The Three Houses of Hyperdimension
A Fire Emblem: Three Houses & Hyperdimension Neptunia Crossover Fan Fiction
by Derald Snyder
Episode 20: The Holy Tomb
*A few days later...*
"What did you want, Lady Rhea? Is it another mission?" Byleth asked, Sothis standing at his side.
"Not quite," Rhea shook her head. "You have been with us for quite some time now, Professor... no, Byleth. While the headmaster and others had their reservations about taking you on at the start, you have proven your loyalty to this academy and monastery again and again. As such, I believe it is now time for you to learn this monastery's deepest secret."
"Deepest secret? I thought that was the Abyss," Sothis spoke up.
"Well... there may have been some deliberate misdirection involved there," Rhea admitted. "However, what I am about to show you is known only to myself, the headmaster, and a few others. It is called the Holy Tomb, where it is said that the spirit of the first goddess of Lowee sleeps. It was there that Saint Seiros, lost to grief after her mother's death, received a revelation from the goddess to steel her resolve and oppose the King of Liberation, Nemesis."
"Waaait a minute... is this because you still think I might be the goddess' reincarnation?" Sothis inquired critically.
"Can you honestly blame her?" Byleth spoke up in an effort to head off any trouble.
"Yes. Yes I can," Sothis retorted, crossing her arms and glaring at the bishop.
"Little Sothis..." Rhea shook her head. "Didn't you say you were interested in the history of Saint Seiros? I thought you might like to see this..."
"See an underground graveyard? Really?" Sothis deadpanned. "Not to mention, it seems like an ideal spot for an ambush by those who slither, or that Flame Emperor!"
"I highly doubt it. As I said, the Holy Tomb is a closely guarded secret," Rhea countered. "That being said, if it makes you feel any better, perhaps Byleth could have some of the students accompany us, just in case."
"That doesn't sound like a bad idea," Byleth nodded. "I can invite the house leaders, and maybe a few others I feel can be trusted."
"Well, that disqualifies Hubert right away," Sothis snarked. "And probably not Bernadetta or Marianne either, they'd have a heart attack."
"Bernadetta would probably think it a good place to hide," Byleth pointed out.
"Yeah, until someone jokes about ghosts; then she'd scream her head off and run for her life," Sothis sighed. "Anyway, you're the professor, not me, so whoever you choose is fine with me..."
"I'm glad I have your approval," Byleth snarked back.
"It's settled then," Rhea agreed. "I will give you time to make your decision and have your students prepare. Come and see me when you are ready."
"We'll do that. By your leave," Byleth bowed, he and Sothis turning and departing.
*And so...*
"Professor, I feel I must again apologize for being unable to locate Edelgard," Ferdinand spoke up, walking just behind Byleth and Sothis, with Rhea ahead of them.
"I'm sure you did your best," Byleth replied.
"Well, it's her loss for not being around to come down here!" Sothis sniffed. "And Dorothea's gain to come in her stead!"
"I don't know... being stuck underground with Ferdie is not my idea of a good time," Dorothea sighed as she adjusted her hat nervously.
"Come now, this could be a fascinating history lesson if nothing else," Linhardt said.
"I'm surprised you're not sleepwalking, Linhardt!" Lysithea snarked.
"And I'm surprised that you're not freaking out about ghosts in the tomb!" Claude ribbed from behind her.
"I-I'm not s-scared of ghosts!" Lysithea shot back. "And even if they did come for us, Hilda and I would just use YOU as a decoy while we escaped!"
"Hey, don't rope me into this!" Hilda whined. "It's bad enough that I have to carry my axe all the way down here...!"
"I'm sure the professor's just being cautious," Dimitri pointed out, his lance strapped to his back. "This reminds me of when Ashe and I accompanied the professor and other house leaders down to Abyss for the first time..."
"Yeah, but we got ambushed that time too!" Ashe shook his head. "Good thing we were armed, or it wouldn't have ended well for us..."
"I only lament that I was not there to defend my lord," Dedue spoke up, carrying his axe on his shoulder.
"Please, Baltie would've known better than to kill me, unless he wanted to face my brother's wrath!" Hilda sniffed.
"Well, good for you, but what about the rest of us?" Claude half-snarked.
"Will the lot of you keep it down?!" Sothis complained. "And are we there yet? My feet are starting to get sore...!"
"It will not be much farther," Rhea assured her. Sure enough, a set of double-doors soon came into view, Rhea stopping before them, taking out a key to unlock them. "...You may want to steel your ears." With that, she slowly pushed the doors open...
(crreeeeeeaaaak) (thud!)
"Clearly the hinges need some serious oil," Sothis commented as she removed her hands from her ears, Byleth and the students following suit.
"Well, they are quite old," Rhea allowed. "Come along, everyone." And so the group followed her through the doors...
"Ugh, it smells in here!" Hilda covered her nose.
"It is quite musty in here," Linhardt nodded. "Good, that should keep me from falling asleep..." Looking around, he could make out some archaic writing on some of the many gravestones in the chamber. "Hmmm... this isn't a language I recognize."
"Eh, it probably just says 'Here Lies Steve' or something like that," Claude ribbed.
"So, are all these graves of unsung heroes from the War of Liberation?" Dimitri asked Rhea.
"Not exactly..." the bishop shook her head. "These graves predate that war... though you could say that this slaughter was a major catalyst in said war coming about..."
"Slaughter?!" Dimitri gasped.
"You mean to say that the people here were cut down with no chance to defend themselves?!" Ferdinand said with an indignant expression.
"Was it that Nemesis who did this?!" Lysithea all but demanded to know.
