Chapter 134: Breaking point
"Sothis-!" Moving after the Goddess, she caught up with her quickly and could see the sudden shift was not without notice, most spotting her as she moved forth.
The Goddess in her body did not so much as look her way, instead she marched onwards and Byleth could see the rage burning in her eyes. It was a simmering green flame which looked as though it would burst out at any moment. Perhaps she should have been angered at the way Sothis stole her body from her, but it was not as though she didn't understand why the Goddess would be angry.
"Sothis." Trying again, she failed to garner a reaction. "It might be dangerous. We don't know if all the villagers are trapped yet-"
Green eyes swung upon her and she shut her mouth on pure instinct.
It was a feeling she could not quite discern.
Sothis herself said nothing, instead sending her that stone cold look before she broke away and marched forth. Moving underneath many floating bodies. Pointedly aware that Sothis should have been carted away into the air along with them, except that did not quite happen. Instead she glanced down at her own, or rather Sothis feet, and found herself dumbstruck by what she was seeing.
Her footprints were leaving indentations in the grass.
More than that, she was sure she could see the slight shake in the ground with each step taken, a muffled thudding sound as she moved forth.
Byleth moved in after her, clenching her jaw.
"You're angry." She tried again. "And if you do something now because you're angry then you're probably going to make a mistake-"
Sothis continued to ignore her as she stepped into the darkness - briefly illuminated by another flash of light - this time Byleth could turn just in time to see something move through the air at breakneck speeds and slam into the roof above their heads, cracks spread out and dust dropped down.
But by the time she looked away, she noticed Sothis moving to something else.
Then she stopped and extended out her hand without even looking, taking hold of one of the villagers by the face - a woman perhaps Byleth's own age - and then clawing her fingers around their head. Lifting them off the ground and then casually tossing them towards the illumination of the entrance.
They was cast out there and Byleth could only assume they had been flung into the same trap as before.
But that was not what she was worried about, she remembered the last time Sothis talked about being in her body.
And how much she had hated it, if she was doing this now…
She moved across, floating directly into the line of sight of the Goddess and stepping in front of her, it was enough to get her attention again.
"I can do this instead." Byleth stated. "I am better at fighting."
No, that was not what would work as an answer and she knew it, yet now she was suddenly stumbling over her tongue.
Taking a moment to centre her mind, she inhaled and then exhaled. Or at the very least, mimicked the actions as they were needed. More than enough to put her back into sword-sharp focus.
"I can handle this." Byleth said slowly. "You are angry. If you do something in anger, you might regret it later-"
Sothis walked through her.
It left Byleth stunned for a moment that the Goddess had just walked through her.
She looked right at her, dead in the eye, and then just walked through her.
Byleth spun around, reaching out and placing her hand on the shoulder-
A sharp and phantom pain ran through her fingers the moment she made contact, recoiling and glancing down at her hand. There was nothing and she wasn't sure if she had ever expected anything in the first place, but she was staring down at her trembling fingers and the oddest sensation of pain.
If it could be called pain at all.
There was just a general sense of discomfort but…
Her eyes came up and moved to the back of Sothis head, she was marching in the direction of something - someone if she squinted hard enough - and uncaring for whatever was going on around her. There was some sense of deadly focus with her.
Byleth had seen this before.
Seen it in those who went and got themselves killed because they were too angry to listen to reason.
Rushing forwards again, she swung around and walked backwards while meeting the eyes of the Goddess, or at least trying to.
Sothis was acting as if Byleth did not even exist, but she could tell she was being seen.
It was getting really frustrating how she wasn't being listened to here.
"Stop." At some point it was shifting from a demand to a plea. "Sothis. I can do this. You don't have to-"
At those words, she did stop, simmering green eyes met hers.
And suddenly they lost all the anger and just looked…tired.
"And tell me…" Sothis at last spoke. "At what point do I lift myself from the sidelines?"
No answer came to her immediately.
It was apparently all the few seconds Sothis was willing to wait as she walked past her once again, stepping around her this time, and advancing on the shape which seemed to be tied to the ground with roots. Pale skinned and in some sort of dark robe, the head turned ever so slightly to face them and glared.
Sothis reached down and took hold of them by the shoulders, pulling and tearing them away from the ground. It was not a gentle pull and she hoisted him into the air before throwing him back into the ground, or perhaps slamming would have been a better description from the way he bounced.
"Tell me, knave."
There was a coldness in Sothis' voice she had not heard before, it sounded almost detached.
She advanced and then stepped down, pressing the flat of her boot into his head before the man could rise up, pushing him back down and applying a clear level of pressure.
"Are you the one who is responsible for this barbarity?"
The man did not respond, save for a glare that was mixed with a fruitless struggle to rise.
Sothis raised a brow and then pushed a little further, earning a mild gasp of pain.
"I believe I asked you a question." She continued. "As I recall, it is the nature of humans to answer when presented with queries from the Divine, is it not?"
