The Downfall

"Not one step back!"

Byleth almost felt dizzy hearing Dimitri's psychotic orders. He ran with the rest of his students at the head of an army barely clinging together under the weight of this relentless assault. They had no supplies, planning, or food, but this small farming town garrisoned by Adrestian occupiers stood no chance.

Dedue led the charge, barreling through the retreating enemy. The Blue Lions fought through the narrow paths between clustered homes. Byleth caught sight of a charging cavalier headed down their left flank. He raised a hand and gave a single gesture skyward. Ingrid dove down in a white blur. She plowed him off his horse and into the dirt. Pegasus feathers fluttered in her wake as she ascended again, leaving his gory remains behind. An archer atop the nearby roof almost had her, but Byleth returned her favor and launched the tip of his infernal sword into the foe's chest. He plummeted over the wall and landed crumpled at Byleth's feet.

"Keep formation," called Rodrigue from somewhere behind. The older knight moved with Mercedes, defending her as she cast rejuvenating magic in all directions. What few Adrestians could get past the main force were swiftly speared by him and Sylvain before they could reach the Blue Lions' crucial healer.

The end of the alleyway almost sneaked up on the group. A town square lay just ahead of their formation. Dimitri nearly ran straight out into the open but Dedue pulled him back. "I said no retreat," Dimitri cried out. He snarled and kicked as if possessed, but Dedue held firm.

"Your Highness," called Rodrigue as he ripped his lance out of a cavalier's chest. He pointed to the roof of the garrison headquarters just across the courtyard. It was the only multistory building in this whole impoverished town. A huge white banner flew off the roof in place of the usual Imperial eagle. Clusters of retreating Empire knights cleared the courtyard and rushed back to the shelter of their stronghold. Many of them had already discarded their weapons.

"They're surrendering," Rodrigue concluded. He looked to his prince with but a shred of hope. "How should we approach?"

Dimitri grinned from ear to ear. Of course, he had other plans. He aimed his savage lance, Areadbhar, at the flag. "Annette! Take out that flag!"

Rodrigue almost thought his ears deceived him. "Your Highness!?"

The redhead gulped hard and stepped forth with the usual reluctance. Enchanted flames flickered to life in her palms. She pushed her infernal hands forth and sent a fireball across the courtyard. The white flag was lit ablaze and swiftly burned to a crisp.

"Move up," demanded Dimitri. He broke from Dedue and charged. "No mercy from here to Enbarr!"

Byleth groaned inwardly as he launched himself back into a full sprint. Sensing a brutal end, the last defenders launched everything they had left. Magic flew out from the windows. Sparse arrows from the few surviving archers soared under a gray sky.

Sylvain and Rodrigue rode ahead on their horses. The defenders were almost impossible to hit from their posts on high. The pair of mounted knights barely neared the entrance when magic started to rain down around them. Byleth called them back, beckoning for cover. Ingrid was able to harass the soldiers on the roof and force them back inside, but even she was forced back by the archers. Everyone was swiftly suppressed. The building was better defended than it seemed at first glance.

Byleth made for a broken-down wall at the center of the courtyard. He vaulted over the side only to find his chosen cover already occupied. A familiar, pretty head looked up and smiled.

"Professor," greeted Yuri. "Nice of you to stop by."

Yuri was not the only one, it seemed. Not too far away, Balthus sat crouched behind piles of fallen bricks as a mage pelted his position with fireballs from on high. The grappling brute finally had enough and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Ashe! A little help, yeah!?"

A frantic voice called out from somewhere behind nearby cover. "I'm trying…!"

One by one, the rest of his students clustered around the scattered blockades and battered walls for shelter. Sylvain and Rodrigue finally gave up their charge and retreated despite Dimitri's emphatic shouts about 'not taking a single step backward.'

Ingrid landed beside Byleth and leaped off her pegasus. She landed hard on the scorched ground. "Professor," she pleaded. "Too many archers! I can't fly like this!"

"Then where's Shady Lady," Yuri shouted back. His lilac eyes skimmed the sky for the dark flier but she was nowhere to be seen.

"I don't know," called Ingrid. "I saw her retreat west!"

