Chapter 56: Remnant from the Timeless Temple

Byleth groaned as she felt consciousness return to her, it was a slow process and not one without strain. Her entire self ached with a deep pain which seemed to course throughout her entire body. Even before she was able to open her eyes she determined that she was restricted in some way. Some manner of bindings were holding her in place with her arms bound tightly at her side and her legs similarly constrained together.

She could vaguely hear muffled voices as parts of her hearing returned, her eyes cracked open ever so slightly to catch sight of odd human shaped blurs lying near her. Their colouration was primarily white with odd patches of differing colours resting atop them. Violet, red, black and blonde.

"That's hair, dolt!" Sothis voice rang through her head, earning a flinch from her at the volume "Don't react too greatly to my voice…I'm doing my best to hide my presence for what little good it has done." the Goddess sounded tense, almost nervous. "Our captor is far from a fool but right now he is not paying attention to us."

Her captor?

Her eyes snapped open in remembrance, they had just managed to rescue Aelfric when Sothis freaked out about something. Next thing she knew she had been struck by some manner of spell and then passed out.

"I suppose it would make sense you would not recall much." Sothis muttered quietly "But yes, we were ambushed and they knocked you out before you could use my power. I am not sure what manner of spell they used but it shut down your body in full. I retreated to the back of your mind to hide my presence." There was a pause before the Goddess sighed "Whether or not it helped is not something I can tell you accurately."

Byleth's eyes flickered around her surroundings. She was lying on a stone path, slightly uneven where the different slabs had been placed and age had caught up to them. The floor was horribly dirty with all manner of cobwebs and rodent droppings littering it. As her eyes continued to wander around the chamber, she noted that it was large.

Tall pillars held the ceiling aloft with chandeliers hanging down to illuminate their location.

"Hey, chatterbox?" A hushed whisper caught her attention, her eyes snapped towards the voice and found themselves locking with Hapi's "You alright?"

"...Sore." Byleth muttered in reply, trying her best to sit up but not managing much. The moment she attempted to move from her position the restraints around her seemed to tighten ever so slightly. She looked down at the glowing red rings that were clinging to her body and frowned at them.

"Don't bother." Hapi shook her head, looking despondent. "Balthus tried and he almost passed out…Whatever these things are they get tighter the more you struggle."

"Where are we?"

"No idea." Hapi shrugged as best she could. "We got teleported away…I'd probably guess under the monastery somewhere."

Byleth could believe it, given the architecture it was certainly in line with some place of worship.

"How?"

That got Hapi to pause, her eyes hardened and she looked upwards towards a location, Byleth followed her line of sight and widened her eyes ever so slightly. The figure's back was facing them, the glowing red ring continuing to spin like a windmill at a slow speed as they were facing an altar with the Chalice placed atop it.

"That…thing." Hapi hissed with no small amount of venom "Was disguising itself as Aelfric…Got the drop on us. After it knocked you out it snatched the Chalice, grabbed us and then teleported us all here." she snarled "Hasn't said a word since."

Byleth frowned "...Really?"

"No dice." Yuri grunted, poking his head out from next to Hapi and into Byleth's line of sight "Not even Balthus making threats had it so much as to turn in his direction. Just…sitting there working on something." he sighed heavily, leaning back against the pillar they were rested against with a gentle thud "...No idea why."

"Who cares why?" Constance declared from somewhere "All that matters is freeing ourselves from our restraints and then demanding that creature relinquish the location of Aelfric and return the Chalice so it might face judgement for its crimes!"

"I don't think that's gonna be easy." Balthus muffled voice came from some out of Byleth's line of sight, sounding as though he was struggling to breath "I couldn't force my…my way out of these things and I'm me."

"Clearly brute force is not the answer." Constance stated with a slightly irritated tone of voice "This requires the sophisticated touch of-"

"Whatever spell you employ will be reflected back onto you." The figure spoke for the first time, their voice reverberating through the halls as well as the bodies of the students, causing them to shudder at the intensity of it. "It is no more a chore to merely drain the magical energy from your remains as opposed to a complete body." they still didn't turn around to face them, their hands hovering over the chalice and glowing subtly "Do as you will. I care not beyond simple inconvenience."

"They speak." Yuri snarked with an ugly smile "So…gonna grant us some answers or are you just going to stand there?"

"I have no reason to answer anything you pose to me." Their voice was monotone, almost disinterested in even speaking "Any answer I do give will be dismissed by you and will ultimately go to waste given the ultimate fate that awaits."

"So you're gonna sacrifice us, huh?" Hapi grunted before her eyes narrowed into a glare aimed at the back of the figure "Is that what you did to Aelfric?"

"My vessel's plan is my plan." They replied easily "I merely took control of his body before enacting it. This was always the end goal."

"Do not sully Aelfric's name with such base lies!" Constance jeered "If he has met an untimely end then we will avenge-"

"As I stated. Any answers I have will be dismissed." A sigh escaped them "As expected. Humans will find the truth repulsive if it is not in line with their own personal-"

"What do you want with the Grail?"

Their voice cut off, the figure paused and then slowly turned to look over their shoulder at Byleth. The woman staring back at them with a blank look following her question.

"A testament to the strength of a Divine Spirit." They noted in a clinical tone of voice "That spell should have kept you unconscious for another hour…Perhaps I have grown much weaker than I feared."

Byleth's eyes narrowed slightly "Who are you looking to revive?"

"I gain nothing in answering your questions." They turned away from her "Sit there and be silent or speak and rage against me. It makes no difference, the end result will remain the same."

