Chapter 6: The Divine Pulse

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"Does everyone have their bags packed?" Balaiya asked her class while she checked their convoy list for the third time that morning. She wanted to make sure they were prepared. They had to get to Zanado by the thirty first of the month. Her father had always told her to Prepare for the worst but hope for the best. Now was definitely no different.

"Professor? Can I please ride one of the horses?" Hilda said with a whine. "I don't think my feet can take it."

Balaiya frowned. "No Hilda, for the last time. You may not ride one of the horses to our mission. It's just a few days walk from the monastery anyway. If you want. We can talk about you signing up for some riding classes when we return."

The pinkette groaned and hung her head. "But that's sooo far away! I don't want to do more work."

"It's okay Hilda!" Boomed Raphael, "We can play some fun walking games to take your mind off the walking!"

Hilda crossed her arms. "That makes no sense Raphael!"

"What's there not to make sense of?" He exclaimed. "It's ok! I'll teach you how the games go so you won't get lost!"

Balaiya nodded in agreement. "That's a good idea Raphael, I look forward to it."

He grinned and punched the air in a cheer.

"Where are we going again?" Hilda said with a sigh.

Lorenz walked by, setting down some supplies. "You honestly forgot where we are going? The knights just finished briefing us." He shook his head. "We are going to Zanado, the Red Canyon."

Hilda sighed and sat down on a crate, suddenly finding her nails extremely interesting. "What happened to the village we were going to?"

"The knights managed to run the bandits out of the village. Now it's up to us to clean them up."Balaiya said as she arranged the supplies Lorenz brought to the convoy.

Leonie walked over with her own bag. "I'm itching to put my skills to the test in real combat! We have to win, so Captain Jeralt can see how much I've learned!"

Balaiya closed her eyes, mentally counting to five. This was going to be a long trip.

"I thought Jeralt wasn't coming with us."Ignatz joined the group, his brows furrowed in confusion. "Either way, I'll give it everything I've got."

Marianne walked over with Lysithea, each one holding a small bag of medicinal supplies. "I'm not sure I should go… It's not like I'd be of any use."

Lysithea frowned. "That's enough of that Marianne! If we don't work together and give it our all, we are doomed to fail!"

Balaiya finished her fourth check of the supplies and sighed, mumbling quietly. "I wonder how we will do…" Her father's newest advice echoed in her ears, '...it'll be harder to sleep at night if you let one of your students die out there. Be careful…' She frowned, just what are the consequences if something like that were to happen? Not even Rhea or Seteth mentioned anything along that vein.

A familiar presence walked up behind her. "Is that worry I see on your face, Teach?"

She glanced at him, her expression schooled into her usual calm exterior. "I was merely concentrating Claude."

"If you continue at that pace, you'll be worn out by the time we get there!" He smirked and handed her some more food supplies. "If we fight half as good as we chatter, we'll be fine."

Balaiya stared at the small bag then back at her chart with a frown.

"Just add a total of ten to whatever your count is for the rations." He winked. "No need to get all worked up over the fine print."

She signed and did exactly that. "Fine." She motioned for the small caravan to start moving. "Alright we're ready to go!"

"There ya go Teach! Not being uptight about things is healthy for you."

She sighed and glanced around at the others in the group, they were all talking animatedly amongst themselves. "I know. But isn't being too careless also bad for you?"

He reached his arms behind his head. "Nah, that's not it. Think of it more like... Relaxed."

She looked down at her feet. "Relaxed? I don't think it's a good idea to be relaxed."

"Teach. Please. It's just bandits, everything will be fine. Besides no use overthinking everything before we even get there." He leaned down suddenly so he was in her field of view. "Right?"

She stopped walking so she wouldn't run into him, her eyes wide in surprise. "You like to invade my personal bubble huh?"

He smirked and leaned in closer to her. "Only when you let me."

She pressed her lips together in a thin line and stepped around him.

Lysithea walked over to them. "Pestering the Professor again Claude?" She crossed her arms with a smirk.

"Nope!" He popped the 'p' quite dramatically. "Teach here was just saying she's giving me extra credit 'cause I'm such a great student and helped her stock the convoy!" A mischievous grin split his face.

"What!?" Lysithea gasped. "Professor! This can't be true. We all added our own suggestions on what to bring!"

Balaiya shook her head slowly. "No Lysithea, that isn't true. I wouldn't give out extra credit for something so simple."

The girl crossed her arms. "I mean, of course, I knew you wouldn't. I was just confirming it for the idiots around who might be curious." She glared at Claude.

He snickered and motioned for Raphael's attention. "Hey! Come up here and tell us how that game of yours works!"

Raphael smiled widely and ran up to the front of the group, his chest puffed out as he stood proudly. "Alright listen up everyone! With enough of these games we'll be in the Red Canyon before you can say...uh...Red Canyon!"

Lorenz crossed his arms. "Red Canyon."

"Oh, come on Lorenz. Don't be such a party pooper." Claude said.

"How absurd, I would never! That sounds so foul." Lorenz said with a huff.

Claude glanced over at Balaiya with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

Balaiya shook her head slowly, mouthing no.

He stuck his lip out in a pout, but made no further comment much to her relief.

Raphael cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. "Alright here are the rules to the game! I'm going to act out an animal and one of you-" he pointed a finger at everyone. "-need to guess. The player is not allowed to talk only make sound effects and answer yes or no if the guesses is right! The winner goes next!"

