Part 1: White Clouds
Garreg Mach: Noire
"Thank you for coming in." Rhea said, having a much more serious look to her face than usual, which wasn't surprising, given the circumstances. "As I'm sure you are aware, Seteth's younger sister, Flayn, has gone missing. At present, all we know for certain is that she has not left Garreg Mach."
"Flayn is not the type of person to just wander off on her own without telling me where she is going!" Seteth exclaimed, trying to keep his composure but failing. "We have searched the Monastery thoroughly, but have found nothing. I am now mobilising the knights to begin searching the town."
Seteth took in a deep breath to calm himself down and continued to address Byleth. "Troubling rumours have been running rampant lately. I do not wish to assume the worst, but…"
"What troubling rumours?" Byleth asked, tilting her head in thought. This was the first she was hearing about this. Rhea continued on for Seteth and explained.
"There are rumours of someone prowling the streets and attacking innocents, night after night. The knights have investigated the matter. They have not discovered any remains, nor have they found any concrete evidence."
"The people are panicked!" Seteth continued on. "They all insist the Death Knight is coming to claim their souls with his blade! There is no way she could've escaped without harm done to her or to others! Where is she?!"
"Seteth, recall that impatience begets error." Rhea reminded him. "Please do your best to calm yourself. I think of your… sister as family too. You know that."
Byleth noticed the way Rhea caught herself before saying sister. Like she was going to say something else.
"You have my support. We will devote ourselves fully. Mind, body and soul to recovering her."
She then turned to Byleth and nodded to her. "Byleth, your mission for this month is to help find Flayn. The knights have the town covered, so I ask that you focus your efforts on searching the Monastery again. We do not have time to waste. You have your orders."
Byleth nodded in response and was about to leave when Seteth stopped her and handed her a notepad. "Be sure to write down everything you see and anything you hear from witnesses. It'll be easier when all your information is in one place. I suggest investigating the greenhouse. That's where we found signs of an attack."
"Of course. I will get her back."
She then left the room and placed the notepad in her pocket before remembering she needed something to write with. She could use a quill but that was too messy with the ink. A pencil could do. Perhaps it was best to inform her father and Shamir on the matter as well. They lead Task Force 141 just as much as she did.
When she got to his office, she found the two already there as Jeralt rubbed his face. "I'm assuming you were told of what happened? It's a bizarre change of events, that's for sure."
"I don't know much about Flayn." Shamir said, drinking more tea. Sometimes Byleth wondered if she spiked it with something to keep her going throughout the day. "But what I do know is that she never leaves her brothers side. It's strange to hear how she could go missing."
"What did they tell you?" Jeralt asked, watching Byleth take a pencil off of his desk.
"To investigate the greenhouse."
"Good call. There's evidence of a struggle there. If Flayn really was taken, she didn't go down without a fight." Jeralt said, nodding to himself. "We will ask any witnesses and possible suspects. You survey the scene of the crime."
"Got it, dad."
Byleth was walking towards the greenhouse and used her tail to get the pencil out of her pocket and grabbed her notepad.
Already, she saw guards standing outside of the greenhouse and from where she was standing, saw damage done to it. It was a shame, it would take a while to fully repair it and get the broken glass out of the greenhouse.
"Halt! State your business!" One guard shouted once he saw Byleth approach them.
"I am Byleth Eisner, I was granted access to this crime scene by the Archbishop."
The guard looked at her tail holding the pencil and nodded, seeing how she fitted the description and moved out of the way. "Very well. If you find anything, put it back where you found it and inform us."
"Of course."
Byleth walked in and gasped at the damage that had occurred. The greenhouse was a mess! The windows were all broken, a bunch of flowers and vegetable patches were trampled. All that work to make it flourish and then this happened. Sothis was now beside her and folded her arms while floating in place.
'Where should we start? I propose we begin with the windows, because I noticed something.'
"What did you notice?" Byleth asked, scribbling down notes.
'Isn't it strange how all the windows are shattered yet there's hardly any glass inside?'
That was true. When Byleth took a proper look around, she noticed there was a very minuscule amount of glass. She quickly turned and looked outside of the greenhouse to find a lot of glass shards.
"So… the windows shattered from the inside. Do you have any theories?"
'Hmmm…. Not yet. But it is best we keep looking. It's too early to draw conclusions.'
"Yes, I believe you're right." Byleth muttered ignoring the strange looks from the guards who were wondering who she was talking to.
Back inside the greenhouse, Byleth looked around and noticed something beside a flower bed. It looked like strands of hair and she knelt down to inspect it.
"This is Flayn's hair. There's no doubting it. She must have been attacked in the greenhouse. Is it possible the Death Knight found her here?"
'Hmmm… oh! Byleth, over there! I see something!'
Byleth turned around and in the patches of soil saw chunks of metal just resting on top of the dirt and kneeled down, picking it up and inspecting it from every angle.
'Curious.' Sothis mumbled. 'I've never seen metal like this before. But more importantly, what is it doing here?'
"I recognise the material." Byleth stated narrowing her eyes at the black metal before her. "It's very similar to what the Death Knight has on his armour."
'So we now know that the Death Knight was here? And he attacked Flayn? That's some questions answered, but one more has come out of this. Why are pieces of his armour here?'
Byleth closed her eyes and frowned in deep thought. "There was evidence a fight had taken place here. But is Flayn strong enough to break his armour?"
'You did mention how much potential she has. Maybe she got too unstable when fighting?'
"It's possible. But then again, if my theory on her unstable Ki is true, then I should've sensed it from when I was returning. Either she got her powers under control or she was knocked out after that surprise attack. Though I wonder how they managed to do it. Pieces of the puzzle are falling in place, but we're nowhere near the finish line just yet."
'Hmmm… could the Death Knight have managed to knock her out? While that is a plausible theory, I think it would be more of a mess in here if he had to fight her one on one. Keep looking for something else, there has to be other traces of evidence in here."
But they were running out of places to look. After all, the greenhouse wasn't that big of a place to even fight in. So it couldn't have been a serious fight because there would have been more damage. "Perhaps we should try looking in the flowers and bushes? If we found pieces of the armour in there, we might be able to find more."
'Excellent idea.' Sothis nodded to herself and floated away from Byleth to investigate. 'I'll look over here. See if I can find anything out of the blue. You know… this is actually kind of fun, putting the circumstances aside.'
"What do you mean?" Byleth asked while carefully looking in the flower beds as Sothis continued.
'It's like those crime books you like to read from time to time, you know? Where we analyse clues to try and find the culprit, only this time we're tracking a kidnapper.'
