A/N: So, I've recently gotten back into Fire Emblem Three Houses, and all things considered I'm glad I did. It's one of my favorite games and has a story that I personally quite enjoy. Having said that, the game has give me a spark of inspiration. All I can hope for is to live up to any expectations I've set for myself with this.
Byleth Eisner is not someone who can easily be described as 'okay' at any given time. She has borne witness to many things that no ordinary mortal should. She has seen her family, friends, and loved ones all slaughtered many times over. She's seen the country of Fódlan at it's worst, war torn and destitute, too many times to count. And she has seen the poisonous influence of Those Who Slither in the Dark ruin and corrupt everything around her over and over and over again.
Suffice to say, Byleth hasn't been okay in a very long time. Wielding the full might of a Progenitor God, her dear friend Sothis, she's had a mirthless laugh many a time at how powerless she is to protect the people she cares for.
Using the power granted to her by Sothis, she's gone back and made every choice, tried every route, and still failed. Having given up on ever reaching an ending to make her happy, she has instead chosen to pick what she has determined as the best outcome and live with it.
She had gone back, one final time, and made every choice to maximize lives saved. She hates it, so much, that many people she cares about still died, but she knows there is nothing she can do to fight their fates.
This time around, she chose to teach the Golden Deer, hoping that Claude's vision of the world would bring a better future than she could give her students. As Claude was allowed to win, and his dream allowed to flourish, Byleth patiently waited.
After several years, she took a page out of a friend's book. Just like Seteth and Flayn, or rather Cichol and Cethleann, she disappeared without a trace. Her friends and students never saw her again, but she was always there at their funerals to mourn their repeated passing.
After reaching the final resolution, Byleth decided that she could never go back again, and sought out a way to ensure she was never tempted. After all, if she had all the power in the world, what was stopping her from sealing it away? It had been excruciating at first, this much power was not meant to be restricted after all. However, the pain soon faded, leaving her with the crushing realization that this is it, there is no going back from here.
Even with the ability to turn back time sealed, Sothis' power still lingers. Byleth knows that, unless directly killed, she will not die. It saddens her more than anything, and keeps her distant from other humans. She will outlive all of them, so it seems best not to get attached. It's the reason why she had never given her father's ring to anyone, she doesn't want to give away her heart only for it to break in what would be so short a time to her.
There are a few she could seek out and connect with that wouldn't be likely to die before her, but she has no clue if she can face them. Seiros is out, she had died a few years after peace was brought to Fódlan. And Byleth's thoughts on the woman are… complicated, to say the least. Indech and Macuil are disqualified as well. Macuil hates people, and while Indech is more friendly and personable, he lived at the bottom of a lake, which makes talking to him all the more difficult. Cichol and Cethleann are the only good possibilities left, but after everything that had happened and all the time that had passed between them, Byleth doesn't know if she can stand to look them in the eye without being overcome by sadness and grief at what had happened to them in oh so many of her attempts at a better ending.
Time. It always comes back to time with Byleth. It continues to march on after Byleth's decision, cycling through the years… Centuries… Millennia… How long has it truly been?
In the time since Byleth's final choice, the continent of Fódlan has broken up and drifted apart. Wyverns and Pegasi had gone extinct. Magic, monsters, religion, Crests, and large parts of history lay forgotten.
What is most baffling though, is that something else has risen to the forefront of society in place of Crests. Quirks, a power unique to the individual that had come from seemingly nowhere and swelled to the point that eighty percent of the population had one. It is a very strange world, but for Byleth, it's about to get just a bit stranger.
(Modern age of Quirks, Japan)
Byleth does her best to go unnoticed and fade into the background, anyone should be able to see that. And frankly, that's a major part of the reason what she's doing right now is so baffling to her.
It's late in the evening, and Byleth had been making her way back to her secluded apartment from a walk when she had heard a scream. Acting without thinking, she had dashed to where she heard the exclamation and came across a mugging In progress.
