(Author's Note)
Hey guys! It's me! And just to get it out of the way real quick: WE BROKE 1500 FOLLOWERS, LET'S GO!
Sorry about the wait on this, turns out trying and failing to find work is annoying and makes having motivation to do things in general kind of hard! Also some other events but I don't really wanna get into all that. At the very least, this one didn't take me more than a month and a half-ish, yeah?
But it's here! Finally! Ugh, you have no idea how much I wanted to get this chapter finished and sorted. Hopefully you guys enjoy it!
Speaking of possible enjoyment, let's move onto the reviews, shall we?
To Idotpart1: Joker is skilled, but when it comes down to it he's only really a step or two above his students right now without proper usage of Personas. When it comes down to fighting the more dangerous enemies to come, he's not exactly as prepared as he'd like to be for that.
To Sulphur99: Thanks for the note, I'm... 90% sure I fixed that typo around when you sent me that review.
To Commander Lance: To your first note: I'm not sorry. It will happen again. To your second: Thanks for the kind words regarding that. I was honestly second guessing myself the entire time I was writing the lesson, as I didn't know if what I was doing was right enough or if I was missing something or just... whatever else could be going wrong. Glad to hear it wasn't a complete mess though!
Thanks to everyone else who ALSO left a review. They really mean a lot and help me keep motivated to write this story. If you have the time, please leave a review! I really appreciate it!
Now, with all that out of the way, let's get on to the story!
If there was one person who felt prepared for the impromptu mission, it would be Byleth. Routing a group of bandits, her fellow mercenaries at her call, and the flow and focus of battle were all things she was used to and prepared for.
"Caspar, get down!" Byleth shouted, head whipping to the side as she watched as a Bandit rushed her student from behind.
"W-working on it!" Caspar shouted as he struggled against a sword wielding Bandit he was currently locking weapons with. The teen let go of his weapon with one of his hands and threw a punch at the bandit's solar plexus, knocking the wind out of him with just enough time left to open a window for the teen to throw himself to the side.
The bandit that had rushed up behind Caspar was mid swing and had unfortunately built up too much momentum to stop. His axe slammed down on the bandit that had been contesting Caspar, burrowing and smashing through his collarbone. At the same time, the sword that was still primed to strike pierced through the other bandit, killing both bandits instantly as their bodies dropped to the floor.
"Thanks for the heads up, Professor!" Caspar said, throwing a shaky thumbs up at Byleth.
"More approaching!" Petra called out, notching another arrow as she ran over to Caspar.
Byleth let out a small breath, quickly taking in another as she effortlessly blocked a wide swing from a Bandit, knocking them off balance and opening them up for a quick stab of her sword through the roof of their mouth.
The professor was not prepared for this sudden inclusion to her equation of battle, the lives of her students that she was constantly watching over. The mock battle was just that, practice. One that she had over engineered with Ren to such an extent that even fake casualties were not likely.
But out here, Byelth was juggling both her own wellbeing and nine others. It was messy, frantic, and-
"Professor, on your left!" Lysithea's voice cut through Byleth's train of thought, immediately shifting back into combat as she saw the Spearman rushing her position. "Agi!"
A sudden blast of fire shot over her shoulder, smashing against the spearman's front as his leather armour ignited like fine tinder. Byleth stepped in close to the bandit during the initial moments of panic and swiftly cleaved his head off his shoulders in that moment of weakness. The professor turned back to look at Lysithea, noting the outstretched hand from the girl. "That magic… Thank you for the assistance."
"Welcome." Lysithea replied quickly with a nod as she turned to look out at the courtyard. "Professor, the door!"
Byleth turned her head just in time to hear wood crack and blow open as a flood of her father's mercenaries rushed further inside. "Everyone, we're heading inside! With me!" She shouted, running towards the breach.
Byleth let herself slow to a walk as she entered the fortress proper, her eyes quickly changing to the shift in lighting. She scanned the room, catching sight of Ren and Edelgard as they dropped down from the second floor and ran further into the fortress. 'I hope they have a lead on Monica.'
"The Trickster will be fine. He seems to be in his element right now. Moving unseen as a small group, I mean." Sothis' voice rang out in Byleth's head. "Speaking of elements, let's focus on yours."
Byleth nodded before her eyes narrowed as she ran forward, sword held at the ready as she rushed the first bandit she saw.
Dorothea ducked to the side as a rogue bolt of magic passed through where her head had been moments prior. "I think they're mad at us, Bernie!" Dorothea noted with a smile as she leaned further into the cover of the pillar she was leaning against.
"I th-think they're more than just mad!" Bernadetta replied, firing another arrow at one of the mages that were beginning to surround them. The arrow pierced through the mage's neck, blood quickly spraying out of the wound as the mage shakily raised a hand to his neck before collapsing to the floor. "Huh? I got one? I got one!"
"Nicely done!" Dorothea cheered before stepping out of cover with lightning dancing across her palms. "Allow me to clear the hoard a bit!"
Lightning shot out with a boom, the electricity surging through the other two mages, frying them instantly. "When I heard bandits, this was not what I expected." Dorothea noted, turning around to look at Bernadetta. "Hey, you holding up alright?"
"Y-yeah…" Bernadetta nodded, shuddering slightly. "Ugh… why did I have to come here?"
Bernadetta shook her head, steeling herself as she pulled out another arrow. "Come on, Bernie… One step at a time." The girl said, before her eyes widened as she looked over Dorothea's shoulder. "Look out!"
Dorothea turned around, eyes widening at the sight of the axe spinning through the air towards her. The flash of steel seemed to freeze the girl in place, before she felt a set of hands press firmly into her side and shove her to the side.
"AAAHH!"
Dorothea snapped her head to the side as she watched the axe crash into Bernadetta's left shoulder. The girl's arm went limp and slack, her bow clattering to the ground before the girl followed suit.
"Bernadetta!" Dorothea shouted, turning to the source of the attack to see a bandit pump his fist in the air. "DASTARD!"
