Byleth coughed and the sound echoed. At first, he couldn't see anything, and then he could see his arms and the rest of his body. They glowed green.

And then he saw the stone step under his feet, it also glowed green.

He looked up and saw the rest of the steps rising higher into the darkness. He counted five of them. He looked back and saw a step below him.

He was one step closer to the top.

Sunday 20th Great Tree Moon, 1080

Bells chimed in the distance and Byleth thrashed upward.

Tingling sensations pierced his abdomen again, sharper than the morning before. His head spun and he felt himself sway in his bed.

'One, two, three, four, five,' he muttered, trying to slow his breathing. 'Back two, three, four, five, six...'

After a while the sensations subsided, and his breathing slowed. He exhaled and rested his head in his hands, his mind racing.

'White magic needs more time to work fully, that's all,' he muttered. Light shone through a stone window at the end of his bed. He lifted his head gazed out the window at the rising sun and then looked around. A large board hung on the other side of the room above two wooden desks. It was covered in scraps of paper as well as a calendar. He gazed at it and then at a nearby mirror where he saw the large puffy bags under his eyes.

He'd had a long sleep… and yet he felt exhausted. He rubbed his face, remembering the strange dream he'd had.

'Stress, that's all.'

He raised himself to his feet, pushing with his hands. The motion made his shoulders and chest sting, and his right ankle ached when he put weight on it. Dull aches still throbbed across his body, particularly on the side of his head.

He felt better than the day before, but only a tiny bit. The healing magic it seemed, really hadn't worked yet.

And then he remembered that he normally healed in his sleep.

'Stress must be affecting me.'

A knock came at the door a while later. Byleth opened it and saw Dudley the gatekeeper.

'G-Greetings my friend, how are you today?' the knight asked, standing back as if weary he was going to be attacked.

'Fine,' Byleth mumbled. 'Apologies for yesterday.'

Dudley quickly shook his head. 'No apology needed my friend, after everything you'd been through it was a miracle you even had the energy to stand yesterday! Your dad and I checked up on you multiple times but each time we checked you were sound asleep. I presume you slept through the night as well?'

Byleth nodded and the gatekeeper whistled.

'You must have really needed it. Anyway, you're wanted back in the audience chamber, but first'-

The gatekeeper inhaled and crinkled his nose.

'I think it's time you finally got that wash! Follow me.'

Byleth still moved with a limp, albeit, slightly less painful than it'd been the day prior. Dudley took him to a nearby building where he was able to clean himself. As he washed, he carefully pressed his hands down on various parts of his body where he felt pain, but nothing he did brought on the tingling sensations or dizziness from earlier.

He soon finished washing and put his armour, which Dudley had cleaned, back on. Once dressed, he shuffled outside where the gatekeeper gazed at him, scratching his chin, and then nodding.

'That's much better. Say, I heard this morning that you're known as the Ashen Demon, is that right?'

Byleth nodded.

'They said you were given that name because you fight without showing any emotion. Is that true?'

Byleth shrugged, feeling a shiver crawl down his spine. For the first time he saw the gatekeeper smile.

'Modesty at its finest! You're really going to impress everyone today!'

Byleth followed the gatekeeper along the cobbled road, not knowing he'd never forget the upcoming day for as long as he lived.

Dudley led Byleth into a grand dining hall larger than any he'd seen before. Eight grand oak dining tables sat in the room across two rows. Each one was lit up by antique candles and large golden chandeliers that hung from above. Banners of a white dragon adorned in white robes and a crown hung around the room.

A serving table lay at one side where an array of fish, fruit, meat, oats, pastries, bread and vegetables were being placed out by woman in tunics. They met his gaze and their faces paled. Byleth looked down at the food and felt his stomach grumble. Dudley chuckled.

'Sounds like we've arrived just in time! This is where everyone comes to eat here at the Monastery and at the Officers Academy. Feel free to take what you like and dig in!'

'I don't have gold,' Byleth said.

'You don't need to pay for the food here! It's given willingly as a gesture by the Church of Seiros!'

He and Dudley took as much as their plates would carry and sat down. Across the room, he saw two students. The first was a burly man with ruffled blonde hair and a square jaw. Three thick slabs of meat sat on his plate. The second was a woman with long blonde hair and green eyes. She met his gaze momentarily, and then went back to chomping on the largest bowl of porridge he'd ever seen.

He finished his food and rubbed his eyes. Dudley eyed him.

'You're still tired, aren't you?'

He nodded.

'Sounds like you almost had too much sleep!' the knight said, laughing. 'Anyway, let me lead you to the audience chamber.'

