"As you have already been notified, your mission is to subdue some bandits. Our students have been learning about combat through study, but this is a precious opportunity to provide them with practical experience. The knights will support your mission and are prepared to offer their assistance if necessary. In short, this is no mock battle. You must be prepared for anything. You will receive a message from the knights when it is time to depart. Until then, use your time wisely."

Byleth nodded in understanding, prompting Seteth to leave her with Rhajat. Rhajat looked to her teacher. "So, this is our first real mission. Our lives will be at risk. I guess that's one way to learn..."

"If you're worried, I'll be here to watch over you all." Byleth said.

Rhajat looked downward, slightly flustered. "I'm not worried..." It was only half a lie. She wasn't worried about herself. She knew she could take on a few bandits. She was however worried about her classmates. For many of them, this would be their first time killing. And she wasn't sure if they all could handle it.

"I see." Byleth replied. Rhajat wasn't sure if she believed her or if she just didn't think it was worth arguing. Either way, she was happy that she didn't push.

"We should be worried about our enemies. I'm not going to hold back against them." Rhajat replied attempting to change the subject. "I wonder if I can use any of them as test subjects... I doubt the officer's academy would allow that. Ugh." Rhajat rolled her eyes. She didn't need even more reason for Seteth to dislike her. "I doubt I need to tell you, but make sure you're ready. I'll be doing the same." Rhajat walked away, not waiting for a response. She figured that Byleth would get everyone equipment and items such as vulnerarys. All she really needed to worry about was making sure she was ready. While she wasn't going to make a habit out of it, she figured that there wasn't any harm in going to the training grounds.

Upon arriving, she noticed Dimitri was there hitting one of the dummies with his lance. Rhajat had to respect his diligence. She wasn't sure if there was much that a mage could do with dummies. She didn't want to destroy them. She considered leaving and finding something else to do, until she was noticed.

"Oh, Rhajat!" Dimitri said. "I didn't see you there."

Rhajat walked over to him. "Dimitri." Rhajat was used to sneaking around, she wondered if she was losing her touch if Dimitri could tell she was near him.

"Did you come to train?" He asked.

"Why else would I be here?" Rhajat replied. If she wanted to read or something, she'd stay in her room or go to the library.

Dimitri smiled. "Fair enough. Would you be interested in sparring? Magic is a weak point of mine, so I figured training with a magic user could be useful."

Rhajat nearly dismissed it immediately, but took his suggestion into consideration. She figured she was more likely to find people with swords, axes, or lances than magical bandits. She thought it could be good practice. She saw him fight as well, so she knew he was powerful. If she could take him, she could take on a bandit. Especially considering his crest that she has to worry about, while a bandit most likely wouldn't have one. On the other hand, his strength could be dangerous. She didn't know Dimitri too well, for all she knew he could get too into training and actually harm her. After careful consideration, she gave her answer.

"Fine. But if you go too hard, I'm not gonna be happy." she said. "I'm still a bit sore from the mock battle."

"Considering your strength, I feel I'd get destroyed if I didn't go all out." He said half-jokingly.

She looked a bit surprised. "You think I'm strong?"

"Of course." Dimitri answered. "I'm only stating facts. Your magical potential is incredible. Even someone terrible at magic like myself can tell."

Rhajat seemed taken aback. She didn't realize how powerful she was. She started giggling a bit unnervingly. "Excellent..."

Dimitri however, was unfazed. He pulled out his lance, and took a battle stance. "I'm ready when you are."

Rhajat took a battle stance as well. "Bring it."

Rhajat shot magic at Dimitri, and he managed to dodge. The prince jabbed 3 times quickly at Rhajat, which she also dodged. While in the air, she shot magic at him which he dodged again. He threw his spear, and his crest seemingly activated. Rhajat tried to dodge, but it scraped her arm. She hissed in pain, before running up to Dimitri. Dimitri rolled away from her to grab his spear. He picked it back up and pointed it at her. Rhajat fired two balls of magic at him, he dodged the first, but by mistake jumped into the second. Rhajat took advantage of the opening to run up to him and point blank use magic on him. He was sent flying, but quickly flipped and landed on his feet.

