So I never noticed that I skipped over Gautier Inheritance so this'll cover it this month, and Battle of Eagle and Lion will be next chapter, on schedule! Sorry for skipping it folks. Much Love, from the Flame

Day 7 of the Horsebow Moon

Santaniel was on the back foot and he hated it. He was since Arti died, it sent him absolutely reeling.

He was fighting a Wyvern rider along the banks of a river, dodging licks of flames, teeth, and axe blades wasn't his particular favorite but he had a fun way to fight as well.

"Your time is up!" Santaniel flipped his face mask up and breathed a jet of flames that scorched Wyvern and rider alike, their bodies falling to the rushing water below.

He disappeared from the spell Foul Play and was now next to Byleth with Yuri speeding back towards them, "Sup Professor."

Byleth gave him a disappointed look before beginning a spiel about his safety, "I'm fine, alright? Besides, we have contingency plans." He pulled his helmet off and wiped some of the gore from the spotless steel armor.

"That's not the point. You were at a distinct disadvantage against that unit and you could have suffered permanent damage."

Santaniel stopped shining his helmet and went dead silent, pulling it back on, "Yeah. And I suppose you'd give the same speech to Arti." Santaniel knew it was a low blow, but he wanted out of the situation and he spoke to Yuri next, "Be ready to go again, I'm going after Acheron with the rest of the group."

Santaniel took off across the bridge and Byleth fell into stride beside him, they rushed through the defenses, not really a match of any capacity to take on any of the units, crumpling beneath the pressure.

Santaniel was the one to end it, bringing his hammer into the stomach of Acheron, and to his credit he lived but whined like a child, "Owowowowowie, I give up! I surrender!"

He and Lorenz just stared at the excuse of a leader and rolled their eyes, Byleth tied him up and they took off for the Gloucester keep.

———

"You may all rest here for the rest of the day before we leave for the monastery tomorrow!" Lorenz exclaimed, of course that didn't really apply to Santaniel or his brothers because they could just head home via mirror.

He decided to humor the man though and decided to stay the night. Santaniel laid into the thick comforter and feather stuffed mattress, melting into it.

He was bunked up with Hephaestus and Xavien like usual, but they were out on the nearby town celebrating the win by getting drunk at a tavern. Catherine had ended up joining them.

Santaniel sat up from the bed, if he stayed there any longer then he'd fall asleep for the rest of the day. He walked out of the room and bumped into a servant and he apologized, smiling slightly as they walked off.

He walked around the large estate's castle, court yard bushes full of red carnations and roses, the sickly sweet smell filling the air. He found a couple pavilions and a gazebo like they had at the monastery, residents and students alike sitting around the tables sipping tea and sharing sweets.

Claude and Hilda, Cyril and Shamir, Raphael and Ignatz were among the duos taking their share in the tea and sweets. 'Lysithea's probably somewhere having snuck off with some.' he thought, snickering to himself.

He felt a presence behind him and turned to see Leonie, he smiled brightly at her and waved, turning back to just observe the people.

She joined him on the small bridge he stood on, the roses and carnations still surrounding them. Goddess their smell was overpowering. He studied the mannerisms of the people drinking tea, they all seemed very civilized here compared to the battlefield. However, he's pretty much the same otherwise.

'Maybe that says more about me then them...' he thought.

Santaniel hummed a hymn as he looked out over the people, he couldn't remember the lyrics but knew the rhythm, beat, and tempo the song had. "Have you ever been dancing?" Leonie asked him, somewhat randomly in his opinion.

"Oh. No. I'm not a noble nor do I have the ability to really step in tandem with a partner. I'm either too tall for someone or they're too tall for me. How about you? Ever go dance the night away in a tavern?"

He asked this, nudging into her with his shoulder. She pushed back and laughed. "No, I never learned how to dance and my village was one that didn't have enough money for much festivities."

