Part 1: White Clouds

The Rescue

"WHAAAAAAAAAAATTTT?!"

Edelgard had to cover her ears at the loud noises coming from the students at Garreg Mach. The ones who were just down in Abyss took Byleth's advice and took their time to get some rest. But they also had to catch their fellow students up. As much as they could tell anyway.

"So, Miss Byleth is… an alien?!" Dorothea exclaimed.

"Yes, and-" Dimitri started to say but was cut off.

"And that crater outside wasn't the work of the Knights, but her own mother?" Ingrid asked.

"Yeah, but-" Claude was going to talk and was also cut off.

"And you got to go on wild adventures while we had to starve and do boring tests?!" Raphael shouted.

Silence followed as he saw everybody looking at him weird. He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly and let out a chuckle.

"Sorry! Doing exams isn't exactly my style! I wanted to chow down on the venison the cooks had today!"

"Yes, we are more than aware of that." Lysithea said, crossing her arms together.

"This is… quite a lot to take in." Mercedes looked over to Ashe, who nodded.

"Every word of it is true. I was there for it all."

"And just like a jigsaw, a dozen pieces have all fallen into place." Felix looked away with his arms folded. "Just typical. There's a reason none of us could catch up to her, and it's because we were at a disadvantage this entire time."

"Do not be selling short, Felix." Petra said, looking over to him. "We are all powerful in our own right. And we are still doing the training, you mustn't be giving up."

"W-W-Wait! If Professor Byleth is an… alien… oh no, this is it!" Bernadetta cried out, crouching down hugging her legs. "Bernie is going to end up in her stomach! She's going to eat meeeeeeee!"

"Bernadetta, that is enough. Nobody is going to eat you." Edelgard said, rubbing her temples to soothe the already forming headache. Seems like not much had changed since they were gone.

"More importantly, you said that you are currently on a mission to retrieve one of the Cardinals?" Ferdinand asked. "That is quite the mission."

"Yes. The Professor is deciding a foolproof plan as we speak." Edelgard explained. That's when Caspar grinned.

"Hey, maybe we could help!" He punched his fists together. "I can punch the bad guys away!"

"Oh dear Goddess, no!" Bernadetta squealed out.

"That won't be necessary." Dimitri shook his head.

"Oh dear Goddess, yes." Bernadetta sighed in relief. But everyone else looked confused. Claude rubbed the back of his head.

"The people were doing this with aren't exactly… the most trusting of people. I think if they saw a bunch more people coming along then they wouldn't be too enthusiastic about it."

"And besides, this operation is a very sensitive one." Edelgard continued. "We are going to be rescuing one of the Cardinals. And it can only be done with us. No new additions."

"Oh dear…" Marianne whispered, clasping her hands together. "I do hope the Cardinal is okay."

"He will be, Marianne." Dimitri nodded. "Like Edelgard said, Professor Byleth is hatching a plan with our new friends as we speak."

"And we'll make sure he comes back safe!" Hilda grinned. "I get to show off my flashy new moves!"

"Oh yes, they were VERY flashy, weren't they, Claude?" Edelgard nudged him in the ribs as Claude looked up at the sky in an attempt to hide his blush.

"It's just unfortunate that you miss out on all the training." Leonie sighed. "Between this and being away for so long, you'll start to fall behind. I mean, you already missed three days worth of training."

"As unfortunate as it is, this comes first." Ashe pumped a fist. "We cannot allow any harm to come to the Cardinal!"

Edelgard then had a thought, and looked at Leonie. "Leonie, you knew Professor Byleth and Professor Jeralt before the Academy, is that correct?"

"Yeah, they went to my village. Captain Jeralt taught me how to use weaponry." Leonie nodded, though she was a little confused on why she was asking.

"Did you ever hear of a title known as The Ashen Demon?"

Leonie flinched at the mention of that name and traced the scars on her hands in thought. "Now that's a name I haven't heard in a long time."

They all looked at her as Leonie kept talking. "It was a title given to Byleth… and for good reason. I remember the night Captain Jeralt and his group all helped defend my village from bandits. Only… the way she fought on the battlefield. It was like something out of a horror story."

"Or one of Mercedes' tales!" Annette gasped.

"Pretty much. She was fast. Never showing mercy. And all with a blank expression on her face. I won't lie, when I saw her fight. I was scared. I hadn't seen anything like it before. And after coming here to Garreg Mach, I still haven't seen anything like it."

Everyone looked at each other now with this little tidbit of information. It made sense in a way. The members of 141 have seen the way Byleth fights, especially with Lonato. It really shouldn't be a shock to see how she got such a reputation. But they couldn't help but shake the feeling off. If they didn't meet Byleth. If she carried on with her Mercenary work. Would they have ended up on her blade? Would she still be stone cold?