The songstress hurled a bolt of lightning at the bandit. The lightning flashed white, the magic fueling it overcharged with the raw emotions leading to the swift end of the bandit as the attack immediately turned him to dust as a light explosion kicked up.
Dorothea slumped lightly, the physical exertion of the last spell immediately making its backlash known. She quickly moved over to Bernadetta, who blandly starred up the ceiling, her breathing shallow as blood easily escaped her body from her wound. "Hey… Hey, Bernie, speak to me…!"
"Did… I do enough?" Bernadetta asked, eyes flickering to Dorothea, her voice hoarse.
Dorothea grit her teeth, before her head snapped up at the sight of Byelth, running over to the pair with Lysithea in tow. "Professor!"
"Oh no…" Lysithea breathed out, staring down at Bernadetta in horror.
"...Do it." Byleth said, eyes wide as she stared down at Bernadetta.
Dorothea blinked, looking up at Byleth with tears forming at the corner of her eyes. "Huh? Professor, what are you-"
"I was worried about this." Sothis said with a sigh.
"Huh? Professor, what are you-"
Time suddenly froze in place, before reality cracked like glass as the familiar presence of a Divine Pulse swept through Byleth. "There we are." Sothis said, hovering next to Byleth as the two looked down at the frozen expressions of the students. "So, shall we plan this out a bit? It would do us no good to reverse time without a proper plan."
"Dorothea and Bernadetta were pinned down. It would be best to draw some of the heat off of them." Byleth noted, tearing her eyes away from her students to look at the ashes. "I'll rush in, catch the bandits off guard and use that opportunity to give Bernadetta and Dorothea some breathing room. Lysithea will follow after, which will strengthen the numbers."
"Not a bad plan. But time will tell if it'll be enough." Sothis replied, turning to the mercenary. "So, you want to try turning back time?"
"Me?" Byleth blinked and raised an eyebrow at Sothis.
"Sure. You should have some control of the power, so it's best you get a feel for how it's controlled." Sothis nodded, placing her hands on her hips. "Now, let's try reversing time's flow. I'll start by going back a few seconds, and then you try replicating the sensation."
Byleth nodded before something in her gut pulled. Her body moved in reverse, her actions rewinding for a few beats before stopping. "There. Now, what did that feel like? Anything strange or out of place?"
"...It felt like pulling back on a bowstring." Byleth noted, narrowing her eyes. "It felt… finite. Can we only rewind so far?"
"Precisely. That's not a bad way to look at it." Sothis replied with a nod. "Think you can pull the proverbial bowstring back now?"
Byleth nodded. "I'll try." She said, focusing on the feeling in her gut before taking a breath in, mentally pulling back the string of a bow as time continued to rewind.
Bandits rose back from the ground, ash returned to flesh, and axe wounds closed up as time rewound, before finally coming to a stop as Byleth nodded. "Alright, I think this is good."
"Alright. Then in that case let's put those changes into effect and-" Sothis paused, eyes narrowing in confusion suddenly. "Wait, is…"
Byleth felt a tug in her gut as time continued to rewind. It wasn't as fast as hers had been, in fact it rewound at a snail's pace. When time finally stopped rewinding, time had rewound an extra 5 seconds from what Byleth had left it.
"Sothis?" Byleth asked, looking over at the ghost girl.
"That wasn't me… Whoever did it is holding time here really tightly though." Sothis noted, before her eyes widened in horror. "The Trickster!"
"Wait, what's this about Ren?" Byleth asked, eyes wide.
"I didn't think he'd be able to manipulate the Divine Pulse, but it may just be the activation requirements that are out of his reach right now…" Sothis said, speaking loud enough to be heard but clearly meaning her words for herself. "But why five seconds more? Did something go wrong?"
"If he needs those five seconds, we give it to him." Byleth noted, giving a quick look to Dorothea's position. "It won't hurt us, but it might be the difference for him."
"Alright then. Let me see if I can get him to let go…" Sothis said, closing her eyes for a moment before nodding. "Okay, he's letting go. I think he understands."
"Alright. Sothis, do it." Byleth said, nodding to Sothis once before focusing back on the matter at hand.
"Alright. Solidifying time in three, two, one!"
Time snapped back into place, successfully rewound as Byleth effortlessly attacked through a bandit's weak right side before rushing off towards Dorothea's position.
Two of the mage bandits raised the hands to cast, but were interrupted as Byleth rushed the one on the left and swung down, cleaving his forearms off with one swing.
The mage's mouth opened to scream, but his yell was immediately silenced as an arrow pierced his throat. Byleth turned her gaze to the other mage and glared, her usual cold gaze turning to ice, causing the other bandit to immediately go pale before his eyes rolled to the back of his head as he passed out.
Byleth blinked, looking down as the bandit crumpled to the ground. The professor rolled her wrist and raised an eyebrow at the sight in mild confusion. "That's new…"
"Professor!" Dorothea called, grabbing Byleth's attention as she turned to look at both her and Bernadetta. "Thanks for the save!"
"Don't mention it." Byleth said as Lysithea caught up with her, the white haired girl breathing deeply to combat the exertion her body was going through. "Are either of you hurt?"
"No, but I didn't like our chances if that continued." Dorothea noted with a shake of her head.
"Ah… B-but youre here now, so we're fine…" Bernadeta muttered, looking up at Byleth with a shaky nod.
Byleth nodded before her eyes flicked to the side as the sound of something soaring through the air grabbed her attention. Swiftly twisting in place, the mercenary swung to the side with her sword, deflecting the thrown axe to the ground.
The bandit who had thrown the axe stumbled back in shock, before quickly being blasted to the ground by a familiar burst of black and red energy. Byleth narrowed her eyes before turning to look at Lysithea's outstretched hand.
"What? He was interrupting." Lysithea said, crossing her arms as she looked to the side.
"...Hm." Byleth merely nodded, turning back to face the rest of the bandits. "Let's keep going. This isn't over until we've dealt with the bandit leader."
