Byleth did not know what to expect when he saw someone go down through a hidden hole around the corner to his dorm room. Curiosity got the better of him and he decided to follow. Goddess knows he needed the distraction after taking out Kostas and the rest of the bandits on his first mission with his students. They all had mixed reactions to their first kill. Linhardt, Dorothea and Bernadetta did not handle their kills well. Some felt remorse such as Edelgard and Petra, but it was clear to Byleth that they had killed before. Ferdinand and Caspar seemed excited about their first kills and were eager for more. Then there was Hubert who was as cold-hearted as expected. Almost taking a small bit of pleasure in watching a bandit burn in his black miasma. But the mission was done and they would not stop talking about it. For someone as jaded to death as he was he got tired of them going on and on about it. So when he saw someone suspicious-looking sneak around his dorm room he decided to follow instead of going to his classroom early. Little did he know it lead to a whole underground network beneath the monastery that lead to a large underground town. There were thugs, ruffians, shifty-looking characters, and undesirables.
He felt more at home down here than with his students.
He continued to explore the nooks and crannies of this settlement. With every step and turn he took he knew he attracted the attention of some of the thugs down here. It was only a matter of time before one tried to approach him. He decided to move out of the makeshift shopping square and down a few corridors. He spotted two bedrooms with multiple bunk beds, a mystics room, and a storage room, and when he turned the corner he found a peculiar sight. A makeshift classroom. He looked inside and saw four people talking amongst themselves. A tall muscular man, a dark-skinned red-haired girl, a short-haired blonde girl and a purple-haired man around his age. All four turned to see him standing in the entranceway of the classroom.
"Halt! Who dares trespass into our domain and eavesdrop on the great matriarch of House Nuvelle?" The blonde girl shrieked and pointed at Byleth.
"Not seen this one around before," the red-haired one commented.
"You come down here looking for trouble huh? Well, you've found it with the King of Grappling!" the tall one slammed a fist into his palm and began to approach. But the purple-haired one held his hand out to stop him
"Cool it Balthus. I do believe this is the new Professor up top," he turned to face Byleth with a grin. "Well then Professor, enjoying the sights of Abyss?"
"Is that what this place is called?" Byleth looked around the classroom again. It was a long-forgotten stone room with piles of rubble pushed to the side and classroom furniture moved in. There was even a blackboard with a previous lesson written on there.
"A town under Garreg Mach where people can find peace and refuge. You'll find all sorts of characters down here," The purple-haired one walked to Byleth with his hand extended. "Name's Yuri. Head Student of the unofficial fourth house, The Ashen Wolves."
"Unofficial house?" Byleth raised an eyebrow as he crossed his arms.
"It's not recognised officially by up top. They'd rather forget that we're even down here," The redhead commented with a roll of her eyes.
"The Cardinal Aelfric was the one that founded this house fifteen years ago. He brought some semblance of order here and is our bridge between Abyss and the Monastery. He'll be here soon enough," Yuri explained. "Oh and the big guy is Balthus, the cheerful one is Hapi and-"
"And I am Lady Constance Von Nuvelle. Of the Great House Nuvelle of the Adrestian Empire! You may bask in my prestige" Constance introduced herself with a curtsey.
"Never heard of you," Byleth dryly replied. The blonde recoiled with a 'gwak' sound and a look of horror.
"Y-Y-You've never heard of... of... of... of-"
"Wow he broke Coco," Hapi grinned as she leaned against a desk.
"Yeah, there are all types of people down here. Shunned nobles, merchants, bandits, or people looking to give their prayers to someone that isn't the Goddess. All in all, it's a safe haven for those that don't have anywhere else to go. And the reason it's safe is because of us, hehe!" Balthus pointed his thumb to his chest with a grin. Before anyone else could say anything a robed priest turned the corner and entered the classroom.
"I apologise for my lateness I was-" he stopped and stared with wide eyes at Byleth.
"Ah, Aelfric. The new Professor came to visit Abyss," Yuri gave a wave and motioned towards the mercenary.
"P-Professor Byleth... I've heard so much about you," Aelfric's smile was huge on his face as he approached Byleth with his hand extended. Byleth kept his arms crossed as he eyed the Cardinal up and down. "You look so much like your..."
Byleth raised an eyebrow when the priest hesitated. "My father?"
"Y-yes! You've definitely got his demeanour and his piercing gaze. Even since I heard that you two arrived I had been wanting to get the chance to meet you and catch up with Jeralt. Twenty years..." Aelfric let himself reminisce for a moment before shaking his head. "But now that you're here. I've been wanting to speak with you for a while now and-"
The monastery's bells echoed down the halls. Byleth was impressed that the bells would reverb all the way down here. But it also meant that he was late for his class now.
"Maybe another time. I've got a class to run now," Byleth nodded to the Cardinal and proceeded to leave the classroom.
