Chapter 56: Eruptions of Conflict

Parallel Fodlan, deep reaches of Shambhala.

Epimenides fumed. Centuries, no, millennia of work ruined! That damnable, traitorous pair of his former subordinates and their friend, the Fell Star, and that strange man who walked beside her had nearly eradicated his life's work. It had begun over fifteen years ago, when those traitors had destroyed all his vessels bar one and ran with the child. Then she had had the gall to suppress his puppet's awakening, nearly dooming him to the death he had worked so hard to avoid. In a stroke of luck, that binding had nearly broken thanks to the child's proximity to the Fell Star, but then that man had forcefully separated him from his newest vessel. Only his foresight had saved him, allowing him to flee with a year's worth of stolen life force. To say that he was outraged was barely even the beginning.

To add insult to injury, the construction of new soul parasites was both laborious and time-consuming. It would take months to create even one, and he would be running the risk of running out of life force to sustain himself before then. The work would have to be quick despite the delicacy of the task. But before he would even be able to start with the process, he had to destroy the Fell Star. He really did not enjoy having so many issues.

With a growl of fury, he rose from his current position on the ground. His quarters in Shambhala had been empty for over a decade now, and it showed in the lack of furniture. He would have words with Thales about it once he got around to it. Now was not the time for it, however.

He opened the door of his quarters and stepped out, setting foot on the streets of Shambhala again.

An elderly guard who had been posted there took notice of him immediately and bowed deeply. "Lord Epimenides. I am overjoyed to see you again. We thought you lost in the traitor's attack many years ago," he said.

Epimenides acknowledged the man and replied, "I nearly was. My return was unexpected, even to myself, but returned I have. The how and why are… complicated. The Sages will have to be summoned to discuss this. Tell the generals to prepare their troops as well. The Fell Star has returned, and it must be destroyed before it can amass its power once again."

"At once, my Lord!" said the guard and ran off.

When he was out of sight, Epimenides scowled. "Even if it costs me my life, I will destroy you, Fell Star!" he growled.

En route to Garreg Mach.

"Give me one good reason not to cut you down," said Shez with a growl, brandishing his sword.

He had just recovered from having the soul parasite removed from him. For some unfathomable reason, he was upset about this.

"We've just saved you from a body snatcher," I told him.

That only seemed to enrage the young mercenary more. "Arval was my friend!"

"I'm not denying that," I said, "But Arval was a soulless husk for Epimenides. Your friend was an unwitting puppet for an evil creature. Believe me, I'm incensed at these circumstances as well."

"You shouldn't have killed Arval," reiterated Shez.

I sighed in frustration. "First, off, a person without soul is technically not really alive to begin with. Second, it wasn't me who ended him but Epimenides. The fucker simply took over, and in time, he would have attempted the same with you. Third – and this is another good reason for you not to try to attack me – you're surrounded by people who are at least tangentially aware of who Epimenides is, and if they think you're a collaborator of his, they won't hesitate to put you in the ground. So, for the love of all that is holy, calm the fuck down!"

Only then did Shez take notice that Sothis, Byleth, Rhea and Seteth observed him a bit too keenly for comfort. It looked like he realised that he would be in trouble if he did not get a hold of his temper and think things through.

"Indeed," said Rhea, "Epimenides is a hated figure to all who know him. You would do well not to be in his corner."

Shez, seeing that he was both outnumbered and outmatched, stood down and sheathed his sword. He was none too pleased by the looks of it, but at least he was not willing to let the situation escalate.

"I want answers," he said.

Sothis spoke up, "Wonderful. That is what we would like as well. Maybe we can help each other."

That made him frown. "Huh? What knowledge do I have that you'd want?"

"Your origins, for one," I said. "Once we know where you grew up and how, we'll have more information available that will make answering your own questions easier."

"Fine," grumbled Shez. He took a moment to collect himself before he launched into his tale. "My mom never said much about my actual parents, but she made sure I know that she hadn't given birth to me. I don't know much more about where I came from though. When Berling's mercenaries came by and I showed interest in joining, she let me go without much fanfare."

Sothis frowned thoughtfully before she asked, "Could you describe her?"

Surprised by that question, Shez answered, "About average height, really pale skin and pale hair. She usually covered herself up a lot when she went out of the house."

