Part 1: White Clouds

Return to Me

"Is that the last of them?"

Evening had now fallen upon Garreg Mach, it's villages and Monastery blessed with the warm amber from the setting sun. Though down below, the scenery was anything but peaceful. A battle had just taken place between those who resided in Garreg Mach and the bandits sent forth by the Cardinal known as Aelfric. If asked what kind of battle it was, those in Task Force 141 would've called it tedious and annoying. It's not that they were tough or anything, far from it in fact. But their Ki levels were super low so it was hard to detect them. On top of that, it's not like the thieves were trying to face them head on. Just ducking and weaving through buildings in a way to evade them while they smashed windows or swiped the belongings of the residents who stayed there.

It was almost like their objective was to stall them in a way. In the centre of the village, Byleth tore her sword out of the last bandit and looked around. The whole place was a mess. Thankfully, the structures were still standing. It was mostly smashed windows as well as scorch marks on the walls from failed attempts to light the buildings aflame. But various merchant's shops were smashed to pieces and their goods were tossed around, ranging from apples rolling about to the remains of what looked like a very expensive tea set.

"What a pain in the ass." Jeralt grunted, "They were a slippery bunch, I'll give them that. But at least everything that was damaged can be either replaced or repaired easily. Come on kid, let's go catch up to the others."

But as Jeralt went to walk away, he noticed that Byleth was just standing there, looking at the ground. But she wasn't deep in thought like she usually was. Jeralt noticed her tail twitching and he understood now. Byleth was angry.

"It's about your mom, isn't it?"

She kept silent but slowly nodded. She then turned to her father and spoke. "Aren't you angry, dad? Aelfric has no right doing what he is trying to do. That's mother he's messing about with. What if he ends up doing something that'll make things worse?"

But she felt a hand on her head and looked up to see Jeralt with a sad smile. "Kid, you have no idea how pissed off I am right now. I wanna go in there and beat him within an inch of his life for even trying to start something like this. But I also know just being angry in general won't help us right now."

He then placed both hands on her shoulders and continued. "I know these emotions are new to you. You haven't exactly been very emotive until now. But keep that anger contained. Wait until we actually get to him, then direct that anger towards him. But until then, we need to keep a cool head so that those brats make it out of there alive."

Byleth's eyes darted to the ground before she slowly took a deep breath and exhaled. And to her surprise, the burning fury was quelled for now. "Okay, dad. Let's go and get Petra. I believe you said she had a new technique for us."

"Oh yeah, you're going to love this." He grinned, patting her on the back and leading her to the rest of 141.

"Ugh… where… am I…"

Hapi didn't know how long her vision was covered by darkness, or how long the tight sensation around her body was around for. But after some time, which could've either been minutes, or even hours. Her senses were slowly starting to come back to her. Suddenly, she heard a voice make it's way into her ears and her face slowly contorted into an angered grimace, as her eyes slowly opened to see… him.

"Finally, you're all awake." Yuri said, sitting on a chair and inspecting the knife in his hands. Hapi then realised it was the same knife that those creeps attacking Abyss used. But also… it was the same one he attacked Byleth with.

"Good morning sleepyheads… or is it good evening?"

"Yuri! You scoundrel!"

Everyone present saw that Constance was back to her normal state. Though honestly, right now they weren't sure if it was for better or for worse, as she kept yelling at him.

"You are unfit to speak to us, liar that you are!"

But Yuri sighed loudly and patted her head, causing an irritated blush to form in her face. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Liar. Blah, blah, blah. Nothing I haven't heard before."

Silence followed the group for a few seconds, before Balthus, in an unusually calm state, asked him. "Alright Yuri, let's not beat around the bush. What the hell are you plotting? Where's Aelfric? And what are you trying to accomplish here?"

Yuri let out a groan and looked up in exasperation. "Questions, questions! You never let up, do you Balthus? Yeesh. Alright, I'll spill the beans. Aelfric intends to enact the Rite of Rising. He's preparing everything as we speak."

Hapi had every urge in her body to let out a long sigh right now and trash the place, only for two things to stop her. One, she had no idea where they were. For all she knew she could be in someone's house, and the last thing she wanted was for someone's kitchen to get destroyed because of her. And two, she was tied up. She didn't exactly have a way of escaping and so would probably end up in the crossfire. So instead, she asked questions. Might as well since there was nothing better to do.

"What is this silly rite, anyway? He trying to do some crazy magic to revive the dead or something?"

