(A/N: In the year 2017, several of the highest future authorities of the world gathered at Garreg Mach Monastery to attend the Officer's Academy. Now their first expedition has them caught with a terrorist attack. What does this mean for the future of Planet Earth?)
2010 atb
5th Day of the Wyvern Moon
The days were slowly getting colder as winter approached, but the chill of autumn was already in full swing. Lelouch vi Britannia had already procured shelter for himself and Nunnally in an abandoned cabin out in the wilderness that the previous occupants seemed to be in no hurry to reclaim. As a result, while leaving Nunnally at home, locked inside the house waiting for his return, Lelouch would venture into nearby broken down "civilization" of the bombed out, physically crushed regions of Japan in search of food and supplies.
While picking through a convenience store, using a shopping cart he'd previously stolen—or as he put it, strategically transferred the equipment to an alternate location—he was loading up the cart with non-perishables and kindling for the fireplace in the cabin he and Nunnally were using.
However, as he was getting ready to leave the slums, someone yanked him by the back of the shirt about six feet off the ground.
"Hey! Lemme go!" Lelouch exclaimed, struggling.
"What do we have here?" A Japanese man asked. "A little Britannian boy taking stuff from us Japanese?"
One of them flipped a pocket knife. "I say we take the clothes off his back and sell 'em for a mint."
"Or maybe we hold him for ransom for a huge wad of cash and we can live like kings!" A third man said.
Lelouch continued to struggle. "Let go of me!" He shouted. "I-I have connections! I know Empress Kaguya! Hurt me and you'll be sorry!"
The men laughed. "You're a long way from Kyoto, brat."
The one with the knife approached him. "Maybe you'll cooperate with a scar or two."
Before he could take a step further, he was kicked in the face by a heeled boot. His buddy, the one not holding Lelouch up was then grappled in an arm bar around his throat, pulled back towards the ground as his assailant, rolled over, pinned him to the ground and stuck a hunting knife in his shoulder before kicking him in the arm. When the man with the knife then tried to attack this newcomer from behind, the newcomer backhanded them in the face, grabbed the knife arm, hurled him over their body and twisted his arm so that the knife was facing his nose.
The newcomer, a girl with blue hair and gray clothes, spoke calmly and softly. She appeared to be an early teenager. "Drop the knife," she requested. "You wouldn't want to find the blade past your skull, would you?"
Unable to do much else, the Japanese man dropped the knife. The woman picked it up and then held the former knife bearer hostage with his own knife. "Drop the kid," she told the remaining man.
The man pulled a firearm on the woman.
The woman didn't flinch. "You could shoot your friend by accident."
"Shut up! Rome took everything from me! You think I give a snot about the world around me anymore! I lost my family during their invasion! I ain't got nothing left, bitch! I've killed people like you for less! So why don't you—"
He didn't get to finish that sentence, finding front of the woman's boot in his chin, followed by a swift punch to the stomach. He had so much wind taken out of him, he dropped Lelouch. Lelouch fell to his hands and knees as the woman reached her hand down towards him. She said nothing.
And yet, Lelouch took it.
"Thank you," he said, able to at least offer proper gratitude.
The girl nodded. She grabbed the cart and then looked at him.
"Huh?" Lelouch was confused.
"Which way? You wanted to bring this somewhere, right?"
"You're…helping me…but why?" Lelouch asked.
"It just feels like the right thing to do," the girl answered. "…Do you not want my help?"
"I can't pay you."
"That's fine."
"You can't stay with me when we get there."
"That's fine."
Lelouch was silent for a bit longer. He sighed. "Fine. Whatever. You're clearly stronger than me anyway. Follow me."
On the way over, a middle-aged looking man with a bushy beard and light hair approached the two. "And where are you off to in a hurry, kid?" He asked the woman.
She pointed to Lelouch.
"What? Helping the little runt with a supply run?" He asked, seeming to get the gist of what was happening.
The girl nodded.
The older man sighed. "All right. Guess we have time for a little detour, but we shouldn't linger, we have a job soon."
"Job?" Lelouch inquired.
"Eh, nothing you need to be concerned about, kid. Just some adult talk."
Lelouch looked at the girl. "But she's not an adult."
The girl didn't answer his statement.
The older man sighed and just dropped the subject. The two helped Lelouch to his cabin. When Lelouch opened the front door, Nunnally was overjoyed to hear him come in. "Oh! Lelouch, you're back!"
"Yeah, and don't be scared, but we have company," he said. He directed the blue haired girl towards the cabinets to help her unload the food.
"You two living her by yourselves?" the bearded man asked.
"Yeah," Lelouch said.
The man sighed. "That ain't right. Kids like you need adults."
"Yeah, well, nobody cares. No reason for you to start doing so," Lelouch said.
"No. No. I stand firmly behind this. I'm not gonna pretend like I didn't see this today," the man said.
The cabin had no equipment for the long winter, nor any air conditioning for the summer. While the roof was undamaged and wasn't leaking, the place looked like it hadn't been maintained either. Parts of the place had less dust bunnies and more dust jackrabbits. The shower wasn't working given the way the head was bent, not that it would have mattered because this place didn't have running water, which he found out when he tried the sink.
"Okay, no. This is no place for children. I'm going to guess no parents."
"Dead," Lelouch answered.
"Of course they are," he sighed.
The teen girl turned to look at him. "Are you thinking they should come with us?"
"Don't put words in my mouth, but the thought had crossed my mind. I'm not exactly running a charity though," the man responded, sounding mildly annoyed like he just misplaced his TV remote.
"I don't have any money, else I wouldn't be scavenging," Lelouch said to the man.
"I'm not looking for payment, but if you come with me, you'll have to work. And I don't mean that like, you kids better work on my farm to earn your next meal. I'm…a contractor, I guess you could call it. But I don't exactly take out contracts that are child friendly."
"You're a PMC," Lelouch deduced.
"Where'd a kid like you learn a term like that?" the man asked, surprised. "Not important. Look. If you join me, you can travel with me. I'll pay you. You can have cooked meals and whatever roof over your head you can salvage. I've got business in this country for the foreseeable future, given the state of things. I also want to monitor the Church's actions as close as I can without actually going to Rome. I'm not saying you have to come with me, but I am saying it'll probably be safer and better for your growth than kicking around in a dump like this."
Lelouch didn't immediately answer the man. "I'm not going anywhere without my sister," he said when he finally found words to say. "And in case you haven't noticed, she's blind and unable to walk."
"I noticed," the man said. "That's kind of why I want to help. You kids obviously got a raw deal, or drew the short straw somewhere and I'm not gonna ask too many questions. Frankly it wouldn't mean much to me if I did know all the details. Look, if you don't want to come along, that's fine, but, I got guys missing arms and sometimes legs and eyes and they still put the work in when I find stuff for 'em to do. Being handicapped doesn't make you helpless."
Lelouch turned his head away, staring at the floor.
"I'm Jeralt, by the way," the man said. "Jeralt Eisner. That's my daughter over there. Her name is Byleth."
The blue haired girl turned from the cabinets to wave at Lelouch.
"You got a name, kid?" Jeralt asked.
"Lelouch," Lelouch answered. "Lelouch Lamperouge. My sister's name is Nunnally."
"Well, Lelouch, you're welcome to the offer I made if you want it. You seem like a bright kid and I can't force you to do anything, but it's up to you. Just know, if you decide to join, you will be asked to do a lot of things most kids shouldn't. I've had to raise my kid up on my own after her mother passed during my daughter's infancy. It was her choice to become part of the team, although I didn't exactly know what to do with her either."
Lelouch listened to this and was a little drawn in. If he was putting the pieces together, Jeralt ran a PMC and Byleth had been born into it. Yet rather than put Byleth in foster care or just outright abandon her, Jeralt made the concentrated effort to be a parent, or at least as good as one as he could muster. And in that moment, Lelouch knew…that was what he needed right now.
