AN: Since I cannot reply over PM, I will respond to a guest reviewer here: A Cyril X Rhea pairing is not something I can envision. The way I see it, their dynamic is one of hero worship with a sprinkle of surrogate family, at least from Cyril's perspective. The game never gives us Rhea's take on the matter.

To the other guest reviewer, of course, this has changed the situation, but the Agarthans lack intel. Byleth and Co will exploit that.

Chapter 11: Reclamation

Things were moving. We had upset the timeline badly and the ripples would be felt from now on. The predictability of future events had gone down drastically, but that was not necessarily a bad thing. I was not about to let us go down some sort of "fated" path, especially when details in the world had already shown that the game was not entirely accurate on certain matters. It was better to throw everything awry instead of following a guideline and then have all our plans undone by a single unexpected development.

We had seized the initiative with our interference as well, giving us ample opportunity to move critical assets in their correct places. The canon timelines would see the Church of Seiros lose the vast majority of its war potential in a single strike, which meant that canon could naff of and die for all I cared. On top of that, I had absolutely no intention of taking a trip to the Darkness of Zahras. That was another reason why Solon was now pushing up daisies.

Still, it would be folly to assume that no other Agarthan knew or could learn the spell. Preparations would have to be made.

Speaking of preparations, I was close to finalising my revised version of the Rite of Rising. It would still take months, maybe even a year, until it could actually be performed, but the planning stage was almost over and the operation would soon enter phase two: acquisition of assets.

There was one dampener to my mood, however. While Sothis would regain her body and power, she would leave Byleth's mindscape. I was going to miss her, quite a lot actually. I had grown fond of teasing and bantering with her and her hugs were amazing. Not that Byleth's weren't either whenever I forced the man into one, but it was not quite the same.

Due to these circumstances, I sought to make the most of my remaining time with my favourite dragon Goddess. This naturally involved one of our usual sessions of soul-searching. Inwardly cackling at the pun, I continued to put most of my focus on probing her soul for memories as gently as I could. Sothis had warned me that the ones she had been going through recently had become steadily more unpleasant.

As I goaded a new memory into opening up for Sothis, she gasped and shuddered. There was enormous emotional pain I could feel through the use of Psyche's… no, my power. There was anger, shame, disgust and so much more. I quickly soothed the pain as much as I could. The shudders persisted, but the feelings lost much of their impact.

Barely a few minutes later, Sothis opened her eyes. The vibrancy I had become so used to was absent in them. This concerned me greatly, naturally. Her gaze locked onto mine for a long moment and I could see that something was wrong in a big way.

In this moment, I was incredibly glad that my body had begun to slowly coalesce. There were now vague outlines of my arms I could use without much focus to prop my friend up from her lying position on the couch into a sitting one.

"Sothis, what's wrong?" I asked.

"I don't know if I can tell you," she answered.

I looked at he for a moment before wrapping my arms around her. "In that case," I began, "This will have to do. I'm here to listen if and when you want to talk about it, alright?"

She smiled weakly and looked at the ground. She thought for a long moment, sighing once or twice. Eventually, she leaned against me, but she was tense.

"I'm afraid," she said.

I stayed silent, but I did rub her shoulder to show that I was listening.

"I'm afraid of what the two of you will think of me once you know," she continued. "I told you I wasn't kind in my youth, but the things I did… I'm a monster, Hyperion. So many people were hurt because of me."

Sothis' voice had gradually decreased in volume, but I could still hear it well. I contemplated what she had said. Sothis had once been part of the Egyptian and Greek pantheons. That pretty much already guaranteed that she had done some very shady shit in her past. Plus, in East Asian mythology, the star Sirius was associated with destruction and calamity. However, from what I could observe, she was nothing like the monster she remembered being. That was why her next statement made me furious beyond belief.

"I… I deserve everything the Agarthans did to me."

Slap!

My hand had descended on her cheek with the intensity of an angry God, which I technically was at this point. Still, it was a very light slap and I made sure to hit with my fingers, not the ball of my hand. This was more about shock than about pain.

"Don't you fucking dare," I growled, "Don't you dare justify their disgusting acts towards you."

She looked at me with wide eyes, not quite believing what had happened. Heh, if she could slap m out of my funk, then I could slap her out of hers.

"Wha-"

I wrapped her up in a tight hug before she could respond properly. "Whatever you saw of your past," I began, "It was a memory of how you used to be, not what you have become. You might have been a monster once, but that is not who you are anymore. Who you are right now, is a confident and slightly condescending girl whose outraged pouting makes me cackle whenever I pat her on the head. You are the Goddess of Fodlan, whose followers and children know her to be kind and just. You are Byleth's and my friend. You are who you are, not who you were, damn it!"

A small smile spread on her face again. "Thank you," she said and returned my hug.

"You know," I said, "Part of returning your memories to you is figuring out what happened to make you want to become a better person. All you've seen so far are the bad things you did, not the good ones. You'll get to the happier parts eventually."

