Byleth walked down the empty outdoor paths of the Officer's academy. It was close to midnight and all of the students had retired to their dorm rooms for the evening. There was an early lesson Byleth had planned for his students and his class were eager to impress him. Little did they know that they were going to be hunted by one another. He had given instructions to the class that they were to meet at the front gates of Garreg Mach. But to one Petra, he had personally instructed to meet him outside his dorm.
He had found not too long ago a passage in Abyss that lead straight into the outlying forest beyond the gates of Garreg Mach. So once he'd met up with Petra he'll position her inside the forest before rendezvousing with the rest of his class. Their orders? Hunt down their missing classmate. Petra's? Evade the enemy hunting her and make it back to the front gates.
There will be a time in the future when they would need to evade capture behind enemy lines to make their escape. The sooner they master it the higher their survival will be. Plus it would be a nice change of pace compared to sitting in a classroom listening to another lecture. Though he was sure the likes of Bernadetta and Dorothea wouldn't be a huge fan of traversing the woods. He pondered on whether he should have assigned someone to make sure Linhardt woke up and remained conscious for the exercise. But he was sure Edelgard would crack the whip on her classmates to fall in line.
They had to get stronger and quicker if they were going to survive. The ambush in Magdred Way was evidence of that. He couldn't let what happened to Dorothea, Linhardt and Edelgard repeat, or for it to happen to anyone else in his class. He'd have to start drilling them harder. Make them see and hear as he can. So that they won't be taken by surprise again. So that-
Someone was around the corner.
Byleth pressed himself against the wall and listened intently. They were light-footed, nervously shuffling their feet and heavily breathing. This ruled out the possibility of it being a trained assassin looking for the Archbishop. It was still a week away from the Rite of Rebirth ceremony and Byleth was convinced that Rhea wasn't the true target, but you could never be too careful. So instead he slowly leant forward to peak around the corner.
He could see the small figure of a student standing in the open with their hands raised to their chin nervously. The start white hair similar to Edelgard's meant that this was the youngest Golden Deer student Lysithea. He found it curious that both had the same white hair colour but didn't see the need to question it. He decided to step around the corner and approach her.
"Honestly, what do they all take me for? I'm fine. Perfectly and completely fine. It's hardly different from daytime. I'm not scared," he could hear her muttering to herself. He could also tell she was lying through her teeth trying to convince herself. So he decided to make a light cough to announce his presence.
"AAAAAHHHH! GUH-GUH-GHOST!" She shrieked as she spun to face him. Byleth remained unfazed as the terrified young girl began to compose herself. "Uh... Hang on... Professor Byleth? Is that you? Oh, well... Good evening! Hahaha!"
Byleth stared down at the girl obviously scared of ghosts. "Evening... what are you doing out this late?"
"Oh, I left something in the dining hall, so I'm on my way to fetch it," She looked up to the dining hall at the top of the stone step as she nervously rubbed her hands together. "But you don't need to come with me or anything like that. I'm fine on my own. Really!"
"I wasn't planning to," Byleth replied in a monotone, narrowing his eyes at the childish act.
"You weren't? Oh... apologise for making an assumption," Lysithea's front crumbled briefly before holding her left arm as she looked around. "The truth is, everyone I come across asks if I'd like some company. They all seem to think I'll be scared wandering alone at night. So rude and presumptuous, you know? I'm perfectly capable of being on my own!"
"Considering there is an active threat on the life of the Archbishop with the enemy intending on infiltrating Garreg Mach Monastery, no I don't think it's rude and presumptuous for someone to ask if you'd like company during the night," Byleth responded, crossing his arms and staring down with disapproval at Lysithea. The young girl faltered as she tried to think of a comeback. But Byleth continued. "In fact if people show enough care to offer you their company when you are very obviously scared to walk the night in fear of ghosts. Only for you to throw it back in their face with such an attitude. Wouldn't that make you, as you said, so rude and presumptuous?"
"H-how dare you. I am not scared of ghosts!" Lysithea stamped her foot as she glared up at the Black Eagle's teacher.
"You literally screamed ghosts. To my face," Byleth sighed as he covered his face with his palm. It was too late in the evening for him to deal with this. "Look Lysithea you are a very clever girl with determination to learn, so I know you aren't stupid enough to continue this lie to my face."
