knowlee- Well, to be honest, I'm a bit nervous about posting this idea. It's a little... different in terms of a story idea, but it wouldn't leave me alone especially when I connected the idea of the Crest Stones with the Core Crystals of Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (I'm a fan of that game too, can you tell? lol ).

I've still got bits of the story and outline I'm trying to work on, but in the end it's going to be something that I hope will be good story even if it's a bit unorthodox.

Also, if you're wondering, I do have the next chapter of Like It Was Fate in the works, but I put it on hold until I finished this bad boy up first. Now that this is done, it's next on my list of things to write. :)

Warning for those who haven't finished Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and Fire Emblem Three Houses, there are spoilers!

A Fire Emblem Three Houses Fanfiction

Drifting Souls

Chapter 1: The Woman on the Throne

By: Knowlee Raven

The shade under this tree was perfect.

Ahh… there was really no better place for a midday nap than under the shade of this perfect tree. The birds were twittering away, giving him a sense of peace. He sighed. For Claude von Riegan, this was his idea of heaven. He yawned as he stretched his arms out to put behind his head to use as a makeshift pillow. His green eyes started to close as he felt the softness of the grass underneath his back. This was definitely a good way to spend the rest of the day.

So relaxed was he, that he found himself about to slip away into sleep… until his wyvern decided to jar him awake by suddenly putting it's scaly face into his line of view. Gasping at the sudden shock he experienced, he tried to calm down his heart. Well, if he was tired before, he definitely wasn't now…

"What the heck was that for, huh?" Glaring at the brown scaled creature, he leaned up to push the wyvern's snout out of his face. For a second, he almost could've swore that the creature had a smug look on his face. However, due to him having been around wyverns nearly all his life, he was sure he wasn't just seeing things. Oh, well, two could play that game. He smirked and his voice took on a teasing tone. "No fish for you tonight."

The wyvern appeared to glare at him and responded by pushing him back onto the ground. Okay, now he was certain that his wyvern was laughing at him. He would have to get him back after that.

Sighing, he continued to lay on the ground, hoping that this day would last a bit longer. It wasn't often that he got to have a vacation from his duties especially since he knew that it could be any day now that his grandfather's health could start declining. Sure, his grandfather didn't have to worry about anyone potentially poisoning him like he had to worry about when he was a kid, but with his age, it was something to think about.

Sighing again, he decided to put that out of his mind for now. It wasn't going to be much of a vacation if he spent most of it worrying. Pulling himself back off the ground into a sitting position, Claude looked up towards the mountains to see the church that sat atop the Oghma Mountains.

Garreg Mach Monastery. He smiled wryly as he was reminded of his academy days. It had been at least five years ago when he graduated as the Golden Deer House Leader. He still kept in contact with most of his house classmates that had graduated with him and even communicated with some that weren't in his house at all.

Although he wasn't someone who liked to bathe themselves in nostalgia, he did kind of miss those days. Sure, when he attended, he was at a stage when he didn't fully trust anyone (still possessed that somewhat, but when you're in his position you have to be that way), but regardless of that, he did enjoy his classmates company and had made many good memories with them. It almost made him want to go back. He frowned. He needed to focus less on the past and more on the future. Especially when that future he wanted to reach called for some grand ideas.

He glanced over at his companion to see that it was snoozing away on the grass next to him. Sometimes he felt a little jealous of the guy, knowing that he didn't have to think on such things. But even so, that was only because he was in his possession. If he was just a regular wyvern, there would be more pressing concerns for him, such as food, shelter, etc. Like him, he was born privileged.

Claude turned back to the monastery. But even with privilege as an obstacle, there were still people who fought to reach that level without anyone helping them. Maybe if he were to achieve his dreams, it'd make that a much easier battle for them. To do that it would take a lot of hard work. Luckily for them, he knew what he was getting in to. He would accomplish his goal no matter what.

However, that dream could wait for tomorrow. Another yawn escaped from his mouth. A nap was in order first. Claude moved to lie back down on the ground and join his wyvern in slumber, when distant voices caught his attention. He quickly became more alert.

He moved over as quietly and fast as he could over to his wyvern and grabbed the quiver filled with arrows and bow he had left lying on the ground next to him. As he was attaching the quiver to his waist, he looked around to try and find the source of the noise. It didn't take him long to spot a small group of what looked like bandits walking towards a hole that appeared to have been made recently in the side of the mountains.