DING DONG DING DONG!

That was the bells of the Cathedral ringing. One of the more important things to survive the rampage of the Moon Beast. Edelgard looked at the group that went down to Abyss.

"It's time. Professor Byleth should have figured out a plan with our new friends."

"Only one way to find out." Dimitri nodded. "Let's get going."

They were about to move off but then they were stopped by a strange request.

"Actually, I'd like to visit our new friends. There's a little something I have to ask them." Linhardt said.

Edelgard, Claude and Dimitri looked at him strangely.

In the wrecked classroom that was in Abyss, Byleth and Yuri were looking down at a map of the area that the bandits were in. They had been talking for at least an hour trying to make sure it all went off without a hitch. And many times Yuri suggested scrapping the plan entirely and starting anew. This was the sixth revision.

"I had my spies take a look at the area. They have archers stationed here, here, and there." Yuri said pointing to various spots on the map. "Seems like they have the idea to shoot on sight if things don't go their way."

Byleth closed her eyes deep in thought. "Hmm… perhaps we can get someone to incapacitate the archers while the negotiations are happening?"

"That's too risky. The bandits know each and every one of us. They would notice if one of us were missing."

"That's true…"

"Hey Boss, been meaning to ask." Balthus said from his side of the room where he had his feet up on one of the desks. "How'd you end up down here in Abyss?"

Yuri looked up from the map and narrowed his eyes. "What is this? Some sort of interrogation?"

"Yeah, you've never been big on sharing." Hapi chimed in from where she was sitting, with her hands propping up her chin, clearly bored. "I mean, you know all about me, yet I still don't know much about you."

"Is this really the best time to do this? We're in the middle of planning." Yuri said, clearly wanting to get back to the plan. But Balthus shrugged.

"Hey, I get it. Talking about the past ain't easy. But I'm curious, yeah? So get to it. I've got all day."

Yuri sighed loudly. If it meant getting back to the plan…

"Well, I suppose now is as good a time as any… I'm here because I killed some people from the Church."

Silence followed that as everyone looked at Yuri. Hapi still had her hands on her chin but her eyes were wide.

"Holy shit."

"What do you mean by that?" Byleth asked, walking over to a barrel and using her tail to grab some crackers to eat. Yuri explained further as they all listened.

"Originally, I attended the academy as Count Rowe's adopted kid. There came a point where they asked me to kill some members from my old gang. Told me it was part of some important mission."

"Who is this old gang you speak of?" Constance said, as Yuri looked over to the blonde.

"They were nothing more than common thieves to people like you, Constance. Anyway, I protested the orders because they were like family to me. Things got heated and… well, the rest is history."

"Yeesh, that's some story pal." Balthus frowned. "You should count your lucky stars that they didn't execute you."

"Yeah, they almost did." Yuri chuckled. "But Aelfric stepped in at the last minute and saved my life. Told them to consider the consequences. But it's no different to the rest of you, I'm sure. He saved your lives in one way or another."

"Yeah, I was about to be thrown in the Monastery's underground jail." Hapi raised her hand. "I was considered 'dangerous' with my gift and all. They wanted me locked away. Sure, Abyss is dark and damp, but it sure beats the hell out of a prison cell. Elfie really saved my life."

"Back to the matter at hand." Constance chimed in looking at the larger man, as she walked up to him. "Balthus, what was it you were so curious about? Do you think there's another reason why our enemy is clawing after the Chalice?"

But Balthus just shook his head. "Nah, nothing like that. It's just something Rhea said before Byleth's little outburst. The binding on the Chalice is linked to the Four Apostles, yeah? I know I've got Chevalier's-"

"Sorry, but mind if I cut in?"

Yuri sighed. More time wasted. They all saw the Three House leaders alongside Linhardt approach them. Hapi almost sighed… but bit her tongue and kicked her feet up on the desk.

"What is it? Can't you see we're busy?"

"I can." Linhardt nodded. "But I just remembered something while we were on the surface waiting for you to come up with a plan. Specifically, the names of the Four Apostles."

Constance stiffened as Linhardt started listing off the names.

"Aubin, Chevalier, Noa and Timotheos. The Four Apostles who's bloodlines were lost to time. I figured the Ashen Wolves might have something to say about that?"

The four looked at each other. Constance slowly reached for the Chalice inside her satchel and traced her fingers on the side, feeling the shape of it. No doubt the Chalice became somewhat of a comfort to her. But if the barrier was broken because of them… maybe Aelfric was kidnapped because of her Crest…

"No use hiding it anymore, Constance." Balthus nodded to the blonde. "Might as well put all our cards on the table. Yeah, I have the Major Crest of Chevalier. When I first enrolled at the Academy, the Church told me to keep that little tidbit to myself. So I did."