Byleth frowned.
She wasn't speaking like the Sothis from her head.
"Guugh-" The man spat, sneering as best he could. "I will answer nothing, beast-"
"You speak with such an odd certainty." Sothis leaned forwards, dropping her arm on the raised leg that was pressing against his temple. Clearly causing further discomfort and yet she wore an expression without feeling. Those cold green eyes bore down, betraying none of the true thoughts.
But Byleth was privy to them.
She advanced and stepped around them.
"You're going to regret doing this when we change back." She urged. "I know you will. We both do."
All it netted her was a mere side-eye as if to acknowledge she was even there.
"Sothis-"
"You can save yourself much pain if you answer me this question." Sothis spoke to the man once more. "Though your lack of a denial is starting to leave me with the impression that you are responsible."
The man spat once more, twisting and glaring.
Byleth had hoped he would not be stupid enough to speak.
She hoped in vain.
"What other use is there for beasts!?" He sneered, it bubbled into a mocking laugh as he writhed just a bit more. "I know what you are, abomination of the Fell Star! Your children are all swine! Vermin! They deserve-hguh!"
Sothis pressed down, driving his face and muffling the remainder of his words.
"You have a rather foul mouth, but if my ears do not deceive me there was a confession amidst your blithering."
She leaned back, removing her foot from the top of his head.
"I suppose that has earned you mercy."
The pale skinned man wrenched his head from the grass, then opened his mouth.
Sothis kicked him in the gut and sent him sprawling, it was a lightning fast blow that she had trouble seeing and was certain the sound like snapping branches came from the man as he spun through the air, landing and rolling several times.
"The mercy of dying by my hand."
Byleth stepped in front of her, arms raised-
Sothis walked through her once more, with a mere warning glare which conveyed the intention that she was not approving of the interruptions.
Which was good, because Byleth wasn't approving much of this either.
Because it just wasn't Sothis.
It was not that she was against killing the man, she would be fine with cutting his throat right now, but watching Sothis do this was…not something she was prepared to see.
Another blast rocked them both, she felt the reverberation and then had a vague awareness of the shockwave. If only for the cloud of dust which obscured everything, sweeping over them like a blanket and concealing everything in a shroud of dust and silhouettes.
It lasted barely longer than a few seconds before she heard Sothis draw in a sharp intake of breath and then exhale.
The cloud was blown apart, revealing the clear sight of the pale skinned man hobbling for the exit.
Something Sothis saw as well.
"You dare!?"
There was a murderous glare in her eyes as she tensed and launched herself forth.
Byleth made an effort to reclaim her body, mentally latching onto her mind and holding firm.
Sothis effort to tackle the man turned into a barge as she collapsed to the ground, sending him sprawling out of the exit and into the open. Meanwhile the two of them were trapped in the same body, Byleth struggling to wrest control back for herself.
There was some sense of surprise which came from Sothis, though it was quickly swallowed by indignation.
"What are you doing?" Sothis growled through their mind, her voice dripping rising anger. "You would try to forestall my judgement? Save the life of this wretch?"
Byleth shook her head, holding on firm as she felt her control start to slip.
"Don't do this." She urged, holding on tighter. It was a flair of pain across the entire length of her mind. "It isn't you-"
"It isn't a shadow, you mean!" Sothis snapped and pushed back against her, rising to her feet and staggering forwards. "You do not know who I truly am, do not pretend to do so. All you have seen is the mere thing which stumbles blindly across the world. I am so much more than that and I will not be dictated to-"
Byleth grit her teeth, a flair of the yanking sensation was ripping her away.
"-by you."
She was tossed aside, Sothis huffed and squared her shoulders.
"You will be returned to your body when I am finished."
Byleth lay on the ground, eyes fixed on the simmering orbs.
Sothis turned and resumed marching.
She made it not even a few steps before Byleth tackled her once more.
"Are you stupid?" Sothis was snarling, "You are wounding only yourself in this effort. Must I contain you for your own safety, is that what it shall come to? Are you a child who cannot even understand the simplicity of my most basic commands?"
Perhaps the words would have earned a response if she could make out more than three of them at a time. Her mind was awash with that jolt which spread over every sense of being.
"Fine then!"
Sothis stopped pushing.
Instead she started to…pull…?
Wait…that was different…
That was…
Their roles reversed in an instant, Byleth started to scramble away, except Sothis held firm with a tight grip against her. Whatever mental landscape she was in, wherever she truly was, it was starting to close in around her.
"This is for your own good." Sothis voice shifted, stern but losing the anger. "Perhaps when you recover you will come to understand that."
It snapped shut around her, whatever it was, and Byleth was held in place.
Speaking took all the effort she could muster.
"Sothis…" It was a croak at best. "...please…"
Sothis stopped walking.
Her head turned and she looked back at her.
