(Author's Note)

Hey guys, Merry Christmas!

This chapter is a little shorter than the others, and is admittedly structured a bit strangely in comparison to the others. There's a reason for this, a thing I want to introduce to the story that'll happen every now and then at the end of some chapters, that starts here, so I kinda needed to set things up like this for now.

That said, lets get past that for now and jump into the reviews!

To HiroRanger: I can see that being a possible issue, but I don't think I'll be changing the codename. I'll do my best to circumvent the problem with other context clues however.

To NaoBea: Can't say what I'm specifically doing, but I don't think anyone has an idea of just what it is I got planned for this metaverse target.

To Keeperofhounds: Welcome from Ao3. Glad you're enjoying things!

To Joeboblary18D: Hey! Thanks for all the notes! Regarding the format of spacing, I too am a Mobile reader, and I too have more often than note skim read a few works myself. I get that feeling of possibly missing a bit of the story, and I can't say I can change how I'm formatting this since, well, my style was made because that was how I could best absorb info while skim reading myself. Second, the pacing up to this point has been slow. There's a lot packed into each chapter and that's not always for everyone. I will note that things are going to hopefully pick up the pace soon, but I can't say the same for the contents of said chapter, most of the time anyways. Edelgard was indeed my first choice, though it was a hard decision between the three. Recruitments are indeed planned on happening, and will be soon. Female Byleth, because. Glad you're enjoying things!

To Yagami Kuzuki: Answering this would be Spoilers, so who's to say?

And that's all of 'em! Thanks to everyone who reviewed, they really help with my motivation so if you guys get the chance, please leave a review if possible.

Alright, with that out of the way, onto the story!

"W-WHAT THE HELL!?"

Ren blinked, mildly surprised at the force behind the ghost's outburst. He leveled a deadpan stare at her and raised an eyebrow, the girl quickly wrenching her arm back away from him. "Thank you very much."

"Wha-I mean how-I-Byleth!" The girl shouted, head practically snapping to look at the professor.

Ren glanced over at Byleth, glowing blue like many of his allies and confidants did, the Temperance Arcana displayed brilliantly above her head. There was a shift to her expression, not a huge one though, as her eyes widened farther than the thief had ever seen them do so.

"Ah, so you're finally bringing the ghost up?" Morgana asked, getting a quick thumbs up from under the table as an answer. "Alright then. Unfortunately,

I can't be a part of the conversation, but I'll leave it to you."

"So, care to introduce me to your afterlife tag-along?" Ren asked, turning his head to face her as he motioned to the ghost.

"Afterlife tag-along!? The nerve!" The girl pouted, glaring at him. "And I'm right here, you know!"

'Then why haven't you introduced yourself?' Ren thought, flashing a deadpan stare that practically said the same.

"You can see her." Byleth stated.

"I can." Ren nodded. "Not normally, I have weird circumstances, but I can. Makes everything look blue though."

"Blue?" The girl asked with a blink.

"Not important right now." Ren waved her off.

"I beg to disagree."

Ren glanced over at Byleth, who let out a low breath of air. "You alright?"

"I suppose I can say I am now." Byleth noted, closing her eyes for a moment. "I've seen many a mercenary succumb to mental scarring through battles, so when she started to show up, there was a sliver that thought the same finally happened to me."

The ghost stayed quiet, though did glance off to the side. Ren hummed. "Well, lucky you then. You're not crazy, congrats."

"Thank you." Byleth replied with a nod.

"Don't thank him for that!" The ghost said, whirring around to look back at the thief.

"Anyways, she is…?" Ren asked, motioning to the ghost.

"Sothis." Byleth said.

"Sothis?" Morgana parroted, tilting his head to the side.

"Sothis. Okay, that's a name at least. But… What is she?" Ren asked, glancing over at the girl. 'She's not a Shadow, I think. Doesn't look like Byleth at all and her eyes don't glow gold like shadows do. A Persona? But then why can I see her with Third Eye and not Mona's Persona?'

"I am right here." Sothis said.

"Okay. What are you exactly?" Ren asked, raising an eyebrow. "Are you a ghost? Something else? A manifestation of her soul or something? Not a hundred percent sure on that last one, you're way more sassy than I've seen Byleth act."

"I'm… not exactly sure what I am, but I'm not a ghost, or a manifestation of her soul." Sothis noted, crossing her arms. "I'm bound to her, if she dies so do I. That's… about the most I really can understand."