"Well, that confirms what we thought about her," said Sothis.

"And what would that be?" he asked back.

I took up the word there. "Well, it's nothing ground-breaking or new. It confirms that she is most likely an Agarthan. With what you've told us, we can also assume that she ran away from Shambhala with you, so her own people might be on the hunt for her. If you care about her, never tell anyone where you grew up."

He stiffened upon hearing that. "What?"

"Shambhala is the last remaining city of the Nation of Agartha," I said by way of explanation. "Their leadership consists of an organisation stupidly calling themselves 'Those Who Slither In The Dark.' The inanity of that epithet aside, they're a totalitarian regime. Epimenides is a member of their top-brass, so his vessel would never have been left unsupervised. The only way your mother could have raised you without their interference would have been through treason. And let me tell you something: Totalitarian regimes don't take kindly to that."

Shez shook his head and retorted, "There are holes in that story. Everyone back in my village always said that I was born there. My parents showed up with my mom one day, and I was born only a few months afterwards. Besides, Mom is… well, I said she let me go with Berling, but she actually died some time before then."

I hummed. "My condolences, though that information gives us new insight. If what you say is true, then I believe that your parents and the woman who raised you collaborated in their escape while your mother was pregnant with you. Yes, it makes sense now."

"Huh? What makes sense? Speak plainly!" he demanded.

"What my love is trying to say," began Sothis, "Is that we now have a concrete idea how Epimenides accomplishes his body-snatching."

Shez growled in frustration. "This again! Are you finally going to tell me what you mean with that? I want to know what you're talking about. And how does Arval factor into this?"

I answered, "Let's begin with the basics. Did you understand what I previously said about Dark Shells?"

He nodded.

I continued, "The soul parasite attached to you would have allowed Epimenides to take over your body. However, such an act requires attunement. For a soul to be attuned to another by force requires a lack of consciousness on the victim's part. Given the information we now have thanks to you, we can assume that the soul parasite was thus implanted in you while you were in your mother's womb. Arval was simply the manifestation of that parasite; a construct formed by the contact of your and Epimenides' souls."

"Sounds like bullshit," said Shez.

That made me laugh. "I know it does," I admitted, "But that doesn't make it untrue. Does that answer your questions?"

He paused for a moment. "Mostly," he said eventually. "I'm not sure I believe you though."

I shrugged and said, "That is your choice. Do with it what you wish."

Shez scowled when he heard that. "No arguments to convince me?"

"Not really," I answered. "Delivering proof of the metaphysical is difficult at the best of times. You'll either believe me or you won't. If you do, good: if you don't, you can't do anything."

"Don't take me lightly!" said Shez with a growl.

I shook my head and said, "That was not a dismissal of your skill. Your skill with weapons surpasses mine. In terms of power, however, I'm leagues ahead of you. You also don't have political or financial capital. Ergo, you can't do anything. That's not an insult or a deliberate provocation; it's a fact."

Predictably, this made Shez even angrier. It did not change the fact that I was correct, however. Sadly, that did also not mean that he conceded.

"I don't trust you. You killed me friend and you haven't given me a good explanation for why," he said with venom in his voice.

Sothis cut in at this point. "You received an explanation. You simply chose to dismiss it. Speak with Kronya, the Agarthan woman we captured, if you want to know how insidious Agarthan soul magic is. If you have nothing but vitriol left for us, you might as well leave now, before we come to blows."

It looked like she was angry. She disliked hearing people talk in circles. Sure, she tolerated it from me, but her patience tended to wear thin even when I did it. With others, it was quite a bit worse.

Shez clearly noticed her foul mood. Fuming, the purple-haired young man left. We and the audience, who had so far been silent, watched him go.

"I shall have him put under observation," said Rhea.

"That is probably wise," said Sothis.

"It still leaves us the question of what we should do in response to today's events," added Seteth.

That was a fair point. Be it this world or our home; Seteth would always be the level-headed one.

Deciding to join that club, I said, "Let's think of a few things and make an assessment once we're at Garreg Mach. It wouldn't do to make plans only to have to revise them because some nobles got their knickers in a twist and decided to start a revolt or something while we were away."

Sothis snorted. "It won't hurt to make plans now, my love. The continent will hardly collapse before we reach the Monastery."