"I'll join," Lelouch said. "My sister and I…we'll join your PMC. Teach me everything you can, Mister Jeralt."
Jeralt smiled with pride. "Welcome aboard, Lelouch. And don't worry, you're in good hands."
2012 atb
5th Day of the Garland Moon
Jeralt turned out to be completely correct about that. For the next four years, Lelouch worked alongside Jeralt, pouring over documents and helping balance Jeralt's finances. Nunnally, for her part, honed her healing magic, helping members of Jeralt's band with pain relief after a long mission. Jeralt was impressed with the Lelouch's aptitude.
"We still have this much money kicking around?" Jeralt laughed one time. "Awesome. We can all go out for drinks."
"Sir, you have three unpaid bar tabs," Lelouch reminded him.
"Eh…don't sweat the small stuff," Jeralt responded.
"He never pays his bar tabs unless he's in that same bar," Byleth said with a frown and a sigh. "Don't worry. You get used to it."
"He can pay them remotely," Lelouch reminded her. "We have this beautiful invention called automated banks. Heard of them?"
"Huh? Wuzzat? I think I haven't dug the wax out of my ears in a while. I'll see you later."
Lelouch and Byleth both shared the same expression that suggested their leader should be ashamed of himself.
But that incident was long behind Lelouch. Today, he and Byleth were tasked with shopping. Nunnally was coming along as her arm strength was enough to hold an extra bag and her wheelchair had space under and behind it for additional supplies.
On the trio's way out of the grocery store in Neo-Japan however, they were approached by several rowdy looking men. "What do we have hear, boys? Kids out shopping?"
"You buy yourself some little baby toys with all that money?" They asked, laughing.
Byleth walked past them without a word, not even energizing to their threats. Lelouch did the same, pushing his sister's wheelchair.
One of the men then had the bright idea to put his foot in front of the wheel of Nunnally's chair.
"Ah!"
The short stop almost caused Nunnally to fall out and drop her bag.
Byleth turned around sharply and saw this, watching Lelouch get very angry. "Hey! She didn't do anything to you low lives! Leave her alone!"
"Or you'll what, scrawny?" One of the thuggish men asked. He raised his leg that short stopped the wheelchair. "Look at what you did to my shoe."
"Win stupid games, win stupid prizes," Lelouch said, glaring.
"What was that you punk?" The guy asked as he raised his arm back, balling a fist. He then found it clutched not by one of his friends, but by Byleth.
Still with the same unflinching, stoic expression the girl always had on her face, she said, very calmly and almost politely, "Please leave them alone. I wouldn't want you getting hurt."
The man broke her grip quickly. "Nobody asked you for your opinion, bitch. Although…" He leered at how Byleth was starting to fill out. Byleth's exact age wasn't documented—Jeralt frequently acted like he forgot which day was her birthday—but Lelouch knew the range. She was somewhere between late 15 early 16 and puberty's effects had long since taken root.
Byleth took note of the lecherous gaze she was receiving and did not energize to it. Instead, she grabbed Nunnally's wheelchair, simply walking away from the man's gaze and began pushing the chair towards the groceries she herself had put down to come to Lelouch's aid. "Let's go, Lelouch."
"Hey! You can't ignore me!" The man said and grabbed Byleth's shoulder, squeezing.
Byleth stopped on a dime. The man's grip was awfully hard to break by simply walking forward.
"You should let me go," she told him calmly without turning around.
"And what are you going to do if I don't?" he asked. He proceeded to try and take a swat at her ass. Byleth caught his hand without turning around. She began to squeeze, hard.
The man could feel the bones in his arm being strained, almost cracking. Blood vessels were being burst.
"Please apologize to us," Byleth said with that same stoic tone of voice she'd spoken with this whole time.
The other two large men then tried to jump her.
When Lelouch saw Byleth let go of Nunnally's wheelchair, he pushed it forward to collect the things Byleth put down, hearing the sounds of a street brawl behind him. He was far from surprised when he turned around and saw all three grown men groaning on the ground, Byleth massaging her wrist. She didn't look like she'd taken a single punch or kick anywhere on her body.
"Miss Byleth, are you okay?" Nunnally asked.
"Quite," Byleth answered, picking up her grocery bag. "You?"
"I'm fine. Are those men okay?"
"I think they've learned their lesson," Byleth said, glancing backwards as much as she could without turning her head.
She's really strong, Lelouch thought.
It would be not long after this that Lelouch would learn of Byleth's nickname, the Ashen Demon.
2013 atb
16th Day of the Horsebow Moon
It became habit for Byleth to respond to any ill will towards Nunnally and Lelouch with the promise, not a threat, of physical violence. And each and every time it occurred, Lelouch already knew the fate that awaited the fools that brought Byleth's wrath down on their heads. He started taking advantage of it, using how much of an easy target he and Nunnally looked in order to facilitate operations Jeralt may have needed to take certain people off guard throughout the seedier regions of Neo-Japan.
Today was business as usual. They were going to be raiding a store area belonging to the Japanese Liberation Front, commonly known as the JLF. Jeralt's group had been hired by a different sector of the JLF who considered this sector to be too extreme. Acting as decoys to the front, Lelouch pretended to ask for directions from the JLF members who told him and his Britannian sister to get lost.
It was supposed to be business as usual, so why did Byleth change the script?
As Lelouch was knocked to the ground with a kick, Byleth stepped in front of him. "You hurt my family. Say you're sorry, or you'll regret it."
Family.
That word never really came to Lelouch's mind since his exile. Even working for Jeralt was more employee and employer to him. He always figured Byleth's quick rush to his aid was simply a conditioned reflex of a girl growing up in the environment her father perpetuated for business.
He tried to reason that she was just…playing a part. Yeah. That was all it was. She said it because he and Nunnally and her looked like they could be siblings traveling together.
But she did it again.
And again.
And again.
And again.
Lelouch finally decided to call her out on it at dinner as she split a particularly large dinner roll in half and offered him a fair share.
"Why…are you treating me like this?" Lelouch asked.
Byleth looked confused.
"You keep…you keep calling Nunnally and me family. But…we're just…we work for your dad. We don't…"
"Are we not family at this point?" Byleth asked. "We spend enough time together."
Lelouch was confused by her logic.
Jeralt laughed. "Sounds like my kid's developed quite an attachment to you two. Rare for you though," he said, looking directly at Byleth.
Byleth just stared at him blankly with her usual stoic, big-eyed stare she was often known for giving people.
"You usually don't get along with other people. Or…maybe it's just cause they're close to your age I guess," Jeralt said.
Jeralt's clueless about how to be a good father, but the difference between him and his majesty is that Jeralt's trying. And that makes him the better parent. Still…
"It wouldn't do for us to get attached like family. …I'll leave one day," Lelouch said, staring at his dinner plate.
He was surprised to receive a firm series of pats from Byleth's left hand to his upper back. There was the faintest hint of a smile from the older girl.
Lelouch turned his head, blushing.
And that was the day that Lelouch Lamperouge became Lelouch Eisner. And though it took him a while longer to admit it to himself, Byleth had become his new big sister.
2014 atb
25th Day of the Lone Moon
"Are you sure about this?" Byleth asked. She, Jeralt, Lelouch and Nunnally were standing on the sidewalk opposite the side of the road of Ashford Academy. "You don't have to leave you know."
"There are things I have to do," Lelouch said, now sounding less like a small child and more like a growing adult. He gazed towards the ground, eyes half-lidded, "But…I'm very fortunate to have had yours and Jeralt's guidance these past four years."
"Oh get in here you little brat," Jeralt said, putting Lelouch in a headlock.
Lelouch kicked his legs. "Captain! This is completely unprofessional! Unhand me!"
Lelouch received a noogie instead of a release.