The Mercenary chuckled to herself and nodded. "Yes, I suppose you are right. Taking notes just adds to the experience, doesn't it?"
But then she noticed something out the corner of her eye hidden deep inside a bush as she reached in and pulled it out. "Sothis, over here. I found something."
The spirit slowly floated towards her and looked at the object in Byleth's hand. 'A syringe? Is there anything in it?'
Byleth examined it as best as she could, but aside from a few drips that came out the needle, there was nothing. "This may play into how they kidnapped Flayn. Maybe they drugged her so she couldn't struggle."
Sothis rubbed her chin in thought and nodded to herself. 'This seems like the most plausible theory. Especially if she's strong enough to break the Death Knight's armour like that. It's best to knock her out. But from what we saw of the Death Knight back at the Holy Mausoleum, this seems very unlike him. He wouldn't drug his victims, would he?'
"Hmmm… regardless, I think we have enough evidence to support the theory we have been going along with. But we should probably gather evidence from any witnesses to see what we can get. It will help to get outside information."
'Right!'
Byleth walked out of the greenhouse and tapped her chin with her pencil and wondered who she could ask. And that's when she had a great idea. She just hoped that it paid off.
"Greetings Miss Byleth! Nothing to report!"
Ah, there was that voice that she needed. Byleth always appreciated the insight that the Gatekeeper gave. Especially when she was clueless most days. That's when he knocked on his helmet and smiled. "Ah, silly me, I'm so used to reporting nothing, that I forgot that there IS something! Seteth's little sister, Flayn has gone missing! Very strange to hear as nobody saw her being taken away in the middle of the night!"
Byleth kept her smile on and looked at her notepad. "Do you have any idea on who could give me a clue on what happened?"
The Gatekeeper hummed in thought before brightening up immediately and nodding. "Yes! You should try going to the Cathedral. There is a nun called Beth that claims to have heard of something that could've lead to young Flayn being out on her own. I would also suggest asking the students if they know anything. They like to avoid curfew, and so they may know where to look. Oh, and perhaps the local merchant Anna could help you. She usually has an eye everywhere."
"Great. Thank you very much Gatekeeper."
"All in a days work, Miss Byleth!" The Gatekeeper saluted with a bright smile as Byleth turned away and went to the Cathedral. Sothis was still next to her and smiled.
'He's nice. Never seen someone so happy with their job.'
"I can always count on him for advice. Now he mentioned a nun named Beth… oh goodness, I should've asked for a description."
But it seemed like fate was on her side today, as someone came walking up to her and bowed. "You are… Byleth Eisner? The one who's investigating what happened with little Flayn?"
"I am." Byleth nodded. "I'm assuming that you are Beth?"
"Correct. I have information that could maybe help with the case."
Byleth slowly pulled out the notepad and decided to ask the obvious question. "Where were you at the time Flayn went missing?"
"Well, I was finishing up my chores for the day, admittedly it took a little longer than what was necessary." Beth explained with a nervous laugh. "But on my way to dispose of the dirty water I was using to clean the floors, I heard shouting from Seteth's office."
"Shouting? Was he fighting with Flayn?" Byleth asked and Beth slowly turned, trying to hide her face.
"I'm not too sure… anybody could've been at his office at that time. I shouldn't have mentioned it…"
She was lying. Byleth could tell from the way her expression and body language changed. Perhaps Beth was trying to protect the image of Seteth. Either way, it wouldn't do her any good by lying. "I shouldn't have to explain the severity of the situation at hand. I would advise to be truthful with me if we are to get to the bottom of Flayn's disappearance."
Beth froze before sighing. "Yes, you're right… my apologies. Yes, he and Flayn were having a big argument that day. I couldn't hear the exact conversation I'm afraid, but a couple of minutes later, Flayn stormed out of his office with the angriest look I've ever seen on her. It felt like the room was shaking with her presence. I'm afraid that's all I know."
"Thank you Beth. You've helped out a lot with this information. I'll let you get back to your duties." Byleth replied and watched Beth now before walking away. Sothis then appeared next to Byleth and rubbed her chin.
'Interesting… so it seems there was a little tension that night. So we now know what could've prompted her to go outside by herself. But why did they fight in the first place?'
But before Byleth could respond, the two heard voices from behind and turned around to see Annette and Mercedes approaching. Annette was wearing her normal school outfit, but Byleth could see she was wearing her weighted clothing underneath too. Good. They were keeping up their training.
"Professor! We heard about what happened!" Annette exclaimed and shook her head. "Poor Flayn… oh! But we also heard you are being a detective for the day and might need some help! Everyone is in on it!"
"Thank you Annette." Byleth smiled in return. "And yes, help would be appreciated. But who is this with the two of you?"
"Oh, this young man has some information about Flayn that could possibly help." Mercedes replied as the student looked around nervously.
"Y-Yes… well, I hung out with Flayn last week. Very nice girl, although she's a little strange at times. But then the day after that, Seteth approached me with the scariest look in his eyes!"
"Scary look?" Byleth asked, scribbling down notes as the student nodded.
"Yes. He was asking me all these weird questions, such as would I kill myself to keep Flayn safe, or would I do anything to harm her? I was so scared that I stopped hanging out with her, and then SHE looked scary…"
"Seteth does seem very protective of her…" Annette mumbled. "Almost to a disturbing degree."
But Byleth believed that she had all the information that she needed and smiled at the student. "Thank you, you've been a great help. You are excused."
"T-Thank you Miss Byleth! I hope you find her!"
The trio watched the boy run off as Byleth looked down at her notes to which Annette noticed. "Do you think that you have an idea on how she went missing?"
"I believe I do… but I better get more information just to have a concrete answer. I hope I can count on you all to help out."
"Of course you can Professor!" Annette exclaimed and went running off as Mercedes tried to warn her.
"Annie, watch out for that-"
CLUNK!
"…Wall…" Mercedes sighed and turned to Byleth and bowed. "I will make sure that she is alright. Good luck in the search!"
Byleth turned to Sothis who was in deep thought. 'Curious… so we now have a reason why the fight occurred and what caused Flayn to storm out. Now the biggest question… how could the Death Knight have gotten inside? Do you think we should consult the merchant Anna?'
"Hmmm… let's report to Seteth with what we know first and then we could possibly see where we go from here."
'Yes… that feels like the smart thing to do.'
Seteth was at his desk in his office with his head in his hands trying to keep his thoughts rational. But no after what he did, he always went back to the worst case scenario and imagined poor Flayn gone from his sight, or even worse-
*Knock* *Knock* *Knock*
He jumped at the sound from his door but managed to collect himself and blew out a breath. "You may enter."