Byleth knew this to be true. One of the conversations he had with Manuela during a free period was about the Golden Deer students. If he was to help with security then he wanted to know what he had at his disposal. Which included the other house students. Manuela was happy to talk about all her students' strengths with Byleth. Though she did make a joke about trying to learn secrets from the opposing house.
"The school is one entity and there's a threat to the Archbishop. I don't care about a silly mob mentality between houses."
Manuela was surprised when Byleth said that and a genuine smile showed on her face. Not the flirty one she constantly gave him. She then explained to Byleth in detail all her student's strengths and he began strategising. Thinking that Caspar and Raphael would make a devastating pair when paired together. Or pairing Ferdinand with Lorenz as he knew the two met occasionally to drink tea and chat about nobility. But he was eager to pair Dorothea with Lysithea. From what Manuela said about Lysithea, she was a destructive force of nature with her magic. Her grades were always at the top of the class, despite being the youngest in the year.
So Byleth sighed to himself when Manuela left out the fact that she had this attitude about herself. He looked back at Lysithea expecting a torrent of denial, but instead, he saw her staring back in surprise. All signs of her fear of the dark were temporarily gone.
"You think I'm... determined?" She quietly asked. Byleth raised an eyebrow. That's what she latched onto?
"I may not be your teacher, but Manuela speaks highly of you. Whenever I look into the library I always see you there with a pile of books next to you. It's clear you are always pushing yourself to be better every day," Byleth explained. Despite having a conversation he gave a glance around the area. They were the only people out this time of night.
"Professor... I... Thank you!" She suddenly bowed forward. "You're the only one who's praised me like that."
"I find that hard to believe," Byleth shook his head. "Look it's getting late so how about this? I will continue my patrol of the area, my next stop happens to be the dining hall. You are free to accompany me if you wish, or you can make the journey yourself."
Lysithea looked towards the dining hall for a moment then turned back to the professor. "Well... as you said, with the threat to Lady Rhea, it would be rude of me to turn you down."
And with that Byleth and Lysithea began their accent up the steps towards the dining hall. Lysithea stood close to him the entire time.
"Okay, I confess. I am scared of ghosts," she mumbled as she wrapped her arms around herself.
"Okay then," Byleth simply said.
"The monastery is unnerving to me at night," she continued.
"So is it a pride thing that made you not want to admit it? Or are you afraid of what others would say to you?" Byleth decided to fill the void with chatter.
"Because it's childish! I shouldn't be afraid of something so silly. I'm a student at Garreg Mach's officer academy. I cannot afford to be childish," Lysithea sighed as she shook her head. "Claude already treats me like a child so the last thing I need is him finding out about this."
"He's malicious about it?" Byleth questioned as they reached the top of the steps.
"Well... no I guess not. But it still irritates me," she grumbled as they walked into the dining hall. The hall was dark with only the moonlight shining through the windows. All the plates and cutlery were put away, leaving the long dining tables empty.
"What is it you were looking for?" Byleth asked as he looked towards the kitchen, not seeing anyone else about.
"I left a book here. It's about the history of the Gloucester territory. I was trying to catch up on the history of my neighbouring duchy," Lysithea explained as she started looking down around the benches. Byleth walked to the opposite side of the table from her to help her look. He squinted his eyes briefly as he knelt and picked up a book.
"You found it?" she asked, peering at the book.
"No. It's a School of Sorcery book from the look of it. Someone else must have lost it," Byleth shook his head. He hoped the rest of his class wasn't as careless as this, to lose their possessions this easily. He kept a hold of it as he continued to help Lysithea in finding her book.
"Um. Professor... are you planning on leaving the academy soon?" she suddenly asked. Byleth paused in his step and turned to the young girl again.
"Why?" Despite asking this he knew where this was going.
"Leonie wouldn't stop talking for a while about how you were enraged. How you wouldn't train your students to kill civilians..." Lysithea explained. She had stopped looking for her book now, focusing entirely on Byleth. He let out a sigh. Of course, exploding like that in front of a student would create gossip. And how it was linked to such a sensitive topic too, he did not want to discuss it.
"I had a disagreement with Lady Rhea. It was resolved the next day. But yes I was ready to walk out and leave over it," Byleth finally explained. He peered further ahead of the table at something rectangular on the floor.
