In the end, Sylvain, Dimitri, and Eve didn't even make it to the dining hall for dinner. As they came down the dormitory steps by the greenhouse, they saw Byleth running towards them with unusual urgency. Trailing behind her were several of their other classmates.
"Dimitri." Byleth called out as she saw the three of them.
"Professor." He regarded her with surprise. "What is going on?"
"I have reason to believe Jeritza is responsible for Flayn's disappearance." She responded. "The other knights have noticed him behaving strangely. And Manuela was seen hurrying somewhere with a mask that might have been his; no one has seen her since."
"I agree his actions sound suspicious." Dimitri brought a gloved hand up to his chin in thought. "But is that enough to brazenly pursue him with our blades ready?"
"Another student heard a scream come from nearby his quarters." Byleth added. "I ran to gather as many of you as I could before confronting him."
"Then I suppose we have no time to waste." Dimitri nodded in agreement.
In their haste, they were unable to find every member of the Blue Lions class before making their way to Jeritza's quarters. But both Byleth and Dimitri had agreed that the numbers they had would suffice and that time was of the essence. In the end, their group comprised of all the original members of the class with the addition of Eve and Linhardt, though the latter complained about having been roped in. Byleth would have hoped for the assistance of the Ashen Wolves, however the entrance to Abyss was clear across campus from where they needed to be and they had no time to waste.
"Isn't that… Professor Manuela!" Dimitri called out as soon as they entered Jeritza's quarters.
He rushed forward to where the Golden Deer's professor was collapsed on the ground, unconscious.
"Professor Manuela! Please wake up!" Annette squeaked as they all came to stand around her. "Professor Manuela!"
"Is she injured?" Byleth asked, kneeling down next to Dimitri.
"She's still breathing." He said after a pause where he held his hand out to feel the breath from her nose. "But she needs medical attention immediately!"
"Look! Do you see Professor Manuela's hand? It's like she's pointing at something..." Annette piped up before they could move the former songstress.
"I see it! Behind that shelf!" Dimitri followed Manuela's hand to a bookshelf that was left slightly askew. "Could it be a secret passage?"
"Move." Eve interjected, shoving her way between Dedue and Felix to kneel next to Dimitri and Byleth.
"What are you doing?" It was Felix who reacted first, snatching Eve's wrist when she held out her hand over Professor Manuela's form.
"Isn't it obvious?" She looked up at him with a quizzical look, surprised to see the concern in his eyes.
"Your power is to transfer, not heal." He frowned, holding Eve's gaze intensely. "Who the hell are you planning on transferring that wound to?"
"Myself." She answered simply as if it should have been obvious.
To her it was the most logical solution. She knew that the wound Manuela sustained could very easily become fatal. But she also knew that her body would be able to handle it. Eve could heal much better than Manuela or any of the Blue Lions.
"Are you insane?" Felix hissed at her, his grip on her wrist tightening.
"Eve, you cannot do that." Dimitri looked at her with concern.
"You can't tell me what to do with my own power." Eve retorted.
"Like hell he can't." Felix grimaced. "I don't like agreeing with the boar, but he's right."
"I know I can't tell you what to do, Eve." Dimitri's gaze softened. "But not only is it brash, we also don't know what awaits us in that passage. We need you at your best. A wound like that will take a lot of your energy."
Eve's outstretched hand faltered, her fingers closing into a fist until eventually her arm went slack in Felix's grip.
"You're right." She sighed. "But we need to get Manuela some help fast."
"What is the meaning of... Wait, is that Manuela?" At that moment, Professor Hanneman barged into the room. "What happened here? We must take her to the infirmary immediately. You! Don't just stand there! Help me carry her."
He pointed at Dimitri, instantly delegating that the prince would assist him in carrying Manuela to the infirmary. Dimitri seemed to hesitate for a moment, eyes flashing back to the secret passageway that was still mostly obscured. It was clear he wanted to stay and fight, but he couldn't abandon Professor Manuela.
"Of course." He nodded, taking hold of Manuela's feet as Hanneman hooked his arms under hers. "I'll return shortly, Professor."
With Professor Manuela safely on her way to the infirmary, the remaining Blue Lions made their way down the hidden passage. It was dark and dank, but they were met by no enemies as they made their way deeper in. Finally, they all made their way to a larger opening in which several lit lamps cast an eerie glow.
"What is this place? It's so...BAH!" Annette was glancing around anxiously when she suddenly cried out. "I see someone! I think...they're unconscious."
