of toppling the monastery once again.
Counterattacks are planned accordingly in the day it takes for Adrestia to arrive, through the same city they first invaded years ago, but few are confident it will be enough.
Once the second invasion began, it quickly overwhelmed the Kingdom army.
From a vantage point on high at the northern end of the city, Byleth watches as battles are waged in the far corners of the settlement's skeletal remains. Empty corridors and dilapidated buildings come to life with flickering lights as magical combatants used everything in their arsenals: Bursts of scarlet fire; Flashes of golden lightning; Ruptures of vacuous dark energy.
Byleth knew he was the last line of defense should imperial forces break through, even if his expression betrayed only apathy.
The Professor turns his attention to his left arm, where he reaffixes the Seiros Shield. It was an artifact too ancient to comprehend; yet it pained one's eyes with a mystic glow as though the Saint forged it yesterday. Despite its history, Byleth was stuck by how simple, even unsuspecting it appeared: An eggshell disk circumscribed by gold, just big enough to cover his hand and forearm, bearing naught but the Crest of Seiros in the center. The leaf-shaped crest was an elegant design, reminding all who looked upon it that Seiros was the foremost connection to the tree of life sewed by the Goddess.
It was a far cry from the jagged, interweaving cacophony that was his Crest of Flames. How funny to think a descendant of Seiros' greatest enemy would be standing guard at the gates to her holy sanctum, bearing her shield — the very same that Archbishop Rhea wore five years prior when she took this stance.
He emanated Rhea's gravitas even more distinctly thanks to the outfit that accompanied the Seiros Shield. The garb of the Enlightened One, as Seteth had called it, replaced Byleth's usual dark armor plating with flowing layers that divided his figure in twine. Black and white, good and evil, yin and yang; this look embodied it all. A cape lined with a purple fabric that contrasted his minty hair ran down to his ankles, pouring down from the golden peacock-tailed collar around his neck.
It seemed he wasn't the only one smitten by the look.
"It's a tad gaudy compared to your usual getup, don't you think?"
Byleth looks over his shoulder to find Manuela descending the stairs, arms crossed over her chest so the fuzzy, hanging drapes of her snowy cloak would enshroud her figure.
"I suppose it is."
The Enlightened One steps aside so Manuela can join him on the overlook, watching magic sparks fly and cast smoky trails that Pegusus and Wyvern riders chase one another through.
"I like it, though." Byleth pauses as Manuela expresses surprise. Even to battle, the former opera star made sure she was all gussied up with rogue and orange eyeliner. "It makes me feel powerful. Like I'm in-tune with all sides of myself."
Manuela stares at him for a long moment, her face shifting between intrigue and confusion. Eventually, she snorts back a laugh.
"I never took you to be so spiritual, Byleth." The middle-aged woman sighs as she pushes rightmost sweeps of hair aside to rest a carefully manicured hand on her cheek. "Then again, I barely get three words out of you when the subject isn't battle tactics."
The Professor closes his eyes with a somewhat dismissive huff, turning his head toward the floor and crossing his arms. "I've always found it the easiest thing to discuss."
As she watches him, Manuela's expression remains soft — adoring, even.
However, she turns back to the ruined city when a loud crack echoes through the air. It sounded as though someone were making use of a Heroes' Relic.
"On the subject of strategy… Just what are you doing back here on your own?" Manuela makes a sweeping gesture. "Wouldn't you rather be out in the fray?"
"For now, my purpose is to wait for the signal, and this is the best vantage point."
"The signal?"
Byleth nods. Manuela waits only a moment for a clear answer, never to come.
"Well if you're going to be like that, answer me this then." She points out a flying white mount to the east. "That's Ingrid, is it not? Seems she's rather far from all the action. I can't imagine that's truancy on her part."
This comment causes Byleth to chuckle briefly. Manuela was more perceptive than he gave her credit for. "I've tasked Ingrid with watching over Dimitri, and I've elected to keep him away from the primary battle."
"Oh." Manuela starts teasing at the golden ring at her sternum, which attaches the top strings of her dress to her matching green choker. "I see."
Byleth lets the conversation fall to silence with a nod. Then he turns to her.
"I must admit, I'm… Conflicted about him."
Manuela returns his gaze, head tilted off-center. "How so?"
"The idea of sending him into battle in this state feels wrong." He closes his eyes again and tries to run a hand through his hair. It bumps against a golden circlet matching his collar. Flayn certainly went all-in with the accessories. "I'm not sure whether it feels like we're putting him in danger, or putting everyone around him in danger."
Manuela nods. "A useful weapon, as much as a man. Even against those who care about him the most."
Before Byleth can respond, a voice clawing against its soft nature interrupts.
"Professor!"
Marianne trots up to the base of the stairs beneath the instructors on horseback, fully garnished in combat attire. The blacks and blues she typically hid beneath were gone. Instead, she sat as a beacon of light atop her steed, both covered with the shimmering white and gold armored plating of a Holy Knight.
"Ashe and I cleared out the eastern marketplace," she says. Byleth notes how nonchalantly she's able to both calm her horse's braying and dangle the tip of her steel lance to the ground below without breaking eye contact. "Where should I go next?"
The Professor thinks this over before directing her attention to the city's main street. "Gilbert is commanding our main forces there, he could use all the help we can offer."
Marianne takes her reins in the same hand as her lance. "Of course."
"I'd also like to ask something of you, Marianne."
She doubles over when pulling to a quick stop, and tugs on her horse's reins as she looks back up at him.
"Sometime soon, a bright green flame should emerge from the rooftops to the west there." He directs her gaze, and Manuela follows along to see a fairly sturdy townhouse near the edge of the city.
"Yes?"
"Once that goes off, I'll put my own signal out. When you see it, do everything in your power to direct everyone out of the center of town immediately."
Marianne looks down at her horse and nods as she quietly runs through the instructions a few times.
"Understood. Let's go, Dorte."
As the girl races off she seems one with her steed, dressed in similarly colored barding. Byleth had trouble reconciling his thoughts about sending these former students back into battle, but he could feel the presence of the Goddess in that moment. She seemed just as proud as he was.