"Right behind you, Professor!" Dorothea said as the group of four ran further into the battle.
"Monica, are you alright?" Edelgard asked, looking over her shoulder at the girl who was slumped against the wall.
"I'm… fine." Monica replied, pressing a hand against the wall to support. As the girl tried to push herself to a stand, she felt her legs give out underneath her, forcing her back to the floor. "Gh-! I'm just slowing you down…"
"You're not. Besides, these are nothing to worry about." Edelgard noted, looking at the three dead bandits spread out over the ground in front of her. "Though they're more persistent than I'd like."
Edelgard walked back over to Monica and helped her to a stand. "Come on, let's keep moving. We should be by the main hall soon, if the sounds of combat are any indication." The imperial princess said, hoisting one of Monica's arms around her shoulder.
"You think he's alright?" Monica asked, head tilting to the side in an attempt to look behind them. "That woman… S-she's a monster."
"...He's skilled, I would not be surprised if he's on his way back now as well. Don't count him out just yet." Edelgard stated, keeping her head facing forward as she began to walk ahead with Monica. 'Even so… Sensei, don't die on me. I have too many questions and you will answer them.'
The echo of Kronya's footstep suddenly stopped, cutting off mid step as time froze and reality shattered like glass. Ren felt the ambient feeling of a Divine Pulse wash over him, feeling his energy levels stop dropping. Exhaustion seeped through his bones, thankfully no longer draining with the blood loss.
"...B-byleth?" Ren's voice echoed to no one but himself. The thief felt a tug in his gut as he watched Kronya walk backwards into his peripheral vision before stopping once more. "...N-no… It's… not enough…"
Suddenly, time continued to rewind. Ren felt his body begin to stand up, rising from his fallen form on the floor to lock eyes with Kronya. The thief felt her sword pierce through him once more and then be ripped out once again, leaving his wound untouched. The thief's position moved once more before stopping, poised mid swing moments before the attack that almost killed him once already. "No… It's still not enough!"
Ren reached out mentally and grabbed tightly onto the feeling of time rewinding, his hand forcefully closing around it as he slowly forced it to keep moving backwards. To the thief, it felt like he was pulling his mask off for the first time once again, only without the pain and blood, just the exertion.
Eventually, the thief stopped pulling and merely held it there, refusing to budge even when he felt something try tugging whatever this sensation was back to where it was before. After a few seconds where no resistance was met, a single tug, as if plucking the string of a guitar, pulsed through his grip. Ren closed his eyes and let his grip slacken, pinging back in a similar manner, earning one more ping in response. "Hopefully that gets the point across." Ren muttered, narrowing his eyes at Kronya's frozen form. "Let's see if I can't do the same for her."
Ren felt time suddenly shudder, before locking back in place as everything began to move once more. The thief expertly changed the direction of his slash, blocking an attack that had previously put him onto the backfoot before he moved and stepped into Kronya's personal space, swinging his elbow up at her chin.
His elbow slammed into his almost murderer's jaw, pushing her head back just enough to completely knock her off balance, immediately ending any build up to her next attack. As Kronya stumbled back, Ren raised his left hand and snapped, summoning a massive explosion of curse energy that sent both combatants flying to other sides of the room.
The thief slammed into the ground and bounced, twisting his body just enough to kick the ground for more air, allowing him to right himself and land on his feet. 'Thank you, Kasumi…!' Ren thought mid motion before his feet touched the ground. 'But that explosion… That was..'
"Eiga." Arsene's voice echoed in the thief's head. "It appears this world's cognition is beginning to restore my strength."
'Good time as any for that.' Ren thought, eyes landing on Kronya, who had at this point stood up, looking marginally worse for wear as light scorch marks covered her outfit. 'Bonus, it actually did something to her.'
"Had enough?" Ren called out, rolling his shoulder.
"I'll admit, you're really putting in the work here. Definitely the best fight I've had in a while." Kronya replied, dusting her leggings off idly. "Especially from Vermin. Then again, all I've really had to compare to is that girl we've had locked up."
Ren glared at Kronya, pressing his lips shut as he gripped Paradise Lost a bit tighter. The thief winced, glancing down to see the cut on the back of his right hand. It wasn't deep, and thankfully hadn't nicked anything vital, but it was bleeding. Ren's blood dripped down onto Paradise Lost and seeped through the various ridges of the skull shaped hand guard.
Kronya's eyes widened for a moment, her gaze turned to the sword with curious intent. "That sword… A Heroes' Relic? No, that's impossible…" She said, eyes snapping back up to Ren. "It's just surprise after surprise with you, isn't it?"
"Heroes' Relic?" Ren parroted as he looked down at Paradise Lost. The thief's eyes widened at the visible red aura radiating off the sword. "What the hell?"
"Huh, so this is new for you too?" Kronya's voice rang out almost in ear shot, forcing the thief to pull his sword up quickly as the woman's blade dug into the grooves of Paradise Lost. Kronya leaned forward slightly, getting inches away from the thief's face as she pushed her weight into the attack.
Ren grit his teeth and swung his head forward, slamming his forhead into Kronya, giving him just enough of an opening to push his sword out of the blade lock. The thief jolted back a couple feet, eyes locked onto Kronya, who nursed her forehead lightly as she winced. "Oh, that was dirty…! Vermin you may be, but you… You're not the same as the others." Kronya said, idly tapping her foot. The woman turned to look at the thief, before smirking as she rolled her neck. "Inferior, yes, but you're FUN to fight. I don't think being made to work for it has ever been this enjoyable, but here we are."
Ren narrowed his eyes and quickly brought Paradise Lost up to block as Kronya closed the distance once more, her face mere inches from his as her blade slammed against his. The thief pressed a hand against the flat of his blade and shoved his weapon to the side, pushing Kronya back a step as he exited the blade lock. 'I won't be able to keep this up at this rate. I have to get out. Now.'
