Flayn had been missing for quite a while. Rhajat's interactions with the girl had been very limited, she only spoke to her once or twice. However, she was quite saddened to find out she had been missing. She'd hate for something to have happened to her. While she was on her search for Flayn, she came across Edelgard. She hadn't really had a one on one conversation with the girl in a while, and ever since she had learned more about crests and how they're treated in Fodlan, she's wanted to talk to Edelgard. She figured Edelgard at the very least had an opinion whether good or bad considering she brought it up to her.

"You." Rhajat said.

Edelgard turned around and spotted her classmate. "Ah. Rhajat. Did you need something?"

"You... asked me about crests once." She began. "I wanted to know more about them."

The princess looked a bit taken aback. There was an emotion in her eyes that Rhajat couldn't place. "Huh. I didn't expect you to take an interest in them."

Rhajat shrugged. "After seeing what happened to Miklan, I wanted to understand why it had to happen." If it was just about power, Rhajat wouldn't mind getting one herself. However, she wasn't sure if it was possible. Not to mention, she felt that it'd cause more harm than good.

Edelgard paused. She then looked into Rhajat's eyes. Once again, Rhajat couldn't read the emotion. Something she could tell at least was that this was important to her.

"Crests... are rather important to our society as blessings from the Goddess. At least, that's what they say..." Edelgard began. "Crests give power and authority to people, allowing them to use hero's relics or having more powerful magic. Leaving those without them as inferior in the eyes of many. People will do just about anything to get their hands on them."

Rhajat raised an eyebrow. "Anything? Aren't they only passed down through bloodlines?"

Edelgard nodded. "Indeed. Stories of those with crests being forced into relationships with the crestless just to get a crest bearing child aren't uncommon." Edelgard looked downward. For just a few moments, she showed vulnerability in her facial expression. Rhajat wondered if Edelgard or her parents had experienced that.

"All that for power and authority?" Rhajat asked. She couldn't completely understand.

"It's..." Edelgard sighed. "It's not necessary. The cruelty we find in Fodlan is because of them, yet no one seems to care. People are being hurt every day over these crests, yet their importance is unchanged. You saw it yourself with Miklan."

"Yeah..." Rhajat was a bit surprised how people in Fodlan seemed so quick to discard their humanity for crests. "Do you think that will ever change?"

"...Yes. It has to." Edelgard said with confidence.

"How optimistic of you." Rhajat snarked.

Edelgard shrugged. "We all have our dreams. And a Fodlan where people are judged not by something like crests is mine. Where people fall or rise based on their own merits."

"It's not a bad dream honestly. I hope you're right." Rhajat reassured. "In a world like that, I imagine even the commoners would benefit. They'd be seen as just as valuable as the nobility."

Edelgard looked thoughtful for a few seconds. She seemed to be trying to figure out what to say. "Perhaps I misjudged you, Rhajat. I didn't expect you to understand my vision."

Rhajat folded her arms and raised her eyebrow. "I'm not an idiot, nothing about this seems complicated." She was more confused than offended.

Edelgard couldn't help but laugh. "You'd think so, but if it were so simple... Fodlan wouldn't be the way it is." Edelgard then sighed. "If the nation was like that... life would be a lot easier for all... Regardless... I hope I could answer your question."

Rhajat's arms fell and she smiled. "You did. Thank you."

"No, thank you for listening." Edelgard couldn't help but smile softly as well. Her smile faded though, seemingly going back to being lost in thought.

"Something wrong?" Rhajat asked.

Edelgard didn't answer initially. She shook her head and her soft smile returned. "Don't worry about it."

Rhajat tilted her head. "Hm. Well either way, we should get back to searching for Flayn."

Edelgard nodded. "Right. I'll see you around."

Rhajat walked away leaving Edelgard by herself. She started frowning. "Is she really not connected to Rhea...?" She seemed to understand her vision, which she found so odd if Rhajat was related to the archbishop. She wondered if the two were estranged somehow, but there didn't seem to be any ill will between them. She supposed it'd be something she'd have to think more about. Edelgard didn't think Rhajat was a threat, even if Hubert did.

