The cold Faerghus air had Eve's breath hanging in clouds as she panted from exertion. And though the nights had gotten increasingly chillier as autumn came to the northern lands, Eve was still stripped down to her undershirt with sweat making a trail down her neck.

"Come on, Tsukiko." She whispered to herself in what was either encouragement or exasperation.

Three nights of training and she still couldn't get that manoeuvre down. Her footwork was all wrong, causing her to lose her balance.

She was just lucky it had been her who took the blow from that assassin and not Rodrigue. She had never seen someone move like that, and the rapidly healing wound on her waist was a sore reminder that she had been bested.

In her many years, Eve had racked up a number of similar scars. The marks that marred her skin were all reminders of times that she had lost— times where she should have been better. They were the only wounds she kept; the only ones she didn't use her Crest to get rid of.

Again, she tried the manoeuvre she had seen that assassin use, but her footwork was no better and she found herself stumbling.

"Dammit!" She cursed.

"You know, getting frustrated won't help you any." A voice said from the doorway, startling Eve out of her skin.

"Milord." She said, straightening her posture when she recognised the figure who stood there watching her.

"Please, I'm not my father." He laughed, pushing himself off from where he was leaning against the door frame to walk towards her. "Anyways, what are you doing in the training grounds so late at night."

"Lord Rodrigue gave me permission to train." Eve dipped her head, avoiding his eyes. "I only do it at night, though, when I won't be bothering anyone."

"I know." He gave her an amused smile as he came to stand before her. "I've been watching you."

"Milord?" Eve's head snapped up, meeting his eyes with panic in her own.

She had thought she had been careful about being seen—especially by Rodrigue's sons.

"Again," he huffed, "not my father. Just call me Glenn."

"Glenn." She said, still looking directly into his eyes.

"Funny," he turned away to look at nothing in particular, "I have no memory of you until very recently when I noticed you sneaking out here at night. Now I see you all over the grounds."

"I'm not surprised you never noticed me." Eve couldn't help the bitter huff that escaped her lips.

It was part of why she survived like this—nobles didn't care about those beneath them. Back when Rodrigue was Glenn's age, he hadn't noticed her either. It wasn't until his father introduced them and explained to Rodrigue the nature of her service to House Fraldarius that he started to actually see her.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Glenn frowned, returning his gaze to her.

"You're a twenty-year-old, Crest-bearing heir to a noble house." Eve quirked an eyebrow up at him. "It comes as no surprise that you wouldn't pay attention to a servant."

"But see, now." Glenn took a step closer to Eve, coming dangerously close to her. "Now, all I can pay attention to is you."

Eve laughed and turned to return her training sword to its rightful place as an excuse to move out of close proximity with Glenn. He was an adult and had been a knight for five years already, so it was only a matter of time before she and him would be formally introduced. But still, Eve wasn't keen on getting too close to him before that time came.

"I'm serious." Glenn followed after her, snatching her wrist and turning her to face him. "Tell me your name."

"Eve, Milord." She answered him bluntly, using his title to further distance herself from him.

"Heh, stubborn." Glenn laughed with a wide grin. "I like that."

"You best return to your chambers." Eve removed herself from his grip as she spoke. "You're meant to be travelling with Lord Rodrigue to Gautier territory in the morning."

"Not until you tell me, Eve, what it is you're training for." Glenn moved to stand in front of Eve when she made to walk around him. "What does a servant girl need to train so hard for?"

"I simply prefer to be prepared for the worst-case scenario." Eve answered curtly, moving once again to walk around Glenn and towards the exit.

"And what would that be?" He asked, voice low as he turned to grab her shoulder roughly.

He pulled her back, forcing Eve to stumble into his chest where he made to wrap his arms around her.

But Eve was too quick, ducking down before he could get his arms around her. As she dropped down, she brought out one of her legs and turned so that she knocked his legs out from under him in one fell swoop.

"Nobles who think they can put their hands on me without my consent." Eve answered his question, looking down at where he had been knocked flat onto his back.

She knew that the worst to come from his would be a stern talking to by Rodrigue. And even then, it would probably just result in Glenn being told the truth about who she was.

To her surprise, Glenn burst out laughing—a hearty guffaw that echoed in the hall.

"You are the most interesting being I think I've ever met, Eve." He grinned at her when he finally recovered enough to sit up.

"If only you knew." She smirked at him, offering her hand and pulling him up to his feet.