The door to his office opened and Byleth came walking in and Seteth immediately stood up. "Miss Byleth! I pray that you are here with good news?"
Byleth closed the door and looked at her notepad. "I went to the greenhouse just as you had told me. And I think I have a sound theory on what had happened. I saw that all the glass in the greenhouse had been shattered completely. But what was most interesting to me, was that it had been shattered from the inside."
Seteth managed to adopt his usual stern persona and nodded. "So it was a force from inside the greenhouse that broke it, I don't understand how this helps-"
"I wasn't finished."
He made a face but closed his eyes and nodded. "My apologies. Please continue."
Byleth nodded back and looked at her notes. "I looked further and saw that in a flower bed of Forget Me Nots was a few strands of green hair. Flayn's green hair."
She wasn't sure she could see Seteth get any more white but as if sensing his thoughts, she continued. "We didn't find any blood so it's safe to assume that she wasn't harmed or worse, murdered."
Seteth let out a long breath he didn't realise he was holding and leaned on his desk to support himself. "Anything else?"
Looking down at her notepad, Byleth recalled the syringe. "We found a syringe tossed into the bushes. Unfortunately, it's nothing that we can really use as it was mostly empty. But my theory is that it was a drug used on Flayn."
"As a way to get her out without too much of a ruckus." Seteth mumbled and scratched his beard. "Do you have a clue on who did it?"
"Yes… we found pieces of the Death Knight's armour. I recognise the metal. Shards of it were there from an attack."
Seteth just looked at Byleth who closed her notepad and took the pencil off her tail before speaking. "I have a theory at the moment. I spoke with witnesses and I have figured out what could've caused her to be out there by herself at night. Tell me, Seteth. Do you remember the fight that you and Flayn had?"
Byleth saw him freeze in place at the mention of that and tugged on his collar. "I… yes. She came to me, absolutely livid. Though the reason why, I am uncertain."
"I do. You were being too protective when she tried to make new friends."
"Did I? Oh yes, I remember now." Seteth nodded as a small smile made its way. "I was simply asking that young man if he was willing to protect Flayn in any way possible."
"…And you don't think that sounded outrageous?"
Now he had a look of confusion on his face as Sothis smacked her forehead, groaning in disbelief. That's when Byleth tried to explain.
"How would you feel if somebody asked you if you were going to lay your life down to protect someone that you only spoke to for a day?"
"Well… I would think that person is insane! That's absolutely ridiculous to even suggest such a notion! It's-"
His eyes widened as it all started to make sense now. But then his look changed to one of horror. "Oh gods… it's my fault! She went outside because of me! Oh, what have I done?!"
"While that certainly played a part into it, you shouldn't place the blame sorely on yourself." Byleth replied. "After all, it was the Death Knight who took her. But that's something else that bothered me… this was planned."
"Planned? How?" Seteth asked, trying to calm himself down as Byleth stared at him.
"They drugged her. And judging by the way the greenhouse was destroyed, she snapped. Something they knew would happen so they had to knock her out so they could take her away. Seteth, this was no coincidence."
Seteth was tapping his desk in frustration as he knew Byleth was one hundred percent correct. "So the Death Knight took her… but how did he even get inside? The guards would've noticed him, and there's no casualties anywhere."
"That's what I came to ask you. Is there anything out of the ordinary today?"
Byleth waited as Seteth thought to himself, before a look of realisation crossed his face. "Now that you mention it, something strange did happen. Neither Jeritza nor Professor Manuela attended today's meeting. Normally, I would just chalk this down to their character flaws… but after today, it's too much to be called a coincidence."
"You think we have a traitor in our ranks?"
"It's possible…" Seteth mumbled but then shook his head. "I want you to continue investigating. If you even hear anything regarding Flayn or the Death Knight, you come to me immediately. I just pray that nobody gets hurt."
"Understood. I shall take my leave."
"Hey, kid. I see that you've been busy. Seems you got better luck than Shamir and I." Jeralt said, as Byleth exited the office. But then he saw the serious look on her face. "What's up?"
"We may have the identity the Death Knight. Manuela and Jeritza."
His face hardened as he looked towards his office. "Let's discuss this further-"
"Now hold on just a minute!"
Both turned to see Hanneman walking over with an offended look on his face. "Surely you're not suggesting that Manuela is the Death Knight, are you? Preposterous!"
"Maybe we should discuss this in private? Professor?" Jeralt growled at his colleague who blinked and realised where exactly they were.
"Ah yes, quite right. Lead the way!"
All three entered Jeralt's office to see Shamir leaning on the table, almost like she never left that spot. Before anybody could talk, she spoke.
"These walls aren't sound proof. I could hear your conversation and who exactly we have as suspects for the Death Knight."
Jeralt nodded while uncorking his hip flask and taking a swig before sighing. "To be honest, I did find it strange how they didn't show up for the meeting today."
"But we know why Manuela didn't show up!" Hanneman exclaimed. "She's a drunk! She obviously slept in with a bad hangover!"
"Hanneman, we have a missing person on our hands because of this Death Knight." Shamir said sharply. "This is not the time to be playing favourites. Both of them are a suspect."
"But I know it's not true!" Hanneman yelled back. "It just doesn't make any sense! She's a Professor for the Blue Lions, how would she have the time to be doing those deeds?"
Jeralt hummed in thought and closed his eyes. "He's got a point… but regardless, we should question both her and Jeritza to see if we can find anything."
Suddenly, they all heard frantic banging from the door and Byleth went to open it and saw three students standing there. Ingrid, Casper and Ignatz were still there with looks of alarm as they tried pulling Byleth out.
"You gotta come quick! We heard screams coming from Jeritza's room!" Caspar yelled, tugging on Byleth's arm as Jeralt slowly looked to his daughter and nodded.
"Seems that we don't have to find them after all." Jeralt said as Byleth turned to the adults in the room.
"Gather the Task Force. We must be prepared. I'll go with the others and meet you there."
"Got it."
"Three! Two! One! Go!"
The door smashed open as Byleth stormed in, sword in hand and looked around. It was dark, and she couldn't really see much around her. With the rest of the Task Force filing in.
"It doesn't look like anybody is in-" Hilda started to say before gasping loudly. "Professor Manuela!"
Everybody now saw her sprawled out on the floor as the House Leaders checked to see if she was okay.
"Is she injured?" Byleth asked, and Claude had a grimace on his face when he noticed a stab wound.
"She was attacked. But she's unconscious so that's a good sign at least."