Whatever choice she might have made was interrupted by another tremendous crash, light flashed in front of her, blinding her.
Goetia grunted as his back struck solid stone, his own barrier slowed his momentum to nothing as he stepped away, freeing himself from the confines of the rock and allowing it to recover. The reports from his other self in Flauros were alerting him to what was transpiring beyond the dome.
It seemed Sothis anger was something he had not accounted for.
Unfortunate, given she had now gained access to the interior-
He ducked, a fist crashed into the place where his head had once been.
He countered with a kick, a hand caught it just below the shin and pulled, dragging him into the air. A vacuum blade severed the arm at the joint before it could achieve much, a second one split the skull of the beast down the middle. It countered with a shriek, the mere force launched him further away.
Goetia's motion carved a trench through the earth.
Pulling himself up, he growled and turned his head, eyes flaring as the only warning as he drew upon more and more of his reserves. Unleashing his complete power was a very real possibility now…except he had been steadily drained during the course of the battle. The time it had taken to employ the second stratagem was longer than would have been efficient.
But that was still acceptable.
Rising up, he took in a deep breath and gathered his magical energy.
The right side of his head was repaired, at least so he had a second eye once more and a section of skull and brain matter.
It had been an attack which had disintegrated a good portion of his skull.
The beast charged forth, bounding to him on all fours.
He teleported out of the path and to the right, blasting it the moment he appeared and sending its steaming body sprawling. Unwilling to wait for even a moment as a pillar of earth slammed into it from below, sending it shooting up and into a waiting barrier in the sky. Akin to a hydraulic press, the beast was crushed against it.
Until it screamed and shattered the barrier with a burst of magical energy which was already superior to his own, but it was gorging itself on everything he threw at it.
Theoretically, he could remove that advantage.
He could theoretically achieve many things that did not translate into practicality at this time.
The area exploded and he saw a blur pass him by, he did not even feel the gust of wind.
His eyes turned, his head soon followed, as he brought his gaze to bear upon the sight of the beast. It whirled around, cracking its tail into his chest like a whip and in doing so, it shattered every one of his ribs and he was certain that his internal organs had been ground into paste, he was lifted off his feet.
And inlaid a curse into himself in the moment before impact.
The damage was reflected, they were sent flying from one another.
He waited several seconds before repairing the damage, not before he had summoned a wall of earth spikes for the beast to land upon while he smoothed his own landing, sliding through mud and rising back up.
The beast ripped itself from the stone, falling forwards and lying on its hands and knees, panting loud enough he could hear it.
Head raised, it glared at him.
Then another surge of mana carried it…away from him?
Goetia furrowed his brows for a split second before he understood its destination.
Retreat was the best option for now.
Whatever advantage he held had been lost long ago and staying here to throw himself in futile efforts against one who could recover half their head being removed was not one who would bother to fight.
Not now, at least.
Bounding forth, one step after another, he charged with power that left craters in his wake.
A mere three steps was all it took and in doing so, he tore asunder the village and dragged it behind him, clearing through the minute gap before it could close entirely, brushing through to the open and feeling the barest hint of the pull on his body, his feet left the ground for no more than an instant.
He looked down and glared, focusing on what lay underfoot and shattering it's hold upon him.
The implications had been lost on him until he saw the bodies drop down from the sky all around him, one of which was one of those ones who looked vaguely familiar to him. He turned and levied them with a small glare.
It had not been known to him that one of them would be here or what he should do.
So he did not bother to care much for them, turning and charging right for the centre of the lines.
It was a clear panic, not even able to truly see him until he-
Something caught his nose, he slid to a halt and whirled around, his tail brushed aside the knights that stood in his path and he swung his other hand, sending bodies flying with cries or in silence. He sniffed the air once more and knew now that it had been no trick which had fooled his senses.
Maurice turned his head about with one final inhale.
"Seiros."
The name fell from between his teeth like a venom dripped curse, but there was more, much more.
Another from so long ago that he could not forget.
The smaller of them all.
"Cethleann."
And with that, he pressed off the ground and launched himself towards the smaller scent, the only one who seemed to follow his movements as he hurtled through the sky with a blast that sent men and women alike scattering like bugs. But he cared not for his mind was of one thought alone.
He dropped down before the smaller creature, her bright green hair as same as it had been and her eyes awash with such terror.
Drawing back his hand, he formed a fist and swung-
A weight crashed into his side and knocked his blow off course, it missed by a mere inch at best but the power behind it still sent the girl into a tumble. He was lifted off his feet and dropped to the ground with a thud, the weight settled on his chest, he turned ever so slightly and caught a fist right in his eye.
Snarling, he gripped what had struck him and threw it clear, rolling to his feet as his wounds were undone.
His attacker was revealed and he was far from surprised.
His snarl transitioned to a laugh, rising to his full height and glaring down at Seiros.
"I recall your blows as stronger, Seiros."