"I understand that it can help with footwork in battle, but can't exactly be so light on your feet with an axe." He tossed his short axe up in the air, catching it by the hilt in his other hand, slipping it back into the belt loop he had repaired. "Anyways, why did you ask about the dancing?"

Leonie tilted her head at him and continued, "Oh! There's a ball tonight and I'm supposed to be seeing who's coming for Lorenz. He wanted to get enough food prepared for everyone there."

Santaniel nodded, "I'll be there. Just won't be dancing. Tell him double up on the food for me." He smirked and she playfully punched him in the shoulder, walking off in the opposite direction.

He returned to his people watching and hummed the hymn again, something about it resonating with him.

—————

A couple hours had passed and the sun was on the horizon, sinking lower below the horizon. He didn't have any formal attire so he was lent a suit that had been tailored to his size in a tidy fashion.

The suit was violet with a white undershirt, and he wore his grey jacket over it. The long coat tail reaching the ground and rustling over in tandem as he walked. He stepped into the ball room and located Claude who was just chilling out next to the refreshments.

He was wearing a night black suit that complimented his yellow head band and brown hair. Santaniel waved at him and approached, "Hey big guy, lookin good in the suit." Claude said, Santaniel rolled his eyes and complimented him back. "Nice head band. Hand me a cup of ale."

Claude obliged and Santaniel downed it quickly, setting the mug down with a large breath out, "Its alright, Hephaestus won't like it unless it was stronger but Xavien might." Claude stared at him vacantly before registering what happened, "How the hell-"

Santaniel rolled his eyes again, "Large lung capacity and sneaking it off Hephaestus after battles to calm my nerves." Santaniel dismissed any attempt at prying heavier into his habits of drowning out worries with alcohol.

Later on, Raphael, Ignatz, and Yuri joined them, decked out in their own suits. Ignatz had a navy blue suit while Raphael and Yuri wore white suits. 'Raphael having a white suit is like putting a glass blade on an axe' he thought, 'Least he looks alright in it.'

Santaniel heard the clicking of boots and turned to see Lorenz in a horrific red and purple suit. Everyone, even the blind, knew that looked garishly ugly... And Claude didn't hesitate to let him know.

"Well. At least Santaniel can appreciate my style." He said this while extending his arms and attempted wrap it around Santaniel's shoulders.

Santaniel shrugged it off and retorted, "Hey. I have no choice. You have an ugly suit." Claude doubled over laughing and Yuri snorted which only made Claude laugh harder.

The Professor pretty soon joined them, wearing his merc gear to the chagrin of Lorenz who apparently loaned him a black suit. His excuse being, "I'm more comfortable like this." And Santaniel supported him on it.

As he and Claude were talking about the battle, the sounds of clicking heels could be heard. The woman of the Golden Deer had arrived! For the most part. They walked as a group through the hall and to the men.

Hilda was wearing a slim pink dress that emphasized her body and Santaniel had to close Claude's mouth because his jaw dropped. Marianne wore a cloud grey dress that had a small trail under it, and she took to talking to Lorenz pretty quickly... In her own way at least.

Leonie showed up wearing a slim dress like Hilda, but her's was a more tangerine color. 'She looks nice.' Santaniel smiled at her and she returned it.

Constance wore a flamboyant dress of gold and navy, it was very puffy and matched her elegance within the ballroom. Then, it matched her elegance when taking Yuri to the dance floor.

Shamir wore her merc gear like Byleth did and was talking to Cyril who was out of his servant attire and wearing the fanciest thing he owned. Which was apparently a suit of armor that he wore when riding his Wyvern.

Petra wore a traditional dress and Felix showed up wearing his usual uniform, yet the two were talking rather lively about their training. Mercedes had already retired for the night because Hephaestus was out and Flayn just showed up wearing a mint green dress. That meant only Lysithea was taking long.

The music began and Hilda dragged Claude off and Santaniel saluted him as he was taken. Flayn begged Raphael for a dance and they walked off, Ignatz shied away from the dances and ended up joining the conversation with Shamir and Cyril.