"Someone's confident." Balthus managed to grunt out "How do you know you aren't about to have the entire Church busting down your doors?"

He didn't get a reply, causing Balthus to growl and thud his head back against the ground "...Now what?"

Yuri rolled his jaw "...I don't know." he admitted after a moment, leaning back and exhaling "...How long ago did you replace Aelfric?"

"Several months."

"Wha-!?" Constance blurted out in shock "You-That cannot be true! We would have most certainly noticed an imposter in our midst!"

"Whether you believe me or not does not change the fact I am correct."

Byleth managed to wiggle her body slightly further, then frowned as she noticed a coffin-like structure with a glass cut out at the front, the peaceful form of a pale green haired woman lay inside. For some reason, Byleth felt a twinge of recognition filter through her as she stared at the woman, as if she knew her from somewhere but couldn't place it.

"...Who is she?" She found herself asking.

"My namesake." The being replied, looking at the woman in the coffin "The one who acted as anchor for me to arrive. Aelfric desired the resurrection of Sitri, so that is what I shall grant him." there was a pause as the figure looked over their shoulder at Byleth "I am curious as to how a human such as yourself would not recognise your own progenitor. However, that is understandable. From Aelfric's memories, she died just after your birth. Naturally, your memories of her would be non-existent."

Byleth eyes widened ever so slightly "...Mother?"

"A mere homunculus bearing my name." The figure growled, shaking their head and looking at her "The quality of her base nature aside…There can be some small gratitude that she acted as a beacon in Aelfric's mind, calling to me. Even as my body was destroyed my mind endured…falling through the world until I found Aelfric and nestled within him. Replenishing myself until this moment could arrive."

Byleth swallowed "...You are Sitri?"

"I am." They fully turned towards her, eyes flashing red "And you are Beleth." There was a pause. "No…Byleth." Sitri's voice was almost akin to a disgusted sneer "Even as you humans plagiarise the name of my kin you cannot even do so correctly."

Byleth didn't know what to say, instead opting to commune her thoughts with Sothis "They have my mothers name."

"Indeed…" Sothis muttered back in reply, her voice echoing out through Byleth's head and containing no small degree of concern "Yet they speak as though they are considerably older. I wonder…we have heard Beleth spoken before by one other."

"Goetia."

"Indeed." Sothis affirmed "But there is no method of knowing whether they are aware of each other and if they are, it could cause conflict." the Goddess hummed inside her head for a moment "...What did Goetia call this? True Magic." the Goddess responded to her own question before Byleth could pose it "Ask them why they would use a True Magic to resurrect your mother."

Byleth internally nodded her head "...Why use True Magic to resurrect my mother?"

Sitri paused, their entire body stilled before they slowly turned back around to face Byleth. Red eyes flashed with intrigue before they extended a hand towards her. Byleth felt the restraints around her body suddenly shift, pulling her into the air and levitating her nearly a foot off the ground before pulling her towards them.

"...The knowledge of Aelfric is my knowledge." Sitri spoke in a low tone "Which means I know of whom you have been interacting with." Byleth came to a halt barely an inch from Sitri's 'face'. "However…quite why he has deigned to take up that name is beyond my mind. His cruelty surprised all of us."

Byleth's brows furrowed slightly "...Goetia?"

"That…is not my King." Sitri growled in a quiet voice, containing nothing but pure venom "I know not what game Solomon is playing here…but my King would never interact with humans such as yourselves in any meaningful capacity. Nor would he entertain this-this fiasco as I have seen him do." Byleth was roughly flung back through the air, crashing into the ground with a heavy thud. "Solomon's stupidity and failures are why I was forced to dirty myself in the body of this man. It seems he could not even die correctly."

Sitri turned back around, moving towards the Chalice "However, such concerns are beyond me now. I have measured his capabilities. His container is damaged and his strength is diminished. Without even a single Ring for him. Once the ritual is complete, I will be rid of Solomon forever. As vengeance for the death of my brethren."

"Wait…" Hapi frowned slightly "So…Scowler has been masquerading as his dead father? Why would he even do that?"

"More than that, how do you know he isn't Goetia or your King or whatever?" Yuri pressured further, then smirked "Maybe he had a change of heart."

"Do not insult my King again." Sitri's head snapped towards them, the restraints tightened around their bodies ever so slightly so that they became uncomfortable "Now be silent."

"You didn't answer my question." Byleth stated, groaning as she rolled onto her side and narrowed her eyes at Sitri's back "Why are you trying to bring my mother back?"

"I said I would fulfil Aelfric's wish and restore Sitri." The creature replied in a monotone voice, not even turning around to look at Byleth "Which Sitri would be restored was never specified in the arrangement."

Sitri's earlier words rang in Byleth's head, causing her eyes to widen ever so slightly before they reverted to their usual dullness. "You're going to restore yourself."

"Astute."

"Then what?"

Sitri did not answer, nor did they make any indication that they had heard the woman speak at all.

"But why not?"

"Because it is expressly forbidden by God to consume shellfish." Goetia explained for the seventh time as he continued to work, Flayn had been rather incessant on asking what manner of fish could be eaten. When he had told her that all fish with fins were possible, she then asked about shrimp and the like.

Which he told her they could not eat.

Sparking the current conversation.

"But why?"

"Are you asking me to interpret the commands of God?" Goetia asked, turning to Flayn and raising an eyebrow "They are his commands for a reason. Do you question the words of the Goddess?"

Flayn opened her mouth to respond, then slowly closed it again and shook her head "I suppose I would not…but it seems a strange little thing to forbid, does it not?"