"Nice one!" Dimitri complimented. He was happy to have a skilled sparring partner.

"You're not so bad yourself." Rhajat shot back with a grin.

Dimitri ran closer and ducked under Rhajat's next shot. He swiped at her legs with his spear, momentarily stunning her. He then grabbed her arm and threw her away from him. Rhajat was surprised at how strong he was. She wasn't even sure if his crest had activated there. Rhajat summoned magic to her hand, then slammed her fist onto the ground. The magic blazed towards Dimitri which he was too slow to dodge. The best he could do was guard against it to minimize damage. While distracted by the flames, Rhajat point blank hit him with magic again. Dimitri was pushed back and landed on his knees.

"Ugh... we should call it here..." He said, sounding exhausted. He felt even more justified in his idea that he can't hold back against Rhajat.

Rhajat paused, then fell to the ground too. "Ugh... you made me work hard..."

Dimitri forced himself up and pulled out two vulnerarys. He handed one to Rhajat with a smile. She happily took it and drank it as if she was dehydrated. She then stood up and looked at Dimitri's face. Dimitri looked back down at her. "You're fierce. I'd like to spar with you again sometime."

Rhajat looked hesitant, then smiled. "Maybe so... It was an interesting experience."

The two sat in silence for a few seconds before shaking hands. Rhajat had to admit, she was growing to respect the future king of Faerghus. He was a kind person and a skilled fighter, if a bit naive to her. "That was exhausting... I'm gonna go rest."

"Right, I may have to do the same. I'll see you around Rhajat."

Rhajat waved at him before walking back to her room. She sat on her bed and started reading. Not about hexes however, but a bit more about past wars in Lethe. It made her a bit sad to see how often history would repeat itself. She spent the rest of the day reading until the sun set, then went to sleep.

Rhajat found herself surrounded by floating ruins. She wasn't sure exactly where she was. "...I must be dreaming." She thought aloud. Despite this, Rhajat was a bit surprised she could immediately peg this as a dream. That didn't happen to her often. Rhajat also wasn't testing a hex, so she wasn't sure what was going on. Something about the dream felt incredibly real, despite her knowing that it wasn't.

"You are the ocean's gray waves..."

Rhajat looked around, trying to find the faint source of the song. It was a rather beautiful voice, but not one that she had heard before. She decided to walk around and do some searching. As she walked, the voice grew louder and louder. "What is going on here...?" She wondered. She continued to follow it, until she saw long flowing blue hair on the top of a mountain cliff. It belonged to a woman with a white and blue dress. She looked ethereal. She was somewhat see through. Rhajat lifted an eyebrow in confusion. "Could this be a ghost?" She wondered aloud. The woman finished her song, and grew silent. She turned around and gave Rhajat a soft smile. Rhajat's expression didn't change. She stayed a bit on edge.

"There is no need to be afraid." The figure told her.

"Who said I was afraid?" Rhajat responded. She was being genuine, she wasn't afraid. However, she was ready to fight if needed. She had no tome, but despite her short time in Fodlan, she had been learning how to cast spells without one. So no matter where she was, she had a way of defending herself. In addition to that, this was far from the weirdest thing she's seen. She had brushes with death before, she wasn't worried about a spirit coming for her.

The spirit giggled. "You are a brave one, are you not? It seems I've come to the right person."

"What is this place?" Rhajat asked.

"Hm... I don't know if I can say." The spirit explained. "If I told you... you could disappear."

"Disappear?" Rhajat repeated. "Just be straight with me. Who are you, what's going on?"

"I haven't introduced myself have I?" The spirit bowed in apology. "My name is Azura. I believe we have a mutual friend in Corrin?"

"Azura... that name doesn't ring a bell." Rhajat said honestly. "Corrin though... how do you know her?"

The spirit looked thoughtful. "She and I are... or rather were childhood friends... you see, I passed away long ago."

Rhajat's eyes widened. "So you are a ghost...?"

"You could say that." Azura replied. "I passed away back when Corrin and I were children. We were… killed."

"I'm... sorry to hear that." Rhajat said.