"Oh of course! If you don't find me up top I'll be down here! Come by more often!" Aelfric called out behind him. Byleth thought about it and decided he might come back again. While looking around he found a rough-and-tumble tavern that was a powder keg ready to explode into a bar brawl. It felt more familiar to him than socialising with others and being responsible for students. It was a breath of fresh air after the month and a half he had. He still couldn't believe he was teaching at this school. Why was it taking so long for his dad to find a way to get them out of here? He wanted to be back on the road again.
Byleth turned the corner and almost ran into someone walking towards him. The man took one look at Byleth and jumped back in fright and dropped to his knees.
"Aah! It's you! D-don't kill me Ashen Demon please!" he cowered in fear before Byleth. He squinted his eyes at the man on his knees and recognised the clothing he wore.
"You're one of Kostas's men aren't you?" Byleth frowned at the bandit before him.
"It wasn't supposed to be like this! We only did small-time jobs! Boss was lied to you see! He was tricked into playing along with their plans! Because of that, the gang's gone and the boss is dead!" Byleth kept his gaze on the quivering bandit and tried to ignore the snot slowly running down his nose as they tried not to cry. So a big shot hired these bandits to do their dirty work, Byleth thought to himself. Which meant that the true threat against the students was still out there. He decided to put a pin on that thought for later.
"I'm sorry! Please forgive me... Please... spare me," the bandit continued to cry and beg.
"I'm not going to kill you. The mission is over and you said the gangs are now gone right? That means you have a second chance at a fresh start. Use it wisely," Byleth walked around the man on the floor and continued onward. He didn't bother looking back or acknowledge the gratitude the bandit offered to him. If he came across that bandit again while on a job, he'll kill him then. If Abyss was supposed to be a sanctuary for the downtrodden then he wouldn't make things worse for them. Eventually, he found his way out of Abyss and back onto the surface. He made his way to the Black Eagle House classroom when suddenly Edelgard exited. Her eyes quickly locked onto Byleth and she gave a relieved smile.
"My Teacher, we were worried about you. You are ten minutes late," she stood before him with a hand on her hip.
"Were you going to search for me?" Byleth asked with a raised eyebrow. Edelgard blinked her eyes as she found herself briefly at a loss for words.
"W-well. It's the head student's responsibility to know of the well-being of the professor," she lightly coughed into her hand with a nod.
"I see. I got a little lost on my way here," Byleth explained to the young girl.
"But you've been here for over a month now..." Edelgard looked perplexed at that statement. Byleth didn't know what it was. But he seemed to be quite interested in expressions she would make to him. A part of him wanted to try and see what other emotions he could get her to show him. But quickly perished the thought. He began to walk around her toward the classroom.
"And I'm still discovering new things," he called over his shoulder as he entered the classroom to a chorus of greetings from his students. Edelgard shook her head but couldn't stop the amused smile on her face as she marched back into the classroom.
88888888
"You know, you were really rude back then!" Constance exclaimed as they trekked through a forest in the middle of the night. They had travelled for a few hours now and according to Yuri, they would arrive at their crossing to the Alliance territory by dawn.
"And stone-faced too. You barely showed any feelings," Balthus added as he moved a branch out of the way of his face.
"So you found your way down to us to escape your students. Sounds like a true teacher," Yuri chuckled as he held up the lantern to light the way.
"Why are we talking about this again?" Byleth questioned as he followed at the back of the group.
"Because we're bored and need small talk. You're the one we know less about. So suck it up," Hapi looked over her shoulder with a smirk.
"It mustn't have all been bad. I mean you didn't up a quit so you must have enjoyed your time there," Balthus hopped over a few thick roots poking out from the ground. Byleth would be lying if he said he didn't say there was a time when he would have been happy to call Garreg Mach Monastery his home. If things were different he would still be there. But as he thought about it, there was that one incident.
"...Actually I almost did quit," Byleth looked up towards the sky. He could barely see the moon and the stars through the tree that kept them in darkness.
"Wait really?" Balthus looked over his shoulder in surprise. Which lead to him hitting his head on a branch. "Ow!"
"Watch where you're going B!" Hapi called out as he rubbed the back of his head with a grumble.
"Told Rhea straight to her face that I was done with her and walked out," Byleth casually admitted as he looked back ahead, following Yuri's light.
"Oh now I need to hear this," Hapi slowed her walk to match Byleth's pace to his left with a big grin.
"You have got to tell us now. Such a spectacle it must have been," Constance appeared to his right and hugged his arm, a big smile on her face. Byleth looked down with a frown. He recalled the events that lead to his declaration, then pondered on how much of it he was willing to divulge.
88888888
The fog was thick in the Magdred forest and Byleth did not like it one bit. His students were amongst themselves chatting while the Knights were standing guard casually. They all believed that they wouldn't be doing any fighting. That the main forces of the Knights of Seiros would take care of the uprising. But Byleth's training had always taught him to stay alert and always keep an eye out. The fog made it harder to do and it put him on edge. He shook his head and looked over his students once again. Caspar was talking to Dorothea and Ferdinand, no doubt about how much he wanted a fight. Petra was with Linhardt and Bernadetta, listening to how much they'd rather be napping or sitting in their dorm room. Edelgard and Hubert were talking amongst themselves as they eyed the other Knights of Seiros standing guard with Catherine giving orders.
