Part 1: White Clouds
The Rite of Rising
It was early afternoon in the land of Fódlan. And in the case of Garreg Mach Monastery, everyone was getting on with their daily activities. Merchants were out selling their goods, the knights were on patrol, and the nuns and priests were commencing the daily praying ritual. It was a peaceful time for all. Nothing too out of the ordinary.
Well, except for one of the nuns who had her gown tossed to the side and was underneath a carriage working on repairs. Sitri had a set of tools by her side and she called out to one of the knights staring.
"Hammer, please."
"R-Right away, Miss Sitri." The knight stammered handing her a small hammer. This… nun was different from the other men and women who worked in the tools trade. Her hammer looked much more… smoother. Cleaner. Better and improved in a lot of ways.
"And… done! That hole on the underside shouldn't be causing you anymore trouble, sir!" Sitri exclaimed, pulling herself out from the underside of the carriage and coughed into her handkerchief.
"Gee, thanks Sitri! You're a natural at this!" The knight exclaimed and looked at the horse who stood there patiently. "Alright, girl! Let's go for a test drive!"
"Come back soon!" Sitri yelled and used her sleeve of her nun outfit to wipe away the sweat on her forehead before putting it back on.
"I have to say, you are unlike any nun I have ever met."
She turned around and smiled to see who it was. "Aelfric! How lovely to see you. Yes, in my past life I did stuff similar to this. But… phew. I was able to do a lot more before getting exhausted."
Aelfric smiled and pulled out a leather pouch full of water and handed her it. "Why don't we have a sit down? So you can rest. I would like to hear more about your past life too."
Soon the two were sitting under a tree as Sitri guzzled down the water and wiped her lips of any residue water. "Well, to be honest. There's not much to say about my past life. I was a mechanic on Planet Vegeta."
But Aelfric had a confused look on his face. "A… mechanic?"
"Oh, right I keep forgetting that you people are so primitive. Right. How to say this in a way you would understand…"
She then pointed to the newly repaired carriage. "I repaired stuff like that. But… newer."
"Newer?"
"Like, they were… made out of metal. And they could move without the need of horses. And could fly."
"Fascinating! Like metal pegasus?"
"Yeah, sure. If that helps you understand it better then yes. Big round metal pegasus. I would even repair various equipment too like our Scouters."
She then held up a finger to silence him before Aelfric could question what she meant. She pulled out her Scouter from her cloak and showed it.
"This was my Scouter from back then. Jeralt managed to grab it when we first met. It's a little too banged up to be of any use. But it can still perform basic functions."
Aelfric leaned in closer to inspect it. "What does it… do? It's unlike anything I've ever seen before."
"Well, lots of things." Sitri replied, placing it on her ear. "It can measure power levels. So basically how strong you are. It can also communicate with other forms of technology. Think of… writing a letter. But without the paper, the feather and the carrier pigeon. You just speak and the person on the other side would be able to hear everything in real time!"
"That is… incredible! Is it possible to do achieve something like this in Fódlan?"
Sitri just shrugged, putting her Scouter away. "Maybe in a couple hundred years. No offence to you all but you're still… primitive in terms of technology. Though I suppose that your use of magic helps you just a little bit. I would say maybe a couple hundred years and you could at least achieve radio communications."
"It… takes that long?" Aelfric asked. "Fascinating. Perhaps one day the future generation would live to see something like that. I have to admit, the thought does sound appealing."
"Yes, but I'm confused on how it hasn't happened yet." Sitri replied. "I mean, with your magic, you and your people could potentially create a variation on technology yet… nothing. It doesn't make sense to me."
"Perhaps we just never saw a need to change?" Aelfric suggested. But Sitri shook her head.
"Everybody wishes to change. Nobody wants to just stay in one spot all day long and be content with what they have. They want to improve, challenge, try new things."
"Well, maybe we aren't like you Saiyan's."
"…Yeah. Maybe you're right."
Sitri then got up and stretched. "You want some tea? I'm choking for one. I would get a beer or something but my supplies have been confiscated."
"It's because nuns can't drink alcohol."
"Oh, don't give me that." Sitri said as they walked away. "I've seen you all offer wine during service."
"That is different."
"I'm sure it is. As different as cream is to butter."
"Jeez, the only thing that's criminal about this place are the prices." Claude muttered, placing mugs of ale onto the table where the rest of the students were sitting at. Of course, some of the drinks weren't alcoholic simply because some don't even drink. But those who did enjoy one from time to time were gladly accepting one.
Edelgard took a slow sip out of her mug and scrunched her face in disgust. It was a shame that they had no wine down here. She always liked a glass of red. Unfortunately this wasn't the case.
"So… are we going to talk about this?" She asked, looking around everyone as they all looked uneasy.
"It certainly was… a shocking realisation." Ashe mumbled. "I mean, the Professor being not of this world?"
"But… I guess it explains all the crazy things about her." Hilda added, drinking more ale. "I mean, the tail, the freaky strength, that INSANE appetite. Just makes sense that… she isn't like us."
"Yeah, I always knew something was off about Teach." Claude sighed, swirling his mug, not even drinking it. "But this was so far beyond anything that I could've imagined."
Linhardt was just staring at his book while eating an apple and just spoke up. "So what?"
Everyone stared at him, but he just kept looking at his book. "I mean, she's still Byleth Eisner at the end of the day. Just because we found out she's half alien doesn't change anything about that. If anything, it just makes me more curious to study her."
