Part 1: White Clouds

Tales of the Red Canyon

Jeralt let out a breath that he was holding as he and Sitri stared each other down, with her on a cliff a little higher than his own. They were currently in a place known as the Red Canyon, and the sheer vastness of it meant that it was the perfect place for a sparring session, as suggested by the Saiyan woman. The breeze slowly blew past them, picking up dust as Jeralt stared down the woman that he was courting.

She was still in that same condition as before, so she couldn't fight for long, but her Saiyan blood always said that a good fight always put her in high spirits. She even changed out of her regular outfit that she always had on and into the armour that she wore on that fateful day that they met. One thing was for certain, and that was that Sitri was looking for a good fight to scratch an itch, and Jeralt would try to give her just that.

"You ready?" Sitri yelled from her side, which was a very far distance. "We're going to take it slow, just to give you a chance, okay?!"

"You don't have to go easy on me Sitri! I'm not fragile!" Jeralt yelled back in annoyance. But Sitri just smirked and folded her arms while shaking her head.

"Oh I think I do! I've been holding back a lot as is, as I think that you are well aware! I may have gotten weaker but I can still destroy you all! Now, come at me!"

"Oh I will!"

Jeralt grunted and clenched his fists together and started powering up with a yell. His aura flared around him with his power rising higher and higher. Sitri had her scouter on and smiled seeing the numbers creep up so high. Nowhere near her own level for sure, but it was still impressive even for a human. The ground beneath Jeralts feet had started to crack and some stones around him were levitating from the might of the power outage. His eyes then hardened and he set his sights on Sitri. He was now ready to fight.

He launched himself off of the ground and screamed while charging towards his target, which was Sitri. She just laughed and launched herself towards him with the two meeting in the middle of the air with their hands entwined in an attempt to gain the upper hand. But unfortunately for the Blade Breaker, he wasn't getting said chance once he realised he was trapped.. Jeralt tried to break free from her grip but Sitri was not letting go whatsoever as she had him right where she wanted.

"Pick up the pace Eisner! You're not doing so hot!" She yelled before slamming her head into his own, with the recoil of it sending him flying back. A ball of Ki formed on her fingertips before she sent it sailing towards Jeralt who managed to recover and held out his hands in front of him and caught the ball of Ki and threw it in the air before it then exploded causing a massive shockwave.

He panted and blew out a breath that he didn't realised he was holding in. That was way too close for comfort. Now to focus on Sitri-

"On your left!"

That's when a boot collided with his side and sent him flying once again. Sitri used that distraction to leave him wide open for an attack. She grinned and flew after him and sped past him just before he hit the ground. She then kneed him on the stomach and sent him flying up into the sky again before gathering energy in her right hand. It was a little technique that Bardock had taught her. It formed into a blue ball that she then aimed up at Jeralt.

"RIOT JAVELIN!" Sitri screamed as she threw it at Jeralt who managed to recover in time. But he saw the energy flying towards him and had to quickly think of a plan or else be toast. That's when he knew what he had to do. Show off what he had been working on. He thrusted his hands forward and started charging Ki onto his palms. A green energy formed into a ball growing bigger and bigger as sweat trickled down his forehead, as it took a lot out of him. He then pushed it forward and yelled out the technique.

"ASHEN BOMB!"

The green ball of energy shot towards the Riot Javelin as the two energy attacks went sailing towards each other, ready for impact. They then smashed together and started to struggle against one another. Both Sitri and Jeralt gritted their teeth as they kept their hands outstretched trying to keep their energy balls stable. But it was very clear who was the stronger one, and it was the Riot Javelin.

Jeralt growled loudly and strained, trying to keep his attack from dispersing and letting her win. But to no avail as the Riot Javelin broke through the Ashen Bomb and was heading towards him. Luckily, he anticipated this and dodged to the right and watched it sail up into the sky before dispersing in the air. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and slowly dropped down to the canyon ground. "That was nuts."

"Hey, you managed to keep up though." Sitri smiled, looking a little tired out and panted, trying not to have another coughing fit. But she gave a thumbs up. "Honestly, you did a lot better than you thought. But I think we've both earned a break."

She then took her partners hands and lead him over to a spot overlooking the canyon where a picnic basket lay behind some rocks. "The maids at the Monastery were kind enough to put together a little feast for us. Care to join me my dear?"

"Only if I get a kiss in return." Jeralt smiled pulling her close so her head was against his chest, really showing the height difference between the two. But Sitri smiled and got on her toes, catching his lips on her own as the two shared an intimate moment together.

It had been over two months since the two had decided to court each other. Though it wasn't that different to what they were like before getting together, it wasn't something that they would change for anything. It was only now that they were able to get some time alone, due to Jeralts position with the knights.

Once they separated from the kiss, the two set up the picnic blanket and food and just dug straight into it. Or rather, Jeralt watched Sitri take out a big ham out of the basket and start to gnaw on it. It honestly fascinated him how much food she could pack away into her stomach. He wondered if she could do the same with beer and wine. There wasn't anyone who could out drink him in Fódlan, but perhaps this was a worthy opponent. As well as a battle he could actually win.

But then he noticed that Sitri had stopped eating for now and instead, stared off into the canyon with a soft look in her eyes. "You know, it's strange. I feel a sense of nostalgia when looking over this place."

"Oh? Have you ever been here before?" Jeralt asked but Sitri just shook her head in response.

"Never. But I feel like I remember fond memories here. It's strange. It's pretty much why I chose this place for our sparring session." She said, ripping off a chunk of meat with her teeth and munching on it.