Lorenz asked Marianne and they were off too.

Santaniel hummed to the music and leaned against the table, eyes tracking people as they glided across the floor. Leonie leaned next to him, tracking whoever he didn't, as the night wore on Hilda left the dance floor and walked off to the room she was sharing with Lysithea.

As such, it resulted in Claude pulling Byleth into the fray and a clumsy and somewhat drunken attempt to teach him how to dance. Claude originally taking the lead and then giving it to Byleth. Santaniel smiled broadly as Byleth dipped Claude and he winked at Santaniel, 'Hm. This is actually fun...'

A loud yelp could be heard from the hall, and it seemed to only catch his and Leonie's attention. He turned to his right and saw Hilda trying to coax out Lysithea, her voice whiny, "Hilda! Stop! I don't wanna!"

Santaniel rolled his eyes and excused himself from Leonie and walked over, "What are you two idiots even..." when he walked around the corner his heart skipped in his chest.

She was wearing a similar violet dress that parted at the hips, and her hair was back in a braid. Her scarred arms were exposed and he knew exactly what she was fighting her about, he silently stepped forward and draped his long silver jacket over her shoulders.

"Hilda. She doesn't appreciate you trying to so forcefully get her out there. Besides, this dress is a bit much for anyone our age." He gestures toward himself and Lysithea, insinuating they were about two years younger than her.

She nodded, and he stood back and studied her for a moment, humming as he thought it over. "Get her a bit more of a bell bottom dress that's the same color. Not the extravagance as Constance but same puffiness, get me?" She nodded and dragged off a shocked Lysithea who still had his jacket. 'Damn it.' The only thought in his mind.

"Hey Santaniel. What ya guys talking about?" Claude draped his arm around his shoulder and he could smell the alcohol on his breath. "Nothin pretty boy. Go and take Leonie on a dance eh?" He obliged and took a red faced Leonie onto the dance floor and they danced across the floor much to the amusement of Santaniel.

Byleth returned to the table full of food and Flayn immediately asked him for a dance, reaching her arms up. He watched as the two struggled to dance with the height difference, Raphael joining him, "Hey big fella. You have fun out there?"

He shrugged and said, "I'd enjoy it more if I could eat at the same time." Santaniel couldn't tell if it was a joke or not but shrugged and watched him get dragged off by a random maiden from the house.

The sun sank below the horizon and Santaniel had pretty much planted himself to the same spot, friends coming and going with conversations. Felix and Petra even got into the dancing, improvisations between Brigid folk dance and formal Fódlan dance. Needless to say more than a few drinks or people into it as well.

Santaniel studied everyone as they danced, the footsteps burning into his mind. Almost everyone that could drink was drunk, even Lorenz was red faced, hiccuping occasionally. 'Go figure everyone is a light weight here.'

He thought, sipping a glass of champagne that had been put out in place of the wine. Hephaestus and Xavien reported back to the estate, drunk off their asses like usual and blacked out in their room.

He thanked the servant for the information and returned to his people watching. Eventually as people started leaving, Hilda and Lysithea returned to the ballroom. Hilda knocked it out of the park with his description.

It was puffier around the collar bone and her legs were full covered, her arms covered by the curls of her white hair. "Great job Hilds." Hilda walked off and Santaniel turned his full attention to Lysithea, "You look amazing Lys."

He smiled brightly in his matching suit highlighting his broad shoulders and swirled hair of brown and white. She offered him her hand and he hesitantly took it and she led him to the dance floor.

"Uh, Lys, I've never danced before..." She looked up at him with a determined expression and she told him matter of factly, "You've been studying people's footwork for hours. Put it together."

Santaniel smiled and he placed his left hand on her hip, taking her left in his metal hand. He smiled warmly as she placed her hand on his shoulder and they started to move, clumsily at first, gently moving over the dance floor at a slow pace.