Garreg Mach, audience Chamber.

As it turned out, the continent had pretty much started collapsing by the time we reached Garreg Mach. Rhea had bidden us both to discuss the issue. Alas, it was probably not going how she thought it would.

"I'm of a mind to just deal with this myself, collateral damage be damned," growled Sothis in frustration.

I kind of agreed with her. We were presented with a unique case suspiciously well-timed chaos. Prince-Regent Rufus in the Kingdom was rising in rebellion. Meanwhile, Edelgard had decided that now was the time to crush the position of Duke Aegir and "Lord Arundel" in Enbarr. And the cherry on top was an Almyran invasion taking place at the same time. These issues all conveniently distracted from the central issue at heart: The Agarthans.

In addition, these events were one further indication that this timeline differed significantly from our own. Nobles had different names, different ranks, different territories and, in the case of Counts Hevring and Bergliez, different loyalties. I assumed it was this factor that had both fuelled Edelgard's resolve to purge her internal opposition and Rufus' sudden attempt at usurpation. International politics were clearly also different, especially concerning Sreng and Almyra from what we had surmised. The ongoing invasion was clear evidence for that. Things were definitely moving in unexpected directions.

These developments had drawn Sothis' ire. She did not like complications to our admittedly rudimentary plans of fulfilling our mission in a timely manner. I was not far behind here there.

"Well, I approve," I said, "Here's the deal. Jeralt and Byleth head to the Alliance since that's the only engagement that doesn't have anything to do with the Agarthans. The Church can go help out Edelgard as she requested. That leaves Shez to go with Dimitri to solve that little succession crisis. And while this sideshow is being resolved, you and I are going to head to Shambhala and pay its denizens a little visit."

"That is a reckless plan!" said Rhea aghast. "Heading there without support is-"

Sothis stopped her by holding up her hand. "I dealt with several Agarthan fortress cities by myself once. Hyperion is more than sufficient as support."

I added, "Besides, dealing with Epimenides is the whole reason we're even here. Taking down Shambhala is just a bonus that expedites the whole process. Also, whoever said we wouldn't prepare? There is plenty of stuff for us to do before we march on Shambhala. We'll need at least a week to get it all done."

Now Rhea was curious. "What kind of… 'stuff' are you talking about?" She asked.

I began to list things off, "Well, there's taking apart one of those tomes and analysing it so we can recreate them back home. I'll also have to finish teaching your mother how to make use of her powers without taking over Byleth's body in the process. After that, I'll need to do some alchemy to give the Agarthans a small surprise for when we show up in Shambhala. Additionally, I also promised by beloved to go dancing with her in the Grand Cathedral."

Sothis smiled at that last item on the list. She wrapped an arm around me and gave me a kiss.

"How kind of you to think of me like that," she said. "Your technique could still use some improvement, and this is the perfect opportunity to practice."

Rhea simply looked at us in disbelief. "Is there really time for such frivolous activities?" she asked.

Sothis looked affronted. "Frivolous? I assure you; dancing is serious business in our family!" Her demeanour calmed noticeably as she added, "Jokes aside, we will be staying several days in any case. Using the evenings for song and dance is not frivolous at all. It is much-needed relaxation. I will also not let anyone interfere in my bonding time with Hyperion. I will not put my personal life on hold for duty; not again."

"People will die because of this, yes," I added, "But I doubt the Agarthans will be able to mobilise and attack within a mere week from now. And if they do, we'll smash their armies personally and then continue with our preparations."

"That sounds very outlandish," said Rhea with a frown.

Sothis shook her head and said, "Nemesis could cleave mountains in half with the Sword of the Creator, a corrupted divine artifact which actively resisted his efforts to wield it. What do you think two fully powered Gods can accomplish?"

Rhea stayed silent as she digested that statement. Not that there was anything more to say. It as the truth.

"Well, with that awkward silence established, I think it's best if the two of us left now. Byleth is due to leave tomorrow, and I need to get your mother to learn what she needs not to become a body-snatcher herself. None of us want that outcome," I told Rhea.

We left her in stunned silence and departed the room.

"That was far more direct than back home," commented Sothis.

