Chapter 47: So that was her name…

Goetia stared at Sothis in silence as she all but glared at him, his only response after a few short moments was to raise a singular eyebrow in obvious ignorance as to what she actually meant.

Something which only served to incense her further as the glare magnified before she gave a meaningful glare towards Harold.

Sighing, Goetia turned away from the bookshelf he had been staring at and looked towards the guard. "Harold." The gatekeeper turned towards the tanned man. "It would seem Byleth has something she needs to discuss with me, wait outside until our conversation is over." Despite it being a clear order, Harold didn't look that perturbed about the situation.

Giving a pleasant smile, he gave a light bow of his head in response and walked towards the door "I'll be outside until you're done!" he called back to them while giving a wave of his hand in parting. The moment he moved beyond the doorway, Goetia muttered rapidly under his breath.

Byleth felt a jolt run through her body briefly before it faded away, the girl gave him a slight tilt of the head in question.

"A bounded field to prevent our words from being overheard." Goetia explained away the question, turning to Sothis "Now, what is so important that you-"

"You knew." She hissed out, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes at him. "All this time. You knew."

Goetia gave her a slow blink before he frowned "I know many things. I will require specifics."

"Don't-!" She cut herself off mid shout, snapping her mouth shut and glaring at the man for a few moments before she spoke again in a very clearly restrained tone of anger or indignation "...Don't get smart." she went on "You…you knew about me. That's why you were so insistent on asking who the Goddess of this land was." she accused, Goetia gave her a blank stare before he let out a hum.

"Then you are the Goddess of this land then." He grunted "As expected-"

"Don't 'as expected' me!" Sothis yelled out, her eyes flashing "Weeks! No, months! I was running around for months without a single clue as to who I was and you knew!" she spat out at him, floating closer "You knew who I was-"

"I suspected." Goetia corrected her firmly "And I seem to recall stating you were a God when we first encountered each other-"

"A God." Sothis exclaimed "A God! Not The Goddess of all Fodlan!" she waved her arms around "And what is this 'I suspected'!? For you that's as good as knowing and don't try to deny it!"

Goetia frowned "It is hardly as if the clues were not present. Your similarities with the high ranking members of the Church and Rhea's clearly biased opinion towards you-"

"The Archbishop knows as well!?" Sothis recoiled with a horrified expression "What do-"

"If she doesn't, she very clearly suspects." Goetia scoffed "She hired Byleth with no discernible reason for her actions beyond 'being present at the time' which for an Academy such as this and in a caste system in which pedigree is the deciding factor, it is hardly logical for her to appoint some mercenary for the position of Professor unless she had a vested interest in keeping you close by."

Sothis furrowed her brows at him "B-but that doesn't…how would she even know?" she waved her hands around in shock "She can't see me like you can!"

"She doesn't have to." Goetia dismissed, turning to look at Byleth "All those with strong enough senses would be able to see you are in possession of a Divine Core…although I doubt they would realise what it truly meant." he continued on "That aside, I am curious as to how this is some grand revelation-"

"Because I'm their Goddess!" Sothis screamed at him with her eyes wide "They're all up there killing these people in my name!" she pressed her hands against her chest "I don't even remember anything about them! They're killing each other over whether or not they're worshiping me correctly!"

"And?" Goetia asked, tilting his head and stunning Sothis into silence "Whether or not you even existed would change nothing. They'd still find ways to kill each other over some other petty reason which is ultimately pointless in the grand scheme of things."

"You…" Sothis took a deep breath "But I'm here…" she pointed at herself "I can…I can do something!"

"Can you?" Goetia frowned "Can you really?" his eyes narrowed as his lip curled "Even if you had the authority to stop humans from butchering each other in your name, you'd never stop them dying. Whether they die by each other's hands or from simple age, the end result remains the same!" he snarled at her "They're still dead! And what of those who don't believe you are who you claim to be? What will you do when your loyalist faction starts to purge the heretics! You cannot be in every place at every moment in time because you're much too weak!"

Sothis shunned away from him slightly.

"Even with the Clairvoyance of Solomon and his ten rings, the ability to prevent all of human suffering couldn't be done while they still lived!" He was no longer looking at her as he ranted "Those pointless, worthless little creatures just couldn't understand the basic principle of life and instead enjoyed their pointless little ends by whatever means they could find them in!" his eyes fell back upon Sothis "They like to kill each other for whatever reason! They'll find some excuse to do it and there's nothing you nor I can do about that so why even bother!?"

"Because I don't want them too!" Sothis found her strength to shout back at him "Because they're all apparently my children! I don't want them killing each other over something I might or might not have even done!" she stabbed a finger at him "And you just sat back and watched as my power was used to kill them!"

"...Don't speak to me of having your power used to kill humans." Goetia growled out "You couldn't possibly understand the magnitude of my existence."

"Magnitude of your-what? Are you a God too now or something!?" Sothis hissed out "Is that it? Is that how you can see me?" she let out a derisive snort "It would make sense, wouldn't it? All those things you do and that habit you have of looking down on people as if you're better than them-"

"I am better than them!" Goetia snapped "I was better than them when I first came into existence and I am better than them even as I stand here as nothing more than a shell of what I was!" his eyes burned a brilliant red "I have the power to govern the foundations of this world! I have knowledge you couldn't even begin to comprehend and would take this place of magical luddites centuries to even consider unraveling!"

"And for all that power you can't even understand people!"

Goetia stared at her in silence before he slowly closed his mouth, giving her a blank stare "...You're a Goddess. You've always been a Goddess." he grunted at her, clumsily shifting the conversation topic back to the original point "What do you intend to do with this newfound revelation?"

