The astute FE3H fan will know exactly what month this chapter takes place in, and exactly what the mission is. In conjunction with last chapter… well. I won't spoil anything. In other news, I've decided on a new name: Cobalt Crescent!

TIL the Hero's Shade is 190.5 cm tall. Adult Link in OOT is 170 cm tall. I accidentally put adult CC Link exactly halfway between those two extremes. I'm not making him any taller than that– no way in hell is Link going to be as tall as Hanneman and Raphael.

Chapter XII

Sylvain Jose Gautier was normally cheery enough. He could typically be found chatting up girls– which was something I could never understand, personally. Maybe it had to do with the fact that I was currently physically twelve, but even in the future… past… mess, when I had to deal with Malon, Ruto, Nabooru, and Zelda, I had never felt romantically interested in any of them. Not to say I didn't like them, of course! Maybe it was just a me thing. I had always felt no more close to them than I had with Darunia or Saria, who were my Sworn Brother and best friend slash mom, respectively. Not counting Navi.

Regardless, seeing Sylvain lost in thought, all alone, was decidedly not normal.

"Dumped again?" I felt I had to ask.

"Hey, give me some credit. Usually I'm the one doing the dumping," the redheaded student grinned goodnaturedly. "Actually, no. It's something else. Maybe I'll tell you when you're older."

"I hear that from everyone and I'm sick of it. Let me guess– it had to do with you guys' trip to Conand Tower in Fraldarius, huh?"

"Uh, yeah, I guess."

"You seem awfully unsure," I noted. "Talk to me."

"Okay, fine." Sylvain shrugged before putting his hand back on the base of his neck. "You know about my brother, right?"

Sylvain had a brother? That was news to me. "No, I didn't know that you had any siblings. Prince Dimitri never mentioned anyone from your family other than you."

"Older brother, yeah. Miklan. Because he didn't have a Crest and for… other reasons, he was disowned from House Gautier," he revealed. I had heard from Dimitri a long time ago that House Gautier was unique, in that one required a Crest to become head of the house. While sovereignty usually went to whichever child had a Crest in other regions of Faerghus, House Gautier necessitated the Crest of Gautier to defend Faerghus against Sreng by virtue of wielding the Lance of Ruin. "He turned to banditry, and… it was his group of thieves we were sent to eliminate."

Oh. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"Don't be. He wasn't my brother anymore– he's no more related to me than he is to you. That's not what's eating me. He stole the Lance of Ruin–" The Hero's Relic of House Gautier– "and when he tried to use its power against us… it transformed him into a…" Sylvain waved his hands around wildly in a vain effort to find the right words. "Black Beast."

"What?" I tilted my head.

"Yeah."

"That's…" Do you have any input on this?

It is the normal reaction to attempting to use the power of a Relic without its accompanying Crest. Nabatean bones require Nabatean blood. I didn't know what to make of that.

"Is there anything I can… do?" I finished lamely.

"Nah. It'll be fine. Eventually."

Nervousness did not become me. It did not. I was action and reaction– Hyrule and Termina had proven such to me. Back then, if I hesitated for even a moment, I would not have a moment more. Death would be my only recompense.

So why did I feel so antsy, sitting in this empty room?

Maybe it was the fact that it was Seteth's office. Maybe it was the fact that I had been summoned here, on the thirty-first of the Verdant Rain Moon, without any explanation or reasons. Maybe it was that Seteth simply wasn't present. Maybe it was some combination of all three. Whatever it was… it was driving me mad.

With a loud bang, the door burst open, I turned in my seat to see the Nabatean stride into the room, slamming the door shut behind him. He was certainly looking worse for wear than usual– his hair was somewhat askew, a single bead of sweat was rolling down his face, and there was a look of such profound worry that I was utterly taken aback. At least my upstairs neighbor was happy with the current state of affairs.

"Do you have," Cichol hissed, "any idea why you are here?"

We have been compromised, my upstairs neighbor asserted tersely. You must act. Now!

"I admit that I don't," I said evenly, subtly shifting onto the edge of the seat in case I had to flee for my life. I wasn't siding with with the Crestwraith that I had bonded with, but in case it was right, I had to secure my own safety. "Is something wrong?"

"'Is something wrong'," Seteth repeated, shaking his head in disbelief. "My little sister has gone missing and you have the nerve to ask me if something is wrong?"

My blood ran as cold as ice. Flayn had disappeared? Why? And how? Katáktisi, for its part, was entirely gleeful at this news, but I shoved it as far down into my consciousness as I could manage. I did not agree with that assessment. I did not. "Sir, I fail to see how I– Mr Seteth, do you suspect me because of what happened at the Goddess Tower?"

His hands were coiled into fists so tightly that I could have sworn it was drawing blood.

"Seteth, I would never."

"After the threat you made–"

"Do you realize your own hypocrisy?" I shouted, Katáktisi's words mixing with my own. "What I did to Flayn that day, you are doing to me right now!"

It was as though the Nabatean had just been struck by lightning, he was so shocked. "What?"

"You're lashing out at me because you don't have all the answers! Because someone hurt you and you don't know where else to turn, so you bare your fangs at the first person who comes to mind! You know I'm right, C–" I caught myself before I could let his true name slip through my teeth. "Seteth, please listen to me. I am furious that someone would dare to kidnap your sister. I want to bring whoever did this to justice just as much as you. I have poured my blood, sweat, and tears into this monastery since you sent me the offer to come here. Do you want proof, Seteth? Do you want justification that I would not harm a hair upon her head?"