"Correct, Lysithea. This is the place where Nemesis slew the first goddess and all her children save Seiros, so long ago," Rhea replied, her voice cracking a little.
"Wait, what?!" Dorothea gasped. "D-did you say children? As in, plural?!"
"Wait, I thought that Seiros was the goddess Sothis' only child!" Byleth interjected. "At least, that's what Lady Blanc implied...!"
"That was because I personally requested her not to tell you," Rhea admitted. "Indeed, Seiros was not the main CPU Candidate, but simply the one most suited for combat, while the others were... more technical, or intellectual. That is one reason Seiros abdicated her position once the war was over and peace reestablished- she did not consider herself able to lead Lowee in peacetime. And she only succeeded against Nemesis due to the many human heroes who assisted her..."
"...Then it seems her story is not so different from mine," Dedue observed. "Having your entire family killed, and only surviving due to a stroke of fate..."
"Dear goddess..." Sothis grunted with her teeth gritted and head bowed. "That as... absolute JERK! How dare he?! And now 'those who slither' want to finish what he started so many years ago?! They all need to go down, HARD!"
"Sothis, calm yourself," Byleth placed a hand on the greenette's head. "For what it's worth, i agree with you, but unfocused anger's not going to get us anywhere..."
"Yeah, you gotta keep your cool, especially on the battlefield!" Ashe chimed in. "And remember, you and the professor aren't alone! We're all here to help out!"
"I concur with Ashe," Dimitri nodded. "Defeating these cultists requires that we all work together, lest they divide and conquer us."
"...You're right. It's just, I get so upset thinking about what happened here...!" Sothis shook her head.
"Then perhaps we should move on," Byleth suggested. "Was there anything else you wished to show us, Lady Rhea?"
"In this chamber at the other end," the bishop nodded. "But it's a bit small, so I'm afraid that all the students won't be able to fit in there..."
"Well, in that case, we'll just take turns," Lysithea spoke up. "The professor and Sothis can go first, and then a few of us at a time."
"Good idea. And the rest of us will stand guard, just in case," Dimitri added.
"Very good. Come along, you two," Rhea beckoned, Byleth and Sothis following her through the doorway...
But the sight beyond caused both to stop short. "This is...!" Byleth gasped.
"A throne...?!" Sothis finished, eyes almost as wide as dinner plates.
"Yes, this is the very spot where the goddess Sothis was murdered in slumber," Rhea said with a somber tone. "But why do you act so surprised?"
"I... I've seen this throne before! In my dreams!" Sothis replied in disbelief.
"Yes, I... (ahem) I mean, it looks just as she described it to me!" Byleth added. "Although, she'd said it was atop a long open flight of stairs..." He and Sothis exchanged a knowing glance.
"Truly...?" Rhea turned to face them, surprise and confusion etched on her face. "Tell me, little one, do you remember anything else from that dream...?"
"Uh... not much, really," Sothis shook her head. "Obviously, I was sitting on said throne and... I think I was talking with Byleth about something. I don't remember what, though... I thought maybe it was just a result of supper not agreeing with my stomach, or something."
"I see..." Rhea nodded thoughtfully. "Well, in that case, would you like to try sitting on this throne? perhaps you'll receive a revelation from the first goddess, just as Saint Seiros did so long ago..."
"Eh, I dunno..." Sothis hesitated, looking up at Byleth for guidance.
"Oh, come now, it's just a throne. There shouldn't be any harm sitting on it, right?" the professor pointed out.
"...I suppose. Fine, just this once," Sothis caved, walking up to said throne and climbing up onto it, turning and shifting to get comfortable... "Clearly this is meant for an adult to sit on..."
"...Well? Do you sense anything?" Rhea asked, looking on hopefully.
"...Nope. Not a thing," Sothis shrugged, leaning on the throne's right armrest. "Though I must admit, this is surprisingly comfortable..."
"Makes me wish I'd brought a camera," Byleth said with a slight smile. "We'll give it another minute, just in case..."
"Professor!" Dimitri suddenly appeared in the doorway. "Enemy soldiers coming through a secret passageway! They're armed!"
"What?!" Rhea gasped. "But that's..."
"Precisely why I brought Dimitri and the others with us!" Byleth said as he pulled out the Sword of the Creator.
"Hey, they're robbing the grave sites!" Linhardt's voice was heard, a wind spell being cast a moment later.
"No...!" Rhea said in horror with her hands over her mouth. "Byleth, you and the others must stop them, at all costs!"
"We will. Sothis, you stay in here with Lady Rhea! Let's go, Dimitri!"
"Right, Professor!" the blond man nodded as he pulled out his lance, the two promptly exiting to help the other students. But a minute later another figure teleported into the chamber!
"YOU!" Sothis cried in shock and fear. "You're that Flame Emperor! So you're behind this!" She jumped off the throne and hid herself behind Rhea.
"So we finally meet, bishop," the masked villain greeted. "I would rather not spill your blood on this hallowed place, so hand over the girl and no harm will come to you..."
"Vile sinner...!" Rhea hissed, her expression turning furious. "If you think that I'm helpless, you are sorely mistaken!" She held out her right hand, 1s and 0s flowing around it before extending and digitizing into a jagged white sword, which looked pixelated at first before changing to a real weapon.
The Flame Emperor simply shook their head at seeing this. "I have no time to give you the proper instruction, bishop."
"I have had the proper instruction since I was a child!" Rhea shot back, gripping her sword with both hands and taking a ready stance. "I was a warrior long before I was a priestess!"
(That posture... clearly one of an experienced swordswoman,) the Flame Emperor observed. Raising up their axe, the villain spoke, "Well, it seems that I stand corrected... very well, then. Let us see if you've gotten rusty..."
To be continued...