Moving his clawed hand to his chest, he dug them into his flesh and started to pull, tearing open his body as he raked his hand across.
Lips curling into a toothy grin, he watched her reaction as his wounds knit themselves shut almost as soon as he had opened them.
"Perhaps it is the retribution you so deserve, to be hunted down and slain by ones so much greater than you."
She was wary of him.
Good.
He advanced, then stepped back when the sudden familiarity of a blade swung into his line of sight, another step back prevented him from losing a toe to the sword. He glared down at the woman of tanned skin with blonde hair, she thrust for his chest.
"I know this sword."
Catching it by the blade, he curled his fingers around it and held firm when she tried to pull it free.
"I remember it well."
Pulling it forth, he dragged the wielder with it and gave a swipe at her head, she ducked under and in the second she was away, spells slammed into his chest. Dozens at once of a rather wide variety and each one scored something. It was damage that lasted less than a few seconds before it was healed over.
Maurice pulled once more, then tossed both the blade and the woman aside with a dismissive grunt, glaring down at Seiros.
"Handing the weapons of my old brothers in arms to your puppets does not make them their equal."
A spear bounced off his thigh, he brushed it aside and snapped it in two.
Rather, it was a cacophony of sounds and lights, he raised a hand to cover his face from the annoyance of it all. His hide was much too thick for one or two, but there were striking without pause and some were strong enough to open up a path for the others. It had long since passed the point of inflicting pain upon him.
Someone touched his back-
Agony lanced through him, his chest collapsed inwards and he heaved a bloodied cough as he staggered forwards, snarling and reaching around to whatever had struck him and finding nothing. Instead there was the familiar hum of that magic from before, turning his head he spotted not the one of tanned skin and gold hair.
No.
It was a small girl, a mere pup, looking up at him with a complexion as white as her hair.
Flexing his might, he broke the hold of whatever spell she inflicted upon him, the snapping of bone and mending of plates rang loud. He twisted his body back into place and flexed open his claws, taking a step forth-
Someone yanked the girl back, he stopped and stared down.
He sniffed again.
That was not a smell like the others, it was a scent so very much like…himself?
Was there a spawn of his somewhere here?
She did not much look like him, he realised, but her hair had a shade of blue which he did know. Not far removed from his own scaled body. It was something that gave him a brief pause as he breathed in her scent once more. The scent of this girl who threw a wall of ice towards him.
It struck him hard, shattering over his body, he swung his arm and threw the cubes from his person and cast them aside. Breathing in deeply and allowing the heat to build up in the back of his throat, he opened up his maw and let trickles of the fire spring forth from his gullet.
The light was reflected well of their faces, but he did not aim for them.
Instead he turned about, swift as lighting, on his heel and aimed for Seiros.
Flames rolled forth until his throat was scorched and mangled, he held it longer still as the damage was healed and he at last let the final ebs of his strength flutter out. The heat faded away and he was greeted by the annoying sight of…
A small bird.
Standing behind a thin pane of what looked like bronzed glass.
That same smell.
So his reach extended this far.
"You…" He growled, loosening his shoulders, then looked the way of Seiros as she was building her strength.
To remain here and kill her was something he wished for nothing more than-
There was another pull against his body, lifting him off the ground and dragging him down in an instant, pulling him through the mud before he shattered the hold, hands pressed against the floor and propelling himself forth, he made for the pull and set his eyes upon the creature of tanned skin and gold flowing hair.
Even without arms, it presented a danger to him.
And the wounds he had inflicted, the burns and tears, they had been healed up.
Yet why did the arms remain gone?
He flared his might before anything else could be done, drawing in all the strength around him and gorging upon it. He saw the tanned creature stagger in the instant he slammed into them, carrying them both forth like an arrow, striking hard against the rock wall and imprinting them upon its face.
Holding the creature there, he felt the slashes and the wounds tear across his body in less time than the blink of an eye.
The pain was excruciating.
Flames pooled in his mouth, then surged forth once more and blanketed the creature of tanned skin.
They both were shrouded in the swirling mass of heat and light, even burning his own scales and scorching them black. It was an agony that they were both sharing, or so he imagined, and he pushed forwards and drove them further and further back. The face of the dome glowed a brilliant gold and melted, allowing them both to slip through.
Yet he saw it through the haze of fire.
The glowing orbs of scarlet which held lift to them, even as the flames were banished aside and revealed a skull with very little flesh.
The eyes remained, a rather hideous sight.
Another shunt ran through his chest, he felt pain lance through him and suddenly he was propelled upwards, but not before he turned himself around and lashed out with his tail. Striking the skull and hearing the sharp crack of bone snapping.
The wound was enough for him, bounding away and hitting the ground before galloping off on all fours, bucking his head and striking an offending knight in his path and sending them sprawling over his body.
Another girl stood in his path, freezing up.