While Jeralt teased Lelouch, Byleth approached Nunnally and leaned over. She smiled at the blind girl. "You keep Lelouch out of trouble, okay?"
"Are you sure you don't want to come with us, big sis?" Nunnally asked Byleth.
"I have things that I have to do," Byleth said. "Like keeping my father out of trouble." She turned to where Lelouch was still trying to break Jeralt's grip, the middle-aged man clearly trying to haze Lelouch on his way out. She looked back towards Nunnally and brushed her bangs affectionately. "You take care of yourself, okay? Remember, there are things you can do."
"Right," Nunnally said with a smile. She reached out for a hug. Byleth picked her up and hugged her. "I'm going to miss you."
"We'll see each other again, one day," Byleth said as Lelouch, now free of Jeralt started lecturing Byleth's old man on things he expected Jeralt to do by the time they saw each other again. "But no matter what…"
2017 atb
12th Day of the Great Tree Moon
"…You two are my family."
Byleth stayed on guard, waiting to see if the enemies around her had the sense to leg it, or if they were going to force her hand. She didn't really care either way, but the fewer enemies, the greater chance of success.
"She's just one woman, open fire!" The squad leader shouted.
Byleth didn't so much as sigh or flinch. There was no point in pitying these people. They had made their choice.
From the perspective of those around her, Byleth turned into a blur of gray and blue. The low hum of her energy blade moving through the air was lost in the fire and chaos around her as, from the perspective of Lelouch and the others, the terrorists in front of them got diced into chunks of roasted flesh from the heat of Byleth's blade.
No quip escaped Byleth's lips. No, "Who's next?" No, "You're dead." Lelouch knew her too well that it wasn't even surprising.
Energy bullets rang out and though Lelouch dropped down to avoid the gunfire, he didn't bother shouting "Get down!" he didn't have to. Despite the numerous projectiles heading the group's way, Byleth deflected or dissipated all of them with a swing of her energy sword.
"She's just one woman, get her!" Someone shouted, growing more and more frustrated as all fire began to get concentrated on Byleth.
Wordlessly, Lelouch gestured his unit forward. He didn't have to worry about Byleth. She could handle this and the path directly in front of them was already open. He began to use magic to concentrate on healing his own wounds, but it was slow progress. He wasn't very good at it.
Meanwhile, behind him, Byleth quickly found herself surrounded. In order to avoid shooting each other in case they missed, her adversaries were now coming at her with energy weapons, from swords like hers to the advantageous energy lances. But Byleth simply could not be stopped.
With reflexes that would see most soldiers breaking bones and popping ligaments to keep up, the Ashen Demon danced on the battlefield. She leaned back dodging an energy lance thrust, flipping backwards, cutting it in half and taking the head of a few men behind her with it in the same slash. While airborne, she twisted her body and began lobbing fireballs at nearby enemies who thought that she was vulnerable while upside-down and airborne.
Landing, Byleth charged forward, running with her body almost completely leaned forward, hacking off the legs of many enemies. With her free hand, she let loose fireballs with such ferocity, at the ground, that it launched her foes into the air. Taking a gravity defying leap most could only accomplish with an HLKMF she carved up her tossed foes like a sou chef slicing airborne vegetables. Charred, diced corpses fell to the ground, sans one man who still had enough life left to stare at her before he breathed his last.
"Monster…she's a…monster." He then croaked, head going limp.
Byleth hadn't even heard him speak. She was too focused on the battle at hand. Outdated Sutherland models, specialized anti-personnel tanks, and even a few terrorists using Sutherland-model HLKMFs were now surrounding her, guns, slash harkens and all.
Enemy count, seventy. She looked at her hand. I only have enough magic left for three more fireballs. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes briefly before she re-opened them. Her gaze was tighter and more focused than before. Let's make them count.
She began with the anti-personnel tanks, weaving between the fired shells as she began cutting the cannon barrels off each of them. She also timed her jumps from the roof of each tank, causing friendly fire as she began using the entire enemy force like a parkour gym. At this point, she had sheathed her energy sword and turned it off, letting the enemies attack each other in a desperate attempt to get rid of her. Eventually, she managed to lift a KMF from its pilot, breaking into the cockpit and stabbing the previous pilot in the chest without so much as a hello.
At the controls of her stolen Sutherland, Byleth began using the gun it held to shoot down the other Sutherlands with precision, pivoting the landspinner gear only in one 360 degree motion before launching the slash harkens at two remaining anti-personnel tanks and then set the reactor of the Sutherland to overclock in 30 seconds. She then got on top of the KMF and leapt from it to a not-yet burning tree, grabbing hold of a limb and pulling herself up on top of it just in time to see an incoming enemy HLKMF with flight systems enabled. She dodged its incoming lance thrust and took out her energy sword. As if time had slowed to a crawl, Byleth raised her left arm and stuck the turned off weapon under her elbow before turning it on and letting the energy weapon extend outward through the hard light armor and right into the wearer's face.
"Screw it! She ain't worth it! Retreat!" the three remaining terrorists declared. They began to hightail it out of there in their HLKMFs.
Byleth watched them fly away. She contemplated pursuit for a moment. Oh wait, she didn't have to. With a fireball to each of their backs, she compromised their armor's systems and caused each of them to fall out of the air. Leaping towards the ground, Byleth spotted an energy rifle from a dead enemy corpse. Rolling on the ground, she looted it mid-roll and came out of her somersault with the weapon in proper firing posture for kneeling on one leg. She then, mercilessly, delivered three nasty headshots to her falling foes.
Area secure, the Ashen Demon thought and then threw the enemy rifle on the ground. It was partially damaged and had served its purpose. Besides, she wasn't exactly well-trained in firearms. She preferred melee combat. She took a gray crystal out of her pocket and looked at it. Her own HLKMF still had a full charge. She repocketed the crystal. She didn't currently need it.
She instead chose to go in the direction Lelouch and the others had moved. Taking a device out of her other pocket, she affixed a headpiece over her right eye and ear that had a green, digital screen laid out in front of her. Fiddling with the buttons on the earpiece she managed to get the heat signatures from footsteps in 5 pairs moving in the direction she knew Lelouch went. She followed the trail until she didn't need it any longer, pocketing the device.
She found Lelouch and his unit locked in combat with more terrorists, but, more importantly, five more people were in the fray. With her, that made eleven against a small army. Byleth wasted no time using her skills to help turn the tide of warfare and rushed in.
"Monica, I thank you!" Edelgard, taking her energy axe to an enemy's skull.
"Thank Lelouch," Monica said cheerfully. "You were right about him, Lady Edelgard. He's extremely capable."
"Thank Hubert," Edelgard said. "He was the one who assessed him."
"That's the one thing Hubert is good at," Monica remarked cheerfully. "Having an eye for talent." She then launched a fireball over Edelgard's shoulder just as Edelgard was moving away from the fireball's path, tagging a terrorist in the face, burning through armor and face flesh.
Edelgard chuckled. "Indeed," she said as she tapped a button on her axe handle, causing a chain to wrap itself around her left arm, the other end of the chain was connected to the base of the axe. She then launched her axe outward towards an approaching enemy and the blade of the axe smashed straight into the enemy's skull, killing them instantly as Edelgard then yanked it back with considerable force.
"Very impressive, Lady Edelgard! You're so strong!" Monica exclaimed.
Edelgard was going to respond to Monica's praise, only to gasp. "Pay more attention to yourself!"
Monica had little time to react as no less than five enemies came up from behind her. However, before Edelgard could move in to offer Monica assistance, all five were cut down by a silver energy sword.
And that was how Byleth Eisner and Edelgard von Hresvelg met on the battlefield. For the briefest of moments, Byleth and Edelgard's gazes met, sending the white haired girl's heart aflutter as her gloved fingers reached towards her lips.
For Byleth's part, she looked from Edelgard to Monica and noticed they were both uninjured, and then she proceeded to look for other nearby enemies that needed slaughtering.