I directed my gaze towards the vast black expanse around us, still holding onto Sothis, and continued, "Besides, everyone has their own darkness, their own shame. I'm afraid too, you know? If you knew my deepest secrets, all the things I'm ashamed to have done, desired or thought of, would you still want to be my friend? Questions like those plague me almost constantly. Don't let these fears control you, and maybe we can both let go of them one day."

We stayed like this for quite some time. Minutes passed until half an hour was gone, but I did not consider that time of companionable silence wasted. The tenseness that I had observed earlier had left my friend and I was quite content with that.

A bit later, Sothis spoke up again, "So, shall we? There's still a lot to uncover."

She didn't quite sound energised, but her tone was certainly more upbeat than sad. I smiled, put a single hand on her head and made to pat it. "Glad you're back to normal," I said.

The odd mix between a pout and a smile on her face was as adorable as it was heart-warming. I laughed, put my second hand on her head and let the misty parts of my form envelop her again.

The days at the Officers Academy had been hectic for practically everyone. The battle on Monastery grounds had been the subject of rumours throughout the entirety of Byleth's stay so far. Over the last three weeks, he had been busy with not just teaching and training his students, but also with magical experimentation and research as well as overall strategy for the upcoming war.

Right now, Byleth was in his quarters, which doubled as his office, and reviewed his lesson plan. He had learned enough about his lead students to personalise their training. As he was putting the finishing touches on the new exercise routine for Ignatz, a knock on his door interrupted him.

"Professor?"

Going by the voice, that had to be Raphael. Byleth stood up and walked over to the door to open it.

He looked at his student and greeted him, "Hello, Raphael. Come in"

"Hi, Professor, and thanks," he answered.

Byleth motioned for Raphael to sit down on a small stool the former mercenary had brought into the room for this exact purpose while he sat down on his chair.

"What did you want to talk about?" asked the slightly older man.

"I'm not a very smart guy, Professor," began Raphael, "But what happened some time ago with those pale guys, that was bad, right?"

"Yes," answered Byleth.

"And is there going to a lot more bad stuff in the future too? Not just here, but everywhere?"

Byleth nodded.

"In that case," the musclebound teenager said, "Can you help me get my little sis here? I want her to be safe and this is the safest place I can think of."

The young Professor was genuinely surprised at first. Then, he thought about it. Knowing what he knew, Byleth could say that Garreg Mach was indeed the safest place in Fodlan right now, closely followed by Zanado.

"I will talk with the Archbishop about this," he said.

"Really? Thanks, Professor!" shouted Raphael.

Byleth shook his head. "There is no guarantee that she will agree, but your concerns are very much valid."

"Huh," the blond responded, "Thanks anyway, though. At least you're doing something."

With that, Raphael stood up and made to leave the room. As he crossed the doorway, he looked back and said, "We should definitely eat a meal together soon. There's nothing quite like bonding over good food."

Being on his own again, Byleth did his best to finish up quickly. His schedule was still quite full, even without the newly realised need of a talk with his grandmother. For example, the next item on the list was the long overdue magic/crest theory session with Hanneman.

On his way to the main building of the Monastery, he noticed a shadow trailing him. Identifying said shadow took a bit of time, but he figured out who it was eventually.

"Please, come out, Hubert. If you wish to know something, you only need to ask," said Byleth.

"You are rather perceptive, Professor. I can see why Lady Edelgard has taken an interest in you," the gaunt young man said.

Byleth turned to face Hubert fully and replied, "But she isn't even part of my class."

"That is immaterial," the younger of the two retorted, "You have saved her life and therefore piqued her interest. While I am grateful, I must advise you that it might become unhealthy for you to respond in kind."

The Professor remained silent for a few seconds and then said, "I think that it will be rather unhealthy for Edelgard if I didn't."

Hubert's gaze narrowed. "If you are threatening-"

"I am doing nothing of the sort," interrupted Byleth, "But she underwent the same line of experiments that Lysithea did, whose condition Professor Hanneman and Professor Manuela are researching with me. It is possible that Edelgard also shares some of the same side effects, such as a drastically reduced life span."

The dark-haired student froze. Stiffly, he responded, "Very well. It appears that I must let the situation develop as is, for now."

With that, he walked off.

Byleth stared after him. "That was weird," he thought at his headmates, "What is your opinion on this?"

There were a few seconds of silence before Sothis responded to him, "He seems rather dangerous."

"He is," piped in Hyperion, "But this has more to do with loyalty and probably also with shame rather than genuine malice."

"How so?" asked Byleth.

"He is fiercely loyal to Edelgard," began Hyperion, "He has been ever since his childhood. He takes pride in his family's history of loyalty, which is why he hates his father with a passion. As I understand it, he feels shame because, so far, he has failed to protect her from harm. I might add that this happened through no fault of his own and there was no lack of him trying to help her. For example, when Edelgard was taken to the kingdom, he pursued her for ten whole days before his father's soldiers finally caught him. He was a child at that time. Can you imagine that kind of dedication? It's admirable, I have to say."