But that's when Dimitri noticed that her hand was pointing somewhere… and he followed the direction and gasped at what he saw.
"Everyone! Look over there!"
The group all turned to where Dimitri was looking saw an entrance to somewhere.
"Some kind of secret passage behind that shelf?" Edelgard muttered.
"I knew that Jeritza was up to no good!" Hanneman yelled when he walked in, and his eyes widened when he saw Manuela on the ground. "What in the world happened?!"
"We know just as much as you do." Edelgard replied and then she noticed the wound too. "She needs medical assistance."
"Y-Yes, of course! You three, please help out." He said, looking to Edelgard, Dimitri and Claude.
"Understood." Edelgard nodded. "I'll support her head."
"I have her arms." Dimitri chimed in.
That's when Claude looked to Byleth while getting her legs. "Try to hold down the fort for us until we get back, okay? Right, so let's take it easy…"
Jeralt watched them carry Manuela away and sighed before looking at the passageway. "So this more or less confirms that Jeritza is the Death Knight."
"Indeed." Shamir grunted. "Does that mean he was the one that kidnapped Flayn? If so, perhaps she's down there too."
Byleth nodded and held out her sword before taking the lead. "Be ready for anything. We don't know what we're dealing with."
But before the Task Force could go forward, a voice sounded from behind. "W-W-W-Wait!"
They all turned to see Bernadetta at the entrance, panting as if she ran all the way here. "Let me join you!"
The students all looked at each other, before Leonie spoke up. "You should probably leave this to us Bernadetta. It could be too dangerous-"
"She can come with us."
They all looked to Byleth who wore a smile on her face , and Bernadetta gave a small smile back. "As long as you're sure."
"Can't stay in my room all the time, can I? As much as I want to…"
Shamir and Jeralt looked at each other with smirks and the rest were just confused. Why were they letting her go with them? But Byleth just carried on as if nothing happened.
"Whatever weapons you need, form them now."
Everyone nodded as a variety of Ki weapons took form with swords, lances and magic Ki balls. But to everyone's shock, Bernadetta formed a small ball of Ki on her fingertips. And that's when everyone realised.
"You know how to use Ki?! Since when?!" Caspar yelled which made the shy girl jump in fright as the Ki on her finger disappeared.
"I-I'm sorry! I should've told you! Please don't kill me!"
"Bernie, nobody is killing anybody." Byleth said and got everyone's attention. "Now stay focused. Let's investigate."
"Right!"
"Thank goodness she will be okay." Dimitri sighed as he and his fellow House Leaders exited the medical bay after getting Manuela inside. Hanneman had run off to try and get the Knights of Seiros for backup. There were currently some keeping watch over Manuela. "I'm not sure that I could forgive myself if she perished."
"It's almost a relief though, that this is what we're dealing with." Claude said to himself and got a bewildered look from Dimitri and the tanned man just raised his hands.
"Look, you weren't there at the Alliance! Shit got real! We almost died! I was out cold for three days straight! Compared to this, it's like a picnic."
"But still, you can't make light of this situation! My Professor got hurt!"
"She's still breathing, isn't she?"
Edelgard rubbed her eyes and groaned at the two bickering like this. Though something else was also on her mind. Jeritza. She wasn't sure whether this was him doing it on purpose or he was being sloppy. Regardless, everybody now knew his identity. It was probably time for her to get her Flame Emperor disguise on and try and reel him in. She went to turn to the two boys and smiled.
"I will see if I can find Seteth and inform him of what is happening-"
SHINK!
She gasped when she found a blade… made of Ki pressed against her throat and looked behind her to see a Knight of Seiros… wearing a Scouter.
Claude and Dimitri were in the same predicament with the same imposters having blades to their throats as Claude gulped.
"Uh oh. We were careless… this is bad."
But Edelgard was at a loss for words as her hands were now being tied behind her back.
What the hell were they playing at?
"It's quite dark down here." Byleth muttered, holding a torch in front of her, seeing the fire light the way before noticing somebody VERY close to her. Two to be exact.
"Ashe. Lysithea. Why are you all the way over here?"
Both blinked as they realised they had been caught as Ashe cleared his throat. "Perhaps we could give you… cover from both sides?"
"Y-Yeah!" Lysithea agreed. But then a loud noise echoed throughout the area causing both to scream loudly and cling to Byleth who just sighed.
"Guys… it's only a rock falling down the steps."
"…Right, I knew that." Lysithea muttered, immediately pulling away and blushing. Soon, they all got to the bottom of the stairs and Shamir's eyes widened at what she saw.
"I see someone!"
And it was revealed to be Flayn who laid there, completely still. Byleth watched as Caspar ran over and inspected her. "Is she dead?"
He placed his ear to her chest and shook his head. "No, she's still alive. Must just be out cold. Hey! There's somebody else here too!"
"What? Another victim?" Jeralt grunted, looking over the other girl who he definitely did not recognise as Shamir picked up Flayn bridal style before turning to Byleth.
"Jeralt and I will get these two out of here. Try and find where Jeritza has gone."
"Got it. Please let me know how Manuela is doing too."
Shamir nodded as Jeralt picked up the girl before looking at his daughter. "Don't do anything stupid, kid. Remember, we're underground so watch where you and the brats are with your Ki attacks. One false move and you could have it all crumble around you."
Byleth understood what he meant and watched him go back upstairs with Shamir and motioned for the students to follow her. But that's when Petra grabbed her arm and prevented her from going any further.
"I am sensing a foe approaching. We should do caution wisely."
The clunking sounds of armour echoed throughout the hallways as the person was revealed to be the Death Knight himself. Byleth quickly drew her sword and stared him down with everyone following suit. But she noticed something different. Parts of his armour were broken. Just like the pieces in the greenhouse before. So it looked like all the evidence proved to be correct.
Caspar's eyes widened as he balled his fists in anger. "Hey, I recognise him! It's that jerk that we fought at the Mausoleum!"
"That I fought." Lysithea retorted, still glaring at the Death Knight. "You, on the other hand, were too busy punching mages."
"Hey, come on, we're a team!"
But that's when the Death Knight spoke, looking at the weapon in Byleth's hand, before looking right into her eyes.
"That sword… you must be…"
He then gripped his scythe and glared at her from behind his helmet. "One of us will die, the other will live. I will enjoy this dance of damnation."
"Reel yourself in Death Knight. It is not time yet."
The Death Knight just at the voice behind him. It was Hubert who stood there with his hands behind his back. Caspar's eyes widened as he tried to charge at him but was stopped by Byleth.
