(Author's Note)
Hey guys! And... Wow, okay I won't lie, wasn't expecting this story to... skyrocket as quickly as it did. 33 Favourites and 52 Follows in a week. That's... honestly, a really pleasant feeling for something that's just starting out. Now I just hope I can keep all of you guys that invested in this thing.
Right, this'll be a bit of a longer chapter, as will most of these things going forward. Hopefully. Depends on the chapter really- Anyways, yeah that.
If anyone has questions, please leave a review and I'll try to answer them as best I can in the next chapter's author's note, though if the answer is gonna show up later down the line then I'll say it's as such and move on.
Otherwise, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy!
"So, how did this happen exactly?" Jeralt asked the two standing in front of him.
"We were having a spar." Byleth said, looking at her father with a neutral expression.
Jeralt sighed, glancing over at Ren and the tatters that he assumed weren't supposed to be part of the teen's outfit. He was still decent, his outfit wasn't that badly damaged, but it was clear that what was left of said outfit wasn't gonna hold up in the long run. The spar he had earlier at Byleth's insistence proved that much when most of the major damage had occurred.
"I wasn't exactly wearing combat oriented clothing." Ren said, shrugging. He would miss his jeans and the blazer slightly, those weren't gonna come back, but the shirt was mostly unharmed, if a bit dirty.
'Hurray for small mercies…' Ren thought to himself, adjusting his false glasses.
"I take it you have nothing in your bag that can serve as a replacement?" Asked Jeralt, glancing at Ren.
"Nope." The thief shrugged. It wasn't like he was expecting this to happen when he went to go fight Fake Igor. Everything in his bag was either Metaverse supplies or treasures and other junk from the aforementioned dimension.
He would've swapped for some of the metaverse armor he had… appropriated from various palace owners, but he had sold all of it to Iwae before the last run through Mementos on Christmas Eve.
"I figured we might have something that would work for him." Byleth said.
Jeralt closed his eyes in thought. "Yeah, we should have..." He said after a moment, before looking back at Ren. "Come with me. I'll show you what you got to work with."
"Woah!" Ren let out a shout as he ducked low, gripping the practice sword in his right hand as a similar training sword passed overhead. He brought his sword back up, clashing against Byleth's blade as the swordswoman pushed down on him. 'S-strong!'
Byleth pulled back, unlocking their blade and surged towards Ren's side, swinging towards his stomach with her sword. The Phantom Thief's eyes widened before his body bent backwards, as he jumped and backflipped. His hands pressed into the floor before he pushed off the ground, performing a handspring to gain distance from the more experienced swordswoman.
Ren breathed in heavily, eyes locked onto Byleth. Her stance was practically flawless, and any opening that the Thief thought he could exploit was expertly defended to the point he thought he might've been swinging at a brick wall. 'What I wouldn't do for Physical Nullification right now…' He thought before charging forward, swinging his sword at Byleth's head.
Byleth ducked to the side, before swinging upwards, slamming her wood sword into Ren's sword hand, causing him to drop his sword with a short cry of pain, before she slammed her knee into his gut, sending him crashing to the ground.
"Never let go of your weapon." Byleth said calmly, walking over and pointing the tip of her practice sword at the Thief's neck.
Ren took a breath in as he stared up at the Swordswoman, before smirking. "Who said I did?" He asked, quickly batting his left arm against the flat of Byleth's blade, pushing it aside as he surged forwards. Ren flicked his right wrist out, as a wooden dagger slipped out of his long sleeve, before he grabbed it and held it backwards. The Thief swung at Byleth, his dagger stopping right at the Woman's neck. "...Checkmate…"
"...Impressive." Byleth noted, her face calm. "But look down."
The teen paused, looking down to see Byleth's sword, held just in front of his stomach. "Even if you were faster with that dagger, I could still have mortally wounded you in the end." Byleth continued, pulling her sword away from his abdomen. Ren pulled his right arm back, flicking his wrist and hiding the dagger back in his sleeve. "While this might not be the real deal, you need to remember that a last ditch effort won't work if you still end up dead in the end."
Ren nodded as he looked at Byleth's face, noting the faint curve to the corners of her mouth. Byleth turned away from the teen, walking ahead. "You did good today."
"Thank you for the training." Ren said, bowed at the waist, before standing up straight and watching the woman walk away. He winced, holding his right hand. 'She's good, but does she even know how to hold back?'
Ren moved over to the side, picking up Paradise Lost up from its resting position up against a nearby barrel as he re-equiped the sword onto his side. He looked down at himself, taking in his appearance.
Jeralt had definitely pulled through yesterday regarding a new wardrobe. In place of the torn blazer he had grabbed a long black tailcoat that separated in three pieces. The choice was mainly because of how similar it was to his Phantom Thieves outfit from the metaverse, but it wasn't a 1 to 1 match.
Underneath the coat was an armored vest, made of some form of leather and metal that had been accidentally dyed red by the previous owner. It was supposed to be a custom order, but when the leatherworker realized his mistake, he decided it would be better to cut his losses and trade it with Jeralt's mercs for some supplies.
The good news was that it was now Ren's and had the added benefit of lessening the impact of blows from weapons.
Though apparently, no one told Byleth it was supposed to do that.
"Ugh, what I wouldn't do for a Dia right about now… No wait, this is Byleth, a Diarama or Diarahan would be better…" He muttered in Japanese, wincing once more.
He had changed out his jeans for something more rugged and durable. Which meant no more destroyed pants… hopefully. His shoes had also changed to a pair of combat boots, which were more comfortable with the hiking he had to do when the mercenaries had to move camp to their next destination. The clothes that weren't destroyed, like his shirt, were currently stored in a leather bag that he kept with his messenger bag. Even with the lack of Morgana taking up room in said bag, that didn't mean he suddenly had room to fit both a shirt with everything else he had managed to stuff into it in.
