(Author's Note)
IMPORTANT: INTERLUDE CHAPTERS ARE IMPORTANT TO OVERALL STORY. SKIP AT OWN RISK.
Okay, so moving past that quick thing. Hey, it's me again! Sorry about how long Chapter 6 is taking to get out. I'm about halfway through what I had mainly planned for the chapter, but I've been hit with writer's block for a few chunks of the chapter so far that I think at this point have passed? Point is, don't expect another month and a half between this Interlude and Chapter 6.
That said, I wrote this up because I figured if I took a side step to do something a bit different that maybe it'd clear up the writers block I was facing. And then 3 hours had passed and I had this all written out.
Also, not to like, derail the current topic, but HOLY SHIT guys! 232 Favorites, and 354 Follows!? I... What!? HUH!? THANK YOU!? God, that's a lot more than I was ever expecting this to get, so it's... it's a feeling!
Anyways, I should probably explain what exactly I plan on these Interlude Chapters to be and why they're important and all that.
Interlude chapters are two fold. First, they act as a means for me to fit in information that I normally wouldn't be able to, such as someone else's perspective of previous events covered in earlier chapters (I.E: This Interlude right here). Second, they're quick enough for me to pump out in case I feel I'm taking too long with the main chapter and need to prove I'm not dead and I am still working on things. Also, they're about maybe half to a third the size of the normal chapters, so expect about roughly 4k words of actual story stuff during each of these.
So, with all that out of the way, Reviews!
To CryKen: I don't think I fully explain the phone thing, and I'll probably have it explained in story the next time Ren visits the Velvet Room, but for the sake of clarity: Ren's phone is treated as if it is always at full power, since it is his only means of accessing the Metaverse, I imagined Igor would've done something to have the phone be treated as such. It is a bit of an "Eh?" answer, but if I feel specifics are necessary, I'll cover them later during said next visit.
To A Stoopid Person: I can fully understand the dissapointment people can have over my current Route choices, though for me it was mainly a case of just having more familiarity with the Black Eagle route so I could plan around it a bit better. I have been meaning to put time aside to play through the other routes, and I'll most likely get around to that fully by the time I finish the Mock Battle Chapter (Which by my estimate will probably be Chapter... 8, probably). But I do want to be clear, while I probably won't be able to get through EVERYONE's Baggage (I only have so many Confidant slots, and I even had to make one or two extra to fit who from my experience felt necessary), I will be covering each of the House Leaders' stuff (Edelgard and Dimitri specifically. Claude is... well, I'm not entirely certain yet, but I have other plans in store that will probably have some of you excited). Also, thanks for the compliment on Characterization. I think I'm not the greatest at it, and it's partially the reason I've been having so much trouble writing out Chapter 6 since most of the chapter so far has BEEN from
To KeeltheSwift: Okay, there's a lot here so I'll go through this one part at a time. First, regarding the Crest Stone thing. I will admit, it's very convenient that it was there where it was. There is a reason for why and how, but it's a bit early (WAY too early) for me to reveal everything regarding that. I will admit, did not fully think through some things regarding the material said box would've been hiding in and time wise how much it would've eroded, so thanks for pointing that out. I do have a reason for all of it now, but again, too early to say why. Second, regarding the background music thing for the Metaverse. There's two reasons I have it established as such. First, because it allows me to add in music here and there when dealing with the metaverse. I personally enjoy having that as an option at my disposal, and I figured tying it into the story as a known addition to the Metaverse's weirdness would work fine. I do have an actual reason as to why there's music. It does have to do with the Collective Unconcious, but it's not because they seem to think background music is all around them. I'll go into more detail when the next major venture into Mementos occurs, but for now I hope knowing I have plans in mind will sate you. Still deciding how to properly go about Fodlan's sea of souls as well, since I imagine there will be a few things here and there that will overlap, but not everything. Still deciding if I'm gonna include other FE characters as possible Personas. Currently don't have plans for such. As for the root of Mementos... That I do have plans for.
To Luckenhaft: I don't plan on having the flash forward aspect that P5 had for this story. While it works very well for the game, at least to me it does, I don't think it would translate as well to the story. Or at least, not to my handling of said story. Palace Rulers are not finalized, not yet at least. There are a few main ones I know will have Palaces: Edelgard, Dimitri, and Rhea are the main ones I have a base idea for right now (some more developed than others), but otherwise I'm still looking over things. The issue with planning for Palaces and for palace rulers is that the big palaces aren't gonna be fully feasible until the 5 year time skip, or else everyone who has one before that needs to have their distortion based somewhere in Garrag Mach. Jumping off of the Death Knight thing you brought up, especially around the time of Flayn's kidnapping, there wouldn't be enough time to properly tackle any possible palace, let alone find out his identity and distortion. Point is, Palace rulers are hard, figuring out how I'm gonna handle mementos targets are a bit less hard but still hard for other reasons (Might have to make some OCs to flesh out background stuff so I have targets to throw at the thieves...) and for right now there all still WIP.
