Disclaimer: I do not own any of the material appearing in this story. The OC's belong to their respective owners.

Many Months Ago, in Fodlan

"Zzzzz…"

"Hey… hey! Get up already!"

"Wha?!" A girl with purple hair shot up from the ground. "What in… oh… good mornin'…"

"Good morn-, it's late evening, knucklehead!"

"Mmm… five more minutes, Getz…"

A tic mark appeared on his forehead. "This isn't the time to be lazing about, Shez!"

"Oh, back off, you sack of guts." Shez got up. "I was just resting up for the battle ahead…" She yawned. "And I feel great."

"Yeah, well, the battle is at our doorstep, so you're lucky I woke you up. You heard up who we're up against, yeah?"

"Yeah, Jeralt's mercenaries." Shez nodded.

"Yup. It's gonna be a hell of a fight if true, especially if the Ashen Demon is here. Don't like a smidge of what I've heard about that fella… or… was it a woman?"

"Rumor has it they're twins." Shez said. "They could be both, or one of them could be stronger than the other… but leave it to you to fumble the details. Did you even catch the Ashen Demon's name?"

"Of course I did! It's Byleth. …Or could it be… Bereto? No, it's gotta be Byleth… I think. …Bearleth? Boileth… Bazooloin?"

Shez sweatdropped. "Oh brother…"

"Hey, don't judge me, I heard the name like… once or twice in my life!"

Shez rolled her eyes. "Whatever, demon or no demon, our job is to fight and win."

"Heh, you sound just like the captain. I know they pay up front, but c'mon…"

"Well, at least one of you has some courage." A woman walked up to the both of them. "You've certainly come a long way since I plucked you from that mountain village. But this battle is more than just victory. Jeralt's team has a sterling reputation, rumor has it that they've never blundered even a single job. But once we've put them to rout, we'll finally be the greatest mercenaries in all of Leicester!"

"Captain Berling!" A female soldier approached. "We've detected the enemy just up ahead!"

"Thank you, Lazley. Looks like we'll be fighting by moonlight. Mind that you don't kill each other in the dark." Berling walked away soon after.

"Alright, you ready for this?" Getz asked.

Shez smirked. "I'm ready to make mince meat out of everyone!" She bounced her feet in excitement. "Let's do this!"

"Heh, you sure are a cocky son of a bitch."

"When this is over, we ride the new dawn together… and drown ourselves in ale once we beat the so-called Ashen Demon."

"Hell yeah, drunk city, here we come!" Lazley cheered as she and Getz took off running.

"Keep up, slowpoke!" Getz said.

BGM: Fodlan Winds (Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes)

Shez smirked. "If anything, you should keep up!" She said as she dashed off, running past Getz and Lazley as she turned her head to the side and playfully pulled her eye socket down and stuck her tongue out before she blazed ahead.

"She's fast!" Lazley exclaimed.

"Way cocky too… heh, I like her." Getz chuckled.

"First one to beat the Ashen Demon gets to tell the loser what kind of ale they want!"

"Oh, so we're raising the stakes? Challenge accepted!"

Shez blazed ahead as she saw several mercenaries charging at her. With a smirk, she quickly cut through them like butter as she turned around. "I guess these are just fresh off the market. I almost feel bad for 'em. Almost!" Shez proceeded to slice them as she elbowed a merc from behind and turned around to cut his head off.

"Kill her!"

"She's too strong! And way too fast!"

"We gotta do something!"

"Hey boys." Shez cut the both of them down and quickly destroyed the rest without much effort. She then went ahead to the next checkpoint.

"Stop right there!" A mercenary captain ordered. "You had your fun, but now you're facing me! You think you can take on the best of Jeralt's mercen-" His head was cut off soon after.

"Sorry, what was that? Couldn't hear you through your monologuing." She said as she turned around and sliced them in a quick motion that sent everyone flying into rocks. One of them slammed into a torch that fell on top of him and was burnt alive.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" He yelled.

Shez sniffed. "Roast pork?" She turned around. "Ooooh… sorry, you smell delicious but I'm not a cannibal!" She said as she impaled him to put him out of his misery. She would then turn around and finished off the rest of the group before she went on to slaughter more of the mercs.

"We're saved!" A messenger came running over. "Jeralt's mercenaries have come at the nick of time!"

"So that means the Ashen Demon is here." Shez smirked. "Good!" She slashed through the mercenaries but her sword clashed with a Myrmidon. "Oooh, a Myrmidon!"

"Don't get so cocky now!" He snarled as he quickly slashed at her, but she easily parried him and slashed up to disarm him.