Sothis blinked at him "I…"

"Considering none can see you." He added on, still giving her a blank look "Save myself but we both know how trustworthy the Archbishop sees me. There is also the matter of how your Divine Core ended up inside of her." he turned to Byleth and frowned "Unless…" he walked towards her, she took a single step backwards as he approached.

Goetia paused before he slowly extended his arm towards her "Your hand." he politely requested, Byleth raised an eyebrow before she complied with the request, placing her hand within Goetia's.

She felt a strange sensation course through her body as a glowing set of patterns moved across her skin and over her body before they faded away.

Goetia frowned and stepped away from her.

"Your Divine Core…" He was staring at her chest with clear surprise. "It's…physical."

Byleth blinked "Physical?" she looked down at her chest "Is that bad?"

"It's unusual." Goetia clarified "Divine Core's are supposed to be spiritual rankings within a Saint Graph to distinguish a Divine Spirit." he nodded to Sothis "Which is what you would classify as."

"So I'm not even a Goddess anymore." Sothis huffed, crossing her arms and frowning heavily.

"You are…however I suspect the lack of an actual body has limited you greatly." Goetia explained, then looked back at Byleth "More than that…your Divine Core is unusual in that it is a physical creation and appears to be connected with your heart." he looked Byleth in the eyes "It is acting as a pseudo-cardiovascular system for you."

"My heart doesn't beat." Byleth nodded her head "I know." she then looked down at her chest "There's…something on my heart?"

"Yes." Goetia nodded his head "However, a human being used as the vessel for a Divine Spirit is not unusual…" he turned back to Sothis "What is unusual is you being a Divine Spirit and not a Goddess."

Sothis raised an eyebrow.

Goetia clicked his tongue in annoyance "A Divine Spirit is a being which deteriorated from being a God. This can occur via a number of factors, most usually their supply of Ether lowering to a point where they can no longer sustain their existence or the specific texture of their region no longer welcoming Gods."

Sothis gave him a blank look.

"...A weakened God." Goetia elaborated "And the physical presence of a Divine Core infers that this was some manner of operation as opposed to a summoning." he continued on "Or a case of possession." he frowned, then looked to Byleth "How long has your heart been this way?"

Byleth shrugged "As long as I can remember."

Goetia frowned "Since childhood then." he murmured, moving his left hand to cup his chin "I suspect the Archbishop is in some way involved, however the same cannot be said for Seteth."

"Seteth?" Sothis crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow and clearly looking displeased at the shift in topic but humoured the change "Why not?"

"Given how adamant he was to ensure that someone of an accredited background assumed the role as mentor, and his clear distrust of both myself and Byleth we can infer that he is likely ignorant as to what has occurred." He paused. "Or at the very least he has not been properly informed."

"Fine. So the Archbishop might know." Sothis huffed "I want to know why you didn't think it was the least bit necessary to share your thoughts with us."

"I am not here to hand every answer down to you, especially not with this reaction you have given and your clear emotional distress." He frowned "A Divine Spirit that retains an authority over time is already absurdly powerful, one who is prone to tantrums is dangerous to everyone." his eyes narrowed at her as she glared back "With no true objective you would blindly wield your authority without any notion as to the consequences of such a decision. Therefore I decided it best to mitigate the possibility until such a point as I felt the information was worth knowing."

"Which is why you told us to find out the name of the Goddess." Sothis realised with a scowl "What? You thought I had matured enough by that point?"

"I was also hoping that it would unlock some of your memories…however, that does not appear to have happened." Frowning, Goetia turned away from her "The question now is what will you do with this information?"

"What am I supposed to do?" Sothis threw up her arms and growled at him "I'm stuck in some sort of limbo between life and death and my only sort of interaction with the world - which I apparently created - comes in the form of a child with the emotional capacity of a plank of a brick and a possible God who thinks it funny to watch my desperate search for answers-"

"I didn't do it for amusement." Goetia cut her off sharply "I did it for the simple reason that I am an outside force and you are a chief Deity of a Monotheistic religion within your own land." he turned his head to her "Have you the slightest notion as to how powerful you could actually be if you were not bound in your current state?"

She remained silent, then shook her head.

"Gods derive their power from faith. A God cannot exist without humanity." He turned to face her fully "The only reason you are a Divine Spirit and not a full God is because I presume your original body was destroyed, leaving behind your core as the only remnant of your existence."

"Destroyed?" Sothis paled "Y-you mean I'm actually dead?"

"Gods do not die in the same manner as mortals." Goetia replied "Your Divine core remains intact which means your anchor upon this world remains intact." he frowned, cupping his chin "Yet that does not explain why your Divine core is physical in such a way…That is not how Local Gods operate and the only Divine's with physical cores were…" he trailed off, his eyes falling onto Sothis and narrowing before he quickly shook his head "No, this land would not be some medieval squalor if that were the case."

"Is there something else you wish to discuss?" Sothis remarked, tilting her head at Goetia and narrowing her eyes.

"...No, it does not relate to you." He dismissed, shaking his head at the Goddess "Still…you are now aware you are the Goddess of Fodlan, thus my earlier question stands. This new information does not aid you-"

"It does." Sothis cut him off "Because now, I have something to look for." she crossed her arms and frowned at him "And now, so do you."

Goetia blinked "...What?"

"This library contains much of the forbidden works." She narrowed her eyes on him "I don't want to know all the propaganda the Church has on me…I want to know what there is about me." she pointed at him, "And you are going to help."

"And how did you come to this conclusion?" Goetia asked "And what makes you assume I am not already concerned with information of my own to study?"

"You mean how you virtually sprinted out of the room the second you heard the name Sitri?" Sothis remarked, then tilted her head in suspicion "And why should you react so strangely to the name of the child's mother?"