"I did not care enough to think on the subject." Goetia bluntly replied as he turned around.

"What about other foods that are forbidden?"

Goetia paused for a moment "Pork and all insects as well. The preparation of meat is also special in that it must be kosher."

"Kosher?"

"Specially prepared in order to remove all traces of blood."

Flayn blinked at him before tilting her head "And this is a command?"

"It is dietary laws, yes."

"...Is that why you eat tomato soup?"

"What? No." Goetia dismissed, earning a surprised blink from Flayn.

"But you said-"

"I worship God in my own capacity and other humans worship him in theirs." Goetia replied casually as he looked to her out of the corner of his eye "There is just as much meaning in quiet reverence as there is in open evangelism. As long as one has faith in God, then that is all that is required of them."

"I never imagined it like that." Flayn muttered, cupping her chin "Does this mean you are non-practicing?"

"Non-what?"

"I heard from Seteth there were those who worshipped the Goddess but because of their situations, they are unable to-"

"I am aware of what non-practicing means." Goetia cut her off, frowning ever so slightly and lowering his hand to his side. He also released the hold on the book that had been in his palm, despite that, it remained floating in the air. "I…could be described as such, yes."

Flayn looked around before leaning towards him "Does it not bother you being here?"

"I will not beget you your own faith." The man replied with an easy shrug, the book floated into its spot on the shelf "That being said, your faith is not my faith. Nor should you expect me to become a worshipper of your Goddess as I would not expect you to become a worshipper of Yahweh." he looked at her "Acceptance of her existence is something I shall grant you. Acceptance of her doctrine? No."

Flayn thinned her lips "There are many who would not look favourably on such a view."

"Are you one of them?"

Flayn shook her head in response, giving him a gentle smile "I believe that something that can give many people peace of mind, regardless of its origin, cannot truly be a bad thing. I might not believe in your God, but I can see that they mean a great deal to you. Perhaps as much as the Goddess means to every other cleric and bishop in the Monastery and devout believer in Fodlan." she paused "Besides, I have not been across the sea to visit your home, so it is just as possible that your God still walks among the people as the Goddess once did here."

"He does not." Goetia informed her, turning away "Not in a physical sense at least. There are those whom he has communed with and given instruction over the centuries, but physical intervention from him has been…limited." his lips thinned "Despite that, in each instance of his intervention it was rarely silent."

Flayn merely hummed in response, shaking her head and bringing some life back into her expression "On a less cynical note. What of the culture of your home? Have they any songs or dances?"

"They have hymns." Goetia affirmed with a nod of the head "There were celebrations and ceremonies, much like there are those in Fodlan." he released another sigh "I am not going to sing hymns."

Flayn pouted, folding her arms in front of herself "How did you know I was going to ask?"

Goetia gave her a perfectly blank look. Despite that, it spoke volumes.

"You know, the Monastery has a dance."

"Hmm." Goetia grunted in a disinterested fashion, Flayn gave a light sigh.

"You could at least pretend to sound interested in it."

"Why would I pretend to be interested in something that does not interest me?" Goetia asked with a raised eyebrow, moving away from the shelf he had just finished sorting and walking across the room. Flayn followed after him "That would be a waste of time and give all involved the incorrect assumption that their ceremonies interest me."

"Well…" Flayn thinned her lips again "I suppose that could be true, it would invite a misunderstanding if you were not interested yet attended anyway. Someone would likely be confused as to why you even attended to begin with."

"If you are aware of the answer, then why did you ask the question?"

"Because it is something that I-"

The pair turned towards the doors as they were slammed open, Rhea stormed in and swiftly scanned the surroundings before her eyes fell upon Goetia. The woman's expression was perfectly blank as she approached, yet she couldn't hide the general unease about her as she came to a halt.

"Flayn." Rhea nodded down to the young girl with a warm smile "I see you have taken it upon yourself to speak with Goetia?"

"It has been rather informative." Flayn exclaimed with a nod of the head, placing her hands in front of herself and crossing them over one another "I have learned many interesting facts about the religion that was practised in Goetia's home. Did you know that they are not allowed to eat shellfish?"

Rhea gave her a patient expression before she looked at Goetia out of the corner of her eye "Is that so? A rather…novel custom, I suppose."

"Quite so." She nodded her head "I was curious as I have not spoken to Goetia of his homeland so-"

"Flayn." Rhea raised her hand, gently cutting the young girl off before she could carry on "Might I have a moment to speak with Goetia. In private?" she inquired, although there was little doubt it was a demand phrased as a request.

Flayn paused, looking briefly conflicted before she nodded her head "Yes, Lady Rhea." bowing to the woman ever so slightly, she walked past her and out of the library.

Rhea watched her depart before she turned her head to Goetia and stared at him blankly, Goetia matched her expression with an annoyed scowl of his own.

"Are you here to chastise my indulgence of her questions now?" Goetia asked with an irritable tone "Perhaps the topic of my homelands food preparation is considered a taboo subject for you?"

Rhea watched him with a blank look, her lips pursed before she looked to the side to see Tomas currently working away on the desk. The old man looked towards her, briefly blinking in surprise before he gave her a welcoming smile and a wave of the hand. Her eyes flickered back to Goetia, raising an arm and gesturing him to the corner of the room.

Crimson orbs narrowed at the woman slightly before their owner turned his body and paced towards the direction she had indicated, stepping to the corner of the at the front of the library behind the shelves and turning back around to face Rhea as she approached.