"He has a point…" Dimitri muttered, taking a big sip. "It is still quite the shock."
"Yeah…" Edelgard sighed. But her thoughts drifted over to Byleth. She couldn't imagine how she was feeling right now.
In the span of a few seconds, her world was completely turned upside down. Edelgard wished that she could offer some words of encouragement, but she just couldn't. What could she even say? She has no experience in this. But she wants to be there for her, she wants her to be happy. But… maybe now is not the time.
She decided then to give Byleth some space. After all, nobody could really help her right now.
CRACK!
SMASH!
CRUNCH!
Damn it. Another one broken.
Byleth sighed and picked up the now destroyed training dummy and tossed it into the pile with the rest of the broken ones and grabbed one from the corner of the training room. She doesn't know how long she us been in here for, and honestly, she couldn't care less. She needed to get her mind off of what happened, but it just kept coming back.
She was alien.
Well, half alien to be exact.
She punched the dummy again and again and closed her eyes.
"Sothis? Are you there?"
Silence.
"Nope… I should've expected that." Byketh sighed, kicking the midsection and slamming her elbow into the face. Maybe this was why Jeralt never told her. After all, how can you explain that to your kid? But even so, she deserved to know! All her life she thought she was like everyone else. But no! She was-
CRACK!
…Dammit. Another one broken.
"So. Now you know the truth."
Byleth snapped her head up, seeing everything was dark once more. She realised where she was. She turned around and saw her future counterpart… looking even worse. She had a nasty cut across her eye now, and the sword… it was broken?!
"What happened to you?"
But her future self just shook her head. "I don't have much time. Get stronger, keep training the students, and eventually, I will reveal all."
She started to fade away as Byleth reached out her hand. "Wait! Don't go!"
"Miss Byleth?"
Byleth snapped out of her trance and looked behind her to see Aelfric. She grimaced and lowered her head as Aelfric tilted his head concerned. "My apologies, but I couldn't help but hear you… training. I assume it's what you are doing?"
"Yeah… you could say that." She muttered and grabbed another dummy. But slowly stopped and stared at the sack of sand before her and sighed. Maybe she should stop for now. After all, this wasn't helping her-
Wait.
Helping her.
She then turned around and saw Aelfric about to leave and shouted at him to wait before realising how loud she was.
"My apologies… I was just wondering if, you could tell me more about my parents?"
Aelfric smiled and nodded. "Of course, Miss Byleth. I will gladly tell you all that I know. Hmm… but where to begin… if you have something in particular in mind, please let me know and I will try to answer as best as I can?"
Anything at all? Well, Byleth had so many questions. But one stood out to her the moment she learned that she was half alien.
"How did my mother come here?"
A flash of concern spread into his face as he was unsure. "Hmmm… I wasn't there so the details are a little fuzzy, but from what little I heard from your parents, it seemed to go like this…."
He told Byleth the very events that lead to her parents both meeting. From her ship crashing, to her destroying most of the knights to almost killing Jeralt. Needless to say, Byleth was taken aback.
"Was my mother really that… savage? I always imagined she would be gentle, having been a member of the Church."
"Oh, she certainly had her moments, but when she came here, from what I understood, she barely escaped her planets destruction. She was also severely injured at the time, so I guess you could compare her to a fox who's backed into a corner. Needless to say, not many knights survived before she fell unconscious. After that, the Archbishop managed to heal her and help her get settled in."
"Right… her planet… sorry, it's just still difficult to process that I'm not…"
"Fully human?" He finished.
"Yeah…" she went back to punching the dummy. "Why did my father not tell me any of this?"
"Perhaps he felt that you weren't ready to hear the truth." Aelfric suggested. But she kept hitting harder and harder. "After all, it's not something to be taken lightly-"
"I HAD A RIGHT TO KNOW!" She screamed punching clean through the sack and striking the wall which put a massive crack in it. She flinched and backed away quickly before staring at her hands which were shaking.
"I should've known… I always suspected… but to actually hear the truth…"
Byleth turned to Aelfric and pointed at the crack. "Nobody in Fódlan or this planet can do what I can do."
"Now, Byleth. I'm sure Jeralt would've wanted to tell you this. But how would he even begin? Perhaps he just wanted to wait until the time was right?"
"I'm in my 20's, Aelfric. When would the time be right?"
She let out a shaky breath and sat down, not even bothering to pick up the destroyed dummy. "…Tell me more about my mother."
He slowly nodded and looked up at the ceiling . "Well, your mother loved this worlds flowers… and fighting…."
Aelfric then smiled. "You're like her in every way, shape and form."
"You seem to be drinking that way too quickly Claude." Hikda said, jabbing his ribs. "What's on your mind?"
"Oh, it's nothing."
"Oh come on Claude." Edelgard said, leaning in smirking. "Aren't we Team Three Star?"
He gasped loudly, placing a hand on his chest in horror. "You dare use my words against me?"
But then he sighed and relented. "I suppose since the two royals are here, then it only makes sense. There's tensions rising between the Leicester Alliance and Almyra. Possibility of war."
Everyone was taken aback at this and Dimitri placed his mug down. "You are sure? Whatever for?"
"It's been going this way for about a decade. But what happened that day with General Holst being killed is causing things to go a way I don't like. If we're not careful…"
"B-But Almyra can't go to war! They don't have the resources!" Hilda exclaimed but Claude shook his head.