"Indeed. And as for me, I've got the Major Crest of Aubin." Yuri said. "Never did sort out how I have this thing."

Constance sighed and nodded. "As for me, the blood of Saint Noa courses through my veins. This is kept hidden, even from the Empire."

"Which probably means mine is from Timotheos. I vaguely remember being told my Crest was rare."

"How interesting." Edelgard mused to herself, placing her hand on her chin and rubbing it in thought. "The four Crests, thought to have been lost to time have made their way into the same house together."

"All thanks to our friend Aelfric." Claude chimed in. "Very interesting."

"But now Aelfric has been kidnapped. How could this be?" Dimitri wondered. "If it was the Chalice they were after then surely they would've taken it from us when they had the chance."

"Maybe someone had it out for him." Balthus guessed. "Or maybe he messed around with the wrong people-"

"Or maybe it's just unrelated." Yuri cut him off. "Come on now, Balthus. You came here on accident, didn't you? It's not like it's linked to the rest of us. I mean, I could've just as easily not have ended up in Abyss. You're jumping at shadows."

That's when he sighed again and turned to Byleth. "We're wasting time, once again. We need a solid plan and-"

"Pardon me, but if I may cut in again?"

Yuri groaned loudly and turned to Linhardt, looking extremely annoyed. "What now?"

But Linhardt just had that same lazy look and spoke. "From what I've seen on the map you have there, you keep on neglecting our greatest chess piece."

Everyone frowned in confusion and Linhardt shook his head. "Honestly, I don't know how you all have missed this. Use Miss Byleth. She's your key."

Yuri raised an eyebrow. He did make a point. But he rolled his eyes. "How exactly can she help us get out of this mess?"

"It's simple." Linhardt said. "I saw her fight with Lord Lonato and she is easily the fastest individual I have laid eyes on. She was able to move at speeds which even the fastest Pegasi and Wyvern couldn't match. Furthermore, she has this ability where she can create an illusion of herself to trick her opponents. I believe you referred to it as an, 'after-image', Miss Byleth?"

Byleth slowly nodded and Yuri closed his eyes, thinking to himself and nodding too. Finally, he opened his eyes and had his trademark smirk.

"I'm impressed. You saw something I neglected to see. But you're right. Our greatest asset is the Ashen Demon herself. As well as… someone else. Okay then, gather around everyone. Here's the new plan…"

His eyes then widened slightly and he looked over to Byleth. "Oh. And I'll need a moment of your time after this is all done."

Byleth was confused at what he meant by that. But she kept listening as Yuri listed off the new plan.

"Your Grace, please reconsider!"

Rhea closed her eyes listening to the priest. He wasn't the first to be unhappy with her earlier decision and he certainly wouldn't be the last. But she allowed herself to listen to him air his grievances.

"The Chalice is among the Church's greatest treasures. Even akin to the Heroes Relics!"

"I am well aware." Rhea said, half listening as well as half thinking to herself. "Which is why I have already dealt with the matter. Consider this, the Heroes Relics are fearsome weapons imbued with great power. On the contrary, the Chalice has long lost the power it once possessed. It is merely a trinket."

And that right there was what was most puzzling to Rhea. She never thought she would see the Chalice of Beginnings once more. Not after it was sealed away. But the biggest question is that how did it get out of it's seal? At first, Rhea assumed Byleth was responsible for it. Her strength and Crest of Flames was certainly believable to break it. But the more she thought about it, she realised she was wrong.

Byleth was powerful, that was not to be understated. But not even she could break a powerful spell with her strength alone. No, something else had to have played a part in the retrieval of the Chalice.

"Your Grace?"

Rhea blinked and realised the priest was still talking to her. After repeating the question to her, the Archbishop explained further.

"It was created for a sacred purpose." Rhea said with a sad tone. "To use the blood of the Four Apostles… to return the Goddess to our world."

But she kept thinking. The Chalice was binded by powerful magic. Not even a Saiyan should've been able to break it. So how could four individuals from Abyss have been able to-

Wait.

Four individuals.

"Their blood…" Rhea gasped softly and narrowed her eyes.

Aelfric, you fool. If he was seriously doing what she was suspicious of.

"Your Grace?" The priest repeated after seeing her deep in thought. But Rhea looked at him with a fierce fire in her eyes.

"I have an urgent mission for you. Investigate the origins of the Ashen Wolves. Start with their enrolment forms for the Academy. Keep an eye out for falsified documents."

Taken aback, the priest slowly nodded. "Y-Yes! Understood!"

