Chapter Three: Dark Sanctuary

The Flame Emperor watched pensively through the library windows as the new arrival made his way to his quarters. Could he really be the one? He was certainly not as...well, godly as expected. One would think the vessel of the goddess herself would be a bit more regal looking. Nonetheless, there was no denying that there was a certain integrity to this man.

What other explanation was there for someone being a natural airbender? He certainly wasn't one of the Immaculate Ones. Perhaps an accidental offspring of one of the Saints? For some reason, that idea struck the Emperor as more amusing than it should've been. Well, no doubt that whoever he was, he was at least connected to the one they sought. Besides that, he was now a key strategic piece, being as he was a prized token of both the Church and those who slithered beneath it.

The corridors were lit with fires prepared by the monks for their evening prayers. The Flame Emperor was pleased by their warmth, and hated nothing more than the dark and dank passageways where the rats who proclaimed themselves the allies of Fire dwelled. Well, almost nothing. There was certainly something more hateful than cold and darkness. Its obliteration was all that mattered.

To forge a better world, the flames must feed on that which is rotten.

With that, the Flame Emperor descended the stairways of the Monastery, out into the chilly night air. Normally, it would have been prudent to avoid venturing near the Church, on the off chance that Rhea's vision detected a hint of impure motive. But that vision was focused elsewhere today. The Avatar had made sure of that.

The path split in two just before the bridge. The one on the right led towards the students' quarters, where boisterous banter could be heard coming from the common rooms. The one on the left snaked off toward the church graveyard. There, a faithful servant awaited.

"A pleasant evening, your highness. And an auspicious one, I might add. Our friends in the shadows share good news." The servant bowed graciously before falling into step beside the Flame Emperor. "The Death Knight has agreed to lead our excavation of the Holy Tomb."

Bah, Thales and his schemes! Opposing the Church was one thing, but attacking the Holy Tomb during the Rite of Rebirth? It was as if they were begging for the entire blasted legion to punch a hole through their slippery hides. As for the Death Knight...Sure, he could easily take on a dozen trained swordsmen, but at times it was not clear who exactly that masked lunatic served.

"I would feel better about our chances if we found a way to eliminate the Dragon of Seiros."

"Thales assures us that plans are underway, your highness. For now, we need only provide cover for Solon as he faithfully carries out our research agenda."

Ah yes...that. The thing that always drove the Flame Emperor to the verge of showing those conniving rats the flames of Hell they deserved. It had gotten to be a regular occurrence by now - the random disappearances on missions beyond the Monastery, the "accidental" deaths, even apparent suicides - they were all methods by which their scientists obtained the necessary human samples for their...experiments.

All in the name of Crest research.

"I want to remind our "friends" that we play a delicate game. We are too few to engage the Church in direct combat. Even the might of the Fire Nation will be insufficient if the other two nations rally against us. And if the rumors of the powers of the Avatar are true..."

"All the more reason to eliminate him while we still can, your highness. Together, I am certain we can bring a swift and merciful end to Rhea's latest pawn."

"No. Even if we wanted to, Rhea's vision guards the Avatar like a sphinx. Any attempt to move against him will prove not only futile, but would expose our entire position. We need a more subtle approach. Something which does not bring the Avatar harm, but nonetheless advances our own plans."

"You seek... to persuade him to join our cause then?"

"Perhaps. Though I would like to better understand his motivations first."

Yes...there was certainly precedent for such a conversion. The original Avatar, after all, was the King of Liberation himself. He who slew the goddess Sothis and took her powers, and led the forces of humanity against the followers of Seiros. He almost won in the end.

Almost, but a near victory is just as good as a defeat. There can be no careless mistakes this time.

No fair duels. Especially no antiquated notions of honor. They were making a deal with the devil, after all.

...

"Hmm, this is really starting to make me curious. Leonie, how exactly did a former Captain of the Monks become a wandering mercenary with a kid?" Claude didn't believe for a second that the only reason that kid was being asked to join the Academy was because of his fighting skills. It must have had something to do with how he had used airbending to protect Edelgard, but even so, it felt like there was something more to it.

Leonie scratched her head looking serious. "Well he was never particularly open about his past. When I was his apprentice back in Sauin, he and I mostly talked about hunting and sword fighting. But he did mention something about...needing to protect someone important. I guess that must've been the kid."