"Was that the woman you were telling me about?" Edelgard asked.
"Yes! She's the one that rescued us earlier," Monica said.
"I'd like to fight closer to her if possible," Edelgard told her subordinate. "Carve me a path."
Monica's hands radiated with flame. "With pleasure!"
Elsewhere on the battlefield, Dimitri was impaling an approaching enemy with his energy lance. "Annette, I thank you for coming to my aid. I dread to think what might have happened if we hadn't received backup!"
Annette continued to fire bolts of wind magic at approaching enemies, covering Dimitri's flank as he did most of the heavy lifting, occasionally doubling back towards enemies that were attacking her from behind. "Don't worry, Your Highness! I have your back!"
As more and more enemies began to encroach, Dimitri performed the same tech as Edelgard, wrapping a chain around his lance arm and hurling it towards an enemy's face before reeling it back in with a firm yank on the chain. He and Annette slowly began to fall back to back. "This takes me back to when training would go awry with your father, Annette. Glen, Sylvain, Felix, Gustave and I would sometimes draw a pack of wolves or bears from stepping into the wrong place unattended."
"Save the reminiscing for once we're in the clear," Annette said to him. "We'll make it out alive."
"Of that I have no doubt," Dimitri said. "Cover my back, Annette!"
"I'm your girl!" Annette declared and gave Dimitri an opening by firing wind magic at the closest enemy.
When it came to combat, Claude von Riegan wasn't exactly someone that liked to get up close and personal. He preferred to keep his distance. It would explain why his arsenal consisted of six energy sidearms and one rifle. Of course, Claude also had to be a show off without an audience as he began spinning the handguns or firing in unorthodox poses such as under the leg or without looking at his target. He then watched Leonie come to his rescue, a gun in each hand, shooting enemies without remorse.
"Ah! My savior has arrived," Claude said, half-serious. "I was beginning to think I'd have to write what I wanted my epitaph to be in my own blood."
"Well, guess you'll have to die another day," Leonie said and took out a long rifle, getting down on one knee by Claude's right hip. "If we back up towards an unburnt tree, we only have to worry about what's in front of us. Can you give me covering fire?"
"I was just about to suggest that," Claude said. "Except I wanted to be the one receiving covering fire."
"I'm almost out of energy cells on my handguns. I've got way more ammo for my long rifle, plus my energy lance is still at half-charge," Leonie told him.
"Makes sense," Claude said and took out two yet to be used guns. "I'll get us a nice tree with plenty of shade and very little scent of smoke. We can build a campfire in front of it, roast marshmallows over our enemies."
"If you have time to fire your mouth," Leonie said as she took a shot and quickly replaced the cartridge. "You have time to fire your weapons."
"Yeowch," Claude said sarcastically, laughing. "Yes, ma'am."
Most people in the Green Pheasants would think that Kaguya Sumeragi did not have what it took to defend herself amidst chaos. Those people would be dead wrong.
Aside from access to thunder magic, Kaguya was quite handy with a long-range energy rifle. As one enemy fell to her magic, she pumped her rifle, adding some charge back to it with some magic, took aim and fired at another approaching enemy. Still, despite her spirited defense, she was slowly getting surrounded.
Fortunately, Kallen quickly made it to her, carving through enemies like an enraged Barbarian. "A thousand apologies, your majesty. Are you hurt?" Kallen asked as she stood in front of the shorter Kaguya, glancing back.
"Your arrival is timely, Kozuki-san," Kaguya told her. "I am in your debt."
Kallen looked at the approaching enemies. "This is a real pain in the ass," she grumbled.
"I wonder what brought all of these terrorists here. They seem to have it out for specifically myself and the other house leaders," Kaguya said.
"Don't know. But what I do know is that they're all going to get a face full of my axe!" Kallen shouted. She then let out a furious scream and went back to cutting down anything that got within her axe's reach that wasn't a friendly.
She's a bit hot headed and spirited, but she's a capable warrior, Kaguya thought. Kozuki Kallen, I thank you for coming to the Green Pheasants.
Under most circumstances, Marrybell was cool as a cucumber, able to handle herself in battle no problem. However, the fire and explosions were triggering her PTSD, causing her to remember the awful event that took her mother, sister and home away from her. So, here was the fifth house leader, running for her life in a panic, panting heavily, begging the goddess to bring Oldrin to her. She craved rescue. She was in a manic, panicked state, only able to shoot magic at whatever she couldn't run from until she walked near straight into a building that had caught fire from an explosion.
With enemies approaching from behind and the burning building in front of her, Marrybell felt faint of heart and even fainter of lung. She thought she was going to pass out. That was when she heard the enemy screaming in agony. She turned to see Lelouch approaching.
"I figured without Oldrin around to back you up, you might need a hand," he said.
"L-Lelouch," Marrybell was surprised to see him.
"If you consider my aid further incentive not to rat me out to the homeland, I'll get you to Oldrin without a scratch," Lelouch said with a smug smile. "Do we have a deal?"
Marrybell stared at him, not happy about being taken advantage of. But she knew she would do the same if the situation was reversed. "Very well. I will accept, at least, that you are a man of your word, Lelouch."
Lelouch bowed, keeping up a cheeky smile. "Your safety is at present my priority, your highness."
"Keep those fingers where I can see them," Marrybell said, frowning. "I can almost see them crossed behind your back."
"Ha ha ha ha," Lelouch laughed amicably, "You wound me, but fair. No double crossings here, though. I have only the best intentions."
Marrybell stared at Lelouch, but she decided to put the matter aside. If she was going to get out of this, she needed his help.
Whilst the house leaders were aided with the corresponding member of Lelouch's unit, Byleth continued to carve a path through the enemy in search of a leader. Eventually, she found one. He wasn't hard to spot. He was the loudest, most obnoxious man on the battlefield and the only one with a custom HLKMF.
The personalized hard light mecha stood tall at 3.3 meters. The armor had a fake fur pelt with a wolf's head over the knightly looking helmet and the rest of the armor was bulky, especially around the abdominal region. The armor was silver with brown accents to it, but the helmet's visor emitted red light. The HLKMF carried two weapons: an absolutely massive spiked club in the right hand and a smaller "knife" in the left. Of course, given the size between the sword and a human, it was more like a zweihander if it were in human and not mecha hands.
"Remember!" The owner of the HLKMF shouted. "We're getting paid good money for the heads of these rich brats! Get 'em all!" He appeared to be radioing others under his command not at Byleth's location. He then noticed Byleth. "Hey! You with the blank stare! Outta my way!"
Byleth did not listen. Instead, she held up her currently off energy sword and then turned it on. The silver energy shot out of the blade's handle to two meters outward with a humming Shhhhnk and then stabilized.
"Do you have wax in your ears, you dumb broad, or are you just stupid?! This here is an HLKMF, my prized possession the Iron King's Thief! You really think your puny light saber is gonna even put a dent in this thing?!"
Byleth answered by charging forward.
"FINE! If you're in such a hurry to die, then I'll send you on your way! You'll rue the day you made an enemy of Kostas!" The terrorist leader swung his massive club down at Byleth, but she dodged to one side. He then swung the knife out, releasing a gray energy beam from it without even having to move from his spot as he slowly lifted the heavy club out of the ground.
Byleth leapt back, analyzing the situation. This was going to be difficult alone.
"Hmm?"
She turned her head when she heard approaching footsteps, finding Edelgard and Monica—though she didn't yet know their names herself—approaching her, seemingly out of breath.
"You are…quite hard to keep up with," Monica panted.
"Oh. It's you two," Byleth said of their presence.
Two machine gun turrets popped out of the shoulders of the Iron King's Thief and opened fire. Byleth, Edelgard and Monica scattered in different directions.
"That's quite the HLKMF!" Monica exclaimed. "Lady Edelgard!" she shouted across the battlefield.