'Okay, so now I'm back to Persona. Or at least something like it. She said she wasn't a manifestation, so now it's fully out of my scope of understanding.' Ren thought with a nod.

"Enough about me though, explain yourself!" The girl shouted, shoving her finger inches away from the teen's face. Ren blinked up at her in confusion as she narrowed her eyes. "You don't make sense! You were affected by the divine pulse! How did you even do that!?"

"I've been told that first bit before, but I don't exactly follow on the rest?" Ren said, leaning back slightly.

"Ugh! And he doesn't even know!?" Sothis threw her arms into the air. "How is he this confusing!? It's like the universe created him as a cosmic sort of Trickster to torment me!"

Ren did his best to keep his face neutral, but the mention of him being a 'trickster' almost got him to slip. "Uh…"

"Sothis." Byleth said, snapping the girl out of her rant. "Perhaps you should explain what a divine pulse is first?"

"Divine Pulse?" Morgana asked, looking up at the group in confusion.

"Yes, perhaps I should. A divine pulse is what happens when I use my power to turn back the hands of time." Sothis said, a serious expression on her face. "I've used it once already, during the bandit attack when SHE threw herself in front of an axe!"

"Wait, that was you!?" Ren exclaimed, shooting from his seat.

"Oh. So now he knows what I'm talking about." Sothis grumbled.

"Your divine pulse stopped time, and then rolled it back. You… you controlled time!" Ren stated, eyes wide.

"She WHAT!?" Morgana exclaimed, getting a look from the ghost.

"Is your cat going to meow all the time?" Sothis asked, looking over at Morgana.

"He's very talkative." Ren waved off before turning to Byleth. "So that's why you seemed confused after my actions changed."

"Yes. She said in the time frame allotted you shouldn't have acted as you did, hence her confusion." Byleth said.

"Well unfortunately I don't really know how I did any of it the first time anyways." Ren said, sitting down. "I'm just as confused as you are. I almost wrote that whole experience off as being a figment of my mind, but…"

"You awakened the barista." Sprite helpfully filled in.

'Yeah, but I can't exactly say that.' Ren replied mentally, before shaking his head. "Well, what about Byleth? When did she meet you?"

"The day of the bandit attack." Byleth responded, before glancing down. "Although, I had been dreaming about her before that point."

"Dreaming?" Ren asked.

"I was asleep for most of her visits, well, at least I was until the last one." Sothis said with a shrug.

"Which was the day of the bandit attack." Ren nodded, glancing back to Byleth. "How long?"

"How long?" Sothis asked.

"Has she been dreaming of you?" The thief clarified, motioning to the girl floating beside Byleth with a hand wave.

"...I don't remember." Byleth said after a moment, not seemingly bothered by the fact. "I don't know when they started, but I don't believe that fact matters."

"...Okay then, so now what?" Ren asked, crossing his arms. "I had questions, but at this point I'm not sure where to take any of this now."

"Oh, I do!" Sothis said with a smile. She held her hand out as a glyph with various runes expanded out before her. "We can test the divine pulse with him here!"

Byleth opened her mouth to say something, but the words were lost as Ren's eyes locked onto the symbol at the center of the magic array.

'...That's the crest I absorbed from the fake stone.' The thought was flat, a simple observation, but it was the only thing calm about the rest of his mindscape as his thoughts latched onto the new information and tried to understand the sudden significance.

"Ren." The teen blinked, snapping out of his thoughts as Byleth looked at him. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, sorry I'm still not entirely used to the magic here." Ren waved off, looking over at Sothis. "So… we're doing time things?"

Sothis snorted lightly, slightly amused. "Time things, he says." The girl says with a smirk. "Oh yes, that's a way of putting it."

That was all the warning the thief would get as the world around him suddenly cracked and shattered like glass. His third eye vanished at the sudden loss of focus as the sensation washed over him. The world shifted, gaining an almost purple hue as Sothis floated in front of him and Byleth.

"So, are you still with us?" Sothis asked.

"...I can see you." Ren noted, more to himself than the other two.

"Couldn't you before?" Sothis asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, but I had to concentrate for that. I dropped said concentration when, well." The teen waved a hand around him.

"Hm. And you can move this time." Sothis noted, crossing her arms. "Although you won't be able to interact with anything, it's still surprising."

Ren glanced over at the girl and paused, just staring at her in silence.

"...Hey. You're not frozen again, are you?" Sothis asked.