To Takedo: Spelling mistake. I don't always catch them all. Also, depends on the context of the sentence, though in this case I assume it was referring to an actual Persona, so that's more on me.
That, that was a lot longer to go through than I expected... huh.
Anyways, I want to say a big thanks to everyone who left a review. If you feel up to leaving another one, please do so. Seeing the notifications for reviews is always a major boost to my productivity, so yeah.
Alright, now with all that out of the way, Onto the Interlude!
Update Note: A kind reviewer by the name of JeaSonDash reminded me that Three Houses doesn't actually utilize tomes for magic, at least most of the time anyways. That's on me and I've corrected that. This is what happens when I write this up at like, 11 pm.
Byleth flicked her sword down to her side, flinging off the excess blood that coated the blade as another bandit fell to the ground before her. 'Another one down.' She thought to herself, taking a moment to survey today's battlefield. The Archer and Spearman wearing the color coded uniforms were grouped up and supporting the other against a group of 3 bandits. Jeralt was leading an assault with the rest of the mercenary corps, taking out any of the stragglers that strayed a bit too close to Remire.
"What-!?" Byleth's eyes snapped to her right, locking onto the sight of Ren's sword crashing against the ground as the teen stood in front of Edelgard in shock. Her gaze quickly shifted to the large bandit that was quickly charging towards the distracted teen.
Her grip on her sword tightened and she surged towards her new "Student", watching as Ren quickly flicked his arm out as retrieved that backup dagger he seemed so fond of. Her mind whirled, and in the few seconds of movement that led her to the teen's position, every outcome, every plan, and every choice stacked, melted, and crashed together as her body acted on her own.
"Get back!" Byleth shouted, pushing the teen to the side as the bandit closed in on them.
"You'll die!" The bandit shouted, as the familiar sound of metal cutting through air echoed behind her.
"No-!" Ren's voice was suddenly cut off as something seemed to throb and surge from within her chest, as her vision seemed to almost crack like glass as her eyes stared into the panicked, and horror filled visage of the teen before her. As her vision faded to black, for a moment she briefly wondered if the look of raw determination that flashed over the teen's eyes was merely a trick her mind played on her, but that thought was quickly discarded as she found herself staring face to face with the girl of her dreams.
"Honestly!" The green haired child practically roared at Byleth. "What were you even trying to accomplish with that stunt!?"
In retrospect, perhaps it would've been better to use "from", rather than of when describing the being before Byleth. Especially considering Byleth was fairly certain that even if she did have a "Girl of her dreams", the child before her was not it.
"It's like you're trying to get me killed, you fool!" The green haired individual continued, glaring down at Byleth from her spot on what the swordswoman referred to as "The Dream Throne".
She let out an exasperated sigh and glanced back down at Byleth, annoyance still present on her features but simmered down. "Well, it's fine. After all, if you don't know the value of your own life, you're not going to protect it very well, are you?"
Byleth decided that she should've probably felt something at that remark, but since she was fairly certain that she would be, or is, dead from that attack, it didn't feel necessary to respond to the insult.
"Course not." The girl continued, stepping off her throne as she clapped her hands together. "Well then, I guess it's up to me to guide you from now on, right?"
"You can call me Sothis." She began, smiling down at Byleth. "But I am also known as, 'The Beginning'."
Byleth raised an eyebrow at this "Sothis" that seemingly floated in the air before her, as the girl quickly gained a thoughtful expression. "Hmm… Sothis… Yes, that is it. My name is Sothis." She said to herself in a manner that Byleth considered similar to all the times she had double checked she had packed all her gear before they left on whatever mission her father had taken for the company. "And I am also called… The Beginning. But, who was it that called me that?"
"Sothis?" Byleth asked, the word felt distinctly unnatural on her tongue, yet there was an uncanny familiarity the word brought with it all the same.
"I was not able to recall my name… until just now. And just like that, it came to me. How odd…" Sothis said, before her eyes narrowed as she glared down at Byleth. "That look upon your face, did you think me a child? A child who forgot her own name!? Phooey! That 'Child' just saved your life! And what does that make you?"