They gradually increased the speed until they matched everyone else, they made small talk about all the people he saw dancing together and how it took so long for her to get ready.

He complimented her hair and she complimented his rarely combed hair, the light shining off it like it was a hoard of copper and silver. He rolled his eyes and teased her, "The only treasure I see here is you." Lysithea turned tomato red and Santaniel pecked her on the cheek, realizing what he'd done only after he did. He blushed brightly at the accidental move.

"I'm sorry. I overstepped my boundaries. I'm still trying to break the habit." He could've blamed any alcohol he'd drank, but he didn't feel like being teased by Hephaestus anymore than he already did. The guy had already been drinking more than usual since...

He returned his attention back to Lysithea who was speaking, "-it's alright. I know no one wants to be with someone as young as me." Santaniel rolled his eyes and he pecked her on the cheek again, "It's not that sweetheart. I want to get rid of these Crests before I commit to anything. I bet you feel the same."

"...Wait. They can be removed?!" Santaniel covered her mouth and looked around, pulling her off the dance floor and to a side hall. "Yeah. Of course they can. It's just reverse engineering the process. There's a lab on the island that's still active and has a magnitude of notes on this stuff. I was gonna ask Byleth if we could go there this month and exterminate the assholes."

He smiled wickedly, "Besides, they have my birth rite and I want to rip it back from them." Lysithea nodded resolutely. "I'll help!" Santaniel's smile morphed into something much warmer and he tilted his head to the side, "Of course you will."

--

He and Lysithea walked over to the food table, joining a very drunk Lorenz and Claude who were joyfully laughing together while Marianne and Hilda danced together. Santaniel grabbed a mug of ale and downed it fairly quickly, a new firey sensation in his eyes, and a warm smile on his lips.

Lysithea, bewildered asked, "How did-?!" He leaned down and abruptly cut her off with a small kiss to the lips, "Save it Shortstack. Just enjoy the rest of the night eh?" Lysithea stood blushing with her eyes wide, the taste of sweet ale and Santaniel on her lips, she turned so red Santaniel asked if she was going to faint.

'How the hell does he swap from flirty to concerned so quickly?!' she thought.

It appeared his conscious scolded him. He listened and turned his head from Lysithea, rubbing the back of his neck. "Sorry Lys. I need to stop overstepping myself." She leaned into him and he sighed, "Want to raid the kitchen for sweets?"

Of course she did.

——————

Day 14 of the Horsebow Moon

The stench of black, thick blood could be smelt from a mile away. Santaniel had crushed so many of their skulls it was like being in the kitchen at this point with cracking eggs.

They were all so violent, so cruel, so easy to kill. He summoned Luna over a group of them and watched them crumple under the pressure, Lysithea killing them off entirely with Hades. They high-fived and Santaniel blocked a flurry of arrows at the both of them with his shield.

They brought a very small team, only six people and a couple of adjacents. Byleth was currently fighting one of the twins and Santaniel was pushing up on the other, Lysithea providing cover fire. Claude and Hilda were holding the back side up and Flayn shot off waves of Fortify to keep them all up.

He dug around on a guards corpse and found a key to a chest, 'My axes!' he threw his short axe at the smaller twin and a squelch was audible as it implanted into their chest. He made a run for the chest and unlocked it, snagging his Holy Twins, 'Oh my babies. I'll never let go of you again.'

He smiled broadly as he threw the chained axe into someone's forehead and it cracked under the blade. It went through cleanly, their white chunks of brain squishing under his feet as he moved through the rest of them effortlessly.

Byleth dodged an overhead slash and unhinged his sword, making a wide arc through the man and dropping him to his knees, another slice through the chest and he was dead. He took a key from his neck and unlocked another chest, a dark purple gem illuminating the inside that had the Crest of Macuil inscribed in it. Santaniel poked him in the back, a new shield and burning red axes now decking him out.