"...Morgana…" Ren muttered to himself, his mind flashing back to the ethereal glow the Not-Cat emanated during the collapse of the Metaverse. "...What I wouldn't give to see you again…"
The thief shook his hand once more as it ached from the earlier strike from Byleth. He glanced down at the singular black glove worn over his right hand.
The remnants of that faithful challenge, and a promise between rivals, one that would never come to completion for multiple reasons.
He tugged on the glove with a melancholic expression on his face before moving over to pick up his training sword. He gave the sword a few practice swings, feeling the weight of the sword as it cut through the air. He breathed out, walking further into the encampment the Mercenary Company had set up.
Apparently they were heading to a 'Remote Village' to stock up on supplies before their next big mission in the 'Holy Kingdom of Faerghus'. At the time Ren had nodded along, but afterwards he ended up spending a couple of hours over the course of the past 3 days he had been in the Company reading through whatever material they had on hand about the world he had found himself in.
While there wasn't a lot of material, all of it english, he was able to get a basic grasp on the continent he was currently on. It would be a stretch to say that the land of Fódlan was similar to his own, especially considering actual magic was something practiced instead of something exclusively gained through a persona in the metaverse.
He needed to make a point of looking into this world's magic when he was able to. Unfortunately for him, the company didn't have anything that was going to help him understand the Ins and outs of how magic worked here, so for now he put that thought on the back burner.
Fódlan was currently split into 3 territories, each controlling a large portion of the continent. The Adrestian Empire was the oldest of the three great powers, being founded around a millennium ago. It controls the southern half of Fodlan, and in turn is the largest of the three territories. The Holy Kingdom of Faerghus was the next to be founded, apparently splitting off from the Adrestian Empire at some point in Fódlan's long history, an action that was quickly followed by the Leicester Alliance. These two powers split the northern half of Fódlan.
Of course there was also the fourth faction that stood at the center of Fódlan, keeping the balance between the three other factions as a neutral territory. However, Ren found that there wasn't much information on this 'Church of Seiros' to be found, at least in writing. If he wanted information, he'd have to go ask some of the other mercenaries. Though considering how he had started reading up on this history so he wouldn't be caught with his pants down not knowing something he really should have, that wasn't exactly an option he wanted to try. Too many questions he couldn't reliably answer.
The Thief let out a sigh as he walked over by Jeralt, who was standing next to a few other mercenaries who were standing on guard. "I see you've been practicing." Jeralt spoke up, grabbing Ren's attention as the teen looked over at the man. "And judging by the look of you, I'd say with Byleth. Am I right?"
Ren let out a short chuckle, before wincing slightly as he held his left hand over his stomach. He nodded, lowering his arm to his side as Jeralt looked over him. "Hmm… Well, it's an improvement from yesterday. The fact you chose to spar with her again is a bit surprising though."
"Not really." Ren said. "I've been through worse."
"Worse? And you say this after sparing with her?" One of Jeralt's mercenaries began as his eyes widened in shock. "Sweet Seiros, kid…"
'Seiros?' Ren idly thought as Jeralt gave a side glance towards the Merc.
"Alright, well since I have you here I wanted to let you know we're heading out to Remire in an hour." Jeralt said, crossing his arms, looking back at Ren. "I'm going to head around and let everyone know. It would help me out if you could let Byleth know for me. I think I saw her heading in that direction." The mercenary said, pointing over Joker's left shoulder. "When you let her know, walk around and see what you can do to help."
"Got it." Ren nodded and walked off in the direction Jeralt had pointed out to him. The teen walked past a few of the mercenaries walking around, some taking down tents while others were doing random things to pass the time. Joker saw one group playing cards off on the side, wondering if the inhabitants of Fódlan knew how to play Tycoon, before he arrived at a rather large pond on the outskirts of the encampment.
"Is she…?" Ren asked, looking ahead to see Byleth sitting at the edge of the pond, what looked like a fishing rod in her hands. He walked over, peering over her shoulder as she withdrew her line, an empty hook returning to face her. "Nothing biting, huh?"
Byleth turned her head to face Ren, who sat down next to her, before he held a hand out to her. "Here, let me try." He said. Byleth paused before handing the rod over to Ren, who quickly began to stick some bait on the end of the hook. "I assume you put bait on your hook?"
"Yes. Fish ate it and ran." Byleth nodded.
Ren nodded, before closing his eyes. He felt a tingling sensation at the front of his head, before he opened his eyes, his vision swamped in blue as small silhouettes shone a light blue in the pond. Ren threw out his line, landing it right in front of a rather sizable fish. 'My third eye… I still have it.' Ren thought to himself as he felt his line tug suddenly. He quickly began pulling on the rod, before finally reeling in a fish that was about half his sword's size in length.
"Here you go, one fish." Ren said, holding his catch up by the fishing wire beside his head. Byleth's eyes seemed to widen slightly, her mouth opening a little before she held out a bag towards him.
"In here." Byleth said, opening the bag up, showing about a dozen other fish in the bag already.
"Huh, apparently the fish were biting." Ren noted, pulling the fish off the hook and placing it in the bag. "Right, Jeralt wanted me to let you know that we're packing up camp. We leave for Remire in an hour."
Byleth nodded, pulling herself up to a stand. The teen paused for a moment, before speaking up at the Swordswoman. "I wanted to know something." Ren said. Byleth turned around with an eyebrow raised ever so slightly. "Why did you decide to start training me earlier?"
"...In our line of work, people die." Byleth said, looking at Ren. "You're skilled. Very skilled. However, that doesn't make you invincible."
Byleth paused for a moment. "...I guess I just don't want to see anyone die when I could've done something to prevent it." She continued, before her calm expression loosened a bit, her features more light. "...And I wanted to thank you for earlier."