"Yeah, the Red Canyon. Lot of mystery shrouding this place." Jeralt responded, leaning back with his hands behind his head. "And it's the kind of mysteries that would just give me a sore head trying to figure out. That stuff's better suited for Lady Rhea."

"Speaking of her, it's strange how your kind devote all your problems to a being that doesn't exist."

"Well, that's the church for you." Jeralt grunted biting into some bread. "I'm not much of a believer myself, but hey. Whatever it takes to help people get out of bed in the morning. What about you? Didn't you have a religion back on Planet Vegeta?"

Sitri just scoffed and tossed the bone of her ham away as it rattled off the ground and rolled away. "Not really. That is, if you don't count our Lord Frieza. But other than that, we just had the Legend of the Super Saiyan."

Now this was something entirely new. Sitri had never mentioned anything like this at all in any of their talks with her planet. As if sensing his thoughts, she decided to explain to him. "Every one thousand years, a Saiyan who has extraordinary power comes around. The sheer power they would possess is so vast, that it could only be sustained through a transformed state. But like I said, it's just a legend."

"Huh. So would you be able to transform into one?" Jeralt asked, but only got a loud laugh in response from Sitri.

"Are you kidding me? I could never be a Super Saiyan. You need an insane amount of power inside you, which I do not have. There were thousand of Saiyans more powerful than me."

"Maybe if you had a kid, then they would be one."

That's when Jeralt realised what he had just said and his cheeks heated up rapidly, and tried to explain himself. "T-That is not to say that you should have children, I am just saying that in the possibility that you DO have one it would-"

Sitri just laughed to herself and smirked at him. "Only two months of dating and you're already thinking about kids? My, you're a bold one."

"No, no, no. I didn't mean to say that. I meant that-"

"Let's do it then."

….Jeralts mind froze as he tried to process what she had just said. But she still had that smirk on her face. And slowly crawled towards him as her tail started swaying from side to side. "Let's make our own little Super Saiyan~"

"H-Here? T-This isn't exactly romantic so to say, and not really privacy-" Jeralt gulped and got sweaty as Sitri straddled his waist. She huffed at his response and smiled, shaking her head.

"Let me say it in a way you'd understand." She then leaned forward and whispered in his ear. "Fuck me until I can't walk~"

Jeralt was silent at that statement and narrowed his eyes. He had to get his game face on. 'Well, we are. In for another battle.'

The only sounds in the Red Canyon right now were a set of moans coming from a pair of lovers."Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah! Harder! Harder!"

"Almost! Almost! Ah! Ah! Fuck! It's coming!"

That's when they both screamed loudly and raised a hand each each. "RIOT JAVELIN/ASHEN BOMB!" And two blasts went soaring skywards before exploding.

Jeralt rolled off of Sitri as she breathed out heavily, smiling. "Wow. I guess you win on that front don't you?"

He just chuckled and watched as she snuggled up to him, being covered by a fur blanket. "Gotta give me a win at some point, right?"

"Yeah. You win big guy." She said, giggling and kissed his chest. "Just as long as you're good to go again in five minutes."

"….A-Again?"

"Mhm~"

"…Goddess help me."

"I'm just saying, there's no harm in letting the Princess sleep for the night." Claude said with a smirk. He and Dimitri were currently out to do some additional training and were on their way to collect Edelgard so she can join. Dimitri just narrowed his eyes at Claude for that suggestion.

"You know, that's very impolite to do. She wouldn't be too happy with being left behind."

"Hey, it was just a suggestion." Claude chuckled while putting his hands up. But that's when the two heard a noise.

"Uhh…. Agh… Fath… Save…"

"What was that?" Dimitri wondered, looking around. "You heard that, didn't you Claude?"

"Was it a ghost perhaps?" Claude replied with his hands behind his head, which got him a glare from Dimitri in return.

"Be serious. It sounded like it came from Edelgard's room. Perhaps we should check to see if she is okay."

Claude nodded and proceeded to knock on her door as the two listened in. "No… Agh… Huh?! Who's there?!"

"It's only us Princess!" Claude shouted out. "You okay in there?!"

"Claude? Dimitri? Oh, hold on."

The two boys looked at each other and heard shuffling and grunts coming from Edelgard, until finally the door opened to reveal Edelgard in her training outfit, adjusting her hair. "Right, I…. forgot about our little arrangement. I apologise."

"Are you okay Edelgard?" Dimitri asked, with concern on his face. "We heard noises in your room."

"Oh? Perhaps I was talking in my sleep….."

"Nightmares?" Claude inquired, now realising how visibly shaken she looked. She just sighed in response.

"Yes. It was a nightmare. I've had them since I was a child. Stupid, pointless dreams I can't control… it's terribly frustrating."

"What are they about? You can trust us you know." Dimitri said, walking over to her.

Edelgard almost laughed at that notion. Trust. That was not something that she could easily give, what with everything she had been through. But the more she thought about it, the more she realised how open she was with Dimitri and Claude nowadays. She was starting to laugh alongside Claude's jokes, she got excited when Dimitri shared a common interest. Would they be this close if Byleth never taught them Ki?

She then gave a small smile and nodded. "I suppose you're right. We've been training partners for quite a while now, and I believe that I can trust you both with this. But you must promise not to tell a soul."

"I promise." Dimitri said.

"Yeah, I like finding out secrets, not telling them." Claude smiled.