I rummaged in my pouch for a moment, digging out the garland Flayn had made for me months ago and all but throwing it at her father. The petals had long since wilted, but the shape remained more or less intact. "She made me this in the first week of the Garland Moon. As a show of friendship, because she was concerned about my 'dour demeanor'. She…" I chuckled a little, my passionate defense deflating slightly. "She didn't know that it was really for romantic partners, but–"

Seteth gingerly picked up the garland. His gaze softened at the work of his own flesh and blood. "I… you are right. It was callous of me to immediately accuse you in this manner. I am sorry for reevaluating your character on the basis of a single incident."

"Don't forgive me," I said, surprising both Seteth and myself, not to mention the voice inside my head. "Save it for when– not if– we find her. Then we can all forgive each other for what happened on the tower that day."

A weary smile crossed Cichol's face. "You are much more mature than many give you credit for, Link."

"It's infuriating," I laughed weakly, relieved that this horrible thing was over. "I'll help search for Flayn in any way I can. I admit, I've been purposely avoiding both you and your sister since that incident, so I can't help much in that regard. Where have you looked?"

"I have looked in every corner of the monastery and found neither hair nor hide of her," Seteth said, his knuckles whitening. "I will be dispatching the Knights to search the town. We know that she hasn't left Garreg Mach– and she is not the sort of person to just wander off without telling me where she is going!" His worry was growing with every word. "And on top of that, there are the rumors–"

"Of the Death Knight, I know," I interjected. "I overheard it from some residents in Remire. But the Death Knight has been around ever since the attack on the Holy Mausoleum. If kidnapping Flayn was his main goal, instilling fear in town and around Garreg Mach would be counterproductive."

"That is true, but it is not an impossibility. Flayn's blood is… special. There are those who would use it for evil. That is why, if there is even a grain of truth present in a lead, it must be investigated. We do not have the time to waste on anything less."

"What's so special about the Major Crest of Cethleann?" I blurted.

Seteth looked up sharply. "How do you know about her Crest?"

Watch your tongue, Katáktisi admonished. He does not know of our connection yet, I admit. That is no excuse to give the Nabatean any excuse to suspect it.

"Uhh… Hanneman mentioned it in a lecture?" It was probably true, and very much in-character for the old Crest scholar.

The headmaster grumbled to himself. "No matter. Please do not spread that knowledge." I mimed zipping my mouth closed, locking it, and then throwing away the key. "Thank you."

It was truly as though the once-Saint Cethleann had vanished into thin air.

I still did monastery work by day, and delegated searching time to the night hours. But it had been nearly three days since I had learned of her disappearance and there was still no sign of her. Neither hair nor hide of Flayn had been found. The entire Officer's Academy had been put on high alert, and it was the Blue Lions' special mission for the month to find her.

It was nearing midnight now, and I was passing by the library. A single candlelight gave me pause. Could it be a lead? Silently, I drew my Gilded Sword from its sheath, the faintest slithering of steel on steel the only sound in the dead night.

"Who's there?" Dimitri's voice echoed. "Reveal yourself!" It was coming from… inside the library. I breathed out a sigh of relief and put my sword back where it belonged.

"It's just me, Dima," I announced. I peered into the gloom to see what he had been doing. Was he… reading a book? "Sorry for startling you… I don't think you're going to find Flayn in those pages."

"I was just… doing some research of my own," Dimitri revealed. I inched into the light and peered over his shoulder. It appeared to be some incredibly boring records of church donations? What on earth could that have to do with anything?

"Anyone in particular that you're looking at?"

Dimitri was about to respond, but we were cut off by the sound of voices in the dark.

"Candlelight… and who is that?" The voice was low and smooth, like mahogany. I instantly recognized it as Dedue.

"Is it Flayn and the Death Knight?" This voice was higher, but somehow more clipped and sharp. It took me a moment to place it as Byleth's. I was, of course, chagrined that I would be mistaken for Flayn on account of my height.

"No, it isn't. Impossible…"

"Professor, Dedue," Dimitri greeted, walking towards the duo after hastily stuffing the book back in its place. I had seen a glimpse of the page, and there wasn't anything interesting on it. "What are you up to at this hour?"

"Your Highness! My apologies."

"Oh, none necessary. I'm sorry for startling you, I was just doing some research… but I'm just about finished. I hadn't realized how late it had gotten. We had better head back to our quarters, Dedue. Until tomorrow, professor." Lord and vassal assimilated into the gloom.

Byleth turned to me. "What was Dimitri doing?"

I shrugged. "Looking at a book of noble church donations or something? Really boring stuff, if I'm completely honest."

"Why were you up so late?"

"Why were you up so late, huh?" I countered. "I'm not a baby, I can stay up however late I please. Really, I'm looking for Flayn. Having an extra eight to twelve hours gives me lots of time to search at hours where not a lot of people are doing so. I just might see something that nobody else would."

Byleth shrugged. "I appreciate your doggedness, but you're not going to see much if you don't get your rest. You're aware of your own limits, though, just… don't go overboard."

"Going overboard is what I'm best at, but I'll try."

For some reason, I had gone back to the library. The students were stuck in lectures, so the amount of us who could search for Flayn was greatly limited.

"I never did ask you how the mock battle went," 'Tomas' mentioned. "I understand if your memory fails you– my memory fails me too often for me to judge."