"...It does not concern you." Goetia stoically replied "Nor have I even the slightest desire to discuss it with you."

"Another secret then, is it?" Sothis scowled "Fine. Hoard the knowledge to yourself for all I care, but you are going to help me find out how I ended up like this!" she gestured to her floating body.

"And why would I do that?"

"Did you not just detail the danger that someone with as much power and as ignorant as myself represented?" She smirked at him, crossing her arms and leaning forwards as she hovered in the air. "From my perspective, it suits you better for me to be much more knowledgeable about my abilities…who knows what manner of damage I could do?"

"Your veiled threat is undermined by your obvious distaste for the loss of human life." Goetia deadpanned at her "And you are just as capable of discovering information regarding yourself as I am."

Sothis slumped "Fine…I don't want the Archbishop getting suspicious."

"The Archbishop…and why is that?"

"Because she's…" Sothis bit her lip and looked away "She knows something but everything with her seems to relate to control of some kind…this Monastery, even you to some extent!" she pointed at him and frowned "As much as I dislike you for keeping what you know a secret, I find her attitude towards the child disturbing."

"...Disturbing?" Goetia raised an eyebrow "This is one of your most fervent worshippers and you find her…disturbing."

"Yes." Sothis replied immediately "She knows something about me and is far too willing to divulge information about the Church secrets or accommodate this child, that stunt with only you getting punished all but revealed that."

"And this alone was enough to motivate some grand display of trust in my opinion?"

"Trust?" Sothis scoffed "Hardly. Whatever trust I might have had in you has since dwindled by your decision to keep me ignorant as to my true identity."

"I have made my reasoning clear."

"I know that." Sothis snapped "But it doesn't change anything. You had no right to keep that from me when you knew just how desperate I was to know who I really was!" she pointed at Byleth "Or why I am connected with her."

Byleth remained stone-faced as she looked between the two of them before she spoke up "...I do not mind too much." she remarked, earning a surprised blink from the two others in the room "Do you know why she is in my head?"

"Aside from her Divine Core being in your body?" Goetia shook his head, reverting to his monotone voice "No. I suspect the Archbishop may have had some hand in it, given Jeralts desire to avoid it but I cannot make accusations with certainty. You would have to consult your father for information."

Byleth gave a nod of her head.

"How can you just ignore this?" Sothis stared at her with wide eyes "This is just as much your problem as it is mine! You have the Goddess living in your head and he knew about it and you don't mind too much?"

Byleth turned to her and shrugged "I was not aware you even existed at all until recently." she replied honestly "He also told us to learn the identity of the Goddess." she pointed out "He could have stayed silent."

"Oh, I suppose we can be thankful that he just happened to point us in the right direction to find out rather than tell us himself." Sothis huffed as she threw up her arms before turning back to glare at Goetia "Do you have any other grand reveals for us? Any other secrets you don't think I'm mature enough to handle?"

Goetia stared at her in silence "Your current behaviour is already an indication that I was overestimating your level of maturity-"

"I tend to become on edge when I find myself confronted with the fact I am a God and no one thought it was important to tell me." Sothis growled back "Or does that just mean you were more interested in watching me scurry about for clues?"

"It is not my place to hand every scrap of information to you, like I have already said." Goetia snarked back "I am an-"

"Observer, yes. I know." Sothis rolled her eyes "I know you're an observer because you keep telling us you're an observer. But let me tell you something that I've observed, O' great watcher of people!" The Goddess floated towards him until they were almost nose to nose. "You just can't help but do something, can you? You can claim to be an observer all you want but you just hate the idea of not doing something…"

"...You don't know what you are-"

"Please." She scoffed "You honestly expect me to believe you are content to sit back and do nothing? As if you haven't seen some underground ruin like this before…and let me tell you, there are quite a few bodies back in that chamber that are the victim of your observation."

Red eyes glared back at her with a subtle glow to them.

"So which is it? Idle observer, or invested party?"

"What I am…Is none of your concern." Goetia replied in a quiet tone "You have already found some answers to your mysterious existence…I suggest you pursue those."

"How do I know it's none of my concern?" Sothis floated back "Who knows how many other secrets you've decided to keep to yourself because you felt it necessary. Those might be my concern…or they might not. But what was it you said some time ago?" she pretended to think for a moment before she smiled back at him "Ah, that was it. 'I wish to be kept informed so that I can determine if there is anything of value to know' or something like that."

"...You forget that you are unable to approach me without your host." He nodded towards Byleth "And the Archbishop has made it clear that she would be most…displeased if such a meeting were to occur between the two of us."

"As if you care for what she thinks?" Sothis raised an eyebrow and gifted him a thoroughly unimpressed expression.

"It is not about what I think. It is about what she is capable of and while her threat of physical harm can be negated, her threat of political harm cannot." He replied back "And it would not do for my observation to end with myself being branded some roaming heretic and hunted by legions of fanatical zealots."

"Then I suppose you can just help in your spare time." Sothis smiled back as she gestured to the library "The quicker you can help me uncover my true self, the quicker I cease to be a bother to you."

"You think you can simply harass me into uncovering your own past which you have clearly shown to be invested in?" Goetia responded with an incredulous eyebrow. "If you want to find out information about yourself…" he gestured to the library around him "There are numerous tomes to choose from. I am not here to guide you through every little petty detail about what your life might have been."

"So after all that time you just decide to point me towards being a Goddess and then just wash your hands of the responsibility?" She scowled at him, raising her arms up mockingly "'Well, I've done all I can do, the rest is up to you!' like that?"

"I didn't even need to give you that." Goetia huffed "I could have remained silent and just watched you stumble around blindly, ignorant to the fact you were standing upon the sight built specifically to worship you."

"So why did you?" Byleth asked, tilting her head "She doesn't seem mature."