The thief reached into his pocket and pulled out a smoke bomb, quickly priming it as he deflected another strike from Kronya. The thief slammed the bomb into the ground, sending up a cloud of dust and smoke that completely covered him from view. Ren leaped backwards and pulled three more smoke bombs out and threw them, filling the room with more smoke.
"Oh? Well, isn't this underhanded?" Kronya's voice rang out with a low chuckle. "But you'll need more than cheap tricks to best me."
The thief crouched and moved behind some degree that had fallen from the ceiling when his Eiga went off earlier, checking his pocket once more with narrowed eyes. 'Where is it… I knew I had another flash bang in here…'
"Hm… Hiding now, is it? Well, that's boring." Kronya's voice echoed through the room, but its source was clearly moving closer to Ren's position. "Come on, don't run!"
The thief threw his arm up and launched his grapple hook at the ceiling, immediately pulling himself into the air just in time to avoid the sword that Kronya had stabbed at his previous position. "Smoke and mirrors won't work on me!" Kronya called out, turning to look up at Ren through the gap of smoke that had formed from his escape and her attack.
Kronya tilted her head to the side and raised an eyebrow at the thief with a malicious smirk on her face. "Hey, what did that girl mean earlier? Something about a mask?" Ren felt the blood drain from his face, unable to squash the feeling down in time as Kronya's eyes glistened with light glee.
Ren disappeared behind the smoke screen once more as he landed, quickly activating his Third Eye to get a clear view of Kronya, his sword ready at his side as he waited for the next strike.
Kronya turned to look in his general direction, clearly not making eye contact as she addressed the general area. "Ooh, there's something there then? Dunno what that means, but what bugs me more is how the Vermin knew who you were? Better yet, how did you even find us here? I'd assume that parasite we had killed was why, seeing as he hired the Death Knight to kill you, but…"
Ren narrowed his eyes, dropping his Third Eye as the smokescreen faded enough to reveal both of their positions. "You were listening?"
"Of course I was. After all, where else would I be when we're suddenly attacked?" Kronya replied with a shrug. "Ugh, I'm not one for this kinda shit. That experiment crap isn't my thing, unlike some others..."
"Hm, speaking of, he'll probably want a new test subject, what with you taking our last one…" Kronya noted, narrowing her eyes as she looked at the thief. "Hm, I wonder…"
"He?" Ren asked slowly.
"Nuh-uh-uh! I'm not an idiot." Kronya replied with a smirk. "It's cute that you think you can get me to slip."
"Doesn't hurt to try." Ren said, taking in a breath.
"Not with that attitude." Kronya noted before sighing. "Unfortunately, I think we've come to an impasse. You can't keep this up for much longer, but I can't stay long enough for that before the others show up. Now, normally that'd be no problem, but you're good."
"Thanks for the compliment."
"Oh, don't get the wrong idea. I absolutely despise you." Kronya said with a glare. "Because of you, I am now responsible for this fuck up. For that, I will make you regret it."
"So here's how this'll go. You are going to find yourself at the wrong end of the Death Knight. When that happens, one of three things will happen." Kronya began, holding up three fingers. "You win, surviving to fight another day, and leaving me with a better fight. You die, and no longer continue to cause problems."
Kronya smiled, lowering a finger with each option before finally lowering the third as she spoke. "Or finally, you lose, and the Death Knight takes you to be our next replacement for the Vermin. Personally, I don't mind that last one. I can just see it now, all the torture and experiments. Now that's an exciting thought! Don't you agree?"
"I am no one's prisoner!" Ren shouted, gripping Paradise Lost until his knuckles went white.
"Ooh, touched a nerve there. Oh well, not like you'll have much of a choice in the matter." Kronya said with a shrug as she smiled. "You're fun, real fun, but I think it'll be funner watching you get experimented on! Ooh, I can't wait to see you squirm!"
"Yeah, fuck that." Ren said with a glare, pointing Paradise Lost at Kronya.
"Oh no, we're done here, remember? No point anyway. I have some info to deliver that takes a bit more precedence. Besides, I don't have the patience for kidnapping… Unless?" Kronya began, motioning to the thief with her index finger before throwing herself to the side as another Eiga exploded from where she was just standing. "Oh, it's just so easy!"
"Trickster, you're running on fumes." Arsene's voice rang out in the thief's head warningly.
Kronya popped up to a stand out of her roll, bouncing on her feet as she smirked at the thief. "Anyways, either the Death Knight will make short work of you, or I'll get the chance to dirty my hands if he fails. Personally, I'm rooting for you. Means it'll be all the more satisfying taking you down myself. Well, until then…"
Kronya raised her arm with a wink, allowing Ren a chance to see the orb in her hand. "That's-!"
"See you soon, Sensei~!" Kronya shouted, throwing the flashbomb onto the ground, immediately blinding the thief as it went off. When Ren's eyes finally adjusted, he opened them to find that it was just him and the empty cells.
"...What a great thief I am… Having my own flashbomb stolen from me…" Ren grumbled as he gave one last glance around the room with his third eye before sprinting towards the stairs. "As if I wasn't already sleeping with one eye open. Now I have to look out for crazy AND whoever this Death Knight is…"
"Gonna need you to move!" Slyvain shouted, ducking to the side of a wide swing from an axe wielding bandit before thrusting his spear through the woman's stomach in retaliation. As he ripped his polearm out the bandit he turned his head to the side and waved at Byleth as she ran over towards him with Lysithea in tow. "Professor!"
"Sylvain. Are you alright?" Byleth asked, walking up to the spearman.
"I'm fine. Can't say the same for her." Sylvain noted, lightly nudging the corpse with his boot.
"Where's your partner?" Lysithea asked, glancing around.
"Oh, him?" Sylvain asked, pointing over his shoulder at the sudden explosion that crashed into three mages. "I'm… pretty sure that's him."
"You should be sticking together." Byleth noted with a sigh.