"No, it's alright," I replied cheerily. I felt more at ease around 'Tomas' than I did with other members of the Church. Maybe it was just his friendly, approachable demeanor. Maybe it was the fact that he was secretly Agarthan, and certainly on Katáktisi's side. Of course, I never let my guard completely down, or alluded to the fact that I was any more than a host for my upstairs neighbor in any way. For my own safety. "I'm sure you know that the Blue Lions won, yeah?"

"Of course."

"As opposed to charging directly into the fray like Prince Dimitri would have, Professor Byleth covered the flanks, waited for the Golden Deer and Black Eagles to start fighting amongst each other while bolstering the strength of the Blue Lions, and then triumphantly destroyed them both by wedging their entire house between them onto the front lines."

"That sounds simply incredible! I wish I could have seen it for myself, but these old bones aren't what they used to be…" Tomas shrugged. "Did you come in for any particular reason?"

"Not really," I admitted. "Just needed a load off for the search for Flayn."

The librarian blinked. "Flayn is missing?"

Now it was my turn to be surprised. Flayn's disappearance had been the talk of the monastery for at least a week now. "You didn't know? It's been almost two weeks. Yeah, she's gone and nobody knows how. Leading theory is that she's been kidnapped."

"My goodness! I will help in any way I can. I believe I last saw her… just over two weeks ago by the pond. I wish I could be of more help to the investigation. That girl has always been a curious one…"

"Don't feel bad, 'Tomas'. Every little bit counts," I encouraged, a winning smile on my face.

"Of course, of course. While you are here, could I be of use to you?"

"Hmm… could you tell me a little more about this history of the Church? The earlier, the better."

"I would be happy to, Link. You see…"

"You're strange."

I turned from what I was doing. "Tell me something I don't know, Felix."

We were on the training grounds, of course– I barely saw the scion of Fraldarius anywhere else. I was just performing training weapon upkeep, minding my own business, and then this edgelord decides I'm the weird one. Granted, he wasn't wrong, but…

"Care to train with me?"

"That's a high honor, coming from you. First time we fought, you couldn't stand me. I believe your exact words were…" I cleared my throat, preparing my best Felix impersonation. "'That was pathetic. Whoever trained you did a horrible job.' I have to say, that stung."

"My assessment stands," he drawled, pouring lemon juice on the wound. "But I guess fighting with the boar all the time will give anyone some modicum of skill. Besides, you can't possibly be less useful than these dummies."

"I'm flattered." I strolled aside him and brandished a training sword. "Have at you."

Faster than I could blink, we had both pounced, flashes of silver and sharp clangs permeating the empty training grounds. Felix swiped at my chest, which I ducked beneath before trying to land a strike on his lower torso. The attack was blocked, of course, but that only served as a distraction for me to land a punch on his face with my off hand. When my opponent reared back, more in surprise than pain, I lunged, throwing my blade downward with as much force as my infantile form could manage. He managed to get out of the way, counterattacking with a powerful horizontal chop. I blocked it with the Mirror Shield– I didn't remember taking that out. Maybe my memory was failing me like 'Tomas' said his was earlier.

That momentary lapse in judgement was enough for Felix to get around my guard, scoring a glancing strike on my right shoulder. I used his somewhat awkward angle to land my own blade on the side of his calf. But my opponent had landed the first real hit. Touchè.

"Why do you call Dimitri a boar?" I huffed, my breath slightly haggard from the exertion.

"Because that's what he is," Felix said. "He dresses up as a man with a friendly smile, but that is not his true face. You wouldn't know it– he showed what sort of creature he is before you showed up, and had time to slink back into hiding."

"Was that–"

"During the revolt of 1178, yeah."

I had learned quite a lot about western Faerghus, both from cultural assimilation in Fhirdiad and from my time in the Officer's Academy. Having a house assigned to deal with a western lord's rebellion would do that to you. In the winter of 1178, Prince Dimitri had been assigned to quell an uprising in Rowe. I wasn't entirely sure what they were rising up for. Maybe it had to do with the Western Church. Maybe it had to do with not liking Duke Rufus' rule. Maybe it had to do with not liking Dimitri. Maybe it had to do with Duscur, as so many things seemed to tie back to nowadays. Whatever it was, it had been ugly– and bloody, to boot. We had later learned that Dimitri was intended to have been killed there by some malicious party, but somehow he had, well, not. Obviously. Dedue thought it was Duke Rufus, but we didn't know for sure. It was on the way back to the capital from there that I had stumbled upon that motley crew after stumbling out of the Perpendicularity. "And you think that's his real face?"

"It was too manic to not be genuine," Felix scowled. "A question for you– during the attack on the Holy Mausoleum, and during the house training session, you had other tools. Weapons that were strange and spells that weren't… anything I'd heard of or seen. Why haven't you ever used them elsewhere? Why didn't you use them against me? They would make you stronger."

This was easy enough to answer. "I want to be on an even playing field with those around me–"

"For what? Honor? Chivalry?" Felix spat, as though the words were poison. "All that does is beget the worship and glorification of death. What really matters is growing stronger so that you may live, and living so that you may grow stronger. You would do well to throw that abhorrent notion away before it poisons you as well."

I sighed. "You misunderstand me. I care less for proper knighthood than protecting and fighting for those I care about. How am I supposed to grow stronger if my every victory stems from my arsenal of 'strange weapons'? That's not strength, just dependence.