"Wha-I am more mature than you are!" Sothis denied, pointing at Byleth "You child! Dolt!"

"Because it was pitiful…watching that theatre while you made no progress was something I could no longer tolerate." Goetia replied, shaking his head "It could just have easily ended up with the Goddess of Fodlan being an entirely unknown entity however the chances of such an event were slim."

"But it didn't."

"Clearly." Goetia flatly remarked "And yet all that has changed now is that you know you are the Goddess of Fodlan. What else is there to know?"

"How I ended up like this!" Sothis gestured to herself "For a start!" she pointed at him "And I know you've said destroyed or whatever, but that still doesn't explain why I'm like this!"

"Your identity hardly alters that question. It should also be obvious." He replied "You lack a physical body and yet the crest stone within Byleth's chest is obviously linked to your being and your authority. Therefore we can assume it was once a part of your original form until it was implanted within her. The simple fact that it is no longer within your own body means that it was either destroyed or removed."

Sothis scowled "Stop saying destroyed! Just say I'm dead."

"No." Goetia shook his head "I mean destroyed."

Sothis frowned at him "Those mean the same thing, if you're saying I've been...destroyed." she grimaced slightly at the word "Then you are saying I am dead...which makes me a ghost."

"As I have said, the physical death of a God and its actual death are entirely different matters. What you have experienced is likely material death as oppose to complete death." Goetia frowned "To completely destroy you, your Saint Graph Origin point would have to be destroyed and that is something normal mortals are usually incapable of without the correct equipment. Even if a God were destroyed, they would still reside within the Throne of Gods in a state of limbo where they might once again roam the world to some degree."

Sothis blinked at him "That means nothing but words to me."

"It means your physical body was destroyed, but your mind has clearly remained intact." He clarified "For all intents and purposes, the Divine Core in Byleth's chest is your true body and you are merely projecting a mental image to be observed."

"Then how can you see me?"

"Because it is still a Spirit, Divine or otherwise." Goetia frowned "You have summoned a projection of yourself and there is none greater at the act of summoning than me. Alive, at any rate."

"Oh joy, more boasts-"

"It is a fact in the same way your authority over time is an established fact. Whether you believe me or not changes nothing."

"Fine." Sothis grumbled "So where is my body?"

"You've been swinging it around like a club for the past week." Goetia replied, then gestured to Byleth "Or to be more accurate, she has. I assume at any rate."

Sothis pupils shrank into pin pricks "...She's been doing what?"

"I'm just saying, I can feel some tension between Sparkles and Teach." Claude stated as he walked through the halls of Abyss in the direction of the library "There's definitely something going on between those two right now."

"Ooooh~!" Hilda grinned "You mean like a lovers quarrel?"

"...I mean…maybe?" Claude shrugged, unsure of how to answer that "I mean, probably not. It might have to do with the fact that Teach didn't want him here and I brought him here and now he knows that she didn't want him here."

Hilda furrowed her brows at him "So…Goetia knows that the Professor didn't want him here so now he's mad but the Professor didn't want him here…why?"

"Turns out she was trying to keep him out of trouble and he didn't appreciate the thought." Claude chuckled wryly "Actually, it's like trying to keep Lysithea out of trouble."

"Ouch." Hilda winced "Yep. She can definitely get antsy if someone treats her as anything close to worrying. Something about babying?" she shrugged "I don't see the problem. I'd love for other people to do all my work for me."

"They do that anyway Hilda." Claude pointed out, giving the girl a knowing smirk "You just normally have to convince them first."

"Bah, Lysithea could try flashing her eyebrows." Hilda waved him off "That might work…she could go for the cute girl angle like Flayn does."

"I don't think Flayn is trying that." Claude replied slowly "And it would probably be best if you never mention that in front of Seteth."

"No kidding." Hilda shivered "He can be a little scary sometimes…especially if Flayn is involved."

"She's his little sister." Claude muttered as he turned the corner "I think being scary is a requirement. Or are you going to try and convince me that Holst hasn't behaved in a manner which could be considered scary when in regards to you?"

The pink haired girl opened her mouth to reply before she closed it again, then cringed, "Holst is more…embarrassing than intimidating."

"That's probably because you've never been on the receiving end of his intimidation." The House leader remarked before he paused and stared down the hallway, raising a lone eyebrow "Well…that's certainly odd."

"Isn't that the Gatekeeper?" Hilda tilted her head "I thought he was supposed to be following Goetia."

"And yet, here he is." Claude gestured to the man as he leaned against the wall, staring straight ahead towards seemingly nothing. "I wonder if Sparkles got away from him or something…" he pondered aloud before walking towards him. "Hey!" he called out, raising his hand and waving to the man.

The Gatekeeper jolted, turning towards the noise and standing to attention. "Lord von Riegan." he nodded to the Golden Deer, then turned his attention onto Hilda "Lady Goneril." rising back up, he gave the two a welcoming smile "Is there anything I can help you with?"

"I was going to ask that of you." Claude asked as he stared at the man, then looked around "You haven't lost a certain shiny haired man, have you?"

"Goetia? Nope." The knight shook his head, then nodded towards the entrance to the Library "He and Professor Eisner are currently engaged in a private conversation."

Claude blinked at the man "I thought you were supposed to accompany Sparkles everywhere?"

"And listen in on a private conversation?" The Gatekeeper recoiled as if struck before rapidly shaking his head "With respect, Lord Von Riegan, that seems to be a gross breach of privacy and…well…they seemed to want to speak without distractions." he finished in a quieter voice "I don't want to disturb them."

"Awwww, aren't you sweet." Hilda cooed with an amused smile "See Claude? He doesn't believe in eavesdropping in private conversations."

