"Intriguing."
"Intriguing?! That's all he says? Why I never!"
"Hmm. Judging by your reaction, she's currently speaking, but I cannot hear anything she's saying, nor can I sense anyone other than yourself."
Now wasn't that a scary thought. That the now-talking-in-her-head Archer could sense her. How he did it, she didn't have an answer. Neither did Sothis, who apparently the Archer couldn't hear.
"No sign of brain damage, though the prolonged silences could be a symptom there."
"Byleth, are you seriously going to let this man speak to you like this?!"
It had been a couple of hours since the mock battle, and to Byleth's delight, the Blue Lions had won, though not without any issues. With two other people talking in her head, one of which was being condescending, while the other was screaming bloody murder, she had had some serious lapses in her strategy.
Thankfully, they had managed to pull through without any casualties, and she and the rest of the Blue Lions had celebrated their victory soon after.
If only that victory could shut the two foreigners in her head up.
'Why is it that you can talk in my mind, Archer?'
"Immediately going for that, hm?" She could see the mocking smirk on his face in her mind, "It's part of the contract you accepted. Or did you already forget?"
"Contract…Wait, that thing in the forest! A forced contract like that, without any conscious thought from one of the parties, is heinous!" Sothis continued to shout, "Byleth, I would request that you terminate the contract as soon as possible. There's no telling what this, this heathen wants to do with it!"
"To think that a fully sentient Goddess Core would exist, you truly are much more interesting than meets the eye."
'Goddess core?' Byleth furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, 'What do you mean?' She absently noted that Sothis herself had gone silent, curiosity obvious to anyone that could listen.
"I've no personal experience, I hardly am a Goddess, now am I?" There was a scathing, mocking tone that grated at Byleth's gears, "But to answer your question, a Goddess Core is the spiritual center of a Goddess. Think of it as a heart."
'But…' Byleth frowned as the implications of what the Archer was saying started to form in her head, 'I'm not a Goddess.'
"No, you are not. You're nothing more than a fleshy body for that Goddess Core, I suppose." The words were cold, taunting. It took a moment for the true meaning of the words to fill in. And when they did, his tone was all the more infuriating.
He was implying that she wasn't her own person. That all she was was an extension of Sothis, one that was made to be inhabited by the supposed Goddess. Speaking of which -
"I don't know what this brute is on about." The sheer amount of surety in Sothis' voice was thicker than the mocking in the dark skinned Archer, "I assure you, Byleth, that if I were a Goddess, I would've struck down this man in an instant. That he has the nerve to say all of this to you more than deserves that!"
For a moment, the former mercenary calmed down. If what the Archer said was true, then Sothis wouldn't have been here in the first place. A Goddess wouldn't be trapped inside a normal, everyday human like herself.
She said so as much to the Archer, who just laughed his mocking laugh, as if he knew more than her.
"Suit yourself, girl. Just make it entertaining when you realize the truth."
Their little dynamic continued on for the better part of a few months. Byleth had gotten used to it, or as used to two people in her head talking to her. Or, in Sothis' case, having a one-sided argument with Archer.
It hadn't been easy. Archer, knowing that he wasn't the one that had to deal with it, would make as many off-hand comments, subtly insulting Sothis at every turn.
Byleth had more than once been forced to be the mediator between the two, mostly for Sothis as Archer was an unrepentant asshole. Thankfully, the man hadn't mentioned anything about the Goddess Core again. She was sure that Sothis would go into more of a rant than she already did.
This was all going on during the teaching she'd been doing. It had been a trial in patience that Byleth doubted anyone else could've endured for as long as she did.
Currently, she and the Blue Lions were on their designated rest day. They had just finished a raid on some bandits in the, strangely familiar, Red Canyon. The same bandits that had initially attacked them all those months ago. This time though, without their leader, they hadn't been much of a threat.
Now, she was dealing with the fallout of her students' first real battle.
PTSD, as Archer had (surprisingly) told them, was not a joke. The act of taking a life, while to the dark skinned man was no issue, even he could understand that it wasn't for everyone.
The Blue Lions had taken it hard. Dimitri and Dedue were the exceptions, and they had taken to counseling the others that had joined them. All under the confusing presence of the Archer.
The residents of Garreg Mach hadn't paid much attention to the Archer after the first few weeks. He hadn't been seen in a while, after all. But then, occasionally, he would be seen walking around, smirking at some random student, before disappearing once more.
Some thought him a ghost.
Byleth had asked him about it, but the Archer didn't elaborate. She only started to know more when she asked Rhea and Seteth about it.
Apparently, the man had been going around and 'protecting' Garreg Mach. She could say that only in the loosest meaning of the word, since he had been going around on a near murder spree.
Bandits that had thought themselves safe would be raided mercilessly, and in one instance, the one time that the Knights of Seiros managed to find a site before carrions had picked it free, there were barely even bodies left.
And that was after the Archer got his 'proof' of his kills. Usually in the form of his victim's ears.
Byleth didn't want to imagine the sight of that, not after seeing the disgust in Seteth's scowl.
She, naturally, interrogated him about it.
He didn't deny any of it. He even laughed in her face about it. He told her that he was just doing his job, cleaning the trash that might harm his Master.
Never before, but a lot more after, did Sothis shout so loudly that the contract should be severed. And in that moment, Byleth agreed with her fully.
This wasn't the work of some normal person. She herself was a mercenary, used to the gruesome part that often came with hauling corpses.
She'd never thought of outright mutilating them just for so-called proof.
And yet, a small, tiny part of her protested. The part that was grateful for the assistance. That those bandits had it coming, that their deaths had inevitably saved dozens of innocent lives.