"No?"

"Then stop staring at me."

Ren blinked before shaking his head. "Sorry, I just… Your a lot greener than I expected." The teen said, motioning to the girl's hair. "Before, I thought it was more like Byleth's."

"Because your ability makes everything blue?" Byleth asked.

"That's a side effect, my Third Eye doesn't just do that." Ren said. "It helps me see the little important details. Usually it's more for situations like finding a needle in a haystack, or tracking someone's prints, but it also lets me do other things, like see Sothis."

"Interesting." Sothis said with a nod. "Alright, I think that's enough of this. Now for the actual pulse."

Ren blinked, before the glyph in front of Sothis glowed and another equally as strange sensation shot through his body, as time was rewound back.

The world reformed around him, shattered glass once more whole, as the two professors sat in front of the freshly cooked dinner the thief had made for the night, a stack of untouched papers sitting next to the swordswoman.

Ren activated his Third Eye, allowing Sothis to reappear in histo his vision. He glanced down at the food, before looking back up at Byleth, the swordswoman looking slightly proud of herself for some reason. "...Okay, so I know it was a good idea to test the pulse, but if you really wanted more of my food, you could have just asked for some of the extras i made and not reversed time this much…"

"Reversed time!? Ren, what did I miss?" Morgana asked.

Ren sighed, grabbing his coffee. "Alright, let's get the paperwork sorted then."

"Seteth, are you in right now?" Ren asked, knocking on the doors to the man's office.

There was a moment of silence, before the doors opened to reveal the advisor, looking as awake as he did in the morning.

"Ah, Professor Amamiya. I believe this is in regards to the Critical Outline for your course?" Seteth asked.

"Yes, that would be correct." The teen responded with a nod, holding up the stack of paper in his right hand.

"Then please, come in. We should discuss this while it's still a reasonable time." Seteth said, stepping aside as Ren walked into the room.

The thief sat down on the chair by the coffee table, laying out the lesson plan for Seteth to look over as the advisor closed the doors. "Would you care for some refreshments?" Seteth asked as he sat down.

"I'm fine. I made coffee back at the café, so I've had my fill for now." Ren said with a nod. "Thank you for the offer however."

"It's not a problem. Let's see what you've come up with then." Seteth said, picking up the lesson plan as he began to read through it. "Hm…"

The Advisor lowered the outline onto the table, glancing up at Ren with a raised eyebrow. "I'm curious. This is not like many of the other courses the other Professors have come up with. Hanneman has one on Crestology, Manuela teaches about medical knowledge, and Byleth is apparently going to be discussing Mercenaries. Each a field of their own expertise, yet you are going for something more… open ended."

"I'd say that would also fit my field of expertise, but that would be an ill placed joke at the moment." Ren said with a nod. "It's so open ended, regarding the actual subject I'm teaching, because there's no real right answer to what I want to teach them."

"Could you… elaborate on that." Seteth asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Sure. The ultimate goal isn't something that's tangible. It's more like I'm going to be testing them on how adaptable their thinking can be." Ren answered as he placed his hand on his chin. "When it comes to subject matter like this, there isn't ever going to be one solution. You need to have multiple options at your disposal."

"That is a fair statement, but even then you leave a lot up to improvisation." Seteth noted with a raised eyebrow.

"That's because not everyone will take to certain aspects the same. Some may be better at one thing, while others another. The goal of the course isn't to get them to be a jack of all trades, but to find and evolve those aspects that work for them. If they can do that, then even if they don't succeed with other aspects that I taught in the course, I will gladly consider that a pass." Ren said, crossing his arms.

"I see." Seteth said with a nod, flipping through more pages.

"I've written a bit on the last page that might explain my overall thought process better." Ren said, watching as the advisor flipped to said page and read it silently.

"...A class dedicated to learning how to survive."

"How to survive, so that they can LIVE."

"...Well then," Seteth began, placing the critical outline down on the table as he looked up at Ren with a light smile. "I suppose I'll be looking forward to what you can accomplish with this class then."

"Thank you, Seteth."

"By the way, why exactly did you name it this way?"

"Ah, you see, the reason is-"

"Okay, I… I think I got everything figured out now." Morgana noted as the two thieves sat by Ren's workbench. "But seriously, the nerve of her! Rewinding time like that."

"Speaking of, did you feel anything strange happen when time rewound?" Ren asked, eyes glued to the project sitting on the desk.