He furrowed his eyebrows together as he nocked an arrow. How had he not noticed that before?

Claude glanced over to his wyvern to see that the bandits had caught their attention too. He gave it orders to stay there until he called and began to sneak his way over, utilizing the trees as camouflage. As he neared the edge of the forest, he was finally able to make out what they were saying.

"So, is this it then?" The tallest bandit waved his hand at the giant hole.

"Yep, inside there is supposed to be the Holy Tomb. Took us about a whole month to dig through this mountain to reach it and nows a good time as any to get inside and see what riches await us." The one standing next to him, the boss of this operation he presumed, responded.

The Holy Tomb? As in the Holy Tomb that was connected to the monastery? His eyes flicked up briefly at the aforementioned building and back down again. Well, considering where this was located, he wasn't surprised. He knew if the men were lucky, they'd get in and get out with what they were trying to find. Although he was sure there was enough security down in there that they'd probably get caught. But damn, he sure was curious and was sorely tempted to follow after them. It probably was too big of a risk though to even try.

The words that came out of the third bandit though caused him to change course completely. "Isn't one of those rumored treasures one of those Blades? Like the most powerful one? The one used by the King of Liberation?"

If anyone was there to see the combined look of shock and glee that came over Claude's face, they'd be laughing for days. Was he talking about the Sword of the Creator? The blade that could cut through mountains? The smile that formed on his face was so wide he was sure he looked like he fell off the deep end. Well, well, well, looks like he was going to follow these guys after all.

That Blade, if he found it, could greatly help him achieve his goal of uniting Fodlan and breaking down the barriers between it and other countries. A nagging thought at the back of his mind though reminded him of the limitations of his crest. He had the Riegan crest and, if he was correct in his research, the Blade of the Sword of the Creator could only be wielded by one who had the crest of Flames. And the only one known to history was famed King of Liberation. He had no descendants that any one knew of, so the chance that he was distantly related to him, was null.

Regardless, he'd cross that bridge when he came to it. For now, he needed to get his hands on that Blade. And, he thought while looking down at the bandits who were now entering the cave, he needed to get it before they did.

Claude almost wished he had gone back and grabbed one of his torches to bring with him before he made his decision. His hands groped along the rocky walls of the cave as he slowly inched his way forward. He could barely make out the dim light coming from the torch the bandits were carrying. Although he knew he could see better if he had one of his own, he also knew that he would be putting himself at risk of being discovered if he had went back to get one. Plus he probably would've lost them completely and wouldn't be able to navigate the path like he was now.

He frowned. He really hoped that once he made it to the main part of the tomb, there would be more light readily available.

It seemed as if he would get his wish because just as he was about to round a corner, he had to stop himself from going any further or else he would've been seen. He scrambled to hide and peeked around to see a dim, almost pale green light illuminating a large room. He couldn't make out much else, but he knew that based on the bandits reactions as well as his own rudimentary knowledge of what the tomb looked like on the inside, that they had reached their destination.

He waited a few moments after the bandits had dispersed to make sure that they were fully gone before making his way out of the tunnel. What he saw when he reached the room was too beautiful for words.

Light filtered down into the room through glass windows in the ceiling. Where the light itself was coming from he wasn't sure as he was certain there was nothing but layers of rock above them. Maybe there was something underneath the monastery allowing for this?

Claude turned his attention away from the ceiling to look at the layout of the tomb itself. Tall pillars held up the ceiling above them and rows and rows of lit candles littered the ground near what looked like to be dozens of caskets lined up along a pathway that lead to a flight of stairs on his far right.

Seeing the caskets here reminded him of where exactly he was at. And while he wasn't a holy man, he did respect the dead and tried his best to not disturb them as he started to walk forward. He nocked an arrow into his bow to be ready just in case he ran into the bandits or any soldiers that he was sure to be down here.

Once he stood in the pathway, he took a quick glance to make sure he hadn't been seen by anyone. He let out a quiet breath as he was relieved to not see a single person in view and decided to take another look around now that he was at a different angle. He turned his attention to his left to see the light coalescing there on what looked to be a throne. That looked interesting.

Slowly he began to make his way over to it, stepping up a short flight of stairs to get to it. When he reached the top he was surprised to discover that there was a young woman sitting down on it, her torso draped over one of the chair's shoulders with a look of peace on her face. Was she...sleeping? And better yet, what was she doing down here?