"You asked me a long time ago who trained me. I'm self-taught, Felix. You had the luxury of being able to train for your entire life. You held a blade for years before you took your first life. But me? I was given a sword at age ten and was told 'try not to die'."

If the expert swordsman was stunned, he would have done an excellent job of hiding it were it not for the slight pursing of his lips and the widening of his eyes.

"Yes. I may not be quite as physically strong as, say, you or any of your comrades," I continued. "But don't mistake that for lack of discipline or interest. Every technique I know was taught to me by pain and punishment, on threat of death. Not to mention the fact that–" the foes I faced would have crushed you underfoot. All of Fodra would have collapsed under their weight, because the tools needed to face them were the antithesis of what anyone that can be found on the continent has to offer. Ganondorf and Majora would have wiped the floor with you, the same as they would have beaten Dimitri or Claude or Edelgard or Rhea.

"Alright, fine," Felix interjected. "For someone who's only held a blade for two years, you're fairly skilled." It was significantly more than two years– almost three years now, now that I thought about it– but I held my tongue. "And I can respect your refusal to use those other things." He pointed his sword at me in a silent challenge. "Let's do this again. And I want to clarify– I want you to use everything. I want to see what you're capable of at your very best."

Does that mean–

No, Katáktisi. Absolutely not.

Fine.

"I can't promise that," I admitted. "Some of these, like my bombs, do far too much environmental damage to be suitable for a spar." That includes you, Katáktisi. "Enough of them could collapse the monastery– and besides, I only have forty of them and I can't figure out where to buy more. I might run out. But I'll use what I can." I was already digging in my pouch as subtly as I could. Felix's lips curled as he tightened his grip on his blade, and thrust–

A blast of wind tickled my hair, as I threw myself to the side and directly into a warp point formed by a fresh casting of Farore's Wind. I had been doing some workshopping with it in my spare time, and had figured out not only how to use it outside of 'dungeons', but to make it more versatile as well. I could duck through either end of the spell and pop out the other as much as I pleased within a couple minute's duration. However, it took a lot out of me, mana-wise.

Felix, expecting far more resistance than he got, flew straight between the two portals just as I popped out of the other one. Since I was now behind him, I was able to whirl and clock him on the back of the head. He stumbled, and as he spun to face me, I caught him with the blinding flash of a Deku Nut. Sheik would have been so proud of me.

Not to be outdone, the Faerghusian executed a furious flurry of blows, most of which I was fortunately able to block with my shield. Still, he did not let up. I hunkered down more, forced onto the backfoot, trying to think of a way out of this situation that wasn't capable of leveling the immediate surroundings. I sidestepped a thrust and managed to bash my shield into his upper abdominal. That gave me enough time to back up and fire an arrow wreathed in frigid malice at his feet, causing his boots to freeze to the ground. Now that he couldn't move, it should be easy.

Felix Hugo Fraldarius jumped straight out of his boots. His free hand pushed into my chest, but I remained standing despite the force. I slid backwards, but my lips curled into a grin as I felt the tip of my training sword dig into his stomach. He stopped, the pressure in his belly signaling the end of this bout.

Felix's expression didn't change as the reality of what had happened sunk in. I was still processing it, myself. Me, winning? I probably shouldn't have been as surprised as I was. "I've been bested," he admitted. "I'll admit– when you brought everything to bear, you weren't completely horrible."

"I'll take it," I rejoiced. "Hey– could we keep doing this kind of thing every now and again? I want to at least draw with you without relying on something else's strength."

"You want to be my sparring partner? Alright, I'll allow it."

1: e4

I liked e4. Most people who played chess in Fodra played in those positions, so there was a lot of knowledge around them that I could assimilate even while working. Unfortunately, there was a lot less writing around for Lorenz's response, 1… c5.

"How do the knights move again?"

"Two-forward, one to either side."

"And they can jump over other pieces, right?"

"Exactly."

"Thanks."

Well, I was officially in unknown territory, so I should probably support a pawn coming to d4 with the move 2: c3. Lorenz responded with his own pawn push, 2… d5

3: cxd5 … Qxd5. And I couldn't even attack the black queen. What a scam. Might as well bring out my other pieces.

4: Nf3 … Nc6

5: Bb5 … e5

I thought for a moment. Qe2 looked good– wait, actually I didn't like the positioning of his most powerful piece. I should probably kick it out.

6: c4 … Qd6

7: Nc3 … Nf6

8: d3 … Bd6

I had no idea what I was doing. Might as well keep my king safe. I had only played a couple of games of chess before, and all of them involved me losing to Lysithea in less than ten moves. I had endeavoured to study the game to ensure that would never happen again. Yeah, Katáktisi had been complaining the entire time, but using it felt like cheating so I had told it to stay out of it.

9: O-O … Be7

10: Bg5 … O-O

Yeah, I'd just get rid of the knight. 11: Bxf6 … Bxf6

12: Re1… a6

13: Bxc6 13: … Bxc6. I had read that having both bishops was generally good, but I really hadn't had much of a choice.

14: Ne4 … Bxe4. Well, that made my life easier.

15: Rxe4 … Rad8.

How should I defend… 16: Ne1 … Rfe8

17: Qc2 … b5

18: cxb5 … axb5

19: Rc1 … Rc8. Didn't want to lose my pawn.

20: b3 … Bg5

21: Rd1 … Red8

22: Qe2 … c4

Hm, which pawn to take with… I could take the c-pawn with either the b or d pawn– well, taking with the d-pawn would be bad because then he could easily take my rook. I couldn't really see the difference between the two. Oh wait– Lorenz had blundered his e-pawn!