That was intended to be a sarcastic quip at Yuri. But to everyone's shock, he nodded. "Actually, yes. By offering up the blood of the Four Apostles in the Chalice, you can bring someone back to life. Saint Seiros actually performed the ritual 995 years ago, but not enough blood was given. So the ritual was a bust."

"Don't know what happened after that." He shrugged as he sheathed the dagger. "At least, that's what Aelfric concluded when he scoured the records, anyway. And now, with extreme persistence, he has managed to gather the four of us, with our Crests. He supervised us by placing us under the Ashen Wolves, for one purpose only. The Rite of Rising."

The other three listened in disbelief. But that's when Constance's face scrunched up in anger as she wrestled with he restraints. "You mean to say he intends to drain us of our blood? To KILL us?! Such an act would be unforgivable! An atrocity! I refuse to die in this wretched hovel!"

"Yeah, that sounds extremely painful. As well as me becoming worm food. Count me out." Hapi said, until something registered in her mind as she looked up at Yuri.

"Hold on. The number four includes you too, right? So you'll die with us?"

"Yup. That's the idea."

But Balthus was uncharacteristically quiet. He wasn't even putting up a fight. Hapi and Constance looked at one another and wondered if he was truly broken. But then he spoke.

"And here I thought we were close. But all this time, you were skulking around and deceiving us. It hurts, Boss. Hurts bad."

But then his eyes had a fire in them as he forced himself up onto his knees. His height now almost matching him to Yuri. "You wanna die, that it? Fine. I'll kill you myself. Just stop that crafty nonsense of yours and face me, fist to fist."

Yuri just rolled his eyes and turned his back. "Quiet down, I've lived through hell and worse. After clawing my way here, do you really think I wanna die?"

Hapi and Constance kept looking between the two. This was strangely a calm conversation. Normally, Balthus would be foaming at the mouth to punch something. But here, it's like the boys were talking like they were finishing up a game of cards.

"Then why throw away your life for the likes of someone like Aelfric?" Balthus asked and Yuri turned back around to look at him.

"Because some things are more important than my own life. Some things worth protecting."

"…Hmph. You're not making any damn sense."

"It seems you want to be punished severely, Yuri."

The four all looked to see Aelfric walking in.

"Okay, Professor Jeralt." Edelgard said. "You said that Petra had a new technique that can help us?"

The moon was shining high above them now as the crew that had ventured into Abyss were all present, with the addition of Jeralt and Petra. The rest of the students had turned in for the night after a long day of fending off bandits and helping repair yet more damage done to the town and Monastery.

"Yeah, care to demonstrate Petra?"

"Indeed. I will be doing the assistance." Petra nodded and closed her eyes. While she was focusing, she began to explain.

"You see, I have been having much progress in terms of developing my energy. I have inspiration from the many animals of Fódlan as well as Brigid. But then I had a… ummmm… a…"

"Realisation?" Linhardt said.

"Precisely! A rejuvenation!"

"No, that's not- OOF!"

Hilda elbowed Linhardt in the ribs and narrowed her eyes. "Leave her alone."

"Ugh, fine."

Petra, not noticing that encounter, continued explaining. "I had the rejuvenation that I could have more of the effectiveness by having the strength of nature inside me. Usually I have the image of an animal come forth and assist me. But now, I can be having the strength be inside as well."

"I still don't know where exactly she's going with this." Claude muttered. But that's when Petra stood up, eyes still closed.

"My apologies. In simpler words, I have gained the keen senses of one of the greatest hunters. The eagle."

That's when she opened her eyes and Byleth saw her irises were now a deep shade of blue rather than her usual purple. "With this, I have the eyes of the hunter. I can now see what others cannot."

"That's incredible, Petra." Edelgard said and looked at the direction her classmate was looking in. "What do you see?"

Petra pointed in the direction of the Holy Mausoleum and nodded. "I am seeing five targets. Perhaps those are your friends and this Cardinal?"

"Excellent work, Petra. Is there anything else we should watch out for?"

"Yes. Multiple souls in the building. It seems that they are waiting to ambush you."

Jeralt looked up in the direction of the moon and grimaced. "Almost past midnight. We should get going."

"Actually. There is one more thing I'd like to ask." Linhardt chimed in as he looked at Byleth. "Why are you wearing sunglasses at night time?"

The students all realised that Linhardt was right. Byleth had a pair of sunglasses on despite it being well into the night. Jeralt and Byleth looked at each other nervously, trying to think of what to say. But then Claude chimed in.

"Oh, Teach gets bad headaches from night time so Manuela prescribed her those glasses to stop her headaches."

