The Corruption Within
Chapter 1-The Beginning
"Finally..." Byleth huffed as she reached the top of the goddess tower. Moving to the edge of the railing, she leans against it in order to catch her breath. With her battle wounds not entirely healed yet, the climb up the tower was slightly more strenuous than usual. However, the view she was faced with made the minor struggle incredibly worth it—the sky was absent of any clouds, revealing a beautiful array of stars in a sea of deep blue.
Despite the lack of a constant for most of her life, the night sky always comforted Byleth. Knowing that no matter where she went or what moon it was, the same sky would be up there every night shining down on her.
Gazing up at the sky, she let out a soft sigh before her mind began to drift among the various topics that have been occupying it as of late.
As you may have guessed, she had fallen victim to restlessness yet again.
But who could blame her?
The war her and her students had fought so hard through had finally come to an end. They had seen blood and horror for far too long. They have lost family, former friends; It's more than anyone should have to bare.
But now it's over.
For the first time in a long time, she could breath, if only for a moment.
There was still plenty more to be done, however. Just because the fighting was over, there was still plenty to deal with before Fòdlan could return to its peaceful state. Under its new king, however, that should not be much of a problem.
Through the war, Dimitri had grown to be a capable, compassionate, and all-around strong leader. For much of the latter part of the war, he had already been setting things in place on how the continent was going to rebuild following the devastation of wartime. There was no way Fòdlan, now under the Kingdom of Faerghus' banners could fall with Dimitri at the helm.
He was one of the reasons Byleth was still awake. Perhaps not necessarily due to his impending coronation, but because of how she felt an indescribable warmth every time she thought of him or heard his name.
She loved him, this she was sure of. But when it came down to telling him (or anyone for that matter) of her feelings, she was at a complete loss.
On top of that issue was that of Byleth's also-impending coronation as the Archbishop. The appointment came as a surprise to Byleth as she wholeheartedly expected Seteth to be Rhea's successor once she announced she was stepping down. The request shocked and terrified her so much, she had no other idea but to accept.
"Why me...I don't have any idea how to be an archbishop, or what that even necessarily entails..." Byleth exhaled, slumping farther over the railing.
She was a mercenary, then a professor, then essentially a war hero. None of those three paths gave her any idea on how to move forward with this new role, not to mention that she was not a devout individual. Despite her link with Sothis, Byleth had grown up well outside of the influence of the church, only learning about it after she began teaching at the monastery. Why would a non-devout, non-experienced individual be given a role of such importance?
While it was a relief that the war was over, these new situations weighed on her mind immensely.
Yet, there was another thing keeping her awake.
Despite the victory and the seeming climax of the turmoil in Fòdlan, there was still something unsettling about the situation.
How were people like Kronya, Solon, and Jeritza woven into all of this? What was their goal? Who were they?
More than that, Byleth still knew just as much about herself as she did before the war. What does the link she had with Sothis really mean? Who was her mother, really? What did Rhea do to her as a baby to make Jeralt leave? Why doesn't her heart beat?
It all felt incomplete.
Consumed by her dizzying thoughts, Byleth was completely deaf to the footsteps that approached her from behind.
"Come now, my friend. You must stop staying up so late. Tomorrow is yet another early morning." Dimitri said in a calm, caring voice.
His presence made Byleth jump slightly as she spun around to face him. He was smiling sweetly at her, his one blue eye sparkling. Had she a functioning heart, she was sure it would be fluttering like a panicked butterfly in a cage at the moment.
"Then again, I know that matters very little. You cannot sleep, can you?" He asked.
"N-no... per usual." Byleth stuttered. Regardless of these situations, she always maintained a high level of composure. Yet for whatever reason, her words felt foreign as they left her lips.
Not paying much attention to her verbal stumble, Dimitri continued, "Neither can I, of course..." As he trailed off, he turned his head away and out toward the dark world that surrounded them. "I...I want you to know I am sorry for making you do so much when your battle wounds aren't even completely healed yet."
Byleth's head began to pound like a drum, every pulse hurting more than the last. She wanted to attribute it to the nerves of being alone with the person she loved above all else, yet she was fully aware that she was completely lying to herself. This was not normal.
"And what of yours?" She asked, gripping the railing behind her for support.
"What's going on with me," she thought, "am I just stressed? Overwhelmed?"
"Do not worry about me...my shoulder has healed nicely. I still have some numbness in my hand, but it should not hinder me too much." He said, turning his attention to look down at his hand.
He then glanced up at Byleth before quickly averting his gaze up at the sky, a slight rosy tint spreading across his cheeks.
"It is a lovely night...is it not?"
"It... absolutely is..." Byleth struggled to get out. Before either could react, Byleth began to fall onto the railing, clutching her chest where her heart lied motionless. Something felt as if it wanted to tear itself out of her body, fiercely ripping its way through Byleth's flesh with every passing second.
"Byleth?" Dimitri asked worriedly, turning to look at his former professor whose face had drained of all its color.
In an instant, she felt devoid of all strength and collapsed to the ground.
"Beloved?!" Was the final thing she heard before slipping into darkness.
A/N: Alright! Here is the start of a longer tale! While I love the Blue Lions route, I would love to have had it cover Those Who Slither in the Dark in more detail (though because that's not necessarily what that route was about, it doesn't deter from its greatness). Hopefully I can write a story expanding on the idea as I think it would be pretty cool! It will likely be a while between updates, but I am super excited to begin a long story again! Please let me know what you think thus far!