Chapter 50: Forged from the Sky

"How certain were you of this path?" Linhardt asked as they wandered through the tunnels with a frown on his face, looking over his shoulder at Constance. The girl merely scoffed at him in response.

"The skills of House Nuvelle are not to be underestimated!" She proclaimed instead "I am certain that this is the right path."

"If you say so…" Linhardt turned back around "Feels as though we've been walking for a week. Are you sure we aren't lost?"

"A week?" Hapi scoffed "Ridiculous. It's been a few hours at most."

"Exaggerations aside, if this takes much longer I am concerned about our current supplies." Edelgard pointed out with a serious expression "If this continues further on with no end in sight, I fear we may have to turn back."

"I mean…we could always ask Sparkles to teleport us back?"

"Do I have the appearance of a personal carriage, Von Riegan?" Goetia shot back at the boy with a hint of irritation in his voice "I am not here to chauffeur you around ruins. Whether or not you are present makes no difference to me."

"And leave you alone to take the glory?" Constance shook her head with a smirk "I think not! Willing as I am to become a student of yours-"

"Wait, what?" Lysithea blinked in surprise at the sentence, sending a questioning look towards the tanned man who stared straight ahead.

"-I shall not allow this opportunity to slip through my fingers so easily!"

"Constance, if I might ask." Dimitri suddenly asked, tilting his head in curiosity "You have become rather fixated on the Chalice since we first heard of it and - were it not for Goetia - I would say you are the most motivated to claim it. Care to explain?"

"H-huh? Oh…I…no." Constance stuttered at the sudden question, trying to swiftly compose herself once again "W-why would I be fixated on such a silly little legend…for some supposed ulterior motive? Ahaha…" her tone of voice was forced and jilted, sounding unconvincing to all those who heard it.

"Ha." Yuri snorted from the front of the group "You just want the esteem that comes with finding it. You think that the Church will restore your House if you present them with the Chalice." the boy explained with a wry smile on his face and a hint of amusement.

"Uh! How could you possibly know that?!" Constance demanded, half-glaring at the boy before her face gave way to shock "Have you been snooping around within the very confines of my mind!?" she accused, pointing at him as she did so.

"I shall restore House Nuvelle to its former glory at all costs!" Yuri spoke in an exaggerated voice before shaking his head and chuckling "Haha! I can practically hear that catchphrase already."

"Did he actually read her mind?" Sothis whispered to Goetia with a suspicious glance in the young man's direction. Goetia responded with dead silence and a flat look towards the Goddess before he looked away. "I'll take that as a no then."

Linhardt, however, widened his eyes and snapped his head towards Constance with sudden comprehension "Aha! I knew the name was familiar to me! Then you truly are of House Nuvelle, aren't you?"

"House Nuvelle?" Byleth voiced out in confusion, turning around and staring at the young woman with her usual blank expression, tilting her head ever so slightly as she observed the girl. Frankly, it was hardly a surprising revelation given the manner in which the girl spoke and acted was very much in the same league as the other Nobles she had met at the monastery.

With the notable exception of Claude, although he was apparently unusual even amongst unusual nobles.

"It was an old family of viscounts until a few years ago, living in the West of the Empire." The green haired boy explained easily, not noticing the gradually darkening scowl on Constance's face as he spoke, intermittent with shame.

Edelgard released a deep sigh as she rubbed her forehead "House Nuvelle lost its status five years ago as a result of their part in the war."

"...Huh." Constance curled her lip at Edelgard "You speak as though it has nothing to do with you."

"...I fear all I can do is ask for forgiveness in place of my useless father." Claude and Dimitri shared a look at the mention of the Emperor being so casually insulted "If doing so will comfort you in any way, then please accept my-"

Constance scoffed "Save your breath. That will not be necessary. There is only one thing I desire." she remarked, placing a hand on her chest "For the sake of my parents…who fell courageously and selflessly in defence of the Empire. For them, I shall restore our status, revive House Nuvelle, and return it to its former glory!" she exclaimed with a certain level of confidence "All that I do, even spending each day advancing my magical prowess, is to that end."

"Wow…" Harold blinked at her in surprise from behind his helmet before smiling at her "Gosh, that's a lot of determination you have there, Lady Nuvelle. That's certainly a lofty goal…I wish you luck in your-"

"How shallow." Goetia simply stated "What will you do after you have achieved your goal - if you achieve your goal-"

"I will." Constance asserted with a determined expression "House Nuvelle will be restored to its former glory in honour of my parents."

"...If you achieve your goal." Goetia merely continued on, uncaring "There is nothing remotely unique about you. You think you are the only noble in history to have lost your house and strive to restore it? Do not get conceited. Just as many died and were forgotten as succeeded." he waved his hand dismissively "Even if you succeed, what is your goal after this? Merely become another House of Nobles in Fodlan with the same dull ambitions of simply managing your territory?"

"I do not see why I should seek to upend all that I seek to restore." Constance replied with a frown "I am merely fighting to return House Nuvelle to its former glory-"

"Former prestige." Goetia corrected "Not 'glory'. There is nothing glorious about another House of Nobles because they are all the same. They all have nothing of value to offer the continent. In the last thousand years of Fodlan's history you have achieved a grand total of nothing. Just an endless line of nobles who go out of their way to keep the status quo. There isn't even a hint of ambition in any of you…"

"He's got a point." Linhardt admitted with a tired yawn "Just think of how slow crest studies have advanced? If it wasn't for someone like Hanneman then we probably wouldn't have gone far beyond simply saying they were a blessing from the Goddess and leaving it at that."

"What, you want more information about them?" Lysithea frowned "Why does it always come down to crests anyway?"