Rodrigue kept nearby alongside Sylvain. He heard all he needed to hear. He poked his head out of cover just long enough to spot Dedue and Dimitri. Even they had finally decided to settle behind a barrier up ahead.

"Son," Rodrigue practically begged. "You have to pull back! We can retreat to the other side and wait for reinforcements! Seteth and the main force will—"

Dimitri whipped his head around and stared daggers at Rodrigue. "I said… NOT ONE STEP BACKWARD!"

Right then and there, Dimitri lost whatever little was left of his mind. He broke from cover and charged carelessly into a downpour of arrows and magical bolts.

"Your Highness," Dedue called as he raced after his prince.

Felix leaped to his feet, shouting profanities and threats as he chased after them both. Any pretense of holding back or acting on defense evaporated right before the professor's eyes. His students chased their prince. Byleth followed as fast as he could but he failed to keep up with Dimitri's murderous ambition. The mad prince smashed through the barricaded entrance and breached the building. Dedue and Felix charged in after him. The rest filed in after them.

The interior of the stronghold lit up with the infernal flare of Dimitri's relic each time it was put to use. The halls inside filled with the screams of unprepared defenders.

By the time Byleth and the rest had caught up, the damage had already been done.

At least for the moment, everything went quiet. Byleth heard the pitter-patter of metal boots a floor above him. The defenders above scrambled to reposition themselves, knowing full well they had been breached.

Bodies littered the floors. A commotion at the end of the dingy entrance hall led Byleth and the others straight to the prince.

"Back off, already," came Felix's voice in a distant echo. "He already surrendered!"

Byleth slowed his pace. The rest of his students, and even Rodrigue, seemed to do the same, as if afraid of what they were about to walk in on. Nearest a flight of stairs, they found the problem.

The flicker of a burning scone was all that illuminated their prince as he loomed over a wounded Imperial soldier. His only usable arm, coated in his own blood, trembled as he tried to shield himself. Areadbhar was held over the faceless knight's thumping heart. All that armor would do very little for him now.

Dedue stood behind Dimitri but dared not intervene.

"Your Highness," Ingrid barked out from the back of the line. "He may have information! Show these men mercy and maybe..."

"Mercy," Dimitri almost mocked. His cobalt eyes burned with unquenchable contempt. "He can beg the Goddess for mercy!" With that, he plunged his spear into the knight's chest. Garbled words bubbled up as he choked on the blood flooding his lungs. He fell limp and quietly slipped off Dimitri's bladed spear.

Felix just threw his hands up and stormed off. Dedue turned away from the carnage but never left Dimitri's side.

The prince turned to his former classmates. His eyes first fell upon Yuri and Balthus. The pair stood far behind Byleth, but it was not enough to escape the prince's sight.

"Yuri! Round up the rest of your wolves. Head back outside and cleanse the streets of whatever scum we missed! Everyone else, with me! We'll clear this rat's nest out, room by room!"

Ultimately, everyone obeyed. Yuri and Balthus marched back outside while the Blue Lions ascended the steps. Dimitri always kept true to his word, especially in these twisted days. Room by room, man by man, none were spared. Those his allies were too squeamish to finish off, Dimitri dealt with himself, and he relished every second of it. Dimitri lazily impaled wounded along the way as if it were a chore.

His unending lust for vengeance eventually brought them all the way to the top where the last handful of Adrestians held their own. This desperate last stand counted for very little. The Blue Lions burst through their barricades and the rest was bloody history.

"Check the roof," ordered Dimitri, pointing to a flight of blood-soaked stairs at the chamber's far end.

Byleth took the time to shuffle people around. He moved Dedue back up to the front with Dimitri and let them ascend the narrow path first. The ranged troops, Mercedes, Annette, and Ashe went to the back.

The Blue Lions poured onto the roof like an azure wave. They arrived just in time to see the onset of the Church's attack. They moved far enough ahead of the Church's main force on account of Dimitri's relentlessness, but it seemed they had finally caught up.

A barrage of fireballs from the north rained down over the village. Every rooftop was lit ablaze. Magical fire whistled as it passed overhead. Each infernal bolt whistled like a howling wraith. The students spread out to secure the rooftop but their attention was increasingly drawn skyward. The whole horizon looked like it was about to catch fire.