"Perhaps...?" Edelgard immediately dismissed the thought. She knew she couldn't expect anyone to side with her. She understood what she was doing would ostracize her from her friends. Hubert was her only true ally as far as she was concerned. While she had other friends, she couldn't expect them to stand by her. She knew the two of them were on their own. She didn't even know Rhajat that well, but the idea that someone, anyone understood what needed to be done got her hopes up a bit. Not to mention she was competent. She also knew however that Rhajat agreeing with her vision didn't mean that she'd agree with her methods. She mentally smacked herself for being hopeful.

Meanwhile, Rhajat was still looking for Seteth's missing sister, completely unaware of the storm that was going on in Edelgard's heart. She knew that Edelgard was carrying something, but she couldn't put her hand on what.

"I hope she'll be okay..." Azura said, picking up on it too.

Rhajat shrugged. "I guess. Either way, it's not our concern."

"We should focus on Flayn for the time being I suppose anyway." Azura replied changing the subject. "Can you not create a hex of some sort to find her?"

Rhajat shook her head. "I don't really know her well enough, nor do I have anything from her that I could use to locate her."

"I guess we'll have to stay on foot then..."

"What a pain... No time to rest though..."

...

"Meet us in 10 minutes!"

Corrin's words rattled around in Byleth's mind. She doubted it had anything to do with Flayn. If it did, she figured she wouldn't have asked her to wait. However, she wasn't sure what else she could want her for. She ran the possibilities through her mind, but kept coming up blank. She heard a sigh in her mind.

"Is something wrong Sothis?" She asked.

Sothis shook her head with her hands on her hips. Byleth didn't see it, but she could feel it. "You're so foolish..."

Byleth folded her arms. "How so? Am I missing something?"

"You'll see."

Byleth shrugged her companion's vagueness off and continued her way to the classroom. She didn't think it was anything bad. She figured Corrin wouldn't trick her into coming into trouble. She trusted her students in general to not do anything to bring her harm. Again at least.

She finally made it to the classroom, only to find nothing out of the ordinary. She walked inside wondering if there was something she couldn't see.

"Surprise!"

Byleth watched as her students and her Father popped into existence seemingly from nowhere. Sothis reacted more strongly than her with a gasp, but Byleth remained as stoic as ever.

Asugi pouted. "No reaction...?" He said with disappointment

Jeralt started chuckling. "I told you. She's got nerves of steel."

Byleth continued to stare at them. "That was no doubt surprising but... why?"

"...Did we get the date wrong?" Caeldori asked.

Jeralt shook his head. "No, it's today no doubt. Kid, did you forget your birthday?"

"...Yes." With all the things going on like Flayn's disappearance, it completely slipped her mind.

"Oh wow." Corrin said, a bit surprised. It was a bit hard for her to forget her own birthday given who her guardian was. "Well either way, we should celebrate our great professor!"

"Did you know Sothis?" Byleth asked the girl in her head.

"Of course, we share the same birthday after all. Did you forget that too?"

Byleth rubbed the back of her head.

"I'd be more offended if it wasn't for the fact that Flayn's disappearance worries me too. I hope she's okay..."

"Professor? You look a bit spaced out. Something wrong?" Forrest asked.

"Oh no, apologies. Thank you all for remembering." Byleth said.

Corrin walked up to her teacher. "Sorry we didn't call you sooner, we wanted to make sure Rhajat could get that invisibility hex working."

Byleth looked towards her, but Rhajat looked away with a blush.

"Corrin asked me to so..."

"Huh? This was your idea Rhajat, what are you talking about?" Shiro said with a bit of a smirk and a fold of the arms.

Rhajat looked downwards even more flustered. "Do you ever stop talking?"

"Nope!" Shiro snarked with a flick of his nose.

"Thank you Rhajat. That made things even more fun." Byleth told the leader of the house.

"Don't worry about it..." Rhajat said with a small smile in spite of her red cheeks. "Anyway... here. We got you a present." She walked up to Byleth and opened her hands. Inside was a gray necklace. Rhajat's blush deepened and opened it up before putting it on Byleth's neck.

Corrin made an odd facial expression in response, but quickly pushed it aside. Her chest ached a bit, but she pushed that emotion away as well. Forrest seemed to have noticed, but didn't say anything.