"Aside from the biological benefits they provide?" Goetia paused "The prestige that comes from being in some small part related to the Goddess." he continued on "I will not comment on your utterly unremarkable system of governance."

"Hear that guys?" Claude snickered, "We're unremarkable." he pointed a thumb towards himself "Guess I don't need to try that hard to be remarkable!"

"But surely there can be some good that comes not as a result of crests, but of hard work!"

"Obviously." Goetia remarked with a roll of his eyes "Often it is humans who are at a disadvantage in life that are the most far reaching. For the simple reason that they have more to prove."

"Talk of our society aside for a moment." Hapi interrupted, giving Goetia a disapproving stare "What is so wrong with Coco not wanting to live in Abyss anymore?"

"Nothing. This place is a slum and I am utterly unsurprised that she would wish to depart this place." He bluntly remarked "But that is all I have seen of her ambitions." he looked towards the girl in question "Unless you have some end goal I am not yet aware of that goes beyond simply becoming another noble house?"

Constance remained silent, looking down at her feet in response.

"Hmph." Goetia scoffed, turning away from her and walking away down the tunnel "Think of an end desire beyond becoming a noble. Else you will find yourself back to where you began this quest of yours." he shrugged "But if you wish to be unambitious then that is your own prerogative. What is one more unremarkable human?"

"I mean, being unremarkable is fine." Hapi pointed out, crossing her arms and giving the man an irritated look "I'd much rather be unremarkable than what I currently am."

Goetia remained silent in response before he grunted "If you wish to remain unremarkable, then that is fine. However, you are in a naturally prestigious position." he pointed towards Harold "He is an utterly unremarkable man to the extent that not a single one of you actually knows his name."

Harold scratched the back of his neck as the combined set of eyes fell upon him "H-hey…I don't mind."

"And despite that, he is content with his life while being an utterly average man. There is - quite literally - nothing special about him in the least and despite that he is content with his place in life as he has little chance of betterment and has come to terms with that." Harold nodded his head "You - Nuvelle - are not like Harold. With the chance to become a noble once again you would be content to fall back into irrelevance…but as I've said, what is one more unremarkable human?"

"...So what is your name anyway?" Lysithea asked the man in a quiet whisper "Teacher knows so I'm curious as well."

"Oh, it's H-"

"Hey!" Balthus shouted out, interrupting the gatekeeper "I can see an end to the tunnel up ahead!" he squinted his eyes "And I can see light!"

"L-light?" Constance froze "I-it is already daytime?"

"Dawn, most likely." Goetia scowled "Unfortunate. It would be best that we resolve this swiftly and return to the Monastery before someone comes to wake me for my duties and finds both myself and my guard missing."

"That bad?" Yuri raised an eyebrow towards him.

"It will possibly lead towards the Church attempting further restrictions upon me." He paused "Combined with the presence of the Chalice of Beginnings being broken out of its seals it will no doubt cause Rhea to try and execute me for crimes against the Church." he nodded towards Harold "And for misleading him."

"But…you didn't?" Harold replied slowly "I came here by myself-"

"And you would do well to keep that to yourself." Goetia cut him off "Unless you have some suicidal desire to out yourself as a collaborator with a suspected enemy of the Church."

"O-oh…but it wouldn't be that…" He then paused, closing his mouth and lowering his hands to his side before staring at Goetia solemnly "...It probably would be that bad, wouldn't it?"

"Oh, yeah." Hapi nodded her head, staring at the pair "I guess then you really would be suited to Abyss. I don't think we've ever had former workers of the Church living with us." she shrugged, "If nothing else, it will be a novelty."

"Hmph." Goetia grunted in response "that aside, I can sense the presence of a number of magical entities ahead. As well as a ritual of some kind." he paused, reaching out with his senses "A greater ritual. The presence of a Bounded field exists beyond the edge of the cave."

"You mean some kind of spell, right?" Claude pursed his lips "Is it dangerous?"

"It is poorly concealed but I doubt that was the intention. I would estimate it to be an A rank spell. Impressive, considering what I have seen thus far." He admitted reluctantly, although he didn't sound all that impressed in the presence of the spell. "Given what we learned about the presence of spirits, I presume this to be the bounded field keeping the spirits of the dead trapped here as guardians of the Chalice."

"R-right…" Lysithea gulped loudly "T-t-the ghosts."

"Don't worry, Sprinkles." Claude chuckled, approaching the girl and patting her on the head. "Sparkles is here to protect you." he joked, stepping outside of her range when she swung at his limb in irritation.

"I don't need your pity, von Riegan!" She hissed at him "I-I-I am not some scared child! I-I-I can f-face gh-ghosts!" her stuttering and ashen features were hardly convincing.

Goetia was still staring ahead, frowning more heavily now.

"Is something wrong?" Byleth asked as she approached, looking between him and the entrance "Can you sense something else?"

"...The magical presence is strong but it is not bestial in origin." He replied "It is consistent with golems that I have known of…however they are much more powerful. Easily on par - if not stronger - than the phantasmal that myself and the Golden Deer encountered."

"You mean the blue lizard?" Claude's expression turned surprised before it tightened "How bad are you saying that is?"

"The creation of powerful constructs of this rank is rare enough that they would need a skilled Caster and a powerful source of magical energy to support their existence." He replied "I would advise caution…and that you leave the Golems - if they are golems - to me."

"Fair enough." Claude nodded his head "So that leaves us to deal with ghosts then, right?"

"You presume correctly." He replied, then started to walk forwards in the direction of the exit of the cave "I will be deploying more destructive spells, ensure you do not get in my way as I cast them. It would be unfortunate for you."

"Don't worry about that." Claude wryly replied "I saw what you did to the big lizard so I've got no interest in getting under that." he admitted.

