Looking over the paintings she has before her, Byleth feels a wave of sadness wash over her. These are portraits of students, colleagues, friends.
People she had, in some timelines, slain with her own hands.
This room in her apartment is entirely dedicated to these paintings, every wall being lined with them. Byleth doesn't know why she holds onto them, why she keeps coming in here to see them. They only tear at her heart that much more.
Ignatz standing in a grassy field ready to paint, Balthus raising a victory toast, Dimitri and Edelgard smiling as they dance together during the ball. All of these precious memories and more are seared into her heart, her mind, her soul. And they hurt so much.
She doesn't feel the tears start, but she takes notice when they start to hit the floor. She falls to her knees as the memories assault her mind. Choked sobs claw their way out of her throat as she remembers what once and never was.
She can't handle this. How can she go on, knowing that she couldn't save them? Knowing that in innumerable doomed timelines so many of them lay dead because of her choices?
Her thoughts are interrupted by a knock on her door. It's clear and purposeful, announcing that she now has a visitor.
Standing, she dries her eyes, wondering for a moment how long she had sat there weeping. Hurrying to the door, she opens it to find Seteth standing there, holding something behind his back.
His face brightens when he sees her, but his expression quickly shifts to one of concern at the state she's in, "Byleth? Have you been crying? What happened?"
His hands had fallen to his sides, revealing what he had brought. Flowers. Yellow Snapdragons, specifically. Her favorite.
Byleth opens the door further and gestures for him to come in, "I'll grab a vase for those, then I'll explain."
Seteth enters as Byleth shuts the door behind him, worry only increasing at how exhausted she sounded.
Filling a vase with some water, Byleth sets it on her table before gently taking the flowers from Seteth.
A small smile plays at her lips as she looks at him, "I'm surprised you remembered. Thank you."
Seteth gives a smile of his own, "It is no trouble. I take care to remember these sorts of details about those around me."
With a nod, Byleth places the flowers into the vase before leading Seteth into the painting room. As he enters, he takes a moment to admire the artworks hung there. They're all so lifelike, and such accurate portrayals of the people they depict.
His eyes flit to a portrait of himself and Flayn, smiling together as they share a meal in the dining hall of Garreg Mach. Seeing it, he can almost hear the conversation he and his daughter are having, he can imagine the smile on Byleth as she watches them…
Turning, he can see Byleth standing in the doorway, a sad look on her face. This was why. She had come in here and been reminded of the tragedies of the past. He had never asked for her perspective on these matters, and he hated that decision now with every fiber of his being. Byleth had always been good at hiding her emotions, but that did not in any way mean she felt nothing.
Seteth approaches Byleth, leading her away from the painting room as he shuts off the lights and closes the door. He guides her to the couch and has her sit down as he goes to prepare some tea. Returning with the drinks, he sits with her and waits. She would talk when she was ready.
She's nearly halfway through her drink by the time she speaks, "I can still see it sometimes. The blood on my hands. I wanted there to be a peaceful resolution, but now… I can still see their faces in my mind. Their dying agony seared into my memory. Soldiers, mages, friends… My father, Edelgard, Ashe… Even you and Flayn…"
She freezes as she realizes what she had just said. Seteth can admit that he's curious, but he knows better than to press the topic. She'll tell him if she wants to, though he hopes she does. He wants to help her, and to do that he needs to know more.
Byleth takes a moment to study him, a conflicted expression on her face. After a few minutes that seem to stretch into hours, she seemingly comes to a decision.
Swallowing thickly, Byleth asks him a question, "Seteth. If a mortal were to wield the might of Sothis, what do you think they would be capable of?"
Seteth takes a moment to think on it, "I imagine there would not be many things they would be incapable of. Sothis is known to have possessed dominion over many aspects of our world, so it is difficult to say for certain how a mortal could make use of her power."
Byleth nods, "Do you suppose that they might be capable of reversing the flow of time?"
Seteth hums, "Mmm, Perha-"
He cuts himself off mid sentence, realization dawning on him. Byleth was known to posses a fragment of Sothis' power after an incident where the Agarthans had tried to drag her into the void. Could she-?
He meets Byleth's eyes and the words start to tumble out of her mouth. She explains to him everything, what she had seen, what she had done. Secrets she had uncovered, and horrible battles that had never been fought but still were. She spoke of Rhea's involvement with her birth, her contact with Sothis, her plan to save everyone.
By the time she had finished, Byleth was staring down at her hands with tears streaming down her face. Seteth is horrified. This was simply too much for a mortal to handle! But she had gone along with it willingly, sacrificing her own health and sanity for those she cared about. All for it to be for naught. Many people still died, despite everything. In her mind, she had failed miserably, because as a mortal she couldn't rise to obtain perfection.
Byleth lets out a weak and hollow laugh, "So, now you know. You know all about the terrible things I've done, and how they ended up meaning fuck all. I appreciate all you've done for me Seteth, but if you want to leave I won-"
She's cut off as Seteth pulls her into a tight hug. She thought he was going to leave after hearing all of that? He could never. She needed the support of someone who could understand, but she'd been alone for so, so many years.
Never again. Seteth wouldn't allow it, not while he still drew breath.
"I am not going anywhere, Byleth. I refuse."
She returns the embrace as she lets her emotions out, finally having a supportive shoulder to cry on. Perhaps now, things could be better?
A/N: So, disregard the note on the last chapter, because the next one is right here. On the same day. Don't know how I achieved this, but I'll gladly take it. See y'all around.