"I appreciate it you two." Edelgard replied, before taking in a deep breath and then exhaling." I dream of… my older brother, paralysed, helpless… my older sister crying for help that never came… the youngest babbling words beyond meaning. I see my family dying slowly, waiting in the darkest depths for a glimmer of light."

She took another deep breath and exhaled once more, before looking at the boys. Both of them had looks of shock, disbelief, sympathy. Even Claude had no more playfulness in his eyes as he realised the situation. Edelgard then continued.

"I once had ten siblings, eight older and two younger. I know, it's such a large family and yet I was the heir to the throne of the Empire. Do you two know why? Because every last one of them was crippled by disease or lost their mind or died."

She then looked down and started tracing small circles on her wrists again. "I was the only one left who could inherit the throne."

"Edelgard, I-" Claude started to say but then found that no words came out. What exactly could he say to that?

Edelgard just shook her head and continued. "Things kept getting worse. The darkness kept on getting darker. In the end, I was the only one that survived. The nightmares are a reminder… to never forget. To never allow such terrible things to happen again. Even now I'm the only one who can carry the weight of the Empire. The future of the Empire… of everything… depends on me."

She then looked up to see the two boys, faces just dropped in shock. And Edelgard felt a wet sensation on her cheek and realised that she was crying. She just quickly wiped it away and let out a small laugh. "It seems that I shared more than I intended to. I suppose there is something in the air tonight."

"I'm sorry."

Her eyebrows shot up in surprise as she realised it was Dimitri who said that. His head was bowed down as he whispered. "It appears that you and I are not so different. I forgot about that awful disease that plagued your siblings."

"Yes… disease…"

"Jeez, now I feel bad about teasing you." Claude said, scratching his head. "You sure had me fooled though, would never have guessed that you had demons hiding under that stone face."

"I don't….. share my past with people that often." Edelgard mumbled, rubbing her arm and looking away.

"But it's good that you did." Dimitri said walking towards her. "I know that wasn't easy for you to tell us. But I'm glad that you did. I at least know that I am not alone in this trauma."

Edelgard sighed softly and looked in his eyes. "The Tragedy of Duscur. I remember. I'm also sorry that you went through that."

That's when she saw his eyes change at the mention of that event. They turned manic and his nostrils flared. But he closed his eyes and when he reopened them, they were like before. Calm. "Thank you. I still hold them in memory. My father, Glenn, my step mother."

"She was my mother too." Edelgard whispered. "All I have left is my father…"

Both of them then blinked and realised Claude was smiling widely at the two and they realised that they just gave away a massive secret. He leaned forward and raised his eyebrows. "So….. you two are brother and sister?"

"STEP brother and sister." Edelgard corrected. "But… since they're gone, I suppose we're not really siblings anymore are we? The marriage between my mother and your father…"

Dimitri shook his head and then turned to Claude. "Please keep all of this information to yourself."

"Hey, like I said. I like finding out secrets, not telling them." Claude shrugged and then walked up to the pair, putting his arms around them.

"But you two got me feeling left out, maybe I should have a tragic backstory just to make it even." He said that in an attempt to lighten the mood, and it worked as both Dimitri and Edelgard let out a small laugh.

"Thank you both. I feel a little better talking to someone about that." Edelgard smiled at them and they smiled back. "Okay then, so let's do some training. I think that'll get my mind off of the nightmares."

But Claude was looking behind her narrowing his eyes. "Hey. Is that Teach? Over there in the distance."

Surprised at the mention of their instructor, Edelgard turned around and sure enough, Byleth was leaving the grounds. "Our Professor is sneaking off alone? Where to, I wonder…"

"It's most unusual for her to go off on her own like that." Dimitri mused, joining his friends.

"I hate not knowing what's going on." Claude then sighed and adjusted his wristbands. "Ok, that's it. We're going after her. Let's gather up the others who know Ki and follow her."

"Intrigued, are we?" Edelgard said, smiling. "Yes, let's do just that. We will consider it… extra training."

"I agree, for I have an uneasy feeling about this." Dimitri grimaced, not liking the idea of Byleth going out alone. "I'll gather Annette and Felix. Let's meet at the gates in five minutes."

The other two leaders nodded and they all split off to fetch their classmates.

Byleth was flying through the night air, and had a small smile on her face as she loved it when she could fly. And thanks to the training she and Shamir did, she was able to fly more efficiently than before.

That's when Sothis appeared next to her and folded her arms. 'You know, we could've waited until you were feeling better. There's no rush.'

"You remembered the Red Canyon didn't you? We might as well investigate while the trail is still hot."

'Hmmm, I suppose I can not argue with that logic. Just try not to overdo it.'

Byleth nodded and kept their current course. It was sunrise at this point and she had to shield her eyes from the harsh sunlight. Eventually, she saw something in the distance and looked to the spirit. "Does this look familiar at all, Sothis?"

'Yes! It is! I can feel it, we are getting closer!'

She smiled at the excitement of the girl inside of her head. It was good to hear Sothis like this, after all, it couldn't be nice to not remember anything about yourself.

Eventually, Byleth saw a vast canyon and floated in the air to check out the surroundings. "Is this the place?"

'Yes….. Zanado, the Red Canyon. Please, head toward those ruins over there.'

Byleth nodded and slowly descended until her feet touched the ground. The heat was unbearable today with the sun shining bright on her. The breeze slowly made its way through the landscape which gave her a moments relief as the cool sensation blew across her face.