"I feel as though we're missing something important here." Balthus asked, scratching his cheek "Did he do something impressive?"

"According to one of the reports from the Church, the Golden Deer were sent out to scare off a pack of demonic beasts." Yuri informed the man with a smirk "During the mission they were attacked by one of the larger variants, whereupon Sparkles there proceeded to burn it with a single spell." he paused "Or so the story goes."

"Huh." Hapi blinked "...Sounds exaggerated."

"You watch him casually teleport between here and the Monastery and open up some strange portal and you think that him killing a Demonic Beast with one strike is exaggerated?"

"Eh…point taken." Hapi shrugged "I suppose the Church would be reluctant to sing the praises of someone who isn't part of their little regime." she paused "Also, I'm just gonna call him scowler from now on."

"Scowler, ha!" Yuri snorted, shaking his head "That's a good one…leave it to you not to be outdone."

"I'm not trying to be competitive, that is literally his expression." Hapi dryly pointed out, gesturing to Goetia "He's done nothing but scowl and talk down to people. The Church might not like him but he'd fit in really well amongst them."

"You say that as though the Church holds the monopoly on arrogance." Yuri pointed out with a roll of his eyes "I've met plenty of people in my life who are just as bad and had nothing to do with the Church."

"Hmph."

The group emerged from the cave, wincing as they were suddenly flashed with the brightness of the sun. The students let out hisses as they held their hands out in front of their faces in order to shield their eyes as they acclimated to the sudden brightness.

"Ah…sun…great…" Claude got out through gritted teeth as he shook his head, rubbing his eyes "Oh boy…we were in Abyss for a while, weren't we? It's already dawn."

"And look up there." Dimitri pointed towards the sky, the group stared up and noticed themselves within a large ravine with a familiar looking bridge above them. "I believe we are beneath the Monastery."

"Always wondered what was down here." Claude remarked to himself as he walked forwards, placing his hands on his hips and tilting his head "Turns out its apparently the resting site of an ancient holy relic. The more you know."

"There could also be other dangers here." Ashe warned as he readied his bow, scanning their surroundings. The group had emerged onto a flat steppe, however lying before them was a thick forest with sparse room for viewing through. Tall tree's blocked their view. Worse than that, there was an odd chill in the air which didn't seem to be natural, even for early mornings.

"Then we should indeed be careful." Dimitri replied, tightening his grip on his lance and taking a step forwards, blinking repeatedly as he did so "If what the books warned is true, then we have a great many dangers to be on the lookout for. Not least of all the…spirits of the dead." he shook his head "Beyond that, if what Goetia said is true then remaining here and helping us might have dangerous repercussions for him if we dawdle too long and his absence is noted."

"You say that as though he cannot teleport with childlike ease." Edelgard replied with a raised eyebrow, shaking her head and looking around. "That said, this place does not look as though it has seen the touch of people in quite some time."

"With good reason." Goetia remarked from up ahead, the man standing at the base of a large metallic structure. The others turned towards it and found themselves transfixed by the sight.

It was tall, easily over three metres and made of metal. The rusted iron skirt covered where the legs would have been while large dirty bronze pauldrons rested on the shoulders, the arms long since detached from the body. The head of the body was armoured, with a face carved into it set in a permanent frown.

"What the heck is this…?" Claude asked himself, walking towards it slowly and staring up at the construct "Metal men?"

"A machine." Goetia informed him, reaching out and resting his hand on the side of the creation, the man frowned and narrowed his eyes. "Without maintenance…it was left to the elements." he stared down at the large gash marks in the armoured plates "And attackers. Necessary components were stripped from it including the power core." he stepped back "Not dissimilar to the manner in which the Heroes Relics utilise Crest Stones as a source."

Claude blinked at him "Then what about the Sword of the Crea-"

"An exception." Goetia remarked "And differing circumstances." his eyes narrowed "This is beyond you."

"I'm not that dull, I might not be the most magical student like Sprinkles but-"

"No. I meant this level of technology." He cut him off, furrowing his brows and pacing around the golem, looking at it up and down "It's only simplistic by virtue of materials available. Processed iron and bronze and yet it is more than a thousand years old."

"A thousand?" Dimitri widened his eyes, staring at it with renewed interest as he approached "You can tell?"

"Structural analysis can be advanced to determine the structure and age of an item." Goetia explained in a disinterested tone as he continued to examine the golem "Strange…there were a series of tubes which ran from the central core across the entire construct. Akin to a vascular system."

"...A what?"

"A heart." Goetia replied, staring up with narrowed eyes "This creation had some manner of fuel which was pumped throughout the body, presumably powering it."

"What type of fuel?" Edelgard stepped forwards this time, cupping her chin.

"I…do not know." Goetia honestly replied "It has been thoroughly stripped of resources. Everything of vital importance has been taken from it. Including the fuel source. Thorough work as well, not the result of an amateur."

"Mother of Stars and her soldiers of forged soil…" Linhardt widened his eyes in understanding "Forged soil! They smelted them! That's what it means, they refer to the process of converting ore into metal." he stared up at the ruin "Then these are soldiers of whatever the 'Mother of Stars' is!"

"...Which is concerning." Goetia remarked with a frown, looking around "I can sense the disturbance nearby but we have come under the effect of the bounded field."

"Then we are all doomed." A morose voice called out "I have been foolish, arrogant even…I have led us all to our doom where our souls will be damned for all eternity."

The group slowly turned in the direction of the voice, finding a glowering Constance staring at the ground. "Forgive me if you can find it in your hearts, but if that is not enough…then I offer my life in payment."

"...What is wrong with her?" Lysithea bluntly asked, turning to the Ashen wolves while pointing at the girl in question.