"But, how do you win?" asked Leonie.

"Uhh." Raphael scratched his head.

Claude stepped in. "How about the first to, say… Ten points?"

Balaiya nodded. "Sounds good."

"You're playing too, Teach… Right?"

She glanced over at him and sighed. He was grinning widely and she found herself caving quickly. "Fine."

He cheered loudly besides Raphael, even going as far as to jump up to give the wall of man a high-five.

The first animal that Raphael tried was a bear, he got down on all fours and began crawling around. He ran to a tree and attacked it a few times. It was quite entertaining. It reminded Balaiya of some of the games the others in the troop would play after one too many pints. The others in the class were far too flustered with his animated display to find their bearings long enough to shout an answer. When someone finally did have an answer most were surprised to find that Marianne had guessed correctly.

Raphael jumped to his feet with a breathless "Yes!"

Claude held his stomach his eyes shut from the laughter. "Well done Marianne!" He wiped his eyes and grinned. "It's your turn now."

The timid girl took a step back. "Oh, I-I don't know…"

"How was that a bear!?" Leonie yelled, throwing her hands in the sky.

"This game is so uncivilized." Lorenz said with his nose pointed upward.

Hilda clapped her hands together with a smile. "Come on Marianne! This looks fun! Go on."

After a few more words of encouragement Marianne finally moved to the front of the group. She was silent for a moment before she seemed to make up her mind and then held up her hands, each with her index and middle finger pointed outward at the side of her head. She tilted her head down and shook it up and down once and scraped her foot against the soil. Two voice yelled out an answer simultaneously.

"Horse!"

"Dorte!"

Balaiya looked between Leonie and Claude with raised eyebrows. Was that considered a tie? Or did Leonie win since she was the one who actually said an animal type. Even though Dorte was in fact, a horse.

"What in the name of the Ten Elites is a Dorte?" Lorenz said with a frown.

Marianne frowned at him. "He is a horse."

"It's a tie?" Lysithea questioned.

"No! We can't have a tie!" Leonie shook her head and glared at Claude who had the smuggest look on his face. "Professor, which one of us should get the point?"

"Come on Teach, you know I hit that nail, exactly on the head." He gestured to Leonie. "She just hit the general vicinity."

Balaiya held the side of her face, she didn't think it'd be a good idea to choose the winner. It did make sense to choose Claude as the winner. However an off hand comment she heard from one of the students in the dining hall once calling him her favorite prevented her from doing so. Naming him the winner would only further that rumor wouldn't it? In that case, should she just pick Leonie?

"Um...I think it'd be better if Marianne chose the winner."

All eyes turned to Marianne who was fussing with her hands nervously. "Um...well I was thinking of Dorte."

"Ding ding!" Claude shook Leonie's hand dramatically, much to her aggravation. "Well played, nice try. Better luck next time~~." He practically skipped to the front of the group. "I win." He smirked and tapped his chin. "Oh! I got it." He turned so he was facing Balaiya and held up both hands to the side of his head, his fingers outstretched. He just stood there with a smirk for a few moments.

"That's it?" Lysithea said disapprovingly. "How are we supposed to guess tha-"

"A deer?" Balaiya said quietly.

He grinned and pointed at her. "That's right Teach! Honestly I'm shocked no one else here got it quicker!"

Ignatz hung his head. "A deer! Of course, 'cause of the antlers."

Claude seemingly appeared behind Balaiya and placed his hands on her shoulders and began guiding her to the front of the group. "C'mon Teach, your turn now~."

Balaiya frowned. "Wait, can't I give my turn to someone else?" She leaned her head back to look at him but instantly regretted it. Her head touched his chest with how close he was behind her. He looked down at her and smirked,

"Getting cold feet Teach? That won't do. You have no choice at this point, Marianne has done such a good job. You'll have fun too. Promise." He winked.

Balaiya frowned, she had the sudden urge to shove him as far away from her as possible. Instead she did the more logical thing and twisted away from his grip and took a few healthy strides away from him. She took a deep breath.

Marianne spoke up next. "It's okay Professor...it is actually kind of fun…"

Balaiya smiled at the girl. "Thank you. I'll um...do my best." She sighed in defeat and crossed her arms. Just what animal should she do? There were so many obvious choices but at the same time when she imagined herself trying to act them out. She shook her head.

She finally settled on a sparrow. It was a common enough bird so hopefully they will get it quickly. She held her thumb and index finger in front of her mouth like a beak and hopped twice. The giggles that followed made her reconsider her decision to condone this game. It wasn't as if this was helping them prepare for their mission, but at the same time it would do them no good to worry all the way there. Much like Claude had said.

"Um, a sparrow?" She stopped her charade immediately and pointed at Ignatz.

"Yes." She hurried back to her place in the group. Very rarely if at all did she feel embarrassed, but whatever was creeping up her cheeks was reminiscent of the feeling. There was clapping and cheers from the students as eventually, each student got a turn. Even Lorenz. His impression of a bird of paradise was particularly fun. Claude had guessed it on a whim and everyone practically roared with laughter when Lorenz regrettably admitted he was correct.

Before she even realized it the sun was touching the horizon and she discovered that they had played this riciulous game well passed lunch and dinner. On the flip side they had covered more ground that way. Turns out Raphael was right, they'd definitely be arriving sooner rather than later.

"Everyone? We should take a break now, actually we're going to just camp here until daybreak." She motioned for the caravan to set up in the trees beside the road. "We're way ahead of schedule."