"Y-Yeah! I remember that!" Edelgard nodded.

"What he said!" Dimitri laughed nervously.

Linhardt narrowed his eyes in suspicion, but then shrugged and looked towards the Mausoleum. "Very well, I have no more questions. Now then, how exactly will we tackle this?"

Byleth was thankful for Claude to save the day like that, but she had to get serious. She nodded at Petra. "Can you keep any unwanted company out?"

"Of course Professor. I will get the time saved."

"Good… I have a plan. Listen closely all of you."

"Is that a threat?" Yuri asked Aelfric, as he shook his head. "There's not much you can do to me that hasn't already been done."

Aelfric smiled and closed his eyes, though the others noticed that warmth they were used to was now gone. Or… was it even there to begin with?

"True. You took wing from the mud into which you were born and rose to great heights. To break your spirit would take far too much effort. Though…"

He looked at Yuri who tried to keep his cool despite his jaw noticeably clenching as Aelfric spoke. "If I must. I will kill your mother in addition to your dear people."

Balthus now understood why Yuri did what he did. Protecting his family. But before he could talk to Yuri, Constance snapped at Aelfric.

"And just what exactly are you planning to accomplish, Aelfric?"

Aelfric smiled again. He could at least indulge on what he was doing. After all, they weren't going to be around for long. So why not?

"To resurrect someone I lost long ago. No matter the cost. I'm sure there are people for who you would do the same to? I would do anything to see the light in her eyes once more."

They all saw he was looking fondly in a certain direction and didn't notice that something else was in the room with them. Constance gasped in horror at the body of a woman laying on top of a platform.

"Woah… that lady looks real dead." Balthus said nervously. He didn't realise Aelfric was this deranged. He just kept smiling and looking at her.

"She is… for now."

Though the lady looked familiar… but then from her spot, Hapi's eyes widened when she spotted something dangling from the side.

A brown tail.

"It's Chatterboxes mom!"

Balthus's eyes narrowed at Aelfric as a bubbling rage built up inside him. But still, he kept his cool. "You're gonna regret this, Aelfric."

But Aelfric glared at the brawler and shook his head. "I have accepted the regret I might feel from this long ago. As long as she returns, nothing else matters."

He then turned to Yuri who was tapping his finger on the hilt of his dagger. "Yuri, I would advise you do nothing foolish. The Knights of Seiros won't save you now. No doubt that they're hindered by the repairs on the Monastery as well as the bandit raid."

Yuri chuckled and shrugged. "Well, ain't that a damn shame. I have to be honest though, the whole evil villain look doesn't really suit you, Aelfric."

That's when they all understood what he was doing. Yuri was stalling for time, trying to drag this out as long as possible to prevent the ceremony! So that maybe Byleth and her team would save them. Hapi whispered in Yuri's direction.

"Yuri-Bird! I could-"

'Not yet. Only if necessary.'

Her eyes widened. Yuri just used telepathy on her. She heard him in her head. So she nodded and stayed silent. But suddenly, some mysterious figures in robes surrounded them and hoisted them up.

"Do not be so rough, you brute!" Constance yelled, grunting in pain. But then her eyes widened when one of them produced a gag and tied it around her mouth, with all that came out were muffled screams.

"Good. I was getting a headache from her constant screaming." Aelfric sighed and looked at the mages. "You know what to do."

While the mages were dragging the Ashen Wolves away to specific spots, Aelfric placed the Chalice on another platform and watched as the writing enshrined upon it started to glow. He heard faint whispers coming from the trinket as he had a satisfied smile. Good, it was working. And in the four corners of the Mausoleum, the mages produced a knife and drove it into various parts of their bodies. Nowhere fatal, they needed a slow steady trickle of blood. So they went for the non vital areas. But the blood didn't trickle down to the floor. Instead, it turned into red energy and slowly flowed to the Chalice in the centre. The ritual had begun.

The Ashen Wolves all felt like they were a leaking jug of water, combined with being on fire. The injuries weren't the problem, it was the fiery sensation of their blood being turned into power. Constance tried to not show weakness, but through her muffled groans, tears started forming on the corners of her eyes as the pain was starting to become too much.

"Your blood will come forth, filling the Chalice." Aelfric said with glee, watching the cup fill with the energised form of their blood as the gold decorations started glowing too. He then turned to Yuri who, despite showing signs of being hurt, kept a straight face and shook his head.

"Ngh… you really are a fool."