"Thank you, but I'll be fine." Azura seemed sad, though she continued. "I guess you could say I have unfinished business. But as I am deceased, there's not much I can do on my own."

"...So you're asking me for help." Rhajat realized. She could see where this was going.

"Yes, exactly." Azura nodded. "If you don't... this world could be in great danger."

Rhajat folded her arms. "The entire world? How so?"

"This... threat. He won't stop until this entire world is gone, or he dies trying. There isn't really anyone alive I can pass the torch to. Corrin doesn't know about him." She explained.

"Okay... but why me? That doesn't make sense. We've never met. Wouldn't it make more sense to contact Corrin or one of your family members?" Rhajat wasn't buying what she was saying.

"There is a reason why I picked you in particular. However... I can't really explain everything, not yet. You see, right now, I'm within your heart. Which is how we're talking." Azura began. "If I say too much, both of us could die."

Rhajat rolled her eyes. "Gee, thanks. Glad to have my life in the hands of a woman I met 2 minutes ago."

Azura looked downward. "Listen, I know this is a lot to take in. If you don't allow me to stay here, I'll leave. Hopefully I can find another soul with the right... prerequisites."

"Prerequisites?" Rhajat parroted. "What do you mean?"

"You have an affinity for the dead. For spirits. I can't just grasp onto anyone's body. You also... are near the threat." Azura said solemnly.

Rhajat's eyes widened. "I'm near the threat?"

"Again, I'm not sure how much I can say." Azura repeated sadly. "But you're honestly in the perfect position to help me save the world, and defeat the threat."

While Azura seemed genuine, Rhajat wasn't sure if she was ready to have the entire world on her shoulders. Plus she had no way of knowing if Azura was telling the truth. Rhajat stayed silent for a few seconds. "Prove it."

"Hm?" Azura tilted her head.

"Prove that you're telling the truth. I'm not giving up my body to any old ghost who wants it." Rhajat said.

"That's... that's fair in all honesty." Azura tapped her chin. She wasn't sure exactly how she was going to go about this. She needed Rhajat to make her decision before she woke up, as contacting her was difficult and not sure if she could repeat this. So she couldn't just ask her to ask Corrin. "I'm not sure if I can, at least not yet. Why don't we strike up a deal though? You see, if you allow me to inhabit your body, I won't take you over. I'll be able to see through your eyes, hear through your ears, but I can't control you. I can, however, be your guide, and give you powers."

Rhajat looked interested. "Powers?"

"If we work together, I can give you the power of my voice. My song has many abilities. There is a drawback though. Overuse of it will cause your fate to end up the same as mine. You'll die. But it allows you to inspire allies, and counter that threat." Azura wasn't sure how much that helped, but it was worth a shot. "To put into words how useful that is, this threat? Is practically a God. I am in theory giving you the power to counter a God."

Rhajat smirked. "A God huh... I could do so much with such power." Rhajat's face fell. "However, that still doesn't prove anything. I only have your word."

Azura looked saddened. "You're... right."

Rhajat had to admit, the deal seemed interesting. And Azura didn't seem to be lying. If she said no, the world could be destroyed. If she said yes, Azura might reveal her true nefarious intentions. Rhajat was between a rock and a hard place. She sighed. "I'm going to regret this..."

Azura looked hopeful.

Rhajat walked closer to the spirit. She put out her hand. "Fine. If you are malicious, there's not much reason I couldn't exorcize you. I... I can't take the risk of the world ending. You're sketchy as hell, but if I let that stop me, no one would trust me given how I look and behave. Besides, I can see an act a mile away. You don't seem to be. So, let's work together... Azura."

Azura smiled. "Thank you Rhajat! From now on, we're partners."

The two shook hands, and Azura faded away. Soon, the world they were in began to vanish too, and Rhajat woke up.

"...What an odd dream..." Rhajat thought aloud. She noticed it was late, and today was the day they were going to do their next mission. She jumped out of bed and began to get ready.

Despite her lateness, Rhajat still arrived before her professor. At least by a bit. She walked in almost right after her.