"Hope you're ready!" She said, cross slashing him and the other mercs that were caught in the crossfire as she thrusted her sword into them all as she jumped up and slashed down, sending her sword to the ground as there was a small explosion of light that knocked them everywhere, while the Myrmidon in particular fell off the cliff.

"At least make this a challenge for me!" She boasted. "If this is the best Jeralt's got, then by golly, the Ashen Demon will be a piece of cake!"

Speaking of which…

"So you're the infamous Ashen Demon! Good, I'm going to enjoy slaughtering you like a boar!" Berling smirked.

"Let's do this captain!" Lazley said as she rushed at the Ashen Demon, slashing her but she was quickly parried and then impaled in the chest in an instant. "Mmmph!" She fell on her back, and then a heel pressed against her neck and crushed it within seconds.

Berling's eyes widened. "You… YOU MONSTER!" She yelled as she lunged at the Ashen Demon, swiftly slashing her but she was also taken care of by getting impaled in the gut and then the sword was pulled out and got her arms and chest sliced. "No… I… my dreams… of killing you… will never be realized…"

"A waste of a dream, if you ask me."

The sword was impaled into her forehead, as Getz saw all of this from behind the camp as he grimaced and he quickly ran off, to where Shez was toying with the mercenaries. "Shez! SHEZ!"

"Can't you see I'm juggling these idiots? Heh, they aren't so tough."

"Lazley and Captain Berling are dead!"

End BGM

Shez stopped, turning around as several soldiers rained down around her, all of them groaning or dead. "What did you say?"

"They're dead!"

"What… no, it can't be. No one could beat the captain, she's unbeatable! Even I have trouble against her in friendly spars!"

"She's dead… the Ashen Demon got a hold of them and slaughtered them like they were animals!"

Shez clenched her fists. "Oh, now the Ashen Demon's given me a reason to kill 'em now!" She said as she ran off.

"Shez, wait!" Getz ran after her as Shez cut through the forces that stood in her way.

Lazley… Captain Berling… no, it can't be. They couldn't have been killed so easily! Shez thought as she stormed into the checkpoint, and saw the Ashen Demon in front of her. "You!"

"Hmm? Oh, another mercenary." She said as Shez saw her friends nearby, and her eyes widened when she saw that they were slaughtered.

"You… you actually killed them…" Shez whispered. "WHO ARE YOU?!" She shouted.

"My name isn't important."

"Tell me who you are so I can ENJOY slaughtering you and avenging my friends!"

"If you're that desperate to know, it's Byleth." She said.

"So you're the Ashen Demon…" Shez growled. "Fine, I'll-"

"Since I told you my name, you might as well tell me yours?"

"It's Shez!"

"Shez, huh… sounds completely insignificant." Byleth shrugged in indifference.

"Insignifi-… you BITCH!" She yelled as Getz ran in.

"Shez! Let's take her on together!"

Shez nodded. "Right." She and Getz got into position.

BGM: The Ashen Demon - Inferno (Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes)

The Ashen Demon - Byleth

"Stand down, or die."

"We're gonna stand, we're gonna fight, and we're gonna avenge the captain!"

Getz gulped. "Y-yeah…"

"Your friend is shaky. This will be over quick."

"That's what you think!" Shez lunged at Byleth, slashing her with ferocity but Byleth calmly blocked and then parried her, slashing her away as Shez backflipped to recover. A dark red aura surrounded Byleth. "Rrrgh! That all you got!" She yelled as she lunged at Byleth again, and then Getz flanked her and attacked from the side. Byleth shifted her eyes as she knee'd Shez in the gut and then sweep kicked Getz off of his feet as she slashed him away.

"Aaagh!" Getz cried as he rolled several feet away from them. He let out a groan, dazed as everything spun around him. He snapped out of it when he looked up to see a man approach him.

"Hey." He greeted.

"…There's… two of them…?!" He exclaimed as Bereto finished him off. "GRAAAAAAAAGH!"

"Huh?" Shez turned her head. "GETZ!" She yelled, before seeing who was responsible. There's another?!

"Run… run while you… still… can…"

"Getz, no!" Shez exclaimed.

"Nice timing as ever, bro." Byleth said.

"You need some help?"

"Nah, I'm just toying with her. It won't be long."

"Toying?!" Shez growled.

"Fair enough."

Shez glared at Byleth. "I'LL KILL YOU!" She screamed as she lunged at Byleth and slashed her viciously, managing to nick her in the cheek and shoulder, but Byleth didn't seem to even flinch as she countered her easily. "Rrrgh!" She grunted. Dammit… why am I so scared? It's just one mercenary!