"Well… I can't say I did? I think there was… maybe something? It kind of felt like when video would sometimes skip a second on tape. Like the final edit did not fully match the cut." Morgana noted with a sigh. "But I don't think I'd be able to notice it in the moment unless I was looking for it."

The teen hummed, placing his tools on the table lightly as he looked down at his progress. "This is gonna take a bit longer to finish up…"

"Perhaps it would be best to leave that for now then?" Morgana said as he stretched out. "You do have a big day tomorrow. You sure everything is sorted out with your class?"

"I finished the critical outline for it, the course outline of the finer details, and I've started narrowing down on what the assignments and tests will be based and scoreds on." The Professor said with a wave, stretching his arms up into the air. "I gave both to Seteth an hour ago, and after explaining why I've named it as such, I got the approval to start the course up."

"Good. But are you specifically ready for it? We went over everything after Byleth left, and we both know there will be those annoyed by the contents." Morgana continued. "You think you'll be fine?"

"I do." Ren said, letting his arms rest on his lap as a wry smile formed on his face. "After all, if I can handle a year of Shujin students whispering behind my back that I'm the scum of the earth, I can handle a few of my students thinking just a little poorer of me for a bit."

"Heh, what was I even worried about? Now come on, get to sleeping. I can see how tired you are just by your posture." Morgana mockingly nagged Ren.

Ren smiled, raising his fist into the air dramatically. "One day I will find a way to break this curse! Bedtime will not hold me forever!"

"Perhaps… but not today!"

Ren glanced up at the doors leading into the Black Eagle House's classroom, taking in a quick breath to collect himself. "Let's go." He muttered under his breath as he placed his ear against the wood door, listening into the class.

He could make out the voices of his students within, taking a mental headcount and checking each box with a smile. 'They even managed to get Bernadetta in today.'

"Hey, so is it true that if the professor doesn't show up by 15 minutes after the class is supposed to start, we can leave?"

And that was his cue.

Ren pushed the double doors open, silencing the room as he walked in. He glanced over the students present, smiling as he confirmed his earlier headcount with the visual before him.

"...To answer the earlier question, no. That's not how it works." Ren said, arching an eyebrow with a smirk as he caught sight of Caspar glancing off to the side. "Now, I'm fairly certain many of you are confused, or just curious, about what today will entail."

Ren walked up to the front blackboard, taking a seated position on top of the desk next to it as he looked out at his students. He nodded in satisfaction, the undivided attention of the class firmly on him and his words.

"That would be a correct assumption, Sensei." Edelgard said after a beat. "I understand that you have the first half of the day for your class, but not much else past that."

"If I had more time I'd have given you all an outline for the class, but seeing as I didn't, I'll explain things now." Ren began, turning to look at the blackboard for a moment, almost studying it. "I have a question for you all, what is it you're here for?"

"Sensei?" Dorothea's voice came out confused, as the girl glanced over at some of her classmates, their faces portraying a similar amount of confusion.

"Well? Any takers?" Ren asked, still looking at the blackboard.

"It's to become an officer, of course." Ferdinand said confidently.

"To become an officer." The teen parroted, writing the sentence out on the blackboard before turning back to face the class. "Anyone else?"

Ferdinand blinked. "Wait, was I-?"

"Your answers were what I asked for, but you all have different ideas of what you're here for. This is what I'm asking for." Ren elaborated, cutting his student off before the thought could be finished.

"To get stronger." Caspar said, his fist hitting his open palm lightly with a soft smack.

"To get stronger." The professor said, once more writing the sentence down.

"To lead." Edelgard said next, earning a glance from the teen as he wrote that down as well underneath.

Ren glanced back at his students with a patient expression, looking over them calmly. A few of them had begun to look uncertain, with a few simply trying to work out what the teen was doing.

"To learn." Linhardt said after a moment.

"To learn." Ren said, turning around to write the words onto the blackboard like the others.

"With all due respect, Sensei." Hubert began, voice cutting in as Ren wrote the last word onto the board. "What point is there to ask us this?"

"Tell me Hubert, what is the most important thing you need when engaging in conflict?" Ren asked, turning to look back at Hubert.

"Information, of course." The black haired man responded.

"So if we assume that, why would that idea also not be prevalent with this right here? The classroom?" Ren asked, motioning to the other students. "Just like you would be out in the field, right now I am looking out into the fog of war. I do not know you, none of you, not really anyways. But if I am to teach you, to make you the best versions of yourselves you can be, then I have to first learn and understand you."