Suddenly, a loud and persistent knocking rang in Eve's ears. She blinked, startled as she looked around for the sound that seemed like it was coming from inside her head. Looking at Glenn, he seemed unaffected by the noise that only grew in volume.

"Eve!"

All of a sudden, Eve was in her bed in Garreg Mach, sheets strewn about and a frantic looking Dedue in her doorway. From what she could tell by the sky outside her door, it was just beginning to be dawn.

"What…?" She looked around, still dazed from her dream.

It had felt so real. Eve had genuinely felt like she had been sent back into the past to that fateful night when she and Glenn truly met for the first time. And now here in Garreg Mach, in a world where Glenn no longer existed, everything seemed to lose its colour.

"We need to go, now." Dedue said, rushing in and tossing Eve's uniform at her.

"What's going on?" She asked, still not fully acclimated to being awake.

"The situation in Remire has gotten worse." Dedue explained. "We need to leave right away. His Highness is already preparing your horse."

"We're leaving now?" She asked, collecting the garments Dedue had tossed onto her bed.

"Yes." He answered curtly. "Get ready as quickly as you can."

Eve nodded as he shut the door behind him, gone as quickly as he had come.

She rushed to put on her uniform and grabbed her weapons as she was running out the door to the stables. There, she met with the rest of the Blue Lion's class. Most of them seemed like they too had just been sleeping before hurriedly coming out.

Dedue and Ferdinand were the last to join their group, having been the ones the Professor sent out to gather everyone else.

Byleth explained to the group that the situation in Remire had gotten exponentially worse seemingly overnight. Her father and some of the knights had already set out and they were to meet them in the village when they arrived.

"How much worse, Professor?" Ingrid asked as she mounted her pegasus.

"We don't know." Byleth's eyes were dark with anger. "There are reports of villagers killing one another, though."

Ingrid swallowed at that. No one else had any other words to say as they silently set out for Remire village.

Nothing could have prepared them, though, for what awaited them there. After travelling as quickly as possible and eventually catching up with the knights, the Blue Lions were stunned silent by the scene before them.

"Goddess…" Eve muttered as she and the others dismounted to gather at the entrance of the village.

"Kill! Kill! Ahhhh!"

"Help! Somebody, please help!"

Screams of men, women, and children alike filled the air that was painted scarlet by blood and fire.

"What's going on here..." Captain Jeralt's face was pale as he looked around at the chaos.

Eve looked over to see Dimitri seemingly struggling with something, his teeth gritted together as he shook his head.

"Are you okay?" Byleth seemed to notice as well, turning to the prince with concern.

"I... Don't worry about me. I'm fine." Dimitri said, though his voice was tight. "Don't waste your time on me. Saving the village is far more important. We haven't a moment to lose!"

"What can we do amidst such confusion?" Dedue asked what everyone else was thinking.

"We'll have to take up arms against the villagers who are rampaging. If we strike carefully, it should be possible to spare their lives." Felix said with a glance towards Eve that she couldn't decipher.

He looked almost… smug?

"Oh dear... Isn't there a more peaceful way to deal with this?" Mercedes asked with a furrowed brow.

"No matter how long it takes, we'll need to check and rescue them all, one at a time." Ingrid said with determination.

"Those who have gone mad may be victims themselves. Is it possible to save them?" Ashe cut in with worry in his eyes.

"Well, saving the poor people who aren't crazy is definitely our top priority!" Annette answered. "Let's get on with it!"

"Slow down, Annette." It was Sylvain, surprisingly, who reached out to grab her shoulder as if to stop her from charging in head-first. "It won't do anyone any good if we panic and get injured ourselves."

"Isn't that..." Dedue muttered, squinting out at the horizon. "Your Highness. Suspicious figures spotted in the village. They seem to be...watching the chaos."

"Are they the ones responsible for this madness?" Dimitri's voice suddenly took on a quality none of them had ever heard before. "If so...it's clear what must be done. Kill them all. Don't let a single one of them escape. Sever their limbs and crush their wicked skulls!"

"Dimitri!" Eve blinked at him, stunned by his words.

Was this the boar that Felix talked about, the person he believed Dimitri truly was?

"These evil dastards won't get away with this." He growled with a fire in his eyes Eve had never seen. "I will quench my blade with the blood of those responsible for this."

"We save the villagers first." Eve grabbed his wrist roughly, looking directly into his wild eyes.

