A/N: HEY! Before you get reading this new chapter, I just wanted to let you know that there have been updates to all previous chapters! Most of the stuff fixing tense shifts, as well as cleaning up some of the sentences and grammar. There was also the addition of a small mention of the Ashen Wolves. Plot-wise, everything has stayed the same. However, if you want to refresh yourself on the previous chapters, there are a few tiny new things to see! Enjoy!
The Corruption Within
Chapter 9—Warning Shot
"We have to evacuate, NOW." Dimitri roared. He quickly pulled away from Byleth's arms and sprinted inside to warn the partygoers, leaving Byleth in his wake.
"Well? Move!" Sothis screamed, but Byleth could not hear her. She was frozen in place. Her eyes were wide with fear and gleamed with the reflection of the spears of light as they spiraled ever closer to Garreg Mach. She could not move, she could not hear, she could not breath.
"Byleth, you must move! Go!" Sothis urged, but to no avail.She was stuck.
"Come now, my child. There is little to be afraid of." A calming voice said from behind. Snapping her out of her trance, Byleth spun around to face Rhea who had just emerged from the reception hall.
Returning to her sense, Byleth could hear the commotion going on inside: people shouting and panicking all while Dimitri tried his best to calmly command the crowd to stay put.
"Rhea, why—why aren't we running away?" Byleth questioned, as she started walking toward the reception hall. Before she could get too far, Rhea placed a firm hand on her shoulder.
"Garreg Mach is a sacred place. Had this attack been initiated by any mortal man or were these pillars of light caused by any normal magic, we would have to defend it ourselves as we have done in the past." Rhea turned Byleth back around to have her face toward the sky. The pillars of light were still falling toward the monastery, growing dangerously closer with every passing second. Feeling their impact was imminent, Byleth tightly shut her eyes preparing for the worst.
"Open your eyes, Byleth." Rhea whispered. Byleth did as she was told and opened her eyes, only to find the pillars of light that had threated her life and the lives of her friends had vanished upon hitting a magical shield that surrounded the monastery.
"But how?" Byleth exclaimed, too confused to notice that Dimitri had rejoined them.
"Since the construction of Garreg Mach, special preventative measures have been taken in order to protect it from this type of magic, specifically. It is ancient, dark magic, not seen for ages. Until now." Rhea's face darkened.
"Rhea, we are safe now, correct?" Dimitri asked.
"Safe for now, it seems. I have reason to believe that this was merely a warning shot. If these are the same foes we have dealt with before, then they know that they could not hit Garreg Mach. I believe that they only meant to frighten us." Rhea turned toward Byleth, "And to let us know that they are coming. Maybe not now, but soon."
"Foes we have dealt with before…you don't mean-" Byleth began.
"Yes, my child. It is Those Who Slither in the Dark. It seems that though the empire was destroyed, that did not hinder them too much and are now working on their own." Rhea concluded, her face returning to the sky once more.
"Their numbers had to have dwindled over the course of the war though, correct?" Dimitri asked, panic seeping into his voice.
"Some have perished, of course. But we do not know of any troops or generals they may have kept on reserve." Byleth responded. Dimitri's gaze drifted to her for a moment. Byleth's demeanor had greatly changed since he held her in his arms. Of course, the situation was dire, yet he noticed something else within her. True fear.
"Byleth, is something the matter?" Dimitri asked, placing a concerned hand on her shoulder.
"You must tell them of your recent ailments. It seems as though these occurrences may be linked." Sothis advised.
"I…since last night, when I passed out, I've been having this weird feeling in my chest. Like something is trying to grip onto my heart and tear it out of me. I also had the strangest dream. I was surrounded by darkness and it sounded like I was being chased, but I never saw my pursuer. Again, I felt a pain rip through my chest." Byleth turned her back to Dimitri and Rhea.
She felt silly confessing all of tis to them. She rarely bore her fears so broadly. She was supposed to be the strong one. She was supposed to help others. Instead, she was venting to her companions without even knowing if this was helpful or not.
"I-I don't know how any of this could be related, but since then, I've felt like something was off. When those pillars of light began to fall, I froze. I couldn't do anything." Byleth solemnly concluded.
Dimitri stood in shock. He had no idea that Byleth had been struggling so much just over the past 24 hours. Shamefully, he bowed his head.
"How could I have been so selfish?" he thought, "All I thought about this whole time was proposing." Suddenly, the ring in his pocket felt heavier than had before as it was beginning to be more of a burden than a blessing.
"My dear professor," Rhea began as she approached the defeated Byleth. She placed a delicate hand on her shoulder and spun Byleth around. Rhea moved her hand from her shoulder to her cheek, beginning to stroke it gently. When Byleth finally looked up at Rhea, she could see that her eyes were filled with sorrow and regret. She could sense that the time had come for some unwanted, but necessary truth to be revealed. A truth that could change her life, either for the better or the worse.
"There is so much I have to tell you."
A/N: Here it is! After a long hiatus, it appears I'm back. With all the COVID-19 stuff happening, I have found myself having a bit more time to write! I hope to continue this story, but if I end up disappearing for a while again, I apologize in advance! Anyway, despite it being a bit shorter, I hope you have enjoyed the return to this story! I'll hopefully have more to come very soon.