"I'm… less than a child?" Byleth responded, slightly confused as she looked up at the girl before her.
"Correct, you understand." Sothis continued, either ignoring or missing the confusion Byleth had spoken with. "You threw yourself before an Axe just to save one young boy."
Byleth's eyes narrowed. It wasn't an inaccurate statement, unfortunately. It was almost clinical in how to the point Sothis had spelt it out to her. But the battlefield doesn't always give you the time to properly think, and sometimes your instincts are all you can rely on.
"Yet all is well, as I have stalled the flow of time for now. You would have died if I had not intervened." Sothis stated.
Byleth let out a breath as she bowed to the girl before her who just… happened to be able to control time. "Thank you." Byleth said, deciding courtesy was probably a better idea than asking how this "Sothis" was even able to do something like that.
"There now. Is gratitude so much to ask? I did deem you worthing of saving after all." Sothis said as a smile formed on her face. "Though it is only momentary, time has stopped. However did I manage that…"
If Byleth was what most of the Mercenary Corps considered "Normal", she might've reacted in a manner that would've fit the sudden intake of knowledge that this girl seemingly had no idea what she was doing. Perhaps a simple twitch of the eye? But because she wasn't "Normal" by their standards, she simply decided to cut to the point. "What will happen when time resumes?"
"When time begins again, the axe will tear into your flesh, and you will surely meet your end." Sothis said before, like someone most of the corps would call Normal, her eye twitched fiercely in annoyance. "How rude of you to drag me into this!"
Sothis huffed, resting her hand against the side of her head in thought. "Now what to do…" She said, glancing off to the side.
Byleth paused, allowing her mind to run back the last few minutes leading up to the moment that brought her here before Sothis, before looking up as an idea formed. "What about turning back the hands of time? You were able to stop time's flow. Could you do something similar and reverse it?"
"Of course, I must turn back the hands of time!" Sothis said, her eyes widening as she quickly extended her hands out in front of her and seemingly summoned a glyph of some kind, complete with a strange symbol at the center. "Yes, I do believe it can be done. You really are quite troublesome."
"I cannot rewind time too far, but all is well. You are aware of what's the come, so you will be able to protect yourself this time." Sothis said, before her eyes narrowed as she looked back at the glyph in from of her. "Wait… That's strange… It's like someone's caught outside like us but… Must be an anomaly…"
Sothis shook her head. "It should be fine. Now go, you who bears the flames within. Drift through the flow of time to find the answers you seek…" The girl said, nodding at Byleth as a sudden pull was felt from in Byleth's chest as she experienced the weird sensation of time rewinding.
A moment later, and her feet were back on solid ground. Her eyes immediately snapped towards Ren, noting the confused look on his face for a brief moment before his sword was once again knocked out of his hand.
Byleth surged ahead towards the teen, in time with the Bandit leader as he hopped back up to his feat and charged ahead at the same target. Ren narrowed his eyes and adjusted his posture, and in a moment Byleth would look back on in confusion alongside what was about to occur, did not bring his dagger out like he had before time was reversed.
Byleth took a position in front of the teen, bringing her sword out in front of her as the Bandit raised his axe up. The leader let out a roar as he reached the apex of his wind up. "You'll die!"
Byleth's eyes narrowed as her grip on her sword tightened, but was ultimately the one left shocked as Ren shoved past her, leveling his empty right hand at the bandit before them before snapping his middle finger and thumb. "Eiha!" The teen shouted, as magic seemingly as black as the night sky shot forwards from his hand with wisps of red flying off of the projectile. The magic struck the bandit in the chest and sent him flying away from Byleth and himself.
"...How did you…?" Ren blinked as he turned around to face Byleth. The swordswoman's mind tried to understand how and why the teen had acted as he did. Was it because of her shift in stance? But as quickly as the questions formed, she simply let them drop and asked another question that she felt wouldn't give her weird looks from both the teen and the white haired girl who was picking up Ren's sword. "You never said you could use magic."
"...You never asked." Ren said with a shrug.
"I believe this is yours." The teen turned around to face the white haired girl, her red cape swayed lightly as she held out the skeletal blade 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!" Byleth looked to the side, watching as the archer and spearman walked up to them.
The familiar sound of hooves stamping into the dirt alerted her. "Jeralt." Byleth said, turning to face her father as the horse pulled to a stop. The man quickly evaluated the group, a surprised gleam to his eyes as he stared at Byelth.