"Oh, I was just about to ask where you were. Hello Professor. You're late. On the way here, I was told that the bandits have been cornered." Rhajat explained.

"Like you can talk Rhajat, you got here just before she did!" Shiro exclaimed.

Rhajat glared at him. While he was right, it was still embarrassing to be called out in front of everyone. Shiro seemed undeterred by her anger.

"Um, regardless." Forrest began. "Where are they?"

"They're in Zanado. Does anyone know where that is?" Rhajat asked.

"No clue!" Selkie said with an odd amount of enthusiasm.

"I'm sure the knights will lead the way." Caeldori reasoned. "None of us are native to Fodlan besides Professor."

"Good point Caeldori!" Asugi said as he took a lollipop out of his mouth. "Those bandits won't know what hit 'em!"

"Remember to take this seriously guys." Corrin reminded. "This is a real fight. It's nothing like a mock battle. Be careful."

"Of course." Velouria responded. "I wouldn't take a chance at fresh meat lightly."

Everyone besides Rhajat and Byleth left the room. It seemed everyone was ready, be it grim determination or excitement.

"Well, we should be fine with the knights protecting us. We shouldn't fall behind them, professor. Let's go."

Byleth nodded and the two followed the rest.

"So this is the Red Canyon... I wonder where it got its name from." Rhajat didn't see anything particularly red about it. She figured it wasn't for any good reason. She took a closer look at her surroundings and saw the thieves in their positions. "Looks like the thieves were driven back. Let's begin Professor." Rhajat as well as the rest of the class stepped forward. "I think I remember being told that there was a back road to the west. We should split up and attack the enemy from both sides. I'll leave the rest to you."

"Everyone stay together for now. When we reach the split, we'll decide how to proceed." Byleth commanded.

The dragons began their assault, and were greeted by two axe wielding bandits and an archer. Byleth knew she could take them out no problem, but she knew she wasn't on a job. She had a responsibility to her students. She resolved to hold back, and let her students pick off the bandits. She swiped her sword at the bandits before they could prepare to strike. She jumped back to create an opening for her students. Rhajat blasted one with a fireball, and Caeldori stabbed the other with her spear.

"Out of my way!" Rhajat exclaimed.

Caeldori on the other hand seemed a bit more somber. "I had no choice..." She squeezed her naginata tightly.

Just as Caeldori was about to be hit by an arrow, Rhajat shot a Fire ball that burnt it to a crisp and hit the archer. While they were distracted, Forrest launched a fire ball of his own, finishing him off. "May you rest in peace..."

"Th-thanks..." Caeldori said to Rhajat.

Rhajat glared at Caeldori. "Pay attention. We can't afford to lose you."

Caeldori looked a bit surprised. "Right, sorry."

Byleth motioned for the class to continue. There were three more enemies ahead of them, as well as the aforementioned back road. Before they could split up, they had the two sword users and another archer to take care of.

"I've got this one!" Selkie transformed and rolled into the enemy before Byleth could attack. She didn't kill any of them, but agitated them enough for them to charge towards the dragons. While Byleth could take them, she wasn't sure how easy it'd be to stop them while protecting the students. She supposed it was time to use the ability Sothis just granted her. With a bit of focus, time seemed to stop, then reverse...

"I've got this one!" Selkie transformed, but Byleth grabbed her by the tail. "Owie!"

"Sorry." Byleth apologized. "I don't have a good feeling about this. Let me go in first. You can clean up afterwards."

Selkie untransformed and started pouting. "Fiiiiine."

Byleth ran forward and stabbed one of the swords. He fell over in pain and the other two started charging at her. "Now." Byleth told Selkie.

Selkie transformed and rolled into the injured bandit, killing him. "Yay, I did it!"

"Your fur should make me some bank!" The sword using bandit said. Shiro ran to Selkie's aid and stabbed him, killing him in one shot thanks to a lucky blow.

"My hands... I can't... stop shaking..."

Byleth ran over to the archer and slashed at them, then Asugi quickly followed up with a shuriken throw. "Shouldn't have messed with me."

With a moment to breathe, Byleth ran towards Shiro, who still seemed a bit upset. "Will you be okay?"