"I understand our encounters have been…strenuous." Rhea began, her eyes looking somewhat hesitant as she spoke. Goetia merely stared at her in response "And that clearly we are two people who will not always agree with one another."

"Your grasp of the obvious is inspiring to your faith." Goetia snarked back in a clipped tone, making little attempt to hide his obvious dislike for the woman.

Rhea narrowed her eyes at the insult "But I am hoping you might put aside whatever feelings you have towards me in favour of a…common object between us."

"...Byleth." Goetia surmised instantly, thinning his lips and dropping his voice into a low whisper "And tell me…what occurred that has caused you to seek out my aid in this endeavour?"

"Claude von Riegan mentioned you had the ability to craft tracking spells." Rhea whispered back "Is this true or an exaggeration on his part?"

"I can craft spells designed to track down an individual with ease." Goetia nodded his head once, then put the dots together in his head and frowned "Do you mean to suggest that Byleth was somehow taken hostage?"

"...So it seems."

"And how was that possible?"

"I do not know." Rhea shook her head "The testimony of the students indicated that…something had been disguising itself as Aelfric." her voice dropped into a barely contained snarl of anger, her eyes glowing with a subtle green "And was able to subdue both the Professor and the Ashen Wolves and escape with the Chalice of Beginnings."

"And thus you have come to me in the hopes that I will locate your missing Professor?" Goetia huffed "I see…and what makes you so certain that I would be willing to-"

"Let us forgo any sense that you hold no interest in the Professor." Rhea cut him off, narrowing her eyes at him and using her height advantage to loom over him "You reasons for keeping her within eyesight are not yet known to me, however, I imagine they do not involve her death at the hands of some abomination wearing the skin of…" she cut herself off, closing her eyes and exhaling before leaning back "...Whatever your motives are, I shall assume they require the Professor alive, do they not?"

"You assume I have motives to begin with." Goetia replied with a blank tone of voice "My goal was merely observation in determining how long it would take for her to understand what she is. That and figuring out the process behind her creation." he pointedly looked Rhea up and down "The latter of those two is on the verge of answering itself, given your vested interest in her."

"...Will you find her?"

"...Yes." Goetia replied after a moment "If only to drum into their skulls the importance of training."

Rhea let out a sigh of relief before she picked up on Goetia's word usage, stepping aside when he walked past her.

"Their?" She muttered to herself, then looked towards him as he left.

"Oridinarily I would be capable of tracking her via my senses." Goetia explained as he drew a chalk circle on the desk, writing down several symbols upon it. "However, she appears to be beyond my realm of detection. Either within the confines of a bounded field or simply many miles from this location."

He looked towards Claude, then jerked his head over "The map."

The boy moved forwards, handing the map to the tanned man. Goetia unrolled it across the desk and weighted it down at the four corners. "Which means we are dealing with someone of some intellect."

"Some?" Claude muttered to himself, raising an eyebrow before shaking his head "And wouldn't it be better to refer to it as something?"

"I would not know as I have not seen it." Goetia replied back easily as he stared at the map "I require something that has been in her possession last." he informed the group, looking up from the map and staring at them "It matters not what it is, provided it is hers."

"Should we get something from her room then?" Leonie asked from the back of the group.

"Do so and do so quickly." Goetia nodded back to her, then turned to the others as Leonie ran off "Which of you was present during the taking of Byleth, the Ashen Wolves and the Holy Grail?"

The house leaders and several students raised their hands.

"Very well." Goetia nodded "Describe to me the incident in detail." he gestured to Rhea with his left hand "With as much detail as you gave her."

Lysithea stepped forwards "We initially succeeded in rescuing Aelfric when he started to speak…" the girl trailed off, pursing her lips and shivering "...Strangely."

"Strangely?"

"Yes. He spoke distantly, as if he was not present or the current situation didn't affect him." The girl continued on "Then his manner of speaking altered as well as his tone, it turned…cold. Unattached."

"His voice itself also changed." Edelgard carried on from the girl, looking somewhat disturbed most of all "His voice became deeper and with greater bass, and most certainly no longer matched what his voice had sounded of previously."

Goetia nodded along but said nothing.

"Then he made reference to the Chalice of Beginnings and Professor Eisner." Claude carried on, folding his arms and giving Goetia a blank look "...He called it a Holy Grail and said the Professor was a…Psuedo-Servant."

"...Those were…their exact words?" Goetia asked out, his voice no longer sounding as bored as before. Instead it sounded soft, tinged with what could only be described as interest mixed with hope. "Their exact manner of phrasing?"

Claude nodded their head "Then…Aelfric changed."

"...Changed…"

"Yeah." Ashe swallowed, nodding his head "I turned around to see it happen. Their…" the boy reached up and scratched the back of his neck "I don't know how to describe it…it was like his body just turned to dust."

Goetia's eyes flickered to Lysithea "...They said changed. Implying that something…took Aelfric's place?" he inquired further, pressing his hand on the table with enough force that the wooden desk started to creak.

Lysithea nodded her head "The…thing standing in Aelfric's place was….not human. They were tall. Pale skin and without a face, it was….they had this ring of conjoined gems floating behind them but they didn't look like gems…" the girl shivered slightly "It was like they were staring at you…almost like-"

"They were eyes." Goetia muttered out, silencing the group.

"...Yes…" Dimitri nodded his head, levelling Goetia with a curious glance "Do you know what it is?"

Goetia remained silent, looking down at the map without giving anything away.

"I got something from the professor's room!" Leonie's voice cut through the tension, the ginger girl rushing back in and sliding to a halt in front of the man, placing the item on the desk. "Will this do?"

