Edelgard thought it was fitting to meet at the star terrace; that was where she shared the first half of the story. She still couldn't entirely believe she actually decided to finish it. She couldn't recall telling anyone—Hubert knew, but that was more from his own investigation. Monica didn't; Edelgard admitted that her siblings died by the hands of Thales's people, but not how or what the result was.

Now here she was, standing there, grateful there was some warmth in the evening breezes, waiting for a mercenary.

Feelings weren't exactly the best things to have in a war. Yet at this point, those little attachments—those happier moments with people she could actually call friends—was what helped her manage. She had been prepared to fight alone, to an extent—prepared to only have Hubert stand next to her, prepared to face whatever she had to with the knowledge that anyone she knew during the academy would likely hate her. The fact that she wasn't alone still fascinated her, if she let it; then it led to gratefulness towards that one person, and that moment they shared.

That second was the leading factor in her decision to come here, honestly. The idea that something could possibly follow—that she might be proven wrong, when she told Byleth she was unlikely to have a genuine love.

She turned when she heard someone step out onto the terrace, and almost smiled.

"Thank you for coming, Byleth. I know it's a bit late."

"There have been later conversations," Byleth replied. She seemed to be attempting typical evenness, but even so a little smile came through. "What did you want to talk about?"

"I wanted to ask after something about the Holy Tomb," Edelgard explained. "And there's a story I would like to finish as well."

Byleth nodded, then walked over so she stood next to Edelgard. For a second, they stood a bit close together—in the next both of them took a step back, the same memory likely playing for both of them. She only wished the atmosphere could be light.

"…I have a feeling they're related," Edelgard said after a moment, "So I can start."

The mercenary didn't protest, so Edelgard carried on with as much evenness as she could; she only faltered once or twice, when she tried to say it like it was a necessary evil—like she agreed or wanted it.

"I assume you remember when I told you about my siblings?" Edelgard asked. Byleth murmured some kind of agreement, but frowned. "My uncle had taken me to Fhirdiad when there was political turmoil within the Empire; I stayed in the Kingdom capital for a year before he decided I could come back. Shortly after I returned to Enbarr, I was brought underneath the palace with the rest of my siblings."

Byleth remained in silent understanding, so Edelgard continued.

"The experimentations were…bloody. The aim was to give one child a Crest. The whole thing was funded and supported by imperial nobles, in part due to the Central Church's emphasis on a Crest's power—society's reliance on Crests, and their belief that someone with a Crest is somehow above the rest."

"You said you were the only one to live," Byleth noted.

"I'm the only survivor," Edelgard confirmed. She held out her hand and showed the Crest she had her entire life. "I was born with a Minor Crest of Seiros, passed down through Adrestia's royal family. But the experiment succeeded; I walked away from that dark, bloody place with this."

She showed Byleth her acquired Crest; the mercenary recognized it immediately.

"That's…"

"A Major Crest of Flames, yes. It's responsible for my strength—and it's one of the reasons those who slither in the dark would have wanted to determine how you could wield the Sword of the Creator. I have no doubt that Thales considered me a puppet; in that respect, he wanted me to have that sword, so he could use it through me."

Edelgard looked for any signs of distrust or disbelief—anything that suggested Byleth wouldn't accept it. Those few moments terrified her. She lowered her hand again and waited.

Finally, Byleth gave a small nod.

"Your strength…has always seemed familiar. I assume that's why?"

"Most likely, although I'm still not sure how you gained yours."

"Neither am I."

She almost laughed. "I would almost say you have more secrets than I do, just without personally having the answers for them."

Byleth barely smiled in response. "It's possible, if nothing else."

Edelgard appreciated the brief, cheerful moment; it distracted her from the past. They both took a small step forward again, but she recalled her other question and stepped back. She needed to focus on the bitter things first. Fortunately, Byleth realized that as well.

"You had something you wanted to ask about the Holy Tomb?" Byleth prompted.

Edelgard nodded. "You said you were able to change it. How?"

She didn't seem to expect the question, pausing. The silence felt the same; it likely only lasted a second or two, but it felt longer.

"…It's going to sound strange," Byleth warned.

"The cause can't be much stranger than what it achieved," Edelgard reasoned.

Byleth hesitated another second. "I…share someone's power, for lack of a better way to describe it. When you fell, she let me use that power—it let me go back a few minutes and save you."

"Whose power did you borrow?" More specifically, she wondered what kind of person could even havethe ability to change time, it sounded like. She wasn't sure if even Thales's people could achieve that.

Byleth paused again, then nodded slightly to herself. Somewhat confidently, she said, "Her name is Sothis."

Edelgard considered asking her to repeat it, but she knew she didn't mishear. Sothis. That…was the name of the goddess. Was it possible?

At any rate, Byleth believed it; it must be true, then. How, Edelgard wasn't sure—nor could she imagine Byleth would be able to even guess.

"The name means something to you?" Byleth asked, noticing the hesitance. Edelgard wondered if her expression changed and gave it away.

"Have you never heard it?" Edelgard responded, partially gentle but still confused.

Byleth shook her head. The scenario seemed…cruel, to an extent.

Falling in love with someone who had some kind of connection with the goddess—the same that Edelgard disregarded and chose to challenge—which was strong enough to use her power. For a second, she appreciated that they could even stand here; they could just have easily been enemies, if circumstances were a bit different.

Edelgard realized that she was making Byleth sit through silence.

"…I can now guess why Rhea would have brought you to the Holy Tomb, at least," Edelgard admitted. She paused for a moment, then opted to conclude. "But that's all I wanted to ask. Thank you for telling me."

"It was a secret for a secret," Byleth replied. She took a step towards the door and offered a wave. "I'll see you in the morning, then?"

Edelgard managed to shift back into something professional, even if it was harder than usual.

"Yes. Should all things go well, we'll be able to prepare for the last few battles of the war."

Byleth smiled. "I look forward to it. Goodnight, Edelgard."

She gave something like a wave back and watched her go for a moment. Another day would come for her to determine if the kiss meant the same to both of them.

(A/N: I finally wrote out this story's equivalent of their C+ support! There were several points I thought it would happen—without the Holy Tomb clarification—but this managed to kill two birds with one stone.

Also! This story has surpassed my previously-longest story, which is an original work on RoyalRoad called Gin and Kuro; that clocks out at 85 chapters, excluding the intermission chapters. Although Her Revolution is wrapping up shortly. Hope you've enjoyed the story so far!)