Then the professor's eyes looked towards the other student standing away from the group. He held onto his bow tightly but was lost in thought. He couldn't blame him. Byleth considered denying his choice to join them on this mission, but he put himself in his shoes. If he was told he couldn't go on this mission he'd have disobeyed orders and followed anyway. At least this way he could keep an eye on him and keep him safe. Byleth walked over to the grey-haired freckled boy.
"Ashe," the young blue lion jumped and turned to Byleth in surprise.
"Oh! S-sorry professor. Did you say something?" Ashe stood at attention before Byleth who shook his head.
"How are you holding up?" He could see the young boy trying to shake his nerves away.
"I'm at your command professor. You tell me where I need to be and-"
"That's not what I asked. Be honest with me," Byleth interrupted him with a frown. Ashe looked down for a moment, his grip on his bow tightening.
"...I'm lost, professor... I want to speak to him. Find out why. I... why do we have to kill him? Isn't there another way? Wasn't Christophe enough?" Ashe quickly looked away after his last question with regret. Byleth could tell there was more to the story here with Lord Lonato than he thought. He decided to put a pin in it for now. Byleth placed a hand on Ashe's shoulder, which made him look up at the professor.
"You have every right to feel this way. I can't imagine how hard this is for you..." Byleth looked over to Catherine in the distance for a moment then back to Ashe. "Once I hear any news you'll be the first one I tell. Okay?"
"Yeah. Thank you professor... and... thanks for caring," Ashe nodded his head and smiled at Byleth. Despite how this boy was feeling he still tried to keep an optimistic mind. Byleth respected that but knew that in this lifestyle that trait was hard to come by. Harder still to keep intact after countless battles. He gave Ashe a nod and a shoulder squeeze before turning away and walking to Catherine.
She turned and gave a nod to Byleth. "Hope you weren't expecting a fight, Professor."
"I'm always expecting one. What news on Lonato?" Byleth asked with his arms crossed.
"No word yet. But I imagine he's been dealt with by now. We're just waiting on the word to move in and do clean up," Catherine explained as she looked out into the fog. He was happy to know that at least someone else was trying to keep watch through the fog.
"Hm. What did the church do with Christophe?" Byleth wasn't known for tact. He found things simpler to get straight to the point than dance around it. Catherine looked to Byleth with surprise which then changed to sadness.
"During the Tragedy of Duscur, King Lambert of the Kingdom of Faerghus was killed. But there were those within the Kingdom that helped in it. Christophe Gaspard was one of them. He was executed by the Church for his crimes. Lord Lonato has held resentment towards us since," Catherine explained, looking back out to the fog. Byleth let a frown fall on his face.
"Killing Bandits and defending yourselves against attacks is one thing. But what kind of Church becomes executioners?" Byleth did not like hearing about this.
"You have to understand. The Kingdom was in chaos. So it was left to the Church to trial and pass judgement in its place according to our doctrine. It was very unfortunate..." Catherine sighed.
"If the enemy attacks then we have nothing to fear. So long as we're with Catherine, the mighty wielder of Thunderbrand," Hubert's voice spoke behind him as he turned to see he and Edelgard had come over to them.
"Thunderbrand?" Byleth turned back to Catherine. She patted her hip with a grin.
"You don't know? This sword is one of the holy relics. Bestowed by the Goddess long, long ago with other weapons to the Ten Heroes. It is indeed an honour to wield. But there won't be any-"
"AMBUSH! ENEMIES IN THE FOG!" A knight shouted in the distance.
Before Byleth could react arrows flew through the fog towards everyone. He quickly dropped down to the ground, hiding in the tall grass as panic quickly spread across the forces present. Catherine was down on the ground, having had the same idea as Byleth. He could hear the screams of his students amidst the chaos. Once the last of the arrows fell he poked his head up to survey the surroundings. He could see figures of enemy forces emerging from the fog and making contact with the Knight's of Seiros. He turned to where his students were and his eyes widened.
"Linhardt! P-please! This is not time for a nap! L-Linhardt! Oh, Goddess NOOOO!" Bernadetta screamed as she tried to shake awake the young man with two arrows in his chest. Petra was also down, trying to pull an arrow out of her leg.
"NOOOO!" Ferdinand screamed. He pulled up the young girl in his arms up, an arrow sticking out where her left eye used to be as she hung limp.
"Fuck! They got Dorothea!" Caspar shouted with his hands on his head and panic on his face.
"L-lady Edelgard... ngh..."
Byleth spun around to see Hubert with three arrows in his back as he tried to reach for his lady. Edelgard lay on the cold ground choking with an arrow in her throat. Blood bubbled up from her mouth as she struggled to breathe with wide eyes. Byleth quickly crawled over.