I inclined my head. "Well, that's true. This Rhea isn't your daughter, and this world isn't ours, so I don't feel particularly inclined to hold back. We don't have time to waste on politics and polite words in a foreign place while your family back home are in a war."

"Our family," corrected Sothis, "But I suppose you are right. Still, we shouldn't leave this world a burning wreck while we are accomplishing our goals."

I smiled at her. "You won't find me disagreeing to that. I remember just as well as you do that this is a test of our character. While rudeness for the sake of expedience is tolerable, callous disregard of innocent lives is not. It's why we're teaching your counterpart here the things we do."

She smiled back at me. It appeared that she was satisfied with my response. "Good. I'm glad we're on the same page there, as the saying goes."

My arm snaked around her form as I pulled her closer. She mirrored that movement. Such casual displays of affection had become commonplace for us, and I loved it. It made going through the day easier for me. Sothis felt the same, I knew.

After some time enkoying the companiable silence as we walked, I snarked, "Now then, let's go teach a ghost how to haunt the world."

Sothis snorted and hit my shoulder playfully. "She's not a ghost. But yes, let us do so."

Later. Byleth's mindscape

The local Sothis laid on her back and reflected on her day. Her life, such as it was, had taken a turn for the strange. Being awakened in as strange a manner as she had been had made her want to go back to sleep. Yet she was awake, and she knew that she could not rest. There were new things to learn and family to protect. Indeed, since her awakening, all her days had been filled with learning and preparation.

Her other self and that other self's significant other had just left this place. They had taught her methods of using her powers she had not thought of devising. With their help, there were furnishings added to this place as well, such as the bed she now lay on. They had also left her with a method to slowly adjust her host's body to her powers, which in time would mean that she would never have to resort to taking over her host. But most of all, they had given her a lot of things to think about. Now that she was alone, she could contemplate all this.

The two visitors had revealed things about the Nabateans that had aroused her curiosity. Stories of their timeline's Norweg urged her to find out whether there were Nabateans on that continent in this timeline as well. Failing that, she would have to collect Indech and Macuil. She would not leave her children and their descendants out of her eyes ever again. Once her family was secure, she would be able to take further steps.

First among these less immediate plans was the seizure of the Heroes' Relics. She would not allow the desecration of her children to continue. Their blood and bones had been stolen, and she would not have it! Unfortunately, such actions would also bring unwanted attention due to the conflict of said actions with Church doctrine.

Oh, how she hated the Church. She did not hate her daughter for establishing it, but it was clear that the organisation was built on unsustainable lies and the propagation of a system that enraged Sothis to her core. The ban on anything resembling dissent or technological progress was inane on its own, but combined with the Crest-based nobility system, the Church had formed a tradition of ignorance and stagnation. There were few things she hated more than that.

Smashing the established doctrine and the society it had created was high on her list of priorities. It would cause unrest, perhaps even war, but she did not care. Her daughter had made a mess, humanity had made it worse, and she would deal with it. She remembered the place in the world and the responsibilities it brought. She cared little about the protests of fools who would sooner bring ruin to the world than let go of the tiniest bit of power.

"Now if only it were not so tedious," she sighed.

"What is tedious?" asked a voice right beside her.

Sothis let out an undignified shriek as she whipped her head around. Right beside her bed stood her host, head tilted in curiosity.

"Do not sneak up on me!" shouted Sothis.

Her host shook her head, which momentarily distracted the Goddess. The young woman was quite the beauty, after all, and her swaying hair had a sort of entrancing quality to it.

"I did not sneak up on you," she said. "Were you lost in thought?"

Sothis sighed and deflated. "Yes," she said.

Byleth stared at her silently for a moment before speaking, "I think a lot too, recently."

"About what?" asked Sothis.

"Life. My future," answered Byleth. "It's linked to you. We share a body."

A huff preluded the reply she received. "Naturally. You are my accessway to Fodlan. There is no separating us until I have devised a way for me to leave your body without killing you. You will have to act on my behalf until then. So, it would be in your best interest to do as I say until that day. All should be well, so long as you follow my orders."

The atmosphere of the mindscape shifted suddenly. It grew colder and whatever illumination this place had dimmed considerably. An ominous feel spread quickly, as did slight tremors, although the latter disappeared after only a short while.

"Of course, Mistress," whispered Byleth.