"If you'd be ever so kind to hand me my birth rite?" Byleth conceded the stone to him and Santaniel fit it into his jacket's side, matching the one on his left in opposite color.

Santaniel stretched and popped his back, sighing in satisfaction. 'Finally. No more urges. But first, research notes.'

"Hey Professor, mind helping me out with doing some investigating? Maybe you'll find some useful stuff too."

————

Day 21 of the Horsebow Moon

Santaniel groaned as he was hit with Lysithea's Miasma. It packed even more of a punch and caused severe nausea with Thyrus. He pushed through it and dodged a strike from Raphael, and then another from Caspar.

They were in a mock battle with the Black Eagles and he was the last one left. Edelgard split him from Claude and Lysithea and purposefully went for him first. He was worn down and tired, but he had a trick up his sleeve.

He rolled beneath Caspar and Raphael punched the blue haired man in the face while Santaniel shocked the brute with Lightning, following with a punch to the back of the head that sent him sprawling.

An arrow marked the grass between his feet and he ducked under another axe swing, "Nice of you two to return to the fight..." he grunted, he'd sent the two of the house leaders down the hill earlier with Luna pulling them down.

Another Miasma struck his chest and he was flung back onto his back and an arrow narrowly missed his forehead.

He unleashed a Fire from his throat as Edelgard approached and took off for Claude, cutting through raw black magic as Lysithea tried to hit him with Death, "Not cool Shortstack." He slammed into Claude and eliminated him from the battle, a dagger pinned him in the dirt.

Edelgard was back and summoned the Crest of Seiros, slamming between his feet and launched him into the air, "Time's up!" He dropped on her with a pair of daggers and held one beneath her throat and she had genuine fear in her eyes as he knocked her lights out on accident with a strike to her forehead. He jumped off of her body and looked around for his last opponent.

'Just me and Lys left,' he ducked under a shot from her bow, 'She ran out of Miasma then...' he thought. Santaniel sent a rift through the ground with his Holy Twins and knocked her off balance, "Get ready!" He yelled, he advanced quickly, tackling her as she prepared Hades. They landed in the soft grass and Byleth yelled, "Match!"

Lysithea grunted under his weight and he hopped off, pulling her back to her feet and ruffled her hair. "Good fight Shortstack. You really pack a punch now, and that's saying something when Hephaestus is at such a level as he is." Lysithea soaked in the praise and he leaned in close, "Too bad ya still lost eh?"

She immediately slugged him in the shoulder and he laughed, ruffling her hair again.

"Hey Professor?" Santaniel called. "Yes problem child?" Byleth responded. He rolled his eyes and responded, "Yeah, yeah. Sounding like Hephaestus now. Anyways, you holding a seminar today? I wanted to work on swordsmanship and daggers. Xavien is off on a bounty this week."

Byleth nodded and Santaniel sighed in relief, "Thanks Professor... hey has anyone tended to Edelgard or Caspar yet? They were knocked out cold." He felt a cold grasp on his shoulder, that of armor and he jumped slightly.

"I'm fine. Caspar is being tended to by Manuela right now." He turned and ruffled the other woman's hair, "Don't sneak up on me again or this'll be a noogie next time."Edelgard rolled her eyes and Lysithea giggled a bit.

"I'm so scared." She walked off and seemed in no mood for teasing, 'Prime target for Claude.' he thought. Santaniel hummed as he and Lysithea made their way down the hill, tripping as he did and he rolled down the rest, landing hard on his left arm with a yelp.

He groaned and stared at the bone poking out of his elbow. "Hey Lys. Be careful there's a small cra-"

--

Byleth used Divine Pulse and sighed heavily as Sothis scolded him, "Why did you use it for such a measly bone?!" He responded mentally, "He's one of the top students and though he may have issues like his drinking and forgetfulness, he needs to be on this next mission."