So this was what hid beneath those smiles and those polite words. This was the Boar Prince.

Eve could tell that this Dimitri was different than the one she had come to know at the monastery. She had always known that there was a darkness that lurked beneath the surface of his princely façade, but she had never expected such a drastic change of character.

Of course, she could understand why the mayhem before them would trigger Dimitri like this. The fire, the screams, the death and carnage—she had lived through war like this before. And she could only imagine that what was unfolding before them now was not dissimilar from what Dimitri had experienced in Duscur.

But this wasn't who he was, regardless of what Felix said or believed. Eve could tell that this also wasn't who Dimitri was. He wasn't some animal that only thirsted for blood. She could tell when they saved a villager and the darkness lifted from Dimitri's eyes. He had bid the villager safety as they escaped the village, hope spreading in his features as he saved yet another life.

That light only lasted for a fleeting moment, however, before Dimitri's untapped rage took hold once more.

Eve tried her best to keep up with him, fighting at his side and trying to reign him in. This only became increasingly difficult with the more carnage that they saw. When the Death Knight appeared before them, surrounded by mages, it was all Eve could do to stop Dimitri from charging headfirst into his death.

"Leave him!" Eve grabbed Dimitri's arm roughly, pulling him back. "There are still villagers that need our help."

"If he is the one responsible for this…" Dimitri growled, eyes darkened with anger.

"Then we will deal with him after we save the villagers." Eve hissed.

Thankfully, Dimitri didn't push the issue. Eve guessed that he still had enough of his head to understand her point. But she wondered for how much longer he could keep his wits about him. The further they pushed through Remire Village, the more death they came across.

As they neared the Death Knight and his mages, Dimitri and Eve came across a villager who had been cornered by the enemy forces. He was cowering in fear, a mysterious mage posed above him. Just as the mage was readying an attack spell, Dimitri ran him through with his lance.

"Yuri!" Eve called out to their closest comrade as she pulled the frightened villager to his feet. "He's hurt badly and I'm not strong enough with healing magic to help."

"I can patch him up enough to get him to a healer." Yuri said as he took the man from her arms. "You should go reign in your prince."

At Yuri's words, Eve whipped around to see Dimitri repeatedly driving his lance into the mage he had just disposed of. There was a crazed look in his eye as he brought his lance up to once more send it down into the corpse of his enemy.

"Dimitri!" Eve grabbed his arm as he moved to stab the mage once more.

"He has to pay for what he's done." Dimitri's voice was guttural, almost animalistic to Eve's ears.

"He's dead, Dimitri!" She shouted, roughly pulling his arm so he had to turn and face her. "He's dead."

With a blink, Dimitri was back to something closer to his usual self. He seemed confused, lost, as if he was completely unaware of what had just transpired.

"We have to join with the others." Eve tugged at his arm once more to demand his attention. "Forget the Death Knight."

"The one giving orders to the others…" Dimitri trailed off as he looked over to the central hill their other classmates were making their way towards. "Isn't that Tomas, the librarian?"

Eve turned to look where Dimitri's gaze had turned. She hadn't interacted with him much since coming to the monastery, but Eve was sure Dimitri was right. The one leading all of the mayhem was none other than Tomas.

"Tomas!" Dimitri called out as the two of them ran closer. "What are you doing here?"

By now, the rest of the Blue Lions had drawn closer and they were surrounding Tomas and his group of mages that surrounded him.

"I am not Tomas." The librarian cackled. "My name is Solon, the saviour of all!"

Before their very eyes, Tomas transformed from the kindly old man they all knew him to be into something that could hardly be described as human.

"What's the matter? So shocked you can't even speak?" The being that had once been Tomas taunted. "You were so easily fooled by my disguise… I was hiding away in Garreg Mach to get the blood of that little girl called Flayn. With her blood, we'll be one step closer to realizing our goal."

"What is your goal here?" It was Byleth who stepped forward, brandishing the Sword of the Creator in threat.

"Ah, the cursed Fell Star." Solon regarded the Professor with something between amusement and contempt. "This will be a fine opportunity to measure your power."

"Was that all this was?" Dimitri's anger burst forth once more as he charged Solon and his forces.

With no other choice, Byleth commanded the rest of her class to follow suit. With the sheer numbers the Blue Lions made with the reinforcements from the Knights of Seiros, it didn't take long for them to overwhelm Solon's forces.