Sothis on the other hand, was fixated on the ruins in front of them as she placed a hand on her chin. 'Yes… it's all coming back to me. This structure…'

She then sighed loudly and furrowed her brows. 'Oh, but it's as though my memories are clouded. The most important pieces are obscured. But I once called this home. No doubt.'

Sothis slowly floated towards the ruins as much as she possibly could and narrowed her eyes. 'I seem to recall something… on the other side of this wall. I cannot see it, but I can still feel it…'

Byleth walked up beside her and placed her hands on her hips, listening to Sothis. 'It is not my imagination, I know this to be true. We're already deep within this valley…'

"Edelgard mentioned a lost civilisation may have possibly called this place home. Perhaps you were part of that civilisation?" Byleth suggested as Sothis closed her eyes.

'Perhaps.'

"GRAAAAAARGH!"

Both of them jumped at the sound of that screech and Byleth's face hardened and got in a stance, ready to fight. Sothis looked around, trying to find the source of that roar. 'What was that awful sound?'

"Sounded like a terrible scream." Byleth mused and she closed her eyes, trying to find an energy signature.

'Yes, and that was not a normal beast, but a huge and terrifying one!'

Sothis then gasped and pointed out at the distance. 'Look! There! At the entrance of the valley… a giant shadow!'

As if on cue, a giant wolf beast burst its way through the entrance and gave off a mighty roar, echoing throughout the valley. Byleth growled and clenched her good fist, staying in place.

'Are you stupid? RUN!'

But Byleth wasn't listening as she glared at the giant beast. They locked eyes and the beast growled loudly and started to charge towards the young woman.

'Didn't you hear me?! Run! Get out of there!'

Byleth stretched her hand behind her and started charging a blast. Sothis watched her in amazement as it was a green sphere that got bigger and bigger. But Byleth just stared ahead as the beast ran faster and faster towards her. Then just as the beast jumped over to her, ready to swallow her whole, Byleth thrusted her hand out and screamed.

"ASHEN BLAST!"

A giant beam shot out of her hand and engulfed the beast, giving off one last howl of agony before it got drowned out by the noise that the attack gave off. She aimed it upwards so that it wouldn't destroy the landscape. And eventually, it died down as all that was last was Byleth and the smouldering ashes of the beast.

The pair were at a loss for words. Sothis couldn't believe her eyes, and she realised that her jaw had dropped down to the ground. And Byleth was no different.

Byleth stared at her hand in awe at the display she just demonstrated and just whispered. "Did I just do that?"

'What do you mean?! Of course you did! You didn't have to go all out on it!' Sothis screamed but Byleth was still stunned.

"I didn't go all out. That was like half my power."

Now it was Sothis's turn to be shocked as she just stared at Byleth. 'What? Are you serious? How can you be this power-'

Sothis then remembered a very important detail from Jeralt when Byleth woke up. 'The Zenkai Boost… but did it give you that big of a power up?'

Before Byleth could respond, a series of roars sounded out. 'Looks like we attracted a bunch of them. I don't doubt your power now, but I worry there may be too many!'

From the various corners of the valley came the same kinds of giant wolves as the one that got turned to ashes. 'Those hungry wolves… that attack must have riled them up. We have no choice but to fight. Give it your all!"

Meanwhile, in the distance, Edelgard, Dimitri and Claude arrived to the Canyon. Claude was panting as he had his hands on his knees. "You know… that flying ability could've been real useful right now."

They had round up the others to come with them. All the students who were learning how to use Ki were here, and in their weighted clothing. Of course, Hubert and Dedue came too in order to help their Lords.

"We got company!" Annette yelled, pointing up to the sky. They all looked to see multiple flying beasts circling them.

"This is bad…" Dimitri muttered. "But it's a good thing that we managed to catch up with the Professor."

"Yeah, it was the right move for us to follow Teach. But however you look at it, we're in a tough spot now…" Claude said, agreeing with Dimitri.

"Wolves to the front, hawks to the rear…" Edelgard mused, already nervous at the abundance of enemies around them. "We need to strategise."

"I propose we reunite with Professor Byleth first." Hubert suggested, tome in hand. "It will do us no good to carry out a corpse."

"Uhhh guys?" Leonie shouted out. She was peering over the edge and was slack jawed at what she saw. "I don't think we need to worry about that."

Everyone was confused at what she meant and ran over to where she was looking and now shared her slack jawed look.

On the floor, Byleth was surrounded by wolf corpses and was currently in the air slamming her fist down on a hawks neck, killing it instantly. Edelgard was mesmerised by the display and couldn't take her eyes off of her teacher. "How much was she holding back?"

"Edelgard, look out!"

That's when she was snapped out of her thoughts and saw a hawk charging at her, talons out. Suddenly, a force collided with her side which ended up saving her from harm and possibly death. Edelgard then realised she was face to face with Dimitri. Blue on lilac.

"Please be more careful."

"R-Right."

But then they suddenly realised the position that they were in, with Dimitri on top. They blushed and quickly stood up, dusting themselves off and readying their weapons. Dimitri formed a lance and Edelgard powered up her body, as her muscles bulged up. "We need to get to Professor Byleth!"

"Right!"

Claude grunted as he dodged out of the way of a wolfs claw attempting to take his head off and he fired a Ki blast at its face. But it only seemed to make it angry. He chuckled nervously, while prepping some arrows for back up. "How the hell does Teach do this? Was she right about that Zenkai Boost? Is the gap between her and us that big now?"

'Why are you not attacking?!' Sothis screamed, flailing her arms at Byleth who just sat on a rock with her hands on her chin.