A small part of her that thought, unironically, the man that laughed at her face was nothing less than a hero.
It was a part that she vehemently squashed down.
She'd rather deal with more pressing matters. Which was why when Rhea had tasked her and the students with bandit extermination, it led to this.
She didn't regret it. She would rather deal with a dozen more missions if it meant not thinking about the paradoxical Archer's actions.
A scream cut off her train of thought. It was a scream that was sadly familiar to her. This wasn't the first time that one of her students had screamed in frustration.
As she started to walk towards Ashe, she spotted Dimitri doing the same. She stopped as she nodded towards him, a determined expression plastered on the blond's face. She watched as the man started to talk to the gray haired boy.
She couldn't be any prouder.
The students here were green - this was their first, real battle. The first battle where they'd had to take lives. She knew that it wasn't easy for them, that the first time taking a life, even in the defense of those you cared about, was always the most difficult thing you could possibly do.
Dimitri had taken that as a challenge. The man, alongside Dedue, held their heads up high, their expressions hardened in a way that was reminiscent of some of the mercenaries that Byleth had worked with.
They had killed before. They knew the horror that the students had to be feeling. They knew the best words that could help their fellow students.
It was at times like these that she saw just how they had grown over the relatively short time she'd taught them.
They say that one's true character shows at the time of true need. And she could see that, beyond anything else, Dimitri would be a good leader when the time comes.
"Professor?"
She turned to spot Edelgard approaching them cautiously. She had probably known what was going on and had decided to lower her voice to barely a whisper. Nonetheless, Byleth had heard her.
"Lady Rhea wants to speak to you." Byleth nodded wordlessly. She didn't dare speak, not trusting her voice to not be overly loud.
With one last glance at the prince and his future subjects, Byleth silently walked away.
"Welcome back, Professor." Rhea gave a smile that would not be out of place on a mother, "I trust that things have been taken care of?"
"They have." Byleth spoke in her usual way, as straightforward as possible. She'd come to respect Rhea, in spite of Jerald's warnings.
Rhea nodded approvingly. "I am glad to hear that. The bandits have been a persistent nuisance, and it is essential that we maintain the safety of the monastery and its surroundings. Regardless of what they may have done, I pray that their souls find rest."
Byleth was quiet as she watched Rhea clasp her hands for a moment, words spilling out. They didn't mean much to the professor, not being religious enough to know the significance, but she had enough respect to let the older woman finish.
After what seemed like a minute or so, Rhea once more turned her gaze onto Byleth, "My sincerest gratitude, Professor. Now please, did you perhaps find the reason why those bandits targeted our students?"
Byleth frowned at that. The bandits, leaderless as they were, had no form of cohesion. They didn't have any structure beyond 'attack the enemy'. She hadn't managed to glean any significant information from them either.
It was likely that the 'why' was only known to the bandit leader. The same bandit leader that had been killed by none other than the Archer. She said as much to Rhea, who sighed in understanding.
"Then we must keep an eye out for situations like these, I suppose." Rhea nodded to herself, "Until such a time, I implore you to aid the students in whatever way possible."
"Understood." Byleth was planning on doing so regardless of whatever Rhea said anyway. It was relieving to know, though, that the woman already had her worries set on the students.
"By the way, how was your time in Zanado?" The change in topics was abrupt, a thought that must've been visible on her face, as Rhea chuckled softly, "Oh, apologies. The Red Canyon is an important place for the Church. Legend has it that a Goddess graced the canyon with her presence in ancient times. While we can never truly confirm the stories, our Church still holds Zanado in high regard due to them."
"A Goddess?" Sothis was frowning from the tone in her voice. Byleth was too. Memories of a certain Archer's words came back unbidden. She was tempted to repeat Sothis' words, curiosity clawing at the edge of her mind.
"I…didn't know." She held back the curiosity, as difficult as it was.
"I see." Rhea looked disappointed, "I suppose it should be given, considering everything. Nevertheless, I hope that your stay here in Garreg Mach emboldens your devotion to Seiros."
"Lady Rhea, I hate to interrupt, but an urgent matter needs to be discussed post haste." Any further conversation was interrupted as Seteth came walking in, a hint of urgency in his step. Rhea smiled apologetically at Byleth, who took it with as much grace as she could, despite the worry that had started creeping up in her.
"Zanado…I have no memory of that place, and yet, do you remember what I said when we were there, Byleth?"
She did. In between combat, Sothis had remarked about how the place felt familiar. It was a case that Byleth didn't pay much attention to. She herself had had some instances where she felt she had done something already, as did many others. She had assumed that it was a similar feeling to what was happening to Sothis.
"Who am I, really? I share the name with that Goddess of theirs…Was the brute right? That I'm some sort of Goddess Core? That I'm just some thing using you?"
Byleth grimaced as Sothis brought her thoughts to light. She didn't have an answer, neither of them did.
"I…" The professor had never heard the girl sound so defeated before, "I refuse to believe that. You're alive, Byleth. I'm alive. I can think for myself, just as you can." She sounded like she was trying to make herself believe it more than anyone else.
"Please, give me some time to think about this. I…I just need some time." Byleth gave a wordless hum of confirmation, before one last thought came through, one that the former mercenary agreed with wholeheartedly.
"That damned Archer."
No more words needed to be said. The Archer had answers, answers that he had avoided giving. No more. Byleth needed to know. Sothis needed to know.
Even if it was a pain in the ass, she would wring those answers from him, contract or no.
Commissioned by: Oliver vasquez
A/N: If you like what I do and want to support me, check out my P-atreon at P-atreon•com(slash)Almistyor.
And a special thanks to: Oliver vazquez, brutalcrab and Tassimo.