But Aelfric chuckled to himself watching the Ashen Wolves start to look weaker as more blood poured out. "You were diligent, Yuri. You kept me abreast of all the Ashen Wolves' movements. As recompense for being such a good student of my flock, I will gladly hear any final words from you."

Yuri laughed, but cringed in pain when doing so hurt him more. "Oh, that's… fresh. If you really knew me- agh… at all, you would know these aren't my final words. I'm simply biding my time."

That confused Aelfric. He wasn't expecting anything like this. But as if sensing his question, Yuri grinned.

"For the Goddess's descent. Can you hear it? She's coming."

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

Aelfric was alarmed at the noise that just sounded and looked around. "The bells? This late at night?"

Yuri grinned even more as he stood strong, despite more blood being drained. "Yeah, you hear that Aelfric? That's the sound of your demise. My people are being freed as we speak. The ones you locked up and hid away."

"How did you know about that- wait. The Knights of Seiros are freeing them?" Aelfric gasped. But Yuri shook his head.

"Not exactly."

"This way! If you're too slow you're being left behind."

"Felix, don't be rude!"

Annette slapped his arm as she helped an older looking lady out of the long corridors of a dungeon as Felix rolled his eyes.

"How did we get stuck on babysitting duty? Where is Petra? I thought she was meant to help us out?"

"W-Wait! There's too many of you!" Bernadetta yelled, waving her arms frantically. "D-Don't trample poor Bernie!"

She was trying to escort the crowd away but they were looking around trying to find their leader.

"Where is Yuri? We need him! Never leave a man behind!"

"I-I dunno! Bernie was just sent here to rescue you- wait… Yuri?" Bernadetta frowned. "Why does that sound… familiar?"

"Come on! Move it or lose it! We need to get out of here! You're free!" Caspar grinned. "Taste the fresh air once more!"

Meanwhile, up on the highest level of the Monastery, Rhea surveyed the area down below. At the small group being escorted out of the caves where they were held. Rhea closed her eyes and furrowed her brow deeply.

'Aelfric… I had my suspicions that you were abusing your position… but this? This is a sin far too great.'

She then looked to the entryway of the Holy Mausoleum and turned her back, walking towards the area. 'I hope there is still sense left in you, and that I can talk you out of this madness. But if not, I won't be the one to destroy you.'

Yuri laughed loudly at the look on Aelfric's face and grinned. "Like I said, the whole villain schtick doesn't really suit you.

But then his face hardened into a glare as he stood tall, even as his life was being drained. "I know it was you who sent me on that mission that ultimately led to me landing in Abyss. Overall? Your execution was lacking. Lady Rhea grew suspicious of you."

Aelfric couldn't believe what he was hearing. And Yuri twisted the knife deeper. "Oh, and just so you know? I've been working for her long before I began working for you."

It wasn't just Aelfric that was floored by all this new information. The other Ashen Wolves were having trouble keeping up. Yuri planned this far ahead?

"She told me to keep an eye on you." Yuri explained. "To tell her if I noticed anything off about you. If you were abusing your position for your own selfish deeds. Though you took those I care about hostage. Which limited my options. You chained up the Wolves and kept a tight grip on my rogues in Abyss to ensure I wouldn't betray you."

His eyes glanced down below at his hand which was looking more paler and starting to form wrinkles. He couldn't imagine what the rest of him was looking like right now. "I struggled with whether or not to tell her everything. After all, my allies' lives were on the line. I deliberated on what to do next, knowing I'd have to rely on my own cunning to see this through. I waited for the chance I could to rescue my mother and allies. All while paying lip service to you. Until today. The day that you pulled all your forces in and placed all your cards on the table. All to do this ritual."

BOOM!

Aelfric flinched at the faint rumblings from outside and Yuri's smirk grew wider. "You're no villain. Not with that sticky conscience you call a heart. Not like me."

SMASH!

"And not like her."

"…I see." Despite his situation, Aelfric smiled slightly, a small sense of pride in his chest. "You were one step ahead of me this whole time. I would say well done. But it matters not. The ritual has begun. There's no stopping it now. You WILL all die. Just a little longer."

But Yuri shook his head and glared at Aelfric. "Don't think for a moment-"

A roar sounded from the other side as Balthus stood up, despite looking paler and weaker, and grinned at him. "That you're getting off easy pal!"

And with that last word, he let out another roar and ripped his bindings off. Hapi and Constance both couldn't believe what they just saw. Balthus could do that this entire time? Why didn't he break out earlier?

"Seriously, boss. Did you have to tie it up so tight?" He grinned. The two girls were now completely lost. Were they working together or something?

CRASH!