Ren smiled lightly. "Thanks. I appreciate it."
"...You're strange." Byleth said after a moment of silence.
The Phantom Thief raised an eyebrow. "How so?"
"You don't look at me like the others do." Byleth noted, her expression calm. "Aside from my Father, I find the others are generally uncomfortable around me for long periods of time. But you're not like that, why?"
"...I guess you could say I know what it feels like." Ren said, as he looked off to the side. "To be the odd one out… I guess in that regard we're not all that different."
"...I don't fully understand what you mean by that, but what I do understand is the sentiment." Byleth nodded. "Ren."
Ren turned around, sticking his hands in his pockets. "Hm?"
"I want to help you grow." Byleth said, pausing for a moment to collect her thoughts. "You said you were 17 earlier, so you're still young. It would be a shame if you died out there. So I want to make a deal."
Ren took a hand out of his pocket and made a motion for Byleth to continue. The swordswoman crossed her arms, looking directly at Ren's face. "We start training together. I help you improve your swordsmanship, and you teach me those tricks you seem so fond of."
Ren felt his lips tug up into a smirk as he flicked a dagger out from under his sleeve, this one made of cold steel compared to the practice one he had pulled out earlier in their fight. "Like this one?"
"Yes." Byleth said, her eyes narrowing slightly at the Thief and the smug aura emanating off him. "Do we have a deal?"
The Phantom Thief nodded, slipping the blade back up his sleeve, before he walked over to Byleth. "Deal." He said, holding his hand out. The Swordswoman gripped his hand and shook, signing their agreement between the two.
At that moment Joker's vision darkened, and a familiar voice began to ring out in his mind.
I am Thou, Thou art I…
Thou hast acquired a new vow.
It shall become the wings of rebellion
that breaketh thy chains of captivity.
With the birth of the Temperance Persona,
I have obtained the winds of blessing that
shall lead to freedom and new power…
There was a snap and a loud bang as Ren's vision was filled with black chains that snapped open, revealing another of the new blue arcana cards, this one depicting the Temperance Arcana. The words 'Rank Up!' sat next to the card, with one single star sitting just underneath.
Joker can now train with Byleth!
This will increase overall health and strength per session.
Ren blinked quickly as his vision returned to normal. His eyes narrowed slightly. 'Another Confidant… What happened to my old ones so that these can be made?' He thought to himself. 'And the cards… they're blue now… why?'
"Are you alright?"
"Hm?" Ren looked back up at Byleth, who was staring at him with a slight tilt of the head.
"You suddenly started glaring." Byleth said.
"Ah, sorry, it's nothing." Ren said, waving the Swordswoman off with his left hand before he let go of her hand. He glanced down at the bag of fish before looking back at Byleth. "We should hurry up and get this back to the guys now."
"Right."
Remire Village wasn't more than a day's trip to reach, as the mercenary company arrived with the embers of twilight flickering in the sky. Jeralt called for everyone to get situated, segmenting a few mercenaries to start stocking supplies and to do trade with the townsfolk.
The rest were told to get sleep for the night, a few tents we set up while some others took their stay in the nearby taverns and inns. Ren pulled open one of the tent flaps and walked inside, looking around the mostly empty tent. The exception to that being the bedroll and other such supplies. He had gotten used to this over the last few days, thanking whatever not evil god that he had at least some privacy at night as he got settled, closing his eyes as he let sleep take him.
A few moments later, he was awoken by the sound of rattling chains, and a familiar piano arrangement that lingered in the air. Ren's eyes snapped open, as a room of blue velvet filled his vision. He sat up, looking down at his arms and the white and black striped prison uniform he was wearing. He stood up and walked over towards the prison door, heavy bars standing in his way between him and the figures on the other side.
"Welcome to the Velvet Room." Ren's eyes widened as he looked at a long nosed man sitting in the center of the room, his hands crossed over his desk. Igor smiled as he usually did, his high pitched voice echoing slightly. Ren let out a sigh of relief at that, thankful it wasn't the distorted and deep pitched sound of Yaldabouth's impersonation. "Trickster, I believe congratulations are in order."
"Igor…" Ren muttered, before looking to the man's right. "...Lavenza…"
"We have finally succeeded in reaching you." Lavenza began, walking over to the cell door. "It seems you have been imprisoned once more. This time not by the God of Control, but instead you are trapped in a world not your own."
"...The others, are they-" Ren began, only to be cut off by Igor.
"Your friends are all fine and well. They returned to reality shortly after you fell." Igor said, as Ren felt most of the anxiety he had been building up over the past few days suddenly wash off him. "I must admit, this is a remarkably unusual situation."
"What do you mean?" Ren asked, looking towards the long nosed man.
"Moving past your transportation here through Mementos," Igor began with a chuckle. "It seems this 'Fódlan' is also on the verge of collapse. I believe you will serve a critical role in the events that are to transpire here."
"...My confidants. Why am I gaining new ones? Why are the cards different?" Ren asked.
"Do not be alarmed. Your bonds with your friends are as strong as ever." Igor said. "However, due to your current predicament, those bonds will not be able to help you in this world like they did back on your original one."
"You must forge new bonds, Trickster." Lavensa said. "But please, do not believe you are forsaking your old bonds for doing so. That is what those new cards you mentioned mean."
"Your new social links will no doubt help you on your journey. I look forward to seeing what our esteemed guest will do moving forward." Igor said, his grin stretching wider.
The prison bell began to ring out, a sudden drowsiness overtaking the Thief as a result. "It seems the time has come." Lavenza said.
"W-wait…" Ren said, gripping onto the bars. "What do I do now?"
"We are merely the keepers of power who provide aid to humans as they carry out their will…" Lavenza said, turning around away from Ren. "You must be the one to determine the path and actions to take."