"But why would that make him so aggressive towards Byleth?" asked Sothis.

Hyperion answered, "Because, as far as he knows, everyone except for himself who has taken an interest in Edelgard has hurt her either physically or emotionally, or plans to do so."

That made the young man pensive. It appeared that there was more work with the students ahead of him than he had thought. "I will have to look out for her," he commented.

"Do so, but remember that you're not the only one who can help. It takes a village to raise a child. Edelgard is certainly not a child, mind you, but the same principle applies," responded Hyperion.

"I agree, though she appears to be interested in you specifically, Byleth," remarked Sothis.

Not knowing how to respond, Byleth mentally shrugged and let the conversation drift away. By this point, he had reached the main building of the monastery, which mean that he would have had to terminate it anyway.

The trip up the stairs and to Hanneman's office barely took a minute from there. The older man quickly welcomed him in and then sealed the room. They were about to discuss very sensitive information and it would not do for anyone to listen in.

"I've been anticipating this for quite some time," said Hanneman when everything was ready. He sounded positively giddy.

In response, Byleth produced the notes he had written down with Hyperion and put them on Hanneman's desk. At the top of the stack of papers was one titled Crests and their Connection to the Major Arcana.

"I thought we would start with this since it is your primary field of research," commented Byleth.

Interested, Hanneman bade Byleth to sit down and did so himself to read the pages concerning that first topic.

All Crests are incarnations of the twenty-two Major Arcana (Arcana is the plural of arcanum, the word for mystery in the extinct language of Latin). The Major Arcana were first defined by Jean-Baptiste Pitois and used for divination by some members of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, a society of mystics that existed long before the Goddess' arrival in this world. They were not taken seriously at the time as they based their theory of the Arcana, Major and Minor, on a card game called tarot, tarok or tarocci, depending on the language, and because magic had not yet been accessible to the vast majority of humanity. The twenty-two trump cards of the game were each labelled as the names and representations of the Major Arcana.

Their magical significance in the fields of Crestology and spell modification is rooted in the meanings of the Arcana themselves. It is worthy of mention that, contrary to the cards, Crests make no distinction between the differing upright and reversed meanings of an Arcanum. A bearer may exhibit upright and reversed traits at the same time. What follows is a list of the Arcana, their corresponding Crests, their associated meanings and the impact they have on Crest bearers. Note that the latter is incomplete and subject to further observation.

Arcanum 0: The Fool. The corresponding Crest is the Crest of Ernest. It represents folly, mania, extravagance, intoxication, delirium, frenzy, bewrayment, new beginnings, innocence, negligence, absence, distribution, carelessness, apathy, nullity, vanity and a lack of risk aversion.

"The Crest of Ernest?!" exclaimed Hanneman, "I was not aware it even existed!"

Byleth nodded. "According to Hyperion, it is a lost Crest whose only known bearer is a local merchant named Anna," he said.

"Interesting," muttered Hanneman, "I will have to speak with her later."

The Crest's effect is to sometimes prevent counterattacks during combat. How exactly this is achieved is unclear as there is a distinct lack of data. There is also a lack of data on how it affects its bearers. Experiments with spell modification have not begun yet, but effect might vary wildly due to the Fool's unpredictable nature. Caution is advised.

Arcanum I: The Magician. The corresponding Crest is the Crest of Macuil. It represents manifestation, potential, resourcefulness, power, inspired action, manipulation, poor planning and untapped talents.

The Crest's effect is to increase the strength of magical attacks when it triggers. No data on bearers has appeared at this time. As with the Crest of Ernest, experimentation has not yet begun. It is, however, suspected that it makes the casting of magic easier.

Arcanum II: The High Priestess. The corresponding Crest is the Crest of Seiros. It represents sacred knowledge, secrets, the divine feminine, mystery, the future as yet unrevealed; the woman who interests the Querent, if male; the Querent herself, if female; silence, tenacity; mystery, wisdom, science, passion, moral or physical ardour, withdrawal, conceit and surface knowledge.

The Crest's effect is to sometimes increase the strength of specialised attacks using weapons. Bearers of this Crest are often secretive, be it for good or ill reasons. Sor far, there have been no experiments with spell modification.

Arcanum III: The Empress. The corresponding Crest is the Crest of Dominic. It represents fruitfulness, action, initiative, length of days, the unknown, clandestine, difficulty, doubt, ignorance, light, truth, the unravelling of involved matters, public rejoicings, vacillation and dependence on others.

The Crest's effect is to re-energise a magic user after they have cast an offensive spell. Bearers of this Crest have a tendency to be flighty or indecisive. No experiments have been conducted as of yet.

Arcanum IV: The Emperor. The corresponding Crest is the Crest of Fraldarius. It represents stability, power, protection, realization, a great person or father figure, aid, reason, conviction and also authority and will as well as benevolence, compassion, credit, confusion to enemies, obstruction and immaturity.

