He kept his head bowed as Sothis sniffled and wiped her eyes. She took a deep breath and then spoke again.

'I am going to guide you, but what I am going to ask will not be easy, you will need to be brave.'

He looked up at her. The giggling smile had been replaced with a serious look.

'I want you to reassume your role as professor of the Black Eagle House,' she said.

In an instant, the blissful state he'd been in vanished. Panic swept over him, strangling him, making his chest tighten and causing him to clench his hands. Sothis clearly felt his change it because her own eyes widened as well. 'I know,' she said, 'the idea is scary, but it is the best thing you can do.'

'W-Why?'

'Because it is the only way you can truly break the chains of your old beliefs. You do not want to be a professor because you fear that the students will reject you, that they will label you a monster and so lead you to believe that your ill beliefs are actually true. The panic inside you right now stems from this, but this is a fear you must face head on, for it will not go away otherwise. You need to reassume your role as professor of the Black Eagle house and try to do well. You need to try and connect with the students. You need to try and win their trust and lead them well. You need to try and prove Hubert and Caspar wrong and show Bernadetta that you should not be feared. You need to show all of them who you really are.'

Byleth dropped his head, trying once again to control his breathing and hating just how easily he'd went from feeling great to horrible.

'Just a few moments ago you were on top of the world,' Sothis continued, 'yet, with just a few words, your confidence has been broken again, because you are chained to your old thoughts. That chain can only be broken with action.'

'And what if I fail?'

'It is about trying. You will dedicate yourself with all your energy to succeeding as a professor, and in doing so, you shall prove to yourself that you are not a soulless monster. So it is not about the outcome, but in your willingness to try sincerely. I can tell you repeatedly that the things you believed about yourself are untrue, but it is up to you to believe me, and that will only happen if you can prove to yourself that your old beliefs are wrong. That means taking action and doing the very thing you fear.'

More cold thoughts swirled in Byleth's head and Sothis seemed to notice because she spoke again.

'It does not matter what you think, it is about what you do. (She smiled.) But I think you will succeed as professor, you will have me guiding you, and like your father said, if you try and things do not work out then you can request to join him in the Knights of Seiros or to leave altogether. It will all work out, I promise.'

'Do you think you would be ready to resume your role on Monday? It is only a few days away, but with your crest working again I would imagine you will have no problems in being ready for then. However, there is no pressure to say yes if you believe you need more time to recover. The choice is yours.'

The boy shuffled in his chair, clenching his hands. To Seteth, he looked nervous and uncomfortable, and, in that moment, he hoped the boy was going to tell him that he didn't want the role. He himself hated leading the Black Eagles, but he was sure they'd find a new professor sooner rather than later. In that moment, the boy, Byleth, looked more unsure of himself than any time Seteth had seen him before.

He is not capable of being a professor. He-

Seteth never forgot the following moments for as long as he lived. Byleth straightened in his chair and took a deep breath in. His shoulders dropped and the tension in his face softened. He closed his eyes for a moment and then looked at Seteth again.

'I will reassume the role of professor on Monday.'