"It's a matter of pride. They say an Almyran didn't kill anyone that day, and they will go to war if someone tells them otherwise. It's their number one trait. Pride over anything else."
"You say that like you know them a whole lot." Edelgard said, narrowing her eyes. Claude just shrugged.
"When you're in my position, you tend to pick up a few things about other people."
Dimitri then noticed Ashe being very quiet after earlier. "Ashe? Is everything okay?"
"Just… thinking, your Highness. It's nothing."
"Come on Ashe, you can share your thoughts. Is it about earlier?"
"Well… it's just…." He sighed and looked up. "If Professor Byleth's mom really did come from the stars… do you think that… there are others out there? That know us? If her mom knew then…."
That just put an eerily cold silence into the room. Claude rubbed his chin, thankful for the change in subject. This was something he had to think more on. "It's possible… but… surely not. I mean, if there were others out there then wouldn't they have come already?"
"Well, it is said that The Goddess came from the stars." Dimitri chimed in.
"So, that would suggest that Sothis is an alien." Linhardt mumbled, still reading his book. But Ashe looked at him.
"Don't be absurd! The Goddess is The Goddess! It's completely different."
"So does that make Miss Byleth part Goddess?"
"As much as I love hearing about debates, I think it's high time that we focused."
They all saw Yuri and his group all walk in. "Look, I'm sure it was shocking to hear your Professor is an alien-"
"Part alien." Edelgard corrected.
"Whatever. But like I said, we have bigger fish to fry right now. I got done with having a… talk with our friend that we captured."
"Oh, how exciting!" Constance clapped her hands. "Pray tell, Yuri. Did they confess anything? Is there juicy gossip?"
But Yuri just shook his head. "Not a word. And they wouldn't name any names either. And I've got the feeling that they didn't know much themselves. The things that they had didn't exactly seem like things they would own."
"Yeah, I have a feeling mercenaries can't resurrect the dead." Edelgard folded her arms and Yuri smirked in response.
"Exactly. And unfortunately, there's no traces of that spell left. But something did stand out to me."
"Oh? And what's that?" Dimitri asked.
"The other times that we have fought off mercenaries, they didn't have these weapons. Nor those spells. And when that big knight showed up, he was only interested in your Professor. I have a feeling that what we fought recently may have had a motivation. That an outside party used those mercenaries that were going to attack us and used them as some sort of… trial run."
"For what?" Hapi asked but Yuri shrugged.
"Don't know, and don't care. All that matters is that we drove them away. But it just makes it even clearer that somebody is after something here in Abyss. Why else would they keep on sending mercenaries here?"
"Maybe they were on a treasure hunt or something." Balthus suggested, as everyone else looked at each other.
"A treasure hunt? Here? I don't get it." Hapi said. "What is there to find aside from rocks and dust?"
That's when Aelfric and Byleth returned. Having heard the conversation, Aelfric chimed in. "Something does come to mind, now that I think about it. But the notion is preposterous at best."
"Never discount a wild hunch." Claude grinned, placing his hands behind his head. "Sometimes they're closer to the truth than you may think. As that's been proven today."
He finished the sentence by looking at Byleth, as did everyone else. Edelgard stepped forward. "Professor? Are you… okay?"
Byleth just nodded, keeping her stoic face on. "Remember everyone. We are here to help the residents of Abyss. What we found out about me can wait for another time. Please, Aelfric. Continue."
"As you wish. Though again, it is quite far fetched." Aelfric nodded and turned to the others, closing his eyes and frowning, as if trying to remember the details. "You see, there is a long standing legend here. It is said that deep underground, even below Abyss, is a place called the Chasm of the Bound wherein lies the Chalice of Beginnings."
"The Chalice of Beginnings?" Byleth asked, and turned to Linhardt. She knew he researched most things to do with Fódlan as well as Garreg Mach. But he just shrugged.
"Apologies Miss Byleth, but I've never heard of it. Although if I had to guess, chances are it's some kind of secret artefact that belongs to the Church."
"But what does it even do?" Edelgard asked. "It must be special if it's hidden so deep underground."
Aelfric chimed in. "I once happened upon an old document that mentioned a ritual called the Rite of Rising."
They all looked at him for more details, but he couldn't give any. "The text on the document was incomplete, so I was unable to achieve a full understanding of the topic. I cannot even guarantee the authenticity of what I read. But it stated that the Chalice of Beginnings is a sacred object crafted by the order of Saint Seiros herself."
"Ooooh, more juicy secrets of the Church." Claude grinned, rubbing his hands together as Aelfric continued.
"Saint Seiros apparently used the artefact to carry out the Rite of Rising, along with the four apostles."
"What exactly is the Rite of Rising?" Byleth asked and Aelfric turned to her.
"It is a ritual that is believed to have the power to resurrect a life that was lost."
Everyone was stunned at this. Edelgard looked down at the ground. "Can such a ritual exist? To restore any life?"
"I would love to have that." Hilda mumbled, feeling sad and playing with her skirt fabric. "I'd be able to bring back my brother…"
"Hmmm." Dimitri closed his eyes and folded his arms, deep in thought. A ritual to restore life? If he had that Chalice and those apostles then… perhaps he could finally make right on everything that happened that fateful day. All those lives, including those close to him-
"I know what you are all thinking, but I'm sorry to disappoint." Aelfric said. "The ritual was a failure. So, the Four Apostles bound the Chalice so that it would never fall into a mortal's hands."
Some of those in the room seemed to visibly deflate after hearing about the failure. But that key word made Byleth wince and grip her head as static overtook her vision once more.