But as he turned to begin his investigation, Rhea stopped him. "Before you begin. Summon Jeralt at once. I have orders for Task Force 141."

"As you wish, Your Grace."

Rhea didn't realise she was clinging her hands together, turning her knuckles white. "If I am correct… we haven't a moment to lose. Another tragedy is soon to transpire…"

She closed her eyes and sighed solemnly. "You fool Aelfric. You don't understand what you're trying to do. It was sealed away for a reason. It couldn't bring back mother…"

"Where is the bar again? I need a drink…" Byleth said to herself. She wanted to grab a beer before she left. But her senses went into overdrive as she quickly turned to see Yuri leaning on the wall, smirking at her.

"Hey friend."

He slowly walked around her as he eyed the sword she held. "Let's not deny that there is a connection between us. How about you and me have ourselves a little date, huh?"

Byleth narrowed her eyes. "You're smiling with your mouth, but not your eyes."

Yuri just chucked in response. "It only happens when I'm being a little greedy."

But then his eyes were now lost of its playfulness. He was being serious now. "After this is done. When the bell strikes midnight, meet me out front of the Holy Mausoleum. My only condition is that you arrive AFTER midnight, and not a moment before. What say you?"

"Isn't it forbidden to enter the Mausoleum?"

"All will be revealed when you arrive."

He had that smirk on again and closed his eyes. "Nobles have nearly killed one another fighting for my affections, you know. Perhaps you won't get all you want out of me. Heh, but I can promise you a fun time regardless."

Byleth tilted her head in confusion. But Yuri nodded to her before she could get a word in. "It's settled! I'll see you tomorrow night, friend. Don't stand me up. Now then, with that out of the way, let's go rescue Aelfric."

"Can't we stay a few minutes? I was kind of wanting a beer-"

Yuri grabbed her wrist and began dragging her away, sighing in exhaustion. "Honestly, how much do you drink? Is this from your fathers side or that Saiyan side? In any case, we are leaving now. You're our key to rescuing him, and I need you in top shape."

"But my beer…"

"Let's hope that this works…"

"It won't… just throw me at the enemy and I could at least throw myself on their blades to buy you time to rescue him."

"We reeaallly need to get her a parasol to cover her from the sun."

The group were standing in the outskirts of the Monastery now waiting for the bandits to meet them to begin negotiations. Yuri looked behind him.

"Alright everyone, remember the plan. We have to give the Demon time. So don't blurt out anything stupid."

"Hey! Why did you look at me when you said that?!" Balthus yelled, offended.

"Are we sure this'll work?" Hapi asked. "I mean won't B draw suspicion? He has way, way, WAY more… life experience than us. They might think he's a Knight rather than a student."

"Hey! Are you calling me old? What gives? Why is everyone ganging up on the ageless King of Grappling?"

"She's not exactly wrong Balthie." Hilda smiled, rubbing his arm. "I mean, there's a pretty big age gap between you and the rest of us."

"I thought we were saving Aelfric but I feel like I need saving from you guys."

Yuri eyed their surroundings. It was a plain open area which honestly would've looked beautiful if it wasn't tainted by the reason they were there to begin with. With a couple of small bushes scattered about with different kinds of flowers adorning it's leaves. Possibly enemies hiding in there, no doubt. And in the distance he saw the remains of a chapel which definitely didn't show it aged well. Vines were crawling up the stone, cracked walls as if they were snakes trying to consume the entire building, the roof itself was caved in leaving a gaping hole the size of a carriage. And from what he saw nearby there were large stone cliffs overlooking the meeting point. Exactly what they were expecting. All they had to do now was wait.

"Anyway, who made your uniforms?"

Yuri realised the conversation was still ongoing and saw Ashe asking about the Ashen Wolves uniform. Constance, in her dejected state, chimed in.

"If I might so humbly interject, that would be Aelfric."

Yuri nodded, looking at Ashe. "He pulled everything together for us. Some time after he was appointed the guardian of Abyss. Said he wanted to give former students who were expelled from the Academy someplace to live. Someplace to belong. Of course, this was established long before any of us were in the picture."

The conversation was then interrupted as a menacing laugh sounded. They were on guard as a man and a bandit came forward with the latter dragging Aelfric beside them. Yuri was impressed. Throughout the open plains he could deduce maybe fifty men on the ground alone. No, sixty. Possibly seventy. However many were here, it was clear that they weren't here to exchange pleasantries as he saw an additional twenty archers perched on top of the cliff with bows trained on them. The leader called Metoday grinned evilly.

"So, you actually showed up? Though you could've saved us both the trouble and came to us rather than having us look for you, but no matter!"

Aelfric was in shock. He didn't actually think they would be out here. "My flock! Why did you come?"