"He seems to be handling himself pretty well." Sylvain replied with a shrug before he turned to face the end of the hall as the sound of reinforcements reached their ears. "And that sounds like more of them."
"How haven't you killed them yet!? Stop being a bunch of failures and KILL THEM!" A rough voice shouted near the back of the group. Byleth turned and looked past the bandits, catching sight of Kostas barking out orders.
"I've found our target. Sylvain, get to Hubert and join up with Caspar. Help thin out the flanks and then move in. Lysithea and I will make for their leader." Byleth said, turning to face Lysithea. The white haired girl nodded, getting a nod from Byleth in return. "Once we've taken him down, we'll reconnect with Ren and Edelgard. If all is well, our mission should be over with that."
"Understood. Happy hunting, Professor!" Sylvain called out as he turned and headed off to relay the instructions to Hubert.
Byleth turned to face the last group of bandits and gripped her sword tighter. "Lysithea, how are you doing?"
"A bit drained, but nothing I can't push through. I've had worse."
"Good, then let's move." Byleth said, breaking into a sprint as she rushed at the group of bandits.
Lysithea sighed as she followed after the professor. The white haired girl let the magic of her Persona circulate through her, feeling the comfortable and invigorating weight of it call out to her as she did so.
As the pair ran to meet the group of bandits, Lysithea narrowed her eyes and raised her arms up in front of her. "Professor, duck!"
Byleth immediately followed the command, dropping into a slide that left Lysithea an open path for her plan. Purple and black runes etched into the air in front of the girl's hands as the magical energy rapidly built up for a standard Miasma. Just as the energy reached its peak, Lysithea funnelled a single Eiha into the centre of the array and sent it flying at the group of bandits.
The magic struck dead centre, exploding out with enough force to topple most of the bandits. Byleth wretched her body forward, pressing her off hand against the ground to push herself into a stand as she got out of her slide, quickly swinging her sword through one bandit's neck as she fully stood up.
"Oh good, it worked." Nyx noted, the elation in her voice mirroring the smile on Lysithea's face.
It was a happy discovery that led to that combination spell. Her Persona, the magic it allowed her to cast, functioned off an entirely different attribute than her other magic. It came to her easier, was more malleable and was almost innate in its ability to work out Lysithea's intent. As a result, what would happen if she prepared a simple spell and then added one of her Persona's to the equation?
Lysithea let out a long breath as she leaned forward slightly, her magical reserves noticeably dipping with the output of the explosive attack. "I think that may have matched a Maeiha in terms of damage…" Nyx noted with a humm. "Not bad for a first attempt."
'Right, because who needs to test dangerous magic in controlled environments?' Lysithea thought sarcastically as she shook her hands as her extremities began to numb.
Byleth continued to carve a path towards Kostas, quite literally so, as she ran her sword up through one bandit's torso. She flicked her gaze to another bandit to her immediate left and reached down to the dagger on her person, quickly drawing the blade and stabbing it firmly into the man's jugular.
"Holy shit!" One of the bandits near Kostas shouted, grabbing his attention as the leader turned to look as both bandits dropped to the ground.
Byleth levelled a cold stare at the man as blood dripped from both of her weapons. A single splash of red adorned her cheek, giving an almost haunted aura to the mercenary.
"It's them! The Ashen Demon!" Another bandit screamed, pailing rapidly at the sight of Byleth.
Kostas swallowed, a pit of dread forming in his stomach as he forced anger to the surface. "You idiots! Don't just stand there, take her out! She's wounded, look!" The thief shouted, pointing to the blood on her uniform.
"N-no she's not, none of that blood is hers!" Another bandit cried out, eyes wide.
"Well, I suppose that's one way to break their spirits…" Sothis muttered.
'Good. It makes this easier.' Byleth thought to herself, taking the opening for what it was as she rushed up in a burst of speed she hadn't pushed herself for yet today.
Kostas' eyes widened in shock as Byleth's sword pierced through his stomach before he could react, his eyes slowly trailing down to look at the glare Byleth was giving him.
"That was for trying to kill my students." Byleth said, before flipping her grip on her dagger as she stabbed the blade into the man's neck, silencing any further comment.
"Oh shit, Kostas is dead!" Another bandit shouted as the bandit leader's axe dropped to the ground.
Byleth swung her weapons to the side, removing them from Kostas' corpse with the motion. She looked around at the remaining bandits and merely flicked her dagger to get the blood off it before sheathing it. "Time to clean up the rest then."
As if awaiting the command, an arrow flew out over her shoulder and pierced another bandit's throat, sending them to the ground as her students and her battalion of mercenaries rushed in to finish the fight.
Byleth merely took a step back and observed the fight. "...He should be back by now, right?" Byleth asked herself aloud, narrowing her eyes.
"Professor!" The mercenary's eyes widened as she turned to the right, catching sight of Edelgard supporting another student as the two walked into the main hall.
"Edelgard, are you alright?" Byleth asked, running over to the two. "And is that her?"
"Yes to both. I am alright but Monica is far from it." Edelgard noted, looking over at the girl whose arm was slung over her shoulder.
"Monica, right? I'm Byleth, I'm the Professor of the Black Eagle House." Byleth said, locking eyes with the exhausted looking redhead. "We've come to rescue you."
"You…? But, didn't he say…?" Monica began, confusion evident in her voice.
"He?" Byleth asked, narrowing his eyes. "Are you talking about Ren?"
Edelgard nodded and glanced at Monica. "Professor Eisner and Amamiya are jointly teaching the Black Eagle house this year, Monica. Now's not really the time to explain the specifics of-"
"No, wait. What I mean is, where is he? Wasn't he with you, Edelgard?" Byleth asked.
"He was, but during our rescue we were caught by a woman. Ren bought us time to get away, but… I'm not sure what happened since." Edelgard said, eyes narrowed.
Byleth narrowed her eyes and tugged, activating a Divine Pulse. Time stopped instantly with the sound of shattering glass, leaving Byleth alone with Sothis.
"...You think you can ping him?" Byleth asked, looking at the girl.