"Yes, my Archenemy has revealed himself at last." Claude rolled his eyes, then watched as the man seemed to pale slightly before the Golden Deer held up his hands in surrender "I joke. That's really honest of you. Also you can call me Claude."

"I…don't think I'm allowed to." The Knight responded hesitantly "The second rule of the Knight's guidebook is to always address the Nobles of Fodlan with their proper titles regardless of personal feelings."

"There's a guidebook?" Hilda blurted out in surprise, causing the Knight to pause before he gave a nervous chuckle.

"W-well…not yet, but I've been writing one out!"

"You can write?" Claude blurted out this time, the Knight nodded his head.

"Oh, yes. I was in charge of most of the reports before I got promoted to Gatekeeper. Being able to write and read was essential." The man boasted with a smile "I know I'm really lucky to be able to do that though."

"I'll say." Claude hummed "I thought only the higher ups could do that sort of thing. Like Alois."

"Normally, yeah." The Knight replied "But mine was just in case the one in command of my unit was injured and unable to write the report." He explained "Like a scribe but for long expeditions."

"Did you ever need to?"

"I am proud to say my services were never required!" The Knight boasted with a wide smile "So I've decided to use my gift to help my peers."

"By…writing a guidebook." Claude clarified, earning a nod from the man "Well…that's actually really generous of you."

"Thank you, Lord Von Riegan."

Hilda still had her brows scrunched up before she eventually spoke out "Now, don't take this the wrong way but…who is actually going to be able to read it?" she asked, staring at the Knight in confusion "Because shouldn't the captains and the really important knights already know the basics of being a knight?"

The Gatekeeper blinked at her.

"So…it would be better suited for others like yourself." She gestured to him before she frowned in thought "But…they can't all read, can they?"

"Ah." The Gatekeeper let out a small noise.

"Oh." Claude winced, giving the man a look of pity "Um…it's the thought that counts?"

"You don't need to go out of your way to spare my feelings, Milord and Milady." The Gatekeeper let out a disappointed sigh "I suppose it is just as well. I don't think I would have been able to make that many guidebooks anyway…I'm not paid enough for all that."

"...Don't lose hope." Claude offered the man a pat on the shoulder and a reassuring smile "I'm sure it'll happen some day. Probably." sniffing, he looked past the man towards the entrance to the Library "So how long have they been in there?"

"Goetia and the Professor?" The Knight blinked "Umm…a couple minutes?" he frowned "Although I haven't actually heard anything from them."

Claude blinked before he frowned "Nothing?"

"Nope." Shaking his head before he paused, then tilted it "Unless they're whispering." he realised.

"You can exhibit your anger at me withholding information pertaining to you, or you can exhibit anger at me for revealing it." Goetia patiently spoke even as the Goddess looked ready to try and tear his head off "But doing both is illogical-"

"We're way past both!" Sothis growled "You-she-both of you-!" she pointed towards the sword on Byleth's hip "She was cutting people up with my body!" her hand fell on him "And you knew about it!"

"And I'm now telling you about it." Goetia frowned "Are you just unsatisfied no matter what course of action I take?"

"How long did you know!?"

"Since you brought it to me." He revealed instantly "Before you fly into another rant, I should inform you that there was nothing short of stating to your face that the sword was made from your bones." he paused "No, the Church did that first. The weapon is called the Sword of the Creator."

"That implies it belongs to the creator!" Sothis stressed with wide eyes "Belongs. Not that they pilfered my corpse and turned my body into some barbaric hatchet!" she widened her eyes "You've both been touching my remains!"

Byleth looked down at the sword and then back at Sothis "...Your remains are sharp."

Sothis glared at her with an expression which screamed 'shut up' before turning back to Goetia "You-you ran your fingers all over my body!" she accused "And you knew about it!"

"That is a disturbing but not inaccurate way of phrasing it." He admitted with an uncaring shrug "But there is nothing to say you did not donate your body to your religion. Although that would imply you would be aware of your impending death. Still the other Heroes Relics-"

"Are they made out of my bones too!?"

"...No. They are not." Goetia shook his head "As powerful as they are, they are not made out of the bones of yourself. Aside from the fact they all have cores of their own and yours does not look as though it has been shattered in any way." he nodded to the sword "To my knowledge, that sword is the only part of your body that has been transformed in such a way."

Sothis looked down at the weapon and grimaced "I am unsure how I feel about that…"

"According to legend, you supposedly gifted it to Nemesis, where he eventually fell to corruption and became the 'Fell King'."

Sothis paused, then frowned "So…I gifted him my own corpse?" she incredulously asked, Goetia shrugged.

"You might have done, you might not have done. Considering you are not referred to as dead but merely separate from the world, it is likely you originally abandoned your physical form and left behind your material existence for your followers to use and craft weapons from in response to some manner of threat." He explained further "Which is not incorrect to assume. Gods reside within a different texture of the world when not in their physical bodies."

"So why am I still here?"

"That is likely due to your Divine Core remaining behind or something triggered a partial summoning into the vessel." Goetia frowned "You are obviously incomplete as you lack your memories but it has been well over a thousand years since the death of Nemesis." he cupped his chin "Rhea might indeed have had a hand in your arrival…perhaps some manner of botched summoning which would explain your-" he gestured to Byleth, then stopped and frowned.

"...Explain my what?" Byleth blinked at him, the man stared at her in silence for a few moments before he continued on.

"Explain your unusual circumstances." He went on "In regards to your lack of a beating heart."

"So…the Archbishop is involved?"

"Perhaps, Jeralt does not seem the type to avoid an entire religion and keep you from learning about its existence without good reason." Goetia pointed out "And I have recently become invested with what has occurred here as well."

Sothis blinked "You have?"