"Hey… Did you just…?" Jeralt began before pausing as the sound of armored soldiers charging into the field cut the group off. Byleth gripped her sword, looking out over at the new additions to the battlefield. She let her body relax slightly as a man in white, red and gold full plate ran onto the battlefield, with numerous soldiers in similarly designed armor following behind him. At the very least, they probably weren't bandits.
"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 up. His eyes widened as he watched the bandits begin their retreat. "Hey, the thieves are running away! Go after them!"
Jeralt motioned a hand to Byleth, a slightly sour look on his face as he watched the armored man approach them. Byleth nodded, sheathing her blade in response.
"The students seem to be unharmed." The man said as he walked towards them. "And… who's this?"
"Ugh… Why him?" Jeralt said with a long sigh and a shake of the head.
It was… interesting, being in charge of a class. It wasn't exactly something she had experienced at any point before this, with the possible exception of Ren, but this time he was teaching alongside her.
She could see why the idea had merit. She was capable on the battlefield, she wouldn't have earned the fearful moniker of "The Ashen Demon" otherwise. Her father was originally the Captain of these "Knights of Seiros", whoever this Seiros even is however was information she had to step aside and read up on when she had a free moment, so she wouldn't be surprised if she was chosen due to whatever knowledge she had learned from him.
Of course, even though she was more than capable of teaching her students how to properly wield the blade, how to fight and most of all, how to survive, she knew her weaknesses.
People… was not one of her capabilities.
That was quickly brought to her attention during the first proper day of class. She could teach them, yes, but she couldn't fully connect with them. In fact, it was mainly Ren who had been able to do so.
She had noticed quickly how a fair number of the students warmed up to him. The shy purple haired girl that could barely look at Byleth had performed admirably with a bow once Ren had seemingly worked whatever magic he had. Three bullseyes on a target that was out of the normal range archers took while practicing.
As impressed as Byleth was, it was the small moments like these, when he interacted with the students that showed why he was also a good fit for a Professor.
He was no slouch on the field of combat either. Quick, Agile, and had no problems with playing dirty to secure a victory. His capabilities with Magic, albeit limited seeing as she had only seen him cast that one spell, "Eiha" if she remembered correctly, were also something to consider. His magic was... strange, almost alien in how it manifested compared to traditional arts, but he made it work. And it worked well.
But it was specifically his ability to connect with the students that had shown Byleth why he was a good fit. She never really saw fit to try and connect with anyone, seeing as you never know when someone might not make it back from a mission, so her experience trying to connect with others was heavily stunted. Ren was the first she had tried to know, and it was likely more due to him that the two of them had gotten to know each other better.
As the two on two duels commenced and she stood watch, Byleth questioned just how much their shared duties as the professor of the Black Eagle house would be shifted. How much one might end up taking a back seat to the other. She decided it would be a good idea to voice these thoughts to the teen when classes ended, possibly in an attempt of understanding what she needed to do, but she wasn't entirely sure why she had asked in the end.
"...You're surprisingly well suited to this." She began, looking out at the now empty ring before her.
"Hm?" Ren blinked, glancing over at Byleth.
"Earlier, with Bernadetta. You did a good job with her. I don't think I'd have had nearly as much interaction with her as you have." Byleth noted. "I noticed she was hiding her face whenever I was looking in her direction. I expected reactions like that when we were told what we'd be doing but…"
"...Hey, just give it some time." Ren said, placing a hand on the woman's shoulder. "The students will all come around in time. Most already have, after our rescue of Edelgard. Bernadetta and some of our other students that are a bit wary will stop being so once they get to know you like I do."
"...I didn't make any connections while I was a mercenary…" The swordswoman said after a pause. "In that line of work… It's better not to get overly attached with anyone, since your next mission could be the last one you do with them…"
"You did with me though?" Ren said, raising an eyebrow at Byleth.
"...There was something about you that pushed me to try and connect with you. I'm not sure what it was. But I see now that I am sorely lacking when it comes to knowing how to make bonds…" Byleth continued.
"Hey, no one's perfect." Ren said, taking his hand off her shoulder. "Plus, you've been doing a good job with me. Just… Try not to distance yourself from them. You're not just a soldier on the field now. You're their teacher. If they can't confide in you about what troubles them, they aren't going to be able to learn properly. It's not easy, but there's… always something you can do to help them."
"I see. Ren, thank you. It won't be easy, but I'm certain that I'll eventually get it down." Byleth said, nodding once more at Ren.
"Hey, until then, I'm here with you all the way." Ren said, stuffing his hands into his pockets as he smirked.