Byleth followed the man out the dining hall. They waded through crowds of students, knights and people in white robes that the gatekeeper called "monks". Byleth felt hundreds of eyes on him as he walked. It didn't help that Dudley shouted "good morning" to everyone they passed.

'They'll all know about your mercenary group's heroics in Remire by now,' Dudley said. 'You'll be like a celebrity to them, the Ashen Demon, saviour of Fódlan's future leaders! Sounds cool, huh?'

Byleth said nothing. Many of the students stared at him but shrank away as he passed.

'Now there's an interesting man to say hi to!' Dudley said.

Byleth looked up. They'd passed the remainder of the crowd, leaving only one person walking towards them, a man in uniform, a student.

'Good morning Hubert!' Dudley said.

"Hubert" didn't smile. He was tall and had long black hair combed to one side. His face was long and his cheeks gaunt. His skin was sallow and large bags hung under his eyes. Everything about the man suggested that he was exhausted.

Except for his greenish eyes. They were bright and lively.

He frowned at Dudley and then flickered his eyes in Byleth's direction. He gave a feint nod and then walked past.

Dudley chuckled. 'That's Hubert for you, the quiet kind. He's actually nice once you get to know him.'

Byleth looked back but the man called Hubert was already out of sight.

Lilia's Journal Entry: 10th, Red Wolf Moon, 1166

I can't stop crying.

I need to stop because I keep staining these pages… but I cannot help it. They've run down my face for hours, and they still come now.

I saw Byleth smile for the first time today.

I've noticed subtle changes in him ever since that day back in Fhirdiad seven months ago, but today… was different. We went fishing and he just… came alive. His eyes sparkled just in the way I'd once envisioned them in my head. He asked questions and he was desperate to catch a fish of his own. At one point he even asked me why he hadn't caught one yet! Can you believe that's the same child from just a year ago?!

And then he finally did catch one (after all the shenanigans with those nobles, but I shall share that tale another time), and when he did, he smiled. It was feint, but unmistakable. It was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen.

And it nearly killed me.

I look back on the past year with shame. Guilt pangs in my chest at the thought that I nearly abandoned him, believed him to be dead inside. I'd believed him to be a cursed soul.

But he's not. He is a regular boy, one who has needed more time to come out of his shell, one who deserves the same love and attention as any other. I love him, and I swear to the goddess herself that I shall look after him as if he were my own.

Dudley led Byleth to the doors of the audience chamber. He bowed, reminded him that his "trusty tour guide" was on hand at any moment should he need him and then went on his way.

Byleth took a deep breath and entered. Mercifully, only Jeralt was inside. He stood with his hands pressed to his sides and his face down. He flashed his head around when Byleth neared.

'Hey kid,' he said. He frowned. 'You still look sore.'

Byleth nodded.

'You slept the whole night?'

Byleth nodded again.

Jeralt's frown deepened. 'I'd get a nurse or mage to look at you. Healing magic normally works on you within an hour. It's even stranger because you normally recover quickly even without healing.'

The man lowered his head and exhaled.

'But listen kid… there's something else I need to talk to you about. I'm sorry, but I think our stay here is going to be longer than expected. Lady Rhea wants me to re-join the Knights of Seiros. I don't want to, but Lady Rhea isn't someone you can turn down. It's… complicated but I'm afraid I'm going to have to stay. And…'-

He mashed his eyes closed and gritted his teeth, as if disgusted with himself. 'Your services will be needed as well. She… wants you to teach from the sounds of it.'

Byleth blinked. 'Teach?'

'Remember the brats from the Officers Academy? Apparently, they have an opening for a role as professor and that damned Alois went and recommended you to Lady Rhea. I'm not sure what it would entail exactly, but I'd imagine you'd be responsible for teaching them how to look after themselves on the battlefield.'

Byleth said nothing. Jeralt put a hand on his shoulder.

'I know, it's the last thing you want to do. I spoke to Lady Rhea but whatever Alois said convinced her that you're perfect for the position. There's nothing I can do.'

Byleth opened his mouth, closed it, and then opened it again. 'What about Gaspard?'

'I'm sorry kid, this has all happened so fast, but I'm afraid our mercenary days are over for now. I kept you away from this place partially because I knew the moment they knew I was alive they would force me to serve them again, and sadly you've been caught up in it.'

Footsteps echoed nearby. Jeralt turned.

'The other professors I think,' he murmured. He lowered his voice further. 'I mean it kid, none of this was my choice, but believe me when I say that you can't say no to Lady Rhea. Play along for now.'

Two people emerged from one side. One was a middle-aged woman caked in colourful make-up and a long blue dress. The other was an older man with combed grey hair and a thick leather coat that looked more expensive than all the mercenaries' gear combined.