Sothis groaned and admitted defeat, "You're lucky you've been fine since that man died. I fear what would happen if he got enraged while in control of a dragon stone." Byleth tilted his head and Sothis explained, "They allow Nabateans to transform into their Dragon state. This child is the result of a half breed but is in possession of an artificial heart,-"

Byleth interrupted her and called out to Santaniel, "Watch the crack in the ground!" Santaniel noticed and stepped across it, helping Lysithea over it by lifting her up and over. "Continue." Byleth started mentally.

"That child is one. Those people we've heard so often about in legends. They were the people who ruled the land, before they were hunted down to extinction, or so people thought. The same one we got that spell from that even allowed you to pull that off. He has an aura that is familiar but I can't tell why...

Maybe it's the same as Seteth's!" Sothis exclaimed. "Maybe Flayn has a similar one that's just unreadable?" He asked, putting his hand to his chin. "Obviously it's far fetched that they're Nabateans. It's possible they're just very powerful feeling due to Seteth's attitude and their archaic speech."

"Hmm. Maybe you're right. Keep an eye on that child though, and try your best to not let anyone die again. Otherwise things will be even worse than last time."

Sothis vanished from view and he scrunched his face as he thought up a way to prevent anyone from dying.

————

Day 30 of the Horsebow Moon

Santaniel huffed as he sat up from the wagon, having been awoken by Xavien and Hephaestus who took over driving it in the rain. He stretched out and unhooked his axes to hang at his side, he started strapping on thick metal armor and stuck his shield to his left arm.

'Can't loose this bad boy!' He thought, he had purged all his negative emotions into his axes that he would absorb during the fighting. He'd be at the back with Gilbert to make sure no one got hurt and to protect the mages.

Santaniel strapped his boots on and stamped them a couple times to get his feet all the way in, was he growing faster? He made them snug and grabbed a war hammer just in case. He approached the group and stood next to Yuri, nudging him a bit to just signify he was there. Last time he didn't he got decked.

They listened to Gilbert give some exposition of the tower, and listened to Sylvain speak about his brother's habits in fights. "He usually leans forward on the aggressive. Don't count on it entirely but just be careful, ok?" Everyone nodded and they entered the dark and gloomy stone castle, the only light being the Sword of the Creator and Santaniel's Holy Twins.

They reached the second floor and heard the cackling of Miklan at the twelfth, ordering archers to aim for the closest people. He raised his shield over his head and took off after everyone.

They rushed forward and up the next five floors where they encountered an ambush that Santaniel steadily cut through to keep their back side flank protected and feasted on the negative emotion of rage in his axes. He truly was an adrenaline junkie.

The gems on his coat shined bright and he loosed a massive jet of fire from his mouth, his duel Crests flaming across his chest. They moved onto the next couple of floors without incident until they reached Miklan who was approached by Byleth and Sylvain first, Miklan striking at Sylvain first and narrowly missing his head with the spear.

Santaniel didn't arrive up top until Miklan was mid transformation and his gut wrenched and felt horrifically nauseous as he watched him consume his own soldier and ally. 'No time for idle thoughts.' His mind scolded, he grunted and jumped up front, deflecting a fireball meant for Felix to the side and into a wall.

"This is bad." He said aloud, jumping back to avoid the claw swipe to his abdomen. The next sequence happened very quickly for everyone else, mere moments, but for Santaniel, it was an agonizing hour of fear and rage, culminating into the start of his legacy of the Guardian Angel and the Wayward Saint.

Xavien and Hephaestus flanked the monster and drew it's attention with bow fire and casting of Death. It worked, maybe too well. The beast swiped its tail across the two men and sent them into a pillar with a sickening crack and Hephaestus bled heavily from the back of his head and Xavien looked like he broke a rib, maybe puncturing a lung. 'Not again... not again.. not again. NEVER AGAIN!'

A loud battle roar from Santaniel filled the room and the duel Crests flashed violently, enveloping him in light and his armor broke under the pressure of the magical energy.