While she was not against that form of address, something told Sothis that this was not a show of respect. Her interlocutor's tone had shifted subtly, and she was tenser now than before. It was barely noticeable, but it was there. That was a thought for later, however. What counted now was the plan

"Good. I will not have my representative embarrass me with disobedience and insolence. Fortunately, it looks like that will not be the case," said Sothis. "Now let us discuss what I want you to do first."

The young woman stared at her. Her head and neck remained ramrod straight. "What is it?"

"Make preparations to travel. After we have dealt with the issue at Fodlan's throat, we will travel to Sreng and Lake Teutates. After that, we shall embark on an expedition to the small continent north of Fodlan. There is more to do after we are done with that, but this is it for now," summarised Sothis. "I expect that this will take anywhere from a few months to half a year."

"I see," said Byleth. "I don't have the money for that, though."

Sothis raised an eyebrow. "You are a mercenary, are you not? You cannot tell me that you have not saved any money."

Byleth shook her head. "Most goes to the company treasury. I have only little spending money."

"Then get some from the company's treasury. It cannot be that hard," complained Sothis.

"I can't. You told me to leave the company yesterday. I did. No more funds for me," retorted Byleth.

The Goddess huffed in irritation. She eyed her host with dissatisfaction. That quickly shifted to satisfaction, however. Not only was she pleasing to look at, but with the strength that the young woman's body possessed, it would be easy to find a few small-time bandits and relieve them of their ill-gotten gains.

"Then you will have to find other sources of income. A few come to mind," said Sothis.

Byleth managed to just barely suppress the shiver she felt at those words. She had seen the way Sothis had looked at her when she had first noticed her presence. The young woman had seen these stares before, mostly from men but also from a few women. With the knowledge Hyperion and his Sothis had given her, she now knew to identify that look as lust. So, when she heard her Sothis talking about ways to make money while staring at her body with that kind of look, she came to certain conclusions.

A heavy weight settled on the mindscape as she fought to keep her composure for the first time in her life. But there was nothing she could do. Her body could be taken over at a moment's notice if she did something the Goddess did not like.

"Yes, Mistress," she said. Her voice wavered slightly. "May I leave?"

Sothis finally noticed that something was wrong. She frowned and asked, "Why?"

"I want to say goodbye to Fa-… to Jeralt before we leave, Mistress," answered Byleth.

Slightly confused, Sothis said, "You may, though I wonder why you would ask."

There was a pregnant silence. After a long pause, Byleth opened her mouth again to speak. "Slaves don't get to act without permission," she said, apprehension shockingly clear in her voice.

Then, she faded from the mindscape.

Sothis stared open-mouthed and wide-eyed at the space where the younger woman had stood only moments ago. She was shocked by the statement, and then, after a moment's thought, insulted.

"Does she think I enslaved her? Why? I am no such scum!" muttered Sothis heatedly.

She took a deep breath before she committed her thoughts to the issue. She slowly went over the conversation again in her head. She had made her plans known and given instructions on how to proceed. It was fairly normal for a commander of her calibre to-

Her thought process stopped. Byleth was not one of her soldiers. Her host had sworn no oaths and gone through none of the training her men and women during the last few wars she had fought in had done. She was, for all intents and purposes, an uninitiated conscript.

Once more, the Goddess went over their interactions of the last few days. Under the lens of this revelation, things became a lot more sinister. She had ordered Byleth to leave the mercenary company and, by extension, her father's side. Then she had given her new instructions to basically abandon her old life so she could do Sothis' bidding. It was practically the textbook set-up for an abusive relationship. Combined with all the talk of body-snatchers and her own ability to do so over the last few days, it painted a grim picture.

Now the atmosphere of the mindscape made sense. It reflected its owner's mental state, after all. Byleth's resignation, fear and despair were almost tangible, and Sothis wanted to kick herself for not noticing it earlier. Her host was absolutely and utterly terrified of her. Sothis had messed up big time.

The Goddess bowed her head in shame. "I am scum after all," she said.

Several days later, night. Mountain top in the Oghma mountain range.

My Sothis was quite proud of herself if the smug smirk on her face was anything to go by. She was flying circles around me, and I did the same with her. We spiralled around each other in a manoeuvre that looked a lot like the obits of Sirius A and B. No doubt, this was a deliberate choice on her part. The part she was proud about was probably the small amount of time t had taken her to teach me.