"What happened on the Black Eagle mission that prompted you to argue against killing civilians?" Lysithea looked worried at the implications of the little information she had. Byleth knelt and picked it up. Lysithea blinked her eyes as instead of walking around the dining table, Byleth stepped up on the bench and walked over it, stepping down next to her.
"Something I hope you'll never have to face," Byleth offered what he found to the white-haired girl. She gasped and grasped onto the book.
"You found it! Thank you, professor," she nodded her head with gratitude.
"You're welcome. You best return to your dorm before it gets later. I trust you'll be okay from here?" Byleth asked, already knowing the answer.
"I'll be fine professor. Thank you again," Lysithea nodded her head and ran down the hall towards the door they came from. As she opened the door she paused for a moment before turning back to Byleth. "Good night Professor!"
And with that, she ran out the door.
"I find her to be precious. In her attempts to be more mature, she reveals how much she's still a child," Sothis's voice spoke in his mind.
"They all still are," Byleth shrugged his shoulders.
"You're not that much older. Doesn't that make you a child too?" Sothis teased. He could feel her smug grin bearing down upon him from her throne.
"They are still young enough to enjoy a childhood. No one should rush into being an adult," Byleth sombrely replied. Sothis frowned and let out a hmm in agreement. "Still struggling with your memories?"
"Unfortunately so. Whenever I feel like I get closer to remembering, it slips away. It's very vexing," Sothis slammed her palms against the arms of her stone throne in frustration. Byleth nodded his head and gave the dining hall a last once over before making his way to the door.
"If you need any help. Let me know okay?" Byleth offered opening the door and stepping out.
"You'll be the first to know. I look forward to your future help," Sothis smiled as she rested her head in her hand.
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"What happened to you Professor? When you left with Edelgard I thought you'd be there attacking the Monastery," Lysithea exclaimed, her eyes trailing up and down Byleth. Almost as if she was still trying to convince herself that he was standing before her.
"I left them as soon as I retreated from the Holy Tomb. I would never side with my father's killers. But I wasn't going to return to the Church either. Not after what I saw. So I chose to be alone," Byleth leaned against the wall behind him as he explained to Lysithea. He kept an eye down the alleyway to make sure that they stayed alone.
"So all this time... you were alone?" Lysithea looked away from Byleth, clenching her hands together.
"For most of it. Over a year ago I met up with the Ashen Wolves and have travelled with them since. They're somewhere in town," Byleth explained with a nod.
"And you didn't even think to let any of us know!" Lysithea suddenly shouted, startling Byleth.
Lysithea now looked enraged as she glared at Byleth. He could see tears beginning to form in the corner of her eyes. "...I-"
"We were terrified! We were hurt, angry and scared when we were told you left with the Edelgard! The thought of fighting you... we thought we were going to die!" Lysithea shouted back as her small form began to shake. "Leonie was devastated. She thought you betrayed Jeralt and vowed to kill you. Marianne never left the cathedral, praying that your leaving wasn't true. Annette was so convinced she was going to die that she spent most of the preparation crying, Mercedes couldn't do anything to calm her! Which only made Felix want to hunt you down on the battlefield!"
Byleth looked down at the dirt ground. Back then he turned away from his old life away, wanting to leave it all behind and not look back. Throwing himself into his warpath against the Agarthans as the Ashen Demon, turning off his emotions and attachments to those in Garreg Mach. It was what he thought made him weak. It was what hurt him the most. If you don't open up to anyone, they cannot hurt you. But in doing so, he never considered how others would have felt.
He never wondered what the other house students would have thought. While he wasn't their teacher, it didn't stop him from forming bonds with them. Helping Annette with her work management, trying to bring Marianne out of her shell, and helping Felix find his path. Through his dad he grew close with Leonie, the two forming their sibling-like bond after his father was murdered. It wasn't just with the students either. He formed friendships with Manuela. Hannerman, Alois and Shamir too. Even Seteth grew on him after saving Flayn and their trip to Rhodos Coast.
"We already felt the dread of war when the Empire marched on Garreg Mach. But the thought of you fighting us too... we were terrified... and all this time... you could have told us that you weren't with them! In the five years, you couldn't have told us you were okay?! Did you think for one second how any of us, how -I- felt when you disappeared?!" Lysithea kept her head down as she shouted at him. Her hands clenched tightly as tears ran down her cheeks.