"Eh…Constance gets a bit different in sunlight." Balthus explained through a wince "She's a little bit more…doubtful of herself."

"Oh Coco." Hapi shook her head "It's fine. We're where we need to be anyway."

"Indeed, but we have rushed to our own graves." Constance argued back with a low groan "Our lives are forfeit-"

"Lady Nuvelle." Harold spoke up, stepping towards her and holding his hands out as he approached "We have a great many helpers here. I am certain that with what we all have, our time here is going to go smoothly and without issue! Even if we encountered a bit of trouble, we all knew what we were getting in for." he placed his hands on his hips and smiled at the girl "Trust me. No one will blame you for anything that happened."

"...But perhaps I should be blamed-"

"But we won't." Harold exclaimed with a cheery expression, looking around at the others "Right everyone?"

He got murmurs and nods of agreement from those present, save Goetia who was still examining the golem.

"Goetia." The man called out with a slightly strained smile "We aren't going to blame Lady Nuvelle, right?"

"Blame her for what? Leading us where we wanted to go?" Goetia gave the man a deadpan expression "She performed the task we asked of her. Whether or not we encounter obstacles is hardly cause for blame on her part. It simply lay outside of her assigned field of interest."

"...I think he means; good job for leading us here!" Harold gave the girl a thumbs up "So cheer up Lady Nuvelle! You're finally going to see the Chalice of Beginnings!"

"Provided we don't die and are turned into spectres." Constance murmured back causing Harold's expression to falter and his shoulders to drop.

Balthus pat the man on the back "Don't feel too bad about it pal, Constance is just like that when in sunlight. She just gets a bit sad is all, trust me…we've tried all sorts to cheer her up in the past but we find the best thing is to just keep her in the shade."

"I mean…that seems like its ignoring the problem-"

"What problem?" Yuri raised an eyebrow "We live in a dark cave under a mountain. We hardly get sunlight anyway-"

"Sunlight is healthy for the body." Goetia called out towards them, still looking at the golem with Linhardt and Lysithea at his side. "This golem was blessed. The power has been removed but it seems as though something had been keeping it repaired."

"Repaired?" Linhardt tilted his head "What do you mean?" gesturing to the body "It seems to be in quite terrible shape."

"Indeed…yet the rust only occurred within the last two hundred years." Goetia replied "So in the fifteen hundred years it has been active, why has it only now begun to fall victim to the elements?"

"...The blessing." Lysithea surmised, wetting her lips "You said something was keeping it repaired?"

"Was." Goetia frowned "Whatever had been keeping it active is no longer present. Presumably stripped alongside all the other systems allowing it to function. A mix of Magecraft and technology…odd. Such things are not attempted often and your society is far too primitive to construct something of this calibre, or there would likely be a greater number of them and more well known."

Linhardt gave a nod of his head "So they were made by the 'Mother of Stars' whoever she was…"

"Or whatever." Goetia frowned "Mother of Stars…a rather impressive title and often one afforded to beings of great power or influence. At times both. Perhaps a rivalling Divine Spirit?"

"Divine what?"

"A Goddess in contention with the Goddess of Fodlan." Goetia replied "Such battles are rare but not impossible. Usually fought through third parties, namely their religious followers."

"You said around a thousand years, right?"

"Yes."

"So that places this around the same age as the War of Heroes." Linhardt realised, frowning "Where it was said that the Fell King Nemesis lost his way after allowing his ambition to seduce him."

"And?"

"He was chosen by the Goddess for a reason." Linhardt pointed out, turning to Goetia "Perhaps he was merely convinced otherwise by this 'Mother of Stars' and fought against the Empire?"

"You mean he was seduced by some rival Goddess?" Lysithea stared at him in surprise "But that is-"

"Blaspheme to assume there is more than the Goddess? Maybe but does it not strike you as odd that the Goddess chosen champion and one blessed with the Sword of the Creator and some of the First Crests could fall into being a petty tyrant?" He asked, placing a hand on his hip "Would it not be more reasonable to assume he was perhaps manipulated by another entity who created these as well and the Prophet Seiros was charged with defeating him?"

Goetia paused "...A possible conclusion." he admitted, then looked towards the golem "However, that brings upon the question as to why constructs of a rival Goddess would be here, protecting an artefact of Saint Seiros?"

"...Spoils of war?" Linhardt guessed, then frowned "But then that would mean the Mother of Stars hasn't been active in over a thousand years. So she might have been chased out of Fodlan…"

"...Possible." Goetia admitted "But there is much to suspect and little with the ability to prove." the man remarked, shaking his head "We should focus upon one mystery at a time. The Chalice comes first, after which the presence of these Golems can be addressed."

"Are they truly that special?" Lysithea asked, tapping her knuckles against the metal skirt "They do appear imposing but if they can fall victim to the elements-"

"Many things fall victim to nature. That does not make them any less dangerous." Goetia replied with narrowed eyes before he shook his head, turning around and seeing the others still talking amongst themselves. "We should return to continue our advancement of this place."

The trio returned to the group, Claude looked towards the three and tilted his head "So, anything interesting about the large toy?"

"Nothing that the broken construct can relay about its capabilities." Goetia replied "Stripped for parts and possibly the creation of a departed Goddess but we cannot be sure."

"...That last one seems a bit important."

"It's mere speculation for now." Goetia dismissed "And could just as easily be another title for the Goddess of Fodlan herself as opposed to a rival. Whichever the case, our task remains unchanged." he nodded towards Constance "Will she be like that for the duration of the venture?"