"You are just another failure…"
And just like that, the static cleared once more. It was that same vision. Of Rhea saying that. What did it mean? These visions were starting to appear more by the day. She just shook her head and decided to put it behind her for now. After all, they had bigger problems right now.
"Of course! The Chalice of legend!" Constance exclaimed. "My father told me about it a very long time ago. A secret treasure of the Church… capable of reviving the dead… sounds exhilarating, no?"
"Quite." Dimitri said, still deep in thought. But then snapped out of his thoughts and hummed. "It's no wonder why people are after it."
"I feel like it would make death meaningless." Claude chimed. "I mean, would you ever get sad about anybody anymore when all you have to do is make a wish on the magic cup? Unless there was exceptions of course. Probably a good idea that it's sealed away. Now that being said… I would love to examine it. Make sure it works, you know?"
"Yes, but we barely have anything to go off of." Edelgard said, frowning. "We need to gather more information about this legend at once if we are to get further ahead."
"Well, there was a short while ago that I read a book in the library that mentioned something about a Chalice. But it was taken right from under my nose." Byleth muttered. "Was it one of your agents, Yuri?"
Yuri shrugged. "Maybe. To be honest, it was mostly just to keep you off the trail for finding this place. But I suppose in hindsight, maybe we should've lead you down here."
"Then if you do have said book then I know what I must do." Aelfric nodded. "I will use both that and the document I found and try an decipher more clues about the legend. Perhaps with the book in hand it will lead to something I may have missed. I will even go to the library in Garreg Mach and see if I can find more books like that. Though although Garreg Mach has a well curated library, I doubt much documents will still be there. Though, there is no harm in trying."
"Wonderful!" Constance clapped her hands. "We shall do all that we can to help too!"
"Oh, this was not what I had in mind!" Constance moaned, nonchalantly stirring her tea. The nasty stuff that she hated. "Can't we at least get some proper tea if we have to sit around?"
"Pipe down, Coco." Hapi said. "We just need to wait on Aelfric do his research and then we can figure out what to do next. Yo, Yuri-Bird. You okay? You've been awful quiet lately."
Yuri was twirling his knife in his hands and shrugged. "Just thinking, is all."
"Oh, come on pal! You can't keep it from us!" Balthus yelled, wrapping an arm round Yuri who rolled his eyes.
"If you must know, I've just been observing our dear friend, the Ashen Demon. You three notice something off about her?"
"She ain't exactly normal to begin with." Hapi replied but Yuri shook his head.
"That's not what I mean. Every so often, she grabs her head and looks like she's spacing out."
"So? Everybody has headaches." Balthus said and Yuri rolled his eyes. They weren't getting it. None of them were.
"Fair enough. Guess even someone as invincible as her has an off day."
"Where even is she?" Constance asked. "I heard she has a stupendous tea collection in Garreg Mach. Yuri…."
"Out of the question, Constance. I'm not sending our guys in danger just to satisfy a tea craving."
"Oooooh, you are the worst!"
Hapi almost sighed in irritation… but quickly bit her tongue to stop herself. She really wished that Aelfric would be done already. This was going to take a while.
"I'm just going to get some fresh air. My head is killing me." Edelgard called out to her group and turned her attention to a part of the caverns that had a natural skylight in it which let air from the outside come in. But she had more important matters to deal with. She reached into her bag and pulled out a crystal ball and placed it on a rock nearby before placing her hand on it. A few seconds passed before it lit up and had static on the surface.
"You better pick up." Edelgard muttered still feeling stiffness in her ankle.
"Ah, my dear niece. Why this unexpected call?" Thales grinned in his Arundel disguise as Edelgard glared in return.
"What was all that about?"
"Why, whatever do you mean?"
"You know what I mean. In Abyss with all the undead soldiers. There's no magic in existence that can resurrect the dead. That only leaves you."
He faked being confused before grinning again. "Ah, yes. I remember now. Consider it… a test."
"A test?" Edelgard asked. "For what? We almost died down there! What happened to our plan?"
"Have no fear, my dear niece. I had no doubt you would all make it out alive. Your freak of a teacher wouldn't let that happen. But I have tests to carry out, and you and your group are the only ones who can properly help us out. And it all worked out in the end, didn't it? You got stronger, and all you have to show for it is a stiff ankle."
"But why? Why Abyss? Is it you that's trying to get the Chalice of Beginnings?"
"What, that legend? Don't be absurd."
"So you know of it. Why else would you assist those mercenaries?"
Thales rolled his eyes. "As naïve as ever. I wasn't 'assisting' them. They were test subjects. I couldn't care less what they were trying to achieve. That Chalice is useless, anyway."
"Useless?" Edelgard frowned.
"Don't you read up on history? Without the power of the Four Apostles, it's just an empty cup. And they have been gone for centuries."
"So… you weren't trying to steal it? Then who is?"
"I do not know, and I do not care. I have better things to do than to try and steal treasure that doesn't mean anything. If you're so interested in this Chalice, why not go find it yourself? I'm sure that your father wouldn't say no to a legendary treasure such as that."
Edelgard narrowed her eyes in suspicion. But… he had a point. After all, if they took the Chalice, then perhaps nobody would attack Abyss anymore. It was worth a shot-
"And I will be sure to tell your father about how well you are doing, my dear niece." Thales continued. "Say hi to the Prince for me."
"What? Hey! Get back here!"
"Edelgard?"