He didn't. He let his hatred consume him for five years. The thought of causing a faction of the pain Lysithea was showing him right now on the others made him feel that familiar emotional pain. The guilt of hurting those he cared about. He shook his head and slowly slid down the wall until he was sat in the dirt.
"I didn't... I... I could have... but I was too blind... I..." What could he say? Nothing that would make this better. There was no excuse. He could have done everything Lysithea had said. Instead, he was too self-absorbed in his selfish desires to think about anyone else. He hid from the world, working in the shadows which in the grand scheme of things, had not made much of a difference. Five years on in this war and the Agarthans continued to thrive under the Empire. For every group he cut down, two more would replace them. Five years and nothing to show for it.
"I'm sorry... I am so sorry Lysithea. I let you down... I let everyone down," Byleth rested his head in one hand and clenched his other fist. Lysithea looked down at the old professor with her teary eyes. In the year she knew him at Garreg Mach she had not seen him look as vulnerable before. No, that wasn't the right word she thought. Exhausted. "When Edelgard betrayed me... I wanted things to go back to the way they were before I came to Garreg Mach. But after sneaking through the Great Bridge of Myrddin when the Empire was attacking. I don't think I can. Or I never could to begin with, and am now realising it."
"Myrddin? Did you see how my former classmates were?" Lysithea suddenly asked. So she hadn't heard of what happened at Myrddin yet. His mind went back to the broken body of the ferel Ignatz, and the limp body of a skewered Leonie. He shook the memories from his mind. She was now another dead to the list he saved by reverting time.
"When I saw them they were okay. I got through before the battle concluded, but Yuri says from his reports that they are all alive and well," Byleth answered with a sigh, shaking his head.
"That's... good. That's good," Lysithea nodded her head. She looked relieved at the news as she tried to wipe her eyes dry.
"I wish things were different. I wish I could have seen this war coming and put a stop to it before it started. I wish a lot of things didn't happen. I've failed on a lot of things during the war..." Byleth continued before looking up at Lysithea, who wrapped her arms around her waist with a frown on her face. "But knowing the fear and hurt I caused you, will be one of my biggest failures."
Lysithea wiped her cheeks again and crossed her arms as she frowned at Byleth. "Okay. So what are you going to do about it?"
Byleth pushed himself up to his feet, now looking down at the white-haired girl. "I'm going to start by finding Marianne."
"That is acceptable. So long as you allow me to accompany you," Lysithea nodded her head and held out a hand. "I may overlook this poor failing of a professor."
Byleth looked down at the hand and allowed a small smile to grow across his face. "I'm not a professor any more. Just a simple man who has made a few mistakes. But your knowledge of Leicester and experience with magic would be a boon for us all." He accepted Lysithea's hand in his and shook it. She grinned up at the runaway mercenary. "But are you sure you can join us?"
"My parents know I want to find Marianne. Recently there hasn't been anything I can do to help them. Lord Gloucester has been sending letters to them asking them to consider his advice as he writes it. But in truth they are demands to fall into line with him and join up with the Empire," Lysithea glared down the alley as she crossed her arms again. "After what happened the last time Ordelia was under Empire control... no. I'll never let my parent's go through that again."
Byleth frowned at the memory of Lysithea telling him of the day the dark mages experimented on her and her siblings. Lysithea being the only survivor like Edelgard was when the Agarthans... The Agarthans...
The Agarthans experimented on both Edelgard and Lysithea.
With his visions of the past giving him a new outlook it brought even more questions. Why did this ancient enemy of Sothis want to experiment on Crests? Sothis's supposed gift to the world. What was their end goal? If they were against the Goddess and their power, relying on their supposed advanced technology, why use Crests to begin with? He was missing something important. A crucial piece to this puzzle that would solve all of these unanswered questions. Did Edelgard know the answer to these questions?
"Professor?" Lysithea's voice broke him from his thoughts.
"Sorry... just remembering what you told me all those years ago about that time," Lysithea nodded and looked down the alleyway again.
"My family needs more support from the Roundtable. Claude of course offers his help opposing Lord Gloucester, but I need more help. Margrave Edmund's voice in our aide would help support us even more," Lysithea suddenly let out a gasp and turned to Byleth again. "Please don't misunderstand me. While helping find Marianne would put my family in his good graces, my reasons for finding her isn't purely selfish."