"Why have you gone after this village?" It was Jeralt who made it to Solon first, grabbing him roughly by the front of his tunic to question him. "What are you planning?"

"Heh, I could have conducted this experiment on any test subjects." Solon smirked. "Now that I have what I came for, I must bid you farewell."

With that, Solon teleported away along with the Death Knight and the rest of their forces.

"Wait!" Jeralt shouted at the air in frustration. "Damn it, he's gone…"

"I… will survey the village." Dimitri's voice cracked as he spoke. He seemed exhausted and worn. "There may still be some survivors."

"I'll go with you." Eve said softly, following after Dimitri as he turned away from the others.

They walked together in silence, Eve several paces behind Dimitri. She didn't speak, knowing that in a time like this there were no words that would be helpful. But she also hadn't wanted to leave him completely alone.

"Now that you know what I truly am, can you still stand to marry me?" Dimitri asked suddenly as they looked through the rubble.

"What you truly are?" Eve's brow furrowed.

"I regret showing that side of myself to everyone." Dimitri said with his back still turned to her. "I try to keep my emotions at bay, but today the darkness simply took over me."

"Dimitri…" Eve stepped towards him, hand hovering as she decided whether or not to reach out and grab him.

But before she could make up her mind or say the words that were on her lips, a spell whizzed by both of their heads. The both of them ducked, turning towards where the spell had come from.

"There!" A mage in a dark cloak was pointing towards them with several other mages gathering. "It's the Faerghus Prince and his fiancée!"

"Run!" Eve was the first to react, roughly grabbing Dimitri by the wrist and pulling him after her as she ran towards the woods that surrounded the village.

"Don't let them get away!"

She could hear the mages shouting after them, various spells being throw their way. It was all she could do to keep upright as she and Dimitri ran through the winding growth of the unfamiliar forest.

"We're not going to lose them, Eve!" Dimitri shouted at her as they ran, ducking out of the way of a spell.

"We can't take them on either." Eve risked a glance backwards to see the near dozen mages on their trail.

By now, they were probably well separated from the class. And since everyone thought they were out looking for survivors, no one would question them being away for so long. As it stood, Eve and Dimitri had no hope of reinforcements and they were in no position to stand their ground and fight.

"What can we do then?" Dimitri asked, stumbling over a tree root.

"I've got something." Eve said with another glance back. "But there's no guarantee it'll work."

"What do you mean?" Dimitri dodged another spell as he shouted.

"It's something Claude gave me." Eve explained, wrenching a pouch from off of her belt. "He said if I hit it with Fire, it should explode in mist and smoke."

"Should?" Dimitri asked.

"We haven't tested it yet." Eve shook her head. "Only one way to find out, though."

With that, she tossed the pouch into the air behind them and cast a fire spell towards it. To Claude's credit, it did in fact explode into a cloud of smoke between Dimitri and Eve and the mages. However, whatever he put in it must have been much stronger than intended because it also set off with a rather loud burst.

Eve's ears were ringing, and she struggled to keep herself from being disoriented. Frantically, she once again grabbed Dimitri's wrist to pull him along as she made a sharp turn. She could hear the mages coughing and sputtering behind her but didn't dare look back.

"In here."

It was Dimitri who spotted the dilapidated shed that stood next to the remnants of what must have once been a small house. The structure was small, but all four of its walls and its roof were still intact which was all they could hope for at the moment.

"Quiet." Eve urged as she shut the door behind them.

Neither one had bargained for how little space there actually was in the shed, both of them having to stoop so as not to hit their heads. But after several minutes of holding their breath and listening for any sign of their pursuers, Dimitri and Eve were sure they were in the clear.

"We should head out." Dimitri said from where he had folded himself as deeply into the furthest corner from Eve as he possibly could.

"That's not a good idea." Eve shook her head in response. "Night will be upon us soon and we don't know these woods. It would be foolish to go bumbling around in the dark and risk crossing paths with those mages again."

"I suppose you're right." Dimitri swallowed thickly.

"Besides, we have shelter here that can keep us from the elements for the night." Eve said. "We can head back to the village in the morning."

Dimitri simply nodded, sinking down to sit on the dirt floor of the shed with his knees pressed to his chest. Eve watched him warily as one might watch an unpredictable animal. She was worried about him; she was worried about how he might react to his own actions back in the village.

Still watching him closely, Eve also sank down to sit on the floor of the shed. With both of them sitting, there wasn't much room that wasn't occupied by their bodies. Eve's knee brushed against Dimitri's shin as she crossed her legs and he flinched away at the contact.