"Yes. Which means our goals of unraveling the mystery of this Monastery are shared for the moment." He sighed "Coincidences which personally relate to myself and information regarding yourself and your incomplete summoning-"

"You keep saying incomplete." Sothis cut him off, biting her lip and frowning "What would a complete summoning look like?"

"...A partial possession." Goetia replied "You would have control over her body however her mind would still be present within you to some degree." He paused "It is more than likely her personality would affect you in some small aspect but you would be the controlling force unless you deemed otherwise."

"So I was supposed to just…wield her as if she were a glove and I the hand?" Sothis frowned. "For what purpose?"

"Presumably because someone felt it was best for you to return." He paused "However the summoning of a Divine Spirit is not something easily accomplished and the fact your summoning is incomplete and more akin to a Demi-Servant means that they were either not competent enough to complete the ritual or they were interrupted." he frowned "If nothing else, the act of summoning is my domain and I wish to understand who was involved in this sham work."

"...Sham." Sothis blandly replied "So you consider the fact I am not currently controlling the child as some sort of puppet master a sham?"

"As appealing as I find her current predicament, from a professional perspective it is shoddy workmanship." Goetia dismissed, walking towards one of the book cases and studying the contents "Still, if they were aiming for something akin to a Demi-Servant they were successful in that regard. However, I suspect that was not their intention."

"Fine, fine…" Sothis groaned, rubbing her eyes "Stop using words…so I gave them the sword willingly?"

"That is how the texts depict the origin of the weapon, yes."

"...You said texts and depictions but you didn't say that I definitely gave them the sword."

"Nemesis used the sword to unite the entire western Fodlan until the Empire rallied and put a stop to him." Goetia pointed out "He might have indeed been your chosen emissary." he looked at her out of the corner of his eye "Or he could have somehow killed your physical existence and turned your remains into the weapon and Saint Seiros merely altered the records to avoid mentioning their chief Goddess was slain and desecrated in such a way."

Sothis looked at the sword again, staring at it in silence for a few moments before she looked back at Byleth.

"Just…don't use it for the moment. Please." She asked, the woman nodded her head in response. She turned to Goetia "And where was all this information months ago?"

"I wasn't invested 'months ago' but that has since changed." His eyes narrowed "Someone has encroached upon my territory and my being. Until I determine what has brought about this change…I will no longer play the role of observer."

"Mitigating circumstances?"

"Yes." He affirmed, then looked at her out of the corner of his eye "You have calmed down then."

"Don't tell me to calm down." Sothis grumbled at him "I still haven't considered forgiving you for withholding that information for months…but at least you've answered some questions and brought about others."

"Such as?"

"Such as…how did my 'Divine Core' end up inside the child." Sothis stressed "And if it's so important…what is she doing with such a thing?"

Goetia paused, "That…it might relate to her heritage."

"Her heritage?"

"Her mother…Sitri." He seemed unwilling to say the name "Considering she was apparently one who was affiliated with the Monk."

Byleth frowned "But…father said that I was born after he left the Church when we met with the Archbishop."

"Then he felt it prudent to try and separate you from your mother." Goetia replied "Likely to try and keep the attention of the Archbishop away from you…however that does not seem to have worked. Through no fault of his own as I doubt he realised what he was truly dealing with."

"So…what now?"

"Now?" Goetia turned to Byleth "Now…I have to determine how both you and your mother were named and if there are any others which share this system." he returned to the bookshelf "And if there are those who are aware of what the names truly-" he was cut off by a yawn, moving his hand up to cover his mouth before he scowled. "Cursed body."

Sothis chuckled "Perhaps you need rest first."

Goetia scowled at her before he looked back at the shelves and stared at one of the books. After a few moments he took it from the shelf and turned to the Goddess "Fine…I suspect our business here has not yet concluded. I will have time enough while you discern why someone would be interested in this slum."

"You have the nicest things to say about people, don't you?" Sothis mused before she shook her head and frowned at him "If this in any way affects myself and the child. I want to know."

"If my results do affect you, you will be the first to be made aware." He paused, then looked at Byleth "I also think it best you keep what you have learned to those present. Given I doubt 'claiming to hear the voice of the Goddess in your head' will earn you much in the way of belief."

Byleth blinked "But it's true though."

"Humans don't want the truth." Goetia scoffed, walking past her "They want to be right."

He dropped the bounded field as he crossed back into the hallways "Harold, be ready to depart-" he paused as he noticed the gatekeeper waiting with Claude and Hilda.

"Von Riegan."

"Hey, Sparkles." He waved to the man, then looked over his shoulder "Hey, Teach."

Byleth merely nodded at him.

"Fun talk?"

"..."

"Take that as a yes then!" Claude beamed, "So…I don't suppose you could do that weird thing you did to come here and get us all back?" he asked with a slightly pleading voice "Because I'm tired and the thought of walking back through cold and wet caves just isn't that appealing."

Goetia exhaled "Fine." he grunted, striding past the boy "Assemble the others and if they aren't present within the next three minutes, they are walking back."

The students had all dragged themselves back to their rooms by the time they returned, all looking as though they were a few minutes away from falling into heaps upon the ground.

Goetia himself was no different, scowling heavily as he could already feel fatigue gripping his body. The one thing he despised about his current predicament was the need for sleep.

"I guess the night was quite exciting, wasn't it?" Harold quietly commented behind him, careful not to wake up the others on the floor.

"Hm." He merely hummed in response.

"So…I take it you'll probably be heading back into Ab-...erm, the underground town again?" He asked, changing his words at the last moment. Goetia paused and turned towards the Knight before nodding his head in affirmation.

"Aside from whatever is motivating the repeated attacks, which holds no true personal interest to me." He replied "The library within the underground town holds a great many old and heretical works which are far more valuable as sources of information than others."