"Sorry Balthus." Yuri chuckled. "I figured those little tears would've been enough to get you out."

"Hey, I may be the undefeated King of Grappling but I am also bleeding profusely… you didn't wonder why it was taken me so long?"

That's when the two heard angry muffling coming from the other side and looked at Constance who was shouting through her gag. And if they had to guess, it was probably words very unbefitting for a Noble. Rolling his eyes, Yuri aimed his finger and shot a Ki beam at her which tore through her gag and hit the wall behind her. Her eyes were wide in shock before her face morphed into pure anger.

"Are you INSANE?! You could've cut my head clean off, you oaf! Now untie me this instant!"

"Yeesh, I loosened yours as well-"

"I don't care! A Noble such as myself does not 'untie myself'. We get people to do that for us!"

"…Yeah, I'm not moving either. Untie me." Hapi said. The two boys looked at each other and groaned. So much for that.

SMASH!

Eventually, the Ashen Wolves were released from their bindings, but there was still a bit of a problem. No matter what healing spell was casted, they were still feeling their blood being actively drained. Constance couldn't even try to contain the horror she felt when she felt wrinkles on her face.

"No, no, nooo! How in the world will I find a suitor now?! Aelfric, you better pray to the Goddess that I be held back from what I'm about to do to you, which involves the high heels that I'm wearing right now!"

But Aelfric just gritted his teeth. "I have invested EVERYTHING to ensure today is a success… my personal funds, my status and my army… men! Surround them-"

KABOOM!

"Okay, what in the Goddess's name is that noise?"

Yuri let out a loud laugh and grinned again at Aelfric. "Of all the good and bad decisions you have made in all of your life, you made the biggest one today."

CRASH!

Aelfric's eyes widened. "No…"

"Oh yes. You painted a target on your back. And guess who's coming? The one woman who you shouldn't have pissed off."

Now the sounds of screaming were becoming more and more clear as Yuri eyed the entrance to the Holy Mausoleum.

"That's right. The Ashen Demon is coming."

And right on cue, a large explosion sounded which threw back a lot of bandits into the sacred area as everyone shielded their eyes to keep away the dust from the explosion. But from the fog, Aelfric could've sworn that he saw a silhouette walking through… and a piercing set of glowing red eyes as the figure wielded a sword. But then as the smoke dissipated, Aelfric saw that it was Byleth who was there. He still wasn't sure if that was better or worse.

On top of that, Aelfric saw not only those same students that were with Byleth during their time in Abyss, but also… Jeralt.

"Right on cue." Yuri smiled, and coughed up a little blood which was then turned into power for the Chalice.

"I'm glad we got backup, but we're still being drained here!" Balthus yelled.

"Hehe. Well, then. This wasn't part of the plan at all. Hey, Ashen Demon. Mind giving us a hand over here? We're… kinda being drained of everything."

The students couldn't believe what they were seeing right now. Dimitri looked at the Chalice in the centre and gulped.

"Is this really… the Rite of Rising? This isn't good. What do we do?"

That's when Constance waved over from her side of the room and pointed at some kind of blood red swirling vortex. Was this also because of the ritual? Their blood was being poured into the Chalice but this pool of power was also being collected too.

"Could… one of you please step into these vortices and stop the flow? It is crucial to halting the Rite of Rising! And also… COUGH… restoring my health…"

Byleth bit the inside of her cheek. She could see just how weak the Ashen Wolves had become. They barely even had the energy to stand up from having so much blood drained. This had to be stopped. She nodded to the students.

"Ashe, Hilda, Dimitri and Claude, you go to those vortices. Linhardt, heal the Wolves once they are freed. Edelgard, dad. You're with me. Let's end this now."

Everyone nodded and took their positions. Aelfric grabbed the Chalice and felt it start to vibrate under the immense power it had gathered. "You will stop these fiends! Even if you try to run, they will hunt you down so fight! Do not let the Ritual be stopped!"

"He's completely lost it…" Jeralt muttered, watching a bandit run towards him but he just backhanded him away. That's when he saw who was on the platform and gasped.

"I can't believe it… I was hoping Rhea was bluffing but… we need to stop him, kid."

But Aelfric stared at the Chalice in his hand which was starting to glow white and the vibrating grew with intensity. "The power flowing from this Chalice… it is extraordinary. It can kill everyone in this room…"

He then held it aloft and glared at Byleth. "BEGONE!"