She froze when she realised that Thales was playing up roles to avoid suspicion. Because Dimitri was there looking concerned.
"I apologise. Did I interrupt your conversation with your uncle? I only got concerned when I saw you hadn't come back in a while."
"Oh… sorry. I lost track of time." She said, pocketing her orb and standing straight. "Are the others looking for me?"
"No, we are just waiting for Aelfric to finish his research. Was everything alright with the Empire?"
Edelgard looked confused… before remembering Thales covering for her when he walked in. "O-Oh yes. Just my uncle checking in on my father. Nothing to worry about."
"I see."
They both shuffled around and looked at any parts of the room that stood out, which wasn't a lot. It had been quite a while since it had just been the two of them. Usually they would have Claude there with them, either teasing them both or training together. However, at this moment he was talking with Hilda.
"I wanted to ask…" Dimitri began.
"Ask what?"
"Your hair…"
She silently thread her fingers through the strands and looked almost self conscious. "What about my hair?"
"Was it always that colour?"
She felt her hand begin to shake as she quickly grabbed it to hide it. "Well, if you must know, it wasn't. It used to be brown when I was younger."
"Brown? Hm. I have to admit, it was a shock to see this colour. Not to say that it wouldn't look good previously just… you seem to pull off this colour quite well."
Oh, he was so dense. He had zero idea what she went through to get this colour. But…
Wait…
"How would you know that my hair was a different colour? Is it possible… that we met before the Academy?"
Dimitri frowned in confusion. "Don't you remember?"
She was about to say no, when a sharp pain ran through her head and she gripped it tightly groaning in pain. She had a blurry image of dancing with a boy and scolding him from when he did the steps wrong. Then when he gave her a dagger… who was that boy-
"Edelgard!"
She snapped out of her stupor as the pain subsided and she saw Dimitri looking at her with worry in his eyes. "Are you okay?"
"…Yes. I am fine. Just a simple headache."
"Strange. You have similar headaches to the Professor. Perhaps you should visit Manuela once we conclude our business here?"
"Perhaps. But right now, my health doesn't matter. What matters is that Chalice. I had a thought. We should go after it."
"What?" Dimitri said, looking bewildered. But then another voice cut in.
"Ah, I knew we would see eye to eye, Princess!"
They both looked to see Claude standing there with a grin. "See Dimitri? Even Edelgard agrees."
"But that's… we don't even know if the Chalice is even down there." Dimitri attempted to argue, but Claude shrugged.
"Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. But fact it's the matter is that the people of Abyss are suffering because of it. If it is down there, then we swoop in, grab it, and make sure it's buried somewhere that nobody else could can see where it is. That, or it would look great on my mantelpiece."
"Claude…"
"He is right." Edelgard said as Dimitri's eyes widened.
"Is there something in the air?! Am I the only sane one?!"
"Look, like it or not, he's right." Edelgard said, putting her hands on her hips. "If this Chalice is real, then we have to get rid of it. Abyss won't be able to hold off on too many more of these attacks. Besides, we're supposed to be the next rulers of our lands, correct? Then we have to think about what's best for Fódlan. And the people of Abyss are a part of it."
"That's true…."
"I'm so glad we're agreeing, Princess!" Claude grinned slinking an arm around her shoulder. But Edelgard eyed him sharply.
"Please get off me."
"Duly noted!" He removed his arm.
"So majority rules, we should probably get back to the others and let them know of what we're gonna do."
As Claude dragged a still reluctant Dimitri, Edelgard suddenly had a thought in her mind. The same question that Seteth asked her. And what she had asked Dorothea. These two were meant to be the next leaders alongside her. She had to know.
"Can I ask you two a question?"
They both turned around and Edelgard took in a breath. "If you were able to save one person, but to do so, you had to let ten other people die. Would you save that person?"
"Getting philosophical on us, Edelgard? You're sounding like Seteth."
"Just answer the question!"
Claude made a face and closed his eyes. "Who is this person?"
"What?"
"Well, it all depends on who it is that I am saving. So come on, who am I trying to save?"
Edelgard pursed her lips and answered. "One of the Golden Deer."
Claude shrugged. "Well then, the answer is obvious, isn't it? I would choose to save the one person."
"Even if it costs people their lives? People that have families and friends?"
"Look, I don't like having to sacrifice them. In an ideal setting, I would defuse the situation diplomatically. But in a circumstance when they force you to make a choice, well you have to go with your gut. And I feel like the Golden Deer are worth more to me."
"I see…." Edelgard said before looking at Dimitri who looked back.
"I would save the one person closest to me… and then I would hunt down those who forced me to make that choice and mount each and every head on my wall."
Both Edelgard and Claude were very much caught off guard by this as Claude whistled.
"Holy shit dude…"
"My apologies for being so graphic. But that is how I feel. I can't save them, but I will be sure to avenge them."
Edelgard nodded as she processed what the two said while following them back to the others. So, it seems that she and Claude were more similar than she thought. Both chose to do the same thing, save one at the cost of others. However, he would do things diplomatically first? How absurd. In this day and age, there was no time for words!
"Edelgard?"
They had to act!
"Edelgard."
If they wanted to take what was theirs-
PLOOMPH!
….Why was everything soft?
Then she slowly realised where she was… face first in Byleth's breasts. Her face heated up rapidly as she quickly pulled away and apologised profusely.
"Professor, I'm so sorry! I was just thinking to myself and I wasn't looking where I was going and-"
But Byleth just raised her hand and smiled. "It's okay. I'm just glad you didn't hurt yourself."