"I know!" Edelgard shouted as Byleth circled her flank and now stood just outside arm's reach of her. She looked at the blue haired woman. "I owe you for saving Monica, but now is not the time for gifts." She gazed at the Iron King's Thief. "The legs are certain to be the weak point. If you draw its attention, Monica can offer you suppressive fire. Once I've destabilized its movement, can you go in to finish it off?"
Byleth nodded.
"Very well then," Edelgard said as she dismissed the chain on her energy axe, simply grasping it with both hands. "We shall prevail!"
Edelgard began to flank the Iron King's Thief as Kostas, inside the 3-meter mech saw her circling around him, scrunching his nose and gaping with his missing teeth. "What's she up to?"
Byleth did not give him a chance to think on it. Magic recharged a little, she flung a fireball at the center of KMF.
"You punk!" Kostas shouted and took a massive swing with his club at Byleth who dodged the attack, drawing his attention from Edelgard.
Monica then began bombarding the weapon before Kostas could pick it back up with charges of the much stronger fire spell Bolganone, cracking the integrity of the weapon and causing the whole KMF to glitch.
Kostas frowned so hard inside the apparatus that his beard started to itch. "BRAT!" Lifting his mighty club, he held it aloft by his shoulder and began firing energy blasts out of his knife as he swung it haphazardly in every direction.
Monica gasped, her physical fitness not at the level to do anything about that many energy arcs speeding towards her.
Byleth's athletic ability was however. And as she leapt in front of the blasts, her energy sword began deflecting and sending way off course every single one of Kostas' attacks.
Kostas was dumbstruck. "That's impossible!" He shouted. "No unaugmented human should be capable of deflecting attacks that strong. Unless…no…does she…DOES SHE HAVE A CREST?!"
His rant was cut off by an alert to his onboarding interface that his left leg had taken damage. He turned and struck at Edelgard with his knife. She parried it with her axe, but her weapon received serious damage.
Then, with a sideswipe of his massive club, he smashed Edelgard in the side of her hip and sent her tumbling along the ground.
"Lady Edelgard!" Monica shouted as Edelgard's hip was broken on contact. She dropped her weapon and rolled along the burning battlefield.
Kostas then took aim at Edelgard with his shoulder mounted machine guns. "EAT THIS!" He shouted.
He then opened fire.
Monica would never make it and she cursed that she didn't know how to cast Rescue, which would have brought Edelgard to her side in an instant. Byleth, however, was fast enough and decided to get in between Edelgard and the bullets. She deflected a lot of them, but there were too many and she started taking wounds in the shoulders and legs.
And then, while Byleth was gravely injured, Kostas raised his massive club and swung down to kill both her and Edelgard.
However, before Byleth felt the end come…time seemed to freeze solid and she felt a strange sensation as if she was being pulled into her own subconsciousness.
? ?
When Byleth could see again, she was in a black void. And then, she saw a familiar small girl with green hair sitting on a throne. It was the only thing in this void that was illuminated that wasn't Byleth herself. The small, childlike green haired girl was scowling at her. "Honestly! What are you accomplishing with that little stunt? Ooh! Look at me! I have to be the big hero! It's like you're trying to get me killed, you fool!"
Byleth just gave the girl a blank stare…only to avert her gaze and gaze down towards her sword arm, almost in shame.
The girl on the throne sighed. "Well, it's fine. After all, if you don't know the value of your own life, you're not going to protect it very well, are you? Course not."
The little girl stood up and clapped her hands. "Well then, I guess it's up to me to guide you from now on. Right? You can call me Sothis. But I am also known as The Beginning." She then paused as if something seemed off to her. "Sothis…yes. That is it. My name is Sothis. And I am also called The Beginning. But…who once called me that?"
"What are you talking about?" Byleth asked. She had met this girl before, but only once and she certainly had not given Byleth her name.
"I was not able to recall my name, until just now," Sothis stated. "And just like that, it came to me. How odd." She then scowled at Byleth. "That look upon your face…did you think me a child? A mere child who forgot her own name?!" Sothis shook her head obstinately. "Phooey! That "child" just saved your life! And what does that make you?" She asked. She sounded like and looked like a child, but the tone of her voice carried with it the energy of a fussy mother.
"I'm…less than a child?" Byleth asked, feeling like she was being scolded.
"Correct! You understand. You threw yourself in front of a hail of bullets just to save one young girl. Yet all is well, as I have stalled the flow of time for now. You would have died had I not intervened."
Byleth bowed in gratitude. "Thank you."
Sothis smiled. "There now. Is gratitude so much to ask? I did deem you worth saving, after all. Though it is only momentary, time has stopped." She seemed surprised with herself. "However did I manage that..."
"What will happen when time resumes?" Byleth asked.
"The club will come down and kill you both by crushing you," Sothis answered bluntly. Her face became solemn. "How rude of you to drag me into this! Now what to do…"
"Turn back time?" Byleth questioned as if it were a natural thing to request.
Sothis brightened up. "Of course! I must turn back the hands of time! Yes, I do believe it can be done. You really are quite troublesome. I cannot wind back time too far, but all is well. You are aware of what's to come, which means you can protect yourself this time. Now, go. Yes, you who bears the flames within. Drift through the flow of time to find the answers that you seek…"
Tik
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12th Day of the Great Tree Moon
With a bad case of déjà vu, the last minute or so played out to Byleth in reverse. When she came out of the disorientation, her senses came in on Kostas letting out a familiar rant.
"That's impossible!" He shouted. "No unaugmented human should be capable of deflecting attacks that strong. Unless…no…does she…DOES SHE HAVE A CREST?!"
Byleth, this time, did not wait for Edelgard to attack Kostas. Instead, she pulled a gray crystal out of her pocket and clutched it tightly, pressing it to her collar. Monica knew what it was and she backed away immediately.
Energy surged from around Byleth as armor affixed itself to her in an instant.
Lelouch felt the energy surge from his location as he stood back to back with Marrybell and saw the shaft of gray light in the distance. He smirked.
"What's got you so reassured?" Marrybell asked.
"This battle is basically over. Tell me, Marrybell? Have you heard of the Ashen Demon?"
Swords upon swords launched out of the armor that was being produced by Byleth's crystal.
"The Ashen Demon? The most renown fighter in all the world?" Marrybell asked.
Thick, but nimble, virtual and metallic legs affixed themselves to Byleth's calves.
"The very same," Lelouch answered.
A terrifying helm resembling the jaw of a grinning demon formed itself over Byleth's head. The eyes glowed green.
"That's what that gray light is," Lelouch continued to explain.
Long, thin arms with claws as sharp as swords affixed themselves to Byleth's arms and a tail sprouted from her back.
"I had the pleasure of running into her when I was younger after my exile," Lelouch revealed.
The swords that had launched out earlier floated behind Byleth and coalesced in a shape to resemble wings.
"And I can say with certainty that when the Ashen Demon cuts loose, there are no bystanders," Lelouch continued.
Byleth saw a message on her interface as two energy horns sprouted above her head like a broken halo. It simply read: HLKMF Code Name: Ashen Demon Online
Lelouch grinned wickedly, "Only bodies."
"Wh-What the hell is THAT?!" Kostas roared, only to be met with the message that his right leg had been compromised.
"HEY!" he shouted as Edelgard tucked and rolled away from a beam emitted from his knife.
Byleth's HLKMF floated just enough off the ground so the tail could dangle in the air without being lifted up. Then, she turned her head across rather than looking at the ground and her mech seemed to screech. It charged forward, impaling straight through the armor of the Iron King's Thief as Byleth impaled Kostas contained within. She then slammed the virtual armor into the ground and shredded it through the ground and pavement below before hurling it at the side of a nearby mountain.