"Hm… let me see." Sothis said, closing her eyes in concentration before nodding to herself. "He tugged back lightly. I think he's fine."
"Good… That's good." Byleth said, mumbling to herself.
"Well, I suppose this is something we'll need to sort out with him once we get back. Communicating like this can get misinterpreted without a good system in place…" Sothis noted with a sigh. "Well then, shall I let time resume?"
"No reason not to." Byleth said as time returned to its normal flow.
"We should have faith in him." Byleth said after a moment, glancing back to the battle. "In the meantime, we need to keep you out of danger. Our main objectives are complete, but it's still hostile territory."
"Understood. I can stay with Monica if you'd like." Edelgard said.
"No, I can keep an eye on her until we're done here. You rejoin your classmates." Byleth said, looking over at the battle.
"Understood." Edelgard nodded, helping Monica to the nearby wall for support before she ran off towards the fight.
"...Something on your mind?" Byleth asked after a moment, looking down at Monica.
The redhead looked over at Byleth in concern. "That woman… Kronya… I don't think he can win. She's… so strong…"
"...Ren has a habit of surprising people." Byleth merely replied with a tiny smile. "I'm sure he-"
In an instant, Byleth raised her sword and blocked the dagger thrown at her, eyes locked onto the figure at the end of the hallway.
"Oh, well so much for that." The figure said, her voice slightly winded. "Was worth a shot."
Byleth fully turned to face the figure but merely raised an eyebrow as she turned and ducked into a side hallway. "Who…?"
"That was her…" Monica said, eyes wide.
Byleth felt a pit drop in her stomach. "Wait, didn't you say Ren was holding her off though?"
"I was doing a bit more than that…" Ren's voice echoed, as the thief stumbled out into the open, leaning heavily against the wall for support. "But she's… A bitch to put down."
"Ren!" Byleth called out, sheathing her sword as she ran over to help the thief.
"Hey Byleth… I feel like I got hit by a truck…"
"What's a… truck?"
"...That's not important." Ren said, averting his gaze towards Monica as the two Professors walked over to her. "Hey… Told you I'd make it."
Monica stared up at the thief in shock, her eyes wide. Ren chuckled to himself. "From the look on her face, I'd assume I just changed her entire cognition."
"Sensei!" Ren blinked, lifting his head up a bit more to see Edelgard run over with the rest of the Black Eagle house. "You're alive…!"
"I said I would be." He told the imperial princess with a tired smirk. "Unfortunately, I have to say the same for the other guy."
"I'm surprised you're still awake, those wounds aren't pretty…" Hubert said, eyeing the various nicks and cuts that were present all over the thief's body.
Ren glanced down and pressed a few fingers against one of his wounds, pulling his hand away to see blood on his fingertips. "Oh. Yeah… I could use some healing, huh? Adrenaline is a godsend sometimes, yeah?"
Immediately upon finishing his sentence, the thief dropped like a dead weight, forcing Byleth to stop supporting and actually start holding him upright. "Linhardt?"
"On it." The teen nodded with a grimace, holding a hand out as he began healing the thief. "By the goddess, half of these injuries were just barely short of being life threatening…"
"What of the bandits?" Byleth asked, looking over to Ferdinand.
"Routed and taken care of. The mercenaries are just rounding the bodies up now." The spearman replied. "With that said, I do believe this was a successful mission."
"But… Professor, who is… this, exactly?" Sylvain asked, looking over at the redhead on the floor.
"That's Monica. I can explain more on our way back, but for now… Monica, can you walk?" Byleth asked, looking at the girl, only to blink as she realised the girl was asleep. "When did…?"
"I think her exhaustion got to her." Linhardt noted, moving away from the thief as he looked at Monica. "Once we're back at the Monastery, she can be properly looked at."
"Alright then. Can someone help carry Monica, I don't think either of them are waking up until we get back." Byleth said, swinging Ren into a fireman's carry.
"Allow me." Edelgard said, walking over as she lifted Monica up in a bridal carry. "Out of all of us, I more than likely have the most energy left."
"S-so is that it? Are we going home?" Bernadetta asked.
"...Yes, I believe so." Byleth said with a nod as she raised a hand towards the mercenaries to signal them. "Black Eagles, we're heading back to Garreg Mach."
"...Ugh…" Ren winced as his eyes opened, watching as the nearby foliage moved past him. "...Did I pass out earlier?"
"You did." Byleth replied, continuing to hold him over her shoulders.
"...I can walk, you know."
"Alright."
Ren let out a grunt as his body suddenly dropped to the ground. "Thanks…" The thief said, pushing himself off the ground. "...We did it, huh?"
"We did. We're just about past the forest, and then we'll see Garreg Mach." Byleth noted, earning a nod from Ren as he walked up next to the professor.
"How are the students handling things?" Ren asked, looking over his shoulder at the students idly conversing a few feet behind the two of them.
"They seem fine. They were bandits, so I don't think it was as bad as it could've been." Byleth said.
"You used a Divine Pulse."
"I did."
"Care to share why? Not that I'm not grateful, I was literally bleeding out when you used it so it saved me, but…"
Byleth turned to look at Ren, eyes boring into his own. "You were… bleeding out?"
"Answer my question first, Byleth."
"...Bernadetta. She took a nasty hit and was mortally wounded." Byleth said.
Ren inhaled sharply, before shaking his head. "I slipped up, and left just enough of a window for Kronya to capitalise on it. So, thanks for the help."
"...Don't mention it." Byleth replied.
"That woman, Kronya?"
"Yeah?"
"She escaped. How did that happen?"
"I… Don't exactly remember. Everything was a rush of adrenaline and spite, so after your Divine Pulse…" Ren shrugged. "It's kind of blank from there. I know we talked, and I know I responded, but… It's too blurry now."
"I could always rewind back to your conversation if you want."
"Uh, no thanks. I'll take our win as is." Ren replied with a chuckle. "Besides, knowing me, it was probably just banter."