"Marianne is the winner!" Claude announced with a grin. He started clapping and everyone else joined in.

Balaiya smiled softly at the display, to see everyone laughing happily together was a touching scene. It pulled at something within her, giving her a similar feeling to wherever she looked back on her memories of spending time with her brother and father. Marianne giggled happily. Whatever shell she often hid in was cast aside for now.

"Whoa! I didn't even realize we skipped lunch today!" Hilda laughed. "I guess you were right Raphael! Oh but now that I realized it... Professor! I'm sooo hungry! Can we eat now!?"

Raphael joined in. "Yes! I could eat a whole herd!"

Balaiya laughed slightly. "Just help me set up camp and we can eat. The sooner we finish the sooner we can start eating."

Setting up camp had not taken that long, she had only brought along two tents for everyone. One for the boys in her class and one for the girls. The few members of the battalion that accompanied them had brought their own supplies. As for herself, she was more than content with sleeping outside on the grass. She had the food ready when she got the first complaint.

"Professor! Why is there only two tents?"

Balaiya handed some food to Ignatz and turned to Lorenz with her brow raised. "What's the problem?"

"There are only two tents."

"Yes?" She crossed her arms. 'Good observation Lorenz.'

"Why?"

"It would be ridiculous for us to each pack a tent for such a short trip. You'll be fine. If it was entirely up to me we would have not packed a tent at all." She shrugged. "It's really not necessary."

He scoffed. "What if it rains Professor!?"

"Then, you get rained on." It's not that big a deal. The season doesn't call for extra accommodations anyway."

"Absurd." He continued grumbling to himself as he walked away.

Balaiya sighed and finished passing out the food before taking some herself and walking away from the group. Some time alone sounded like a good idea right now. She found an isolated area a good ways away from the others and sat down against a tree to eat. 'I wonder how Leth is doing right now… I hope he's alright.' She sighed and looked up at the sky. This was the first time she could remember ever traveling anywhere without at least her brother by her side. Sure, at times her father would go off on his own if the mission required they split. But Byleth was always at her side, for her whole life and she his, until now he was her only constant. It would also be the first time she would enter a battle without him there. It was akin to a seasoned soldier going into battle without his trusty shield, or maybe his favorite sword. Yes, she was still capable, but it just didn't feel the same.

The stars were particularly bright today, the night clear as water. Balaiya rolled her eyes. And Lorenz had been afraid of it raining. He needed only look up to know that wasn't going to happen tonight. She looked off into the distance in every direction quickly. The sky was a fickle thing after all, however tonight it seemed like it was going to be steady in it's clarity.

She sighed inwardly and ripped up a handful of grass, tossing it in front of her. As of late, the only constant in her life now was-

"Do you have a favorite?"

The sudden whispered low voice caught her off guard and she jumped, her pulse pounded suddenly in her ears. She whipped out her dagger and pointed it at the newcomers throat. "Who ar-oh…"

Claude didn't even flinch when the gleam of the blade reflected the moonlight in his eyes. He merely smirked.

Balaiya gasped and put the blade away. "Claude!" Her throat felt raw with how hard she whispered his name, she'd practically growled it. "I nearly cut your jugular out!" She said between her teeth.

"But you didn't~." His eyes seemed to twinkle and he shoved his way beside her. She automatically scooted over to give him space. "Are you always this easy to sneak up on?"

Balaiya frowned and pointed her spoon at him. "I am not easy to sneak up on."

"Mhmm. I should actually try and scare you next time." He grinned. "Sounds fun, yes?"

"No. It does not. Besides… Unlike some, I don't spook easily."

He placed his hand on his chest. "You like to open up old wounds, hey Teach?"

"So that's you admitting it?"

He chuckled and shook his head. "Never."

She looked away and motioned behind her. "Did you already eat? Even though I told them not to sneak food… I wouldn't be too shocked if Raphael over indulges."

"I did. But I wouldn't worry about that." He stretched his legs out in front of him. "That's why I brought extra food."

She turned back to him curiously, he'd gotten extra just so his classmate could have a proper fill of food? "That's really kind of you. Does he know?"

Claude waved her off, "It's not all that impressive. The guy would eat us out of house and home. I just like to be prepared."

"Hmm." For whatever reason, she didn't buy that was why he'd done it.

"Hey, you didn't answer my question."

Balaiya set her empty bowl aside and raised her brow. "Which one?"

He gestured to the sky. "Do you have a favorite?"

"A favorite what?" She asked, confused.

"A favorite star, Teach."

She blinked at him curiously, "A favorite star?"

He laughed sightly. "Uh-oh, have you caught some sort of parrot disease?"

She narrowed her eyes and punched his arm lightly. "Funny."

He didn't even react, only waited with raised eyebrows for her answer.

"Oh… Um. There's actual a few I like…"

He grinned. "Oh? Which ones?"

She shook her head. "Nope, you gotta tell me something about you first. If not, I won't answer anything else about myself."

He laughed again, "Okay, you drive a hard bargain."

She crossed her arms. "Is it?"

"Hmm… Let's see…" He absently tapped the tips of his boots together. "I learned to shoot a bow when I was four. Granted I was no pro, but that's the first time I managed to loose an arrow properly."

Balaiya stared at him, surprise evident on her face. "Really?"

"It's not that impressive. Most of us here could do something in a similar fashion when we were young."