The Crest's effect is to increase its bearer's striking power when using a weapon. Its bearers often incorporate on or more traits of the Arcanum as is the case with practically all bearers of any sort of Crest. Experiments have shown that the Crest/Arcanum is effective at increasing the power and stability of defensive spells.

Arcanum V: The Hierophant. The corresponding Crest is the Crest of Noa. It represents marriage, alliance, captivity, servitude, conformity, tradition, mercy, goodness, inspiration, the person to whom the Querent has recourse, society, good understanding, concord, excessive kindness and weakness.

The Crest's effect is the same as that of the Crest of Dominic. The only currently known bearer exhibits a worryingly bipolar way of expressing the Arcanum's traits. There have been no experiments yet.

Arcanum VI: The Lovers. The corresponding Crest is the Crest of Cethleann. It represents attraction, love, beauty, trials overcome, harmony, failure, foolish designs, misalignment of values, marriage frustrated and contrarieties of all kinds.

The Crest's effect is to increase the effectiveness of restorative magic. Its bearers often show an inability to stay focussed on one topic. There have been no experiments yet.

Arcanum VII: The Chariot. The corresponding Crest is the Crest of Daphnel. It represents succour, providence, war, triumph, presumption, vengeance, trouble, riot, quarrel, dispute, litigation and defeat.

The Crest shares its effect with the Crest of Seiros. Its bearers are often exhibit great strength of will and/or stubbornness. Experiments have shown that it increases the power of offensive spells.

Arcanum VIII: Justice. The corresponding Crest is the Crest of Blaiddyd. It represents equity, rightness, probity, executive, triumph of the deserving side in law, law in all its departments, legal complications, bigotry, bias and excessive severity.

The effect of this Crest is to double the power of physical attacks. Its bearers tend to have an infatuation or even an obsession with justice. There have been no experiments yet.

Arcanum IX: The Hermit. The corresponding Crest is the Crest of Gloucester. It represents prudence, circumspection; also and especially treason, dissimulation, roguery, corruption, concealment, disguise, policy fear and unreasoned caution.

The Crest's effect is the same as that of the Crest of Macuil. Bearers show signs of almost all the Arcanum's meanings to varying degrees. Experiments have not yet taken place.

Arcanum X: Wheel of Fortune. The corresponding Crest is the Crest of Goneril. It represents destiny, fortune, success, elevation, luck, felicity, turning points, increase, abundance, overabundance and superfluity.

The Crest's effect is to prevent enemies from countering after a specialised attack has been performed against them. Bearers of this Crest often have good luck or are excessively successful in their endeavours. Experiments with the Nosferatu spell have proven that the Arcanum amplifies the spell's effects.

Arcanum XI: Strength. The corresponding Crest is the Crest of Cichol. It represents power, energy, action, courage, magnanimity, complete success and honours as well as despotism, abuse of power, weakness, discord, sometimes even disgrace.

The Crest shares its effect with that of the Crest of Goneril. Its bearers are often people of courage and strength who have either been born to power or risen to it, showing potential for the positive and negative aspects of such power. Experiments have shown increased effectiveness of the Nosferatu spell.

Arcanum XII: The Hanged Man. The corresponding Crest is the Crest of Aubin. It represents wisdom, circumspection, discernment, trials, sacrifice, intuition, divination, prophecy, selfishness, the crowd and the body politic.

The Crest's effect, as with some before, is to prevent counterattacks after the bearer's own attacks. Bearers of this Crest are shrewd and often work for a goal greater than themselves while not shying away from making sacrifices. There have been no experiments, but it is speculated that it increases the effectiveness of sacrificial rituals such as the Rite of Rising.

Arcanum XIII: Death. The corresponding Crest is the Crest of Gautier. It represents end, mortality, change, destruction, corruption; also, for a man, the loss of a benefactor; for a woman, many contrarieties; for a maid, failure of marriage projects, inertia, sleep, lethargy, petrifaction, sleepwalking and hope destroyed.

The Crest shares its effects with the Crests of Goneril and Cichol. Its bearers tend to be troubled individuals who bear little hope for their future prospects. There have been no experiments yet.

Arcanum XIV: Temperance. The corresponding Crest is the Crest of Indech. It represents economy, moderation, frugality, management, accommodation, things connected with churches, religions, sects, the priesthood, sometimes even the priest who will marry the Querent, disunion, unfortunate combinations and competing interests.

The Crest's effect is to double an attack executed with a weapon. Bearers are often socially awkward or uncomfortable with crowds and have interests that are not quite the social norm. There have been no experiments so far.

Arcanum XV: The Devil. The corresponding Crest is the Crest of Maurice, sometimes also called the Crest of the Beast. It represents ravage, violence, vehemence, extraordinary efforts, force, bondage, sexuality, fatality, that which is predestined but is not for this reason evil, evil fatality, weakness, freedom from restrictive and unwanted bondage, pettiness and blindness.