"Come to show your face again, traitor?! You're lucky I'm being held back! Why show up again after you tried to kill Edelgard?!"
"What I do is too much for a simpleton like you to understand." Hubert replied before turning to Byleth.
"Greetings Miss Byleth. It seems you have figured out what has happened."
"…Why kidnap Flayn? Is it because of the power she wields?"
The students were all confused in what Byleth meant by that. But Hubert just shook his head. "While it would be beneficial for us to use her power for ourselves, that is not the case. We planned all of this to simply lure YOU down here."
Byleth's eyes widened at that statement, but then suddenly it all started clicking together. Why they didn't bother discarding evidence, why it felt so sloppy. It was deliberate.
"But of course, it wasn't supposed to be this early. You can thank Professor Manuela for that." Hubert continued. "She forced us to act now. But now for the reason why we brought you down here. You are to come with us."
"Like hell she's going with you!" Caspar yelled and tried to charge again but was sharply pushed back.
"Caspar, enough." Byleth firmly said and looked back at Hubert once more. "You know the power we have. Why exactly should I go with you and not just cut your head off immediately?"
"I am growing tired of these games." The Death Knight growled but Hubert just looked at him.
"You'll get your fight soon. But back to the obvious. You are correct Miss Byleth. You are far more powerful than I. But what I lack in strength…"
That's when they all noticed glowing symbols beneath them and Byleth turned to the students and yelled.
"GET BACK!"
They barely managed to escape as the symbols detonated and created explosions as Hubert smirked.
"…I more than make up for in technique." As he clicked his fingers and they found themselves surrounded by mages teleporting in, all wearing Scouters. Caspar roared and charged at Hubert ready to punch him as Byleth reached out her hand.
"CASPAR, NO!"
"DIE!" Caspar yelled as he swung his fist towards Hubert… only to punch thin air as the pale boy just teleported away.
"You really think I'm just going to stand there? You really are simple."
Caspar then dodged a fire spell that tried to hit him while his back was turned, and that's when it all started kicking off as the students all fought off the mages with Byleth staring down Hubert and the Death Knight. But then she watched Hubert stand back and nod to the Death Knight who started glowing with Dark Ki.
'Right… he has that. And he must've gotten more used to his power. This could be fun.'
"Come at me."
Byleth nodded and charged forward as both their weapons clashed with one another and the Death Knight aimed a hand at her face, about to kill her with a blast, but she ducked and used her own legs to take his out and make him fall to the ground. She then tried to stab him in the places where his armour was missing but a force pushed her back as she saw him getting back up.
'He has gotten this strong already?'
"This is good… more… show me more…"
She gritted her teeth and charged an Ashen Blast before throwing it towards him but he just cleaved the attack in two as it exploded around him, shaking the area around everyone as Hubert shook his head.
"May I remind you where we are? You would do well to not use your Ki attacks, unless you wish to kill us all. You know you are at a disadvantage, so come with us and the others will be spared."
Byleth looked behind her and saw that the students were able to hold off the mages, but only barely. Seems they figured out that they couldn't use Ki attacks either as only Bernadetta, Ashe and Leonie were using them to take pot shots at the mages.
She then turned back to face Hubert as the Death Knight loomed over her, ready to strike. But then a voice sounded from behind everyone.
"Everyone stop fighting or these brats die!"
Her eyes widened when she saw three figures holding Edelgard, Dimitri and Claude to their knees with Ki blades against their throats. That caused everyone to freeze and immediately stop fighting.
"What is the meaning of this?!" Hubert yelled as Byleth noticed how… panicked he sounded. Was this part of their plan?
"Stupid boar… How did you get caught?" Felix growled. He couldn't rush in to save them.
"Claude!" Hilda screamed, and she gripped her axe tightly gritting her teeth as she stood in place.
"Oh no! They got Edelgard?!" Bernadetta whimpered as she realised just how dire their situation was.
That's when everything around Byleth turned dark and she turned to see Sothis on her throne, looking down on her, with her head resting on her hand.
'Another situation we've gotten into.'
Byleth slowly turned to her and frowned. "What should I do?"
Sothis just hummed in response and shook her head. "You have Divine Pulses, and plentiful at that. But this is something only you can do by yourself. You could turn back time and try again and again. But we have both seen the cost of that. Twice. Really, you only have one option."
"I understand." Byleth said, closing her eyes. "You're right. I just hope everything turns out okay.'
She was returned back to reality as she watched Dimitri try to escape but he was hit in the back of the head which left him dazed and back on his knees. Everyone's lives were at risk.
Leonie turned to Byleth with her lance still in hand. "Do we have a plan at all, Professor?"
But she was ignored, as Byleth looked at Hubert. "If I come with you, will you let them go?"
"WHAT?!" Everyone yelled as Claude tried to sit up.
"Teach! What are you doing?!"
But before Hubert could answer, the mage holding Edelgard just smirked. "Oh, did he say he only needed you? Slight change of plans, we're taking these three as well."
"…What are you doing?" Hubert muttered as he glared at the mages. This wasn't the plan. They were only to retrieve Byleth, that's it.
"We have a change in orders. And so we will take her and the three before us. But we aren't savages. You come with us, and we let the others go back to their teachers with their tails between their legs."
Byleth glared at them, and then to Hubert. Seems there was a change that he wasn't aware of. Just what was happening? Why did they need them? So many questions but… there was no other option. So she slowly held out the Sword of the Creator… and let it slip from her hand and everyone watched it clatter to the ground.
"A wise choice." The mage holding down Claude muttered, and looked to Hubert. "Grab her shoulder, and do as you're told."
Hubert just growled at him but slowly gestured for Byleth to approach him as she turned to the rest.
"We will find a way out of this. I promise. Tell Jeralt and Shamir about what happened. Quickly."
"Professor, no!" Annette screamed as she tried running to her, but it was too late as Hubert teleported away with her in tow. And the three mages hoisted up the House Leaders and also teleported away, leaving just them and the Death Knight. But he just scoffed and turned away.
"Waste of my time… I shall be back…"
And like that, he and the rest of the mages teleported away, only leaving the student among themselves. And suddenly, they heard footsteps from behind them and turned to see Jeralt and Shamir with Alois and Catherine. But they were all confused and looked around before Jeralt looked at them... and to the Sword of the Creator laying on the ground.
"What happened?"
"Keep going! Move it!"
Byleth, Claude, Edelgard and Dimitri had their hands tied behind their backs as they were being lead somewhere down a dark hallway. They had no clue where they got teleported. And Edelgard whispered to the mage who had a hold of her.