"Is it Flayn?" Byleth strained her eyes in the darkness to make out two figures on the ground.
"Yes, I see Flayn!" Ingrid shouted in excitement before adding with confusion, "but...who is this other person?"
Before any of them could make a move towards the two girls, an intimidating shadow emerged from the darkness surrounded by soldiers.
"That sword. You must be..." The figure's ghastly voice echoed on the stone walls as a few of his soldiers grabbed the two unconscious girls. "One of us will die, the other will live. I will enjoy this dance of damnation."
With that, he turned his steed and continued deeper down the passageway into the shadows. He was followed by most of his men, however a handful of them stayed behind as if to ensure the Professor and her students wouldn't be able to follow.
"That knight looks like death itself. We must rescue Flayn immediately." Dedue said with determination.
"We don't have the luxury of time to strategize." Byleth's brow furrowed as she regarded her students. "Stay in pairs, watch each other's backs. Our aim is to move fast and rescue Flayn. Do not engage that knight on your own."
With that the Blue Lions split off rather naturally, gravitating towards the person they knew they would be best suited fighting with in this situation. Eve and Felix took the charge, both rushing forward together to clash with the first of the enemies.
"What the hell was that back there?" Felix asked as they fought back to back.
"I was afraid Professor Manuela was going to die." Eve answered honestly. "It was just instinct."
"You thought she might die, so your solution was to give yourself the fatal wound?" Felix hissed as he sliced through an enemy soldier. "What are you, some kind of idiot?"
"Perhaps." Eve conceded.
"The boar told me what you did in Conand Tower." Felix said after a moment of pause.
Eve didn't answer, instead focusing on covering ground. The two of them had been able to weave through most of the conflict, trusting their classmates to clean up the enemies while they pursued after the Death Knight and Flayn. But at the back of the first room was a large gate guarded by two men. Felix and Eve made quick work of the men but found that neither of them carried the key to the gate.
"Cover me." Eve said, crouching to inspect the lock.
"What do you intend to do without the key?" Felix asked sceptically though he took up position to protect Eve.
"The lock's made of iron." Eve replied, holding her hands over said lock. "I'm going to try to melt it off with a fire spell."
"You can do that?" Felix asked incredulously.
"I don't know!" Eve admitted. "If Yuri were here, he could pick the lock. But he's not. We've got to try what we can."
Eve didn't wait for Felix's reply and instead focused on casting her spell. She knew she wasn't a particularly strong magic user outside of her Crest's power, but Fire was one of the most basic spells. And after training to build up her magic ability with Byleth, Eve was at least confident her ability of this one spell.
"What if you died?" Felix asked suddenly as Eve continued to work on the lock.
"What?" She asked, too focused to think.
"At Conand Tower." He clarified. "You used all your energy to protect us, you left yourself vulnerable. What if you died?"
"I wasn't vulnerable, I had Yuri." She muttered. "I told him what I planned to do and asked him to cover me."
"You trusted that rat bastard to protect you?" Felix barked. It was clear he was angry, but not in his usual way. He seemed angry because he was worried. "Why didn't you tell me or even the boar?"
"Because you two would have tried to stop me." Eve said, rather matter of fact.
"You're damn right I would have!" Felix turned his head just long enough to shoot Eve a glare. "What good was any of this if you die?"
At that, the lock finally gave as the mechanism melted away and fell in a molten heap on the ground. Eve felt her heart ache at the genuine sound of worry in Felix's voice. It wasn't something she had ever heard before, even at times when she knew he had been worried. Quickly, she stood up and placed a hand on Felix's shoulder, turning him to her.
"I won't die on you." She said, looking directly in his eyes. "Promise."
It was the kind of promise no one should ever make. Because, truly, there was no way for Eve to guarantee she would not die before Felix. She had no idea what kind of world awaited her in the future. But Eve also knew that, so far, she had outlived everyone else in her life. For reasons she would never convey to Felix, she could not die unless killed. If she had lived this long without being killed, she was sure she could outlast him.
Felix swallowed the words that bubbled up in his throat and instead pushed through the now open gate with Eve. Dedue and Ashe were not far behind now after Eve had taken the time to melt the lock. While this meant they had sufficient backup, it also meant that the two of them couldn't speak as freely.