He roared and a knight tackled the girl, knocking them both from his path as he snapped his jaws shut and cleared the remainder of the distance.
Swinging an arm, he shattered the trunk of the first tree he passed and gripped it with the same hand, turning and heaving it up and casting it back the way he had come, not bothering to see if it landed before doing much the same to the other trees around him. Launching them one after another towards the contingent of foes.
The confusion allowed for his escape, given that he was not immediately countered by enemies.
The meeting point was not far from him now.
Harold barely had time to lift himself off of the girl, he would apologise to her in case he hurt her, before he needed to drag his spear up and hold it between himself and the person who had thrown themselves upon him.
Gritting his teeth and raising up his knee, he positioned it between the two of them to try and further the gap.
Yet they closed it with impossible strength, Harold felt his jaw clench and his bones start to protest. Pain flared up in his raised leg all the way down to his hips as it was being pushed closer and closer to his chest. The spear in his hands made a hideous and unwelcome noise.
All of which was trumped by the fact it looked to be a ten year old boy trying to tear him apart and with the way they were snapping down at him, it looked to be an effort with their teeth as well.
It was utterly horrifying.
Pushing upwards did nothing but reward him with a terrible creaking pain up his arms, gasping as they pushed down further and he felt his muscles tremble. The distance was being closed faster and faster, or perhaps it was so slow that earned him a rising level of terror.
Just feeling it push down, watching the boy overpower him.
He gasped as something popped in his leg, it was a quick inhale before he forced back a scream, tears welling in his eyes-
The weight was flung from above him as something struck the boy in the side of the head, he barely even noticed it was the back end of a spear through his haze of tears as he rolled to his side and clutched his leg, gasping as his fingers merely glancing the limb brought a fresh wave of agony to him.
"Get formed u-!"
Someone shouted.
The shout ended with a wet gurgle and a horrible tearing sound, something dropped upon his face and there was that elongated gargling.
"By the Goddess!" A cry of horror "Get it off him! Help me get it off-!"
Harold whimpered and rolled onto his backside, thumbing around for where his spear had fallen and throwing out a limb the moment he touched it. Except it was not his spear, it was a dropped sword and he could see the owner.
He froze the second he did so, watching the same boy who had tried to get at him rip apart armour at the plate.
The sounds were utterly awful as the pulled and snapped.
"Get him off me-ahhhh!"
Bone snapped, the knight had raised a hand to defend himself and the boy just…
Harold swallowed his breakfast as he watched the arm bend at completely the wrong angle-
Then they just dropped.
He blinked, the child slumped over and rolled to the ground like a puppet without strings.
"Harold."
Something dropped down in front of him and hopped closer, he squinted at the small red and gold shape as his eyes cleared.
Oh, the little Goetia bird.
That was…he felt like going to sleep now…
He dropped then and there, eyes rolling to the back of his head.
His reserves had dropped considerably.
There had never been a moment where he had been allowed the time to shut down any of his enchantments or his regenerative spells.
Goetia had kept them all active from the moment the fight started to this moment.
Cursory examinations revealed the true extent of the damage.
Well aware of the limit of what could be considered alive, he rolled onto his side using his legs and sputtered, breathing in and taking in only the ash of his scorched flesh before spitting it out. A vile taste which almost convinced him to shut down his taste buds, what few actually remained in his mouth.
There were only two that were still connected to his nerves.
He twisted his neck back with a sharp crack under his own force, the bones realigned and healed over as he pressed his head down against the dirt. Holding it there for some few seconds before he felt another drain from his partitioned side. Briefly halting his healing and allowing for Flauros to make the adjustments.
A list was compiled of what was required and the vibrations of falling trees explained much.
He heaved himself up, propped up on two knees and raising his head.
Through the dimming light, he paused at the assault on his senses from something closing in on him. Yet he did not feel alarm at the encroaching divinity, rather it was a familiar and more welcome feeling than most. Peering through the darkness and allowing a flicker of light to form around them both.
The form of Byleth came to a stop the second the light sprung forth.
She stopped, stared and then her eyes went wide.
It was the most emotion he had truly seen her make in the entirety of their time together.
Though it was an expression he found he could have done without seeing at this moment.
"If you are done gawking at me." Intoning through a mental link, given his throat did not exist. "Then I believe it would be best to see to those outside. Inform them that I shall be along momentarily when I am not-"
She was crouched at his side before he got the chance to finish, he would have furrowed his brows if he had any left. The expression vanished from her face, replaced by something else as she just sat there and stared at him, her mouth opened before it closed again.
When she did at last speak, it was…with a tone that was almost a whisper.
"...Are you going to be alright?"
Goetia simply stared at her.
"I am not going to die."
But he had…very nearly exhausted himself.
The humans had gone beyond the bounded field, so he subjected them all to a sleep spell, when no counter spell came then he allowed himself a single moment to relax. Moving aside the allocated resources for maintaining the spell and placing them into himself instead, his skin was gradually being pulled together.