'Well I would never be able to hurt myself on pillows like those- focus, Edelgard!'
"We tried to call out to you." Dimitri said and Claude grinned.
"Though it seems that you had other ideas."
"You be quiet!" Edelgard yelled, spinning round and jamming a finger in his chest and fanned her face with her hands to cool down her cheeks. Taking a few deep breathes, she looked back at Byleth who tilted her head.
"Professor. We had an idea."
"I have a feeling that we may have the same one. Yuri and I discussed it. We should tell Aelfric about it."
"Yeah! There's no way he can say no!" Claude grinned.
"The answer is no. I will not allow it." Aelfric crossed his arms. "It is far too dangerous."
"Well, shoot." Claude muttered as Constance smiled.
"Ah, but if we can determine it's origin, we may eliminate the very danger that vexes you!"
"You already know this." Balthus stepped in. "But there are many folks down here that can't defend themselves. If these attacks keep up, they may eventually find themselves in harms way."
Aelfric sighed, knowing that he was being pushed into a corner. "Yes, I am aware. However, for the time being, you must promise to refrain from acting recklessly. My dear flock has suffered enough as is. You needn't take any further risks."
With those final words, he walked away back to his quarters as Hilda placed a finger on her chin. "Wow, surprisingly overbearing, isn't he? He must really care about you guys."
"Most certainly." Constance nodded. "Yet, if we fail to nip this problem in the bud… I shudder to think what would transpire."
"Ah, Professor. Welcome back." Dimitri smiled at Byleth walking in. She looked at Yuri.
"Did you explain-"
"Ah! You have arrived, just in the nick of time!" Constance yelled, grabbing her hands. "Come! The Chalice of Legend awaits!"
"Wait, Aelfric said yes?" Byleth was certainly surprised to hear that, but Hapi eyed up Constance.
"Coco… you didn't hear a word Aelfric said, did you?"
"I surely did! But we must read between the lines. Aelfric wants a solution as badly as we do. And so we shall… take note of what he said and seek out the Chalice of Beginnings! Once we present it to the Church, that will solve our problems, surely? If our enemies desire the Chalice, then this should halt all future attacks!"
"You're pretty much just parroting what we talked about previously." Claude chimed. "And I was with you until you mentioned bringing it to the Church. Did some digging about myself while we were getting ready to tell Aelfric. And according to legend, there's some of sort of binding on it. To protect it from thieves such as ourselves. Even if we did find it, unfortunately we would be stumped as how to actually bring it to the surface."
"Well, if it's attached to something, perhaps we can try breaking a chunk of it off and have the Professor carry it?" Ashe suggested but Byleth shook her head.
"That wouldn't be a wise thing to do. If what Claude said is true, then I'm sure there would be other measures in place to stop something like that."
"Then it is simple what we must do!" Constance said. "We shall ascertain whether it is still blind and then… we shall release it!"
"Yeah, but now we gotta figure out where this Chasm is." Balthus groaned, scratching his head. "I've never even heard of this place, much less seen it."
That's when Constance laughed loudly having a cocky smile. "That's where I, Constance von Nuvelle, come in! As luck would have it, I have discovered yet another secret entrance! It appears to go deep underground. According to my superior instincts, it clearly leads to the Chasm of the Bound!"
Yuri clicked his tongue in thought before finally shrugging. "I suppose it's worth a look. Don't have a lot of options anyway. Personally, I don't care about some cup. But if it can help get those unwanted away from Abyss, then I'm all for it. I'll support the cause."
Constance smiled widely at Yuri saying yes before wheeling around to Byleth. "You'll come with us yes? We did plan after all."
"Of course. Training can wait for now. After all, we can't leave you to whoever decides to invade next. If it truly is down there, we should get it out of here."
"Well said, Professor." Edelgard smiled. "We shall assist in any way we can."
"I suppose I have time before my next nap." Linhardt drawled. "Assuming we don't run into anything more exciting."
"Then it's settled!" Constance clapped her hands. "We leave at once! Follow me everyone!"
Byleth watched them all start to follow the blonde to where she saw the passage and was about to follow when another sharp pain ran through her head and her vision turned dark.
'What? Where am I? Sothis? Are you there? Please talk to me!'
But Byleth noticed this wasn't like the place she usually met Sothis. No steps. No throne. And certainly not a warm feeling atmosphere. It was cold. With mist surrounding her. She kept her wits sharp and clutched the hilt of her sword tightly, darting her eyes about.
"SOTHIS… SEIROS…"
A tall figure made its way out of the mist and loomed over her. She couldn't make out it's features but one thing that did stand out to her were two red dots that must've been it's eyes staring down at her. And when she looked at what he was holding, her breath got caught in her throat.
Her sword!
Or… a version of it.
She quickly drew her own sword but it hit the walls around her due to the enclosed space as it raised its sword high, ready to bring it down upon her and she raised her sword to block it-
"Professor."
Her eyes snapped open as she was back in the caves of Abyss. Her sword still raised with everyone else looking at her.
"Hey Teach. You okay?" Claude asked but Byleth quickly sheathed her sword and kept her head down.
"I'm fine. Constance, lead the way."
Trying to find a way to defuse the awkward tension, Constance cleared her throat and pointed to the tunnel she found. "Follow my lead everyone! I will lead the way!"
They all followed her, but Edelgard narrowed her eyes in suspicion. This was happening too frequently.