Ren slowly let go of the bars, his vision darkening until a black void met his vision. He heard Lavenza's voice cut through the dark. "If the will of rebellion still thrives within you, then we will surely meet again."
And then, the Thief woke up.
Ren's eyes cracked open to find himself back inside the tent. He let out a groan as he sat up, fishing his phone out of his pocket as he looked down at the time. "Almost 5 in the morning…" He muttered to himself before hiding the phone away on his person. He didn't want to try and answer what the phone even was to anyone here.
He let out a sigh and stood up, before blinking as a white envelope fluttered down next to him. He slowly crouched down and picked up the envelope, turning it over to look at the velvet blue wax sealing pressed on the back. He slowly pulled the flap open, taking out the first sheet of paper from the envelope as he looked over the Japanese written on it.
Trickster,
I understand that feeling of longing you must be feeling as of now. I too, experienced that while separated into Justine and Caroline. That feeling of incompleteness, the want to be whole…
And while I am unable to grant you the key to that particular problem, I believe that what little I am capable of right now will be enough for you.
Your loyal attendant,
Lavenza
Ren smiled lightly before he placed the letter to the side and pulled out the second item from the envelope, a single photograph that Sojiro had taken for him on his phone after the Thieves were celebrating the takedown of Shido. He blinked, lone tears slowly forming on his eyes as he looked down at the faces of his friends crowding around him, snacks and drinks in hand as Morgana stood atop his head. He closed his eyes and wiped whatever liquid threatened to leak out as he gave another look at the photo before placing it in his left breast pocket. "Lavenza… Thank you…"
Ren stood up straight, putting on his false glasses as he stepped outside of the tent. "...They're okay…" He said to himself quietly, before he shook his head. "I need to clear my head…"
The Thief took off, walking along the empty streets as he tried to clear his mind. The visit to the Velvet Room was a blessing, and as it normally tended to be, a curse as well. It meant that they were offering him their aid, but that also meant that the world was in such peril that it warranted such aid.
Ren let out a sigh as he walked along the edge of the town, waving to a few of the mercenaries on guard before the sound of heavy footfalls caught his attention. The teen turned to the right, watching as three figures dressed in similarly styled outfits, and each one having a differently coloured cape adorned to their backs.
"Excuse me!" The blonde one with the blue cape called out. "Are you a guard here?"
"Hm?" Ren blinked, watching as the three individuals ran to a stop in front of him. "Not exactly, I'm a mercenary."
"You're a mercenary? Are there any more of you here?" Asked the white haired girl in the red cape.
"Look around." Ren said, motioning behind him to the other Mercenaries on guard, a few looking over in their direction now that the three in front of them had started to make some noise. "Why, what's going on?"
The man in the yellow cape shrugged his shoulders. "We're currently being chased by some pretty nasty bandits. If you guys would be able to lend us your strength, we'd appreciate the help."
Ren narrowed his eyes and put a hand on his chin. "I'm not exactly in charge around here, but I can grab the guy who is. Stay put, we'll be right back."
"Thank you." The Blond haired man said, bowing as Ren turned around and looked over at one of the other Mercenaries.
"Keep an eye on them, I'll go fetch Jeralt." The Thief said, getting a nod from the merc as he turned and ran off towards the small house he had overheard Jeralt was staying at.
He knocked on the door, before a quick shout of 'Come in!' came from the other side. "Jeralt, sorry for the- Look, we have a problem on our hands."
"Ren? What's happened?" Jeralt asked, as Byleth stood beside him.
"In short, Bandits. I don't have a more in depth explanation but the three who showed up probably do." Ren said. "Follow me."
"Bandits? Near Remire…?" Jeralt muttered to himself before running out with Byleth. The group quickly arrived back with the three Ren had met with earlier.
"Here he is." Ren said, stepping off to the side as Jeralt stepped up with Byleth.
"Please, forgive our intrusion. We wouldn't have bothered you were the situation not dire." Said the Blonde, bowing slightly.
"What do a bunch of kids like you want at this hour?" Jeralt asked, before looking over towards Ren out of the corner of his eyes. "Something about Bandits?"
"Yes, we're being pursued by a group of them. I can only hope you will be so kind as to lend us your support." The Blond continued.
"But here, of all places?" Jeralt asked.
"It's true. They attacked us while we were at rest at our camp." The girl in red answered.
"We've been separated from our companies and we're outnumbered. They're after our lives... not to mention our gold." The yellow one continued.
"I'm impressed you're staying so calm considering the situation." Jeralt said, a sentiment that Ren had to agree with. "I… Wait. That uniform…"
"Bandits spotted, just outside the village." A merc said, running up beside Ren. "Damn! There's a lot of them."
"It looks like they followed you all the way here." Jeralt said. "We can't abandon this village now."
"Come on, let's move. Hope you're ready." Jeralt said, looking over at Byleth before he turned to face Ren. "Ren, you're with Byleth. Watch each other's back."
Ren nodded, turning to face Byleth. "Let's go."
"Let's take care of those thieves before they overrun the village." Jeralt said, climbing on his horse as Ren pulled Paradise Lost free. "Take down the enemies in front first. That should put the wind in their sails."
"Interesting sword you have there." The male in yellow said, glancing over at Paradise Lost. Ren held the sword up in front of him before smirking.
"Thanks." Ren said, looking ahead.
"The two of you have a strange aura about you." The girl in red spoke up, walking up next to Byleth. "You say your mercenaries, so show me what you can do."
"Bandit sighted." Byleth said, drawing her sword. Ren's eyes snapped forwards, before his vision began to turn a dark blue, the enemy in front of him highlighting blue.
No one to worry about then.
The Phantom Thief smirked, rolling his neck before flicking his wrist with a flourish as he charged ahead. He swung ahead, batting aside a sword swing from the bandit with one of his before rolling to the right. As he came to a stand he followed his momentum and swung diagonally upwards, cleaving through the bandit's off arm at the shoulder.