A wave of energy burst out from the Chalice and swept across the entire room. The force coming from it was enough to throw everybody off of their feet and send a painful sensation down their bodies. Byleth gritted her teeth and looked at her shoulder as the wound in it was trickling… energy? She then looked to Edelgard who was groaning in pain as a faint glow was appearing from her boot. The same point where her ankle injury was.

Was the Chalice now absorbing her blood as well? Along with the others? This wasn't good. They had to be quick.

"I got you, Baltie!"

Byleth looked to her left and saw Hilda standing in the vortice which loosened the connection from Balthus as his wounds stopped glowing. He breathed out a sigh of relief and gave a thumbs up.

"Thanks Hilda! Can't let the King of Grappling be defeated by a measly cup, can we?"

Aelfric's eyes widened as the Chlalice trembled in his grasp. "No… no! Stop them!"

"You'll kill everyone here, Aelfric!" Dimitri yelled, stepping in the vortices which was next to Yuri. "Please! Cease this madness! There is still time!"

"Forget it, Dimitri." Claude said, now in the way of Hapi's vortice. "He's long gone. No way of getting through to him now."

"As much as it pains me to say so, I have to agree. I have met many men and women who simply cannot see reason…" Ashe shook his head as he stepped in the vortice which was next to Constance.

"Hello. If you can place turn around so I don't have to see the blood while I heal you, that would be much appreciated." Lingardt told Constance as he closed up the wounds she got. Though he couldn't do much to restore the blood she and the Ashen Wolves all lost, he could at least close up the damage.

"Oh thank the Goddess." Constance sighed, as with all four vortices now gone, the connection to the Ashen Wolves and the Chalice was now severed and with a flash of bright light, the Chalice dulled again and looked no different to a cup.

"Phew… that was a close call." Yuri said, picking himself up. "Gonna be honest, I didn't have high hopes there. Too risky. Then again, that seems to the running theme of this little adventure."

"Well then." Claude turned to the Cardinal on top of the steps at the end of the room. "Now that we managed to halt the Ritual. Why don't we deal with our little traitor over there?"

"No… no… I WILL SEE THIS THROUGH!" Aelfric screamed, holding up the Chalice and summoning it's stockpiled power. "IF IT MEANS I HAVE TO USE YOUR BLOOD, THEN SO BE IT!"

The group all nodded to each other and looked at Byleth who charged forward. But her attack was stopped short as her whole body was frozen and she gritted her teeth trying to break free. She saw Aelfric with his hand outstretched.

"You forget, Byleth. I was the one who taught the Ashen Wolves about Ki. I know all your little tricks. Though it saddens me to do this. You are her child after all. She would want you to be alive."

His eyes then hardened as he threw her across the room and slammed against the wall. "But if you intend to stop me, then I will strike you down. Saiyan or no Saiyan."

"That's enough, Aelfric!"

Aelfric looked to see Jeralt slowly raising his hands and stepping forward. The other students went to attack but he held out his hand and made them stand down. Byleth picked herself up from the ground and joined her father, also raising her hands in an attempt to parlay. But she quickly closed her eyes and sent a quick telepathic message to her backup.

"Come on… let's just stop this. It's not too late to turn back." Jeralt calmly said, as Aelfric gritted his teeth, clutching the Chalice tightly.

"What the hell is he doing?" Balthus hissed, but Hilda held him back.

"Stop it Baltie, you're in no ability to fight. Just trust them."

"Jeralt… Byleth… you two would stand against me? Don't you see? You can be reunited with her. She is laying there! Waiting! Don't you two want her back?!"

Both father and daughter looked at the deceased figure laying on the platform behind Aelfric and Jeralt closed his eyes. But Byleth spoke up.

"Is that truly my mother? Father? Is this true?"

Jeralt sighed deeply. "Yeah. That's her. Nobody else has a tail except you. 21 years already… how time flies. Yet she looks just as she did then."

"You cannot expect us to believe that someone who died 21 years ago is still in that pristine of a condition?" Dimitri asked but Jerslt shook his head.

"I can partially explain that. Saiyan's… age differently from other species. Different from us. They are a warrior race. So they age much slower to preserve their strength. But when they reach an threshold, their frailty rapidly shows… as well as other factors like myself…"

Byleth looked at the deceased form of Sitri and then to her own tail which dangled behind her. Slow ageing? So can the same thing happen to her? Despite only being half Saiyan?

"It's incredible, isn't it?" Aelfric smiled, looking down at her. "And when she's revived you can-"

"You're not doing that, Aelfric."

"…What? Don't you want to see her again?"