He knew she didn't come here with the bandits and it didn't look like she was related to the church in any way cause he could tell from his angle that she didn't bear it's symbol anywhere on her. That left only one other explanation.

She was already down here.

But why?

He took another quick look around and behind him to make sure he wasn't been watched or followed then turned back to the woman. Maybe he should just wake her and ask? Either way, it didn't sit right with him to just leave her there. Especially with him knowing that those bandits were probably just around the corner.

With his decision made, he walked toward her, not knowing while doing so, he had accidentally triggered warning bells.

Before her sat a young girl upon a stone throne with the emblem of a small flame carved into it. She was unsure of who she was and as she was about to get closer to her to see if she could wake her up, the young girl stretched out her arms suddenly and yawned. She stopped in her tracks when she saw the girl open her eyes and look dead at her. "Oh my, just who might you be?"

She furrowed her brows together as the girl continued. "I wonder how you got in here..." The girl's expression shifted into a glare. "It is most rude to interrupt a moment of repose. Very rude indeed."

While she could agree with her that it was rude to interrupt someone's sleep, she couldn't help but feel that the girl was doing the same to her. She was confused by that emotion. Why did she feel that way?

So lost in her thoughts was she, that she barely noticed the girl motioning for her to come near. "Now come to me. I wish to have a look at you." She took in a deep breath and took a few steps closer into the light that seemed to be glowing above the girl. Although she couldn't see what she herself looked like, she knew that deep down she was much older than the girl. How she knew that innately was still confusing.

"Hmm...I have not seen the likes of you before. Who are you, anyway?"

She was a little thrown off by the question. She initially felt the need to tease the girl by saying she was a ghost or demon, but ultimately decided against it. Similar to those other feelings she had before, she felt as if this wasn't a girl she needed to cross. "I'm a mortal."

The girl glared at her. Did she not believe her answer? "I see. Then you must have a name of sorts. Go on."

She was stunned. What was her name? Her eyebrows came together as she tried to recall what that bit of information was. How could she forget something as simple as that? 'Byleth…'

Was… was that her name? It sounded right. "Byleth."

"Huh." The girl moved from slouching on the arm of the chair to sitting up straight. "I shall not ever grow accustomed to the sound of human names. You must possess a day of birth as well. Beneath which moon and on what day were you born to this world?"

More questions that she didn't really have answers to. She frowned. Why couldn't she remember this?

Like before another answer came to her. 'Day 20 of the Horsebow Moon.' She repeated this to her. The girl looked shocked, pleased even. "Well, wonders never cease! It seems we share our day of birth! How strange!"

Strange it was indeed. Did that mean they were connected? But how? Before she could think to question the girl about it she heard her yawn suddenly. "Hmm… It all feels so… familiar." The girl slouched back over the arm of the throne. "I think it may be time for yet another nap… It is almost… time to… begin..." Her eyes closed and the girl began to snore slightly as she feel asleep.

Begin? Begin what?

She looked over at the girl for a few more moments before she felt jolted by a different voice. 'Excuse me, my lady? Are you...alright?'

She looked up towards the light. Who was that? Before she could ponder it further, she felt her body begin to drift away from this existence she was currently in. Where was she going? Why did she feel like she was waking up? But wasn't she awake already…?

Her eyes opened and before her stood a brown-haired, green-eyed man with tan skin. Who was he? Was it his voice she heard earlier? Did he wake her up?

"Hey, are you alright?"

Yes, it was his voice. They sounded too alike for it to be just a coincidence. The concerned look on his face reminded her that she needed to answer him. While she didn't feel that he was someone that needed to be appeased like the girl was, she didn't want him to worry about her. "...I'm fine."

He looked at her strangely. Perhaps he wasn't convinced that she was alright? She didn't get a chance to think further on it, for his attention was suddenly pulled away to something in front of them.

"Well, well, well… look at this. We got company, boss!"

She jumped slightly and turned her head to follow his gaze. There, before them stood three strange men. Men who wielded swords and were looking at the two of them with dangerous gazes. She glared. They looked as if they were ready for a fight.