"Gah!" The bandit cried out as it looked at where it's arm used to be before an arrow pierced his head, silencing the bandit with a thud. Ren turned around, looking as the man in yellow spun an arrow in his off hand, the bow in his main hand held loosely at his side.
"Thanks." Ren thanked before Byleth rushed past him. The teen blinked and turned around, watching as the swordswoman cut down an approaching bandit coming towards him from behind. Byleth stood up straight and gave a quick scan around, before looking over her shoulder at Ren with what he assumed was a deadpan expression. "Right, sorry."
"Everyone, move forwards, into the forest!" Byleth commanded as she moved ahead. Ren gave a quick motion with his off hand before he ran after the woman, dashing into the cover of the trees. Ren gave a quick look behind him, nodding to himself as the other three quickly pulled up beside them.
"It's because of you guys that I'm not dead right now. Thanks for that!" The bowman in yellow spoke up, placing a hand on Ren's shoulder.
"Don't mention it, I'm not one to turn my back on those who need me." Ren said, turning his head to the side enough to face the man in yellow.
"Still, to think I'd run into mercenaries like you in some remote village." The man continued, before smirking as he patted Ren on the back and moved ahead. "The gods of fortune must be smiling on me!"
'Be glad they're the gods of fortune and not what I got stuck with.' Ren thought to himself with a sigh as he took cover behind a nearby tree and looked out, watching as a few bandits charged into the forest. He turned over towards Byleth, watching as the swordswoman weaved between the nearby trees and ran through one of the bandits, before turning around and cleaving off another's right arm. The steel axe clattered to the ground, before the bandit's head was cut off it's body.
"She's amazing." The blond haired spearman said, watching in awe.
Ren nodded, before turning to the left as the last of the three charged towards Byleth. "You, with me. On my command, follow up!" He shouted to the Blonde before charging ahead, cutting the bandit's advance off as he swung with Paradise Lost. His blade sliced down the man's front, sending the bandit stumbling back. "Now!"
Ren kneeled down, before a boot pressed into his back as the blonde used the Phantom Thief as a springboard, launching himself into the air as he hurled his spear like a javelin into the Bandit's chest. There was a cry of pain that was quickly silenced as the Bandit's body crashed into the forest floor. "I must say, that was excellent." The blonde said, pulling his spear free from the Bandit's torso.
"I'm used to teamwork." Ren supplied as he walked over to Byleth. "What do we have left?"
"Looks like their leader and a few more stragglers." Byleth said, before the sound of a horse running towards them grabbed their attention. "Sir!"
"Now that I've seen you in action, you're a lot better than I was giving you credit for." Jeralt said, nodding towards Ren. He gave a motion to the other three as the six of them grouped up. "We have a few more left to finish off. Watch each other's backs."
"Let's move out." Byleth said, turning to look at the rest of the group over her shoulder as she ran ahead. Ren shook his head lightly, before quickly taking off after her, the others hot on their heels.
"I'd like to thank you once again." The blonde said as he turned to face Ren. "We're in your debt. It wouldn't do for us to fall in a place like this."
"Don't mention it." Ren said, looking ahead. A small group of bandits, no more than 10 spread out on the field, in the middle was a large man with a beard on his face and an axe in his hands. Ren split off from the group, moving to the side towards one of the bandits. He let out a yell as he swung his sword, the blade effortlessly cutting down the bandit in front of him.
Ren paused and looked back down at the corpse below him, before shaking his head. "I have time to think about this after…" He told himself, before the sound of yelling grabbed his attention as another bandit charged at him.
"Die!" He shouted, swinging his sword down before the edge of an axe burrowed into his chest and sent the bandit back onto the ground in a heap.
"Been there, done that." Ren said in japanese, smirking as he rested his sword on his shoulder. "Not a fan."
"You're a sight to behold out here." The white haired girl said, pulling her axe out of the bandit's chest as she turned to face Ren. "Aside from a few others I've never seen a fighter move as well as you do."
"...I've had practice." Ren said after a moment before he looked past the girl. "Get back!"
The girl spun around, bringing her axe up to block a swing from the larger bandit before the axe was sent flying off to the side. "I'm gonna kill you where you stand…" The bandit said, pulling his axe back up.
"Good luck with that!" Ren shouted, running past the White haired girl as he swung Paradise lost, batting the Bandit's axe aside before following the swing up with another that sent the bandit flying backwards. The bandit's body hit the ground with a thud, giving Ren a moment to breathe before an arrow slammed into Paradise Lost, sending the blade flying out of Ren's hand.
"What-!?" Ren blinked as he looked off to the side, before the sound of heavy footfalls grabbed his attention as the bandit he had just knocked back ran towards him once more. Ren narrowed his eyes, flicking his arm out as a dagger flew out of his sleeve and into the Thief's hand.
"Get back!" Ren blinked and turned to look at Byleth, as the swordswoman pushed him to the side as the Bandit pulled his axe back and swung it at her back.
"You'll die!" He shouted, as the axe swung down.
"No-!" Ren's body suddenly froze, as did everything else around him as what sounded like glass shattering echoed around him as his vision seemingly inverted. His eyes darted from left to right, staring at the sight of the girl in front of him, an axe barely an inch away from smashing into her back. 'Why… Why can't I move?'
Ren struggled to move, to try anything that might have been able to break him whatever was currently holding him down. 'She's right there… She'll die if I do nothing… So why can't I MOVE!?'
'My, isn't this a familiar sight?'
There was a sudden spike of pain that coursed through the Phantom Thief's mind, as a familiar voice echoed within. 'Here you are, standing before a madman about to execute someone, chained down and forced to watch…'
'Arsene…!'