23: Rxe5 … Bf4

Uh… 24:Rh5. That was terrible, Katáktisi admonished.

Why? I shot back hotly.

24: … Rd7. That's why.

It's fine, I have 25: Qf3, there's no checkmate, and everything is fine. I think. 25: … cxd3

I could take that pawn with the knight, but honestly I didn't like my rook that was stranded on the edge of the board. Fortunately, I could play 26: Rd5, attacking Lorenz' queen, forcing it to move away. Then I could take the pawn.

The scion of Gloucester looked at the board for a couple of minutes, before gingerly sliding his pawn forward one square. 26: … d2

I stared at the board in silence, trying to unravel the layers of stupidity on display. That just… confidently hung a queen on the gibbet. I could just take on d6 and be up a queen. Or could I? If I took his queen, Lorenz's rook on e8 would capture my knight, and because it was protected by the pawn it would be checkmate. I couldn't take with the d1 rook because then it would stop defending the knight, and if I took with the other rook, the queen could simply take back. My d1 rook was multitasking and couldn't perform too many duties– just like somebody I knew. My only option was to move the knight and let his queen escape.

27: Nc2 was better because then when his queen left I could just take the– 27: … Rxc2.

He just… left the queen there. And I still couldn't take it because of checkmate problems! My only solution was to play 28: g3 to at least get some extra material out of all of this.

You've already lost.

Shut up.

28: … Re1. If I took back with the rook, he would be able to promote to a queen and that was bad. Why was I thinking so hard about this when I should probably be searching for Flayn right now?

29: Kg2 … Rxd1

He forgot about his queen?!

30: Rxd6 … Rg1+. Oh, it didn't matter, because he would just take my rook with his bishop and then promote. Ugh, that was annoying. I decided, reluctantly, that I was very much doomed. I tipped my king over in the universal sign of surrender. "Good game."

"It is only natural, after all, that the noble should win this most noble of games," Lorenz stated with an uptight chuckle. I could feel the tips of my ears heating up behind the cover of my hair. Rude.

The state of alert that the monastery was currently in did not change the fact that jobs needed to be done. And right now, the horse stalls needed cleaning out. Somewhat surprisingly, one of the students was there. A Golden Deer, if I recalled correctly, but I think the only time I had ever seen her was at the mock battle, and I had certainly never heard the sound of her voice. She was meticulously running a brush along the horse's side, talking to him with clear affection. I guessed I wasn't the only one who talked to animals. I had talked to Epona all the time during Hyrule and Termina, even if I knew she couldn't understand. It was somewhat cathartic. I didn't want to disturb her, so I didn't announce my presence. I idly started humming Epona's Song as I worked, that damned longing striking once again. To this day, I was flabbergasted that some primal part of me wanted nothing more than to abscond from Fodra and go back to Hyrule. Or Termina. There was nothing left for me there. So why did I want that so desperately? I had more friends here than I had ever had back home, and I had a place in this world and its order.

"Oh, um… I'm sorry, I didn't know you were… there…"

"I'm the one who should apologize for disturbing you," I replied flatly. "Please, bear me no mind."

I turned to face the girl. The first thing I noticed was the sunken bags underneath her eyes. Yikes, and people told me I was sleep-deprived. Distantly, I wondered what on earth was haunting her. Was it as nightmarish as Termina? I felt some kind of… kinship.

"I would hate to, um, inconvenience you…"

Someone get this girl a tall cup of coffee. "You are doing the opposite of inconveniencing me, miss…"

"M-Marianne."

"Marianne. I'm Link. It's nice to meet you."

We continued our work in silence.

"So, what's eating you?"

She froze. "H-huh?"

"Seems like you've got a lot on your mind. I don't think I've ever heard you speak until today."

"I'm sorry, I… it's nothing."

Crest?

Katáktisi said nothing for a moment. Hers is the Crest of the Bestial One. Maurice.

Maurice? That name was unfamiliar to me, and I had done quite a lot of research both in Fhirdiad and at Garreg Mach on these things.

As you should already know, Crests are stolen Nabatean blood. Nemesis and his Ten Elites consumed the blood of the fallen to gain their Crests. At one time, there was an eleventh Elite– Maurice. He was consumed by his Relic shortly after I was forged.

Like Miklan? Wait… if Crests are Nabatean blood, then who–

Were their originators? I know not their names, only that they were of Nabatea. They were dead before my time. Although the Crest of Flames…

That's the one that Professor Byleth has, right? The one from Nemesis?

Correct. I am… uncertain of it. Either my creators had some hand in her creation, or… It trailed off. I did not pry.

I elected to not bring up Maurice right now. She most likely knew, and I didn't want to scare her. "Well, talking to Dorte– that is his name, right? Talking to him seems to lift your spirits. I used to talk to horses too, before I realized they couldn't talk back." I laughed a bit at my own little joke. Marianne did not join in.

"So Professor Manuela ran off with Professor Jeritza's mask?" Dimitri was saying as I entered the Blue Lions classroom. Come to think of it, I hadn't seen either in a hot minute… "I have a bad feeling about this… we must find them both at once! Professor Jeritza would either be on the training grounds or his quarters. The latter can be found–"

"On the eastern side of the–" I interjected, before being interrupted in turn. To be fair, I kind of deserved it.