"What the hell are you doing?" She harshly whispered but the mage just grinned and whispered in her ear.
"Oh, didn't you hear? Lord Thales wants you to have front row seats to the show."
She was about to ask what he meant by that but then suddenly, she heard a door opening and it was a large room, as she got thrown into it and grunted when she hit the ground hard and her bindings vanished from sight as the door locked.
She felt dread run through her. This felt too familiar with the cold walls, the claustrophobic spaces, the feeling of loneliness… though the others were inside with her as Claude dusted himself off and scoffed.
"Geez, they sure like to treat us like esteemed guests. But… where are we?"
They were in a large room, that had nothing in it at all. No furniture, no beds, nothing. Nothing except for a very thick glass ceiling that showed the orange sky that showcased the evening as the four heard a voice from the door as a slot opened up revealing a guard.
"Come tomorrow, you'll be cooked alive by the sun. Have fun living!" He laughed as he slammed the slot shut.
"Hey, you get back here!" Dimitri yelled and slammed his fists into the wall, only to find it did nothing to dent it and he stared at his gauntlets. Why did that do nothing? He looked towards his teacher and nodded. "We need to find a way out of here."
That's when Claude had a smile on his face as he reached into his boots.
"Well, it's a good job we decided to wear our regular clothes today, because I have my set of lockpicks! I'll have us out of here in no time!"
But when he went to the door, he was shocked to see… nothing. "Okay. Call me crazy, but I could've sworn there was a lock here. What is this place?"
"Hmm… I can't place where we are." Dimitri muttered while rubbing his chin. "The glass ceiling above us also doesn't provide any clues…"
Byleth was quiet, and placed a hand on the stone walls before her, and felt along it, sensing some powerful magic inside them. They wanted them to stay in here… but why? They were giving her and the others too much time to try and escape.
"Edelgard, do you have an idea on how to get out?"
No answer.
"Edelgard?"
She, Dimitri and Claude looked to see her in a corner, with her head buried in her legs and she was hugging herself. Edelgard was also shaking, and they realised what was happening. She was in the middle of a panic attack.
They all remembered the story of what she went through as a child. Obviously this was bringing up very bad memories of being captive. And so Byleth knelt down and slowly hugged Edelgard while whispering in her ear.
"Deep breathes Edelgard. You're not alone."
"I don't want this… I want to leave…"
"We will. But we must keep our senses together. Can you look at me?"
She slowly looked up and saw her Professor's calming blue eyes which managed to break her out of her spell of anxiety as she let loose a few shaky breathes before looking at Claude and Dimitri. "I apologise for that. Just…"
"You don't need to go into detail, Edelgard. We understand." Dimitri said with a small smile and she smiled back, nodding, before looking up at the glass ceiling.
"Let's just hope we can get out soon."
"Try and find a way. There has to be something here." Byleth said, and Claude looked around.
"I hope it doesn't take too long or we will be cooking tomorrow…"
"Ah, Hubert." Thales smiled, seeing him walk in to his room. "Impeccable timing as always. I wanted to say a job well done."
"Forgive me, 'Lord' Thales." Hubert said, really struggling to contain his anger. "But you said to only get Byleth, and that's it. Why the sudden change?"
"Would you believe me when I say I am a fan of theatrics at times? I suppose it's why I ket her keep that stupid outfit. But you do know what we are planning, yes?"
Hubert slowly nodded and looked out the window to see the slowly darkening sky. "You didn't answer my question. Why endanger her life? From what you told me, the power is too destructive."
"That it is, but I think it would be better enjoyed if she had an audience. And of course put fear in their hearts when they realise what their dear 'Professor' really is. Not to mention, Edelgard has gotten a little too sharp tongued for my liking, so consider this a punishment. That is, if she can get out of there alive."
"I won't let her he killed!" Hubert exclaimed but Thales gestured for him to follow.
"If she and her friends act quickly, then they won't. Now come, I want you to see for yourself."
"Captain Jeralt! Please see reason!" Alois yelled, trying to stop Jeralt who was on his way to look for his daughter. He sighed as he saw Alois blocking his way.
"Out of the way Alois."
"But Jeralt! We have no clue where they could be! Let's just send out search parties and-"
"I'm not waiting for a damn search party!"
Catherine and Shamir looked at each other, finding this change in behaviour to be… strange. Shamir walked forward to try and talk some sense into her friends father.
"I understand that you're worried about Byleth and the students. We all are. But we need to face facts that we can't just fly about hoping for a clue when we have no idea where to start."
"You lot don't understand!" Jeralt growled, punching the bridge of his nose. "We NEED to get her back NOW!"
"What is the meaning of all this ruckus?"
They all turned to see Seteth and Rhea approaching them as they saw just how different Seteth looked. He was more relaxed. No doubt he was beyond relieved to see Flayn returned safely as Catherine smiled.
"I assume she's okay now?"
"Yes… she's resting in her bed. She was drugged up to stay asleep so she couldn't fight back. I wish to give my thanks to Miss Byleth when she is found." Seteth replied, before looking at the Sword of the Creator which was wrapped in cloth and leaning on the wall in Jeralt's room so nobody could get hurt like Leonie when touching it.
"Yes… why the urgency Jeralt?" Rhea asked, feeling confused on why he seemed so panicked. "We are all worried but it would be wise to wait for the search parties to gather clues on where they are."
Jeralt just stared at Rhea and shook his head. "So, Sitri never told you, huh?"
A sudden chill ran through the air as Rhea narrowed her eyes at Jeralt. "What exactly… didn't she tell me? What do you know?"
But he just ignored her and adjusted his armour while Seteth tried to reach out to him. "Jeralt, cease this madness! We can wait-"
"Seteth. You and the three in this room will accompany Jeralt in his search."
Everyone except Jeralt stared at Rhea in shock as she looked at him with a serious expression.
"If what he says is true, then we cannot afford to wait. But I must ask, why exactly do we have to find her now?"
Jeralt stared at everybody before letting out a long sigh. "The full moon is out tonight."
Now, for most of the people in the room, they were just confused. What does the moon have to do with anything? But Seteth was frozen in place as he remembered the first conversation he ever had with Jeralt.
"Trust me." Jeralt said, staring at Seteth as they were in his office speaking for the first time. "No matter what. She must never look at the full moon. Or it'll end badly for all of us."
"I will go with you." Seteth sharply said and that's when everyone realised how serious the situation is. But they still had questions as Seteth turned to Rhea.
"Would you please take care of Flayn while I'm gone?"
Rhea clasped her hands together and smiled at him. "As if she were one of my own."