The teen turned back to the blackboard. "That is why I asked these questions. Does that answer satisfy you?" He asked, voice calm, disarming in the lack of hostility laced within the words.

"I suppose." Hubert said after a moment with a nod.

"Then let me explain." Ren began, stepping to the side. "Each of you have an idea of what you think you've come here for. This is not wrong. Becoming an Officer, Becoming Stronger, Becoming a Leader, and to Learn."

Ren nodded with a smile. "All correct answers, but not for this question however."

"Wait, they aren't?" Caspar asked, eyes wide in shock.

"What you are here for, why you chose the officer's academy. At its core, above all else, you are here… to survive." Ren announced, wiping the blackboard clean.

"To survive?" The words were repeated by Edelgard almost unconsciously, as the imperial princess looked up at her teacher with thinly veiled curiosity.

"You cannot lead your men home if you die. You cannot be strong without knowing how to pick your battles. You cannot learn if you die before any of it can be used. And that is why I am going to teach you this class." Ren continued, turning back to look at his students. "I will be perfectly blunt here. Many of you, likely most of you if I have to be honest, will not agree with this course. You will likely not like what it is I will impart onto you. You may very well end up hating it, the notion and myself by proxy."

"However." Ren pressed the word out, silencing anyone before they could cut in. "I truly believe that what I will teach you during this course will save your life, and the lives of the people you care about, the people you lead, and the people you may be defending."

"This course… I call it, 'The Box'. You will walk out of this class knowing one thing above all else. You will learn how to avoid battle. You will learn how to read a situation. You will learn every single cheap and dirty trick I know. You will learn exactly how to undermine your opponent and turn any shred of honor they may have into their biggest weakness."

Ren watched his student's carefully, noting the pensive denial forming on a couple of their faces. "You will learn to plan, you will learn to think, and through all of this, you will learn exactly what this course is all about, your survival."

"Because much like any altercation, your best chance of winning is to change the circumstances to your favor." Ren said, winding up for the last of his speech. "You do not pass this class by limiting yourself to your honor or chivalry. No one will pass by thinking inside of the box. You pass by thinking outside of it."

His words silenced the classroom, with nothing but the nearby fireplace emitting sound in the room. He swallowed lightly, bracing himself for the negative reaction he expected would soon follow.

It was the sound of Edelgard laughing, naught more than a second, that broke the silence. Ren stared at the girl as she shook her head. "Sensei… No, Ren. You are truly not someone I ever expected to meet." She said, locking eyes with him as she stood up from her seat. "I have heard many speeches from those that have taught me before, of the many things I must know in order to be a proper empress. But you… I believe you are the first that has ever expressed such concern while doing so."

The teen blinked, whatever he was ready for was not what he had gotten, as the conversation threw him completely off guard. "I… what?"

"I think what I'm trying to say is that I believe myself and everyone in this house is truly honored to have you here teaching us." Edelgard elaborated with a smile. "You said it yourself, didn't you? That this course is so we can live. That shows just how serious you are about this. And because of that, I truly believe anyone who would shun something like this is a fool."

"Edelgard is right." Ren blinked, turning to look at Ferdinand as the orange haired noble stood up as well. "As much as I may loathe to hear you essentially spit on my pride as a noble by denouncing the concept of honor, you have done nothing but support us since you've been here. So it is only natural I put my faith in you in this endeavor as well."

"Ferdinand's right." Caspar said as he leaned back in his chair. "I can't say I'll enjoy it, but no pain no gain, right?"

"I for one am quite interested in these so-called 'tricks' our Sensei intends to teach us." Hubert stated, smirking from his seat next to Edelgard.

Various other forms of agreement came from the other students: An enthusiastic agreement from Dorothea, a meek nod from Bernadetta, a slightly misphrased encouragement from Petra, and a tired yawn from Linhardt, albeit one followed by a nod.

Ren chuckled to himself, shaking his head lightly. "Well, so much for worrying I guess." The teen muttered to himself.

"Alright. Then let's get started." Ren said, looking back up at the class.

"Excuse me." Ren paused, glancing up from the attendance sheet he was filling out to see Edelgard standing opposite him.

Ren blinked, mind not fully catching up to his mouth as he spoke up. "Edelgard-san-I mean-"

"San?" Edelgard asked, raising an eyebrow. "I suppose that would be an honorific of sorts?"