Goetia stared at the pair of socks for a moment before he looked up at Leonie "...They will suffice." he grunted out in response before he returned his attention to the man, reaching out and clasping the socks before levitating them into the air "If you would all be silent."

"To monopáti pou prépei na vretheí." Goetia started to intone, the socks above him slowly started to burn away, eliciting a sharp gasp of surprise from the students. Rhea - however - did a sharp intake of breath and her eyes widened the moment she heard Goetia speak.

"Ta vímata pou échoun kánei." The ash from the socks started to spin around, travelling through the air in a thin line before they moved towards the map.

"Anakalýpste tous drómous pou échoun dianýsei." The smoke fell atop the map, Goetia raised a lone eyebrow while everyone else leaned forwards to stare at it.

"...You didn't mispronounce, did you?" Claude found himself asking as the ashes pointed towards the spot on the map. Garreg Mach Monastery.

"Von Riegan." Goetia spoke in a low tone as he stared at the map.

"Yes?"

"If you ever insinuate I am incapable of magecraft again, I will demonstrate just how skilled I am at 'pronunciation' by inflicting several dozen curses upon you."

"...Okay." Claude whispered back before he shook his head "But it's pointing to the Monastery."

"Indeed. Which means that they are also at the Monastery." He paused before looking up "Or under it."

Linhardt was the first to understand "You mean they might be in Abyss?"

"They are in Abyss, however their precise location is unknown to me." Goetia affirmed, earning brief looks of hope from the students before the latter part of the sentence had them frown "It would appear that a powerful bounded field has been erected around them." he paused, thinning his lips "It is as expected, but it is also telling that I was able to find any trace of them at all."

"How so?" Dimitri asked, Goetia didn't answer. Instead looked back down at the map before stepping away from the table.

"I shall depart at once."

"Very well then." The Prince nodded his head "Then let us all be ready to-"

"Alone."

"Excuse me?" Dimitri did a double take before he frowned "I am afraid I must insist-"

"If you travel down with me, you will most certainly die." Goetia cut him off with a frown "The alternative is that you shall go down looking for justice in some pitiful human capacity and attempt to slay the one who has mimicked Aelfric."

"Their intentions have appeared nothing but hostile." Dimitri argued "Surely we are-"

"Going to do nothing." Goetia carried on, walking around the table and past the group "I will go down. Retrieve Byleth and the other Ashen wolves and then return."

"Not alone, you will not." Goetia paused, slowly looking over his shoulder at the voice.

Rhea was staring at him with narrowed eyes as she walked forwards "The students are correct, the safety of the Professor and the Chalice are much too important to leave in a single set of hands." she paused, then looked down at him "...Hand, no offence intended."

Goetia scoffed, "Your assistance is not necessary."

"And yet, I will be going all the same."

"Woah." Claude stepped forwards, raising his hands "Is that really wise? I mean, sending the Archbishop down there without any sort of guards is a little-"

"While your concern for me is appreciated." Rhea cut him off, turning to face him and staring down at the younger man with a faint smile "I assure you, I am quite capable of taking care of myself without the aid of a battalion of guards." her expression cooled "More to the point, time is of the essence. We have no way of knowing for how long the Professor's safety is guaranteed or if it is at all."

"All the more reason for us to depart at once." Dimitri countered "Surely with our combined numbers-"

"I am more inclined to side with Goetia." Linhardt called out "And I shall explain my logic. We all witnessed the manner in which this strange being was able to fell upwards of a dozen demonic beasts with but a single spell - all at once, I might add - without even looking at them." he gestured to himself "I am confident in my own magical talents but I am dubious as to whether or not I would be capable of crafting a barrier that could withstand such an attack for a few moments. Let alone what those without magic could accomplish."

A few murmurs of hesitant agreement were his response.

"Now, we all know that Goetia is an accomplished mage and one who has performed similar feats." Linhardt carried on "And if we were to go with him, I have no doubt that if it came to blows he would be distracted between keeping us alive and fighting whomever it was that took our allies." he raised his hands "While I personally cannot attest to the combat capabilities of the Archbishop…she is still the leader of the Garreg Mach Monastery, therefore I would assume that she is rather more skilled at faith based magic than all of us combined."

Another round of nods were his answer.

"Therefore, I am sorry to say that we would merely be…how shall I put this…In the way, were we to go."

Goetia stared at Linhardt with a raised eyebrow for a moment, the boy turned to him and inclined his head "Am I right?"

"You are." Goetia agreed swiftly.

Caspar squinted at Linhardt "You just don't want to do any fighting!" he accused, pointing at him.

"You are quite correct." Linhardt agreed without a hint of shame "I would also not like to do any dying either. Which sounds like a high probability if I were to venture down there. I would suggest that the same is true for all of you. Unless anyone here is hiding some secret and incredible talent that might somehow overcome massive blasts of magical energy which look as though they could melt solid stone?"

Silence was his answer.

The boy yawned, "I'm glad I could explain that…I'm tired, so I shall find myself a nice tree to sleep under and forget about this terrible experience." he paused, staring at Goetia and Rhea "That being said, I do with you both the best of luck in the rescue."

Rhea gave him what could only be described as a humorous look as he turned away and walked out of the classroom "As detailed as your peer says, he is correct. I fear your safety would not be guaranteed if you were to come, and we have risked enough lives here." she turned towards them "Remain here until our return."

She then looked at Goetia, nodding her head once.