"Because I'm bored. They're boring me."

'Uuuuuugh! You are such a child!' But then Sothis sighed and looked around at the corpses. 'But I suppose that you are right. However, there is something that concerns me about this.'

"That either these beasts are weak or our enemies are hiding more power?"

'Precisely.' Sothis confirmed, rubbing her chin. 'You dispatch wolves and beasts like it's nothing, yet you almost died last month… it is a mystery on our enemies.'

That's when the two heard screaming and screeching. Sothis gasped as she realised something. 'Those were screams!'

"Someone is in trouble." Byleth said, quickly standing up and looking up at the flurry of hawks focusing on one spot. "We need to get up there."

With that goal in mind, Byleth took off and started flying towards the flock, charging Ki on her fists.

"There's too many of them!" Leonie yelled shooting her arrows at the hawks chest and trying to blast them away with Ki. But they were only serving to irritate and not hurt.

"Aim for the eyes! They can't do much if they're blind!" Claude yelled back, dodging a wolf beast and using his Ki to propel himself in the air. He was upside down as he readied his quiver, charging Ki into his hand and forming an arrow with it. Following his own advice, he aimed for the eyes and shot a Ki arrow which struck the target.

This got a reaction from the wolf as it howled in pain, trying to back away but it only ended up losing its footing and fell off the cliff. He landed on the ground and pumped his fist. "Bingo! That's one down!"

"Help!"

He gasped and turned around to see Annette was on her back after being struck by a hawk. Her leg had taken the most damage and it was bleeding, and unfortunately she couldn't run on it now. Felix saw this and tried running to her but was cornered by a wolf. He growled and swung his Ki blade at it. "Get away you dastard!"

Annette whimpered seeing the hawk getting ready to charge and closed her eyes. "I'm sorry everyone….. Mercie, forgive me…"

"ANNETTE!" Felix roared trying to get to her but then realised that he couldn't do anything. Everyone saw this and couldn't get to her in time. Everything was in slow motion as Annette waited for the sweet embrace of death. Sounds were drowned out. The shouts of her friends, the roaring beasts. She couldn't even hear her own breathing.

'Goodbye…. everyone…..'

…

…

…

Where was the death?

She opened her eyes to see someone was in front of her, holding the hawks talons in place. It was Byleth! She saved her!

"Are you okay?" Byleth said, not looking away from her target. Annette just nodded dumbly, believing that she was in a fever dream that happened before death took her.

Byleth then grunted and threw the giant bird off of her and while it was stunned, used her Ashen Blast attack to completely vaporise the hawk. Everyone was staring in awe at this display of power as Byleth cracked her knuckles. "Have no fear students."

She then powered up as her aura flared. "Because I am here."

Everyone there honestly felt very relieved to see she was there and unharmed. But then she disappeared completely. Only to hear a squawk of pain as one of the hawks had its head snapped clean off. Byleth then landed on top of a wolf and powered a Ki blast into its back, incinerating it.

Edelgard was slack jawed. She knew Byleth was powerful, but this? She made her and the others look like a bunch of jokes! Dimitri clenched his fist, now realising the gap that was between them. One thing was clear, they needed more training. And the Lords needed Byleth as an ally for their nations.

Eventually, all the beasts were killed or driven away as Byleth landed and walked over to Annette, helping her up. "Lean on me. Can you walk?"

"A-A little."

"Good. Why did you come here?"

Everyone was confused at that question. That's when Dimitri stepped forward and cleared his throat. "We saw you leaving in the middle of the night, and got curious."

"I see… I apologise for worrying you all." Byleth said, and picked up Annette bridal style. "We will discuss this later. But let's leave before any more monsters show up."

That was something everyone could agree on and they nodded, quickly making their way out of the area and back to the Monastery.

Byleth was washing her face in her room and she looked in the mirror. They had gotten back to the Monastery just in the nick of time, before class started. Byleth had lied to Manuela about Annettes injury to her leg, saying that it was a training exercise gone wrong. Whether she believed Byleth or just didn't want to pry, Manuela said nothing else but it meant she had to change her lesson plan to accommodate the young woman. Now she was just laying on her bed groaning loudly.

Sothis appeared next to her with a sad look. 'I'm sorry… it was my fault that one of the students got injured.'

"No, it was my fault. I got too excited and decided to go immediately. I mean, I'm not fully recovered am I?"

'Hmm… I suppose it's all that ends well isn't it? It's a good thing you got such a big boost otherwise we would've been in trouble. But it's a shame that we dived so deep and yet we have nothing to show for it…'

"We will find something Sothis, don't you worry."

Sothis smiled back and nodded. 'Yes. You are correct. Thank you, my friend.'

That's when a knock on the door sounded and a voice spoke from the other side. "May we come inside, Professor?"

That was Edelgards voice outside. Byleth gave permission to come in and she blinked in surprise to see everyone file into the room. With Felix helping Annette who had a cane for her leg. Was class over already? How long was she inside? It was Edelgard who spoke first.

"We wanted to apologise, my teacher. We shouldn't have gone out without permission."

"Sorry…" Lysithea mumbled fiddling with her skirt, which looked like a nervous habit of hers.

"No, I should be apologising." Byleth said standing up. "I should've explained where I was going and not worry all of you."

"To be fair, it was Edelgard, Dimitri and Claude who were worried." Caspar piped up earning a glare from the Blue Lions and Black Eagles leaders. But Claude shrugged.

"Guilty as charged Teach. Didn't want you to be too banged up again. But it looks like we were worried for nothing."