Balthus grinned, thumping his chest. "To save you of course! What, did you think we would just leave you here?"

Constance slowly raised her hand to grab the attention of the bandits and reached into her satchel. "If I may be so bold to speak up, we have the Chalice. May I humbly request that you return Aelfric to us?"

She held it out for them to see and Aelfric's eyes widened. "You found the Chalice?! When I told you of it, I never would have imagined you-"

"We need to make sure it's not a cheap imitation. Hand it over!" Metoday growled. But Yuri glared back and stepped in front of Constance.

"Not until you hand over the hostage. There needs to be a degree of trust for this to work."

Metoday just chuckled dryly. "I can see you don't understand your own predicament here. You are in no negotiation to bargain!"

But the bandit holding Aelfric in place looked over at Byleth who was just… standing there and staring at them. "Hey, uh, boss? I feel like I know that woman from somewhere."

Metoday raised an eyebrow and looked to Byleth. He then nodded. "Ah yes. The instructor. What do you have to say about this, hm?"

Silence. All he got in response was a blank expression. He scowled at the lack of sound and stormed up to her. "Hey! Is there anything knocking around in that head of yours? Goddess, you look like a brain dead fish! Are you going to say anything at all?"

Yuri's eyes darted to the cliffs and smiled when he saw them fall one by one. Good. They hadn't realised yet. But time was running out. Hopefully she could-

"Say something, you bitch!" Metoday yelled, drawing his fist back and went to slam it in her face.

Only… it went through nothing. Like smoke in the wind, Byleth's image disappeared and he stumbled over his feet and fell to the ground, too caught off guard to even catch himself.

Aelfric was surprised to see what had just transpired and frantically looked around. "What just happened?"

But Metoday picked himself up and growled loudly. "An illusion! It's a trap! That's it, the deals off! I'll kill every one of you brats! Men, fire your arrows!"

But the group just stood there. No fear on their faces at all. Hilda and Edelgard were checking their fingernails and Dimitri and Ashe were looking at the sky, pointing at various cloud formations. Linhardt was yawning loudly as Claude was whistling to himself, looking around.

"What are you waiting for?! Kill them!" Metoday roared, but the Abyssian's just had a smirk as Yuri pointed behind the bandit.

"You might want to take a look behind you, pal."

"What? What do you mean?" He slowly turned and gasped in horror. Most of his men were dead! And the remaining bandits didn't even realise it until they saw their fellow comrades on the ground. It was like in the blink of an eye, and suddenly they were no more.

Only one figure stood in the centre of it all. A woman with a blank stare. And once the group got their jokes out the way from earlier, they were honestly… terrified at the image. They had seen Byleth like this especially when she fights, but they all knew she was taking her time with this one. And the bandit holding Aelfric shook in his boots and pushed Aelfric towards Balthus who caught him.

"It's her! It's the Ashen Demon! Run for your lives!"

The bandits all erupted into chaos as Byleth slowly made her way towards Metoday with that same soulless look on her face, sword pointed towards him. He whimpered in fear and tried to crawl away but she just kept moving slowly with each step.

"W-What the hell are you?!"

"I could kill you right now." Byleth said, still slowly walking with her sword pointed at him. "For your crimes in kidnapping a Cardinal of the Church of Seiros. And for bargaining his life."

"No please! Don't kill me!"

Silence. Then the sound of a sword sheathing. He looked to see Byleth standing there, now with no sword. "I'm not going to kill you. That wouldn't be very fair on you."

"Oh thank you so much-"

"I wasn't talking about you. Hapi, now."

Hapi blinked in confusion. "Wait, now? But we're winning-"

"Come on Hapi! We need you!" Balthus yelled catching the girl off guard who rolled her eyes.

"Fine, fine, fine. If it'll get you off my back."

"W-What's she doing?" Metoday asked as Hapi took a deep breath… and exhaled into a long drawn out sigh. More silence. And Metoday scrambled to his feet and started running away from them.

"You people are fucking crazy! I'm leaving now- AAAAAAAGGGHHH!"

His words were cut short as a giant ugly creature burst out from the ground and he stared up at it in shock and fear. It had the same features as a giant worm, though it had thick armour plating on it's body as well as giant sharp fangs that were dripping with ooze, snarling down at the whimpering man. Without a moments hesitation, it dove down and engulfed the bandit in one fell swoop. The rest cringed at the display as the bandits were all scurrying about to escape.

"Heh, never gets old, that little ability of yours." Yuri chuckled.

"Yeah, yeah, glad you liked the show." Hapi groaned. "It's not exactly something I asked for."

"And the rest?" Aelfric asked, watching the bandits run off. Byleth turned to her students and nodded.