"Ah, yes." Ren said, idly twisting some of his frizzy hair around his index finger. "I was a bit distracted and slipped back into using them. San is said after someone's name to show respect, and old habits tend to be a bit hard to break so…"

"I see." Edelgard hummed to herself.

"I slipped up like that earlier with Seteth, same thing. A lot more awkward. Felt as embarrassing as calling a teacher 'dad'." Ren said, trailing off as he looked down at the two sheets in front of him. One was of the student list that had been reissued, while the other was the one with Monika still listed on it.

"Two attendance sheets, Sensei?" Edelgard asked, glancing down at the pages for a moment.

"Yeah, there was apparently a mishap earlier with one student being added when they shouldn't have." Ren replied, glancing at the space where Monika was written down.

"Monika?" Edelgard said the name, a hint of recognition seeping through.

"You know her?" Ren asked, looking up at Edelgard.

"A little, but…" The princess glanced to the side.

"I heard she apparently 'ran away' before her graduation last year." Ren said, miming air quotes. "Not exactly sure how much of that is true though."

"How so?"

"...They couldn't figure out why she'd do that. There was nothing that would lead them to think of any worse outcomes, so they assumed the least worrying." Ren said after a moment, crossing his arms. "I'm probably overthinking it, but that doesn't entirely feel… right to me."

"...You really are a strange one, Sensei." Edelgard noted. "I can't say I agree with the general consensus either, however. She… It wouldn't be in character for her to have done so."

"...An unfortunately sobering thought, that." Ren said with a sigh.

"Perhaps." Edelgard said, before turning around as she made for the door.

"Ah, hold on." Ren said, stopping the girl in her tracks. "I got sidetracked, but you wanted to ask me something?"

"Not ask. I just wanted to thank you." Edelgard said.

"Thank me?" Ren blinked, looking over at the girl.

"...You're so… Human." She said the word as if the concept was slightly alien to her. "I'm surprised that you can act as you do. You're… Kind. Almost to the point of naivete, but you're not."

"It's… refreshing, I suppose." Edelgard continued. "Seeing someone in your… position seemingly unburdened by the wrongs of the world, striving to let us experience that same feeling."

Ren glanced around the classroom, noting the emptiness of it. The other students had left for lunch, leaving just him and the princess alone. "You're wrong." Ren said softly, turning to the side. "It's because I've experienced some of the worst wrongs the world can offer that I'm the way I am."

"The worst?" Edelgard asked, eyes slightly narrowing at her teacher.

"...Roughly a year ago, I was falsely accused of Assault back in my hometown." Ren began, glancing over at Edelgard, analyzing her reactions. "I stumbled upon a drunken man trying to force himself onto a woman. I intervened, barely touching him, and he fell over. The next thing I knew, I was being hauled away to a court where I was convicted for a crime I didn't commit."

"For context, the man was someone with a lot of power and sway, he had local law enforcement in his pocket, even the woman I had 'saved' was in the same boat." Ren continued, watching as Edlegard's face shifted slightly, taking on a neutral expression that would've fooled most into thinking it wasn't a mask of some sort. "The next thing I knew, I'm sent to another city on Parole for a year, while the man was completely hidden from all legal documents from the altercation. Like he had nothing to do with it."

"Of course, the truth came out." That bit was a lie, but it didn't really matter at that moment. "However, since the culture of my home is… well, let's just say that the stigma would never truly leave if I stayed."

"...The world is cruel, but it doesn't have to be." Ren said after a moment, smiling lightly. "All I can do is try and make the world a better place, because even if it feels like no one else will, that just means I have to try even harder."

"...I was right, then."

"Hm?" Ren cocked his head to the side, raising an eyebrow at Edelgard.

"It's nothing. I should get going. Thank you for today, Sensei." Edelgard said, turning to face the door as she walked out of the room.

As the doors closed behind Edelgard, Ren let out a sigh as a sudden feeling of nervousness began to form in his gut.

It was lucky then that it almost immediately lifted when time slowed to a stop as Lavenza's voice rang through his head.

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 Strength Persona,

I have obtained the winds of blessing that

shall lead to freedom and new power…

{RANK UP!}

"...Well, that's a good sign."

"So, how did it go?" Morgana asked.

"Better than expected." Ren said as he walked into the Café. "Byleth and I started up some private training during the afternoon, so we have that started. My class was mostly well received, which is good, and I also gained a confidant in Edelgard."