It was a strange thing to experience having his nerves rewired throughout his body.
He would describe it as an electrical tingle, if anyone were to ever ask.
Though he doubted they would.
Instead Byleth just sat there and watched him, eyes flicking over his body and then away from him as though looking out for more attackers. A pointless gesture, as he would have detected any approaching him long before she actually saw them.
Or…perhaps he could in another instance.
But conserving his magical energy, no matter how insignificant, was a priority at the moment.
A sputter bubbled in the back of his healing through, he opened his mouth and coughed out, ejecting a mass of blood from his lungs as they were regenerated completely. He would say nothing for how unpleasant all of this was, however.
And this was with fifty different healing spells acting in combination with one another to accelerate the regeneration process.
Twitching, he blinked once able to and started to rise up.
Except Byleth was suddenly placing a hand on his shoulder to keep him down, he turned on her with a frown and opened his mouth.
"Just stay there until you're healed up."
She was being rather adamant at the moment, and he did not bother to argue with her and instead dropped his legs back down and resumed kneeling. Breathing in and out, feeling skin, bone and muscle return to his shoulders and his head, flowing hair sprouted from atop his scalp and slipped down his back.
With a roll of his shoulders, he popped newly formed bones back into place.
Then came his left arm.
It was not much of a secret how Byleth watched as he restored the left arm and left the right as it was, she looked between the two locations with a clear hint of questioning in her eyes but obviously deciding not to ask about it for the time being. Though he suspected that perhaps Sothis would have some comments for him.
…Where was Sothis?
Now that he thought about her opinion, he found himself bemused as to how she had not appeared before him and made some sort of comment about his appearance.
Flauros was requesting permission for applied healing across a wide area.
Goetia hesitated for a moment, then accented to the request and felt the pull of magical energy divert elsewhere.
His reserves were…
…Low.
Lower than they had been during the battle against Sitri, though he had been making use of a magical reactor core during that battle. He had been provided with no such boon in this instance, therefore it had been expected for him to suffer a greater depletion to his stores of magical energy.
Yet the amount was…vexing.
Drained so deeply by a simple creature bolstered by the divine blessing of nano machines.
With a grunt, he pressed his hand down against the floor and started to rise up-
Byleth took hold of his arm and gently pulled, Goetia stopped and stared at her, neither one of them moved for a few moments until Byleth started pulling again. Bringing up upright and then holding him there with both hands, as though she was expecting him to topple back to the floor the moment she released him.
"...I am healed enough to stand." He informed her, to dissuade her of the notion.
Pulling his arm away from her very slowly and noting how her arms were still outstretched towards him rather than by her side.
"Flauros has been healing the injured outside." He informed her, turning and walking past her. "There are no fatalities as of yet, through some personal intervention on my part, and with the capture of the mage-"
Byleth went stiff.
Goetia stopped the second he caught notice of it, the emotions rolled off her in waves as something retreated further back into the depths of her mind.
The divine presence receded with it.
…What was Sothis doing?
Goetia very slowly turned his head towards her and tilted it questioningly, brows furrowed as Byleth looked away from him and then started to walk. Not towards the entrance to the outside world, instead she walked off in another direction. This time to a point not far from it.
He followed her in silence.
There was something hesitant about her movements, subdued.
Not ashamed, but still hesitant.
He glanced down when he caught sight of something laying on the ground, or perhaps it would be better to say he saw a couple of something's. Objects lying not too far removed from one another. The smell hit him first and he felt the frown on his face start to deepen as he identified it quickly.
Byleth stopped first and looked down, Goetia came up beside her and did much the same.
The lifeless eyes of Solon stared up at him, dimmed and half open.
Directing his gaze a little further to their right, perhaps two metres, he stared down at the hips and legs of the same man.
Red eyes flicked down to Byleth's hands, coated in blood.
"No matter." He dismissed quickly, "I would have killed him eventually if you had not-"
"I didn't kill him."
That comment brought him up short, he raised a brow and waited for an elaboration and received nothing. Byleth was still just staring down at the body. Her emotions told the story in place of her words, a concoction of regret and sorrow aimed towards the presence deep inside of her own mind.
Goetia glanced down at the two halves, then back to the woman.
He came to a conclusion rather swiftly and would admit his surprise.
He had not thought Sothis capable of such brutality, but it seemed as though there were some things which could earn even her anger.
"Come."
With a turn of the body, he dismissed Solon for the moment and decided he could attend to the corpse at a later date. Instead he waved a hand and beckoned Byleth to start following.
"We shall…"
Vertigo hit him and he wavered for a moment, catching himself before he could fall and feeling his features harden. A frown spread across his lips and he took in a sharp breath and closed his eyes.
He absolutely refused to show how deeply he had been affected here.