The leader of the trio looked at the both of them. "Hmm… so who might you guys be? You didn't come in with us and you don't look like any soldiers I've seen. Plus there's no churchy getup on either one of you." Byleth felt a little uncomfortable under his scrutinizing gaze and continued to glare back at him to hide her discomfort. "That leaves only one other explanation: you're here after the same treasure we are. And we certainly can't let that slide."

Treasure? What were they talking about? Byleth racked her brain for any information regarding it, but nothing came to mind. She huffed in irritation. Why couldn't she remember anything?!

She looked over at the man next to her to see that he had his bow up and an arrow nocked ready to fire. The men didn't seem to care that he, too, was armed and began to slowly make their way towards them. She glanced around to see if there was another weapon lying nearby, but was disappointed to find that there wasn't. Regardless, she was determined to help him in some way. She began to pull herself off the throne only to find herself feeling a little winded by the small action. How long was she asleep for to make her feel this weak? She was going to definitely needed answers about what was going on with her after this was all over.

"Stay there." Byleth halted in her motions at the sound of the man's voice. She looked over at him and saw him wink at her before continuing. "I'll take care of these guys."

His gaze quickly changed from carefree to deadly in a matter of seconds. He stood in front of her to act as her shield. "Don't know what 'treasure' you guys keep talking about, but I sure as hell know that you guys seem a little far away from home." He drew the arrow back further in a threatening motion. "You need to leave before I give you a reason to."

Instead of having the desired effect of getting them to back off, it did the opposite. The leader laughed. "Please! You and that measly little bow ain't gonna do nothing to us. Now, play nice and let us kill you and we promise we'll make it quick."

"We don't have any information about what it is that you want. Just leave us alone and maybe I'll spare your lives." Ah, the cocky look was back on his face. Although she didn't know the man personally, she had a feeling she could trust him. Could he take on those guys by himself however? Based on his stance it seemed possible, but with him only wielding a bow, she couldn't be certain.

"Hah, such big words from a guy who's only wielding a bow. You might get a few shots in, but that won't be enough to stop us!" The man nearest to them made his move and charged towards the man next to her.

In response, he shot off an arrow to which the bandit easily dodged. He moved to grab another out of his quiver but the man was too close for him to shoot it off in time. Time seemed to slow down for a moment when she saw him barely dodge the downward sword swipe the bandit sent right where he had been standing just a few seconds before. Before the bandit could make another move though, the man took the arrow he had grabbed from his quiver and drove it into his stomach and used the own bandit's momentum against him to thrown him down onto the ground. And, with a flourish that she wouldn't have seen if she wasn't paying attention, he quickly grabbed another arrow and stabbed it into the bandit's throat before he could retaliate.

Byleth was impressed. He certainly knew his way in a battle. Before she could linger on her amazement for much longer, she saw the second bandit making his way towards him. She cried out to warn him. "Look out!"

Following her advice, he jerked his head up to see the second bandit running towards him with an axe high in the air ready to swing down at him. She watched as right before he got close to him, he grabbed another arrow from his quiver and rolled backwards just as the axe connected with the ground. Then, right as the bandit lifted his axe to go after him again, the man, while still kneeling down, shot him in the forehead, killing him instantly.

If she thought she was impressed before, she certainly was now.

The man lifted himself off the ground, bow still at the ready, and pointed it at the leader while knocking another arrow. "Well, that's two down. Not bad for a guy only wielding a bow, if I do say so myself." Although she couldn't see him at the angle he was standing, she was sure he was smirking.

Byleth saw irritation come over the leader bandit's face. He wasn't pleased to see that his men had been cut down. Based on his looks, although she knew the man with the bow had certainly proved himself worthy of lone combat, she vaguely wondered how long it would last.

The leader took a few steps forward and began to study the situation. She could tell that he was a bit different from the other two based on how he was judging the situation. However, that could simply be because of what he saw happen to his men. He couldn't just jump in expecting to win. He had to think about it first.

When it seemed like he was still thinking on it, he surprised them both by making his move. In a split second, Byleth saw a dagger flying straight for her head. Reacting quickly, she threw herself off the throne and landed on her knees while the dagger hit the stone pillar where her head was just a few seconds before. She tried to get up and move away before he could do that maneuver again, but she was still too weak. She only had enough time to look up to see another dagger headed her way. She saw in the corner of her eye, the man with the bow running towards her, stretching his bow out to try and break the dagger's momentum by hitting it away from her.