"Yeah but, four is awfully young… Father didn't let my brother or I touch a weapon till we were six. Those were wood anyway. We didn't get a sharpened blade till we were ten." She frowned and shut her mouth, there she went again easily showing him her book. Yet here she was struggling to even turn his page.

"When did he let you participate in missions?"

She shook her head and did the motion of zipping her lips. "I'll answer your other question instead. Right over there." She pointed up at a star that gave off a faint orange light, then to the two smaller ones below it. "When I was a girl, I used to tell my father that those stars were us. The larger one there, was my father and the two below it was my brother and I. I never found out the real meaning of the stars, I've heard that each person has their own star." She shrugged. "I find I rather like that idea."

"Hmm, I like that idea too. It actually calls back to something I used to hear growing up."

Hearing him mention something related to his childhood made her realize just how much she really wanted to know more. But considering how not even his friends in the Golden Deer knew much of anything about him, she figured he wouldn't respond if she asked him to elaborate. Instead she asked him the same question. "How about you? Do you have a favorite?" She turned to him curiously.

He tapped his chin a few times. "Hmm… well...I don't really have a favorite. Though I find I'm rather fond of a group of stars as well. Four to be exact. Though they don't hang in the sky besides each other. Roughly, they hang in each cardinal direction." He pointed each one out. "They're some of the brightest stars in the sky. The best thing though, depending on the season one will be brighter than the rest."

Balaiya stared up at the sky, a feeling of wonder overtaking her. Something she hadn't felt in a while. His voice had taken up a rather serious tone but retained a gentle lilt that she was drawn to. She wanted to turn to look at him but refrained from doing so, she didn't want to break whatever spell had settled around them.

"Why those ones?" She asked in a whisper.

He hummed quietly to himself. "...Back home, they're used to do a number of things. Keep track of dates, seasons, help find one's destination. Parents even tell their children bedtime stories about them. Sometimes you'll find someone able to read them to tell the future." He laughed quietly. "Though I've never met anyone who could."

By this time they were both whispering as if trying not to wake someone even though there was no one within earshot. She was interested in everything he said, but she was mostly curious to know if his parents had told him such stories. "What kind of stories?"

"Some are about Kings."

"Do they have names?"

He remained silent for a long time, she figured he wasn't going to answer but he gestured suddenly to one of the stars he'd pointed to earlier. "That one there, that's Venant."

She repeated the name in her head a few times. It was a strange one, she didn't think she'd ever heard it before. After a moment she spoke again. "What does that mean?"

He shifted beside her and she turned to look at him. He brought his finger to his lips. "That's a secret~."

For a moment she believed he was going to tell her but when he winked she felt the spell break. She was suddenly fully aware just how close he was leaned against her. She frowned, feeling a strange mix of disappointment and awkwardness. Sighing heavily, she stood up and brushed herself off. "I should go check on everyone. Make sure they haven't killed each other." She looked down at him and did her best to offer him a genuine smile. Many have always said they couldn't tell when she was smiling, she only hoped this time he'd be able to. "Thank you for sharing with me, really."

His eyes widened in surprise, and he remained motionless for a few breaths before returning her smile with one of his own.

She didn't know how long she stood there staring at him but her throat tightened, and a prickly sensation spread to her ears. She felt a rush of unease… Or was that nervousness? But why would it be that? He'd not even said anything. She turned quickly and hurried back to camp. She realized that was the first time he truly smiled at her. Because it was the first time she'd seen it grace his eyes so... softly. If she had to describe it in one word, she would have to pick:

Dazzling.

But she had no idea why and she figured it was best she not dwell on the details. She pushed it to the back of her mind and quickened her pace. She had more important things to worry about after all.

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On the morning of their third day of travel Balaiya had nearly forgotten that they were here to round up some bandits. It wasn't until she saw the deep divots and curves of the canyon ahead that it rushed back to her. Zanado, The Red Canyon. Their mission. She mentally scolded herself for getting so distracted with the silly, but entertaining games Raphael had kept their group occupied with.

She stopped before a long, wide bridge that connected the main land with a rather large gap in the ground. So large in fact that she couldn't even see the bottom when she peered down.

Claude stepped beside her, a low whistle announcing his presence. "So, this is the Red Canyon? Doesn't look very red to me."

Balaiya looked around once more, she nodded in agreement. Perhaps there was some other reason the canyon got its name? She turned to the group. "Everyone got their equipment on?" She was answered with a plethora of Yes Professors.

Claude tapped her arm with the back of his hand. "Hey Teach, look. There looks like there's another pathway to the west from here. How about we split up? We could attack from there and from the front."

"Hmm, we'd have to cross that bridge first. I'll need to take a look at the path up close before I can decide."

"Right, of course. I'll leave the details to you, Teach." He pulled his bow from his back and started twirling an arrow in his hand. He turned to her and winked. "Okay, ready and willing~."

'So, we are taking children into battle are we? If one were to die…I am not certain I will be able to sleep soundly after beholding something like that…"

Balaiya blinked and carefully stepped ahead of the group, trying to look like she was thinking. In a soft whisper she said. "You care for them?"

Sothis scoffed. 'Of course I do! Do you not?'

"I...do, they are my students…but what reason do y-"

She sighed. 'I hear and see the world through you! How can I not come to care for these souls?'

"Oh…is it that dangerous?"

"I do not know. I have a sense of foreboding...I shall… allow you to turn back the hands of time.'