The man stared back at her with thin lips before he sighed, turning away from her and waving his hand towards the entrance of the Golden Deer classroom. Space split open, a tear forming with the otherside being the familiar halls of Abyss. The man stepped through the gap, Rhea following behind him with the tear closing the moment they were both through.

Claude coughed "Is it just me…or did Sparkles seem really weird when we brought up the fake Aelfric?"

"He did seem distracted, didn't he?" Edelgard hummed aloud "Almost as though he was familiar with what we had encountered. He seemed rather certain of its capabilities and our deaths as well…"

"Teacher has been around the world." Lysithea explained, waving her hand "Perhaps he has merely encountered something like this before."

"If that is true…" Dimitri went on, cupping his chin and furrowing his brows "Then why did he not explain what he saw?"

"And that is one mystery I shall-" Claude started to speak before everyone glared at him, or rather those who had been present when Goetia had exploded in anger. The boy snapped his jaw shut "...One mystery I shall ask politely about and not bring up again."

The glares abated.

"Why are you here?" Goetia asked as they walked through the hallways in the only direction possible for them "I can handle this my-"

"Where did you learn that language?" Rhea cut him off sharply, her voice was sharp and demanding. "The language for that spell. Where did you learn it?"

Goetia remained silent "I know many languages. Why should this one-"

"The path to be found. The steps they have taken. Discover the roads they have travelled." Rhea repeated flawlessly word for word, the translation of his spell. "Where?"

"You know of the Greek language?" Goetia wondered aloud, tilting his head slightly "Ah, unsurprising. Considering the theme that I have seen repeated in Fodlan, a similarity between the two languages and yet…why does it-"

"Greek?" Rhea repeated, furrowing her brows at him "...That is…who called it Greek?"

"Humans from Greece." Goetia replied.

"Where did they get the language?" Rhea demanded, eyes glinting with desperation.

"From their Gods."

"...Their…Gods?" The woman repeated the words back with confusion "T-there were more?"

"...More?"

"No…nothing." She shook her head, then looked straight ahead "It is no longer relevant."

The two fell back into silence as they walked through the halls, Rhea seemingly uncaring as to the growing level of dust and grime that was starting to accumulate on her gown. Goetia looked at her out of the corner of his eyes, then directed his attention downwards at the base of her robes - now stained with filth - before his eyes flickered back upwards.

"You seem uncaring as to the state of this place." He idly commented as they walked "Do the conditions not concern you?"

"Despite my current role, I am no stranger to unpleasant environments." Rhea countered with an uncaring voice "Or did you believe me little more than a figurehead who would shirk as the first sign of dirt falling upon my cloth?" her tone was a mixture of accusation and pure curiosity.

"I was not under the impression you would shy from violence, your tactics in approaching me were proof enough of that." He paused for a moment "What I am curious about is whether you will deal out death with your own hands or if you are content to merely pawn off that task to your zealots."

"The faithful who defend the Goddess, is what I am sure you meant." Rhea corrected him with a sharp tone of voice "And if the need were to arise, then I would be among the first to pick up a blade and fight in defence of the Goddess and her teachings."

"Hmmm." Goetia merely hummed in response.

"...You reacted strangely when the nature of this creature was revealed." Rhea commented, studying his reaction closely as subtly as she could manage "Why is that? Perhaps a…spark of familiarity?" she watched him as he said nothing, then merely shrugged her shoulders and looked ahead "I suppose your familiarity can be ignored for the moment, all we need to do is slay this abomination and return-"

"We are not killing them." Goetia snapped at her before he could help it, his lips drawn into a tight line and his expression tense. Rhea's own expression gleamed in victory for a brief moment before her eyes narrowed.

"And why is that?" She asked, turning her head to face him "Perhaps there is something more to them…" her lips curled further into a scowl "Or perhaps you acquaint yourselves with those who skulk in shadows?"

Goetia noticed the edge in her voice, yet her comment wrangled his pride even further. If he was correct, then that was nothing more than an insult as to what they did.

"If they are what I suspect they are…Then I will not kill them." He reiterated "I will engage in dialogue and you will remain silent, your confrontational personality-"

"Confrontational?" Rhea sounded indignant at the accusation "Is that how I am see by you-"

"It is how every one of our interactions has been-"

"Are you not also the same?" She countered swiftly "For every vague comment you have matched with one of your own. You have demonstrated yourself to be uncompromising, so why should I not respond in a manner similar to you?"

Goetia opened his mouth to reply then shut it just as quickly, annoyance welled up within him at her snide - and moderately truthful - comments about him. She was much too like her Goddess for his liking, yet perhaps more vexing as she was not a divine entity to support her claims. Or at least, she wasn't divine on the same scale as Sothis but she was a Chief Goddess. Rhea was something akin to a Divine beast, or that he could sense.

She did well to contain the full extent of her abilities from him at the very least. It was a pitiful disguise, but it kept enough of her hidden that mundane humans could sense no wrong.

"You have already revealed why I am uncompromising." Goetia shot back "I was to rule, what manner of King would broker compromise where none is needed?"

"What manner of Archbishop would broker compromise where none is needed?"

The pair fell back into an annoyed silence with each other for a moment "...You believe you can reason with this being?"

"Naturally." Goetia scoffed at the notion "They took the Holy Grail and the Ashen wolves along with Byleth, it is clear what they intend to use it for."

Rhea was expectantly silent, raising an eyebrow at him "Do you intend to elucidate me?"

"No."

Rhea couldn't quite help the brief intake of breath, her own annoyance flashed through her for a moment before she directed her attention ahead of her. Rolling her jaw and thinning her lips "...I recognise these halls."