Shez let out a yell, lunging at Byleth and slashing her but the latter blocked each attack as she fought back, the two of them swinging their swords and clashing against one another, until Byleth locked blades with her and then swung a right hook into her face. "Mmmph!" She grunted, backing up as she lunged at Byleth again, but she put her foot out and caused Shez to trip, and then Byleth slashed up to knock her into the air and she fell to the ground while her sword fell and slid a few feet away from her.

Pause BGM

No… Shez thought as she weakly saw Byleth approaching her. I have to… keep fighting…!

"…Perish with you."

What…?

"The cycle of this world… I will not allow it to perish with you."

Byleth raised her sword up to deal the finishing blow, until an explosion of light happened that caused her to jump back. Shez got back up, looking entirely different as she had markings on her face, her hair turned violet in color as what appeared to be horns sticking out behind her neck, not to mention some odd rings around her wrists. A new sword formed in her hand as Shez picked up her other sword.

Dual wielding…? Byleth wondered. What is this power?

What the hell is that? Bereto wondered.

"Hah… hah… die!"

"Where did you get that power?"

"No idea, but it's just what I need to bring you down!"

Resume BGM

The two of them continued their battle as Shez slashed Byleth viciously, but with her newfound power, Byleth was still undeterred and landed a few more hits to knock Shez away. "Witness my true power!" She called out, Byleth's sword bursting into flames as she swung her sword down as flames shot out at Shez.

She quickly stepped out of the way and lunged at Byleth, slashing her again until Byleth sweep kicked her to knock her on her back.

"We're here to help! Protect Byleth!" A voice yelled as Jeralt's elite mercenaries came rushing in.

Not like I needed any… Byleth thought as the mercenaries crowded around Shez while Byleth shrugged it off and disappeared into the crowd, regrouping with Bereto as both of them decided to assess the situation.

"OUT OF MY WAY!" She yelled, slashing through them as purple cross slashes appeared as she cut through them, then she went through them in a blink of an eye as some mercenaries were launched up into the air as Shez would then put her swords in an X and then slashed viciously as a purple tornado sucked up the rest of the elite as she jumped up and cross slashed down, where an X appeared on the ground and exploded into purple light, destroying the rest of them.

"Interesting… it's like she's a whole different person…" Bereto mused.

"Hmm, I see… alright, I got it figured out." Byleth said as she walked up.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"Even if she's fighting different, it's still the same girl." Byleth walked over. "I'll finish this."

Shez turned to Byleth. "GET OVER HERE!" She dashed toward her and slashed her, but Byleth ducked and then slugged her into the gut, making Shez hunch over as Byleth slashed her away. Shez got back up and growled, lunging over to her.

"That's enough!" Jeralt called out. "We got what we came for, now let's move out!"

"What?!" Shez exclaimed in disbelief, feeling her new power dissipating.

End BGM

"Sorry, this fight is over." Byleth said as she walked off.

"W-wait! Don't you dare turn your back on me…! I still have it in me to fight!"

Byleth stopped walking. "Why? You were supposed to destroy us and you lost. That's all there is to it. Perhaps we'll fight again some other time."

"I don't THINK SO!" Shez lunged at Byleth with a yell, but Byleth threw a right hook into her liver to knock her straight to the ground. "Nnnngh!"

"Honestly, even with this power… you're still insignificant." She said. "If you still have what it takes to fight me after you wake up, I'll look forward to it."

They all heard howling in the distance. "Well, perhaps if you survive them, that is."

"W-wait…!"

Byleth walked off. "Have fun not getting eaten by the wolves, though I doubt they'll get much enjoyment out of an insignificant child."

"I'm… not… insignif… icant…" Shez passed out as soon as Byleth left her.

A few moments later…

"Wha…?" Shez woke up in some kind of void. "Where am I…?"

"Oh good, you're awake! Not sure I would've been able to sleep at night with your, heheh, blood on my hands." A being appeared before her.

"Gyah!" Shez yelped. "Who are you… am I dead?"

"No, not yet… and obviously, you're not a good listener, either. Did you not hear me praise you that you're still alive? Regardless, I am a being who exists on the edge of dreams and reality. You may call me Arval."

"Arval…?" Shez tilted her head.

"What, did I stutter?" Arval asked in annoyance. "Oi… anyway, let me speak plain: You are slated to die. Right now, I'm the only thing holding your meager life together… and to be blunt, it's beginning to tire me."

"Uh… thank you… I guess?"

"Oh!" Arval blushed. "Oh my, that's the first time anyone has ever given me gratitude, and I must say… I like it very much. Hear me well! You are a crucial piece of this world's cyclical… agh, no, this won't do. You're far too groggy to absorb this information. For now, I needn't tell you how you'll get back on your feet… I need only convince you that you will."

"Ugh, this has got to be a dream. I remember passing out and…" Her eyes widened. "The Ashen Demon! She… called me insignificant… rrrgh, that bitch."