The roof of the garrison stronghold was a mess of charred stone and bodies left behind by Ingrid's initial assault. Amid all the carnage was a lone travel bag left abandoned. The sheer size of it caught Byleth's attention. Nobody else seemed to have noticed it. He turned from the infernal skies and approached the bag with no small degree of caution.

It was just barely cracked open. A light blinked inside. A vivid spec of neon green flashed in a pulsing rhythm. Hesitantly, Byleth reached down. His fingers almost touched the lips of the bag before…

"Professor!"

Flayn finally caught up. Byleth glimpsed her as she charged up the stairs and ran to his side, panting and dripping with sweat. "Someone needs to send word to my brother," she exclaimed between exasperated gasps. "The village has already been secured enough! I fear this assault is far too excessive!"

"Who cares," came Dimitri's almost taunting voice. "These people quartered the Empire. Justice must be served!"

Felix overheard it all. The swordsman whipped around and stared daggers at his mad prince. "They didn't quarter anyone, you boar! They were being occupied!"

Before Dimitri could so much as huff, a fresh barrage of fireballs screamed across the sky and arced a little sooner than expected. A few crashed onto the roof a little too close for comfort.

"The mages are gonna burn the whole village down," shouted Ashe. He struggled to keep upright while the whole fortress shook beneath his feet.

"The attack needs to be stopped," cried Mercedes. "This is going too far!"

Dimitri eyed her with the same disdain he gave Felix. "No one intervenes unless I give the order!"

More fire crashed down around the garrison fort. Gradually, they were landing closer and closer to the Blue Lions' position.

"Everyone get inside," commanded Byleth. He left the useless luggage bag and gripped Flayn by the wrist. He could almost hear Seteth's nagging voice at the back of his head demanding her safety take top priority.

It was a mostly clear path back to the door save for a few supply crates that were lined up on the left side. Byleth saw a shadow shift from somewhere behind the crates but by the time his brain registered the threat, it was too late.

A lone, Imperial straggler draped in red and shielded by all steel armor lunged out from hiding. He stepped between the Lions and their route to shelter. His glittering silver bow was already drawn. Byleth felt the arrow whistle past him. Suddenly, Flayn's frame went limp and she collapsed against him. He heard a soft gasp. More of a squeak… A noise he had never heard her make before and suddenly he was drenched in her blood.

On instinct, Byleth shut his eyes and tapped into Sothis' power. The march of time was halted. Moments later, he could still feel the warmth of Flayn's blood. The weight of her cadaver still pressing down on him.

He opened his eyes.

The world glowed with a purple tinge. Sothis' power was indeed active but nothing changed. He held Flayn up with one arm. Her eyes were glazed and she was about to breathe her last when time was frozen in place. Frozen but it never reversed.

All the color in Byleth's face drained away. This pause in time sealed everyone in place. Dimitri and Dedue were in mid-sprint. Ingrid was stuck in place, gawking at Flayn's body. Felix was in the midst of wrestling for his sword. Mercedes held up a wand ready to throw a futile heal Flayn's way while Annette charged a fireball beside her. Ashe was reaching for an arrow. Sylvain readied his relic and Rodrigue looked on in horror.

They were like statues. Suddenly, a nagging buzz invaded Byleth's ears. He tried to follow the sound with his head. He craned his neck further and his attention fell upon the travel bag. That green light flickered more rapidly. The flashes had a pattern, but it was so fast that Byleth could not place it. The light grew brighter and brighter. It turned white.

Everything turned white…

Soft grass was the first thing Byleth felt when he finally came to. Next was the heat. It was downright scalding—something unthinkable in the perpetually crisp and bitter Fódlan. A voice he didn't recognize drew him further out of his half-slumber.

"Now, that was an entrance!"

It sounded pompous. Arrogant even. Byleth's eyes peeled open. The first thing he saw was a pale book of immaculate white leather. The cover was etched with an elaborate face that frowned at him in perpetual bemusement. The book floated in mid-air. It resembled a magical tome but Byleth could not fathom what sort of spell it was meant to conjure.

The voice came again. With each word, the book bobbed up and down as if it were the one talking.

"Care to identify yourself, traveler? I'd very much like to know the name of the man who fell from the heavens and very nearly landed on top of me!"