Undetermined Intent
Armed with knowledge, Dimitri awakened in the shifted world of the eleven beings of the underground. His memories of the undone timeline came back to him in perfect sequence – apparently this world was great for remembering things. A world of the subconscious mind; the target of these other beings. While Dimitri focused on keeping Byleth safe, he realized that Araleth left many things unanswered.
Just how did these beings come into existence? Something about the divine powers gone wrong, but what did that mean? Well, he would have to focus on that later. Byleth's voice caught Dimitri's attention, but Byleth stood in the middle of his room and talked to that younger version of Dimitri again.
Something about that person made Dimitri hesitate. What if he was one of those threatening creatures? Dimitri certainly couldn't rule the possibility out, nor could he afford to trust the eerie face. Dimitri stood up from the bed then wrapped his arms around Byleth's waist, very openly claiming Byleth in front of this unwanted specter.
"Oh. So. You are awake, are you?" The younger clone asked.
"In a manner of speaking." Dimitri pulled Byleth in closer. He didn't seem to mind it, since Byleth lovingly pet Dimitri's arms.
"So, if you met your past self, you would argue with him?" Byleth laughed, growing accustomed to the pair of seemingly harmless Dimitris. Of course, Byleth gave no indication of not trusting the younger form. Dimitri had no idea how any of this worked, but he would not let Byleth stumbled through it alone. And especially not if their new enemy insulted Dimitri by stealing his identity.
Byleth made it very clear to Dimitri on his own feelings. To be betrayed by another Dimitri again would be insulting, especially if it came from this misaligned figment. Dimitri forced a smile, then asked, "So. You are still an existing figure. Care to explain how that is, again?"
"Of course." The innocent doll of a boy smiled back. "I am a figure of the professor's creation. A memory of the person who he cherished. The one he spent with most during those academy days. I am simply a reflection of you. That is all."
"Uh-huh." Dimitri was wholly unconvinced.
"You may dislike me all you wish. The professor called out your name into the darkness, and I came as a way to bring comfort. Hating me is like hating the memory of you. There is only waste in thinking in those terms."
"I will assume all you said is true, for the moment. What happens to you if you are injured?" Dimitri asked.
"Well. To put it simply, I am sure it would hurt your professor. As I am more him than I am you." He answered. And what a crafty answer it was. Byleth turned his body and looked curiously at Dimitri.
"Why are you asking those questions?"
"Just doing what I can to learn about this place, love." Dimitri kissed Byleth's forehead, since the opportunity presented itself. It felt oddly real, considering they were in a dream state or . . . similar. Maybe souls had solidity to them? Questioning it would only make his head hurt.
"This place?" Byleth returned his body to a normal position, "The light coming from outside is green. It hurts when it is green."
"Yes. Exactly. It's dangerous." Dimitri nodded, then addressed the specter. "And do you know why that is?"
"There are beings outside. They are the creators of this light." The younger Dimitri explained.
Divine light darkened by ill intent. That was the phrasing Araleth used, he finally remembered. Dimitri asked, "And how much do you know of these creatures?"
"Not much. Just that they exist. Sticking to the shadows is the best chance we have at survival. Would you agree to that, Dimitri?" The younger form smiled still. It was a pleasantly fake mockery of friendliness.
"How safe are we if we stay in this area?" Dimitri ignored that smile and focused on Byleth's wellbeing.
"Entirely." The younger Dimitri leaned back into the door. "They will not seek you out here."
Dimitri frowned deeply, feeling that statement out to be a lie. They were actively searching for Byleth, from what Araleth described, and would not be stopped by a wooden door. That meant he needed to come up with a plan of defense before that happened. Dimitri relaxed his hold on Byleth and gently pushed his elbows to turn him around. Those soothing green eyes looked up at Dimitri. "How are you doing?"
"I am well. You seem to be doing worse than me at this moment." Byleth answered. "What is wrong?"
"This place, for starters. Those beings on the outside pose a threat to you. I would ask that you proceed cautiously." Dimitri plead. Byleth nodded in his usual manner, but something about him seemed different. There was not a hint of prudence in his face, and he behaved dismissive of the menace.
"Shall we take a look outside?" The younger Dimitri voiced a suggestion that completely conflicted Dimitri's imploration. "We learn nothing by hiding."
"Yes." Byleth said.