"Sorry to invade your personal space... I just... really wanted to show my appreciation." Rhajat explained.

"No, I don't mind at all." Byleth replied. "It's beautiful."

"That's good to hear." Rhajat said with a nod. "Also... take this." Rhajat reached into her pocket and pulled out a letter. "Don't read it until you're alone."

Byleth blinked, a bit confused. "Got it."

Corrin coughed, not really thinking. This drew attention to her, making her blush. "Um, so let's get this party started huh?"

"You said it Corrin!" Selkie yelled.

"Alright then, I know we're all worried about Flayn, but we've gotta take breaks. Let's have some fun." Caeldori announced.

Velouria had been holding the cake the whole time, which she was glad to finally put down. "About time..." she mumbled. She opened it up, and the smell quickly spread throughout the room. Asugi started drooling a bit, prompting Shiro to roll his eyes.

"Man, I love birthdays!" Asugi said while rubbing his hands together. "I can't wait for mine! The cake is gonna be huge!"

Caeldori patted him on the back while shaking her head.

"Come Byleth, enjoy our date of birth!" Sothis exclaimed in her head.

Everyone had a great time talking and eating cake. They weren't sure what Byleth would like, so they got a variety of foods from the cafeteria. What they didn't expect was Byleth getting a bit of everything. They had fish, a variety of meats, some vegetables, even some sweets besides the cake. They knew Byleth could eat a lot, but it was still surprising seeing her eat basically anything.

Rhajat leaned back against the wall, as she watched Corrin talk to the others. A bit of jealousy sparked up within her, but she knew it was unfair to keep her all to herself. As much as she wished she could. She also had to respect how sociable Corrin could be. It was just another thing to love about her in Rhajat's opinion.

As if reading her mind, Corrin turned around and smiled. She walked over to Rhajat and grabbed her hand. "What are you doing on your own? Come on!"

Rhajat blushed again, but she didn't really mind it. "If you insist..." She followed Corrin as she guided her towards Forrest.

"Hello Leader." Forrest said with a smile. "Always nice to see you."

"Thank you again for your help Rhajat." Corrin said with a gentle smile.

"You did most of the work with the baking..." Rhajat admitted. "And the hex was nothing... But thank you."

"Don't be so modest Rhajat!" Forrest softly reprimanded. "We'll get your confidence up one of these days."

Rhajat was about to rebuttal, but Corrin spoke up first. "I'd love to make Rhajat be more confident too!"

Rhajat looked away. "W-whatever you want."

Forrest couldn't help but smile. "She's so cute."

"Isn't she though?" Corrin agreed.

Rhajat wanted to snarkily ask if they were just here to embarrass her, but she couldn't bring herself to be rude to Corrin. So she sat there and accepted their barrage of love. Which she was enjoying, but she wasn't interested in admitting it.

Meanwhile, Byleth looked around the room, and noticed no one was paying attention to her. She decided there was no harm in pulling out the letter to read it.

"Happy birthday to you Professor. Thank you for everything. I hope I'll continue to grow under your tutelage."

Byleth felt her lips tugging, but before it could continue, she felt a hand on her shoulder, and looked back to notice her Father. "Hey kid. I've gotta get going."

She nodded. "Thank you for coming Jeralt."

"Anything for you." He patted her head before walking off.

It was days like this where Byleth found it hard to miss her days as a mercenary. She was happy to have met all these students who clearly cared a lot about her. She put the letter back down before someone else snuck up on her. She'd never forget the fun she had just being around people. She never thought she'd be thinking things like that. Perhaps there was more to her than just being a killing machine. She thought there had to be to have such kind students and friends. There was more to her than just being the Ashen Demon. It would always be a part of her, but she was also "Professor." A title she wore with pride.

...

After the fun day she had, Byleth figured she should rest. However, she was still a bit restless thinking about Flayn. As a result, she decided to do some searching. One place she hadn't bothered checking was Abyss. So she decided to head down there. At the very least, she hoped that someone down there may have a lead. As she descended into Abyss, she made sure she had her sword on her. Not only was she attacked the last time she was there, she also knew it could be dangerous sometimes. Not everyone there was a good person, not to mention there were people who were desperate. Regardless of intent, she doubted Yuri would be happy if she attacked anyone. She supposed she'd just have to disarm them hypothetically.