'It's almost poetic really, as the saying goes, history truly does repeat itself... However, after all this time, through all the hardships you have faced, are you now content with turning your back on someone in peril?'
'...No…!' Ren thought, barely able to think as such as pain wracked through his head, almost as if his brain was trying to split open. '...That… was never an option to begin with!'
'Hmph, it is good to see your resolve remains unshakeable.' The voice boomed in Ren's head once more, as the pain grew fiercer and fiercer. 'Vow to me once more, Trickster. I am Thou, Thou art I...'
'Thou, who remains willing to perform all sacrilegious acts for thine own justice! Who refuses the outline laid by Fate and chooses to carve a path forward with your very will! Call upon my power once more, and break these new chains that hold thou down! Show this new world the strength of thy will, so that thee may soar over any obstacle, on the wings of your rebellion, against fate itself!'
There was a sudden rush of energy within Ren's body as the pain suddenly ceased. His eyes widened before there was a sudden flash of light around him and he was standing in front of a downed bandit, his vision returned to normal. "What just…?" He asked in confusion, before an arrow slammed into his sword, knocking it out of his hand.
Ren's eyes widened as he looked back ahead, watching as the Bandit leader hopped back up to his feat and charged ahead. Ren narrowed his eyes and got ready, before his eyes widened as Byleth moved in front of him, watching as the Bandit pulled his axe back. "You'll die!"
For Ren, time slowed down at that moment, as he felt a familiar power surge inside him. He pushed ahead, passing by Byleth as he moved his right hand forward at the Bandit. "Eiha!" Ren shouted, snapping his fingers as red and black energy formed over his fingers before it shot forwards, slamming into the Bandit's chest and sending him back once more as wisps of red and black flickered over the bandit's form as he hit the ground.
"...How did you…?" Ren blinked as he turned around to face Byleth, who was looking at him with a vague look of confusion on her face. She seemed to snap out of it before she tilted her head slightly. "You never said you could use magic."
"...You never asked." Ren said with a shrug. He didn't want to play 'avoid the question' but Byleth left that one wide open.
"I believe this is yours." Said a female voice behind him. The Thief turned around to face the white haired girl, her red cape swayed lightly as she held out Paradise Lost towards him. Ren took the blade back into his hands and rubbed a hand over the back of the blade, his fingers running over the rough spine like objects molded into the steel. "Agile, Powerful, and you can use Magic…"
Ren raised an eyebrow at the girl, before turning to look at Byleth with the same expression of confusion. The Swordswoman shrugged lightly in return, electing a sigh from the Phantom Thief as he turned back to face the White Haired girl while sheathing his sword. "Hey, over here!" Ren blinked and turned a bit to the right as the other two and her two companions as they walked over to the small group.
"Jeralt." Byleth said suddenly, as Ren turned around to see the Mercenary in question running towards them on his horse. The horse pulled to a stop, as the man quickly looked over everyone for a moment before nodding. Ren took notice of the man's eyes, wide open in what he presumed was surprise.
For a moment, he thought that the man was surprised about his sudden use of magic, but as Jeralt's gaze turned to face Byleth, he got the impression that his knowledge of magic wasn't what had him like this. "Hey… Did you just…?" Jeralt began before pausing as the sound of armored soldiers charging into the field cut the group off. Ren blinked, looking to the side as a man in white, red and gold full plate ran onto the battlefield, with numerous soldiers in similarly designed armor following behind him.
"The Knights of Seiros are here! We'll cut you down for terrorizing our students." The man in full plate said, his hair billowing lightly in the morning wind as he hefted his battle axe slightly before his eyes widened at the sight of the retreating bandits. "Hey, the thieves are running away! Go after them!"
'Students?' Ren thought to himself as he inconspicuously looked over his shoulder at the three behind him, taking a moment to take in the look on their faces. The one in blue seemed relieved, the yellow bowman smiled lightly as he looked out, and the white haired female let out a long sigh, multiple emotions buried under her breath. 'If that's the case, those uniforms make a lot more sense now…'
"The students seem to be unharmed." The voice from a moment ago said a few feet ahead of him, grabbing Ren's attention back to the front as the armored man walked over to the six of them. "And… who's this?"
"Ugh… Why him?" Jeralt said with a long sigh and a shake of the head. The Phantom Thief turned to look at Jeralt as the man clambered down from his mount as he walked towards the armoured man with a look of resignation on his face. The three students standing behind Ren and Byleth took a step back, giving some space for the Mercenaries and the Knights.
"Captain Jeralt!? It is you! Goodness, it's been ages." The man said as he looked up at Jeralt, placing an armored hand against his side as he looked at the man with a bright smile. "Don't you recognize me? It's Alois! Your old right-hand man! Well, that's how I always thought of myself anyway."
"It must have been 20 years ago that you went missing without a trace." Alois continued on. Ren's eyes widened as he turned to look at Jeralt, whose face seemed stuck doing an impression of Byleth's stone face as he looked at the man in front of him. "I always knew you were still alive!"
Jeralt let out a sigh, placing a hand against his head. "You haven't changed a bit, Alois. Just as loud as ever." Jeralt said, removing his hand as he looked back at Alois. "And drop that 'Captain' nonsense. I'm not your captain anymore."
Jeralt rested his hand against his hip, an action that Ren looked at before looking over at the armored man ahead of him, noticing the similarities between the two men. "These days I'm just a wandering mercenary. One who has work to do. Good-bye, old friend." Jeralt said, giving a curt nod as he turned away from Alois.
"Right… Good-bye, Captain." Alois said with a nod, before his eyes widened in shock as Jeralt's words finally clicked in the man's head. "Wait! That isn't how this ends. I insist that you return to the monastery with me!"
"Garreg Mach Monastery…" Jeralt said with a far off look in his eyes before he closed his eyes and lowered his head to the side. "I suppose this was inevitable."
