Monday 28th Great Tree Moon

'Wakey-wakey! You will be late for class!'

Byleth jolted and banged the top of his head off his bed's banner. The girl giggled. He rubbed his eyes… and then froze.

The giggling wasn't coming from his head.

He shot up. Morning light shone through the stone window at the end of his bed, squinting his eyes. He spun his head right in the direction of the two wooden desks on the other side of his room.

She sat on top of them.

Byleth stared at her, blinking. 'H-Ho…h-how….'

She sat on her mountain of green hair, which draped past her dangling legs and down the desks. Her golden tiara shimmered in the morning light, as did the large medallion that hug from her neck. She looked like an angel from the fancy paintings often found in the homes of nobles. She looked at him with her bright, green eyes, smiling.

Sothis giggled again. 'Weren't expecting to see me were you?'

'Y-You can leave my head?' Byleth asked.

'Kind of.'

'How?'

Sothis's brow furrowed. 'I do not know... I only just remembered a short while ago that I had this ability. I am still in your head, yet I can project myself to you in this world also. Do not worry, only you can see me.'

A part of Byleth, for his sanity's sake, wished everyone could see her.

'How are you feeling,' she asked. She grinned and added, 'professor?'

Byleth rose to his feet and stretched his arms wide. He twisted his torso back and forth, performed a few neck roles and then jumped on the spot. His body clicked in various areas but importantly, there was no tingling pain or dizziness. His body's ability to heal whilst he slept, which he'd recently learnt came from a crest he possessed, had been working normally again since Friday and his injuries had all healed in that time.

'Good,' he said.

Sothis smirked. 'A man of many words, but I can feel you brimming with energy. You have changed much since I met you a few days ago.'

Byleth went to the bathroom. He washed and then dressed himself in his black armour, tabard and cloak. His clothing felt smooth against his skin and the blotches of dirt on his armour were gone, all thanks to Moira the nurse who'd cleaned them when he'd been ill in the infirmary. As he dressed, he thought about the task that lay ahead of him. He, a simple mercenary, was going to try and be a good professor for the Black Eagles house, to train them in the art of warfare so that they in the future had the ability to not only defend themselves, but their nations as well, through strategy, leadership and warfare. In the words of Sothis, he was going to try to prove Hubert and Caspar wrong about him, to show Bernadetta that he didn't need to be feared and overall, guide the class well. Once finished dressing, he gazed at himself in the mirror and thought about everything he'd been through in the past week, from being brutally injured in Remire, to being thrust into the spotlight as a professor, to being poisoned and lost in the depths of his mind. He'd been through much, yet he supposed that Sothis was right, he felt different, somehow.

He walked out of the bathroom, his boots making a stomping sound as he went. Sothis scratched her chin nodded. 'You are ready to go! Do you remember how to get to the Black Eagles' class?'

Byleth nodded. 'It isn't far from here.'

'Good, well, we better get going. It would be unwise to be late on your first day back as professor.'

Byleth nodded again and went to the door. He rested his hand on the doorknob and felt it tremble slightly.

'It is normal to be nervous,' Sothis said. 'You must remember it is a sign that this is important to you, not that you are incapable. As your father said, you possess a wealth of experience that will help the Black Eagles greatly. You are more than ready and capable to be their leader.'

Byleth looked up at her. She smiled at him.

'Nerves are normal, really. You are only human, after all.'

He took a deep breath in and then opened the door.