"You also wanted to know why she went to Zanado." Leonie piped up.

"Well yeah, but that was a bonus. Honest." Claude said, still keeping that smile, though she spotted a couple beads of sweat on him indicating he got caught.

"If you will still have us, we would still like to train with you. That battle at the canyon shows how far apart we are." Dimitri smiled, offering a hand.

That's when Byleth had an idea, and had a small smile. "Of course, do not worry about that. You still have a long way to go before we can fight. In fact, I have an idea on how to do mental training and make it fun for us all! Come with me everyone. And keep an eye on Annette."

"Don't worry Professor!" Annette chimed, puffing our her chest. "I'm feeling better- woah, WOAH, WOAH!" She found herself losing balance but found Felix catching her fall. "Thanks Felix!"

"Anytime." He grunted. "Perhaps you can sing to me as a reward."

"Y-YOU'RE EVIL!" She screamed hitting him with the cane. "IT'S VERY EVIL TO EMBARRASS ME LIKE THAT FELIX!"

"Ow! Quit it! Annette stop it!" Felix yelled trying to not only stop her from falling but also trying to stop her from hitting him. The others just shook her their head and decided that they would catch up.

"Alright students, I want you to form a circle and get in the position for meditation." Byleth explained now that they were in the usual spot where they trained in the fields. Everyone was confused.

Caspar groaned loudly. "Do we have to? This is boring!"

"I agree." Felix said, rubbing his arm and glared at Annette. "Why must we waste our time with this?"

"That's because we are doing it in a way to make it more attune to your tastes. Now do it."

The boys sighed but decided it was better to not argue. Everyone got in the position and did their breathing to clear their minds.

"Good. Now I want you to breathe out and extend your Ki. Just so that you are all connecting."

'What are you planning?' Sothis said in her head.

'You'll see.'

Soon, everyone's Ki connected with one another and Byleth smiled lightly. "Good, good. Now imagine yourself there. Paint a picture on how you would be in this realm."

Everyone frowned and tried to imagine where they were in the realm and Annette gasped. "Hey Lysithea! I can see you!"

"So can I! This feels so weird…"

One by one, the students all managed to spot one another and Byleth stood up. "Okay everyone, you can all see each other? Good. Then I'll suggest this. Edelgard and Dimitri will spar, along with Lysithea and Annette. Followed by Leonie and Edelgard, Claude with Petra, Caspar will be with Felix. You will spar against one another."

She looked at the students to see they had focused looks on their face and she smiled lightly seeing they were now in the midst of image training.

'This doesn't feel like a good idea. Invading their mind.'

"It'll be fine." Byleth whispered as she walked over to Dimitri. "I just want to see their progress. I'm going to peak inside your minds, students. You won't even know I'm there."

Byleth then placed her hand on Dimitris head who was so focused that he didn't notice her touch. But suddenly, a sharp pain ran through her head as her eyes glowed with a bright green.

"KILL EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM!"

She fell back after letting go and clutched her head. Sothis has wide eyes looking at her host with concern. 'Are you okay?'

"What was that?"

'Im not too sure.' Sothis replied. 'Could it be possible that both sides of time were revealed? A future vision perhaps?'

Byleth shook her head and massaged her temples before going to Edelgard, and slightly hesitated on peaking into her mind, not wanting that same thing to happen again. But she decided to try, and her eyes glowed again.

"I wanted to walk with you…"

She yelled in pain clutching her head as Sothis floated behind, gasping. 'There it is again! Was that a vision of a possible future? What in the world in going on?!'

Byleth sighed and slowly reached out to Edelgards head and placed her hand on it. Nothing this time around. Sothis furrowed her brows in confusion.

'How curious… is it possible that a dark path leads those two? Perhaps we should do something about it…'

"For now, we concentrate on the training." Byleth muttered. She smiled as she was finally seeing the pair sparring in the mind realm. "Very good you two, just like that. Dimitri, try to focus on defence more."

"Very well, Professor." Dimitri muttered.

"Edelgard, try to use your height to your advantage."

"Yes, my teacher." Edelgard whispered.

"That was amazing Professor!" Caspar yelled, pumping his fists. "I feel stronger already!"

"And this gives us the benefits of mental training?" Felix asked, flexing his wrists.

"Of course." Byleth nodded. "It'll sharpen your mind. It'll be good to do it every now and then. But of course physical training is key too."

She then smiled and addressed the group. "I'm glad that you are all okay. After what happened in the Canyon, I feared I may have lost one of you. I want you all to promise me something at the end of this month."

They all listened as Byleth continued. "Do exactly as I say. I'm not risking your lives for anything. As of now, it's only us dealing with the aftermath of the rebellion. But be prepared for anything, you hear me?"

"We are fully understanding, Professor." Petra commented giving a bow to Byleth.

Byleth smiled lightly again as her tail swayed from behind her coat. "I'm glad. Alright everyone, you're free to do as you wish now."

Everyone nodded and walked away to their dorms. Byleth decided to do some meditation of her own, so she wasn't rusty. Some time later, Flayn came running up to Byleth and bowed. "Hello Miss Byleth, my brother has sent for you in his office."

"Me? What for?" Byleth asked, opening an eye to address her.

"I'm not sure, if you'll please accompany me." Flayn smiled, extending a hand.

Byleth nodded and followed the girl to the Monastery, listening to her happy humming. She seemed to be good at singing, but she couldn't be sure. Eventually, the pair got to the higher floors and Flayn opened the doors to Seteths office. He looked up from his paperwork and smiled. "Ah Byleth, please sit down. I've been meaning to talk to you."