"Good. Then let's get going. Night is fast approaching." Jeralt said, turning to the exit as Seteth, Catherine, Shamir and Alois followed him.
Shamir just looked at him and decided to ask the obvious. "What's so important about the full moon?"
As they all left, Rhea stared up at the darkening sky and frowned deeply. 'Sitri… just how much did you hide from me?'
"…How much do you know about the Moon Beast?"
"It doesn't make sense."
Everyone looked at Byleth who was sitting cross legged on the floor and she continued. "What would they have to gain by killing you three? I can understand ending my life, but the three of you are deeply rooted in your respective lands. Your death's would install panic and chaos across Fódlan."
"You are right. It wouldn't make sense to kill all of us right here, right now." Dimitri hummed, as he was pacing back and forth.
"Not to mention that this is completely out of the ordinary from we've experienced so far." Claude continued, looking at Byleth. "Every other time, they've manipulated from behind the scenes, yet now they would do something so bold? I don't buy it. They're planning something, I just don't know what."
Edelgard was silent as she was sat on the floor with her back against the wall as she looked up at the sky. "I suppose if there's any bright side to all of this, we have a perfect view of the moon. I find an odd sense of comfort when I look at it."
"This isn't good. We should be asleep soon, or else the Moon Beast will be out and about." Byleth said as the three looked at her strangely.
"Professor, I never took you to believe in stories like that." Edelgard remarked as Byleth just looked back with a serious expression.
"It's not a story. I was there when it appeared. It destroyed Remire Village and trampled all the crops!"
"Woah, seriously?!" Claude's eyes widened. He had heard of this Moon Beast, but like his two friends, didn't really believe in it. But Byleth had no reason to lie. "What did it look like?"
"I'm… not sure. I was asleep."
The three teenagers looked at each other and Dimitri spoke. "Forgive me Professor, but how exactly do you sleep through a giant beast destroying everything?"
"I have no idea." Byleth replied. "All I remember is that the next morning I was naked and that my dad warned me to never look at the full moon."
The students eyes widened at what they heard and slowly backed away but found their backs hit the stone wall behind them. Byleth was just oblivious to the whole thing as she continued to speak.
"Of course, that didn't have anything to do with the beast. Dad just always said these strange things and-"
She blinked when he realised Edelgard, Claude and Dimitri were as far away as possible as she stood up. "Is… everything okay?"
The three of them didn't know what it was… but they realised their hands were trembling and that sweat was running down their brows. This was fear. But why? It was just a coincidence… right?
"N-Nothing Professor!" Dimitri stammered as Edelgard swallowed a lump in her throat.
"P-Professor? Can I ask you a question?" Edelgard asked and they all noticed Byleth's tail being a lot more active by swinging about with the full moon shining down on her.
"Of course. What is it?"
"T-That night that the village was destroyed. Did you… happen to look at the full moon?"
Byleth frowned at that question but rubbed her chin in thought. "I… think so. Just before I fell asleep. Why?"
Claude backed up more as he let out a nervous laugh and looked at his friends. "I'm feeling a little nervous…"
"I knew the Professor was different from us, but…" Dimitri started to say but trailed off as they kept an eye on her tail.
"How… do we find out for sure?" Edelgard asked.
Byleth just tilted her head and looked concerned. "What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost."
"I guess… she could look at the moon… then we wouldn't have doubts… right?" Claude said, looking at his shaking hands.
"That sounds fair… but…"
"What if she really is…"
Dimitri and Edelgard looked at each other and all three came to the same conclusion. It was best not to chance it. Better safe than sorry.
"Professor, whatever you do, do not look at the full moon!" Edelgard exclaimed. "It's right above you!"
Confused, Byleth turned and looked up, directly at the moon which caused the students to freeze in fear at what she just did. But she just kept looking at it before turning back to the trio and smiled. "Why shouldn't I look at it?"
They all breathed a loud sigh of relief and Claude wiped the sweat from his brow. "Thank goodness."
"I knew it was just a coincidence." Edelgard laughed and the two turned to Dimitri… only to find he was still staring at Byleth… scared out of his mind as he gulped. Confused, they both looked at her… and their blood ran cold.
Byleth was just standing there. Looking in their direction. But she had a vacant look in her eyes… which were no longer their calm sapphire blue that they were used to. Instead, they were an empty and hollow pink as she started to twitch in place as Claude looked around.
"I would suggest that we run, but I don't know where!"
"Professor, stop it!" Edelgard yelled, shaking in fear. "This isn't funny!"
"I don't think she's joking around!"
And slowly, Byleths face changed into a snarl as her eyes were now blood red, her teeth were getting sharper with fangs growing out as they all looked in horror at their Professor changing. She got bigger and bigger, as her steel bracers groaned and creaked from the growing pressure before they snapped off from Byleth's arms as they couldn't take the strain anymore. Her clothes started to tear too as her hair was now changing from the usual blue to a dark brown.
"N-No way…" Edelgard choked out.
"This isn't real…." Dimitri stammered.
"No, it really is!" Claude yelled, watching their Professor, the one who was usually so calm and stoic, transform before them. Her face contorting and growing to form a snout and her body getting larger and larger before pressing hard against the glass ceiling above them, with it cracking as it couldn't take the pressure of the growing form. All the three could do was stare in total fear and scream.
"I still think he is either lying, or he's crazy." Catherine stated, while checking through the bushes to find anything at all with Alois who just looked at her.
"Captain- I mean, Professor Jeralt wouldn't lie!"
"Hm. Crazy then, got it." She then turned around and looked at Alois. "What really concerns me though, is that you believe him. Actually, come to think of it, whenever anything about Byleth comes up, you don't bat an eye."
"Catherine, I should advise that you understand who exactly you're speaking to."
"I understand plenty, Captain. But what I do not like is when people hide things from me. And I feel like you know more about Byleth than you are letting on."
Alois and Catherine stared at each other in what seemed like an eternity before he sighed. "I am telling the truth when I say I don't know much about Byleth. However, it's WHAT she is that I know more about."
"What she is? I don't-"
They were interrupted when Jeralt, Shamir and Seteth all came touching onto the ground, with Seteth getting off his wyvern and sighed. "Nothing."
"Normally we would sense them, but they have some weird magic laying about." Shamir commented, folding her arms. "We know they're around this area, but it's like their Ki is scrambled. Needless to say, they planned this."
"Well, I think I should be the one to say that we end our search here."
Catherine said, shaking her head. "We aren't going to get anywhere if we keep on running about like headless chicken. It's like you said, we have the general area, so why not rest for the night and then come back tomorrow with a fresh take on it?"