"Hey hey! Stay with me!" Byleth held her shoulder as he looked down at her. Tears were in her eyes as she looked up to the professor, whimpers escaped in between each choke. Byleth shut his eyes in resignation and held her hand. There was nothing he could do or say. So he held her hand and forced a comforting smile on his face as Edelgard tried to speak and cry. Until she finally stopped and laid still.
"We must stop this! Save them, you idiot!" Sothis's voice called out in his mind. Byleth's eyes widened. Of course! How could he have forgotten his new ability? He hadn't used it since the day he first met Edelgard. He could save her! He could save them all! He heard Catherine shouting orders to everyone and him but he didn't listen.
"We will," Byleth declared with a final squeeze of Edelgard's hand and closed his eyes.
A shatter of glass echoed around him, a flash of colours, and then the world was frozen in a hue of dark purple. Byleth watched the world slowly reverse. Arrows lodged in people pulled out of them as they were brought back to their feet. The arrows flew back where they came from. But he kept on reversing for a while longer to give him the time needed to save his students. To save her. Once he was satisfied he shut his eyes again. The world flashed once more with colour and with the sound of glass repairing as if the fabric of reality was reforming, he opened his eyes. Everyone was still standing, no one was dead, and Catherine, Hubert and Edelgard were looking towards him.
"You don't know? This sword is one of the-" Catherine was about to explain.
"There! An ambush," Byleth interrupted quickly pointing into the fog. He didn't see anything in the fog but Catherine didn't need to know that. So long as they are prepared before the attack.
"What?" Catherine quickly turned to the fog as Byleth spun around to his students.
"GET IN THE TREES NOW! TAKE COVER!" Byleth shouted with urgency. His student's eyes were wide and didn't need to be told twice. They quickly sprinted towards the trees as the Knight's original call of ambush sounded.
"GET DOWN NOW!" Byleth turned to Edelgard and without hesitation, dived towards her and tackled her to the ground. Hubert and Catherine dropped to the ground as arrows began to fall through the fog. Byleth and Edelgard rolled on the ground until he was on top to protect her.
THUNK!
Byleth gritted his teeth as he felt an arrow pierce into the back of his left shoulder. Once he was sure the arrows stopped falling he lifted his head up and looked at the trees where his students were.
"Black Eagles! Sound off!" Byleth ordered. He couldn't see any bodies of his students so he hoped for the best.
"I think we're all good Professor!" Caspar's voice called out.
"We're all okay!" Ferdinand's voice replied.
"An arrow gazelle... uh grazed my leg! But I'm still able professor!" Petra's voice called out next.
"I-I'm okay too Professor!" Ashe was okay too.
"We don't see Hubert and Edelgard, professor!" Dorothea shouted with panic in her voice. He turned to see Hubert growling in anger but unharmed as he rose to one knee. He looked down at Edelgard who stared up at him with wide eyes and worry.
"Are you okay?" Byleth asked.
"Y-your hurt..." Edelgard's voice was quiet as she looked at the arrow poking out behind him.
"Are you okay?!" Byleth shouted, this was not the time to lose concentration during an ambush.
"Knights of Seiros! Hold nothing back! Charge!" Catherine's voice called out as knights charged forward and began combat with the attackers.
"I'm- I'm fine, professor!" Edelgard quickly nodded her head. Byleth patted her shoulder and got to his feet, pulling Edelgard up too.
"All right, both of you with me!" Byleth drew his sword. The two nodded and he lead them towards the trees where his students were waiting. The three quickly moved through the forest until they saw the rest of their party. Most of them had pressed themselves against the trees, while Petra was sat against one with Linhardt using a heal on her leg.
"We're now all accounted for. What are your orders professor?" Ferdinand asked as he peered around the tree.
"Right, Caspar and Ferdinand, you team with Dorothea and Ashe. You protect them from anyone that gets close. Petra and Edelgard. You do the same with Bernadetta, Hubert and Linhardt. Linhardt the second you see your team's frontline fighters hurt you Heal them. Use Physic on Caspar and Ferdinand if you see them hurt too. The rest of you use your spells and arrows to take as many out in a distance," Byleth ordered as he pointed out each team and made his way ahead of them. They all quickly ran to their chosen teammates and took positions.
"But we can see anything in this fog! They'll get us before we even see them!" Bernadetta's voice called out in panic as she started hyperventilating.
"I'll make you see them," Byleth ran ahead into the fog and out of sight from his class.
"Professor what are you doing?!" Caspar exclaimed. Suddenly a torch was lit in the distance and it shone through the fog, illuminating the professor in the middle. Byleth stood there with the lit torch in his left hand and held his sword in his right. He would be the bait to lure them out. Those that came to him would be taken care of by his ranged students. Those that tried to go for them would be dealt with by the front-line fighters. It wasn't perfect in these trees but they gave some protection from any more arrows.