"Professor! Your Highness!" Ingrid yelled as she sprinted full tilt into the lecture hall, almost bowling over Annette like a stray barrel. She had clearly run all the way from the other side of the knight's hall, judging by her breath. "I just heard a scream! In Professor Jeritza's quarters!"

There was no need for further elaboration. Soon enough, the whole house was marching at maximum speed towards that exact location. When we arrived, the room seemed completely undisturbed… or at least it would have, were it not for Manuela's unconscious body in the middle of the room, limbs outstretched. Having lived at the monastery for almost a year now, I reluctantly had to admit that this wasn't the most unfamiliar sight.

"Isn't that…" Dima gasped. "Professor Manuela!" To be entirely frank, I was just glad I wasn't on Manuela Duty today. If something like this happened under my watch, I would never be able to forgive myself. Even now, I couldn't help but feel that I should have been able to aid her.

"Professor Manuela! Please wake up!" Annette hollered. "Professor Manuela!"

"Is she… dead?" Byleth asked, voice disturbingly flat.

"Normally I'd bet a red Rupee she's just drunk," I said, trying to defuse the tension in the room, "but something tells me this is hardly normal. I can get her to the infirmary…" I approached the body, but balked at the stench of iron. "Yup, that's definitely blood."

"She's not dead," Dimitri said, "she's just unconscious. But that wound requires immediate attention!" The crown prince moved to aid me in lifting the body. I probably could have done it on my own– Professor Manuela wasn't that heavy, and being a Goron for a while had definitely rubbed off on me– but I appreciated the help nonetheless.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Ashe interjected. "Do you see–"

"Professor Manuela's hand?" Annette finished. "It's like she's pointing at something…" Dedue, who happened to be standing on that side of her body by the wall, followed the finger towards a shelf inconspicuously standing in front of the rightmost wall. With a simple push, it was revealed that Jeritza had hidden a secret tunnel in his quarters. Why?

"Could that be a secret–"

"What is the meaning of…" Professor Hanneman's voice pierced the atmosphere. What was with today and people getting cut off? "Wait, is that Manuela? What happened here? We must take her to the infirmary! You!" He pointed directly at the house leader. "Don't just stand there! Help me carry her!"

"Of course," Dimitri agreed. "I'll return shortly, Professor." He and Hanneman got underneath the other teacher's prone form, the older Professor taking my spot. Together, they carried her out of the room with all the swiftness they could provide.

"Do you think this is related to Flayn's disappearance?" Annette asked. "It must be, right?"

"What should we do, Professor?" Dedue demanded.

"Let's investigate."

"It looks dark… uh… dark in there," the team black mage groaned, peering into the black abyss.

"Aw, you've always been scared of dark places, haven't you, Annie?" Mercedes observed. "But don't worry! The professor and I will protect you."

"There are sounds coming from within. If we're going to investigate, now is the time."

"Count me in, too," I said. "If Flayn could be down there, we've gotta look into it." And so, it was decided.

Eventually, the darkness gave way to an underground passage, dimly illuminated with torches on the walls. It was humid and muggy, floors damp with some unholy residue. The smell was… not the greatest, either.

"What is this place? It's so…" Annette trailed off. "Bah! I see someone! I think… they're unconscious!" I peered through the gloom, but could not see any such person. What on earth was she looking at?

Apparently, I was the only one who was struggling in this regard. "Is it Flayn?" Byleth asked.

"Yes! I see Flayn!" Ingrid confirmed. "But who is that… other person? I perked up slightly. Other person? Who on earth could that be referring to?

My sensitive ears could pick up the sound of the clanking of ironclad footsteps moments before everyone else. "Professor!" Annette warned before I could say anything. "Someone's coming from farther within!" Then I saw it. Those glowing red eyes, those crimson trails, those huge horns… it was the Death Knight, and there was no doubt in my mind. I withdrew my sword and kept my grip tight. "That scythe… is that the knight who attacked the Holy Mausoleum?"

"That sword… you must be…" The Death Knight snarled, trailing off and picking up again at a complete non sequitur. "One of us will die, the other will live. I will enjoy this dance of damnation."

In a flash of violet, he was gone. I could feel his hatred through the walls. He had retreated, but we would be seeing more of him before the day was done. Son of a Moblin was gloating right now, I knew it. My musings were cut off by the sound of more footsteps, not as heavily armored. The Death Knight was not alone.

"That knight looks like death itself," Dedue observed. Wow, it was almost as though that was literally its name. "We must rescue Flayn immediately. Although… there's something strange about the flooring at the end of the corridor."

"Warp tiles," Byleth said. "Like Warp Cannons, but worse. Ashe, Annette– Take the flank on the right side. The rest of us will go left."

They both stepped on the 'warp point' and disappeared. The rest of us– Dedue, Felix, Sylvain, Mercedes, Ingrid, Byleth, and myself– dashed down the corridor, weapons at the ready. Hang on, hang on– when in Fodra did Ingrid get a pegasus? She was not on one of those five minutes ago. Sylvain being on a horse, I could kind of understand– Epona's Song did basically the same thing for me back in Hyrule and Termina– but a pegasus? Down here? Inconceivable!

Our front smashed into their first line of defense. They were all wearing gray and red. The Death Knight's colors were black and, well, more black… could it be that they were unaffiliated? Or worse— could the Death Knight be just a subordinate to someone greater?