"According to Church records, the current captain of the Monks has been in service for nearly 20 years, so that would be around the time Jeralt retired," Lysithea recalled. "It was also around the time the great fire happened that burned down the western tower, remember?"

"Well, good to know at least someone's been paying attention to Hanneman."

As far as Claude could tell, there were two possibilities. Either that young man was a true born son of Jeralt, which would beg the question of how he got to be a natural born airbender. Or else, he used to be a resident of Garreg Mach and was somehow connected with Jeralt's decision to leave the Church in the first place.

So... an airbender coming back home after nearly 20 years, huh? If it was true that this stranger was something special, then he definitely warranted keeping a few eyes on.

"Alright everyone, looks like we're going to need to gather some information. I can bet something big's going to happen and it's something to do with that newcomer named Byleth."

"Well if he is truly of a grand lineage, then he is likely to be a relative of mine. Perhaps I should be the one to make our introductions." Lorenz suggested self-assuredly.

"But if it's true that he's an airbender, that would make him either a member of Rhea's lineage, or…" Lysithea scratched her head, trying to find the right word. "Maybe a ghost!"

"I think the stories of the Death Knight have got you a little wound up, Lysithea. But I will say it's not as ridiculous as it sounds. There's at least something about him that didn't feel exactly human."

"Well, even if he's not of strictly noble birth, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to learn a bit more about this interesting individual."

"Leave it to me. And Hilda, naturally."

"Just make sure I still get my sparring match tomorrow. Ghost or no ghost, there's no way some two bit mercenary's gonna take my title as Jeralt's best apprentice."

"Deal, Leonie. Just don't get too carried away, okay? We need you for the upcoming mock battle. Speaking of which, let's go over our battle plan."

"I just hope it has accounted for the fact that Dimitri can probably take on the six of us at once," lamented Lorenz.

"Not if he's busy battling Edelgard, he can't."

Lorenz blinked. "True."

"Not to mention we have a secret weapon." He looked over at Lysithea.

"Hmph. Just make sure Raphael's well fed tomorrow. I don't want him passing out in the middle of battle again like last time."

"Hey! Don't worry, kid! I've been training twice as hard and eating half as little all week!"

"So do you mean you've been eating more or -" Lysithea sighed. "Nevermind, just eat normally! This is exactly the kind of thing that worries me."

...

Byleth woke with a start when he heard the creak. It was still dark, but he reached instinctively for the place he had left his sword. The noises were coming from the ceiling, and it was starting to sound like someone was climbing around on his roof. Sword in hand, he prepared to run outside and confront his unknown assailant.

At that moment, the section of roof over his bed caved in and a figure fell through the resulting hole with a startled yelp. Still holding his sword, Byleth approached the trespasser, almost tempted to prod it with the pointy end of his sword to see if it was still alive.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" A girl's voice pleaded. "Please don't stab me with that, I did not mean any harm, I promise!"

Byleth withdrew his sword, startled and perplexed, but still eyeing the intruder warily. Fetching a lamp, he got a better look at the girl on his bed. She was very petite, perhaps only half as tall as Byleth, and she wore tassels of green hair that were the same color as Seteth's and the Archbishop Rhea's. Her kindly features were at the moment glazed over with fright, but the girl was also eyeing him with a look of deep curiosity.

"I know, I should not have been climbing around on your roof like that. Also I know this is quite unladylike of me." She straightened her skirt as she sat upright with an embarrassed expression. "I'm Flayn. Seteth is my elder brother. Pleased to make your acquaintance, sir." She stood and curtsied.

Byleth was still a bit started to speak, so he simply nodded and posed a silent question. Why in the goddess's name had she been climbing around on his roof?

Possibly reading his thoughts, the girl called Flayn continued, "I heard that you are an Airbender, so I could not help but be curious. I'm a Waterbender myself, but Water and Air really aren't that different." She giggled and made a playful gesture towards the mess she had made on the bed.

In a moment, the wooden debris that had fallen from the ceiling was magically swept from his bed and, moments later, ejected out of the hole in his ceiling, as though by an invisible suction. "There, at least you can make enjoyment of your comfy bed again." She smiled brightly, satisfied that she was able to fix the damage she had inflicted on his room. "Well now, I wish you a fine night, Professor. Come and speak with me whenever you would like a chat. I'd love to have tea together, or perhaps an arousing pillow fight." With that apparent non sequitur, she exited the room, leaving Byleth nonplussed and hoping it wouldn't be too cold to sleep with a hole in his roof.