Like others before, this Crest increases the power of attacks performed with weapons. Bearers of this Crest often succumb to a curse that forces them to transform into demonic beasts, and either exhibit signs of cruelty, of fear or of self-loathing. For this reason, it is of supreme importance that such individuals are cared for and able to develop the more benign features of the Arcanum. Some bearers may also develop a vague understanding of certain animals' "speech." There have not been any experiments yet.

Arcanum XVI: The Tower. The corresponding Crest is the Crest of Charon. It represents danger, crisis, sudden change, destruction, higher learning, liberation, misery, distress, indigence, adversity, calamity, disgrace, deception, ruin, especially unforeseen catastrophe, negligence, absence, distribution, carelessness, apathy, nullity and vanity.

Once more a repeating effect, this Crest amplifies the power of specialised weapon attacks. Bearers of this Crest have often experienced disgrace or upheaval in their lives, sometimes having been subject to enormous amounts of suffering. For reasons unknown, it also often rains around them, especially if two or more bearers are in close proximity. Experiments have shown massive increase in the effectiveness of the Nosferatu spell. WARNING: Exercise extreme caution when testing as the side effects can be harmful or even lethal to the caster.

Arcanum XVII: The Star. The corresponding Crest is the Crest of Timotheos. It represents loss, theft, privation, abandonment, hope, bright prospects, arrogance, haughtiness and impotence.

This Crest has the effect of re-energising its bearer after they have cast restorative magic. Bearers, for reasons unknown, exhibit beast-tamer abilities on top of the usual impact of the Arcanum. There have been no experiments yet.

Arcanum XVIII: The Moon. The corresponding Crest is the Crest of Riegan. It represents hidden enemies, danger, calumny, darkness, terror, deception, occult forces, error, instability, inconstancy, silence and lesser degrees of deception and error.

The Crest's effect is to restore the bearer's health after wounding an enemy with specialised attacks. Bearers of this Crest often live a life of secrets and intrigue. No experiments have been conducted yet.

Arcanum XIX: The Sun. The corresponding Crest is the Crest of Chevalier. It represents happiness and contentment, vitality, self-confidence, positivity, success and overconfidence.

This Crest shares its effect with the Crest of Riegan. Bearers of this Crest are often supremely confident and very content with their lives. Experiments have shown that healing spells are greatly enhanced by this Arcanum/Crest.

Arcanum XX: Judgement. The corresponding Crest is the Crest of Lamine. It represents judgement, rebirth, second chances, inner calling, absolution, karma, causality, self-doubt, the inner critic and ignoring the call to action.

This Crest's effect is the same as that of the Crest of Timotheos. Bearers of this Crest often follow a calling in their life with great dedication. Experiments have not been conducted yet.

Arcanum XXI: The World. The corresponding Crest is the Crest of Flames. It represents assured success, recompense, voyage, route, emigration, flight, change of place, inertia, fixity, stagnation and permanence.

This Crest has the ability to steal part of an enemy's vitality after they have been wounded, the ability of increasing the power of magical and physical attacks as well as the ability of stopping counterattacks. Its bearers have immense charisma and have a tendency to change the world whenever they appear. There have been no experiments with this Crest yet for fear of collateral damage.

"This is incredible!" said Hanneman. Indeed, these discoveries were momentous and required a lot of testing, never mind the section about magic in general he had yet to read. However, he was not a man who would forget the less joyous reasons for his studies of this information. "With this, I am sure we can develop a solution for Lysithea and Edelgard in a much timelier manner than before."

Byleth agreed. "That was what I was hoping for," he said.

Hanneman smiled. "Now then," he began as he moved to what remained of the stack of papers, "There is still a lot to go over. Let us uncover the mysteries of magic."

31st day of the Harpstring Moon 1180. Zanado.

It was finally time for the Golden Deer to complete their first mission. Travel time had been pretty short as Zanado was very close to Garreg Mach. They had only needed to march for four days on the old Oghma mountain road to reach it without needing Warp or Rescue spells. Nobody had used it in over a thousand years, but it was still in moderately good condition.

While Jeralt's mercenaries were absent, there was also an unusually large number of knights that accompanied the students on this mission. They had many wagons in their train, all of which seemed full to the point of almost bursting. There were also people without weapons or armour, but they carried tools of all kinds with them. Workers, then, but what was their purpose? Claude was curious.

"Teach, any idea what the knights are up to?" he asked.

Byleth replied immediately, "Classified until you have clearance."

Not expecting that kind of answer, the tanned youth took a second before he spoke again, "So, what you're saying is that I will get clearance at some point?"

"Of course," was the immediate answer. It almost sounded like Byleth was affronted. He continued, "Just as soon as you have learned about OpSec and SOP for intel acquisition/retention."

"Op-what now?" asked Claude, bewildered.

"OpSec is short for Operational Security and SOP stands for Standard Operational Procedure," responded Byleth.

Claude thought for a moment. "So, you'll tell me as soon as you've taught me how to keep my mouth shut?"

"Correct."

That was smart, the House Leader of the Golden Deer mused. That made him curious, however. Why had the Professors and the Archbishop revealed so much information? It didn't make any sense. That was, unless it was meant to be a distraction.