"Really? What Arcana is she?"

"Strength." Ren said, crossing his arms.

"Well, what's the plan now that you've finished with classes for the day?" Morgana asked.

Ren smiled, placing his bag onto the counter. "Glad you asked. I want you to go grab Lysithea and Claude. We're delving back into Mementos."

"The Box": Lesson 1

The Art of Misdirection: Foundations

"And dead." Ren said, holding a wooden knife to Ferdinand's throat.

"W-what the-!?" The noble blinked. "You said to look at Caspar just now!"

"And you listened to me." Ren said with a nod, smiling. "I never said I had stopped trying to kill you."

This was how lesson one had started. Misdirection was a very complex art. Luckily, it was also one the Black Eagle's resident thief was well versed in.

"I don't see how cheating helps me learn, Sensei." Ferdinand huffed lightly.

"That's exactly it though." Ren said, pulling the knife away from the noble's throat as he walked over to the table Bernadetta and Dorothea were sitting at, eliciting a light yelp from the purple haired hermit that was ignored in favor of teaching. The teen idly waved the wooden knife in front of him loosely, his eyes never leaving Ferdinand's. "Today isn't about actually learning how to misdirect. It's about getting you into the proper mindset to do so."

"What's the difference?" Caspar asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Right now, most of you are likely still thinking about your actions through the lens of being honorable." Ren explained, motioning to Ferdinand as an example. "It may just be a subconscious thought process for you, but that means it needs to be acknowledged and broken out of."

The teen stood up, flipping the knife into the air before catching it in his other hand in a reverse grip, eyes having not left Ferdinand once. "Once you can do that, you start being able to think of a wider range of options. What you can do to distract someone, what's the best way to throw them off, and which of those options is the best."

Ren threw the knife into the air, drawing the sight of everyone in the class except for Hubert, Petra and Edelgard, as the three's eyes locked onto the other movement their professor was making while the others were distracted.

Ferdinand felt something small slam into his forehead, flinching from the force behind it as he looked down, watching as a rubber ball not even half the size of a golf ball bounced against the ground.

"And you're dead… Again." Ren said, smirking lightly, holding his hand out to the side as the knife landed cleanly in the palm of his hand. "Know what went wrong?"

"I got distracted by the knife." Ferdinand said with a grumble.

"Yes, but the real issue was that you stopped focusing on me." Ren said, crossing his arms once more. "Misdirection is just that, how you get someone to lose focus on you for just long enough to do something debilitating."

"Hubert, you're looking awfully smug over there. Perhaps you'd like to give this bit a go?" The professor said after a moment, looking over at the man in question.

"Very well, I think this will be quite the informative experience." Hubert said, standing as he took Feridnand's previous spot, standing opposite Ren.

"Well, that is the idea." Ren said with a shrug.

"Misdirection is a tactic I am well versed in already." Hubert said. "I do not see what you would be able to teach me."

"See, that's the thing. You can't see." Ren said, holding his hand out towards Hubert with a flourish.

Hubert blinked, eyebrow raising ever so slightly at the outstretched hand. "I assure you, Sensei, I can see just-"

Midway through speaking Ren snapped his fingers, triggering an Eiha on the spot. The blast of curse magic was condensed into a small ball that exploded out, blinding Hubert, and by extension most of the class, for but a second.

Hubert swung out with his hand, grabbing purchase off the Teen's throat with his left hand in that moment of blindness. Bernadetta let out a squeak of fear at the sudden movement from the student, but it was ignored in the ensuing silence.

"Did you really think that would work?"

"Wasn't sure." Ren said, idly noting the lack of actual pressure being placed on his windpipe.

"I am confused, it did work though." Petra spoke up, getting a confused look from Hubert before the black haired aide felt something poke him between his ribs. He looked down, eyeing the wood knife lightly pressing into his chest above where his heart would be.

"I'm impressed." Hubert said, letting go of Ren. "I didn't think you'd be able to move quick enough to do something like that."

"I didn't have to, since if you'll recall, you rushed me." Ren noted. "I just moved my arm up slightly so you'd line up the strike yourself."

Hubert paused for a moment, running through events back quickly in his head before he laughed. "Well, isn't that intriguing. It seems this will be worth my time after all."

"Glad to hear it." Ren said with a nod, turning away from Hubert as he looked at the rest of the class. "Now, let's switch things up. Any volunteers? This time, you're gonna try and hit me."