She soon wandered into the ashen wolves classroom where she found Yuri. He looked up at her and lifted his head in acknowledgement.

"Fancy seeing you here. Didn't realize you were coming today. Where are your students?"

"Looking for Flayn. I'm sure you've heard?" Byleth asked.

Yuri folded his arms in thought. "Looking for Flayn? Some knights came looking a bit ago too. I did some of my own hunting but didn't find any promising leads. I even had some of my people search for her throughout the underground...to no avail. Think about it. The monastery is some thousand years old. Who knows how many hidden passageways exist... She could be here...or anywhere, really."

"What kind of scumbag would kidnap poor Flayn?" The two turned to the sound of the voice. Hapi who had overheard them walked closer. "She must feel so scared and helpless right now. I hope she's OK..."

"That's kind of you." Byleth remarked.

Hapi shrugged. "Not really. I just know what it's like to be in that situation. I was kidnapped once, y'know... Hopefully we get her back safely."

Byleth was curious about the details of that, but she doubted Hapi would want to talk about it. Not to mention, it wasn't what she was in Abyss for. "I agree. Seteth has been a mess too."

"Hm." Hapi looked like she was lost in thought.

"Thinking about your past Hapi?" Yuri asked.

"Yeah..." Hapi admitted. "I wonder how my folks feel, if they're even alive."

"I'm sure they're worried too." Byleth reassured.

"How do you know? You don't know them." Hapi said with a neutral expression. "But... I know you're trying to make me feel better. So thanks."

"You two are... oddly similar." Yuri pointed out.

Byleth looked at Yuri silently, causing Yuri to smirk. "Didn't mean to offend."

"No... I'm more confused." Byleth corrected.

"How am I like chatterbox here?" Hapi asked.

"You're both pretty damn stoic. Your expressions are usually just blank for whatever reason."

The two looked at each other then back at Yuri. "I guess so." Hapi said with a shrug.

"Yeah, people tell me that a lot." Byleth explained.

She wasn't offended, it was true that she didn't really emote often. However as time went on, she wondered why that was. In the beginning she didn't really care about that, but the more time she spent at the officer's academy, the more it felt weird to her.

"Anyway, has no one really been able to find Flayn?" Hapi asked, still concerned.

"No, not even leads." Byleth answered.

Hapi grimaced, frustration clear on her face. "Ugh, stupid knights. Can they do anything productive? Makes me wanna sigh. Seems all they know how to do is act better than everyone else." Hapi looked over to Byleth. "You're not technically a knight, but just know that I'm not talking about you. You're fighting to protect abyss after all. Don't like your support of the church, but no one's perfect I guess."

Byleth hadn't interacted with any of the knights much besides Jeralt, so she didn't have an opinion on them as a whole. Despite that, she wasn't sure where the clear malice was coming from. She was also confused by the mention of the church. She wasn't sure what they could've possibly done to earn her ire.

"Look over her, she has her reasons." Yuri said as if reading Byleth's mind.

"What?" Hapi wondered. "I was just reassuring her that I don't hate her."

"Thank you... I think...?" Byleth wasn't entirely sure what to make of Hapi. She was blunt, but seemed well meaning at the very least. "This has been an interesting birthday..."

"Oh, it's your birthday?" Hapi asked. "Happy birthday Chatterbox."

"Ah, Happy Birthday." Yuri repeated. He was smiling softly.

"Thank you. My students made sure it was fun." Byleth said with fondness.

"Wait a minute..." Hapi began. "I know you're looking for Flayn and all, but spending your birthday here? Doesn't seem like the best place to be. You should get some rest. Enjoy the rest of your birthday in your room. Besides, it seems like you've done your time."

"True." Yuri agreed. "Say you find Flayn now. What are you gonna do? You'll be tired, as will your students. I don't think it's happening today. I'll at least keep looking and make sure my people will do the same."