Then, one by one, but very quickly, all of the swords comprising Byleth's "wings" darted towards the bleeding, terrified Kostas and began carving him up like onions on a Hibachi grill.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Kostas screamed in both fear and later agony as the oversized blades turned him and his HLKMF into human tomato paste.
Byleth didn't stop with just Kostas, the Ashen Demon HLKMF turned and proceeded to clean house with everything that wasn't wearing a Garreg Mach Officer's Academy uniform. Marrybell was so shocked she ended up grabbing Lelouch's shoulders.
Edelgard could only stare at the carnage on display at the utter destruction Byleth seemed to have no trouble laying to fellow humans. Her mouth was agape at first, but, before long, a smile that would not have been out of place on Lelouch's face—in fact he was currently sporting the same smile himself—crossed Edelgard's lips.
The Ashen Demon, she thought, The peerless warrior. Who would have guessed it was in the hands of someone not that much older than me.
"Okay, whoever had Ashen Demon showing up on their bingo sheet, play the lottery tonight, because I guarantee you, you'll hit the jackpot," Claude quipped as he watched the carnage.
Byleth's HLKMF was well-known to the world, caught on camera often, but no one had ever seen her when she wasn't piloting it. Feared around the world for her ferocity, she wasn't just one of the best, many considered her the best. In fact, behind closed doors, though he touted that Bismarck Waldstein, the Knight of One, could defeat the Ashen Demon on his own, Prince Schneizel, the Prime Minister of Britannia, felt that it would take all of the Knights of the Round to guarantee the Ashen Demon's defeat.
The 10 citizens of the different nations making up Garreg Mach's Officer's Academy watched Byleth in action and could only be thankful that the harbinger of the destruction of armies was on their side. No, not just their side…their salvation.
It didn't take long for Byleth to wipe the absolute floor with what meant everyone in the surrounding area harm and she eventually came to land on terra firma, dismissing her mecha, and pocketing her HLKMF crystal, still with around a third of its full charge.
"That was so cool!" Leonie exclaimed running up to her. "Are you the real deal? Are you really the Ashen Demon?"
"Yes," Byleth said with a stoic nod.
"I never thought I'd be rescued by the Ashen Demon," Annette said as the whole group formed up to Byleth. "Today is just full of surprises."
"IS ANYONE HURT?!"
Ah and there's the cavalry, Lelouch thought. Suzaku was coming in with a platoon of soldiers. He had been assigned to help with the expedition despite normally being monastery security.
"Area secure," Byleth said, turning to face him.
"I'm sorry, who are you?" Suzaku asked, confused.
"I'm a different kind of terrorist," Byleth said with a completely straight face.
Claude laughed. "I like her. She's funny."
That was when another platoon of the Knights of Seiros came charging into the area. "Suzaku! What's the situation here?" A man old enough to be Suzaku's father—but definitely wasn't—sporting a beard and mustache, brown hair and blue eyes, asked.
"It appears all of the house leaders are safe and secure, Sir Alois. I was just about to interrogate this newcomer for answers. I think she's the one who saved the house leaders."
"It's true, we'd have died on this battlefield without her," Dimitri said.
"Is that so?" Alois asked. "Well, mysterious stranger. I suppose we owe you a debt of gratitude."
"You could pay me," Byleth said bluntly.
Alois laughed heartily. "Of course, of course. After all, you sure paid those terrorists what was coming to them, so it's only right we reimburse you. Ahahahaha."
The students of the Officer's Academy all seemed varying degrees of put off by the bad puns.
"Ugh, of course I can't just visit Rome without all hell breaking loose," a gravely voice commented. "No. Just can't pass through to renew my global travel visa and then take a nice spot of fishing. Gotta play hero after an impromptu mission as the western part of the city catches fire."
Alois and Leonie were marveled by who approached. "Why, I don't believe these old eyes," Alois said. "Captain Jeralt! Is that you?"
Jeralt groaned. "Oh, it's you Alois."
"By the Goddess, it is you, man! How have you been? I haven't seen you since you left the Knights of Seiros a little over two decades ago!"
"Not much. Started a PMC, but that's not important. I'd like to take my kid with me so we can get going," he said.
"Your child? I wasn't even aware you got married," Alois said. He turned towards Byleth. "Are you the Captain's daughter?"
"This man is a stranger to me. I don't know him," Byleth said with a completely straight face.
Alois laughed harder than before. "Ahhhhh! You're definitely related. She has your sense of humor. Captain, might you come back to the monastery with us after we set up camp. It could be just like old times."
"Honestly, my kid and I really ought to be going but…"
Alois got close to Jeralt and lowered his voice. "Listen, Captain, between you and me, things haven't exactly been above board since you left. The current Knight Captain just quit and everyone's scrambling to ensure security. This year is a really important year given who our students are. If only for a year, it would mean a lot to me if you came by, even for a little while."
Jeralt groaned. Even if it wasn't his old buddy Alois asking him for a favor, he knew it was better to go with it than try to fight the Knights of Seiros. "All right, fine. You hear that, kid? We're gonna be camping with the knights. Be on your best behavior."
Byleth nodded wordlessly.
That was when Jeralt spotted Lelouch in the crowd. "Well, if my eyes don't deceive me. Look who crawled his way to Garreg Mach. Didn't expect you to end up here of all places, Lelouch."
Everyone turned to look at Lelouch, even Suzaku.
Lelouch didn't even bat an eyelash. He simply smiled. "Uncle Jeralt, you look as old and crusty as the day we parted ways at Ashford."
Not only did Claude laugh, so did Jeralt. "Ah, you haven't changed a bit, I see. Still running your mouth off."
"Uncle Jeralt?" Leonie asked, wide eyed. "You're related."
"Eh, he's my wife's sister's kid, but yeah, we're family," Jeralt said.
Good. Jeralt's corroborating my story, Lelouch thought. Like this, even with him around, I can fly under the radar. Lelouch got a little bit of side eye from Marrybell, but he could patch that over later, he felt.
"Why didn't you tell me?!" Leonie asked. "You're Captain Jeralt's kin?!"
"I…didn't think it was pertinent information," Lelouch said defensively, trying to sound as honest as he could.
"I didn't think the Ashen Demon and the Blade Breaker were related," Dimitri said, bewildered.
"The Ashen Demon?" Suzaku questioned and then looked towards Byleth. "Wait, you're the Ashen Demon?"
Byleth nodded.
"Surprise, right?" Lelouch asked, walking towards Byleth. "Byleth and I might be cousins, but she acts like the best older sister I could ask for."
Byleth nodded, smiling this time as she glanced at Lelouch.
"Alois, is the expedition cancelled?" Marrybell asked.
"As long as no one was hurt, I imagine we can stay at the intended campsite once my knights are done putting out the fires," Alois stated.
"Bumming it in a tent with roast boar and corn?" Jeralt asked, rolling his shoulders. "Is it Thursday?"
"I doubt the knights are going to supply you with alcohol," Byleth remarked, rolling her eyes.
Jeralt laughed. "Ah, who cares? Beats a hotel."
Comfort in this man's head has its understanding reversed, Lelouch thought.
And with that, Jeralt, Byleth, the students of the Officer's Academy, and the Knights of Seiros made their way towards the intended campsite.
On the way, as Jeralt listened to Alois tell him stories, the house heads were all abuzz trying to curry favor with their savior.
"The way you handled the situation back there was astonishing. Honestly, I have yet to receive my own HLKMF, but I've played around with sims back in Fhrdiad," Dimitri told Byleth. "You showed me how much one can be a boon on the battlefield. I would be honored to learn from you."
Edelgard nodded in agreement. "Yes, your skill is precisely why I must ask you to consider lending your services to the Empire. I might as well tell you now. I am no mere student. I am also the Adrestian Empire's—"
"Halt, Edelgard," Dimitri chastised. "Please allow me to finish my own proposition." He turned his attention back towards Byleth. "The Holy Kingdom of Faerghus is in dire need of exceptional individuals such as yourself. Please, do consider returning to the Kingdom with me."