Balaiya gasped quietly. "Really?"

'But know that this power is not infinite! There is only so much your body can take.'

"How will I know how to do it?"

Sothis tsked in her head a few times. 'Oh what am I to do with you? You must look within yourself, focus on the moment you wish to alter and turn back the flow.'

"How do you do this anyway?"

'Ugh! Do you not have a battle to win? We can talk later!'

Balaiya sighed and turned to the group. "Alright everyone, it's game time. Remember, if you doubt for even a moment that you'd be able to handle a hit, don't risk it. In a situation like this, your safety is the most important. Our goal here is to incapacitate. I will do my best to keep it that way." She motioned for them to follow her across the bridge.

There was a small group of bandits already waiting for them as soon as they reached the hallway point of the bridge. Balaiya pointed her sword at them. "We're here to place you under arrest in the name of the Church of Serios. We will respond with force if you resist with violence."

One of the bandits spat in her direction. "Like hell we will!" He pointed to one of his companions. "You! Go warn the chief!" The other bandit nodded and ran off. "I'll take care of the rest of you!" He held up his sword and charged them with a scream.

Balaiya frowned and ran ahead, she blocked his strike and kicked him in the stomach. He flew back and landed roughly on his back. His other comrade charged her next, but she was ready. With the back of her sword she hit his temple with a practiced force. He dropped like a rock.

Just as the other stood she was already in front of him, kicking his feet out from under him and knocking him out as well. She took a step back and turned to her class. They were all staring at her with wide eyes.

"Raphael, tie these two up. Quickly." She motioned for the others to follow her across the bridge.

Once they had all crossed the bridge safely she stopped to survey the area. There didn't seem like there were that many bandits from what she could see. Perhaps splitting up would give them a good learning opportunity?

"Claude, take Leonie, Raphael, Lorenz and Marianne with you and head down the western path. We'll meet up with you in the center. Lorenz, if something goes wrong I want you to send a fire spell into the air. I'll come help you." She looked at each student in the eye. "Got it?"

They answered in unison. "Got it Professor!"

"Got it Teach!"

Balaiya glanced over at Claude and he winked. She shook her head and ushered them off. "Be careful guys!" After they had disappeared around the corner she turned to the rest that had stayed with her. "Okay, Hilda I need you to cover my right flank. Ignatz, my left. Lysithea can you cover the perimeter?"

The young mage nodded. "Of course Professor!"

Balaiya nodded and urged them onward.

Everything was going surprisingly smoothly, but she kept an eye on the sky, just incase. They had managed to round up most of the bandits in their area without too much issue as well.

Just when she thought they were finished in the area a group of bandits suddenly jumped out of the bushes and charged Ignatz. He hurriedly loosed an arrow. The tip of the arrow connected with one of the guys shoulders close range. He let out a howl of pain and tore it from his flesh, throwing the arrow angrily back at him.

Blood sprayed from the wound and splattered on his glasses. He freaked. He let out a small yell as he stumbled back, falling on his back as the bandit lunged at him.

Balaiya cursed and threw her body against the larger man. It was enough to knock him off Ignatz, however he had grabbed a fist full of her hair and yanked her down a small hill.

She heard Hilda scream and did her best to wrestle away from the bandit. She got a good kick in his face and started quickly up the hill. From what she could see a whole new group of bandits had appeared. They were outnumbered three to one. Which normally wouldn't be a problem for Balaiya but, she had her inexperienced students to look out for.

She reached the top of the hill and threw her dagger in the face of the bandits about to slice into Hilda's side. She screamed again as the blood sprayed out of his wound and onto her chest. "Guys, take your defensive position! Lysithea try to get back. Hur-" She hit the ground roughly. The bandit she had kicked off her down the hill had climbed back up and pulled her feet out from under her. She grit her teeth and spit out some blood that had pooled in her mouth. 'Damn...if only Leth were here...this would be so much easier.'

"Hey? Aren't you one of the Ashen Demons? Haha! What are you doing with a bunch of noble brats? And by yourself too!? This must be our lucky day!" He pulled out his sword and went to strike her.

She kicked him in the jaw and jumped up, skidding by the bandit that took her dagger to the face and removed the blade. Without wasting another moment she ran toward him and sliced his neck, spinning on her heel and doing the same with his companions. Before she realized it the group was all taken out.

"..." She scanned the area quickly and relaxed greatly. The trio stood there hugging each other with wide eyes. A look of terror etched on their faces. "Are you okay?" Balaiya cautiously stepped toward them but they only shuffled away from her.

"We're f-fine Professor…" Ignatz stammered, looking faint. "I think I might have gotten a cut but… it's not too bad."

"Let me see it." She reached for his arm but he pulled away. She frowned. "Guys? What's wrong?" She turned to each one when it suddenly clicked. They were terrified of her. She frowned and stepped back, she looked down at her hands only to find them covered in blood. Couldn't they realize she was only helping them? They had gone over this possibility in class and yet... "You have to snap out of it. This is the real deal. We've been ambushed, you have t-" A bright light caught her attention at the corner of her eye and she spun around to look.

Off in the distance a fire spell shot into the sky. 'Dammit…' She pointed at the petrified trio "Stay there!" Not waiting for an answer she ran off toward where the other students had gone.