"I am sorry to be such a burden." Constance bowed her head in shame "Truly my worthless existence must seem such a pitiful thing to one like you-"

"This is tiresome." Goetia bluntly stated, marching towards the girl and ignoring the sudden look of terror in her eyes as he easily reached her in a few steps and grabbed her by the chin, tilting her up to look into his eyes "You are under cover of darkness." his eyes flashed and the girl went dazed for a moment before her eyes widened and she recoiled out of Goetia's grasp.

"What do you think you are doing?" She demanded, scowling at the man "In fact where-" she paused, then looked around and frowned "It has become night so quickly? Was it not just the day?"

"...Huh?" Hapi blinked at her "Coco…it is the day."

"What?" Constance frowned "Preposterous. If it were the day then I would-"

"If we are done with this farce." Goetia grunted, turning around and walking away from her before Hapi stepped into his path and stared at him with narrowed eyes. "What?"

"What did you do to Coco?"

"I fooled her optic nerve into believing that she is currently viewing the world as if it were dusk as opposed to dawn." Goetia bluntly replied to her "Her self-depreciation was not something I intended to tolerate for an extended period of time. The effect will wear off within a few hours. If that is all-"

"Wait a second here!" She stepped out in front of him again, spreading her arms wide "You…you just cured her?"

"Temporarily." Goetia scoffed "And it is not a cure, it is simply a cheap illusion upon her own sight. She has issues relating to the sun and I cannot cure the mind nor do I have the will to do so to begin with. They are her own issues and she can solve them herself, but I will not allow them to jeopardize the task at hand." he moved past Hapi without a second word, approaching the foot of the steppe and the edge of the forest.

"Why are you all still looking at me?" Constance frowned at the group, placing her hands on her hips "We should make haste before the sun rises." the girl shivered "It is…erm…humiliating for me to be caught out in it. Poor for my complexion."

"...Ooookay." Hilda slowly nodded her head as she looked between Constance and Goetia "So…what now?"

"Now?" Claude shrugged "...We look to raid a holy site for an ancient precious artefact for fun!" he exclaimed with a wide grin "While we also avoid ghosts and whatever else is lurking here!"

Hilda responded to his upbeat tone with a groan "This is going to be nothing but hard work, isn't it?"

"Probably." Claude admitted with a smile, chuckling to himself at the way Hilda's face seemed to scrunch up even further in irritation and exasperation at the thought of having to put in the bare minimum effort required. "Relax, Sparkles already said he'd do most of the heavy lifting."

"Claude Von Riegan!" The boy in question jumped at the accusatory tone being hissed at his back, spinning around he soon found Lysithea aiming a particularly vicious glare at him "Are you trying to push all the work onto Teacher because you're too lazy?"

"I'm not pushing the work onto him, he said-"

If what they had been feeling before was a slight chill, then what came next was an avalanche of ice as the feeling of something washed over them. Claude's lips smacked shut and his eyes flew wide, instantly tensing himself for the moment in which he would need to run.

From the expressions on the faces of the others and the manner in which they all instantly drew their own weapons and went wide eyed like frightened animals, they all felt the exact same experience.

"W-what the heck-"

"The Bounded Field." Goetia stated, staring up at the sky and narrowing his eyes "There appears to be a greater function to it. The geas has been activated." He looked down at them "Avoid dying, this domain has just laid its claim upon your very existence. Should you die, your spirit will remain trapped here until the field is dismantled."

"Can you dismantle it?" Byleth asked, looking around in search of movement.

"If I find the anchor points, yes." Goetia nodded his head "A field of this capacity has to be maintained from multiple sections and they are easily discernible even from this location."

"...Where are they located?" Dimitri asked, already having an inkling as to where it was located.

"Through the forest." Goetia responded, instantly causing a grimace to flood the faces of those present, turning around to face the direction he pointed to, the man flattened his features. "Keep close and watch for movement. I will move to the front of the forest and enact a purification ritual to cleanse the location of spirits."

"So…protect you while you do that then?" Claude nodded his head "Got it." then shivered, looking around "Let's…let's get this done quick. I think I speak for everyone when I say this place gives me the shivers."

"T-that's because y-you're b-b-being a s-scared chi-"

"Lysithea." Goetia interrupted the girl mid sentence and turned towards her with a flat look "Do not attempt to mask your fear so unconvincingly. It is embarrassing for yourself." He turned away "Besides, there is reason enough for you to be wary of wraiths. They gain their power through magical energy…which they often gain through the consumption of human souls."

"...The consumption…of souls." Edelgard replied slowly with a gaze aimed at the man's back "Ghosts will-"

"Consume your essence to fuel their own existence, yes." Goetia informed her as he descended down the slight incline and approached the forest "Not these ghosts as the bounded field prevents that from occurring and transforms your person into a guardian of the Chalice, however whether you consider that fate better or worse is up to you."

"Great." Yuri pinched the bridge of his nose "Either food for the dead or slave forever…" the boy drew his sword, advancing after Goetia and furrowing his brows "How the heck do you know all this stuff anyway?"

"Wraiths are sometimes used by Magi to act as defensive familiars around their workshops." Goetia replied disinterestedly "For the express purpose that those capable of interfering with the mortal world are often powerful enough to - at the very least delay - the average magus."

"Why would anyone do something so grotesque to the dead?" Dimitri demanded, earning a scoff from Goetia.

"For the express purpose that this bounded field exists." He replied with a shrug "To act as guardians and protect something of value without concern for whether they shall disappear. Considering they stand in protection of a relic of the Church, it stands to reason that either Seiros or one of her disciples constructed this defensive field."

"You think the Church would condone this barbarity?"

"Condone? Hardly. Their tenants are rather clear when it comes to respecting the dead." Goetia stated as he came to a stop in front of the woods, looking down at his feet and burning a series of symbols into the grass around him "Although you will often find a good measure of hypocrisy involved when one realises that a method often looked down upon is rather useful." he paused "Although considering that the Chalice was said to have been bound by the Four Apostles, I suspect they had some part in this defensive field."