Dragging himself back up, he glanced over his shoulder to see if the slip had been noticed. Fortunately for him, Byleth was far more invested in the corpse than she was in watching him, but he would prefer she left with him to prevent questions asking to how she was currently feeling.
"Byleth." Her name earned her attention. "We shall examine the wounded."
She nodded her head once, spending one final second to look at the body before she turned and walked towards him.
"Line them up here."
Rhea ordered, eyes hard as she turned and nodded to Catherine.
"And keep swords and spears on them at all times. If there is even the slightest hint of movement, then incapacitate them."
There was some clear confusion in Catherine's eyes, as well as some wariness. She slowly turned her eyes towards the direction of their own wounded in a rather pointed way. Though she would never say such things out loud, Rhea was certain there was some clear unease likely for how own safety.
Softening her features, Rhea shook her head.
"We came here to save their lives, not to end them…it is through no fault of their own they have been turned to these…cursed things."
"Of course, Lady Rhea." Catherine stood to attention and gave a single stiff nod before she turned and walked off, pointing to those who were healed or otherwise unarmed and having them form a standing guard.
Rhea, meanwhile, felt her face harden as she turned and strode away.
Flayn gave no indication she heard her approach and Rhea made no attempt to call out to her, in the recovery from the confusion of the battle - if it could be called that - she merely came up beside her and dropped down to her knees.
"How are they?" She asked instead.
Flayn sent her a glance and then looked back down to the man she was healing.
Rhea would understand if she was to still be ignored-
"He will recover."
Only for Flayn to whisper an answer to her.
Three simple words about nothing regarding them.
And it still filled her with a sense of relief for reasons she could not even begin to articulate, nodding her head slowly as she slowed the beating of her heart at the slight change, she hummed and started to rise up. "I am certain that they shall do well in your capable hands, young Flayn."
Moving away from her, she was not so far as to catch the final comment.
"Thank you for…" Flayn trailed off, but Rhea knew to what she referred to.
Instead she let out a soft sigh and looked over her shoulder, down to the younger girl.
"You do not need to thank me for that."
Flayn returned to her work after that and Rhea moved off.
It was the best thing that had happened to her all day, she imagined, and it made for what would have been a thoroughly miserable experience into something more appealing.
Moving further beyond, she walked past the resting students and then towards the direction the knights had alerted her to in the first place. Jeralt turned and looked at her, it was a lack of emotion which was better than a glare, as he flicked his hand and beckoned her forth, towards a pair of white sheets which covered up something.
Two halves of something by the looks of it.
She stopped beside him and raised a brow, glancing down at it before coming back to the man.
"Goetia," Jeralt began "said there was a mage in there who attacked him who he 'neutralised'."
Rhea glanced at the two sheets once more, with the rather large red stains.
"...Goetia is rather humble in his dealings." She remarked, then frowned. "Then I am to assume this is the mastermind behind this unfortunate chapter?"
Jeralt grunted and shrugged. "Maybe. Haven't asked him yet and he might not be alone but…"
Suddenly he was grimacing. "...Never seen anyone like it before."
That was a rather strange way of wording it, she noticed, and tilted her head at him in silent questioning. Jeralt exhaled and dropped down to a crouch, reaching out and tracking the fabric by the corner and pulling across.
Rhea imagined many would fear for her stomach at the sight of such a horrible thing, though she would at least be thankful for those who got right to the-
The fabric was pulled across.
A pale skinned face was revealed.
No, the skin was not pale…it was almost bone white.
Rhea blinked once, then twice.
Her arms dropped to her side and she continued to stare down at the dead man.
"Cover it up."
She ordered, Jeralt shrugged his shoulders and fortunately did as she asked.
"Yeah." He said, but his words fell away to muted sounds as she just continued to stare down at the fabric stretched across the face.
Her breathing got faster and faster, louder and louder.
She could feel it coursing through her veins, a burning anger which threatened to set her on fire. It was as though her skin was boiling, the sparks shooting through her muscles, she could still see the face under the blanket. Still smell the wretched blood of their corpse and for several moments, she just debated the cost of stamping down and crushing their skull underfoot.
Dammed whatever anyone thought who saw her.
Hands clenched into fists and she drew in a sharp breath, closing her eyes and turning away rather sharply.
"...Have someone…" She stopped for a moment, fighting back the anger in her voice and cooling it as much as possible.
No, it was impossible.
She marched away, pointing behind towards the sheets.
"Have someone take that thing back with us."
She might have interrupted Jeralt or she might not.
Right now, she didn't care.
Goetia stood, casting his shadow over the unconscious body of Harold.
The absolute fool had tried to engage one of the bloodsuckers in a contest of strength, or perhaps the fault lay with Goetia himself.
Yes, such a thing was true.
He frowned and clicked his tongue.