As soon as they came into view, she felt dread creep up her spine. They too had been ambushed by a large amount of bandits. Lorenz was off in a corner besides Marianne, they were both wounded. Leonie and Raphael were standing back to back trying to keep some of them at bay. Claude stood in front of Lorenz and Marianne in an effort to protect them, but he was getting overwhelmed quickly. He was reduced to bashing the bandits on the head with his bow, his quiver somehow far out of reach.

Balaiya cursed and rushed over to help them. The next few moments passed in a blur, her senses consumed with the sound of screaming blades and angry men. When she finally stopped moving there was an eerie quiet weighing over them.

"Is everyone okay?" She whispered, her voice hoarse though she'd hardly yelled herself.

There was weight on her shoulder suddenly and she stiffened. "I think so, Raphael needs some medical attention...he took a bad hit in the back shielding Leonie…" Claude said beside her, his arm hanging on her shoulder for support. His voice sounded strained.

"I'm..alright Professor." Raphael said and tried to stand straighter. He winced and stumbled, falling to his knee.

"Be careful!" Balaiya frowned and rushed over to him but stopped when she heard a thump behind her. She frowned and turned around slowly. Claude was laying face down in the dirt. She gasped quietly and ran over to him. "Stop messing around Claude." She bit her lip and nudged him with her foot. He didn't respond. Something foreign settled in the pit of her stomach, her pulse pounding in her ears. She dropped to her knees, quickly turning him over.

He coughed up blood and opened a watery eye. "Oops." He attempted a smile but the effect was lost in the blood that leaked from his mouth. "This wasn't… What I had in mind-"another cough "Do you want to know… Something?" He coughed more blood up. She inspected him quickly and found a deep gash in his side. It must have damaged his lung... She looked around and spotted a familiar man running off waving an axe.

"Ha! Goodbye noble brats! Oooh! Wait till the boss hears this!"

Balaiya's eyes widened that was the man from Remire village, the one that she nearly died protecting her brother from.

"Claude? You're going to be fine… You're gonna-" She looked back down at him only to watch his eyes gloss over. The feeling from before returned but this time she felt sick.

She shut her eyes tightly and twisted her hands in her hair. 'No, no no! This was just supposed to be a simple mission! How did things turn out so horrible?'

'Go back you fool! You must hurry!'

She sucked in air quickly and clenched her jaw tightly. 'Right, turn the hands of time!'

She felt like she was being suffocated and then yanked violently around. In an instant it was over and everything went black.

.

/\/\/\

.

"-I'll leave the details to you, Teach…Okay,ready and willing~."

Balaiya looked around quickly, her whole body shook and sweat dripped down her forehead.

Claude frowned and reached out to her. "Whoa, Teach? Are you alr-"

Her voice was nearly gone when she choked out his name. "Claude?" Balaiya stumbled forward, she felt her world spin dramatically.

He stepped forward quickly and caught her by her arm. "Hey, Teach? What's the matter?"

She grasped his forearm tightly and looked up at his face. No longer was it covered in blood, nor was it a sickly pale color. She squeezed his arm tighter, her nails would surely leave marks but he didn't flinch. His brows only furrowed together deeply. She had the sudden urge to touch his face but she ignored it, were his eyes always so...green? She bit her lip and pulled away from him and turned to face the rest of her class who were just beginning to turn to her.

"We're not splitting up we're going to stick together." She rushed to the convoy and grabbed extra arrows and tossed a bundle at Claude. She shoved some into Ignatz's hands and grabbed an extra sword. "Take this too Claude."

He wordlessly took it and hooked it on his belt.

She handed Raphael a throwing axe in addition to his gauntlets and gave Marianne and Lysithea some wooden shields. She stopped in front of Hilda and handed her some small towels. Leonie got a shield as well and an iron bow. When she was done she turned back to everyone, her lips pressed in a thin line. "Listen up, they're going to try and ambush us. We stick together at all costs." She grabbed a bow for herself and moved to the bridge. "The arrows are laced with paralysis poison, courtesy of your house leader. Hit the shoulder, knee or arm and they should be down within thirty seconds. Don't allow them time to talk. Let's go."

This time they were ready when the reinforcements jumped from their hiding spots, this time she got her students through the canyon without a scratch. This time, she wasn't giving anyone mercy. This time when she saw the man that had killed Claude- the bandit leader from Remire, he was the one coughing up blood.

She pressed her dagger into his throat, and slowly pushed it further till this time, blood was bubbling out of his mouth.

"Teach!"

She leaned forward to look in his eyes as they clouded over.

Someone grabbed her wrist tightly and she turned to face them quickly, something vicious caught in her throat, but paused when she realized who it was.

"That's enough, he's gone Teach." He frowned.

She blinked rapidly and released her grip on the dagger. "I-I...he...I just…" She frowned. Did he think ill of her now? Ashen Demon, huh? Surely he would keep away from her now that he's seen how she could be. What she did, what she was…

He stepped away from her slowly, confusion plastered across his face. "Are you alright?"

She bit her lip and exhaled slowly. Carefully she knelt down and removed the dagger from the man's- Kostas's neck. "Yeah. I just… needed to make sure he doesn't come back...again."

Claude frowned. "Again?"

"He's from Remire…" Her jaw tightened and she grit her teeth together. Why was she feeling so… strained? Was that what she felt? She tightened her grip on the dagger till her knuckles cracked.