The others came to a halt near Goetia staring into the murky forest with their weapons drawn in preparation for any sort of offensive action.

"Oh, so the Church are hypocrites who use people for their own ends and throw them away even after death." Hapi grunted in response, "What a surprise."

"I am certain the Archbishop would never allow something like this to happen." Ashe replied swiftly, shivering ever so slightly as he drew his bow back "This is…how could someone do this?"

"You can debate the ethics later." Goetia replied as he finished carving the first of the symbols "For now, you can wait until I have completed the task at hand and then - once the Chalice is in our possession - you can discuss whether or not you would personally use a bounded field like this later. Whether you agree with it or not, the fact remains it is a useful defense and seems to have served this place well from would-be invaders for centuries."

"Those thieves were criminals and they deserved to face justice." Dimitri sternly replied "This…this is not justice. This is torture."

"Undoubtedly." Goetia scowled "It is sickening and made worse by those who can hear their cries."

"...What do you mean 'hear their cries'?" Dimitri turned to him furrowing his brows.

"They have been screaming at me to end them ever since we arrived." Goetia informed them with a tone devoid of emotion "Begging for death, as it were."

"Invaders…."

The group paused as a voice whispered out amongst the trees, soon followed by the rustling of leaves amongst the bushes and the presence of shadows moving between the shrubbery. The students tensed themselves as heavy footsteps started to approach them, the form of a man in plate armour emerged from the woods, wisps of grey smoke clinging to their body with a subtle transparent hue to their form.

"Trespassers…" The voice groaned out in an ethereal voice, strained and sounding as though it was on the cusp of crying out in agony "...Defilers…of the…Chalice…you…will…join…us…"

"Join…us…" Another voice groaned out in response, the eyes of the students shifted from the armoured man and towards someone wearing leather armour. This time with much of their body fully visible.

Lysithea paled rapidly as the glowing skull was exposed to sunlight, bright lights where their eyes would have been tracked their movements as long clawed bony fingers flexed themselves.

"...Join…us…."

"Join…"

"Die…"

"Invaders…"

"Trespassers…"

"Defilers…"

More and more seemingly poured out of the forest, wearing armours of all eras. Some nothing more than simple tunics or leather straps while others were wearing heavy armour that had not been used in centuries.

"E-erm, Sparkles…" Claude gulped as he took a step backwards, looking between each of the dozens of phantoms which emerged from the woods brandishing all manner of weapons. Axes, bows, swords and spears with some looking as though they were going to use their knife like claws. Some had the benefit of wearing helmets while others had their departed features on full display, exposed skeletons that glowed brightly and a disturbing focus about them. "H-how long is that spell going to take?"

"The Chalice…is…not…for…you…" The lead spirit growled out, raising a clawed hand and pointing towards them "Chalice…remains…buried…forever…the…dead…guard…it."

"You…will…die…"

"Then…you…will…"

"Guard…it…"

Several others finished the sentence, the students themselves snapped their attention to each and every speaking ghost in perfect unity in a morbidly amusing display. Going from one end of the departed formation to the other all while more shadows moved amongst the treeline, approaching the living.

"T-teacher…" Lysithea whispered out, stepping closer to the man in question while holding up her hands in preparation to deploy a spell "H-how long is it going to-"

A fireball flew out from the students, smashing into one of the ghosts and causing it to stumble back as the flames washed over it, chipping away at some of the smoke which clung to its body.

Everything froze. The attention of everyone, living and dead alike, slowly turned towards the direction of the attacker. Constance stood with her hand stretched out, eyes wide and looking slightly panicked as she realised what she had done.

"S-sorry…"

The wide eyes of everyone gradually turned back to the direction of the ghosts.

The lead spirit stared at them before it slowly raised the chipped longsword in its hands and pointed it towards them, its lower jaw unhinging itself and unleashing a high pitched scream from its body. The other ghosts soon joined in with the display before they charged forwards.

"Defend!" Byleth cried out, raising her own hand hand flooding magical energy into the spell before rapidly casting bolts of fire with no real effort made to aim in the direction of the charging ghosts, the attack struck several spirits and managed to destroy one when she obliterated the skull, however most of the spells flew either high or low and missed the targets.

The others managed to get jolted into action as the ghosts charged them.

"Their weapons are physical existences, their bodies are not." Goetia informed them as he continued to make preparations, looking wholly unconcerned at the chaos occurring around him "Utilise magical based attacks. I would advise activation of your crest when fighting them, even if they do not-" he scowled, an orb of light formed over his shoulder and vaporised a charging spirit "-even if they do not relate to combat, they will register your existence as a mystery in some small capacity which will allow you to harm them. If you do not have a Crest-" another orb of light struck a ghost.

"If you do not have a Crest. Avoid dying." He simply replied before closing his eyes and manifesting a ring of lights behind him, occasionally firing off everytime a spirit got too close to him as he started to chant under his breath in a language no one understood. "Exorcizámos te, ómnis immúnde spíritus, ómnis satánic potéstas, ómnis infernális adversárii-"

Claude ducked back as a ghostly arrow whipped past his head, Dimitri rushing past him and swinging his spear upwards to block an attack aimed at his head, the spear crashing against the axe and halting the movement as the boy grit his teeth in exertion.

"-ómnis légio, ómnis congregátio et sécta diabólica, in nómine et virtúte Dómini nóstri Jésu Chrísti-"

"I'm following his idea." Sothis nodded towards Goetia "Don't rewind time, let my power flow through you." The girl closed her eyes and exhaled, Byleth felt a rush travel through her body as her limbs felt as though they were suddenly loosened up. The girl moved at a faster speed, handily batting away the attack aimed at her before she struck her palm into the shin of the ghost and snapped its head back. The Sword of the Creator glowed as she swung down, cleaving through the spirit and causing it to disintegrate into motes of light.