"Speaking of said fight. When you're next free, you and I are training. After today, you clearly need it." Byleth said.
Ren nodded with a sigh. "Yeah, agreed. It was too close for comfort."
Ren glanced up as the two walked out of the forest and gazed upon the majesty of Garreg Mach once more. "Only problem now is the report."
"Well, how is she?" Seteth asked Manuela, as the singer tucked Monica into one of the medical office beds.
"You want a written list?" Manuela asked, turning to look at the three other people standing in the room. She glanced at Ren and Byleth and nodded. "It would've been worse if you didn't get her back when you did. She's clearly only been given enough food and water to survive, so she's malnourished. Her muscles are thankfully not atrophied, but overall mass has been lost due to the earlier mentioned malnourishment. If it wasn't for the fact she has a pulse, I'd think she was dead. Thankfully, she's merely sleeping like she is."
"Has she awoken since she got here?" Seteth asked, looking at Byleth.
"No. She has been out for the entire trek back." Byleth stated, earning a nod from the advisor.
"Can't blame her. She was being experimented on in there, and I couldn't begin to understand half of what was being done there." Ren said, shaking his head.
'Although… I might have somewhere to start figuring that out now that I think about it…' Ren placed a hand on his chin in thought. 'Edelgard had a pretty visceral reaction to it, so she has to know something…'
"Either way, when she's next awake and aware enough to answer questions, please let me know. Any information she can give about her captives, the better." Seteth said, getting a nod from Manuela in return. "Professors, I expect a report on my desk at some point over the next week about what happened. That is all for now, you're both free to go."
Ren and Byleth nodded, walking out the infirmary in silence. As the door closed behind them, Ren let out a sigh. "Well, so much for immediate progress."
"Sensei, Professor." The two teachers turned to the right, catching sight of Edelgard walking towards them. "How is she?"
"She'll be okay. Manuela is keeping an eye on her. Though she probably has a bit of a recovery ahead of her." Ren said, before stepping out of the way as the door opened again for Seteth.
"Excuse me. I need to send a letter to Baron Ochs to inform him of his daughter's rescue. And another explaining why we didn't inform him of such a mission earlier." Seteth said, muttering the latter under his breath as he walked over to his office.
"I'll get started on that report." Byleth said, walking past the two teens, leaving Ren and Edelgard alone.
"...So." Ren said, placing his hands in his pockets. "What can I help you with?"
"I have questions."
"As do I."
"...Can I trust you, Sensei?"
"Probably more than I can with you, to be honest." Ren replied.
Edelgard smirked lightly. "Hm, not a bad answer." She said, before letting the smirk fall. "Tonight, I want to do an exchange. Neutral territory. The classroom should be empty then."
"Should I expect Hubert to be… Hubert?" Ren asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I will ask him not to be, but if he still does so, I suppose it'll be up to you to keep an eye out for him." Edelgard said with a nod.
"...Alright. Tonight then." Ren said, extending a hand.
Edelgard shook it firmly. "We meet tonight when the Moon is highest then."
"It's a deal." Ren said, letting go of her hand as she turned around. "Edelgard."
The princess paused, turning her head slightly to listen to him. "Thank you, for getting Monica out of there." He said, bowing at the waist.
"...I should be thanking you, Sensei." Edelgard said, before she continued walking away.
Ren stood up fully and sighed. "Now… How the hell do I convince those two to let me walk out of the café at midnight…?"
"...I guess the report took a lot out of her." Morgana said, looking down at the swordswoman passed out at the desk.
"Guess so…"
"...So, care to share what happened?" Morgana asked, looking over at the teen.
"I will, but I'd rather only have to go over it once. Are you fine waiting for when I update the others?" Ren asked, idly twirling one of his bangs.
"Ah, so not good then." Morgana replied with a sigh. "Alright, but don't wait too long."
"Wasn't planning to. Besides… there's something else I need to confirm first." Ren said, making his way downstairs. The thief pulled out his phone and checked the time. "11:45. I should get moving soon."
"Moving? What for?"
"Edelgard has information pertaining to what happened today. I also think she has questions for me." Ren said with a sigh. "I agreed to meet her in the Black Eagle classroom at midnight. Alone."
"...You're asking me to stay here."
"Yes."
"It's a good thing Byleth is asleep, or she'd be pretty set on not letting you out this late." Morgana noted, narrowing his eyes. "Hell, I might even do the same. Aren't you tired? Like, for real? Didn't you have that big mission earlier?"
"We still have guards patrolling, you know." Ren replied. "If this is about my life still being threatened, I think I'll be able to make enough noise to get help."
"...Alright fine, but you owe me sushi for the stress eating I'll be doing when you get back!" Morgana said, pointing at the thief with his paw.
"Alright, alright, will do." Ren replied with a smile. "See you in an hour then."
The thief walked ahead, placing a hand on the doorknob and turned it, opening the door as he walked out into the night air. "Alright then, here we go."
Ren took a few steps forward before pausing, turning to look back around at the front door in mild confusion. "Wait… That's not right." He muttered. "Why didn't I hear it close?"
The thief felt a wave of murderous intent run down his spine, immediately forcing him to move to the side, his eyes wide as they locked onto the scythe stabbed into the ground where he once stood.
The thief's eyes snapped upwards to the figure still holding the scythe, catching a brief glance at the armored figure's skull mask before the thief threw his body backwards as the armored knight swung the scythe out towards him, narrowly missing Ren's body.
Ren roller uncontrollably for a moment before thrusting a hand at the floor, pushing himself into a one handed handspring to right himself. The thief landed on his feet, breathing heavily as he eyed the armored figure before him. "Who the hell are you!?" The thief shouted, voice projected with as much force as he could muster.
"Do not bother. This space has been silenced. No one will hear your screams here." The voice said.