I shot a Fire arrow straight through the visor of an armored knight, cooking him in his own suit like a crustacean. This gave Felix the opportunity to backstab an archer who was aiming at Dedue. The Duscurian was busy engaging with a soldier which would have otherwise targeted Mercedes. Sylvain was off bullying another archer so that they couldn't shoot Ingrid– apparently, fliers were especially vulnerable to arrows. Professor Byleth was currently simultaneously fending off yet another archer and puzzling over how to take down the other six or so enemies in the following chamber.

When the last of them stopped moving, we pushed forward. I quickly healed Dedue so that Mercedes wouldn't have to worry about him for a moment. I managed to get out into the fray third, after Ingrid and Sylvain of course. I threw my Mirror Shield directly into the face of a nearby Myrmidon, preventing him from flanking Sylvain by attracting his attention towards me. Before he could react, I was already plunging my blade into his flesh. My mind went blank for a moment. Not out of shock– I had long been desensitized to death by Hyrule and Termina. No, there was some… horrid momentum pushing me forward. Forcing me to move when I could not. The only sound was Katáktisi roaring in my ears, pushing me beyond what should have been possible, screaming for more, more, more.

There was a sound like the rushing of wind, although it could have been my imagination. Before I processed what had happened, I had cleanly decapitated an enemy mage, spurts of blood splashing onto my face and seeping into my clothes. I ignored it. I pushed forward, a blast of Din's Fire immolating a third enemy. For victory.

The rest of the house came flooding in afterwards– minus Dimitri, Ashe, and Annette, of course. But whatever bloodlust had overcame me for a moment, it left little for the rest of them to do. For a half-moment, everything was still when the last of them fell. There was only us, the enemy still beyond, and a grate separating the two of us.

"This one had a key," Felix pointed out, jogging over and jamming it into the lock. The gate was torn asunder, and the Sword of the Creator was outstretched– literally, as the sword doubled as a flail. An armored knight was felled with little fanfare. Not to be outdone, I Hookshotted forward, grabbing Mercedes' hand so that we were both pulled to the other wall.

"My goodness!" she exclaimed, surprised, but she recovered quickly enough to finish off the spearman I had stunned with a well-aimed Nosferatu. The house veered left, ignoring two archers on the right, and pushing into the almost-final antechamber. It was more or less empty save for three more mages, who immediately began slinging fire spells at us. I held up my Mirror Shield to block, but a volley of arrows and sharpened wind struck them, distracting them for long enough for Sylvain and Ingrid to close the distance and cut them down. Who was it but Ashe and Annette! It was good to see that they were both still safe and sound. They certainly looked worse for wear, but it was nothing a couple Heals couldn't patch up. There probably weren't as many enemies in the tighter corridors as there had been for us.

"One room left," I commented. "They must be in there."

I shoved the door open, and lo, I was right. It was just the Death Knight, a couple other soldiers… and Flayn… and…

Who was that red-haired girl? And why did she look so… familiar?

I turned my attention back to the main problem at hand. Katáktisi was quiet, with no commands to issue. The Death Knight stared down at us. I subconsciously put my hand over my chest, a phantom pain coursing along my ribs. I still remembered the sting of that scythe driven through my body, even if it hadn't happened. Well, it had happened, of course. The flow of time was always cruel.

"Now, you will die together…" it emanated. "How joyous…"

It and its entourage closed the distance, weapons swinging. The rest of us lunged forward to meet him. Byleth, Sylvain, Felix, and Dedue engaged with the masked cavalier directly. Ashe, Annette, and Mercedes hung back and provided covering fire. Ingrid and I fanned out around the Death Knight, dealing with the others before closing in on the final target. Even though we had him surrounded, the creature just… wouldn't… die.

"Gonna need you to move!" Sylvain shouted, throwing his horse forward with a lunging stab. The Death Knight, unsurprisingly, moved. Sylvain's arm would have been lopped off were it not for a last-minute Deku Nut providing a convenient distraction. I darted back to avoid a counterattack, Katáktisi's demands now omnipresent. I obeyed them without thinking, knowing that if I hesitated, the Death Knight would surely gut me where I stood. As someone who had gone through that once before, I didn't particularly want it to happen again. Shocker.

A blast of wind magic pushed its mount ever so slightly, throwing off the Death Knight's aim just enough for me to duck underneath its swing. I thrust with the Gilded Sword, but the creature was quick enough to lock my blade and cast it aside. I fumbled for a moment before drawing the Great Fairy's Sword, knowing it wasn't that great for defensive purposes. Still, it was better than nothing.

"Your life ends!" it screamed, drawing its weapon back for a killing blow. I tried to throw myself out of the way of the incoming attack, but it turned out to be unnecessary. I heard the crack of steel, as Dedue's axe connected with the base of the Death Knight's neck. From underneath, I could see a few strands of light brown hair coming forth.

The same shade as that of Mercedes.

The same shade as that of Jeritza.

No time to think about it now. As the Death Knight turned to face its new attacker, I reared up from behind, Great Fairy's Sword high above my head, and brought it down across its back. When it whirled again to counterattack, Felix pounced, Ingrid following close behind. Almost before I could react, its scythe was spinning as it executed a flawless three hundred and sixty-degree attack… but as I backflipped out of danger, the Sword of the Creator locked around the weapon, halting the attack in its tracks as the scythe was flung away.

"Kill them," it snarled, as though it wasn't getting its posterior beaten into next Tuesday by a bunch of jacked schoolkids and a twelve-year-old.