Seteth looked up at the full moon and made a face. "While this is a very serious gamble… if what Sir Jeralt told us is true, then we can't afford to stand by and wait. Especially since the full moon will be around for an additional two days. The longer she is out there, the bigger the chance…"
"Okay look." Catherine said, holding Thunderbrand by her side and staring at Jeralt. "I can suspend my belief for a number of things. Your kid has a tail? Sure, why not? She, Shamir, as well as yourself can use your own life force as a weapon? That makes sense. After all, everyone can use magic to some degree!"
"Catherine-" Shamir tried to say as her comrade walked up to Jeralt.
"But now you're trying to tell me your daughter can turn into a giant monkey if she looks at the full moon?! Forgive me, but doesn't anyone else see that this is completely insane?"
"Look, you don't want to believe me? Fine." Jeralt said, and turned away. "But I'm gonna keep looking for her before she-"
He then froze in place as Alois noticed how he and Shamir had this frozen look of fear on their faces. "What's wrong?"
"W-What the hell am I sensing?" Shamir whispered as her head was throbbing in pain. Seteth was confused until his eyes widened at the connection. The power she was sensing, the moon, what Jeralt told them.
"You don't mean…"
Jeralt gritted his teeth and looked ahead. "We're too late."
As if on cue, the ground beneath them started shaking and in the distance, saw something erupt out of a mountain. A giant beast came out of the crumbling mountain, roaring and jumping down to the ground below. It's shadow loomed over the adults as they could only stare in complete disbelief. Catherine's weapon long forgotten on the ground as she took a step back.
"I don't believe it…"
"THAT'S Byleth?!" Shamir yelled, unable to take her eyes off the mighty beast who roared into the sky as Jeralt just closed his eyes and clenched his fist.
"It's something she got from her mother's side. The Oozaru. And we're in big trouble. She's nothing like we know her now. She's a wild animal and acts like one."
In her crazed state, Byleth looked around and saw in the distance, Garreg Mach. She growled loudly as if something was telling her to go there. She slowly stepped out of the rubble, not noticing three figures running as if their lives depended on it.
"DO NOT STOP RUNNING!"
"YOU DON'T HAVE TO TELL ME TWICE!"
"Such an uneventful night." The Gatekeeper hummed, still stationed at his post as he let out a yawn. "I wonder if Miss Byleth managed to find young Flayn? Still, a little excitement around here never bothered anyone. I sure could use some…"
But then his eyes narrowed when he spotted something in the distance. A giant beast, roaring… and making its way over here. His eyes widened as he reached for the alarm bell. "Bugger me!"
He rang the bell as hard as he can and yelled. "RED ALERT! RED ALERT! BEAST ON THE HORIZON!"
This caught the other guard's attention as they looked to see the Oozaru roaring and thumping it's chest as they all scrambled to their stations, screaming how it's a red alert. The students were all roused awake as they all gathered now in their uniforms.
"Goodness, if this is a practice drill, why couldn't they have picked a better time?" Dorothea yawned loudly. "Couldn't even get to do my hair."
Hilda nodded, trying to rub the sleep out of her eyes and spoke to her blue haired friend. "What do you think, Marianne?"
…Hilda frowned and turned to face her when she got no response.
"Marianne?"
She saw her friend staring into the distance, completely frozen and a look of pure fear in her eyes. Hilda turned around and her jaw dropped at what she saw. "What… the fuck?"
Everyone soon saw what was approaching and couldn't believe what they saw. But Ashe did.
"It's… the Moon Beast."
"The Moon Beast? That stupid story?" Felix tried to retort, but not even he could mask the fear in his voice as Annette got closer to him for protection.
"I-I don't think that's a story anymore!"
"Look! Monsters approaching!"
They all looked in the distance and saw giant wolves and hawks coming towards the Monastery and Ingrid clutched her spear, trying to stay calm. "That thing must've gotten them riled up. How the hell can we fight all of them at the same time?"
Meanwhile, up in her room, Rhea was tending to Flayn who was still knocked out when the roars caught her attention. She peeked out the window and covered her mouth in shock.
'Is this what she hid from me? Is this… what Saiyan's are?'
All were afraid as the one who used to be a mentor and symbol of guidance for some, was now a wild and untamed beast. And if they didn't do something, everything would be destroyed.
And on top of a hill, Thales smirked with Hubert alongside him, staring in shock at what was shown in front of him.
"Don't you now see? This is what she truly is. This is the destructive power that lies inside her. This… is the Oozaru. And she will cause destruction everywhere."
Hubert just looked at the giant monkey and saw his hands were shaking. He was learning just how out of their league this world was.
'Edelgard… everyone… you need to find a way… because for once, I'm at a loss…'
The Oozaru then opened it's mouth… and fired a giant Ki beam towards the ground, destroying the landscape. Jeralt watched the destruction at hand and made a face.
"We have a lot of work to do. Let's do this."
Hoo boy this was a doozy. I was worried I might have been rushing the plot too much, but this point in the game is a very high profile situation where we're desperately trying to find Flayn. The game even lets you end the month early if you find out what's going on so I feel like this worked perfectly.
I really love detective style games so this was something I was looking forward to doing. Imagine it all black and white with Byleth smoking a cigarette while writing down clues… well there's an idea for art.
But yes, heavy deviation from canon. In all honesty, I found it weird how the Death Knight stands before you in the cutscene and when the gameplay starts his ass is somewhere else. Decided to keep it close quarters just for a smoother flow.
Edelgard is realising very quickly just how much she can't trust Thales and his crew. Considering how she was taken hostage and almost dying from Byleth.
Oh yeah, I should probably mention that, huh? Yeah for all classic Dragonball fans, you should recognise that scene as it's pretty much like when Goku went Oozaru for the first time in the show. Byleth also is very naïve and so wouldn't put two and two together.
But now we're into a big part of the series so far. Not only do they have to keep Byleth from destroying everything, but also hold off the beasts that she riled up. Let's see if they can do it.
Do you guys think that the students that witnessed the transformation would think differently of Byleth now that they know what she turns into? Let me know in the review section.
We also hit 80 favourites and 95 followers respectively. Seriously, this blows my mind, thank you all so much for taking the time I appreciate it. It just keeps me going. I have the plan for this story and I will finish it.
Now join us for next time when they have to try and fight Byleth in her crazed state.
Also please check out Quan Ming on Twitter for her amazing artwork of Byleth turning into her Oozaru form. Just add Twitter dot com at the start of the link.
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