"-eradicáre et effugáre a Dei Ecclésia, ab animábus ad imáginem Dei cónditis ac pretióso divíni Ágni sánguine redémptis.-"

Edelgard spun around, swinging the axe downwards into the guard of the ghost and wincing as the attack felt as though it struck a brick wall, the ghost holding strong against the shield before shoving the heiress backwards, only to receive a sudden attack from a blade of wind to the side, Linhardt followed the the attack with another one which had the spirit stumble again, allowing Edelgard to slam her shield into its chest and stagger it away before bringing her axe down into the leg.

The limb was separated but the ghost didn't so much as release a sound as it continued to swing its sword at her knees.

"-Non últra áudeas, sérpens callidíssime, decípere humánum génus, Dei Ecclésiam pérsequi, ac Dei eléctos excútere et cribráre sicut tríticum.-"

Lysithea was - for lack of a better word - panic casting in the form of high pitched screaming and wildly firing off whatever spell came to mind. Bolts of fire followed by continued blasts of heat erupted from her hand, then being followed by the casting of dark spells to carry on the topic. Whether or not she actually hit anything didn't factor into her mindset in the least, what she was more concerned with was keeping her attackers very, very far away from her.

"-Ímperat tíbi Deus altíssimus, cui in mágna tua supérbia te símile habéri ádhuc praesúmis; qui ómnes hóminess vult sálvos fíeri, et ad agnitiónem veritátis veníre."

The symbols beneath Goetia's feet flashed outwards, the wave of light erupting from his body and soon expanding away from him in a wall of glowing light. The spirits closest to him were hit by the wave first, their screams being cut short as they were consumed by the wall and vanishing into smoke. The spell continued to expand outwards, consuming everything before it before it extended into the forest, the wails of the ghosts were silenced as their bodies vanished into nothing.

Soon leaving behind not a trace that they even existed to begin with.

"...There." Goetia nodded to himself, turning to the others present "The ghosts are now gone."

"...Thanks." Harold sniffed, relaxing himself slightly "S-so are they all gone?"

"Yes." Goetia confirmed "One hundred and twelve spirits have been exorcised from this location." he went on "More than I was expecting."

"Then…they are at peace?" Dimitri asked, wetting his lips "That is…that is good." he shook his head, scratching the back of his neck "...All gone then?"

"All those present, yes." Goetia looked around.

"So…what type of spell was that?" Lysithea asked with a slightly shaky expression, still looking noticeably on edge "A-and…erm…can I learn it?"

"An exorcism." Goetia replied "A common exorcism. Usually to evoke spirits from areas or people. At times it was used to evict Daemon's as well, however that spell was far too weak to remove a being of such mystery as a Daemon. Such things require far more complex rituals and highly skilled exorcists. More so if the Daemon is fully realised." he shook his head "That aside, you need no longer fear the presence of the Spirits."

"G-good." Balthus grimaced "...I tried to punch one and my hand went through its head." he replied "How is the King of grappling supposed to fight if he can't grapple his opponent?"

Goetia merely stared at the man in silence before he turned back towards the forest "I'd advise you take several steps back." he suddenly spoke up "While we need not be concerned with the spirits. There is still the matter of the Golems."

"...Eh?"

A loud snapping sound echoed out through the woods, the telltale noise of wood being shattered was soon followed by the groan of a tree tipping on its side before the crash of an impact was heard. The students jolted, stepping back as metallic clanging noises akin to the grinding of gears rumbled out, growing louder and louder as they were interwoven with the splintering of wood.

Only Goetia remained stationary as he stared at the woods, staring at them with a bored expression as a huge shadow closed in on them.

A large metallic hand with five fingers emerged from the wood, the arm it was attached to was flattened and made up of multiple segments. The hand twisted and clasped against a tree, fingers digging into the wood and eliciting a deep groan from the plant before it roughly pushed it aside, sending the trunk crashing to the ground and tearing up the roots.

A second hand emerged and did the same with another tree, opening up a clear path as the hulking metal giant rolled out into the open. This one was noticeably different from the ruin they had seen. The shoulder pauldrons were deep red without a mark upon them with several spikes lining the upper parts of the armour. The head was featureless, enclosed in a gold metal helmet with a large ridge carved to look like a feathered crest running from the front of the helm to the back.

The colour scheme was also noticeably different, the predominant colour being gold as opposed to iron with the shape of a lion head carved into the chestpiece. Resting underneath the shoulders on each side were white kite shaped plates with red symbols marked into the front of them. Goetia recognised them as being that of the Crest of Seiros from the books, leaving little to the imagination as to who constructed them.

The golden helm scanned those in front of it, segmented arms falling back to its side as it rolled forwards before coming to a halt and seemingly glaring down at the arrivals.

The rumbling continued onwards as more of the golems - more like that of the ruined one they had seen - pushed their way out of the treeline. Numbering six in total.

"Invaders." The golden one rumbled in a distinctly feminine voice.

Sothis jolted in surprise at the voice as while echoed and reverberating, she recognised it distinctly as being her own voice.

"You have trespassed into this place. Return from whence thou came or face the consequences." The golem continued on, looking between each of them before it's attention fell onto Goetia, the being paused "...You are not of the Goddess."

Goetia raised a lone eyebrow.

"You befoul this sacred place interloper. Leave."

"No."