"Our dance is coming along well," she said with a smile.

I snorted. "Right, you're bringing an amateur into an entirely 'new' choreography. If you wanted to perform astronomy, we could have first gone over the books."

"Oh, hush," she replied, "We're not here to stargaze."

"We're not? Then why have I been looking at you all this time?" I asked with feigned surprise.

It was now Sothis' turn to snort. Without missing a beat or altering her trajectory, she grabbed her chest. "Because I've got these for you to stare at."

"Like your eyes haven't been ogling my crotch for half the day," I shot back.

We both laughed at the banter and continued our elliptical movements. All fun aside, I enjoyed this more than I would have thought. Dancing with Sothis had always been fun despite my uncaring attitude towards dancing itself, but doing it in the air was an entirely different feeling. It was exhilarating, and not just for the most obvious reason Sothis had just pointed out.

Perhaps it had something to do with my connection to celestial bodies as the elder Hyperion's heir. Perhaps it was Sothis' connection to the twin Star she symbolised. And perhaps, it was simply because I loved her deeply. No matter the reason, it was magical experience.

Eventually, we did finish with that, however. We did one more full movement before I settled down on the mountain. Sothis still flew for a bit longer until she was right above me. She folded up her wings and dropped down. I caught her with my arms.

"Oh my, looks like a star fell," I joked.

She laughed and said, "You're a bit late on that piece of news. I fell for you long ago."

She leaned up and planted a kiss on my lips. I responded in kind, pulling her closer to me during the process. I noted that she was a lot more enthusiastic than usual, and I was having a hard time suppressing my urges to set her down and do unspeakable things to her.

Just as the temptation as growing too big, she pulled back. She smirked, but her face was flushed. I knew that she had just as much trouble with holding back as I did. This was what teasing between us inevitably led to. We always had to put a stop on it, lest we went further than either of us was ready for.

"That was great," I said. "What was the special occasion for that?"

Her smirk turned into a smile as she answered, "This was our first flying dance. You've gone through a lot of effort to learn as fast as you have, and I thought it was worthy of a reward."

"It's not that noteworthy, but I'm not objecting to more of those rewards," I said.

She laughed and kissed my cheek. "Calm down, big boy."

"If I'm the big boy, does that make you the little girl?" I teased back.

Not one to back down, she doubled up. "I'm not a little girl," she began with a pointed look towards her chest. A cheeky smirk found its way on her face as she continued, "But I'm definitely your girl. Whether I'm a good one or a bad one is up in the stars."

I snorted at the pun. "Don't I know it." There was a brief pause, before I said, "I love you, Sothis."

She leaned up again to give me a short but meaningful kiss. "I love you too, Hyperion."

A hum escaped my throat as I kept holding her in my arms. I sighed. "I wish we could stay like this for a bit longer, but we should work a bit more on our projects."

Sothis sighed as well. "Your wishes align with mine. I would like nothing more than to spend the whole night dancing and being together with you, but you're right."

"The responsibilities of divinity are manifold," I commented, "But I'm glad I can share them with you. Never again will I allow you to bear that burden alone."

I was treated to the sight of a deep blush on Sothis' face. She promptly buried it in my shoulder. "How a clueless fool like you manages to fluster me so often is beyond me," she whined. Then, her tone shifted, "But I am also beyond thankful that you would do this for me."

I smiled at her. "We'll be married soon. I may not have said any vows yet, but I will stand by you in good and bad times, now and forever. The happiness you've given me with your love demands nothing less."

She smiled back. "Your willingness to brave these challenges at my side makes me happy as well."

After saying that, she wiggled out of my grasp and settled down on the ground on her own feet. She stretched a bit and said. "Enough dallying now. We still have work to do."

"That we do, my dear, that we do," I responded with a sigh.

We spread our wings again and took to the skies. We were not doing so for enjoyment this time. We were heading back to Garreg Mach, where we had left our research notes under lock and key. It was time to return to the study of tomes, and to devise plans of action for our attack on Epimenides. Fortunately, the journey would not take terribly long.