Leaving their conversation on hold, Eve and Felix instead focused on the fight in front of them. They fought like no other pair on the battlefield. Felix found himself not even needing to convey his strategies to Eve as he cut his way through enemies. She could read the miniscule movements in his stance or the swing of his sword to anticipate his next move. It was the reason he, rather frustratingly, could never best her in battle. But here, it was vital to their victory. She knew where he would need to be covered and where she should focus her next attack.
"Dedue!" Eve called out as an arrow flew over a wall straight towards him.
He turned at the sound of her voice but was unable to fully avoid the projectile that found purchase on his thigh. Dedue grunted in pain as an angry line of red blossomed on his upper leg. But the pain and the wound instantly disappeared paired with the glow of Eve's crest. He looked up at her, dumbfounded, but then nodded in appreciation before returning to his fighting.
"Idiot!" Felix snatched Eve's outstretched hand angrily.
"We've got to take care of that archer." Eve said, looking at the wall the arrow had flown over and effectively ignoring Felix's anger.
Still ignoring Felix, she pushed forward into the next room with him trailing close behind. Together, they made quick work of the archer and the other soldiers there. Felix didn't speak as they fought, but Eve could practically feel the malice emanating from his body.
Only when they had cleared the room did they take a moment's pause. Eve turned to face Felix, noticing a nick on his cheek.
"You're hurt." She reached out to swipe her thumb across his cheek in concern.
And right before Felix's eyes, a small cut opened up on Eve's left cheekbone as the pain in his own subsided.
"Eve!" He barked, swatting her hand away. "Stop doing that."
"It's fine." She smiled softly. "One or two won't use up all of my stamina."
"That's not the issue here!" Felix grimaced. "That cut was nothing, you didn't need to do that. Why are you taking on other people's pain?"
"Because I can." Eve blinked, taken aback by Felix's tone.
"That's a stupid reason." He gritted his teeth. "Just… whatever! We need to get to Flayn."
He seemed to bite back all the other things he wanted to say, realising that the mission was more important. Eve got the feeling, however, that this conversation was far from over. And as they went on fighting, now with the rest of the class mostly caught up as they entered the large room at the end of the passage, Eve couldn't help but repeat Felix's question in her mind.
Why are you taking on other people's pain?
The words echoed in her mind, but she couldn't properly focus on them. Saving Flayn was the most important thing; she had promised Seteth. And a rather self-indulgent part of her mind hoped that if she saved Flayn, the Archbishop would allow her a little more freedom.
It was Annette who defeated the mage with the key to the final door—a behemoth of wood and iron that separated the Blue Lions from the Death Knight and Flayn. By then, everyone had managed to regroup in the main room, forming a semi-circle around the door.
"Professor?" Ashe looked towards Byleth for guidance as they all paused. "What should we do?"
Byleth frowned—if the Death Knight was truly Jeritza, he would be a formidable opponent. It was dangerous to send her students into there, but she also knew she wouldn't be able to handle him on her own.
"We can't allow ourselves to be bottlenecked in the doorway." Byleth's frown deepened as she thought. "Linhardt, Mercedes—I want the two of you to stay at the back. We'll need you both if anyone gets injured."
"I'm happy to oblige." Linhardt replied. "All that fighting's really worn me out."
"Eve." Byleth now turned her gaze towards Dimitri's fiancée where she stood next to Felix. "Can I ask you to cover us?"
"Of course." Eve nodded firmly, consciously making sure not to look at Felix.
"I want to focus an all-out attack on the Death Knight." Byleth addressed the whole class now. "I believe if we eliminate him, the rest of the forces will retreat. But we need to be quick and careful—Eve won't be able to protect us all indefinitely."
Eve knew that Felix was not happy about this plan. But there was no doubt in her mind that he also knew it was the most reasonable tactic they could use. As long as none of them suffered fatal wounds, Eve could make sure they were at their strongest to take down the Death Knight. Her Crest would also act as on the offensive if she were able to redirect any injuries onto the Death Knight.
And it paid off in the end. It all happened so quickly, from the Professor unlocking and busting open the door to the Blue Lions storming in to the Death Knight taking a particularly incapacitating arrow to the shoulder from Ashe.
But just as they all believed they might be able to take down this Death Knight, a new mysterious figure warped into the room.
"Halt." They spoke to the Death Knight. "You're having a bit too much fun."
"You are getting in the way of my game." He replied gravely, not even turning to look at the figure.
"You'll have more opportunities to play soon." They said with a harrumph. "Your work here is done."
"Understood. I will go…" And with that, before any of them could react, he warped away out of their clutches once more.