"Fair enough. I guess I should just relax. Flayn's been gone for over half a moon..." Byleth lamented. "She seems like a sweet innocent girl. The idea that someone would want to hurt her is upsetting. And Seteth... he's never really trusted me, but seeing that man just so broken honestly hurts."

"I get what you mean Chatterbox. It's scary."

"We can't give up though. Until we know for sure where she is, I refuse to give up. And trust me, the dastard who kidnapped her is gonna get what's coming to them. Even if I have to do it myself." Yuri added. "You helped us out, and knowing you you'll continue to do so. At the very least, I can lend an ear."

"Right... thanks you two."

Byleth was still anxious, but those anxieties were a bit relieved. She felt they were right, so there was no need to argue. They had to find her no matter what. The next day would be a new day, and Byleth hoped it'd also be the day she'd be found.

...

"I'm telling you man. All sweets are good sweets!" Asugi exclaimed. He couldn't fathom the idea of someone being so adamant that there were bad ones.

"There are no absolutes. There's gotta be one you hate." Rhajat insisted.

"'No absolutes?' What are you a Professor?" Asugi snarked.

The two had been going back and forth for a bit. They enjoyed shooting the breeze just talking about nothing. They were less arguing and more so just talking about random topics. They had drifted over to Asugi's fascination with Candy. Rhajat was wondering if there were any sweets he wasn't into, leading to their current conversation.

"I doubt Professor Byleth would say something like that." She responded with a roll of the eyes.

"Not her specifically!" Asugi explained. "Just like, it sounds so professory. Maybe Professor Hannerman would say something like that?" He finished with a shrug.

"Maybe." Rhajat relented.

"You know you love me." He teased.

She had missed just hanging out with Asugi. Since their time at the Officer's Academy, she hadn't gotten much time to just talk with him. Asugi was one of her first friends, if not the first. He didn't judge her for her quirks or anything like that. He was just happy to be around her, and she felt the same. She did truly appreciate him, as difficult as that was for her to admit.

Rhajat rolled her eyes again. "Sure... Love is a strong word..."

"Okay, then explain why you were practically attached to my hip when we were kids." He then smirked.

Rhajat started blushing as her expression grew angry. "I was a literal child. What kind of argument is that? Aren't we talking about today?"

"I just mean, we've been through a lot together. That kinda love doesn't just vanish." He explained. They both knew how she really felt, he was just trying to see if he could get her to admit it.

"I guess we have..." Rhajat admitted. It was true that her feelings had only grown stronger over the years. Platonically at least.

"You were such a different person when we met. You were so shy, but chipper." Asugi remembered.

Rhajat smirked. "What? Do you miss that version of me?"

"Nah." Asugi said with a wave of his hand. "Just kinda funny to think about. I like the you now way more. You're cooler for one thing."

"I'll take that as a compliment." Rhajat then began to blush again. "I... guess if you can say that, I can admit that you're important to me too."

"Ha!" Asugi stood up and pointed at her. "Knew it! I win."

Rhajat sighed. "I take it back."

"Nope, no backs!" Asugi exclaimed.

Part of this act was Asugi messing with her, but the other part was that he was genuinely happy to hear it. Getting Rhajat to be open to this degree could be like pulling teeth. While he didn't mind that about her, it did make her being open about caring about people all the sweeter.

"Whatever..." Rhajat's blush returned, not to mention that she was smiling a bit. She turned her head in an attempt to hide it. Then her expression hardened. "If only I knew what I know now back then."

Asugi stopped his antics and sat back down. "What do you mean?"

"Those fools who trifled with me, I'd have them hexed now if I knew where they were. Befriending me for ulterior motives..." Asugi had Rhajat thinking about the past. Rhajat knew she wasn't a saint. She wasn't even straight about how she felt about people. However, she never argued she was best friends with someone she didn't care for. If she didn't like someone, she'd make sure they knew it.

"Yeah, that wasn't right." Asugi agreed. "I know it's hard to forget something like that. Especially when it happened when you're so young. But hey, you're in a better place now. I think that's more important than getting revenge on some jerks. Especially since they were kids who didn't really know any better."