"Ah yeah…" Harold winced "Your…erm…Demon books?"

"Origins of Dark Magic was what I was after." Goetia sighed "However, I am riddled with fatigue and it is likely to be a long research project with how expansive the library is and the number of tomes and journals within it."

"So…what's that?" Harold pointed at the book in Goetia's hand, the tanned man raised it and read off the title.

"Romance of the World's Perdition." He repeated the title back, then looked to Harold who was blinking in surprise at the title. "Yes, I would imagine that would come as a surprise to you. However, the author of the book is what intrigued me further. 'Epimenides of Thinis'."

Harold blinked "I…have never heard of Thinis."

"Nor have I." Goetia frowned "However, many of the lands of Fodlan had their names changed following the unification under Nemesis. So it could have been that the land of Thinis was one such place that was renamed to one of the Ten Elites."

Harold nodded "That makes sense…"

"What does not make sense, is the name." Goetia went on, staring at the book "Epimenides originates in a language you do not use." he went on, frowning "It is not wholly relevant to me and it will likely be of little value in the grand scheme of things, however-"

"It was just a little odd?" Harold smiled and hummed "I guess that makes sense…you were just a little curious."

"It was a coincidence…which seems to be occurring more frequently." Goetia grumbled as he turned back around and continued his walk through the hallway towards his room "At any rate, I will examine this book once I have completed other research."

"I could read it if you want." Harold replied "It's not like I have much to do apart from watch you. I could tell you anything interesting."

Goetia paused, then looked over his shoulder at the man before he hummed "...Very well. However, I would recommend only doing so when we are in the underground slum or elsewhere out of the prying eyes of the church. The book was within that Library for a reason."

Harold paused, "You…you don't think there's anything dangerous in there, right?"

"Knowledge is neither dangerous nor beneficial. It falls to the one who holds that knowledge to decide what they shall do with it." The tanned man replied back with a dull voice "Unless you plan on doing something with it beyond keeping me informed then there is nothing to concern yourself with."

"A-alright…" Harold nodded slowly "Only in Abyss though…I don't want people to get the wrong idea."

"I would similarly not wish for you to be the subject of an inquisition."

AN: Hehehehe…

See, when Goetia actually gets invested it takes him all of five seconds to just unravel the plot. However, he isn't completely going for it.

And anyone who has read the 'Romance of the World's Perdition' in Cindered Shadows will know just how important some of that information would be to Goetia.

But for right now, he's more concerned with Demon Hunting and the likes.

Anyway, I should point out that Sothis has every right to be angry at Goetia considering he kept her true identity a secret from her for ages. Sure he might have told her she was a God but like she said. He didn't tell her she was the Goddess of Fodlan.

Also amusing that even after all that Sothis still considers Rhea to be less trustworthy than Goetia.

On the topic of the reading and writing part, remember that this is Fodlan with Rhea in control. She had kept the entire continent in a state of stagnation because she doesn't want them to get too advanced. She even banned binoculars because they were too advanced. It is also something that usually applies to commoners being unable to read and write.

Basically, Rhea wants to keep Fodlan as reasonably primitive as possible.

Omake: Visitors from Home IV

Ritsuka had managed to work out what left was reasonably like within the Monastery at this point, and while they still hadn't been able to make contact with the Shadow Border, he was relatively confident that Da Vinci would soon enough be able to establish contact with Chaldea.

That being said, there was something to take from this place. Considering his visits to other Worlds had been nothing short of eventful with consistent fights for his life.

This was actually rather tame.

Ironic, considering who was actually living here.

"Excuse me." Ritsuka turned towards the voice to his left, blinking in surprise at the white haired girl who had previously made a rather memorable visit upon him and the others when she virtually screamed misunderstandings as if it were a manga. "It has come to my attention that our first meeting ended with my…misunderstanding of your familial situation with Teacher."

"...I suppose you could say that." Ritsuka cordially replied, giving the girl a patient smile "But don't worry too much about it. It was a little awkward but no harm, no foul."

"Still. It was unbecoming of me to act in such a way." The girl continued on with a frown "And for that, I offer both you and your companions my full apologies."

"I mean…" Ritsuka scratched his cheek "I personally don't feel as though there is anything to forgive but if it makes you more comfortable then I forgive you." he stood up straight, smiling down at the slightly shorter girl "I'm Fujimaru Ritsuka, or Ritsuka Fujimaru." he paused "You can call me Ritsuka if you want."

"I am Lysithea von Ordelia." The girl introduced herself with a small bow "Heir to House Ordelia and student of Goetia."

"Ah yes…" Ritsuka nodded his head "I heard about that…how did that actually happen?" he asked, furrowing his brows slightly "How did that actually happen anyway? When I met Goetia last he…erm…" the Master trailed off, pausing as he wondered how best to phrase his next sentence "Didn't seem to be willing to tutor anyone."

Lysithea sighed, shaking her head "That is just as much the work of Claude as it is myself…" she paused before she puffed out her chest slightly and took on a prideful smile "However, Teacher has recognised my talents and has deemed me worthy of being his first student!"

"Yeah, Claude mentioned others?"

"Yes." Lysithea affirmed "However, I still remain his first." she stressed "He says he has much faith in me."

"He has?" Ritsuka blinked at her in surprise, the girl paused before she slowly shook her head.

"Well…He has implied it at the very least." She admitted "He has even taken to informing me about the lands beyond Fodlan and the other branches of magic." she waved her hand and carved a symbol into the air which quickly burnt out "See?"

"Runes?" Ritsuka gaped at her "He's been teaching you Runes?"

"You know of them?"