"I apologise." Dimitri started up once again. "I never should have lost my composure like that."

"You had every right to lose your composure." Eve comforted, scooting closer to the prince.

"You did not lose your composure." Dimitri looked at her with pained eyes that were fighting so hard to hold back the darkness.

"But perhaps I should have." Eve sighed. "You should not have to apologise for having a human reaction."

"That was no human reaction." Dimitri's breath was shaky, his hands trembling as he held them out in front of him.

"I am a monster, a beast."

Eve opened her mouth to retort but was only cut off.

"I am exactly the boar that Felix believes me to be."

Dimitri was now breathing rapidly, his chest heaving even more than it had been after their escape from the mages. Eve was now kneeling beside him, hands balled into fists on top of her legs as she struggled to think of something she could do for him.

He was panicked and scared, and Eve had no idea how she could help him.

"If you are to marry me, I will be sure to destroy your life." Dimitri shook his head wildly. "Of course you would never choose someone like me. How could anyone choose someone like me?"

His voice had now taken on a hysterical quality that was frightening to Eve. And though she knew it to be cruel of her, she reached out to grab his trembling hand and place it on her cheek.

"I'm here, Dimitri." She pleaded, pressing her cheek into his palm. "Look at me. I am not afraid of you."

Eve knew how much value Dimitri placed in physical contact—how much he craved it. She knew if there was any way she could calm him down it would have to be like this. Despite having just admitted to being in love with his childhood friend, she needed to exploit Dimitri's love for her to get him to calm down.

"You cannot hurt me, Dimitri." Eve soothed, still holding her own hand over his that cupped her cheek. "You are not a monster. You are not a beast. You are my fiancée and you have saved my life."

"Do…" Dimitri's breathing calmed slightly as he looked into her eyes and his thumb gently caressed her cheek. "Do you truly mean that?"

"Every word." Eve nodded, leaning further into his touch.

She knew it wasn't fair—not to him, not to Felix. But what else was she to do? Eve knew she could distract Dimitri from his inner turmoil with hope of love and affection.

"If someone like you can stand to be touched by someone like me…" Dimitri trailed off, eyes fixated on Eve's face. "You may just very well be akin to the Goddess."

"It doesn't take a Goddess to see the light in you, Dimitri." Eve sighed, happy to see that Dimitri seemed to have calmed down slightly.

Perhaps this was to be her role. Even if she could never love him in return, Eve could be Dimitri's anchor. If he was ever to lose his composure again, she would be there to keep his head level

She would hold his hand, caress his cheek, tell him she loved him if that's what it took. Eve was willing to go down in Faerghus history as the most doting queen if that was what it took to keep her King sane.

"You should try to get some rest, Dimitri." Eve said softly, letting her hand drop from where she held his to her cheek. "I can take first watch."

"Normally I would protest," Dimitri let his hand linger on her face for a moment longer, "however I fear I am too exhausted to be able to be of any use keeping watch."

Eve watched as he reluctantly withdrew his hand from her face. His eyes looked forlorn until they suddenly looked frantic and terrified.

"What have I done…" Dimitri's voice was shaky, breathy, as he stared at her cheek.

"Dimitri?" Eve felt her heart racing as she struggled to figure out what had made him snap once more.

"I have bloodied you." He muttered. "Curse these blood-stained hands. Am I incapable of doing anything other than marring the lives of those around me?"

Confused, Eve brought her own hand up to her cheek. When she pulled her fingers away, she saw they were stained with blood. Dimitri must have had blood on his glove that she had held to her cheek and it was now drying on her skin.

"It's okay, Dimitri." Eve tried to soothe as he began to shake.

"You have to tell Lady Rhea to find someone else. I will only bloody your life, Eve." Dimitri was muttering some nonsense or another, eyes unfocused and terrified.

"Dimitri!" Eve called his name repeatedly, the sound falling on deaf ears. "Dimitri, please."

Unable to get him to focus on her voice or her face, Eve took Dimitri's face in her own hands.

"Dimitri Alexandre!" She all but shouted, pulling his face forward until it was mere millimetres away from her own.

For a moment, something like clarity seemed to fill Dimitri's eyes. But just as quickly as it came, that look was replaced by something else—something Eve couldn't place.

At least, she couldn't place it until he was moving forward to close the gap between them.