"Do you indeed?" Goetia sounded predictably uninterested in what she had to say.

"Yes." Rhea replied back sharply, inhaling and exhaling to control herself again. There were bigger problems at the moment for her to deal with beyond Goetia attempting to frustrate her further. Despite the fact he was seemingly going out of his way to irritate her. "I do. It means I know what Aelfric had been planning before…" she trailed off, shaking her head "However it would not have worked."

Goetia was silent before he asked "Do you intend to elaborate on this development?"

"No."

This time, Goetia gave an annoyed huff.

Rhea thinned her lips, exhaling once again and looking at Goetia out of the corner of her eye "...I did not have an opportunity earlier to…apologise for dragging such painful memories up."

Goetia stopped walking, Rhea turned in his direction and watched as he glared at her with disgust mixed with anger "If you are daring to pity me, then I have fallen far." he growled "My race did not die for you to lament their absence nor could you ever hope to understand what their deaths signify-"

"Do not." Rhea cut him off sharply. Her voice was dropped into a low whisper, despite that it echoed through the empty halls, her eyes glowed a subtle green to match his crimson red "Presume that I do not know loss." she finished, her voice rising back to its usual tone. "I have lost much over the years."

Goetia stared back at her, looking into her eyes and finding himself briefly silent as he stared into her glowing orbs.

For a brief moment, one flicker.

He could sense a hint of empathy from her.

His stupor was blown away just as quickly, his eyes narrowed and his lips curling in disgust "Don't…" he shook his head at her, marching past "Seteth and Flayn still live, do they not?" he called back as he passed her, Rhea did not question how Goetia made the connection they were related. In all honesty, they all had green hair and green eyes, a very rare trait in Fodlan.

"I will not discuss my people with you." Goetia called back again.

"Why do you wish to speak with this being?" Rhea asked, changing the topic and turning to stare at Goetia's retreating back.

The man paused for a moment, then carried on as if he hadn't heard her. Rhea took that as the only answer she was going to get on the subject, at least until they arrived at the destination. Then she suspected she would get all the answers she needed in regards to him.

That passion he had shown when saying he would not kill whatever had mimicked Aelfric. There was only one thing she knew of that could elicit such a reaction.

Byleth had still been watching the figure as they worked in silence, all attempts to get Sitri to speak further had ended in abject failure. They were clearly disinterested in conversation with them.

"So…" Yuri whispered to the group "Think we are actually getting out of this?"

"Without a doubt." Constance replied with confidence she clearly didn't feel "Constance von Nuvelle refuses to meet her end in such a shabby location without even achieving her dreams."

"Are these the same dreams that Scowler decided to insult?" Hapi asked with a raised eyebrow "Because I am a little curious what you will do after you restore your house, Coco?"

"Really?" Constance raised an eyebrow at them "Why?"

"I'm a little interested myself." Yuri found himself saying, leaning back and inclining his head towards the blonde "What were you gonna do?"

Constance found herself blinking in response, then turned away from them and blankly stared across the chamber with a thoughtful expression on her face.

Balthus looked up, then raised an eyebrow at her "...You did have a plan, right?"

Constance bit her lower lip "I've devoted myself purely to restoring my house that I did not think of what I would do next…Goetia has a point!" she realised, raising her brows "What good is my passion if it will fade away once I have fulfilled my goal?"

"You're telling me Scowler has a point?" Hapi complained with an almost groan "Damn it…" she muttered out.

"Hm, I know the feeling." Sothis agreed in Byleth's head with a wry tone.

"I mean…" Yuri furrowed his brows "It doesn't add up what this guy is saying because…" he looked towards Sitri, then to the others "Goetia got really angry when he was talking to Claude." he whispered to the group "Now, you can fake a lot of stuff…but anger like that?" he shook his head.

"So what are you saying?" Constance asked, tilting her head "That this…thing…is mistaken in their belief that Goetia is not Goetia?"

Yuri shrugged "Who knows." he remarked, then sent another glance at Sitri "...Begs the question what he really looks like though, considering that thing managed to take Aelfric's body." he thinned his lips "Makes you wonder who Goetia might be possessing, eh?"

Byleth blinked. That was a morbid thought.

Sitri abruptly jolted upwards, then turned around to stare at the entrance at the far end of the chamber.

"So you've come at last…Solomon."

"I am here…Sitri."

The heads of the students snapped towards the entrance of the chamber, growing wide-eyed as Goetia stood there, the Archbishop standing behind him with a scowl on her face.

AN: Cackles.

Another cliff-hanger.

Also yeah, Rhea really is Sothis daughter. Right down to the snide comments.

Also, I saw a comment asking why it would take Goetia effort to beat Rhea.

So, let's look at what Rhea has going for her!

She's a Divine Phantasmal created by a Chief Goddess. Dragons in Nasu are already some bullshit, slap on some Divinity and Rhea - as a dragon - is stronger than Fafnir. Before you say - but she dies in game - let me state that lorewise, she was killed by Byleth.

Who had a divine core of a Chief God and dragon-slaying weapons made from the bones of their dead Goddess.

What else does Rhea have? 1000+ worth of knowledge of faith magic. Now, that might not compare with Goetia's 3000 years worth of every branch of magecraft, but that still puts Rhea as something fierce.

What else?

She killed Nemesis in one-on-one combat.

What did Nemesis have going for him? Conceptual advantages for one. He was a dragon slayer/god-slayer/Demi-God and wielding a Sword fashioned from the body of the Chief Goddess of Fodlan.