She decided at that moment that she should probably not jump to conclusions regarding her own abilities at teaching. As she bid the teen farewell for the night, she paused after exiting the practice arena as a thought occurred to her.
"I forgot to ask him about the bandit attack in Remire…" Byleth muttered to herself with a sigh.
Something was different, Byleth decided. It was clear that something was different the moment Ren had walked into her father's office, his cat poking out from the bag on his shoulder.
She was fairly certain that said cat was at least more intelligent than the regular cats around the monastery, but she wasn't certain. She could at least respect the effort it must have taken to teach said cat how to wield a dagger, so her theories on human-like sentience weren't entirely thrown away just yet.
It wasn't anything about how he looked, the way he held himself, or just the way he talked. He just felt familiar. Like the way one might feel when visiting an old friend, or family. It was a weird way for Byleth to describe it, since the only one who would fit said criteria for her was Jeralt, but it was the only thing that fit in her head.
When she had brought this up to the teen once the two of them left her father's office, plans for tomorrow's Capture the Flag lesson finalized, Ren had simply looked at her confused. "I… don't follow?"
Byleth narrowed her eyes at Ren in concentration. "You feel… familiar." She said after a moment. "You didn't during class today. This is new."
"That's…" Ren trailed off, moving a hand over his face as his fingertips rested over his glasses. "I don't feel any different from then."
"Well, I suppose it's not entirely important." It probably wasn't, but something nagged at her that it was. Byleth decided to ignore that part for now as she turned to walk away from the teen. "I'll see you in the morning."
Of course, that part didn't exactly want to stay quiet for very long.
"Your friend is certainly very strange." Byleth stopped, eyes widening as Sothis' voice echoed in her mind. "I wish I could put my finger on it, but I can't point why he feels the way he does…"
Byleth turned around, looking around as if expecting to see the green haired girl floating nearby, but found nothing. "Have you no words for me? Do not tell me that you are shocked to hear from me!" Sothis continued. "You ought to know that I am always with you now. To hear my voice should not come as a shock."
'Right…' Byleth thought to herself, closing her eyes for a moment.
"We didn't have much time to talk after I reversed time. It wasn't like I hadn't tried, but your friend had interrupted and I imagined that was not the kind of conversation you'd like to go through." Sothis said. Byleth had the mental image of the girl shrugging, but ignored it as Sothis continued. "And exerting myself as such gave me cause to sleep. I'm honestly more surprised I'm awake. I only awoke when your friend entered the room. What was his name, Ren?"
Byleth nodded, opening her eyes as she walked down the stairs to the first floor. "Interesting… And also, slightly infuriating!" Byleth raised an eyebrow at Sothis' remark. "He's weird! And I'm not referring to him as a person. He directly altered the flow of time after I reversed it! And since I'm almost certain you don't entirely know how Divine Pulses like the one I performed earlier work, you are the only one who will be able to change your actions. People are able to react to what you do, but that… Wild Card wouldn't have the time for that!"
'So you think he's the… anomaly that you spoke of earlier?' Byleth thought, moving through the courtyard of the monastery.
"It's highly likely he is. Of course, it just makes all of this more infuriating because even though we know that, he now feels completely different!" Sothis exclaimed. "I know that feeling. I've felt it before, but it's just… I can't put my finger on it. I don't even know what that might entail now…"
'Are you concerned about him?' Byleth thought, arriving at the door to her dorm.
"Hm… I want to be, but I can't tell. He's a Wild Card, but…" Sothis trailed off. "Agh, I don't know what to think. Either way, I need to keep an eye on him."
Sothis let out a sigh. "Either way, you need to get to bed. That second half of the exercise your planning with the Wild Card is going to need you at full capabilities, right?" Sothis said. "Now go, your bed awaits!"
Byleth blinked, before deciding that arguing with Sothis would just be more of a headache and opened the door of her dorm.
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 Aeon Persona,
I have obtained the winds of blessing that
shall lead to freedom and new power…
The snapping of chains filled the air as a new card drifted down in front of the very confused phantom thief. Depicting a dragon shining light down upon a singular sword, the word 'Aeon' was imprinted upon the front of the card.
And then, as quickly as the bond was made, time resumed to it's natural flow for Ren as he stared blankly in front of him, holding a few flag poles.
"Hey, come on! Aren't you tired? Just put those aside then get to sleep already!" Morgana said from his position on the other side of the room.
"...I think I just made a new bond… But I don't know HOW I did that…" Ren said.
"Well, you can figure it out in the morning, now go to sleep!"