"And how about you two? Are you the Captain's children?" Alois asked.
Ren's eyes widened. "Actually-" He began, before someone else cut him off.
"I'm a bandit." Byleth said, her face as deadpan as it always was, though the added addition of her drawn sword was unnerving to say the least. There was a silence that swept through the field before Alois began to laugh, loudly. He leaned back slightly as he collected himself, wiping a tear from his eye as he looked back at Jeralt.
"Great sense of humor, this one. Clearly cut from the same cloth as the captain." Alois said, before he turned to look at Ren. "I assume the same for you?"
"I hate to burst your bubble, Alois, but Ren's been a recent addition to my mercenary company." Jeralt said, crossing his arms. "There's no blood relation between the two of us."
"Ah yes, I see the lack of a resemblance now..." Alois nodded to himself, before he turned back to face Ren and Byleth. "I'd love for you to see the monastery too. You will join me, won't you?"
Ren placed a hand against his chin in thought. While he would've preferred to learn something about the church before he encountered their faction, he couldn't deny that learning about them from the source wasn't something he hadn't tried before. "I don't see why I would turn down such hospitality." Ren said, bowing at the waist. "I'm in your care."
Alois blinked at the teen for a moment before laughing. "And what about you, miss?" He asked, turning to face Byleth. The girl didn't hesitate long, nodding her head quickly after a second of thinking. Jeralt let out a sigh as he lowered his head, an action not missed by Alois. "What's troubling you, Captain? You aren't about to run off again, are you?"
"Even I wouldn't dare run from the Knights of Seiros." Jeralt said, raising his head with a serious look on his face. Jeralt walked ahead alongside Alois, leaving Ren and Byleth behind. Ren felt a faint smile grow on his face, while brief, the introduction he had with Alois reminded him a lot of his politician friend and mentor, Toranosuke Yoshida. Maybe it was just the feeling the man gave off, or the satisfied air he seemed to embrace with his very being, Ren couldn't really tell.
"Nh!?" Ren blinked as he turned to look at Byleth, noticing the look of surprise on her face as she looked around the nearby area.
"Byleth? You alright there?" He asked, watching as Byleth seemed to collect herself before nodding her head. "If you're sure…"
"I appreciate your help back there." A female voice said behind Ren, as he turned and stood next to Byleth as the three students walked towards the two of them. "Your skills are beyond question."
"You're both clearly experienced mercenaries." The white haired teen said, her eyes trailing over the two in front of her, an almost analytical glint shining as she evaluated the two. She looked over at Byleth. "And your father… that would be Jeralt, the Blade Breaker?"
"Blade Breaker?" Ren asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Former captain of the Knights of Seiros. Oft praised as the strongest knight to ever live." The woman in red said. "Have I missed anything?"
"I didn't know he was a captain…" Byleth said, her expression not changing though the tone of her voice changed ever so slightly. Ren placed a hand against the fake glasses on his head, adopting a thinking pose as he looked over the three students in front of him.
"How curious. I'd wager the explanation for that is fascinating indeed." The white haired woman said.
"Hey! You two are coming with us to the monastery, right?" The yellow bowman spoke up, leaning back slightly as he held a hand on his hip. "Of course you are. I'd love to bend your ears as we travel. Oh, I should mention that the three of us are students of the Officers Academy at Garreg Mach Monastery."
'Officers Academy?' Ren's eyebrow rose slightly, the action hidden by his glasses.
"We were doing some training exercises when those bandits attacked. I definitely got the worst of it." The man in yellow said, sighling lightly as he looked off to the side.
"That would be because you ran off." The girl in red said, narrowing her eyes at the bowman.
"Too true!" He replied, a smile forming on his face as he turned to look back at the group. "I was the first to make a strategic retreat."
'I'd almost commend him for that course of action, if it wasn't for the fact that it doesn't sound anything close to what happened…' Ren thought, staring blankly at the bowman.
"Everything would have worked out if these two hadn't followed me and ruined everything." The man in yellow continued, looking over at the other two on his left. "Because of them every single one of those bandits chased after us. Utterly ridiculous."
"Ah, so that's what you were thinking, Claude." The Blonde in blue said, his eye twitching slightly as he looked at the man in yellow. "And here I thought you were acting as a decoy for the sake of us all."
"His intentions were as clear as day. You will prove a lacking ruler if you cannot see the truth behind a person's words." The white haired girl spoke up.
"Hm. You will prove a lacking ruler yourself if you look for deceit behind every word and fail to trust those whom you rely on." The man in blue responded.
"Oh, joy. A royal debate between Their Highnesses." Claude said, before turning towards Ren and Byleth, winking at the two. "I wonder how being completely predictable affects one's ability to wield power. Personally, as the embodiment of distrust, I'd say your little exchange smacks of Naiveté"
'Highnesses? These two are members of royalty?' Ren thought to himself in surprise.
"Me? Naive? Tell me, are you actually incapable of keeping quiet, or is your lack of self-awareness a condition of some sort?" The woman in red asked with a glare.
"In anycase, forgive our discretion. I must speak with the two of you, if you can spare a moment." The blonde began, turning to face Ren. "The way you held your ground against the bandits' leader was captivating!" He said, turning to face Byleth. "And the way you effortlessly dealt with those bandits was a sight to behold! You both never lost control of the situation." Ren resisted the urge to look off to the side nervously. "It showed me I still have much to learn."
"Your skills are precisely why I must ask you two to consider lending your services to the Empire." The woman in red cut in, stepping towards Byleth and Ren. "I might as well tell you now. I am no mere student. I am also the Adrestian Empire's-"
"Halt, Edelgard. Please allow me to finish my own proposition." The Blonde said, cutting off Edelgard as he turned back to face Ren. "The Holy Kingdom of Faerghus is in dire need of exceptional individuals like yourselves. Please, do consider returning to the Kingdom with me."