"I guess..." Rhajat put her fist on her cheek. "Even still, I doubt I could ever forgive them." Part of her knew she was being petty, but she couldn't really stop. It still affected her deeply.

"I mean, you don't have to." Asugi reassured. "Personally I don't think anyone HAS to be forgiven. It's up to you."

Rhajat started smirking. "Oddly philosophical coming from you Asugi."

Asugi placed his fingers on his chest proudly. "I'm an intellectual you know?"

"How are those grades of yours?" Rhajat asked.

"Not the point!" Asugi rebutted. "I'm just not a good test taker!"

The two continued to talk for a while, enjoying each other's company. The amount of topics they had swapped between could potentially be hard to follow for an outsider, but made sense to the two of them. They felt they could talk about anything with each other. Over the years, there have been people who even thought they were a couple. The two had considered the idea but decided they preferred to stay as friends, and neither of them had regretted it. The idea of a bad break up ruining their friendship was a bit too painful for either of them to bear.

"...Thanks Asugi." Rhajat mumbled.

"Huh? What for?" Asugi asked.

"For... everything. Including being my friend."

"Same to you pal. I've always got your back."

It had been that way since they were kids, and it was still that way. The two of them would always protect each other, no matter how many years would pass. Rhajat would go as far as to kill for him, and Asugi appreciated the enthusiasm even if he preferred she wouldn't kill in his name. Not to mention Asugi was a bit of a hypocrite in the regard that he would do the same. Rhajat on the other hand, didn't particularly mind that. By the time the two were done with their conversation, the sun had begun to set.

"Damn... I'm tired." Asugi said with a yawn. "We gotta get back to the search tomorrow. We should both head to bed."

Rhajat nodded in agreement. "Right."

"Let's do our best."

"Yeah."

The two got up and shook hands, both of them smiling, before they headed to their corners. The next day would be another day of the search, and they needed to make sure they were ready.

...

Rhajat suddenly came to in a familiar place she only saw once before. The place where she met Azura.

"What am I doing here again...? Azura?"

No one responded. Rhajat instantly got nervous. Usually Azura was only a call away, but she was nowhere to be found.

"CHILD." A booming voice called.

Rhajat jumped and looked around quickly trying to find the source of the voice.

"YOU... WHAT ARE YOU...? I MUST KNOW."

The voice seemed to be coming from all around her.

"YOU SEEK THE YOUNG GIRL CORRECT?"

"Are... you talking about Flayn?"

"HER NAME I CARE NOT. YOU WISH TO SEE HER AGAIN CORRECT? LET US STRIKE UP A DEAL. COME TO ME. AND I WILL RELEASE HER."

Rhajat's eyes widened, then she charged a spell. "Oh suspicious voice in my head... Why should I trust you? If you stole Flayn, how am I supposed to believe that you'll let her go?"

"FOOL! I DID NOT STEAL HER AWAY. HOWEVER, I CAN FREE HER." The voice yelled.

"Raising your voice isn't helping your point." Rhajat snarked.

"HMPH. IT APPEARS DIPLOMACY IS A FOOL'S ERRAND. IF YOU DO NOT COME WITH ME, THE GIRL WILL DIE!" The voice exclaimed. "IS THAT A RISK YOU ARE WILLING TO TAKE CHILD? HER DEATH WILL BE ON YOUR HEAD."

Rhajat slowly lowered her hand. She had to admit the voice was right. She'd never forgive herself if Flayn died, and she could've prevented it. She sighed, now between a rock and a hard place. If the voice was telling the truth, Flayn would die. If the voice was lying, Rhajat would be walking into an enemy trap for no good reason.

"Azura... you can counter a god's power right...? Then hopefully you can do something against this chump. If not... Corrin... everyone... I'm sorry." She then looked upward. "Fine. Do what you will."

"EXCELLENT." The voice replied. "YOUR FRIEND WILL BE RETURNED SAFELY, AS PROMISED. SHE IS OF NO USE TO ME."

Rhajat suddenly jerked awake. She looked around the room, hoping that was a meaningless dream. However, she knew it wasn't. Suddenly, there was a flash of light, and next to her was the young Flayn. She looked at her, and smiled softly before looking away. With another flash of light, Rhajat was gone.