"...Huh...he is...Strange." Claude glanced over at her, his gaze enough to keep her in place. The look he had in his eyes was sharp as if watching for her to dare to make a move. He cautiously walked toward her, as if she was a feral animal. As if she'd lash out at him. As if she'd harm him! Yet...She had nearly though, hadn't she? She was an animal, wasn't she? When Claude spoke again his voice was direct and stern, but the more he spoke the lighter his tone grew. "We should send the lackeys that we captured to the monastery ahead of us with the knights." He kept his eyes on her as he slowly grabbed her wrist and the dagger with his other hand. Carefully, he eased his fingers between her palm and the weapon's handle, slipping it from her grasp gently. "We can take our time returning to the monastery that way. Perhaps even peruse the village nearby? I hear they got some great goodies in their market." He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and carefully wiped away the blood that stained her hands. He checked each finger before he moved on to her other hand. Then he wiped the blood from the blade. By this time his usual light hearted attitude was back. "We can find a river or something to freshen up in too~. Or we can wait until we get back to the monastery." He stepped even closer to her and slipped the dagger back in it's holster on her belt. "What do ya say, Teach?" His hands found purchase on the pulse points right at her wrists and he squeezed her gently.

She blinked at him a few times, and finally tore her eyes away, looking down with a frown. Her ears were ringing with a sharp white noise, she closed her eyes tightly. To him, it looked like she just killed the man for no reason. Images of the terrified looks Hilda and the others had given her pushed their way into her memory again. She'd never had someone she was protecting look at her like that before. Was he also scared? After all, they had spared the lackeys under her orders. Only for her to murder their leader in cold blood? How must that make her look? If she was lucky, he was the only one that saw her.

"Hey now, why the glum look? We should be celebrating now! Mission success right? We didn't have any injuries. Perhaps a few bruises and scrapes by the end of it but that's all. You should be proud of yourself!"

She opened her eyes slowly to find him looking at her, his body bent down to be in her field of view, making him appear upside down. Something he's done a lot lately she noted. She felt the corner of her mouth twitch.

"Is that another smile trying to break free?" He grinned and straightened. "You shouldn't hold them hostage all the time, Teach." He winked. "Let's go join the others."

She shook her head slowly, feeling a rush of tension leave her body all at once. An airy laugh left her and she followed after him. He was right. To them the mission was nearly a perfect success. No injuries on their side. The only casualty was due to her loss of control. She sighed. She couldn't let the past that she changed affect her now. Because to them...it never happened.

She rejoined her class and did her best to school her face back into its usual expression. "Congratulations everyone! You did wonderfully out there!" She clapped for them and they joined in. "We are going to celebrate tonight."

They cheered happily, bursting into lively chatter.

"There's a nearby village we can stay the night in. We'll leave for the monastery tomorrow morning."

Balaiya made sure to stay beside Marianne as they traveled, she was the quitest member of the class after all and she didn't really want to risk getting questioned by Claude either. She was positive he'd want to ask about her strange behavior, and right now she just didn't know what she would say. Even when they were touring the village she did her best not to end up on her own.

By the time they had returned to the road to return to the monastery she could practically feel Claude burning holes in the back of her head. She had been avoiding him since they got to the village. Despite all the time she had to think about what to say she was at a standstill. She had much weighing on her mind. She had tried to contact Sothis countless times by now, but she never answered. Balaiya figured the girl had fallen asleep again, she didn't have reason to ignore her now, right? Most importantly she wondered if her brother was okay. His was supposed to be a simple mission as well, but had it remained so? She did not know. Her head was also pounding incredibly hard and she felt her body shaking. Was that a side effect of using Sothis's power? That was part of why she had tried to contact her. What could happen to her? Had she turned back time too far? If she hadn't…

Balaiya groaned and pressed her palm against her forehead. So many unanswered questions to dwell on didn't help her current condition. There was also the fact that before she turned back time, when the bandit leader had run off after he'd… He yelled out something about a boss. She had been right when they first encountered him, men like that always had an employer. So that gives yet another question, what did this employer want? More importantly, who was it?

She looked around through narrowed eyes, as the sun's harsh rays were too much for her right now. Finally Garreg Mach Monastery was visible in the distance. Though something else caught her eye, another group up ahead.

Balaiya realized too late that Raphael was standing right beside her when he yelled, "Hey look! It's Professor Byleth!"

She stumbled forward, her vision momentarily going black as his voice echoed in her head. She was so sensitive to the sound she could have sworn it was reverberating inside her chest.

Unfortunately for her, he got louder. "Hey guys! We're over here! Wait up!"

When her vision returned she noticed her brother approaching her with Dimitri not far behind. Though when he saw her he frowned and rushed over to her.

"Bala? Are you…-ay?" He winced, "Ow...what…-ened?"

Balaiya squinted up at her brother, finding it rather difficult to understand him. In fact it was difficult to understand everyone. The numerous voices around her grew muffled, as if she was under water. She tried to step closer to him but everything suddenly turned upside down. The last thing she processed was her brother reaching out to catch her.

.

.

Byleth caught his sister just before she hit the ground. He carefully checked for any wounds, when he found none he gently lifted her into his arms and turned to her class.

"Does anyone know what happened?" He asked them all but his gaze settled on Claude. He was always by her side as of late surely he'd know what could have happened to her.

Claude kept his eyes on Balaiya as he shook his head. "Sorry Professor, I don't know."

The class began to murmur various theories on what could have happened to their Professor, but none made sense. Byleth grew frustrated. Right before he got to her, her felt a sharp pain in his head before it was gone as if it was never there. Right after that she collapsed.