"You see it too, huh?"
She turned to see Yuri nodding at her while walking. "I've been keeping tabs on the Ashen Demon for a while. She's been having those episodes ever since she first came to Garreg Mach."
"Do you know what it could be?"
"Hey, I'm a thief, not a doctor. I don't know what goes on in that mind of hers. Maybe she's a little insane. I do catch her talking to herself, to someone who isn't even there. Though with her reputation, I wouldn't be surprised if her mind took a hike."
Edelgard folded her arms, trying to take her mind off the claustrophobic nature of the tunnel and realised she could probably get answers.
"You keep calling her the Ashen Demon. Why is that?"
"Sorry Princess, not my place to say. Though I will say this, just to throw you a bone. Be thankful she's on your side."
"Huh?"
"Because if you ever had to face her on the battlefield? You wouldn't make it out."
With that, he walked faster to catch up with his squad as Edelgard was left to stew in her own thoughts.
'Be thankful she's on my side?'
"Ow! Stop bumping into me!"
"Hilda, you've stepped on my heels so many times, don't even try that."
"Can I get a little room? Feeling a little claustrophobic."
"You're not the only one."
"It's just over here!"
The group all squeezed out of the tight tunnel and managed to finally get to a large area, feeling thankful to have some space. But Linhardt let out a big yawn and addressed the elephant in the room.
"Feeling pretty lost right now. How long have we been walking? I'm guessing a full week."
"A week? Ridiculous." Hapi retorted, not getting why these surface dwellers were so dramatic. "It's been a few hours at most."
"Exaggerations aside." Edelgard chimed in. "If this takes longer, then I'm more concerned of our rapidly dwindling supply of food and water. That and the suffocating darkness."
"She's got a point." Claude replied. "I mean, we have a steady source of light with our Ki as torches. But that won't mean much if something else happens to us. How about we trek a little further, and if we don't find anything, we turn back?"
But Dimitri was curious on something and turned to the former Noble. "Constance, I am curious. You became rather fixated on the Chalice. Care to explain?"
That caught Constance off guard who started laughing nervously, as if she was a child who just got caught with her hand in the cookie jar.
"Oh. Ummm…. No. Why would I be fixated on a silly little legend… for some ulterior motive? Ahahaha…."
But Yuri saw right through it and smirked. "Hah. You want the esteem. You're thinking that this will convince the Church to help you restore your fallen house."
Constance gasped and pointed at an accusing finger at Yuri. "How could you possibly know that? Have you been reading my mind? Developing some secret technique that can intrude on the confides of my very mind? Well I do not approve of such actions!"
Yuri rolled his eyes and took on a pose that mirrored Constance. "I shall restore House Nuvelle to it's former glory! No matter the cost! It's practically your catchphrase."
She now had an embarrassed blush on her face and found her boots to be very interesting right now. Linhardt snapped his fingers.
"Aha! Just as I suspected! Constance is the former lady of House Nuvelle!"
"Is it really that shocking of a revelation…" Claude muttered.
"You know House Nuvelle?" Byleth asked but Linhardt hummed in response.
"In a sense. Until just a few years ago, it was a house of viscounts in the west of the Empire."
Edelgard nodded, continuing for Linhardt. "House Nuvelle lost it's status five years ago, as a result of their part in the war."
Constance then glared at Edelgard and crossed her arms. "Hmph. You speak as if it has nothing to do with you."
But Edelgard just shook her head. "I fear all I can ask is forgiveness in place of my useless father. If doing so will comfort you in any way then please-"
"Save your breath for it is not necessary." Constance said and looked ahead. "For there is only one thing I truly desire. For the sake of my parents, who fell courageously and selflessly in defence of the Empire… for them, I shall restore our status, revive House Nuvelle and then return it to its former glory!"
She then summoned a ball of magic in one hand and Ki in the other. "All that I do, including improving my talents, is to that end."
But then Hapi cut through that bubble with the cold hard truth. "And in reward for all that hard work, you were forced to live underground. Life's cruel. It's like you were sent back to the starting line."
Hapi followed that up with a shrug. "Or maybe you're just unlucky."
"What are you saying?" Constance yelled with a blush on her face. "I never intended to share that… side of me with you."
"Well, look at that!" Balthus yelled pointing ahead of them as they saw light coming out do the other end of the tunnel with quite a view as Balthus grinned.
"Seems like it was a good thing we didn't turn back. That looks pretty chasm like to me! Well, let's get through."
"Now hold on a minute! It's ladies first!" Constance said… but then realised what that might meant and shuffled all the way to the back of the group.
"O-On second thoughts, it is the gentleman that must scout ahead and see if there's any trouble!"
They all looked at her strangely but kept walking forward, out of the cave. Everyone winced at the sunlight stinging their eyes after not seeing it for so long. But then Dimitri looked up into the sky and gasped.
"Say… are we beneath the bridge at the Monastery? Incredible…"
Everyone else realised he was right and couldn't believe the sight. Claude let out a whistle, astonished at just how far down they were.
"Huh, I never thought we would be gazing up at the same bridge we've crossed over a thousand times from way, way below."
"I wonder how the rest of our fellow classmates are doing up there." Ashe wondered out loud. "They must be wondering where we are."
But Hilda just whined. "Oh, it's so not fair! I could be getting a tan right now!"
"Hmmm, how interesting." Linhardt mused as he spotted something. "Seems we weren't alone."