"Y-yeah... damn sorry. I knew I'd be seeing things like this but..." Shiro was still shaking.

"Hey, you gotta pull yourself together." Rhajat told him. She got where he was coming from, but they were in the middle of a battle. "It's gonna be okay."

"Right right... thanks..." Shiro said as he calmed down.

Byleth looked to her right and saw two bandits who hadn't noticed them yet. The path forward was clear. Byleth had to think about how to split up the teams now. "Okay, Rhajat, can I count on you to lead the others around back?"

Rhajat hesitated, then nodded in affirmation.

"Okay, you take Corrin, Shiro, and Asugi. Everyone else is with me. Does that sound good?"

"Yeah, good luck out there Professor." Rhajat said as she left for the alternate pathway with her fellow students. Byleth with Forrest, Selkie, Velouria, and Caeldori. They marched forward and came across two swords. The swords took the initiative and tried to attack Forrest. Byleth blocked the blow and cut one of them, and Caeldori stabbed the other. Velouria transformed and finished them off with ease. "More meat."

Caeldori's pegasus suddenly fell, and Caeldori screeched in pain. Everyone looked over to her direction, noticing that she had been struck by an arrow. Forrest quickly ran over and healed her, and Velouria covered her. Selkie transformed and quickly charged forward to find the source of the arrow. "Are you okay Caeldori?" Byleth asked.

"Yeah... I'm fine. Thanks you two." She smiled at her professor and Forrest.

Interrupting them was an archer flying towards them, who had been hit by Selkie. Selkie ran back to their side with a grin on her transformed face.

"Good work Selkie." Byleth complimented.

"Aw shucks..." Selkie replied flustered.

Meanwhile, Rhajat's team managed to get to their position with ease. Kostas stomped his foot when he noticed them. "Damn, they're coming from the west too! I can't stand these brats!" The leader yelled angrily. Despite this, he didn't move. Both sides had four bandits to deal with. Byleth and Rhajat both led their teams towards the bandits. Rhajat had to deal with a mage, two archers, and a sword. Byleth encountered a mage, two axes and an archer.

"Caeldori, dismount until the archers are gone." Byleth commanded.

Caeldori did as told, sending off her pegasus. The mage attacked, and Caeldori destroyed the magic with her spear. She then rushed the mage, and managed to destroy them in one shot. The axes ran towards them, attacked the beasts. Selkie dodged it, and Velouria took the hit without too much trouble. Velouria grabbed the axe wielder and threw them into the other axe. Forrest shot fireballs at both, killing them. The archer backed away in fear, but was attacked by Byleth before they could escape.

Rhajat took a hit from one of the mages, then retaliated with one of her own. Shiro attacked with his spear, then kicked them away. Both archers attacked Rhajat, hurting her rather badly. Corrin ran past Rhajat and defeated one of the archers with ease. "I'm... I'm sorry..."

Asugi covered Rhajat and threw his shuriken at another archer, and Corrin finished them off. "Stay back until we meet up with Forrest leader!" Corrin ran forward and knocked the sword out of the user's hands. She then quickly stabbed them, defeating them as well. Corrin looked towards the other team and got their attention. "We need healing!"

The Bandit jumped and attempted to slam his axe into Corrin. Rhajat shot magic at him, sending him behind his starting position. Corrin turned back towards Rhajat. "Thanks!"

Rhajat nodded and panted, still exhausted. Forrest ran over to Rhajat and healed her. With the team ready to go, they approached the bandit leader. He jumped up, and his eyes widened in fear upon recognizing Byleth. "Y-you're... It can't be! The mercenary from before? So what, now you're pals with the knights? I'll kill you and your pesky brats!"

He ran towards Byleth, eyes filled with anger and hatred. She sliced at his arm, stunning him. Rhajat blasted him with another spell, and he glared at her. "Spoiled little noble! Just die like a good little rich kid!"

Rhajat could only roll her eyes. "I'm not even a noble. And if I was, it still wouldn't justify you trying to kill me or my classmates."