"Well, I do have to agree with her. You may have slaughtered a lot of people, but compared to her, you're like a beetle that is meant to be squished."

"…Who's side are you on?!"

"Your side, obviously. However, the Ashen Demon is still at large and, well, the important thing to do is figure out what you're going to do after you wake… if you manage to wake up before the wolves get ya, that is."

"What should that be…?"

"Recall, please, about how the Ashen Demon bested you within an inch of your life. If you attempt to fight again the same way, you will reach the same conclusion. This would force me to step in once more, which would be most annoying, and also rather counterproductive, if I'm honest."

"I'll get stronger… I will defeat her, no, I will surpass her and show her that I'm not to be trifled with! I WILL be victorious!" She said confidently before sighing. "However, my captain and comrades are dead… the company is finished. There's only one thing I can do. Start over."

"Huh? I thought you'd be more sentimental. Did they not take you in? Care for you?"

"Honestly, gold's the only thing that held us together, and death is something that we're all used to. I never knew my real parents and I lost the mother who raised me. Partings just come easy, I guess. The best way to honor my fallen comrades is by training hard and growing even stronger… and then I'll crush Jeralt's mercenaries and the Ashen Demon with them! …That's what I'm going to live for now."

"Oho! I like your spirit, though I expected no less than my partner in destiny!"

Shez sweatdropped. "Ex…cuse me?"

"Yes, that seemed to be a bit sudden… I should remember: Take intimacy in smaller steps. The point is, I'm here to guide you and I promise to help you find your strength and to see your dreams realized."

Several months later, in the present…

"Hrah! Yah!" Shez slashed through a couple of trees, knocking them down. "Hah… hah…"

"You sure have a knack for cutting down trees."

"Gah! Ugh… don't sneak up on me like that!"

"As if I have a choice! You want to know how many times I've saved your butt from dying? I'll tell you! Forty! You jumped off a cliff to quote-unquote "get tougher" three times? Saved you. Those five mad attempts to dispatch a horde of monsters all by yourself? Saved you! That time when we heard a rumor that Jeralt was killed by someone and that someone got slaughtered by the Ashen Demon and her new pack of friends? What did you do? Oh, I know! YOU JUMPED OFF ANOTHER CLIFF TO GET STRONGER AND WHO SAVED YOU? ME!"

"Alright, alri-"

"And don't get me started on that group of zombies that had almost slaughtered you… who was the leader of the pack again? Nemesis or whoever it was? You wouldn't believe who saved you… care to wager a guess? Oh oh, wait, let's not forget about that toxic blue goop that you willingly jumped in to see if it made you more powerful! Then that weird thing showed up and purified you before heading off!

"Alright, I get it! Ugh… I suppose I am getting cocky these days. I guess I've just been on a power high as a merc and then that Ashen Demon beat the hell out of me. With that, I apologize."

"Finally! Some humility! I thought you were incapable of self-reflection."

Shez rolled her eyes. "We have to get stronger though…"

"Well, considering you just cut down a few trees, I'd say you're pretty strong now."

"Agh… it's not enough though. I feel like every time I make progress, I feel as if the Ashen Demon is five steps ahead of me!"

"Ugh, that reminds me… you wore yourself out to the brink of death that one day and who saved your butt? I did!"

"I get it!" Shez sighed. "I feel like I'm almost ready…"

"Wait, somebody's coming!"

"Hmm?" Shez turned her head to see Edelgard and Hubert walking by. She would quickly see the Sword of Destruction in her hand. "Huh?"

"That's an unworldly sword if I've ever seen one…"

"Excuse me!" Shez walked over to the two.

"What are you doing?!"

"Hmm?" Edelgard turned her head.

"That's an interesting sword you got there. Where did you get it? Don't worry, I'm not going to take it from you, I'm just… curious. It seems otherwordly."

"Well, if you must know, we got it in Remnant. There's a portal here that takes you straight to it."

"Remnant?" Shez tilted her head. "Fascinating… I'll go check it out!" She took off running.

"…She seems like an odd fellow." Hubert said.

"Hmm, perhaps. In any case, let's continue to Adrestia. I'd hate to have Morgan fall to enemy hands."

Back with Shez, she continued to run. "Do you even know where this portal to the outrealms is at?"

"Don't know, but I'm going to find it… and slaughter any monster that gets in my way! It sounds like a fun new adventure!"

Arval let out a groan. "Welp, here's to many more times I'm going to have to save your butt…" He mumbled as Shez continued to run off, eager to find the portal that leads to Remnant.

I think I've been playing the Three Hopes demo just a weeeeeee bit too much.

Ibuki: *sweatdrops* A wee bit?

Okay, a lot... *laughs*