She frowned at this and slowly sat down on one of the chairs, unsure on the reason why she was called.. He then looked over at Flayn and nodded. "Thank you Flayn, I'll be needing some privacy now."

"Very well brother. I will see you soon." Flayn said, Boeing and she closed the doors with a loud thud.

It was now just the two of them with Seteth smiling at Byleth. "I… never got the chance to thank you for everything you and Miss Shamir have done for us. I know you're sick of all of this, but I think a personal thank you is in order. How is your arm?"

"It's no trouble Seteth. And my arm is fine thank you." Byleth replied smiling, but then she frowned. "But… there is another reason isn't there?"

"I'm afraid so. If you'll pardon my brashness Miss Byleth, you're just a big mystery to me." Seteth said, pouring himself some tea. "I've seen records of your father Jeralt. Ex-Captain of the Knights of Seiros. And yet, there's nothing about you. Not a trace."

"I prefer to not keep myself known Seteth."

"Believe me Miss Byleth, I'm more than aware of that. It's precisely why I have my reservations about you. I need to know if you are loyal."

"Loyal?" Byleth asked, tilting her head.

"Yes. As you know, I care about the Archbishop a lot." Seteth explained as he sipped at his tea. "And if something were to endanger her life, I would need to know. So I ask again, are you loyal?"

Byleth groaned at this and just simply said. "No."

"…No?"

"I don't know her. I barely know about the Church itself. Why would I pledge loyalty to a person that I don't even know?"

Seteth just smiled in response. "Good. That's good." He muttered writing on his paper which confused Byleth.

"You… wanted me to not be loyal?"

"If you had said yes, then that would make you more suspicious. Your father let me know about how you grew without exposure to the church. So yes, it would be strange if you were loyal to something you don't know much about."

"I suppose I can see that logic…"

That's when Byleth remembered about a certain someone. "Seteth, may I ask something about Flayn?"

She immediately noticed his hand tense up on his quill as he tried to keep a neutral expression. "Y-Yes?"

"Well, I can sense Ki. And your sisters Ki is something I have never seen before. Whenever she gets angry or annoyed, it fluctuates."

"I-I have no reason to see why this is any of your business."

"I wish to train Flayn. She has potential and-"

"That's out of the question I'm afraid." Seteth said trying not to give away his nervousness. "I refuse to let Flayn on the battlefield."

"But she could learn and grow-"

"No!" Seteth yelled slamming his hands on the desk and standing up. "Flayn will not fight, and that is final!

A silence filled the room and Byleth closed her eyes, and folded her arms.

"I see I struck a sensitive spot. My apologies."

Seteth sighed loudly and shook his head. "No, I should be the one apologising. Flayn is… special. And I will leave it at that. Just know that I refuse to let her fight. I need to keep her safe… but anyway, I believe that I have everything I needed to hear. If you'll please see yourself out. Thank you for your time."

Byleth nodded and stood up. But not before she looked at him once more, remembering her experience from today. "There's something I'd like to request. Could you do counselling sessions for Edelgard and Dimitri?"

"What? Why?" Seteth asked, very confused at this request.

"I sense great darkness in them both. Darkness that they bottle up. Trust me when I say that trying to get them to open up would be best."

"I… see. I'll arrange for counselling sessions then."

"That's all I ask for. Thank you." Byleth said bowing and leaving. Seteth noticed something when she was leaving and it distracted him. The swaying of her tail. But he quickly shook his head and placed his hands on his face.

"This hasn't exactly made me feel any easier about that woman. Or she's any light." Seteth said, sighing and rubbing his temples. "If only her mother was still alive, then I could ask all of the questions I want, and perhaps get every answer that I desire."

A knock sounded on the door and in came Flayn. She heard the shout and looked very concerned. "Is everything okay, brother?"

"Yes Flayn, it's okay. I'm just concerned about this Byleth character."

"Well, I think she's very nice." Flayn replied, smiling at him. "And strong too." She then had a thoughtful look and placed a finger on her cheek. "Though I wonder why Lady Rhea likes her so much?"

"Yes… I've been wondering that too…"

Seteth shook his head and stood up. "Why don't we go fishing? That always cheers us up. It's a lovely day today."

"Oh yes! Let's catch a big one!"

He watched Flayn run off and sighed heavily. Byleth has spotted certain things about Flayn. Especially her power. He has to keep an eye on her more…

Byleth was walking down the corridors, thinking about whether to have meat or fish today, before a voice from behind spoke up. "M-M-Miss Byleth?"

She turned around to see it was Bernadetta from the Black Eagles, shaking in her boots. "I was… wondering… a-and you can say no but…"

Byleth folded her arms and nodded. "Go on."

In the region of Gaspard, Lord Lonato was currently in his studies staring at the fireplace. He stared at the whisky in his hand and sighed. This rebellion wasn't working. Of course it wasn't, his people were farmers and hadn't learned how to properly fight and they were up against the best knights in Fódlan. What was he thinking?

"Don't you wish things could go your way?"

He gasped in surprise and wheeled around to see a man there. Specifically, it was Thales, in his Lord Arundel disguise. "Who are you?!"

"Think of me as an ally. Someone with the same goal. It was certainly awful on what they did to your son." Thales explained as he walked over to Lonato's table and poured himself a drink. "Christophe, I assume?"