While he did succeed in saving her from the dagger, her eyes widened as she saw the bandit leader come up behind him and with one smooth motion, run him through with his blade.

She gasped. "No!" She heard the clack of his bow hitting the ground. The bandit yanked his sword back out of him and they both watched as he fell down onto the floor. Dread filled her as she saw that he wasn't moving. Although she didn't know him but for a few moments, she knew that just based on the fact that he helped protect her regardless of her being a stranger, he didn't deserve to die.

She fixed a glare on the bandit who was now standing before her. Her body was getting warm from the anger that was coursing through her. "Not so tough now, huh?" The bandit turned his attention to her. "Well, now, are you going to tell me what I need to know? Or are you gonna join your friend here?"

He pointed his sword at her, the man's bright blood making it glow a sickly red. She clenched her fist so tight that it felt like the heat was building in her palm. "Find the damn treasure on your own! I don't know anything!"

He smirked at her, raising his sword to strike her down. "Your choice!"

As she was bracing herself for the blade to enter her body, a familiar voice resounded in her head. 'Don't just sit there! Throw the fire in your hand!' What? What fire? 'Just do it! Throw your hand out!'

Although still confused, she did as the voice said and immediately upon doing so, her eyes widened when she saw a ball of fire come out of her palm and hit the bandit square on his chest. His cry of pain was horrible to hear, but the attack did make him move away from her and give her a moment to react to what she just did.

Byleth looked down at her hand. What the hell was that? How did she-? Before she had a moment to ponder it further, the disembodied voice spoke again. 'Go to him! Quickly!'

Confusion hit her again, until she remember the man lying on the ground next to her. Gathering her strength, she crawled her way over to him. She grimaced at the blood she could see coming from his wound. Was he still alive? 'Turn him over!'

Byleth did as the voice asked. She struggled at first to lift him, but once she got him past a certain point, she was able to gently lay him down onto his back. Her eyes widened as she saw his chest slightly move. He was breathing! He was still alive!

She heard the bandit she hit earlier with the fireball make another painful noise before crying out. "I'm gonna kill you!" Byleth felt a slight twinge of fear at his words. How was she going to defend herself from him? Could she summon another fireball? 'Quick! Put your hand on his wound!'

"What? Why?"

'Just do it!'

Fine! Byleth brought up her hand to cover the cut in his chest. 'Now put his hand on your chest where your heart is! Quickly! Before the bandit gets up!'

She could see the bandit in question start to get up off the ground where he had fallen to try and put out the flames. As much as she wanted to argue against the insanity of listening to a strange voice she was hearing in her head, it was her only option at this point. She grabbed his right hand and placed it where the voice had directed her to. 'Now, your gonna feel a little strange from this, but it will be fine. Trust me.'

She wasn't so sure if she should. Suddenly she felt the warm feeling return again, but this time it centered not only in her hand, but in her heart. Was she- was she healing him? She heard him take in a sudden gasp of air and fling his eyes open wide, looking up at her in shock. 'Now, tell him to awaken the power within him! Hurry! Before the bandit kills you!'

Byleth could see the bandit begin sprinting over to them, sword raised high in the air ready to cut them down. She hurriedly repeated the words to him. He looked at her confused for a moment until he narrowed his eyes in determination. Suddenly, a bright blue light began to shine between them. The light traveled down to the hand he had lying at his side on the ground and came out to form a sword that looked to be made of bone.

Suddenly the weakness she felt before disappeared. She felt more powerful than ever. Did that sword have something to do with it?

Claude's eyes widened at the sight of the sword in his grasp. It can't be… That was-!

Before he could think on it further, he saw the bandit, the one that ran him through, running towards them like a mad man. He strengthened his grip on the sword and, somehow with some strange new found strength he gained (even though he had just been run through with a blade earlier), leaned up to use the sword to block the attack. When it connected, he felt a strange rush of power course through him and he was able to channel it into his arm to knock the bandit back a few feet.

The woman stood by his side and helped him to his feet. His eyes caught sight of the puddle of blood that he was standing in. Was that his? Then how was he standing? Hell, how was he even alive?!

The sound of the bandit yelling out a war cry dragged his attention away from the puddle and he took on a defensive stance when he saw the man trying to attack them again. He'd have to think on what happened later. Later being when they weren't in a life or death situation.