"Whoa, there! You two sure are hasty. Trying to recruit someone you just met. Tactless, really." Claude said, shaking his head with a smirk. "I was personally planning to develop a deep and lasting friendship on our journey back to the monastery before begging for favors."
"But it seems there's no time for niceties in this world. So, capable strangers, let's get right to it. Where do your allegiances lie?" Claude asked, turning to face Ren and Byleth.
Byleth opened her mouth to speak, before Ren cut her off. "I'm sorry for getting off topic, but, what's this about… Rulers?" Ren asked, leaning forward with a hand on his chin.
"Ah, yes. Forgive me for not introducing myself sooner." The blonde said as he bowed at the waist, before standing up straight with a hand over the left side of his chest, roughly over where his heart would be. "I am Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd. I am the crown prince of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus. Thank you once again for your help earlier."
"My name is Edelgard von Hresvelg." Edelgard spoke up, nodding at Ren and Byleth. "I am the princess and heir apparent of the Adrestian Empire. I once again wish to commemorate you on your skills earlier."
"And since these two have already said their piece, I am Claude von Riegan." Claude said, placing a hand on his hip. "I'm from the ruling house of the Leicester Alliance, but don't worry too much about all that madness. I believe I'll skip the added praise compared to the other two here, I doubt the extra flattery would get them anywhere."
"All right, that's enough with the small talk. It's time to head back to the monastery!" Alois said, walking up to the group.
Claude let out a sigh. "Looks like we'll have to pick this up another time. Oh well, back to Plan A then." He said with a smirk as he walked off with Alois, followed shortly after by Dimitri.
"We've done some work in the Adrestian Empire before. And you… You're strange. I think I'd pick your Empire." Byleth said bluntly as Edelgard walked past her. The white haired girl paused and turned to look at Byleth, before smiling slightly and walking on ahead. The swordswoman nodded to herself, before turning to Ren who was giving her a look. "What?"
"...Did… did you really just call the eventual empress of a nation 'Strange'? Right to her face?" Ren asked, putting his hands in his pockets as he looked at Byleth with wide eyes. The swordswoman nodded once in reply. "I'm feeling a very weird version of pride right now…"
Ren was quiet during the march towards the Monastery, most of the conversation being dominated by the three rulers as they questioned Byleth and himself. The Phantom Thief looked back over the three in front of him, his eyes moving over from one to another as he placed a hand to his chin in thought.
'These three…' Ren thought to himself as he looked over towards Dimitri. 'Crown Prince of… Faerghus, I think. He's an excellent fighter, compassionate as well, but…' Ren's eyes narrowed slightly behind his false glasses. '...It's like looking at a palace ruler…' You get good at reading people when you're delving into the world of Cognition, and Ren was no stranger to this. 'Or at the very least someone whose shadow is becoming distorted. That might be something to keep an eye on for later. Though what I could do about it as of now...'
Ren let out a soft sigh before his eyes flicked over towards Claude, who was currently chatting with Byleth. Though it was less a full conversation and was more or less dominated by the bowman. 'Charismatic, definitely charismatic. And his skill with a bow is superb.' Ren thought to himself as he lowered his arms. 'His smile though… There's something off about it.'
The teen shrugged his shoulders lightly, before placing his hands in his pockets as he moved closer to Byleth and the group. "This will be your first time at the monastery." Dimitri began, turning to look over at Byleth and Ren. "I'd be happy to show you around."
"It really is Fodlan in a nutshell." Clade said, closing his eyes. "The good and the bad."
"Like it or not, we'll be there soon enough." Edelgard spoke up to Ren's left, grabbing the teen's attention as he turned to look at the heiress.
'Then there's Edelgard…' Ren thought, looking at the schooled face the girl wore. 'Her prowess in battle rivals the other two, and she definitely has the presence of a leader… But she's tense…' His eyes flicked over to the girl's shoulders. 'I've been in Mementos enough times with the others to know when someone's tense, since we almost always were when down there, especially with the threat of the Reaper… Though said tension did drop by a large margin once we took it down on our way to the depths...'
Bright light began to shine down on the group, as the treeline finally broke open. Ren turned his head to look in front of him, quickly raising an arm to block the morning sun as he looked at the large castle-like structure in front of him. It was obvious it was a cathedral of some kind, as seen by the design of the architecture, but it was built more like a fortress than a church building. Though considering the time period this land was currently in, Ren wasn't too surprised by that choice in design. "There it is…" Edelgard said to his left. "Garreg Mach Monastery."
"It's larger than I was expecting..." Ren said, looking up at the monastery.
Claude raised an eyebrow at the thief, before he shrugged. "It is the base of operations for the Church, the Officer's Academy, and the Knights of Seiros. They have to fit them all somewhere."
"For real…" Ren said to himself, before his eyes narrowed slightly. '...You really did make it a habit, Ryuji…'
The group moved through the large walls encircling the Monastery, as a strange pressure began to lay overtop of Ren with each step he took. He felt a sense of unease wash over him, but the feeling passed as they walked through the main gates of the Monastery, walking into the courtyard as Jeralt paused suddenly.
"Jeralt?" Ren asked, stopping beside Byleth as the two looked towards the Mercenary.
"Rhea's here…" He said, his head pointed upwards towards a balcony above them. Ren turned to look up, taking notice of a figure of a navy blue and green looking down at the three of them. "...Come on, we have somewhere to be."
Ren turned to look at Jeralt in confusion, before Byleth tapped his shoulder and motioned for him to follow. The Phantom Thief took another look up, watching as Rhea lingered for a few moments, staring at him before the figure turned around and walked away.
'...I should be careful…' Ren thought to himself as he walked over towards Byleth and Jeralt, as the three headed off into the large building ahead of them.