"Is she alright? What happened to Professor Balaiya?" Sylvain moved through the group, honest concern on his face. "Did… Did you check for her heartbeat or pulse or something?" he reached for her.

Byleth adjusted her in his arms and slapped his hand away. "Don't even think about it."

The red head scoffed in offense. "Professor Byleth, please. I wouldn't do something like that!"

Byleth turned to Dimitri. "Can you carry her weapons for me?"

The blonde nodded and hurriedly collected all her weapons, but he left the blue dagger on her belt. They never went anywhere without it. Byleth handed him his own as well so he could carry her better.

"Mercedes, can you scan her over quickly?"

"Of course Professor." She hurried over to them, the soft glow of her healing magic already covering her hands. "She doesn't appear to have any illnesses or wounds Professor… I'm sorry I don't know what's wrong with her."

Byleth shook his head. "It's fine. Let's just hurry back to the Monastery." He quickly moved to the front of the large group. Luckily, the monastery was only about an hour or two away.

By the time they reached the town surrounding the monastery her expression had changed to something much like what she wore whilst she slept. He narrowed his eyes at her peaceful form. "I swear Bala, if all this is, is you sleeping I'm going to get you for this." He sighed and turned to Dimitri when they finally entered Garreg Mach.

"Can you give Seteth my paperwork? Also…" he frowned, 'I was going to say tell Rhea about her… But father might not like that.' "Also, make sure he gets my sister's as well."

He nodded "I'll do that right away Professor." He handed the equipment off to Dedue, and walked over to Claude who was holding the report for his class.

"It's alright Dimitri. I can take care of it."

Dimitri shook his head. "I understand, but the Professor requested I take them." He easily took the folder from Claude's hand, then tucked both folders beneath his arm.

"You know, I could have taken care of our own class's papers." Claude crossed his arms, obviously feeling slighted with how easily Dimitri took the folder from him.

"It'd be pointless for us both to run the same errand." Dimitri left swiftly for Seteth's office.

Byleth turned to the rest of the group. "Go get some rest, I know we've all had a long few days. Don't worry about my sister. She's fine." He took her to the infirmary just in case Manuela was able to find something Mercedes couldn't. She was the one that taught the students healing magic every week after all.

After making sure his sister was safe under Manuela's care he left to see if his father was in his office. He did say he had his own mission, he just didn't know when he'd be back.

Byleth peeked his head in his father's office but found he wasn't there, seeing as how his sword was missing from the wall he was most likely still on his mission. He sighed and returned to the infirmary.

"She seems well enough. I did a scan but nothing came up. Perhaps she's just exhausted."

Byleth relaxed and peered down at his sister. "So you are sleeping? You better have a good explanation when you wake up." He shook his head. "I'm sorry for troubling you Manuela."

"Oh no, please. You can trouble me anytime."

"Um, I'm going to take her to her room now."

"It might be a good idea to leave her here, just in case."

"I think I'll take her anyway. I can watch over her. Thank you again." He scooped her up gently and carried her down to her room.

When he got her in her bed he pulled the chair from her desk over and sat in it. He looked around her room. 'Not even Sothis is visible.' He sighed and reached over and moved her hair off her forehead. "You better wake up soon Bala. I don't want to have to throw you off the bed again." After watching her breathe evenly for a few moments he stood and left her room quietly.

Just a few feet away, he spotted her house leader and he briskly walked over to him. "What happened?"

He rubbed his forearm and tilted his head to the side. There was a far away look in his eyes but as soon as he blinked it was gone. Looking him evenly in the face he shrugged a shoulder. "We finished the mission, cheered and whooped, then we went to the village that was nearby to rest. That's pretty much it. The mission itself wasn't all that exciting. Maybe she sampled some weird food?" He shrugged again.

"That's all? Nothing else happened? She didn't say anything?" Byleth frowned at him. He was suspicious there was something else he wasn't telling him. "Why are you hanging around anyway? Shouldn't you be resting? I'm sure you're exhausted."

"Hey, I can't check up on my professor? Be-"

Byleth cut him off. "She's fine Claude."

He stared at him for a moment then smirked, continuing as if he wasn't interrupted. "Besides, that mission was nothing. What's a few bandits anyway?" He put his arms behind his head and yawned dramatically. "Well, if you insist then. I'll be off. See you around Professor." He turned on his heel and strolled off.

Byleth shook his head and returned to his own room. He wasn't sure he liked Claude much, he was hiding way too many things. Considering today's events he was more mentally exhausted than physically. Their mission had gone smoothly, the bandits had surrendered easily with only a small handful putting up some resistance. Besides that everything went well. The village had thanked them profusely and offered them food in gratitude. He'd also witnessed Dimitri try this terrible looking dish a little girl had offered him. The substance could hardly be called food, yet the Faerghus heir finished without flinching! The girl nearly cried in happiness and hugged Dimitri's leg tightly. Since their mission was in the Kingdom, the girls mother looked mortified when she saw what her daughter was doing. Doing such a thing to someone so important in the Royal house. Essentially her next king. She then proceeded to faint when Sylvain enthusiastically recalled to her, the goop her daughter had given the Prince. To which of course the red head happily caught the poor lady in his seemingly waiting arms.

Byleth sighed, he was already growing tired of Sylvain's antics. And yes, while he was an obnoxious flirt most all the time, he knew he wasn't going to be inappropriate when he reached for his sister.

He just didn't want him to panic, at her lack of a heartbeat.