They approached. They glanced at Byleth and then focused on Jeralt. The woman spoke first.

'So, you must be the new professor. My, how stern and handsome you are!' she purred, playing with strands of her neck-length hair. Byleth looked at her and blinked.

'Er no. I'm not the one you're looking for,' Jeralt said. He placed a hand on Byleth's shoulder. 'This is'-

'Jeralt.'

They turned. A knight, the one that'd introduced himself as Albert the day before, stood at the chamber's entrance.

'Your assistance is required.'

Jeralt nodded and sighed. 'Well, I'll need to head off. (He squeezed Byleth's shoulder.) This is Byleth, my son, he's your new professor.'

He turned, at first, not moving his hand from his son's shoulder. He squeezed it a final time and then walked away. The two newcomers fixed their eyes on Byleth and he felt a shiver rush down his spine.

'You're the new professor?' the woman asked, her enthusiasm gone. Her nose crinkled. 'So young and...'

'Competence and age are not necessarily correlated, as you well know, Manuela,' the older man said. He said "necessarily" in a higher-pitched tone that suggested he wasn't convinced himself. He had a moustache and a golden monocle that fitted the sound of his voice. He bowed. 'I am Hanneman, a crest scholar and professor at the Officers Academy. I wonder do you bear a crest?'

Byleth blinked and that made the woman frown.

'You've never even heard of crests?' she asked. 'How can you teach our students when you don't even know what they are?'

The truth was that he did know, but the woman in front of him had made his throat tighten.

'Now, now, Manuela,' Hanneman said. 'He can learn. (He looked at Byleth again.) Crests are said to have been bestowed upon humans by the goddess countless ages ago. They exist within the flesh and are passed down through bloodlines. Those who carry them may excel at magic, display exceptional strength, or any number of boons. Each Crest has its own power, the nature of which is beyond mortal understanding, (He smiled.) for now. But that is why I am curious to know if you bear one or not, for it will benefit my research if you do.'

'I don't know,' Byleth forced out.

Hanneman nodded. 'In any case, when you next bear a moment, I insist that you pay me a visit so we can delve into the subject further.'

'As the old man said, I'm Manuela,' the woman said. She bore a smile that didn't reach her eyes. 'I'm a professor, physician and songstress. It's nice to meet you.'

Byleth blinked again. A memory of a concert hall appeared in his mind.

'Songstress?' he asked.

'Of course!' she said. 'Before I came here I belonged to a renounced opera company. Perhaps you've heard of me? I'm the Divine Songstress of the Mittelfrank Opera Company. It's beautiful, peerless'-

'Spare our colleague the needless chatter, Manuela,' Hanneman said. 'There's a reason why we need to talk with him.'

'Hypocrite,' Manuela murmured. Hanneman continued. 'Now then, it seems that you'll be taking charge of one of the academy's three houses. I expect you haven't been briefed on the nature of each, have you?'

Byleth shook his head. Manuela rolled her eyes. 'Really? Fine, I'll do you a favour and explain.'

She covered most of what Claude and Dimitri had already explained on the walk to the monastery: The Officers Academy was where young people (mostly of noble descent) came to learn the art of warfare. They studied in the monastery before undertaking assignments to put what they'd learnt into practice. However, only those who were old enough, experienced enough or specifically requested to do so by their parents undertook dangerous missions. Those ones were the ones he'd be teaching in the "main" classes. They were put through tasks to prepare them to lead Fódlan in the future and to maintain its peace and stability. The students were separated into thee houses depending on whether they were from the Empire, Kingdom or Alliance. Edelgard was house leader of the Black Eagles, Dimitri of the Blue Lions, and Claude of the Golden Deer.

'To think that the next emperor, king and sovereign duke are all here,' Hanneman said. 'It's certainly a promising year for the academy.'

'So you better be up to the task,' Manuela said. 'These future leaders will be relying on you.'

'Stop putting pressure on the boy,' Hanneman said. He turned to Byleth. 'For now, I suggest taking a stroll around the Officers Academy to get your bearings. Take your time and introduce yourself to the students of the three houses. Once you've done that the rest of the day is yours. Tomorrow we'll decide who manages what house as that's when classes begin.'

'The students know very little about you,' Manuela said. 'First impressions are important so how about you move that glum expression along and try and smile.'

Hanneman shook his head. 'Leave him be Manuela. Now, before we part ways do tell us your name.'

'Byleth.'

The two professors looked at him for a moment as if perplexed by his name, and then Manuela spoke.

'Well, it's nice to meet you… Byleth. I do hope you are able to connect with the students. I wish you good luck.'

Her eyes narrowed.

'You'll need it.'