"You want to find her because she is your friend and you care about her," Byleth understood and placed his hand on her shoulder. "We'll find her together. Okay?"
Lysithea smiled up at Byleth and nodded her head. "Okay. Let me return home to pack for the journey. Where shall I meet you again?"
"We've rented a room out at The Gilded Rose. I'll return there and wait for you. Ask for Snipes if I'm not downstairs," Byleth replied.
"Snipes? What kind of name is Snipes?" Lysithea frowned in disapproval.
"I didn't come up with it, Yuri did and they decided to stick with it. With the Empire and Church sending assassins after me I can't be using my real name," he explained with a sigh, rubbing the back of his neck.
"So change the name to something else next time. Ugh, Snipes... I'm surprised you haven't been caught with how ridiculous of a name Snipes is," Lysithea shook her head.
"Maybe you can help me pick another later," Byleth suggested with a grin.
"Hmph. I suppose I might," Lysithea gave a smug grin in response. For a brief moment, the white-haired heiress of Ordelia reminded him of the lost companion in his mind. "I'll see you then."
Lysithea then took off running down the alleyway. Byleth was left thinking of what he may have missed out on in the five years. Would things have been different if he reached out to the former students of Garreg Mach? How different would things have been if he made contact with some of the Black Eagles? Aside from briefly seeing some of them. For the first time in years, he wondered just how they were holding up. He knew Ferdinand was filled with regret and was lost on what path he should walk. But what of Dorothea and Bernadetta? He couldn't imagine how much Bernadetta would be struggling, forced out of her room to fight in the war. He thought of how sick Linhardt must be feeling with all the bloodshed around him. He did not see Caspar at the Great Bridge of Myrddin. Was he even still alive?
"My Eagles... I really have failed you haven't I?"
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"We've got to do something... right? Ferdie this feels so wrong," Dorothea spoke as she tightened her saddle to her horse. "I know the professor isn't on Edie's side, but that doesn't mean he's our enemy right? I mean... all that time in Garreg Mach couldn't be all for nothing right?"
She looked over her shoulder to see Ferdinand's back to her as he tightened his saddle to his steed. "Say something, Ferdie!"
"I'm sorry, I was thinking," he apologised as he checked inside the saddles side pouch.
"About what?" Dorothea huffed, agitated with the lack of conversation from the Aegir lord. Ferdinand was quiet for a moment as he finished up his preparations. He turned to Dorothea and leant toward her and spoke quietly.
"I'm trying to think of a way I can help save the professor from Arundel's men," Ferdinand then climbed onto his steed. Dorothea blinked her eyes and quickly climbed onto her horse too. With Ferdinand's declaration, all uncertainty left her body. She knew what she had to do.
"Let me help you then. I don't want him to die either," she insisted as she rode beside him.
"Hubert and possibly Edelgard have no trust in me. If you are seen helping me then you'll be under his eyes too," Ferdinand shook his head. He did not want Dorothea to feel the ire of the Emperor and her aide.
"That's exactly why you should let me help you. I'd be able to do things without suspicion from Hubert when they all think I hate you. Besides, do you forget I am quite the actress too?" Dorothea held her head high as she smiled to herself. Ferdinand looked over in shock to the Diva as they rode side by side towards the main host of the Adrestian army.
"What? Did you forget I was a diva at the Mittelfrank Opera Company?" She frowned at the ginger lord.
"You said they all think you hate me," Ferdinand explained, blinking his eyes in disbelief.
"What are you getting at?" she asked in confusion.
"-Think- you hate me," Ferdinand clarified and Dorothea realised her slip up. "Does that mean you don't hate me?"
"Shut up Ferdie and listen!" Dorothea snapped, quickly trying to change the subject. "Look, they said Constance was travelling with him right? While the professor may be able to disappear, Constance is... let's say a little more vocal and noticeable right?"
Dorothea began as she looked around. Once she saw no one close enough to eavesdrop she leant towards Ferdinand and whispered. "I know someone who's in Leicester at the moment, a mercenary was trustworthy. I could send a letter to them to warn the professor by looking for Constance. You won't have to do anything and no one would be suspicious of me sending a letter to a friend."
Dorothea felt proud of her plan as she straightened up. "Now that I know you want to help the professor, it's given me the courage to do something about it. Otherwise, I would have been worrying over how it didn't feel right."