They all looked at their surroundings and found… bones. Remains of giant beasts as Linhardt nodded in realisation. "Of course. That night when we fought off the monsters that the Moon Beast summoned. Judging by how many were sent flying off the bridge, it would make sense that they ended up here. Seems like the scavengers picked apart the flesh and left only the bones."
Byleth looked down at her feet and grimaced. It only served as a reminder of that night to her. Yuri looked at her but then spoke out loud.
"Are we sure this is the right place, Constance?"
"It is. I think… I believe… I hope?"
Edelgard frowned and realised that she wasn't with the rest of the group and looked at the entrance of the cave. "Constance, why are you hiding in the shade? Aren't you the one who insisted we find the Chalice?"
A loud irritated groan came from the shade. "Fine! If you insist that I join you then I shall. Satisfied?"
But when she stepped out from the cave, everyone in the group aside from the Abyss crew noticed something was… different about Constance. She looked much more timid. Closed in. What happened to her confidence? She didn't even have that cocky smile. Just a sad, scared frown.
"Oh boy, here we go." Balthus sighed, rubbing his temples.
She flinched and looked down. "Oh my, I was quite rude just now. Please accept my humble apologies for treating you so foully. I presumed too much to stand beside such Noble paragons. Allow me to dig a hole to bury myself in…."
Everyone was… stupefied. Claude looked at Edelgard and Dimitri. "Uhhh, what just happened?"
"Did we leave with some kind of doppelgänger?" Hilda asked. "Where's the real Constance?"
"It's like all her bravado just completely disappeared. I almost miss it." Edelgard said as Balthus groaned.
"Ugh… no matter how far down we go, I guess sunlight is still sunlight. Poor Constance."
"Wait, you know this?" Byleth asked and Hapi nodded.
"This is what Coco is like in the sun. It's why she lives underground."
Constance just kept looking at the ground and slowly sat down and hugged her knees. "I fear I cannot guarantee that this is the Chasm of the Bound. I have almost surely wasted our time."
Balthus slowly helped her up and tried his best to make her walk. "Come on, enough with all the self doubt, yeah? Just put one foot in front of the other. We'll have you back in the shadows in no time."
"Cheer up, Coco." Hapi chimed in. "We need you."
Constance sighed drearily as Balthus kept her moving. "And now I have forced you into a state of pity. I am so very worthless."
"Fascinating." Linhardt rubbed his chin in thought. "Like a split personality based solely on whether sunlight is in her area. Perhaps I could research this further."
"I cannot believe what I am seeing right now." Byleth mumbled as Dimitri nodded.
"I admit, I have never seen anything quite like this before. Is there nothing we can do to help?"
Balthus just stepped away and told Hapi to keep Constance moving. "If we don't start searching, we'll never find that damn Chalice."
"Fine, I'll just push her I guess…" Hapi replied moving behind the Noble who shook her head.
"I must ask you to cease. You shall soil your hands upon my filthy back. No soap would ever-"
She stopped and felt something calling out to her. "This feeling… there is magic in the air."
Constance pointed in the distance before them. "There is something just ahead. The binding spell, perhaps…."
Linhardt was confused. He was a magic user and yet he didn't feel any magic in the air. But then he focused his hearing. It sounded like… something was moving.
"I hear something." He told the group. "Something is moving. Something big."
CLANG!
They all heard that this time as Edelgard wondered out loud. "Perhaps there is something in place that is guarding the Chalice?"
As if on cue, something burst out of the ground and threw the whole group back. A giant shadow loomed over them as it slowly rose from where it was. It didn't look like any monster anyone had seen before. It was purely mechanical, with the same mannerisms as a ballerina dander from a music box. It slowly looked down on them with a massive hiss coming out as steam was released from the hinges that controlled its body.
"Yikes! What the heck is that thing?" Claude yelled after picking himself up. "It looks like some kind of gigantic toy."
"I don't have the slightest idea of what's going on." Yuri replied, dusting off his sleeves. "But I know it doesn't bode well."
"Hey it could be fun! It's been a while since I've been able to get a few good punches in with something that can take it." Balthus grinned, cracking his knuckles. "And this came at a great opportunity."
The group was confused at what he meant by that. Everyone except byketh who drew her sword. "We're not underground anymore. We're in a good open space."
"Which means we don't have to hold back!" Hikda exclaimed and grinned, summoning an axe. "Aw yeah! Finally!"
"It will be a nice and refreshing change of pace." Edelgard smiled, clenching her fists and powering up.
"I will try my best, but I am sorry that I will lead us to our demise…" Constance said also powering up.
"Hey you!" Balthus grinned, pointing at the giant metal beast. "Prepare to meet your maker pal! I'm gonna pummel you into my own personal shield!"
"Okay! Let's go!" Byleth yelled.
"Right!"
And that's a wrap! Things are starting to finally move along in this saga. Now that we have Byleth discovering her Saiyan heritage, perhaps it'll give her more peace of mind. Or maybe it'll make her more isolated. Who knows? It won't be long now until this saga is over and we can finally move onto one I've been looking forward to. The Lord Slug Saga.
Thanks to everyone who reviews and favourites and follows, we have passed 125 favourites and are well on our way to 150 followers. It's such a delight to always expand this world. And I feel like Three Hopes will just motivate me even further.
I can't see myself implementing anything from Three Hopes but let's see when I actually play the game. There might be something in there for a later saga.
Please join us next time when we dwell further into the Ashen Wolves Saga!
Catch you later!