"Don't kill them. They have a lot to answer for. And as for that thing…"

She held out her hand and fired a Ki blast straight at it which caused a massive explosion with its fading shriek the last thing they heard before the dust settled, showing nothing.

"Aw man! I wanted to give it a little smack!" Balthus yelled and slumped in defeat.

"It doesn't matter." Aelfric said, looking at the Garreg Mach students who were busy chasing down the fleeing bandits that remained. "It's done now, all thanks to you. Is the Chalice unharmed?"

Constance meekly nodded and pointed to Byleth who had picked up the Chalice. It had been dropped in all the commotion but thankfully, it had been unharmed. Still had its pristine look.

"Now then, why don't we-"

Suddenly, Byleth's senses went off like crazy as multiple dark mages surrounded Constance, Hapi and Balthus. They all expressed confusion at the situation they were in, clearly not expecting this and Byleth glared, about to go forward and save them. When suddenly-

"Nighty NIGHT!"

SHK!

"AGH!"

Byleth collapsed to the ground, groaning loudly in pain as she felt an agonising sensation in her shoulder, which got worse with every passing second. It was like a forest fire in her shoulder, slowly spreading out to consume more and more. What's worse is that she felt fatigued. No matter what she did the best she could do was move her head. She looked behind her to see Yuri carrying a knife with her blood on it.

He stabbed her.

"Swiped it when we were defending Abyss." Yuri explained, cleaning the blood off with a piece of cloth and inspected it. "If I'm correct, then this is the only kind of weaponry that can actually hurt you. So I kept it to myself."

He lazily walked up to her and gently pried the Chalice out of her hands. She tried to shoot a Ki blast but found she couldn't even lift her arms as Yuri had that same smirk on his face.

"Yeah, you were our biggest obstacle, Ashen Demon. I also dipped the blade in a special kind of poison. Don't worry, it won't kill you. It'll just keep you at bay for now."

"Yuri! What the hell are you doing?!" Balthus yelled as the remaining three were getting tied up by special rope enchanted by gravity hexes. Yuri just chuckled and sheathed the knife before presenting the Chalice… to Aelfric.

"I think you can see exactly what I'm doing, Balthus."

Aelfric had a grateful smile on his face when he took it out of Yuri's hands. "Beautifully executed, Yuri. At long last, the Chalice is finally mine now. Along with the blood of the Four Apostles."

Constance gasped and slowly lowered her head, a heavy weight in her chest as the feelings of betrayal were now sinking in. "It seems that I was correct… that there was a rat in our midst. To think our bird was indeed a rat…"

Yuri eyed up Constance, who even in her somber state, gave him a glare filled with hurt and anger. "You always had a wild imagination, Constance. I've got to say, getting your attention elsewhere was a challenge, even for me."

"That's quite enough with the banter now, Yuri." Aelfric said, checking to see that the bindings on the other three were on tightly. "I informed you not to divulge too much."

"They'll all be under the dirt soon enough." Yuri shrugged. "It's not like they'll be able to talk at that point. After all I've gone and done for you Aelfric, I would think that you'd have just a little more faith in me."

Aelfric stayed silent at that and looked at Byleth, who was still under the effects of both the poison, and the enchanted knife. It hurt just as much as when she encountered it the first time in Faerghus, but it didn't quite measure up to the feeling of betrayal. From both men.

Yuri sighed, and crouched down to talk. "Your silence speaks volumes. Guess this is the end of the niceties."

He then leaned in to mutter in her ear. "It's all on you now, friend. I'm sure you and the others will figure it out."

With that, he stood up and in a blinding flash of purple, it was just her. And like magic, her struggles to move now ceased. The poison had worn off. She quickly stood up and closed her eyes, trying to sense Yuri and Aelfric… but nothing.

"Professor!"

She turned to see the students all running up to her, all with looks of worry across their faces when they saw blood running down her coat. As well as her pale face.

"Are you injured?" Dimitri asked, but Byleth tried to stand up.

"I'm fine, it's just a scratch- AGH!"

She fell to her knees clutching her shoulder. Edelgard turned to Linhardt.

"Help her!"

"Do I have to… there's blood…"

"Linhardt."

"Okay, okay. I'll just… think happy thoughts."

He slowly walked to Byleth and used his faith magic to try and heal the wound. But he frowned at the looks of it. Black lines slowly spreading to other parts which he was able to slow to a crawl but wasn't able to fully stop. On top of that, he didn't like the look of the ooze that was around the wound. He leaned down to sniff it and the others all recoiled in disgust.

"What in Cethleann's tit's are you doing?" Hilda asked.