"...Hostile action has been authorised. Designation: Marcelle. This unit will cleanse this area of the intruders." Marcelle leaned back to their full height "Notification to all forces. Prepare offensive countermeasures. Activation of Lance of Light confirmed. Restrictions have been lifted on usage of Evlogía."

The right hand raised itself before it clenched into a fist, light extended from either side of the fist until it formed a spear. The being cocked the arm back into a throwers position. "Prepare to perish, foolish creatures!"

AN: A Demon using an exorcism. There's irony for you. Also, I doubt Goetia could exorcise himself, mainly because exorcising a Daemon once they have fully gestated is pretty much next to impossible so they get the Executors in and all that. Also Goetia isn't really a daemon anymore, or he is and he isn't.

It's a bit confusing. Either way.

Also, we meet the Golems and some more info on the 'Mother of Stars' I mean…it's all wrong but that's what learning is all about.

Another thing, when I said "Halfway done" I meant the current arc, not the story.

Anyway…onto the Omake which was inspired by some news I recently learned...Hehehe.

Omake: Idol Worship

"I knew your stupidity was present Solomon." Goetia growled at the man "Even towards the end, we all knew you were nothing more than a fool…"

Romani crossed his arms, staring back at the tanned man with a scowl to match his 'son'.

"Yet in spite of all of that…there was perhaps some small part of me that believed there was an essence of hope within your existence. Some small corner of your mind that might have been better than what you showed us. However…I know that there is no hope for you Solomon. You are as foolish now as you were back then, perhaps more so with your newfound human freedom."

"You speak bold words." Romani narrowed his eyes, leaning back into his chair "Bold words indeed…but that is all they are. Words. Actions speak louder than words and we both know who's actions are more far reaching."

"Indeed…their actions do speak louder than their words Solomon." Goetia sneered at him "And their actions might as well have screamed out for all to hear, even those who are bereft of the ability would no doubt cover their ears in a desperate effort to prevent themselves from listening to the actions."

"You're just trying to be clever now." Romani huffed, shaking his head "Just admit that I am right."

"You're an imbecile. A hopeless imbecile who has deluded himself into believing he has made the right choice."

"My choice is the right one."

"You got catfished by Merlin!" Goetia all but blurted out at him with wide eyes, pointing wildly at the screen "He tricked you for the better part of a year with a primitive act and you were blind to it. Your precious Magi*Mari is nothing more than some Fae living alone in the Avalon equivalent of a basement!"

"How do you know yours is even a girl!?" Romani shot back, rising to his feet "They are a rabbit Vtuber! Maybe they are secretly a guy as well!?"

"Nonsense!" Goetia spat out, shaking his head "Such simple tricks would never work on me. I am fully confident in their gender. Unlike you, I am not so easily deceived."

"Yeah right." Romani scoffed "Even if that's true, Magi*Mari is actually helpful in a crisis! What does rabbit ears do? Commit warcrimes?"

"Pekora." Goetia corrected him "Her name is Pekora and I think that understanding the value of morale is far greater than some flower throwing oaf parading around the world and trying to sleep with everything that can move."

"You aren't even her favourite Servant!" Romani pointed out, giving a harsh smile "She's in love with Gilgamesh! She even calls him 'Gil-sama'."

"That's because she hasn't gotten to me yet." Goetia countered swiftly "I am confident that the moment she see's my Noble Phantasm-"

"She'll curse you for wiping out the entire front line and being immune to Noble Phantasm damage for several turns?" He paused before crossing his arms "Or maybe she'll just steamroll you and laugh about how easy it was to beat you all while she's packing Castoria."

Goetia stared at him with wide eyes "...What do you know, Solomon?" his eyes narrowed "You've got an actual wife and you're fawning over the feet of a well known philanderer."

Romani choked on air "D-don't bring that up in front of Sheba-"

"You're still buying Merlin gifts!" Goetia bluntly remarked, pointing at the monitor "You spent a grand total of two hundred-"

"Okay, okay!" Romani waved his arms "...But Magi*Mari is better."

"At taking money." Goetia replied "But then again, what could I expect from mankind's greatest fool. The great King of Israel and one who received wisdom of God…reduced to nothing more than a common simp."

Romani smirked back at Goetia "Look who's talking or is that carrot pin on your robe just there because you are an advocate for a healthy diet?"

"...You're just jealous that Pekora is actually cute." Goetia scoffed "Magi*Mari? She is nothing more than a cliche magic girl. How basic you are, Solomon."

Romani's eyes darkened "It seems that there is nothing that will convince you otherwise."

"Same to you."

"Then Goetia…there is only one thing that can be done."

"I agree completely."

"Is it my imagination or have Goetia and Romani gotten a bit tense ever since we got the internet working in Chaldea again?" Ritsuka asked Mash as the pair walked towards the command room.

"I hadn't noticed, Senpai." Mash replied "Goetia seems more fixated on the monitor these days…maybe he found something interesting?"

"Eh, who knows." Ritsuka shrugged, "As long as they aren't at each other's necks, I'm alright with it." the boy stopped in front of the door, pressing the button and opening it up "Still, it's just Romani, what's the worst that could-"

"I am Solomon, King of Mages." Ritsuka stared dully ahead as Romani's body turned into motes of light, replaced by the form of a tanned man with long braided white hair and royal red robes "Goetia, it is I who shall cast down judgement on your evil thoughts with my own hands."

"Hah…hahahahaha!" Goetia threw his head back and laughed "What power do you possibly have now, Solomon? You think you can stand against me as a mere Heroic Spirit fuelled by devotion to an internet idol? I'll blast that empty head of yours into oblivion."

He rocketed forwards as Rom-Solomon started to weave spells and glare at his son.

Ritsuka and Mash merely stood in the doorway as the two started to fight before the latter turned to the former.

"I see what you mean, Senpai."