"For the crimes against the Church of Seiros, you of the Western Church shall be judged." Seteth intoned, glaring at the white clad men, who quaked beneath the eyes of just about everyone in the room.
Byleth was just one of them, standing next to Dimitri. Though, her glare was even harsher than the others, to the point that when one of the traitors locked eyes with her while he was frantically looking around, the man visibly flinched back.
Truth be told, Byleth couldn't focus too much on the proceedings, even as Rhea listed off the crimes of the Western Church. She was too busy trying to stave off the massive migraine that had been pounding in her skull.
It certainly didn't help that, apparently, the two other voices in her head had the same problem. Sothis hadn't stopped groaning that it was impossible that someone with no physical body could feel pain. Meanwhile, though he was quiet, the sheer annoyance that filtered through her head from the Archer was only exacerbating the migraine.
It had all started when Byleth had handed over the sword that had been found in Seiros' supposed tomb to Seteth. The moment that the blade had been placed back inside, her head started pounding. It started off as nothing more than a nuisance, with her thinking that maybe she had a concussion.
It was, unfortunately, not the case, when she had been checked out by multiple healers.
Since then, the migraine became worse and worse. She was just about ready to collapse and puke when Dimitri placed a hand on her shoulder.
Byleth slowly turned towards him, being careful not to move too fast. Any sudden movements just made the pain worse. That being said, she couldn't help but grimace as her eyes caught sight of a particularly bright spot of sunlight.
"GAH! Make it stooooop!"
'Sothis, please. You're making my head hurt the more you yell.'
"Professor, are you feeling alright?" The prince was looking at her with no small amount of concern, and while Dedue tried to hide it, Byleth could see him doing the same. With a small nod, she tried to reassure them.
"I'm fine."
It backfired immediately. Just talking out loud made things even worse. The vibrations caused by her own voice, that is. This was clearly not missed by either of the Blue Lions present, with only the two's adherence to the unsaid rules stopping them.
"-for the Goddess' salvation. Knights, take these men away."
"You! Tyrant! The Goddess will never forg-" The man's words were cut off as his eyes met that of Byleth's. Or rather, met her glare and saw the sword on her hip already poised to be drawn. The Western Church member gulped and was shoved forward by the knights behind them. They were guided out, refusing to look back to the blue haired woman.
With a sigh of relief, Byleth turned to head out, determined to lie down and sleep till she was dead. Just as she did though, Rhea spoke up.
"Just a moment, Professor. I wish to speak with you regarding some important matters."
The only reason Byleth didn't groan out loud was that it would make her head rattle even worse. She must've not hidden her frustration that well, as Rhea's normally calm smile became a tad embarrassed. Byleth could have done without the annoyed glance from Seteth.
"What do you need?" Her tone was harsher than normal. Byleth made a mental note to mentally note down that she needed to apologize to the green haired woman. She certainly didn't do anything other than catch the swordswoman at a bad time.
"First off, Seteth, if you would?" Glancing towards him, Rhea gestured for Seteth. With a sigh, the man handed over a large package to Byleth. If the embroidered wrapping, intricate braiding and all around reverence that Seteth displayed didn't clue her in to what it was, Rhea's next words sure did.
"For the time being, I shall entrust to you the Sword of the Creator."
The Sword of the Creator. She hadn't gotten the name before she handed it over to Seteth, so at least she knew now. There was no way a sword like that would be left nameless. That being said, why were they handing it back to her when they'd worked so hard to keep it in the mausoleum in the first place?
Unwrapping the cloth, the moment her hand touched the handle of the intricate weapon, her head cleared. Two sighs of relief, one from her and another from Sothis, as the pain disappeared altogether. Similarly, the pressure from the Archer disappeared entirely.
"Lady Rhea, I must say that I am still opposed to this decision." Even as he handed the sword over, Seteth couldn't keep a straight face. Understandable, in this case, "No matter the qualifications, the Sword of the Creator should be kept safe here, not out in the open!"
"I understand your concerns, Seteth," Rhea said, her voice soft yet firm. "But the Sword of the Creator chooses its wielder. Byleth has proven herself time and again. It is only fitting that she be entrusted with it."
"I'm sorry." Byleth interrupted the argument, the entire thing obvious to all that were watching that this was a conversation that the two already had, "But I am still lost as to the reason what this sword is, and why you're giving it to me."
Those in the audience chamber glanced at each other, before Rhea gave a slight laugh, "Ah, I forget that you've lived life outside of the Church's teachings. Very well, I shall explain it to you."
Clasping her hands together, Rhea continued, "Over a thousand years ago, there lived a king by the name of Nemesis. When wicked gods attacked Fodlan, Nemsis rose up against them, and the Goddess is said to have aided him by sending the Sword of the Creator. With its power, Nemesis beat back the darkness. He became known as the King of Liberation for his heroism."
Rhea gave a sigh, tinged with melancholy, "Alas, as is the case throughout much of history, Nemesis became more and more consumed by the power the Sword gave him. He ravaged the very land he protected with war, until Saint Seiros, the founder of our Church, was forced to destroy him. After the battle, she took the Sword, and the Church sealed it away, with us periodically checking for wielders. None were ever found. Until now, that is."
"Then why me?" The question was obvious. Byleth was no believer in the Church. To have a literal holy artifact of a religion she didn't even believe in was the height of insanity.