His axes melded to his hands and split into claws, two large, golden brown, feathery wings sprouting from underneath his back. His jacket formed into his body and lengthened to a tail, fitted with a rattle and a frill formed around his neck in the shape of his collar, canines elongated into fangs. His senses sharpened and he grew taller, a miniature beast.

He shot through the air, and tackled the inky black beast to the ground, a scorching hot fire burning into its flesh. Santaniel scraped it across the jagged floor, throwing it through a pillar. He reared back and launched his head forward, fangs sinking into its throat and he injected fire like venom into its lungs.

He tore it's throat out after, the horrific smell of burning garbage filling the room. The demonic beast disappeared into a cloud of magic, the broken body of Miklan appearing underneath him.

He uttered a guttural victory cry, panting heavily as his body shrunk, claws turning back to hands and his tail turned back to a jacket. The frill turning into his collar once more. Fangs shortened back into canines. He slowly approached Xavien and Hephaestus, staggering while his wings were still flapping, he casted Heal and the last of his magical energy was spent.

His wings retracted into the jacket, his vision starting to waver. He turned around and gave a thumbs up before valiantly face planting towards the floor, barely caught by Byleth. "I'm spent. And I can't move my right arm." He reported, he seemed like he was intoxicated off of something.

"Don't worry. The last time that happened it was much worse. I'm getting better at it..." his sentence lulled to a stop and he fell asleep in Byleth's arms.

———

Claude was the first to speak, "So. I'll be the first to say it. We're all thinking it. He's part beast." Byleth shook his head, "Not that. It's something else that can turn into a beast." Flayn and Marianne tended to Xavien, Hephaestus, and whoever else needed healing.

Byleth held Santaniel in place and used Recover, Santaniel's breath picking back up and returning to a normal rate. Lysithea approached and placed her hand to his forehead, searching for a fever with a frown on her face. "Think he'll be ok Professor."

Byleth silently nodded and hefted him onto his shoulders, "He'll be fine. He's just spent for the day. He'll need someone to tend to him on the way back, think you can do it Lysithea?" She nodded resolutely, "You know I can Professor."

Byleth smiled slightly at her in response. Claude approached Byleth and asked him, "Hey. Do you-"

"No Claude. We won't use him in the Battle of Eagle and Lion. He's already exhausted, plus it would put people in danger. He said it himself that he can't control it very well."

Claude dramatically made an attempt at an anguished cry, getting a slap to the back of the head from Hilda. "Knock it off goofball."

Claude murmured a curse under his breath which received several glares from the people surrounding Santaniel who stirred a bit in his sleep, muttering lightly as he dreamed.

They all looked at him with interest, studying the sleeping body of the first Nabatean to appear in centuries.

Hephaestus yawned as he woke up, holding his ribs. "I can explain. I need that boy there to leave however. He isn't of our house and can't be trusted to keep a secret." Sylvain was escorted out of the tower while holding the Lance of Ruin.

"Alright. I need a swear of secrecy from everyone here, do I have that promise?" No one objected and they all listened intently to Hephaestus.

"Good. Now, if he ever feels like explaining, he will. Then, none of you will ever speak to those outside of the house. Goodnight."

Hephaestus laid his head back and nodded off, his self satisfied smirk shining in fire light.

———

On the inside of his head, he was aching heavily as his body tried to regenerate. "Of course I'd blow up like this... ugh. Great. More attention." He sighed and laid back, humming the hymn of Macuil.

———

Santaniel stayed asleep for the next week, having spent all of his energy to transform into and out of his Manakete form.Four Hundred and Thirty One Weeks RemainWhat shall happen next in his fights against his enemies and urges? Only time and this story will tell.

Hola friends. So uh, yeah. Nabatean time.

Basically, Santaniel's mother was Ernest, Macuil being his uncle. During the time at the island, his blood was compatible, therefore a prime target for experiments. They succeeded. They succeeded in making the beast that will slay their people!

Agarthans suck.

-Guardian