Ren narrowed his eyes and activated his third eye, finding the dome of magic that seemed to permeate the air around the walkway. 'Shit, he's right.' Ren thought to himself as he reached to his side for a weapon that wasn't there. 'And you're without weapons! Looking real cool there, Joker…'
"Self depricate later, Trickster!" Angel shouted in the thief's head.
"I am the Death Knight. Ren Amamiya, tonight is your last. It is unfortunate I won't kill you at your best, but so be it." The knight said, walking towards the thief.
"I'd say over my dead body, but I gathered that's the point!" Ren shouted, reaching a hand up to his face as he swapped Personas.
"Warning. Calculated combat effectiveness at 40%. Retreat recommended." Golem stated.
"Don't think he's gonna give the boss a chance to do that!" Mook replied with a shout. "Duck!"
The death knight rushed ahead in a sprint, showcasing a surprising speed for someone in such armor. Ren grit his teeth and slammed his foot into the ground. "Tera!"
A quick wall of stone erupted between the thief and the Death Knight, but was quickly smashed through as the death knight swung at the thief. Ren ducked down, avoiding the first blow before practically folding in on himself as the Death Knight's foot smashed into his solar plexus.
Ren's body flew back, rolling to a stop as Ren attempted to get his breathing back under control. The thief slowly pulled himself to a stand, breath labored from the impact of the hit. "O-okay." He muttered, switching Personas again. 'Gonna need a hand, Angel!'
"By your command!"
"Kouha!" Ren shouted, throwing a hand up in the air before swinging it down as an orb of light shot out at the Death Knight.
The armored man swung his Scythe, cleaving through the light like it was nothing. Ren grit his teeth and swapped Personas once more as the Death Knight broke out into a sprint towards him.
"Eiga!"
Ren threw his arm forward and snapped, causing a large explosion to burst out at the Death Knight's location. As a dust cloud kicked up, obscuring the Knight from view, Ren glanced to the sides of the walkway. "Dammit. I get it, it's silenced, but where are the knights!? Weren't they on-"
Ren winced, feeling the strain from his Personas pulsate. "Damn, I'm running low here…"
"Reminder: Retreat Recommended." Golem noted once again.
"I see this is your extent then."
Ren looked up just in time to see the death knight swing his scythe out, the blade glowing with power as he swung back.
"Rapturous!"
As the surge of light exploded outwards, Ren reached up and gripped the skull necklace dangling from his neck. "Please work!"
"Bleeding Dry Brush!"
A barrier of painted colours formed in front of him, just in time for the lightning strike to crash down against it. Ren felt the barrier push back against the attack and gaped in shock. 'Wait, it's not absorbing! No… Is this Almighty!?'
The barrier shattered, creating an explosion that sent Ren flying backwards. As Ren slid to a stop, he slowly looked up to see the Death Knight slowly approaching. 'D-damn it… He's… too strong…'
Ren coughed, spitting out a glob of blood. "Oh… that's not good…" The thief noted, now feeling the various wounds from the last attack. From the sensation, it likely wasn't pretty.
"Warning: Trickster has taken substantial damage." Golem noted.
"We can see that, Golem!" Succubus shouted. "Don't just sit there, get up!"
'Damn it.' Ren placed a hand against the ground and pushed against the stone, forcing himself up off the ground.
"Your will is strong." The Death Knight said, before reaching down and grabbing the front of Ren's shirt, yanking the thief up so the teen was eye level with him. "But your power cannot match."
'I… have a terrible idea.' Ren thought, reaching deep within his unconscious self.
"Trickster stop, you're not ready!" Arsene's voice rang out in Ren's head as the Death Knight reared his scythe back.
'Found it!' Ren shouted mentally, gripping the mental chain tightly.
"I'm… Not…"
"Hm?"
Ren's eyes bore into the Death Knight's, the once steel irises shifting to an almost golden hue as the thief bared his teeth at his would-be assassin. "I'm not done yet!"
The thief pulled, feeling a sensation not unlike a Divine Pulse wash over him as his perception of time began to slow. As time slowed to a crawl, a faint voice began to speak, but was too far away to be heard, not yet ready to be grasped. Even so, the thief continued to pull past his limit, and finally when he could pull no longer… a small chip formed in one of the chain links.
It was all that was needed, as something surged out from within Ren, immediately knocking him unconscious as something else took to the main stage.
(Play Will Power - Persona 5)
Reality froze, and then shattered like glass. Blue flames exploded off of the thief as he was engulfed in a flash of azure, the fire overtaking his entire person in a matter of seconds. The fire burned and flickered, before suddenly growing in size, as it began to spin, turning into a twister of blue fire that stretched up towards the night sky
The flames pushed outwards and slammed against the Death Knight's armor, pushing him back a few feet from the impact. "What manner of magic is this?" The Death Knight asked, a sense of excitement lying just below the surface as he stood up, scythe at the ready.
"The kind you'll wish you didn't unleash." A voice rang out from the flames, deep and angry. There was a hint of Ren in the undertones, but whatever it was, it wasn't the thief.
As the fires burned brighter they unfurled out with a snap, taking on the form of a Demon in a suit, its two large wings spread wide in a show of power. The flames raised a hand up and threw an orb of dark energy at the Death Knight, exploding out with almost four times the force of the Eiga that had hit him earlier.
As it did so, the magic keeping the sound inside broke, the array frying at the sudden explosion of magical energy, leaving the whole of Garreg Mach wide open to hear the roar of the flames, and the echoing music.
The Death Knight slowly stood up, his armor singed and dented, but otherwise standing. The knight looked down at this scythe and nodded to himself, turning to look back at the flames.
"Interesting. I see I am forced to settle this another day then." The Death Knight said as he stared down the flaming avatar.
The flames stayed silent, merely looking at the Death Knight with an indecipherable stare.
The knight turned around, vanishing into the shadows now that his mission had failed. The flames merely looked up at the moon and allowed its being to dissipate, dropping the injured and unconscious thief onto the stone floor. As the last flicks of fire faded, so too did the music, just in time for the professor to be found by the many people rushing to find out what just happened.