Caeldori, back on her pegasus, stabbed at the leader, and Shiro followed up with a stab of his own. It was blocked by the axe, then he countered, sending Shiro back. Forrest quickly healed him. The leader threw his axe at Forrest, but Rhajat blasted it away from him before it made contact. Velouria grabbed Selkie and threw her into the air, then Selkie dive bombed the leader while giggling. Corrin stabbed the bandit in his stomach with her sword, and Asugi finished him off with a slice of his shuriken. The bandit backed up, before falling over, defeated. "I should have never listened to that idiot... What a mistake..."

"What the hell!?" Shiro yelled in fear and confusion.

Kostas, despite seemingly being killed, stood back up.

Selkie jumped for joy. "Round 2! Round 2!"

Byleth looked behind her, and noticed all the other bandits were getting back up too. They had sinister auras. They didn't seem to be alive, they were more like moving corpses.

Corrin looked upset. "What is happening?!"

Rhajat looked towards Corrin. "It'll be okay. We'll just have to take them out again!" At least, she hoped.

"They're too strong." A familiar voice echoed in Rhajat's mind, causing her to jump. Byleth stared at her while the others looked more confused.

"What!? Did you see something else Rhajat!?" Asugi asked.

"N-no. Sorry I thought I heard something..." She lied.

"Ugh, don't scare us like that! This isn't the time!" Caeldori yelled.

"The time has come." The voice continued. "You'll need my help to get out of this. The only way to stop these people is with my song. But you'll be hurt, badly. You won't die though. As long as you don't overuse it. This might be your only shot at getting out of this alive. Do you want to do this?"

Rhajat nodded.

"Very well. Follow my lead."

Rhajat closed her eyes, and started humming. A strange song only familiar to Corrin, which she picked up on. The bandits slowed down as she hummed. "Okay... now everyone!"

Byleth immediately ran for the leader and stabbed him again. He looked up at her with nothing but pure rage in his eyes. "I lost everything... you will lose it all too... you will know what it means to suffer!" He removed the sword from his stomach and smacked Byleth with his axe.

The other bandits slowly walked towards them. Rhajat and Forrest unleashed a barrage of magic spells on them, sending some of them back to their graves. Caeldori flew around the field watching out for archers as she stabbed various bandits. They seemed to be weaker than before.

Asugi threw a shuriken towards the leader, hoping to soften him up for their professor. Shiro yelled as he ran towards the reanimated bandits, stabbing multiples of them onto his spear before kicking them away.

The leader on the other hand seemed stronger. He jumped and slammed his axe into the ground, sending a shock wave that knocked everyone over. Byleth, seeing that this left her students too open for comfort, turned back time again.

He jumped and attempted to slam his axe into the ground, but Byleth managed to stop him by blocking the attack with her sword. The two traded blows, and Byleth dodged most of them without too much trouble. He was slow, yet powerful. Rhajat blasted him with another bit of magic from behind. He turned his head 180 degrees and started walking towards her. Byleth tripped him and stabbed him in the back. "Your fight is with me. Rhajat, go keep helping the others."

Rhajat nodded grimly before running back to her original post. Byleth ran towards the leader and kicked him in the chest, sending him backwards. She diagonally slashed through his body, making him screech in pain. Caeldori swept in and stabbed him as well. "We're done Professor. Here to help!"

Asugi tapped the man on his shoulder, getting his attention. He then punched him in the face, sending him stumbling once again. "I can't believe that worked!" Asugi exclaimed.

Corrin sent a fireball his way as well, then jumped into the air. She pulled out a stone, and transformed into a four legged dragon. "You won't stop me!" She exclaimed as she tackled him into the ground. She spun around and slammed her tail into him.

Rhajat knew she was a dragon, but it was still incredible to her to see it in action. She sent one last bit of magic towards him, and Byleth stabbed him through the chest, finishing him off.

Corrin reverted back into her human form. "Is... is it over?" Corrin asked while panting.

The aura vanished slowly from their bodies. They returned to being simply corpses. Everyone still remained on guard, finding it difficult to drop it. They thought the battle was over once before, and would hate to be wrong again.

"I... I think it is." Byleth answered. "Good work everyone."

"RHAJAT!" Shiro yelled.