And Rhea - a Divine Dragon - killed him in single combat.

So Rhea in Dragon form is a fucking monster by all rights, it says more about Goetia that even in his incredibly weakened state he could still win in a fight against her. That being said, it's not a one blow and she's out scenario.

There has to be planning and intelligence involved.

In a straight up fight with zero preparation, Goetia could probably win against her but he'd be exhausted afterwards. Remember that he doesn't have his stupidly massive reserves of mana to call upon.

With enough time for planning, his odds are improved considerably but Rhea is still Rhea. It's one of those situations where the lore doesn't translate well into gameplay.

Anyway, rant over.

Omake: A motley band of clowns…led by another band of clowns.

"Which is why you have now been deputised!" Okita exclaimed as she pointed at the pale blue haired boy. Ashe blinked at her twice before he tilted his head in confusion.

"I-I have?"

"Yes." Okita nodded her head "Welcome to the Shinsengumi!" she paused, then looked him up and down "Actually you appear a little-blergh!?" She cut herself off, leaning to the side and then coughing out a wad of blood, much to the concern of the young man in front of her.

"O-oh my gosh!" Ashe exclaimed, rushing towards her "Are you alright?"

"M-me? I'm fine! Okita managed to splutter out in between coughs "This happens all the time!"

"That doesn't make it alright!" The boy shouted out in horror before he looked around "We should get you to a healer!"

Claude crossed his arms, staring across at the individuals before he looked to the seeming leader of them "So…I take it most of them are yours?"

"Hah?" The leader - a rather short girl in a uniform with a red cloak and long black hair - stared back at him, flicking her hat upwards and narrowing her red eyes "Are you saying that I'm somehow in command of them?"

"Well…" Claude gestured to the small creatures running around, all of whom currently looked like her.

Oda Nobunaga raised a hand to explain before she thinned her lips, looking down at the ground "Honestly, I ceased questioning it years ago. These things are starting to freak me out as well." she admitted, placing her hands on her hips "You know they started to form workers unions as well?"

Claude blinked "Unions?"

Nobu blinked at him "Ah, right you live in a feudal society, you have no idea what unions are…" she sighed "It can't be helped."

Claude shrugged "Don't think about it too hard, probably doesn't matter that much anyway." he turned around, then blinked once when he saw one of the strange creatures dressed like him go rushing pas the door.

He found himself utterly bewildered, even more so when someone clapped a hand on his shoulder.

Turning around, he saw Nobu giving him a look that just screamed 'I know your pain and it's going to get worse' which had Claude more than a little worried.

"So what have we got going on, Da Vinci?" Ritsuka asked as he walked into the classroom, then looked at Byleth "Are we allowed to use this, by the way?"

Byleth tilted her head "My classroom."

"Ah, fair enough then." Ritsuka nodded his head, then turned around "Anyway! Here is the B team!"

Da Vinci looked past Ritsuka at the group, the Master giving a strained smile as he did so. Eventually, the Rider released an amused sigh "Are they called the B team because they're-"

"Beasts, yes." Goetia nodded his head, walking past Ritsuka and giving the boy a scowl as he did so "Fujimaru Ritsuka is not as amusing as he believes he is."

"I'm hilarious, Aniki."

Goetia stumbled as he walked, then turned around and glared at Ritsuka "Don't call me that."

"Whatever you say, Aniki!"

Goetia narrowed his eyes before his lips curled into a victorious sneer "Whatever you say…otouto."

Ritsuka coughed violently, before he gave Goetia a glare "My…that's a nasty remark you have there. Aniki." the boy spoke with a twitching eye and a fake smile as he did so.

"Nonsense, Otouto." Goetia responded, mirroring the expression perfectly "I am merely appreciating the culture of my new…sibling."

"If you two are done?" Da Vinci rolled her eyes at the pair in amusement before gesturing to the board behind her "We do have something important to be doing."

"I couldn't agree more." Kiara nodded, stepping forwards and giving a gentle smile "Which is why I believe we should be in a more relaxed environment-"

She blinked when she found herself hit by a sudden sprinkle of water "What in the-" she winced when she was hit again, turning to see a young girl with white hair holding a spray bottle "What are you-" she got sprayed again "Stop that!"

"Keep up the good work, Lysithea." Goetia praised the young girl with a nod, Lysithea beamed in response before spraying Kiara again, much to the woman's irritation.

"Hey kid." Kama called out, floating over to her and extending a hand "Let me try that for a moment."

Ritsuka watched the display with bafflement "How did these people ever threaten humanity?"

"It says more about humanity that this band of fools could threaten them." Goetia remarked dryly before shaking his head "Now then, you had something you wished to discuss, Rider?" He posed the question to Da Vinci with a raised eyebrow.

"Ah, yes!" Da Vinci nodded her head "Using my clever brilliance and amazing wit, I have been able to determine the first location where the strange new Nobu's have been coming from!"

"That's great news, Da Vinci-chan!" Mash exclaimed with a pleased expression "Where?"

"Here."

"...I take it back." Goetia suddenly stated "How did this band of clowns ever win against the Beasts of Humanity?"

"Says more about the beasts that we won, doesn't it?" Ritsuka snarked back with a smirk aimed at Goetia.

"Shut up, Otouto."

"Make me, Aniki."

"Please don't try to kill each other before we can determine where in the monastery they are coming from." Da Vinci rolled her eyes "We're going to need all hands on deck. Trust me, these GudaGuda situations can get out of hand really quickly if we're not careful."

Goetia remained silent for a half second "...We're doomed."