The two swords clashed together and like before, Claude used the strength flowing through him to push him back. This did nothing to deter the bandit though as he kept throwing himself at him to try and find an opening. "So, you did know where the treasure was! Guess I'm just gonna have to make sure I kill you this time and claim that Blade for my own!"

Claude wanted to think more on his comment, but he had to focus more on blocking the attacks the bandit was sending his way. Eventually he found a rhythm and began to turn the tide against him. Instead of the bandit pushing him back, he was pushing him.

As the battle continued, the bandit began to realize that he wasn't going to win this one. He tried to find a way out, but with the way the man was attacking him and with the woman sharing her power as a Blade was meant to do, he couldn't find one. Still he had to try.

The two swords kept pushing against each other as their attacks became fiercer. After another attack connected, Claude finally saw an opening and took the advantage. The bandit had faltered a bit in his stance after Claude's last attack hit him hard. As the bandit quickly tried to take back his lost ground, Claude struck, bringing the blade down across his chest.

The bandit fell to his knees, coughing up blood as he landed. The cut was deep and it would only be a matter of time that he would die like his companions. He weakly glared up at them before falling to the ground, growing still.

Claude let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. He brought a hand to snake through his hair as he tried to make sense of what had transpired. He had so many questions, he wasn't sure where to start. Well, actually scratch that, he did. He turned to face the woman and finally took a good look at her.

She had forest green hair and sea blue eyes. Her attire was a strange one as it looked to be a mix of both casual and formal attire. Plus, he noticed, there was nothing on her to suggest that she was a Blade. No glowing marks or anything. If he recalled from his research, that was the tell tale signs of someone being a Blade and although the bandit had called her that, he was still unsure of the claim. And yet…

He looked down at the sword in his hand. This… this was the Sword of the Creator. The legendary Blade that he had been searching for was now, literally, in his grasp. That then led to his next question: how in the hell was he able to wield it and use it's power? How could have awakened the Blade? His crest and the one connected to this Blade didn't match up.

Claude looked back up at the woman to see her bowing down to him. "Thank you for saving me. I only wish I could have helped out a bit more."

He forced a smile onto his face. His questions could wait for a few seconds more. "It's no problem. You didn't look like you were exactly battle ready at the moment they decided to make their move. I couldn't let them hurt you especially when you had no way to defend yourself."

She nodded at him. "Still, either way, I feel thanks are in order."

He nodded. Although he didn't want to pressure her too much on questions (even though his inquisitive nature was literally begging him to), he did have one he wanted to ask her. One that he felt that he needed an answer to as soon as possible. "So… you're the Blade to the Sword of the Creator?"

He was confused as he watched the same look come over her face. Did he word his question funny? He was about to clarify when he found himself dumbfounded by her response. "A Blade? What's that?"

Claude's jaw dropped at her answer. How did she not even know what that was? Wasn't she a Blade herself? Before he speak what was on his mind, the sounds of thundering feet caught his attention. The pair turned their attention to the noises coming from behind them and was shocked to see a small platoon of soldiers headed their way.

'Shit!' Claude cursed. They needed to get out of here! He was about to grab the woman's hand and drag her back to the tunnel that the bandits had made, but they were spotted before he had the chance.

"HALT!"

Claude desperately wanted to run, but unfortunately when he had soldiers aiming at them with their bows, lances and swords, it made it quite difficult to do so without making it into a suicide mission. And even though he had the Sword of the Creator in his hand, he felt that it would be even futile to even try with that.

Soon they two found themselves surrounded by the soldiers and in the midst of all of them came walking an almost ethereal looking woman. The soldiers parted to allow her to walk through and see those who had entered the tomb illegally.

The two watched as she looked at the dead bandits lying in the area before turning her attention on them. She looked at Byleth would some degree of softness in her gaze, the likes of which slightly disturbed her. She couldn't put her finger on why however. When she turned her gaze to Claude though, it turned into a look of hatred. Claude tried not to return the look with a glare of his own as he could easily tell what that look meant. He had seen many of those directed towards him in his childhood.

When the woman spoke, they both could practically feel the venom coming out of her voice. It was enough to make them become frightened in her presence. "How dare you desecrate the Holy Tomb! And how dare you disturb the holy Blade! You will die for your insolence!"

Claude swallowed painfully as a cold chill passed through his body at the implication of her words.

Well, this certainly wasn't how he expected his day to go...