"Poison." Linhardt simply replied. "I can detect several key notes. From what I've seen and smelt, there's a sort of venom laced into it. It won't be fatal, but it will keep you from moving for a short time. But what's more concerning is the wound itself. It's not responding well to my healing magic. It's much like Edelgard's ankle from before. It prevents you from being fully healed. I would have to have Manuela confirm it, but I think this'll never recover."

Edelgard flinched and looked at her boots which contained the wicked wound on her ankle from that battle. Even after a few days, and multiple doses of healing magic, she still felt it's fearsome sting. Like Linhardt said, it'll probably never heal properly. But… she just had to add that to the list of her other scars.

"Interesting. So he hit you in a spot that wouldn't kill you, only played the part to make it look convincing. Guess when it comes to your body, you can't really pretend to be injured." Claude said.

But Linhardt managed to at least close the wound, but it left a nasty scar on her shoulder. And like Edelgard, she just had to add that to the list. Especially from when she fought the Goliath's in Faerghus. She grunted and stood up after adjusting her shoulder before looking at the spot where Yuri and Aelfric had teleported from.

"The Chalice and the Ashen Wolves are gone." Dimitri grimaced. "I loath to think what will become of them without our help."

"I can't sense where they are either." Byleth said. "It's like they've completely hidden their Ki signatures."

"So how exactly can we find them?" Edelgard groaned in frustration, hating how much the tables have completely turned against them. This was supposed to be it. The finale.

"Well, we know what they're after. That could at least narrow some possibilities." Claude shrugged.

But Edelgard's eyes widened when she saw someone running up to them. It was… Rhea? With an escort of bishops. Jeralt was beside her looking at Byleth with concern.

"Byleth, are we too late?" Rhea panted, and frantically looked around and silently cursed when her fears were already confirmed.

"Archbishop Rhea? What are you doing here?" Edelgard asked.

Regaining her composure, Rhea straightened up and began to explain.

"After sending you all off, I began to investigate the origins of the Ashen Wolves. In the process, I was able to confirm that the documentation concerning their Crests were falsified. What was once a wild speculation, is now confirmed to be true. The Crests they bear are the same as the Four Apostles. The very same who long ago performed the Rite of Rising."

"So it wasn't the Church who told them to keep quiet about their Crests, it was Aelfric himself!" Dimitri exclaimed.

Rhea's eyes darkened at that. She entrusted that man with a lot of responsibility, and in return, he abused his power for his own gain. And right under her nose! But she sucked in air to calm herself and continued.

"Once the blood of the four is poured upon the Chalice, it's power can be harnessed. I believe the evidence is now clear that the Ashen Wolves will suffice for this ritual."

"So he wants to enact the power of the ritual… but why?" Edelgard mumbled.

"Lady Rhea, what is the exact purpose of the ritual?" Dimitri asked.

"Yeah, we heard that it has the power to resurrect people. But that can't be true, can it?" Claude raised an eyebrow at the Archbishop who let out a sigh.

"The Chalice of Beginnings is an incredible artefact that was created by the Goddess herself. One that has the ability to give physical form to someone that has been lost to this world."

Everyone's eyes widened.

"Holy shit." Hilda gasped. "So… it really can bring back the dead?"

"Yes and no." Rhea shook her head. "While it can have the ability to breathe life into a body, it cannot return it's spirit. Ultimately, it was a tool to bring back the Goddess to life. Her spirit is omnipresent, but unfortunately, her flesh is no more."

She looked down at the ground and nobody but Byleth spotted the sad look on her face. But Rhea quickly composed herself and carried on speaking.

"Such power is awe inspiring. As well as incredibly dangerous. It's power is even akin to the very Heroes Relic you hold on your person, Byleth."

Byleth looked at her sword as well as Rhea. But the Archbishop closed her eyes, puzzled at the situation. "But this ritual was never supposed to have happened again. The Four Apostles were never meant to pass down their Crests. But… it is now happening again."

"Yeah, and Aelfric was at the centre of it all. No doubt using Church resources and connections to lure them into Abyss for his own selfish deeds." Claude said, looking at Rhea who closed her eyes again.

"The fault is my own. I should have never entrusted the Chalice to them."

"Lady Rhea. Do you have any idea where they might have gone?" Edelgard asked. Time was of the essence now. If Aelfric did that ritual then who knows what would happen.

"I do indeed." Rhea nodded. "Garreg Mach, which is protected by the Goddess-"

"Moon Beast." Claude coughed.

"Which is PROTECTED by the GODDESS!" Rhea glared daggers at him. "It is the only place where the Rite of Rising can be performed."

"Though where exactly they would be is another matter entirely." Rhea sighed. "Holding such a ritual requires absolute focus. So I imagine the setting would need to be serene, peaceful."