"You think we're just gonna do nothing while you try to kill our lord?!" A hooded man came into view running toward Byleth. He swing his sword towards the professor sloppily which Byleth sidestepped with ease. He returned an attack and swung the sword up the back of the hooded man. He cried out in pain before a Miasma struck his body. He fell down to the ground screaming as the black magic burned his torso until he stopped moving.
"YAAAARRHHH!" Two more voices called out as a swordsman and spearman charged for Byleth. He was able to sidestep the spear and parry the sword of the other. Again, their attacks were very sloppy which caused Byleth to frown. He peered closer at the two that attacked him. Aside from the chain mail draped over them and the foot soldier's helmet, they didn't seem to be like regular soldiers. He watched as an arrow struck the swordsman in the arm. He cried out in pain and dropped his sword. The spearman charged again towards Byleth. He parried the spear aside and stepped forward, bringing the sword to the spearman's throat. From there he could see the fear in the man's eyes. The tears in the eyes of someone not wanting to die. Byleth's eyes widened as a Thunder spell struck the spearman and he dropped to the floor, twitching but still alive.
"These are no soldiers. They are militia... civilians made to fight... DON'T KILL THEM! THEY ARE MILITIA!" Byleth turned back around to his students and ordered. "SUBDUE AND CAPTURE!"
"We will not let you reach Lord Lonato!" Suddenly a fireball struck him in the back. He was knocked to the ground and dropped his torch. He saw four others run past him towards his students. But they were ready for them. Some of the students at first were shocked that essentially civilians were coming out of the fog to fight them. But they were thankful that their professor told them not to kill them. Therefore with a big grin on the latter's face, Ferdinand and Caspar did not hesitate to swing their weapons. Caspar swung the blunt side of his iron axe straight into the gut of one of the militia. Knocking the wind out of the poor man as he crumbled in pain onto the ground. Ferdinand twirled his spear around and parried the militia's own spear away before swinging for his legs. The militia legs were taken underneath him and he fell on his back.
"My apologies. You left me with no choice," Ferdinand gave his sympathy before slamming the butt of his spear into the man's head, knocking him out.
Petra and Edelgard had no problem subduing the militias themselves. Petra dodged the attacks expertly before slipping behind one and bringing their arms around their necks in a choke hold, applying pressure to their jugular vein to stop the blood flow and put him to sleep. Edelgard swung her axe around with the blunt end also. She managed to knock the sword out of the female militia's hand.
"Surrender now. Your life is not worth throwing away in this fight," Edelgard pointed her axe to the militia as she tried the diplomatic approach.
"Lord Lonato deserves justice! We can't stand by and watch him die!" the militia shouted defiantly as she took a step back from Edelgard.
Byleth got back to his feet and turned to the black mage before him. This one did not look like militia, therefore he was free game. The black mage was already charging another fireball and firing it at Byleth. But he saw the attack coming this time and rolled out of the way. This however hurt him as the roll broke the arrow's shaft sticking out of his shoulder and pushed the arrowhead deeper inside. He continued to grit his teeth in pain as he pushed himself to his feet and charged forward. The black mage did not get another chance to charge a spell as Byleth's blade was driven deep into his chest. The professor kicked the black mage off his blade and saw four more militia standing before him. He also noticed that the fog had started to clear up quite quickly since the black mage's death.
"Thunderstrike Cassandra!" A voice echoed in the forest. "It was your wretched zealotry that killed my son!"
"T-that's Lord Lonato!" Ashe gasped out loud. As the fog cleared up they were now able to see much more militia in the forest.
"Stick to your teams! We subdue them all or accept their surrender!" Now that they were visible the Black Eagles moved up to Byleth and they quickly went to work. The spell casters were careful not to cause as much damage to the militia's bodies as they could while the archers aimed their arrows at the legs. Despite having only taught them for two and a half months, they all recognised that Byleth's teachings had been a great boon. Their footwork was much better than before. They spent most of their time dodging the blows instead of parrying them to conserve energy for their precision strikes to incapacitate their opponents. Linhardt had yet to use any of his white magic and almost considered taking a nap.
"OUCH! Did you just break my nose?! Damn it's hard not to kill you right now!" Caspar's shouted with one hand covering his face. Linhardt sighed in dismay at his dreams of sleep disappeared as quickly as they came. The battle between the remaining militia was very one-sided and did not last long. The Black Eagles were able to disarm and subdue the last of the militia.
"That's the lot my teacher," Edelgard gave a nod to Byleth as Hubert tied the last knot on the rope, tying a few militias together in a circle. The rest had been similarly tied with the other students watching over them. Except for Linhardt and Caspar, where the boisterous fighter was having his broken nose healed by the grumbling white mage.
"Edelgard your team will stay here and watch over the militia. Ferdinand, your team comes with me to support Catherine," Byleth gave out his orders.