"No. What did I just say?" Dimitri argued, "Byleth. We need to assess our situation before haphazardly exposing ourselves to it."
"You worry to much. We should be fine." Byleth answered.
"That light is enough to cause damage. We have not even come face to face with those creatures and they already have a way to harm us."
"Oh. I suppose that is true." Byleth agreed, returning to his senses. "This enemy. Do we know anything about them?"
The younger Dimitri maintained his gleeful state, but Dimitri swore he saw an eye twitch. He could not prove it just yet, but Dimitri would not show this figure mercy once he found enough cause to end him. The only reason Dimitri had not done it yet was because of the possible connection to Byleth.
"I will scout ahead." The younger Dimitri said, "I know how to navigate the darkness. You would too, wouldn't you? Dimitri?"
Dimitri folded his arms. Yes. They were both equally skeptical of the other. For which reasons remained to be named. Dimitri wondered about that sealing magic. The younger exited to the outer world and Dimitri asked, "What other divine magic do you know? You have that ability to turn back time, but is there anything else you have learned?"
"Well, spells like Aura are divine in nature."
"I suppose that is true. But what about magic tied directly to the Goddess? Without knowing much about our enemy, we might need extra spiritual power. Like, when you cut through the void and returned to us." Dimitri tried to lead Byleth down the proper thought process.
"Hmm. When I learn something 'new' like that, it is usually presented at the time of its necessity. Unfortunately, this power did not come with a training manual."
"Heh. Fair enough. This enemy might be something that only you and your kin may deal with."
"My kin?"
"I remember what was taken from me when you rewound time. Seteth mentioned your blood ties when we thought you were lost to us."
Byleth nodded. "Oh. I see."
"We need to come up with a strategy." Dimitri took a position between Byleth and the door. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a glimpse of their bodies still sleeping on the bed. It was strange and he did not focus on it for too long, redirecting his attention to Byleth.
"Who are we dealing with?" Byleth asked, starting to sharpen his mind.
"From what I gathered; they are something created by divine magic. I am not sure why they exist or how, but they share a connection to something that you possess."
"They are divine?" Byleth stared into his hands.
"Perhaps at one point. They are darkened now. I sense them cloistered in the underground Holy Tomb."
". . . A month ago, we followed a note from Rhea. She wrote it in a hurry and addressed it to me before the Empire overwhelmed us five years ago. We retrieved a relic from there and she had golems in place. Is that what you're referring to?"
"I am sorry, Byleth. My memories from even that short of a time ago are mired. I cannot recall those golem creatures, so I cannot comment on that connection. It is possible, I suppose."
"We need to inspect the Holy Tomb to know, then." Byleth said.
"Normally, I would agree with you, but I do not know what we can do to protect ourselves. I would assume magic could be useful here, more so than weaponry. Though, even that is untested."
Byleth eyed the door. Dimitri could tell what he was thinking, but still resisted going out just yet. As far as Dimitri knew, those creatures were waiting for Byleth to falsely assume he could survive this world and attack at his most vulnerable state.
Byleth stated, "I wonder what happened to the other Dimitri?" And there was that being that hooked Byleth's fascination. Dimitri heavily hypothesized that man was one of the creature's pawns and was sent to lull Byleth into that sense of security to easily subdue him. Byleth insisted, "Should we go search for him?"
"He can maneuver the shadows. He should be fine. Besides, you would feel it if he were injured, right?" Dimitri was more than willing to test this specter at his own word.
"He did say that, didn't he?" Byleth folded his arms. "You don't like him much."
"I don't trust anyone I just met."
"Even if that someone has your face?"
"Especially if that someone has my face." Dimitri closed his eye. He knew what his inner demons were – would this false face come close to his depth?
Notes:
I apologize for the shorter chapter. I needed a short one to kind of get Byleth and Dimitri on the same page. I am going to try on focusing on moving the plot forward, as it sort of stagnated.
Unfortunately, the similarities between this idea and Cinder Shadows sort of made me pause on writing this as I intended. It is still following the same theme as I first envisioned, so not much has changed, but there are definitely similarities. I'm not really sure I am going to try and work in the new characters, either. I like them well enough, I just feel like those characters are pieces with different shapes than I am able to work with.
Besides, this entire idea was supposed to follow Dimitri and Byleth after they're able to accurately communicate with one another. Which heavily involves Byleth's past and clearing up misunderstandings between the pair.