Before she could even process what she was about to do, she had leapt into battle to defend the victim, the Crest of Flames crackling to life beneath her skin as she gave the mugger a solid punch to the jaw. That's how she had gotten into her current situation, where she is currently battling the mugger who wields a minor blade Quirk.
Dodging another frantic swipe from the criminal, Byleth step into his guard and delivers a harsh blow to his solar plexus, relieving him of his breath, before landing a powerful elbow strike on the back of his neck and knocking him unconscious.
Surveying the area, Byleth makes note of the fact the victim has already left, and goes to do the same herself. However, before she can set foot out of the alley, something binds itself around her midsection and forcefully pulls her backwards. Stumbling and falling, Byleth reacts quickly and rolls out of the way as her assailant lunges for where she was, presumably to pin her down.
Standing up, Byleth takes stock of her opponent. The man is decently tall, with long bedraggled black hair, a pair of yellow goggles over his eyes, and a gray scarf sitting wrapped around his shoulders. Byleth knows who this man is, he actually lives in her apartment block, but more importantly he's the Underground Pro Hero Eraserhead. Heroism is a profession that evolved as Quirks became more prominent in society, becoming a necessity as Villains also arose and misused their powers for personal gain.
Byleth's face remains a passive mask of the emotionless state that she had returned to after making her final decision, but internally she's kicking herself, 'Idiot, you know you live in the same area as at least one Pro Hero, so why the hell did you decide to break the law less than a block away?'
Using one's Quirk to fight crime without a license is illegal, and while Byleth's abilities are far from a Quirk, no one is going to accept that explanation.
Byleth nods to the Pro, her voice level and monotone as she speaks, "Eraserhead, that wasn't very polite of you. Is that how you greet all your neighbors?"
The Hero snorts, "Well, not all of my neighbors are Vigilantes, so it's not my job to fight them."
Byleth hums quietly, "I suppose, but trust me when I say I don't make a habit out of this."
Eraserhead's mouth presses into a line, "I believe you, you haven't exactly shown signs of this behavior before. Even so, the law is the law. If one exception is given it only gets harder to justify refusing to give them out."
Byleth's mouth tilts downwards slightly at the corners, "Let me guess, you need to take me down to the station?"
The Hero nods. Byleth just lets out a sigh and looks down, thinking of how things had gotten to this point. While her seafoam eyes are directed downwards, she can see her mint green hair falling over her shoulders.
Over the years, Byleth hasn't changed much, but the clothes she wears have. She can't exactly go running around in her mercenary garb, so she had to change things up. On most days, like this one, she chooses to wear a pair of comfortable jeans, a shirt with some phrase or slogan she finds humorous printed on it, and a hooded jacket.
When she turns her eyes back up to Eraserhead, Byleth makes a decision, "I can respect that Eraserhead, but I can't afford to be arrested."
Byleth's legal papers are barely cobbled together and half fake, too close an inspection after something like an arrest would only lead to more trouble. Before the Pro can react to her words, Byleth is already in his guard and delivering a swift kick to his chest.
Eraserhead staggers back, but not as much as Byleth would have liked, forcing her to leap away to dodge his Capture Scarf. Byleth brings her hands up and chants a short phrase under her breath, expelling flame from them and forcing Eraserhead back.
While he dodges away, the Pro makes eye contact with Byleth and activates his Quirk, but is shocked to find that doesn't stop the flames she's producing, 'That's not a Quirk? What the hell? Just who is this lady?'
Seizing her chance, Byleth executes what Claude would have called a double-time tactical retreat. Leaving the shocked Hero behind, Byleth makes a break for her apartment, taking the stairs up to her floor three at a time. When she makes it inside, she secures both of the door locks and goes around to ensure the windows are also secure.
Flopping onto her couch with a grunt, Byleth is left with one thought in her head, 'What the fuck was I thinking?'
A/n: So, what do you think? Frankly, I'm not 100% certain on where this is gonna go, but I'm excited as hell to find out! See ya