"Professor, surely I could join you on this. As head student-"
"That's precisely why I want you here. You're the one in charge while I'm away. These civilians in military clothing need to be protected if Lord Lonato's knights come for them. Can I trust you?" Byleth walked over to Edelgard and placed a hand on her shoulder. It was true he wanted someone trustworthy to keep the prisoners safe. But he didn't want to admit that the other reason was that she would hopefully be out of the combat from this point onward. He already watched her die today and did not want to risk seeing it again.
Edelgard wanted to argue but found herself struggling to speak as he looked down at her. The way his eyes locked onto hers made her feel so unsure of herself. She was meant to be a future Emperor. She had to be a stern pillar of confidence and authority. But under his gaze, she felt unbalanced. It was something she did not like feeling... but at the same time enjoying it. She quickly looked away before these feelings built up any further with a sigh and nodded her head.
"You can my teacher," Edelgard conceded. Byleth patted her shoulder one last time before beckoning the others to follow him as they sprinted further into the woods. They could hear the sound of battle in the distance but were lucky enough to slip past without being noticed. Byleth looked back to those following. Dorothea struggled at the back compared to the others. Her fitness wasn't her strong suit. He would have to help with that in future classes. Ferdinand, Caspar and Ashe kept their pace behind Byleth. Ferdinand and Caspar were focused and kept themselves alert to possible ambushes. Ashe on the other hand wasn't looking anywhere except straight ahead with his face an open book to his worry. He clearly held out hope that he could talk with Lonato and try to save him. Byleth silently hoped that was the case.
They pushed out of the forest into a clearing with some old ruins. Catherine was on her own with four armoured knights applying pressure to her while Lord Lonato sat on a horse within the ruins. A javelin in hand as he pulled back his arm.
"Lord Lonato! Stop!" Ashe screamed. Lonato turned to see Ashe in shock.
"W-what are you doing here?" He called out, the javelin lowering down.
"You three, support Catherine," Byleth ordered. They gave a nod and with Caspar's loud battle cry and Dorothea already preparing a Thunder spell they charged for the knights.
"You must stop this Lord Lonato! We can surely talk this through without fighting! There has to be another way!" Ashe walked ahead, pleading with his adoptive father.
"You don't understand! The central church are heathens! Deceivers! They took Christophe from me! They know I'm a true believer of the Goddess, not the traitorous Archbishop! This is the only way forward boy!" Lonato turned his horse around and trotted towards Ashe. As he got closer Ashe could see the madness in Lonato's eyes. It hurt him so much to see the man he looked up to fall so far.
"But the people you were meant to protect... you armed them for combat to fight! This isn't what a true knight would do! You never taught me this... this isn't like you! Please... surrender and we can talk about this," Ashe felt the tears in the corner of his eyes trying to break free. He fought so hard to stop that from happening. He could not cry now. Not in the middle of a battle.
"I will never surrender..." Lonato let a pained expression cross his eyes as if he too was fighting tears that threatened to escape. But he shook his head and glared down at Ashe with a new resolve and raised his javelin again. "I will continue to move forward. I will fight in the name of the Goddess to vanquish the true heretics in this land! If you won't step aside... then I must go through you too!"
Lonato suddenly reared his horse back and threw the javelin towards Ashe. The young boy froze in shock. A hesitation that would surely end his life. Were it not for Byleth to step in and pushing him to the ground, the javelin soaring over the two of them. Byleth rolled to his feet with a grimace as his shoulder burned with pain from the arrowhead still inside and charged forward. He swung his sword for the horse Lonato rode as it came back down and dragged the blade across its front leg and body, just underneath it's armour. The animal cried out and fell down onto its side, dismounting the Lord in the process. Lonato was quick to get back up as he pulled his steel spear from behind him.
"For Christophe!" Lonato charged for Byleth with multiple thrusts of his spear. Byleth struggled to parry these strikes. There was a stark difference between the militia and Lord Lonato's battle prowess. He pushed forward to block another spear thrust, locking their weapons together. At this moment he tried to take a peek at how his students were doing. Dorothea was knocked down by a knight who had his spear raised to gouge her through. Then Caspar jumped onto his back and slammed his axe repeatedly into his shoulder and head. Catherine and Ferdinand were back to back fighting the remaining two knights. Ashe stood with his bow drawn and aimed at Lonato, but was unable to release the arrow as tears ran down his face.
Byleth felt the shaft of the spear strike him across the cheek and knock him back. Byleth staggered back and only just leant back in time as Lonato's spear swiped over him. Byleth got very irritated. He was so focused on others this whole fight that he wasn't fighting to his true potential. In the past, he always fought battles with only the intent that he survived. Not worrying about anyone else. Cutting ties to anything or anyone he cared about. If he was going to finish this then he had to do just that.
"They called me the heathen! I'll show you... Feel my son's pain, filthy servant of Rhea!" Lonato screamed out in fury as he charged for Byleth again. Byleth took a deep breath and shut his eyes. When he opened them again, he shut out his students, his feelings, everything. It was just him, his blade, and the people he will kill. The Ashen Demon hungered.