"We will cross paths again. I am the Flame Emperor..." The mysterious addition now addressed Byleth directly. "It is I who will re-forge the world."
And just as suddenly as they had appeared, the so-called Flame Emperor warped away with the rest of their forces.
"Flame Emperor and the Death Knight? I have to say, they both looked very dangerous." Mercedes' brow furrowed in concern.
"Where did they go?" Ingrid looked around as if to find any clues before her eyes fell to Flayn and the other girl. "It doesn't matter. We need to get these two out of here."
"Bring them up." Dedue said, motioning for the others to help him carry the two girls.
"You alright?" Felix came up to Eve where she was leaning against the wall.
"You guys took a lot of damage." She tried to laugh but was clearly fatigued.
"Lean on me." Felix wouldn't meet her eye, but he offered his arm for Eve to take. "We've got to get back up to Jeritza's room."
Eve didn't protest and slung her arm around his neck to lean on him. He wrapped his arm around her waist to support her. And though the action itself had been done with such confidence, Eve glanced up to see his face ablaze with blush.
She relished this moment despite how heavy her limbs felt. No one could say outright that Felix wasn't just assisting his classmate. In this state, she had a reason to be leaning on him. And Eve could indulge in his warmth as he helped her back through the passage.
By the time the two of them made it back up to Jeritza's quarters, the others had gone to take Flayn and the other unconscious girl up to the infirmary. They came into the room as Dimitri and the Professor were talking, both smiling.
Eve wondered at the smile that graced Dimitri's face. While she didn't think she'd ever seen Byleth smile, she was still more shocked by how genuine Dimitri's smile was. He smiled often, but Eve could always see the darkness that lurked behind it. This smile, however, was genuine and he looked truly happy.
It was a weight off her chest, seeing him like that. It made Eve feel as though she had trusted the right person to be Dimitri's support. And she was glad to see the Professor was holding true to their agreement.
"Felix, Eve." Dimitri's smile dropped when he saw the two of them, eyes darting from where Eve was clinging to Felix's neck to where Felix had his hand resting comfortably on Eve's waist.
"I'm sorry for asking you to do that, Eve." Byleth said, turning to Eve with concern in her eyes. "I'm very grateful for you, though."
"I would have done it regardless, Professor." Eve smiled while both boys in the room shot her looks of disapproval.
"Thank you for assisting my fiancée, Felix." Dimitri said with a tight smile, nothing like the one that had made his eyes sparkle earlier.
But he made no move to remove Eve from his childhood friend's arms. He was determined to make good on his promise; he would not touch Eve unless she asked it of him. And regardless of how much he wished he could wrap her in his arms and carry her to her quarters, Dimitri refrained from making any type of movement.
A part of him hoped that Eve would tell Felix she was fine and that Dimitri could help her from here. But looking at her, seeing how comfortable she was in his arms, he knew she would never say that. He knew enough to recognise that Eve was exactly where she wanted to be.
"I'll have to report to Seteth." Byleth broke the tense silence that had filled the room momentarily. "Thank you all for your assistance. And I'm sorry that we had to do this so late."
Byleth left the three of them as they all exited Jeritza's quarters into the cool night air. It was dark now, the dinner hour having long passed.
"I'll take my leave now as well." Dimitri said suddenly. "You two should see if there's any food left in the dining hall."
"Thank you, Dimitri." Eve smiled softly.
He almost asked her what she was thanking him for when he caught her eye and understood exactly what she meant. She knew he was allowing her and Felix to have a moment alone. And though it pained him greatly, he found comfort in his ability to make Eve happy in this way. Without another word, he nodded curtly and removed himself—unwilling to linger any longer lest he regret his decision.
"Let's get you some food." Felix said once Dimitri had also left them.
"That sounds good." Eve nodded. "But I think I can walk on my own now, thank you."
As she tried to pull away Felix's grip on her waist tightened, bringing her closer to him.
"No, I don't think you can." He said, refusing to meet her eyes.
"Hm, I suppose you're right." Eve smiled as she saw the blush once again creeping onto Felix's cheeks. "I suppose there's no helping it then."
And so they walked together, bodies pressed close. Neither one said a word as they made their way to the dining hall but they both knew what they were doing. And though it was just one small moment of many they were not allowed to have, they both felt pride in this little victory they had stolen from their circumstances.
(A/N: I made a twitter for my fic stuff that I'll use to post any updates. So if you wanna give me a follow & hang out my is vii_x_mmx ^v^)