Jeralt sighed and shook his head, before looking at Sitri. "Oh, you have no idea what I would give to see her again. That fire in her eyes, that smile when she talks about the flowers I give her. Not to mention how passionate she gets when she fights."

He then turned his eyes to Aelfric. "But what you're doing here? That won't bring her back. Sure, it'll bring her back to life. But here will be no soul in that body, none of the original Sitri left behind. All it'll be is a puppet that has my wife's looks."

"Jeralt… you cannot be serious. You would let an innocent soul that was taken too soon be left behind? Sitri was a saint, she deserves to see her life through!"

That's when everyone saw Jeralt chuckle quietly before it erupted into a full on belly laugh. Aelfric was confused and gritted his teeth.

"What is so funny?"

Byleth was also confused, as she watched Jeralt wipe a tear from his eye. "Oh Aelfric… you really didn't know Sitri as much you think. Because if you truly knew the real Sitri, then you would know that she was no saint. Tell me. Did she ever tell you what she did on Planet Vegeta?"

This stumped Aelfric who quickly nodded. "Of course I did! She repaired ships!"

"Oh no, no, no. I mean what she did BEFORE she became a mechanic. Listen well pal, let me tell you exactly the kind of woman Sitri really was."

The students all looked at each other. What was he doing? But Jeralt pointed at the deceased form of his wife.

"She was part of a group that went to other worlds, as chosen by their Emperor, and they would slaughter everybody that was alive and sell it to the highest bidder."

"No… you lie."

"I once asked Sitri how many planets she cleared out to sell. Know what she told me?"

"You lie!"

Jeralt crossed his arms. "She said she lost count after 30."

Aelfric started growling, clutching the Chalice tighter and tighter. "Stop it!"

"She was an exterminator."

"Enough!"

"And know how she became a mechanic? She killed an officer who tried to rape her friend! She's killed BILLIONS of people."

"SHUT UP!"

"She's no different to me, the kid, or anybody in this room. Not even you, Aelfric."

"KILL HIM!" Aelfric screamed, pointing at Jeralt. That's when three mages teleported in and charged up magic spells aimed right at Jeralt. Byleth would've been scared in the moment about her fathers life being in danger…

…If she didn't already plan ahead of time.

"You will die- URK!" One of the mages was cut off as a Ki beam struck through his head and sent him collapsing on the ground with a home in his forehead. Before the other two could react, one of them was impaled by a Ki lance and the other one was thrown in the air as the holographic image of a moon formed behind him and pelted him with magic from all angles. A luna spell.

Aelfric was flabbergasted as more of 141 made themselves known. Shamir floated down from the ceiling and behind her, Leonie and Lysithea entered the fray as they held out a hand charged with Ki.

"It's over, Aelfric." Jeralt grunted, with his arms folded. "Now are you gonna hand over that cup and come peacefully? Or are we going to have to get rough?"

"How can you be so heartless to your wife, Jeralt?" Aelfric asked, looking at the Chalice, filled with blood. "I have spent endless hours of my life looking into the riddle of her death and one day bring her to back to life-"

"Halt, Aelfric!"

Everyone was surprised to hear the source of that voice. They all turned to see Rhea walking towards them with Alois in tow, looking for any other mates that would try a sneak attack. But Rhea had her eyes trained on Aelfric and all that was on her face was a disappointed gaze. Aelfric's hand trembled in rage at the mere sight of her.

"You! You're the one who killed her! When she gave birth to a child with no sound! I demand to know what you did to her!"

"I have no words to say to you on this matter." Rhea said, shaking her head and looking at Sitri's body. "Though I will say this… she made the choice to die. So that her child may live. I merely did as she asked. Nothing more."

But Rhea's eyes were now pleading with Aelfric who kept a tight hold on the very thing he spent his life trying to get. "Aelfric. Please… cease this. If you lay down your arms, we can make your punishment less severe-"

"Oh, so you just expect me to believe anything you say without question?!" Aelfric snapped. That's when Byleth, Jeralt and Edelgard all found interesting things to look at in each direction. Aelfric pointed at Sitri and glared at Rhea.

"You see her dead before us, yet you can offer no words?!"

That's when he inhaled through his nose and exhaled through his mouth. His eyes now held a sense of finality as he turned away. "Rhea. I am finished with you. There's only one thing left to do now. To complete the Ritual."

With those parting words, he used a teleportation spell and removed himself, as well as Sitri, from the area. Jeralt closed his eyes and shook his head, disappointed at Aelfric.

"Dad? Was… that true? About what you said about mother?"