Claude jumped in to the conversation. "Whoa, there! You two sure are hasty. Trying to recruit someone you just met. Tactless, really. I was personally planning to develop a deep and lasting friendship on our journey back to the monastery before begging for favors. But it seems there's no time for niceties in this world. So, capable stranger, let's get right to it, might you consider a contract with the Alliance?"
"Obviously given her family ties to Britannia the choice should be obvious, should it not?" Marrybell asked. Her statement was chipper, yet curt in its delivery. "I would be honored if you were to join the Glinda Knights."
"No! Come to Kyoto House!" Kaguya exclaimed, getting in front of Byleth, lifting her hands with her own. "If you were to join us, we would be unstoppable! Japan could mend its relationship with Rome in less than a year's time!"
"You sure are popular," Lelouch said.
Byleth nodded.
"Hey, maybe we should give her a chance to breathe a little?" Annette asked. "We're kind of all swarming her, aren't we?"
"Ah, but isn't that the beauty of it?" Claude asked.
"You think there's beauty in this?" Annette asked, annoyed and concerned.
"He's not being serious," Edelgard pointed out.
"I think for right now, that's a matter for the church to decide," Lelouch stated. "No doubt upon seeing her old Knight Captain and his kin in tow, Lady Rhea will have words when we return to the monastery."
"Do you think your sister, er, I mean, your cousin is going to get assigned to the knights?" Annette asked.
Byleth shrugged. She wasn't sure.
Upon arriving at camp, everyone was allowed to reunite with their house and talk about what happened. Byleth ended up becoming extremely popular with unfamiliar faces. Of course, Lelouch's priority was elsewhere.
"Lelouch!" Mercedes flagged the young man down.
"Mercedes! Nunnally!" Lelouch raced over to them, out of breath before he was halfway. He held his knees, panting as he got within a few paces.
"Lelouch, are you okay? You didn't get caught up in that awful terrorist attack, did you?" Nunnally asked him.
"Unfortunately, I did, but I made it out of there. Byleth saved us though."
Nunnally gasped. "Big sis Byleth is here? Can we go say hello?"
"Sure," Lelouch said. He then stood up straight, having come down to Nunnally's level to speak with her. He affixed his gaze to Mercedes. "Thank you again for looking after my sister."
"Oh, no thanks necessary," Mercedes said. "Nunnally was just delightful," she proclaimed, bowing. "I would be happy to look after her for you any time, Lelouch. You can count on me."
Lelouch smiled, not really knowing why. Mercedes was…all right in his book.
He grabbed Nunnally's wheelchair and began to walk towards Byleth, but somebody came up to the two of them first. It was the brunette Lelouch had seen joining Nunnally's group in the Monastery parking lot. "Hey, Nunna," the girl said, winking. "Oh my, is this your brother? Goodness," she said, blushing a little. "You didn't talk him up nearly enough. He's quite handsome."
"Oh! Hello Miss Dorothea!" Nunnally exclaimed, recognizing her voice. She craned her head up. "Yes, this is my big brother, Lelouch. Lelouch, this is Miss Dorothea Arnault. She was in my group. She's an opera singer from Adrestia."
"Former," Dorothea said, bowing slightly. "But yes. I used to sing opera. Perhaps you've heard of it even all the way in Britannia, the Mittlefrank Opera Company."
"Ah, Mittlefrank, Enbarr's largest traveling troupe," Lelouch said, showing off his knowledge. "I'm afraid that's all I know of it though. I've never actually traveled outside of Britannia or Japan."
"Is that so?" Dorothea asked with a smile. "Well, I would be more than happy to give you a…private show if you asked nicely." She asked, winking.
"Rain check on that," Lelouch said, waving a hand up. "My cousin showed up out of nowhere during the terrorist attack and saved us all so Nunnally wants to say hello."
"All right, rain check then, I'll hold you to it," Dorothea said. Swing and a miss, she thought.
Gold digger, Lelouch thought as he passed her by with Nunnally's wheelchair.
"Mary!" Oldrin shouted, throwing her arms around Marrybell. "Are you hurt? I'm so sorry! I failed in my duties! We were pinned down by members of the enemy of our own!"
"I'm quite all right, Oz," Marrybell said. "Believe it or not, the Ashen Demon came to my rescue."
Oldrin was shocked. "The Ashen Demon?!"
Marrybell nodded. "As hard as it is to believe, despite our prayers to the Goddess, it was a demon that saved us."
Oldrin laughed. "I'm just glad you're safe, Mary. I don't know what I would do if I lost you."
Marrybell smiled. "Me too, Oz. Me too."
Whilst the camp settled down, high on the nearby hills, a figure in an HLKMF was talking over a secure channel with a man whose face was framed in shadow. The HLKMF was well armored all up and down the body with a long robe around the shoulders like a mage's shawl. A big crest went back and behind the head and a mask barely imitating an androgynous human lay in place of the typical visor.
"Kostas has failed us," the armor wearer said to the person through the video chat via their computer cube.
"How much does that set us back?" the man in the video asked.
"Barely a blip on the radar. I should have kept my expectations tempered," the armored figure stated.
"Pity."
"But, all is not lost. A new development has occurred," the armored figure continued. "During the battle, someone unexpected joined the fray and now appears to be sticking with the other students: The Ashen Demon."
The figure in the video seemed to stiffen momentarily. When the moment passed, they said, "Is that so?"
"Yes. I confirmed it with my own eyes. There is no mistaking the warrior all battlefields fear," the armored figure said.
"Well, be that as it may, we need to focus on our next move," the man said.
"I leave that to you," The armored figure said. "For now, I will just watch."
"Don't forget our expectations of you…Flame Emperor."
There was a long pause before the figure identified as the Flame Emperor responded, "I will be sure to live up to them…Lord Arundel."
13th Day of the Great Tree Moon
Lelouch was tending to cooking breakfast with his unit when there was commotion by the front of camp. He gazed over and he really could not believe what he was seeing. Shez had a sword…aimed at Byleth.
"Monica, watch the beans for me," he said. "I need to solve a family dispute."
"Y-yeah…"
"How dare you show your face around here, Ashen Demon!" Shez shouted.
"You're making a scene," Byleth said calmly.
"What's going on over here?" Lelouch asked.
"Oh, Lelouch," Byleth said, acknowledging his presence.
"Don't speak to my little brother as if you know him, Demon!"
Byleth didn't even blink as she responded, "He was my little brother first."
"Easy now," Lelouch said, getting in between the two women. "There's plenty of me to go around for both of you. What exactly is the trouble?"
Shez was fuming. "It's her fault, Lelouch. She's the reason you found me the way you did! It's all her fault!"
Lelouch looked at Byleth. "Is this true?"
Byleth nodded. "It was at the Leicester Embassy in Neo-Japan. Shez belonged to a group under a woman named Berling. I was responsible for wiping it out. My father and I had been hired by a different nation to break in and steal top secret information. It was supposed to be a stealthy affair, but Berling's group had the place surrounded."
"And you murdered everyone!" Shez shouted.
"I was doing my job," Byleth stated calmly.
Shez growled.
"I get the sense I'm no longer wanted in this camp," Byleth said with a frown.
Lelouch lowered Shez's sword arm. "Shez, I get that you want revenge, but stabbing Byleth now isn't going to accomplish anything."
Shez backed away, sheathing her sword and turning it off. "It's even really that I want revenge. When you're a PMC, death is part of the job. I just…I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me."
"It's tough losing comrades. I know how I would feel if something happened to Lelouch," Byleth said, "Or Nunnally. I'd probably hate you."