"We don't know." Shaking her head, Rhea continued to smile at her, "Regardless, the Sword of the Creator has chosen you. I have complete faith in you, Professor, that the darkness that consumed the King of Liberation will not come to consume you."
…
After all of that, and some of Seteth's protests (all of which were understandable), Byleth made her way out of the chamber alongside Dimitri and Dedue. The two had been quiet for the proceedings, not wanting to draw more unwarranted attention.
Now that they were out of there though, Dimitri gave her a wide smile, "To think that the Professor would be given the privilege to wield the Sword of the Creator!"
Even the stoic Dedue gave a ghost of a smile, "Indeed, it is an honor."
Byleth managed a small smile in return, despite the lingering tension in her body. She appreciated their support, even if the whole situation was overwhelming. The sword hummed gently in her grip, almost as if it was trying to reassure her.
"It's a lot to take in," she admitted, glancing down at the Sword of the Creator. "I just hope I can live up to the expectations."
Dimitri's expression turned serious, his eyes filled with determination. "You will, Professor. I have no doubt about that. Now, please, the others are likely waiting for us to tell them what happened."
They made their way towards where the rest of the Blue Lions were waiting, with the Prince informing them of what exactly transpired. Unknown to them, Byleth was barely listening, too busy with another conversation in her head.
"No matter how much of an 'honor' it may be, it is suspicious that the Archbishop would be so willing to hand over the Sword of the Creator to a relative unknown like that." Sothis hummed with an air of suspicion in Byleth's head. The Professor had to agree. Not only that, but the moment that she had touched it, something had happened to clear her head almost immediately.
Rhea knew something about Byleth's connection to the Sword, one that she didn't know about herself.
"It's something to do with your soul, believe it or not." Both Sothis and Byleth startled at the sudden bit of communication from the Archer.
"Oh? Like he would know anything about that in the first place." Sothis grumbled in annoyance, prompting the Archer to snort.
"Yes, actually, I do."
"First time for everything-wait a minute! You can hear me?!" Byleth had to blink to process the fact that, yes, the Archer had replied to Sothis without the blue haired woman having to act as their messenger.
"Ever since Byleth touched that damn Sword, yes."
"Then why didn't you say anything earlier?!"
"You weren't exactly in the right state of mind for conversation, were you?"
'Both of you, enough.' Byleth interrupted before the two of them got any further. Outwardly, she nodded along as Dimitri explained the politics behind the Western and Central Church's. Had she not been invested in another conversation, it would have been a topic she'd have listened to much more intently.
Unfortunately, it seemed that the Archer talking in her head had some answers of his own.
A distinct scoff from said Archer was maybe close to tipping her over the edge, however.
'What do you know about the Sword?' Frankly, she just wanted to know about why it cured their migraines, and the effects of leaving it somewhere.
"To put it bluntly, not much. That thing is a Divine Construct, if only because it was made from the corpse of a God." His words caused her to grip onto the weapon tightly. She made an effort not to whip her head towards it in shock.
"Normally, a Divine Construct would be the creation of a Divine Being in its entirety. This, however, was still made by human hands. It's teetering on the edge of being a true Divine Construct and a regular Mystic Code. The only reason why I'm classifying it as such is due to the sheer amount of Divinity still in it, blocking me from Tracing it fully. Ergo, I can't find what God specifically was made from."
The few times that she and the Archer spoke to each other, the man would almost always have a tired, annoyed, and all around grating personality. He was looking for reactions, it felt at times. To annoy them, to make them angry.
This time, there was none of it.
The moment he started talking about the Sword, he sounded almost entranced. He sounded almost like a decent human being, unlike the aloofness that he usually displayed. And going by the stunned silence from Sothis, the green haired girl was likely thinking the same.
"As for what I meant with your soul," The Archer continued, unaware of her thoughts, it seemed, "I can't be entirely sure, but I believe it was reacting to the Sword's lack of presence within your vicinity. Almost like a child crying for its mother, if that makes sense."
'But I've never had this happen before. If what you say is correct, then I should have felt that well before touching the Sword.'
A grunt, not one of annoyance, but one of thinking, "No, I don't believe that would have been the case. Picture it like this: a man born blind will never know the pain of lacking the ability to see colour. He has no reference after all, and would live his life in blissful ignorance. Conversely, take a man whose eyesight was taken from him. He will always know that something is missing, and would lament the loss of his vision for the rest of his life.
"Your soul was similar to the first man. It never knew what it was like to have a part of it that was missing since its birth. Not until you held that Sword in your hand. Then, it became the second man, akin to having a part of it torn away. Not entirely though, which I hypothesize is the reason I could still hear this 'Sothis' despite you not having the Sword on you at the time."
'You seem strangely knowledgeable about this topic.'
That was the wrong thing to say, as the Archer immediately clammed up.
"...Do not under any circumstance, lose that Sword."
And that was that. The Archer's presence within her head disappeared. The connection was undoubtedly still there, only the man refused to speak any more.
With an inward sigh, Byleth turned her attention to the Blue Lions. She'll have to unpack the idea that a Sword made from a God's corpse having a link to her soul in the privacy of her own room.
…
Commissioned by: FireRogueWolf25
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: FireRogueWolf25, brutalcrab and Tassimo.