Jeralt exhaled through his nose after realising that he forgot he had an audience when he was telling Aelfric all that stuff. He turned to Byleth and nodded. "Yeah, kid. Every part of it was true."

Byleth looked at the ground… but then let out a small smile. "I guess it's good to learn that she and I aren't so different after all."

But then her eyes hardened. "We have to stop him. Now."

"Indeed." Edelgard agreed. "Let's figure out where he disappeared to."

"Damn slippery dastard keeps slipping out of our grasp." Claude groaned, with a hand on his head in disbelief. "Whoever invented teleportation spells had a sick sense of humour."

"What about the four of you?" Dimitri asked, offering to help up Yuri but he brushed away his hand and stood up. "You don't look like you're up for anything right now."

But Yuri just grinned back. "It'll take a lot more than that to stop me. Besides, I feel a lot speedier without all that blood weighing me down."

"Probably best he drained us, otherwise our blood would be boiling!" Balthus joked.

Constance however, didn't share the same jokes as the boys. "Ugh, speak for yourself, I feel atrocious. We must end this. And swiftly."

"Count me in." Hapi swiftly said, with a fire burning in her eyes. She had a score to settle now. And Balthus nodded at Hapi.

"Then we're all agreed! But first…"

He turned to Yuri. "Let me see that pretty face of yours, boss."

"Hm?" Yuri was confused. And was about to ask him when he suddenly felt a heavy strike against his face, a strike so powerful that it sent him flying into a wall. Everyone looked startled at what Balthus just did but Yuri slowly nodded, holding his sore cheek.

"Yep… I deserve that. Agh, you didn't hold back, did you?"

But Balthus was still looking angrily at him. "Why the hell didn't you tell us?!"

Yuri picked himself up and dusted off his clothes, still wincing at the tender spot on his face. "I'm sorry I had to use you all. But there wasn't much choice! Someone would've died for sure otherwise. It could've been any of you. Could've been one of my rogues. Could even have been… well, someone from Abyss."

"You imply that you didn't trust us enough?!" Constance screeched, as she reeled back and slapped him across the face. "I am incensed by you, Yuri!"

"Okay, guess we're going for the same spot." Yuri groaned in pain. He turned to Hapi. "Alright Hapi, get it over with- OOF!"

However, Hapi had a different spot in mind. And it made all the guys cringe in sympathy and had Yuri drop to the ground in a numbing pain.

"Use me or don't, but it would've been nice if you asked us first."

"Noted… oh Goddess, I think I'm gonna throw up…"

Balthus kneeled down and slowly helped Yuri up. "Look, I get it. Your people were being held hostage. You were stuck between a rock and a hard place. But I thought we were pals. Buddies until the end."

Yuri was shocked at Balthus' words. But after finally steadying himself from Hapi's 'attack' he had a look of understanding. "I need you. All of you… I've been a fool. Thank you all for being there for me. Even now."

"Alright I think this fool gets the picture!" Balthus grinned, slapping his friend on the back. "Now let's find that other fool and take him down."

"Not so fast."

They all turned to Byleth who glared at Yuri. "You stabbed me in the back."

"You what?!" Jeralt yelled. Yuri sighed and bowed his head. He was still reeling from the other attacks.

"This one is gonna hurt the most. Alright, get it over- Ow!"

He flinched when he saw Byleth… pinch his arm. She had a small smile and nodded.

"There. Let's call it even."

Yuri nodded and smiled back. "Thank you Ashen De- I mean, Byleth. So, you gonna help us?"

"Obviously. I've been itching for a fight."

"Haha, I like you even more." Yuri grinned and looked at his team. "Let's do this Wolves. Let's finish this."

*Song: DBZ Ending Theme*

With the Chalice filled with blood, Aelfric sets to enact his plan. Will our heroes be able to stop him? Or will the Ritual be completed? And if so, what would happen? Find out next time on, The Ashen Saiyan!

Alright guys, I think there's only 2 more chapters left of the Ashen Wolves saga to go. At least, if it goes well. Sorry it took a while, but it's festival month where I am so all my motivation took a dip when I have to work long hours. I had the majority done 2 weeks ago too. But like I said, we are almost finished.

As usual, I thank every single one of you for reviewing, privately messaging as well as following and favouriting the story. It always makes me happy that people still read it. Even if the writing isn't up to par. I will still try though to keep on doing this.

Oh, also I hope you guys liked Petra's brief little showing of her new technique. It is Eagle Vision from Assassins Creed and I think it suits her.

Anyway guys, I'll see you all in the second to last chapter of the Ashen Wolves saga.

Catch you later!