Looking at it from that perspective made a lot more sense. If he and the other students were too busy looking at the information they had received, they wouldn't pay attention to what was being done with the information. Shrewd. He liked it.

While he would have liked to continue his ponderings, Claude was pulled out of his thoughts by his teacher's voice. "We're nearly there. Everyone, get combat ready. Put on your gear and get your weapons ready."

"Nearly there? But we're at least two miles away from where we're supposed to be and that armour is heavy!" shouted Hilda.

Armour was something Byleth had insisted all of them wear, borrowing it all from the Monastery's arsenal. It wasn't necessarily heavy armour for everyone, especially not for Lysithea, but he had made sure that everyone had some form of protection.

"Can anyone answer Hilda's question?" Byleth asked instead of answering himself.

"It's about getting ready in time," said Leonie, "We're far enough away that we can react in time to an attack."

Byleth nodded. "Excellent answer."

Hilda grumbled for a bit, but there was no further protest as the whole class geared up for the fight. Lysithea and Ignatz, being the physically weakest of the class, put on bare gambesons while Claude, Marianne and Lorenz wore chainmail on top of theirs, and everyone else received brigandines to put over their gambesons. While not quite as protective as full plate, brigandines were just a tad lighter and, more importantly, could be put on in very little time by the wearer alone. Byleth merely summoned his helmet as he was already wearing a brigandine and protective gauntlets.

Finding them all armour that fit had been a chore and a half for Byleth, but for the safety of his charges, that was a tiny sacrifice. After all, he had an oath to fulfil. None of his students would die or get crippled on his watch.

When everyone was finally ready, Byleth spoke up again, "We will now head into the combat zone. I estimate that most of you will kill for the first time today."

He could see Marianne cringe slightly. Some of the other looked queasy too.

"What the means," continued the professor, "Is that you might freeze or go into shock. I want everyone to pay attention to each other. When one of you freezes up, cover them."

Byleth then made every effort to try and soften his expression before he resumed his speech, "Even f you are not affected immediately, I guarantee that it will affect you at some point. It could be right after the fight, tomorrow or even weeks from now. Come to me or to Professor Manuela if you have trouble dealing with what is going to happen today."

He then adopted a sharp look again. "That said, steel your nerves and stay on your toes. Let's move."

With that, the Golden Deer stepped into the outskirts of the ruined city, where the bandits they were to eliminate had taken up residence. Right in front of them was a big bridge that connected to a small plateau. On said plateau, a handful of bandits could be spotted.

One of these bandits seemed to have spotted them in turn, at which point he began shouting. Byleth was displeased.

"Quick, double-4, we're crossing!" he ordered.

His students quickly ran to enter the formation. It was not the standard team formation Byleth was used to since it required five people. As a consequence, Byleth had been forced to resort to either a 4-3-1 or a 4-4 pattern initially. For tactical flexibility, a separation in two teams of four was usually better, however. The double-4 formation was devised for tight quarters with little leeway to the side. It was, as the name implied, a doubled 4-people team formation. The difference between it and the 4-4 formation was that it was deep rather than wide. In such cases, Byleth opted to take point and be the ninth part of the formation.

It was in this way that the class charged across the bridge, Byleth and Raphael at the front, followed by Ignatz, Lorenz and Claude. Behind them were Leonie and Hilda, who covered for Lysithea and Marianne. After all, the Golden Deer students had been taught that any kind of medical personnel was both a priority target and a critical asset in and after any battle.

More than halfway across the bridge, the bandits met them. It was a smart move, as the bandits were outnumbered and had to rely on the bridge to prevent being outflanked. Not that I helped them, as Byleth and Raphael crashed into them. While the former gracefully parried his opponent's strike and retaliated with a fast counter to the jugular, Raphael intercepted the sword aimed at him with the side of his gauntlet and let the pressure push his arm against his chest to soften the blow. The musclebound youth's other gauntlet-covered fist rose up and he punched "his" bandit in the stomach with it, causing the spikes of the weapon to pierce skin and flesh. The scream that followed was silenced when Raphael's follow-up strikes to the chest and the throat put an end to the criminal's life.

Confronted with a death he had caused, Raphael was caught in a state between horrified and mesmerised. He had seen dead people before, obviously. Most recently, that had been during the big fight in the Monastery, but killing someone felt different. While he had been doing it, it had felt easy, but now there was a knot in his stomach.

The distraction nearly cost him as he only barely managed to move out of the way of an arrow aimed at his throat. It hit him in the shoulder instead, knocking him slightly off balance. Another arrow flew past him, though this time from behind. Ignatz apparently had his head in the game.

The rest of the class had not been idle either. Lorenz had quickly moved up to cover the gap after Ignatz' shot and prevented an axe-wielding bandit from attacking the still sluggish form of Raphael. Claude took advantage of this by shooting an arrow at the same bandit, gravely wounding her thigh.

Predictable, he thought, Why do so many women think they don't have to protect their groin?