Byleth leant his shoulder back and felt the spearhead cut through his armour and graze his chest. Pain. This was the only constant in battle. The pain he felt. And the pain he dealt. He stepped forward and swung his sword up. The blade dented and scrapped across Lonato's chest plate but cut along his chin and through his lips. He cried out and stepped back but Byleth gave him no breathing room as he continued the attack. He swung his blade for the knees of Lonato and rammed his shoulder into the Lord. The blade cut into the side of his knee and the push made Lonato stagger back then fall. As Lonato fell back he swung his spear for Byleth. However, Byleth pulled his blade up and cut straight through the spear shaft, breaking it into two pieces. Once Lonato hit the ground he tried to throw the broken half of his spear like a javelin towards Byleth. But he dodged it, moving his head to the side. Then without hesitation, Byleth drove his sword down into Lonato's right bicep, pinning his arm down into the ground. Lonato screamed out in pain as Byleth slowly started to twist the blade. He watched Lonato's face contort in agony as his other hand tried to reach for one of his discarded javelins, which was too far away. Byleth then pressed his foot down onto the pinned arm and yanked his blade out. He rose it into the air, ready to plunge it down into the throat of the Lord. Another life for the Ashen Demon's tally.
"PROFESSOR!"
Byleth blinked his eyes. He turned his head to see that Ashe had dropped his arrow and had his shaking hand reach out to him. Beside him was Dorothea with fear in her eyes as she looked at Byleth.
"Hey... Professor... I think it's over now," Ferdinand had placed his hand on his arm gently. He looked to Byleth with a small but reassuring smile, but couldn't hide his own fear in his eyes. Caspar and Catherine walked around Byleth to flank the other side of Lord. Byleth looked down at Lonato again who had stopped fighting back, resigned to his fate. Byleth took deep and heavy breaths once more. To shake the Ashen Demon off and let it sleep once more. Byleth finally lowered his blade with a sigh and turned to Ashe.
"I'm sorry... but it's time to say your goodbyes..." Byleth spoke plainly and without a hint of emotion in his voice. Ashe gasped and looked down at the man that took him and his siblings in. The man that pulled them out of the darkness. He slowly walked to his adoptive father and fell to his knees.
"Lord Lonato..." Ashe tried to speak, to say anything, but found himself choking up.
"True knights don't cry until the battle is over Ashe..." Lonato spoke, the madness in his eyes was gone. Now all that remained was a broken old man. "I know you'll be the knight you aspire to be. Don't let me or this battle sway you, boy. I'm sorry you had to be a part of this..."
"No... I'm sorry! You've done so much for me and my brother and sister... I'm sorry I couldn't pay you back," Ashe grabbed Lonato's hand as he wept over him.
"Be the Knight you were meant to be... that's all I ask," Lonato sighed, lifting up Ashe's hand and pressing it to his chest. He gave Ashe a nod before letting go.
"I will... I-I will..." Ashe broke down completely. Knowing what was to happen next. Byleth wouldn't let him see it. He turned to face Ferdinand and Dorothea.
"Take him away," he turned to Caspar also and gave him a nod. The three nodded with forlorn expressions. Ferdinand and Caspar went to each side of Ashe and pulled him up by each arm.
"N-NO! Please!" Ashe struggled in their grip and tried to break out of it but was too weak to do so. They turned him away and with Dorothea leading, they lead Ashe away and back into the forest. Byleth sighed and looked down to Lonato, who turned to Catherine.
"Go on then... finish it!" He spat out at the Knight of Seiros. Catherine turned her head away with a frown of guilt. She gripped Thunderbrand tightly as she slowly held it above Lonato. She put up a strong front, but Byleth could see her struggling with the decision to end him. So without saying a word, he rose his sword again and brought it down through his chest. This took Catherine by surprise as her wide eyes morphed into anger.
"What are you doing?!" she shouted at him as Byleth slowly watched the light leave Lonato's eyes and breathed his last breath. Byleth pulled the blade from his chest and stood up.
"My fight, my kill. Besides, we both know you didn't want to do it," Byleth turned away and walked back to the forest where his students were. This was a horrid mission for his students. They went from killing bandits to fighting militia in an ambush that almost claimed their lives.
No. It did claim their lives.
He would have to train them harder so as to not lose them again. Especially Edelgard. Speaking of, he eventually found her and the other Black Eagles with the captured militia. She sighed in relief when she saw him and approached.
"My Teacher," Edelgard stood before him. But right now he was more focused on one student in particular. Edelgard caught on to who he was looking for and pointed to her right. Ashe was sitting against a tree with his knees pulled up to his chest ten meters away. He was quietly sobbing while Dorothea had an arm around his shoulders, offering what little comfort she could.
"It's done. Once the Knights are done with the cleanup and tending to their wounded we will return to Garreg Mach," Byleth explained to everyone. "We'll be taking the militia back with us too."