"I suppose I'm happy to help in that regard," Ferdinand chuckled. "To be honest I am happy you wish to help him too. Too many of us have forgotten who our friends are because of this war. I'm glad you haven't either."
"...I miss him. And Petra," Dorothea sighed as they moved to the head of their battalions.
"Me too," Ferdinand agreed as they went their separate ways. Now at the head of their battalions, they looked ahead to see the Emperor at the front, ready to lead them back home.
Edelgard sat on top of her steed staring ahead, though her thoughts were on Byleth. To learn that he was present during the siege on Myrddin, but to also foil the plans of Those who Slither in the Dark as well? Did he see her? Did he try to kill her like he promised and she wasn't aware of it? How much did he hate her for the war she fought? Or for the use of Arundel's men? Logically she should conclude that any chance of reconciliation between the two was now long gone. Byleth was the enemy now and an obstacle in her pursuit of a better world. He would have to die like all the others that stood in her way.
But she couldn't accept it.
She couldn't accept that she had to kill him. She didn't want to kill him. She him to be at her side. So they could defeat the church and rid the world of Those who Slither in the Dark. It wasn't her fault that all of Fódlan was utterly indoctrinated to the Church of Seiros, that any thought against their archaic ways labelled her a devil. It wasn't her fault that she needed the help of her Uncle's forces to have the manpower to fight back against the Church.
"Face it... you can make all the self-righteous claims of freeing the country all you want, but all this is is your own ambition to conquer Fódlan."
Edelgard shook her head. That wasn't true! It wasn't a selfish desire to control all of Fódlan. Besides, her history lessons taught her that Faerghus and Leicester were all part of the Adrestian Empire. It was because of the Church's meddling that they were taken from the Empire. Even during the academy, the Church seemed intent on keeping the three houses in competition with one another, especially during the Battle of the Eagle and Lion. The Church of Seiros was a systemic problem in the country that needed to be pulled out from its roots.
Yes, she regretted how long the war has lasted. But change takes time. Especially when it concerns changing how an entire country operated. Many have lost their lives to the war, even by the actions of Those who Slither in the Dark during the academy year. But if they knew that one day their deaths lead to a utopia for the country. A world where they could truly live free, then their deaths would not be in vain.
"If you sacrifice citizens for a greater cause they have no choice in then it's just slaughter for your own means. There's nothing justifiable about it."
Edelgard clenched her fist to her heart. Her breath faltered at the weight of Byleth's words echoing in her mind. Taking control of Myrddin was meant to be the victory that would strengthen her resolve. That everything she did would be worth it. But now? She didn't know what to do. She didn't know what was right any more. The walls and pillars that held her dream afloat were beginning to crumble around her. A change needed to happen, but what could she do? Was it too late to find alternative forces? Were her uncles meddling too deep in the Empire?
"Your majesty?" Hubert's voice called out to her. She looked to her right to see her loyal aide on his steed at her side.
"Hubert, I have your loyalty?" Edelgard asked, she kept her voice neutral to hide the insecurity underneath.
Hubert placed a hand to his heart and bowed. "Till death and beyond."
She expected that answer, but it still comforted her that she had at least one person who believed in her. She nodded her head and raised Aymr high.
"All forces! We return to Garreg Mach! Forward!" And with that, the Adrestian army marched onward, to an uncertain future.
A/N: Wow it's been a while since I updated. Don't worry though, it's not because I've lost interest in the story or because of writer's block or because I don't know where I'm going with the story. Unfortunately, it's because my mental health due to events in my life right now plummeted. For the first time I was prescribed medicine and, for several days, not living in my own home. After that, I took time to recover and try to get my life back to normal. By the time that happened (now not on the meds), I had a week's holiday too on top of that. So now that I'm back from holiday I was finally able to finish off this chapter. Hope it was worth the wait.
I did have planned a Bernadetta section in this chapter too but decided to save it for another chapter.
I've still not 100% all routes in Three Houses yet, but I do have another Fire Emblem story idea, with a female Byleth this time. I would start that one from the beginning and go from there. No planned pairings for that one yet. Once I get more of the plot in my head sorted I may give writing it a go. I mean this whole story spawned from the prologue being a what-if scene into the insanity it is now. Who knows where this story will go from here?
Well... I do. Because I'm writing it.
I hope people are still enjoying the story!