Lorenz quickly finished the woman off, taking her death not as hard as he had feared, and moved to support his teacher's assault on the last two bandits. Raphael, who had broken out of his stupor, and Ignatz followed him, giving the rest of the class the opportunity to move up.

Leonie wasted no time pushing forward. Neither did Hilda, though she cared less about fighting and more about covering Marianne and Lysithea, who were advancing as well. They arrived just in time to get a front-row seat of their Professor disarming one of the bandits in the literal sense. Not missing a beat, Leonie helped pounce on the last remaining opponent, who was quickly outmatched by the combined might of the Golden Deer House.

Byleth took an assessing look of their surroundings before addressing his students. "Good job, everyone," he said, "But we're not finished. Marianne, please check everyone for wounds or bruises. Then, I want everyone to drink a mouthful of water and take a minute to breathe."

Taking his advice, the students were quick to use their hip flasks for a quick drink. Only a minute or two later, they were ready to continue, however. Byleth noticed as well and gave new orders.

"There are two bridges ahead, one northward, one westward," he began, "Claude, I want you to take Raphael, Hilda, Marianne and Ignatz over the western bridge. Use 3-2 formation. Advance steadily, but be cautious. The enemy could decide to focus on you." Turning to his other students, Byleth continued, "Lorenz, you and I will take point over the northern bridge. Leonie, you and Lysithea will come up behind us. Blast any enemy in range. We have to make up with aggression what our other team has in numbers because we want the enemy's focus on us. We are the anvil to the hammer that is Claude's team."

The students were quick to follow his orders and split up accordingly. Byleth idly noticed that the Knights of Seiros had begun surging onto the plateau, effectively cutting off any retreat for the bandits.

Concentrating on the front now, Byleth advanced as fast as Lysithea's constitution allowed safely- There was no point in trying to be aggressive if his fighters were disabled before the fight could even begin. The important thing was that they were advancing faster than Claude's team.

Just as they passed the bridge, they engaged a group of bandits that had been waiting for them. Unlike the first group from before, these ones were not surprised and put up a much better resistance as a consequence.

Stopping for better aim, Lysithea and Leonie immediately let loose. A Miasma spell impacted the chest of a bandit at the front, setting him up for a kill by Lorenz, who thrust his lance into the man's belly. Leonie's arrow found its way into the off-arm of another bandit, whom Byleth grabbed and threw at one of the others. He moved in time to deflect a strike from the fourth bandit, but he found himself unable to retaliate as an arrow whizzed past him. Apparently, the enemy group had had the numerical advantage before Lorenz and Lysithea's combined kill.

After only a split-second's thought, Byleth changed his approach to the situation as he thrust out his off-hand, punching his most recent opponent in the face. This gave Lorenz the opportunity to take over and keep the bandit busy. Lysithea had cast another Miasma spell in the meantime, aimed at one of the bandits who was just getting up from where they had landed. It hit her in the head, killing her immediately.

While Leonie was keeping the enemy archer busy with arrows, one of which eventually did hit, Byleth quickly moved against the last living close combat fighter of the bandit group. The man had just got up from the ground, which meant that his footwork was quite shoddy, and the young Professor exploited this weakness mercilessly. Stomping on the bandit's foot, he caused his adversary to seize up. This distraction proved to be the bandit's undoing as it gave Byleth the opportunity to quickly thrust his sword into the man's unprotected neck.

After this, he turned back to his undersized team and saw with satisfaction that Lorenz had managed to deliver another killing blow, which would have left only the archer if it hadn't been for the reinforcements.

Two White Magic users and an axeman had shown up, complicating matters. The magicians moved quickly to heal the archer, negating some of the progress Byleth's team had made. Another problem was right around the corner, too.

"I'm out of arrows!" shouted Leonie.

Fortunately, there was a back-up plan for this. The Professor gave new orders accordingly, "Leonie, take Lorenz' lance! Lorenz, switch to the backrow and start using magic!"

Realising that things were quickly starting to fall apart, the bandits wisely started retreating towards the small building that seemed to be their base. The Golden Deer team was hot on their heels though.

It did not take long for Byleth to notice that his plan was working. He could spot Claude's team driving back two badly wounded bandits, who were fleeing in the direction of the small building as well. Their job was nearly done, it seemed.

When the two teams linked up, Byleth already had new orders for everyone, "Surround the building, but stay in groups of two. We're going in as soon as everyone's ready."

Barely a minute later, the students and their Professor were all in position. Byleth gave the signal and led the charge, Ward spell in hand. His sudden entrance caused the surviving bandits to focus on him, expecting the rest of their attackers to follow behind him. Such thoughts were quickly dashed as the Golden Deer students rushed into the building, quickly engaging the bandits.

The one to finally take on Kostas, the bandit leader, was Hilda. Contrary to her usual complaints, she made a good showing by keeping up with the experienced fighter in front of her. Unfortunately for her, however, he got the better of her and hit her arm with the blade of his axe. It was not a perfect hit, but she still screamed as the axe broke her arm, making her drop her own.