Allowing them to arrive had been foolish of him, he should never have listened to the words of either Seiros or Byleth in letting them come here. Such a thing was always bound for disaster and he was confident enough that he…
He blinked as another wave of vertigo rolled over him, he steadied himself so that it would appear no more than a momentary twitch, his muscles tightened across his body and locked himself in place. Avoiding any further physical mistakes.
With a flick of the hand, he summoned forth a healing spell and righted the damage to Harold's leg and hip.
Broken bones in the joints that could well have crippled him for life.
A breath escaped him against his will, he turned-
Flayn was looking right at him, he stilled at her gaze before loosening himself ever so slightly. Just enough to appear casual, she was advancing on him rapidly while swiftly glancing both left and right before slowing her steps. It was a clear effort for her to appear just as casual as he, but her emotions told a different story.
He turned his head and looked back down at Harold, speaking only when Flayn stood beside him.
"He will recover shortly."
"That is good to hear." Flayn said, "And what of yourself?"
Goetia grunted. "Do I appear physically wounded to you?"
"No, you do not." Flayn agreed with a shake of the head. "Rather, you appear to be in peak physical health. I must compliment you on your ability to heal your wounds."
"...I am familiar with many-"
"Goetia."
"Mmmh?"
"I did catch a glimpse of you when you departed the dome to draw the beasts ire back unto you."
"And?"
"...Are you truly going to be so stubborn in admitting that which I already know to be true?"
"And what do you-"
She gripped his sleeve and pulled, dragging him about so that they were face to face with one another. It was an act which he had been unprepared for, on account of not being the usual behaviour of Flayn. Indeed, her expression hardened in an instant and whatever effort she made to look disinterested was lost.
"Do not think to treat this so offhandedly, Goetia." She remarked in a low tone. "And do not think I shall consider it as such, even if you make the effort. I am aware of how you are usually presented with how you all but bleed mana wherever you tread."
Goetia felt his lip curl down for a split second.
He should have anticipated that both the Phantasmals and Byleth would be able to sense the difference in his presence, but he had not expected them to pick up on it so swiftly. He would have thought Flayn's interests to lay somewhere other than himself.
Curious a thought it might have been, but he had anticipated being beneath her notice until he was sufficiently recovered.
"I will not hear you dismiss this." She held all the firmer, he glanced down at her hand and nothing happened. With no effort to release him, she instead pulled just a bit more. "And there are many hurt enough here without your stubborn nature dragging yourself down with them. Now speak plainly. How dire?"
He looked away and drew in a breath.
Making the admittance was like vomiting for him, the words had not even left his mouth and it already tasted like bile.
Clenching his jaw, he briefly debated the worth of merely ignoring her.
But Flayn had proven obstinate before and would likely do so again.
"...I expended a majority of my reserves during the battle."
Even saying the words out loud was something of a surprise, it had not felt quite so real until he spoke of it.
Yet even as he said it, there were a dozen justifications he could give for why he had been put in such an unfavourable position.
Circumstances which spiralled matters beyond his control, the restrictions he had imposed on himself.
But they were mere excuses.
He was supposed to be…better than that.
He knew he was better than that.
But it happened all the same.
The villagers were, at least, alive and Solon was dead.
But the genuine threat, the only thing of true value, had managed to escape in the chaos and flee to parts unknown. He lost track of it rather abruptly through a sudden loss in signal. Which spoke of a teleportation spell…which he was currently unable to pursue and even if he did, he was no longer certain of a victory.
He grimaced all the deeper.
"Then you are on the verge of passing out, as I suspected."
Goetia exhaled a shuddering breath, only on account of his internally directed anger.
"Not…an exaggeration, but I am still capable of rendering enough assistance to-"
"Do nothing, I should think." Flayn cut him short. "And I shall hear no arguments and tolerate none of your loophole abuses if you think to search for them. Listen to me and listen well. Until I am satisfied you are fully recovered, there shall be none of your wild displays of might such as that-"
She waved a hand to the dome which still remained.
He would need to dismiss that.
He closed his eyes.
"I am no invalid." And he resented the implication that he was somehow incapable of caring for himself.
"On that, I very much agree."
Releasing her hold on him, he heard her sigh and opened his eyes as she stepped away, running her palms over her face.
"But Goetia…" She muttered, dropping her hands down and looking up at him with tired eyes. "You have done enough. More than enough…you have earned a rest. Let us take care of what remains…please."
"...You are wrong." He said at last, turning his head from her. "But…I will not risk mistakes while I recover. Until I am at a sufficient level I shall…focus on restoring my reserves."
His bounded field had been usurped and he was made to look an oaf.
His very spells were turned against him by an unseen force…twice.
His efforts to prevent the knights had been thwarted and they had suffered wounds because of this.
And his own efforts to protect the lives of the villagers had led to the Phantasmal beast - the single greatest threat as of yet encountered - to escape into the wilderness with no way of tracking them down.
He had done enough?
Yes, Flayn was right.
He had done more than enough.