The knowledge about the Battle of Garreg Mach and its aftermath did not help at all.
"Professor, look out!" Byleth heard Edelgard scream as the ground collapsed under her feet.
This was her last memory from before the incident. In the eternal slumber, the shards of one's former life were of little to no importance.
Just like the passage of time.
It had been forever before she opened her eyes. After she woke up, Byleth had no idea why she was lying on the river bank, soaking wet, or how on earth she even got there. It took her a few moments and a short talk with a villager to come to a sad conclusion.
For the second time, she was robbed of five years of her life. Five years during which Fódlan fell into ruin, as the Adrestian Empire murdered and robbed entire villages. Five years in which the Leicester Alliance existed only on paper, the Holy Kingdon of Faerghus was changed into the Faerghus Dukedom, and the monastery students were doing their best to simply survive.
But, Byleth reminded herself, all of this had been the case the previous time around. Before she had a crazy idea that one person could change the future of several nations.
"I need to go back to Garreg Mach," she said more to herself than to the frightened villager, whose objections missed her ears completely.
Something must be different now, she'd been telling herself over and over. Something must have changed.
Whatever that mysterious something was, however, it surely didn't include the monastery.
The place was in ruin. Every building she passed was marked by the former battles. Broken windows, missing roofs, holes in the walls, blood splattered across the floor. Deserted classrooms, where she used to give lectures, were covered in dirt and dust. Empty corridors and dormitories seemed devoid of life. This forced Byleth to pose a terrifying question.
How many of their residents had she already failed to save?
As the woman walked up a familiar set of stairs, she immediately noticed the evident absence of soldier corpses. She sped up at once, taking two steps at a time, until she reached the top.
The bright light blinded her. Undeterred, the professor covered her eyes, searching the shadows in haste.
But Dimitri wasn't there.
The feeling of betrayal was hard to shake off. Even though deep down Byleth had long realized that the prince of Faerghus from the present time was not the person she'd remembered. Despite all her efforts, no matter what she did, he owed nothing to her. And, most importantly, he'd never promised to meet her at the millennium festival.
With a heavy heart, the professor walked around, looking for any signs of people.
"Who's there?" sounded a sharp voice from behind the closed door. "Show yourself!"
Byleth readied the Sword of the Creator before making her way inside. With the blade ready to strike, she froze. Before her stood the Adestrian Emperor, her eyes wide and face pale as though she just saw a ghost.
"Professor?" said Edelgard at last. "I've search everywhere for you. Where have you been?!"
For the first time since her father's death, the professor felt like a scolded child.
"I was dead. As good as, at least."
"How can you be joking?" asked her former student, although this time she didn't wait for an answer. "It's been five years! Five years since you disappeared without a trace. Do you have any idea how I felt after you were gone? How broken my heart was?"
Byleth tried to say that it wasn't really her idea to enter a five-year-long slumber, but Edelgard cut through her words.
"No matter. I'm happy to have you back, my teacher. Let us tell the rest that you returned to us."
The professor was given no time to ponder on the fact whether she wanted to be back or not. She was lead to a room occupied by a group of people. Familiar faces started to appear around her despite the fact that she was not ready to see them.
Hubert spoke first. "It's good to see you alive and well, Professor," he said with a bow.
"I can't believe you're here," added Bernie, being uncharacteristically bold.
"Nor can I!" shouted Caspar, who showed up next to her. 'It's a dream come true."
It was an unusual experience, seeing the kids all grown up. Especially that Byleth neither looked nor felt any older than they were now.
"It wasn't the same without you," stated Ferdinand cheerfully.
"I'm happy you're safe, Professor." Linhardt took a pause to make a yawn. "Everything's easier with you around."
"Welcome to the back!" said Petra in her broken English.
Dorothea sprang to the front. She greeted the professor with eagerness. "It's been ages! Seeing you brings back hope."
When she was at last given some room to breathe, Byleth couldn't get over the glaring contrast between the way Edelgard and the rest of the Black Eagles greeted her. While everyone else was first and foremost happy that their teacher was fine and well, the Emperor's initial reaction was to give the woman a self-centered, accusatory speech. As if she'd disappeared on them on purpose.
Before Byleth could ask any questions of her own, Edelgard filled her in with the details about their current situation.
"For all this time, I've done my best and fought with everything I had. I will succeed in setting the humanity free from the false goddess. However, the joined forces of the Kingdom and the Knights of Seiros lead a strong opposition against the Empire. In addition, it would be highly problematic if the Alliance abandoned their neutrality and were to support our enemies. We need to strike them down as soon as possible."
One bit of information got Byleth's full attention. The Kingdom fought against the Empire?
"Who is… the head of the Kingdom of Fearghus?" she asked with caution.
Edelgard blinked at her. "King Dimitri, of course."
The woman couldn't believe what she'd heard. Dimitri became the King of Fearghus! This information brought her joy and sorrow at the same time. She was more than glad that he wasn't consumed by the demons of his past. However, with a sting of pain, Byleth was forced to acknowledge that the man was apparently much better off without her on his side. For the first time, she wondered whether it could have been her disappearance that had broken him. The guilt, the search, the wait. Was she the reason he'd never left the monastery?
Or rather, the reason he'd come back after escaping imprisonment?
"Our next target is the capital of the Leicester Alliance," said Hubert, bringing Byleth's mind back to the present. "We will conquer Derdriu and get rid of House Riegan, who oppose the Empire."
The rest eagerly agreed. The Black Eagle Force Squad seemed enthusiastic to fight alongside their newly reclaimed professor. It didn't seem to matter that they'd have to slay innocent people, including their former classmates. Even though her face didn't show it, this thought terrified Byleth.
Especially that she didn't believe in Edelgard's cause. While the Emperor's end goal of freeing humanity sounded tempting, the professor disagreed that it justified her means. Switching sides was not an option, though. No one in their right mind would take her in; not after she tried to protect Edelgard. Therefore, she'd have to stay and save as many people as she could. This was the woman's own personal purpose from now on.
It hurt to meet her friends on the battlefield. To strike down Ignatz, to wound Leonie, to take the smile out of Hilda's face. But it would have been even worse if she didn't make it to them in time. Where Byleth injured to force flight, the Imperial soldiers aimed to kill. Edelgard's forces took no hostages.
But the worst was yet to come.