Kostas immediately started transferring momentum for the follow-up attack. Byleth, who had just dispatched one of the White Magic users, saw this and was ready to use Divine Pulse, when someone else intervened.

"RRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

To the shock of everyone present, an animalistic roar spilled forth from Marianne's throat. The bolt of White Magic that shot out of the magic circle in front of her accompanied it. The Nosferatu spell impacted Kostas mid-swing with the force of an angry bear, knocking him over.

The blue-haired girl was not finished, however. She launched herself at the bandit leader, pinning his arms to the floor with her knees and proceeded to smash her fists into his face while roaring and growling like a wild beast. Fifteen seconds in, Kostas had stopped moving.

"Holy fucking shit," Hyperion said from within Byleth's head, "I knew she had a spine, but this is more than I was expecting."

The clattering of iron on the ground brought everyone's attention from the disturbing display back to the two bandits who had survived so far.

"W-we surrender," one of the stammered out as they dropped on their knees.

"Claude, take your classmates and secure the prisoners. I'll take care of Marianne and Hilda," said Byleth.

Claude nodded and quickly vacated the building with the majority of the class in tow, in spite of his curiosity. Byleth was glad for that. It gave him and the two remaining students some privacy, but first things first.

The young Professor made sure to first check up on Hilda, who was caught between groaning in pain and looking at Marianne with awe. Her gambeson's sleeve was damaged from the axe that had bitten into it, but it was not in tatters. That made it easier to loosen it and pull it back so he could inspect her arm. A quick Heal spell boosted with the Sun Arcanum later and the arm was as good as new, if only a bit tender.

With that taken care of, Byleth turned his attention to Marianne. She was panting, but the feral look in her eyes was fading and she was slowly starting to realise what she had done. Her breath hitched as she stared at her blood-covered hands and the smashed face of Kostas. She was shaking. It appeared she was going into shock.

"Marianne," he said.

The girl turned her head in his direction, but she remained silent. He approached her and knelt down next to her. He put a hand on her shoulder and looked her in the eyes.

"Let's get you out of here and clean up. We'll talk later," he said, "I'm sure Hilda will help you get the stains out."

"Of course, Professor," the pink-haired girl said, "She saved my life. The least I can do is help her clean up."

Byleth nodded and stood up before he helped his two female students get up as well. They then headed towards the central plateau, where the Knights of Seiros were busy establishing a camp. There, they parted ways after he had instructed them to eat a little and get some rest.

The former mercenary made his way to the centre of the camp, where a Knight Commander was busy organising things. He stopped in front of the man and waited for him to finish his conversation while inspecting him.

The man had black hair and green eyes, was rather tall but not abnormally so and seemed fairly muscled. From appearance alone, he seemed to be in his mid-thirties. It made him look both impressive and almost forgettable at the same time. Byleth was almost sure that this was deliberate.

Rhea had mentioned that this man was a former Bishop, one of her inner circle of trusted people. He had retired from that position when his continued survival would have seemed suspicious. He could be trusted, according to her.

"Professor," he intoned.

"Knight Commander," was Byleth's response.

"You and your students did a good job clearing out the bandits," the older man began, "There's practically no damage to the ruins from your battle. That will make our job much easier."

"Thank you for the compliment," said Byleth.

The Knight Commander was silent for a moment before he began speaking again, "Now then, everything seems to be in order, mission wise. You're free to leave as soon as we've set up the Warp stations."

Trying his hand at humour, Byleth replied with, "So eager to get us out of your hair?"

A small grin stretched across the Knight Commander's face. "Ha! Good one, but kind of, yes. The kids aren't cleared to be told of our mission yet and I want to begin as soon as possible."

"I understand," said Byleth, "I will make preparations in that case."

With that, the young professor walked away, leaving behind the Knight Commander. The man gazed at the ruins all around him and then looked skyward.

"The Holy City. What a time to be alive."

AN: Hoo boy, that was a toughie to get done.

My apologies for the overdue chapter, but the last month has been very busy and I didn't have the energy to write a lot. This chapter is actually a bit of a rush job like the last one. I'm not quite satisfied with the segment featuring Raphael and Hubert, but my muse was kind of silent there. I hope it's passable regardless.

An error that was pointed out to me last chapter by a reviewer was one where I confused Cornelia with Cordelia. The confusion stems from The Leicester Alliance, actually. Its major noble Houses are one big reference to King Lear, wherein one of the main characters is named Cordelia.

There is also the info-dump on the Major Arcana, which might not suit everyone's tastes, but I thought it appropriate to give everyone an overview on how Crests and the Arcana are related.

This time's story recommendation is The Catalyst For Revenge by Jade Tatsu. It is a Mass Effect story that takes things into a decidedly different direction. Humanity may have surrendered to the Reapers, but there are other ways to victory than brute force.

Alas, this is it for today. I will hopefully be able to update regularly again next time. Once again, a big thank you to all reviewers and see you in three weeks!