"But there are countless places like that within the Monastery walls. Where would we even start?" Dimitri said.

That's when Byleth closed her eyes and suddenly remembered something from earlier.

"After this is done. When the bell strikes midnight, meet me out front of the Holy Mausoleum. My only condition is that you arrive AFTER midnight, and not a moment before. What say you?"

"The Holy Mausoleum."

Everyone looked to Byleth when she said this. "That's where they will be."

"Are you sure, Professor?" Edelgard asked. "I mean, it is peaceful there, but after that incident a few months ago it's being heavily guarded at all times."

Jeralt sighed, and looked to Rhea. "We better get back to the Monastery. It'll do us no good standing here and coming up with theories."

"Indeed." Rhea nodded. "We should return and-"

"Lady Rhea!"

They all turned to see Alois running up to them. Jeralt raised an eyebrow.

"Alois? What are you doing here?"

But then they all saw his angered expression as he spoke. "Thieves and bandits have breached Garreg Machs village walls! They're looting shops and houses and taking whatever they please!"

"Well, I guess we can narrow that down to one person." Byleth stated, looking at Jeralt who turned back to Alois.

"How many of them?"

"Too many to count, Captain! Fortunately, we have Task Force 141 keeping the majority at bay, but they can't be everywhere at once!"

Jeralt wasn't even going to correct him this time on using that title. This was getting too serious. "Rhea, I know the knights are too thinly spread out right now, but I propose we send a squad to help evacuate the villagers."

"Yes, I agree. Alois, relay the message to all your knights. But leave a few by my side."

"At once, Lady Rhea!"

"Take Hellen with you to heal any wounded, too."

"At once, Captain!"

But as they all watch Alois run off, Jeralt noticed Byleth deep in thought. He was about to ask her what was wrong, but then saw her shoulder.

"Kid! You're injured!"

Byleth just shook her head. "It's fine for now. I'm just thinking about something. It's about what Yuri said. He told me to meet him at the Holy Mausoleum."

Claude let out a chuckle. "You never run out of secrets, do you, Teach?"

"But then why are we waiting? If he said to meet there, then he must be there!" Dimitri said, summoning a Ki lance and going to run off. But he was stopped in his tracks

"No."

He slowly turned to look at Byleth as did everyone else, as she explained. "Yuri said to meet him after midnight. And not a minute before."

"What? Why?" Edelgard was confused. "What is the meaning of this? Dimitri is right, we should go now."

"No. I say we put our trust in Yuri."

The group were all floored at this as Hilda pointed at her shoulder. "Professor, he stabbed you in the back! LITERALLY! Why would you trust him?"

But that's when Rhea stepped in. "I have known Yuri for quite some time. As someone who once attended Garreg Mach, I was able to personally speak with him from time to time during his stay in Abyss. He may have unusual methods… but he is a man of his word. I agree with Byleth. We should wait until midnight."

Claude scratched his head. "I mean, Yuri's no fool. There's a method to his madness… so there must be a reason why he specified midnight. Okay then, I guess in the meantime we can help our fellow Task Force clear out the bandits."

"Grab Petra for this mission as well." Jeralt said and Edelgard raised an eyebrow. He gave a knowing smirk at the Princess.

"She's been coming up new techniques during training. Techniques that could help us for what's to come."

"Alright then, is there anything else to talk about?" Linhardt sighed. "My head hurts from all this."

"Just one more." Byleth said, and looked to her dad and Rhea. "You two knew Aelfric for a while. What could he possibly want to resurrect with this ritual?"

Jeralt just shrugged. "You got me beat, kid. Can't imagine what it could possibly be, right Rhea?"

But that silence from the Archbishop was like a cannon shot. Everyone slowly turned to her as Byleth tilted her head.

"Rhea?"

Rhea closed her eyes and let out a shaky sigh. "Oh Jeralt. Byleth. I'm sorry. Oh, I am so, so, sorry."

The father daughter pair looked at her as she stared at the clouds, clasping her hands. "I believe I know who he intends to resurrect."

Her eyes then landed on Byleth with saddened eyes.

"Your mother. Sitri."

*Song: DBZ Closing Theme*

What was meant to be a simple rescue mission has now uncovered one revelation after another! Can our heroes stop Aelfric and his mad plans before it's too late? Or will the Ashen Wolves lives be lost in vain? Find out next time on the next chapter of, The Ashen Saiyan!

Thanks to everyone who reviews, favourites and follows this story. We have hit 140 favourites as well as almost reaching 160 followers. We are almost at the end of the Ashen Wolves arc. I believe we have two left if the plan I'm following stays true. And then a little break in between before finally… the Lord Slug arc.

Thank you once again, and I will see you all in the next chapter.

Catch you later!