Still, it was a tedious task. Much had to be done in terms of preparation. Not the fight; that was simplicity itself. But making sure that this Fodlan did not implode once we left took a bit more delicacy. We would to talk with the local Sothis again, for sure; and with Byleth. The Rhea of this world also had to be brought on board. And finally, the three nations that made up the continent would have to be stabilised in order to prevent yet another war. Truly, it was going to be a lot of work to keep things from going down the drain.

A few days later. Fhirdiad.

Things had not gone well for Shez recently. He had run into his nemesis, the Ashen Demon, but the rematch had been spoiled by Hyperion and the woman who accompanied him – and whose name had irritatingly never been mentioned in his presence. On top of it came Arval's death and his inability to do anything about it. And to add insult to injury, his recent talk with the Agarthan captive, Kronya by name, had not helped matters at all.

"Epimenides is a monster," she had said, "He'd randomly select pregnant women and implant his parasites into the children. A few decades later, one of them would become the new Epimenides, completely taken over from within. Rumour has it he isn't as sadistic as Thales, Solon or Myson, but it doesn't matter much. That he takes no pleasure in the cruelties he hoists upon people doesn't stop him from being even more extreme in his methods than the other Sages."

With that, Shez had been deprived of his revenge again. He couldn't legitimately hate someone who had helped him, even if it cost him Arval. This was especially heart-wrenching for him since he had noticed that his behaviour and thought processes had changed slightly since Arval's death.

He no longer had the urge to fight and kill the Ashen Demon. Oh, sure, he bore her resentment for killing his former comrades, but he had never been overly attached to them, and it was just business for mercenaries. On top of it, she had spared him when she did not have to. So, he had abandoned his planned revenge on her.

What unsettled him was that he had had this urge to kill her in the first place. Killing people who had spared him was not only ungrateful but also idiotic. If word of that got around, his trustworthiness would go down and job offers would dry up as a result. Never mind that future opponents would not be inclined to spare him ever again. Rationally, he had known that even then, but he had felt this deep desire to kill the Ashen Demon, and Arval had egged him on. The only conclusion he could rightly come to was that his mind had unknowingly – and that was the scary part – been manipulated by Arval.

The freedom he had gained through Arval's death now also put him in a bind, ironically. His goal had been stripped from him, and he felt somewhat listless. It was why he had accepted the assignment to go along with Prince Dimitri to suppress his uncle's usurpation attempt. It was a job. More importantly, it was something to keep his body and mind occupied.

The battle would begin soon, seeing as Fhirdiad was in sight. The next day, at the latest, there would be a clash. He was kind of looking forward to it. He would have an opportunity to calm his mind during the battle, for one. There was also the chance that it would yield answers to some of his questions.

From what had been explained to him during the mission briefing, a high-ranking Agarthan was involved in Rufus' rebellion. If that Agarthan could be captured and /or interrogated, he could potentially get another source of information on his heritage. Still, that chance had to be realised first.

In light of this, preparation for the battle was of paramount importance. That included supplies and training as well as intel. While the former and the latter were not his domain, Shez was an expert at effective training regimens. Indeed, even while deep in thought he was still going through light exercises.

It was during said exercises that Dimitri found him. It looked like the Prince also wished to do a bit of training before the coming battle. He bore training weapons and was decked out in full armour, after all. Naturally, he was also quick to notice Shez.

"Oh, hello," said in greeting.

"Your Highness," replied Shez.

Dimitri cut to the chase. "I was unaware that the training grounds were in use. It's good that you're here though. I could do with a spar if you're up for it."

Shez hummed. "Sounds good to me. I could use the opportunity to clear my head a little. There's way too much on my mind right now."

"I know the feeling," replied the prince.

They wasted no more time and engaged in their spar. Dimitri's lance and Shez' sword met each other in a flurry of attacks and parries. Speed and strength of both of them increased over time until the blows became savage. This culminated in a cracking sound as their weapons met for the last time. The shaft of the lance and the "blade" of the practice sword shattered from the strength of their wielders' clash. It forced the two of them to stop sparring since they had brought no spares.

Both young men were breathing hard by the end of it. Their fight had been short but intense.

"Damn, I was relying on Arval more than I thought," said Shez.

Dimitri had been informed about the basics of the incident that had resulted in the mercenary's separation from that entity. He had no information on the details, however. So, he asked, "What do you mean?"