Lelouch noticed Shez glance to her right where no one was standing as if she was listening to an invisible voice. She then, after a few moments, gazed back at Byleth. "One day I will get stronger than you. One day I will dethrone you as the strongest warrior in the world. And on that day, you will be sorry, not for Berling's company, but as proof that your reign as the strongest isn't a given."
Byleth nodded, bowing slightly. "I look forward to it."
Shez hissed and stormed away.
"You keep odd company," Byleth said to Lelouch.
Lelouch raised an eyebrow at the comment, given the speaker. When Byleth didn't seem to catch on to the hypocrisy, an awkward silence ensued.
Instead, the woman changed the subject. "It really was just a job," she said.
"I believe you," Lelouch said. "And I don't hate you. You and Shez are just as much a sister to me as the other."
Byleth smiled slightly. "Thank you."
Lelouch went to go check on Shez, who was sulking by a tent. "Are you going to be okay?"
"Huh? Oh! Lelouch! Sorry, I didn't…what do you need?"
"Why are you so jumpy?" He flashed a wry smile. "Looking at porn behind everyone's back."
"No! I was not looking at…" Shez got a little irritated, but then reigned it in, sighing. "What do you want?"
"A brother can't check up on his sister?" he asked.
Shez sighed deeply. "I'm sorry you had to see that."
"It's fine, you made your point. But Shez, I see both of you as my older sisters. Please try to get along. I mean, I can understand if you can't forgive Byleth for it, but—"
"No. Like I said, death is part of the job. I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me," she said.
"Does this have something to do with the fact that you keep acting like you're talking or listening to someone I can't see?" Lelouch asked.
"Wh-what?" Shez asked, flabbergasted.
"Shez, I consider myself highly observant. If you were having hallucinations, you'd tell me right?" Lelouch asked, putting a concerned hand on her shoulder.
Shez smiled. "Don't worry about me, Lelouch. I swear I'm not going crazy. Although, I guess…hmmm…sometimes I guess I just…think about what my adoptive mother would say or tell me. You know, like a spiritual guide."
Lelouch noticed almost as soon as Shez spoke that she glanced towards her right shoulder. She appeared to be listening to something intently with the way her ear was strained. However, try as hard as Lelouch might, he couldn't catch a glimpse or sound of whatever Shez thought she was hearing.
He smiled. "Well, it's none of my business I suppose. We all have our secrets."
Shez smiled. "Yeah, I suppose we do. Oh. Just one question."
"What's that?"
"Does she know? About who you really are, I mean," Shez said.
Lelouch shook his head. "You're the only one I've told."
Shez nodded. "Thank you. That…means a lot to me."
Lelouch smiled and then walked away.
Shez let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding.
"I dare say, that brother of yours is rather sharp," an androgynous voice said inside Shez's head.
"I'll say," Shez said, aloud. "I'm thinking I might have to tell him about you sooner rather than later. If I keep lying to him, he might dig too deep and I hardly know about who or what you are myself."
"…I suppose that's fair to be honest," the voice responded. "But I would wait to see what your so-called brother does next. He has a revenge that drives him far bloodier than yours."
"Yeah…I suppose he does," Shez responded.
26th Day of the Great Tree Moon
After two whole weeks of camping, the students returned to Garreg Mach and business seemed to resume as normal. As Lelouch walked up the front steps, Nunnally's wheelchair in his grip, he was cheerfully greeted by a familiar voice.
"Greetings, Lelouch, nothing to report!" The Gatekeeper said to him. "Everything's safe and sound since you left!"
"Good to hear," Lelouch said with a cheeky smile. "It's good to be back."
27th Day of the Great Tree Moon
Unbeknownst to everyone, a new teacher was said to be joining the academy. In addition, today was the day that the students would be getting their primary teacher assignments so that planning for the mock battle could begin.
The Golden Deer were assigned the school's nurse, Professor Manuela.
The Blue Lions were assigned the father of Crestology himself, Professor Hanneman.
The Neo-Japanese, at Lady Kaguya's request, received a teacher of Neo-Japan's own citizenry, Kaname Ohgi.
That left two professors: the combat professor, Jeritza von Hrymn, and the Mystery Professor to be distributed to the Adrestian and Britannian students.
"Who do you imagine our teacher's going to be?" Sokkia asked, leaning over a desk. Sitting down was a fellow Glinda Knight, a man with auburn hair and yellow eyes by the name of Leonhardt Steiner. Sitting next to Leonhardt was a gentleman with gray hair and a scar on his face named Tink Lockhart. Sokkia suddenly shuddered. "I really hope it's not that Jeritza guy, he scares me."
"Say that Sokkia," Oldrin said, turning from the desk in front of the three knights, "And it's bound to happen."
Sokkia turned pale. "Oz! Please don't scare me like that! Is this cause I groped your boobs in the shower the other day! I promise I won't do it again, just please don't screw me like this!"
"Sokkia, calm down," Marrybell said with a chuckle. "I'm sure everything is going to be fine."
"Easy for you to say. He didn't almost turn you into a was," Sokkia said.
"It was your fault for pulling out your HLKMF when you weren't supposed to," Tink said.
"Shut up, Tink!" Sokkia shouted.
On the other side of the room, the Ashford group was also abuzz with speculation. "Who do you think's going to be our professor? I hope it is Professor Jeritza, he's big, strong and hunky!" Milly exclaimed.
"Oh come on, prez. Guys like that aren't they're cracked up to be," Rivalz groaned.
Milly bopped him on the nose with the eraser end of a pencil. "I'm not Prez anymore, Rivalz," Milly told him. "Do try to remember that."
"You'll always be our Prez, Milly," Shirley said.
"Oh Shirley, you know just what to say to massage my ego," Milly said, fluffing her golden locks. She then leaned over the desk towards the desk in front of her. "How about it, Lelouch? What do you think?"
Lelouch didn't answer.
"Heyyyy! I'm talking to you! Earth calling Lelouch!"
Lelouch didn't appear to be listening, but he wasn't asleep. His hand was scribbling…something in a notepad.
"Hey! Lulu! Why are you being so rude?"
Lelouch broke out of whatever thought process he was in. "Huh? Did you say something?"
"Nevermind," Milly complained.
Meanwhile, in the Black Eagles classroom, there was far less speculation over who would be the teacher assigned to the class.
"You're certain?" Edelgard asked Hubert.
"Fear not, Lady Edelgard. I managed to procure exactly the person we need," Hubert told her.
Edelgard smiled. "Excellent."
Sokkia had sat down and was nodding off to the point of almost forming a bubble of sleepiness with her breath when someone strode into the room. "Everyone, put all snacks and trinkets away, class will be beginning shortly!"
Sokkia woke up with a start. "Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?! I'm awake!" She then saw the last person she expected to see strolling towards the front of the room. "Gah!"
Oldrin's jaw dropped. It appeared that the Violet Tigers had gotten the mystery teacher, and it was far from who she expected.
"Isn't that…?" Shirley whispered to Milly.
Milly nodded with a firm. "Mmmmhmmmm."
"Heh," Lelouch said with a smirk as he watched a familiar head of blue hair stand in front of the class with a notebook and a baton. The owner put the notebook down and opened it to a list of student names for the Violet Tigers and then gazed across the whole classroom.
"Good morning, everyone. My name is Byleth Eisner, but you can just call me Professor. Starting today, I will be taking charge of the Violet Tigers. This is my first time teaching, so please bear with me. However, I hope we can all learn from each other throughout the year. Now, let's get down to the first order of business," Byleth said and smirked. "Do we have any plans as of now for the upcoming mock battle?"
(A/N: Byleth in charge of the Britannian house. I don't think many of you guessed that twist. The starting status quo is all but set. Just a little more to go. It might be at least a week before chapter 4 comes out though. I doubt I'll be able to write as much as I've done for the past few days during the work week. But, whether it's tomorrow, this Saturday, or next month, as always, from all of me, to all of you, let your hearts stay human and your wrath draconic. Ja ne!)