"Halt. You're having a bit too much fun," another metallic voice ordered. The new arrival, who was definitely not there a couple of moments ago, was similarly masked. But instead of being garish black, this mask was white with splashes of artistic red paint. I immediately wanted it. From its head sprouted a great red plume trailing down its armored back. Beyond the feathers covering its shoulders, its design was rather similar to that of the Death Knight. They must have been accomplices.

"You are getting in the way of my game," the Death Knight complained.

"Hmph. You'll have more opportunities to play soon. Your work here is done." That was… odd, but very much appreciated.

"Understood. I will go…"

The Death Knight disappeared, being teleported away somehow. The second masked individual turned to us. "We will cross paths again," it announced in a low voice. "I am the Flame Emperor… It is I who will reforge the world."

And then he, too, was gone.

"Flame Emperor and the Death Knight?" Mercedes repeated. "I have to say, they both looked very dangerous."

"Looks can be deceiving," I replied. "We got through the latter pretty well on our own."

"Where did they go?" Ingrid wondered. "It doesn't matter. We need to get these two out of here." I glanced at the two bodies. There were two of them– Flayn and, um, someone else. Someone with vibrant red hair. Someone that definitely felt… vaguely familiar. But I couldn't place from where.

"Bring them up," ordered Dedue. And so, it was done.

"Thank goodness. Those girls are pale as ghosts, but at least they're alive," Mercedes exclaimed. "But that Death Knight person… feels so familiar…"

"It was Jeritza," I said. "When Dedue struck him with his axe, part of the mask broke. I saw a little bit of his hair."

Mercedes didn't respond.

"You found Flayn? Thank goodness!" said Dimitri as he burst into the swords instructor's former quarters. We had only just gotten out of there, ourselves.

"She was unconscious at the end of that secret passage. We found the culprit too… but he got away."

"We almost had him," Byleth said, smiling. I don't think I'd ever seen her make any expression that wasn't… blank before.

"I'm just grateful everyone is safe. That's what matters most. I'd like to hear what transpired, but first we need to get these ladies to the infirmary."

"Understood. We'll go at once," Dedue promised. And with that, the rest of the Blue Lion House was gone. The only ones who remained were me, Byleth, and Dimitri.

"I'm… I'm sorry, Professor. I'm so relieved, I suddenly felt weak." He sure didn't look like it. "I couldn't be happier with how things turned out. And I imagine no one will be more overjoyed than Seteth.

"Hm? Hey, Professor… Can you make that expression one more time?"

"Um… like this?" She turned to face him properly, that smile restuck on her face. It looked utterly incongruous there.

"I don't think I've ever seen your face like that." He laughed, which made me laugh at the sheer absurdity of the moment. "I apologize. I've forgotten myself and come dangerously close to teasing you. It's just… I've never seen you look so happy before. It's downright mesmerizing. But this isn't a time for idle chit chat. We must hurry and share the good news with Seteth!"

Oh. Right. Seteth. Katáktisi grumbled, but there was nothing to be done about that.

Yay.

Review please!

CuddlyManaki (AO3): 'Romance' is defined by Merriam-Webster as 'a medieval tale based on legend, chivalric love and adventure, or the supernatural'. It's generally not how we think of 'romance', but I think it's fairly applicable. You're very welcome!

Backpack Bandit (FF): I'm a bit leery of 'Golden Mask' because a) I don't want people going into the story thinking this is a 'golden route', and b) readers might get confused and think this is connected to Golden Wildfire. 'Link and the Maiden of Time' is definitely something I'll have to give some thought!

XLilaXTheXSpecterX (AO3): Generally, I want to avoid treading the same ground in my works. I don't know if I even will write anything after this; I'm only writing this story because my brain couldn't stop thinking about it, and I've sunk so much time into it now and it's so chaotic and beautiful that I feel it deserves to be seen through to the end. Moreover, I feel that a lot of the White Clouds sections would be very similar to each other and to this, and I want all my works to feel unique,

HiIExist (FF): 'Cobalt Crescent' is definitely what I'm leaning towards; can't quite decide between it and 'Behind This Mask'. Thank you very much!

quadjot (AO3): Thank you!

kerrowe (FF): I wanted to convey, when designing Link's stat block, that he was a very momentum-based fighter. He's someone who, once he hits his stride, is entirely capable of just keeping on trucking until something physically stops him. I think it fits both mechanically and narratively. The Crest of Conquest and Celerity are designed to augment and highlight that.

Carlos Andres Araya (FF): I don't really follow Death Battle, nor do I know anything about 'Gust', so I feel I wouldn't be a good judge for this question. Thank you for your kind words!

DeathGoddess (AO3): It was on that day that Majora knew true fear for the first time. Thanks for all your support!

X from Aumsville (AO3): Very possible. I didn't know that about the shops of Majora's Mask– I've never actually played the game myself, only Ocarina of Time. I think part of the reason that AO3 got fewer reviews than FF in the beginning is because (especially in Three Houses) a fic has maybe four hours on the first page before being buried. By contrast, this story is almost always in the first four or five on FF, so it gets a lot more impressions. The ratio has balanced out a lot since then.

Equalized Enigma (FF): We can certainly hope.

DarthFlores (FF): The interesting part of Katáktisi is that, in a weird and counterintuitive way, it thinks it's being a great influence on Link. It's been programmed to believe 'Agarthans good, Nabateans bad' and wants to ensure that Link isn't able to be manipulated by the likes of Rhea. Of course, last chapter was not its best look and I'm not going to pretend it is. Suffice to say that that event is a catalyst for quite a few things.