"Ugh, do you have to be so loud?" Rhajat reprimanded.

"Sorry but, damn we couldn't have done that without you! That was awesome! What was that?" He asked full of excitement.

Corrin folded her arms. "I'd like to know too." She didn't look angry, but she did seem concerned.

"...It..."

"If possible, can you make something up? I'd prefer we keep this to ourselves for now." Azura requested.

"It was a hex." Rhajat lied.

"One hell of a hex then!" Shiro seemed to accept the answer, but Corrin didn't seem convinced.

"Rhajat, you're amazing!" Forrest cheered. "You saved us all!"

Rhajat blushed a bit, despite knowing it wasn't all her. Azura spoke up. "This was a team effort. There's nothing wrong with feeling proud."

Byleth looked at her students. "You all did great. I know this was your first mission, and for many of you the first time you had to kill. You handled it well."

"Aw Professor..." Selkie said, waving a hand in embarrassment.

"I hate to admit it, but you did great Rhajat..." Caeldori begrudgingly complimented. "Thank you."

Rhajat shrugged. "It's no big deal." She was, however, feeling a bit drained.

The students began to walk off, leaving Byleth by herself. She seemed distracted. It took a bit for Rhajat to realize that Byleth wasn't with them. She returned to see Byleth seemingly speaking to herself. "Professor? Let's go. Is there a problem?"

Byleth turned around and shook her head. "No... no I'm fine. You're right. Let's go."

"Ugh, what a walk..." Rhajat complained. Everyone had already dispersed, leaving to their rooms for rest.

"The walk is what has you tired?" Byleth asked.

Rhajat shook her head. "No, it's just not helping. I'm still not entirely sure what happened back there."

"I wish I knew." Byleth said. "It felt a bit... familiar though."

Rhajat looked surprised. "You've seen this before?"

Byleth rubbed the back of her head. "No, at least I don't think so. I feel I'd remember if someone I killed stood back up. It's just... it's hard to explain."

Rhajat grunted in thought. "Well, if you do figure it out, let me know."

Byleth nodded. "Sure."

Rhajat walked away, her chest getting heavier. She wasn't sure if it was her adrenaline wearing off, or something else. She left to her room, and attempted to get into her bed. Suddenly, pain filled her body. She then fell onto her knees, and a patch of blue showed up on her arm. Rhajat gasped looking at it. "Wh-what's happening to me!?"

"I'm sorry..." Azura began. "This... is the cost of my power. It will subside. I wish I could take this away, but there's nothing I can do."

"This... no, you warned me. I don't regret what I did... I'd do it... again..." She said through gritted teeth.

"Rhajat!?" A voice behind her exclaimed. She couldn't turn around to see who it was, but she recognized the voice. Corrin had an expression of horror on her face.

"I'm... I'm fine..." Rhajat mumbled.

"I'll go get a healer!" She exclaimed.

"No...! Just... it'll pass... just... stay here... please..." Rhajat forced out.

"...Alright." Corrin ran to Rhajat's side and bent down next to her. Upon closer inspection, she noticed Rhajat was crying. "It's okay... it'll be okay... I'm here."

The pain soon subsided, leaving the two in silence. Corrin was the first to speak up. "May I ask what happened?"

"...I... I can't really explain it. I'm sorry..." Rhajat apologized.

"Hey, it's fine. I wanted to ask you something, but this clearly isn't a good time." Corrin explained.

Rhajat sighed. "I... I don't know what to do. What is happening? I've got all this pressure on my back now, and I have no idea what to do about it and...!" Before she knew it, she was crying again. "Dammit... sorry it just slipped out." She wiped her tears away.

"Don't apologize, please." Corrin reassured her. "You're allowed to feel bad. You're allowed to need support. There's nothing wrong with it."

"...Thanks." Rhajat said softly. Corrin leaned in and gave Rhajat a hug. Normally Rhajat hated things like this, but she could tolerate it from Corrin. She didn't hug her back, but she didn't seem like she wanted Corrin to let go either. The two girls sat together for a while, unsure of what to say or do. What they did know is that they had each other, which was all that mattered.