Ashe cried harder at that declaration, pushing his face into his knees as Dorothea hugged him close and rocked him side to side. Byleth began to walk passed them all, hearing the different conversations going on.
"Damn it... It was all so pointless. They all look utterly heartbroken. But I'm happy that we're keeping the militia as prisoners. I don't wanna know how I'd feel if we had to kill them," Caspar spoke as she scratched the back of his head.
"Caspar please... clean the blood from under your nose before I vomit on you," Linhardt looked away with a hand to his mouth.
"Forcing innocent citizens to risk their lives... that man was not a noble, but a monster..." Ferdinand muttered as he looked down at his closed fist in disgust.
"What could have spurred Lonato to make a reckless attack against the Church like this I wonder..." Hubert was pondering to himself as he surveyed the class.
"W-we are going home now r-right? Back to the safety of my room where no arrows will fly at me?" Bernadetta asked meekly as she held her bow close to her chest.
"Yes. You were great with the bow. You saved this life... no... You saved my life. I have gratitude Bernadetta," Petra gave a small bow to the archer.
"They all seemed to have handled fighting the militia well. To be honest, I was surprised that you ordered us to keep them alive," Edelgard spoke up next to Byleth. Had she followed beside him this whole time?
"I will kill any and all opponents except civilians. It's always been my way since I first started. It wasn't something my father taught me... it was just how I did things," Byleth looked out onto the field through the trees where they were ambushed. Some of the knights were clearing up the arrows. While others dragged away the knights that fell to the arrows.
"The commoners who allied themselves with Lord Lonato believed they were fighting for a just cause. It would be disrespectful to consider them simply victims when they fought for what they believed in," Edelgard pondered on the thought for a moment. "Still, we have no choice but to eliminate those who cling to unreasonable ideas of justice. Even if our enemies are the gods themselves... we must never lose sight of our goal."
Byleth frowned and turned his head to Edelgard. "And who gives you the right to decide that others are unreasonable?"
"It is only natural that anyone else's ideas of justice that go against mine would be seen as unreasonable. The same way that I'm sure others would find mine unreasonable." Edelgard spoke with conviction. "Really, I'm just like Lonato. I, too, will be the sort of ruler willing to risk my citizens' lives in service of a higher cause. It's not possible to change the world without sacrifice. Dying for the greater good is not a death in vain."
"Yes it is and you'll be a shit ruler for believing in it."
Edelgard let out a gasp and spun to face Byleth who glared down at her. No one had ever spoken to her in such a way before. And it looked like he wasn't done as he fully turned to face her.
"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. Look at Lonato now. No matter what greater good he fought for he'll only be remembered as a man who sent civilians to fight for him and was slain by the heroes. There are always other ways to change the world and achieve the greater good without sacrificing those you are sworn to protect. The ends never justify the means Edelgard," Byleth took a deep breath to calm himself. He was after all speaking to the future ruler of the Adrestian Empire. Instead, he collected himself and approached this as he should have from the start. As a teacher to his student.
"Don't go down that dark path. Or eventually, someone will deliver to you the same end as Lonato. Nothing good ever comes from people that make those choices. Learn from the past and the mistakes of others. Be better and you'll find more options available to you," Byleth explained with a sigh. Edelgard stared up at Byleth in shock but also admiration. It was... refreshing to have someone talk to her in such a way. Because of who she was everyone that spoke to her treated her as above them and offered polite suggestions. Not once has anyone bluntly called her wrong and lectured her in such a way over her future. It meant that no matter what, she could always expect honesty from Byleth. It was something she cherished. And it made her want to have him serve in the Empire all the more.
"Ngh," Edelgard was snapped from her thoughts as Byleth grunted in pain as he moved his left shoulder slightly.
"You were hurt! Have you had Linhardt see to it?" Edelgard spoke with great concern as she moved behind him to get a look at his shoulder. A small piece of broken wood stuck out from the back of his left shoulder with a dark bloody patch in the dark armour around it.
"The arrowhead is still in there, the shaft broke off during the fight. I'll need to see Manuela when we return," Byleth spoke uninterested in the fact he was wounded. To see such carelessness over a serious wound caused Edelgard to frown.
"That is not good enough! Come with me, Professor. The least we can do is have Linhardt bandage around it until it's seen to," Edelgard spoke with authority, grabbed his left arm, and pulled him behind her. Ignoring the pain he felt with his shoulder as the shorter girl pulled him along. He was amused at the switch he saw in Edlegard from a young girl getting scolded to someone taking charge in an instant. He felt the urge to grin as he was pulled to Linhardt were it not for Catherine approaching them with a frown on her face. He did not want to hear her shouting at him in front of the students. But was surprised when she held out a scroll to him.
"Professor... I'm afraid this incident is far more serious than anticipated."
This is the longest chapter so far and since its release last night, I went back over it to tweak the grammar and spelling errors I found. Hope you guys are still enjoying the story. There are plenty more chapters to come.