"I know…a couple practitioners of them." Ritsuka slowly replied, staring at the girl in disbelief "They're definitely a lot better at it than me, actually I can't really do magic all that well." he admitted with a smile and a shrug "Not talented enough."

"I see." Lysithea frowned "Teacher said that not having a Crest was not detrimental to the ability to use magecraft though?"

"Affinity and birth is still a factor in it." Ritsuka waved her concerns away. "It doesn't bother me that much." tilting his head, he then crossed his arms and stared at her appraisingly "Still…how long has he been teaching you?"

"Over several months now."

"And you're already able to cast Runes?" Ritsuka let out a breath of amazement "One of the practitioners I know said it took him years and he's still not as good as his Teacher." he paused, then shivered "Actually I don't think anyone can really beat Shishou in anything…"

"Shi…shou?" Lysithea furrowed her brows at the name, mangling the pronunciation as she did so.

"Ah, it means Teacher in my language." Ritsuka explained to her, earning a nod from the girl.

"Well…I'm sure my Teacher is probably better." Lysithea boasted, Ritsuka let out a small laugh.

"At Magecraft? I believe you." He honestly replied "Shishou is better at Runes and physical fighting rather than being a Caster."

"Hmph." Lysithea crossed her arms and frowned "Well. I decided to pursue the more intellectual battlefield rather than deciding to swing a club around like a brute." she paused as she seemingly noticed something "Where are your companions?"

"Mash and Da Vinci?" Ritsuka tilted his head "They went looking for the Professor that Goetia has apparently been spending time with." he replied, the girl furrowed her brows at him.

"Why?"

"Well…Claude said something about romance and they got curious-"

Lysithea growled under her breath and stamped her foot in annoyance "Claude! That oaf spreading rumours once again! Professor Byleth has no interest in trying to romance Teacher, they are just colleagues."

"I'm sure you're right." Ritsuka held up his hands in surrender "That being said, they got curious and-"

"Who got curious, Fujimaru Ritsuka?" The Master's face flattened out and turned to the voice, Goetia approached him with a noticeable pace before coming to a halt next to the pair and then frowning as his eyes scanned the Master and the fact no one else was with him. "Where are Mash and Leonardo Da Vinci?"

"Looking for Professor Byleth." Lysithea replied before Ritsuka had the chance "It seems as though Claude was speaking with them."

Goetia's lip curled slightly "Von Riegan." he looked at Ritsuka "I assume your conversation no doubt pertained to some insipid and baseless topic."

"...It was about your love life." Ritsuka replied with a faint smirk, leaning back and crossing his arms. The smirk turned into a more amused smile at the utterly dumbfounded expression on the Beast's face.

"My what?"

Sothis stared at the two in front of her.

Mash and Da Vinci stared back at her.

"...Somehow, this isn't as unnerving as it was the first time it occurred." Sothis replied after a few moments, then turned to Byleth "At the very least, they had the decency to look surprised by me."

Byleth blinked at her once, then turned to Mash and Da Vinci "Have you not seen ghosts before?"

"I'm not a ghost!"

"Huh? Oh, it's not that." Da Vinci shook her head at the girl "It's just that we weren't expecting to encounter a Divine Spirit." she paused, then tilted her head at the girl "In fact, you seem rather close to her…and the way you feel…"

"She lives in my head." Byleth nodded to Sothis "She also floats around."

"I grant you my power to keep you alive." Sothis rolled her eyes at the blunt answers "So that we might uncover why I actually live in your head."

"You granted her your powers?" Mash tilted her head, then widened her eyes as something clicked in her before she leaned down to Da Vinci "Do you think she is also like a-"

"It's possible." Da Vinci whispered back to her, giving a thoughtful hum "And I suppose it would explain why a certain someone is so interested in her." she turned back to Sothis and Byleth "So…how long have you been like this?"

"A little over three months." Byleth replied almost immediately, her expression not shifting in the slightest "That's how long she could talk anyway."

"I have always been with her, from what I can determine." Sothis sighed, deciding to take over "However, I appear to have been asleep for much of my time with her."

"Then…you were dormant inside her?" Mash furrowed her brows "And you…gave her your powers?"

"I gave her my authority over time-"

Da Vinci choked on air, coughing loudly and beating against her chest "Y-your authority over what?"

"Time." Byleth replied, then turned to Mash "Bless you."

Mash blinked "Ble-Achoo!" she sneezed, wiping her nose before she paused, slowly turning to look at Da Vinci who looked back at her with wide eyes.

"Oh…" Da Vinci blinked once "So…when you say authority…how much can you do?"

"I can go back in time." Byleth replied "...About one Five to ten minutes."

"That's incredible, Byleth-san!" Mash exclaimed at her with a wide smile.

Sothis scrunched her face up, causing the Shielder to pause and then look to the Goddess.

"Erm…I mean, that's incredible…you haven't introduced yourself yet…"

"Neither have either of you." Sothis pointed out with a flat expression "Are the children of today lacking in manners?"

"Ah, sorry." Mash bowed her head "Servant, Shielder. Mash Kyrielight!"

"Leonardo Da Vinci!" The small girl beamed "Universal genius!"

"Hmph." Sothis raised an amused eyebrow at Da Vinci "Someone is perhaps a little boastful." she exhaled and gestured to herself "I am known as Sothis. However, I am also called…The Beginning."

Da Vinci stared back at her before she smirked "Now who's being a little boastful?"

Sothis eye twitched "So…I assume you are of those in some way related to Goetia? Seeing as he is the only other one who can see me."

"Ah…Yes." Mash nodded her head "I am his…" she paused before continuing on "...Adopted sister."

Sothis blinked "Truly? But you seem so much more respectful."

"Pffft!" Da Vinci chortled, covering her mouth and grinning.