Shez answered, "Arval made me faster, even when I thought I wasn't using those powers actively. It's unsettling how much I was influenced by them."

He shuddered at the implications on of it all. He was sure that Arval had had no idea about their influence on him, which made the whole thing all the more disgusting. It also did not help his conflicted feelings.

"That does sound like quite the predicament. Nevertheless, look at it from the good side. It means you have more opportunity to grow your own skills," said Dimitri diplomatically.

Shez chuckled at that. "I guess you're right. Nothing for it, then. I'll just have to get better on my own."

"In that case, let's fetch more practice weapons and continue our spar," suggested Dimitri.

The purple-haired youth nodded and followed the prince. Sparring some more would help his thoughts settle for a little longer, and it was good practice. There was still some time prepare himself for battle.

At the same time. Upper floors of Shambhala.

Preparations were now complete. The main army had been assembled in record time, and even the stragglers would be ready to join within the next week. The war machines and demonic beasts had also been readied for action. Now, all that remained was a final check before deployment could begin.

"Lord Epimenides, the other Sages have arrived," said an adjutant.

Epimenides was pleased to hear this, even if their number was not complete. Solon was captured or dead, and Cleobulus was engaged somewhere else and could not be called upon for this operation. A shame, but there were other highly skilled officers who could take up the slack caused by their absence.

It was probably for the best, too. From what he could tell, Cleobulus and Thales did not get along well, not in the least because of the latter's tendency to make fun of her. It was childish and petty, just like Thales himself was in Epimenides' eyes. Fortunately, it was also irrelevant at the moment.

What did matter was that the others were here and ready to move out.

"Are you sure we need this many soldiers?" asked Bias.

Epimenides looked at her with a reproachful gaze. "Most certainly. Our victory must be crushing and swift. The Fell Star cannot be allowed to accumulate more power than it already has. Even if tens of thousands die on our way to reach the beast, and even if a hundred thousand perish in the fight against it, we must slay it for the good of all Agarthans."

"That sounds like you're expecting heavy losses," stated Myson.

"Yes," said Epimenides, "I expect that less than half of this army will be alive by the end of it. Do not forget that the Fell Star is guarded by a small but elite army. The Knights of Seiros are not to be underestimated, and the Immaculate One is still alive. It will defend that beast that created it."

Thales smirked and said, "Let that one be my worry. I have devised a way to subdue that creature."

Epimenides nodded in acknowledgement. "Very well," he said. "Are there any other questions?"

He was met with shaking heads and grunts. Taking this as his cue, he turned away from the Sages and faced the assembled troops.

"We shall depart now, loyal soldiers of Agartha. To the Fell Star's death and our nation's glory!" he shouted.

Cheers erupted among the soldiers. Their anticipation was building, and Epimenides believed they were ready for battle. Thus, he initiated the spell he would need for transport.

His magic quickly spread through the area, enveloping the army in its entirety. It built up as his face contorted in an expression of exertion. The magical tension rose until something snapped. Then, a purple light engulfed the premises. The spell had been cast.

The upper levels were empty now. The whole army had disappeared in an instant.

AN: Greetings, dear readers!

Welcome to the most recent chapter of Headmates. It is the penultimate chapter of the Three Hopes arc. I hope you enjoyed reading it, even if some of you may be annoyed by the back-and-forth between the two timelines. It'll be over soon. At least Sothis and Hyperion will come back home with a few goodies in tow, one of which you'll get to see in chapter 58. As a small hint, the existence of the item(s) has already been hinted at quite some time ago.

In any case, there was a bit of character development this time. The local Sothis put her foot into her own mouth and got a reality check from it. Coupled with the local Byleth's incomplete understanding of her, there's a small mess to fix as a result next time. The visiting Sothis and Hyperion, meanwhile, have a small romantic outing and prepare themselves mentally for what is to come. Shez also had to do some re-evaluation of recent events, much as it galls him. And Epimenides is ready to go all in. Sadly for him, he's aiming for the wrong Fell Star.

Now then, I would like to than everyone who has followed, favourited and reviewed. Although there have not actually been any reviews since last chapter, I nevertheless appreciate all my silent readers as well. Thank you for your continued support.

With that out of the way, I bid you farewell. Until next time. Stay happy and healthy, everyone!