Lonato was angry to hear him use that name without any care but knew that he was on the defensive. "You are right. Those dastards murdered my son!"

"I heard. And he had nothing to do with it, they murdered an innocent man."

"Yes! He was!" But then Lonato narrowed his eyes. "Why are you here?"

"Why, I hate the church just as much as you. And I was so moved by your rebellion that I thought you would like a helping hand."

Thales then pulled out something from his pouch. A dark crystal. Lonato was a little unnerved by it but was curious on this little object. "What is it?"

"It will give you unlimited power. Power to crush those who tried to break down your rebellion. Power that could give you peace from your son. And it can be handed out to your soldiers."

"I will never find peace. And I refuse to let my people go near these things." Lonato said sharply before slowly taking it in his hands. "I will bear responsibility. I will take it."

"A leader until the very end. I sincerely hope that you succeed. In fact, just to be safe, I'll throw in some of my own to help you."

"….What's the catch?"

"No catch. I just want you to bring out your justice. Oh, but perhaps you can keep this on your person." Thales said holding a note. "It's all I ask."

Lonato stared at the paper and then sighed, taking it. It was the least he could do. "I'll do it. I thank you for your assistance."

Thales smirked and nodded before teleporting away, leaving Lonato by himself again. He just stared at the crystal and decided to keep it on his person for now. Lonato stared out his window and bowed his head. "Ashe… I hope you don't see the man that I have become."

A few weeks had passed since Byleth and Shamir returned and the blue haired woman was completely healed up. She was currently training the students which involved them jogging around the Monastery. Which was easier said than done for the students. Annette had her leg fully healed but this wasn't exactly her idea of fun after being confined to a cane for a week.

"Nothing like a good workout!" Claude tried to joke, but was failing to catch his breath.

"This is just a warm up Claude. The real training begins soon." Byleth replied.

That's when Shamir came running up, looking worried and panicked. "We need to go now! The rebellion has taken a turn for the worst!"

Byleth immediately understood the situation and stopped, looking at Dimitri. "Grab Ashe. We're leaving in the next hour."

"Understood Professor."

"The rest of you, get your things."

"Yes Professor!"

Soon, Byleth and Shamir arrived with Jeralt, Hanneman and Manuela as well as the Black Eagles and the hand picked students from the other classes. Byleth turned over to Catherine who was there. "Can you give us the situation?"

"Where should I start? The fog, the fact that our knights have been slaughtered or the fact that Lonato has Ki?"

"What?!" Byleth, Jeralt and Shamir yelled.

"Lonato… what are you doing?" Ashe said to himself.

"We need to take him out. And his followers." Shamir muttered in thought.

Jeralt sighed and turned to the students. "Alright, listen up. This isn't gonna be easy. Before, it was bandits and easy missions training with the knights. But here, we're going against villagers who believe in a just cause. They cannot be reasoned with, as you can see. You do not hesitate or it will cost you your life. Do I make myself clear?"

"Of course Professor." Edelgard muttered.

"Good. Now Byleth, I want your opinion on this. How should we tackle this?"

Byleth copied Shamirs thinking pose and hummed. "Manuela and Hanneman will stay with the Black Eagles, to provide backup. I want Petra and Shamir to scope out the bushes for any ambushers. Professor Jeralt and myself will take up the front with the house leaders, Caspar and Felix will take the sides, Lysithea and Annette will be at the centre with your magic and Ki. Leonie and Ashe, you take the rest as we need archers.

Jeralt looked over at the group. "Any objections?"

Everyone shook their heads as Catherine held her sword. "The remaining knights and myself will provide support too. Looks like you were right, we underestimated how serious it would be."

"FOR LONATO!"

A villager came out the bushes with a pitchfork and screamed while charging at them. But a Ki beam shot through his chest, killing him instantly before he even hit the ground. Everyone looked to Jeralt who had his finger pointing at him, showing it was Jeralt who put him down.

Dorothea and Bernadetta were shaking in fear. It was sort of simple before, but here? These were just villagers! Jeralt saw them shaking and sighed. "It's now or never, let's do this."

'Let's hope it's not a repeat of last time.' Sothis said. 'You're stronger than before, so you shouldn't have too many issues.'

Byleth sighed and nodded. "Everyone. Let's begin. Try and stick to the plan as much as possible, we're dealing with Ki. And if it's anything like before, nobody is safe."

"Got it."

"Then let's begin."

Yeah, this went all over the place this chapter. I found out that the Red Canyon mission isn't until a while later in the game. So perfect for a group of very inexperienced students huh?

And yes, I brought up the art of image training. I was very fascinated by that in the Dragonball series but I really got a taste of it from DBZ: Kakarot.

Byleth also got visions. Visions of the future. Guess she's Bardock now huh?

Also, yes. I had Edelgards C support involve Dimitri and Claude as a way to build up their relationships. Trying to get that golden ending.

So we will start off the Lonato battle. And of course, he got a Ki crystal and is a lot more tougher than the knights. Can Byleths Zenkai Boost give her what she needs?

Also, I decided that I will make the smut in a separate story. As you can tell, I made a DBZA joke with Jeralt and Sitri which would practically be me alluding to it. I'll take requests for Byleths lovers too on that one.

We also got a couple of favourites and followers too, thank you very much guys I appreciate it. I respond to every review too so don't be afraid to review.

And you can probably guess what I'm setting up Flayn to be. Not every arc will be the main quest. Some arcs will be paralogues with a twist. I'll tease and say there's one for Petra that will be fun to do.

Anyway, I'll see you in the next one.